Country: USA

Here's another Bill Frisell Trio concert that's definitely worth the listen, making every second spent on a re-listen priceless moments.

SInce hearing it for the first time yesterday—an event I can best describe if using the word "orgasm"—life is mostly priceless...

With two more years playing with bassist Thomas Morgan and drummer Rudy Royston since the 2021 Jazzaldia Frisell concert I had shared, and with a Fender rather than the Gibson, Frisell is delivering from a place of absolute comfort in this showing. And the world is better for it.

The energy bristles and snaps, peaks to its loudest through soft sentences and filled silences; it's infectious, coursing through listeners who are complicit, drawn into the exchange, hearing, reacting, electrified vigour having laken over when the distortion mounts and the reverb amps up... and where's the madman with 5 arms and 7 drum sticks? That dude looks way too chill...

The sound sculpting by Frisell on this one establishes why so many try so hard to emulate him, only managing to achieve it in an ephemeral manner that offers but a surface glimpse of the artist.

At the start of a concert I was at, John Scofield—a guitar great in his own right—had mentioned Frisell and the show he gave within the same festival, then went on to praise Frisell, saying, though I'm paraphrasing: "I also play with tone, and I can do loops, and I know how to use the same effects as Frisell, so, I figured I'd be able to do his stuff no problem, maybe even better... but, it turns out, Frisell does all three at the same time, and he adds emotion and passion on top... that, I can't do."

Rudy Royston... jeez, man! Like, holy crap! Some of the time changes he manages, inserting odd-beat oddities that fit right in, filling more space than one realised was there as he's continually accentuating, never simply setting time.

He's just at the edge of overstated and over-the-top at times but he never crosses that line, never going into "look at me," Steve Vai-styled gimmickry that easily wows publics but offers as much substance as a Big Mac.

Thomas Morgan, however, you kinda forget he's there at all, frankly, which, practically, makes his performance a "perfect" one if seen with the symbolic significance of a baseball pitcher throwing a perfect game.        

This version of "What The World Needs Now Is Love" is far superior than the Jazzaldia one, but, for one of the best, have a listen to the one in this 2017 Montreux Festival live show he did with his previous Tony Sherr, Kenny Wollesen trio.         

"You Only Live Twice" appears to now fill a spot in Frisell's changing repertoire of standards. While the Jazzaldia version had "wowed" me, this one solidified my "awe"; the three just make it groove, but do so by focusing on the melodic brilliance of the chart, not on its groovability potential.

On the other hand, 'Shenandoah" is one he seemed to have let go of for a bit, bringing it back for this live concert. 

Frisell recorded a version of the Americana trad-tune "Shenandoah" with Ry Cooder for his 1999 Good Dog, Happy Man album, and, although hearing two guitar masters with a love of Americana come together to cover it should provide the go-to reference for those wanting to hear Frisell's interpretation of this classic, it's the one I'm least likely to think of and to go to, the takes that managed to truly move me all coming out of his live trio performances. This version also now sits before his 'official' 1999, Cooder-collaborated cut.  

Bob Dylan's "A Hard Rain's a-Gonna Fall" is another that delivered an intimate, powerfully profound and moving Frisell reimagining that's no longer making a regular showing in his setlist. Eager to see this trio tackle it.

I'm actually glad he keeps altering as he also keeps on writing new charts, too, which is why he hasn't had anything I'd qualify as a stale period, nor the typical breakout-turned-stale career; always Friselling, he is! 

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Setlist

Elements clicked and all became clear, and I suddenly found myself with a version of events that fits the narrative I've so far been able to substantiate while, finally, being able to account for the perplexing facets discussed below that, otherwise, may forever remain dark mysteries.

The one you're all thinking of right now involves women with penises and men in silk summer dresses, wearing Louboutin shoes. Wear what you want—just not in public—but we should all draw the line at adding and cutting and mismatching gender organs or suggesting that there's anything other than two, nevermind that whole "having sex for fun" thing, which leads to the Woke wing of hell no matter what, getting you there faster if any of that was with your own hand or not all with the same person. 

The Most Likely Explanation for Vigeland's Disgust of Hunter's Dick Pics

I think I've solved it, having finally made sense of all those Hunter Biden dick pics, the same ones that had managed to so thoroughly capture the imagination and attention of The Majority Report's Emma Vigeland, having reinvigorated within her that deep, penetrating passion for online Pole-eTickling that had once occupied most of her free time, that is, until she had found herself working for some Sam Seder, having hired her on the spot as, certain that she had said "politicking", he'd rarely seen anyone get that excited and blush so brightly at the mere mention of "politics".

The false impressions created by that misunderstanding would eventually take the pair down a path that's to lead to an awkwardly embarrassing moment when, on her second day, Seder had pointed to a framed picture of then still-unknown online-personalities Tim Pool and Mike Walsh, the two sitting on a picnic blanket and eating pink cake, their cheeks and chins covered with white frosting.

"Those two," said Seder. "I look forward to watching you letting them have it, and hard."

Vigeland squealed, thrilled to be given such a task despite her limited experience, hardcore on-air sex with a beanied person being among the many things she had always believed to lie just outside her reach... until now; she was sure to be moving up in the world, that is, so long as she went down on Pool and Walsh, Ben Shapiro, too, surely, but doing Steven Crowder, Vigeland had heard, is what's sure to fill Seder with the most joy.

"Thank you. You can count on me," Vigeland said softly before roaring out, ""I'll make sure I screw them real hard!"

The Most Likely Explanation for Why Candace Owens Accused Brigitte Macron of Being her Own Brother

Operation "Oh, God, I'm Coming" converts men into women in order to convert them into men with prosthetic penises that house a 10" nuclear missile.

It's the nuclear version of "Shock and Awe". Undercover dicks are able to infiltrate enemy lines, shooting off their payload in a manner that provides absolutely no reaction time, making it near-impossible for enemies to retaliate.

Joe Biden sacrificed his sons for that program, Hunter willingly becoming a woman before he could become Hunter again. Brigitte Macron is really Hunter Biden without her prosthetic penis.

The Most Likely Explanation for Why They're Not Normal Dick Pics

To most untrained eyes, dick pics of Hunter Biden look like Hunter Biden dick pics, and nothing butt! But those are field-testing records, and those prostitutes are actually soldiers in the Marines Engineering Corps division, and those hotel rooms are blast proof chambers, and though they may look like they're having fun and fucking the brains out of one another, these brave people are doing God's work, risking their lives riding those dicks up and down in all sorts of holes and stress environments, making sure the design can stand a good beating without going off until ready to be fired.

Blessed be the Hunters and Bidens.

This proves it, yet again, the Republicans are Russian shills and Putin may be arming Trumps with a penis.

What?! It still makes more sense than a lot of the stuff I'm hearing.

Earlier today, Jeremy Boreing, co-CEO of The Daily Wire rightwing media network he co-founded with Ben Shapiro, offered the following X-tweet:

“Daily Wire and Candace Owens have ended their relationship.”

No official statement elucidating a clear cause for this sudden change has yet been provided by either party, but neither should this come as a surprise to many given the explosive 'talks' that had spilled out of the Daily Wire (DW) offices and onto the public sphere, these having to do with just one subject: Gaza.

Her anti-war stance on Ukraine, combined with her willingness to lay much of the blame on the West for any military action seen there, had already created a tense friction between Owens and the rest of the DW personalities, as well as many of the staffers, no doubt. However, things had taken a nasty turn for Owens immediately after the 7-Oct-2023 events, at which point her anti-Zionist rhetoric turned merciless and pointed, proving too much to bear for facts-over-feelings Shapiro, warrior of Free Speech?

The last isn't confirmed, but it is the supposition that all who are familiar with the situation are working off of.

Further, this decision appears to have come right after a statement made by the Anti-Defamation League (ADL), in which they accused Owens of associating with Nick Fuentes, a well-known white supremacist and Holocaust denier, after he'd praised one of her comments on X.

The ADL, one has to admit, acts at times as if possessed by a perverse desire to call out anti-Semitism in anything and anyone, occasionally focusing on other hate groups and personalities, if politically motivated to do so, of course, perhaps with a donation, maybe with a Washington-flavoured favour. It's not a bad organisation per se, but it does delve in politics far more than such an organisation ever should. 

She took a lot of heat, and she handled it pretty gracefully for the most part—even in her comments to the Rabbi Shmuley loon about his hag daughter—and also did so with much more patience and respect than I could ever muster if finding myself dealing with the likes of a Rabbi Barclay and his insufferable, patronizing, and one-sided, antiquated rules book dictating proper Semitic terms and grammar for the world.

Personally, I hope that Owens draws the appropriate lessons out of these events, for though she was the victim in this particular situation, actions and statements she's made to push her politics have also imposed that sentiment on many an innocent person; I simply want her to remember this experience, recalling it when she finds herself indulging in certain types of commentary in order to assess her own behaviour in relation to what she underwent and felt as a result, curbing her attack and opting for a different course when relevant and appropriate.

Candace Owens isn't someone I like or have much respect for, but—though I've never admitted as much before—she's got tremendous talent, but, sadly, she places her efforts on superficialities expressed through attitudes and positions meant to stir some controversy through a rebellious spirit that's more theatrics than honest politics, her approach having been so far mostly designed around achieving a quick notoriety and financial gains.

As her recent appearance on Steven Bonnell's stream exemplified when they discussed schooling and student loans, she's still willing to offer empty lines and to jazz up any anecdote in order to push the political wants that are earning her a big paycheck, but it has been real nice to see how war managed to draw out a level of care on a topic that was deeply genuine, and for which no one can accuse her of doing any of the things that one can usually count on being able to accuse her of.

Will Daily Wire take a hard hit for what may be a clear case of "say, don't do; judge others but justify if us" as concerns free speech, Shapiro not willing to tolerate certain views on topics he's passionately devoted to, no matter what the truth may be?

There are also rumours that Owens wanted to leave ever since the heat was turned on her given her views on the Israel-Palestine situation; such an outcome being desirable to all, was an arrangement worked out, as I can't imagine there'd be any payout offered for breaching her contract if she quit?

There are also rumours that Tucker Carlson is aiming to take down DW and Shapiro, Owens potentially joining Carlson, seeing an opportunity, but keep in mind that this came out of Dave Rubin, which he offered on Patrick Bet-David's Valuetainment, P B-D rightfully challenging Rubin's take on the matter, in my opinion. 

There's been a major development, maybe, since I last mentioned the "Musk vs. Altman & Brockman et al." lawsuit, senior members of OpenAI firing back the next day with a blogpost aiming to deflate any perception of Elon Musk as a defender of humanity, the cohort convinced they held an indisputable trump card through a "yep" they revealed to the world after disclosing an email exchange.

Along with that came statements and exchanges that are offered to establish that Musk is merely sore and petty, and acting the bully, being upset that OpenAI gained such tremendous value, for which he's not getting a piece. Comments made by Musk belie his true intent, it being gaining control and limiting OpenAI's achievements to Tesla.

Vinod Khosla, who invested $50 million in OpenAI in 2019, accused Musk of "sour grapes" in an X-tweet, also saying: “Like they say if you can’t innovate, litigate and that’s what we have here. Elon of old would be building with us to hit the same goal.” 

There's lots that's been offered to affirm that the suit needs to be dismissed, these assurances coming from the OpenAI post authors and various sectors and groups, mostly from the internet, Musk-hate also being the only thought-out motivation for some of these segments. Otherwise, perhaps sign that, outside of Muskers, the general public isn't too sure what any of it really entails, but... Skynet. In robots or Teslas, it's all bad. Plus, isn't Musk that Neurolink guy?

I don't agree with calls for a dismissal and, though I'm no lawyer, I find those who promote this outcome highly irresponsible, especially if in media and with a large outlet.

In my opinion, no matter how much of an egoist and greedy a-hole Musk may be, and no matter to what degree these qualities may have motivated the lawsuit, he still has a very good case that absolutely deserves to be heard. This is a major precedent, and there won't be another like it; the name "singularity" signifies that.

And, despite myself and views of Musk, I don't believe that his interests and actions were, nor are now, entirely motivated by whatever negative interpretation one may assign to his side of things; he seems to have been fairly consistent on his views regarding AGI, and the risks this presents. 

But nor do I believe that "humanity" and "altruism" are all that lie behind Musk's motivation.

•       •       • 

It's still unclear whether AGI has officially been attained. Legal complexities over who gets to call whether it has been achieved. 

Lets not forget that strange Sam Altman firing that was readily annulled a few days later; no one knows what that was all about still, other than those involved, but there's plenty speculation over the fact that the Q* architecture established transformers as the key, and that AGI is merely limited by the time constraints relating to training, the system now able to generate the synthetic data it requires to train itself...

And, it seems that there's been a breakthrough, token prediction now being replaced by "planning".

A pause and a deep breath while the world considers the implications, that'd be good, I think.

Hopefully, the lawsuit will be used to lay bare much. 

•       •       •

According to WSJ, the UK, the EU, then the US "push[ed] for [the] legal scrutiny of OpenAI," and now, Musk is simply joining in?

What?!

Surely, all is in the reading of "legal scrutiny"; although Musk's qualifies as such, it's of a different shade entirely, is that it? Otherwise, given the links that exist between OpenAI, Microsoft, and key elements of the US establishment, it's hard to believe such scrutiny hasn't been done to their purpose, thus hard to see the logic in what's implied if one considers what's been accomplished on the regulatory front: zilch. Only India made a real effort to get the 'concrete' ball rolling up that hill whose slope is sure to become steeper the longer all wait to set firm global laws—or rules, if one prefers—and restrictions concerning AI developments and applicable spheres. 

Had our species become truly wise in any manner befitting the glorious gift of intelligence we've been granted but love to squander, we'd keep anything near attaining anything resembling AGI far away from the military, rendering such a connection a crime against humanity.

The closing paragraph of a Quartz piece tells us:

Meanwhile, OpenAI’s partnership with Microsoft has been under scrutiny from regulators over its potential threat to market competition in the UK and EU. The AI company is also reportedly being examined by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) about whether its investors were misled after Altman was fired by the company’s former board of directors in November.

•       •       • 

Tying research efforts under one roof to formalise an open, non-profit, for-the-good-of-humankind approach, Musk officially cofounded OpenAI with Altman in 2015; I wasn't aware until recently: Musk came up with the OpenAI name.

He left in 2018 "over a conflict of interest with the company’s development. The lawsuit claims a breach of contract, breach of fiduciary duty, and unfair business practices." 

Musk launched xAI in July of 2023. The company was said to be "independent from X Corp, but will work with Musk’s other companies: X, formerly Twitter, and Tesla."

Keep in mind that any AI developed within the context of Tesla automatically sets a different approach than the one OpenAI is exploring, Tesla demanding a "real-world" case that can be sandboxed, making AGI something not worth any worry... though all those cars communicating... hmmm.

"Musk filed a lawsuit against OpenAI and its CEO Sam Altman late Thursday (Feb. 29), alleging the ChatGPT-maker’s partnership with Microsoft betrays its founding commitment to benefiting humanity over generating profit."

Here's the lawsuit 

Here are some very important passages contained within it (image below).

I agree that the code should not be "open source" beyond a certain point, but I wholeheartedly believe that OpenAI should offer complete transparency as concerns milestones and implications, and that profit should never be allowed to dominate over this sphere, certainly not during this phase, at least.

Just with what's below, Microsoft's maneuvering and decision to go private rather than encourage a global consortium of sorts to partake in this contradicts any claims made by the relevant corporate heads in regard to their desire to see a "global regulatory body" or "global government" ruling over such matters. 

Here's one of my all-time favourite songs, which is also the name of Murray Head's 1975 album, Say It Ain't So, Joe.

That, combined with the sentiment it captures and expresses and our current times, never mind the "Joe" part, is why I share it. I was gonna say something about it similar to what's below, but the song's artist beat me to it, I guess?

The Wikipedia entry for the song offers:

According to Head, he wrote the song about fallen heroes. He wrote the following comment in the liner notes when he re-released the song in 1995 on the album When You're in Love:

"Say It Ain't So, Joe" was provoked by a seventies documentary on Richard Nixon prior to his resignation. The presenter was asking the editor of a small town newspaper outside Washington, how, in the face of conclusive evidence and proof, his readers could still show such undying support for the president they elected. The editor likens the situation to a scandal in the twenties, when Joe Jackson, the famous baseball player, was rumoured to have taken a bribe to sink his team in the final of the World series. His fans hung around the stadium chanting "Say it ain't so Joe".

The song is about heroes and their "Clay feet". It is also a plea from myself to the kind of 'Joe Public' who in fear of losing face, refuse to relinquish their faith in a fallen idol.

The song is on an album which has sold over a million copies and was produced by Paul Samwell-Smith, who recently decided to re-record the song. Shortly afterwards I was watching another documentary on the O.J. Simpson case and they showed a note pinned to his gate on which was written "Say it ain't so Joe". Two days later a friend, just returned from L.A., rang me to tell me they'd seen placards with that same old phrase. The occasion seemed apt for a re-release.

- Murray Head, 1994

I suggest giving "When I'm Yours" a listen as well, which is another superb tune on that album.

On a more positive note, here's "Everything's Alright" featuring Yvonne Elliman, Murray Head, and Ian Gillan, lead singer of the significant hard-rock vehicle, Deep Purple ("Child in Time"... wow).

It's from Jesus Christ Superstar, the only Andrew Lloyd Webber/Tim Rice rock-opera I can fully stomach, perhaps because it was initially conceived as a concept album rather than a Broadway fanfare. Some really great tracks off of the 1970 album, which is the only version I can listen to.

Guitarist Bill Frisell in concert with bassist Thomas Morgan and drummer Rudy Royston.

I'm a huge fan of Frisell's music and ingenuity, his careful phrasings, and improvisational skills; his live looping techniques and solo works are entirely responsible for my guitar hobby. He's also opened up a tonal dynamic previously not expanded on through plectrum instruments, and creates rich tapestries and atmospheres that make it equally valid to describe him as a sonic sculptor, but all's done gimmick free. Pure self expression, heartfelt and honest.

Times have changed, and digital led to an oversaturation, but those in the know will be hard pressed to disagree: Frisell is our time's Miles Davis, his contribution to the world of music is immense, having inspired countless musicians (Eddy Vedder of Pearl Jam names him as his greatest influence, for one) and a slew of emulators. But there's only one Frisell.

He's also the musician that's most in demand; you've probably heard him play on one album or another without being aware.  

I never tire of hearing him play. I've been following his career for 30 years now, had the pleasure of seeing him live nine times, and with 118 albums with him as leader (studio and live recordings) or on which he's featured, he's actually in second place for the artist I've the most albums of (John Zorn comes first, Fred Frith third; there's a fair bit of overlap between the three, though, Zorn's wildly avant-garde, quick-change Naked City, along with Wayne Horvitz and Joey Baron being my entry point to these musicians).        

He has a knack for surrounding himself with superbly expressive musicians that just "get" his music, whether his own compositions, of which there are many, or the various covers he's made a part of his 'standards', this being true across the various ensemble sizes he leads.

I was deeply disappointed when he moved away from his original trio with Kermit Driscoll and Joey Baron (what became of Driscoll is sad; wonder if he's still in jail), but Tony Scherr and Kenny Wolleson brought a different dimension that saw me being disappointed to see a gradual transition toward Morgan and Royston. But they, too, bring a different dimension. Royston—his snare work is something else—brings Baron's angular accents to Wollesen's lyricism.

And no matter how many versions of the same tune I've heard Frisell and band play, each one offers a unique experience. That's because Frisell, along with those he includes in his projects, all seem to excel in one area, this being what makes all the difference: listening. He doesn't force musicians to play his music, his way; the charts played merely serve as common ground for the musical exchange and conversation taking place, personalities and moods, the musicians' and crowd's, all factoring in.

Listened to this concert four times already; probably will listen to it again. Felt like sharing it.

The second half is sure to be more interesting if not a jazz fan, in which case I'd recommend starting at around 48 mins, and to then expand your listening range, moving away from that electronic-drenched, pop garbage.

His take of Burt Bacharach's "What the World Needs Now is Love" (near end) is simply gorgeous. And the "You Only Live Twice" Bond theme encore managed to surprise me.

Hope you enjoy.

News of Gonzalo Lira has finally been received after he'd disappeared roughly three months ago, following his arrest by Ukraine's SBU.

Lira posted three brief videos and Tweeted a cryptic status update that alluded to an escape out of Ukraine, seeking political asylum in Hungary; he was roughly five kilometres from the Hungarian border when he'd filmed his first video, doing so to offer a record of events should things not quite play out the way Lira was betting on, for he'd now be an escapee rather than a refugee, but he was working under the assumption that his "escape" was the unstated conclusion that Kyiv was, in fact, hoping for.

Surprisingly, probably due to some pressure having been applied by citizens, the US State Dept did involve itself in Lira's case, but, from what we can deduce, only doing so by 'going through the motions', doing the bare minimum paper shuffling to avoid reproach while claiming they were doing their best. Still, this is more than many had anticipated.  However, this could have been resolved with a call to Kyiv, not Moscow, so, please, one phone call is absolutely all that this case should have needed to have Lira freed, Ukraine booting him out the country permanently, putting him on a plane back home.  

On the other hand, having dual US-Chile citizenships, the Chilean ministry is said to have "tried to move heaven and earth" to get Lira released.

Lira claims having undergone torture and asserts having been blackmailed into making certain admissions; the Kyiv regime has charged him with a list of crimes that equate publicly opining on known aspects of the Russo-Ukraine war as being particularly treasonous and anti-Ukrainian given that his views weren't—you guessed it—favourable to Kyiv.

In an odd turn that saw Lira test his chance as he hoped he'd understood the unstated, he hopped on his motorcycle and headed for the border...

Nope. The 'escape' part didn't include breaking out of jail. Lira was released on bail, but the Ukrainians sorta goofed on the monitoring bracelet and, oops, sorta gave him his passports back... but he better be there at his trial in a few days so he can face the big trouble he's in.

Either this is Kyiv's way of "getting rid" of him due to some pressure—he's not worth the trouble—though without actually releasing him, or they're setting him up, counting on Lira wanting to leave the country ASAP. Hence why he's hoping to receive political asylum from Hungary, rather than another European country, as Kyiv is bound to make trouble for him so long as there's an "escapee" status hanging over his head.

I wonder what's happening with his wife and kids?

Rumour is that Victoria Nuland may have helped direct the SBU's attention toward Lira, perhaps motivating an arrest, if not having hindered his speedy release; this is pure speculation, this conclusion, advanced by some, is based on a comment made by Lira.

Conservative activist Charlie Kirks' rightwing-uniting, political-fireworks machine, Turning Point USA, held another one of its bi-annual rallies this past weekend.

Republicans are far more adept at solidifying a slogan and uniting a base than the Dems, and TPUSA  now plays an important role toward that end, both with on-campus activism and the flashy, US-flag-imbued and Reagan-styled-patriotism-dripping affairs, where passionately anti-Dem speeches by known rightwing stars—from pundits to politicians to the time's cause-serving flavour-of-the-month—take the cadence of a sermon inspired by a Mussolinian interpretation of a Jerry Lewis comedy roast, such efforts aimed at attracting younger viewers whilst warning them of a 'lefty world' and impressing upon them the wondrous and free times that once were and can be, again, but the Dems have to be destroyed before they destroy America.

This iteration was branded "Turning Point Action", and the few speeches I did hear did vibrate with a message meant to inspire action, but one that intensified a fear-induced hatred that sapped out a metaphorical reading of "destroy" to mean "a humiliating defeat," all such figures of speech taking on a more ominous feel albeit one that can be easily denied despite the general hatred steeped in ignorance that's exploited to generate fear through the Culture War they're determined to see as an event that pits True America against Marxist-infiltrated America killers, rather than the gross, asinine exaggeration of an opportunistic GOP versus the vicious 'Woke' overswing made worse by opportunistic Dems.

Every decade for the past 100+ years has been marked by moral debates that see "good and wholesome" struggling to beat back "evil progressive decadence," these battles  always related to changes brought on by increased knowledge about the world and the life-altering technology that this allowed to be introduced into common, daily life. With that comes the mingling and influence of varied cultures, and the reshaping of social mores—marketing and corporations being the biggest culprits as concerns the latter. Thus the dominant culture and the national identity it gives shape to is sure to be challenged by the perceptions and desires of the younger generations who will find themselves in conflict with the imposed ways whose course leads them toward an unnecessarily bleak future, today's problems compounded to an impossible resolve. This usually skips one generation every fourth one.

The Dems exploit this aspect as part of their image, but, having become obsessed with wars, this is reflected domestically, having instigated a deeper divide and delivered a half-ass handling of social issues contributed plenty that provided the firm skeleton on which Republicans, MAGA ones particularly, fleshed out their new Culture War chapter.

Albeit I do agree that there are areas of concern that deserve greater scrutiny, many related topics are sure to strike a public debate, period; fighting that process is ridiculous, but what's opted for. Conversely, on the GOP side, framing these issues in a productive, non-politicized manner is what's needed, but not what's applied; the weaponization witnessed, based on anecdotes and outliers, quickly turn reprehensible their attitude should one remember that fellow Americans fighting for their right to 'be' is what's at the other end of the comic-book Cultural Commie Cult villain they've created in order to win elections.

Dan Bongino is one whose troubling tribal diatribe rested on a truly laughable interpretation of a foe that conflates a fictionalized understanding of "leftism" with outdated and ignorant stereotypes, mishmashing Progressives and communism and trans issues into reductive notions of Stalinism absorbed through Cold War propaganda, repeating the same incredibly stupid arguments that may work with the base he cultivates, but has me questioning what kind of mental deficiency produces such mindsets.

Yes, Dan, those who vote Dem want you to give your iPhone to Bob, who's too lazy to work and buy his own. It has nothing to do with shifting power toward workers and putting a halt to the beyond-incredibly abusive and unfair distribution that's blindly celebrated but achieved through highly-exploitative and destructive means of corporatized control, for whom social welfare is always an unquestioned guarantee... how to explain the last? I mean, without turning into a babbling Libertarian idiot sure to say "small" and "big" followed by "government" too many times without actually saying a damn thing.

You wanna call 'em grifters—and I'm sure that many are—but, no matter how absurd and off the wall some of the claims may be, the conviction appears to be genuine. However, public people adhering steadfast to a surface form and seeking only to validate that interpretation whilst promoting false, negative views that generate hate, "grifter" may not be the right word, but there's definitely lots of honesty lacking there.

By the way, Republicans are mostly responsible for the sorry state of schools, not CRT.

Bongino was let go from Fox News this spring, claiming an inability to successfully negotiate a new contract as the cause, stating that he held no ill-will against his former employer. In combination with Tucker Carlson's forced departure, I'm beginning to wonder whether his termination was related to a clean-up of sorts.

The last speaker I heard, Steve Bannon, is what tied together all the impressions from the bits I'd seen, Bannon's rage, his speech laden with white nationalist lingo, the clarion call that formalised actual war out of the cultural one. 

Carrying both threat and defiance, Bannon proclaimed Trump the unquestioned Republican nominee; the crowd roared. 

The moment crystalized the change that had occurred, the GOP no longer in charge of their party, the establishment Republicans bullied into stepping aside and remaining quiet, this split made visible through more freely expressed attacks aimed toward other conservatives. Those not fully dedicated to their MAGA leader.

DeSantis, having taken aim at Trump, has fallen out of favour. When asked to vote for a second-place choice, those present voted on the one that Charlie Kirk calls "Big Brown Swamee", Republican Presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy.

Nothing racist, "Big Brown" is all in good humour... That's my fear with Ramaswamy: he seems to be trying to be more conservative than traditional white conservatives in order to make up for that "Big Brown" aspect... that's used to identify him, hence, his success within that sphere relies on more hardline politics than those of traditional white conservatives, the racist moniker thus applied, and allowed, as jovial derision denoting a conditional form of acceptance.

Of interest, in link with the previous entry: All those present 95.8% replied with "No" to the question: Do you think that US should be involved in the Ukraine war?

By now, all should know better than to expect from the Progressives the kind of behaviour that matches all that they'd campaigned on, one that fits the label that they gladly decided to wear in order to gain popularity among younger voters, which is why every single anti-war effort voiced in recent times came from Republicans, Marjory Taylor Greene compensating for some passive Squad? 

Following Biden's decision to send cluster bombs, having none of the unbanned stuff left that could be sent, Rep. MTG had introduced a proposition to stop the US sending the controversial ammunition to Ukraine.

Cluster bombs detonate while in the air, scattering several smaller bombs. Problem with these are the wide areas that can be impacted by one bomb, the spread potentially killing or injuring indiscriminately while also delivering a high ratio of duds, which sit on the ground, unexploded, remaining lethal should they be disturbed. Like forgotten landmines, kids playing and stumbling on units slightly dug in or hidden in long grass...

Many countries have signed a treaty banning the use of cluster bombs, whose use isn't illegal, according to international law, though usage of such weapons nearly always produces conditions which are in themselves considered a war crime.

The result of the vote on whether the US should send cluster bombs was:

That briefing Janet Yellen gave on her return from Beijing... whoa! She sure knows how to deliver a chilling moment; my mind keeps bringing me back to it.

I'm willing to bet that it can be used to gauge the worth and honesty of one's geopolitical views simply by separating those who know precisely which comment I'm talking about from those who don't. However, here's the answer: The instance I'm referring to is the comment she made regarding the US dollar's role as global reserve currency, flatly asserting that the dollar was gonna continue to dominate and be universally accepted as the sole primary standard for many, many more years to come.

Everything about that moment creeped the hell out of me. The lack of emotion on the matter and in her delivery... yet, it was a comment dripping with menace and arrogance, and the cold detachment was a feature, passively suggesting a violent resolve if needed, for she was delivering an unquestionable fact that were to become fact by any means.

Psychos. Power-lusting ones already dangerously drunk on limited power. And high on all types of drugs, too, it seems?

Yeah... OK. Let's just sit back and watch things get better, why don't we. I mean, how can it not?

The ability to hit stupidity levels that continually manage to surprise all isn't an easy feat, but it's just one of many rare skills that distinguish Western politicians from the rest, having perfected the talent to a degree that eclipses any and all competition.

The BRICS alliance; everything about it is sure to upset Washington, but they're the very reason that gave cause to the reasoning that gave it life. The White House has weaponised the very essence of what sets the basis for a relationship with the US, which it 'sells' as being both superior and secure. Yet, market crashes are now a part of tightening patterns with shortening relapse cycles whose cause can be identified as bankers and investment 'gurus' who are allowed to take all sorts of gambles that affect the world's economy while shifting massive wealth back to them, all without giving a thought to countless whose savings they scrapped, and that's when all's good and your country didn't piss off the US, doing so potentially linked to being too good a competitor.

The US, along with the EU and the whole Coco-Puffs Coalition, how many billions did they steal from other countries in the past few years alone? Absolutely, I call it "theft", for if it weren't for the same Loony-Tunes Team in the first place, there'd be no manufactured reason leading to what's presented as justification for freezing, for keeps, other nation's money.

It's long been clear to me that booting Russia from SWIFT was going to trigger a chain reaction leading to a dedollarization, and it's long upset me that the Crazy Crooners Crew either hadn't foreseen any of that or didn't care, and it's made me real nervous ever since the process was started then accelerated at speeds best captured on a Machmeter just how nonchalant and unbothered the Insanely Idiotic Ideologues were.

Then, Yellen's comment. Chill.

And now, amid growing tensions and a Graham cracker that wants to invade the country, Mexico is seeking new global partners and it's considering the possibility of joining the group of 5 7 11 27 128 BRICS nations (not actual member count), the Annoyingly Avid A-holes' betrayed a twitch in their eye as a wince briefly floated past the proper power-veneer. Finally, a clear sign that the Massive Missile Monsters were deeply affected, and a message, too, unofficially, rising from the bottommost depths of some lobbyist's heaven: Mexico must consider this choice carefully, for it presents "a move that could significantly shift the country's foreign policy and its economic relation."

And, so, what to make of the recent idiocy used to inject fear and amp the anti-Russian and anti-Chinese sentiments?

Here it is: BRICS is all a ploy to form an alliance with South American countries, and China and Russia are combining forces to surround the US, planning to move all kinds of military hardware as close to the US as they can! Be fearful, they warned, these being well-known media and military figures with a conservative leaning. Naming them is irrelevant and something I want to avoid. as I'm certain the narrative will eventually bounce your way and I don't want to send traffic in certain directions nor help establish as an initial source that may affect interpretation what appears to be little more than fear-inducing propaganda.

Oh, while on the subject: If NATO was no justification, why should anyone fear this???

By the way, did I ever mention that kooks are what's running things?