Saturday, April 25, 2026

Lex Anteinternet: CliffsNotes of the Zeitgeist, 125th Edition, part two. Monumental Stupidity Edition.

Lex Anteinternet: CliffsNotes of the Zeitgeist, 125th Edition. Monum...:   Geez, this is stupid. Harrison Design, you should be ashamed of yourselves. Last edition: CliffsNotes of the Zeitgeist, 124th Edition. On ...

Something really weird is going on with Donald Trump and Washington D.C. architecture.

First he started putting up gold crap all over the White House.  Then he ripped down part of the White House in order to build a ballroom.  After that, there was the paver application to the Rose Garden.  Now he wants to put up a Triumphal Arch.  This past week he had this done:


And now we're learning that fountains at Lafayette Park, which the Biden administration estimated would take about $3M to repair, have been repaired at over $15M in a no bid contract.

Of all of these projects, only the fountain really should have been done, and it shouldn't have been done on a no bid contract.  Everything else shows Trump to be just what he is, an old demented hotelier with abysmally bad taste.

Why is he doing this?  

The longer this goes on, of course, the harder it will be to undo. The fountain, fortunately, won't need to be undone.  The gold crap can be tossed into a dumpster.  The paver taken to Home Depo and sold as second.  

Human instinct will mitigate against tearing the ballroom, if it gets build, and the arch, if it does, down.*  It's wasteful.  But it will need to be done as a symbol that is a democracy, not a hotel.  The reflecting pool will have to be addressed, but that will be expensive.

To the extent that any of this was done illegally, the next administration should file suit and seek the costs of restoration as damages from whomever benefitted.  Harrison design should never get another public contract, which is the same for both architectural firms that worked on the ballroom.  Not much can be done about the recipients of no bid contracts, and the work on the fountains, seems well done, if very expensive.  The contract that turned so expensive needs to be looked at.

Frankly, at this point, if we manage to survive another couple of years of the reign of this demented vandal, we need a Truth and Reconciliation Commission.

By the way, the damage to the reflecting pool is permanent, as a practical matter.  The industrial-grade, "American flag blue" swimming pool coating bonds to granite and is designed to last fifty years.  It'll take over a century for the effects to wear off.

Unless its reconstructed, of course, which a lawsuit to cause Trump to pay for should be contemplated, if possible.

Footnotes:

*The arch will not be solid, so there's one legitimate reason to leave it up, and that's a tomb for those killed in Trump's wars.  Both sides.

But not for Trump.

But that won't be done, so it'll just need to come down.

Last edition:

CliffsNotes of the Zeitgeist, 125th Edition. Monumental Stupidity

 

Geez, this is stupid.

Harrison Design, you should be ashamed of yourselves.

Sunday, April 25, 1976. Saving the flag.

Chicago Cubs baseball player and Marine Corps Reserve veteran Rick Monday noticed two protesters trying to burn an American flag in the outfield during a game at Dodger Stadium and snatched the flag from them.


Portugal's constitution proclaimed socialism to be a national goal.

A mass prison outbreak occurred in Laos.

Last edition:

Monday, April 5, 1976. "April 5, 1976: The Soiling of Old Glory"

The 2026 Election, 9th Edition. The Sic Semper Tyrannus edition.*

Confederate prisoners at Five Forks.

April 23, 2026

Republicans are basically freaking out after Virginia's voters sent redistricting to the legislature, guaranteeing Democratic gains in the state's House of Representative representation.  Donald Trump declared that the vote was stolen, which is utter nonsense, but which was predictable.  

He will claim the same about November's election as well, which is going to go very badly for the Republicans, and he will pull out no stops to try to steal that election.

That scary predication aside, the fall's election is getting pretty predictable right now . Republican's have committed political suicide by reelecting a demented not too sharp octogenarian real estate developer to the office of Presidency, one he is not actually legally qualified to hold.

They deserve no pity, even if the country does.

One group of people who are tiresomely not worth of pity are the far right MAGA crew that likes to predict a civil war, as if they're going to storm out of their suburban homes and fight somebody.  That's complete baloney. This is not going to result in a war of any kind.  It might end in violence however as MAGA has already tried to subvert the last election and probably will try to do so again.

On this, there's been a substantial increase in firearms ownership by liberals, a trend that hasn't received much notice.  It falls into two categories, one being political liberals who are just exercising their Second Amendment Rights. One columnist the other day noted that where there are large groups of right wing armed figures the police almost never act badly during demonstrations and is urging that left wing people do the same.  It makes sense, frankly.  This is a tactic that was taken by black activist groups during the 1960s and 1970s.  Liberals, in my view, should do this in part because it makes sense but also in part due to the fact that right wing Second Amendment groups have  rolled over like a pet dog for Trump.  Indeed, in the last issue of The American Rifleman some NRA member wrote a letter to the editor arguing, well, gosh, if there's a protest, best just to stay away, you know, . . . something completely contrary to the positions of the organization in the past.  

The other group are people who probably have real reason to seek self protection and tend to be in the political such as tranvestites and homosexuals.  That frankly makes real sense to me.  The late Charlie Kirk like to claim that tranvestites were inordinately responsible for mass shootings, which is not true, but that sort of rhetoric really does give a good reason for them to arm themselves.

The redistricting came about due to Trump insisting that it be done in Texas and Gov. Abbot agreeing to do it.  The fact that other states could do the same thing apparently never occurred to the dimwits running the GOP, or at least to the chief dimwit and his Texas minions.  Now the Democrats have done it twice and have gained ground in the effort, although a similar effort in Florida could change that. 

Or not.  Trump has lost such a following amongst Hispanics that the Texas redistricting may actually have the same effect, on a less dramatic scale, in that state.

Indeed, Texas is interesting in this regard as Republicans are howling about how a slim majority of voters can "deprive" the remainder of representation, which is an intellectually weak argument.  Nobody was deprived of representation, even though gerrymandering overall is bad.  Anyhow, it was the voters of Virginia who passed the redistricting plan, albeit only by a slim majority.  In Texas it was done by legislative fiat, even though Democrats, not Republicans, are the majority party in terms of registration in Texas.  Texas's districting outright suppresses Democratic votes, something that will come back to haunt the party in Texas.

At any rate, the GOP's actions are truly an example of the Forrest Gump observation, "stupid is as stupid does".  So much so that a person is really entitled to wonder at this point how dim those in charge right now really are.

Closer to home, where the GOP remains solidly in charge but there seems to be a real chance that the Freedom Caucus is going to really suffer in the fall, the following dates need to be kept in mind.

Party Changes

The state of Wyoming passed legislation affecting when a registered voter is allowed to change their party affiliation.

  • You MUST appear in person in the Elections office on or before May 13, 2026 to declare or change your party affiliation.    
  • NO party changes at the polls on Primary Election Day.
  • Qualified voters who are not yet registered will still be able to register and choose their party on the day of the Primary Election.

Absentee Voting

The timeframe for voting absentee has shortened from 45 days to 28 days.

  • Absentee ballot request may be made by phone, mail, email, online or in person.
  • Your ID is required to vote in person or to pick up a ballot.

Absentee voting for the Primary Election:     July 21 - August 17, 2026
Absentee voting for the   General Election:     October 6 - November 2, 2026

Party Affiliation for Primary Election

  • Registered Voter party affiliation change deadline for the Primary Election is May 13, 2026
  • New voter registrations may declare a party affiliation when registering after this deadline.

Candidate Filing Dates

  • State, County and City offices filing runs May 14, 2026 through May 29, 2026
  • College and School Boards, Fire Districts and Soil Conservation Districts filing runs August 5, 2026 through August 24, 2026

Absentee Voting

  • July 21, 2026 through August 17, 2026 for the Primary
  • October 6, 2026 through November 2, 2026 for the General

Election Days

  • Primary Election Day is Tuesday, August 18, 2026 
  • General Election Day is Tuesday, November 3, 2026

Wyoming's Voter ID Law

Effective July 1, 2021, Wyoming voters will be required to show an acceptable form of identification when voting in person. There are many ID options for you to use to prove your identity.  Visit the Wyoming Secretary of State's Office website for more information.

A couple of observations.

One is that you used to be able to change party affiliation at the polls, but the state's GOP got that changed out of fear that all five of the state's remaining Democrats would change party at the poll and vote for Battling Bob LaFollette.

It's a stupid fear.  Any Democrats who were going to do that did it years ago.  The law actually just locks people into their current party, but the propaganda value of this lives on as the real Democrats, the Dixiecrats, like to continually complain that the GOP is backed with RINOs. It is, they are the RINOs.

Another observation is that you have to show "an acceptable" form of identification, so if you are going to vote, bring it.  The Secretary of State's office provides the following as "acceptable:

  • WY Driver's License or ID Card
  • Tribal ID Card
  • Valid US Passport
  • US Military Card
  • DL or ID Card from Another State
  • University of Wyoming Student ID
  • Wyoming Community College Student ID
  • Wyoming Public School Student ID
  • Valid Medicare Insurance Card*
  • Valid Medicaid Insurance Card*
  • Valid Wyoming Concealed Firearm Permit

Mostly because this was the pet project of California Carpetbagger Chuck Gray, I'm going to bring my driver's license, my military ID, and my concealed firearm's permit.  I'm also going to ask everyone manning the polls to see their ID's.  If I have to prove I'm an American citizen, well they should have to do so as well.

The other thing is that the candidate registration date is also coming right up.  It actually runs through May 29, but this year, I'd get that done by May 13 if I was going to run, which I'm not going to (probably).

cont:

And now there's a new candidate for the Senate, Sam Mead from the well known Mead family.  That makes the candidates, on the GOP side (no Democrats have announced):

Harriet Hageman 

Jimmy Skovgard

Samuel Mead

Mead is probably a pretty serious contender.  His website, which is probably not the best way to judge things, shows him to be the best serious candidate to announce, if we disregard Skovgard, who isn't mounting much of a campaign so far.

The first flyer for Steve Freiss, running for House today, arrived in which he tries to maintain he's like Reagan and Trump, which is patently absurd in that Trump and Reagan are nothing like each other.

April 24, 2026

The State Republican Convention opened in Douglas and already has the appearance of the 7th Cavalry attempting to form a final defensive line at Little Big Horn.

Wyomingites are showing increasing signs that they're sick to death of the Freedom  Caucus, but the county delegations still heavily reflect that.  So, they're thinking of just violating the law and even pulling out of primaries.

The dipshittery is already in evidence, as shown by this quote:

What we as a party are moving towards is what people have been asking for decades.

Wyoming Republican Party Chair Bryan Miller.

Miller spent his career in the Air Force sucking off the government tit and then came to Wyoming on the far right "I worked for the government but I hate the government so much I still collect government retirement and am now sucking on the other government tit" platform. Given that, like most of the WFC, what he imagines what people have wanted "for decades" is based on talking to a small group of like minded, small minded, feverish minds, many of whom spent their decades somewhere else.

Basically, the Freedom Caucus is worried that the voters are going to kick it in the ass in the primary and are trying to find a way that county WFC controlled bodies can declare who the candidates in the fall will be.

That's not going to fly.  Anyone can still register as a Republican and run as one if they declare themselves to be one.  The GOP can't change that.  What it can do, however, is break into open civil war before a general election and destroy itself.

Long-term, by attacking the primaries, it might just lead to a non partisan open primary, which would be a fantastic development.

Another proposal is that Republican candidates take a loyalty oath the GOP platform.  The state platform has a barely disguised "grab the public lands" plank in it that Wyomingites hate, but the Confederates love.  Showing more their loyalty to the Lost Cause, it also includes a plank that requires the state to ignore the decisions of Courts that don't go their way, something that actually is flat out illegal and which makes them into a traitorous body seeking the overthrow of the American government, although they seemingly can't grasp that.

The deluded WFC feels that they can secure their failing movement, basically, by expelling everyone else, which at the end of the day would result in a competing Republican body, which would be an outright good development, particularly now. The existing GOP is heading for a cliff this Fall and there's a strong chance it'll start to actually dissolve next year.

cont:

April 25, 2026

Protect Wyoming is directly going after some of the bad state legislators, and Bob Ide pretty meg tops the list there:


I'vc never understood how his district elected him.  They had an experienced conservative, Drew Perkins, who now works for the Governor.  In his place they got a guy who was actually in D.C. at the time of the Insurrection and holds every single extreme right wing view.

On the GOP Convention, the platform fight goes on:

While I personally am religious, Wyoming is the least religious state in the United States.  It's notable that this attempt to declare the state a Christian one failed pretty handily, but also notable that it came up at all.

Also notable is that the state of Wyoming's land board voted to fund housing projects in certain areas to the tune of $5M.  Carpetbagger Chuck Gray, hoping for the U.S. House, tried to keep resident aliens ineligible, and given the locations that this applies to, they'd clearly be part of the population in need.  Degenfelder, who is running for Governor on the "sure, I'm personally a Catholic but the blasphemous octogenarian Demented Don Trump endorsed me" voted for the proposal.

Seems like there's a poem about practicing to deceive.

Footnotes:

"Thus always to tyrants", the state motto of Virginia.

Related threads:

Pollice Verso. The 2026 Political Negative Endorsement. The Don't Vote For List.

Last edition:

The 2026 Election, 7th Edition, Do not stand with those who promote the sins that cry out to Heaven.


Republicans. You have reached July 20, 1944. You can either act with the insurgents and save your party (maybe) or go down in the bunker and destroy it for a generation, or more.

Court Watch, Part V.

 Expect a major hissy fit.


I think we can confidently assume this project is dead, and that some lesser more useful construction will take place after Trump is out of office.

The judge ruled that the plaintiff was likely to prevail as the administration likely lacks the authority they tried to exercise here.

They should refund the money and Trump should pay for this destruction himself.

April 1, 2026

Trump's executive order on mail voting is set to face legal challenges

April 2, 2026

From the CST:


Basically the judge decided the issues in the two matters weren't sufficiently identical for consolidation.

On other matters:
Lex Anteinternet: Courthouses of the West: Donald Trump attends oral...: Courthouses of the West: Donald Trump attends oral arguments in Trump v. Ba... : That's the birthright citizenship case. Trump's goi...
I posted this yesterday.

Courthouses of the West: Donald Trump attends oral arguments in Trump v. Barbara

Courthouses of the West: Donald Trump attends oral arguments in Trump v. Ba...: That's the birthright citizenship case. Trump's going to lose this case, which will be another example of the wheels coming off of h...

Donald Trump attends oral arguments in Trump v. Barbara.

That's the birthright citizenship case.

Trump's going to lose this case, which will be another example of the wheels coming off of his administration.  His presence at the Court will not impress anyone, let alone the Justices. Trump seems to have lost any sense that he's not that impressive to about 70% of Americans.

His attendance is, frankly, appalling.

Cont (April 1, 2026)

JUSTICE NEIL GORSUCH: Do you think Native Americans today are birthright citizens under your test and under your friend's test?

D. JOHN SAUER, U.S. SOLICITOR GENERAL: I think so. I mean, obviously, they've been granted citizenship by statute ...

GORSUCH: Put aside the statute. Do you think they're birthright citizens?

SAUER: No, I think the clear understanding that everybody agrees in the congressional debates is that the children of tribal Indians are not birthright citizens.

GORSUCH: I understand that's what they said. But your test is the domicile of the parents, and that would be the test you'd have us apply today, right?

SAUER: Yes, yes. So, if a tribal Indian, for example, you know, gives up allegiance to ...

GORSUCH: Are tribal members born today birthright citizens?

SAUER: I think so, on our test, if they're lawfully domiciled here. I'm not s—, I have to think that through, but that's my reaction.

GORSUCH: I'll take the yes. That's alright.

Gee Louise, this administration is really something. 

It turns out that Trump left after Justice Jackson pretty much eviscerated the solicitor, D. John Sauer, who was sent to argue this.  Sauer's career really ought to be over for such a lame argument that was so obviously legal deficient.  He's a former Missouri solicitor and, more important, one of the lawyers who was willing to represent Trump in the past.

April 14, 2026

Trump predictably lost his defamation suit against the Washington Post.

And perhaps something will happen on Gray's ignoring Wyoming's voter confidentiality laws.


April 17, 2026

An attempted end run to fund the garden shed was again blocked by the Federal Court.

April 21, 2026

Kash Patel has sued The Atlantic claiming that an article that claims he has an alcohol problem is defamatory.

April 22, 2026

April 25, 2026
This is sad, but not unexpected, news.

The thing that really gets me here is the remarkable photograph of the three principal female figures in this contest on the abortion side.  There they are, sharing a good laugh, while supporting infanticide.

Abortion is flat out murder, there's no two ways about it.  Something about this made me look up the ages of the women in the photograph.

Burkhart was born in 65 or 67. . . apparently people aren't really sure.  Anthony in 66-68.  Lichtenfels, whom I once knew, probably around 61-62.  So they all grew up in the 60s and 70s when abortion was really gaining ground.  It certainly did that.  A huge number of babies are murdered in the Western world, including the U.S., every day.  The seas of blood on that score outstrips anything the Nazis or Soviet Communists did.  It's part of what's corrupted the United States and given us our current era.

What I wondered about generationally doesn't pan out, however.  Support for abortion is pretty strong across generations in this country, although obviously not so strong that the legislature here doesn't keep trying to legislate against it.

What the legislature needs to do is to work to repeal the health care self determination provision of the state constitution that paranoid far righters got inserted into it several years ago.  If they did, we wouldn't be having this argument now.

Last edition:

Court Watch, Part IV.

Friday, April 24, 2026

At last, the Trump's have a chance to erase the stain of no service.

Reporter: How long are you willing to wait for a response from Iran?

Trump: Don’t rush me. We were in Vietnam for 18 years.

From a press conference yesterday.

I must ask who is "we"?  Trump wasn't in Vietnam for 18 years. . 18 months, or shoot,. 18 hours.  

No Trump has served in any U.S. war. . . ever.  While there are reasons that explain it, Trump's grandfather was regarded as a draft evader in his native Germany and had to leave as a result, upon returning home after having made his initial fortune in lodging and prostitution.

Well, at last, it appears this historical stain can be addressed.

The White House posted this as a pin for "no pannicans".  People who really trust in Trump.

And who could trust more in the demented octogenarian than members of the Trump family itself.  This must be the Designated Insignia for a 1st U.S. Volunteer Cavalry, a la Spanish American War, unit for Trump's new forever wars.


Oh, just imagine the glory.  Don Jr. and Barron can be the first off the Blackhawk in Iran, or Cuba, and finally be under fire.  Sure, some of them may get blown away, just like Quentin Roosevelt in World War One, but they will have given their lives for the thing that matters most to Donald Trump, that being Donald Trump.  

Not that an entire unit can be filled up with just Trumps.  There's a lot of them, but not that many.  Just like the 1st U.S. Volunteer Cavalry, recruiting can occur quickly and the unit can be filled up with rich swells and MAGAs.  Elon Musk missed his mandatory military service in his native South Africa. . .well here's his chance.  Name appear on the Epstein lists. . .well here's the chance to blot that out.  Maybe even the prince formerly known as Andrew can join.

And Bebos. . . there's a spot for you!  

And of course all the smaller MAGAs can go.  No reason single men like Chuck Gray and Reid Rasner can't show their undying love of the leader.  And some with military experience can finally prove their mettle in the new Trumpian world.  After all, Theodore Roosevelt left his position in the Department of the Navy to fight in Cuba. . . there's no reason that J.D. Vance can't resume his military career. And Marco Rubio might get his chance to lead a charge up San Juan Hill.

And triumphal arch will at last serve a purpose.  The dead bodies of the Trump Riders can be dumped into the hollow core of the monstrosity.  A fitting purpose for it.

Wednesday, April 24 1946. Firsts.

The Aerodrome: Wednesday, April 24 1946. Firsts.: The Blue Angels, flying F6F Hellcats, were formed. The first Blue Angels. The MiG-9 and the Yak-15 flew for the first time.

Wednesday, April 24 1946. Firsts.

The Blue Angels, flying F6F Hellcats, were formed.

The first Blue Angels.

The MiG-9 and the Yak-15 flew for the first time.

The French Constituent Assembly voted 487 to 63 to nationalize the insurance industry.

Last edition:

Saturday, April 24, 1926. Neutral but hedging bets.

The Soviet Union and Weimar Germany pledged to remain neutral if either nation got into a war in the next five  years.

A Flapper Fanny cartoon for the day:


It was a Saturday.

The Saturday Evening Post had a Rockwell that would go on to be one of his favored illustrations.


Last edition:

Pentagon memo shows Trump is using NATO to control and extort Europe

Oh, I know. . . can't be true, unless you are Mike Lee in which Trump is a genius and the United States should become its own planet.

Pentagon memo shows Trump is using NATO to control and extort Europe

A leaked Pentagon document outlines options to punish European countries who don't join the Iran War, including expelling Spain from NATO and threatening Britain's Falkland Islands.

Report: Trump Administration Is Spying on Pope Leo XIV’s Vatican.

 If this is correct, it should be the last possible line in the sand for American Catholics.  For those for whom it isn't, there's clearly no outrage that Trump could do that would matter to them.

Report: Trump Administration Is Spying on Pope Leo XIV’s Vatican

An independent journalist with a record of leaked-FBI scoops has documented that the Vatican is being targeted by US intelligence services.

Thursday, April 23, 2026

Going Feral: Today is Earth Day.

Going Feral: Today is Earth Day.: There would seemingly be little to celebrate this year.  A demented octogenarian doesn't acknowledge climate change and will be dead as ...

Today is Earth Day.

There would seemingly be little to celebrate this year.  A demented octogenarian doesn't acknowledge climate change and will be dead as a doornail before it has a chance to bother him, not that the well funded indoor lifestyle of Trump would be much impacted anyway, unless of course it disrupted golf somehow.  

But, accidentally, there might be some reason to take hope.

Trump is so bad, and his administration is so horrific, that it may very well be like the refiners fire.  It's burning the stupidity out of American politics but putting it fully in place and putting it to the test.  When this is over, and it will be soon, very few Republican politicians close to Trump or supporting his policies will survive the test.  The Democrats are coming back into power, and a in a chastised form.

Whether they learned their lessons or not we have yet to see.  The Republicans show no sign that they have, but the public has made their opinions known. They do not like land rape. They do not like selling off public lands.  They are noting that the environment isn't right.  The validity of science is being demonstrated by the opponents of science being put into power.

It took World War Two to drive militarism out of the Germans and Japanese.  It might have taken Trumpism to wake up Americans to science and reality.

Related threads:

Donald Trump. Flagellum Dei?