Because It's Friday

Dutch steam:

A Quarter-Century

I'm not revisiting this topic. I've written enough on it. Go read what I wrote in 2010 and 2011 and 2017. Or this, which wasn't posted on an anniversary.

The shame now is that we have a president who is so miffed that he can't deliver one of his hate-filled speeches at the Ground Zero Memorial that he's skipping marking the day in NY. Because it's not about the attacks in his mind, it's all about his cowardly ass.

You may remember this:

Stand By the Economic Lifeboats

Houthi forces in Yemen are making a concerted drive to take over the country’s Red Sea coast fully, claiming control of the key port of Mocha in the most serious wave of fighting with the Saudi-backed government in years, bringing the Iran-aligned group closer to full control of a key shipping route.

Seizure of the coast and some of the islands in the sea would be a strategic disaster for Saudi Arabia and the US, taking Iran and its proxies closer to full control of two choke points for western shipping on opposite sides of the Arabian peninsula: the Bab al-Mandab at the southern end of the Red Sea and the strait of Hormuz in the Gulf.

What this means is that even with the cross-peninsula pipleline, the "Pes from the region, as the supertankers are too large.

Crude oil had sort of eased back down, but between this and the drawdown of national strategic petroleum reserves, things could get into the not good range. For example, the cost of heating oil near a port was down around $4.50/gal in late Spring, but it's now a dollar or more higher. And since most delivery companies will add a surcharge for a fill of less than 125 gallons, well, a bill of $700+ per fill will have a hell of an economic whallop.

So if you heat with oil, as you fight with your family over the thermostat, make your kids put on sweaters and sweats over their jeans, and worry about whether more vulnerable family members may get a respirator infection, remember this:

Stumbling These Down, Here

Trump's Promises

Trump promised $5,000 stimulus checks from DOGE cuts. You got 0. Trump promised $2,000 stimulus checks from tariffs. You got 0. Trump promised $1,000 checks from Obamacare cuts. You got 0. Trump promised $1.98 gas. You got $4+. Trump now has more promises for you.

— Ron Filipkowski (@ronfilipkowski.bsky.social) September 10, 2026 at 9:04 AM

Trump speaks with a forked tongue. And he's counting on voters to be gullible, forgetful and downright stupid.

Demented Man Makes Up New Stories About 9-11

At an event ahead of the 25th anniversary of 9/11, President Donald Trump told a story Tuesday in which he said two firefighters picked him up off the ground near the U.S. Steel Building close to ground zero “right after” the terrorist attacks and whisked him away because they thought the building was going to collapse on them.

“I’ll never forget two firemen, we thought it was coming down on top of us, and two firemen, big, strong guys. And I’m not the smallest guy in the world. They grabbed me under the arm, said, ‘Got to get out of here,’” Trump said, without specifying exactly when the incident occurred.

“They literally lifted me up. This is not easy to do. I’m big. They lifted me up, and they started running with me. I said, ‘Fellas, I can run myself.’ But they were amazing. But they thought it was coming down,” he added.

That's just a pack of lies. Ted Cruz, one of Trump's most loyal toadies, excuses Trump from his lies because 9-11 was a long time ago:

"September 11th was 25 years ago" -- Ted Cruz defends Trump lying about his response to 9/11 but suggesting he might not remember because it was so long ago pic.twitter.com/CpuYmcNM5H

— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) September 9, 2026

Yeah, right. If you're 31 or older, you remember where you were and what you were doing when you learned of the attacks. Just like if you're 68 or older, you remember where you were and what you were doing when you learned that JFK had been shot.

Trump makes up shit and he's always the hero in his own story, except for his racism, pedophilia and draft-dodging.

Anthropic is Evil. Prove Me Wrong.

Job postings and interviews with senior security officials at Anthropic show that the frontier AI lab is building out an extensive monitoring system to keep tabs on activists who oppose the rapid development of artificial intelligence.

In addition to monitoring activists in the vicinity of Anthropic executives and keeping tabs on protests near physical Anthropic assets, the firm is also implementing a “pre-crime” approach, attempting to predict incidents before they happen. In some cases, that also means reporting suspects to police before a crime occurs.

So what they are doing is reporting people who don't like Anthropic to the cops without providing any evidence that they have done anything wrong.

Anthropic is proving the truth in the supposition that all corporations are sociopathic entities.

Anyone who is hassled by the cops because of anything to do with AI needs to file a freedom of information request, sue them if necessary and then sue the pants off of Anthropic.

Meanwhile, Anthroic isn't the only entity adopting a "pre-crime" approach. Those jackboot-wearing fascists at the Border Patrol are doing the same.

Swinging These Down, Here

On Trade Wars

This is a long piece, but unless you're a professor in economics, you might learn something.

If You Served and You Are OK With This Bullshit, Bless Your Heart

This is his latest bit at cosplaying as a war hero:

Trump is a draft-dodger whose only bits of known violence have been inflicted on women likes to cosplay that he was awarded the MOH. If any other politician had done that, it would be a national scandal.[1] But the MAGAts think its great and the GOP caucus in Congress is too cowed to utter even a peep.

What about you? If you served and you are OK with this, then you've been quaffing the Trumpy Kool-Aid to the point of lethal toxicity.

Let's compare a president who served to one who didn't, shall we?

Never forget that Trump is a bully and a craven coward who hid in a food truck with his primary daiper-changer, letting a few hundred people serve as unwitting decoys for his gutless ass.
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[1] One officer who was accused of wearing a ribbon he might not have earned was so ashamed that he took his own life. But Trump has no shame whatsoever.