Beset by The Lurdane

“Inch your way through dead dreams to another land. Maybe you're tired and broken, your tongue is twisted with words half spoken and thoughts unclear. What do you want me to do, to do for you, to see you through? A Box of Rain will ease the pain, and love will see you through.” Phil Lesh and Robert Hunter, Grateful Dead, 1970, about considering or leaving a confusing wet planet and power of love over hate.

A holiday hodgepodge with too many interesting tidbits and scandalous gambits demands synthesis and elicits generalizations, though entire books explore each dodge. Yet is there any point trying to make sense amidst an infowar malestream of propaganda saturation and violent commotion? Given Gödel's Loophole in US Constitution, one must muster courage and faith that this great experiment can endure another polar vortex spanning MLK Holiday, Marmot’s Reveal, Presidents’ Birthdays, Super Bowl Sunday, Valentine’s Day, WWII era Remembrance Day (internment of Japanese American citizens), and winter’s cleansing at Lupercalia coinciding with Ash Wednesday with no ICE free streets predicted for this Mardi Gras. Ramadan outruns Lent and precedes another mass nationwide protest by Mailer’s Armies of the Night planned for March 28th, not soon enough. Why can’t an early Spring instead bring a revival trend? Might democracy survive unscathed to celebrate country’s 250th anniversary? What does mainstream, oligarch owned media portend?

Under today’s unfair era have to wonder how Dr. Martin Luther King Jr would fare. During 1960’s, he had a mutually beneficial dream, marched and preached, mustered crowds in the hundreds of thousands, sought basic civil rights for every resident, and would have undoubtedly been on Krusty Gnome’s hotlist as an ANTIFA and BLM agitator, that is, an imaginary boogeyman. He earned his Nobel Prize upon brave and compassionate effort, not the same as extorting one from a worthy recipient. In 1983 Reagan named a federal holiday in honor of his martyrdom, much like Christmas and Easter for another rabble rouser. But along with Juneteenth holiday has been all but rescinded by executive order by a jealous racist No-King, his deliberate affront to Black History Month. Being divisive and offensive is what demons do.

Labann's reputation is likewise confined to a recognition oubliette, where they dump dissidents so oppressors can forever forget. If you’ve learned anything under this crooked Forty 6 or 7 regime it’s that besmirched cravings, blind ambition, and brazen aggression are mental derangements that invite the opposite: disappointment, dishonor, and disruption. Egomaniacal dictators by definition don’t care what the people deserve: democracy, opportunity, and sustaining security. Acts of cruelty create enemies aplenty. Camo, guns, masks, and uniforms cause fear, flashpoints, and suspicions that increase fatalities. Against such menace, threats, and villainy one might expect a marvel avengement rather than a mundane discontentment. Every day this repulsive manille fails to serve the rank and file expands crowd of resisting jacquerie, revolting peasants righteously exercising their constitutional entitlement.

Beside brownshirt tactics - blocking cars, kidnapping children, pulling innocents out of cars and homes onto frozen streets, shooting pepper balls at clergy, and tossing tear gas at bystanders in blue cities and school zones - ICE stormtroopers gunned down avid cyclist and VA nurse Alex Pretti while on a errand of mercy after murdering mother of three Renée Nicole Macklin Good. Despicable DHS deemed both assassins and terrorists to dodge own culpability. If you’re not outraged, you need an activist group bike ride to spark some empathy, though lately due to weather rides have been few, furtive, and short. New York City is closer to Canadian border than Minneapolis, yet ICE wouldn’t dare take on organized democracy in a world media hub. “These machines of freedom kill fascists.” Give a shout out to Angry Catfish, Bike Farmer, Critical Mass, and Twin City of Minneapolis - St. Paul under siege. The world is watching. 

Congress controls spending, makes laws, and uniformly levies duties, excises, imposts, and taxes. Original but never adopted 1st Article intended that every fifty-thousand citizens would get one representative, which is one reason government enumerates a census every decade; this would mean a House today with over 7,000 seats instead of only 435; every state still gets only two senators, something of a problem among states sparsely populated wielding undue influence. Begs a question about adequacy of policy attention, whether all citizens are being heard or served. Executive branch cannot direct states on how to run polls or limit voting in any way. Against goal of all people having a say, vicious parties with low member affiliation want to stack restrictions illegally against disenfranchised, elderly, immigrants, married women, and poor through birth certification, district reorganization, photo IDs, registration proofs, and scary prospect of armed agents arresting racially profiled voters in polling place parking lots.

US Constitution is a liquid talisman, more than a marriage license with a prenuptial contract, which survives as planet's oldest existing government charter, although it could fall to lurking autocracy if not preserved through alert vigilance and attentive care. Those who aren’t aware of these civil rights might not fight to secure them until too late. “We The People” in Preamble affirms that those allowed ascendancy serve citizens, not a cadre of oligarchs, a self assumed dictator, or some foreign autocrat. Its 7 Articles form a social contract between agencies of state and resident individuals. Citizens permit government (not other way around) to defend them through collected revenue, fiscal management, and law enforcement. Articles define and direct 3 branches - executive, judiciary, and legislative - to act accordingly and stand down when any state exercises its own powers. Violators found treasonous face impeachment, forfeit entire estate, held until they die, and possibly execution, exile, or incarceration. Original Bill of Rights formed a bulwark of The Four Freedoms: from tyranny and want, of religion and speech. Another 27 fortifying amendments were gradually ratified by a two-thirds congressional vote to address unforeseen challenges.

1st Amendment: Entitles freedoms of press, religion, and speech, peaceful assembly, and petitions for redress of grievances; prohibits laws that designate a state religion or impede free expression.
This right has never been more maligned and threatened, with colleges, news networks, even sitting congresspeople undergoing specious lawsuits and undue pressures from executive branch. Citizens, congresspeople, and taxpayers are fully entitled to speak against candidates, executives, governors, nominees, politicians, and representatives in every way without fear of lawsuits for slander. Everyone can vote without coercion or fear of reprisal based on any criteria including congressional record, donor lineup, nagging doubts, party affiliation, personality traits, potential merit, or private scandals, all of which bear mention by an independent press. Unlike equal opportunity human resource decisions, none are exempt from ageism, mental defect, nepotism, partisanship, racism, or such biases. Holding office is not for thin skinned sensitives. However, one cannot foment riots, libel private citizens, order crimes, or provoke harm to anyone else with impunity.

“When we’re not challenged, it’s easy to believe in free speech, when it doesn’t seem like the government is trying to crack down on free speech... when we’re not at risk of being arrested.” Barack Obama, President’s Day, 2026

2nd Amendment: People can bear arms and join state militias to secure freedoms and security.
Sixteen hundred insurrectionists that attacked the capitol, all right wing extremists, were pardoned; many took DHS jobs to further abuse civilians, while, not surprisingly, others were convicted of 129 new crimes since. But according to them any citizen carrying a concealed and licensed weapon who shows up in their location is subject to immediate execution. Laws don’t specify forfeiture of this right (SCOTUS upheld a bill to deny carry privilege to domestic abusers under restraining orders), but ought to exclude Proud Boys and worse sociopaths. Dilemma is that they primarily own and want guns, though that would be a parole violation in nearly every jurisdiction, not average folks struggling to make a dignified and honest living, who recognize that weapons provide zero safety, more likely to kill than protect owners.

3rd Amendment: Soldiers can’t be quartered in a home during peace or war without owner’s consent.
Border control and ICE agents are not army, FBI, militia, or police previously established by constitution. DHS is an illegitimate bastard of Bush era paranoia and can be ground into dust overnight by cutting its funding. Insiders agree that shifting agencies under one organizational umbrella created administrating chaos and reporting havoc. As a paramilitary horde exceeding in number legitimate trained police in locations sent, they create pointless mayhem, disrupt daily life, impose upon resources, and snarl commuter traffic.

4th Amendment: No unreasonable searches and seizures of personal papers or property without a court warrant and probable cause.
Your documents, home, and person are supposedly exempt castles and temples, yet DHS has routinely violated these rights under worthless administrative warrants never adjudicated by appointed or elected officials.

5th Amendment: Specifies no arrest or incarceration without due process including court arraignment and grand jury indictment, no property seizures for public use without just compensation, no repeat prosecution of same crime after acquittal (double jeopardy), and right to hear a Miranda notification and invoke exemption from self incrimination.
Means that a judge has to add your name to a list used in enforcement dragnets. Police can’t just arrest anyone they encounter or profile unless caught committing an actual crime. Those arrested get to hear charges against and what further rights they still have. Same applies in Chicago, Los Angeles, Minneapolis, New York, Portland Maine and Oregon, or such sanctuary cities nationwide, versus Red States where this militarized mob has yet to be deployed. It’s clearly unconstitutional to impound a car for a fee or sell off without owner’s consent who has been acquitted or wrongly arrested, although sale and seizure of property following a conviction has served as judgment settlement or victim compensation.

6th Amendment: Rights of accused in criminal proceedings to counsel for defense, innocence until proven guilty, and a speedy public trial in the jurisdiction crime was committed before accusers, an impartial jury, and witnesses.
Justice delayed is justice denied, though insider Emily Almanza's Price of Mercy argues that facilitating a convict's basic needs beyond parole deters recidivism, thereby finalizing legal system's revolving door. DOJ and SCOTUS were stacked with “sychoplants” to ensure plans of dismissing or dragging out arraignments and indictments of the privileged until statute of limitation in each case expires. Epstein’s bride Spamula Blondie took a bribe rather than prosecute Frump University fraud. So, what was the coverup for which she was appointed Attorney General? Will she remain in office when magrats and maximalists lose congressional dominance after mid-term election and majority starts pedophile prosecution? Some of Epstein's and guests' thousands of victims have awaited DOJ interviews and justice in convictions for decades.

7th Amendment: Leave to elect a jury trial in civil suits and appeal decision.
Laws must be written to include all residents, then enforced equally despite class, race, or wealth. Oligarchs are subject to same laws as working stiffs. Took an act of congress to demand disclosure of Epstein Files from a DOJ intent on holding congress in contempt, obstructing justice, and protecting elite pedophiles and rapists. Many must ultimately serve prison sentences, if only those who should have fulfilled oaths of office.

8th Amendment: In criminal cases, further guarantees no cruel and unusual punishments or excessive bail or fines.
Of the hundreds of thousands detained indefinitely by DHS without judicial arraignment, 39 have died in custody as of this posting, far beyond excessive. Aggressive deporting and ethnic cleansing cure no problems; every opponent and protestor they preemptively kill raises a dozen in their stead. ICE raids are really a stop-at-nothing desperation to limit Democrat votes and keep Republican control over Congress despite their minority position, a mere 25% voter affiliation. If Democrats were welcoming aliens to pad votes, why then did Obama deport more than Republicans? Pure xenophobia, they depict as horrific sin aliens desperately wanting to get in to escape persecution under American protection, whereas they shield international sex panderers who extort marks, launder money, and rape children. If nation needs to be cleansed of some inferior groups, let it be fascists, pedophiles, and sociopaths.

9th Amendment: Other than specified rights, Constitution doesn’t deny or disparage state rights themselves.
Executive branch is prohibited from calling out the National Guard without a governors consent, unless to put down an insurrection. In several major instances, both clauses have been breached, insurrection wasn’t quelled while troops were unnecessarily deployed, while Speaker of the House colluded to allow without congressional remedy.

10th Amendment: If Constitution doesn’t designate a power to federal government, then power belongs to state or the people themselves.
Voting process can only be run by states free from interference from executive fiats or federal agencies.

11th Amendment: Citizens of one state can’t sue another state or foreign state.
Nor can beltway bullies bring unilateral action against sovereign states. Cooperation is key. Both imperialism and peace are bought and fought for. Since WWII, America spent trillions protecting treaty allies and saving starving third world. Conquering countries and controlling populations would cost many times more than good will gained through charities, food, and medicine. Now DOD is randomly murdering fishermen suspected of trafficking drugs without a shred of evidence, and regime changing by kidnapping heads of state without United Nations approval.  

12th Amendment: Covers how electors count and report votes.
Rabid narcissist for sake of vanity, after costly exhaustive recounts at states' expense, is still wasting millions of tax dollars trying to prove he won election he attempted and failed to rig in 2020. Vindication has no value except as legacy lyrics to a swansong.

13th Amendment: Slavery is abolished, along with indentured servitude, except as punishment for duly convicted criminals.
With a third of humans worldwide meeting definition of enslaved or trafficked, further social justice questions remain as minimum wages have not risen with rate of inflation resulting in the biggest gap in wealth in modern history. Reagan assumed that trade unions meant dreaded communism and busted as many as he could; this big phony would later take credit for loosening Soviets' grip on Eastern Europe, which was in fact accomplished by trade unions in those countries.

14th Amendment: Citizen status is secured by being born within borders of United States (birthright citizenship) and gets to vote by attaining an age of 21 years (now 18), unless having committed crimes, given aid or comfort to enemies, participated in insurrection, or waged a rebellion.
States are in charge of voting, so, despite rider, all but ten now directly reinstate. Incarcerated convicts cannot, but once sentence (and sometimes terms of parole and/or probation) has been served, right is restored automatically. Remaining ten allow individual petitions under certain conditions.

15th Amendment: Secures citizens voting rights undenied on account of race, color, or previous condition of servitude.
Current administration has been systematically excluding people of color and conscience from participating in government and society. Every effort is being made to deny registration or voting access to everyone not male and white. Convicted January 6th insurrectionists were pardoned, restored to voter rolls, and temporarily hired to attack and murder law abiding citizens with impunity.

16th Amendment: Allows federal income taxes, but not based on population census.
Current president is suing an IRS whistleblower for a breach of privacy that revealed he paid nothing over several years after and before first term. Other than a disclosure that contradicts lies, there’s no monetary loss upon which to base suit. In fact, constitution demands that third parties expose felonies.

17th Amendment: Designates lengths of terms and numbers from states of senators, and how to fill vacancies.

18th Amendment: Prohibited production and distribution of alcohol.
Later they'd argue that this discriminates against a certain class of people, so not generally applicable.

19th Amendment: Citizens cannot be denied a vote by sex; women’s suffrage.
Tearing down the “distaff wing” of the White House signals current administration’s misogynistic denial of women in any role except as loyal lapdogs and trophy tokens of chief executive.

20th Amendment: Describes congressional and presidential procedures and term limitations.

21st Amendment: Repealed alcohol prohibition under 18th Amendment.
Led to a permissive attitude on all addictive and harmful substances, particularly opioids. Fentanyl, a cheap synthetic illegally imported from China, lately causes as many fatalities in overdoses as automotive carnage or infectious diseases.

22nd Amendment: Each president gets only 2 terms, even if one term is less than 4 years.

23rd Amendment: Casting final vote, presidential electors (electoral college) number same as congressional seats.

24th Amendment: Citizens cannot be denied a vote for nonpayment of fines or poll taxes.

25th Amendment: Specifies order of succession for a president’s death or resignation.
Meanwhile, Putin’s portrait remains enshrined in recently gilded Oval Office.

26th Amendment: 18 year old and older citizens all get a vote.

27th Amendment: Congressional compensation won’t change until after next election.

A violation of any one amendment or article is an impeachable offense. Last year Border Control and ICE denied asylum to a half million people, detained 70,000, 75% of whom were immigrants without criminal records, and deported 300,000. This is 100,000 less than Obama’s 2014 peak, in fact, failing to match his rate despite twice the funding and manpower due to operating chaos. Add $1 billion for national guard deployments to back up abduction sweeps and occupy 6 US cities, trying to incite armed resistance and trigger war powers, and vanishing legal residents to concentration camps under barbaric conditions without congressional oversight. Marching orders are to deport, eliminate, or incarcerate foreigners (xenophobia), influential women (misogyny). people of color (racism), seniors (ageism), and welfare (medicaid, SNAP, TANF) recipients. These crimes are unprecedented in peacetime history. But focus on blue states proves it's also election interference, limiting votes from places that might undermine Republicans control. If you skirmish with goons you waste your power. Instead of battling ICE, nation’s revival of disposable Gestapo stooges, or cheering on vocal opponents, protestors should boycott bosses, corporate CEOs. Don’t buy IPhones or Teslas; cancel media subscriptions; opt out of social media.

Still from viral video of Border Control failing like Keystone Cops to catch a Chicago bicyclist who taunted them with, "I'm not a citizen!"

The alchemy of democracy is ordinary people joining in extraordinary action. America’s 350 million residents of 50 states are in charge, not an amateur cabinet of pennywise clowns and reckless lurdanes who were specifically chosen for their lack of experience so as to offset impotency of an organized crime boss, world's latest Humpty Dumpty, tottering atop a house of suits in a gathering impeachment gale, stumbling upon cankle rankle, fallacious commentary,  fascist policy, and illogical arguments that incite permanent rancor and personal ruin. Can’t retort, “Fake news,” without admitting that journalists reporting whatever press secretary says is nothing but lies, propaganda, or spin. Can’t allege, “Reporter is biased or stupid,” without committing libel or slander, unless one has evidence to support, not just angry over question asked, since the only stupid question is one that wasn’t posed. Self important puffery usually summons a powerful fiend who pretends to befriend. Cautious, conflicted, coy, and obscure may well serve as survival instincts, as long as one so characterized somehow withstands corrupt and cruel shenanigans.

That a record number, 48, of representatives, ~10% including 30 Republicans, are leaving office during midterms has been attributed to death threats upon unpopularity of executive branch’s policy, yet coconspirators raiding treasury won’t take a hint. If you want justice or reparations you need a deck of playing cards (remember Gulf War?) plastered with faces of this despicable cast of inhuman kakistocrats, insidious criminals, and willful miscreants who cater to their kleptocratic king:
ADA badboy Bod Mange
Agri-Sec Broken Rollers
Ambush artist and loyalty enforcer Garish “Lips” Gloomier
Ballroom concierge Nell Gripter
Border czar Tae “Cavacash” Homeboy
Budget mangler Rust Vault
CIA spook Clyffe Dirtirat
Defunct doge Greedon Disgust
DHS’s Krusty “Puppysnuffer” Gnome
Deputy advisor and worm tongue whisperer Sleazy Murder
DOT’s Sure Doofus
Energy drain Jist Wrong
EPA’s Pee Dinhell
Fascist fashionista Gregstapo Bodiodor
Fake DA Lying Hooligan
FCC’s Bendhard Waycar
G-man Gobar Kattle
GOP congressional goons Bringon Donsballs, football coach Patches Downtubes, Jaundice Coma, Max “Teen Dates” Skates, Peaches Callin, Sandy Dune, Skipper Hawksley, Shift “Grindr” Jonesin, and Toy “No Neck” Smells
High spy Tugsee Grabhard
Interior designer Doublemint Blurglum
Health conspiracy savant Ed “Quoth the Raven” Youkandie
HUD head Spot Token
Labor leader Lousy Dreamer
Propagandists Barfa Ravioli, Dirty Waters, Liar Ingrained, Gore Gutfelt, and Sworn Insanity
Revenue's smug spewer Snot Pissant
Sauron’s mouthpiece Copro Leverite
SBA’s Reelly Loathesome
Schemer Frank Lee Nutz
Schoolmarm from WWE Letus McSlam
Secretary of State Ruby Begone
SSA’s Mr. Effing Big
Teabagger Howodd Nutlick
Trade rep Gameloser Jeer
Veep Divan “Poopy” Pants
Vet Affair draft dodger Cuck Doggi
VOA absent announcer Hairy Fake
Warhawk twink Repeat Headsmash
White House surrogate mom Sorri Weasel

This greedy, grifting, smirking cohort is the very definition of “The Enemy Within”. Hesitate to mention them, given frequent indictment and rapid turnover of first term henchmen; over 400 were fired or jailed. These merciless fascists, party in minority, and right wing maximalists abuse 75% majority of independents, liberals, naturalized Latinos, and nearly 200 million workers with an increasing number of them, at least a million, unemployed over last 12 months. Their platform is not what they pretend, rather the opposite of fiscal prudence, rule of law, and support for security.

Republican bobbleheads nod in agreement of their criminal scheme betraying own guilt. What of the optics that their conservative cosplay has perennially failed nation since Reagan? It’s because helping constituents has never been their intention, rather stealing trillions while turning your attention to other distractions. Such fringe fixations attract creepy, exclusive, insecure, privileged, scorned sociopaths. They spend other people’s money on themselves, spread hate, sponsor genocide and terrorism, strip rights from whoever resists, and want to murder anyone who won’t bend a knee to whatever they want, including crypto-bribes, habitat destruction, heinous acts, human trafficking, Ponzi schemes, slave torture, and statutory rape. It’s best described as an asylum for the criminally insane without attendants, cells, restraints, or walls. Makes you wonder why they aren’t being collared, convicted, and incarcerated, preferably in some jungle gulag where they’d gladly send you for daring to demand autonomy.

After stealing trillions, nothing is left to assuage their greed obsession and naked aggression but scofflaw satisfactions of arrests, searches, and seizures. While laughing at the Constitution on a mission to break every amendment and article, cabinet compiled a 250 page gaslighting bundle of lies listing illegal “achievements and firsts”, which no previous public servant would have ever conceived. In assaulting social contract and attempting autocracy, the sliver of silver has been clarifying laws and raising awareness of what might be lost under tyranny.

Taking orders from an albino lobster, an adoration of tinkerbells believe his addled confabulations. How can you presume you’re Peace Prize worthy when you’re against everything for which former laureates Al Gore, Barach Obama, Bob Dylan, Jimmy Carter, Nelson Mandela, and United Nations stand. Bemoans a couple birds endangered by windmills, but couldn’t care less that a half billion humans have died since foreign aid was halted; instigated more international conflicts than all previous presidents combined ostensibly to claim another peace brokerage. Boggles one’s mind how a misogynist pedophile racist who alienated entire LGBTQ+ community, immigrants, independents, military, muslims, people of color, vets, and women could score any victory without rigging and stealing elections. There isn’t enough angry hetero poser white males to make his perverted math work. But having known how Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton struggled for votes, how delusional were Democrats to nominate a black woman? When they pushed historic firsts they invited horrific consequences. Yet latest poll given 20/20 hindsight shows Kamala Harris winning with 58% of votes.

Happiness for yourself is impossible while others suffer. Valentines remind one of how essential building loving relationships truly is. "Hold on and hold out," said the late Jesse Jackson. Families live for each other in cooperation with surrounding communities. On a daily basis, national policies hardly register or resonate, though they directly cause death and want.  Keep poking a hibernating bear; dormant citizenry will arise and react brutally and decisively. 

“Tin soldiers and Nixon coming. We’re finally on our own. This summer I hear the drumming, four dead in Ohio... Gotta get down to it, soldiers are cutting us down. Should have been gone long ago. What if you knew her and found her dead on the ground? How can you run when you know?” Neil Young, Ohio, 1971

Paine for Germain

When did the fork crotch replace fork crown for forking around? Long before trending among 1990’s hybrid and mountain bikes and today’s gravel style, in 1899 Iver Johnson Arms and Cycle Works patented a double arched, non-brazed, welded fork, with sides oval in cross section. What once was always seems to recycle historically, including not only bike technology, but fascism, monarchy, slavery, and sociopathy.

George Germain. Viscount of Sackville, didn't foresee Thomas Paine’s Common Sense becoming a royal pain. Published on January 10th, 1776, exactly 250 years ago today, during its currency this pamphlet was almost as popular as and sold more copies than The Bible within a predominantly Christian community.

Paine’s impassioned persuasion and "No Kings" prototype rallied colonists to cut exploitive ties with English Crown. Just 6 months later they declared independence. However, George III had heeded Germain’s advice to harvest overseas investments through repression and taxes, enforced by atrocities and massacres. Taking farmers and followers for granted, Germain underestimated 13 mainland colonies and veered into Caribbean with military diversions and incursions. Sound familiar? All of their disrespect and intractability practically assured British defeat in The American Revolution (Ken Burns, dir., 2025. current miniseries).

Freedom’s resolve is an unstoppable adversary. Germain was deranked and recalled to England, where, as a noble heir, he demanded a public court martial. Crown obliged and he was dishonorably discharged altogether in humiliating disgrace, never to recover his ill gotten prestige. Odd that Burns didn't highlight him or Paul Revere in maybe his last documentary, given federal cuts to PBS funding. All pain, no gain. Does you no good to complain; just feel worse after, nobody listens anyway, while your reputation circles down the drain.

Right words at right time will cause deranged despots, smug snots, and terrible tyrants to swear, sweat, and tremble. Only fascists fear nonexistent ANTIFA as the baba yaga of domestic terrorism, along with art, commentary, performance, and writing that expose their nefarious dissemble and resist their extremist policies that cost lives, shelter, and wothwhile economies. Can't hide facts of crimes for long, especially ones against humanity televised for The People and their prosecutors to witness for themselves. Privileged situations can turn on a dime. Entire cabinet can be impeached and imprisoned within statute of limitations time.

What do you call this blog? Citizen journalism or clinquant deception? You might complain these posts quickly detour into dark cul-de-sacs. Last entry, before busy holidays, was titled with a hapax portmanteau resembling an overused spice flavor. Anyone can compose hopeful, nonthreatening text to reap praise from self deceiving admirers. Why then do authors or journalists gamble their lives and reputations publishing unabashed truths? Encyclopedias aren’t popular. Wikipedia always begs for funding.

Catering to the affluent who dominate media pays better than heroically standing up for the indigent. Why paddle doggedly upstream? Why pedal honorably upslope? Concerted effort overcoming obstacles is how you succeed, but rewards obviously aren't guaranteed. Lazy methods make one fat, stupid, and susceptible to brain/sane washing and crazy controls that instill doubt and fear. Hard not to recall cool satire of Jonathan Swift while riding cruel streets on a Brooks old school Swift saddle. To ironically add insult to injury, an executive edict just stopped making common cents. Businesses anxious to make change are buying rolled pennies at a premium, $1.40 per hundred; a roll of 50 wheat pennies is actually worth $3.00 to any coin dealer.

Inspired by the michaudine, mankind’s first pedaled bicycle, purloined a French nom de plume, Labann, implying a declaration of intolerance for injustice and an eternal curse against state marginalization of bicycling borne with righteous dignity, versus Batman’s Bane, who presented an existential threat and warranted severest of penalties, as does every traitor and villain. One doesn’t just pluck an alter ego from rare ether. Riding a freedom machine among a brotherhood of equals makes one wonder why anyone would prefer to be cheated, threatened, or victimized rather than assume personal responsibility, learn governance for themselves, resist temptations of comforts, take charge of routine business, and undermine mewling dweebs on a power sweep. Propelling by pedal among millions of others supposedly sharing roads, bicyclists come to fully appreciate equality, fraternity, and liberty of France's tripartite motto, another undervalued benefit to reap.

"It is no longer necessary to go into lengthy detail about the usefulness of the bicycle, because it has long since established itself as indispensable in our national life...A good bicycle...provides just the needed exercise for keeping in good health, and in the most pleasurable way. It means quick and safe transportation at the cost of practically nothing. It enables one, at any time, to take the fresh-air-route all over the highways of health, and be independent of crowded trolley and railroad cars of slow and interrupted service... Many boys and girls get back the purchase price of their bicycles with money earned after school hours, and on Saturdays, by running errands and delivering packages...The bicycle is the safest outdoor sport anyone can take up ...an Iver Johnson Bicycle bought today [list price $120.00], if treated right, will be handed down from father to son...” - J. Lovell Johnson, Iver Johnson Catalog, Fitchburg, MA, 1928

By way of a run-on rant, today’s confluence of artificial intelligence, automotive convenience, corrupt politics, instant gratification, and virtual presence has already arrived at an unsustainable destination. Rather than serving needs of the many, scheme relinquishes control to oligarchs, who, by definition, are a small but vicious minority driven by self interest at the expense of 350 million coequal members of a Democratic society. Masses only acquiesce because they were conditioned to believe that some designated driver rules and they don't. It’s gotten so bad that optics of lavish parties and revenue raids while qualified programs are being unilaterally terminated don’t rise to overwhelming outrage, revolution even. Bullies get away with capital offenses by blaming victims and pitting underprivileged against unhomed individuals. SNAP family kids must go hungry because POTUS and SCOTUS want to lord over public and maximize political leverage.

Average voters already have a profound grievance; imagine how maniacs, sociopaths, and such “special folks" feel with current clown at the head of their class. Maybe white supremacists are proud to see a fellow deviant rise to “Leader of the Free World”. Or maybe they feel uneasy about impending legislation leveled against them. A diagnosis might mean your privileges and rights are forfeit, like operating a motor vehicles or simply mingling outdoors. SCOTUS recently decided they can't own weapons. Severely disturbed people were once imprisoned in asylums until they proved themselves fit to return to society. Felons among them served life sentences or were summarily executed.

Everyone, including those so afflicted, ought to survive if not thrive under world’s richest economy. If you’re sinking or underwater with food and shelter uncertainty, blame billionaires, Congress, and cryptocurrency CEOs, who deny you by keeping wages low and tightening money supply. Soon your foreclosed property, tanked investments, and worthless savings will lead to serfdom under self-made royalty dictating your only path forward. Is dystopia not what you signed up for? Nonconformity and self defense are legal. Nothing can stop encouraged and organized masses. Not deterring invaders, improving lives, and lowering costs, regime is instead lowering standards, murdering moms, redefining citizenship, stripping rights, and taking agency cost avoidances for themselves. After a decade of word salad rife with thousands of demonstrable lies, how can you believe anything they say?

Low frustration quotient? No, low tolerance for willful stupidity, a form of community abuse and consequence of antisocial self interest. Those who lay down and let themselves be subjugated don’t earn a free pass, they get abused all the more, having made easy targets of themselves, kicked to the curb. Sadistic curs given immunity sucker punch the most vulnerable relentlessly, since they so often get away with it. That’s how extortion succeeds; deals dangled can range from fear of being beaten, embarrassed, exposed, imprisoned, punished, or stripped of dignity, freedom, property, rights, or wealth. Often the slightest resistance foils them completely. Just say no to the despicable, few, powerless, thoughtless autocrats, dictators, and tyrants.

B&C is art, the antithesis of AI slop, laden with empathy and imagination, versus generic digital content devoid of emotional appeal and human interest. Bicycling is dark woke performance art when wars are being fought over oil consumerism. Gasoline is no queen. Anthropologists say if only 3% of any constituency raise their voices in protest collectively, chain of command and repressive governance will usually get deposed; that's only 1% more than number who showed for last coast-to-coast protest. With approval polls in every category now at historic lows, any push will renew citizen commitment to democracy and topple delusional rule. Given facts, it took only one pamphlet and residual tea tax from Townshend Acts for fathers to found the greatest nation ever despite destiny and drawbacks.

“Afoot and light-hearted I take to the open road, healthy, free, the world before me, the long brown path before me leading wherever I choose... Henceforth I whimper no more, postpone no more, need nothing. Done with indoor complaints, libraries, querulous criticisms... Strong and content I travel the open road. The earth, that is sufficient... You road I enter upon and look around... I believe that much unseen is also here... I swear to you there are divine things more beautiful than words can tell.” Walt Whitman, Song of the Open Road, 1856, describes freedom to live fully and joyfully through courage and motility

Spilt Champagne

“President he’s got his war; folks don’t know just what it’s for. Nobody gives us rhyme or reason. Have one doubt they call it treason. We’re chicken feathers all without one nut. Goddamn it! Tryin' to make it real compared to what.” - Eddie Harris, Gene McDaniels, and Les McCann, Compared to What, Swiss Movement, Atlantic, 1969... album certified gold and song covered by 270 other performers.

Le Demi-Fond was once a 100 kilometer velodrome event where “the big motor” paced “the stayer”, that is, motorcyclist created a slipstream for drafting bicyclist running huge chainrings to reach speeds up to 124 mph. A popular spectacle from last century, it was inherently dangerous with track competitors and spectators killed and maimed until officially banned in 1994, though something similar is still how bicycle speed records are made on salt flats. Somewhat echoes e-bikes today, which quicken pace so each ride averages 3 to 5 mph faster. Riding bikes used to mean mere spinning; with e-bikes that becomes e-moting, because you frequently have to react in a panic and try to spin faster than motor boost, typically paused at 20 mph, to conserve charge for final segment on tired legs. Although sprayed champagne celebrates podium wins, spilt wine portends disaster. There’s no glory in top speed to which a cyclist strives, just a blur among crowds desperate for fresh air and smidgeon of exercise as Spring season finally arrives.

Level of being admired at zero percentage, aggregator Labann generously marches on never wanting to address attention needy POTUS insanity and wishing current term to be over permanently. Tired of turds dominating words downing out every voter democratically. “Halfway through”, demi-term election might overthrow oligarchy advantage. News used to be idea provoking specifics, not obviously vicious lies, gamely negotiated politics, not gas lit by wise guys. Where’s public outrage upon this perilous stage? Witch hunts describe going after officers doing their jobs who stood in your way when you committed a crime. If you keep misapplying and violating laws, you will be impeached and indicted every time. Whence and whither congressional counterbalance? Court rulings can only compel law abiders; marshals are their sole contempt enforcers if judges take a stance.

American People for nearly a century have long been the bulwark against wanton homicide and a stabilizing influence worldwide. Amagastan dupes don’t inherit this reputation. Christian Nationalists say, “Be charitable to yourself first,” in other words, stuff your pockets at someone else’s expense, even to where others perish or suffer for your greed and predation. They don’t know recipes for stone soups. Homeless beggar Christ amassed no coinage as a carpenter and fisherman, performed miracles and served strangers for free, for which he was crucified and interred penniless in donated linen and tomb by way of example on how to live divinely. To opposite extreme, Mango Mussolini is marching an army of mercs and orcs out of his lair, Mordor Lago, to murder mankind, spill blood, and wreak havoc. Slashing cybercrime mob surveillants, law enforcement agents, inspector general operatives, and national security staff leaves both them and you less protected against megalomaniacal psychopaths who’d burn planet and torture infants for a laugh.

Ruining how agencies run creates dissatisfaction meant to pave way to privatization, falsely reputed to improve efficiency. Taxpayers, which excludes many billionaires who evade paying, have invested literally hundreds of trillions in buildings, equipment, infrastructure, and workforce training. Consider post office with facilities and vehicles (Bezos drools), or military with jets, munitions, tanks, vessels, and weapons (Dumbo tools). Social Security (nobody’s fools) has $3 trillion in a trust fund you amassed. Fort Knox stores your tons of gold treasure, increased in value to $300 billion, enough to reduce public debt if liquidated. Unelected villains want to hand it all over to cronies to exploit for profit, leave citizens impoverished, raise service costs, and rob you blind. You’re already paying millions to El Salvador to inter a few hundred deportees not even indicted while stateside prisons remain full of convicted perps. Tariffs have nothing to do with encouraging domestic production; champagne only comes from France, as do thousands of other goods impossible to copy and only made abroad. It’s all a reality show for the cluelessly gung-ho, not sensible policy for vast majority.

Administrative decisions of late have been met with abject horror among three quarters of population. Not one campaign promise has been fulfilled, and vile edicts are being carried out despite federal court injunctions against. Conservative congress decided to cede their power as a coequal branch of government and let Felon 47 do his damnedest to destroy democracy, exploit war power act to deport without due process and stay in office, and target potential domestic enemies including political opponents and press reporters. How can half of supposed representatives support such unconstitutional injustice? Cowardly congressmen listened to advice not to answer questions or conduct forums. That’s admissible evidence of their violating oaths of office to stand for constituents. A quick fix would be to recall them individually from state to state, which would reverse curse of a slight GOP majority. Investigative journalists hold public officials accountable and shine a light on acts unlawful; otherwise, democracy dies in darkness.

When SCOTUS ruled in favor of Citizens United, it enabled billionaires to buy congressional seats among both major parties, call shots as they please, and determine all policies. Before oligarchs seized control, government had sustained many popular participant programs - Affordable Care, Medicare, Medicaid, Social Security, Supplemental Nutrition - that a succession of Republicans since Reagan wanted to crush and divert funds from held accounts into hands of the richest few. Temptation to smash and steal was just too strong for self indulgent legislators and their stink tank lunatics. Brian Tyler Cohen argues, “This feels like betrayal... We are desperate for fighters... If this crop of elected officials won’t, then people are going to elect new ones who will.”

Make great again for whom? Criminal kleptocrats, crypto schemers, goon squads, greedy oligarchs, privatizing congresspeople, shrewd whores, storm troopers, white supremacists, and yes men. Everyone else will be banished, deported, or targeted. Better watch your back and pack a go-bag when you have to escape, especially congressionally appointed judges forced to follow constitution who block autocratic playbook, or dissidents and opponents to unitary executive rule. “You don’t impeach judges who issues orders you don’t like... Debate makes this country great,” said senior senator Bernie Sanders. Unless as slaves, there’ll be no quarter for Asians, Blacks, Indians, Latinos, seniors, or women. Sorry, MAGA-mob, you were literally sold a big perverse joke and a pig in a poke. Have to have faith they’ve miscalculated effects of mistreating military veterans and public servants, two groups who own lion’s share of nation’s war tactics and weapons expertise. Would not want to take on these patriots in any fight, especially ones that threaten their families.

Voter remorse? “I been a bad, bad, bad man... Remember the time when I eat you up? Yeah, I was a lie that you can't give up. If I was to cheat, oh no, would you see right through me? ...How you like me now? How you like me now?” The Heavy, The House That Dirt Built, Counter, 2009

To whom do you turn? Liam Turner (Robert Timothy Smith) ineptly scribbles a dyslexic Dear Santa (Bobby Farrelly, dir., 2024) letter to North Pole, but transposes characters and winds up with a visit from Dear Satan (Jack Black) from North Lope, who offers him 3 wishes for his soul. Black’s character turns out to be a demon on probation, not Prince of Darkness himself. In another such switcheroo, you got a convicted serial con man instead of a Leader of the Free World. “Slow down, Lance Armstrong,” says school crossing guard (Cate Freedman) to nemesis teacher Mr. Charles (P. J. Byrne), whose midlife crisis has him riding a racing bicycle about town on Christmas Day. They agree to go together for Chinese food, though he rethinks asking her to sit on his back rack, so they stroll instead.

Not all romances conclude happily ever after. In favorably received Netflix series One Day (Luke Snellin, dir., 2024), Episode 13, Dexter Mayhew (Leo Woodall) and Emma Morley (Ambika Mod) are an engaged couple in 2000, 14 years after they met in Edinburgh at their graduation ball. Having crossed paths for years, they are now planning their wedding. Dexter looks to open a café. Emma’s is about to publish her fourth novel. After a spat, she leaves Dexter an apology note, saying she still loves him and that she'll be five minutes late for their realty appointment to view a honeymoon house. On a rainy Saturday, Saint Swithin's Day, a careless motorist knocks Emma off her bicycle, and, despite wearing a helmet, she dies; foul weather must follow each day for next 40, according to folklore and screenplay.

Bicycling culture among contemporary Navajo Nation is the subject of documentary In The Dirt (T. C. Johnstone, dir., 2023) in conjunction with New Mexico non-profit Silver Stallion, where youth learn bicycle handling, mechanical repair, personal empowerment, and specialty coffee skills.

Dick Wolf’s scripted drama Law&Order: SVU, Season 16, Episode 4, Holden’s Manifesto (Jean de Segonzac, dir., 2014), portrays bike messenger and ignorable incel Holden March (John Karna, shown), who avenges his narcissist ego by murdering women he’s convinced wronged him by ignoring his awkward advances. Detective Amanda Rollins (Kelli Giddish) and Sergeant Olivia Benson (Mariska Hargitay) have to ferret out and take down this serial slayer. Story is based on real life case Elliot Rodger's Retribution resulting in Isla Vista Killings of same year. Over 25 years, program has won 46 awards including 6 Primetime Emmys.

Pivotal scene in blockbuster musical Wicked (John M. Chu, dir., 2024) has fondling Elphaba Thropp (Cynthia Erivo) and Prince Fiyero Tigelaar (Jonathan Bailey) by bicycles spiriting off a lion cub in a basket that Oz (Jeff Goldblum) wants to cage along with all other animals. Harks back to original when Ms. Gulch put Toto in her basket. Creature mistreatment sets her on course to becoming Wicked Witch of the West. Though cut off to be continued before story concludes, this Wizard of Oz prequel was nominated for 10 Academy Awards and won 2.

Big budget sci-fi bomb The Electric State (Russo Brothers, dirs., 2025), beside being among the most expensive movies ever made, takes on dystopian interface between artificial and human intelligence, but wastes many acting talents. Foster teen Michelle Greene (Millie Bobby Brown, Stranger Things. shown) channels previous role while battling evil tech CEO Ethan Skate (Stanley Tucci), bicycling about to muster a posse, and bringing back her comatose genius brother during a civil war instigated for profit in data memories. If not for bad character development and weak plot, you’d think audiences would identify with made-in-China “Tesler” boycott backstory, and react to EV insult reversal as hypocritical irony. Not masochistic enough to enjoy fiction so close to current events?

Baleful Wain

“I see you got your list out. Say your piece and get out. Yes, I get the gist of it, but it's alright. Sorry that you feel that way. The only thing there is to say, ‘Every silver lining's got a Touch of Grey.’ I will get by... I will survive.” - Jerry Garcia and Robert Hunter, 1987

To stay authentic and topical today’s writers must surf ahead of a tsunami of social insanity within a tyrannical tube of factuality. They have to assess advertisements, arts, blogs, books, broadcasts, documentaries, edicts, interviews, manifestos, movies, music, newscasts, podcasts, poetry, posts, rap, speeches, TikTok, tweets, videos, vlogs, and what’s not even on this Sisyphean list while investigating in person both an artificial and natural world, specific spaces at times, either eager to commit murder and devour your corpse. No bubble or force field, only cloth, grey matter, leather, or lycra to protect, it’s hard for anyone to say for sure, if at all, what preserves one’s inner self from threats out there. While being absorbed, ingested and inhaled, world in turn swallows you whole, simultaneously bestowing and taking, crucifying and forgiving, furnishing and suffocating, punishing and rewarding.

Labann’s mission has always been to encompass all of bicycling culture, monitor sources as new examples emerge, and show how items interconnect. Too often lately that involves baleful reports of political smackdowns, such as a POTUS proclamation trying to reverse NYC’s smart and successful Congestion Tolls. For GOP, state sovereignty only applies when it suits their own hypocritical lies. Often here cited public datasets are disappearing; all hail fascist efficiency that funnels public treasures to billionaire parasites! Low class cowards and thugs attacked Palestinian Muslims during Ramadan, then extorted neighborly Canadians because they think they can. No Russian mobsters have been deported. Gitmo has no promised alien detainees. Government services are disappearing. Inflation worsens daily. Stock shares are tanking. Poles are doubling their army expecting a Russian incursion. Is WWIII on its way? News you can lose? All deter civilian bicycling.

Anyway, The Douche is in the White House, and Duffer’s on vacation, golfing again, while true men from founding fathers to honored patriots are rolling angrily in their graves. What FDR said echoes loudly, "Men are not prisoners of fate, but only prisoners of their own minds." Cruel and devious modus operandi define criminal sociopathy. Farm wains upon which they loaded Black Death casualties and fallen soldiers (“sold yer” out with huge cuts to veteran benefits and jobs) have been superseded by flat beds and trailer trucks for next inevitable Grey Death. Wailful days upon us warrant brown study and frown melancholy.

About time for a direction reversal: Hope of renewal springs eternal, thus perennial Easter festival. “Those trips a-wheel before the break of day, the pause to hear the morning songsters sing, the break of fast on berries by the way, the thirst assuaged by kneeling to the spring; The drill, the race, that memorable run, Quixotic like, in search of conquests fair - Each ‘joyed event returns like Summer sun, to warm the chillness of the Winter air.” - S. Conant Foster, A Midwinter Reverie, Wheel Songs, Poems of Bicycling, 1884

Not all bicycling memories melt into gratitude or warm your soul. How about brand new leather saddles before broken in or frozen fingertips throbbing as if seared by molten steel? Always attempted a last spin before weather set in for real, especially in winter when snowfall chases you home to stay until sun and wind strip streets of black ice and white depth, then watching out window day to day for another chance while trying to judge which bits of apparel will work under an ever varying conditional array. It’s an anniversary worth celebrating when single-ply short sleeve jersey and spandex shorts suffice. But paying the price panting between baking sun and grilling asphalt that waft watery mirages and wondering if you’ll complete course before wholly exhausted still haunt and menace, what Rachel Meltdown does to your typical MAGA clown. Self’s amuse abuse, or folly hobby, seems bombastic onanistic or depressive obsessive to someone else’s mentality.

Mary Mensana (Amanda Seyfried) is pregnant widow of a would-be environmental terrorist and rueful parishioner at First Reformed (Paul Schrader, dir., 2018), on eve of rural church’s 250th anniversary, where Reverend Toller (Ethan Hawke) serves as pastor to whom she rides her bicycle for emotional support. As an aside, a man does say Fred in reference to stodgy cyclists devoted to riding classic but outdated steel models such as a Peugeot Super Competition or Schwinn Varsity. This grim drama about climate despair, doctrinaire politics, hollow ceremony, and reproductive rights won Critic’s Choice Male Lead award for Hawke; screenplay was nominated for an Oscar.

Not finding a lot of new bicycle songs from dispirited Americans, composing still on wane, as previously described. Do note Europeans compiling abridged Youtube playlists, such as one from Germany of which only some of those not previously mentioned are listed below chronologically by release date. Interesting how France and Germany now stand together backing Ukraine’s resistance to Russia’s aggression after USA’s betrayal of democracy despite interwoven diversity and widespread mutiny of its citizens.

John Manchester, French Bicycle Music [piano instrumental], Blue Sky, Omnimusic, 1985

Beppo Küster, Ich fahre Rad [German pop], Bitte nach Ihnen, Amiga, 1986

Wolle Kriwanek Band, Mike (Mit dem Mountain-Bike) [German rock], Hot Wollé, Bell Records, 1992

M. A. Numminen, Fahrradfahren ist Notwendig [German, “Riding Bicycle Is Necessary”], soundtrack from short film Polkupyörällä ajaminen on tarpeellista (Sökö Kaukoranta, dir., 2000); commemorates 450th anniversary of Helsinki, Finland. Depicts a grey day with Numminen singing song beside riding on back of a bicycle being pedaled along a slushy roadside.

Spieltrieb, Fahrrad fahrn [German pop], Ohrrangement, self, 2008
“How do I feel? Of course, it rhymes with free. Whatever comes and happens can't touch me, because I have my song... There are a thousand ways to ride a bike, whether endurance, fast, downhill, or on the track. One thing is certain: you'll burn calories, and next summer you'll shine with a dream figure. Only what you eat is your fuel, and you're gliding along.”

Pat C, Klapprad [German], single video, self, 2010
“I ride a folding bike around the area; no reason to get upset”

Pratterino, Bicycle Song, Old Bicycle, Pär Strandberg, 2011

Souljah, Was mein Fahrrad angeht [German], single video, self, 2011
Bikecentric remake of the autocentric MoTrip song similarly named; if you sold God’s benefices, ecclesiastical privileges, or pardons it was once condemned as heretical simony, but now it’s the sole jam of Christian Nationalists loyal only to opportunist oligarchy.

Kommando Zurueck, Velociped [German hip-hop], Back from Out of Space, self, 2012

KraftKlub, Mein Rad [German], In Schwarz, Universal Music Group, 2014
Americans can related to this angst of loss plentiful evidenced, “My bike is no longer here, it's gone, that's what happened. But why is it now with an idiot like you... who sees things and just takes them like a stupid child?” Answer: Kleptocrats addicted to greed.

Anthony’s Putsch, King of the World, single video, self, 2014
“Won’t you grab that bike, please take me for a ride, and see that I’m King of the world! There is nothing I'm afraid of, mama, only the howling of the wind.” Right! Citizens of a democracy are collectively king, not some orange shellacked combover thing.

Infallet, Cykelhjälm Cykelhjälm [Swedish in English; group name means a “Sudden Whim”], single video, self, 2014
A helmet is stylish, the ultimate swag, no? “No pain, no gain. It’s a place to put your brain.”

Binyo, Fahrrad [German], Der Steg ist das Ziel [“The jetty is the destination’], self, 2015

The Rotaries, Bicycle Girl, On the Outs, self, 2015

Dota Kehr, Rennrad [German pop], Keine Gefahr, Kleingeldprinzessin Records, 2016

Maybebop, Lust auf Fahrrad [German], single, BMG, 2016

Moop Mama, Die Erfindung des Rades, M.O.O.P.Topia, self, 2016
“You are a miracle of nature on a miracle of technology, your round body contour, carefree and casual. They talk, and shout, and gesticulate, hands off the steering wheel. Sirens and horns are only for you, because you roll like a gangster.”

D.U.M. Enterprises, Fahrradtrack [German hip-hop], single video, self, 2018

Peelander-Z, Bike Bike Bike, Go PZ Go, Chicken Ranch Records, 2018

Günter Nüssle, Das Liegerad [German], single video, 2019

Nico Suave, Von Hamburg bis zum Meer [German pop], single video, Hamburg Marketing, 2019
“So many corners, so much to discover, on my bike... I’m never stuck in traffic. I pass you with a big smile.”

The Dirty Nil, To the Guy Who Stole My Bike, F*ck Art, Dine Alone Records, 2020
“I hope it serves you well. I hope the brakes don’t seize, when you’re riding down the hill to hell.”

Mr. Rose, Radfahren [German pop], single video, Problembär Records, 2020

Requisite, Bicycle, Rusty BBQ Demos EP, 1943896 Records DK, 2020
“Next time you offer me a ride, I might decline. I’d rather ride my bicycle.”

Severin Groebner, Rentner auf E-Bikes [German for “Retirees on E-bikes”], single video, self, 2020

Estéban Cortez, La-La-Lastenrad [German, “Cargo Bicycle”], single video, self, 2021
Going backwards by pedaling? Isn’t fuel too expensive?

Kadeja, feat. DieZelle, Bike, single video, PZK, 2021

Treptow, Nachts auf dem Fahrrad [German heavy metal], single video, self, 2021
“On the bike at night in Berlin... There’s room for you on my luggage rack; I'll gladly take you anywhere. Who needs a taxi?”

IFHT fea. Matt Dennison, New Bike Day, single video, self, 2022
“Got kicked out, got fired; wanna do stuff but I’m too tired. At least my mother’s proud of me (no, she’s not). But it’s new bike day, and I can’t be broken... I get to ride. I might be broke and alone, but there’s rubber and chrome... I feel alive... Can’t afford to fix my car, but I got shiny handlebars.”

Mike Ständer Band, Fahrradfahrn [German], Zweites, self, 2022

Blondie & Iris Wallaschek, Mein Rotes Fahrrad [German, "My Red Bicycle”], single video, Chromatics Entertainment Studios, 2023

Alex & Lukas (A. Diosegi and L. Brennecke), Radlerhymne [German hip-hop, “Cycling Anthem”], Schiffbruch, self, 2024
“Leather saddle padding and the pedal crank made of gold! The chrome rims measure an impressive twenty-six inches. Yes, then annoy a few passers-by with your exhaust. Hey, we'll pass you if you look out at us while you're filling up.”

E-Aldi, Fahrrad-Punks Not Dead, single, self, 2024

Vielleicht Emma, (Ich und mein) Fahrrad, (Ich und mein) Fahrrad, self, 2024

Ubu Enchaîné

“‘Sir Ubu, the Russians attack.’ ‘Well, what do you want me to do? It wasn’t me who asked them to.’” Playwright scorcher Alfred Jarry, Ubu Roi, 1888

Waiting to see L’Infant Terrible, Ugliest American, Vilest Villain in chains for trying to annul constitution, destroy democracy, and violate laws. Decided who NOT to vote for 25 years ago.

Throw enough ketchup at walls and some will stick; requires no decisive planning whatever. Screeds and tirades against political candidates alienate everyone except like minded belligerents and partisans, and persuade nobody. You may legitimately question whether expressing a biased mindset compromises your own safety. Revenge is a real authoritarian threat. Russian novelists tossed complete manuscripts that criticized regime onto fire, because publishing them meant inviting a death sentence. The end is near; might as well rage on.

Choice before American voters in November of 2024 is progressive capitalism or reactionary fascism, forging forward under constitutional democracy or regressing into totalitarian tragedy.

The affluent seek brutal control since they have the most to lose. They believe fascism will keep them in positions of authority and secure their property, but history berates their abject stupidity. Nazis seized estates of wealthiest supporters, and sent them to concentration camps to die before they could exile abroad or seek redress. If you didn’t earn your wealth, you may fear disloyalty of everyone more experienced and somewhat smarter, when it’s irrational imbeciles you should mistrust. Their zero sum game stems in part from fear of deprivation and part from sadism for others' suffering. Sick sick sick planet Magathreea has a triple-D motto: deceive, divide, dominate. Trump’s candidacy makes a mockery of democracy, exactly how petty impotents Orban and Putin became dictators, by misinforming own people. And, as Pulitzer journalist Bob Woodward reports, politics today is an actual War with civilian casualties.

In America vs. Donald John Trump, the trial of which this 2024 election truly is, defense makes its case first, decades of excuses, failures, and prevarication, but final summation will always be prosecutor’s. Over 20% of expected 180 million turnout, 36 million jurors, so far requested early ballots, 65% of them Democrats; 7 million have already voted. Trump admitted 4 years ago he would run again just to avoid prison. If Harris defeats him, he’ll go down for all 91 indictments to date, though plenty more could follow, such as at least 8 documented violations of Logan Act and treason for revealing CIA assets who were consequentially killed. As a convicted felon and private citizen, Trump has no standing to discuss affairs of state with foreign dictators he admires; on bail in 4 jurisdictions, he’s not even allowed to travel outside country’s borders.

With 34 years in public service, 21 in elected offices as attorney general, US senator, and vice president, Kamala Harris is nation’s second most qualified presidential candidate in its history after Biden’s half century. Despite prior RNC spokesperson Alex Conant’s assertion,“We should not elect somebody as untested and inexperienced as Obama,” Trump followed as only candidate with zero military or political experience. His 3 years in office, when not away golfing for almost an entire year, still makes him the least.

For false promises and a fee, evil televangelist Paula White delivered her evangelical flock to this amoral oaf full of poisonous lust for presidential power. After given a chance to lead Christians, he screwed them repeatedly. He justified it saying,“People love to hate, so I’ll give them a target.” Since then, 4 known assassination attempts, possibly more unknown, by former followers have been thwarted by an expanded Secret Service squad generously granted by Biden administration.

GOP relies on numerous conservative think tanks creating policy for them, including American Enterprise Institute, Cato Institute, Christian Nationalists, and Heritage Foundation. All remorselessly favor affluence and privilege and toss challenged, middle class, and poor to the wolves. Takes a lot of talk to pull wool over majority’s eyes. Liberals also have a few, Center for American Progress, Progressive Policy Institute, and Roosevelt Institute, but mostly feel they don't need a hard sell, since their policies tend to be fair and inclusive rather than divisive and exclusive. Christian Nationalism is a disguise for fascist socialism, Nazis in smiley masks. Christ's only involved as a conceptual cudgel to beat pious saps into believing that a possessed demon who brags of breaking all 7 Deadly Sins without remorse redeems a convicted felon found guilty for obvious crimes and headed to jail.

Last lifelong New York crime lord Don the Con and his Art of the Deal sees every transaction as another chance to cheat and steal. Trump responds to any rebuke in his demented 4th grade, "I know you are but what am I," nadir of logic. He won’t stop because he gets airtime whenever he wants; fends off every accusation with a fictional narrative; is desperate to avoid prison; makes outrageous claims such as “Blacks love me; I’ve done more for them than anyone,” or “I’m the father of IVF,” or fatal January 6th insurrection was "A Day of Love," his personal Woodstock; owns a media company that spins whatever’s said about him into another gelt grift. Weaponized DOJ? (Garland‘s not even a BB gun.) Witch hunt? (No need to “trump up” charges with so many real crimes to prosecute.) He’s the one who wants to weaponize government sending military against opponents to quell free speech.

Who swallows myth of Trump’s business acumen? It’s a string of 6 bankruptcies and scores of convictions for statute violation and tax evasion. Why sell bibles, crypto currency, digital images, self medallions, ugly sneakers, and wait watches if he's so rich? Buyers underwrite the billion he owes in judgments, legal fees, and shortfall in campaign donations. Had he only put his inheritance into an index fund, he’d be worth triple his claimed $4 billion net worth. How do you fail to profit from a casino? Closer investigation would likely discover he exited that way to skip prosecution and stiff creditors after laundering money, offshoring assets, and stashing wealth.

What’s his attraction? Why aren't all who've abided decades of his blatant frauds, false claims, interminable rambles, sneaky cheats, and word salad sick to death of him? You’d think this creepy, unpopular, “weird-old” WWII relic would get the message and quit campaigning. Is it a combover, ramble, or weave? Every word from this convicted felon is a grievance, a lie, or a threat. His babble seduces to draw you in just before he murders, rapes, or screws you. He speaks to lonely hearts and losers, who yearn for morsels of attention, and worst among population, who seek validation for their malefaction. Sets the bar so low roaches can crawl over it. Those enthralled expect almost nothing of him, yet nit pick opponents over every detail. As his day of reckoning approaches, he has turned up extortion warnings and menace messaging to extremes, “Invasion, upheaval, and WWIII without me.” Framing arguments in absolutes is a symptom of his narcissistic personality disorder.

Trump appeared in about 500 rallies over 25 years of campaigning, boasting he had biggest audiences ever, more than Martin Luther King’s historic I Have a Dream speech, and presented live to more attendees than anyone in history, perhaps a million total, 0.3% of Americans. Not even close. Grateful Dead did 2,300 concerts over 30 years with biggest solo crowd of 107,019, and, of course, over 450,000 at Woodstock, way more than 5 million fans total. And they weren’t the most popular live music act in history, far short of Taylor Swift’s ticket sales during 604 shows spanning 20 years, 4.4 million on 60 dates of Eras Tour alone. He has to pay and plant phony firefighters, soldiers, and union members who were really RNC operatives at revival rallies and town hall meetings to fool onlookers and pad attendance.

Opposition’s drumbeats are immigration and inflation. After Obama handed Trump 6 years of job growth and less than 0.5% inflation, 24 months later it spiked at 3%, dipping only due to COVID, when nationwide economy stumbled with GDP down $1 trillion upon longest government shut down in history and 3 million lost jobs. Also during 2020, fentanyl deaths, gun sales, senseless murders, and 1,700 school shootings set unprecedented numbers, public debt jumped $8 trillion with nothing to show for it, and supply chains collapsed, reasons Trump wasn’t reelected and left with lowest presidential rating ever. Under Biden-Harris, inflation continued to climb to 3.7% before being doggedly beaten down to 2.4%, lower than Trump’s peak, much faster than inflation in all other industrial countries. Biden took Trump’s advice and Made America Great Again with best economy this century, biggest cuts in joblessness, huge improvements for neglected infrastructure, resurrection of manufacturing, and stock market indices at all time highs. US GDP grew by $2 trillion with nearly 5 million new jobs, and public debt was curbed by trillions. The Economist confirms, “The American economy has left other rich countries in the dust.” Yet current voters, having absorbed an aggregate of 21% rise in consumer costs since Bush's term, seem to have developed amnesia as to why it occurred. Biden-Harris didn't invent inflation, around for centuries, but Trump has many believing these facts of global life are either fake or someone else's fault. Neither did he take responsibility for his administration's mishandling of pandemic.

Former Secretary of Labor Robert Reich listed the 75 worst things Trump did in office, though arguably there were 750 more worth considering. These are not the acts of public servants, rather what crime syndicates and mob bosses do if they can get away with it. No previous American president ever needed to seek Supreme Court intervention, but House can still impeach justices and president for treason and violations of oaths of office, while Senate can convict and sentence them. He accuses current administration for inflation that his party keeps high for crisis perception and dissident punishment.

Trump demonizes legal immigrants and radical left as bad genes, dangerous lunatics, enemy within, execrable vermin, general menace, and racial poison, and says they are to blame for greatness lost, when all that exactly describes MAGA assets and midnight agents he empowers to attack anyone who makes him look bad, break laws, and terrorize public. Capitol police, election workers, and families of opponents have been assaulted and injured. Decades of GOP influence begat congressional gridlock on important issues, loss of personal rights, transfer of $50 trillion of tax revenues to oligarchs, and weakness on world stage. Not Trump alone, all MAGA office holders are culpable - particularly Cruz, Graham, Greene, Johnson, Kennedy, McConnell, and Vance - therefore warrant recall and sanctions. Trump told them to vote down a bipartisan bill to address issue because perception of a migrant crisis serves as a campaign stump. This alleged illegal invasion accounts for less than 1% of population. Immigration during Obama’s 8 years was less than Trump’s 1 year spike in 2020; he opened border intentionally after all his tough talk of building a wall, really a permeable fence, purely as a political tactic. Since 2000, hispanic minority has indeed steadily doubled from 10% to 20%, with other ethnicities up by single digit rates; white majority shrank 15% to about 62% of overall population. The only citizens who object are white supremacists, while reasons this occurred are numerous and varied, though a healthy economy will always attract workers who want to contribute to country’s revenues, fill empty positions, and improve their lives. Citizens of a country are not enemies of themselves, they are the country itself.

When racists use the word "that" instead of "who" to describe people, it dehumanizes them. Trump saying "people 'that' are coming" are cannibals is among the many unhinged assertions that whipped his cult followers into an us versus them frenzy. Legal immigrants over last decade total about 21 million, about 7% of US population; among small undocumented subset no evidence suggests they are criminals or lunatics, an argument that goes back to boat people scare of 1975, propagated by, guess who, xenophobe Trump. Yes, an accumulated 45 million immigrants from all over now live in USA, the vast majority of whom are naturalized, including Trump's and Vance's wives. Immigrants already made America great, a fact that interferes with a neo-Nazi delusional dream to deport, enslave, exterminate, impoverish, and subjugate.

A consensus of hundreds of psychologists diagnoses Trump as a malignant narcissist, among the most severe of personality disorders: amoral, dishonest, lacking any empathy, and only in it for himself. Presidential historians rate his term as the nadir of American leadership: an eclipse of reason devoid of substance, fewest accomplishments, most divisive, the worst. He’d replace Pentagon generals with football coaches and NASCAR drivers. Directors, managers, and senior workforce of every federal agency would be fired and replaced with untrained loyalists, except agencies he'd eliminate altogether, like Department of Education and National Weather Service (because they laughed as his Sharpie redirect of a hurricane and wishes to nuke next one). NASA shows space based facts that nobody needs to know, so has to go. He wants to turn immigrants into unpaid prize fighters for entertainment. The list goes on.

Bigly Liar, Pance on fire, with interchangeable Pence or Vance, two Christo-fascists and Crypto-nudists, Trump did and would dump to install Donny Junior, an unlikable coke head and ticket drag who could never win even a token vote. As a matter of trust, how can you believe Trump? He bragged of waging the biggest misinformation campaign against Americans in history, got convicted of fraud, has run for office for 25 years under both major parties, and was fact checked to have told 35,000 lies over his 4 year term. If you take him at his word, he promises reprehensible and unconstitutional policies and virtual dictatorship aided by a his radical cult members. Freedom never means you can do anything you want, only what’s legal and responsible. Free speech excludes boldfaced lying, falsifying documents, fear mongering, inciting criminality, meanly pranking, outright perjuring, or testifying falsely.

While few want a dysfunctional democracy, only true deplorables who are cruelly delusional or deeply disturbed would replace it with totalitarian dictatorship. They'd accept corruption, insults, and negativity. GOP playbook has always been to bully, filibuster all legislation to create gridlock, gaslight, play race card, sex shame, then only discuss important issues to make unsupportable vague promises that won't go anywhere, or simply echo what's already been said by opponents that got a rise out of voters. Neocons created a series of recessions whenever they controlled congress, courts, or presidency. To squeeze grip on power, Nixon undermined journalism, Reagan busted unions, Bushes incited wars to funnel finances into warfare mills owned by cronies. Trump embezzled $8 trillion from treasury, and stuffed offshore accounts of oligarchs and self.

Build Back Better added and restored bike paths, highways, roads, and side streets long neglected by Republicans intent on impeding your mobility choices and impoverishing middle class. Speaking at Old Forge, Pennsylvania, Trump ridiculed Biden and Kerry, saying, “I’ll never be riding a bicycle,” defensively dispelling any worries over basic balance, bicyclists’ tan, or chronic infirmity, but not implausible injuries, “I’m not getting hurt riding a bicycle,” as if that did you a favor. So anti-bike is Old Bones Spurs who thereby dodged the draft, he initiated legislation to permit motorized uses of bike/pedestrian paths.

Trump’s a lazy slob in a sloppy suit and MAGA tie left too long, like a toddler who's guardians ought to know better. Ties stop at your waist, not crotch. He won’t disclose his college transcript, current health, or tax filings, probably hiding some truly damning disqualifiers. Furthermore, his henchmen raided doctor’s office to remove dismal records, though a heart stent merits concern, Irritable Bowel Syndrome is well smelt, and sociopathy confirmed by a consensus of certified psychiatrists. Nobody takes a cognitive test unless dementia is suspected. Power is the ultimate aphrodisiac; you have to be really impotent to want it as much as Trump. Defensive Don called Doctor Harris, “A bitch, crazy, garbage, and low IQ.” Contradicts what dropout Trump hates most about her: an accomplished, competent, sane, and successful prosecutor.

An aged joker who would be king hopes you’ll vote for his celebrity status and comic presence out of exhaustion, identification, or sympathy rather than your own best interests. He resonates with antisocial scum, billionaire coconspirators, ignorant losers, paid propagandists, and triggered paranoiacs. He’s worshipped by antisemites, convicts, cretins, crooks, cultists, dupes, homophobes, misogynists, numbskulls, racists, rapists, and xenophobes just like him. His Royal MAGA-sty is only fit for swine. They should ask themselves, "Do I think I could handle being president?" By any measure both he and they are unfit for any role in public service. Based on his past acts nearly every other demographic deems him a dire threat and despises him: America’s 65 million bicyclists; business leaders and corporate CEOs; ecologists and environmentalists; educated and empathetic crowd; entertainers who didn’t endorse him; European allies; first responders; former cabinet members, military generals, staffers, and vice president; free press and journalists; Gold Star families; government agencies and intelligence assets; healthcare community; Latino, Middle, North and South Americans; muslims and non-christians; patients with diabetes or other preexisting diseases; physically handicapped; people of color; professors and teachers; protestors; retired pensioners; recipients of Medicare, Social Security, or TANF/SNAP; soldiers and veterans; union rank and file; unwed women and unsupported mothers; wage earners across all industry sectors; and youth in schools. More than half of population should represent too many individuals to avenge, deport, or exterminate.

Criminals who’ve been investigated by justice department want him to succeed. Pledging loyalty is a scammer’s route to maximal loot without scrutiny. FCC and SEC violations flourished under Dubya Bush, enabling Fox and Newsmax nonstop propaganda and green lighting stock swindles with shareholders cheated out of trillions in dividends and equity value. The dead and disinterested eyes of Cruz, Greene, infotainment spokespeople, Murdoch’s murder of crows, Sean Hannity, Sebastian Gorka, Steve Bannon, and talking heads betray their bitter deceit and faithless fury. He’s never won a court case or popular election, just cheated his way in by electoral manipulation through Russian help and voter intimidation. They had to implement new rules, security, and surveillance of polling places because of him. Nobody he endorsed won in the 2022 midterms. Toxic, unmanly, unpopular: Trump's political poison personified.

The only promise his single term delivered was to funnel trillions of tax dollars to billionaires, including payoffs to foreign dictators to whom he owed billions, through 145 unilateral executive orders, having signed the least representative bills ever. “Infrastructure Week" was a cruel joke that waited 4 years for Biden to invoke. Biden decreased illegal immigration, deported over 1 million, while statistics show that 99% of crimes are caused by country’s own citizens with 95% of domestic crimes and terrorist acts directly attributable to radical right and Russian mob, to which Trump has strong ties. The main reason life is more expensive was his response to pandemic destroyed supply chains, while he encouraged Big Oil, Big Three, and other corporations run by same billionaires who gouge consumers and take record profits at public’s expense, done to cause fear and connive his reelection.

MAGA’s efforts to route dark money and stack Supreme Court are patently illegal and totally unconstitutional. No president ever required or sought absolute immunity for anything, especially not mass deportation, obnoxious sedition, and specious prosecution. You had to know this was coming after nobody from ENRON or Wall Street was indicted for cheating investors out of billions. Now one thousand billionaires have formed an oligarchy covertly ruling 330 million unaware Americans, who don’t want any page of 900 full of repressive policies they plan, including stripping constitutional, educational, entertainment, retirement, reproductive, and voting rights. There would be no e-commerce, internet encyclopedias, Truth Social, or X-tweets without access to information and bait of pornography. Trump’s no danger to deep state or shadow government, but surely an existential threat to ordinary citizens. His VP replacement called him "America’s Hitler", then figured that’s what America needs, a cruel dictator, so said, “Sieg heil!” and started goose stepping behind. Own generals call him “fascist to the core”. Dis-aster is not belittling a Fall flower, it’s what an authoritarian regime ushers in.

Americans used to expect candidates to be paragons of virtue. Logically and morally bankrupt, Trump owes a billion in court judgments against him, legal fees, and venue rentals he refused to pay. Nationwide nobody would post his bail. Paid off billions in loans from Putin and Saudis with secret documents, for which he’s also been indicted. His defense was to appoint judges who stalled cases until after election, then whine about being the most investigated individual since Alphonse Capone, and not without solid evidence that should terrify entire planet.

Trump humps flags because this rapist/stalker serial psycho "loves" to assault America, a country mired in a civil war of his making between MAGA “inhumans” and alleged liberal “unhumans” as Jack Posobiec feverishly reimagines them. The ultimate in Bronzed Aged megalomania, Don-old wants to be considered an ancient god able to do whatever he wants on a throne above AR-15 and Bullet Crown crowd. When he dies he wants everyone to die with him in a mass sacrifice. There’s no such thing as enlightened autocracies, as his supporters assume. Even if there were, dictators would actually have to be a quantum leap smarter than those being ruled, not just be convinced they are. Among American politicians, only Transportation Director Pete Buttigieg meets such criteria, and he isn’t running, yet.

Role of POTUS is chief public servant. Why then is he running? To exploit Biden’s revenue success to pillage more? Party politics no longer work like they once did, evenly divided voters, half Democrat and half Republican. Over 75% are now liberal or moderate. Trump only represents 15% on radical right, an extreme splinter mob that uses criminal tactics to hold onto power, so must somehow con 36% unaffiliated and 29% neither. Recipe for fascism: Consolidate power in a single dictator surrounded by an oligarchy; steal everything not nailed down (unlike $3.8 trillion Social Security trust fund, which they plan to take next); use wealth ($8 trillion during 45's term) to wage war against own people, cower them into submission; round up undesirables (disloyal), deport en masse, and murder as a final solution. Russia’s power play is to get morons to believe nonsense. Putin is desperate to discredit democracy, because his autocracy is failing. With hundreds of thousands of army age males fleeing homeland, and war on Ukraine going about as well as Afghanistan, Putin doesn't want his remaining subjects figuring out he's a failure and fraud. DOJ and FBI caught RT red handed paying social media stooges to sway USA’s national election for their favorite puppet, Ubu Trump. NATO must eventually align to neutralize threat after massive death and destruction.

For all the civic impoverishment and ruined lives Trump left in his half century wake, perhaps the worse is the cumulative stress it had on cardiovascular health and mental sanity, all the more reason to ride a bicycle for its mood boost. Duning-Kruger effect sees MAGA cultists using slurs as “low information” against prudent opponents not thoroughly brainwashed by nonstop agitprop. Trump’s responsible for the rise of “woke" as a pejorative, which is the opposite of his degeneracy. Jennifer Welch of I Had It Podcast calls out their “buzzword bullshit” of screaming trigger words instead of promoting unifying principles, of which MAGA has none.

“Woke" has become a joke meant only to gaslight and provoke. GOP hurls DEI around as if it's terrible. Diversity creates new markets. Money-grubbers sell equities, shares in systems everyone operates within. Inclusion? GOP is a minority party with only 25% voter affiliation; fact anyone abides their presence is a mystery given they are so eager to exclude. Difficult to relate to those for whom The Calculus only means a pebble in their sandal. The 7 Corporal Works of Mercy are to act charitably, bury the dead with dignity, feed the hungry, give drink to the thirsty, shelter homeless in entirety, visit convicts in a penitentiary, and visit those suffering from infirmity... woke to the core. Access to education and information enables, yet the cultured, educated, and literate still find it next to impossible to convince deplorables to act in everyone’s best interests and not vote for relentless recidivists.

A tenet of comedy is to portray absurdity. Trumpkins embrace atrocious, bizarre, criminal, diabolical, horrid, and monstrous. Not to hop on some bandwagon, MAGA isn't just “weird”, it's creepy, enraged, humorless, invasive, nefarious, perverted, and sadistic. “I’ll be your protector... women won’t have to worry about abortions.” GOP wants to be an army of elephants in your pajamas. Hard to believe holier-than-thou Christian Nationalists irrationally love their Cheeto Jesus, the very personification of The 7 Deadly Sins: Envy (better than Lincoln), gluttony (wolves down tons of MacDonalds and KFC), greed (embezzled trillions from public treasury), lust (cheated on wives with porn stars), pride (without me, catastrophe), sloth (golfed away half his term), and wrath (angry at everything, especially when economy outperforms his doom scenario). Higher Liar at end stage dementia cheers when stock market self corrects with profit sell-offs or slight hiccups that suit his red flag narrative. No one ever saw him actually open bible he sells; he’d probably burst into flames. If it isn't bad built, rage 'roid bimbo jerks like MTG, it's botox, collagen injected, face lifted, mascara man phonies butt kissing their grease painted, girdled pinched ex-POTUS, who, after running for office since 1999, has never won a popular ballot, and must feel justified in rigging elections.

Kindhearted kids expressing concern are not going to topple conservatives. You have to go armed with elephant rifles and rpg’s against their rampaging herd. These dopes are going to find their schemes backfire. They inadvertently gave Joe Biden complete immunity, while Kamala Harris fills Pence’s 2020 role. Even if Trump somehow gets reelected, Biden and Harris can negate electoral results, have Seal Team Six grab him before he escapes to his Venezuela estate, and sack SCOTUS Six, so Harris can restore balance to the courts. Dark Brandon, indeed. Con te partirò, Mr. Trump. He plays this song at rallies but probably doesn’t know what it means, “Time to say goodbye.” Next on his play list is YMCA; The Village People represented LGBTQ+, yet MAGA refuses to recognize them, vilifies them, and wants to purge them from society.

Fools who fall for false equivalencies, for example, “Don’t forgive student loans unless you first honor veterans,” can’t seem to understand that government handles thousands of diverse transactions every second. A trained army of agency employees make sure you hardly notice their steady service to which most feel entitled. They address and fund needs as constitution and laws provide. It’s never some Malthusian choice between national defense and social security, 2 separate buckets. But their competence is Trump’s first target, vowing to replace them all. AI servant Yuval Harari opined, “Ignorance by itself is not too dangerous. If you combine it with power, this is a toxic mix.” Facts are MAGA's kryptonite.

Silver lining? Trump exposed scale of greed, misogyny, racism, white supremacy, and xenophobia that still exists, and vicious 15% of population, criminals and mental defectives who belong in prison or on medication. As a textbook case, Trump also demonstrated how to identify antisocial personality and malignant narcissism to a degree seldom seen in leadership roles. Suppose greed appeals to someone who burnt through billions, knows desperation to regain status, though his embarrassment can't be compared to plight of 99% of Americans he made poorer. Millions of deaths later, Trump reveals how stupid policies can be a deadly threat to a vulnerable population. Points out the need to actually prosecute and duly process felons before they can do more harm to society.

Men I Trust, Lauren, single, self, 2016: “Rather chase a gentle breeze, set my thoughts by taller trees, ‘cause I can’t stay forever by my window. I need whispers that make me move, riding the country... Sync me within the outside world.”