Analytics

Saturday, February 28, 2026

Post #7583 J

 Endemic Report

We have the first update of the 4 mega stats in over a month. The latest regional trend includes a cluster og 6 states in the mid-Atlantic to Southeast US. 



The Sick Times:



The latest COVID-19 news items:

  • "COVID-19 infection predicts higher risk of kidney disease, study finds"
  • "Over 40% of health care workers had insomnia during, after COVID pandemic peak"
  • "Long-term brain effects of COVID-19 vs. flu: Study reveals key differences. Even a mild case of COVID-19 or the flu can impact the body long after the fever and cough fade, according to new Tulane University research that may help explain why some people struggle to feel fully recovered weeks or months later. Tulane researchers found that while both viruses can leave lasting lung damage, only SARS-CoV-2 infection caused persistent brain inflammation and small blood vessel injury, even after the virus was no longer detectable."
  • "COVID-19 Vaccine Effectiveness Against Hospitalization"
  • "Potential 'holy grail' nasal spray that may protect against COVID-19, flu and pneumonia aims for human trial"
  • "How Covid Quietly Rewires the Brain"

Other Notes

The blog received hundreds of page views on a single day this week, otherwise a fairly typical viewer pattern. I will not reach my target of 40 posts this month, but that's an artifact of February being a short month. I finally published my essay on Trump's tariffs, which took a long time to write, but I liked the way it came out, and I think it is one of my best efforts, both readable and detailed, with a good use of AI to support basic points. The overnight US/Israeli attack will likely be the focus of an upcoming March post. Twitter/X has somewhat higher numbers this past week, with followers up about 10 to near 220, but they fluctuate daily.

When I switched my cable service, I found my bundle included Great American Family. I think that's the network that hired Christmas hostess Candace Cameron Bure away from Hallmark, as Hallmark had started featuring non-traditional rom-coms.. I have gay relatives whom I love, but I personally prefer more traditional content. I still have Hallmark as one of my plan's few off-bundle channel choices. To be honest, I haven't watched many new rom-coms lately from either channel, but I notice both channels do play a few Christmas titles I think on Fridays or so, and recently saw 3 I've traditionally seen on Hallmark until recently, one of them a Candace Bure "classic" (on the takeover of a family ski resort). I don't know if the films are jointly or exclusively licensed. I know I saw the ski movie during Hallmark's recent countdown. My biggest gripe is most of the Hallmark content I like isn't individually licensed. I also don't like having to pay for multiple licenses of the same movie or song. For instance, I have boxes of CDs and LPs in storage. In another case, I lost a DVD copy of "White Christmas" in an old desktop drive. 

I recently ranted about this on X. The Rock 'N Roll Hall of Fame took forever to select Foreigner and Pat Benatar. They once again left Boston off the list (while nominating pop acts like Carey, Sade, and Shakira); I'm still pissed the Grammys chose Starland Vocal Band over Boston for best new artist. Phil Collins is long overdue this year's nomination; he ruled the 80s  I'm with Adam Reader, Professor of Rock, on this one along with Adam's advocacy of Karen Carpenter. We just lost Neil Sedaka, and Karen's cover of his hit "Solitaire" is beyond awesome. We also lost songwriter  Billy Steinberg whose song "I Drove All Night" was written for rock icon Roy Orbison. I just used my Amazon digital credits to download his Grammy-earning performance. Oh my God, that moment when he soars to his high register in the chorus. He's like Brad Delp and Steve Perry; I'm a decent singer, and I can't do that.

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Post #7582 M: Trump said WHAT about tariffs?; The Price of Trump’s Tariffs: What the Data Reveals; Jimmy Kimmel Reacts to Donald Trump’s State of the Union Address 2026

 Quote of the Day

A successful man is one 
who can lay a firm foundation with 
the bricks others have thrown at him.
David Brinkley

Trump said WHAT about tariffs?

The Price of Trump’s Tariffs: What the Data Reveals

Jimmy Kimmel Reacts to Donald Trump’s State of the Union Address 2026

 Choose Life

Political Cartoon

Courtesy of Bill Bramhall via US News 

Musical Interlude: 1963 Top 100 Hits

 Be My Baby - Ronettes 

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Friday, February 27, 2026

Post #7581 Rant of the Day: Trump's Un-Presidential Meltdown on the SCOTUS Tariff Decision

 Free trade is an underlying Constitutional construct of commerce among American states: via Google AI:

Now, the Constitution, until the 16th amendment, did not allow direct taxes like income; it relied on low, non-protectionist tariffs and excise taxes to finance the general government:


Tariffs had been contentious since Hamilton wanted to protect emerging industries from overseas competition.
As Hamiltonians discriminated against foreign goods, trading partners targeted American exports, especially those from the South. This exacerbated  economic regional differences as Southerners found their products paying the price of industrial protection while having to pay the higher prices of a less competitive marketplace. It was a huge issue during the Jackson Administration, also resurfacing during the early Civil War; if you go to Lincoln's first inaugural address, he was willing to negotiate slavery nut not the loss of tariff revenue; he could see lower-tariff Southern ports as a workaround to Union ports.

The issue of protectionist tariffs was mostly pursued by the Whigs, then the Republicans in the 19th century through the Depression:

The end of the GOP embrace of protective tariffs (until Trump) was the disastrous Smoot-Hawley tariffs under Hoover, which exacerbated the Great Depression.

FDR stepped away from Hoover's global trade war with Reciprocal Trade Agreements Act of 1934 which encouraged POTUS to negotiate mutually beneficial lower tariff rates and other protectionist trade barriers:


The RTAA was renewed 11 times under bipartisan leadership, transitioning to compatible international agreements like GATT under JFK/LBJ and WTO under Clinton. The basic exception was Nixon's protectionism: 
So, clearly Trump's economic nationalism is the closest parallel to Nixon's protectionism. Nevertheless, you saw some managed trade violations with other Presidents, like Carter on footware, Reagan on Japanese car import quotas, and George W. Bush on steel tariffs. But for the most part. you saw the Presidents using Congressional delegated authority to rapidly expand mutually favorable trading terms with additional partners. There has been some pushback from leftists on labor protectionist grounds, labor rates in partner nations, and/or inadequate environmental policies. Obama attempted to negotiate TPP (Pacific trade) and TTIP (Europe), but Trump killed these initiatives.
 
I found it useful to look at tariffs as a percentage of federal revenue to analyze Trump's disastrous protectionist policies:

It's challenging to know where to begin with Trump's fixation on trade. It seems to presume the State  should impose some finetuned control over trade policy to maximize goods trade surpluses, presumably maximizing economic/job growth. He is obsessed with a persistent trade deficit since 1975 and argues that it is the result of a conspiracy of wily international traders taking advantage of incompetent US trade representatives. This seems to presuppose a belief in the superiority of a centrally planned economy, not the "invisible hand" od Adam Smith, a contemporary of our Founders and our own free market of American states:


The result of a trade pact is not for unilateral advantage; it tries to ensure a more competitive market for both countries with lower trade barriers. like lower tariffs, relaxed quotas, etc. The big concern seems to be that American goods may lose market share to the new import alternatives. In part, this may reflect comparative advantages. For example, a warmer climate may yield higher produce supplies. 

I have repeatedly debunked Trump's assertions on trade, pointing out that we had some of the strongest economic and job growth in the 80s and 90s, vs below-trend results under Trump. Trump ignores that over half of imports are used by American businesses. Trump's focus on steel and aluminum not only violated WTO principles like Bush's own steel tariffs, but it also harmed American businesses using steel or aluminum in their own products, with net layoffs and lower sales from relevant additional costs making products less globally competitive.

There's just so much rubbish Trump routinely claims about tariffs, it's hard to keep track and debunk it all: he overestimates tariff collections and insists foreign countries underwtite tariff costs. (The idea seems to be that foreign producers cut prices to offset tariffs.) Fed research shows over 90% of tariffs are passed on to Americans, and other research shows the cost American households $1000 last year.


The size, scope, and nature of Trump's tariff wars are unprecedented in American history. Not one has been authorized by Congress, the only Constitutional authority to tax. Trump has based his tariff "authority" on unprecedented claims on two laws:   the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) and Section 122 of the Trade Act of 1974. 
.
 Most of Trump's manic-depressive tariff behavior since the start of his second has been based on the former law invoked by phony pretext of a "national emergency" (not only is a trade deficit not an emergency, the goods deficit actually expanded under Trump last year). Trump's tariff increases also applied to nations with which the US has a surplus, and have occurred for non-trading behavior (e.g., Brazil's prosecution of a former president, drug allegations, immigration policies, etc.) Trump's decisions have exacerbated economic uncertainty and have been countered  by actions against American exports, like canceled soybean sales.

I'm not going to explain the legal nuances of LEARNING RESOURCES, INC., ET AL. v. TRUMP,
PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES, ET AL. Trump's supposed tariff authority under IEEPA was struck down 6-3, including conservative justices Roberts, Gorsuch, and Barrett. Among other things, they pointed out said act didn't even reference tariffs. There is also a constitutional question about whether a taxing authority can be delegated (nope).

Trump responded as expected with a Trumper tantrum. personally attacking the majority. I've also pointed out his global tax pivot on the 1974 trade act is not likely to survive judicial scrutiny because he wrongly conflates the balance of payments with the trade deficit.

Trump's misconduct is unworthy of the Presidency.




.

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Post #7580 M: Trump's Tariffs Voided, Kash Patel Crashes US Hockey Celebration, Iran War Looms; Slaying Tariffs: From Declaration to Supreme Court Victory; Arizona Teacher Sues County Attorney for 1st Amendment Retaliation

 Quote of the Day

What can be added to the happiness of a man who is 
in health, 
out of debt, 
and has a clear conscience?
Adam Smith  

Trump's Tariffs Voided, Kash Patel Crashes US Hockey Celebration, Iran War Looms

Slaying Tariffs: From Declaration to Supreme Court Victory

Arizona Teacher Sues County Attorney for 1st Amendment Retaliation

Choose Life

Political Cartoon

Courtesy of Steve Sack via Politico

Musical Interlude: 1963 Top 100 Hits

 Hello Stranger - Barbara Lewis

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Thursday, February 26, 2026

Post #7579 M: Trump Attacks Jimmy Kimmel Again; Stossel on Grading Trump’s First Year; McClanahan on Presidential War Powers?

 Quote of the Day

What would you attempt to do 
if you knew you would not fail? 
Robert Schuller 

Trump Attacks Jimmy Kimmel Again

Stossel on Grading Trump’s First Year

McClanahan on Presidential War Powers?

Choose Life

Political Cartoon

Courtesy of Jack Ohman via smerconish

Musical Interlude: 1963 Top 100 Hits

Our Day Will Come - Ruby & the Romantics

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Wednesday, February 25, 2026

Post #7578 M: Constitutional Heresy: Madison's View on Essential Powers; McClanahan on Is America Anti-Western Civilization?; Is Wikipedia propaganda now?

Quote of the Day

The art of simplicity is 
a puzzle of complexity.
Douglas Horton  

Constitutional Heresy: Madison's View on Essential Powers

McClanahan on Is America Anti-Western Civilization?

Is Wikipedia propaganda now?

Choose Life

Political Cartoon

Courtesy of M. Wuerker via Politico

Musical Interlude: 1963 Top 100 Hits 

Ruby Baby - Dion

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Tuesday, February 24, 2026

Post #7577 M: Trump Absolves Himself from Epstein Saga Before "Million Mentions" Bombshell; Dumb Bleep of the Week; Dumbest Takes This Week

 Quote of the Day

It is a mistake to regard age as a downhill grade toward dissolution. 
The reverse is true. 
As one grows older, one climbs with surprising strides.
George Sand  

Trump Absolves Himself from Epstein Saga Before "Million Mentions" Bombshell

Dumb Bleep of the Week

Dumbest Takes This Week

Choose Life

Political; Cartoon

Courtesy of Bill Bramhall via Politico

Musical Interlude: 1963 Top 100 Hits

The Essex - easier said than done

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Monday, February 23, 2026

Post #7576 M: “We're not out of the tariff woods yet,” says Cato’s Colin Grabow; Prof. Jeffrey Sachs: SCOTUS Crushes Trump’s Tariffs;

 Quote of the Day

No man has a good enough memory 
to be a successful liar.
Abraham Lincoln  

“We're not out of the tariff woods yet,” says Cato’s Colin Grabow

Prof. Jeffrey Sachs: SCOTUS Crushes Trump’s Tariffs

Supreme Court Strikes Down Trump’s Tariffs: What’s Next?

Choose Life

Political Cartoon

Courtesy of Rob Rogers via smerconish

Musical Interlude: 1963 Top 100 Hits

Trini Lopez - If I Had A Hammer

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Sunday, February 22, 2026

Post #7575 Social Media Digest

 Facebook


X/Twitter

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Post #7574 M: U.S. Citizen Sues Federal Gov't For Unlawful Detention; Epstein Crony Andrew Faces Consequences; Presidential Power Rankings

 Quote of the Day

Drink nothing without seeing it; 
sign nothing without reading it.
Spanish Proverb  

Press Conference: U.S. Citizen Sues Federal Gov't For Unlawful Detention

Epstein Crony Andrew Faces Consequences

Presidential Power Rankings

Choose Life

Political Cartoon

Courtesy of Nick Anderson via US News

Musical Interlude: 1963 Top 100 Hits

If You Wanna Be Happy - Jimmy Soul

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Saturday, February 21, 2026

Post #7573 J

 Pandemic Report

Note: In future posts, I'll likely retitle this section "Endemic Report". We still haven't seen an update on the 4 megastats since early January. We see the virus growing in a dozen states scattered among the continental US and Alaska.


The Sick Times



The latest COVID-19/other news items over the past week:

  • "US leads world in long COVID-19 brain fog"
  • Legal/political issues:
    • "Vet schools caught up in students’ COVID-19 legal claim"
    • "Moderna says FDA will now consider its new mRNA flu shot after initial refusal"
    • "NIH's Bhattacharya will also run the CDC while Trump administration looks for a permanent director"
  • Prosecutors are pursuing COVID relief fraud or other crimes:

Other Notes

The blog finally seemed to establish a long-term trend in pageviews, with most posts reaching double digits. I finally wrote my first essay of the month, a contrary opinion on the voter ID act. Given a short month, I may push out another essay--probably the overdue one on the Alex Pretti murder. I also intend to write essays on Venezuela and/or Iran, and another referencing the recent SCOTUS decision on tariffs. But reaching 40 posts seems unlikely as I write this month. X/Twitter for the most part really isn't promoting my content, many of which are supplemented by relevant AI summaries of facts. For instance, I compared the Trump record on economic and job growth vs that of Reagan and Clinton. But my followers seem to be drifting lower to near 200. It could be that my negative comments on Trump are turning off some followers.

I saw an old friend on Facebook from my PhD student days. I sent him a friends link but no response yet. It doesn't look like he's that active on Facebook, so I can't read too much into it. I don't want to use his name without his knowledge. But he was a good friend. I don't want to give broad details that would easily identify him (by his university or research interests, for instance). But, for instance, he was an IT manager for an oil company, and he got several questionnaires I needed for my dissertation research. I've been out of academia since the early 90's, and people get caught up in their own lives. I tried to get in touch a few times over the years. Maybe he was afraid I was hoping to get another academic job through him. Not really. Maybe I offended him for some reason I'm not aware of. Maybe he disagrees with my political views.I haven't heard from any UH contact in years. I think the last was when my officemate Bruce Breeding lost his life, and I contacted Dr. Scamell (who chaired our dissertation committees). Richard probably knew before I did. I had heard about it from a BIL: Bruce was involved in Scouts, and had met my 5 Eagle Scout nephews.

Then there was my Navy buddy Joe. I had met Joe and Lynn as fellow math instructors at the Navy Nuclear Power School. Lynn was originally married to a fellow Jew (an odd dude; I recall he once locked Lynn out of their apartment or house). I had a mad crush on Lynn, she had these gorgeous dark curls and a sweet personality. Joe sort of adopted me as his project; we had to go up before the CEO of the nuclear power school for our certification lectures. And apparently the CEO hadn't liked Joe's lecture and chewed our supervisor Wayne's ass. Wayne really wasn't going to go through a similar story with me. Anyway, getting back to Lynn, Joe could tell I liked her and said, "Cool it, dude. She's married." Still, Joe was a unique friend. We went out to dinner, and I thought he was going to drop me off at my apartment. Nope. He decided we were going to a strip bar. When I told him I didn't want to go, he threatened to dump me off in the middle of Orlando. (I have other Joe stories which I won't repeat here.) Anyway, back to Lynn. One day, she shows up with straight black hair.. I express my preference for her former curls. Then Joe says to Lynn, "Don't listen to Ron! Your hairstyle is perfect as it is." I think Lynn is absolutely thrilled with the attention she's getting. So, I'm pissed at Joe. "Why are you scoring points at my expense with Lynn? You yourself told me she was taken!" Joe said. referencing the estranged husband, "You never know what's going to happen." Long story short, the Navy decided to give me an honorable discharge earlier than expected; I spent my last few weeks working at the JAG office. I eventually moved to San Antonio, starting my IT career as a programmer/analyst at an insurance company. So over the next year, I got a wedding invitation--for Joe and Lynn! I also brought a date: Anne, the lovely yeoman I had met at the JAG office. I still feel bad about one thing: Lynn's pride was this beautiful black Mustang; some moron pranked them with limburger in the venting system. 

I think Joe and Lynn eventually served out the rest of their terminal 4-year appointments, and the last I heard Joe was working at a naval yard in Maine. They had 2 daughters and apparently got divorced. Joe has never written to me. I think Lynn and I exchanged a few holiday cards, which probably stopped during my doctoral studies. Maybe she thought it became awkward after the divorce. One of my other Navy buddies, Bill, reached out a few years back over Facebook. I think he may have told me about the divorce, but he has never discussed what happened to them after the divorce.

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Post #7572 M: License Plate Cameras Are Targeting Normal; Trump Launches Prescription Drug Website; The Impact of Trump’s Trade War with Alex Durante

 Quote of the Day

History has demonstrated that the most notable winners 
usually encountered heartbreaking obstacles before they triumphed. 
They won because they refused to become discouraged by their defeats.
B. C. Forbes 

License Plate Cameras Are Targeting Normal

Trump Launches Prescription Drug Website

The Impact of Trump’s Trade War with Alex Durante

Choose Life

Political Cartoon

Courtesy of Jack Ohman via smerconish

Musical Interlude: 1963 Top 100 Hits

Walk Right In - Rooftop Singers

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Friday, February 20, 2026

Post #7571 M: Don Boudreaux | Socialism and its History of Failure; Bondi Spins Out Over Epstein Questions; McClanahan on Free Speech For Me But Not For Thee

 Quote of the Day

For every minute you are angry 
you lose sixty seconds of happiness.
Ralph Waldo Emerson  

Don Boudreaux | Socialism and its History of Failure

Bondi Spins Out Over Epstein Questions

McClanahan on Free Speech For Me But Not For Thee

Choose Life

Political Cartoon

Courtesy of Jack Ohman via smerconish

Musical Interlude: 1963 Top 100 Hits

Denise - Randy & the Rainbows

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