The Frankish Reich

Hang in there, buddy. https://www.napa-net.org/news-info/daily-news/whats-happening-2025-social-security-cola-estimates

I have expected - and still expect - a recession, probably this year. That's where the Fed has been pushing us, hoping for a mild recession rather than a big one. I'm not too bothered personally - I moved a lot of my portfolio into laddered treasuries at 4.5 - 5.5 percent, and those are sharply up in value as interest rates fall.

Funny you should ask. I was about to provide my monthly update. - Spotify: 8 monthly listeners! Trending upward. Was down to 6 last month. Suspect dummy accounts from Rappin' B-Man. He rolls down the windows on the Dodge Charger and blasts the one about the chicks lovin' his you-know-what. Babe magnet as the boomers used to say! - Youtube: 18 subscribers! "Somewhere along the line, I began to feel like a loser." - Lee DaVinci, leader of the Trump Black Wave

Definitely Biden's fault. That's why the market sell-off is limited to the USA.

Would you rather: A. Send your tween-age children to a Harris Rally featuring a variety of drag queens twerking. B. Send your tween-age children to a Trump Rally where they'd be seated next to Trumpanana Hammock guy. C. Not let your tween-age children attend any stupid boring anachronistic campaign rallies at all.

What does that even mean? "... have joined forces vs. the Southport attacks." Is there someone in favor of the Southport attacks? Or is this another attempt to use that as an excuse for an anti-immigrant agenda, despite the fact that the attacks have exactly nothing to do with Muslims or jihad or Jews or Palestine or whatever.

Here's what I see about the Southport stabber from the event wiki page: Axel Muganwa Rudakubana (born 7 August 2006)[30] was arrested at the scene on suspicion of murder and attempted murder.[31][32] Rudakubana was born in Cardiff, Wales, and is a British citizen.[33] His parents are originally from Rwanda. The family moved to the Southport area in 2013; at the time of the attack, they lived in Banks, a large village on the north-eastern outskirts of Southport.[34][35] Neighbours have described him as "quiet".[36] He has a diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder, and had reportedly been "unwilling to leave the house and communicate with family for a period of time".[37] What does this have to do with mass immigration, legal or illegal? We have plenty of our own homegrown withdrawn boys and young men on the autism spectrum disorder who go out and engage in mass shootings. (At least in Britain he couldn't get his hands on an AR-15 or there'd be even more victims.) Isn't it a terribly Unchristian thing to say that it would be better off if he'd never been born? If his parents had stayed in Rwanda and had been killed or starved and had never had baby Axel? For the Christian nationalists here, may I remind you that Jesus said that about one man and one man only: Judas. And does it have anything at all to do with Muslims? Rwanda is not a Muslim country.

I love that timeframe. "Inflation at the same point in their presidencies." As in August 2020. Sounds like this guy is calling for the return of COVID shutdowns. That killed inflation, all right! [Note this favorite ploy of the stupid right. COVID shutdowns were commie ploys to destroy America! But that doesn't mean we don't get to rely on them to show that Trump brought us deflation through his sound stewardship of the economy]

Impressive. Could be big. Likely to be shared in every Trumpy corner of the internets. Persuasive!

From the AP: The [2024] platform committee began its meeting Monday, a week before the start of the Republican National Convention in Wisconsin where Trump is scheduled to accept his third straight nomination for president. The platform is a statement of first principles traditionally written by party activists. In 2016, the platform included an endorsement of a 20-week national ban. Trump had supported federal legislation in 2018 that would have banned abortion after 20 weeks of pregnancy, though the measure fell short of the necessary support in the Senate. Is it reasonable for pro-abortion rights voters to assume that Trump may flip-flop again, and that he would sign a federal abortion ban if it clears a Republican House and Senate? Of course it is. Is it reasonable for "tough on crime" voters to assume that Kamala's recent emphasis as a tough on crime prosecutor is for election purposes and that it elected she will revert to her 2020 soft on crime stance? Of course it is. These things are so obvious that I don't know why people bother to argue.

That's why it's fun to poke around in this thread's back pages. A lot of people thought he was a serious candidate, a candidate of ideas. And of brain worms and of dead bear cubs in Central Park, etc.,, etc.

Nothing like a little hyperbole to cheer up your Sunday!

What I don't get (among many things) about Trump: he debated Biden under what were understood to be Biden Rules - no live audience, no interrupting (mics off), CNN, no follow-up questions or interruptions or instant fact checks by the moderators. And that debate wound up finishing off Biden. So why not do it again the same way, but on ABC? The "no interruptions" was in his favor. It eliminated the constant interruptions and insults the public dislikes.

I guess it would've been a funny college prank. But Jr. was 60 years old ...

Or a lot wack.

this guy has a point. Why does everything have to be more of the miserable culture wars? It's hot as hell outside. There's something to watch on TV. Good.

That was asking too much.

Awesome! Now please warn all Americans: do NOT travel to Russia, or to its puppet state Belarus.

Right. Deceptive tweet, which is kind of why I can't stand Twitter. But right too: is this in line with Trump's latest position on abortion? Of course not. It's in line with his 2016 Republican Primary position, which is several positions ago.

Mr. Empathy Strikes Again.

Weird Couchromantic wearing long sleeves but no hat in South Texas in August.

Hmm. I guess we don't know then.

As with all such things: it depends. In general, "harboring" an illegal alien is a crime. I don't think a prosecution would ever be brought against an agency that offers shelter to new (illegal) immigrants who'd otherwise be on the street. In fact, the border patrol will often turn over new entrants to agencies like this, so it would be absurd to think they could be prosecuted for harboring. I think the key is, again, whether they are trying to conceal the illegal immigrants, or trying to frustrate law enforcement's attempts to take a particular action, like bringing someone into ICE custody.

Not sure. But it was in at least a couple of sources.