Program Note
I have decided that today is a fine day to play hooky.
I apologize for this, but given the niceness of the summer day here and the choice between enjoying it fully and writing a very snarky column, I chose the former. What I would have written about was the gleeful schadenfreude those of us who live in the reality-based world have been feeling at watching those who live in the MAGA world absolutely melt down over the revelation that one of their favorite conspiracy theories has turned out to be just that -- not based in anything other than feverish swamp dreams.
I speak, of course, of the continuing fallout on the right from the announcement that there would be no forthcoming "client list" of Jeffrey Epstein, and that he did in fact commit suicide in his jail cell. This has been causing heads to explode among those of Trump's followers who fully bought into all the ravings about what (and who) was on that client list, and all the rest of it.
If you want to revel in this amusement at seeing this conspiracy theory hit the brick wall of reality, please check out this factual article, or this much snarkier article, both of which explain all the ins and outs of the story. And today there was another article which tied together this MAGA disappointment with two other bits of news from the White House of late (the resumption of military aid to Ukraine and the fact that Donald Trump is very slowly bending to the reality that if they deport all the undocumented immigrants there will simply be nobody left to harvest all of America's crops).
As you can see, there's plenty of fodder there for an extra-snarky article from my own keyboard, but like I said, it is simply too nice a day even for that.
But I do have some good news for regular readers! Last Friday I apologized for not writing the column I had intended to, because I could not locate a certain book. I have now found this book and will indeed be writing that article, perhaps for tomorrow's column (we'll have to see what else is going on in the news when I wake up -- no promises). So at least you've got that to look forward to....
In any case, my apologies for the interruption in columns here, but hey, I have to take some vacation days off now and again in order to stay sane. Regular columns (historic or contemporary) will resume tomorrow. And I certainly hope everyone else out there is having an enjoyable summer!
-- Chris Weigant
Follow Chris on Twitter: @ChrisWeigant
"In order to stay sane", indeed!
If you think about it, the logical path to top mental health is to stop following the antics of the Republican administration and its leader entirely.
Have a great day off, Chris!
cheers!
JL
Good choice. One has to recharge. Southern California was also nice today up here at 7,000 feet.
I know what you mean.
So, I raised a few glasses in your honour. And, suddenly, was inspired to start reading Our Divided Beginnings, again and wondering whatever became of it.
Here's a little side note ... lately, I have stopped watching the broadcast news in my country and yours. On my side of the border, we are blessed with ridiculously competent government - nationally, at least. We still have Alberta to deal with. So I don't have to follow it too closely. Of course, I stopped watching CNN on a regular basis quite a while ago. I have entered my perennial cycle of asinine media avoidance.
What I have been watching is the Business Network - Bloomberg, equally focused on Canada and the US as well as China, from a political and financial perspective. Long story, short - Trump is so much easier to take that way as we chuckle over his funny Truth Social pronouncements. The latest being about an ambiguous 50% tariff on copper. ;)
Thank you for your attention to this matter!
Heh.
Only three and a half more long years...Cheers!
Chris I’m having technical difficulties on my iPhone and this website and want to let you know.
First, some months ago this site started signing me out in between visits, and by now having to sign back in is…annoying.
Second, when signing back in I’m warned that your website is “unsecured”. Following that posting a comment draws the same “This form is not secure” warning.
And now my properly formatted links are going straight to your website’s 404 — Page Not Found.
Dunno if there’s anything to be done but at least now you know about it.
Elizabeth
4
I’m similarly situated here in solid blue The People’s Republic of California. Our Republicans passed the hateful anti-immigrant Prop 187 twenty-some years ago and are suffering the backlash to this day. A State party perennially in disarray, they are generally only competitive out in the sticks aka Eastern California, where I live.
I don’t expect perfection out of my blue California government. I’m sure there will be at least some overreach and the obligatory touch of corruption. But that’s it. So I really don’t need to pay attention to my state and can focus on the national and international stuff.
@liz[4],
i thought it was called 'divided we stand' or something catchy like that. maybe now that we're living in the maga universe it would make sense to have in-chapter comparisons updated.
JL
My idea for the title was America Divided ...then, now and always :)
... with a collage of newspaper headline clippings illustrating that inherent division.
And today there was another article which tied together this MAGA disappointment with two other bits of news from the White House of late (the resumption of military aid to Ukraine and the fact that Donald Trump is very slowly bending to the reality that if they deport all the undocumented immigrants there will simply be nobody left to harvest all of America's crops).
"Donald Trump is very slowly bending"? *laughs* You made me laugh, which is a good thing. Trump already flip-flopped on that issue and then flip-flopped immediately back and is now supposedly, allegedly "very slowly bending"!? Is this so-called "bending" the aftereffects of the flip-flip-flip, and then *bam* comes the re-flip?
Oh, heavens. I just heard Canada will (allegedly) be assessed an additional 35% tariff beginning August 1 (additional to what percentage? I lost track of the current bullshit). Stock futures are falling. *laughs*
Which reminds me: We literally have quite a trade surplus, somewhere between 1.5 and 2 billion with Chile, but Trump is (allegedly) going to assess them an additional 50% tariff because... why? His dictator friend who attempted a coups/insurrection (pick your own noun) is being prosecuted. So let me get this straight: Americans will be paying additional taxes in the form of tariffs for a myriad of things from Chile (our coffee) because they're a country exercising their rights as a sovereign nation to prosecute the criminals in their country... and how is this considered an emergency reason to slap tariffs on a country? Rhetorical question; it's unconstitutional. Chile prosecuting their criminals is their own dang business and isn't an emergency reason to impose tariff taxes on Americans.
I did say Trump was stupid, but I realize at this point it wasn't fair to stupid people; he's definitely undercutting his own argument for imposing any tariffs at all by trying to extort a country to bend to his will or he will impose tariffs that will raise prices in America... or is he perhaps so damn dumb he believes the coffee growers of America can increase production? *laughs*