DEPORT HIM!!! DEPORT THE DRAG QUEEN CRIMINALS ASSAULTING OUR KIDS!
Oh...
Wait a second...
Not a drag queen?
YET AGAIN?
It's a drug smuggler who was pardoned by President Trump?
Never mind.
LOOK! OVER THERE!
A trans girl wants to play sports! UNLEASH RELENTLESS ATTACKS ON HER, AND HER PARENTS, AND ANYBODY WHO WOULD DARE SUPPORT HER! PERSECUTE HER 13-YEAR-OLD ASS! THIS HORRIBLE SITUATION CANNOT THREATEN OUR DEMOCRACY! BECAUSE LOOK! LOOK OVER THERE! DON'T LOOK HERE! LOOK OVER THERE! IT'S A TRANS CHILD!!!
Ooh! Spring is finally here! But am I going outside to enjoy it? No... because an all new Bullet Sunday starts... now...
• Stuck on You! Betty White's social media advertised that the US Postal Service tribute stamp to her was finally released. As my favorite celebrity of all time, of course I wasted no time heading to the USPS website to buy a sheet and also get the cancelation release...
Note the paw print earring. I also picked up some of the Keith Harring "Love" stamps which I had no idea existed.
• Close to You! Okay. First of all... how could you have never heard Karen Carpenter before? Second of all... I wish I could erase my memories of Karen Carpenter's phenomenal voice so I was able to hear her for the first time again...
What's interesting is searching YouTube for this topic. There are a LOT of reaction videos. And all of them go about how you think they would. If you've never heard Karen Carpenter with the music stripped away... you need to do that.
• Tariffs, Anyone? Aerogarden is shutting down, so their hydroponic systems are on sale for half price in a variety of places. I had one at my old place and loved being able to have fresh herbs available... but it broke when I moved.
So I just bought two of them (they only seem to have the small 6-pod units left @ $60, though I'm told they can be had for $50)...
I also bought a boat-load of seed pods (third party, because the Aerogarden has always been crazy expensive). Given how groceries aren't going to get cheaper any time soon... or ever, given how much of our food is grown in Mexico or harvested in the US by migrant workers who are getting deported... I need to do what I can to afford to make meals I love more affordable. Cilantro, which I eat a ton of, has reached $1.70 a bunch. Parsley $2 a bunch. Basil $3 a package. Thyme $3 a package. Jalapeños are 50¢ each. Butter lettuce is $4 a head. It goes on and on.
My $120 Aerogarden investment plus cheap seed pods will end up paying for itself in under a year. Now I'm considering growing my own tomatoes, tomatillos, cucumbers, and peppers outside to save money. The problem is that I work so much I won't be able to tend to them as they need. I dunno. I should try and find a way, because holy shit is eating expensive.
• Nice Beaver! Yeah, baby beavers are about as cute as it gets. Around the 90-second mark you can really hear them crying and squeaking. My heart. The total video is 10-1/2 minutes long, and the babies are just in the first two minutes, but you'll want to watch it all...
Half the video was a beaver eating avocado and beaver chow. I couldn't stop watching.
• License to Kill... A Studio! So I don't get accused of misogyny by hammering away at another incompetent female movie exec (the first being LucasFilm's Kathleen Kennedy) I'm going to let a woman do it in this video (oh man how I love Nerd Cookies!)...
But I am going to chime in and say "Amazon Prime Video... WHAT. THE. FUCK. TOOK. YOU. SO. LONG?!?" Jennifer Salke made so many moronic and expensive mistakes that it's beyond shocking she lasted this long. Usually you have to be a straight white man to get a pass on being this bad at your job. Hopefully Amazon will get their shit together and hire somebody who knows what the fuck they're doing and take advantage of their many amazing IPs. Because MGM deserves better.
• M'Baku to the Future! The Avengers: Doomsday cast announcement video was fun, I guess. But the only addition that truly made me want to happy-dance was Winston Duke as M'Baku. Don't care about the X-Men, but I've wanted a Disney+ M'Baku series since we've had Disney+, and it boggles my mind we haven't gotten one yet...
No Daredevil. No Moon Knight. No Blade. No Eternals. No Marvels. No Spider-Man?!? Strange. Oh... and no Doctor Strange?!?
• U-S-A! U-S-A! Thank heavens anti-vaxers and RFK are intent on bringing back preventable diseases by presenting misinformation about vaccines! The companies who makes iron lungs could use the business after the polio vaccine was developed and wiped out a need for their product. To get a look at what future generations of Americans may be in for, here's an interesting (but sad) look...
I remain absolutely floored at how anti-science rhetoric and "alternate facts" are fucking up this country. And I'm mortified that kids who have no say in getting vaccinated are going to pay the price for it.
And, on that happy note, I'm going to go enjoy this fine (albeit a bit overcast) Spring day... by cleaning my house.
Up is down. Blue is red. Bananas are apples.
I swear at this point nothing can surprise me. Except... what does continue to surprise me... even though I am fully aware that it shouldn't... is the fact that there are people so indoctrinated into a narrative that they question nothing and believe absolutely everything they're told, no matter how outlandishly stupid.
So long as what they're told fits into what they want to believe, there's no need for any other perspective. And sure as fuck no need for facts.
I should have never stopped drinking on my birthday.
Meh. Just ignore me today. I'm catching up on the news and am probably just jealous that I'm not included in all the cool group chats.
However...
Remember when a government employee sending emails on a personal server was considered such a reckless breach of security that it resulted in two FBI investigations? I do. Political opponents wouldn't shut the fuck up about it, even after the employee was cleared by the investigations. But now those same people have ZERO problem with how top-secret information is transmitted (hell, they don't even give a shit who is receiving it), and think there should be ZERO consequences for a massive security breach.
And of course the same sycophants who were screaming about the emails are falling for the banana in the tailpipe because they're being told there's no banana in the tailpipe.
Like I said, I am fully aware that this shouldn't surprise me even a little bit. Maybe it's because I want so badly to believe that people can finally wake up to reality that I have no choice but to be surprised. But in a world of "alternative facts" maybe I'm being too hopeful.
I should stop.
But without hope, what else is there?
I may not be at home, but I'm still tossing bullets aplenty... because an all new Bullet Sunday starts... now...
• Cinematic Apathy! Simon Stålenhag is a brilliant, brilliant writer/artist who has crafted some of the most amazing books you'll ever see. The Electric State is a beautifully dark and haunting tale where every illustration looks like it belongs in a museum. The Russo Brothers, whose Avengers movies are genius, made a boring, safe adaptation that completely misses the point (on Netflix). It's awful, even though the source material is phenomenal still...
Even if it were a completely new movie that was an original work it would be awful.
• Qualls! This is easily one of the best Hollywood interviews I’ve ever seen...
What a fascinating guy.
• Port of Seattle! I’ve been saying for decades that SeaTac Airport (AKA Seattle-Tacoma Airport) is one of the shittiest airports in the world, even on the Federal level at Border Control. As you can see here. The airport is busted, nonsensical, inconvenient, and prioritizes space for businesses over space and comfort for passengers. I am filled with dread every time I fly out of the shithole. And I’m filled with embarrassment whenever visitors have to use it.
• Found On The Internet Part 7,365,411! I could use this award almost daily...
And so could you if you read this blog daily!
• Reagan?! I'll just put these videos here for no particular reason...
No reason at all.
• Lumon Terminal Pro! BWAH HA HA HAAAA! If you're watching Severance on AppleTV+, then Apple's latest computer may interest you...
• Vaccinate! I feel bad that anybody suffers the consequences of science-denial... it's all programming and ignorance... but I feel even more terrible that their children have to suffer with them. Because Jesus Christ...
Your God gave us vaccines, but here you are... wanting your child to die instead of accepting a literal miracle that was handed to you.
See you on the other side of the mountains. One of these days.
First this appears in my newsfeed...
GOP state Sen. Justin Eichorn arrested on suspicion of soliciting sex with a 17-year-old girl.
21 hours later, this appeared...
Christian School Teacher and Conservative Writer Who Accused LGBTQ People of 'Grooming' Kids Charged with Molesting Student.
Know what they have in common? Both are "family value" Conservative Christians who railed against the LGBTQ+ Community and accused them of abusing kids.
Know what else they have in common? Neither of them are drag queens.
Or so I'm guessing.
When are people going to wake the fuck up and see that it's the Conservative Christians who are yelling the loudest about LGBTQ+ persons and drag queens "grooming" kids THAT ARE THE ONES DOING THE ACTUAL ASSAULT OF KIDS?
Stop persecuting the groups who are the tiniest possible fraction of perpetrators and start looking into the groups who are actually doing it. "LOOK.. OVER THERE! — DON'T LOOK AT ME MOLESTING YOUR KIDS... LOOK AT THAT DRAG QUEEN READING A BOOK!" This is fucking exhausting. How much longer before something is done to actually protect children by going after those most likely to assault them?
You can start by investigating those who are pointing fingers at everybody else.
I am about as angry and disgusted as I've ever been... so let's get to an all new, very special Bullet Sunday which starts... now...
• Background. I'm going to give you a bit of background to explain why I'm so fucking outraged today. And it starts with my support of America's soldiers. Not necessarily what they do... because our government can't seem to help abusing and misusing our military... and not all of our soldiers because there have been too many who have done horrific things while wearing a uniform... but generally speaking. A lot of American citizens become soldiers because they don't have many options. They don't have wealthy parents and a trust fund. A lot of them join the military in the hopes of escaping poverty or abuse. A lot of them join the military with aspirations to serve their country and do something important with their life. So, yeah, I respect (most of) our soldiers. My parents were both in the Navy. People I admire were in the service. And so I've tried to do my part for our soldiers... like sending care packages (a great place to start is AnySolder.com)... and promoting and donating to support organizations (like StopSoldierSuicide.org)... and it's why I promote and support organizations for our abandoned and forgotten soldiers (like the National POW/MIA Memorial & Museum). I haven't served, so I try to support those who do.
• Our Government at Work. I'm just going to get right to it... the official government website for the Department of Defense (defense.gov) has done something so horrific that, even with all the crazy shit going on, I still have a hard time believing it. Whether or not the current administration will scrub all evidence of this abhorrent act doesn't matter, because I've brought the receipts. As I am typing this, if you search on defense.gov for "Charles C Rogers" (as in Maj. Gen. Charles Calvin Rogers) the top result is recognizing him as a Medal of Honor recipient. If you don't know, that's the highest military decoration available.
The link: https://www.defense.gov/News/Feature-Stories/Story/Article/2824721/medal-of-honor-monday-army-maj-gen-charles-calvin-rogers/
Which I have screen-shot here...
And, yes, this is official, even though the search is made through USA.gov...
But when you click on that, it redirects to: https://www.defense.gov/News/Feature-Stories/Story/Article/2824721/deimedal-of-honor-monday-army-maj-gen-charles-calvin-rogers/
Look carefully. "Medal of Honor Monday" is now "DEI Medal of Honor Monday"...
But it gets worse. His page has been scrubbed...
So not only is our current administration firing veterans, cutting staff for the Veterans Administration, firing veterans, and generally making life worse for the people who serve this country... THEY ARE FUCKING DISRESPECTING AND ERASING VETERANS ON OFFICIAL GOVERNMENT WEBSITES.
• Military of the (Right) People. Before I continue on with Maj. Gen. Charles Calvin Rogers, a quick aside. Soldiers are soldiers. It doesn't matter their sex, their orientation, their faith, their race, their social status, or how they choose to identify. They are serving their country, and that's what matters. And it's not up for debate. However... recognizing that people have intrinsic traits which sets them apart from the historically white, male, Christian, straight hero soldier trope that has inundated society (like our "war movies" since the dawn of time), is important. Which is why the official website for the Arlington National Cemetery has added categories under their "notable graves" section to recognize Women's History, African American History, and Hispanic American History (and there should be more categories, in my opinion... where are the LGBTQ+ soldiers?). Well, the site did have these categories. But now? Scrubbed (as reported by Task & Purpose). They still have a section for FOREIGN NATIONALS, but American minorities in service? Nope.
• An All-American Hero. If you've got Maj. Gen. Charles Calvin Rogers's name in your mouth, you had better put some respect on it. Via Wikipedia, here is the Medal of Honor citation he received...
For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity in action at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty. Lt. Col. Rogers, Field Artillery, distinguished himself in action while serving as commanding officer, 1st Battalion, during the defense of a forward fire support base. In the early morning hours, the fire support base was subjected to a concentrated bombardment of heavy mortar, rocket and rocket propelled grenade fire. Simultaneously the position was struck by a human wave ground assault, led by sappers who breached the defensive barriers with bangalore torpedoes and penetrated the defensive perimeter. Lt. Col. Rogers with complete disregard for his safety moved through the hail of fragments from bursting enemy rounds to the embattled area. He aggressively rallied the dazed artillery crewmen to man their howitzers and he directed their fire on the assaulting enemy. Although knocked to the ground and wounded by an exploding round, Lt. Col. Rogers sprang to his feet and led a small counterattack force against an enemy element that had penetrated the howitzer positions. Although painfully wounded a second time during the assault, Lt. Col. Rogers pressed the attack killing several of the enemy and driving the remainder from the positions. Refusing medical treatment, Lt. Col. Rogers reestablished and reinforced the defensive positions. As a second human wave attack was launched against another sector of the perimeter, Lt. Col. Rogers directed artillery fire on the assaulting enemy and led a second counterattack against the charging forces. His valorous example rallied the beleaguered defenders to repulse and defeat the enemy onslaught. Lt. Col. Rogers moved from position to position through the heavy enemy fire, giving encouragement and direction to his men. At dawn the determined enemy launched a third assault against the fire base in an attempt to overrun the position. Lt. Col. Rogers moved to the threatened area and directed lethal fire on the enemy forces. Seeing a howitzer inoperative due to casualties, Lt. Col. Rogers joined the surviving members of the crew to return the howitzer to action. While directing the position defense, Lt. Col. Rogers was seriously wounded by fragments from a heavy mortar round which exploded on the parapet of the gun position. Although too severely wounded to physically lead the defenders, Lt. Col. Rogers continued to give encouragement and direction to his men in the defeating and repelling of the enemy attack. Lt. Col. Rogers' dauntless courage and heroism inspired the defenders of the fire support base to the heights of valor to defeat a determined and numerically superior enemy force. His relentless spirit of aggressiveness in action are in the highest traditions of the military service and reflects great credit upon himself, his unit, and the U.S. Army.
Now... you tell me. Does his Medal of Honor sound like it was awarded because of DEI? If it does, let me fucking remind you that he received this honor in 1968. The Civil Rights Act only came about four years earlier in 1964. And 1968 was time when racism was so rampant that they had to start adding things like the Fair Housing Act (also in 1968) to help curb just how bad it was (or continues to be, if you're paying attention).
• Charles Calvin Rogers. Also via Wikipedia, I feel it's important to mention that Maj. Gen. Rogers didn't stop his service after he recovered and got a college degree...
After recovering Rogers attended the US Army War College and received an M.S. degree from Shippensburg State College. He rose to the rank of major general before he left the army in 1984. He later became a Baptist minister, serving U.S. troops stationed in Germany. After a brief battle with prostate cancer, he died in Munich, Germany, at 61 and is buried in Arlington National Cemetery, United States.
He served right up until he died, far from home while ministering to the needs of his fellow soldiers. That kind of dedication should be celebrated, but instead his page gets scrubbed from the Department of Defense.
• Fuck. This. Bullshit. The purpose of this post is to draw attention to something that's incredibly fucked up and wrong. The level of disrespect that has been heaped upon a literal American hero needs attention. And while I don't really want to drag this post into dirty politics, it's pretty hard not to. Because it's not just Maj. Gen. Rogers being slighted by the current administration. Even a cursory look at the headlines shows that the military (in general) and veterans (specifically) are getting fucked (and this is after polling showed that veterans supported them to the tune of 61%).
• Veterans Haven't Left the Fight. Protesting is still technically legal in this country. Although that seems to be changing... you can't even protest a fucking car without being labeled a domestic terrorist by the President now-a-days (which is apt because the President Himself has turned into a car salesman). Perhaps in short order all forms of protest, an American right since the country was formed, will be banned and protesters shipped to prison camps. And if you think that's impossible then you haven't been paying attention (nor do you know your history). Thankfully, veterans just don't give a fuck and are taking the fight to politicians directly...
And so it goes.
Here's hoping that next Bullet Sunday I can get back to my regular nonsense.
NEWSFLASH: Texas megachurch founder and ex-spiritual adviser to Trump indicted in child sex abuse case.
Ugh! Yet another drag queen assaulting our children!
What? What did you say? It's NOT a drag queen, but YET ANOTHER CHURCH PASTOR? Oh... AND he was President Trump's "spiritual advisor?" Somebody Trump said was "...great people. Great people with a great reputation. I have to say that. Great reputation." (read it while you can... this link goes to trumpwhitehouse.archives.gov, so it will likely be scrubbed any minute now because revisionist history is our new normal).
Shocking. I am just so shocked!
Holding my breath for all the Christian outrage.
Holding it in vain.
Because they will just renew their assault on drag queens and the LGBTQ Community as a distraction from the real threat WHEN THE CALL IS COMING FROM INSIDE THE FUCKING HOUSE!
This has been my second day of working 14 hour days. I used to do that all the time. Heck, back in 2019 I would put in 8-10 hours at the office, then go home and put in 3-5 hours doing work for the charity I volunteered with. But something has happened in the last five years that's making it a lot harder.
And, yeah, I know that part of the problem is that I'm getting older. But not really.
The problem is that the stress of everyday living has ramped up to 11, and it's been wearing me down. I spend so much energy dealing with the horrors of This American Existence that I've got precious little left to get me past a regular 8-hour work day. And believe me... I know that it's a lot worse for a lot of people, but still...
And then there's the very real possibility that Social Security is going to be gutted, which means this will never, ever end. I've been paying a huge amount of money into the system for the vast majority of my life. It's my money for my retirement. And yet I might not see a penny of it because I'm being told that it's not my money after all. It's government waste, and I'm better off working myself to death.
So great. So great.
Which is to say that even once I've got everything caught up at work, I'll likely end up working 16 hour days eventually anyway because I'll need two jobs just to get by.
Soooo... my retirement account is crashing in real-time... I'm going to be paying more taxes so billionaires pay less taxes... tariffs are driving up prices of imports... retaliatory tariffs are killing our export markets... our closest allies are quickly becoming our enemies... our critical imports like energy and lumber are skyrocketing in price... unemployment is escalating at an alarming rate... government services we rely on are being burned to the ground... groceries are more expensive than ever... and we're heading into a recession and possible depression.
But a dozen trans persons can't play sports and we've changed the name to Gulf of America, so it was all worth it! We've done it! We're great again!
I may be feeling nauseous and very close to puking on my keyboard, but the internet must go on... because an all new Bullet Sunday starts... now...
• Deli Bro! I think the reason I'm sick is because working non-stop has finally caught up to me. And so... instead of cleaning my pit of a house, I spent yesterday laying on the couch watching Deli Boys on Hulu. The first episode is available on YouTube, but I don't know for how long...
I loved the show. Which means it'll get canceled. Don't know why I bother getting invested in television any more. None of them seem to be given a chance to find an audience and grow. Like Amazon just canceling The Recruit.
• Hot Bill! =sigh= Bill Murray always fires on all cylinders. And he's in true form on Hot Ones... a show I'm flabbergasted he wanted to appear on. But I'm so glad he did...
Is the guy ever not funny? I doubt it.
• Fraud! I am begging y'all to freeze your credit reports at the Big Three: Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion. It may be a pain (especially at Equifax, may they burn in hell for all eternity) but it is a vital protection. I just received an email from BECU telling me that they were "unable to approve your application"... and the email headers say it's from the actual BECU, not a scammer. This is the third time this year somebody has tried to credit fraud me. By having your reports frozen at all three places, new credit can't be established in your name. You will, however, have to un-freeze if you decide to open a new credit card or get a loan. You can read about how to do it here at USA.gov.
• Goin' with the Moen Flo! When I had to get my water shut off valve replaced, I went for a “smart” valve that would allow me to remotely shut off my water when I’m away and automatically shut off my water if a pipe bursts. But it also monitors water usage. And it’s pretty good. It can distinguish between a short flush and long flush for the toilet. It can tell me how much water is spent washing clothes and dishes (my dishwasher uses a ridiculously low amount of water). But it’s also misreading stuff, because I’ve not turned on my irrigation or my hose, don’t take baths, and I have a quick shower every morning but it’s not seeing it always...
Guess it’s still learning? Apparently it keeps getting smarter over time. Unlike "Apple Intelligence."
• Silly Goose! On one hand, it's nice to know that geese care more about the people in their life than my cats do. On the other hand, this is kinda a cruel trick to play on the poor things...
Jake would just crawl on top of me and go to sleep. Jenny would start meowing at me for food.
• What a Drag! I haven't played Dungeons & Dragons for decades. But I still like to watch play from time to time, usually on YouTube. And YouTube knows this, which is why it recommended a show called Dungeons and Drag Queens...
And these aren't any random unknown queens either. Bob, Monét X Change, Jujubee, and Alaska(!) are all top-tier queens! Very cool. And this is season two! I missed the whole first season.
• YOU GET LESS MONEY AND YOU GET LESS MONEY... EVERYBODY GETS LESS MONEY! I just finished my taxes! And despite the fact that I had to pay out thousands upon thousands of dollars for eye surgeries, I'm getting less money back than last year. But surely that will change now, won't it? It's hard to tell. Back in October the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy released a A Distributional Analysis of Donald Trump’s Tax Plan and it comes out looking like this...
And I was like "Oh thank God!" I was worried for a minute that my taxes wouldn't increase so that millionaires and billionaires can have more money. Turns out I was worrying for no reason, because it looks like more taxes for the majority of Americans is totally what's going to happen! Maybe. This could all change, just like the tariffs have been. But if it does end up being true, hey, at least groceries are cheaper! Oh... wait a minute...
And now I need a nap. Blogging really takes it out of you.