One goes to bed on a quiet-ish Friday night, one wakes up on Saturday morning to discover that even though we are observing Dry January, somehow overnight, we acquired Venezuela. Like we’d drunk-ordered it from a catalog.
What was worse was running my usual Saturday errands, turning on WDET where they were carrying the presser live, and hearing the commander-in-chief rambling on about crime in Washington. Seriously, he sounded way more senile than Biden ever did. Then the baton was passed to Pete Hegseth, and he went on in the same vein, heaping hosannas on Tubby and boasting about the “lethality” of our military. He loves that word, lethality. I reflected that I’m often contemptuous of these people, often exasperated, often angry, but on Saturday? I was fearful. For all of us.
Because Cuba is next, I fear.
I really don’t have anything to say about this, because it would come out in all caps and no one wants that. We are a nation led by idiots, fools, toadies and [insert a few more insulting words here]. And honestly, what’s the point? We all know where we stand, and that the only power we have is to work and vote against it. So let’s do it.
As for the others, as Hegseth likes to say, they have fucked around, and they will find out.
How was your weekend? I spent Sunday getting Christmas out of the house, and as always, it feels like I have another room in my house now. Time to settle into 2026 and make a difference.
And this update:
It didn’t take long, did it?
Mark P said on January 4, 2026 at 4:22 pm
I am not sure we can save ourselves. And I’m not sure who can do it for us. God? Where are you?
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FDChief said on January 4, 2026 at 4:59 pm
I think it’s worth recalling the last time the wingnuts were strutting around boasting about making their own reality and how they were going to show the rest of us how “war works”.
Didn’t end up so well, did it? And that was Dick Cheney & Co., people like Paul “Stupidest Guy on the Face of the Earth” Wolfowitz, who looks like Metternich compared to this bunch of idiot grifters.
So…we’ll see. My bet is that these nimrods haven’t got a plan for the same things that screwed the Bushies in Iraq.
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tajalli said on January 4, 2026 at 6:44 pm
Recent memes have suggested that, since it seems okay to abduct presidents of other countries for trial, Canada should send in a team and abduct toad, toadies, and associated families and put them all on trial.
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Deborah said on January 4, 2026 at 6:58 pm
But it got everyone to forget about the Epstein files for a few hours, that’s what it’s all about isn’t it?
I’m so sick of holding my tongue with my Trumper relatives, I really want to give them a piece of my mind but I’ve been holding it in and I’m sick of it. The violence and the stupidity are egregious, we are getting ourselves into some serious deep shit. I’m furious.
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Jeff Gill said on January 5, 2026 at 6:59 am
On the brighter side for all the Detroit area folk here:
https://x.com/Super70sSports/status/2007964433763754275?s=20
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Peter said on January 5, 2026 at 7:35 am
Deborah, someone else said that those Epstein files must be REALLY bad to justify nabbing Maduro.
Sorry to refer to a previous entry, but it’s only January 5, and Alex’s “I don’t know how you even begin to explain to someone so stupid just how stupid they are for posting something so stupid…” is your frontrunner for comment of the year. That about sums up what we’re dealing with in one sentence.
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Jeff Borden said on January 5, 2026 at 11:20 am
It surprises no one tRump didn’t alert Congress before he invaded Venezuela, but he did call oil company executives.
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Mark P said on January 5, 2026 at 3:54 pm
Congress, huh, yeah
What is it good for?
Absolutely nothing …
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Sherri said on January 5, 2026 at 4:46 pm
I would think that given how unpopular Trump’s policies are, especially given how unpopular using military force in Venezuela is, and with mid-terms just 11 months away, that Congressional Republicans might be more willing to put some distance between themselves and Trump, but other than a few scattered examples, that doesn’t seem to be the case.
I don’t really understand why anyone would want to be in Congress if you’re not going to do anything. You still have to raise lots of money to stay there, but what’s the point?
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jack horner said on January 5, 2026 at 6:35 pm
Two points. Insider trading and future jobs
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Sherri said on January 5, 2026 at 9:01 pm
Insider trading only works when you have inside information, which Congress seems to have less and less of.
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Deborah said on January 5, 2026 at 9:52 pm
Also just the thrill of power.
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alex said on January 5, 2026 at 9:56 pm
I watched Dokoupil’s maiden flight even though I should be embarrassed to admit it.
Dr. John LaPook, the network’s longtime senior medical correspondent, was asked to “clarify” the CDC’s new vaccine guidelines for children by the rather frosty Dokoupil. Usually ebullient and chummy with the anchors, he seemed tense and guarded. He gave what sounded like a statement that had been handed to him that didn’t clarify anything at all. Then he interjected that the American Academy of Pediatrics doesn’t agree with the CDC’s new guidelines and he urged parents to consult closely with their doctors about what’s best for their children.
Dokoupil ended the interview sort of curtly and dismissively, and I have a feeling that LaPook may be on the short list of experts that CBS plans to axe.
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Icarus said on January 6, 2026 at 9:32 am
I don’t think Dan Campbell is going anywhere but 6 other NFL head coaches (so far) have lost their job this year. Coaches get too much credit when things go well and too much blame when things go bad. With the exception of Bear’s Head Coaches — all of ours before Ben Johnson and since Lovie Smith were horrible.
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Sherri said on January 6, 2026 at 12:58 pm
Okay, then. Now we know that Stephen Miller isn’t just a white nationalist. He’s a white imperialist. Laws and treaties don’t matter, just force.
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/01/05/us/politics/stephen-miller-greenland-venezuela.html?unlocked_article_code=1.CVA.Fc3e.2NgU6IrfOZ45&smid=url-share
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Dexter Friend said on January 6, 2026 at 1:08 pm
One year ago my Black Labrador Retriever died. Pogo was a great dog and I miss her every day. I and my family agree I can’t walk a dog anymore; my dog days are over. Dog Reels kill me; I can’t go visit places where dogs are available for adoption because I want to take one home.
And 5 years ago the worst person in history ever to be President tried to overthrow democracy. Somehow…that bastard is still President. Lawrence O’Donnell said Greenland is a smokescreen, Marco does not care about Venezuela, even though Stephen Miller actually laughed off the assumption he is in charge of Venezuela, as he said Rubio is.
O’Donnell said Trump, Inc. may make a token invasion into Colombia, but this whole charade is a precursor to a full-blown, full takeover of Cuba. The Gusanos are wanting this badly.
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Deborah said on January 6, 2026 at 1:27 pm
Rubio wants Cuba so bad. When I was growing up in Miami we had a lot of Cuban neighbors and they all wanted to go back, but knew they couldn’t unless Castro was gone. Of course those folks are all dead and gone now but their descendants want the retribution. Of course I’m stereotyping now. Miami got so much better when the Cubans came.
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Sherri said on January 6, 2026 at 4:57 pm
Rubio wants Cuba. Trump wants Greenland, probably because Mercator projections make it look sooo big. But don’t forget about Iran; we’ve already attacked them once, for Netanyahu, and flush with regime change energy, who’s to say we won’t do Netanyahu a solid and take out Iran’s leadership?
https://www.forever-wars.com/this-big-truck-is-coming-iran-after-the-maduro-kidnapping/?ref=forever-wars-newsletter
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Sherri said on January 6, 2026 at 5:53 pm
Garrett Graf on Venezuela, in Wired: https://www.wired.com/story/3-keys-understanding-trumps-retro-coup-in-venezuela/
Wired has been doing exceptional work; I’m surprised Condé Nast hasn’t gutted it yet.
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alex said on January 6, 2026 at 7:12 pm
So Bari Weiss’ stooge had little to say about “the January 6 protesters” on the fifth anniversary other than “President Trump today accused Democrats of failing to protect the Capitol, while Democrat minority leader Hakeem Jeffries accused him of quote ‘white-washing it.'”
Dokoupil closed the show, broadcast live from Miami, with a big sloppy wet kiss to Marco Rubio and his “impressive resume” for wearing so many hats in this administration (all of them so ill-fitting, he neglected to add).
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Mark P said on January 6, 2026 at 7:48 pm
Dexter, what about a smaller, senior dog?
I’m 75 and in reasonably good health, apparently. I have two dogs and can’t imagine* not having a dog. But realistically, assuming I outlive my current dogs, it would probably be irresponsible for me to adopt another dog when I’m even older, not because of lack of ability, but because of expected life span.
*On the other hand, there are a number of things I couldn’t imagine in the past that I no longer have to imagine because I’m living them.
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Mark P said on January 6, 2026 at 9:33 pm
So now we’re beginning to see…
Trump says Venezuela will give him millions of barrels of their oil for him to distribute as he sees fit, to Venezuela or in the U.S.
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