Blog: If I understand this

As Bloomberg reported, about 90% of the alleged “terrorists” and “gang members” who’ve been sent by the Trump administration to El Salvador’s notorious foreign prison without due process have no U.S. criminal record.

Ah, but Trump doesn’t like your tattoo, or hoodie, or accent, or . . . you get it.

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In his Easter message, our president mentioned radical left lunatics, weak judges, and moron Biden.  What a nice message for a holy day.

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Mothers’ Day is soon, so here is an oldie but goodie:

“If at first you don’t succeed, try doing it the way your mother told you to in the first place.”

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And if you do take Mom out for dinner, try to avoid this waiter:

“Let me repeat this back to you, using the correct pronunciations.”

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In a new worst-case estimate, Goldman Sachs says reduced travel and boycotts could cost the U.S. almost $90 billion in lost GDP this year alone. Donald Trump’s entire shtick as president is that America is being ripped off by foreigners. – Yeah, so those tariffs and anti-immigrant moves are really paying off!

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Sports Fact:  In April of 1950, the first black player was drafted into the NBA, to play with the Celtics.

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In part, why Harvard can stand up to Trump:  The university’s $53.2-billion endowment has positioned it to resist the bullying tactics of an increasingly authoritarian President. – It is the oldest university in the country, so lots of alumni to donate.

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Last year, more than 1.1 million foreign students enrolled in American higher education institutions, a record high. That’s a lot of tuition money for schools on the line.

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Top Pentagon Spokesperson Quits, Then Drops ‘Bombshell’ Warning About Pete Hegseth

John Ullyot said the Defense Department is in “total disarray” under Hegseth. — Huffpost

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 Have you heard/read about toll road scams?  You get (mostly) a text which says you were on a toll road and have not paid the toll, and subject to a fine, etc.  FBI got 60,000 calls about that last year.  We do have toll roads around here; we don’t use them much, though.  And we have an account. 

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Didja know dept.:  That some company logos have kind of hidden things?  Can you find the arrow in the FedEx logo, or the kisses in the Hershey’s Kisses design?

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The beginning of the end of amateurism in college sports marches on:  The NCAA Division I Board of Directors on Monday proposed deleting 153 longstanding rules from its handbook, a move that will allow schools to share financial benefits directly with players. – Some players, mostly football and basketball, are already transferring to new schools that will pay them more.

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More useless facts: All 50 U.S. states cultivate the beloved spud, helping to feed the average American’s annual potato consumption of 124 pounds.  And the potato famine that struck Ireland actually started in Peru.

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And to make sure we understand things:  Tariffs are a highly regressive tax because they hurt families at the bottom, more than families at the top.  It is the same for sales tax, or a flat tax.

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And in the You Could Guess This Dept.: The measles outbreak in western Texas has now reached 624 cases, with 27 new infections confirmed over the last five days.

Nearly all of the cases are among unvaccinated individuals

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WASHINGTON, April 21 (Reuters) – The Food and Drug Administration is suspending a quality control program for testing of fluid milk and other dairy products due to reduced (worker) capacity in its food safety and nutrition division, according to an internal email seen by Reuters. – But we’re saving money for the uber rich tax breaks, right?

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CNN — The changes (in Rubio’s state dept.) will eliminate 132 domestic offices, cut around 700 positions in DC, and close offices focused on war crimes and global conflict. – OK, we don’t care about global conflicts, do we?

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FYI Dept.:  Back in 1969, the global population was a comfortable 3.6 billion — a long way from today’s 8.1 billion. – I think we need Zero Population Growth to make a comeback.

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President Trump Honors Pope Francis Alongside Giant Easter Bunny

Well, in addition to being stupid, he has no manners.

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Since taking office in January, Trump has signed several executive orders aiming to dismantle climate action in the U.S. – Well, he did say climate change was “a Chinese Hoax,” ya know . . . the president of our country said that . . .  hoax.

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DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Young volunteers who respond to natural disasters and help with community projects across the U.S. have been discharged as a result of the Trump administration ’s campaign to shrink government workforce and services. – Can we arrange for a hurricane to hit Mar-a-Lago?  Marjorie Green says Dems can control storms, so it must be true.

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In honor of Earth Day; I have a pouch in my car with two metal straws in it.  We seldom drink soda, but on trips we sometimes get one.  Or with water in a restaurant, they often bring plastic straws, which we don’t use.  When we get food delivered, about once a week here, sometimes twice, we tell them “No utensils” so they usually don’t pack any with our order.  It is not much, but a help.  And we have a large collection of reusable Tupperware for leftovers – I cannot recall the last time we used any kind of plastic wrap (there is one kind we use to protect surgical scars, or injuries healing, in the shower).

To wit:  Some reports estimate that potentially between 36 billion and 40 billion plastic utensils are used every year just in the United States, which is more than 100 million per day,

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This was part of a Robert Reich email and I like it: “Do you think that an administration that confuses billions with millions, and puts classified intelligence on a Signal app, is incapable of making an error?”

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VoteVets is an org. I donate to.  Here’s what they think of Hegseth:

“Pete Hegseth is the most unqualified, incompetent, immature Secretary of Defense in the history of the United States. A literal pile of rocks would be a better option than this guy. VoteVets is going to do everything in our power to get him fired or force him out of the job. Lives are at stake, and it will only get worse from here.”

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This would be funny if not so true and sad:  “On Earth Day, We Finally Have a President Who Follows Science,” lists an assortment of actions Trump has taken that the White House claims are actually good for the environment, despite every major conservation group saying the opposite.

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And this:  In another angry interview, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth suggested “deep state forces” are trying to force him out at the Pentagon following a second Signal controversy. – Gee, I thought Trump eliminated the Deep State in his first term!  I know, it’s Hillary! Damn her!

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Sign I saw: “I finally stopped drinking for good!  Now I drink for evil!”

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What is still happening in Gaza distresses me.  It is horrible.  Yeah, Hamas started it, and likely still have Israeli hostages, but . . . is there no way to at least stop killing children?

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Amazing!  I finally found something I can agree with the Trump admin about:  The Trump administration wants to stop poor people from using federal food benefits for candy or soda. Well, what kid doesn’t want a tad of candy, but I agree about soda; as I have learned, “Soda is poison.”

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Enough out of me.  Hope for the best and prepare for the worst!

All take care,

Kevin