A Lesson

When people behave irrationally,

it's because their hope is being fed,

or their fear is being stoked.

The great misunderstanding about Machiavelli is that he was advocating in favor of shitty behavior (which is what assholes like Trump internalize in order to justify being totally without scruples).

The truth is that Machiavelli was just writing down his observations of the human condition.

It's not that we should abandon our principles if we want to survive &/or succeed, it's simply that people will abandon those principles under certain circumstances.

He who deceives, will always find those

who allow themselves to be deceived.

We're Here

This is where we are now.

Which is to say: We ain't dead yet, but the fat lady's warmin' up.

Overheard

Don't tell me what you believe.

Show me how you treat people,

and I'll know what you believe.

A Word From Mr Sunshine

Today's BlueSky

"Kennedy’s disgust with and devaluation of autistic people fits neatly into a eugenic logic that views health as virtue, and sees illness, or difference, as a kind of moral lapse which should be subject to punishment or censure."

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— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar.com) April 21, 2025 at 12:06 PM

The 5th

No person shall be ... deprived of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law.

• It doesn't say "citizen"
• It doesn't say "except for undocumented migrants"
• It doesn't say "white people"
• It doesn't say "unless some jagoff on social media decides he gets to make shit up"

Fifth Amendment
No person shall be held to answer for a capital, or otherwise infamous crime, unless on a presentment or indictment of a Grand Jury, except in cases arising in the land or naval forces, or in the Militia, when in actual service in time of War or public danger; nor shall any person be subject for the same offence to be twice put in jeopardy of life or limb; nor shall be compelled in any criminal case to be a witness against himself, nor be deprived of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor shall private property be taken for public use, without just compensation.

What is it you're having a hard time understanding? Assuming, of course, you've actually read the damned thing. And, of course, assuming you can actually fucking read.

Call It What You Want

... but it's prophecy, not science.

BKjr is doing what conspiracy fantasists always do. ie: He starts with his own pet conclusion, and then sets about fixing the "evidence" around it.

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Alrighty Then

I get it - I really do - there are very few choir boys on the top tier of our government. Partly because we need hard-headed people arguing out the best ways to make policy in a dangerous and unpredictable world.

But c'mon - Hegseth thinks this is one big frat party.

Now all we need is a few Republican Senators who can get their heads outa their asses long enough to pressure Trump into nominating better people.



Exclusive: The White House is looking to replace Pete Hegseth as defense secretary

The White House has begun the process of looking for a new secretary of defense, according to a U.S. official who was not authorized to speak publicly.

This comes as Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth continues to find himself mired in controversy. NPR has also confirmed with the same official that Hegseth shared details ahead of last month's Yemen strikes with his wife and brother in a Signal chat on his personal phone, minutes after being updated by a senior U.S. military official. The news of the second Signal group chat about the mission was first reported by The New York Times.

In March, Hegseth shared details about action against Houthi targets in Yemen in a Signal chat with top White House officials that accidentally included a journalist.

Days after the Signal leak, the Pentagon warned the app was the target of hackers
In the last few weeks, four senior advisers to Hegseth have left abruptly, some accused of leaking. They have all released public statements suggesting infighting within the department of defense.

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt denied that there's an effort to replace Hegseth, posting on X that President Trump "stands strongly" behind him.

Error-Filled

DOGE is trying to eliminate errors by introducing error into its process.

DOGE is trying to provide transparency by making their results less transparent.

There can be no better example of Newspeak than the bullshit Trump and Elmo are spewing all day every day.

The good news is that Elmo is being ushered out, with the potential for him to choose between accepting his role as fall guy, or paying an exorbitant amount to Trump for the privilege of having everybody but Trump slag him as the fall guy.

A Dead Christian

I have little use for Popes, or for any church leader for that matter.

I will say that Francis seemed like an OK guy, and that he tried pretty hard to reconcile the Catholic church's hardass bronze age bullshit with the real world as we understand it today.

But leave it to MAGA to take a decent guy and shit-talk him before he's even cold in ground.