Oval Office Dust Up - 3/1/2025

Holy shit this one's going to be unpopular. My thoughts on the disaster in the Oval Office yesterday acros a range of issues.

Ukraine's Ambassador to the U.S., Oksana Markarova appears to have a headache... or something in the Oval Office yeasterday.

1) The war in Ukraine. What's the end game? Can Ukraine win the war without the U.S. (or some other 3rd party) putting troops into combat? I don't think so. To me, it appears like the strategy is for us to keep dumping money in and hope that Putin / Russia loses his / it's will before Ukraine runs out of soldiers. I think the war, from Ukraine's point of view, is unwinnable, absent insertion of U.S. or other troops and a massive escalation that has a high potential to result in a 3rd world war. Peace is a better solution. I do not see a path to victory, and I do not see how we can afford to endlessly dump money into an endless war that has no potential happy ending. The war mongering neocons here love it. Wealthy business people here and corrupt politicians here are getting rich, rich, rich off of it.

2) Russia, Russia, Russia, Putin, Putin, and Putin Puppets. Russia are the bad guys in the war. There is no doubt in my mind. But, and this is a huge but, I really and truly do not give a shit about Putin. The absolute weakest argument to support continued fighting, or to criticize anyone who questions the wisdom of continuing down this same path, is to call me / us / whoever is questioning it a "Putin puppet" or to say we're 'playing into Putin's hands". I hate to tell you this, but on the list of things on anyone's political "to-do list", or on the "don't do list," playing into Putin's hands or having some asshole here call me a Putin puppet because I don't give a shit about him, what he wants, needs, or what makes him happy, ain't on them. And while we're on the "Russia, Russia, Russia, Putin puppet thing, lemme remind you. Russia invaded Crimea on Obama's watch. Russia invaded Ukraine on Biden's watch. And Putin, he's a bad guy. Sure. But you calling me his puppet because I question continuing and endlessly sending money to support an unwinnable war, it's aggravating, but empty. You want me to support continuing to fun that war with our money? Paint me a picture of an outcome worth supporting and tell me how we get there from here without U.S. troops or world war 3.

3) Zelenskyy. I already declared Putin the bad guy. That doesn't make Zelenskyy a good guy. I don't trust him. I don't like him. I never have. I don't see a path to me feeling good about supporting Ukraine, knowing he's their leader. Zelenskyy was in the middle of the CIA's plot to destroy Trump 45 via impeachment. You know, the Chiarmella/Vindman "perfect phone call" thing. Whether he was an active participant, or passive, he was in the middle of it. And for those of you who get your news from progressive or neocon propagandists, you won't know this (or may have conveniently forgotten) what Trump was asking about was how Biden had been bragging on camera about having leveraged U.S. money to force Ukraine to fire the prosecutor who was investigating Barisma, the firm his son Hunter was a part of, and what many, myself included, believe was a channel of corrupt money to "the big guy." To make matters worse, Zelenskyy played his cards all wrong last year, making an appearance with PA Governor Shapiro on the campaign trail supporting Democrats.

I saw U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio in an interview last week talking about how he and Vice President Vance had a deal worked out with Zelenskyy on the minerals Trump has been talking about. Accordin to Rubio, Zelenskyy said he had to get approval from his Parliament before he could sign on to it. Then two days later, Rubio said he saw Zelenskyy on television saying he had rejected the U.S. proposal. I guess they circled back and had worked through it, but the Trump Administration clearly felt Ukraine was in some way "playing both sides against the middle", and not being forthright with us.

Last thing on Zelenskyy and his part in this disaster: arguing with ANY U.S. President in the Oval Office in front of cameras, talking to Vance the way he did, I find it unacceptable. Some of you hate Trump so much you're unable to see a problem with anyone, anytime, any place if they're taking on Trump, you're glad to see it. You're certain they're in the right. My immediate take on yesterday was that Zelenskyy had made a bad boo boo. How can you possibly see it any other way? A lot of us have questioned our support for this war, not seeing an achievable outcome worth thousands and thousands more lives, and billions and billions more dollars. Zelenskyy galvanized that sentiment for many. Many.

4) Trump. Yesterday, Trump's biggest demons, his thin skin, and always getting in the last word got the better of him. I know you Trump haters think everything that happened was his fault. I don't. Zelenskyy had fences to mend with Trump for all the aforementioned stuff. I saw him talking down to Vance and talking over Trump and Vance in a way that was absolutely sure to light Trump's fuse. Yes, I realize some of you didn't see that. I also realize you hate Trump and it affects every single thing you see or don't see as it relates to Trump.

But for his part, I think Trump's handling of the fatigue and sweater wearing, disrespectful Ukrainian made a bad thing worse. As soon as things started to go sideways, Trump should have adjourned to press conference and retired the conversation to a private room. He, as he is inclined to to, failed to see there was a high road to take. While he may have felt he was in the right, and you likely did, too, how it played out was not a good look. That conversation perhaps needed to happen, but it ought to have been in private.

I relate it to a personal experience. I do realize in my career my stage was smaller, but indulge me. In my airline, there had evolved a lot of distrust of the local FAA, to the point there was a counterproductive, adversarial tone to much of the relationship. The FAA and my company both wanted to evolve to a more cooperative and effective working relationship. It had to be so. I see a real parallel with the Trump - Zelenskyy relationship. We were about to embark on a major initiative to conduct an FAA inspection jointly and cooperatively with them. I had a big meeting room in the airline's place, and in it were 15 or so FAA inspectors, and 25 or so of my airline peeps from all the involved departments. Anyway, this one FAA guy, he decided it was the perfect time and place to grandstand, and he turns my meeting, the first one in this new co-operative working relationship, into his own Festivus airing of grievances. He proceeded set us straight with the public ass chewing of the year. Some of what he had to say may have been legit, but I couldn't hear it. He was in our house, disrespecting me and everyone I represented there. I was mad and the more he talked, the worse it got. I was ready to explode. It had the potential to be career ending for me, I was that pissed.

I recognized where it was going and that if I didn't do something it would be unrecoverable. If not me, someone  I was the host of the meeting and our airline's coordinator for the effort, I said simply, interrupting him, "I don't think this is the meeting we expected, nor prepared for. We're not at all prepared for this. I'm adjourning this meeting and we'll reschedule when we're better prepared." I then asked the asshole FAA guy's boss's boss if he and I could talk privately afterward about "a different topic." I wish Trump had recognized and done the same. "This is not a conversation we're going to continue in front of the press and here in the Oval Office." All the good things aside, Trump is a street fighter, a bully in many ways, has thin skin, and always, always, always wants to get in the last word.

Not a good look. For anyone.

I give Trump a grade of "D" for this episode. This episode will go down in history as the low point in either of Trump's terms.

I give Zelenskyy an "F". I realize you Trump haters won't and can't see that, but the body language of Ukraine's Ambassador to the U.S. in the photo I posted earlier says I'm right in my assessment.

Lemme summarize: I question the bottomless money pit, endless death, and unwinnable nature of the war in Ukraine. Vladimir Putin is not my boogie man, I don't care if you call me a puppet because I question the war. I don't like or trust Zelenskyy. I never have. He made things worse, at least with me, yesterday. Trump embarrassed himself yesterday. It was Trump being his worst self.

D.O.G.E. Cuts - 2/27/2025

The U.S. Government spends a lot of money. We don't just spend a lot of money, we spend way too much money. Way too much is an understatement. This post applies to EVERY single U.S. Government Department and Agency, bar NONE. I would break down the spending in broad categories.

1. Spending that is necessary and essential, well intended, and well accounted for which ends up where it was intended and accomplishes the desired goal for which it was intended.

2. Spending that is necessary and essential, well intended, and well accounted for which either does NOT end up where it was intended or does NOT accomplish the desired goal for which it was intended.

3. Spending that perhaps is NOT absolutely necessary or essential, but which is well intended, well accounted for, and which ends up where it was intended and accomplishes the desired goal for which it was intended. 

4. Spending that is NOT absolutely necessary or essential, but which is well intended, well accounted for, but which does NOT end up where it was intended or accomplish the desired goal for which intended. 

5. Frivolous and unnecessary spending that appeases or pleases some political faction or another. We have lots and lots of this. The dirty truth is, both sides have treated it as an unspoken agreement: "you get yours, we get ours, keep it on the down low and the American people will never know nor be the wiser."

6. Money that lines the pockets of influential middle men, either in business or in the non-profit sector. This is especially infuriating when our political or bureaucratic leadership is directly or indirectly linked to or financed by those business of non-profit interests. This includes children, spouses, siblings, friends, etc. This is corrupt, but the way it's set up there is always a bullshit explanation claiming legitimacy. Legitimate, my ass. Looking at you, NGOs.

7. Covert money for international AND domestic intervention and political and or public opinion manipulation. See. Aye. Eh.

8. Monies that are extremely poorly managed that nobody seems to know where or how it was spent, much of it either intentionally or unintentionally untraceable, either due to antiquated systems, inadequate monitoring, gross negligence and incompetence, or nefarious intent. This, if not in and of itself fraud, is an invitation to fraud.

9. Money that is being distributed or collected fraudulently. 

With as many budgetary line items as we have, there is no way to measure each cut carefully with a micrometer, and then to delicately remove itsy bitsy expenditures one by one across the government. All efforts to trim spending in such a manner are doomed. Each tiny cut becomes a battle, and in no time the effort will lose momentum and atrophy, dying under its own weight.

I do not believe there is anyone in public office or at any agency capable of the kinds of cuts we really need. Why? Because where the hell have they been?

Elon, seen here visiting the Oval Office.

Nope. A micrometer and a scalpel aren't adequate. This thing needs dynamite, chainsaws, and dump trucks. Government has grown itself into a behemoth industry unto itself. While there are many, many hard working, high integrity workers in the public sector, even if you won't admit it, we all know there are others who are not nearly as industrious, not nearly as honest, and not nearly as accountable. I say, blow the whole damned thing up. There is nothing that says excessive cuts in personnel and spending can't be reversed and restored later on. But I guarantee you, every penny we spend, every person we employ is someone's sacred cow, and they will fight to keep it in place, truly believing that the world will end without it. The more time you spend debating and deliberating each and every one, the less you'll accomplish in cutting. Fact. "But the world, it will end!"

Newsflash: it won't. Keep going, Elon. Ignore the noise. "Fire in the hole!"

Dumbass of the Week - 2/14/2025

Happy Valentine's Day! It seems like a good day to spread some love. So how about we love us some Dumbass of the Week?

The Roosevelt Hotel in New York City

Fourth Honorable Mention goes to the four now unemployed dumbasses who ignored the Trump Administration's freeze on USAID spending who sent 50 something million to the foreign owned Roosevelt Hotel in New York City which is being used to warehouse illegal aliens.

This week, Third Honorable Mention to everyone who's livid that Elon Musk has access to your Social Security Number. Hello? The data is there. The richest man in the world isn't doing this because he can get rich by pilfering your information, you dumbass.

Some dumbass, likely at the FBI, leaked details of ICE raids to a radio station in California who then put the information out as a means of aiding and abetting criminal illegal aliens in their efforts to evade ICE arrests. I hope that dumbass is lawyered up. Second Honorable Mention goes to you, FBI leaker. I hope a judge presents it to you at your criminal proceeding.

First Honorable Mention, Dumbass of the Week for the week ending 2/14, goes jointly to Rep. Alexandria Occasio-Cortez, who posted a video on her web page advising illegal immigrants how to evade and avoid ICE, and Rep. Ilhan Omar, who engaged in similar aiding and abetting, but in her native Somalian language. Way to go, girls! First Honorable Mention! Woo hoo.

And now, by popular request, drumroll, please, I once again bring you the Dumbass of the Week. 

The Dumbass of the Week for the Week Ending on 2/14/2025, goes to every single person who is more concerned that Elon Musk is finding questionable and unacceptable expenditures, than you are about the questionable and unacceptable use of US Taxpayer money. Many of these dumbasses are too stupid to understand the U.S. Constitution or too politically far gone to recognize it's stature as the law of the land. These dumbasses think the Federal Bureacracy is a fourth branch of our government. "Price check on Lane 3, please." "Is the bureaucracy a branch of the U.S. Government?" "No, sir. The bureaucracy is NOT a branch of the government."

I do recognize that many of this week's dumbasses know USAID, FEMA, DOE, Treasury, etc., etc. are not their own separate branch of our government. These people either don't care or suffer from a non-lethal disease: Trump Derangement Syndrome. Here's the bad news for them. Surveys show that We the People, yeah, us, want the waste, fraud, and abuse cleaned up in our government budget and spending. We don't want migrants in luxury hotels, a trillion in Covid money stolen, endless Social Security payments to dead people, USAID funding Russian collusion hoaxters and Taliban terrorists, transgender comic books for Peruvians, and all the other lightning rod line items D.O.G.E. is making visible to us every day. 

If you've earned the prestigious Dumbass of the Week this week, congratulations, and Happy Valentine's Day! You are loved.

Moral, Ethical, and Legal High Ground - 2/10/2025

I recognize that my friends on the left are true believers. They truly believe that the left owns the moral, ethical, and legal high ground. For them, it seems that all leftist causes are righteous. Unassailably, totally righteous. And woe be he or she who would interrupt or interfere with that righteousness.

Uh, sorry. No. Our Constitution does NOT provide for a 4th branch of government. There is no separate and permanent bureaucracy, untethered and outside the control of any of the other three. I do realize that you on the left can find Federal judges who are fellow travelers and fellow true believers who, like you, believe the kinds of things USAID, FEMA, DOE, and other government agencies have been spending our money on is righteous and unassailable. But I have read our Constitution, and if you ask me, USAID, FEMA, DOE, DOD, etc., etc., all fall under the Executive Branch of the government and Donald J. Trump is the head of the Executive Branch.

I love the argument (sarcasm) that "it's only half a billion" and "it's less than 1% of the Federal Budget." Oh, okay. Then waste as much as you want on whatever you want (end sarcasm). I'm not going to make a long list here of spending I think is insane, immoral, and unacceptable. I will say none of it sits on moral high ground, I don't give a shit how many times you scream and screech and piss, moan, and complain. If you are more concerned about who is looking, and in believing the places these things are being found are unassailable and untouchable, and aren't at all concerned about how far over the line reasonable people see as the end of acceptability, we have nothing to talk about.

It wasn't long ago, FEMA pushed hurricane victims in western NC out of their hotels in winter, but FEMA continues to rent blocks of rooms in luxury hotels in NYC to house illegal immigrants.

"People will die!" "Children will starve!" "You're throwing the baby out with the bathwater!" I love that last analogy, and here's why. Before we can decide whether to throw out the baby, drain the bathwater, or both, don't we first need to stop the flow from the faucet? The discussion is meaningless if the tub continues filling from an endless flow.

D.O.G.E., Big Balls and Big Bucks, too - 2/8/2025

Elon Musk's DOGE group hired a 19 year old high achiever who had the audacity as a teenager to create the screen name "Big Balls". They may be big, but according to the 70's song, AC/DC has the biggest balls of them all. Seriously, if the folks panicking about DOGE are complaining about this to get us to look away from the absolutely unacceptable, insane, corrupt spending by USAID, it's not going to work.

DOGE may have Big Balls, but AC/DC has the biggest balls of them all.

 

A couple of interesting things I read about USAID in the last few days. I'm referring to stuff other than the insane spending itself.

One interesting characteristic of the employees there is that they perceived themselves to be separate and independent of both the Executive and Legislative Branches of the U.S. Government. They felt their work was outside the scope of presidential oversight. I immediately thought of Alexander Vindman when he said in effect that President Trump, this happening in his first term of course, 'didn't understand (paraphrasing) how U.S. foreign policy works,' and in essence Vindman felt it was his duty to protect U.S. foreign policy from the clumsy, meddling hands of the elected President. You know, because how could a new guy like Trump know the ropes. He was being 'helpful'. Or General MIlley, keeping troops in Syria after Trump ordered them out. I mean, the CIC couldn't know what he was ordering, right? Well, these fuckers at USAID also felt autonomous and better equipped to manage the flow of U.S. taxpayer money than any of them silly meddlers in the Trump Administration could possibly understand.

Something else interesting about the USAID crowd. How did this come to be under scrutiny in the first place? When Trump took office, one of the first things he did was put a moratorium on foreign expenditures pending review. The folks at USAID, rather then make a case that some of their expenditures were critical and couldn't be delayed 90 days, worked around the President's edict. DOGE saw money flowing out, looked into it, and this whole corrupt can of worms came to light.

Before I move on to closing thoughts, one recurring response to the shutdown of USAID by DOGE is "people will die". To any asshole spewing that line, the response should be short and to the point. "There is massive corruption in USAID cashflow, and we are NOT going to reopen the spigot until it is eradicated forever." You know why? Because nobody has died yet and nobody is going to die because USAID funding takes a short hiatus.

Go get 'em, DOGE!

I am looking forward to DOGE digging in at the Department of Education. I predict they will find massive money is spent feathering Teacher's Union nests, and on items supporting an extreme left social agenda. There will be more DEI/CRT/LGBTQ+ stuff than reading, writing, and arithmetic. Those last three, I think we used to call them "the three R's," have taken a back seat in recent years to social issues. U.S. academic standing in the world has declined in the 50 or so years since we've had a DOE. We went from first to not even close to first. It's time to get DOE back on their core mission, the 3 R's, or get rid of them altogether. With the shit I expect DOGE to find, the latter will get more support from the public than the former.

DOD, which has failed 7 financial audits in a row, is on the chopping block, too.

Closing thoughts. Why is Trump taking the wrecking ball to D.C? I mean, he has come back in like a bull in a china shop. Simple. Last time around he tried to work with them and they tried to destroy him. For nearly 10 years they've tried. They tried during his 2015/2016 candidacy, his Presidency, his past-Presidency, his second candidacy in 2023/2024 which included attempted assassinations. Even now, there is a Democrat who's filed Articles of Impeachment. The Deep State, the administrative state, and the establishment need to be destroyed. I am damned glad to see Trump hard at work, taking his wrecking balls to it. What kind of wrecking balls? Really big balls.

Speaking of hard at work, no President in our lifetimes worked harder than this guy does. It's nuts. He never stops. Don't stop, Mr. President. You are doing exactly what we voted for.

Dumbass of the Week! - 2/7/2025

As fast as the news cycle is blowing by, it may be a mistake naming the Dumbasss of the on a Friday morning.

The U.S. Taxpayer is Third Runner Up

Third Runner Up, for the Dumbass of the week on Feb 7th, is The U.S. Taxpayer. While we've been watching deficits soar and the debt skyrocket, we've been fleeced for all kinds of shit. I have no way to verify, but it seems pretty clear that we pay under the table, so to speak, via NGOs (Non Government Organizations), to facilitate illegal immigrants entry into, relocations within, and costs for living far, far, far beyond what the government pays for above the table. We also, via third party cutouts, appear to have paid for BLM riots. And lets not forget trans comics in Peru and all the other stuff. If you don't feel stupid and cheated and robbed and taken advantage of, you should. I do.

Rep. Al "Impeachment Al" Green, still using the same rejected playbook.

Second Runner Up. Congressman Al Green. For the committing "Dastardly Deeds", he filed Articles of Impeachment against President Trump. The old playbook ain't gonna work, Al. Sorry.

Democrat reaction to DOGE: a resounding, "Pay no attention to the man behind the curtain."

First Runner Up, Conressional Democrat Leaders. Elizabeth Warren, Corey Booker, Maxine Waters, it's a long list. They're not upset about all of this corruption and wasteful spending of taxpayer money, they're upset that their grift and under the table handouts to far left lunatic fringe activists is becoming public knowledge.

Ta-daaaa! So, here we are, at the moment you've all been waiting for. The Dumbass of the Week for the week ending 2/7, and she really really really deserves it, is fully Trump Deranged and insane Michigan Rep. Laurie Pohutsky. Ms. Puhutsky is going to teach Trump, Republicans, and the world a lesson by having her tubes tied so as not to risk having to raise a child in the era of Trump. Yesiree. That'll teach us! When your virtue signalling rises to the level of self-sterilization, and the virtue you're advertising is Trump Derangement Syndrome, there has always been a need for recognition. Now there is, Good Ol' Matty P's Dumbass of the Week Award. Congratulations, dumbass!

Dumbass of the Week, Laurie Pohutsky.

 

Gaza, USAID, and the FBI - 2/5/2025

Benjamin Netanyahu and Donald Trump

I think the biggest news yesterday is Trump, at his press conference with Israeel PM Netanyahu, said the U.S. will own Gaza, that we will rebuild it. He mentioned it like a smaller Dubai, or something to that effect. This is a bold move. I don't oppose it (yet), nor do I support it (yet). I have more questions than answers. There are people in that region who will not accept a peaceful coexistence with Israel, no matter how good it might be for the Palestinians. My immediate, guttural reaction can be summed up with this simple phrase: "Lebanon 1983". We can't send troops there to be targets, sitting ducks for people who hate Israel and the U.S.A. I need more information before I can support or not support this idea, whatever it is.

Protesters at USAID HQ yesterday

I don't know about you, but all the people mad at Trump and Elon have me convinced the thing needs a full and in depth review. Some of the reported expenditures sound like a woke dream list. I realize it's a drop in the bucket as far as our budget goes, but as an example, transgender comic books for Peru doesn't advance U.S. interests. It advances a woke agenda. DEI initiatives in Somalia doesn't advance U.S. interests, it is advancing a woke agenda. On and on, the examples are pure Insanity. And I suspect the stuff we're not seeing yet, the more deeply hidden, is worse. I am convinced that powerful people in our country are profiting mightily off of funds from this fire hose. I hope Elon and his amazing hackers, programmers, and analysts will trace every dollar, find where it's vanishing, lining people's pockets, or being used for insanity like drag shows in other countries.

Reports of panic in the FBI

Let me put this succinctly: good. Reports that 5-6,000 FBI Agents and or personnel were after the J-6 people is insanity. Maybe 4 or 5,000 of them could have been working to secure our border, track down fentanyl rings, and solving crimes. A leaner, more mission focused FBI suits me fine. See, I don't believe Jan 6th was an insurrection. It was a protest turned to riot. I am not justifying it, nor am I saying nobody did anything wrong. What I am saying is that it was made to be something it wasn't, and people who aren't insurrectionists lives have been ruined to teach the rest of us a lesson: "ear the establishment, "step out of line, the man comes, to take you away."