Post #7803 M: Faucis Diary; The Burritoflation Debate; Trump Threatens Missile Shortage "Leakers" After Snapping at Hegseth

 Quote of the Day

I am in earnest; I will not equivocate; 

I will not excuse; 

I will not retreat a single inch; 

and I will be heard.

William Lloyd Garrison  

Faucis Diary

The Burritoflation Debate

Trump Threatens Missile Shortage "Leakers" After Snapping at Hegseth

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Musical Interlude: 1964 Top 100 Hit

Louie Louie - Kingsmen

Post #7802 M: Trump Teases Strait of Hormuz Deal; Have Democrats Become the Party of Elites?; McClanahan on Hackivist "Historian" Fired

 Quote of the Day

I am only one; but still I am one. 

I cannot do everything, but still I can do something. 

I will not refuse to do the something I can do.

Helen Keller 

Trump Teases Strait of Hormuz Deal

Have Democrats Become the Party of Elites?

McClanahan on Hackivist "Historian" Fired

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Political Cartoon

Courtesy of Joel Pet via Politico

Musical Interlude: 1964 Top 100 Hits

There! I’ve Said It Again - Bobby Vinton

Post #7801 Social Media Digest

 X/Twitter

Trump would have fired General Washington over mandating smallpox inoculation. And would have napped while standing watch. https://t.co/No3Ww5Rkgc

— raguillemette (@raguillemette) August 3, 2026

It figures that AI photoshops Hypocrite-in-Chief Trump's unwanted kiss of some unfortunate woman while ICE arrests Roman Catholic nuns and confiscates their rosaries. https://t.co/GKO3YA2pb5 pic.twitter.com/LsoI9sENvR

— raguillemette (@raguillemette) August 3, 2026

Most people don't stop driving to cut off a road-kill raccoon's penis.https://t.co/defkK32Z8R https://t.co/SQ2jSWsVg8

— raguillemette (@raguillemette) August 3, 2026

Trumpkins are bluffing. It's an Internet virtue-signaling show of sycophantic loyalty; I seriously doubt they even hold commemorative Trump passports. https://t.co/dw0J9jKsMh

— raguillemette (@raguillemette) August 3, 2026

Obama is like a broken clock: he's right twice a day.

— raguillemette (@raguillemette) August 3, 2026

The Founding Fathers implied the possibility of prosecuting the POTUS beyond impeachment and conviction. https://t.co/OSrPuOmJtq pic.twitter.com/6vBjhqXqoo

— raguillemette (@raguillemette) August 3, 2026

Trump, as usual, is lying. He's pointing to a paper (not realized) gain on an unconstitutional stake in Intel stock https://t.co/K80iegBnqd pic.twitter.com/W5139DBn7l

— raguillemette (@raguillemette) August 3, 2026

OMG. This is Trump's cheap-ass Mt.Rushmore fantasy. Washington would never approve the wars of his successors. https://t.co/gaGSSh3zHJ

— raguillemette (@raguillemette) August 3, 2026

NO.

— raguillemette (@raguillemette) August 3, 2026

Never. POTUS is a despicable traitor and economic illiterate.

— raguillemette (@raguillemette) August 3, 2026

Fauci. RFK, Jr. is incompetent and a proven idiot.

— raguillemette (@raguillemette) August 3, 2026

No. I don't know the basis for a "crime" there. There are specific reasons why some specific data are sttil subject to legal protection. pic.twitter.com/XYreEdLu7b

— raguillemette (@raguillemette) August 3, 2026

Trump is a notorious cheater on the golf course. He "wins" at his own courses, where he doesn't need to appeal his score to FIFA. https://t.co/6vVIzhyPCh pic.twitter.com/1qQ1lIE7ea

— raguillemette (@raguillemette) August 3, 2026

A head injury.

— raguillemette (@raguillemette) August 3, 2026

Why do we elect incompetent, inexperienced political whores like Trump to lead democracies?https://t.co/4LYjXmDIKz

— raguillemette (@raguillemette) August 3, 2026

It's sad that nepotism and Trump's corrupt endorsement mean more than experience and political principle. The GOP deserves to lose this seat. Being related to a dangerous crackpot neo-con does not qualify one for office. pic.twitter.com/GAAjDp19GN

— raguillemette (@raguillemette) August 3, 2026

Trump is resurrecting Commie fearmongering, but while the Hypocrite-in-Chief attacks democratic socialists, he brags about "investing" taxpayer money in corporations, a textbook definition of socialism.https://t.co/DNcwhOgQt1

— raguillemette (@raguillemette) August 4, 2026

The American people elected a convicted felon with multiple-count federal indictments and 2 impeachments as POTUS, never mind sex abuse charges, POTUS. I wouldn't be shocked if it happened. https://t.co/SqHzOhk9eP

— raguillemette (@raguillemette) August 4, 2026

Zero.

— raguillemette (@raguillemette) August 4, 2026

Wearing this: pic.twitter.com/gH6u18Ey1v

— raguillemette (@raguillemette) August 4, 2026

I don't think the Senate will have the votes to remove him from office. Do I want to see Trump held responsible for his crimes? Yes.

— raguillemette (@raguillemette) August 4, 2026

He ended the Afghanistan war.

— raguillemette (@raguillemette) August 4, 2026

The act of impeachment carries political risk; the GOP didn't do well after Clinton's impeachment. There were reasons Pelosi originally dodged Trump's impeachment. https://t.co/tvWyiylAVX

— raguillemette (@raguillemette) August 4, 2026

Yes.

— raguillemette (@raguillemette) August 4, 2026

The fact that Americans elected a manifestly incompetent, corrupt bastard twice is a weakness of our Constitution.

— raguillemette (@raguillemette) August 4, 2026

I think Trump politically weaponized all of the Justice Department. Pirro is just one example.

— raguillemette (@raguillemette) August 4, 2026

You're fired!

— raguillemette (@raguillemette) August 4, 2026

All of the above

— raguillemette (@raguillemette) August 4, 2026

Trup's last known contact with Epstein was while a private citizen, a registered Democrat, in the early 2000's. Federal charges against Epstein came during Trump's first term. Trump actually signed the bill to release the Epstein files.

— raguillemette (@raguillemette) August 4, 2026

Trump feels entitled to be corrupt.

— raguillemette (@raguillemette) August 4, 2026

I believe this marks Trump's lowest approval his second term. pic.twitter.com/j83x1rA8O8

— raguillemette (@raguillemette) August 4, 2026

Trump is a pathetic liar who refuses to acknowledge facts, like his 2020 election loss. It's all about losing face. He's the moron who publicly cited his "evidence" and then realized he'd played the fool, contradicted by his own Justice Department. https://t.co/OXRw0dgHdw

— raguillemette (@raguillemette) August 4, 2026

When I drove to Arizona through West Texas on the interstate via Dallas in 2016, I drove past innumerable windmills on the right. Trump has an ideological, irrational objection to alternative energy, even when the private sector invests in wind for intrinsic value. pic.twitter.com/eLCAZbdKw5

— raguillemette (@raguillemette) August 4, 2026

Trump thinks gimmes and mulligans also apply to Trumpkin elections. pic.twitter.com/XnIVIibmv7

— raguillemette (@raguillemette) August 5, 2026

Cruz is engaging in polarizing partisanship. He once supported free trade and trade pacts versus Trump's inflationary protectionism. The fact is, most Americans have not benefited from Trump's policies, and "free stuff" is an alternative to failed economic policies. pic.twitter.com/JDR1A2yoNC

— raguillemette (@raguillemette) August 5, 2026

criminal behavior

— raguillemette (@raguillemette) August 5, 2026

Trump was convicted of involuntary digital penetration. The essence of rape is forceful, involuntary sexual behavior. This is a man who bragged in books about adultery and "grab them by the p*ssy".

— raguillemette (@raguillemette) August 5, 2026

I don't know if he really said such a stupid thing, but the political whore is a narcissist who doesn't give a damn about anyone else.. I won't mourn his passing. I just want him out of the WH.

— raguillemette (@raguillemette) August 5, 2026

Trump's tariffs and wars have disrupted and exacerbated global trade and inflation. His economy job approval is lower than his 39% RCP job approval. His hype is pure fantasy and out of touch. https://t.co/DzFiz4IWYF

— raguillemette (@raguillemette) August 5, 2026

The definition of stolen valor. https://t.co/cowRVGgKpW

— raguillemette (@raguillemette) August 5, 2026

None of the above.

— raguillemette (@raguillemette) August 5, 2026

A reality check on Trump's self-deluded hype of his failed economic policies. pic.twitter.com/P8kXYxse4b

— raguillemette (@raguillemette) August 5, 2026

I'm pleased to see the FDA approval of a Moderna mRNA flu vaccine. The Trump Administration had largely demonized the proven technology.https://t.co/We8EnnXmJo

— raguillemette (@raguillemette) August 6, 2026

Trump thinks his minions are too stupid to know that even if the Dems win control of Congress, Trump can veto any such bill and likely would retain enough Republicans to sustain a veto. What a Democratic majority would mean is the death of the Trump agenda. pic.twitter.com/7dHAVwhYpm

— raguillemette (@raguillemette) August 6, 2026

Trump has had Obama Derangement Syndrome for nearly a generation,, starting with his revival of birther rubbish. Obama hasn't been POTUS for a decade. Obama is not responsible for Trump's political malpractice on tariffs and Iran. https://t.co/2fmGMEemLq

— raguillemette (@raguillemette) August 6, 2026

Trump's economically illiterate obsession with the trade deficit has led to 2 disastrous policies: his tariff trade wars and his attacks on a strong dollar disadvantage American consumers.

— raguillemette (@raguillemette) August 6, 2026

Why is Japan defending its currency? Unlike Trump's simplistic hopes of mutually destructive beggar-thy-neighbor currency wars to address trade imbalances: pic.twitter.com/tJbnDEWTiu

— raguillemette (@raguillemette) August 6, 2026

The morally contemptible motion by the political whore Rand Paul to hold Fauci in contempt of Congress is reprehensible. There is no excuse: Rand Paul's scientifically illiterate questions were thoroughly discussed before Fauci retired. and Paul's views on prosecuting on record.

— raguillemette (@raguillemette) August 6, 2026

I recall pre-pandemic buying an 8-pack of branded frozen burritos for about $3.43. At Walmart or Lidl, I now see the same costing about $5.47. Now, granted, this is easier than buying an oversized fresh burrito, even without guacamole, but that's a big price jump.

— raguillemette (@raguillemette) August 7, 2026

The faltering job market, low LFPR, wage stagflation, and increasing Trumpflation are signaling tough GOP midterm prospects. Polls show the Senate in clear danger with Dems leading in GA, ME, NC, OH, and TX, and IA in play. We are past peak-Trump. pic.twitter.com/37Ru07OOVq

— raguillemette (@raguillemette) August 8, 2026

Neo-con duopoly foreign policy is almost always bad policy. Passing a Graham-like economic sanctions bill against Russia is misguided and counterproductive. We libertarians have a maxim: "When goods do not cross borders, soldiers will."

— raguillemette (@raguillemette) August 8, 2026

Yes, but that's also true of all recent Presidents.

— raguillemette (@raguillemette) August 9, 2026

The basic issue with the said amendment was that it was limited to the office of the Presidency.

— raguillemette (@raguillemette) August 9, 2026

Trump's attempt to rationalize his indulgent ballroom at taxpayer expense is disingenuous, misleading rubbish. https://t.co/0G0Dr9073w

— raguillemette (@raguillemette) August 9, 2026

Post #7800 M: Trump's Military Asks Troops for "Creative" Ideas to Punish Iran as U.S. Runs Low on Missiles; 53% of Gen Z views socialism favorably; The "Democratic" Socialist Deception

 Quote of the Day

We should nevër permit ourselves to do anything 

that we are not willing to see our children do.

Brigham Young  

Trump's Military Asks Troops for "Creative" Ideas to Punish Iran as U.S. Runs Low on Missiles

53% of Gen Z views socialism favorably 

The "Democratic" Socialist Deception

Choose Life

Political Cartoon

Courtesy of Pat Bagley via Politico

Musical Interlude: 1964 Top 100 Hits

Bad To Me - Billy J. Kramer & the Dakotas

Post #7799 J

Endemic Report

CDC weekly stats:

The Sick Times:

The summer wave is now almost uniformly up across the country, although at a post-pandemic low. There were 2 major news items over the week: the FDA approved the first mRNA vaccine beyond COVID (Moderna flu); the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee voted to hold Fauci in contempt of Congress over his Fifth Amendment saturated hearing, and Fauci's fanatical opponent Rand Paul has referred the matter to the Justice Department.. At least 3 state attorneys general (including FL and LA and WV) have opened investigations into Fauci, including allegations of profiteering off the pandemic and/or of access to relevant information.

Other COVID- related news items:

• "Night shifts and chronic insomnia may increase long COVID risk"
• "BioNTech lowers 2026 sales outlook as COVID vaccine demand softens"
• "A lab-leak proponent is in line for Fauci’s old job"
• "Virus reactivation in acute and long COVID-19"
• "UT-led study finds COVID-19 can awaken hidden viruses throughout the body"
• "FDA approves XOCOVA, a new COVID-19 drug that can help stop infection after exposure"
• "Evolutionary history may help explain why some people develop more severe COVID-19 than others"
• "Some COVID-19 Patients Suffered Heart Damage, an Overlooked Coronavirus Protein May Explain Why"
• "Remdesivir Tied to Better Long-Term Health for Kidney Transplant Recipients With COVID-19"
• "Study details long COVID’s effect on patients’ wellbeing"

• COVID relief fraud/other crimes:
• "Former top Chicago Public Schools executive charged with COVID loan fraud"
• "Chicago lab owner pleads guilty, cooperating against ex-Loretto Hospital executive in COVID-19 test scheme"
• "Fayetteville man charged with stealing nearly $1M in COVID-19 fraud scheme: Prosecutors"
• "Duo took bribes, kickbacks for approving $1.9M in Ohio COVID-19 unemployment payments, feds say"
• 'Morgantown man sentenced to 30 days for COVID-19 relief and tax fraud scheme"

• Legal/political issues:
• "Arbutus Responds to Moderna’s Appeal of District Court Infringement Judgment over"COVID Vaccines:
• "Tuberville wants to prosecute Fauci for COVID-19 deaths in AL"
• "COVID-19 Evidence Challenges Kennedy Jr. Claims as Vaccines Reduce Severe Illness"
• "8 misleading Fauci claims we've fact-checked"
• "Why MAGA Is So Obsessed With Fauci"
• "Fauci told Congress higher COVID-19 fatality rate than he calculated in diary: ‘More like 0.2-0.3%’"
• "‘Morning Joe’ Fact-Checks RFK Jr.’s Latest ‘Outrageous’ COVID Claims: ‘It’s a Lie’"
• "Imperial Valley doctor wins new court protection for speaking freely about COVID-19"
• "After years of debate, former COVID response coordinator acknowledges pandemic source 'probably a lab leak'"
• "Why was Fauci held in contempt for pleading the 5th, and what happens next?"
• "Fact-check: Kennedy says the US had the highest COVID death rate on earth. Fact-check: Kennedy says the US had the highest COVID death rate on earthIn its tracking of global COVID-19 cases and deaths through March 2023, Johns Hopkins University found that Peru’s population was hit hardest with a rate of 665.84 deaths per 100,000 people. The U.S.’s per capita death rate was nearly half that with 341.11 deaths per 100,000 people. That is the 14th highest rate. Bulgaria, Hungary, Croatia, and Romania were a few of the countries with higher per capita death rates than the U.S."
• "Senate investigators obtain Fauci iPhone from HHS in COVID-19 actions probe"
• "CDC didn't say COVID-19 vaccines are 'largest carcinogenic exposure in history'"

Other Notes

Blog page views averaged an elevated 11K per day.No new essays yet this month. X/Twitter followers are at a multi-month low of 200 followers. No new popular tweets.

My new pet peeve is Walmart's recently hidden tipping delivery charge. On a recent order, I didn't even know until I later looked at the detailed receipt that it had assessed an $11 tip for an order that amounted to 3 small plastic bags of items, only one of which was a food item.  Other items were shipped free. It flagged one item for home delivery that it decided could be shipped with the other items, which it didn't. One of the delivered items was also a swapped item (not food).  Substitute items are unfortunately not uncommon, which surprises me given Walmart's reputation for logistics. Amazon does a much better job of alerting you of inventory issues. As for the tip thing, Walmart AI says you have up to 3 hours after delivery to modify the absurd tip, but all I could do was add to it, not reduce it. I know I used to see the tip before placing the order, and I had adjusted the tip accordingly. I'm not against tipping, but I don't like Walmart's idea of charging you before delivery. I routinely tip waiters and barbers, but I adjust based on the quality of my experience. If I have to hunt down a server to get my coffee refilled or get my bill, I'm not as generous. Oh, Walmart has a tipping-included subscription add-on, but again, that ignores the whole concept behind tipping. It's one thing if someone is delivering a 50-lb bag of dog food.

A second Walmart complaint is that Walmart reset "my Walmart location"  without my knowledge or consent. There is a location technically closer to where I live, but it is not the supercenter where I've shopped over the past decade. The issue is that your online shopping is limited by your Walmart location, so I was all of a sudden limited to a fraction of my typical shopping items. I don't know why Walmart is doing this, but it is annoying.What's the purpose of choosing a store if they overwrite it? 

Post #7798 M: A Rancher, a Family Farm, and 3 Supreme Court Showdowns; McClanahan on Should We Rename the Civil War?; Stossel on You Don’t Understand the Environment: Lies about Greenhouse Gases, Polar Bears, Recycling, and More

 Quote of the Day

Nothing but heaven itself is better than 

a friend who is really a friend.

Plautus  

A Rancher, a Family Farm, and 3 Supreme Court Showdowns

McClanahan on Should We Rename the Civil War?

Stossel on You Don’t Understand the Environment: Lies about Greenhouse Gases, Polar Bears, Recycling, and More

Choose Life

Political Cartoon

Courtesy of Michael Ramirez via Politico

Musical Interlude: 1964 Top 100 Hits

A Fool Never Learns - Andy Williams

Post #7797 M: That USAID study every outlet cited? The math doesn't work; Is Democratic Socialism Going National?; Trump Fumes as DOJ Rejects Reflecting Pool Vandalism

 Quote of the Day

Nothing but heaven itself is better than 

a friend who is really a friend. 

Plautus  

Trump Fumes as DOJ Rejects Reflecting Pool Vandalism

That USAID study every outlet cited? The math doesn't work

Is Democratic Socialism Going National?

How Trump is practicing socialism by definition

Choose Life

Political Cartoon

Courtesy of Steve Artley via Politico

Musical Interlude: 1964 Top 100 Hits

THE BEATLES - I Saw Her Standing There