Caturday

Priss loves her fleece.

Because It's Friday

I think the engine was in the roundhouse the wrong way.

The Nazi Coast Guard - Updated

Swastikas and nooses are no longer hate symbols for the Coasties.

If you're Jewish or non-white, the sea-going Gestapo Coast Guard is not for you.

No doubt that the Coast Guard will adopt pointed white hoods as part of their summer white uniform, per upcoming guidance of the DHS Secretary, Kristi the Puppy-Killer.

ETA: After intense blowback, the Coasties have ordered All Engines Back Full.

If Seditious Behavior Was Punishable by Death....

...that fat orange bastard would have been hung in 2021.

ICE Meal Team Six, Beer Gut Squad, In Charlotte

Let's be serious for a few. There is not a single thing on this overweight, piss-poor excuse for a cop that legitimately identifies him as a cop. He's wearing ill-fitting camo and a "police" patch that anyone can buy from Amazon or a surplus store. He could be an ISIS terrorist, for all we know.

There is nothing about his "look" that couldn't be copied by home invaders.

These clowns are going to end up catching bullets from law-abiding citizens who would have a reasonable fear that they are being attacked by crimial thugs. And, as for what they'll testify in court afterwards, the track record of CBP and ICE agents is that they are blatant perjurers.

Itch, Scratched

A newish S&W Model 22 in .45 ACP:

It seems to shoot OK with a euro-hold. I wanted a M1917, but this is more practical with a 4" barrel. The chambers headspace the cartridges, but you need to poke the empties out with a stick or a gimme ballpoint pen if they're not on moon-clips. Or you can find auto-rim cartridges, which are not cheap if you don't reload.

I also took a scoped Savage Mk.II to the range. It has been years since I shot a rifle, let alone a scoped rifle. Good reminder on the importance of breath control.

Helmeting These Down, Here

From The Onion:

Winner of The Lickspittle of the Week award:

More Epstein

Former Harvard President Lawrence H. Summers will immediately leave his role as an instructor at Harvard while the University investigates his ties to child sex trafficker Jeffrey E. Epstein.

It wasn't just a few emails. They were in long-term contact, with Summers asking Epstein for advice about Summers hitting on a much younger whoman who he was mentoring.

Rich white guys always think they're invulnerable. Until they aren't.

Putin Wants Ukraine to Surrender, Krasnov Agrees

His self-styled "peace plan" is a massive sellout that would have been worthy of Neville Chamberlain. It would require Ukraine to cede land to Putin that is not under Russian control, cut its military, give up weapons and, essentially, lay down and prepare to be fully occupied by the Russians.

The Rubiot said that "[A]chieving a durable peace will require both sides to agree to difficult but necessary concessions." As far as I can tell, the only concession required of the Russians is for them to stop killing people.

This so-called deal is nothing more than capitulation to Russian demands. It appears to have been written by the Russians and then given to that low-wattage tool, Steve Witkoff, who for unkown reasons, thought it was a great idea.

Trump, of course, has always been Putin's poodle. Oh, he may talk a good game of holding the Russians' feet to the fire, but when the hammer strikes the anvil, he's always in Putin's corner. Whether it's the amount of money the Russians have given him or some kompromat, Putin owns Trump, lock, stock and barrel.

Bottom line: Trump is a Russian-themed surrender monkey.

Also, when you get down to it, Trump is nothing more than a garden-variety bully. Oh, he's great at ordering strikes against unarmed boats a thousand miles away from America's shores, but when confronted with real strength (like in the Epstein files bill), he folds like an origami chicken.

If MAGA follows Trump on this, then they are the heirs of the German American Bund and the Christian Front, pro-Nazi groups of the 1930s.

Procedural

There is a motion on the floor: "Genital warts" shall be renamed "J.D. Vance".

The Motion has been seconded.

The Chair rules that it has been passed by acclimation.

Upcoming agenda item: Shall having sex with furniture be termed "Vancing"?

On another note:

In video footage of a gaggle with the press on November 14 released by the White House, Trump says, “Quiet, quiet piggy,” as a female reporter, stood off camera, begins to ask a question about the files related to the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. The president then appears to wave a finger in her face.

A Pulitzer Prize awaits for the first reporter to follow up to one of those misogynistic insults with the question: "Sir, why are you such an immature jerk?"

But notice he never insults white male reporters in that way.

Trump Take Thanksgiving

Americans will likely face higher prices on items for their Thanksgiving dinners this year.

Turkey, typically the centerpiece of the Thanksgiving meal, will be one of the biggest sticker shocks for consumers. Wholesale prices for a turkey have jumped 40% from a year ago, according to the Department of Agriculture.

There are reasons for everything costing more, from avian flu to Trump's tariffs, but that doesn't matter much. Because The Orange Piggy said he'd bring down grocery prices and he's failed.

The Trump Pedo Protection Program

Intervening to protect the Tate brothers.

Protecting pedophiles and rapists is what Trump does, because those things are what he is. But if you're MAGA, that's OK, as long as he cuts your taxes.

So Many Emails

I'm trying to trim down my mailing lists, as I end up missing important stuff.

But anyway, from TFB, here's a story about a .30-06 Thompson (like why??) and a .45-70 story that's a bit eerie.

Thanks that my email program allows me to sort by sender. And comments here get diverted into their own folder.

Now for a bit of a secret: If you never see your comments, you're on the Banhammer List. Not many are there, but a few serious asswipes. I delete them right away, I don't read them, they just go into the Eternal Bit Bucket.

Here's a Shock: Right-Wing Groups Are Openly Racist

Yeah, I know. Knock me over with a feather. But the Right is increasing hateful.

Here's another data point: MArjorie Taylor Greene rambled on for years about Qanon-grade conspiracy shit and Jewish space lasers and other stuff and she did that without a single death threat. But since she came out against Trump regarding the Epstein files:

Still, she was unrepentant when her rhetoric caused the Comet Pizza Armalite Brigade to threaten other people.

Cautioning These Down, Here

Trump Has the Emotional Maturity and Self-Control of a Toddler

He told a female reporter "Quiet, quiet, Piggy" when she asked a question he didn't like.

But the Right stil loves him, which I submit, tells you all you need to know about them. You have to wonder what they would think if he said that to their wives, daughters or sisters.

After Ten Years, This is the HealthPlan That The Orange Bozo Came Up With

So the same guy who wants to throw people off of SNAP and other programs because of fraud (while he grifts with both hands) is going to send cash to people to buy insurance?

Beyond that, the idea that any one individual has equal negotiating power with large companies is an enduring conservative lie. It was false 120 years ago when the Supremes belched out their decision in Lochner v. NY and it is false now.

Racist and Hateful Я Trump

The masked goons at CBP/ICE plan to raid Spanish-language churches over the holidays.

The sight of those neo-Nazi goons dragging abuelas out of churches shoild shame the soul of any decent human being.

Which is to say, not Republicans.

A Gentle Reminder

Trump's reversal on the release of the Epstein files is bullshit. Anybody who is applauding what he is doing is a certified Kool-Aid drinker.

The truth of the matter is that Trump doesn't need Congress to vote on releasing the Epstein files. He could order his personal attorney, Pam Bondi, to release them today.

Which he hasn't done. This is all just stall, deny, and delay.

it is more and more certain, as he drags us out, that he is a pedophile, and the proof is in the files. And he knows that. He knows that this is one revelation about his long lifetime of committing crimes that his base will not accept.

This is Trump's and Kavanaugh's America

A country where the cops can stop you because you look brown and, like a Gestapo cop, demand to see your papers.

When a masked man grabbed Ernesto Diaz’s left shoulder and slammed him against a vehicle, he thought he was being robbed.

Diaz, 23, had been walking down Archer Avenue on the Southwest Side in late September, heading toward the CTA Orange Line for a trip downtown. Earbuds in, he was listening to music and said he barely registered the vehicle that pulled up near him. That was until he felt the pain in his shoulder.

Diaz felt confused and disoriented. He couldn’t hear because “Higher Power” by Coldplay was still playing in his ears. But when he craned his neck, and saw more than half a dozen federal agents surrounding him, he understood what was happening.

“I’m Hispanic and I’m dark (skinned), so that’s why they picked me up,” Diaz, a U.S. citizen, said. “It feels scary because I’m wearing a target — you know, pick me up because I’m this color. It shouldn’t be like that.”
...
It’s impossible to say just how many Chicagoans have experienced what experts say constitutes racial profiling since the immigration crackdown began. The Department of Homeland Security has repeatedly denied that it targets people based on race and said it’s going after the “worst of the worst.” But dozens of reports and videos have circulated in the past couple months — many affecting those working at manual labor jobs.
...
“I told them I’m a U.S. citizen, I know my rights,” [another man] said. “All they said was, I don’t (expletive) care.”

CBP and ICE are white-supremacist entities. They are racially profiling people, a fact that is too blatant to be denied. If you look brown, you're going down. It's little different from a person in Nazi-occupied territory being grabbed by the cops because their nose is too big.

And, mind you, the Supreme Court approves of all of this. Beer-Boy Brett Kavanaugh thinks that being arrested, handcuffed, thrown to the ground and being detained for a few days is a "brief stop" and he is fine with that. Ol' Brett probably thinks that CBP/ICE cops approach them, tug their forelocks and say "sir, would you please show me your papers, if you'll be so kind."

And when they're not arresting brown people, they're making friends with Canadians.

I've previously said that 90% of those clowns need to be RIF'd. I'll go for 98%, now. ICE didn't exist until DHS was created, which means that the agency is younger than South Park and is far less useful. They all need to be fired.

Your Sunday Morning Rotor Noise

A Shithook:

Yeah, yah. Chinook.

I am Now Onboard With Abolishing DHS

This is how those esteemed public servants regard American citizens, including preachers, the people they're supposed to serve, who disagree with them:

Of all the mistakes of Bush the Lesser, the creation of DHS was one of his biggest. We didn't need some massive Orwellian Soviet-themed police agency to harass the American people in 2001 and we sure as fuck don't need them now.

DHS should be broken up. ICE needs to be reduced by 90%, Customs sent back to checking the border, and the jurisdiction of the Border Patrol reduced to 500 to 1,000 yards from the border itself. The "DHS cops" all need to be RIF'd. Airport security should be handed back to the states, with federal criteria that they need to meet.

Caturday

Chip at the vet's:

The Conservatives Are Having Conniption Fits About the Pope

He seems to be living the message of Jesus about immigrants and outcasts, and the Right, including the CouchFucker, is all "how dare he".

I suppose that the Leading Fake Christian in Congress is of the same opinion, but I haven't bothered to track it down. Frankly, he's such a despicable and detestable person that I feel an urge to wipe down my keyboard with a bleach wipe after typing his name. He should be greeted in public by people ringing bells and chanting "Shame! Shame!"

And you can totally buy one to ring whenever a politician from the Group of Pedos is about.

Let's Be Clear About One Thing: There Is No "Department of Justice" Anymore

It's Trump's Taxpayer-Paid Legal Department.

The Justice Department on Thursday sued to block new congressional district boundaries approved by California voters last week, joining a court battle that could help determine which party wins control of the U.S. House in 2026.

They've done nothing about Texas's gerrymandering, hell, Trump called for it. But gerrymandering for Democrats is illegal, according to Trump's personal lawyer, the eminently bribable Pam Bondi.

Gerrymandering for the GOP without voter approval: Bondi likes.

Gerrymandering for the Democrats with voter approval: Bondi sues.

Trump, Epstein and More

First off, it's coming out that Epstein and Trump were friends for a lot longer than Trump has said. Epstein was coaching Steve Bannon on a media campaign to support Trump in 2018.

Trump has no real friends, he never has. Every relationship in his life is transactional. He keeps people in his orbit for what they can do for him. When they can't do anything more for him, they're gone. That Epstein was in his life for so long speaks volumes.

Second, I want to pivot to Jimmy Kimmel, who lost his lifelong friend and bandleader, Cleto Escobedo III. Kimmel's taking a few days off, but he did his show the day Escobedo died. His monologue was a heartfelt eulogy to his friend.

On social media, I've read some pretty brutal comments, mocking Kimmel for showing his feelings and calling him all sorts of nasty shit. I'm not going to quote or link to them. But if that's you, check your head. You're showing what kind of character that you have and it's not flattering to you.

Because It's Friday

The Romney, Hythe & Dymchurch Railway:

Those steam engines are all original to the railroad for working service.

The Coming Epstein War

The most advanced U.S. aircraft carrier is expected to reach the waters off Venezuela in days, a flex of American military power not seen in Latin America for generations.

Experts disagree on the possibility that American warplanes will catapult off the USS Gerald R. Ford to bomb targets inside Venezuela and further pressure authoritarian President Nicolás Maduro to step down.

The classic move of an embattled autocrat is to start a war with somebody in order to wave the flag and rally the populace. The Argentinian junta played that card by invading the Falkland Islands in 1982. (The junta fell after losing that war.)

Any military action by the Trump regime will be to distract the American people from the fact that Trump is a pedophile who features prominently in the Epstein files.

Cowering These Down, Here

Trump is Clearly a Pedophile and He is Terrified That His Base Will Find Out (Updated)

So he is doing everything humanly possible to stop the vote on the Epstein discharge petition.

Q: "Why are White House officials…meeting with Rep. Boebert in an effort to try to get her to not sign this petition calling for the release of the [Epstein] files?" Leavitt: "I'm not going to detail conversations that took place in the situation room."

[image or embed]

— The Bulwark (@thebulwark.com) November 12, 2025 at 1:55 PM

The Orange Pervert dragging Handsy down to the Situation Room to pressure not to sign the petition seems a bit much.

EDITED to ADD:

One reason you hold a meeting to pressure/cajole/threaten Boebert in the Situation Room is so she can't record it.

— emptywheel (@emptywheel.bsky.social) November 12, 2025 at 4:50 PM

And this guy agrees.

As the saying go, the rubber is going to hit the road when the Epstein file bill comes up for a vote next week. Will we see a shitload of GOP reps voting for it, now that they'll have to go on the record about whether or not to keep on protecting Trump's alleged pedophilia? Because you know, Gentle Reader, that if he wasn't in it up to his hairline, that he'd not be fighting so hard to keep it under wraps.

Megyn Kelly Is a Disgusting Excuse For a Human Being

She's trying to redraw the line of what is pedophilia in order to protect Trump and Epstein.

So, in her view, fucking a child is OK if a Republican is the one who is doing the fucking.

ICE, As Unprofessional As Always

A police officer intervened when he saw a man - who later identified himself as a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent - point a gun at a driver in Santa Ana, California Sunday afternoon, officials said.
...
Police said the officer saw a man exit his car while pointing a gun at the female driver behind him.
...
According to police, the armed man identified himself as an ICE agent, provided credentials and told the Fullerton officer that the woman had been following and recording him.

"The Fullerton Police Officer informed the agent that he could not assist with someone following or recording him if no crime had occurred, and that local law enforcement (Santa Ana PD) was en route. The female left the area shortly after," police said.

That's not the only ICE goon to point a gun at people taking photos:

One of these days, one of these unprofessional, untrained armed nitwits will pull a gun on a cop and get ventilated for his trouble.

Trump and his lackies in Congress tripled ICE's budget. It needs to be shaved by 90%.

ICE, CBP and the rest of the goons at DHS have been trampling over the law. The law moves slowly, but it will come for them.

Staining These Down, Here