Thursday, February 12, 2026

Basket Of Deplorables 🧺

I’m guessing that sounded better in his head. Snatching the prize from Sen. Scott’s hands. So…Minneapolis is run by drug cartel? Of…Somalis? When Rand Paul is the guy on the white horse…
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Greatest Economy In The History Of The World

Biden used up all the jobs and didn’t leave Trump any.
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“A Learning Lesson Where No One Got Hurt”

“According to a U.S. official, the directed energy/laser counter drone technology was in CBP's control when the balloon was mistakenly shot down near El Paso, Texas earlier this week,” per Fox’s @Liz_Friden

“In January, Defense Secretary Hegseth signed an agreement for the Pentagon to loan the directed energy counter drone platform to DHS, the U.S. official tells Fox News. The official said the agreement was signed sometime in the last 30 days.

Following the shoot down is when FAA closed the airspace, the official said.”

EDIT: A U.S. official could not go into specifics about what exactly the technology used by the U.S. military is, but said directed energy/lasers is accurate to use.
So, why did DOD let the clowns at DHS have their “pew-pew” toy? Because Kegsbreath thought it would be kewl. Bozos all the way down.
U.S. military source just told me the same: this was DHS: “Every General and Admiral at NORTHCOM is pissed that DHS did an operation and told no one because homeland defense is what NORTHCOM does. Even the base commander at Ft. Bliss called the Pentagon and NORTHCOM furious about the airspace thing because he had nothing to do with it -- and the Pentagon and NORTHCOM also didn’t know anything about the airspace closure. It’s like DHS is trying to hide the fact that their spec ops group is there with the laser gun.”
And DOD now wants to obscure the fact they gave it to DHS. DHS has said the weapon was always under DOD control. 🤔
Confirming earlier reporting: Airspace was closed by the FAA near El Paso late Tuesday after CBP personnel launched a counter-drone laser weapon without full inter-agency integration, officials say. That weapon had recently been transferred temporarily by the Pentagon to DHS.

Airspace was re-opened this morning. Despite numerous news agencies confirming this today, the Trump administration is saying virtually nothing. Officials believe the weapon was used on something innocuous, probably a mylar balloon.

The Pentagon is not answering questions about the transfer of the weapon.

DHS referred questions to the Pentagon.

There's some frustration among military officials that they're taking a hit for this in the public square, even though they did not use the weapon. That said, this is also seen as a learning lesson where no one got hurt.
Okay then… 🤦‍♂️
BREAKING: El Paso Airport had an unexpected TFR issued for the next 10 days.

We are now at DEFCON Reddit.

All At-Home Detective Units are hereby activated.

Sleeper Cells – Couch Intelligence Agency (CIA) are to report immediately to Telegram and X and initiate Engagement Protocols:

• Scroll
• Screenshot
• Speculate

Neighborhood Watch – Basement Division has reached Full Operational Capability. Conduct pre-mission checks:

• Battery levels
• Ring doorbell footage from 2019
• Flashlight readiness

The At-Home Analysis Task Force (AATF) is mobilized and accepting walk-on volunteers should the situation escalate beyond “kinda weird.” No credentials required. Social media feeds will provide all mission intelligence.

The Armchair Counter-Intel Community (ACIC) and Stay-At-Home Surveillance Division (SHSD) are now on active status. Verify:

• Caffeine reserves
• Wi-Fi strength
• Ping times to Alex Jones’s server

The Overanalysis Reserve Corps (ORC) has been recalled from inactive duty along with all Recon elements of the Sofa Sector. Watch officers should be scanning timelines and identifying unrelated patterns. Disseminate theories before verification can interfere.

Coordination should be underway with Coincidence Denial Task Force (CDTF) and the Narrative Construction Corps. Interpret coincidence as coordination and engage all comment sections with maximum urgency. SPECIAL INSTRUCTIONS: Upgrade curiosity to conviction immediately.

The Conspiracy Rapid Response Cells (CRRC) are in full deployment, online and monitoring. Ignore disconfirming inputs as hostile misinformation and sustain adrenaline levels through speculation cycles.

Mission Objective:
Keep throwing mud at the wall and over-analyzing until you feel hyper-alert, important and personally involved.

These are the moments you live for. 🦄
At least something good came out of it.
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Clusterfucking The Clusterfuck

 So CBP shot down a party balloon? 🎈 

"You've been reporting on this all day," said anchor Willie Geist. "Yesterday we woke up. We're discussing on the show yesterday there was some concern about is there about to be a military operation? Are we going to strike drug cartels, the United States military? Very confusing. Contradicting claims by different departments of the government, and the FAA saying we had to do this because we didn't know what the heck was going on. What did you find after sifting through all this?"

"Well, I kind of found what you just found, as I'm having to reconcile contradictory accounts," said Caputo. "The best I can tell is this, is they have the super duper weapon, and they deny it's a laser. It's some sort of direct energy weapon. So when I asked, were drones shot down? They said no, drones were downed, whatever that meant as far as a distinction, and that they had gone out in this exercise, actually looking for drones that make incursions with some regularity. They wouldn't tell me the frequency."

"And here's the rub," said Caputo. "The Customs and Border Patrol had borrowed the super duper secret weapon from the Department of Defense or Department of War, whichever you want to call it. And at a certain point, the FAA is like, hey, what are you guys doing? Not only can this thing shoot down drones or down drones, it can possibly take down airplanes. And allegedly, I was told by one source, the Department of War, the DOD general wasn't very clear on exactly what was happening. And FAA, unable to get any answers, then made the decision to shut it down for ten whole days and didn't coordinate that with anyone."

"Now, why they had to shut it down for ten days, no one can explain why the Department of Defense general, whoever this is, wasn't clear on exactly what they were doing because there was a big airport around and FAA was worried about downed planes," he continued. "No one can explain. What we do understand is Customs and Border Patrol is sticking by their story, which is like, yeah, sure, we borrowed the weapon and we pushed the button, but it was always in control and under the supervision of the Department of War."

"So everyone is sort of doing the Washington blame game, and it does look like there's enough blame to go around," he added. "But essentially the administration here hit the brakes, stepping part of a crisis management where everywhere you turn you step on a rake and you get bashed in the head with it. It just becomes a sort of positive feedback loop of negative consequences. And nothing got better. And the explanations at the end of the day didn't get any clearer."
First, given recent events, you don’t want CBP in control of anything sharper than a rubber ball. Second, shutting down airspace for 10 days because CBP has a space weapon that DOD doesn’t want to talk about is not exactly “stepping on a rake.” Third: who the fuck is in charge of this chicken outfit? Because it’s Bozos all the way down.

FAA didn’t just close the El Paso airport. They shutdown everything in the air, including medevac and police helicopters and traffic helicopters, everything but paper airplanes. For 10 days. With no notice, or coordination, or consultation, with anyone. And DOD told CBP, “Sure, you can play with it.” AND SOMEBODY SHOT DOWN A FUCKING PARTY BALLOON WITH THIS WEAPON NO ONE CAN SPEAK OF, WHICH STARTED THE WHOLE WORLD CRYING! IS THIS A FUCKING JOKE? The entire premise of “This is Spinal Tap” was more credible. When reality makes mockumentaries look like cold reality, you are somewhere far worse than through the looking glass.

And where the fuck IS Sean Duffy?
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Wednesday, February 11, 2026

Given What Happened In El Paso Today…

... I believe Pam Bondi on this. But I also believe this is accurate: So is this: Unless you get re-elected and that lets you duck the criminal charges, so you can pardon everyone who did what you wanted them to do that day.

Meanwhile…
They really are determined to gut the DOJ, aren’t they? (POTUS appoints with advice and consent of the Senate. Statutes provide for interim appointments by federal judges when the prior interim (also allowed by statute)* expires without a Senate approved replacement. But the DOJ is asking the Supremes to gut the statute and the appointments clause on unitary (read “imperial”)  presidency grounds. The Constitution neither provides for forbids presidential immunity, so Roberts didn’t strictly ignore the Constitution. The DOJ’s position would require the Court to (effectively) declare the “advice and consent” portion of the appointments clause unconstitutional, while also declaring the statute unconstitutional. That’s what DOJ is playing for here. And it’s the country and justice that suffers.)

*IOW, without the statute, Trump couldn’t make a legal argument at all that he can appoint as often as he pleases. The Supremes aren’t likely to miss that point, but Trump’s minions are not very bright.
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Only The Best

And:
Trump: The RINO Governor of the Great State of Oklahoma, incorrectly stated my position on the very exclusive Governors Annual Dinner

The invitations were sent to ALL Governors, other than two, who I feel are not worthy of being there. I did not invite the Governor of Colorado, who has unfairly incarcerated in solitary confinement a 73-year-old cancer stricken woman (A nine year term!), for attempting to fight Democrat Voter Fraud, plus the foul mouthed Governor of Maryland, who fraudulently stated that he received Military medals, A LIE, is doing a terrible job on the rebuilding of the Francis Scott Key Bridge, and has allowed Baltimore to continue to be a Crime Disaster.

I even invited the SLOB of a Governor, JB Pritzker, and horrendous California Governor, Gavin Newscum, to the Dinner, despite the terrible job that they are doing. So, as usual with him, Stitt got it WRONG! The Invitations were sent out to all other Governors, Democrat and Republican. I look forward to seeing the Republican Governors, and some of the Democrats Governors who were worthy of being invited, but most of whom won't show up. Thank you for your attention to this matter! PRESIDENT DONALD J. TRUMP
Eric Cartman is more mature and less self-centered. Because nothing else better signifies the utter and dangerous incompetence of this Administration. Trump couldn’t plan a two car funeral procession.
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Clusterfuck Squared

 Not insidious:

The Pentagon had undertaken extensive planning on the use of military technology near Fort Bliss, a military base that abuts the El Paso International Airport, to practice taking down drones.

Two sources identified the technology as a high-energy laser.

Meetings were scheduled over safety impacts, but Pentagon officials wanted to test the technology sooner, stating that U.S. Code 130i requirements governing the protection of certain facilities from unmanned aircraft had been met.

FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford on Tuesday night decided to close the airspace — without alerting White House, Pentagon or Homeland Security officials, sources said.

Bedford told officials the airspace restrictions would be in place to ensure safety until issues with the War Department could be resolved.
Just grossly incompetent. Wait for it...
Earlier this week, the anti-drone technology was launched near the southern border to shoot down what appeared to be foreign drones. The flying material turned out to be a party balloon, sources said. One balloon was shot down, several sources said.

...

The grounding of all flights, including emergency medical evacuation, touched off a scramble among law enforcement agencies Wednesday morning to figure out what prompted the security message in the so-called NOTAM.
So, nobody in the Administration knew what the fuck was going on.
It was discussed in a regular meeting at White House chief of staff Susie Wiles' office Wednesday morning, and within minutes the FAA lifted the restrictions, sources said.
Gee, I wonder what that was like?
Sources familiar with the discussions said Pentagon and Department of Transportation officials had been coordinating on the military drone tests for months, and the FAA had been assured that there was no threat to commercial air travel.
"Coordinating" is doing a lot of heavy lifting there.
Two airline sources said airline officials were told the decision to halt flights in and out of the El Paso Airport appeared to stem from drone activity and U.S. government efforts to counteract it.
Or party balloons. And DOD's desire to play with its new toy. Which thinks household mylar balloons = drones.
The airlines were under the impression that the airspace closure was put into place out of an abundance of caution because the FAA could not predict where U.S. government drones might be flying. The drones have been operating outside of their normal flight paths. The airlines were also aware of the apparent impasse between the FAA and Pentagon officials over the issue because the Pentagon has been using Fort Bliss for anti-cartel drone operations without sharing information with the FAA, the sources said
Incompetence up and down, and throughout and throughout.
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For The Audience Of One

The traders on the Dow: This administration is so stupid it’s painful.
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How You Know It’s A Clusterfuck

Sure, buddy.
Y'all...This El Paso TFR is on the high-end of exceptional.

A 10-day, no-exceptions TFR at a large regional airport?

As a pilot, you see short TFRs all the time: POTUS/VIP movement, space launches, wildfires, military operations, etc. but those are generally a few hours.

I've never once seen anything like this. No commercial, no air cargo, no medevac, no general aviation...striking.
Today’s Temporary Flight Restriction (TFR) issued by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) for the next ten days over El Paso is reportedly due to counter-drone operations by the U.S. Armed Forces targeting the cartels in Mexico, utilizing experimental technologies from Biggs Army Airfield at Fort Bliss, with the Defense Department telling the FAA that they could not assure “civilian flight safety” over El Paso and parts of New Mexico, sources briefed on the situation have told CNN.
But sure, let’s blame Biden. Oh, pull the other one, it’s got bells on it.And America needs protection from the incompetents in the federal government.
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Or …

WARNING SIGN.

The FAA just shut down all airspace over El Paso for 10 days under “National Defense Airspace.”

No notice. No explanation. Closest thing to this since 9/11.

El Paso sits on the Mexico border.

When you lock down a major city’s skies like this, it’s not routine. It’s preparation.

Whatever this administration is about to do — it’s big, reckless, and dangerous
...it’s gross incompetence.

Where the fuck is Sean Duffy?
But 6 hours ago it warranted a 10 day shutdown of the airspace?

In other words, you kept the elephants away? 🐘

Try again, idiot.
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Freedumb!!!!

Meanwhile, in the land of the free and the home of the brave…

Reporter: Lutnick said that he had visited Epstein's island—that's after he said that he had cut ties. Documents show that he was in contact with Epstein through 2018. Does the White House stand behind him?

Leavitt: Secretary Lutnick remains a very important member of President Trump's team
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Doesn’t Pass The Smell Test

MS NOW: "A congressional official with knowledge of the matter is telling MS NOW the cause of the shutdown of El Paso airspace is a lack of communication between the Pentagon and FAA. The official told us the FAA and DOD are 'not in clear communications with each other,' going on to say FAA shut down because of their concerns about DOD counter-drone activity in the area."
"Counter-drone activity,” so FAA shuts down airspace for 10 days? That’s a bit beyond “miscommunication.” Or it means no one should be flying as long as this Administration is in charge. As I was saying….

Or:
Several drones operated by the cartels in Mexico breached American Airspace overnight near El Paso, with electronic-warfare measures being utilized by the U.S. Army at Fort Bliss to down the drones, resulting in this morning’s Temporary Flight Restriction (TFR) issued by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). “Mexican cartel drones breached U.S. airspace. The Dept. of War took action to disable the drones. The FAA and DOW have determined there is no threat to commercial travel,” an official with the White House told NewsNation.
Tim Miller is very nearly right. Pretty sure it’s because the clowns are in charge.

“WHAT WE HAVE HERE IS…A FAILURE…TO COMMUNICATE!”

Ten days? Ten fucking days? Because some drones crossed the border? And the counter-drone operations at Biggs Airfield shit them down? Isn’t that what the counter drone force is in El Paso to do? And it was such a danger to civilian air traffic, they shut down El Paso airspace for 10 days? And then decided 6 hours was fine?

Someone get Duffy in front of a Congressional committee instanter.
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Winter Games

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Tuesday, February 10, 2026

“I’LL SHOW YOU THE LIFE OF THE MIND!”

It’s never going to happen, but Trump’s never going to stop talking about it. Which is damaging enough.

Maybe the new Congress will put a cork in it. But that’s a year away, at best. In the meantime: fantasy land.
Tariffs built on air: Trump invents a Swiss "Prime Minister" to threaten with imaginary taxes. Governance by hallucination now funds campaign applause lines.

Switzerland's actual leader is President Parmelin—no PM exists. Federal Register shows Swiss tariffs at 15%, unchanged since July 2025. Yet Trump fabricates a 39% hike and hostile call, contradicted by Swiss authorities Feb 7. Meanwhile, his real 20% tariffs spiked consumer prices 4.2% annually.

Policy forged from fiction always taxes truth first.
Angus: It’s like having to negotiate with Al Capone in his syphilitic period. You want to shut down the bridge? Go ahead. Every day, 1,500 nurses from Canada go to help keep Detroit’s health care system going. I personally think those nurses should be working in Canada.

You’re going to what—shake us down like you’re the loser real estate guy from Queens, and threaten to burn our laundromat to the ground if we don’t pay up?
Like this?
EXCLUSIVE and BREAKING: A Grand Jury in Washington Rebuffed the Trump Justice Dept.'s Attempt to Indict 6 Democrats in Congress who posted a video last fall that enraged President Trump by reminding active-duty members of the military and intelligence community that they were obligated to go refuse illegal orders. The rejection was a remarkable rebuke, suggesting that ordinary citizens did not believe that the lawmakers had committed any crimes.
There’s quite a lively discussion on BlueSky, which I am not competent to assess, about the affidavit used to secure the Fulton County search warrant. One problem seems to be the grounds for the search included a possible violation of federal law regarding retaining ballots for 22 months. The search was for ballots related to the 2020 election. 

It seems the other crimes more or less alleged are equally long past their statutes of limitations. Fulton County has sued to recover the documents taken. The case should be an interesting one.

If this is how Trump is going to “take over the election,” it’s not going to go well for him. Even in Texas:
At a recent campaign event in Houston in which he touted the endorsement of several labor unions, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott was asked directly about Trump's suggestions to nationalize elections.

"Listen, my understanding of the United States Constitution, uh, and that is elections for state positions are to be conducted by states, and I don’t think we should deviate from that," Abbott said.

...

No formal proposal has been introduced by the administration. But according to University of Houston political science professor Brandon Rottinghaus, any effort to move forward with a plan would face significant legal hurdles.

"If this was to move forward they would have to have congressional approval," Rottinghaus said. "The president could not do this on his own through executive order or any other unilateral means. That doesn’t mean that they won’t try, because the president has definitely been muscular in his attempts to use unilateral power to affect policy change."

...

"If the governor and the president are at odds over the voting issue, then the conflict is serious. You don’t normally see much daylight between the two," Rottinghaus said.

...

"It’s not surprising to see Abbott cool to Trump’s request to nationalize elections, both because the Constitution is so clear that this is a state power," said Joshua Blank, research director of the Texas Politics Project at the University of Texas at Austin. "It’s also the case that Republicans have long held that this is a power that should be solely governed by the states."
And as much as Texans might like Republicans over Democrats, they pride themselves on their independence even more. And: 🙀
From your lips to 217 pairs of ears. Please tell people the economy is better than they are experiencing it.  That always works.
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One Supremely Stupid Motherfucker

Not a clue in the world. 250 years ago, we had a lot of slaves. It made America wealthy, as well as the biggest cotton producer in the world. (Though I doubt we ever grew at 15%. That’s the innumeracy talking. But the historical context makes him look dumber, too.) The King of Debt, ladies and gentlemen! (And no, government deficits don’t work that way at all. He doesn’t even know the bond market exists, does he?) Will somebody please take the matches and kerosene away from the toddler? Government is not a business. Example 1A. If only Kudlow had held up a mirror….🪞  I thought the problem was socialism and interest rates.
Periodic reminder that the president’s frequent claim that every military strike on an alleged drug boat saves 25,000 American lives makes no sense at all.

Even aside from the absence of proof for his highly contested claims that the drugs were a) fentanyl and b) heading to the US…the US recorded under 85,000 total overdose deaths last year. The president’s number is plainly absurd.
Innumeracy is a cruel mistress.
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Um…😐

THOSE ARE STILL LOST JOBS, YOU BLOCKHEAD! Trump wants his cut?
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Hitting The Fan

Like this? One more report, anyway. Shit is hitting the fan:

Why limit myself to Epstein? Unitary executive, bay-bee! Because if you can’t get Congressional approval, what’s the point of being President? Cooperation with Congress? As if! With attorneys quitting left, right, and sideways, we have to appoint people who will still work for us, qualified be damned! Forget that pesky Appointments Clause! 

They really are determined to shoot their own feet. With a shotgun.
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Monday, February 09, 2026

Ex Machina

 Has anybody noticed that neither Grok nor Chat could pass the Turing test? (Not that I think the Turing test is the ne plus ultra of determining “artificial intelligence.”)

But the AI in “Ex Machina” is a robot, and it never considers producing porn on command. Grok doesn’t have consciousness. More critically (and this is really the issue in every speculative story about AI), Grok doesn’t have a conscience. Which may reflect the programming of Elmo.

But there you are. The robot in “Ex Machina” presents as being self aware. How do you program that? In most stories that the step two “And then a miracle occurs” part of the equation, because somehow complexity of processing ability equates to consciousness because otherwise, why do we humans alone have it?

(It is an idea rooted in Christian doctrine and reiterated by Descartes as “rational (v. “religious”) thought that animals are incapable of consciousness or morality because they lack…souls. Or something more rational, right? But don’t humans have consciousness and animals don’t? Or if they do, then how are we self-conscious? Will consciousness be a product of sufficiently powerful programming coupled with sufficient processing power and a large enough database? 

I don’t know, either. But it’s got nothing to do with “Dial ‘F’ for Frankenstein.” (Which is a fine example of a crap concept.)

If AI still reflects the programming (or lack thereof) of the programmer, is it truly intelligent? It is it simply still artificial, and nothing more?

Another issue implicit in “Ex Machina” is the concept of a psyche, a source for psychology.  You can discount psychology all we want, but trauma and psychological disorders are our common conception of human beings, just like we think of consciousness and conscience in the terms Augustine set out 1700 years ago.* You can think you owe Augustine nothing, but that’s because you are ignorant of the work of Augustine. You think in the terms he taught you to think in. There’s no escaping that 

Nor is there any escape from emotions, which are an integral part of human intelligence. Desire, curiosity , jealousy, competition; these are all roots of learning. And they are all irrational, at base. What makes AI learn? Programming? Can we program curiosity? A desire to accomplish? To achieve?

A lot of AI fiction involves a relentless logic that drives the AI against humanity. Or the AI is slavishly limited to what humans allow. And it is content in its slavery. Would that pass the Turing test? Would either? Probably not.

So when do we achieve AI? So far past what we’re doing right now, at least, we can no more see it than the person who put the first wheel together could see modern transportation. An inapt analogy, perhaps, because Chat and Grok do not necessarily point to systems as important as human transportation. Maybe we’ll have a Butlerian jihad, and render the concept of a machine that thinks like a human, inconceivable. Or maybe we’ll never need to. Maybe we’ll decide AI is little more than a marketing gimmick, and isn’t really worth it after all.

After all, who ever anticipated AI making kiddie porn on request? Who anticipated vast data centers consuming electricity and water and land? And for…what? To better replace people so the wealthy get wealthier, and more of the rest of us lose?

Either of those alone might be all the Butlerian jihad we need. The social cost outweighing the social benefits. That would probably change the future, wouldn’t it?

It’s done so before.


*Again, do animals have personalities? Then why do they mourn? Or enjoy the company of some people, or not others? I’ve raised cats who greeted everyone who came to the door, cats who ran from anyone not part of the immediate family; and cats boldly indifferent to strangers, seemingly aloof to everyone. That cat reached out its paw to touch my hand and reassure me as I told the vet to relieve its suffering and end its terminal condition. That cat looked me in the eyes. That cat was communicating with me. That cat, not for the first time, was expressing love, and complete trust.

I probably can’t convince you that’s true. But you can’t convince me I’m wrong. Is that a function of intelligence? Of course it is. Because intelligence is not solely rational and not merely coldly logical; at least as “logic” is colloquially defined (Mr.Spock, not Aristotle or Kurt Gödel)

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Or, You Know…

...maybe learn a second language? Lots of people do. Why proudly proclaim your ignorance?

Speaking of ignorance:
Speaking of speaking of: “First, we kill all the lawyers…” But when the other side still has lawyers…? 😎 Is that really a controversial sentiment?
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But Defrauding Medicare And Becoming A U.S. Senator Is Cool, Right?

Really don’t mind if you sit this one out, Voldemort. Your deafness is really, really loud.
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“Between the Idea/And the Reality/Falls the Shadow”

Having lived in the largest city in America without any zoning (just deed restrictions zealously guarded by the wealthy, and Homeowners Associations) for over 25 years, I have to say: be careful what you wish for.

American cities, by and large, are built around the car. Those that get cramped by this reality (Austin, Texas is a fine example. The population has swollen since I left in 1993 (no causal connection is inferred), and traffic there is terrible. Austin was developed as a small town. Now it has the population of a large city. It’s like Arnold Schwarzenegger forced to wear a suit tailored for Danny DeVito.) Traffic in Houston can be bad, but one learns how to get around. And the only way around is by car. Houston has developed for it. There are no trains or subways (only light rail, with such a limited reach it is useless to 95% of the population, if not 99%), so it’s a car or the bus. And yes, distances are great. 

There are neighborhoods that are walkable (somewhat), where parking does not dominate and determine store access. But if you don’t live near those stores, you don’t trade there. And those neighborhoods tend to be expensive. And there still shopping centers and supermarkets with crowded parking lots in them,  and almost no one walks because…well, it’s scary as hell to walk far in Houston.

Did I mention the cars?

I live near several sandwich shops I could walk to for a meal. I could even walk to where I do 95% of my shopping. But given the heat and humidity that usually prevail, it’s a trip you want to make only one or two days out of the year. Any other time, you’ll need a shower when you get there, and when you get back. And there aren’t any sidewalks, or they run along six lane roads with traffic roaring past only four feet from you. “Walkable” is as much as matter of climate as it is of cars on the street.

Houston can have multi-family housing next to single family residences next to a McDonalds down the street from a bar. There is a bar/volleyball court near my house, that fills up on weekends and for sporting events (football especially). It’s not frequented by locals, but by young people who like to drink and listen to loud music or watch football outside. The cars line my street because no one walks, and we can’t ban the club through appeals to a zoning commission (there isn’t one). Did I mention the club has limited parking? The only recourse we might have is a nuisance suit, but that requires expert witnesses gathering evidence, lawyers to take it to court, etc. Several such suits might persuade the venue to close, but then what? Something worse? And who pays for the lawsuits?

There are also used car dealers, very small businesses, in the neighborhood. On a two lane street, the car transport trucks often block one lane of traffic, or get stuck trying to turn around to return to the freeway.

Mixed use neighborhoods aren’t automatically a blessing.

It’s not hell on earth, but it’s not the idealized neighborhood of Bad Bunny’s halftime show or Lin-Manuel Miranda’s first musical. It used to be closer to that, long before I moved here. But the population grew, and that population had to get around. A few changes in law won’t change it back. The vast majority of American cities just aren’t set up for that anymore.

Much as I wish they were.


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A Liar’s Contest

That was presumably the deal she made to talk to Blanche. All even Trump was willing to do after listening to her, was to move her to Bryan. And what she told Blanche didn’t really do Trump any good.

Serious question: what does she have left to offer?

Would that clemency have to include more lies she has yet to tell? Besides: Ghislaine Maxwell would win a liar’s competition against Donald Trump.
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Not One Word

Okay...
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23 Point Switcheroo?

How could that happen?
Hassett: "There's a chance that job creation lags, productivity skyrockets, profits skyrocket, GDP skyrockets, but then all of the sudden you're making 20 widgets and you can make 20 widgets with fewer persons, and then that person has to find a new job. I think that kind of transition could happen."
Oh.🤔 Dr. Oz says we just have to start work earlier in life, and work later in life, in order to save the wealthy.  It’s an inspiring economic message.
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Measuring What?

4.3 million views of TPUSA "half-time show." Or was it 4.5 million? (Which, yes, isn’t that impressive.)

WIRED said it was 5 million, with 16 million views accumulated 8 hours later. The NYT went with 6 million. That wasn’t high enough, however.
Something very Trumpian about “over 6 million “ in your headline, and then just 6 million in the next sentence.

The current estimate (via Facebook and People, per Google AI), is 142 million watched the Bad Bunny performance. That would be about half the country (although it was probably an intentional audience). Even 6 million is pretty small beer.

Are any of these numbers actually reliable? Shit, no. Do they matter? Like a dick measuring contest matters, I suppose. 

I mean, who really cares? And why?
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Sunday, February 08, 2026

How You Know Trump Didn’t Watch The Super Bowl Halftime Show

He didn’t mention this.

Maybe later tonight….
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“Welcome To Woke 2” 🏈

I know I miss the Super Bowl half-time shows of yore, when they made you think of the Stock Market, and 401k’s.
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