Quote of the Day
To love is to stop comparing.
Abilene - George Hamilton IV
Quote of the Day
People need to be reminded more oftenWonderful Wonderful - Tymes
Did WWE Brock Lesnar just retire after losing to Oba Femi? I thought they were waiting for a retirement match against Gunther at Summer Slam.
— raguillemette (@raguillemette) April 19, 2026
It's not just this disrespectful act towards a Christ statue allegedly by an IDF soldier in Lebanon, but it's time for the American government and the American taxpayer to stop enabling the criminal Netanyahu regime. pic.twitter.com/sqeFcxR2eo
— raguillemette (@raguillemette) April 20, 2026
This unhinged POTUS needs to stop his ignorant, obscenely belligerent rhetoric which is rapturing our international relations globally. It may take decades to overcome the damage caused by this failed Presidency. https://t.co/ulw1ah9cZi
— raguillemette (@raguillemette) April 20, 2026
I have no interest in progressive Dems in charge of a $40 T national debt even as entitlement spending, already in deep red is within a few years of exhausting reserves, currently needed to continue full benefits.
— raguillemette (@raguillemette) April 20, 2026
But this GOP Congress has not exercised sufficient oversight.
Hannity was a Catholic-in-Name-Only. Popes have generally opposed American wars in our lifetimes, but Hannity only found it objectionable when Leo questioned Trump's unconstitutional war with Iran. I had several disagreements with Francis' political views bur I didn't leave. https://t.co/HUWEWxe16P pic.twitter.com/W7DWRgHcQY
— raguillemette (@raguillemette) April 20, 2026
Well the last one in Trump's cabinet I expected to leave over sexual misconduct was a woman.
— raguillemette (@raguillemette) April 20, 2026
No. It was not the hand of God who killed dozens of Iranian primary schoolgirls with an American missile. Trump started a non-defensive. illegal. unconstitutional war. God did not "choose" Trump. Trump is God's punishment for our sins. https://t.co/7ZNbidrOVM
— raguillemette (@raguillemette) April 20, 2026
No. Prior administrations refused to open Pandora's box of yet another illegal unconstitutional war in Iran. Some dude named Donald Trump in 2011 claimed Obama was thinking about it. Old people forget what they said 15 years ago. https://t.co/MdssPQllkX
— raguillemette (@raguillemette) April 20, 2026
We do not produce enough oil to replace the oil flow through the Strait of Hormuz. Remember how Trump was bragging about lower gas prices before Trump's hosen war against increased gas prices by a third?
— raguillemette (@raguillemette) April 21, 2026
Neo-con hawks can go to hell.
— raguillemette (@raguillemette) April 21, 2026
Can you say 'stagflation'?
— raguillemette (@raguillemette) April 21, 2026
In God we trust, not AI Trump Jesus. https://t.co/5KYR3Mc4Jg
— raguillemette (@raguillemette) April 21, 2026
A blockade is an act of war. Trump doesn't understand the concept of a ceasefire. https://t.co/KpLbmxprrP
— raguillemette (@raguillemette) April 21, 2026
American Research Group has Trump's ratings falling to an all-time low. RCP has him an aggregate below 41 with half the polls in the 30s. pic.twitter.com/kvDcy3fCJH
— raguillemette (@raguillemette) April 22, 2026
Trumpflation has now reached a level even Trump can understand. Bloomberg notes condoms are up as much as 30%. pic.twitter.com/M8F2CXqrFJ
— raguillemette (@raguillemette) April 22, 2026
Reportedly, just over half of Catholics voted for Trump in 2024. (I wasn't one of them.) Trump has gone after Pope Leo with all the grace and dignity he extends to Rosie O'Donnell. It is not helping his sagging ratings. People are siding with Pope Leo over 2-1.
— raguillemette (@raguillemette) April 22, 2026
Via Axios: pic.twitter.com/kvsSGzpNYL
We libertarians oppose corporate rescues from the general government, like the Spirit Airlines bailout from the Trump Administration. I've only traveled on Spirit Airlines once. Last August, I was traveling through Nashville the day before Mom's funeral mass & had a 12-hr layover
— raguillemette (@raguillemette) April 22, 2026
This is a definition of self-interested corruption
— raguillemette (@raguillemette) April 22, 2026
by the lawless Trump Administration. Via the Gray Lady: pic.twitter.com/NHr0jaioPk
If that were true, Trump would have never been reelected. https://t.co/wzQaNkCBll
— raguillemette (@raguillemette) April 22, 2026
I think one of the funniest Mamdani jokes is his alleged argument for the redistribution of Mets' opponents' runs.
— raguillemette (@raguillemette) April 23, 2026
The stock market has been volatile under Trump's second term, driven by Trump's unconstitutional tariffs. The job market has been weak, and domestic growth has slowed, with ICE operations affecting staffing issues in certain market segments. Stocks also did well under Biden. https://t.co/TpVAjOukkb
— raguillemette (@raguillemette) April 23, 2026
I just stumbled across this YouTube clip mocking AI Doc Trump Jesus ...https://t.co/0UpJvyK5Gt
— raguillemette (@raguillemette) April 23, 2026
The lie that "career politicians selling out American workers for cheap foreign labor" is irrational rubbish. The government doesn't micromanage global supply chains. Some labor-intensive domestic manufacturing businesses became unsustainable and globally uncompetitive.
— raguillemette (@raguillemette) April 23, 2026
Boy, did Trump open up Pandora's box by comparing himself to Jesus and picking a fight with the Pope...https://t.co/qjuww08JWh
— raguillemette (@raguillemette) April 23, 2026
Other members of NATO were ignored in Trump's
— raguillemette (@raguillemette) April 24, 2026
unconstitutional war on Iran. Warmongers Trump and Hegseth are desperate to shift blame for the consequences of their bad decision. The vulnerability of the Strait of Hormuz had been held by Iran as its trump card in the event of war https://t.co/hB5LfVMwLW pic.twitter.com/mcE5vdbnuN
No. The SAFE Act is unconstitutional and un-American. There is no evidence that non-citizens have registered, never mind voted, in any statistically relevant manner. The Act could disenfranchise many Americans with no effect on non-citizens who risk deportation by trying to vote. https://t.co/LNbRxWctG9
— raguillemette (@raguillemette) April 24, 2026
Seriously, dude? You have a POTUS who has pardoned J6 criminals who injured 140 Capitol cops. He has also established unconstitutional tariffs, violating US treaties and swindling American citizens. He violates the need for judicial warrants, ignores due process, undeclared wars.
— raguillemette (@raguillemette) April 24, 2026
No. What's indisputable is that Trump's war is non-defensive and unconstitutional. Trump is trying to rationalize his criminal behavior and has no evidence. https://t.co/D5x74KFntr
— raguillemette (@raguillemette) April 24, 2026
i'm waiting on Trump's decision to unilaterally liquidate the US nuclear stockpile. Just a reminder that the US set a precedent of using nuclear bombs in war. Dumbass Trump must have skipped his history class when that was taught.
— raguillemette (@raguillemette) April 24, 2026
The POTUS has no constitutional authority to act as the world's policeman https://t.co/HQF60HfkVm
— raguillemette (@raguillemette) April 24, 2026
Trump has literally committed dozens of impeachable crimes in his second term. I am not a Dem but I would support his impeachment depending on the legitimacy of the charge. That being said, there are enough Trumpkin senators for Trump to avoid conviction. https://t.co/T6vjDpBQW6
— raguillemette (@raguillemette) April 25, 2026
I saw this image on GML. Nope, AI Doc Trump Jesus and Spirit Airlines are not part of the Holy Trinity. As if Trump who bankrupted his own company 6 times can "save" Spirit. pic.twitter.com/ejuBdyle6p
— raguillemette (@raguillemette) April 25, 2026
Watching RFK, Jr. disingenuously attempt to defend Trump's false claims that he's cut some prices by 800% is embarrassing, with Trump smirking nearby. It reminds me of a car dealer loan officer trying to argue I would be better off with their deal. Dude, I have 2 math degrees.
— raguillemette (@raguillemette) April 25, 2026
I don't know who the Dimwit-in-Chief thinks that he is fooling. Despite overwhelming military superiority he doesn't control the Strait of Hormuz he has no support from NATO and other allies and his impulsive unnecessary war is deeply unpopular domestically. https://t.co/TPPbVuHmoX
— raguillemette (@raguillemette) April 25, 2026
Nope. We don't need market manipulation from a self-serving geriatric political whore. The issue is that we have a largely non-competitive market where US consumers have little direct control over product sales/selection. https://t.co/irMxjS21c3 https://t.co/TwyQoswdqb
— raguillemette (@raguillemette) April 25, 2026
More seriously, the chaplain in question is a man of color. Hegseth had previously blocked the high-level promotions of 4 blacks and women I don't if these are extensions of the Trump war on DEI.
— raguillemette (@raguillemette) April 26, 2026
The last thing I heard, Iran still controls the Strait of Hormuz, and Trump's war is unconstitutional, violates international law and the just war principle, and lacks international support. Trump is an incompetent negotiator; he's a transparent manipulator. https://t.co/2NZay1kgkk
— raguillemette (@raguillemette) April 26, 2026
It's too bad Trump doesn't practice what he preaches with Iran. https://t.co/QVjRe89tWB
— raguillemette (@raguillemette) April 26, 2026
This is the same dude who promised that Mexico would pay for his wall and then spent years trying to make taxpayers pick up the tab.
— raguillemette (@raguillemette) April 26, 2026
Trump stoked the fire by signing trillions into COVID relief in his late first term. Most of that relief was spent during Biden's term, and the Fed was slow to the draw on rate hikes as inflation rose with struggling supply chains. From a macro perspective, we have a lag effect.
— raguillemette (@raguillemette) April 26, 2026
Trump did not make up for the tax cuts with commensurate spending cuts. Gas prices went up with global supply shortages, like they've gone up under Trump's unconstitutional, unprovoked, unnecessary war with Iran, largely cutting off Gulf region supply.
— raguillemette (@raguillemette) April 26, 2026
Resign now.
— raguillemette (@raguillemette) April 26, 2026
From what's been reported, no shots were fired at the POTUS who was in the ballroom, not the hotel lobby.
— raguillemette (@raguillemette) April 26, 2026
That's actually true. Trump has ben weaponizing the judiciary against his political enemies. He started the gerrymandering wars in Texas and sent troops into Dem-controlled states and cities. https://t.co/4SmsT0e9s4
— raguillemette (@raguillemette) April 26, 2026
Quote of the Day
All big things in this world are done by people who are naive
Martian Hop - Ran-Dells
Blog pageviews seem to be inflated, although recent daily posts barely break double-digit pageviews. I'm making progress on my Iran essay, which should be published before May. If so, I should reach my monthly target of 40 posts next week. My X/Twitter account continues to hover just over 200 followers. Not sure why I have lost 20-30 followers, but it's almost impossible to ignore my feed, which seems swollen with Trump Administration propaganda, Trumpkin rants, and Musk's own obsessive thoughts. It feels like I'm perpetually playing a game of Whac-a-Mole. I try to avoid personal insults and a disrespectful tone, but in some cases, I may respond to an aggressive tweet with reflexive dismissal. I'm particularly annoyed by the SAVE Act (I've written a couple of essays against it). For some reason, libertarian-leaning politicians like Massie and Rand Paul are strong supporters; I don't get it: there is rare anecdotal, statistically irrelevant evidence of noncitizen voting. It isn't the federal government's role to administrate or regulate elections in our federal system; it violates the Constitution, and conservatives should support the principle of Subsidiarity. The idea that you have to present papers to exercise your right to vote is a weird inconsistency for people who often invoke the Fourth Amendment. I don't know if this is some sort of concession they made to maintain relevance in a Trumpkin-dominated party, but I'm not having any of it.
I've been a satisfied Amazon customer for decades. I've occasionally run into bad products (I remember buying and/or exchanging foreign-label external hard drives that never connected usefully to my PC). I had suspended my Prime membership after Amazon unexpectedly charged my card without notification. But I think I've only returned items a dozen times or fewer over the years. Oddly, I've had to do it twice over the past month. The earlier case was a cheap computer keyboard that mostly worked, except for the spacebar. I spent too much time searching for a fix on Google. I got the return approved, then went to the local UPS Store. I had the original packaging, except maybe needing tape over one end of the box. UPS refused to take it under its contract with Amazon. It seems they wanted it enclosed in a bigger taped box (which Amazon didn't send it in). There was a workaround; they could put it in a big bag for about $5. The bottom line: I did get the refund, but the UPS charge was almost half the cost of the bargain keyboard.
The more recent thing was an even rarer mistake by Amazon: they shipped the wrong item. This makes their refund process opaque, as it assumes the original item was delivered. I remember once ordering something like a low-carb blueberry muffin(?) mix. I don't recall what they shipped--it was a mix, but neither blueberry nor low-carb. In this recent case, I had ordered a 3-pair unit of cleaning gloves. I ended up getting one pair — and there was a tag saying the pair was part of a set, not to be sold separately. I couldn't verify that the vendor was the same. I wasn't sure the return would be processed correctly. I didn't break the packaging. I think the price was $7-8. But getting 1 pair instead of 3 was a matter of principle. I would have preferred simply being shipped two other similar pairs, but that wasn't available. So I had to return them to Staples, which didn't replicate the UPS experience.
I give credit to Amazon for almost always resolving my issues
Quote of the Day
Hot Pastrami - Dartells
Quote of the Day
If you wish to travel far and fast, travel light.
Reverend Mr. Black - Kingston Trio