I am quite sure Trump sucked all the money out of there long before it dropped. That shit is just a way for him to be financed by his foreign whoremasters without attracting the notice of federal authorities...although there aren't any more federal authorities, so people may as well show up in DC with suitcases of cash.
Re: Vaccines- from The Guardian- ‘Trump administration cancels meeting on flu shots, fueling anti-vax concerns.’
WHO (World Health Organization) held a meeting this morning on the composition of influenza virus vaccines for use in the 2025-2026 northern hemisphere influenza season.
I've been too ennervated to follow along for some time. I read this this morning and was struck by the child-like (not childish) quality of your writing for this piece. I feel your fatique and depression.
I’m feeling just the same Greg. Thank you for making the effort as I know how hard it is to face the world each day. I greatly appreciate any form as long as you write something. It brought a slight smile on my face by mentioning that wonderful song by the Bangles, Walk like an Egyptian. My daughter’s favourite back in the 80’s before we moved to London where she still lives. I made her a fancy dress or costume for her last Halloween in New Jersey where we lived.
Thanks, Rusalka. I feel like there's wisdom in that song. "And the Japanese with their yen / The party boys call the Kremlin / And the Chinese know... / They're walking like an Egyptian." It goes to where the real enemy power is, and then back to where it began, and it suggests that we've been through all of this before.
I liked it…train of thought, seeing how your mind bounces then brings it back together to make your point. It’s apropos of the times right now… very fitting. No apology please. Be you because you are one of my trusted peeps who sees things clearly and doesn’t lie. Thanks
It’s funny. Whenever I engage someone on Twitter who runs around with their Elon Erections (maybe some women have Ladywood but the vast majority of worshippers are guys), I mention 2 terms: “Unelected Bureaucrat” and “Unvetted”. What do I get back from the engaged? Crickets.
The Kool Aid is so so tasty. I think that deep down, they all either want to BE him, meaning be super rich, or else attract his notice and thus his funding.
Greg, outstanding piece. I was aware of Dugin's work in headline terms, your analysis puts meat on that bone.
The only analogy I can draw for Elon the Musk is Dr Claw the evil mastermind, head of MAD in the Inspector Gadget series. Perhaps the answer to what is happening is to dig up Don Adams, the bumbling hero. While he stumbled and at times made things worse, his erstwhile assistant Penny found ways to get things right. I mention this silliness because I fear many people are looking for the perfect answer to the demented, posts all night, sleeps all day puppet 4547 and Putin's guy Elon. We need a scatter gun approach, fight fire with fire. Elon is everywhere, all the time, the forces of good need to be likewise.
Sadly, I fear the real reckoning will come from money. I am 76 years old and spend a disproportionate amount of time worrying about our retirement funds. My wife and I are downsizing, selling the big house before the property market collapses. Managing retirement funds has become a full time job with little to help guide investment strategy. Go to cash before the big crash? Certainly some companies will do ok out of all this turmoil but figuring out which ones is tricky. Sell US, buy EU, maybe China.
The upshot, the real push back will begin when people feel pain. And the only pain that is loud and clear is wallet pain.
Thank you for what you are doing. You are certainly part of the everywhere, all the time good squad.
Thanks, Old Man. I agree, people -- not people on this comment board, but the people who aren't paying attention and think "he won't really do THAT" -- need to be deprived before they wake up. They can do so much damage before that. They already have. No one SEES the effects of firing NSA people and cutting funds for pandemic response until, you know, we are under attack. It's bleak.
Real estate will retain its value, even if the numbers get wonky. In Germany during hyperinflation, people bought pianos, because they knew that when the dust settled, they were inherently valuable. It's insane we have to think about this at all.
No doubts about any of what you laid out here. I have to remind myself that everyone processes "bad news" differently, some do it by not doing it. For today, I'm choosing to imagine trump sitting on the floor, along with #ElonBreaksAllHisToy 's young children, while Putin performs a puppet show to explain his "process". Being incredibly desperate, trump looks on adoringly and emphatically nods pretending he really "gets it". He mindlessly joins "X" in nose picking.
Next I'll clean the litter box, and see where else the day takes me. Humour may save us all.
Update: the day went in unforeseen directions. Good lord. But through it all, cats keep pooping. Mine like to poop as soon as I sit down with my morning coffee...
As a LinkedIn member, I would like to post this video unless you are planning to, as this is an important message to all Americans. I don't want to overstep.
One begins to wonder if people like Putin and Newt Fucking Gingrich (that IS his full name, isn't it?) are immortal. It seems like we always talk about Putin as if he will ALWAYS be where he is, and granted, he probably will be until the end of his life, but does it have an end? He's allegedly 72 years old, and that's not THAT old, but considering his activities for the past 25 years, I would think a person would tend to age quicker. But no, he just remains standing. Rumors of him "soiling himself" on a staircase in the Kremlin a few years ago must have been simply too much fiber in his diet.
I used to be a relatively nice, peaceful person before 2016, now I spend an inordinate amount of time hoping for other people's deaths. This is not normal. Nothing that's happening is normal. I want some NORMAL back! WTF?
I like the Friday Ramble On -- it's like a preview chef's kiss to the Five 8 on Friday night. Two weeks ago, I just watched. Last week, I just read it. This week, I did both and followed along as you spoke. I can't decide which I like better, but hearing you is definitely a plus, so I'll stick to that. Good weekend, everybody!
Thanks, Steve. These are fun to do -- I mean, talking about horrible stuff isn't the same fun as, say, lounging on the beach in Cancun, but you know what I mean -- and they supplement the decrease in podcast episodes. One positive use of AI is that it spits out a pretty accurate transcript.
Evil preserves you, I have determined. The Kissinger effect. These people don't have the same anxieties we do, don't feel emotion in the same way. Me, I'm with you: I rage at many points during the day and wish I could hurl thunderbolts like Zeus, and that's not good for the mental health of an otherwise easygoing human.
When these fuckers die, i WILL make videos of myself celebrating, and all the morality policemen on X can go to hell.
We are in the middle not only of a coup but the 21st Century version of the French Reign of Terror; the digital version if you will. It shouldn’t take a rocket scientist to know that by destabilizing our economy we could very easily fall into a third world status. The world has invested in our economy because of our stability. That’s how strong we were. That is what Hamilton saw for us and we succeeded far beyond even our expectations. The only thing that would weaken us would be to do everything possible to everything we count on to keep us safe; undermine it and then destroy it.
Look at what’s happened over the years sort of like how a new update on our computers happens. There is what’s called the Pre-Alpha stage. This is what I consider the Reagan years where he introduces the idea that the government doesn’t help people but is a problem itself. He begins his assault on unions. Ok. Groundwork laid.
The Alpha stage introduces the slash and burn government of Newt Gingrich and the muckraking impeachment of Bill Clinton.
The Beta version was much larger and it was infected with a virus; a bad one. The Open Beta began with the 2000 election. Then 9/11. Then two wars put on a Chinese credit card and an economic crash.
President Obama’s election was the Closed Beta but the virus still lurked undetected by most.
Trump 1.1 was the Release Candidate where all intended features and functions worked as planned and feedback let the “developers” know where there might be “issues”. The November election installed the General Availability version of Trump 1.2 along with a full-blown virus now recognized as the Musk virus. Naturally, everything we do now is digital from banking to medical records and beyond.
We might have to return to the Stone Age to start afresh. Think about them apples over the weekend.
I like thinking about it this way, SPW, because it IS all part of a bigger picture. In France, the king borrowed money to fund his war [which helped the US, ha ha], and repudiated the debt rather than tax the rich. His head wound up in a basket. Will our current monarchists understand the history? Unlikely.
I worry about the digital stuff. One magnetic blip and it's all gone. I'm trying to collect writings in paper form, just in case.
The Musk-Trump Administration is as if Salvador Dali tried to interpret “The Manchurian Candidate” (the 1959 novel or the 1962 or 2004 movies — take your pick).
On another note, there’s a petition on the Canadian Parliament website to have the Prime Minister (as of this writing still Justin Trudeau) revoke Musk’s Canadian citizenship. Since Feb 20th it has garnered more than 345,000 signatures (Canadian citizens or residents only — signatures are being validated).
It would take an act of Parliament but it's possible. As of Saturday afternoon the previous record for signatures on a petition on the Canadian House of Commons website is: 387,487. The anti-Musk potion is closing in on that record — stands at 352, 452 at 3:51 pm. Pretty good indication that there is a lot of Musk dislike in Canada. BTW, being a Can-Am, I'm one of the signatories.
Dugins daughter’s death, certainly raised an eyebrow, I thought Dugin was Putins mentor, which brings to mind the question of WTF happened? I’ve never read the details, but I’m certain you’ve explored them Greg.
The willfully ignorant love affair with their perceived savants Trump and Musk is truly insane! It’s becoming a bit clearer to those who haven’t paid attention to the past, nor the present autogolpe, du jour?
This piece explains a number of important points I’ve either questioned, or observed.
Je me gratte la tête over the fuckery of the duly elected daily, as you appear to be Greg! You’ve clearly laid out an obvious case in point in this excellent piece, I’m sharing your brilliance, thanks!!
Merci, Patrick. I'm not sure what happened with his daughter, except that he was the intended target. There's no shortage of people in Russia who don't like Putin. Maybe he won't be so lucky the next time...
I feel like a line was crossed yesterday. I think people are waking up.
Don't worry, Pussy Galore will save Fort Knox.
Has Rauch been in a coma the last nine years?
I am quite sure Trump sucked all the money out of there long before it dropped. That shit is just a way for him to be financed by his foreign whoremasters without attracting the notice of federal authorities...although there aren't any more federal authorities, so people may as well show up in DC with suitcases of cash.
Re: Vaccines- from The Guardian- ‘Trump administration cancels meeting on flu shots, fueling anti-vax concerns.’
WHO (World Health Organization) held a meeting this morning on the composition of influenza virus vaccines for use in the 2025-2026 northern hemisphere influenza season.
https://www.youtube.com/live/kGTmLmiBL-Y?feature=shared
At least we can get information, for now, from WHO: https://www.who.int/
And thank you for these Friday Ramble On’s, they’re terrific ✌🏼
Edited to add: the video from WHO is a lot more technical than I had hoped it might be 🤷🏻♀️ either way, thankful for their expertise.
Thanks, Kim. Very grateful for WHO, as new diseases are popping up in the DRC.
I've been too ennervated to follow along for some time. I read this this morning and was struck by the child-like (not childish) quality of your writing for this piece. I feel your fatique and depression.
It's that way because it's a transcript of me talking off the cuff. Very hard to resist urge to edit it a lot...
But the fatigue and depression are not far off.
Thanks, Susan. And so much processing. The constant hyper-vigilance is exhausting.
That occurred to me a split second after I commented.
I hope you're feeling better, Sharon.
I’m feeling just the same Greg. Thank you for making the effort as I know how hard it is to face the world each day. I greatly appreciate any form as long as you write something. It brought a slight smile on my face by mentioning that wonderful song by the Bangles, Walk like an Egyptian. My daughter’s favourite back in the 80’s before we moved to London where she still lives. I made her a fancy dress or costume for her last Halloween in New Jersey where we lived.
Thanks, Rusalka. I feel like there's wisdom in that song. "And the Japanese with their yen / The party boys call the Kremlin / And the Chinese know... / They're walking like an Egyptian." It goes to where the real enemy power is, and then back to where it began, and it suggests that we've been through all of this before.
I liked it…train of thought, seeing how your mind bounces then brings it back together to make your point. It’s apropos of the times right now… very fitting. No apology please. Be you because you are one of my trusted peeps who sees things clearly and doesn’t lie. Thanks
TGIF🎉🎉🎉Don’t. Spend. A. Dime. Today.
It’s funny. Whenever I engage someone on Twitter who runs around with their Elon Erections (maybe some women have Ladywood but the vast majority of worshippers are guys), I mention 2 terms: “Unelected Bureaucrat” and “Unvetted”. What do I get back from the engaged? Crickets.
The Kool Aid is so so tasty. I think that deep down, they all either want to BE him, meaning be super rich, or else attract his notice and thus his funding.
Thank you, Greg, for having the courage to tell it like it is. We need to let this reality sink in so that we can effectively counteract it.
Thanks, Krysti. And to think I posted this BEFORE the abomination in the Oval Office!
Greg, outstanding piece. I was aware of Dugin's work in headline terms, your analysis puts meat on that bone.
The only analogy I can draw for Elon the Musk is Dr Claw the evil mastermind, head of MAD in the Inspector Gadget series. Perhaps the answer to what is happening is to dig up Don Adams, the bumbling hero. While he stumbled and at times made things worse, his erstwhile assistant Penny found ways to get things right. I mention this silliness because I fear many people are looking for the perfect answer to the demented, posts all night, sleeps all day puppet 4547 and Putin's guy Elon. We need a scatter gun approach, fight fire with fire. Elon is everywhere, all the time, the forces of good need to be likewise.
Sadly, I fear the real reckoning will come from money. I am 76 years old and spend a disproportionate amount of time worrying about our retirement funds. My wife and I are downsizing, selling the big house before the property market collapses. Managing retirement funds has become a full time job with little to help guide investment strategy. Go to cash before the big crash? Certainly some companies will do ok out of all this turmoil but figuring out which ones is tricky. Sell US, buy EU, maybe China.
The upshot, the real push back will begin when people feel pain. And the only pain that is loud and clear is wallet pain.
Thank you for what you are doing. You are certainly part of the everywhere, all the time good squad.
Thanks, Old Man. I agree, people -- not people on this comment board, but the people who aren't paying attention and think "he won't really do THAT" -- need to be deprived before they wake up. They can do so much damage before that. They already have. No one SEES the effects of firing NSA people and cutting funds for pandemic response until, you know, we are under attack. It's bleak.
Real estate will retain its value, even if the numbers get wonky. In Germany during hyperinflation, people bought pianos, because they knew that when the dust settled, they were inherently valuable. It's insane we have to think about this at all.
No doubts about any of what you laid out here. I have to remind myself that everyone processes "bad news" differently, some do it by not doing it. For today, I'm choosing to imagine trump sitting on the floor, along with #ElonBreaksAllHisToy 's young children, while Putin performs a puppet show to explain his "process". Being incredibly desperate, trump looks on adoringly and emphatically nods pretending he really "gets it". He mindlessly joins "X" in nose picking.
Next I'll clean the litter box, and see where else the day takes me. Humour may save us all.
Update: the day went in unforeseen directions. Good lord. But through it all, cats keep pooping. Mine like to poop as soon as I sit down with my morning coffee...
😆😆😆
Bless you, Greg!
You and LB, please take care of yourselves!
Keep in mind that DJT has never been elected. https://youtu.be/AWSWqn7UHYM
Also, Putin's thugs murdered Dugin's daughter. Who is the boss of bosses?
But Trump did such a great job in the final stretch, saying he didn't need people to vote and riding around in a garbage truck like a preschooler.
Not sure who blew up the Dugin car, but, you know, so sad too bad.
As a LinkedIn member, I would like to post this video unless you are planning to, as this is an important message to all Americans. I don't want to overstep.
Thanks, Beverly. Yes, please, post away!
One begins to wonder if people like Putin and Newt Fucking Gingrich (that IS his full name, isn't it?) are immortal. It seems like we always talk about Putin as if he will ALWAYS be where he is, and granted, he probably will be until the end of his life, but does it have an end? He's allegedly 72 years old, and that's not THAT old, but considering his activities for the past 25 years, I would think a person would tend to age quicker. But no, he just remains standing. Rumors of him "soiling himself" on a staircase in the Kremlin a few years ago must have been simply too much fiber in his diet.
I used to be a relatively nice, peaceful person before 2016, now I spend an inordinate amount of time hoping for other people's deaths. This is not normal. Nothing that's happening is normal. I want some NORMAL back! WTF?
I like the Friday Ramble On -- it's like a preview chef's kiss to the Five 8 on Friday night. Two weeks ago, I just watched. Last week, I just read it. This week, I did both and followed along as you spoke. I can't decide which I like better, but hearing you is definitely a plus, so I'll stick to that. Good weekend, everybody!
Thanks, Steve. These are fun to do -- I mean, talking about horrible stuff isn't the same fun as, say, lounging on the beach in Cancun, but you know what I mean -- and they supplement the decrease in podcast episodes. One positive use of AI is that it spits out a pretty accurate transcript.
Evil preserves you, I have determined. The Kissinger effect. These people don't have the same anxieties we do, don't feel emotion in the same way. Me, I'm with you: I rage at many points during the day and wish I could hurl thunderbolts like Zeus, and that's not good for the mental health of an otherwise easygoing human.
When these fuckers die, i WILL make videos of myself celebrating, and all the morality policemen on X can go to hell.
We are in the middle not only of a coup but the 21st Century version of the French Reign of Terror; the digital version if you will. It shouldn’t take a rocket scientist to know that by destabilizing our economy we could very easily fall into a third world status. The world has invested in our economy because of our stability. That’s how strong we were. That is what Hamilton saw for us and we succeeded far beyond even our expectations. The only thing that would weaken us would be to do everything possible to everything we count on to keep us safe; undermine it and then destroy it.
Look at what’s happened over the years sort of like how a new update on our computers happens. There is what’s called the Pre-Alpha stage. This is what I consider the Reagan years where he introduces the idea that the government doesn’t help people but is a problem itself. He begins his assault on unions. Ok. Groundwork laid.
The Alpha stage introduces the slash and burn government of Newt Gingrich and the muckraking impeachment of Bill Clinton.
The Beta version was much larger and it was infected with a virus; a bad one. The Open Beta began with the 2000 election. Then 9/11. Then two wars put on a Chinese credit card and an economic crash.
President Obama’s election was the Closed Beta but the virus still lurked undetected by most.
Trump 1.1 was the Release Candidate where all intended features and functions worked as planned and feedback let the “developers” know where there might be “issues”. The November election installed the General Availability version of Trump 1.2 along with a full-blown virus now recognized as the Musk virus. Naturally, everything we do now is digital from banking to medical records and beyond.
We might have to return to the Stone Age to start afresh. Think about them apples over the weekend.
I like thinking about it this way, SPW, because it IS all part of a bigger picture. In France, the king borrowed money to fund his war [which helped the US, ha ha], and repudiated the debt rather than tax the rich. His head wound up in a basket. Will our current monarchists understand the history? Unlikely.
I worry about the digital stuff. One magnetic blip and it's all gone. I'm trying to collect writings in paper form, just in case.
Good idea.
The Musk-Trump Administration is as if Salvador Dali tried to interpret “The Manchurian Candidate” (the 1959 novel or the 1962 or 2004 movies — take your pick).
On another note, there’s a petition on the Canadian Parliament website to have the Prime Minister (as of this writing still Justin Trudeau) revoke Musk’s Canadian citizenship. Since Feb 20th it has garnered more than 345,000 signatures (Canadian citizens or residents only — signatures are being validated).
Can he do that? That would be awesome. Revoke his US citizenship, revoke his Canadian citizenship, and send his Apartheid ass back to Jo'Burg.
Dali's interpretation? Or Alfred E. Neuman's?
It would take an act of Parliament but it's possible. As of Saturday afternoon the previous record for signatures on a petition on the Canadian House of Commons website is: 387,487. The anti-Musk potion is closing in on that record — stands at 352, 452 at 3:51 pm. Pretty good indication that there is a lot of Musk dislike in Canada. BTW, being a Can-Am, I'm one of the signatories.
Dugins daughter’s death, certainly raised an eyebrow, I thought Dugin was Putins mentor, which brings to mind the question of WTF happened? I’ve never read the details, but I’m certain you’ve explored them Greg.
The willfully ignorant love affair with their perceived savants Trump and Musk is truly insane! It’s becoming a bit clearer to those who haven’t paid attention to the past, nor the present autogolpe, du jour?
This piece explains a number of important points I’ve either questioned, or observed.
Je me gratte la tête over the fuckery of the duly elected daily, as you appear to be Greg! You’ve clearly laid out an obvious case in point in this excellent piece, I’m sharing your brilliance, thanks!!
Merci, Patrick. I'm not sure what happened with his daughter, except that he was the intended target. There's no shortage of people in Russia who don't like Putin. Maybe he won't be so lucky the next time...