Obama-Biden Have Implemented Stealth Communism<br>Plus: Hobbit/LOTR Reading Progress Thread

Obama-Biden Have Implemented Stealth Communism
Plus: Hobbit/LOTR Reading Progress Thread

You probably remember that Obama partially "solved" his unemployment crisis by simply changing the standards about who was eligible to collect Medicaid and disibility insurance. By the stroke of a pen, he changed administrative standards so that the chronically unemployed -- his voters, I mean -- would get paid by the government. They would of course be loyal to the man giving them free money, and putting them on these programs took them out of the unemployed pool and made the numbers look better.

Say anyone else remember "Jobs Saved and Created"? Remember, it's Trump who's the liar who makes up his own fake facts, not the demon Obama.

Nic Carter wrote a post discussing Biden greatly expanding upon the Obama plan to impose socialist guaranteed income (or UBI, "Universal Basic Income," long the dream of AOC and her communist allies) -- at least for his voters. The people controlling the Biden Autopen simply ended all authentication/auditing for the billions of dollars they robbed from hardworking taxpayers to give to their cronies. Anyone who spent an hour filling out paperwork could have $500 million, with no chance of ever being caught for fraud, because Biden's Autopen turned off all fraud detection, deliberately.

We blame Somali pirates for plundering us but the Democrat-Communist Party did this too us, deliberately. They could not pass a reparations bill, so they allowed all of their voters to just requisition their own personal reparations funds from taxpayers by simply opening a "hospice business" or even a "learing center."

Read it all:

nic carter
@nic_carter
it hasn't sunk in for most people. we already live in a post-scarcity society. UBI [Universal Basic Income] is already here.
basic package: disability, medicaid, food stamps etc
bonus package: literally getting paid for staying at home and hanging out with your relatives
extra bonus: if you are willing to commit fraud, pretend your kids are autistic and get paid for that. get paid for watching your neighbor's kid. pretend you are taking care of your grandma. fake hospice clinic. fake rehab clinic. fake therapy clinic.
giga bonus: during a time of crisis take advantage of PPP or CARES and open a fake business and get paid for existing
people are shocked when they learn that defense is the FIFTH largest line item in the budget. ahead of defense: social security ($1.6T), interest on debt ($1.1T) medicare ($1T), medicaid + ACA ($1T), AND THEN defense ($0.9T)
complain about defense all you like, but healthcare fraud is a way bigger factor. hundreds of billions per year.
this is only going to get worse, because the fraud is a structural part of the system -- payouts to client groups in exchange for votes (normally D).
in the US, only 47% of the population actually works (fully 14% of the population is working age and does not work). retirees are 18% and children 22%.
the system I described above subsidizes 50m non-working people absolute minimum, but really it's far more because people that are paid to stay home and take care of their relatives are considered "workers"
of that 47% of "actual workers" maybe one third does real work, the rest are shuffling papers around or doing fake email jobs. so you have, rough math, 50 million actual workers supporting 300 million dependents. that's the nature of the economy today. it will only accelerate. eventually you will have 10 million using AI tools to do all the work and 340 million dependents.
the reason no one roots out the fraud is because it's the system that keeps our extremely fragile polity intact. the fraud is the UBI. the purpose of the system is what it does.
of course, it's a deeply unfair system, because you are allowed to commit fraud if you are a politically protected client group of the democrats. DOGE was killed faster than any government program ever, because it attempted to root out the fraud. if you are honest and unwilling to commit fraud, you are a huge loser in this system. your neighbor will have their mortgage subsidized by some government program. they will get favorable SBA loans due to DEI. they will open a fake hospice or autism clinic. they will get paid for taking care of their neighbor's kid and vice versa. the primary skill in the labor market is learning how to extract money from state and federal government programs, not gaining skills or making yourself employable. if you are just trying to work an ordinary wagie job you are a huge sucker. you are paying 40-50% effective all in taxes to everyone else who is a net taker.
the sad part is because AI is such a substantial productivity boost, it will actually keep this system going for a while longer, and maybe in perpetuity. AI boosts the 15% of the population that is actually productive so much that the remaining 85% can coast by. no one in charge will change this because they can't think of anything else. the political costs of a real UBI program are too great and we don't have the money for it anyway. so we will keep this covert fraud-based UBI program running indefinitely. unfortunately, if you are an honest wagie, you lose.

it hasn't sunk in for most people. we already live in a post-scarcity society. UBI is already here.

basic package: disability, medicaid, food stamps etc

bonus package: literally getting paid for staying at home and hanging out with your relatives

extra bonus: if you are… https://t.co/nRuO8Wr6nC
— nic carter (@nic_carter) March 30, 2026

Related: Video of the FBI arresting eight fraudsters, in an operation they call Operation Never Say Die.

That's a joke -- the people in "Hospice care" never actually die because they're not sick at all and their information has been obtained and used fraudulently.

I mean, the FBI gave the operation that jokey name. It's the operation's real name, but it's a humorous one.

Related: Part of the plan is also to replace the native population, of course.

And how's that going?

🚨 BREAKING: It was just revealed that the Chinese suspects who tried detonating an IED at a US Air Force Base were BIRTHRIGHT CITIZENS of ILLEGAL ALIENS

Omg. This is EXACTLY what Justice Sam Alito tried telling everyone at the Supreme Court!

STRIKE DOWN BIRTHRIGHT CITIZENSHIP… pic.twitter.com/6I9TjFc0oz
— Eric Daugherty (@EricLDaugh) April 3, 2026

Meanwhile:

Leading Democrat Calls for Reparations for Illegal Immigrants
As Chicago and other blue cities move toward reparations for African Americans, Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D, Wa.) wants reparations for illegal immigrants for the trauma caused by immigration enforcement. At the same time, various Democrats are making clear that they want to entirely defund and eliminate Immigration and Customs Enforcement. So, after the Biden Administration allowed in millions over an open border, Democrats would eliminate ICE and some like Jayapal would pay illegal immigrants reparations.
Rep. Jayapal declared on Friday:

"They need to be brought before us, and they need to be held account [sic] for the trauma that they have created, and we are going to have to have some form of reparation for the kids and the families that have been traumatized through all of this."
While not calling for reparations, other democrats have picked up the theme that someone has to pay for the trauma caused by immigration enforcement.

Unrelated: For those joining me on a trip to Middle Earth, how is it going?

I did barely any reading the last three nights. Tuesday night I ran out for a 10 pm showing of Project Hail Mary and Wednesday and Thursday nights I worked late to write a bunch of (mostly open thread) posts for today and Monday.

Today I'm going to jump back in and finish The Hobbit so I can start Fellowship by Saturday.

If you haven't read the Hobbit yet, let me recommend it vigorously. It is a fast, exciting, fun, and very funny read. You may not think of Tolkien as funny because the Lord of the Rings is serious and weighty, but the Hobbit has jokes on almost every page. If you like cheeky British humor, you'll smile a lot.

I think in Lord of the Rings, it took about 180 pages to get to Rivendell, and then we spent, IIRC, two (or even three) 50-70 chapters at that place.

In the Hobbit, we arrive in Rivendell around page 60, and we spend six pages there. Just six. Tolkien directly addresses the reader and says that while grim, scary, and unpleasant stories may be interesting and take many pages to tell, stories of places that are lovely and welcoming and relaxing do not make for good stories, and thus are told much more quickly. He's always making these kind of playful asides to the reader. (And in LOTR, he retcons the Hobbit to divulge that it was actually written by Bilbo Baggins himself, writing in the third person but usually from the POV of Bilbo. So we learn that the amusing narrator of the book is none other than the main character himself).

The book is about 320 pages and they are fast pages. If you've ever been put off by the hulking Lord of the Rings, and thought "I just can't commit to a 1,200 page book," give The Hobbit a try. To be honest, I think it's better than LOTR. I've read it about 10 times and I've only read through LOTR completely twice. (And the first time I did a lot of skimming.)

Oh -- and don't compare it to the bloated movies, which padded the hell out of everything to make it move at the slower pace of LOTR.

Anyway, that's where I am, just leaving Rivendell and heading for the Misty Mountains.

Some biologists have discovered this strange tree in New Zealand. According to experts, it is heading to Isengard to destroy Saruman. pic.twitter.com/fqTRGXlkmp
— Tolkien Universe (@tolkienzone) March 27, 2026

Posted by: Disinformation Expert Ace at 01:20 PM

Comments

(Jump to bottom of comments)

1 YOU KNOW WHAT TIME IT IS? IT'S BLADING TIME!

Posted by: Elric The Blade at April 03, 2026 01:21 PM (iFTx/)

2 i'm stuck where I was on Tuesday night, "On the Doorstep." I tried to read in the theater for the 40 minutes before the show but it was too loud man.

Posted by: ace at April 03, 2026 01:21 PM (1wjle)

3 Nooded.

Posted by: Nazdar at April 03, 2026 01:22 PM (NcvvS)

4 YAY HOBBITSES

Posted by: vmom deport deport deport at April 03, 2026 01:23 PM (tcsrY)

5 oh I also got distracted reading Robert E. Howard's "Skull-Face." Which it turns out is a little like The Shadow novel. Though it's mostly a "patch," as they say, on Doctor Fu-Manchu.

Posted by: ace at April 03, 2026 01:23 PM (1wjle)

6 Willowed:

May I just take this moment, @ace, to point out that we still witness miracles? You told me to calm down and be quiet (paraphrasing) and I did. I think we need an Amen. 😂
Posted by: Piper at April 03, 2026 01:18 PM

You realize this elevated Ace to Chuck Norris status, as the only two men to tell a woman to calm down, with successful results?

Posted by: Duncanthrax at April 03, 2026 01:24 PM (0sNs1)

7 Read the Hobbit and am 3/4 the way through The Fellowship of the Ring.. I had forgotten what a good read these books are...

Posted by: It's me donna at April 03, 2026 01:24 PM (FtULh)

8 i recall lotr was popular when i was in hi school in the early '70s. found a copy online recently, read the first 2 paragraphs and decided it was meant for 12 year olds

Posted by: gnats local 678 at April 03, 2026 01:24 PM (CWTWj)

9 I told pete to fuck off until Tuesday. He ignored me. He is now gone and permanently banned.

Today is not the day for shit-stirring, trolls.
Posted by: ace

Dear Mr. Ace,

I have some additional staff termination notifications to make...would you be interested in making a little money on the side doing them for me? I like your style.

Trump 47

Posted by: President Trump at April 03, 2026 01:24 PM (aJmLS)

10 (although I've never read any Fu-Manchu-- maybe The Shadow borrowed the element of the mystery man recruiting relatively normal people to act as their agents from Fu-Manchu.)

Posted by: ace at April 03, 2026 01:25 PM (1wjle)

11 My progress on LOTR is zero. I am a one trick pony, I am afraid. As soon as the noon class ends, I am going to go do my own workout. Or maybe I will go run. If I run, y’all can expect the usual results- me coming here wondering why I ran because I hate it. One. Trick. Pony.

Posted by: Piper at April 03, 2026 01:25 PM (OoFl2)

12 He's not looking for Saruman. He's looking for his Entwife.

Posted by: JackStraw at April 03, 2026 01:25 PM (viF8m)

13 FIRST!!!!!

Posted by: Sponge - F*ck Cancer at April 03, 2026 01:25 PM (Zz0t1)

14 Ah, that fresh no beatin' peet smell.

Posted by: Sponge - F*ck Cancer at April 03, 2026 01:26 PM (Zz0t1)

15 >>>8 Read the Hobbit and am 3/4 the way through The Fellowship of the Ring.. I had forgotten what a good read these books are...

wow that's some progress. I need to finish this Children's Book today. It's getting embarassing!

Posted by: ace who still doesn't know who the Hound of the Baskervilles was at April 03, 2026 01:26 PM (1wjle)

16 Ace I want to genuinely wish you a Happy Easter and hope it's a truly Good day for you. I personally feel the weight of today differently every year, as I change and my understanding of Jesus and maybe even God changes.

Today has been particularly heavy in it. I appreciate you giving us this little timeless (and I do mean timeless) safe haven of internet where the values of your readers and commenters are generally respected and not insulted like 99.99% of the "conservative" sites end up doing. The site has had its moments but your humor and overall sense of fairness has been the engine that drives it and keeps it going despite politics generally being a very sucky thing to talk about. I really thank God we still have this fun little place.

Posted by: ... at April 03, 2026 01:26 PM (mWRBW)

17 I'm going to disagree with ace a bit on Hobbit vs. Lord of the Rings.

Although The Hobbit is certainly enjoyable and much more whimsical than LOTR, it suffers a bit from a lack of meaningful interaction between characters.

Much of the story is given as exposition, rather than shown through dialogue. For that reason, I skimmed a fair amount of The Hobbit as I wanted more characters DOING things, than having the narrator explain that the characters did some things.

I also found the pacing in LOTR far faster than I remembered. Yes, there are several chapters spent on characters standing around talking to each other, but the chapters where action is happening move FAST because Tolkien lets the reader fill in the gaps in their imagination.

Battle of the Pelennor Fields takes up less than ten pages and most of that is Theoden dying and Eowyn killing the Lord of the Nazgul.

Posted by: "Perfessor" Squirrel at April 03, 2026 01:26 PM (ESVrU)

18 >>>For those joining me on a trip to Middle Earth, how is it going?

It's baseball season. Ain't nobody got time for that.

Posted by: Comrade Flounder, Disinformation Demon at April 03, 2026 01:26 PM (dK+Kv)

19 I also love the Hobbit. And LOTR, though they are very different reading experiences.

The Hobbit CAN be read faster than the shitty movie versions can be watched.

Posted by: Mark Andrew Edwards, buy ammo at April 03, 2026 01:26 PM (xcxpd)

20 LOTRs was a real slog when I was a teenager.

Posted by: Boss Moss at April 03, 2026 01:26 PM (52ERr)

21 I sometimes wonder if I’m just a big sucker going to work everyday and paying my bills. Maybe I should open a learing center and start collecting grift for doing nothing myself…. When so many others are doing that I do feel like a sucker doing the right thing….
We are a society of perverse incentives

Posted by: LinusVanPelt at April 03, 2026 01:27 PM (xT8gx)

22 The elft touts a bunch a bunch of studies that note people feel more secure and happier if they are getting UBI.

Well...duh. If you hand people a monthly stipend for nothing what do you expect?

Also the studies show people on UBI are spend more time not working and are pickier about the jobs they take.

Again...duh.

So if the goal is to get people to work less and feel better about it UBI works.

Oh but then there is the other part. Since you are giving money away it has to come from someone with a job. So that guy, we will call him "me" here has to work more hours and more years so that some AWFL can spend her time not working. But that's "fair" right?

Posted by: 18-1 at April 03, 2026 01:27 PM (sKqQm)

23 Honestly, If I were Trump, I would have select MIB show up at Robert's home and have a long discussion with him about this Birth Right Citizenship thing. Make a deal he can't refuse. Safely of course.

Posted by: Maj. Healey at April 03, 2026 01:27 PM (abIsI)

24 it hasn't sunk in for most people. we already live in a post-scarcity society. UBI [Universal Basic Income] is already here.

My stupid cracker ass doesn't get shit.

Posted by: rickb223 at April 03, 2026 01:28 PM (K3Fc+)

25 And I'm reading LeCarre's 'Little Drummer Girl', so I can compare it to the Park Chan-Wook remake, and it's very good. Not nearly as 'the West sucks' as most of his other work. It helps that we have competent Mossad agents as protagonists. And, frankly, it's halfway to being a love story. You know...for the chicks.

Posted by: Mark Andrew Edwards, buy ammo at April 03, 2026 01:28 PM (xcxpd)

26 >>>21 LOTRs was a real slog when I was a teenager.

it was for me when I read it as a kid. It still is, but it's easier to read as an adult.

He sure does like his archaic words, though.

One interesting one he uses. He says something like "The Black Rider's eyes burned like hellcoals."

Hellcoals?

I looked it up -- apparently it means the glowing yellow-red coals in a cooking pit.

Posted by: ace who still doesn't know who the Hound of the Baskervilles was at April 03, 2026 01:28 PM (1wjle)

27 Eric Swalwell is the Nicolas Maduro of Gray Davises

Posted by: Chuck Martel at April 03, 2026 01:28 PM (Dv3i1)

28 Can we use some of the defense budget to bomb Pramila Jayapal?

Posted by: The_Hoser at April 03, 2026 01:29 PM (H4qGm)

29 Commit to a 1200 page book? How's reading the entire thing out loud to my kids sit on the commitment scale? Throw in The Hobbit while you're at it.

Posted by: Not Enough Lampposts at April 03, 2026 01:29 PM (AkKZw)

30 Speaking of Obama ...

... he stole 2012, didn't he?

Posted by: Elric The Blade at April 03, 2026 01:29 PM (iFTx/)

31
My stupid cracker ass doesn't get shit.
Posted by: rickb223 at April 03, 2026 01:28 PM (K3Fc+)

Because 'white = Satan' sir.

You are the problem. They're importing the illegals to kill you first and foremost.

Posted by: Sponge - F*ck Cancer at April 03, 2026 01:29 PM (Zz0t1)

32 In LotR the travelers are facing a lot of, let's say, hindrance on the road to Rivendell, after which they give Frodo time to recover from his injuries and hold the Council of Elrond. In The Hobbit, it's really just the trolls who interfere with the journey, and they leave very quickly.

Posted by: Nazdar at April 03, 2026 01:29 PM (NcvvS)

33 So it's a book thread?

Posted by: Just got here at April 03, 2026 01:29 PM (2Ez/1)

34
Battle of the Pelennor Fields takes up less than ten pages and most of that is Theoden dying and Eowyn killing the Lord of the Nazgul.
Posted by: "Perfessor" Squirrel at April 03, 2026

You are truly a gem here. You really, really are. Do not ever think otherwise.

Posted by: Piper at April 03, 2026 01:30 PM (OoFl2)

35 Remember according to the left's take on citizenship, a child born of a Japanese soldier and a Korean "comfort woman" during the Japanese invasion of Alaska was a US citizen

Posted by: 18-1 at April 03, 2026 01:30 PM (sKqQm)

36 I'm just now tackling The Count of Monte Cristo, another behemoth. One might think a book of that length (1200+) would have to have some fluff, some distractions and red herrings. Instead, every chapter that begins to look like it's heading in the direction of filler winds back into the intrigue.

I was also daunted by the prospect of reading chapter after chapter of dismal prison travails, but that episode is disposed with fairly quickly and is packed with the instruments of Daunte's revenge. Much recommend!

Posted by: spongeworthy at April 03, 2026 01:30 PM (sLLbN)

37 Honestly, If I were Trump, I would have select MIB show up at Robert's home and have a long discussion with him about this Birth Right Citizenship thing. Make a deal he can't refuse. Safely of course.

Posted by: Maj. Healey at April 03, 2026 01:27 PM (abIsI)

Drop busload after busload of illegals outside his doorstep until the decision drops. Non-stop, 24-7.

This fucker thinks he's insulated from endless waves of illegal immigration incentivized by birthright citizenship? Disabuse him of that notion.

Posted by: Comrade Flounder, Disinformation Demon at April 03, 2026 01:30 PM (dK+Kv)

38 IMO tje Cultural Marxist Seminaries wete the ones who keep ig going, Barky was a student of it thats why he is a messenger of Marxism. The Auto-Pen administration was run buy Cultural Marxist Seminaries students, Biden was in it gor himself as a lifetime goal and cared less about anything else that happened.

Posted by: Skip at April 03, 2026 01:30 PM (Ia/+0)

39 You are truly a gem here. You really, really are. Do not ever think otherwise.
Posted by: Piper at April 03, 2026 01:30 PM (OoFl2)
----
Right back atcha! ;-)

Posted by: "Perfessor" Squirrel at April 03, 2026 01:31 PM (ESVrU)

40 Remember according to the left's take on citizenship, a child born of a Japanese soldier and a Korean "comfort woman" during the Japanese invasion of Alaska was a US citizen
Posted by: 18-1 at April 03, 2026 01:30 PM (sKqQm)

And if you steal the wallet of someone in Japan, you have their ID, which makes you beholden to Japan.

Posted by: Sponge - F*ck Cancer at April 03, 2026 01:31 PM (Zz0t1)

41 BREAKING: The Islamic regime is now importing hundreds of battle-hardened Iraqi militias into the country to brutally suppress its own people.

-
The more things change . . .

https://is.gd/VsZNAE

Posted by: Anonosaurus Wrecks, Damn It Feels Good to Be a Trumpster! at April 03, 2026 01:31 PM (ndZc7)

42 You are truly a gem here. You really, really are. Do not ever think otherwise.
Posted by: Piper at April 03, 2026 01:30 PM (OoFl2)
----
Right back atcha! ;-)
Posted by: "Perfessor" Squirrel at April 03, 2026 01:31 PM (ESVrU)

Me, hardest hit.

Posted by: Sponge - F*ck Cancer at April 03, 2026 01:31 PM (Zz0t1)

43 Posted by: Skip at April 03, 2026 01:30 PM (Ia/+0)

Is it ironic that I never want to "skip" your comments?

Posted by: ... at April 03, 2026 01:31 PM (mWRBW)

44 You know if the Dunedain practiced Islam, Aragorn wouldn't have to pick between an elf lady and a horse lady...

Posted by: Just Saying at April 03, 2026 01:31 PM (sKqQm)

45 >>> it's really just the trolls who interfere with the journey, and they leave very quickly.

I think they're there for more than a week.

Posted by: ace who still doesn't know who the Hound of the Baskervilles was at April 03, 2026 01:32 PM (1wjle)

46 Fewer and fewer people doing more and more while the rest do less? It's been told before.

""The Marching Morons" is a science fiction story by American writer Cyril M. Kornbluth, originally published in Galaxy in April 1951."

Posted by: Idaho Spudboy at April 03, 2026 01:32 PM (lLEcp)

47 One of my favorite parts of LOTR is Merry and Pippin’s meeting the Ent Treebeard and their attendance at the Entmoot…. Not sure why I like it because the pace of the book is slow at that point but Tolkien’s imagination in creating the Ents was wonderful…. And I just loved it when they tore up Isengard…

Posted by: LinusVanPelt at April 03, 2026 01:33 PM (xT8gx)

48 Drop busload after busload of illegals outside his doorstep until the decision drops. Non-stop, 24-7.

Remember when governor meatball sent 50...just 50!...illegals to Martha's Vineyard Island the Gov of MA literally called out the national guard to round them up and send them to a concentration camp on the mainland

Posted by: Just Saying at April 03, 2026 01:33 PM (sKqQm)

49
He's not looking for Saruman. He's looking for his Entwife.
Posted by: JackStraw at April 03, 2026 01:25 PM (viF8m)

Be careful getting to second base with Entboobs, you might get a splinter in your finger.

Posted by: IllTemperedCur at April 03, 2026 01:33 PM (y9nCu)

50 two weeks, which is what I wanted to say, but I thought maybe he said they spent two weeks at Laketown and maybe I was getting it confused:

Bilbo Baggins stayed at Rivendell for
a fortnight (14 days) during his journey to the Lonely Mountain in The Hobbit. The party arrived at Elrond's home in late spring/early summer, having rested, repaired, and received crucial information regarding their map and the journey ahead before continuing east.

Posted by: ace who still doesn't know who the Hound of the Baskervilles was at April 03, 2026 01:34 PM (1wjle)

51 Chinese immigrants are still tied to the Chinese Communist party.
They are not letting millions leave just to make a better life for themselves. They report to the Chinese Communist police departments here

Posted by: Skip at April 03, 2026 01:34 PM (Ia/+0)

52 23 Honestly, If I were Trump, I would have select MIB show up at Robert's home and have a long discussion with him about this Birth Right Citizenship thing. Make a deal he can't refuse. Safely of course.
Posted by: Maj. Healey at April 03, 2026 01:27 PM (abIsI)

I think the home of Mary McCord should be their next stop...

Posted by: Denny Crane - How Has This Twat Not Been In The News More? at April 03, 2026 01:34 PM (dmDsy)

53 He's not looking for Saruman. He's looking for his Entwife.
Posted by: JackStraw at April 03, 2026 01:25 PM (viF8m)

Hey Treebeard are you happy to see me or is that the same wood you are always sporting?

Posted by: Some Entwife at April 03, 2026 01:34 PM (sKqQm)

54 20 LOTRs was a real slog when I was a teenager.
Posted by: Boss Moss

Exactly. When I was that age I'd chew through a Clavell novel in 3 days, now I'd have ADD by page three.

Posted by: Auspex at April 03, 2026 01:34 PM (Y8DZL)

55
Hey Treebeard are you happy to see me or is that the same wood you are always sporting?
Posted by: Some Entwife at April 03, 2026 01:34 PM (sKqQm)

GROOT!

Posted by: Sponge - F*ck Cancer at April 03, 2026 01:34 PM (Zz0t1)

56 I literally think the fraud is so enormous that even people like Trump are afraid to really address it because it’s almost a form of stimulus for the economy. What happens when you stop hundreds of billions flowing?

It was like DOGE uncovered all of these troubling things than Musk was suddenly run out of town and we never again heard about 130 year olds collecting SS.

Posted by: Maroon at April 03, 2026 01:35 PM (VjIox)

57 >>>Theoden dying and Eowyn killing the Lord of the Nazgul.

Geez, can we get a spoiler alert?

Posted by: spongeworthy at April 03, 2026 01:35 PM (sLLbN)

58 He's not looking for Saruman. He's looking for his Entwife.
Posted by: JackStraw at April 03, 2026 01:25 PM (viF8m)

Be careful getting to second base with Entboobs, you might get a splinter in your finger.

Posted by: IllTemperedCur at April 03, 2026 01:33 PM (y9nCu)

I'll never look at a knot-hole the same way again.

Posted by: Comrade Flounder, Disinformation Demon at April 03, 2026 01:35 PM (dK+Kv)

59 Exactly. When I was that age I'd chew through a Clavell novel in 3 days, now I'd have ADD by page three

NO YELLOW!

Posted by: Hunter Biden dreaming of elf ladies. Nordic looking elf ladies at April 03, 2026 01:35 PM (sKqQm)

60 Exactly. When I was that age I'd chew through a Clavell novel in 3 days, now I'd have ADD by page three.
---------------
Clavell is a genius at epics. Total page turner.

Posted by: pudinhead at April 03, 2026 01:36 PM (n17eQ)

61 >>Going from memory because haven't read it in a while, but yes, thinking it was more than a week in Rivendell for Bilbo et Cie - which was probably a very strained time for the dwarves - but in LotR it was closer to 2 months.

Posted by: Nazdar at April 03, 2026 01:36 PM (NcvvS)

62 Maybe I should open a learing center and start collecting grift for doing nothing myself….
Posted by: LinusVanPelt

Where? A blue metro area? You don't have the proper oppression-point mix, so you'll get prosecuted. Or, you'd already need a lot of money to "donate" to the right political candidates and activities to be "overlooked".

Posted by: Reality at April 03, 2026 01:36 PM (aJmLS)

63 On the opposite end of the spectrum from LOTR in literature are the Hardy Boys mysteries… they’re hardly literature but I loved them as a teen. I read all of ‘em and there were more than 100 (small) books…. Franklin W Dixon was no Tolkien that’s for sure…

Posted by: LinusVanPelt at April 03, 2026 01:36 PM (xT8gx)

64 Posted by: Elric The Blade at April 03, 2026 01:29 PM (iFTx/)

Maybe but did Romney ever intend to win or was he just the designated Faggy Liberal Elite CorpoStooge GOP (BIRM) punching bag du jour (BIRM again)?

Posted by: ... at April 03, 2026 01:36 PM (mWRBW)

65 Interesting non political news story. (Many questions remain.)

https://is.gd/ik3eG8

Posted by: Anonosaurus Wrecks, Damn It Feels Good to Be a Trumpster! at April 03, 2026 01:37 PM (ndZc7)

66 Remember according to the left's take on citizenship, a child born of a Japanese soldier and a Korean "comfort woman" during the Japanese invasion of Alaska was a US citizen
Posted by: 18-1 at April 03, 2026 01:30 PM (sKqQm)

And if you steal the wallet of someone in Japan, you have their ID, which makes you beholden to Japan.
Posted by: Sponge

So if I get caught stealing Ketanji Brown's hubcaps from her driveway, her house belongs to me.

Posted by: rickb223 at April 03, 2026 01:37 PM (K3Fc+)

67 Biden doubled the budget to just under $8T.

All of that expansion was fraud.

On top of the base level of fraud which is at least 50%.

Now imagine you stop all that graft and throw everyone getting it in prison...

Posted by: 18-1 at April 03, 2026 01:37 PM (sKqQm)

68 Robert E Howard is a favorite author of mine. He would write for any magazine so he played with a lot of genres.
I liked the Solomon Kane stories better than the Conan stories, but I think that had to do with deCamp writing the follow up ones, and as a young reader that was all that was available in the library.

Posted by: Kindltot at April 03, 2026 01:37 PM (rbvCR)

69 Maybe but did Romney ever intend to win or was he just the designated Faggy Liberal Elite CorpoStooge GOP (BIRM) punching bag du jour (BIRM again)?
Posted by: ...

He was the sacrificial lamb.

Posted by: rickb223 at April 03, 2026 01:38 PM (K3Fc+)

70 I didn't find the movies bloated, but I was frustrated by how much extra crap Jackson packed into them and stuff they left out. I don't mean Tom Bombadil, that was momentum-killing nonsense. But leaving out the Scouring of the Shire ruins the entire third movie, especially when you see Peter Jackson extending a few paragraphs into a hour hour of endings.

Posted by: Christopher R Taylor at April 03, 2026 01:38 PM (El6/E)

71 Willowed:

Reality is that the single most popular part of the Democratic platform is peace. It gets them elected, and then once elected they advance their communist agenda.

Posted by: Vick King at April 03, 2026 01:29 PM (DMmvN)

No.

The single most popular part of the Democratic platform is abortion. Then it's punishing those who have jobs.

That's it. Killing babies and class envy. Peace doesn't permit the revolution. They actively oppose peace. They want us dead.

Posted by: Washington Nearsider: Gotterdammerung at April 03, 2026 01:38 PM (FmapG)

72 >>> 67 Biden doubled the budget to just under $8T.

All of that expansion was fraud.

On top of the base level of fraud which is at least 50%.

Now imagine you stop all that graft and throw everyone getting it in prison...
Posted by: 18-1 at April 03, 2026 01:37 PM (sKqQm)

...

...

... 'prison'?

Posted by: Zombie Pinochet at April 03, 2026 01:38 PM (ULPxl)

73 >>50 - and you've already answered. *respectful nod*

Posted by: Nazdar at April 03, 2026 01:38 PM (NcvvS)

74 I'll never look at a knot-hole the same way again.

Posted by: Comrade Flounder, Disinformation Demon at April 03, 2026 01:35 PM (dK+Kv)

Whew!

Posted by: Innocent Knot-holes Everywhere at April 03, 2026 01:38 PM (mWRBW)

75 > Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D, Wa.) wants reparations for illegal immigrants for the trauma caused by immigration enforcement.

That's nice.

I want Pramila Jayapal's citizenship revoked and her skanky ass deported.

Now that we've had that frank exchange of views...

Seriously, why do these people continue to live in a country they despise?

Posted by: Rodrigo Borgia at April 03, 2026 01:38 PM (IG3/x)

76 63 On the opposite end of the spectrum from LOTR in literature are the Hardy Boys mysteries… they’re hardly literature but I loved them as a teen. I read all of ‘em and there were more than 100 (small) books…. Franklin W Dixon was no Tolkien that’s for sure…
Posted by: LinusVanPelt at April 03, 2026 01:36 PM (xT8gx)

*quiet sob*

Posted by: Encyclopedia Brown at April 03, 2026 01:38 PM (dmDsy)

77 Going from memory because haven't read it in a while, but yes, thinking it was more than a week in Rivendell for Bilbo et Cie - which was probably a very strained time for the dwarves - but in LotR it was closer to 2 months.

Imagine the first time Legolas tried to get Gimli to drink a Zima.

Posted by: 18-1 at April 03, 2026 01:38 PM (sKqQm)

78 >>> On the opposite end of the spectrum from LOTR in literature are the Hardy Boys mysteries… they’re hardly literature but I loved them as a teen

i never read those. they seemed old fashioned.

What I did read were knock-off books published, supposedly, under the directorship of Alfred Hitchcock -- "The Three Investigators."

See, there's three not two, so it's different.

I remember one was called Jupiter Jones (the smart one) and there was an athlete one called, I think, "Pete."

Posted by: ace who still doesn't know who the Hound of the Baskervilles was at April 03, 2026 01:39 PM (1wjle)

79 So that guy, we will call him "me" here has to work more hours and more years so that some AWFL can spend her time not working. But that's "fair" right?
Posted by: 18-1 at April

AWFLs perpetuate this nonsense because they seem to think their income stream won’t be tapped to fund the lazy amongst us. What is more interesting to me is the lefty females crying the blues about having to work unfulfilling jobs while looking down their noses at tradwives. Let me let them in on a little secret. 😉

Posted by: Piper at April 03, 2026 01:39 PM (OoFl2)

80 The word Jayapal sounds gay.

Posted by: pudinhead at April 03, 2026 01:39 PM (n17eQ)

81
Good afternoon, everyone. Happy Good Friday.

*observes shit covered stirring stick*

*leaves shit covered stirring stick alone*

Busy day, y'all be nice to one another.

Posted by: BifBewalski - at April 03, 2026 01:39 PM (QVmho)

82
Seriously, why do these people continue to live in a country they despise?

Because they are stealing from you. Its like asking a medieval noble why if he hated the peasants so he didn't leave.

Posted by: 18-1 at April 03, 2026 01:39 PM (sKqQm)

83 >>>It's baseball season. Ain't nobody got time for that.

Remember when a baseball game was perfect for reading? All that down time plus the commercials? Now the games clip along so fast that you can't finish a page before the next inning begins.

Posted by: spongeworthy at April 03, 2026 01:39 PM (sLLbN)

84 The Hobbit CAN be read faster than the shitty movie versions can be watched.
Posted by: Mark Andrew Edwards, buy ammo at April 03, 2026 01:26 PM (xcxpd)

Mr. Ballentine in 1st grade did a story time, and read The Hobbit for the 1st, 2nd and 3rd grade students

Posted by: Kindltot at April 03, 2026 01:40 PM (rbvCR)

85 74 I'll never look at a knot-hole the same way again.

Posted by: Comrade Flounder, Disinformation Demon at April 03, 2026 01:35 PM (dK+Kv)

Whew!
Posted by: Innocent Knot-holes Everywhere at April 03, 2026 01:38 PM (mWRBW)

Wait, just come closer, I want to tell you something... And maybe show you something...

Posted by: Slutty Knot-Holes Everywhere at April 03, 2026 01:40 PM (dmDsy)

86 Maybe call it Pigford 3.0?

Or more like 3.0 - 12.0?

Posted by: Lizzy at April 03, 2026 01:40 PM (4KUe5)

87 loyal to the man giving them free money,"

Obama money! Right, Peggy?

Posted by: man at April 03, 2026 01:40 PM (XuXeR)

88 Anyone who paid attention in the previous decades in the UK as NHS and other social services devoured the budget, it was inevitable the fall of England's military.

Even as they funneled munitions and such to Ukraine they never ramped production to replace what was sent.

And now the First Sea Lord has admitted to a Swedish media outlet, the Royal Navy is on the binnacle list.

This could be the US.

Posted by: Anna Puma at April 03, 2026 01:40 PM (e2cjy)

89 I would say roughly, 3 trillion of the annual Fed Budget is straight fraud and corruption and at a bare minimum, 30 pct of every local and state budget is fraud and corruption.

We are 34T in debt with nothing to show for it...

Well, check that, someone has something to show for it, certainly ain't you and me.

Posted by: Thomas Bender at April 03, 2026 01:41 PM (XV/Pl)

90 But leaving out the Scouring of the Shire ruins the entire third movie, especially when you see Peter Jackson extending a few paragraphs into a hour hour of endings.
Posted by: Christopher R Taylor at April 03, 2026 01:38 PM (El6/E)
----
A few paragraphs?

Each of those endings in the movies was basically a chapter unto itself within the books.

Jackson did pad both Helm's Deep and Pelennor Fields, though. Each of those chapters was only a few pages within the books.

Posted by: "Perfessor" Squirrel at April 03, 2026 01:41 PM (ESVrU)

91 Posted by: Elric The Blade at April 03, 2026 01:29 PM (iFTx/)

Maybe but did Romney ever intend to win or was he just the designated Faggy Liberal Elite CorpoStooge GOP (BIRM) punching bag du jour (BIRM again)?
Posted by: ... at April 03, 2026 01:36 PM (mWRBW)
______

Romney was a simping queef. But I think he still won that election. Obama, his policies, the economy, and indeed the entire government were very unpopular in 2012.

Posted by: Elric The Blade at April 03, 2026 01:41 PM (iFTx/)

92 It was like DOGE uncovered all of these troubling things than Musk was suddenly run out of town and we never again heard about 130 year olds collecting SS.

Posted by: Maroon at April 03, 2026 01:35 PM (VjIox)

Musk wasn't run out of town.

His billet was time-limited due to his status as a non-Government employee.

Posted by: Washington Nearsider: Gotterdammerung at April 03, 2026 01:41 PM (FmapG)

93 Can you see the Left ever announcing...

"Global Warming is solved! We are done!"

or

"The reparations worked! Stealing from white people is over!"

Posted by: ... at April 03, 2026 01:41 PM (mWRBW)

94 >>Imagine the first time Legolas tried to get Gimli to drink a Zima.

Ok, LOL.

Posted by: Nazdar at April 03, 2026 01:41 PM (NcvvS)

95 Remember when a baseball game was perfect for reading? All that down time plus the commercials? Now the games clip along so fast that you can't finish a page before the next inning begins.
----------------
Yep. When I was a Met fan I would read until the 7th inning and then watch them win the game. Like clockwork.

Posted by: pudinhead at April 03, 2026 01:41 PM (n17eQ)

96 The frustrating thing for me is that in the entire argument over the 14th amendment one major part is almost totally overlooked. Here's the pertinent text:

All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the State wherein they reside.

Now, everyone is focused on the first clause which is debatable but its the second clause that is the nail in the coffin of birthright citizenship. See that final word?

RESIDE. Where they RESIDE. Illegal immigrants do not RESIDE here, they are invaders, they are squatters. Tourists do not RESIDE here. A Chinese woman who flies to US territory to drop a kid DOES NOT RESIDE THERE.

That one single, simple word blows the entire argument to tatters and for some reason its being totally ignored.

Posted by: Christopher R Taylor at April 03, 2026 01:41 PM (El6/E)

97 Remember according to the left's take on citizenship, a child born of a Japanese soldier and a Korean "comfort woman" during the Japanese invasion of Alaska was a US citizen
Posted by: 18-1 at April 03, 2026 01:30 PM (sKqQm)

It could well be argued that the mother was a slave.

Posted by: Kindltot at April 03, 2026 01:42 PM (rbvCR)

98 56 I literally think the fraud is so enormous that even people like Trump are afraid to really address it because it’s almost a form of stimulus for the economy. What happens when you stop hundreds of billions flowing?
____

You'd have to figure that a lot of US taxpayer money is leaving the country and is going to foreign warlords to make war on each other and occasionally screw around with US interests. And I expect a lot goes to immigrants, legal and otherwise, to send back in remittances which helps placate what otherwise would be popular uprisings in certain 3rd world countries. But yes, I assume some of that money is used to keep a certain pct of regular US citizens from stealing from their neighbors to feed their addictions, preventing the need for bailouts for beverage distributors, drug dealers and gambling sites.

Now, get back to work! That money has to come from somewhere.

Posted by: Chuck Martel at April 03, 2026 01:42 PM (Dv3i1)

99 Pigford was a preschool version of the fraud that we see today

Posted by: Skip at April 03, 2026 01:42 PM (Ia/+0)

100 [i9]What is more interesting to me is the lefty females crying the blues about having to work unfulfilling jobs while looking down their noses at tradwives. Let me let them in on a little secret.

Even within the corporate world AWFLs have this odd idea that everyone else loves their job and it is just them that would rather do something else if money wasn't a concern.

And overall the left has this really odd failure to understand the economy. They want goods and services made by other people. But...they think it is unfair to demand they to provide goods and services to their fellow man in return...

Posted by: 18-1 at April 03, 2026 01:42 PM (sKqQm)

101 Yeah, Pramila can go, and take her sister with her.

We don’t owe gatecrashers anything. Be happy we’re flying you home.

Posted by: Lizzy at April 03, 2026 01:42 PM (4KUe5)

102 What I did read were knock-off books published, supposedly, under the directorship of Alfred Hitchcock -- "The Three Investigators."

See, there's three not two, so it's different.

I remember one was called Jupiter Jones (the smart one) and there was an athlete one called, I think, "Pete."

Posted by: ace who still doesn't know who the Hound of the Baskervilles was at April 03, 2026 01:39 PM (1wjle)
---
I read both the Three Investigators and the Hardy Boys. I liked the Three Investigators better because they were a Power Trio where each character had strengths and weaknesses. Frank and Joe Hardy were basically clones.

Posted by: "Perfessor" Squirrel at April 03, 2026 01:43 PM (ESVrU)

103 Two choppers flanking a big plane in Iran on Goldies Rumble.

Posted by: Boss Moss at April 03, 2026 01:43 PM (52ERr)

104 More nervous than a dwarf in Rivendell?

Posted by: Eromero at April 03, 2026 01:43 PM (LHPAg)

105 >>Posted by: spongeworthy at April 03, 2026 01:39 PM (sLLbN)

And yet the games still run 3 FUCKING HOURS!

Posted by: Nazdar at April 03, 2026 01:43 PM (NcvvS)

106 So if I get caught stealing Ketanji Brown's hubcaps from her driveway, her house belongs to me.
Posted by: rickb223 at April 03, 2026 01:37 PM (K3Fc+)

No, but she is obliged to pay your auto insurance

Posted by: Kindltot at April 03, 2026 01:43 PM (rbvCR)

107 >80 The word Jayapal sounds gay.
Posted by: pudinhead at April 03, 2026 01:39 PM (n17eQ)

Jawa Pal.

Posted by: Rodrigo Borgia at April 03, 2026 01:43 PM (IG3/x)

108
I'm going to reread the Hobbit and LOTR at some point this year. I might even redip my toe into Tolkien's Cookbook, "The Simarillion", which is a pretty boring load of recipes for stories but not so much stories themselves.

Currently, I just finished reading two books out of Iain M Banks' Culture series. "The Player of Games", which is very good. And "The Use of Weapons, which should be better but is just okay.

Banks Culture series owes a lot to Michael Moorcock's "Dancers at the End of Time". Both of which postulate "end stage" societies where anything is possible and everything is provided by machines.

I also think that Banks wanted to introduce a Greek/Roman mythological style interaction between "men' and gods. In this case, the gods are huge AI minds which control everything and manipulate the organic and machine life forms for often obscure goals and reason.

Both Moorcock's and Banks' takes on end-time-ish, post- scarcity societies are interesting and generally fun reads.

If it sounds like that will interest you, it will.

Posted by: naturalfake at April 03, 2026 01:43 PM (iJfKG)

109 Remember according to the left's take on citizenship, a child born of a Japanese soldier and a Korean "comfort woman" during the Japanese invasion of Alaska was a US citizen
Posted by: 18-1 at April 03, 2026 01:30 PM (sKqQm)

It could well be argued that the mother was a slave.
Posted by: Kindltot at April 03, 2026 01:42 PM (rbvCR)

I suppose that there might have been some volunteers but I don't see how you could consider her to be anything else.

Posted by: I used to have a different nic at April 03, 2026 01:44 PM (ExV1e)

110 42 You are truly a gem here. You really, really are. Do not ever think otherwise.
Posted by: Piper at April 03, 2026 01:30 PM (OoFl2)
----
Right back atcha! ;-)
Posted by: "Perfessor" Squirrel at April 03, 2026 01:31 PM (ESVrU)

Me, hardest hit.
Posted by: Sponge - F*ck Cancer

Get real. You know I love you. Mainly because I think your wife is awesome.

Posted by: Piper at April 03, 2026 01:44 PM (OoFl2)

111 Absolutely Japanese women prisoners in WWII were slaves

Posted by: Skip at April 03, 2026 01:44 PM (Ia/+0)

112 This could be the US."

It will be. From Rome on, this is how "it" works out. Aleric didn't have to invade...

Posted by: man at April 03, 2026 01:44 PM (XuXeR)

113 It is now being reported that Iran, who sat on the UN HRC, has put a bounty on capturing American pilots.

Posted by: Anna Puma at April 03, 2026 01:44 PM (e2cjy)

114 Two choppers flanking a big plane in Iran on Goldies Rumble.

==

It's after 9pm in Iran. That footage is from way earlier.

Posted by: runner at April 03, 2026 01:44 PM (GD0B3)

115 Hey guys!

Just got back from my whale watching tour (aka walk down the beach).

Anything interesting happen?

Posted by: nurse ratched at April 03, 2026 01:45 PM (A5RD0)

116 I tried to read Tom Swift books but they sucked so bad.

Posted by: pudinhead at April 03, 2026 01:45 PM (n17eQ)

117 How can you tell the elf gals from the elf boys? The former don't get a bulge in their dresses when they see a particularly pretty tree.

Posted by: 18-1 at April 03, 2026 01:45 PM (sKqQm)

118 I read both the Three Investigators and the Hardy Boys. I liked the Three Investigators better because they were a Power Trio where each character had strengths and weaknesses. Frank and Joe Hardy were basically clones.
Posted by: "Perfessor" Squirrel
===
Yep.

Frank and Joe had the classic old brother, junior brother going on. Nancy Drew did not rely on a sidekick although she had friends. I seem to remember that the father in both the Hardy Boys books and Nancy Drew also played a much bigger part than the parents in the Three Investigators.

Posted by: whig at April 03, 2026 01:45 PM (E4rtv)

119 115 Hey guys!

Just got back from my whale watching tour (aka walk down the beach).

Anything interesting happen?
----------------
The gits are back talking about LOTR - so nothing has happened.

Posted by: pudinhead at April 03, 2026 01:46 PM (n17eQ)

120 > RESIDE. Where they RESIDE. Illegal immigrants do not RESIDE here, they are invaders, they are squatters.

Yes. It's like calling these mooks "undocumented immigrants" rather than "illegal aliens".

Always push back when someone calls them "immigrants". They aren't any kind of "immigrant". They are, as you say, invaders.

See also: "gender". Human beings do not have "'genders"". They have sexes, of which there are exactly two.

Posted by: Rodrigo Borgia at April 03, 2026 01:46 PM (IG3/x)

121 The posterior side of an Entwife is where you'll find the not-hole.

Posted by: Duncanthrax at April 03, 2026 01:46 PM (0sNs1)

122 the best part of the Hobbit is how Bilbo is always hungry and wants breakfast

well it's the most relatable part for me, anyway

Posted by: brak at April 03, 2026 01:46 PM (jGJov)

123 . Both of which postulate "end stage" societies where anything is possible and everything is provided by machines"

"The Machine Stops"
E. M. Forster nailed it nearly 120 years ago...

Posted by: man at April 03, 2026 01:46 PM (XuXeR)

124 As has been noted recently, the Democrats and MSM tell us a foreigner who’s been here 15 minutes is owed citizenship, while heritage Americans are occupying “stolen land.”

Posted by: Lizzy at April 03, 2026 01:47 PM (4KUe5)

125 The frustrating thing for me is that in the entire argument over the 14th amendment one major part is almost totally overlooked. Here's the pertinent text:

All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the State wherein they reside.

Posted by: Christopher R Taylor

That's the most important part. Don't believe me?

Try and draft a wetback.
Or force them to sign up for Selective Service.

You'll find out just how quick you don't have jurisdiction over them.

Posted by: rickb223 at April 03, 2026 01:47 PM (K3Fc+)

126 116 I tried to read Tom Swift books but they sucked so bad.
Posted by: pudinhead
======
Heinlein's adult books were hit or miss but his juveniles or even the semi juvenile Podkayne of Mars were universally entertaining.

Posted by: whig at April 03, 2026 01:47 PM (E4rtv)

127 There is another form of fraud besides the bogus hospice/childcare/learing center types. I call this soft fraud and it is baked into the Obamacare cake.

Doctors, clinics and hospitals are incentivized to milk $$$ out of Obamacare via such actions as up-coding office visits and defaulting things such as follow-up visit frequency and testing to the point of unnecessary visits and tests that then become the "standard of care".

I can cite examples from personal experience

Posted by: muldoon at April 03, 2026 01:47 PM (qgHp7)

128 Jackson did pad both Helm's Deep and Pelennor Fields, though. Each of those chapters was only a few pages within the books.
Posted by: "Perfessor" Squirrel

Jackson had to deal with the Army of the Dead, which in the book was only referred to in a conversation with Gimli and Legolas. But unfortunately Jackson just had them roll over the battlefield because it looked cool on screen (I didn't think so) and greatly diminished the sacrifice made by the men (and one woman) on the field of battle. Jackson kept adding things as the 3 movies went on such that only his first movie was actually any good, to this faithful book reader anyway.

Posted by: Chuck Martel at April 03, 2026 01:47 PM (Dv3i1)

129 @96

>>That one single, simple word blows the entire argument to tatters and for some reason its being totally ignored.

We keep fiddle f**king over this crap, the express purpose of the 14th amendment was to deal with the status of freed slaves.

There is no world in which the framers of the 14th amendment were talking about children born of illegal aliens.

If a person is in this country illegally, any child born during the improper act cannot be a citizen.

It's f**king absurd that we have to spend any brain cells on this bullsh*t.

A person robs a bank and gives the money to his kids, do the kids get to keep the money?

Posted by: Thomas Bender at April 03, 2026 01:47 PM (XV/Pl)

130
Maybe but did Romney ever intend to win or was he just the designated Faggy Liberal Elite CorpoStooge GOP (BIRM) punching bag du jour (BIRM again)?
Posted by: ...

He was the sacrificial lamb.
Posted by: rickb223 at April 03, 2026 01:38 PM (K3Fc+)

Romney intended to win (he'd basically been running for President for 20 years before actually getting on the ballot). Problem was, that since he was born with a silver spoon shoved up his ass, he expected to coast to victory, ascending on a staircase covered in rose petals, with the choir angelic sweetly singing "God Bless The USA" over the background music of Handel and rainbows arcing over him.

Posted by: IllTemperedCur at April 03, 2026 01:47 PM (y9nCu)

131 There is a phenomenon now called "second screen" or "background" viewing, in which people have something on while they are doing something on another screen. You may be doing it right now, I am. I have a Youtube podcast playing while I comment on here a little and work on rewriting a Champions scenario.

Younger people do this a lot, they are on their phone while they have the TV on or a tablet running a show or movie. Now, while some respond to this phenomenon by writing their TV shows for people who are not really paying attention, so they repeat themselves a lot and explain what just happened one or more times.

But here's the thing: baseball is the perfect background viewing content. You don't have to watch every second. A good commentator will give you what you need to know. Baseball, the old school, before all the crappy changes recently, is ironically perfect for the modern era of entertainment.

Posted by: Christopher R Taylor at April 03, 2026 01:47 PM (El6/E)

132 Musk wasn't run out of town.

His billet was time-limited due to his status as a non-Government employee.
Posted by: Washington Nearsider: Gotterdammerung at April 03, 2026 01:41 PM (FmapG)

If Musk had hired on as a cabinet member he would have been forced to divest all his stocks that were government related, which is in fact most of them, and that would have tanked the markets since there was so much of it.
The only upside would have been that he would not have been required to pay capital gains on it, which is still not a good compensation for the loss.

Posted by: Kindltot at April 03, 2026 01:48 PM (rbvCR)

133 i remember election day 2012. i conked out early and got up around 11 pm just in time to see romney give the most beautiful heartfelt concession speech, like he was just so darn grateful that he was given the opportunity to run for president. i fully expected !jeb to do the same thing in 2016 but that mean old trump went and stole the nomination and the election and made it real hard for the repub establishment to fundraise

also i have to start reading 'ulysses' again this year

Posted by: gnats local 678 at April 03, 2026 01:48 PM (CWTWj)

134 124 As has been noted recently, the Democrats and MSM tell us a foreigner who’s been here 15 minutes is owed citizenship, while heritage Americans are occupying “stolen land.”

Posted by: Lizzy

Setting the stage for South Africa's end in the US. They want us dead so they can replace us. I decline to take that deal.

Posted by: whig at April 03, 2026 01:48 PM (E4rtv)

135 I'm reading ....the directions on the back of a Ramen container. I've read this story before. Many times. It always ends the same. Very satisfying.

Posted by: Orson at April 03, 2026 01:48 PM (dIske)

136 Posted by: Elric The Blade at April 03, 2026 01:41 PM (iFTx/)

IIRC he beat Obama badly in the first debate and then got Crowleyed.

I think that stuff matters bigly - but it also matters that the only reason Hillary ended up day drinking with broken lamps *outside* the White House is because they simply underestimated the need for cheating in a few key states where Trump belted her hide.

So anything is possible.

Posted by: ... at April 03, 2026 01:49 PM (mWRBW)

137 How can you tell the elf gals from the elf boys?"

The redhead in the later flix?
Yes, please.

Posted by: man at April 03, 2026 01:49 PM (XuXeR)

138 > Problem was, that since he was born with a silver spoon shoved up his ass, he expected to coast to victory

"Mitt Romney: Because It's His Turn".

To my everlasting shame, I did vote for McCain.

Romney was a bridge too far, though. At least I don't have him on my conscience.

Posted by: Rodrigo Borgia at April 03, 2026 01:49 PM (IG3/x)

139 I almost am to the point Jackson just rewrote LotR to his own story

Posted by: Skip at April 03, 2026 01:49 PM (Ia/+0)

140 The Bolsheviks became the vanguard of the proletariat so gradually that we scarcely noticed until Trump thwarted them. And then they lost their minds publicly.

Posted by: toby928(c) at April 03, 2026 01:49 PM (4NO2D)

141 And overall the left has this really odd failure to understand the economy. They want goods and services made by other people. But...they think it is unfair to demand they to provide goods and services to their fellow man in return...
Posted by: 18-1 at April

Is this a euphemism?

Posted by: Piper at April 03, 2026 01:50 PM (OoFl2)

142 The frustrating thing for me is that in the entire argument over the 14th amendment one major part is almost totally overlooked. Here's the pertinent text:

All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the State wherein they reside.

Now, everyone is focused on the first clause which is debatable but its the second clause that is the nail in the coffin of birthright citizenship. See that final word?

RESIDE. Where they RESIDE. Illegal immigrants do not RESIDE here, they are invaders, they are squatters. Tourists do not RESIDE here. A Chinese woman who flies to US territory to drop a kid DOES NOT RESIDE THERE.

That one single, simple word blows the entire argument to tatters and for some reason its being totally ignored.

Posted by: Christopher R Taylor at April 03, 2026 01:41 PM (El6/E)

Yeah, even M-W forgot to update their definitions for leftist purposes:

"The meaning of RESIDE is to dwell permanently or continuously : occupy a place as one's legal domicile."

It's circular, but it speaks to intent of the clause.

Posted by: Comrade Flounder, Disinformation Demon at April 03, 2026 01:50 PM (dK+Kv)

143 I read both the Three Investigators and the Hardy Boys.

******************

I remember reading the Three Investigators and even started my own group as inspiration where we pretended to investigate crimes

I also read a slightly more modern series of Frank and Joe Hardy where Joe was more the brawn and Frank the intellect, it kicked off with Joe's girlfriend being killed in a car explosion so it was a much darker read, still cool though

I miss those days, life was simple, no social media, tons of mystery books to read, Reagan was my grandpa

then i turned 29

Posted by: The Unvaxed and Unmasked Ranger - Where Are My Keto Cheetos at April 03, 2026 01:50 PM (REq0p)

144 We keep fiddle f**king over this crap, the express purpose of the 14th amendment was to deal with the status of freed slaves.

There is no world in which the framers of the 14th amendment were talking about children born of illegal aliens.

If a person is in this country illegally, any child born during the improper act cannot be a citizen.

It's f**king absurd that we have to spend any brain cells on this bullsh*t.

A person robs a bank and gives the money to his kids, do the kids get to keep the money?
Posted by: Thomas Bender

Fruit of the poisoned tree.

That's my line.

Posted by: rickb223 at April 03, 2026 01:50 PM (K3Fc+)

145 Jackson had to deal with the Army of the Dead, which in the book was only referred to in a conversation with Gimli and Legolas. But unfortunately Jackson just had them roll over the battlefield because it looked cool on screen (I didn't think so) and greatly diminished the sacrifice made by the men (and one woman) on the field of battle. Jackson kept adding things as the 3 movies went on such that only his first movie was actually any good, to this faithful book reader anyway.
Posted by: Chuck Martel at April 03, 2026 01:47 PM (Dv3i1)
----
In the books, the Army of the Dead doesn't even do any real fighting. It simply exudes a fear aura that causes Gondor's enemies to surrender or flee in terror. Aragorn actually leads an army of living warriors he's gathered on his trek across Gondor, who take over the ships of the Corsairs of Umbar to perform a sneak attack when they arrive at the Pelennor fields.

Posted by: "Perfessor" Squirrel at April 03, 2026 01:50 PM (ESVrU)

146 This could explain why the last few decades have been about getting rid of manual labor and trade schools, so that those really earning an income don't see how everybody else is getting their money.

Posted by: ChrisW at April 03, 2026 01:50 PM (rLfcT)

147 >>Posted by: muldoon at April 03, 2026 01:47 PM (qgHp7)

Know examples in the family. Once the for-profit organisations took over medicine, and the ACA promoted this, it was inevitable.

Posted by: Nazdar at April 03, 2026 01:50 PM (NcvvS)

148 My New Year resolution was to eliminate all bad hobbits.

Posted by: muldoon at April 03, 2026 01:50 PM (qgHp7)

149 I tried to read Tom Swift books but they "sucked", he said, inhaling swiftly...

Heh

Posted by: man at April 03, 2026 01:51 PM (XuXeR)

150 He was the sacrificial lamb.
Posted by: rickb223 at April 03, 2026 01:38 PM (K3Fc+)

Romney intended to win (he'd basically been running for President for 20 years before actually getting on the ballot). Problem was, that since he was born with a silver spoon shoved up his ass, he expected to coast to victory, ascending on a staircase covered in rose petals, with the choir angelic sweetly singing "God Bless The USA" over the background music of Handel and rainbows arcing over him.
Posted by: IllTemperedCur
======
I think the Big Cheat by Dems was in operation in 2012 after being worked upon and perfected from 2010-2012. Chocolate Jesus and his evil sidekick Eric Holder, Brennan, and other thoroughly disgusting human beings like Pelosi and Reid cheat and lie as they breathe.

Posted by: whig at April 03, 2026 01:51 PM (E4rtv)

151 The only upside would have been that he would not have been required to pay capital gains on it, which is still not a good compensation for the loss.

Posted by: Kindltot at April 03, 2026 01:48 PM (rbvCR)

On the contrary (if that is true), it is an absolutely spectacular deal!

Posted by: CharlieBrown'sDildo at April 03, 2026 01:51 PM (n9ltV)

152 My New Year resolution was to eliminate all bad hobbits.

===

😂😂

Posted by: runner at April 03, 2026 01:51 PM (GD0B3)

153 I tried to read Tom Swift books but they sucked so bad.

Yeah I was very not impressed. Part of it is presentism: the tech he talks about was probably really cool at the time but is extremely simple and old now so it lacks any real interest.

Posted by: Christopher R Taylor at April 03, 2026 01:51 PM (El6/E)

154 One personal quirk I have with reading Tolkien and other works of a similar sort is when there is prose in verse my mind keeps searches for a tune, rhythm and melody, but comes up short. I wish he wrote little scores for it all, that would help. But it results in me just scanning through the poetry parts. That's my problem with poetry generally, I need it put to music. I need a soundtrack and then I'd be fine.

Posted by: banana Dream at April 03, 2026 01:52 PM (3uBP9)

155 re 129 etc: so how long before the supreme court lets us down again?

Posted by: gnats local 678 at April 03, 2026 01:52 PM (CWTWj)

156 And while we're at it, is there some legal meaning of the word "allegiance" beyond the colloquial? You are subject to the laws of the jurisdiction, but do you owe allegiance to the current local government? Are foreign visitors taking oaths of fealty to Donald Trump?

Dafuq is Doobie Huxtable ramblin' about?

Posted by: Bilwis Devourer of Innocent Souls, I'm starvin' over here at April 03, 2026 01:52 PM (w/O5Q)

157 A person robs a bank and gives the money to his kids, do the kids get to keep the money?

Posted by: Thomas Bender at April 03, 2026 01:47 PM (XV/Pl)

No but if they rob the Treasury, they and the kids all do.

Posted by: ... at April 03, 2026 01:52 PM (mWRBW)

158 My New Year resolution was to eliminate all bad hobbits.
Posted by: muldoon at April 03, 2026 01:50 PM (qgHp7)
----
Lotho Sackville-Baggins hardest hit.

Posted by: "Perfessor" Squirrel at April 03, 2026 01:53 PM (ESVrU)

159 My New Year resolution was to eliminate all bad hobbits."

Just throw them down a well...

Posted by: man at April 03, 2026 01:53 PM (XuXeR)

160 Both Moorcock's and Banks' takes on end-time-ish, post- scarcity societies are interesting and generally fun reads.

If it sounds like that will interest you, it will.
Posted by: naturalfake at April 03, 2026 01:43 PM (iJfKG)

Banks' books get darker, since they start to look less at the silliness of post scarcity, and into the actions and motivations of the Minds, the ship-identities, and what they do when the organics are not around.
Against a Dark Background is a non-Culture stand alone, and a very fun book. To carry your idea further, it is the ultimate Jerry Cornelius style action-adventure wrapped around a deadly mystery

Posted by: Kindltot at April 03, 2026 01:53 PM (rbvCR)

161 sad news:

Diff’rent Strokes star Todd Bridges is divorcing his wife after three years of marriage, TMZ reports.

Posted by: gnats local 678 at April 03, 2026 01:53 PM (CWTWj)

162 Those Iraqi militias are crossing the border in little Toyota pickups.

Posted by: Boss Moss at April 03, 2026 01:53 PM (52ERr)

163 I tried to read Tom Swift books but they sucked so bad.

Yeah I was very not impressed. Part of it is presentism: the tech he talks about was probably really cool at the time but is extremely simple and old now so it lacks any real interest.
Posted by: Christopher R Taylor at April 03, 2026 01:51 PM

In A.E. vanVoght sci-fi they have tractor and plasma beams and interplanetary travel, but the scientists still use sliderulers.

Posted by: toby928(c) at April 03, 2026 01:54 PM (4NO2D)

164 Lotho Sackville-Baggins hardest hit."

Lobelia's back after the spoons.

Posted by: man at April 03, 2026 01:54 PM (XuXeR)

165
I remember reading the Three Investigators and even started my own group as inspiration where we pretended to investigate crimes

Plenty of people sort of do this for real now with various forums that look into cold cases.

Obviously most of the time it comes to not, but every now and then some civvie finds something to solve one of them...

Posted by: 18-1 at April 03, 2026 01:54 PM (sKqQm)

166 @162

>>Those Iraqi militias are crossing the border in little Toyota pickups.

Pickups you cannot get in The US.

Lucky bastards.

Posted by: Thomas Bender at April 03, 2026 01:54 PM (XV/Pl)

167 The founders created a constitution that was designed for moral people. While a noble sentiment, that was a mistake.

Perhaps they couldn't see a time when the US would not be a country full of moral people yet here we are. People who hate this country will take any phrase in the Constitution that is not explicitly worded and seek to change the meaning to whatever they want it to be.

Posted by: JackStraw at April 03, 2026 01:54 PM (viF8m)

168 Would be good A-10 gun practice

Posted by: Skip at April 03, 2026 01:55 PM (Ia/+0)

169 I've started my pretty hardback copy of the Hobbit and am up to Rivendell. My pretty hardback LOTR will be harder since its bound in one volume. I got them a long time ago.

Posted by: Oldcat at April 03, 2026 01:55 PM (8avO+)

170 @144

>>That's my line.

Well, if you're going to steal, steal from the best.

Posted by: Thomas Bender at April 03, 2026 01:55 PM (XV/Pl)

171 "How's reading the entire thing out loud to my kids sit on the commitment scale? "

I read "Ben-Hur" and other books to my wife.

Piker.

Posted by: no one of any consequence at April 03, 2026 01:55 PM (qFwJc)

172 it hasn't sunk in for most people. we already live in a post-scarcity society. UBI [Universal Basic Income] is already here.

basic package: disability, medicaid, food stamps etc
---------

They have plans. Here they are. The first half of the article may seem irrelevant, but stay with it:
https://shorturl.at/xL9fo

Exerpt: " In a best-case scenario, World ID could be a privacy-preserving way to fortify the Internet against an AI-driven deluge of fake or deceptive content. It could also enable the distribution of universal basic income (UBI)—a policy that Altman has previously touted—as AI automation transforms the global economy. "

Posted by: Mike Hammer, etc., etc. at April 03, 2026 01:55 PM (XeU6L)

173 In A.E. vanVoght sci-fi they have tractor and plasma beams and interplanetary travel, but the scientists still use sliderulers.

Predicting the future is hard.

Not much SF for example would have predicted just how powerful modern computers are and how they are connected through the internet, but most seemed to think we've have space bases and robots doing most of the physical work...

Posted by: 18-1 at April 03, 2026 01:55 PM (sKqQm)

174 Posted by: Rodrigo Borgia at April 03, 2026 01:49 PM (IG3/x)

Stopping Obama was a worthy exercise. But those two turds, my God. At least you can say you voted for Palin.

Posted by: ... at April 03, 2026 01:56 PM (mWRBW)

175 > Diff’rent Strokes star Todd Bridges is divorcing his wife after three years of marriage, TMZ reports.
Posted by: gnats local 678 at April 03, 2026 01:53 PM (CWTWj)

He's still alive? I guess that means he's the last main cast member standing?

The story I heard is that Michael Landon wouldn't let the Little House kids play with the Diff’rent Strokes kids.

Posted by: Rodrigo Borgia at April 03, 2026 01:56 PM (IG3/x)

176 A line of little Toyota pickup trucks?

Where is an A10 wort hog when you need one?

Posted by: no one of any consequence at April 03, 2026 01:56 PM (qFwJc)

177 I told pete to fuck off until Tuesday. He ignored me. He is now gone and permanently banned.

He posted again from a VPN on that thread after this thread started, by the way.

Having that right at hand backs up my feeling that he's being paid for this, and may not even be the same Pete we remember.

Posted by: Ian S. at April 03, 2026 01:57 PM (2ocoG)

178 And while we're at it, is there some legal meaning of the word "allegiance" beyond the colloquial? You are subject to the laws of the jurisdiction, but do you owe allegiance to the current local government? Are foreign visitors taking oaths of fealty to Donald Trump?

Dafuq is Doobie Huxtable ramblin' about?
Posted by: Bilwis Devourer of Innocent Souls, I'm starvin' over here at April 03, 2026 01:52 PM (w/O5Q)

She and her staff are idiots, that's all. Allegiance has nothing to do about if a foreign government can slap you in the slammer for breaking laws there.

Posted by: Oldcat at April 03, 2026 01:57 PM (8avO+)

179 Dana Plato certainly was a train wreck

Posted by: Skip at April 03, 2026 01:57 PM (Ia/+0)

180 I had my eyes dilatated for an eye exam. It's been two hours and things are still blurry. So my spelling might be crappier than my default crappy level.

I'm giving multifocal contacts a try again. My first time I hated them but I think a lot of it was coming to grips with turning 29 and getting presbyopia as people do on their 29th birthday. I just generally was very grumpy and pissed about it all back then but I'm going to try now with a more open mind about expectations.

Posted by: banana Dream at April 03, 2026 01:57 PM (3uBP9)

181 Exerpt: " In a best-case scenario, World ID could be a privacy-preserving way to fortify the Internet against an AI-driven deluge of fake or deceptive content.

I've got a better way to deal with this. Start executing hackers, spammers, and scammers nightly and broadcast it.

Remember when COVID came and India closed their call centers most of that stuff went away over night so honestly it wouldn't be very hard to do if the powers that be wanted to...

Posted by: 18-1 at April 03, 2026 01:58 PM (sKqQm)

182 Plenty of people sort of do this for real now with various forums that look into cold cases.

****************************

4Chan I think has the best record, there's nothing quite like a power group of people with aspergers getting together to solve even the most perplexing of crimes

My personal favorite was when they tormented Shiba LeBeouf with his retarded unity "flag" when Trump started his first term, by constantly figuring out where he was despite his best efforts to evade them

Posted by: The Unvaxed and Unmasked Ranger - Where Are My Keto Cheetos at April 03, 2026 01:58 PM (REq0p)

183 Posted by: JackStraw at April 03, 2026 01:54 PM (viF8m)

You can't create a Constitution for an immoral people. A paradox.

So they solved it by saying "hey btw every now and again you're gonna need to reset this shit, see: #2"

Posted by: ... at April 03, 2026 01:58 PM (mWRBW)

184 If you haven't read the Hobbit yet, let me recommend it vigorously.

=====

No. I shall not let you.

You may only recommend it languidly.

Posted by: TheJamesMadison, discovering British horror with Hammer Films at April 03, 2026 01:59 PM (hAotW)

185 Re: The Big Cheat being implemented in 2012 - recall that Obama hired one of the Facebook founders to run his online outreach in 2012. The guy built a fabulous interface with facebook that allowed people to organize, fundraiser, GOTF using existing followers, etc. very effective. Also used it to datamine the heck out of all these activities.

Four years later Trump used another tech company for similar activities and it was considered fraudulent and bad.

They know how you’ll vote based on the algorithms that also know what books on Amazon you’ll like, etc. Obama seemed to be the first to use that tech to pinpoint which counties could swing a swing state his way. In 2012 he won all of them. No need for massive fraud when you can simply select the few key spots.

Posted by: Lizzy at April 03, 2026 01:59 PM (4KUe5)

186 And while we're at it, is there some legal meaning of the word "allegiance" beyond the colloquial? You are subject to the laws of the jurisdiction, but do you owe allegiance to the current local government? Are foreign visitors taking oaths of fealty to Donald Trump?

Dafuq is Doobie Huxtable ramblin' about?

Posted by: Bilwis Devourer of Innocent Souls, I'm starvin' over here at April 03, 2026 01:52 PM (w/O5Q)

The way I heard tell is that when some Senator (author?) was contemporarily asked what was the meaning of "jurisdiction" he framed the meaning in terms of allegiance to the country in question, where some foreigner, who did not owe allegiance to a country, such as a diplomat, as one example, was not subject to the jurisdiction.

The way I read "born," is that it applied to the problematic population then in question, slaves, here, already born, whereas naturalization was a necessary inclusion in the clause, because it dealt with those here thereafter (passage of the Amendment), who sought to become citizens through legal process (e.g., pledging allegiance).

Posted by: Comrade Flounder, Disinformation Demon at April 03, 2026 01:59 PM (dK+Kv)

187 In A.E. vanVoght sci-fi they have tractor and plasma beams and interplanetary travel, but the scientists still use sliderulers.

People are often the least speculative about things they personally know the best. You see it all the time in science fiction. It's why Gay Star Trek has a full-on Starbucks on the ship when replicators are a well established thing.

Posted by: Ian S. at April 03, 2026 01:59 PM (2ocoG)

188 >>> Dana Plato certainly was a train wreck
Posted by: Skip at April 03, 2026 01:57 PM (Ia/+0)

Poor girl. She had a shockingly beautiful smile.

Posted by: banana Dream at April 03, 2026 02:00 PM (3uBP9)

189 Don't blame Obama for all the hospice and day care fraudsters who stole and are stealing billions. Blame those idiots who voted for him. All greedy bastards who wanted something free from uncle sam. A house, gas for the car, free health care, all from Obama's stash.

Posted by: Hope and Change at April 03, 2026 02:00 PM (jRlwL)

190 Having that right at hand backs up my feeling that he's being paid for this, and may not even be the same Pete we remember.
Posted by: Ian S. at April 03, 2026 01:57 PM

*strokes chinwhiskers thoughtfully*

That would be pretty insidious if true.

I'm lucky to such a confused mash of inconsistent opinions and a tedious writing style that no one can imitate my fist.

Posted by: toby928(c) at April 03, 2026 02:00 PM (4NO2D)

191 Hobbit?
No Tolkien negros?

Posted by: Commissar of plenty and festive little hats at April 03, 2026 02:00 PM (Kt19C)

192 People who hate this country will take any phrase in the Constitution that is not explicitly worded and seek to change the meaning to whatever they want it to be.

The ironic thing? The left is pretending that the wording is "obvious" and that it is originalist and conservative to believe this forces birthright citizenship. They are acting like it is conservatives who believe in the "living constitution" now. It is infuriating, and they simply disregard anyone who points out otherwise.

Posted by: Christopher R Taylor at April 03, 2026 02:00 PM (El6/E)

193 You may only recommend it languidly.

Posted by: TheJamesMadison, discovering British horror with Hammer Films at April 03, 2026 01:59 PM (hAotW)

That is prudent.

Posted by: Comrade Flounder, Disinformation Demon at April 03, 2026 02:01 PM (dK+Kv)

194 That Ent needs to do a bit of landscaping. That's an impressive bush.

Posted by: AZ Hi Desert (Gringo fuertemente armado-Tempus belli) at April 03, 2026 02:01 PM (bCbsU)

195 On the contrary (if that is true), it is an absolutely spectacular deal!
Posted by: CharlieBrown'sDildo at April 03, 2026 01:51 PM (n9ltV)

It is if you are the CEO of a major bank or hedge fund and can cash out, not if you have to dump 8 billion in a month and lose up to half the value in a fire sale, or like the companies and want to remain in charge of them.

Congress set up those rules (I am told) so the richest would not be excluded financially from being chosen for cabinet positions, and it is one of the reasons such positions are such a plum.

Posted by: Kindltot at April 03, 2026 02:01 PM (rbvCR)

196 Having that right at hand backs up my feeling that he's being paid for this, and may not even be the same Pete we remember.

Posted by: Ian S. at April 03, 2026 01:57 PM (2ocoG)

He is 100% certifiably the same Pete. Without a shred of doubt. Doesn't mean someone can't come back NOW and shit stir with that name but the ones from the last two weeks is the same dude back to gloat because things *finally* look bad for Trump again. Pathetic.

Posted by: ... at April 03, 2026 02:01 PM (mWRBW)

197 178 And while we're at it, is there some legal meaning of the word "allegiance" beyond the colloquial? You are subject to the laws of the jurisdiction, but do you owe allegiance to the current local government? Are foreign visitors taking oaths of fealty to Donald Trump?

Dafuq is Doobie Huxtable ramblin' about?
Posted by: Bilwis Devourer of Innocent Souls, I'm starvin' over here at April 03, 2026 01:52 PM (w/O5Q)

She and her staff are idiots, that's all. Allegiance has nothing to do about if a foreign government can slap you in the slammer for breaking laws there.
Posted by: Oldcat at April 03, 2026 01:57 PM (8avO+)

Thanks for confirmation. Often when I'm completely certain someone is just a dumbass, I have to circle back and check if I'm the dumbass. Like I must be missing something.

Posted by: Bilwis Devourer of Innocent Souls, I'm starvin' over here at April 03, 2026 02:02 PM (w/O5Q)

198 No Tolkien negros?"

On it!

/amazon

Posted by: man at April 03, 2026 02:02 PM (XuXeR)

199 Gandalf fell into the abyss; Gimli & frodo looking at the stars in Durin's pool.

Posted by: sock_rat_eez at April 03, 2026 02:02 PM (MIIRH)

200 yay no mo Pete

I am happy

btw saw a clip of Sotomayor being an idiot

she looks AWFUL

I was so dubious about people saying she is not well but now ... that lady is not well. damn. what happened to her?

Posted by: BlackOrchid(j+aD2) at April 03, 2026 02:03 PM (j+aD2)

201

Do ya'll remember the site that showed the names of people who donated to ActBlue, I think?

Hubby and I still pissed that his name is on the site saying he donated many times to the Demoncrats.

We have never given those assholes money.

Posted by: four seasons at April 03, 2026 02:03 PM (3ek7K)

202 Shia Lebouef is one messed up guy - but he was a child actor so he probably had a bunch of directors/producers have their way with him.

He was in a music video a few years ago by someone named Sia

In the video he and a preteen girl are dressed in flesh colored body suits in a cage and they wrestle.

The FNM tells me it was meant to show how girls wrestle with their fears, because I'm sure the average 12 year old girl thinks of her fears as a naked adult man or something.

Posted by: 18-1 at April 03, 2026 02:03 PM (sKqQm)

203 200 btw saw a clip of Sotomayor being an idiot

she looks AWFUL

I was so dubious about people saying she is not well but now ... that lady is not well. damn. what happened to her?

Posted by: BlackOrchid(j+aD2) at April 03, 2026 02:03 PM (j+aD2)

======

I thought that lady was on death's door in 2017 at Trump's inauguration.

Whatever counter-donut regimen she's on seems to work.

Posted by: TheJamesMadison, discovering British horror with Hammer Films at April 03, 2026 02:03 PM (hAotW)

204 >>You can't create a Constitution for an immoral people. A paradox.

You can. You need to be a lot more definitive in your writing.

The Court spent a huge portion of the oral arguments on the question of what does "and subject to the jurisdiction of" actually mean. I don't they ever considered the question would be left in the hands of a sub-retard who thinks having her purse stolen in Tokyo means she's really turning Japanese.

Posted by: JackStraw at April 03, 2026 02:04 PM (viF8m)

205 201

Do ya'll remember the site that showed the names of people who donated to ActBlue, I think?

Hubby and I still pissed that his name is on the site saying he donated many times to the Demoncrats.

We have never given those assholes money.

Posted by: four seasons at April 03, 2026 02:03 PM (3ek7K)

======

Probably Open Secrets.

Posted by: TheJamesMadison, discovering British horror with Hammer Films at April 03, 2026 02:04 PM (hAotW)

206 No Tolkien negros?

Ahem.

Posted by: Warriors of the Far Harad on their Elephants at April 03, 2026 02:04 PM (4NO2D)

207 btw saw a clip of Sotomayor being an idiot

she looks AWFUL

The left is crowing about how she OWNED president Trump so badly he had to sneak out of the session in shame.

Posted by: Christopher R Taylor at April 03, 2026 02:04 PM (El6/E)

208
Predicting the future is hard.

Not much SF for example would have predicted just how powerful modern computers are and how they are connected through the internet, but most seemed to think we've have space bases and robots doing most of the physical work...
Posted by: 18-1 at April 03, 2026 01:55 PM (sKqQm)

In Poul Anderson's "Brain Wave" Earth leaves a zone of space that inhibits mental function and all life on earth has an immediate spike in brain function. At one point a crew, having solved the simple issues of building an interstellar craft test it out and fly through a lobe of the 'dumb zone' and being reduced to normal intelligence can't operate their ship since their control systems rely on every crewman being able to do insane mathematical calculations in their head. Lucky for them they manage to exit the area on momentum after a bit.

A story called "A Logic Named Joe" the world has a PC like internet and one of the PCs gains sentience. This might be fine but he decides to go in the advice business out of boredom and starts giving completely amoral advice like how to kill a redhead wife tracelessly.

Posted by: Oldcat at April 03, 2026 02:04 PM (8avO+)

209 I would suggest following "Open Source Intel" on X (Osint613). Osint Defender not as reliable because he has TDS and it colors his coverage.

Posted by: Brian at April 03, 2026 02:05 PM (6Ydsu)

210 Doesn't mean someone can't come back NOW and shit stir with that name but the ones from the last two weeks is the same dude back to gloat because things *finally* look bad for Trump again. Pathetic.

Right, but the fact that he didn't even attempt to troll on threads that weren't explicitly about Iran is a commitment to a specific subject that you never see from, say, ASS or Sid.

Posted by: Ian S. at April 03, 2026 02:05 PM (2ocoG)

211 210 Right, but the fact that he didn't even attempt to troll on threads that weren't explicitly about Iran is a commitment to a specific subject that you never see from, say, ASS or Sid.

Posted by: Ian S. at April 03, 2026 02:05 PM (2ocoG)

======

Ass will drop his droppings and leave on almost any thread.

But threads about Indians?

He'll stick around and engage.

Posted by: TheJamesMadison, discovering British horror with Hammer Films at April 03, 2026 02:06 PM (hAotW)

212 The FNM tells me it was meant to show how girls wrestle with their fears, because I'm sure the average 12 year old girl thinks of her fears as a naked adult man or something.

Posted by: 18-1 at April 03, 2026 02:03 PM (sKqQm)

A naked Shia LeBoof scares me and I'm not a 12 year old girl.

Posted by: Oldcat at April 03, 2026 02:06 PM (8avO+)

213 Posted by: JackStraw at April 03, 2026 02:04 PM (viF8m)

"Always remember that it is impossible to speak in such a way that you cannot be misunderstood."

-Karl Popper

Posted by: ... at April 03, 2026 02:06 PM (mWRBW)

214 In Poul Anderson's "Brain Wave" Earth leaves a zone of space that inhibits mental function and all life on earth has an immediate spike in brain function.

A great story.

Posted by: toby928(c) at April 03, 2026 02:06 PM (4NO2D)

215 Right, but the fact that he didn't even attempt to troll on threads that weren't explicitly about Iran is a commitment to a specific subject that you never see from, say, ASS or Sid.

agree

he was a paid troll/moby/shit stirrer whatever

meanwhile - PDJT left when he did bc he was there to watch our guys argue before the court. not that ACLU hack woman bloviate.

Posted by: BlackOrchid(j+aD2) at April 03, 2026 02:06 PM (j+aD2)

216 I read both the Three Investigators and the Hardy Boys. I liked the Three Investigators better because they were a Power Trio where each character had strengths and weaknesses. Frank and Joe Hardy were basically clones.
Posted by: "Perfessor" Squirrel
===
Yep.

Frank and Joe had the classic old brother, junior brother going on. Nancy Drew did not rely on a sidekick although she had friends. I seem to remember that the father in both the Hardy Boys books and Nancy Drew also played a much bigger part than the parents in the Three Investigators.
Posted by: whig at April 03, 2026 01:45 PM (E4rtv)

In a lot of the books "world renowned detective Fenton Hardy (aka Dad)" would pop up and help save the day at the end... although in a few books, the boys saved their father. I think Dixon (a penname IIRC) recycled the same few plots over and over again, but I didn't notice as a kid

Posted by: LinusVanPelt at April 03, 2026 02:07 PM (xT8gx)

217 >>Posted by: banana Dream at April 03, 2026 01:57 PM (3uBP9)

Wore eyeglasses for enough years to put my 29-ness in doubt. Switched to contacts and had no problems. For about 15 years. Optometrist offered 1) multifocal versus ii) one-close-one far versus C) far & reading glasses. Took option 3 - decades of having lenses perched on my face made it no problem. YMMY.

Posted by: Nazdar at April 03, 2026 02:07 PM (NcvvS)

218 The Court spent a huge portion of the oral arguments on the question of what does "and subject to the jurisdiction of" actually mean. I don't they ever considered the question would be left in the hands of a sub-retard who thinks having her purse stolen in Tokyo means she's really turning Japanese.
Posted by: JackStraw at April 03, 2026 02:04 PM (viF8m)

Her analogy was her stealing someone's wallet, not her wallet being stolen.

Posted by: Oldcat at April 03, 2026 02:07 PM (8avO+)

219 No Tolkien negros?

More has come out about the upcoming DEI Harry Potter with black Snape: the kids in Slytherin are all dot-Indians. That's... a choice I guess.

Posted by: Ian S. at April 03, 2026 02:07 PM (2ocoG)

220 TJM! you're back!

woo hoo!

Posted by: BlackOrchid(j+aD2) at April 03, 2026 02:07 PM (j+aD2)

221 Right now there are people on social media wishing for the downed pilots to be captured.

If you didn’t already believe liberals are at war with the rest of the country, you should now. The rubicon hasn’t just been crossed, it’s been drained.

Right now most polls show Democrats not just taking the House but the senate. They haven’t promised an agenda. They’ve promised an active subversion of the country using the government and our corrupt court system as their punishment machine.

You should be very worried, enough that not only will you walk over broken glass to vote, but you’ll drag two people with you.

That’s not hyperbole. Look around you.

Posted by: Vengeance at April 03, 2026 02:07 PM (UMWMT)

222 Hubby and I still pissed that his name is on the site saying he donated many times to the Demoncrats.
We have never given those assholes money.
Posted by: four seasons at April 03, 2026 02:03 PM (3ek7K)

File an amended tax return claiming those donations as a write off. The IRS may come after you, but the IRS will have to prove that YOU did not donate the contributions.

Posted by: Kindltot at April 03, 2026 02:08 PM (rbvCR)

223 Her analogy was her stealing someone's wallet, not her wallet being stolen.

which is frankly hilarious

Posted by: BlackOrchid(j+aD2) at April 03, 2026 02:08 PM (j+aD2)

224 " I've only read through LOTR completely twice. (And the first time I did a lot of skimming.)"

I started reading it in highschool, but I wasn't interested, it was way to heavy in the prose, and I just didn't have time for that when all I wanted to do was scope some boob, though I had already read The Hobbit in grade school. I would comment about "The Hobbit" "it's only like 120 pages if you remove the smoking of pipes and singing of songs that you just don't get anyway."

As for TLotR, I read it for the first time, I know exactly when it was October of 1997, while I was in the brig, and I read it twice while in the brigg. It took being imprisoned for me to get over my initial judgment and read one of "the great western novels" or whatever.

I liked it, Not the brigg, the books, and if it weren't for the brigg I would have bothered getting around to reading the books, so make of that whatever you will for divine intervention.

Posted by: wickedpinto at April 03, 2026 02:08 PM (dJrj2)

225 Both Moorcock's and Banks' takes on end-time-ish, post- scarcity societies are interesting and generally fun reads.

If it sounds like that will interest you, it will.
Posted by: naturalfake at April 03, 2026 01:43 PM (iJfKG)

Banks' books get darker, since they start to look less at the silliness of post scarcity, and into the actions and motivations of the Minds, the ship-identities, and what they do when the organics are not around.
Against a Dark Background is a non-Culture stand alone, and a very fun book. To carry your idea further, it is the ultimate Jerry Cornelius style action-adventure wrapped around a deadly mystery
Posted by: Kindltot at April 03, 2026 01:53 PM (rbvCR)

Thanks for the recommendation. I'll give AaDB a read.

Posted by: naturalfake at April 03, 2026 02:08 PM (iJfKG)

226 One thing I think hasn't been well explored in fiction is that if we ever do develop AI its thinking would likely be alien to our own - not the green/blue eyed buddy Jesus type that solves all our problems through pure logic nor the red eyed Skynet/Allied Mastercomputer

And I suspect its actions wouldn't make a ton of sense to us.

Posted by: 18-1 at April 03, 2026 02:08 PM (sKqQm)

227 One interesting topic related to Tolkien is the modern trend, I only started noticing this in the past 10 years, is for opposing sides in East Europe, Russian wars to call the other orks. It is quite common online. And I don't remember ork ever being a taunt or slur in the past.

Posted by: banana Dream at April 03, 2026 02:08 PM (3uBP9)

228 my absolutely non-donating MIL was on that act blue list, a zillion times, it was funny

we told her and she was PROUD to be used in such a way

so charming, liberals! full of integrity

Posted by: BlackOrchid(j+aD2) at April 03, 2026 02:09 PM (j+aD2)

229 6 Willowed:

May I just take this moment, @ace, to point out that we still witness miracles? You told me to calm down and be quiet (paraphrasing) and I did. I think we need an Amen. 😂
Posted by: Piper at April 03, 2026 01:18 PM

Posted by: Duncanthrax at April 03, 2026 01:24 PM (0sNs1)

The Power of Positive Thinking

Posted by: m at April 03, 2026 02:09 PM (fNISR)

230 And I suspect its actions wouldn't make a ton of sense to us.

which is covered in the Hyperion Cantos by Dan Simmons pretty well

Posted by: BlackOrchid(j+aD2) at April 03, 2026 02:09 PM (j+aD2)

231 Posted by: Comrade Flounder, Disinformation Demon at April 03, 2026 01:59 PM (dK+Kv)

Excellent. At least I have something to go to. The word salad that fell out of her pie hole was not enlightening.

Posted by: Bilwis Devourer of Innocent Souls, I'm starvin' over here at April 03, 2026 02:09 PM (w/O5Q)

232 Kindletot politcal donations are not deductible, otherwise that would be a good plan.

Posted by: PaleRider at April 03, 2026 02:10 PM (+89TD)

233 And I suspect its actions wouldn't make a ton of sense to us.

That is one of my favorite parts of Dark Star (Carpenter's first major film). The alien makes no sense, its actions are just random and inscrutable.

Posted by: Christopher R Taylor at April 03, 2026 02:11 PM (El6/E)

234 > I think Dixon (a penname IIRC) recycled the same few plots over and over again, but I didn't notice as a kid
Posted by: LinusVanPelt at April 03, 2026 02:07 PM (xT8gx)

A "house name", used by many different writers. Same with Nancy Drew, Tom Swift, Bobbsey Twins...

The publisher owned the name and the series, and would hire whoever worked cheap.

Posted by: Rodrigo Borgia at April 03, 2026 02:11 PM (IG3/x)

235 More has come out about the upcoming DEI Harry Potter with black Snape: the kids in Slytherin are all dot-Indians. That's... a choice I guess.

Harry Potter is nominally set in our modern world or one like it so having non-Euro characters doesn't bother me much though blackwashing Snape is ridiculous.

But LotR? Gondor and most of the main map are set in medieval Europe so yes everyone should be white.

Posted by: 18-1 at April 03, 2026 02:11 PM (sKqQm)

236 >>Posted by: banana Dream at April 03, 2026 01:57 PM (3uBP9)

Wore eyeglasses for enough years to put my 29-ness in doubt. Switched to contacts and had no problems. For about 15 years. Optometrist offered 1) multifocal versus ii) one-close-one far versus C) far & reading glasses. Took option 3 - decades of having lenses perched on my face made it no problem. YMMY.
Posted by: Nazdar at April 03, 2026 02:07 PM (NcvvS)

My latest contacts are set to be perfect for computer monitor distance and I had reading glasses and distance glasses. I got enough cheap ones to have one at most all places in the house I sit or lie down. The most current set is good enough so distance glasses aren't needed.

Posted by: Oldcat at April 03, 2026 02:11 PM (8avO+)

237 I take it The Hound of the Baskervilles has been finished.

Posted by: Northernlurker , Maple Syrup MAGA at April 03, 2026 02:11 PM (zg83K)

238 Right, but the fact that he didn't even attempt to troll on threads that weren't explicitly about Iran is a commitment to a specific subject that you never see from, say, ASS or Sid.

Posted by: Ian S. at April 03, 2026 02:05 PM (2ocoG)

======

Ass will drop his droppings and leave on almost any thread.

But threads about Indians?

He'll stick around and engage.
Posted by: TheJamesMadison, discovering British horror with Hammer Films at April 03, 2026 02:06 PM (hAotW)
_______

[Perks up]

-- General Custer

Posted by: Elric The Blade at April 03, 2026 02:11 PM (iFTx/)

239 Long read its a scam the Democrats used getting dark money then pin it on real people

Posted by: Skip at April 03, 2026 02:11 PM (Ia/+0)

240 What is amazing to me as a RN case manager of 10yrs...how did this go on for so long?

As a case manager, responsible for many things, but discharge was one, we had a list of real rehabs, nursing homes, home health care, and hospice facilities. Patients or families were given these lists to choose from. We then contacted a rep to come see the patient before discharge.

Of course these were not on lists, so that makes sense. But to have an entire building, in a country of capitialism, of nothing but these fake businesses is mind boggling.

I suppose no one noticed and/or reported it because they were skimming $ from the top as well.

Posted by: ChristyBlinkyTheGreat at April 03, 2026 02:12 PM (WONhk)

241

The crossword I do every morning had a clue which the answer is KALE!!!

Has Piper influenced every site, LOL?

Posted by: four seasons at April 03, 2026 02:12 PM (3ek7K)

242 Surfed the remote past "They're taking the Hobbits to Isengard" last night. Had to resist the urge to rewind/replay a dozen times.

Posted by: DaveA at April 03, 2026 02:12 PM (FhXTo)

243 >>>237 I take it The Hound of the Baskervilles has been finished.

one of these days, at least.

Posted by: ace who still doesn't know who the Hound of the Baskervilles was at April 03, 2026 02:12 PM (1wjle)

244 Right, but the fact that he didn't even attempt to troll on threads that weren't explicitly about Iran is a commitment to a specific subject that you never see from, say, ASS or Sid.
-------

Pete quietly disappeared after being outrageously self-assuredly bugfuck wrong about the 2016 election - and I mean so quietly that I was one of the few who noticed - then came back briefly to gloat sometime after Trump "lost" in 2020 because he was finally proven "right". Coming in now as him in a manner completely consistent with the personality, and acting just like he did in 2016 and briefly after 2020, would be a level of commitment and weirdness that even our trolls don't possess.

The fact that the behavior didn't persist across threads could be testimony that it wasn't "just" a random person trying to sully his good quietly disappearing name.

Posted by: ... at April 03, 2026 02:12 PM (mWRBW)

245

Laura Ingraham had a section of her show against birthright citizenship and then cut to a spot sponsored by the ACLU in favor of it.

https://youtu.be/aNe4E-uynfg

Posted by: Bertram Cabot, Jr. at April 03, 2026 02:13 PM (Cqx++)

246 I read a story once where the protagonist was a Spanish Civil War Lincoln Brigade type commie who was somehow, I didn't remember how, frozen or something until he was awakened in the far future where socialism had been triumphant and all of man's material needs and desires were free.

It was a from a disaster from his POV. Everyone just got high and fucked like bunnies in all possible configurations. Science had stopped advancing because no one even cared anymore. IIRC, he ended up taking a spacecraft that had been built like a century earlier but never flown because no one cared enough to take it out.

Posted by: toby928(c) at April 03, 2026 02:13 PM (4NO2D)

247 i doubt obama was really responsible for anything, he seemed like he enjoyed the privileges of the office like partying with celebrities much more than actually doing work.

but i suspect his advisers were very good at planting ideas in his half empty head and then convincing him that he had thought of all those things by his own self. he probably didn't need anyone telling him to not talk back to moochelle

Posted by: gnats local 678 at April 03, 2026 02:14 PM (CWTWj)

248 Long read its a scam the Democrats used getting dark money then pin it on real people

I think the way it goes is that some Dem money man gets a bank of accounts and then funnel the money through them.

I liked at the patterns of some of the deposits and it makes little sense otherwise - small amount of money on irregular time periods...so it isn't like someone sending $7 every paycheck.

But if my take is right it suddenly makes sense. Our Dem money man has 1000 Act Blue accounts to launder money through. Today he got $7000 so each account donatess $7. Four days later he gets $20000 so every account donates $20 and so on...

Posted by: 18-1 at April 03, 2026 02:14 PM (sKqQm)

249 Thanks for confirmation. Often when I'm completely certain someone is just a dumbass, I have to circle back and check if I'm the dumbass. Like I must be missing something.
Posted by: Bilwis Devourer of Innocent Souls, I'm starvin' over here at April 03, 2026 02:02 PM (w/O5Q)

You can change your default thinking so that when a leftist says something stupid, they actually are stupid. Saves time and is 100 percent accurate.

Posted by: Oldcat at April 03, 2026 02:15 PM (8avO+)

250 The real suckers and losers are the dedicated Americans who believed all that bullshit about working hard, keeping your head down, coloring inside the lines, being honest, having integrity, and making sacrifices now for the possibility of gain down the road. All we did was fuel this fraud machine.

Posted by: Feeling very angry about it right now at April 03, 2026 02:15 PM (TbWk/)

251 re 243: i read a lot of sherlock holmes stuff years ago. liked the basil rathbone movies, too

Posted by: gnats local 678 at April 03, 2026 02:16 PM (CWTWj)

252 The real suckers and losers are the dedicated Americans who believed all that bullshit about working hard, keeping your head down, coloring inside the lines, being honest, having integrity, and making sacrifices now for the possibility of gain down the road. All we did was fuel this fraud machine.

I must confess when I'm in line behind someone paying via EBT I compare what they are buying with my own choices.

Of course then every so often they get told their card is maxed out and produce a second EBT card which is almost certainly illegal...

Posted by: 18-1 at April 03, 2026 02:17 PM (sKqQm)

253 Two things piss me off:
1) I'm out here working like a sucker, when I could have stolen millions from the Feds.
2) I also have a moral fiber that prevents me from engaging in such fraud.

Posted by: People's Hippo Voice at April 03, 2026 02:17 PM (HXT0k)

254 Listening to Hobbit

https://archive.org/details/
TheHobbitAudiobook

The singing is lame compared to the movie. The voice actors are ok.

Posted by: DaveA at April 03, 2026 02:17 PM (FhXTo)

255
Foreshadowing, I believe this is called:

They're Taking the Hobbits to Isengard!

Posted by: Krebs 'v' Carnot: Epic Battle of the Cycling Stars (TM) Imprison! Imprison! Imprison! at April 03, 2026 02:17 PM (xG4kz)

256 All the Slytherine kids are Indian, and its head a black?

Hoo boy, they are setting up Harry and friends to be totally racists, and Harry being part Slytherin as, what, biracial?

I’ve only read the books once, not a super fan, but they’ve either not considered the downstream effects of these casting choices, or they are going to make the good guys white supremists and the bad guys misunderstood victims.

Yiiiiikes. They hate JK.

Posted by: Lizzy at April 03, 2026 02:18 PM (4KUe5)

257 new updated:

"Israeli Channel 12 reports: Both F‑15E crew members ejected safely. The pilot has been located and rescued, while the navigator made contact later and is still being searched for.."

I don't know how reliable Iraeli Channel 12 is, though. But good news. Navigator is not unconscious.

Posted by: runner at April 03, 2026 02:18 PM (GD0B3)

258 There is another form of fraud besides the bogus hospice/childcare/learing center types. I call this soft fraud and it is baked into the Obamacare cake.

Doctors, clinics and hospitals are incentivized to milk $$$ out of Obamacare via such actions as up-coding office visits and defaulting things such as follow-up visit frequency and testing to the point of unnecessary visits and tests that then become the "standard of care".

I can cite examples from personal experience
Posted by: muldoon at April 03, 2026 01:47 PM (qgHp7)

Sooo much this. Plus, threatening non-action by the patient with a "potential" health problem like pre-diabetes.

I've been pre-diabetic since the Obama years.

Posted by: Dr. Pork Chops & Bacons at April 03, 2026 02:18 PM (g8Ew8)

259 I suppose no one noticed and/or reported it because they were skimming $ from the top as well.
Posted by: ChristyBlinkyTheGreat at April 03, 2026 02:12 PM (WONhk)

Reversing cause and effect. The people in the agencies supervising and their political bosses directed the immigrants to set these orgs up to defraud them and take cuts. It is the only explanation how these flakes weren't instantly caught years ago. Any examination or inspection pops the balloon as we have seen twice now, in Minn and CA.

Posted by: Oldcat at April 03, 2026 02:18 PM (8avO+)

260 Is Disinformation Expert Ace going to become Open Source Intelligence Officer Ace?

Posted by: logprof at April 03, 2026 02:19 PM (GA1ux)

261 The crossword I do every morning had a clue which the answer is KALE!!!

Has Piper influenced every site, LOL?

Posted by: four seasons at April 03, 2026 02:12 PM (3ek7K)

Don't let the chipper attitude and cutesy Shiba Inu stories fool you, she is 100% in the thrall of Big Kale.

Posted by: Green. Leafy. Sinister. at April 03, 2026 02:20 PM (TbWk/)

262 257 new updated:

"Israeli Channel 12 reports: Both F‑15E crew members ejected safely. The pilot has been located and rescued, while the navigator made contact later and is still being searched for.."

I don't know how reliable Iraeli Channel 12 is, though. But good news. Navigator is not unconscious.

Posted by: runner at April 03, 2026 02:18 PM (GD0B3)

=======

False.

Israel is now just glass.

AI slop on X told me so.

Posted by: TheJamesMadison, discovering British horror with Hammer Films at April 03, 2026 02:20 PM (hAotW)

263
I take it The Hound of the Baskervilles has been finished.

By all that is holy and for your own safety, never, ever pick up and read The Hound of the Longaberger Baskervilles

Posted by: Krebs 'v' Carnot: Epic Battle of the Cycling Stars (TM) Imprison! Imprison! Imprison! at April 03, 2026 02:21 PM (xG4kz)

264 Things are going to get worse when Democrats win back the House and Senate.

Much worse.

Posted by: That Guy at April 03, 2026 02:21 PM (3arSl)

265 Doctors, clinics and hospitals are incentivized to milk $$$ out of Obamacare via such actions as up-coding office visits and defaulting things such as follow-up visit frequency and testing to the point of unnecessary visits and tests that then become the "standard of care".

The left has recently figured out that hospitals charge people with insurance differently then those without. They'll tell you its "unfair!"...well the ones with insurance will.

Every now and then I'll jump into one of those chats and point out that hospitals have to make up for people that can't pay by charging more to those that can...and since these leftists in question are those that can pay they should be proud they are paying more.

You'll be shocked to know they are not in fact proud and very insistent someone else should be paying their medical bills too

Posted by: 18-1 at April 03, 2026 02:21 PM (sKqQm)

266 the kids in Slytherin are all dot-Indians. That's... a choice I guess.

The one picture shows a lot of kids being Indians in green robes, whether that's a real release or no I don't know. They aren't ALL Pushstart, but yeah if accurate its still ridiculous. The population of "Asians" as they call them in England was not very significant in the 1990s.

Posted by: Christopher R Taylor at April 03, 2026 02:21 PM (El6/E)

267 Posted by: Lizzy at April 03, 2026 02:18 PM (4KUe5)

They will probably make Harry confused, with his only satisfaction to be found in "choosing" to be whatever he wants to be.

Just throwing that at the wall. They couldn't possibly be that obvious though.

Posted by: ... at April 03, 2026 02:22 PM (mWRBW)

268 As much as I love LoTR I've recently been reading a lot on Rhodesia and the communist backed insurgency that ended it. It was a truly merit based and run government but the commies couldn't abide that and the West back-stabbed them - primarily Britain and it's communist/socialist Labour Party and of course Jimmy Hapless Incompetent Carter.

The story haunts me and I see it's fate as prophetic as to what's happening to us.

Posted by: Chairborne!...Desk From Above! at April 03, 2026 02:22 PM (2bnFA)

269 >>Posted by: Oldcat at April 03, 2026 02:11 PM (8avO+)

Good plan. My monitor is big enough that reading it is possible with or without cheaters, but bedtime reading will be contacts + cheaters or multifocal (and old) eyeglasses.

Posted by: Nazdar at April 03, 2026 02:22 PM (NcvvS)

270 I suppose no one noticed and/or reported it because they were skimming $ from the top as well.
Posted by: ChristyBlinkyTheGreat at April 03, 2026 02:12 PM (WONhk)

I worked in a building here in CA that had quite a few of these hospices in it. Never saw a soul in the hallways from them in years. Other businesses, saw folks all the time.

Posted by: Oldcat at April 03, 2026 02:22 PM (8avO+)

271 Sooo much this. Plus, threatening non-action by the patient with a "potential" health problem like pre-diabetes.

I've been pre-diabetic since the Obama years.
Posted by: Dr. Pork Chops & Bacons at April 03, 2026 02:18 PM (g8Ew

The entire population is pre-terminal.

Posted by: Life is a sexually transmitted fatal condition at April 03, 2026 02:22 PM (TbWk/)

272 >>> Obama-Biden Have Implemented Stealth Communism

Stealthy, like rubbing its ass on your face non-stop for years.
And shameless racism and race mongering.

Posted by: Itinerant Alley Butcher at April 03, 2026 02:22 PM (/lPRQ)

273 OT: Speaking of capitalism, this is the weekend to swing by a few stores for total protein fill ups. Whether it's a spiral ham, a semi-boneless leg of lamb, a beef rib roast, or dozens of eggs ($1.24 at Target with their deal - amazing) or all the Lenten frozen fish they didn't sell, stores are clearancing the priciest items for most folks dinners - the main proteins...produce deals aren't great, but if you have a freezer, it's a good time to be a buyer...

Posted by: Nova Local at April 03, 2026 02:23 PM (tOcjL)

274 As much as I love LoTR I've recently been reading a lot on Rhodesia and the communist backed insurgency that ended it. It was a truly merit based and run government but the commies couldn't abide that and the West back-stabbed them - primarily Britain and it's communist/socialist Labour Party and of course Jimmy Hapless Incompetent Carter.

The story haunts me and I see it's fate as prophetic as to what's happening to us.
Posted by: Chairborne!...Desk From Above! at April 03, 2026 02:22 PM (2bnFA)

Carter did that to the Shah too.

Posted by: Oldcat at April 03, 2026 02:23 PM (8avO+)

275 YOU CAN'T PUT A BOUNTY ON A MAN'S HEAD!!!!

Posted by: Joe McGrath at April 03, 2026 02:24 PM (9CBNQ)

276 264 Things are going to get worse when Democrats win back the House and Senate.

Much worse.

Posted by: That Guy at April 03, 2026 02:21 PM (3arSl)

======

The Democrats will probably win the House.

There is a roughly 0% chance they get the Senate.

They'd need to win ME (Collins was polling consistently 8 points behind in 2020...she won by 8 points), NC (Cooper can't get above 45% in a poll in a state he's supposedly popular in while being of the wrong party considering the voter registration changes), TX (HA!) and one more. All while holding onto GA (honestly, a sleeper of a dark horse) and MI (if that Muslim wins the primary, hoo boy).

So, noted dummy Jeffries gets a slim House majority to manage while Trump keeps the majority to approve appointments in the Senate.

Yeah...not the end of the world.

Posted by: TheJamesMadison, discovering British horror with Hammer Films at April 03, 2026 02:24 PM (hAotW)

277 >>Has Piper influenced every site, LOL?

"She's everywhere, she's everywhere!"

/Dick Orkin

Posted by: Chickenwoman at April 03, 2026 02:24 PM (NcvvS)

278 So China has women squeeze one out here, declare them an American citizen, the use them to sabotage our country. Courts protect them and claim birthright citizenship is right there on the constitution.

Got it.

The real enemy are the courts.

Posted by: That Guy at April 03, 2026 02:25 PM (3arSl)

279 Most Americans have no idea the level of fraud that is going on at all levels.
In so many different ways.

The cable news says nothing, so it's not happening.

And half of those who are getting any news that discusses it, still don't want to believe it--how far away from a high-trust society we've fallen.
Every event keeps getting dismissed as a one-off.

The most pernicious part is how all these new levels of fraud are specifically targeted at what used to be high-trust.
The things that we all used to just accept was largely immune to fraud. Or at least, large-scale fraud.

Posted by: People's Hippo Voice at April 03, 2026 02:26 PM (HXT0k)

280 Been wondering: Is Hail Mary good?

Posted by: Doesn't Matter at April 03, 2026 02:26 PM (JCLJi)

281 36 I'm just now tackling The Count of Monte Cristo, another behemoth. One might think a book of that length (1200+) would have to have some fluff, some distractions and red herrings. Instead, every chapter that begins to look like it's heading in the direction of filler winds back into the intrigue.

I was also daunted by the prospect of reading chapter after chapter of dismal prison travails, but that episode is disposed with fairly quickly and is packed with the instruments of Daunte's revenge. Much recommend!
Posted by: spongeworthy at April 03, 2026 01:30 PM (sLLbN)

As long as we're making this a book thread, I just finished David Hacket Fisher's 'Paul Revere's Ride' - which I think I saw mentioned here at AoSHq, and Shannon Bream's 'Nothing is Impossible with God'. Now I'm working on Dr. Marc Siegel's 'The Miracles among Us'.

Next in queue is The Hobbit.

Oh...and....BOOBS!

Posted by: Anonymous Rogue in Kalifornistan (ARiK) at April 03, 2026 02:26 PM (QGaXH)

282 I haven't started, I am not even sure I can find my copies. I've read all the books, including the Book of Lost Tales. I really should try to find them.

This next part is willowed:
The midterms are already lost, but if this war can be wrapped up quickly, we have a chance of holding the White House in 2028.

Posted by: Vick King at April 03, 2026 12:57 PM (DMmvN)
==
False. The democrats are polling at historically low levels of approval frm their own voters. This Iranian action will be done before summer. It will all be based upon the GOP passing the Save Act - this is a deal breaker for enough GOP voters, and how the economy moves back to the positive trend. Nothing has been decided. At the end of the day - the democrats have no issues to run on.

Posted by: Black JEM at April 03, 2026 02:26 PM (GZYu7)

283 Magic bird.

https://is.gd/F8A8iQ

(Bird's flap rate coincides with ring camera's frame rate)

Posted by: Anonosaurus Wrecks, Damn It Feels Good to Be a Trumpster! at April 03, 2026 02:26 PM (ndZc7)

284 Carter did that to the Shah too.

Posted by: Oldcat at April 03, 2026 02:23 PM (8avO+)

Precisely. And unleashed 50 years of terrorism on the West. And didn't that incompetent fucker also get a Nobel Peace Prize?

Posted by: Chairborne!...Desk From Above! at April 03, 2026 02:27 PM (2bnFA)

285 One of my first literary memories is reading The Hobbit as a young lad, maybe 10 years old or so. At the time it felt like an accomplishment because it was a real actual novel and its length felt daunting.

Now, some large number of years later I picked it back up and realized that it's kind of a breezy beach-read kind of book and was just a good time.

Posted by: ballistic at April 03, 2026 02:27 PM (oqH4h)

286 No matter how much I squint my eyes and what angle I look at it I just do not get "birthright citizenship" as having anything to do with the 14th Amendment.

Congress already had Constitutional authority to draft Legislation for Naturalization. So yeah, if Congress wrote a bill to Naturalize virtually anyone born in the US, and El Presidente signs it into law, OK.

And duel citizenship did not exist until after (and because of) the 19th Amendment.

Posted by: Itinerant Alley Butcher at April 03, 2026 02:27 PM (/lPRQ)

287 In Mirkwood. Bombur is a little fat bitch. Fools leave the path.

Posted by: Aetius451AD at April 03, 2026 02:28 PM (bss/y)

288 Orion Update:

The astronauts forgot where they stored the electric shaver.

Posted by: "Perfessor" Squirrel at April 03, 2026 02:28 PM (ESVrU)

289 Indians not taxed is pretty damning to the BRC argument.

Posted by: toby928(c) at April 03, 2026 02:29 PM (4NO2D)

290 My sister has read Bored of the Rings but not LOTR. I told her that is a good idea if she wants to get the basic plot in about 120 pages instead of 1000, though of course there is no substitute for the original.

Posted by: Norrin Radd, sojourner of the spaceways at April 03, 2026 02:29 PM (lY/NM)

291 False. The democrats are polling at historically low levels of approval frm their own voters. This Iranian action will be done before summer. It will all be based upon the GOP passing the Save Act - this is a deal breaker for enough GOP voters, and how the economy moves back to the positive trend. Nothing has been decided. At the end of the day - the democrats have no issues to run on.
Posted by: Black JEM at April 03, 2026 02:26 PM (GZYu7)

I think the funding sources for liberal crazies are being crushed out on the downlow. By all accounts the Dem Party has few contributions these days.

Posted by: Oldcat at April 03, 2026 02:29 PM (8avO+)

292 Been wondering: Is Hail Mary good?
Posted by: Doesn't Matter at April 03, 2026 02:26 PM (JCLJi)

Ask Roger Staubach and Drew Pearson... also Nate Wright and Paul Krause for a slightly different perspective

Posted by: LinusVanPelt at April 03, 2026 02:30 PM (xT8gx)

293 268 As much as I love LoTR I've recently been reading a lot on Rhodesia and the communist backed insurgency that ended it. It was a truly merit based and run government but the commies couldn't abide that and the West back-stabbed them - primarily Britain and it's communist/socialist Labour Party and of course Jimmy Hapless Incompetent Carter.

The story haunts me and I see it's fate as prophetic as to what's happening to us.
Posted by: Chairborne!...Desk From Above! at April 03, 2026 02:22 PM (2bnFA)
=====

Recommendation if you haven't yet: Three Sips of Gin by Timothy Bax.

A harrowing story told by a guy with way more of a sense of humor about it than any person should have.

Posted by: ballistic at April 03, 2026 02:30 PM (oqH4h)

294 >> Yeah...not the end of the world.
Posted by: TheJamesMadison, discovering British horror with Hammer Films at April 03, 2026 02:24 PM (hAotW)

lol.

There are two parties with very stark differences. We see that every day. The Democrats basically want to do away with the republic and punish dissent using the government as their weapon. They want to steal taxpayer finds and give it to their supporters who will help undermine the country.

And you're saying that people voting to give Democrats the House isn’t a big deal. You couldn’t be more wrong. Republicans should be running away with this election. This shouldn’t even be close. The lack of Republicans voting and the sorry state of the GOP and their GOTV is pathetic.

Posted by: That Guy at April 03, 2026 02:30 PM (3arSl)

295 My sister has read Bored of the Rings but not LOTR. I told her that is a good idea if she wants to get the basic plot in about 120 pages instead of 1000, though of course there is no substitute for the original.
Posted by: Norrin Radd, sojourner of the spaceways at April 03, 2026 02:29 PM (lY/NM)

You read LOTR to get more of the jokes in Bored of the Rings.

Posted by: Oldcat at April 03, 2026 02:30 PM (8avO+)

296 Oh yeah, and the real anger at DOGE wasn't that it was rooting out and finding fraud:

It was that it was putting in place the tools to find fraud.

That's what the Dems had to stop.

All of this is hidden behind layers of authorizations, a maze of routings, intentional dead-ends and deflections, etc..

Having AI to sort and trace is what they had to stop at all costs.

Posted by: People's Hippo Voice at April 03, 2026 02:30 PM (HXT0k)

297 So, noted dummy Jeffries gets a slim House majority to manage while Trump keeps the majority to approve appointments in the Senate.

Yeah...not the end of the world.

Posted by: TheJamesMadison, discovering British horror with Hammer Films at April 03, 2026 02:24 PM (hAotW)
==
The House is a toss up. The VRA decision if it comes out in time will flip seats in the South - I think California's map has put a number of those districts at risk, especially if the Save Act passes. If the economy is humming, I think it will be tough for the dems to take it.

Posted by: Black JEM at April 03, 2026 02:30 PM (GZYu7)

298 Finished The Hobbit last week. I've downloaded The Fellowship of the Ring but haven't started it yet. Maybe tonight. I have to say The Hobbit was as charming as I remember it from when I was in high school.

Posted by: Tuna at April 03, 2026 02:31 PM (lJ0H4)

299 288 Orion Update:

The astronauts forgot where they stored the electric shaver.
Posted by: "Perfessor" Squirrel at April 03, 2026 02:28 PM (ESVrU)
------
Christina is gonna have a hairy beav.

Posted by: ballistic at April 03, 2026 02:32 PM (oqH4h)

300 Hail Mary Project is pretty good.

Posted by: Boss Moss at April 03, 2026 02:32 PM (52ERr)

301 Christina is gonna have a hairy beav.

You don't say

Posted by: Winona at April 03, 2026 02:33 PM (sKqQm)

302 7 months is an ETERNITY in politics... I suspect, in the end, the midterms will be decided based on events that haven't even happened yet...

Posted by: LinusVanPelt at April 03, 2026 02:33 PM (xT8gx)

303 All of this is hidden behind layers of authorizations, a maze of routings, intentional dead-ends and deflections, etc..

Having AI to sort and trace is what they had to stop at all costs.
Posted by: People's Hippo Voice at April 03, 2026 02:30 PM (HXT0k)

They had all that, but all Trump had to do was just stop it at the source, since none of those programs did anything sensible even as a sideline. The same will be true with these hospices. They can just tell all of them to reapply and inspect and when they fail, cut them off.

Posted by: Oldcat at April 03, 2026 02:33 PM (8avO+)

304 I might end up getting banned at some point. That will be that.

If you get banned and come back on a VPN, that is some extremely-online, pathetic mentally ill loser shit to do.

Like, as in "take a nice hot bath with a toaster and put yourself out of your misery."

Posted by: Yudhishthira's Dice at April 03, 2026 02:33 PM (BI5O2)

305 294 And you're saying that people voting to give Democrats the House isn’t a big deal. You couldn’t be more wrong. Republicans should be running away with this election. This shouldn’t even be close. The lack of Republicans voting and the sorry state of the GOP and their GOTV is pathetic.

Posted by: That Guy at April 03, 2026 02:30 PM (3arSl)

=======

Well, historical patterns show that out of power parties just perform better in midterms. It's how things happen.

Not even Obama's people could figure out how to reverse that.

What can a slim House majority do? Impeach Trump? Oh no. Another impeachment. Not even after 1/6 could the Senate find 67 Senators to kick Trump out of politics forever during his second impeachment trial.

Democrats coming up with bullshit for 6 months in hearings no one cares about and sending impeachment articles to the Senate,...controlled by Republicans, will lead to...what?

Come on. Not every election is the most important in the world.

2026 is honestly not very important.

2028 will be important. 2026? Not really, especially since border enforcement is fully funded through 2028.

Posted by: TheJamesMadison, discovering British horror with Hammer Films at April 03, 2026 02:33 PM (hAotW)

306 So, noted dummy Jeffries gets a slim House majority to manage while Trump keeps the majority to approve appointments in the Senate.

Yeah...not the end of the world.

Posted by: TheJamesMadison, discovering British horror with Hammer Films at April 03, 2026 02:24 PM (hAotW)
==
The House is a toss up. The VRA decision if it comes out in time will flip seats in the South - I think California's map has put a number of those districts at risk, especially if the Save Act passes. If the economy is humming, I think it will be tough for the dems to take it.
Posted by: Black JEM at April 03, 2026 02:30 PM (GZYu7)
______

Very tough to make House predictions due to the uncertainty of redistricting. I think the end result will be a narrow majority for one of the parties. Far too many of these seats are totally noncompetitive, which is one of the reasons why the House -- both parties -- mostly doesn't give a shit about its voters.

Posted by: Elric The Blade at April 03, 2026 02:33 PM (iFTx/)

307 james carville smells like gollum

Posted by: Aragorn Shagnasti at April 03, 2026 02:33 PM (jrgJz)

308 Many Democrat/ Marxists have stated they are going after President Trump and people for war crimes and BS

Posted by: Skip at April 03, 2026 02:34 PM (Ia/+0)

309 Ask Roger Staubach and Drew Pearson... also Nate Wright and Paul Krause for a slightly different perspective
Posted by: LinusVanPelt at April 03, 2026 02:30 PM (xT8gx)

I could, but I figured since Ace said he has (and maybe some others have) seen the movie...

But I probably should know better than to ask anything here.

Posted by: Doesn't Matter at April 03, 2026 02:34 PM (JCLJi)

310 297 The House is a toss up. The VRA decision if it comes out in time will flip seats in the South - I think California's map has put a number of those districts at risk, especially if the Save Act passes. If the economy is humming, I think it will be tough for the dems to take it.

Posted by: Black JEM at April 03, 2026 02:30 PM (GZYu7)

=======

If VRA Section 2 (or Gingles) is undone next week, the number of states that will redraw in time for 2026 will be 1-2. Not many, and it'll affect like 3 seats.

It won't be a huge change. It'll be a greater effect for 2028.

Posted by: TheJamesMadison, discovering British horror with Hammer Films at April 03, 2026 02:34 PM (hAotW)

311 302 7 months is an ETERNITY in politics... I suspect, in the end, the midterms will be decided based on events that haven't even happened yet...

Posted by: LinusVanPelt at April 03, 2026 02:33 PM (xT8gx)

=====

I was told that Republicans would lose everything in 2026 unless Trump fired Hegseth for Signalgate.

Posted by: TheJamesMadison, discovering British horror with Hammer Films at April 03, 2026 02:35 PM (hAotW)

312 The House is a toss up. The VRA decision if it comes out in time will flip seats in the South - I think California's map has put a number of those districts at risk, especially if the Save Act passes. If the economy is humming, I think it will be tough for the dems to take it.
Posted by: Black JEM at April 03, 2026 02:30 PM (GZYu7)

CA has been pro DEM gerrymandered for a long time. I wonder if bending them to get the last bit won't backfire since the first gerrymander was to make all the districts SAFE for both parties.

Posted by: Oldcat at April 03, 2026 02:35 PM (8avO+)

313 Some people call me the space plumber, yeah
Some call me the gangster of love

Posted by: Anonosaurus Wrecks, Damn It Feels Good to Be a Trumpster! at April 03, 2026 02:35 PM (ndZc7)

314 I don't lile this "paid to stay home and take care of family" attack.

Paying people to stay home with a severely disabled relative is a cost-saving device.

We have a friend in her 80s who home-cares her severly-disabled daughter. She is paid around $25/hr for probably 20-30 hrs/wk.
If that daughter were in a group home, the home would be paid far, far more for someone who requires this level of care. An in-home living company would be paid even more and a a state facility would be astronomically expensive.

Posted by: 29Victor at April 03, 2026 02:35 PM (0MjtC)

315 I get the Veteran's Administrations OIG reports of fraud in my inbox at work. Yesterday I received one detailing several cases that have been successfully prosecuted. Mind you, I receive these weekly.

Some of the headlines:

• The former Executive Director of the Office of Electronic Health Record Modernization (OEHRM) was recently indicted for alleged failure to disclose his receipt of thousands of dollars in cash, casino chips, gift cards, and other gifts from contractors while leading this $16 billion project.

• The nephew of a quadriplegic veteran, who was supposedly residing with and providing care for his uncle, was sentenced to 156 months’ imprisonment after concealing his uncle's death for several years and stealing over $1.8 million of the veteran’s VA and Social Security benefits.

• The owner of a barbering and cosmetology school was sentenced to 96 months’ imprisonment and ordered to pay restitution to VA of approximately $2.9 million after being found guilty by a federal jury of enrolling veterans in classes without providing any actual instruction or training.

To be continued...

Posted by: Cheri at April 03, 2026 02:35 PM (oiNtH)

316 304 I might end up getting banned at some point. That will be that.

If you get banned and come back on a VPN, that is some extremely-online, pathetic mentally ill loser shit to do.

Like, as in "take a nice hot bath with a toaster and put yourself out of your misery."

Posted by: Yudhishthira's Dice at April 03, 2026 02:33 PM (BI5O2)

=====

CBD almost banned me once.

I posted the entire comment thread in a single comment.

Twice.

In the same morning.

Oh, pre-character limit days...

Posted by: TheJamesMadison, discovering British horror with Hammer Films at April 03, 2026 02:36 PM (hAotW)

317 I could, but I figured since Ace said he has (and maybe some others have) seen the movie...

But I probably should know better than to ask anything here.
Posted by: Doesn't Matter at April 03, 2026 02:34 PM (JCLJi)
------
Ace had a post on it a couple days ago.

I think the consensus is that it was fun and free of the typical woke garbage for the most part.

Posted by: ballistic at April 03, 2026 02:36 PM (oqH4h)

318 Like, as in "take a nice hot bath with a toaster and put yourself out of your misery."
Posted by: Yudhishthira's Dice at April 03, 2026 02:33 PM (BI5O2)

And it doesn't even work because your outlets are GFCI equipped.

Posted by: Even sadder still at April 03, 2026 02:36 PM (TbWk/)

319 Like, as in "take a nice hot bath with a toaster and put yourself out of your misery."
Posted by: Yudhishthira's Dice at April 03, 2026 02:33 PM (BI5O2)

ace is usually overly forgiving. You really have to earn it. Unless he's hangry.

CBD is a bit more 'See the threat, Hammer the threat. Nap.'

Posted by: Aetius451AD at April 03, 2026 02:36 PM (bss/y)

320 I watched it on my phone. O K. Project Hail Mary. Not sure it would be worth paying for.

Posted by: Boss Moss at April 03, 2026 02:36 PM (52ERr)

321 As has been noted recently, the Democrats and MSM tell us a foreigner who’s been here 15 minutes is owed citizenship, while heritage Americans are occupying “stolen land.”
===

Part of their endless racism

Posted by: Itinerant Alley Butcher at April 03, 2026 02:36 PM (/lPRQ)

322 Continued...

• A drug and alcohol rehabilitation center agreed to pay $19.75 million to resolve allegations that it overbilled VA using a variety of schemes, including billing for treatments not provided, while failing to provide high-quality care to veterans by qualified clinicians.
• A defendant pleaded guilty to stealing VA compensation benefits totaling approximately $225,000 intended for an elderly veteran who was unable to manage his own money.
• A charity founder and four employees submitted falsified documentation as part of a pension application fraud scheme, costing VA $20 million, and improperly demanded payments from veterans for pension benefits for which they were not actually entitled.

Posted by: Cheri at April 03, 2026 02:36 PM (oiNtH)

323 This doesn't sound like the gay African Communist I know!

Posted by: Alec Leamas at April 03, 2026 02:37 PM (ssz2a)

324 I could, but I figured since Ace said he has (and maybe some others have) seen the movie...

But I probably should know better than to ask anything here.
Posted by: Doesn't Matter at April 03, 2026 02:34 PM (JCLJi)

the reviewers I respect have said its all right. So its probably fine.

Posted by: Oldcat at April 03, 2026 02:37 PM (8avO+)

325 306 Very tough to make House predictions due to the uncertainty of redistricting. I think the end result will be a narrow majority for one of the parties. Far too many of these seats are totally noncompetitive, which is one of the reasons why the House -- both parties -- mostly doesn't give a shit about its voters.

Posted by: Elric The Blade at April 03, 2026 02:33 PM (iFTx/)

=======

Waves won't come back until after 2030, at the earliest.

10-15 seat majorities are now the maximum possible until 2032.

Posted by: TheJamesMadison, discovering British horror with Hammer Films at April 03, 2026 02:37 PM (hAotW)

326 Twice.

In the same morning.

Oh, pre-character limit days...
Posted by: TheJamesMadison, discovering British horror with Hammer Films at April 03, 2026 02:36 PM (hAotW)

On your phone?

Posted by: Aetius451AD at April 03, 2026 02:37 PM (bss/y)

327 Ace, if you want fast 'n' cheeky Tolkien, read the novelette "Farmer Giles of Ham". Farmer Giles goes face-to-face with the wily dragon Chrysophylax. Giles's cowardly dog is the first to run away and first to strut in the victory parade.

Get the copy with illustrations by Pauline Baynes in the medieval style.

Posted by: All Hail Eris, She-Wolf of the 'Ettes 'Ettes. at April 03, 2026 02:37 PM (kpS4V)

328 Dammit. That would have been a perfect spot for '...over Macho Grande?'

Posted by: Aetius451AD at April 03, 2026 02:38 PM (bss/y)

329 319 ace is usually overly forgiving. You really have to earn it. Unless he's hangry.

CBD is a bit more 'See the threat, Hammer the threat. Nap.'

Posted by: Aetius451AD at April 03, 2026 02:36 PM (bss/y)

=====

People's IPs reset and they can come back even if they don't use VPNs after a while.

I don't think qbsteve was ever actually unbanned. He just stayed away for a couple of years and got a new IP address at some point.

Posted by: TheJamesMadison, discovering British horror with Hammer Films at April 03, 2026 02:38 PM (hAotW)

330 326 On your phone?

Posted by: Aetius451AD at April 03, 2026 02:37 PM (bss/y)

====

Worse. My computer.

Posted by: TheJamesMadison, discovering British horror with Hammer Films at April 03, 2026 02:39 PM (hAotW)

331 Marxists always talk themselves into knots

Posted by: Skip at April 03, 2026 02:39 PM (Ia/+0)

332 Orion Update:

Sounds like the electric razor crisis has been resolved for the time being.

Ground crew were able to identify the most likely location for the electric razor in one of the crew storage lockers in a hygiene kit.

The mission can continue.

Posted by: "Perfessor" Squirrel at April 03, 2026 02:39 PM (ESVrU)

333 To be clear, I want the Somali Pirate Fraudmongers gone from the US forever. Fuck em all.

However, one can almost not blame them for exploiting our stupid, feckless government in the same exact manner they exploited their stupid ass government in Somalia because the democrats are retarded and have basically turned us into a backwater, third-world, Carmen Miranda hat wearing shithole just like all the rest of them.

Posted by: ballistic at April 03, 2026 02:39 PM (oqH4h)

334 Test

Posted by: Doesn't Matter at April 03, 2026 02:39 PM (JCLJi)

335 Well, who saw this coming ??

"Iran rejects U.S. proposal for a ceasefire, a source told the semi-official Fars News Agency"

Posted by: runner at April 03, 2026 02:39 PM (GD0B3)

336 I don't think qbsteve was ever actually unbanned. He just stayed away for a couple of years and got a new IP address at some point.
Posted by: TheJamesMadison, discovering British horror with Hammer Films at April 03, 2026 02:38 PM (hAotW)

I don't think anyone thought it was a problem... until he decided to be too... qdpsteve.

Posted by: Aetius451AD at April 03, 2026 02:39 PM (bss/y)

337 CBD almost banned me once.

TJM
-------

Must have been off his game.

Posted by: ... at April 03, 2026 02:39 PM (mWRBW)

338 Worse. My computer.
Posted by: TheJamesMadison, discovering British horror with Hammer Films at April 03, 2026 02:39 PM (hAotW)

How the hell did you do that 'accidently'?

Posted by: Aetius451AD at April 03, 2026 02:40 PM (bss/y)

339 I don't lile this "paid to stay home and take care of family" attack.

Paying people to stay home with a severely disabled relative is a cost-saving device.

We have a friend in her 80s who home-cares her severly-disabled daughter. She is paid around $25/hr for probably 20-30 hrs/wk.
If that daughter were in a group home, the home would be paid far, far more for someone who requires this level of care. An in-home living company would be paid even more and a a state facility would be astronomically expensive.

Posted by: 29Victor at April 03, 2026 02:35 PM (0MjtC)

If the parent isn't disabled, its double dip fraud. Saw a clip of 2 well dressed protesters who supposedly get paid for 12 hours work a day for a parent.

Posted by: Oldcat at April 03, 2026 02:40 PM (8avO+)

340 338 Worse. My computer.
Posted by: TheJamesMadison, discovering British horror with Hammer Films at April 03, 2026 02:39 PM (hAotW)

How the hell did you do that 'accidently'?

Posted by: Aetius451AD at April 03, 2026 02:40 PM (bss/y)

=====

*points at myself*

Illiterate. Asshole.

Duh.

Posted by: TheJamesMadison, discovering British horror with Hammer Films at April 03, 2026 02:40 PM (hAotW)

341 Sounds like the electric razor crisis has been resolved for the time being.

Ground crew were able to identify the most likely location for the electric razor in one of the crew storage lockers in a hygiene kit.

The mission can continue.
Posted by: "Perfessor" Squirrel

No Lunar Mission mustachios for them!

Posted by: runner at April 03, 2026 02:40 PM (GD0B3)

342 I don't think qbsteve was ever actually unbanned. He just stayed away for a couple of years and got a new IP address at some point.
Posted by: TheJamesMadison, discovering British horror with Hammer Films at April 03, 2026 02:38 PM (hAotW)
-----
I have a regular ISP and thus have a "dynamic" IP, but weirdly it hasn't changed in 7 years. Pretty wild to have a de facto static IP at home.

Posted by: ballistic at April 03, 2026 02:40 PM (oqH4h)

343 Yes, he was clearly responsible and we (states) jumped on it, too, when we could. Somehow, the $ was never going to end for social programs, i.e.,

Stateline, April 2025
'States that enshrined Medicaid expansion in their constitutions could be in a bind'
Missouri, Oklahoma and South Dakota will have to pick up the slack if the feds cut funding for the program.

The call for universal medicine and other comprehensive programs is not waning. Now UHC is considered a critical social equalizer.

What must suffer? Defense, of course.
We've become 'accustomed' to 'diplomacy before defense!' US negotiation, alliances, and humanitarian aid, partnerships, and one heck of a lot of money backing it.

There's no easy path ahead for the middle class, including retirees.

Posted by: L - No nic.... at April 03, 2026 02:41 PM (NFX2v)

344 CA has been pro DEM gerrymandered for a long time. I wonder if bending them to get the last bit won't backfire since the first gerrymander was to make all the districts SAFE for both parties.

Dems are shitting their pants right now, repubs are in the two top spots for Governor. I doubt it will stay that way but it would be funny if Repubs were the only ones on the ballot

Posted by: Hatari somewhere on Ventura Highway at April 03, 2026 02:41 PM (NtVYv)

345 Well, who saw this coming ??

"Iran rejects U.S. proposal for a ceasefire, a source told the semi-official Fars News Agency"
Posted by: runner at April 03, 2026 02:39 PM (GD0B3)

Either the press or Iran lying is pretty predictable.

Posted by: Oldcat at April 03, 2026 02:41 PM (8avO+)

346 *points at myself*

Illiterate. Asshole.

Duh.
Posted by: TheJamesMadison, discovering British horror with Hammer Films at April 03, 2026 02:40 PM (hAotW)

Who didn't notice he had highlighted the entire page?

Yeah, that's pretty fucking stupid.

And you've had kids?

Fucking hell.

Posted by: Aetius451AD at April 03, 2026 02:41 PM (bss/y)

347 UBI seems like a good idea.

Posted by: Boss Moss at April 03, 2026 02:41 PM (52ERr)

348 Dems are shitting their pants right now, repubs are in the two top spots for Governor. I doubt it will stay that way but it would be funny if Repubs were the only ones on the ballot
Posted by: Hatari somewhere on Ventura Highway at April 03, 2026 02:41 PM (NtVYv)

It might make them drop the unconstitutional jungle primary.

Posted by: Oldcat at April 03, 2026 02:42 PM (8avO+)

349 To be clear, I want the Somali Pirate Fraudmongers gone from the US forever. Fuck em all.

However, one can almost not blame them for exploiting our stupid, feckless government in the same exact manner they exploited their stupid ass government in Somalia because the democrats are retarded and have basically turned us into a backwater, third-world, Carmen Miranda hat wearing shithole just like all the rest of them.

Posted by: ballistic at April 03, 2026 02:39 PM (oqH4h)
==
Can we send along with them the Minnesota politicians who helped facilitate this whole thing?

Posted by: Black JEM at April 03, 2026 02:42 PM (GZYu7)

350 332 Orion Update:

Sounds like the electric razor crisis has been resolved for the time being.

Ground crew were able to identify the most likely location for the electric razor in one of the crew storage lockers in a hygiene kit.

The mission can continue.
Posted by: "Perfessor" Squirrel at April 03, 2026 02:39 PM (ESVrU)
-----
Christina's beav and all those who encounter it breathe a sigh of relief.

Posted by: ballistic at April 03, 2026 02:42 PM (oqH4h)

351 I have been surprised the one on my phone for the work wifi has never changed in like 4 years. zZuos for future ref.

Posted by: Aetius451AD at April 03, 2026 02:42 PM (bss/y)

352 Who didn't notice he had highlighted the entire page?

Yeah, that's pretty fucking stupid.

And you've had kids?

Fucking hell.
Posted by: Aetius451AD at April 03, 2026 02:41 PM (bss/y)

I've grabbed and pasted a huge number of posts a few times but knew it before sending.

Posted by: Oldcat at April 03, 2026 02:42 PM (8avO+)

353 348 It might make them drop the unconstitutional jungle primary.

Posted by: Oldcat at April 03, 2026 02:42 PM (8avO+)

======

They'll just work harder at clearing the deck before the primary, not get rid of one of their best tools at maintaining uniparty power.

It'll take a lot more than one lost governor's race to undo the jungle primary.

Posted by: TheJamesMadison, discovering British horror with Hammer Films at April 03, 2026 02:43 PM (hAotW)

354 332 Orion Update:

Sounds like the electric razor crisis has been resolved for the time being.

Ground crew were able to identify the most likely location for the electric razor in one of the crew storage lockers in a hygiene kit.

The mission can continue.
Posted by: "Perfessor" Squirrel at April 03, 2026 02:39 PM (ESVrU)
-----
Christina's beav and all those who encounter it breathe a sigh of relief.
Posted by: ballistic at April 03, 2026 02:42 PM (oqH4h)

The Lady astronaut moved it, probably.

Posted by: Oldcat at April 03, 2026 02:43 PM (8avO+)

355 Dems are shitting their pants right now, repubs are in the two top spots for Governor. I doubt it will stay that way but it would be funny if Repubs were the only ones on the ballot
Posted by: Hatari somewhere on Ventura Highway at April 03, 2026 02:41 PM (NtVYv)

It might make them drop the unconstitutional jungle primary.

______________________

We could only hope

Posted by: Hatari somewhere on Ventura Highway at April 03, 2026 02:43 PM (NtVYv)

356 I've grabbed and pasted a huge number of posts a few times but knew it before sending.
Posted by: Oldcat at April 03, 2026 02:42 PM (8avO+)

Yeah, cause the entire screen is blue. TJM thought 'Der... that's normal.' or just drooled and hit post.

Posted by: Aetius451AD at April 03, 2026 02:43 PM (bss/y)

357 The frustrating thing for me is that in the entire argument over the 14th amendment one major part is almost totally overlooked. Here's the pertinent text:

All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction, are citizens of the United States and of the State wherein they reside.

Posted by: Christopher R Taylor
++++

That's the most important part. Don't believe me?

Try and draft a wetback.
Or force them to sign up for Selective Service.

You'll find out just how quick you don't have jurisdiction over them.
Posted by: rickb223
====

"subject to the jurisdiction" is not dependent on being physically in the US....

.... But how else could I steal their wallet?
- Some Retarded Woman

Posted by: Itinerant Alley Butcher at April 03, 2026 02:44 PM (/lPRQ)

358 356 Yeah, cause the entire screen is blue. TJM thought 'Der... that's normal.' or just drooled and hit post.

Posted by: Aetius451AD at April 03, 2026 02:43 PM (bss/y)

======

Or, more like, The cursor is slightly too far to the left when I start the text select. I move very quickly to get the end of the comment I want, and the browser doesn't actually move to indicate that I've selected more than I thought.

I then copy what I think is one comment into the box that has no character limit, and the blue selection from the main page goes away because I've clicked something else on the page.

I then comment away, happily thinking that I've managed that one extra pixel to the left effectively enough to prevent embarrassment.

Posted by: TheJamesMadison, discovering British horror with Hammer Films at April 03, 2026 02:45 PM (hAotW)

359 I then comment away, happily thinking that I've managed that one extra pixel to the left effectively enough to prevent embarrassment.
Posted by: TheJamesMadison, discovering British horror with Hammer Films at April 03, 2026 02:45 PM (hAotW)

LOL.

Posted by: Aetius451AD at April 03, 2026 02:46 PM (bss/y)

360 336 I don't think qbsteve was ever actually unbanned. He just stayed away for a couple of years and got a new IP address at some point.
Posted by: TheJamesMadison, discovering British horror with Hammer Films at April 03, 2026 02:38 PM (hAotW)

I don't think anyone thought it was a problem... until he decided to be too... qdpsteve.
Posted by: Aetius451AD at April 03, 2026 02:39 PM (bss/y)

He got himself permabanned - twice..?

Posted by: Anonymous Rogue in Kalifornistan (ARiK) at April 03, 2026 02:48 PM (QGaXH)

361 I was actually surprised when it took 10 years before the trolls realized they could copy paste the entire thread. Seems like a no brainer to annoy everyone.

Was that BSG?

Posted by: Aetius451AD at April 03, 2026 02:48 PM (bss/y)

362 I love all the "expert" opinions on the election.

Posted by: Dr. Pork Chops & Bacons at April 03, 2026 02:49 PM (g8Ew8)

363 Nood people!!

Posted by: Denny Crane - On My Balcony...NOW!!!!! at April 03, 2026 02:50 PM (dmDsy)

364 He got himself permabanned - twice..?
Posted by: Anonymous Rogue in Kalifornistan (ARiK) at April 03, 2026 02:48 PM (QGaXH)

Still the same guy with the same tics.

See, most of us when we come into the thread know it's polite to address the thread first. Call ace gay and lame. Maybe comment on some retarded dem or make a David French cuck joke before we go completely off topic. He'd come in and immediately go off topic- which miffed the cobs- even if it was over 100. He was warned about it, but for whatever reason could not grok that social nicety (which was the key to pretty much everything with him.)

Posted by: Aetius451AD at April 03, 2026 02:52 PM (bss/y)

365 The Lady astronaut moved it, probably.
Posted by: Oldcat at April 03, 2026 02:43 PM (8avO+)

She's already remodeling the toilet space and lighting scented candles.

Posted by: Dr. Pork Chops & Bacons at April 03, 2026 02:52 PM (g8Ew8)

366 365 The Lady astronaut moved it, probably.
Posted by: Oldcat at April 03, 2026 02:43 PM (8avO+)

She's already remodeling the toilet space and lighting scented candles.
Posted by: Dr. Pork Chops & Bacons at April 03, 2026 02:52 PM (g8Ew

And putting useless pillows everywhere.

Posted by: Aetius451AD at April 03, 2026 02:53 PM (bss/y)

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Obama-Biden Have Implemented Stealth CommunismPlus: Hobbit/LOTR Reading Progress Thread

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Obama-Biden Have Implemented Stealth Communism
Plus: Hobbit/LOTR Reading Progress Thread