Wednesday, December 31, 2025

Ascendant Ignorance in the Age of Donald Trump. Ignoramus Watch Part 2. The War is a Racket edition.

 


December 17, 2025.

WAR is a racket. It always has been. It is possibly the oldest, easily the most profitable, surely the most vicious. It is the only one international in scope. It is the only one in which the profits are reckoned in dollars and the losses in lives.

Gen. Smedley Butler.

American sweat, ingenuity and toil created the oil industry in Venezuela. Its tyrannical expropriation was the largest recorded theft of American wealth and property. These pillaged assets were then used to fund terrorism and flood our streets with killers, mercenaries and drugs.

Stephen Miller, Homeland Security Advisor.

Stephen Miller, who is Jewish, has somehow managed to become the most White Racist and imperialist member of the Trump Administration, apparently forgetting that the white, Protestant, demographic he's backing, doesn't regard him as white.

Maybe Miller ought to listen to some Nick Fuentes.

Anyhow, the other day Trump said something about Venezuela stealing "our land".  It made no sense, but now, with Miller's help, we know what he meant.

Geology created the Venezuelan oil industry.  Imperialism created the concept that somebody else's natural resources belongs to us.  Neo imperialism will get us bogged down in regional wars Miller won't be going to so that young American men can die for petroleum oil, which we have plenty of here in the US.

Trump is demented.  People like Miller have his ear. This is absolutely frightening.

December 19, 2025

Trump’s handpicked buttkissers on the Kennedy Center board voted to renames it the Trump Kennedy Center

It's questionable if it can legally be renamed, and all of these "love me" type of monumental acts are going to go away as soon as Trump's illegitimate interregnum is over.  The amazing things that there's such syncophantic asskissers who are willing to do things like this.

December 22, 2025

And while you are, or aren't, worrying about this:

If you are an Apostolic Christian, and aren't worried yet, you ought to be. Or maybe not. Or maybe.

You might want to worry that we have a seemingly unstable would be caudillo in the Oval Office and an administration that violated the deadline provisions of the law concerning release of the Epstein files.

At first the MAGAs were pointing toward the photos of Clinton, but within 24 hours they were pulling stuff back down that referenced Trump.  On Sunday they sent a deputy AG around to the Sunday shows to explain that they had to do that, apparently, as women who appeared in the buff in those photos might have been complaining about it.  If those women were minors, they shouldn't have released that material, but then they should have had that figured out in the first place.  If they were just nude women, well, too bad.  You get photographed in the house of a creep, you can't expect that not to get around.

Anyhow, he ran around sounding rather distraught.  Now we know that a third oil taker in our sights in the Caribbean, and today we learn that Trump has appointed a "special envoy" to Greenland who has said something about how we should annex that territory to the US.  Denmark has called in our ambassador.

Okay, how does that relate to this thread?

Trump appears to be pretty desperate right now.  Nothing distracts like a war.  Nicolás Maduro shows no signs whatsoever of backing down, and there are no signs whatsoever that his military is going to force him out.  Trump can't back down.  And what better way to change the topic at Christmas dinner from "so. . . why do you think the administration is protecting the diddler files" than by sending than by sending FA 18s over Venezuela. . . or maybe putting the Marines on the beaches?

Am I saying that is going to happen as a distraction from the embarrassing teenage girl sex story?  No, I"m not, but I am saying its not impossible to imagine that.

And at this point, it's clear, Maduro is sitting there ignoring Trump.  War with Venezuela, in some form, is inevitable.

cont:

Not really properly before in this category, but administration news nonetheless, the ambassadors to Burundi, Cameroon, Cape Verde, Gabon, Ivory Coast, Madagascar, Mauritius, Niger, Nigeria, Rwanda, Senegal, Somalia, Uganda, Fiji, Laos, the Marshall Islands, Papua New Guinea, the Philippines and Vietnam, Armenia, Macedonia, Montenegro, Slovakia, Algeria, Egypt, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Guatemala and Suriname are being removed and replaced.

cont:

We need Greenland for national protection. They have a very small population…They say that Denmark was there 300 years ago with a boat. Well, we were there with boats too I’m sure.

Donald Trump. 

The United States isn't 300 years old. . . 

And that small population comment is just the sort of thing a New Yorker would say . . . 

And then there's this gem. Trump wants a fleet of twenty five battleships built.  Battleships have been obsolete for decades.

cont:

It appears the "battleships" will not be battleships.

December 24, 2025

Now this is interesting:

Heritage Foundation killed by MAGA

December 25, 2025.  Christmas Day


What a horrible person.

December 31, 2025

First Greene, and now Boebert.


Like Greene, Boebert was a fanatic MAGA.  Problem for Trump was that she, like Greene, MAGA than Trump who, at the end of the day, is only about Trump.

At some point somebody pointed out to Trump that there are people in the Epstein files whose names he shouldn't want released.  Maybe that's Trump or maybe that's somebody else.  Probably somebody else, but Trump already looks pretty bad in regard to hanging out with Epstein.  He didn't want those files released, and so far the administration hasn't fully released them.  Boebert, like Green voted to release them.

Now she and her district must pay the price.

Blog Mirror: The Missiles Fall. The Bromance Endures. As Russian drones and missiles tore into Kyiv, Donald Trump found time not for outrage—but for understanding Vladimir Putin.

 

The Missiles Fall. The Bromance Endures.

As Russian drones and missiles tore into Kyiv, Donald Trump found time not for outrage—but for understanding Vladimir Putin.

Monday, December 31, 1945. The end of a historical episode and the dawn of a new one, additional labels.


Monday, December 31, 1945. The end of a historical episode and the dawn of a new one, additional labels, part two.

Thursday, December 31, 1925. Reining in New Years.

The first attempt at a worldwide New Year's celebration was made via international radio when the United States sent out musical entertainment and New Year's greetings from the consuls general of various foreign countries in New York.

There was an effort in many locations in the US to rein in New Years celebrations, which if they were in compliance with the law, should be dry:


European flooding which had broken out on the 29th hit Belgium.

Today In Wyoming's History: December 31:  1925  The legendary Swan Land & Cattle Company issued its corporate holdings report for the year.

Last Edition:

Wednesday, December 30, 1925. Ben-Hur.

Wars and Rumors of War, 2025. Part 10 (the final edition for 2025). The Gunboat Diplomacy Edition.

You will hear of wars and rumors of wars, but see to it that you are not alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come. Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom.

Matthew, Chapter 24.

I spent 33 years and four months in active military service and during that period I spent most of my time as a high class muscle man for Big Business, for Wall Street and the bankers. In short, I was a racketeer, a gangster for capitalism. I helped make Mexico and especially Tampico safe for American oil interests in 1914. I helped make Haiti and Cuba a decent place for the National City Bank boys to collect revenues in. I helped in the raping of half a dozen Central American republics for the benefit of Wall Street. I helped purify Nicaragua for the International Banking House of Brown Brothers in 1902-1912. I brought light to the Dominican Republic for the American sugar interests in 1916. I helped make Honduras right for the American fruit companies in 1903. In China in 1927 I helped see to it that Standard Oil went on its way unmolested. Looking back on it, I might have given Al Capone a few hints. The best he could do was to operate his racket in three districts. I operated on three continents.

Smedley D. Butler, War Is a Racket

December 21, 2025

United States v. Venezuela

Thee U.S. Coast Guard seized a second tanker transporting Venezuelan oil.

United States and Jordan v. ISIL

Jordan confirmed it helped the U.S. in the airstrikes in Syria against ISIL.

December 22, 2025

United States v. Venezuela

The US will be seizing, if it has not already, a third tanker.

December 23, 2025

Russo Ukrainian War

Lt. Gen. Fanil Sarvarov,  head of the Operational Training Directorate of the Russian Armed Forces General Staff, was killed by an explosive device placed under his car in Moscow.

December 24, 2025

Russo Ukrainian War

Ukrainian forces withdrew from Siversk in the eastern Donetsk region after heavy fighting with Russian forces.

December 26, 2025

United States v. ISIS in Nigeria

The US hit ISIS affiliated targets in Nigeria yesterday.

Islamist attacks on Catholic Nigerians has been going on for a long time and has received very little attention in the US, outside of Catholic circles associated with Nigerians, but suddenly under the Trump Administration, it is.  The attention is long overdue, but a person has to suspect that it comes out of NatCon circles and from Catholics inside the administration, rather than some personal concern from President Trump himself.  Indeed, in announcing the strikes the mentally declining illegitimate chief executive stated:

Tonight, at my direction as Commander in Chief, the United States launched a powerful and deadly strike against ISIS Terrorist Scum in Northwest Nigeria, who have been targeting and viciously killing, primarily, innocent Christians, at levels not seen for many years, and even Centuries!

The many years and evcen centuries statement demonstrates a massive deficit in historical knowledge.  Th is has been going on for many years, the vast majority of Christians on the plant are Catholic and there's been many examples of brutal killing of Catholics, very notably by Muslims, for centuries. 

The strikes were carried out by ship to shore missiles.

Which groups were hit is unclear, but the largest IS-linked group in Nigeria is the Islamic State West Africa Province while the smaller group known as Lakurawa has sought to establish a base in north-western Sokoto state which was where the strikes were targeted.

Islamist groups in Nigeria have acted against Muslims as well as Catholics, but while that is noted, their repression and brutality is principally directed at Catholics.

The intervention seems justified and generally welcomed but now that it has commenced, the US will have to continue as this is a very long running problems and a day of missile attacks is not going to stop things immediately.

December 27, 2025

United States v. ISIS in Nigeria

In something that's obvious, but interesting in the world of Trump claims/lies/fantasies, Nigeria indicated it was open to the new military relationship with the US being ongoing and indicated that defeating Islamic extremist in the country will take some time.

It'll take a long time.

It's a worthwhile endeavor, but I wonder how the MAGAs that believed that Trump was going to end US involvement in foreign wars will justify it.  Most MAGAs believe in isolationism, and the NAR folks include groups which, in their ignorance, don't realize that Catholics, the Christians in peril in Nigeria, and which are the original Christian denomination, are actually Christians.

On the strikes:

US targets ISIS with multiple strikes in Nigeria

U.S. cruise missiles miss targets in Nigeria

December 28, 2025

Russo Ukrainian War

Russia attacked Kyiv with ballistic missiles and drones yesterday, a day before scheduled talks between the Ukraine and the United States., killing at least one person and wounding 27.

It'll be interesting to see what effect this has on the talks given the participation of the unreliable and demented Donald Trump.

Thailand v. Cambodia

The fighting parties signed a new armistice in their border conflict.

The origin of the border fight dates back to the 1950s and is over undefined and unagreed to areas of their common border.

December 31, 2025

Saudi Arabia v. Yemeni separatists

Saudi Arabia bombe the Yemeni port city of Mukalla on Tuesday after a weapons shipment from the United Arab Emirates arrived for separatist forces.  A warning to the UAE followed.

United States v. Venezuela.

The Central Intelligence Area hit a Venezuelan dock with drones.

Last edition:

Wars and Rumors of War, 2025. Part 9. The Neville Chamberlain Edition.

Going Feral: Rep. Bill Allemand arrested for drinking and driving

Going Feral: Rep. Bill Allemand arrested for drinking and driving: Rep. Bill Allemand arrested for drinking and driving : Wyoming Freedom Caucus member allegedly admitted that ‘he drinks while driving for an...

Rep. Bill Allemand arrested for drinking and driving

Rep. Bill Allemand arrested for drinking and driving: Wyoming Freedom Caucus member allegedly admitted that ‘he drinks while driving for anxiety,’ Johnson County Sheriff’s Office report says.

I suppose its an example of Schadenfreude, but Allemand is a an enemy of sportsmen and public lands, as well as being a central figure in an effort to kill a proposed industrial project north of Natrona County's Bar Nunn.

He's notably a Wyomingite, albeit one who spent most of his working life in Kansas, whose positions on things match the Freedom Caucus's, anti public lands, anti nuclear for some reason and pro whatever goofball thing the Freedom Caucus is for.  In his first run for office he was downright nasty to his opponent, and frankly the residents of his House district are not to be admired for voting for him in that election.

During the last legislature he sponsored a bill to really jack up the penalties for trespassing while hunting.  On that, it's notable that he's from a large ranching family in northern Natrona County, although he's not a rancher himself.

The drinks "for anxiety" comment suggests that he probably should be pitied, however, and that he might have some sort of a problem.  

Anyhow, if he goes, and he might have been on the way out due to his role in torpedoing the project north of Bar Nunn anyhow, it may be a good thing for public lands users and sportsmen, depending upon who replaces him.

Natrona County Rep. Allemand charged with DUI in Johnson County

5 most disgusting recipes of 2025


 

Top 5 Worst Sandwiches of 2025 on Sandwiches of History⁣

Tuesday, December 30, 2025

The Navy is struggling to build ships

 

The Navy is struggling to build ships

Wednesday, December 30, 1925. Ben-Hur.

The first variant of Ben-Hur was released.

I tried listening to the book as an audio book once, but gave it up.  I should either try that again, or read it.

The Association of College Honor Societies was formed by representatives of six organizations, Alpha Omega Alpha; the Order of the Coif; Phi Beta Kappa; Phi Kappa Phi; Sigma Xi; Tau Beta Pi.  While nothing compared to the post World War Two boom in college attendance, the 1920s did see an increase in it, including an increase in female attendance.

Adding an item that would have properly been posted yesterday, but we were unaware of it, on December 28, 1925, this patent was granted:


We do not wish to be crude, but we do seek to track various developments on this blog.  Indeed, that's one of its main purposes.  This is a real development. This is a sanitary belt for menstruation, a very common, indeed the normal, method of addressing sanitary concerns until the tampon became common which wasn't really until the 1970s.

Anyhow, women in their current societal roles necessitated inventions such as this.  Kotex, the primary brand, was not introduced until 1920.


Related threads:


Last edition:

Opaque transparency, the Epstein files and you

Opaque transparency, the Epstein files and you: The heavily redacted tranche of documents violates the public's right to know, writes columnist Rod Miller.

Subsidiarity Economics 2025. The Times more or less locally, Part 13. Disassociation.

December 12, 2025



From the Casper Star Tribune.

The Democratic bill to extend the credits failed.
Senate blocks Obamacare tax subsidy extension, all but ensuring spikes for Wyoming consumers: Sen. John Barrasso of Wyoming called tax subsidy extension a “disaster” and lobbied for a Republican health savings account proposal that also failed.

So did a moronic Republic bill for health savings accounts. That was no sort of plan.

The evidence is too well established to ignore.  A national health care system needs to be established and frankly it would not be that difficult.  It'll be interesting to see if this brings it about, as the populist contingent that opposes it, including here in the state, is about to lose its insurance.  This is, quite frankly, a disaster.

It's a disaster that the GOP hopes will kill off the AHCA and there really isn't any serious proposals to replace it. They want it dead, as it's "socialism", even though it isn't.  The Health Savings Account concept was just pablum and everyone is well aware that it'd achieve nothing at all.

Which brings me back to this point.  The difference between right wing populism and left wing populism is nearly non existent.  The ox that will end up being gored here is that of the street level right wing populist, who can be, and in some instances was, left wing populist.  

Speaking of average folks:


Also from the CST.

December 13, 2025


December 14, 2025



The Federal government terminated the collective bargaining status for the union that covers TSA officers, the American Federation of Government Employees, as to TAS officers.

The union, which covers the employees of other agencies as well, has over 300,000 members, probably none of whom will caste a vote for the GOP next year.

We also have Chuck Gray sounding like a broken record:


Gray's in a bit of a spot as he'd hoped to use the Secretary of State's office as a springboard to something else.  It's not looking like that will pay off, as Bill Barlow is clearly in the lead for the Governor's office and Gray can't think of anything to say that doesn't sound like it's from the junior edition of the MAGA playlist, which is rapidly becoming a set of moly oldies.  To make matters worse for him, he's now so acclimated to absurd name calling that he can't stop it, as in:

We should be deeply troubled by the efforts of Gov. Gordon and other insider politicians to jam through woke wind projects that violate so many of our core principles as Wyomingites. 
"Woke wind projects"?  

I know what he means, of course, which is that as the Federal Government backed wind under Biden, and as global warming is a fib, and as Joe Biden is responsible for all of the ills in society, it's the dreaded evil "woke".  Gray has used this sort of rhetoric so often, however, that if a cafe burns his toast I'm sure that he reflexively calls the short order cook a liberal, let wing woke Marxist.

Gray's career in Wyoming politics is probably shot.  Barlow will get the Governor's office, Hageman won't run for it as she knows that, so she'll keep her office, Lummis is the Wyoming sphinx, rarely saying anything, and she'll keep her office.  Gray will be lucky if he doesn't draw opposition and lose his.

On wind, all the fossil fuel true believers were dead set against it but now oil is hovering around $60.00 and it appears that the Federal Government might be pushing to depress the price.  A well placed GOP politician told me the other day that the administration wants it at $30.00/bbl next year, which would wipe out domestic production and throw Wyoming into an oilfield depression.

On a different note:  


December 16, 2025

US payrolls fell by 105,000 people in October, and then rebounded to add 64,000 in November.

Sort of a mixed message there, assuming that such figures coming out of the US government are trustworthy.

Cont:

Well, apparently those who are schooled in this kind of data view this as a pretty negative jobs report.  The economy is cooling, and the unemployment rate is up.

December 17, 2025

Feds, Wyoming greenlight new helium plant, among world’s largest: The Dry Piney helium production and CO2 sequestration project would rival ExxonMobil's neighboring Shute Creek plant near LaBarge.



December 21, 2025


December 22, 2025.

Jim Beam is ceasing production from its principal facility for all of 2026.

The price of oil in Wyoming today:  $43.73.  Below the price for further exploration. . . by a huge margin.

December 23, 2025

Rogue Brewing in Oregon has shut down and filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy.

December 24, 2025

Headline in the CST:

Gordon awards $100 million
in matching funds to
BWXT nuclear fuel facility
And the story:

Gordon awards $100M to northern Wyoming nuclear fuel manufacturer: The state-backed grant will support BWXT's proposed TRISO fuel manufacturing facility in Gillette.

December 25, 2025

The price of oil today is $58.0/bbl.  Wyoming's oil is at $43.90.

December 28, 2025

The news that so many simply refuse to believe:
As part of this:

Wyoming coal is projected to have its second worst production year since its peak in 2008. Economists say the decline will likely continue, putting the state’s economic future on shaky ground.
We've discussed this trend line before, but to put it bluntly, it's going to decline into oblivion.

December 30, 2025

Related threads:


Last edition:

Subsidiarity Economics 2025. The Times more or less locally, Part 12. Don't look . . . everything's just fine edition.