<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?><rss xmlns:dc="http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/" xmlns:content="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/content/" xmlns:atom="http://www.w3.org/2005/Atom" version="2.0" xmlns:itunes="http://www.itunes.com/dtds/podcast-1.0.dtd" xmlns:googleplay="http://www.google.com/schemas/play-podcasts/1.0"><channel><title><![CDATA[The Angry Creamsicle - Unfiltered. Unapologetic. Unhinged]]></title><description><![CDATA[Political talk and satire so sharp it should come with a warning label.]]></description><link>https://opts.org</link><image><url>https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Ucjv!,w_256,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Feef09e3c-bf36-420c-a7b3-5b4be2cac573_1024x1024.png</url><title>The Angry Creamsicle - Unfiltered. Unapologetic. Unhinged</title><link>https://opts.org</link></image><generator>Substack</generator><lastBuildDate>Wed, 20 May 2026 21:38:13 GMT</lastBuildDate><atom:link href="https://opts.org/feed" rel="self" type="application/rss+xml"/><copyright><![CDATA[The Angry Creamsicle]]></copyright><language><![CDATA[en]]></language><webMaster><![CDATA[theangrycreamsicle@substack.com]]></webMaster><itunes:owner><itunes:email><![CDATA[theangrycreamsicle@substack.com]]></itunes:email><itunes:name><![CDATA[The Angry Creamsicle]]></itunes:name></itunes:owner><itunes:author><![CDATA[The Angry Creamsicle]]></itunes:author><googleplay:owner><![CDATA[theangrycreamsicle@substack.com]]></googleplay:owner><googleplay:email><![CDATA[theangrycreamsicle@substack.com]]></googleplay:email><googleplay:author><![CDATA[The Angry Creamsicle]]></googleplay:author><itunes:block><![CDATA[Yes]]></itunes:block><item><title><![CDATA[When Democracy Wins, They Toss the Ballot]]></title><description><![CDATA[How Virginia became the warning shot for what Republicans will try nationwide when voters stop cooperating.]]></description><link>https://opts.org/p/when-democracy-wins-they-toss-the</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://opts.org/p/when-democracy-wins-they-toss-the</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[The Angry Creamsicle]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Fri, 08 May 2026 19:50:59 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!PncK!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F1be6542d-23f8-4751-a812-f745ff060814_1254x1254.png" length="0" type="image/jpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!PncK!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F1be6542d-23f8-4751-a812-f745ff060814_1254x1254.png" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!PncK!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F1be6542d-23f8-4751-a812-f745ff060814_1254x1254.png 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!PncK!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F1be6542d-23f8-4751-a812-f745ff060814_1254x1254.png 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!PncK!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F1be6542d-23f8-4751-a812-f745ff060814_1254x1254.png 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!PncK!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F1be6542d-23f8-4751-a812-f745ff060814_1254x1254.png 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!PncK!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F1be6542d-23f8-4751-a812-f745ff060814_1254x1254.png" width="1254" height="1254" data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/1be6542d-23f8-4751-a812-f745ff060814_1254x1254.png&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:1254,&quot;width&quot;:1254,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:null,&quot;bytes&quot;:2608021,&quot;alt&quot;:null,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image/png&quot;,&quot;href&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:false,&quot;topImage&quot;:true,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:&quot;https://opts.org/i/196941607?img=https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F1be6542d-23f8-4751-a812-f745ff060814_1254x1254.png&quot;,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!PncK!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F1be6542d-23f8-4751-a812-f745ff060814_1254x1254.png 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!PncK!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F1be6542d-23f8-4751-a812-f745ff060814_1254x1254.png 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!PncK!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F1be6542d-23f8-4751-a812-f745ff060814_1254x1254.png 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!PncK!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F1be6542d-23f8-4751-a812-f745ff060814_1254x1254.png 1456w" sizes="100vw" fetchpriority="high"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg role="img" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><title></title><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a></figure></div><p>There it is.</p><p>The whole game.</p><p>Right there in one ugly little snapshot of American democracy being dragged behind the courthouse and worked over with a sock full of partisan batteries.</p><p>Republicans across the South can sprint into special sessions, gut congressional districts, carve up Black representation, and redraw maps in their favor faster than a methhead with crayons trying to win a coloring contest at gunpoint.</p><p>But when Democrats in Virginia put redistricting to an actual statewide vote &#8212; when they went to the voters, made the case, got the ballots counted, and won &#8212; suddenly the holy robes descended from Mount Procedure and declared democracy null and void.</p><p>How convenient.</p><p>How perfectly, stinking, suspiciously convenient.</p><p>In Virginia, voters approved a redistricting amendment in April, but the Virginia Supreme Court struck it down 4&#8211;3, saying the legislature violated procedural requirements when putting it on the ballot. The ruling killed a Democratic-backed map that could have flipped multiple Republican-held U.S. House seats.</p><p>So let&#8217;s translate that from courthouse fog machine into plain English:</p><p>When Republicans redraw maps to protect power, it is strategy.</p><p>When Democrats win a vote to counter it, it is a crisis.</p><p>When conservative legislatures slice up districts like gas station pizza, it is governance.</p><p>When actual voters say, &#8220;Yes, we want this,&#8221; suddenly the system clutches its pearls so hard the pearls file for workers&#8217; comp.</p><p>This is not subtle anymore. This is not some obscure civics-class argument over line-drawing and district compactness and constitutional timing.</p><p>This is raw power.</p><p>This is the same old rotten scam in a nicer suit.</p><p>They do not want fair elections. They want controlled outcomes.</p><p>They do not want voters choosing leaders. They want leaders choosing voters.</p><p>And when voters pick the wrong answer, they want a court nearby with a shovel, ready to bury the result.</p><h3>The South Gets a Chainsaw. Virginia Gets a Rulebook.</h3><p>The timing is the part that makes the whole thing smell like a hot dumpster behind a law school.</p><p>In the wake of the U.S. Supreme Court&#8217;s Louisiana redistricting decision, Republican-led states across the South began moving fast to reshape congressional maps to their advantage. TIME reported that Louisiana, Alabama, and Tennessee were among the states looking to capitalize on the ruling, with the decision weakening Voting Rights Act protections and opening the door to eliminating majority-minority districts.</p><p>That is the game board.</p><p>Not &#8220;one state had one quirky legal issue.&#8221;</p><p>Not &#8220;both parties do it equally, so shrug and eat your democracy-flavored oatmeal.&#8221;</p><p>No.</p><p>This is a coordinated, multi-state scramble to lock in Republican advantage before the 2026 midterms. And the targets are exactly who you think they are: Black voters, urban voters, Democratic voters, and anyone who has the nerve to exist in a district Republicans cannot win honestly.</p><p>The Tennessee legislature passed a new congressional map this week that reshaped districts to the GOP&#8217;s advantage.</p><p>Louisiana&#8217;s map fight went all the way to the Supreme Court, where the Court ruled in a case centered on whether Louisiana&#8217;s congressional map was an unconstitutional racial gerrymander. The decision came after years of litigation tied to whether Louisiana&#8217;s earlier map likely violated Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act.</p><p>And now Virginia &#8212; where Democrats actually took the matter to voters &#8212; gets kneecapped because the wrong side won.</p><p>That is the contrast.</p><p>Republicans can move like burglars in a blackout.</p><p>Democrats win a statewide vote and the courts suddenly discover a deep, trembling respect for paperwork.</p><p>Give me a break.</p><p>Give me several breaks.</p><p>Give me enough breaks to build a bridge out of this bullshit.</p><h3>&#8220;Procedure&#8221; Is Their Favorite Word When Democracy Inconveniences Them</h3><p>The Virginia court said the issue was procedure.</p><p>Fine. Procedure matters.</p><p>But let&#8217;s not pretend this is happening in a vacuum, or that the same people cheering this ruling would give half a wet possum about procedure if the outcome helped them.</p><p>Because we have seen this movie before.</p><p>The script is older than the popcorn.</p><p>First, Republicans say elections should be left to the people.</p><p>Then the people vote.</p><p>Then Republicans lose.</p><p>Then suddenly they find a judge, a deadline, a technicality, a filing defect, a constitutional hiccup, or some dusty procedural goblin hiding under the stairs.</p><p>And poof &#8212; the voters vanish.</p><p>That is not election integrity.</p><p>That is democracy laundering.</p><p>It is the legal system taking the dirty laundry of minority rule, running it through a spin cycle of &#8220;process,&#8221; and handing it back folded like it does not still stink like voter suppression.</p><p>And that is what makes this so dangerous.</p><p>Because the message is clear:</p><p>Your vote counts until it threatens power.</p><p>Your vote matters until it changes something.</p><p>Your vote is sacred unless it helps the wrong people.</p><p>Then it becomes a &#8220;procedural problem.&#8221;</p><p>Then it becomes &#8220;invalid.&#8221;</p><p>Then it becomes &#8220;unconstitutional.&#8221;</p><p>Then it becomes a pile of shredded civic confetti while the people who lost smile like they just found the cheat code.</p><h3>John Roberts Wants You to Believe This Is Not Political</h3><p>And then, because irony apparently died face-down in a committee room, Chief Justice John Roberts reportedly had the audacity this week to insist Supreme Court justices are not &#8220;purely political actors&#8221; and that the Court is &#8220;simply not part of the political process.&#8221;</p><p>Sir.</p><p>Sir.</p><p>The robe is not an invisibility cloak.</p><p>We can see you.</p><p>We can see the skid marks.</p><p>You cannot repeatedly hand one political party the tools to dismantle voting power and then act like you are just a humble referee calling balls and strikes.</p><p>At some point, when every close call seems to land on the same side of the partisan buffet, people are allowed to notice the mashed potatoes are rigged.</p><p>This is the same Court system that has helped hollow out voting protections, bless restrictive election rules, and leave states freer to mess with districts in ways that make representation weaker for the people who already have to fight hardest to be heard.</p><p>And then we are supposed to stand here like polite little civics goblins and say, &#8220;Well, the Court has spoken.&#8221;</p><p>No.</p><p>The Court has spoken plenty.</p><p>That does not mean we have to pretend it is whispering from heaven.</p><p>Sometimes it is just power wearing a black robe and pretending the stink is constitutional perfume.</p><h3>This Is Jim Crow With Better Stationery</h3><p>Let&#8217;s call this what it is.</p><p>This is not new.</p><p>This country has done this before.</p><p>After Reconstruction, Black Americans held political power at levels white supremacists could not tolerate. So what happened?</p><p>They did not simply debate better policy.</p><p>They did not calmly persuade voters with the power of their wonderful ideas.</p><p>They built a machine to crush representation.</p><p>Poll taxes.</p><p>Literacy tests.</p><p>Intimidation.</p><p>Racial terror.</p><p>Gerrymandering.</p><p>Court-sanctioned cowardice.</p><p>Every tool available was used to turn Black political power into a ghost story.</p><p>And now here we are again, watching the modern version.</p><p>Cleaner fonts.</p><p>Nicer microphones.</p><p>More legal citations.</p><p>Less hood, more suit.</p><p>But the goal is familiar as hell: dilute the vote, divide the community, weaken the district, block the representative, and then tell everyone to stop being so dramatic.</p><p>This is Jim Crow with a law degree.</p><p>This is voter suppression in judicial drag.</p><p>This is the same pig with a LinkedIn profile.</p><p>And the people doing it know exactly what they are doing.</p><p>They know which communities they are slicing apart.</p><p>They know which voters they are burying.</p><p>They know which seats they are protecting.</p><p>They know which voices they are trying to muffle.</p><p>They just prefer to say &#8220;redistricting&#8221; because it sounds less racist than &#8220;we are terrified of Black political power.&#8221;</p><h3>The Preview of November</h3><p>This is why Virginia matters.</p><p>Not because one map got tossed.</p><p>Not because one state had one ugly court fight.</p><p>Virginia matters because it shows the strategy.</p><p>If they can win through voters, they will praise democracy.</p><p>If they can win through legislatures, they will praise state authority.</p><p>If they can win through courts, they will praise the Constitution.</p><p>If they lose, they will attack the process until the outcome changes.</p><p>That is the whole damn playbook.</p><p>They are testing the doors.</p><p>They are testing the courts.</p><p>They are testing how much democratic sabotage they can launder through process language before the public notices the building is on fire.</p><p>And November is the prize.</p><p>Because if Republicans can get courts to toss votes, bless gerrymanders, freeze unfavorable maps, or muddy election rules close enough to Election Day, then the ballot becomes less of a decision and more of a suggestion box.</p><p>That is the nightmare.</p><p>Not tanks in the street.</p><p>Not some dramatic movie-villain coup speech with thunder in the background.</p><p>Just paperwork.</p><p>Deadlines.</p><p>Technicalities.</p><p>Friendly courts.</p><p>Bad maps.</p><p>Delayed certifications.</p><p>Ballots challenged.</p><p>Results questioned.</p><p>Votes diluted.</p><p>Districts redrawn.</p><p>Democracy strangled with a necktie while everyone on cable news asks whether the tone is too heated.</p><h3>Spare Me the &#8220;Both Sides&#8221; Tap Dance</h3><p>Yes, Democrats gerrymander too.</p><p>Of course they do.</p><p>This is America, where even the fire extinguisher is probably owned by a lobbyist.</p><p>But the current asymmetry is not subtle. Republicans have turned minority rule into an industrial process. They have paired voter suppression with aggressive gerrymandering, judicial capture, election denial, and a nonstop propaganda machine that screams &#8220;fraud&#8221; every time a Democrat wins a coin toss.</p><p>The difference is not that one party is made of angels and the other is made of sewer bats.</p><p>The difference is scale, intent, and the open willingness to overturn or neutralize votes that do not produce the desired result.</p><p>Democrats in Virginia took the issue to voters.</p><p>The voters said yes.</p><p>The court tossed it.</p><p>Meanwhile, Republican-led states across the South are moving at breakneck speed to draw themselves safer seats, including in places where Black representation is directly on the chopping block.</p><p>That is not a normal political fight.</p><p>That is an anti-democratic arms race.</p><p>And the people telling you not to panic are either not paying attention, paid not to pay attention, or already measuring the drapes for minority rule.</p><h3>What They Really Fear</h3><p>They do not fear voter fraud.</p><p>They fear voters.</p><p>They do not fear &#8220;illegal ballots.&#8221;</p><p>They fear legal ballots cast by people they cannot control.</p><p>They do not fear corruption.</p><p>They fear accountability.</p><p>They do not fear chaos.</p><p>Hell, they thrive in chaos. Felon 47 has turned chaos into a lifestyle brand, slapped gold paint on it, and sold it to cultcakes who think every constitutional crisis is just another episode of The Apprentice: Democracy Edition.</p><p>What they fear is a fair map.</p><p>A fair vote.</p><p>A fair count.</p><p>A fair fight.</p><p>Because they know what happens when everyone gets a voice.</p><p>They lose power.</p><p>Not everywhere. Not always. But enough.</p><p>Enough to scare them.</p><p>Enough to make them run to statehouses and courts.</p><p>Enough to make them redraw, restrict, challenge, purge, delay, and obstruct.</p><p>Enough to make them turn democracy into a locked room and then insist the door was closed for &#8220;procedural reasons.&#8221;</p><h3>The Bottom Line</h3><p>Virginia is not just Virginia.</p><p>Virginia is a warning.</p><p>It is a preview.</p><p>It is the sound check before the authoritarian karaoke night.</p><p>Republicans are showing us exactly what they will do when the vote does not go their way.</p><p>They will not accept it.</p><p>They will not respect it.</p><p>They will not &#8220;let the people decide.&#8221;</p><p>They will drag it into court, bury it under procedure, call it integrity, and then accuse everyone else of being divisive for noticing the corpse.</p><p>So no, this is not about one map.</p><p>This is about whether votes still matter when powerful people dislike the result.</p><p>It is about whether courts are going to protect democracy or become the velvet rope for minority rule.</p><p>It is about whether Black representation can be carved up in broad daylight while politicians grin and call it law.</p><p>It is about whether &#8220;the will of the people&#8221; means anything when the people vote against the people holding the knife.</p><p>And let&#8217;s be painfully clear:</p><p>If your vote can be tossed the second it threatens their power, then you do not have a democracy.</p><p>You have a permission slip.</p><p>And Republicans are already reaching for the eraser.</p><div class="subscription-widget-wrap-editor" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://opts.org/subscribe?&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Subscribe&quot;,&quot;language&quot;:&quot;en&quot;}" data-component-name="SubscribeWidgetToDOM"><div class="subscription-widget show-subscribe"><div class="preamble"><p class="cta-caption">The Angry Creamsicle - Unfiltered. Unapologetic. Unhinged is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.</p></div><form class="subscription-widget-subscribe"><input type="email" class="email-input" name="email" placeholder="Type your email&#8230;" tabindex="-1"><input type="submit" class="button primary" value="Subscribe"><div class="fake-input-wrapper"><div class="fake-input"></div><div class="fake-button"></div></div></form></div></div><p></p>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[Democracy, Doorways, and the Return of Jim Crow With Better Lighting]]></title><description><![CDATA[Gerrymandering, badges, and the cowardice of keeping representation out of the room.]]></description><link>https://opts.org/p/democracy-doorways-and-the-return</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://opts.org/p/democracy-doorways-and-the-return</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[The Angry Creamsicle]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Fri, 08 May 2026 00:13:57 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!rPb4!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F3387b3af-9896-421e-ae40-33e821877c4e_2048x2048.jpeg" length="0" type="image/jpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!rPb4!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F3387b3af-9896-421e-ae40-33e821877c4e_2048x2048.jpeg" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!rPb4!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F3387b3af-9896-421e-ae40-33e821877c4e_2048x2048.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!rPb4!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F3387b3af-9896-421e-ae40-33e821877c4e_2048x2048.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!rPb4!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F3387b3af-9896-421e-ae40-33e821877c4e_2048x2048.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!rPb4!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F3387b3af-9896-421e-ae40-33e821877c4e_2048x2048.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!rPb4!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F3387b3af-9896-421e-ae40-33e821877c4e_2048x2048.jpeg" width="1456" height="1456" data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/3387b3af-9896-421e-ae40-33e821877c4e_2048x2048.jpeg&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:1456,&quot;width&quot;:1456,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:null,&quot;bytes&quot;:301532,&quot;alt&quot;:null,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image/jpeg&quot;,&quot;href&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:false,&quot;topImage&quot;:true,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:&quot;https://opts.org/i/196846800?img=https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F3387b3af-9896-421e-ae40-33e821877c4e_2048x2048.jpeg&quot;,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!rPb4!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F3387b3af-9896-421e-ae40-33e821877c4e_2048x2048.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!rPb4!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F3387b3af-9896-421e-ae40-33e821877c4e_2048x2048.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!rPb4!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F3387b3af-9896-421e-ae40-33e821877c4e_2048x2048.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!rPb4!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F3387b3af-9896-421e-ae40-33e821877c4e_2048x2048.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw" fetchpriority="high"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg role="img" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><title></title><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a></figure></div><p>There are photographs that explain an entire era without needing a caption.</p><p>This is one of them.</p><p>A Black elected representative, Justin Pearson of Memphis, trying to enter a committee meeting about redrawing the map for the district he represents.</p><p>And standing in his way?</p><p>A white officer with a badge, blocking the door like the last remaining bouncer at Club Jim Crow.</p><p>You almost want to believe satire has finally gone too far, but nope. Reality walked in wearing ugly shoes again and said, &#8220;Hold my racism.&#8221;</p><p>Because this isn&#8217;t some random hallway misunderstanding. This isn&#8217;t &#8220;security protocol.&#8221; This isn&#8217;t a whoopsie-daisy procedural hiccup where democracy accidentally got wedged in the ass crack of bureaucracy.</p><p>This is a Black lawmaker being physically blocked from attending a meeting about political maps that directly affect the people who elected him.</p><p>That&#8217;s not subtle.</p><p>That&#8217;s not complicated.</p><p>That&#8217;s not &#8220;both sides.&#8221;</p><p>That is voter suppression doing community theater.</p><p>And apparently Tennessee Republicans decided the quiet part was too damn quiet, so they shoved it into a suit, handed it a badge, and parked it in front of a committee room.</p><p>The photo looks like it was ripped straight out of a history book chapter titled:</p><p><strong>&#8220;We Swear We&#8217;re Not Racist, We Just Keep Recreating the Visuals.&#8221;</strong></p><p>Because look at it.</p><p>A Black representative.<br>A white authority figure.<br>A blocked doorway.<br>A meeting about representation.<br>In the South.</p><p>For Christ&#8217;s sake, the symbolism is so thick you could spread it on toast and call it Confederate jelly.</p><p>And the real kicker? These are the same people who scream about &#8220;law and order&#8221; every time someone protests injustice, but when elected representatives try to do their actual damn job, suddenly democracy becomes an exclusive country club with a dress code, a locked door, and a suspiciously pale guest list.</p><p>They don&#8217;t want Pearson in that room because they know exactly what happens in that room.</p><p>Maps get carved up.</p><p>Communities get split apart.</p><p>Votes get diluted.</p><p>Power gets protected.</p><p>Gerrymandering is not boring political paperwork. It&#8217;s robbery with colored pencils. It&#8217;s burglary in a blazer. It&#8217;s politicians picking their voters because they&#8217;re too cowardly to let voters pick their politicians.</p><p>And when the district being carved up happens to include Black voters, poor voters, urban voters, and people who don&#8217;t clap like trained seals every time some red-state fossil says &#8220;traditional values,&#8221; then suddenly the doors get guarded like Fort Knox.</p><p>Funny how that works.</p><p>These people don&#8217;t fear crime.</p><p>They don&#8217;t fear corruption.</p><p>They don&#8217;t fear hypocrisy, obviously, because most of them bathe in it like it&#8217;s lavender bubble bath.</p><p>They fear representation.</p><p>They fear the wrong voices in the room.</p><p>They fear voters they can&#8217;t manipulate, districts they can&#8217;t rig, and elected officials who won&#8217;t politely sit outside while democracy gets chopped into little partisan lunch meat slices.</p><p>And let&#8217;s stop pretending this is some ancient problem from dusty black-and-white footage. Jim Crow didn&#8217;t die. It got rebranded.</p><p>It put on a necktie.</p><p>It learned legal language.</p><p>It discovered committee hearings.</p><p>It started saying things like &#8220;redistricting strategy&#8221; and &#8220;procedural compliance&#8221; instead of &#8220;keep them out.&#8221;</p><p>Same old rancid pig, different shade of lipstick.</p><p>And every time someone points it out, here come the predictable defenders waddling in with their little canned excuses:</p><p>&#8220;It&#8217;s not about race.&#8221;</p><p>Sure.</p><p>And Felon 47&#8217;s makeup is just a naturally occurring Cheeto-based weather pattern.</p><p>&#8220;It was just procedure.&#8221;</p><p>Of course. Because nothing says healthy democracy like blocking an elected representative from a meeting about his own constituents.</p><p>&#8220;He should have followed the rules.&#8221;</p><p>What rules? The rules where people in power redraw the map, lock the door, then act like the person outside is the problem?</p><p>That&#8217;s not governance.</p><p>That&#8217;s a hostage situation with office furniture.</p><p>And don&#8217;t miss the larger strategy here. This isn&#8217;t happening in isolation. This is part of the same miserable playbook the right keeps running across the country:</p><p>Make voting harder.<br>Make districts uglier.<br>Make representation weaker.<br>Make protest illegal.<br>Make history uncomfortable to teach.<br>Make racism impossible to name.<br>Then act shocked when people call it fascist.</p><p>It&#8217;s always the same damn recipe.</p><p>They can&#8217;t sell their ideas to the majority, so they shrink the majority.</p><p>They can&#8217;t win the argument, so they ban the microphone.</p><p>They can&#8217;t earn power honestly, so they redraw the scoreboard.</p><p>Then they wrap the whole rotten casserole in a flag and call it patriotism.</p><p>No, pumpkin. That&#8217;s not patriotism.</p><p>That&#8217;s cheating.</p><p>And not even clever cheating. This is dumb, sweaty, obvious cheating. This is &#8220;kid with chocolate all over his face claiming he doesn&#8217;t know who ate the cake&#8221; cheating.</p><p>The people in that room weren&#8217;t just discussing lines on a map. They were discussing whose voice counts and whose can be carved into political confetti.</p><p>That&#8217;s why this photo matters.</p><p>Because sometimes the system doesn&#8217;t hide what it is.</p><p>Sometimes it stands right in the doorway.</p><p>Sometimes it puts its badge in full view.</p><p>Sometimes it blocks an elected Black representative from the room and expects the rest of us to pretend we didn&#8217;t just witness the ghost of segregation clearing its throat.</p><p>Well, no.</p><p>We saw it.</p><p>We know what it is.</p><p>And history is going to remember the people who stood in the doorway just as clearly as it remembers the people who refused to step aside.</p><p>So save the excuses. Save the procedure talk. Save the &#8220;don&#8217;t make everything about race&#8221; lecture from the same crowd that can turn a beer can, a rainbow sticker, or a Black mermaid into the fall of Western civilization.</p><p>This is about power.</p><p>This is about race.</p><p>This is about democracy.</p><p>And this is about a political movement so scared of fair representation that it has to put a human roadblock between voters and the person they elected.</p><p>That&#8217;s not strength.</p><p>That&#8217;s not order.</p><p>That&#8217;s not leadership.</p><p>That&#8217;s cowardice with a badge.</p><p>And once again, the South didn&#8217;t need a time machine to revisit its ugliest chapters.</p><p>It just needed a committee meeting and a closed door.</p><p></p><div class="subscription-widget-wrap-editor" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://opts.org/subscribe?&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Subscribe&quot;,&quot;language&quot;:&quot;en&quot;}" data-component-name="SubscribeWidgetToDOM"><div class="subscription-widget show-subscribe"><div class="preamble"><p class="cta-caption">The Angry Creamsicle - Unfiltered. Unapologetic. Unhinged is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.</p></div><form class="subscription-widget-subscribe"><input type="email" class="email-input" name="email" placeholder="Type your email&#8230;" tabindex="-1"><input type="submit" class="button primary" value="Subscribe"><div class="fake-input-wrapper"><div class="fake-input"></div><div class="fake-button"></div></div></form></div></div><p></p>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[The Princess and the Plea]]></title><description><![CDATA[A MAGA bedtime story about one sleepy little grifter, a mountain of distractions, and the very inconvenient red binders hiding under the mattress.]]></description><link>https://opts.org/p/the-princess-and-the-plea</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://opts.org/p/the-princess-and-the-plea</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[The Angry Creamsicle]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Thu, 07 May 2026 18:08:13 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Dtjy!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fad8219cd-1eb8-41ff-8a62-09504cb7e052_1672x941.png" length="0" type="image/jpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Dtjy!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fad8219cd-1eb8-41ff-8a62-09504cb7e052_1672x941.png" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Dtjy!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fad8219cd-1eb8-41ff-8a62-09504cb7e052_1672x941.png 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Dtjy!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fad8219cd-1eb8-41ff-8a62-09504cb7e052_1672x941.png 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Dtjy!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fad8219cd-1eb8-41ff-8a62-09504cb7e052_1672x941.png 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Dtjy!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fad8219cd-1eb8-41ff-8a62-09504cb7e052_1672x941.png 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Dtjy!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fad8219cd-1eb8-41ff-8a62-09504cb7e052_1672x941.png" width="1456" height="819" data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/ad8219cd-1eb8-41ff-8a62-09504cb7e052_1672x941.png&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:819,&quot;width&quot;:1456,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:null,&quot;bytes&quot;:2890897,&quot;alt&quot;:null,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image/png&quot;,&quot;href&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:false,&quot;topImage&quot;:true,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:&quot;https://opts.org/i/196810582?img=https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fad8219cd-1eb8-41ff-8a62-09504cb7e052_1672x941.png&quot;,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Dtjy!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fad8219cd-1eb8-41ff-8a62-09504cb7e052_1672x941.png 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Dtjy!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fad8219cd-1eb8-41ff-8a62-09504cb7e052_1672x941.png 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Dtjy!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fad8219cd-1eb8-41ff-8a62-09504cb7e052_1672x941.png 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Dtjy!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fad8219cd-1eb8-41ff-8a62-09504cb7e052_1672x941.png 1456w" sizes="100vw" fetchpriority="high"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg role="img" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><title></title><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a></figure></div><p>Once upon a grime, in a gaudy gold room that looked like a casino had a baby with a mob lawyer&#8217;s waiting area, there lived a very special princess.</p><p>Not the graceful kind.</p><p>Not the kind with woodland creatures, glass slippers, or emotional maturity.</p><p>No, this princess was orange, bloated, legally fermented, and tucked into bed under an American flag like a ham wrapped in patriotism. His name was <strong>Felon 47</strong>, and he was very, very tired.</p><p>Not tired from working.</p><p>Don&#8217;t be ridiculous.</p><p>He was tired from grifting, whining, rage-posting, golf-cart waddling, and pretending every investigation into his swampy little universe was somehow an attack on Jesus, Christmas, gas stoves, and the sacred right of a man named Darryl to yell &#8220;WAKE UP SHEEPLE&#8221; from a truck stop bathroom.</p><p>Princess Felon was sleeping on a great big bed. A beautiful bed. A tremendous bed. Many people were saying it was the best bed. Doctors were amazed. Furniture stores wept. Strong men came up to him with tears in their eyes and said, &#8220;Sir, we&#8217;ve never seen such a mattress stack.&#8221;</p><p>And what a stack it was.</p><p>Because Princess Felon wasn&#8217;t sleeping on one mattress.</p><p>He wasn&#8217;t even sleeping on two.</p><p>He was sleeping on a towering lasagna of bullshit.</p><p>Each mattress had a label. Each label had a purpose. Each purpose was the same:</p><p><strong>Keep the peasants looking anywhere except under the damn bed.</strong></p><p>At the top, there was <strong>GREENLAND</strong>, because apparently nothing says &#8220;serious leadership&#8221; like waking up one morning and trying to buy a giant frozen island like it&#8217;s a timeshare in Myrtle Beach.</p><p>Under that was <strong>IRAN</strong>, because nothing distracts the public faster than someone rattling a saber with one tiny hand while the other searches for the TV remote.</p><p>Below that was <strong>VENEZUELA</strong>, because every good con man needs a scary foreign word to toss at the crowd when the domestic stink starts leaking through the vents.</p><p>Then came <strong>NOBEL PRIZE</strong>, the fluffiest mattress of them all. Princess Felon loved that one. He rolled around on it like a golden retriever in a pile of expired baloney.</p><p>&#8220;Oh, they should give me the Nobel Prize,&#8221; he mumbled in his sleep. &#8220;Nobody has ever peace&#8217;d harder than me. I peace all the time. Big beautiful peace. People are saying I invented peace.&#8221;</p><p>The palace staff nodded because everyone in the room knew the first rule of surviving around Princess Felon:</p><p>Never interrupt the delusion while it&#8217;s eating.</p><p>Below that mattress was <strong>NATO</strong>, because nothing says &#8220;America First&#8221; like picking fights with the allies while making kissy faces at every boot-polished strongman with a murder basement and a flattering compliment.</p><p>Below that was <strong>UKRAINE</strong>, thick and lumpy, stuffed with excuses, delays, conspiracy goblins, and one old Rudy Giuliani sock that had developed its own foreign policy.</p><p>Then came <strong>BORDER PANIC</strong>, a favorite among the kingdom&#8217;s dimmest villagers. Every time things got awkward, the royal trumpet players would climb the tower and scream:</p><p>&#8220;INVASION! CARAVAN! OPEN BORDERS! COMMUNIST AVOCADOS!&#8221;</p><p>And the villagers would drop everything.</p><p>They would stop asking about health care.</p><p>They would stop asking about wages.</p><p>They would stop asking why billionaires kept getting richer while they were using Klarna to finance dog food.</p><p>They would run in circles, clutch their pearls, and yell, &#8220;Build the wall!&#8221; despite living 1,200 miles from Mexico and being scared of the self-checkout machine at Kroger.</p><p>Under that was <strong>HUNTER&#8217;S LAPTOP</strong>, which had been placed there by royal decree and brought back every six weeks like a haunted Chuck E. Cheese animatronic.</p><p>Nobody knew what was on it anymore.</p><p>Nobody cared.</p><p>It had simply become a sacred relic of the Kool-Aid Kingdom, worshiped by men who couldn&#8217;t open a PDF without calling their daughter&#8217;s boyfriend.</p><p>Then came <strong>WOKE OUTRAGE</strong>, stuffed with drag queens, pronouns, M&amp;M shoes, beer cans, library books, mermaids, and whatever else Fox News had decided was destroying civilization that afternoon.</p><p>This mattress smelled strongly of Axe body spray, fear, and low reading comprehension.</p><p>And at the very bottom, beneath all the panic, all the propaganda, all the patriotic bed linens, all the red hats, all the hamberder wrappers, all the Diet Coke cans, all the sticky little fingerprints of professional deflection, there sat two red binders.</p><p>Quiet.</p><p>Heavy.</p><p>Glowing like a legal problem with a pulse.</p><p>The labels read:</p><p><strong>EPSTEIN FILES.</strong></p><p>And that, dear reader, was the pea.</p><p>Not a dainty little garden pea.</p><p>Not some fairy-tale vegetable.</p><p>This was a radioactive pea. A screaming pea. A federal-document pea. A &#8220;why does everyone suddenly want to talk about Greenland again?&#8221; pea.</p><p>It sat under the bed, poking up through every mattress of distraction, jabbing Princess Felon right in the royal hindquarters.</p><p>And every time it poked him, he twitched.</p><p>&#8220;Zzz&#8230; release what files?&#8221; he muttered.</p><p>The courtiers froze.</p><p>The palace grew silent.</p><p>The chandelier stopped swinging.</p><p>A Diet Coke bubble popped.</p><p>From the shadows emerged the Royal MAGA Guard.</p><p>They were a tragic little army of comment-section crusaders, each wearing a red hat, wraparound sunglasses, and the facial expression of a man who had just lost a debate to a shampoo bottle.</p><p>Their leader, Sir Facebook of Memeington, raised his cracked phone high in the air.</p><p>&#8220;Your Majesty!&#8221; he cried. &#8220;The people are noticing the binders!&#8221;</p><p>Princess Felon rolled over, dragging the American flag blanket with him.</p><p>&#8220;Tell them something shiny,&#8221; he mumbled.</p><p>&#8220;At once, sir!&#8221;</p><p>The Royal MAGA Guard sprang into action.</p><p>One troll ran to the village square and shouted, &#8220;GREENLAND!&#8221;</p><p>Another shouted, &#8220;IRAN!&#8221;</p><p>Another shouted, &#8220;NATO IS MEAN!&#8221;</p><p>Another screamed, &#8220;THE BORDER!&#8221;</p><p>Another yelled, &#8220;HUNTER&#8217;S LAPTOP!&#8221;</p><p>Another, who had clearly been chewing on paint chips since the Reagan administration, yelled, &#8220;THEY&#8217;RE PUTTING PRONOUNS IN THE GASOLINE!&#8221;</p><p>And just like that, the villagers forgot the binders.</p><p>Again.</p><p>They forgot the files.</p><p>They forgot the questions.</p><p>They forgot the pattern.</p><p>They forgot that every time the truth started making noise, the palace released another emergency balloon animal and told everyone to stare at it.</p><p>That was the genius of the trick.</p><p>Not a smart trick, mind you.</p><p>More like a raccoon operating a leaf blower.</p><p>But effective.</p><p>Because the Kingdom of MAGA did not run on facts. It ran on vibes, fear, cholesterol, and the sacred belief that any rich man who talks like a drunk uncle at Thanksgiving must secretly care about factory workers.</p><p>Princess Felon understood this better than anyone.</p><p>He knew his people.</p><p>He knew they didn&#8217;t want policy.</p><p>Policy had numbers.</p><p>Numbers required attention.</p><p>Attention was where the trouble started.</p><p>No, what they wanted was a show.</p><p>They wanted villains.</p><p>They wanted slogans.</p><p>They wanted someone to tell them that their problems were caused by immigrants, librarians, trans teenagers, windmills, electric stoves, Black mermaids, Taylor Swift, college professors, and oat milk.</p><p>Anything but the billionaire class.</p><p>Anything but corporate greed.</p><p>Anything but their own orange messiah selling them outrage in bulk like a Costco tub of powdered grievance.</p><p>So Princess Felon gave them what they wanted.</p><p>Every day, a new distraction.</p><p>Every week, a new mattress.</p><p>Every scandal, another layer.</p><p>And under it all?</p><p>The red binders waited.</p><p>The pea kept poking.</p><p>The bed kept squeaking.</p><p>The palace kept sweating.</p><p>But the trolls did their duty.</p><p>They flooded the comments.</p><p>They screamed &#8220;FAKE NEWS!&#8221;</p><p>They screamed &#8220;TDS!&#8221;</p><p>They screamed &#8220;WHAT ABOUT BIDEN?&#8221;</p><p>They screamed &#8220;DO YOUR OWN RESEARCH,&#8221; which usually meant watching a 47-minute video narrated by a man in a truck who thinks the moon landing was staged by the IRS.</p><p>They called everyone else sheep while lining up to be sheared by a billionaire with a spray tan and a merch store.</p><p>They said, &#8220;He fights for us,&#8221; while he fought mostly for himself, his ego, his legal bills, and the eternal right to never face consequences like a normal mammal.</p><p>They said, &#8220;He tells it like it is,&#8221; because apparently &#8220;like it is&#8221; means &#8220;whatever just fell out of his mouth after three Diet Cokes and a televised grievance seizure.&#8221;</p><p>They said, &#8220;He&#8217;s chosen by God,&#8221; which is a hell of a claim for a man whose spiritual journey appears to be holding a Bible upside down and charging the faithful $59.99 for commemorative garbage.</p><p>But the trolls believed.</p><p>Oh, they believed hard.</p><p>They believed with the raw intensity of a man arguing with a weather app.</p><p>They believed every deflection.</p><p>Every diversion.</p><p>Every new mattress.</p><p>And Princess Felon slept soundly because his little army of unpaid rage interns was out there doing exactly what he needed:</p><p>Guarding the bed.</p><p>Not America.</p><p>Not democracy.</p><p>Not freedom.</p><p>The bed.</p><p>The tacky, gilded, fast-food-scented bed of lies.</p><p>One night, however, a small child wandered into the palace.</p><p>Not a liberal.</p><p>Not a Marxist.</p><p>Not an antifa super soldier with a pronoun cannon.</p><p>Just a regular kid with two functioning eyes and the dangerous ability to notice obvious shit.</p><p>The child looked at the towering bed.</p><p>Looked at the mattresses.</p><p>Looked at the labels.</p><p>Looked at the trolls.</p><p>Looked at the red binders underneath.</p><p>Then asked the forbidden question:</p><p>&#8220;Why are the Epstein Files under there?&#8221;</p><p>The palace gasped.</p><p>Sir Facebook of Memeington dropped his phone.</p><p>A court jester from Newsmax fainted into a bowl of gravy.</p><p>A priest from the Church of Perpetual Victimhood began speaking in bumper stickers.</p><p>Princess Felon opened one eye.</p><p>&#8220;What files?&#8221; he whispered.</p><p>The child pointed.</p><p>&#8220;Those files.&#8221;</p><p>A thousand trolls lunged at once.</p><p>&#8220;Fake news!&#8221;</p><p>&#8220;Deep State!&#8221;</p><p>&#8220;Obama!&#8221;</p><p>&#8220;Clinton!&#8221;</p><p>&#8220;Hunter Biden!&#8221;</p><p>&#8220;Woke!&#8221;</p><p>&#8220;Globalists!&#8221;</p><p>&#8220;Laptop!&#8221;</p><p>&#8220;Emails!&#8221;</p><p>&#8220;Benghazi!&#8221;</p><p>&#8220;Gas prices!&#8221;</p><p>&#8220;Drag queens!&#8221;</p><p>&#8220;Taylor Swift!&#8221;</p><p>&#8220;Windmills cause cancer!&#8221;</p><p>It was a symphony of stupid. A full orchestra of weapons-grade dipshittery. Tubas of paranoia. Violins of victimhood. One guy in the back just kept yelling &#8220;Soros!&#8221; because he had lost the plot but wanted to feel included.</p><p>The child blinked.</p><p>Then said, &#8220;That didn&#8217;t answer the question.&#8221;</p><p>And there it was.</p><p>The most terrifying weapon in the kingdom:</p><p>A follow-up question.</p><p>Princess Felon began to sweat bronzer.</p><p>The bed trembled.</p><p>The mattresses shifted.</p><p>Greenland slid sideways.</p><p>Iran buckled.</p><p>Venezuela sagged.</p><p>The Nobel Prize mattress popped and released a cloud of pure delusion.</p><p>NATO split at the seam.</p><p>Ukraine groaned.</p><p>Border Panic started leaking fear foam.</p><p>Hunter&#8217;s Laptop coughed out a MyPillow coupon.</p><p>And the Epstein binders glowed brighter.</p><p>The trolls panicked.</p><p>They had never been trained for this.</p><p>They knew how to insult.</p><p>They knew how to spam memes.</p><p>They knew how to say &#8220;rent free&#8221; while spending four hours rage-commenting on a page they claimed not to care about.</p><p>But answer a direct question?</p><p>Absolutely not.</p><p>That was sorcery.</p><p>So they did what they always do.</p><p>They attacked the child&#8217;s character.</p><p>&#8220;You must hate America!&#8221;</p><p>&#8220;You&#8217;re brainwashed!&#8221;</p><p>&#8220;You watch CNN!&#8221;</p><p>&#8220;You&#8217;re a communist!&#8221;</p><p>&#8220;You probably drive an electric car!&#8221;</p><p>&#8220;You have blue hair!&#8221;</p><p>The child did not have blue hair.</p><p>The child had, unfortunately for the trolls, a point.</p><p>And the point was simple:</p><p>When a powerful man keeps piling distractions over the same hidden thing, maybe the hidden thing matters.</p><p>Not because every conspiracy is true.</p><p>Not because every rumor is fact.</p><p>Not because every red binder contains the exact fantasy people want it to contain.</p><p>But because transparency should not require a crowbar, a subpoena, a hazmat suit, and three acts of Congress.</p><p>If there is nothing to see, then show it.</p><p>If there is nothing to hide, then stop hiding it.</p><p>If it&#8217;s all fake, then open the damn drawers and let the sunlight in.</p><p>But that&#8217;s not how the Kingdom of MAGA works.</p><p>The kingdom does not run on sunlight.</p><p>It runs on fog machines.</p><p>It runs on noise.</p><p>It runs on the ancient con-man wisdom that if you throw enough squirrels into the room, the public will forget who lit the couch on fire.</p><p>And Felon 47?</p><p>He is the sweaty little wizard behind the curtain, frantically pulling levers labeled:</p><p><strong>DISTRACT</strong><br><strong>DEFLECT</strong><br><strong>DENY</strong><br><strong>GRIFT</strong><br><strong>REPEAT</strong></p><p>That is the whole spell.</p><p>That is the whole bedtime story.</p><p>That is the entire mattress stack.</p><p>The Princess and the Plea is not about one scandal. It is about the method.</p><p>Create chaos.</p><p>Sell fear.</p><p>Blame enemies.</p><p>Mock accountability.</p><p>Call every question a hoax.</p><p>Call every critic deranged.</p><p>Call every investigation persecution.</p><p>Then fall asleep under the flag while the rubes fight each other in the comments like raccoons trapped in a Dollar General.</p><p>And the saddest part?</p><p>The trolls think they are defending him.</p><p>They think they are soldiers.</p><p>They think they are patriots.</p><p>They think they are storming the castle.</p><p>But they are not storming the castle.</p><p>They are the moat.</p><p>They are the unpaid security system for a man who would not let them use the nice bathroom.</p><p>They are human bubble wrap around a billionaire&#8217;s secrets.</p><p>They are barking at shadows while the paperwork crawls under the bed.</p><p>So sleep tight, Princess Felon.</p><p>Snuggle up in your flag blankie.</p><p>Rest your weary little felony head on that pillow of grievance.</p><p>Dream your dreams of Nobel Prizes, golden toilets, crowd sizes, and being worshiped by men who think &#8220;subpoena&#8221; is a Mexican restaurant.</p><p>But remember this:</p><p>No matter how many mattresses you stack&#8230;</p><p>No matter how many distractions you label&#8230;</p><p>No matter how many trolls you send into the comments with Mountain Dew breath and Fox News brain worms&#8230;</p><p>The pea is still there.</p><p>The binders are still there.</p><p>The question is still there.</p><p>And every time you roll over and mumble, &#8220;Release what files?&#8221;&#8212;</p><p>the bed squeaks louder.</p><div class="subscription-widget-wrap-editor" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://opts.org/subscribe?&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Subscribe&quot;,&quot;language&quot;:&quot;en&quot;}" data-component-name="SubscribeWidgetToDOM"><div class="subscription-widget show-subscribe"><div class="preamble"><p class="cta-caption">The Angry Creamsicle - Unfiltered. Unapologetic. Unhinged is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.</p></div><form class="subscription-widget-subscribe"><input type="email" class="email-input" name="email" placeholder="Type your email&#8230;" tabindex="-1"><input type="submit" class="button primary" value="Subscribe"><div class="fake-input-wrapper"><div class="fake-input"></div><div class="fake-button"></div></div></form></div></div><p></p><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!rpeE!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F55b3712a-ac72-42ed-b4be-bf82e0806f24_1122x1402.png" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" 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srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!rpeE!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F55b3712a-ac72-42ed-b4be-bf82e0806f24_1122x1402.png 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!rpeE!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F55b3712a-ac72-42ed-b4be-bf82e0806f24_1122x1402.png 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!rpeE!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F55b3712a-ac72-42ed-b4be-bf82e0806f24_1122x1402.png 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!rpeE!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F55b3712a-ac72-42ed-b4be-bf82e0806f24_1122x1402.png 1456w" sizes="100vw" loading="lazy"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg role="img" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><title></title><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a></figure></div><p></p>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[The MAGA Trolls Who Came Out to Cry]]></title><description><![CDATA[A crude little rhyme for the keyboard warriors, Kool-Aid chuggers, and basement patriots currently rage-sobbing in my Facebook comments.]]></description><link>https://opts.org/p/the-maga-trolls-who-came-out-to-cry</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://opts.org/p/the-maga-trolls-who-came-out-to-cry</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[The Angry Creamsicle]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Thu, 07 May 2026 01:43:08 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!MnUW!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F23104a6c-3d10-4036-b897-22ac45df4c39_1305x1205.png" length="0" type="image/jpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!MnUW!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F23104a6c-3d10-4036-b897-22ac45df4c39_1305x1205.png" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!MnUW!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F23104a6c-3d10-4036-b897-22ac45df4c39_1305x1205.png 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!MnUW!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F23104a6c-3d10-4036-b897-22ac45df4c39_1305x1205.png 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!MnUW!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F23104a6c-3d10-4036-b897-22ac45df4c39_1305x1205.png 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!MnUW!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F23104a6c-3d10-4036-b897-22ac45df4c39_1305x1205.png 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!MnUW!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F23104a6c-3d10-4036-b897-22ac45df4c39_1305x1205.png" width="1305" height="1205" data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/23104a6c-3d10-4036-b897-22ac45df4c39_1305x1205.png&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:1205,&quot;width&quot;:1305,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:null,&quot;bytes&quot;:3344667,&quot;alt&quot;:null,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image/png&quot;,&quot;href&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:false,&quot;topImage&quot;:true,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:&quot;https://opts.org/i/196729590?img=https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F23104a6c-3d10-4036-b897-22ac45df4c39_1305x1205.png&quot;,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!MnUW!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F23104a6c-3d10-4036-b897-22ac45df4c39_1305x1205.png 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!MnUW!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F23104a6c-3d10-4036-b897-22ac45df4c39_1305x1205.png 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!MnUW!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F23104a6c-3d10-4036-b897-22ac45df4c39_1305x1205.png 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!MnUW!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F23104a6c-3d10-4036-b897-22ac45df4c39_1305x1205.png 1456w" sizes="100vw" fetchpriority="high"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg role="img" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><title></title><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a></figure></div><p>There&#8217;s something magical about MAGA trolls.</p><p>Not <em>good</em> magical. Not Disney magical. More like &#8220;gas station bathroom after chili dog night&#8221; magical.</p><p>They show up on my page, furious that I made fun of their orange felony pi&#241;ata, and then proceed to prove the joke was too generous.</p><p>So I wrote them a little bedtime rhyme.</p><p>Not for children.</p><p>For grown adults who still think Facebook memes count as research.</p><div><hr></div><h2><strong>The MAGA Trolls Who Came Out to Cry</strong></h2><p>I do not like them in my thread,<br>I do not like what&#8217;s in their head.<br>I do not like their meme-fed stew,<br>Their &#8220;research&#8221; from a Facebook dude.</p><p>They stomp and snort, they grunt and scroll,<br>Each one a basement-dwelling troll.<br>With Cheeto dust and rage-filled thumbs,<br>They type like raccoons chewing drums.</p><p>They scream, &#8220;You&#8217;re woke!&#8221; They shriek, &#8220;You&#8217;re mad!&#8221;<br>Then post a flag they bought from Vlad.<br>They chug the Kool-Aid, burp, and grin,<br>Then blame the libs for their double chin.</p><p>They worship Felon 47,<br>Like he&#8217;s been hand-sent down from heaven.<br>A spray-tanned grifter, loud and wide,<br>With hamberder grease and crimes inside.</p><p>&#8220;HE TELLS THE TRUTH!&#8221; the goblins shout,<br>While facts come in and brain cells out.<br>They dodge each charge, they duck each lie,<br>Then ask why eggs and gas are high.</p><p>They cry, &#8220;Fake news!&#8221; They cry, &#8220;Deep State!&#8221;<br>They learned two words and think they&#8217;re great.<br>Their whole worldview, their sacred scroll,<br>Is bumper stickers and leaded coal.</p><p>They hate the rich, yet lick their shoes,<br>They vote for billionaires, then lose.<br>&#8220;Someday they&#8217;ll make me wealthy too!&#8221;<br>Sure, champ &#8212; right after pigs learn kung fu.</p><p>They yell about the border wall,<br>Then can&#8217;t spell &#8220;border&#8221; much at all.<br>They fear a book, a mask, a pronoun,<br>But trust a con man melting down.</p><p>They call us sheep, then march in line,<br>Behind a tangerine Frankenstein.<br>They baa for boots upon their neck,<br>Then call submission &#8220;self-respect.&#8221;</p><p>So troll away, you rage-filled clowns,<br>With confed flags and Velcro crowns.<br>Bring every meme your uncle made,<br>And every drop of cult Kool-Aid.</p><p>My page is here. The door&#8217;s unlocked.<br>Come get roasted, mocked, and crocked.<br>Because every time you post and squeal,<br>You prove the satire&#8217;s fucking real.</p><div><hr></div><p>And that&#8217;s really the whole tragedy, isn&#8217;t it?</p><p>They show up to defend a billionaire con man who wouldn&#8217;t piss on them if their trailer was on fire, then call everyone else brainwashed.</p><p>They scream about freedom while begging Felon 47 to rule them like a spray-tanned mall dictator with a cholesterol problem.</p><p>They yell &#8220;do your own research,&#8221; then post a meme made by a divorced guy named Darryl who thinks clouds are government Wi-Fi.</p><p>So to every MAGA troll currently hate-reading this with one eye twitching and a Mountain Dew in hand:</p><p>Thank you.</p><p>You are not just the audience.</p><p>You are the material.</p><p>And buddy, the material is ripe.</p><div><hr></div><p><strong>Share this with your favorite comment-section goblin.</strong></p>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[🗺️ The Strait of Hormuz™]]></title><description><![CDATA[Now Under &#8216;Concept of a Plan&#8217; Management]]></description><link>https://opts.org/p/the-strait-of-hormuz</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://opts.org/p/the-strait-of-hormuz</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[The Angry Creamsicle]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Mon, 20 Apr 2026 13:35:48 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!GjXE!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F3c5d51d1-ab6b-4d93-a153-c951b9109df1_1536x1024.png" length="0" type="image/jpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!GjXE!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F3c5d51d1-ab6b-4d93-a153-c951b9109df1_1536x1024.png" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!GjXE!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F3c5d51d1-ab6b-4d93-a153-c951b9109df1_1536x1024.png 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!GjXE!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F3c5d51d1-ab6b-4d93-a153-c951b9109df1_1536x1024.png 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!GjXE!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F3c5d51d1-ab6b-4d93-a153-c951b9109df1_1536x1024.png 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!GjXE!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F3c5d51d1-ab6b-4d93-a153-c951b9109df1_1536x1024.png 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!GjXE!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F3c5d51d1-ab6b-4d93-a153-c951b9109df1_1536x1024.png" width="1456" height="971" data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/3c5d51d1-ab6b-4d93-a153-c951b9109df1_1536x1024.png&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:971,&quot;width&quot;:1456,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:null,&quot;bytes&quot;:2922132,&quot;alt&quot;:null,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image/png&quot;,&quot;href&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:false,&quot;topImage&quot;:true,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:&quot;https://opts.org/i/194765674?img=https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F3c5d51d1-ab6b-4d93-a153-c951b9109df1_1536x1024.png&quot;,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!GjXE!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F3c5d51d1-ab6b-4d93-a153-c951b9109df1_1536x1024.png 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!GjXE!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F3c5d51d1-ab6b-4d93-a153-c951b9109df1_1536x1024.png 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!GjXE!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F3c5d51d1-ab6b-4d93-a153-c951b9109df1_1536x1024.png 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!GjXE!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F3c5d51d1-ab6b-4d93-a153-c951b9109df1_1536x1024.png 1456w" sizes="100vw" fetchpriority="high"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg role="img" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><title></title><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a></figure></div><p></p><p><strong>&#11088; 2.7 (91,247 reviews)</strong><br><strong>Category:</strong> Global Shipping Channel / Economic Mood Swing<br><strong>Price Range:</strong> $ <em>(varies based on vibes)</em></p><div><hr></div><h2>&#128205; Overview</h2><p>One of the world&#8217;s most critical oil chokepoints, now operating under a bold new strategy best described as:</p><blockquote><p>&#128172; <strong>&#8220;We&#8217;ll see what happens.&#8221;</strong></p></blockquote><p>Handles roughly a fifth of global oil supply, assuming:</p><ul><li><p>Nobody gets bored</p></li><li><p>Nobody gets offended</p></li><li><p>Nobody logs on and starts typing</p></li></ul><p>Ideal for:</p><ul><li><p>Oil tankers</p></li><li><p>Military posturing</p></li><li><p>Turning minor tensions into international headlines</p></li></ul><p>Not ideal for:</p><ul><li><p>Stability</p></li><li><p>Planning</p></li><li><p>Anyone who enjoys a predictable Tuesday</p></li></ul><div><hr></div><h2>&#128338; Hours</h2><p><strong>OPEN: 24/7</strong><br><strong>CLOSES: Randomly, emotionally, and sometimes publicly</strong></p><p><strong>Holiday Hours May Include:</strong></p><ul><li><p>Sudden escalations</p></li><li><p>&#8220;Clarifications&#8221; that make things worse</p></li><li><p>Entire markets collectively saying &#8220;oh no&#8221;</p></li></ul><div><hr></div><h2>&#128202; Popular Times</h2><div class="highlighted_code_block" data-attrs="{&quot;language&quot;:&quot;plaintext&quot;,&quot;nodeId&quot;:&quot;8c15a4d3-20d7-4e58-b91a-f9fd10b8f08c&quot;}" data-component-name="HighlightedCodeBlockToDOM"><pre class="shiki"><code class="language-plaintext">| Time              | Activity                  |
| ----------------- | ------------------------- |
| Weekdays          | Mild anxiety              |
| Weekends          | Escalation roulette       |
| Late Night Posts  | &#128293; FULL PANIC &#128293;          |
| Press Conferences | Confusion with confidence |
</code></pre></div><div><hr></div><h2>&#129517; Amenities</h2><p>&#10004; Constant tension<br>&#10004; Naval standoffs<br>&#10004; Real-time global consequences<br>&#10004; &#8220;Perfect phone calls&#8221;</p><p>&#10006; Clear policy<br>&#10006; Consistency<br>&#10006; Adult supervision<br>&#10006; Basic impulse control</p><div><hr></div><h2>&#128227; From Management</h2><p>&#8220;We run the best strait. Everyone says so. The strongest strait.<br>We might close it, we might not&#8212;depends. That&#8217;s called negotiating.<br>Other countries? They&#8217;re calling, they&#8217;re begging. Nobody&#8217;s ever seen anything like this.&#8221;</p><div><hr></div><h2>&#128506;&#65039; Directions</h2><p>Head toward rising tension.<br>Ignore experts.<br>Take a sharp turn at &#8220;gut feeling.&#8221;<br>Continue straight until markets react.</p><p>If you hit stability, you&#8217;ve gone too far&#8212;turn around immediately.</p><div><hr></div><h2>&#11088; Top Reviews</h2><div><hr></div><p><strong>&#11088;&#9734;&#9734;&#9734;&#9734; &#8211; &#8220;Leadership runs on vibes&#8221;</strong></p><blockquote><p>Got halfway through and suddenly everything changed because someone said something somewhere. No warning, no plan, just chaos. We are now circling burning fuel and patience.</p></blockquote><div><hr></div><p><strong>&#11088;&#11088;&#9734;&#9734;&#9734; &#8211; &#8220;Concept of a route&#8221;</strong></p><blockquote><p>Asked for a clear path. Received a speech. Asked for guidance. Got merch.</p></blockquote><div><hr></div><p><strong>&#11088;&#9734;&#9734;&#9734;&#9734; &#8211; &#8220;Too reactive&#8221;</strong></p><blockquote><p>Every time things calm down, someone grabs a microphone and lights it back on fire. Feels less like navigation, more like improv.</p></blockquote><div><hr></div><p><strong>&#11088;&#11088;&#11088;&#9734;&#9734; &#8211; &#8220;Exciting, if you enjoy risk&#8221;</strong></p><blockquote><p>Beautiful scenery, very dramatic atmosphere. Would recommend if you enjoy the constant possibility of becoming breaking news.</p></blockquote><div><hr></div><p><strong>&#11088;&#9734;&#9734;&#9734;&#9734; &#8211; &#8220;Would not transit again&#8221;</strong></p><blockquote><p>Entire operation feels like it&#8217;s one mood swing away from shutting down. Not ideal when transporting millions of barrels of anything.</p></blockquote><p></p><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Eivg!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F5d5b8ab0-8c3f-4943-97d9-989a0409a868_1024x1536.png" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Eivg!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F5d5b8ab0-8c3f-4943-97d9-989a0409a868_1024x1536.png 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Eivg!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F5d5b8ab0-8c3f-4943-97d9-989a0409a868_1024x1536.png 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Eivg!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F5d5b8ab0-8c3f-4943-97d9-989a0409a868_1024x1536.png 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Eivg!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F5d5b8ab0-8c3f-4943-97d9-989a0409a868_1024x1536.png 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Eivg!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F5d5b8ab0-8c3f-4943-97d9-989a0409a868_1024x1536.png" width="1024" height="1536" data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/5d5b8ab0-8c3f-4943-97d9-989a0409a868_1024x1536.png&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:1536,&quot;width&quot;:1024,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:null,&quot;bytes&quot;:3110446,&quot;alt&quot;:null,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image/png&quot;,&quot;href&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:true,&quot;topImage&quot;:false,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:&quot;https://opts.org/i/194765674?img=https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F5d5b8ab0-8c3f-4943-97d9-989a0409a868_1024x1536.png&quot;,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Eivg!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F5d5b8ab0-8c3f-4943-97d9-989a0409a868_1024x1536.png 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Eivg!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F5d5b8ab0-8c3f-4943-97d9-989a0409a868_1024x1536.png 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Eivg!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F5d5b8ab0-8c3f-4943-97d9-989a0409a868_1024x1536.png 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Eivg!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F5d5b8ab0-8c3f-4943-97d9-989a0409a868_1024x1536.png 1456w" sizes="100vw" loading="lazy"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg role="img" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><title></title><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a></figure></div><p></p><div><hr></div><h2>&#128172; Questions &amp; Answers</h2><p><strong>Q: Is there an actual plan?</strong><br>A: There is a <em>concept</em> of one.</p><div><hr></div><p><strong>Q: Is it safe to pass through?</strong><br>A: Define &#8220;safe,&#8221; then lower your expectations.</p><div><hr></div><p><strong>Q: Who&#8217;s in charge here?</strong><br>A: That depends on the last thing that was said publicly.</p><div><hr></div><p><strong>Q: What causes closures?</strong><br>A: Hard to say. Could be strategy. Could be vibes. Could be a Tuesday.</p><div><hr></div><h2>&#129512; Important Update</h2><p>&#9888;&#65039; <strong>Conditions may change without notice based on:</strong></p><ul><li><p>Emotional responses</p></li><li><p>Public statements</p></li><li><p>Who&#8217;s watching</p></li><li><p>Who&#8217;s clapping</p></li></ul><div><hr></div><h2>&#129702; Final Notice</h2><blockquote><p>&#128165; <strong>&#8220;We might close it, we might not. Keep &#8217;em guessing.&#8221;</strong></p></blockquote><div><hr></div><p>&#128071;<br><em>Scroll down for user experiences, expert reactions, and a completely normal breakdown of how the global economy is being managed like a group chat argument.</em></p><p></p><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://www.facebook.com/TheAngryCreamsicle/" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!t9h3!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F5e393c6a-ba46-4e41-8ca4-c42763fdd164_1536x1024.png 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!t9h3!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F5e393c6a-ba46-4e41-8ca4-c42763fdd164_1536x1024.png 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!t9h3!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F5e393c6a-ba46-4e41-8ca4-c42763fdd164_1536x1024.png 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!t9h3!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F5e393c6a-ba46-4e41-8ca4-c42763fdd164_1536x1024.png 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!t9h3!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F5e393c6a-ba46-4e41-8ca4-c42763fdd164_1536x1024.png" width="1456" height="971" data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/5e393c6a-ba46-4e41-8ca4-c42763fdd164_1536x1024.png&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:971,&quot;width&quot;:1456,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:null,&quot;bytes&quot;:2746085,&quot;alt&quot;:null,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image/png&quot;,&quot;href&quot;:&quot;https://www.facebook.com/TheAngryCreamsicle/&quot;,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:true,&quot;topImage&quot;:false,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:&quot;https://opts.org/i/194765674?img=https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F5e393c6a-ba46-4e41-8ca4-c42763fdd164_1536x1024.png&quot;,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!t9h3!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F5e393c6a-ba46-4e41-8ca4-c42763fdd164_1536x1024.png 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!t9h3!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F5e393c6a-ba46-4e41-8ca4-c42763fdd164_1536x1024.png 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!t9h3!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F5e393c6a-ba46-4e41-8ca4-c42763fdd164_1536x1024.png 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!t9h3!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F5e393c6a-ba46-4e41-8ca4-c42763fdd164_1536x1024.png 1456w" sizes="100vw" loading="lazy"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg role="img" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><title></title><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a></figure></div><p></p><div><hr></div><p>Let&#8217;s drop the fake reviews, the stars, the cute little icons.</p><p>Because here&#8217;s the part that isn&#8217;t a joke:</p><p>This isn&#8217;t Yelp.<br>This isn&#8217;t a meme.<br>This is one of the most critical chokepoints on the planet&#8230; being treated like a damn improv exercise.</p><div><hr></div><p>You&#8217;ve got a narrow stretch of water that a massive chunk of the world&#8217;s oil flows through.</p><p>That means:</p><ul><li><p>Your gas prices</p></li><li><p>Global shipping</p></li><li><p>Supply chains</p></li><li><p>Entire economies</p></li></ul><p>&#8230;all get twitchy the second this place turns into a headline.</p><p>And instead of steady hands, consistent messaging, and actual strategy&#8212;</p><p>we get noise.</p><p>Loud. Constant. Reactive noise.</p><div><hr></div><h2>&#128241; Policy by Mood Swing</h2><p>There&#8217;s no long-game here.</p><p>There&#8217;s no discipline.</p><p>There&#8217;s just a cycle:</p><p>&#128073; Say something reckless<br>&#128073; Watch markets flinch<br>&#128073; Walk it back (kind of)<br>&#128073; Then say something even dumber to &#8220;clarify&#8221;</p><p>That&#8217;s not negotiation.</p><p>That&#8217;s not strength.</p><p>That&#8217;s <strong>policy by mood swing</strong>.</p><div><hr></div><blockquote><p>&#128172; <em>&#8220;We&#8217;ll see what happens.&#8221;</em></p></blockquote><p>Yeah.</p><p>That&#8217;s exactly the problem.</p><p>Because when you&#8217;re dealing with something this sensitive, &#8220;we&#8217;ll see what happens&#8221; isn&#8217;t bold&#8230;</p><p>&#8230;it&#8217;s what you say when you have no idea what you&#8217;re doing but you&#8217;re hoping confidence carries you through.</p><div><hr></div><h2>&#129504; The Cult of &#8220;This Is Fine&#8221;</h2><p>And here&#8217;s where it gets even dumber.</p><p>There are people&#8212;real, breathing, tax-paying adults&#8212;watching this unfold and going:</p><blockquote><p>&#8220;No no, this is actually genius.&#8221;</p></blockquote><p>Genius?</p><p>GENIUS??</p><p>You&#8217;re watching instability get sold as strength.</p><p>You&#8217;re watching unpredictability get marketed as strategy.</p><p>You&#8217;re watching a global system that depends on consistency get jerked around like it owes someone money&#8212;</p><p>&#8230;and the response is:</p><p>&#8220;Trust the plan.&#8221;</p><p>What plan?</p><p>The invisible one?</p><p>The one that only exists after something blows up and someone explains why it was &#8220;intentional&#8221;?</p><div><hr></div><h2>&#128674; Meanwhile, In Reality&#8230;</h2><p>Out in the real world&#8212;away from the microphones and the chest-thumping&#8212;</p><p>you&#8217;ve got:</p><ul><li><p>Tanker crews trying to not become headlines</p></li><li><p>Analysts trying to price in chaos like it&#8217;s a measurable variable</p></li><li><p>Entire countries quietly preparing backup plans</p></li></ul><p>Because they know something the loudest voices don&#8217;t:</p><p><strong>Chaos isn&#8217;t strategy.</strong></p><p>It&#8217;s just chaos.</p><div><hr></div><h2>&#127917; The Performance vs. The Consequences</h2><p>That&#8217;s the part people keep missing.</p><p>This whole thing gets treated like a show.</p><p>Like it&#8217;s entertainment.</p><p>Like it&#8217;s just another &#8220;own the libs&#8221; moment or whatever flavor of nonsense is trending that day.</p><p>But the consequences?</p><p>They&#8217;re not a joke.</p><p>They show up in:</p><ul><li><p>Prices</p></li><li><p>Markets</p></li><li><p>Supply chains</p></li><li><p>And eventually&#8230; your wallet</p></li></ul><p>You don&#8217;t get to run something this critical like it&#8217;s open mic night and pretend there&#8217;s no fallout.</p><div><hr></div><h2>&#129702; So Yeah&#8230; About That 2.7 Rating</h2><p>We joked about the rating.</p><p>We laughed about the reviews.</p><p>We turned it into a fake business listing because honestly, that&#8217;s the only way to process how absurd it looks from the outside.</p><p>But if we&#8217;re being real?</p><p>2.7 might still be generous.</p><div><hr></div><blockquote><p>&#128165; <strong>If your entire approach to global stability is &#8220;keep &#8217;em guessing&#8221;&#8230;<br>you&#8217;re not negotiating&#8212;<br>you&#8217;re gambling.</strong></p></blockquote><p></p><h2>&#129475; Final Thoughts: Please Rate Your Experience</h2><p>So here we are.</p><p>A global chokepoint that moves a massive chunk of the world&#8217;s oil&#8230;<br>running on uncertainty, vibes, and whatever just got said five minutes ago.</p><p>And somehow, we&#8217;re all supposed to pretend this is normal.</p><div><hr></div><p>If this were literally anything else&#8212;<br>a restaurant, a mechanic, a pilot&#8212;</p><p>and they said:</p><blockquote><p>&#8220;We might do it right, we might not&#8230; keep &#8217;em guessing.&#8221;</p></blockquote><p>You&#8217;d be out the door before they finished the sentence.</p><p>But here?</p><p>It&#8217;s rebranded as strength.<br>Packaged as confidence.<br>Sold as strategy.</p><div><hr></div><h2>&#11088; So Go Ahead&#8212;Leave a Review</h2><p>Let&#8217;s be honest.</p><p>If the Strait of Hormuz really had a listing, the reviews would keep rolling in:</p><blockquote><p>&#11088;&#9734;&#9734;&#9734;&#9734;<br>&#8220;Ordered stability. Got chaos.&#8221;</p><p>&#11088;&#11088;&#9734;&#9734;&#9734;<br>&#8220;Fast route, but management keeps threatening to shut it down mid-trip.&#8221;</p><p>&#11088;&#9734;&#9734;&#9734;&#9734;<br>&#8220;Feels like the entire operation is one bad day away from a full meltdown.&#8221;</p></blockquote><div><hr></div><p>And then there&#8217;d be that one guy:</p><blockquote><p>&#11088;&#11088;&#11088;&#11088;&#11088;<br>&#8220;Everything is perfect. Best strait ever. Never been better. You just don&#8217;t understand it.&#8221;</p></blockquote><p>Yeah.</p><p>That guy.</p><div><hr></div><h2>&#127917; The Joke&#8230; and the Part That Isn&#8217;t</h2><p>That&#8217;s the weirdest part about all of this.</p><p>The situation is so absurd&#8230;<br>so over-the-top&#8230;<br>so aggressively unserious in how it&#8217;s handled&#8230;</p><p>that the only way to talk about it without screaming into a pillow<br>is to turn it into a joke.</p><p>So we did.</p><p>We gave it stars.<br>We wrote reviews.<br>We treated it like a business listing.</p><p>Because sometimes satire isn&#8217;t exaggerating reality&#8230;</p><p>&#8230;it&#8217;s just <strong>copying it and changing the font.</strong></p><div><hr></div><h2>&#129702; One Last Thing</h2><p>At the end of the day, this isn&#8217;t complicated.</p><p>You don&#8217;t stabilize something this important with chaos.<br>You don&#8217;t build trust with unpredictability.<br>You don&#8217;t lead by keeping everyone guessing.</p><p>You just don&#8217;t.</p><div><hr></div><blockquote><p>&#128165; <strong>&#8220;If your grand strategy is &#8216;we&#8217;ll see what happens,&#8217;<br>don&#8217;t be surprised when what happens&#8230; is a mess.&#8221;</strong></p></blockquote><div><hr></div><h2>&#128227; Before You Go</h2><p>If this made you laugh, nod, or question your sanity just a little:</p><p>&#128073; Share it with someone who still thinks chaos is a strategy<br>&#128073; Subscribe for more satire that writes itself<br>&#128073; Drop a comment: what rating would YOU give it?</p><p></p><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://opts.org/subscribe?&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Subscribe now&quot;,&quot;action&quot;:null,&quot;class&quot;:null}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary" href="https://opts.org/subscribe?"><span>Subscribe now</span></a></p><p></p><div><hr></div><p><strong>Current Rating:</strong> &#11088; 2.7<br><strong>Outlook:</strong> &#8230;pending the next post.</p><p></p><div class="captioned-button-wrap" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://opts.org/p/the-strait-of-hormuz?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email&utm_content=share&action=share&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Share&quot;}" data-component-name="CaptionedButtonToDOM"><div class="preamble"><p class="cta-caption">Thanks for reading TAC: Unfiltered. Unapologetic. Unhinged! This post is public so feel free to share it.</p></div><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://opts.org/p/the-strait-of-hormuz?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email&utm_content=share&action=share&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Share&quot;}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary" href="https://opts.org/p/the-strait-of-hormuz?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email&utm_content=share&action=share"><span>Share</span></a></p></div><p></p>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[When Evolution Tapped Out: The Ballad of B6]]></title><description><![CDATA[B6: The First Karen To Discover Fire (Then Complain It Was Woke)]]></description><link>https://opts.org/p/when-evolution-tapped-out-the-ballad</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://opts.org/p/when-evolution-tapped-out-the-ballad</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[The Angry Creamsicle]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Sat, 12 Apr 2025 02:40:27 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!OV3e!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Ffc1cd808-886e-4c03-8c2c-5ad4cc900505_1024x1536.png" length="0" type="image/jpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!OV3e!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Ffc1cd808-886e-4c03-8c2c-5ad4cc900505_1024x1536.png" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!OV3e!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Ffc1cd808-886e-4c03-8c2c-5ad4cc900505_1024x1536.png 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!OV3e!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Ffc1cd808-886e-4c03-8c2c-5ad4cc900505_1024x1536.png 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!OV3e!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Ffc1cd808-886e-4c03-8c2c-5ad4cc900505_1024x1536.png 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!OV3e!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Ffc1cd808-886e-4c03-8c2c-5ad4cc900505_1024x1536.png 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!OV3e!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Ffc1cd808-886e-4c03-8c2c-5ad4cc900505_1024x1536.png" width="1024" height="1536" data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/fc1cd808-886e-4c03-8c2c-5ad4cc900505_1024x1536.png&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:1536,&quot;width&quot;:1024,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:null,&quot;bytes&quot;:3014507,&quot;alt&quot;:null,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image/png&quot;,&quot;href&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:false,&quot;topImage&quot;:true,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:&quot;https://opts.org/i/161154415?img=https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Ffc1cd808-886e-4c03-8c2c-5ad4cc900505_1024x1536.png&quot;,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!OV3e!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Ffc1cd808-886e-4c03-8c2c-5ad4cc900505_1024x1536.png 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!OV3e!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Ffc1cd808-886e-4c03-8c2c-5ad4cc900505_1024x1536.png 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!OV3e!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Ffc1cd808-886e-4c03-8c2c-5ad4cc900505_1024x1536.png 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!OV3e!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Ffc1cd808-886e-4c03-8c2c-5ad4cc900505_1024x1536.png 1456w" sizes="100vw" fetchpriority="high"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg role="img" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><title></title><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a></figure></div><p></p><h1>B6: The First Karen To Discover Fire (Then Complain It Was Woke)</h1><blockquote><p><em>&#8220;Me no like pronouns&#8230; but me love clubbing logic to death.&#8221;</em></p></blockquote><p>Archaeologists have unearthed this stunning image of <em>Bleachicus Butchicus Barbari</em>, commonly referred to by historians as <em>B6</em>, the earliest known cave-Karen.</p><p>Wielding what experts call a "Primitive Stupid Stick" (an early version of the MAGA hat), B6 was known for:</p><ul><li><p>Grunting about "freedumb" while hoarding rocks.</p></li><li><p>Starting fires &#8212; then claiming only <em>her</em> fire was "patriotic."</p></li><li><p>Canceling evolution mid-process because it was "too science-y."</p></li><li><p>Leading the first anti-wheel protest: <em>"Wheels are a liberal hoax pushed by Big Rock!"</em></p></li></ul><p>Ancient cave drawings depict her harassing other cavewomen for breast-feeding in public while simultaneously dragging her own young by the hair through gravel.</p><h3>Key Discoveries From The Dig Site:</h3><ul><li><p>A stone tablet reading: <em>"Make Pangaea Great Again"</em></p></li><li><p>Fossilized complaints about taxes on mammoth meat.</p></li><li><p>Evidence of early conspiracy theories: <em>"Fire good. Fire comes from cave gods. But lightning? FAKE NEWS."</em></p></li></ul><div><hr></div><blockquote><p><em>Historians believe she&#8217;s still alive today&#8230; now screeching at library story hours and throwing rocks at solar panels.</em></p></blockquote>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[The Gospel of Grift: A Biweekly Sermon of Satire & Scorn]]></title><description><![CDATA[Hymns of Hypocrisy, Psalms of Scams, and Prayers for the Perplexed]]></description><link>https://opts.org/p/the-gospel-of-grift-a-biweekly-sermon</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://opts.org/p/the-gospel-of-grift-a-biweekly-sermon</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[The Angry Creamsicle]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Thu, 06 Feb 2025 22:50:22 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!hktL!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F45fb0c0b-2c7b-4c74-a171-b2e0255bc3b3_526x526.jpeg" length="0" type="image/jpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Welcome, dear sinners and skeptics, to <strong>The Gospel of Grift</strong>&#8212;your <strong>biweekly</strong> dose of irreverent prayers, poetic blasphemy, and rhyming roasts of the clowns running this circus. &#127914;&#128293; If you're already following me on <strong><a href="https://www.facebook.com/TheAngryCreamsicle/">The Angry Creamsicle Facebook page</a></strong>, you know the deal. But since Zuckerberg&#8217;s algorithm is flakier than a Trump legal defense, I&#8217;m gathering the best of my <strong>satirical scriptures here on Substack</strong>&#8212;for those who missed the sermon.</p><p>So, let us pray, mock, and rhyme&#8212;because someone has to keep the cultists, conmen, and capitalist crybabies in check. Amen and enjoy. &#128128;&#128293;</p><p></p><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!hktL!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F45fb0c0b-2c7b-4c74-a171-b2e0255bc3b3_526x526.jpeg" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!hktL!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F45fb0c0b-2c7b-4c74-a171-b2e0255bc3b3_526x526.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!hktL!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F45fb0c0b-2c7b-4c74-a171-b2e0255bc3b3_526x526.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!hktL!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F45fb0c0b-2c7b-4c74-a171-b2e0255bc3b3_526x526.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!hktL!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F45fb0c0b-2c7b-4c74-a171-b2e0255bc3b3_526x526.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!hktL!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F45fb0c0b-2c7b-4c74-a171-b2e0255bc3b3_526x526.jpeg" width="526" height="526" data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/45fb0c0b-2c7b-4c74-a171-b2e0255bc3b3_526x526.jpeg&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:526,&quot;width&quot;:526,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:null,&quot;bytes&quot;:96795,&quot;alt&quot;:null,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image/jpeg&quot;,&quot;href&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:false,&quot;topImage&quot;:true,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:null,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!hktL!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F45fb0c0b-2c7b-4c74-a171-b2e0255bc3b3_526x526.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!hktL!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F45fb0c0b-2c7b-4c74-a171-b2e0255bc3b3_526x526.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!hktL!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F45fb0c0b-2c7b-4c74-a171-b2e0255bc3b3_526x526.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!hktL!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F45fb0c0b-2c7b-4c74-a171-b2e0255bc3b3_526x526.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw" fetchpriority="high"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg role="img" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><title></title><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a></figure></div><h1><strong>Ode to the Orange Emperor</strong></h1><p>Oh, 45-34, the felonious king,<br>With spray tan so thick, it could clog up a ring.<br>Your ego&#8217;s inflated like your cholesterol score,<br>And your brain? Well, it's probably rotting at core.</p><p>Miracle Ear turned up, but you still can&#8217;t hear,<br>All the truths, the facts, that to you don&#8217;t adhere.<br>Your cult drinks the Kool-Aid like it's vintage wine,<br>They&#8217;ll sell out their grandma if you say, "She&#8217;s mine!"</p><p>B6 and Beetlejuice, on standby to clap,<br>While you tweet out conspiracies fresh from your lap.<br>Hillbilly Vanilli sings your greatest hits,<br>And your minions eat it up like deep-fried bullsh*t.</p><p>So here&#8217;s to the orange, the one we deride,<br>A legend in courtrooms, but not in your mind.<br>Your empire&#8217;s crumbling, it&#8217;s all going south,<br>But you&#8217;ll keep talking&#8212;'cause you can&#8217;t shut your mouth.</p><p><em>(You&#8217;ll blame it on China or maybe a Jew,<br>When all of it fails&#8212;guess what? It's still you.)</em></p><blockquote><p>Bow before the Burger King of Bullsh*t! &#127828;&#128176; His Highness, Felon 47, ruling from a throne of cash, cholesterol, and cult Kool-Aid. Drink up, peasants! &#128514; #McFelony #KoolAidKing #TrumpRoyale</p></blockquote><div><hr></div><p></p><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!w0cw!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fdfc15447-1714-454a-a774-a30cbef7d596_945x540.jpeg" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!w0cw!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fdfc15447-1714-454a-a774-a30cbef7d596_945x540.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!w0cw!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fdfc15447-1714-454a-a774-a30cbef7d596_945x540.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!w0cw!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fdfc15447-1714-454a-a774-a30cbef7d596_945x540.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!w0cw!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fdfc15447-1714-454a-a774-a30cbef7d596_945x540.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!w0cw!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fdfc15447-1714-454a-a774-a30cbef7d596_945x540.jpeg" width="945" height="540" data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/dfc15447-1714-454a-a774-a30cbef7d596_945x540.jpeg&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:540,&quot;width&quot;:945,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:null,&quot;bytes&quot;:153264,&quot;alt&quot;:null,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image/jpeg&quot;,&quot;href&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:true,&quot;topImage&quot;:false,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:null,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!w0cw!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fdfc15447-1714-454a-a774-a30cbef7d596_945x540.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!w0cw!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fdfc15447-1714-454a-a774-a30cbef7d596_945x540.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!w0cw!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fdfc15447-1714-454a-a774-a30cbef7d596_945x540.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!w0cw!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fdfc15447-1714-454a-a774-a30cbef7d596_945x540.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw" loading="lazy"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg role="img" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><title></title><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a></figure></div><h1><strong>The Cult&#8217;s Prayer</strong></h1><p><strong>Our Father, who art in chaos,</strong><br>Hallowed be thy tweets.<br>Thy circus come, thy BS be spun,<br>On Earth as it is on Fox News.</p><p>Give us this day our daily cringe,<br>And forgive us our sanity,<br>As we forgive those who keep drinking the Kool-Aid.</p><p>Lead us not into rational thought,<br>But deliver us from reason.</p><p>For thine is the tantrum, the con, and the circus,<br>Forever and ever, amen.</p><p></p><blockquote><p>The Cult&#8217;s Prayer: Now with 100% more Kool-Aid and 0% critical thinking! &#127863;&#10013;&#65039;&#129313; Drink deep, my brethren, for the truth is fake, the lies are gospel, and Felon 47 walks on Diet Coke. #KoolAidForChrist #CultOfTheCheeto #OhYeahhhhh</p></blockquote><div><hr></div><p></p><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!GxFq!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Ff70d334c-aa0a-431f-bc06-ccf115954f13_526x526.jpeg" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!GxFq!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Ff70d334c-aa0a-431f-bc06-ccf115954f13_526x526.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!GxFq!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Ff70d334c-aa0a-431f-bc06-ccf115954f13_526x526.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!GxFq!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Ff70d334c-aa0a-431f-bc06-ccf115954f13_526x526.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!GxFq!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Ff70d334c-aa0a-431f-bc06-ccf115954f13_526x526.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!GxFq!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Ff70d334c-aa0a-431f-bc06-ccf115954f13_526x526.jpeg" width="526" height="526" data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/f70d334c-aa0a-431f-bc06-ccf115954f13_526x526.jpeg&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:526,&quot;width&quot;:526,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:null,&quot;bytes&quot;:43282,&quot;alt&quot;:null,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image/jpeg&quot;,&quot;href&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:true,&quot;topImage&quot;:false,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:null,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!GxFq!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Ff70d334c-aa0a-431f-bc06-ccf115954f13_526x526.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!GxFq!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Ff70d334c-aa0a-431f-bc06-ccf115954f13_526x526.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!GxFq!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Ff70d334c-aa0a-431f-bc06-ccf115954f13_526x526.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!GxFq!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Ff70d334c-aa0a-431f-bc06-ccf115954f13_526x526.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw" loading="lazy"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg role="img" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><title></title><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a></figure></div><h1><strong>The Cheeto Charlatan</strong></h1><p>In the land of crunch and cheesy dust,<br>Lived a villain you couldn&#8217;t trust.<br>A charlatan and a grifter sly,<br>With a cheesy grin and a crafty eye.</p><p>He'd promise gold and riches untold,<br>But leave you hungry in the cold.<br>His schemes as flaky as his suit,<br>A crunchy con with no pursuit.</p><p>With hair ablaze and a tie askew,<br>He&#8217;d trick and cheat the naive few.<br>But though he plots with cheesy flair,<br>He's just a puff of empty air.</p><p>So laugh and munch, but don't believe,<br>The Cheeto-dusted tricks up his sleeve.<br>For in the end, he is just a jest,<br>A lying MAGAt, like all the rest.</p><p></p><blockquote><p>From the makers of Grift-O&#8217;s&#8482;&#65039; comes the all-new <strong>Cheeto Charlatan Crunch&#8482;&#65039;</strong>&#8212;now with 100% more fraud and 0% accountability! Grab a box, just don&#8217;t expect a fair election. #Felon47 #CheetoConMan #PuffedUpAndBusted</p></blockquote><div><hr></div><p></p><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!afQk!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F0e4ff820-8a28-4f75-95e6-540a9178c1b3_1200x673.jpeg" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!afQk!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F0e4ff820-8a28-4f75-95e6-540a9178c1b3_1200x673.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!afQk!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F0e4ff820-8a28-4f75-95e6-540a9178c1b3_1200x673.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!afQk!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F0e4ff820-8a28-4f75-95e6-540a9178c1b3_1200x673.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!afQk!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F0e4ff820-8a28-4f75-95e6-540a9178c1b3_1200x673.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!afQk!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F0e4ff820-8a28-4f75-95e6-540a9178c1b3_1200x673.jpeg" width="1200" height="673" data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/0e4ff820-8a28-4f75-95e6-540a9178c1b3_1200x673.jpeg&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:673,&quot;width&quot;:1200,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:null,&quot;bytes&quot;:580885,&quot;alt&quot;:null,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image/jpeg&quot;,&quot;href&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:true,&quot;topImage&quot;:false,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:null,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!afQk!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F0e4ff820-8a28-4f75-95e6-540a9178c1b3_1200x673.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!afQk!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F0e4ff820-8a28-4f75-95e6-540a9178c1b3_1200x673.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!afQk!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F0e4ff820-8a28-4f75-95e6-540a9178c1b3_1200x673.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!afQk!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F0e4ff820-8a28-4f75-95e6-540a9178c1b3_1200x673.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw" loading="lazy"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg role="img" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><title></title><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a></figure></div><h1><strong>The Snake Oil Shepherd</strong></h1><p>In a field of greed where red hats sway,<br>An orange face sells dreams by day.<br>With a wink and a smile, he spins his tales,<br>Peddling potions, promises, and fails.</p><p><em>"Come one, come all,"</em> he bellows loud,<br>To a flock in fleece, a woolly crowd.<br>Eager sheep with eyes wide shut,<br>Guzzle down his every glut.</p><p>He markets myths with brash delight,<br>In hats so red, they blind the sight.<br><em>"Trust me now,"</em> he boldly lies,<br>While truth, in corners, softly cries.</p><p>Yet there in back, a sheep contrite,<br>Begins to bleat against the plight.<br><em>"I think,"</em> it says, with quiet might,<br><em>"This snake oil's wrong, it doesn't sit right."</em></p><p>But on goes the show, the charade balloons,<br>As greed paints the sky in gold doubloons.<br>And though the sheep may sometimes bleat,<br>The hats stay on, the cycle repeats.</p><p>So tip your hat, the red, the rash,<br>To greed and games, and balderdash.<br>For in this field, if truth be told,<br>The only thing that's sold is <strong>sold</strong>.</p><p></p><blockquote><p>Step right up to the <strong>Greatest Grift on Earth!</strong> &#127914;&#128017; Witness the wool-covered wonders drink deep from the snake oil chalice while their shepherd pockets the loot. Will they wake up? Nah, but the merch sales are booming! #CultOfTheCon #Felon47FleecesAll #SnakeOilSuperstar</p></blockquote><div><hr></div><p></p><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!FLM5!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F33eb399b-4c58-4cb5-8a0b-7f8a956a4a32_768x960.jpeg" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!FLM5!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F33eb399b-4c58-4cb5-8a0b-7f8a956a4a32_768x960.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!FLM5!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F33eb399b-4c58-4cb5-8a0b-7f8a956a4a32_768x960.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!FLM5!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F33eb399b-4c58-4cb5-8a0b-7f8a956a4a32_768x960.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!FLM5!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F33eb399b-4c58-4cb5-8a0b-7f8a956a4a32_768x960.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!FLM5!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F33eb399b-4c58-4cb5-8a0b-7f8a956a4a32_768x960.jpeg" width="768" height="960" data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/33eb399b-4c58-4cb5-8a0b-7f8a956a4a32_768x960.jpeg&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:960,&quot;width&quot;:768,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:null,&quot;bytes&quot;:51793,&quot;alt&quot;:null,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image/jpeg&quot;,&quot;href&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:true,&quot;topImage&quot;:false,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:null,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!FLM5!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F33eb399b-4c58-4cb5-8a0b-7f8a956a4a32_768x960.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!FLM5!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F33eb399b-4c58-4cb5-8a0b-7f8a956a4a32_768x960.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!FLM5!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F33eb399b-4c58-4cb5-8a0b-7f8a956a4a32_768x960.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!FLM5!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F33eb399b-4c58-4cb5-8a0b-7f8a956a4a32_768x960.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw" loading="lazy"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg role="img" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><title></title><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a></figure></div><h1><strong>Love in the Time of Scams</strong></h1><p>Oh, the sunset&#8217;s bright, the air is thick,<br>Two rich old men about to&#8230; click.<br>One builds cars, the other whines,<br>Both got banned a million times.</p><p>Shirts are off, the mood is right,<br>Ego&#8217;s bigger than the night.<br>Billionaire bromance, wild and free,<br>Just one more deal&#8212;then back to tweets.</p><p>The world is burning? Who gives a damn!<br>They&#8217;ll just buy Mars and start a scam.<br>Hold me close, don&#8217;t let me go,<br>Our stock might crash, but love will grow.</p><p></p><blockquote><p>When two grifters find love under a capitalist sunset. &#127749;&#128139; One sells cars, the other sells lies&#8212;both sell out daily. #BillionaireBromance #MakeOutGreatAgain #LoveInTheTimeOfScams</p></blockquote><div><hr></div><p></p><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!ON-2!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F3a6a0e16-c677-4076-bac5-deaa84c728f4_1055x781.jpeg" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!ON-2!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F3a6a0e16-c677-4076-bac5-deaa84c728f4_1055x781.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!ON-2!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F3a6a0e16-c677-4076-bac5-deaa84c728f4_1055x781.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!ON-2!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F3a6a0e16-c677-4076-bac5-deaa84c728f4_1055x781.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!ON-2!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F3a6a0e16-c677-4076-bac5-deaa84c728f4_1055x781.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!ON-2!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F3a6a0e16-c677-4076-bac5-deaa84c728f4_1055x781.jpeg" width="1055" height="781" data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/3a6a0e16-c677-4076-bac5-deaa84c728f4_1055x781.jpeg&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:781,&quot;width&quot;:1055,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:null,&quot;bytes&quot;:88712,&quot;alt&quot;:null,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image/jpeg&quot;,&quot;href&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:true,&quot;topImage&quot;:false,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:null,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!ON-2!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F3a6a0e16-c677-4076-bac5-deaa84c728f4_1055x781.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!ON-2!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F3a6a0e16-c677-4076-bac5-deaa84c728f4_1055x781.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!ON-2!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F3a6a0e16-c677-4076-bac5-deaa84c728f4_1055x781.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!ON-2!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F3a6a0e16-c677-4076-bac5-deaa84c728f4_1055x781.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw" loading="lazy"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg role="img" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><title></title><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a></figure></div><h1><strong>The King and His Jester</strong></h1><p>Oh look, it&#8217;s the King and his jester of fools,<br>One hoards the riches, the other just drools.</p><p>The King tweets nonsense, his kingdom&#8217;s a wreck,<br>The Jester&#8217;s been bankrupt&#8212;what, twice? Maybe thrice? What the heck!</p><p>They grift and they scheme, they con and they lie,<br>One sells dumb cars, the other just cries.</p><p>The King wants power, the Jester wants fame,<br>Both blame the woke when they&#8217;re losing the game.</p><p>But here&#8217;s the twist, the joke&#8217;s on you&#8212;<br>They&#8217;d sell you out for a buck (or Dogecoin or two).</p><p></p><blockquote><p>Behold! The <strong>King of Scams</strong> and his <strong>Jester of Grift</strong>! &#128081;&#129313; One tweets, the other tantrums, and both would sell your soul for a dollar (or a Dogecoin). #ClownPrinceOfCrime #KingOfTheCon #JestersAndGrifters</p></blockquote><div><hr></div><p></p><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!OvM7!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F883c4295-b04b-4304-b35e-35de6d1451ba_1080x810.jpeg" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!OvM7!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F883c4295-b04b-4304-b35e-35de6d1451ba_1080x810.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!OvM7!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F883c4295-b04b-4304-b35e-35de6d1451ba_1080x810.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!OvM7!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F883c4295-b04b-4304-b35e-35de6d1451ba_1080x810.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!OvM7!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F883c4295-b04b-4304-b35e-35de6d1451ba_1080x810.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!OvM7!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F883c4295-b04b-4304-b35e-35de6d1451ba_1080x810.jpeg" width="1080" height="810" data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/883c4295-b04b-4304-b35e-35de6d1451ba_1080x810.jpeg&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:810,&quot;width&quot;:1080,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:null,&quot;bytes&quot;:95394,&quot;alt&quot;:null,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image/jpeg&quot;,&quot;href&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:true,&quot;topImage&quot;:false,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:null,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!OvM7!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F883c4295-b04b-4304-b35e-35de6d1451ba_1080x810.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!OvM7!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F883c4295-b04b-4304-b35e-35de6d1451ba_1080x810.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!OvM7!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F883c4295-b04b-4304-b35e-35de6d1451ba_1080x810.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!OvM7!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F883c4295-b04b-4304-b35e-35de6d1451ba_1080x810.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw" loading="lazy"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg role="img" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><title></title><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a></figure></div><h1><strong>The King's Fool</strong></h1><p>Upon his throne, the tech king sighs,<br>While his jester whispers half-baked lies.<br><em>"Good sire, they love me, they know I&#8217;m the best!"</em><br><em>"Then why," says the king, "are you under arrest?"</em></p><p><em>"It&#8217;s rigged!"</em> cries the fool, his face turning red,<br><em>"The kingdom&#8217;s against me! The woke want me dead!"</em><br>The king simply smirks, adjusts his fine rings,<br><em>"That sounds like a you problem&#8212;now dance while I sing."</em></p><p>And so the fool twirls, still lost in his pride,<br>While the kingdom moves on, leaving him cast aside.<br>For kings may scheme, and fools may grovel,<br>But history won&#8217;t be kind to this tragic novel.</p><p></p><blockquote><p>Behold! <strong>King Paywall I</strong> and his <strong>Jester of January 6th.</strong> &#128081;&#129313; One buys platforms to control the narrative, the other begs for bail money. Together, they rule the land of gullible fools! #GriftAndGiggles #JokerAndTheJackass #KingOfBots</p></blockquote><div><hr></div><p></p>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[MAGA Martyr Live-Tweets His Last Stand]]></title><description><![CDATA[Goes Out With 23 Likes and a Police Barrage]]></description><link>https://opts.org/p/maga-martyr-live-tweets-his-last</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://opts.org/p/maga-martyr-live-tweets-his-last</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[The Angry Creamsicle]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Thu, 06 Feb 2025 01:51:42 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!kC3j!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F6ec610c6-b77b-4246-beb1-04ea9f3c2a83_1050x487.jpeg" length="0" type="image/jpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!kC3j!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F6ec610c6-b77b-4246-beb1-04ea9f3c2a83_1050x487.jpeg" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!kC3j!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F6ec610c6-b77b-4246-beb1-04ea9f3c2a83_1050x487.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!kC3j!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F6ec610c6-b77b-4246-beb1-04ea9f3c2a83_1050x487.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!kC3j!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F6ec610c6-b77b-4246-beb1-04ea9f3c2a83_1050x487.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!kC3j!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F6ec610c6-b77b-4246-beb1-04ea9f3c2a83_1050x487.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!kC3j!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F6ec610c6-b77b-4246-beb1-04ea9f3c2a83_1050x487.jpeg" width="1050" height="487" data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/6ec610c6-b77b-4246-beb1-04ea9f3c2a83_1050x487.jpeg&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:487,&quot;width&quot;:1050,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:null,&quot;bytes&quot;:31105,&quot;alt&quot;:null,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image/jpeg&quot;,&quot;href&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:false,&quot;topImage&quot;:true,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:null,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!kC3j!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F6ec610c6-b77b-4246-beb1-04ea9f3c2a83_1050x487.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!kC3j!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F6ec610c6-b77b-4246-beb1-04ea9f3c2a83_1050x487.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!kC3j!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F6ec610c6-b77b-4246-beb1-04ea9f3c2a83_1050x487.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!kC3j!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F6ec610c6-b77b-4246-beb1-04ea9f3c2a83_1050x487.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw" fetchpriority="high"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg role="img" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><title></title><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a></figure></div><p><strong>The Pro-Life Patriot Speedrun (Any% Fatal Ending)</strong></p><p>Ah yes, nothing says "defending the unborn" like <strong>live-streaming a shootout with cops</strong> because abortion laws hurt your feelings. This dude really thought he was starring in some <strong>QAnon action movie</strong>, but instead, he rage-posted his way into a Darwin Award.</p><p>He claimed to fight for "the babies," but let&#8217;s be real&#8212;he was just another <strong>fragile dude with a martyr complex</strong>. The only thing he actually accomplished was proving <strong>"thoughts and prayers" don&#8217;t stop bullets.</strong></p><p>MAGA logic: <strong>Hate big government&#8230; until it&#8217;s time to go out in a blaze of misguided glory.</strong></p><p><a href="https://thecounty.me/2025/02/04/news/aroostook-man-killed-by-police-posted-video-during-standoff-blaming-abortion-laws/">READ MORE</a></p><h3>The Final Cringe Post</h3><p>Before his grand exit, our protagonist decided to <strong>bless the internet with one last post</strong>, ensuring his final moments were <strong>as embarrassing as his ideology</strong>. Behold:</p><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://x.com/FarmerRigzDTS/status/1886458058852745295" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!CbeQ!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fb9514886-59c1-4ec2-b9aa-34d136276fe1_715x714.png 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!CbeQ!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fb9514886-59c1-4ec2-b9aa-34d136276fe1_715x714.png 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!CbeQ!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fb9514886-59c1-4ec2-b9aa-34d136276fe1_715x714.png 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!CbeQ!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fb9514886-59c1-4ec2-b9aa-34d136276fe1_715x714.png 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!CbeQ!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fb9514886-59c1-4ec2-b9aa-34d136276fe1_715x714.png" width="715" height="714" data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/b9514886-59c1-4ec2-b9aa-34d136276fe1_715x714.png&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:714,&quot;width&quot;:715,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:null,&quot;bytes&quot;:376005,&quot;alt&quot;:null,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image/png&quot;,&quot;href&quot;:&quot;https://x.com/FarmerRigzDTS/status/1886458058852745295&quot;,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:false,&quot;topImage&quot;:false,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:null,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!CbeQ!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fb9514886-59c1-4ec2-b9aa-34d136276fe1_715x714.png 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!CbeQ!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fb9514886-59c1-4ec2-b9aa-34d136276fe1_715x714.png 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!CbeQ!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fb9514886-59c1-4ec2-b9aa-34d136276fe1_715x714.png 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!CbeQ!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fb9514886-59c1-4ec2-b9aa-34d136276fe1_715x714.png 1456w" sizes="100vw"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg role="img" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><title></title><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a></figure></div><p></p><p>You&#8217;d think if you were <strong>going out as a MAGA martyr</strong>, you&#8217;d at least rack up more than <strong>23 likes</strong>&#8212;but hey, even his own cult couldn&#8217;t be bothered to boost engagement.</p><h3>The Grand Finale</h3><p>And then, as expected, it all went <strong>horribly, predictably wrong</strong>. In true <strong>MAGA martyr fashion</strong>, he took his delusions to <strong>a live standoff with police</strong>, because when you're <strong>too deep in the Kool-Aid</strong>, logic isn't really a thing.</p><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!gA1k!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F6152dfc7-93d0-4dc6-b0ae-5a9d43baeb3f_1170x863.jpeg" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!gA1k!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F6152dfc7-93d0-4dc6-b0ae-5a9d43baeb3f_1170x863.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!gA1k!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F6152dfc7-93d0-4dc6-b0ae-5a9d43baeb3f_1170x863.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!gA1k!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F6152dfc7-93d0-4dc6-b0ae-5a9d43baeb3f_1170x863.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!gA1k!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F6152dfc7-93d0-4dc6-b0ae-5a9d43baeb3f_1170x863.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!gA1k!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F6152dfc7-93d0-4dc6-b0ae-5a9d43baeb3f_1170x863.jpeg" width="1170" height="863" data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/6152dfc7-93d0-4dc6-b0ae-5a9d43baeb3f_1170x863.jpeg&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:863,&quot;width&quot;:1170,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:null,&quot;bytes&quot;:119230,&quot;alt&quot;:null,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image/jpeg&quot;,&quot;href&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:true,&quot;topImage&quot;:false,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:null,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!gA1k!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F6152dfc7-93d0-4dc6-b0ae-5a9d43baeb3f_1170x863.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!gA1k!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F6152dfc7-93d0-4dc6-b0ae-5a9d43baeb3f_1170x863.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!gA1k!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F6152dfc7-93d0-4dc6-b0ae-5a9d43baeb3f_1170x863.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!gA1k!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F6152dfc7-93d0-4dc6-b0ae-5a9d43baeb3f_1170x863.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw" loading="lazy"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg role="img" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><title></title><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a></figure></div><p>The irony? This guy ranted about <strong>protecting life</strong>&#8212;and yet, <strong>his own self-preservation skills were nonexistent</strong>. Another <strong>&#8220;back the blue&#8221; guy learns the hard way that police bullets don&#8217;t discriminate</strong> when you&#8217;re armed and ranting like a lunatic.</p><h3>A Case Study in MAGA Darwinism</h3><p>The moral of the story? <strong>If your plan involves live-tweeting your way into the afterlife, reconsider your choices.</strong> But hey, at least now he&#8217;s <strong>free from the tyranny of vaccine mandates, pronouns, and reality itself.</strong></p><p><a href="https://rdrama.net/post/340016/maga-farmer-live-tweeted-through-a">FOLLOW MORE</a></p>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[Felon 47's Gaza Grab: Ethnic Cleansing Disguised as Diplomacy]]></title><description><![CDATA[When Dictators Cheer and Democrats Shrug: America&#8217;s Moral Collapse]]></description><link>https://opts.org/p/felon-47s-gaza-grab-ethnic-cleansing</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://opts.org/p/felon-47s-gaza-grab-ethnic-cleansing</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[The Angry Creamsicle]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Wed, 05 Feb 2025 20:55:10 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!3TNJ!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F8d785ee2-7ed6-476f-b47f-fc99e16cf4a6_1792x1024.png" length="0" type="image/jpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!3TNJ!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F8d785ee2-7ed6-476f-b47f-fc99e16cf4a6_1792x1024.png" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!3TNJ!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F8d785ee2-7ed6-476f-b47f-fc99e16cf4a6_1792x1024.png 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!3TNJ!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F8d785ee2-7ed6-476f-b47f-fc99e16cf4a6_1792x1024.png 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!3TNJ!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F8d785ee2-7ed6-476f-b47f-fc99e16cf4a6_1792x1024.png 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!3TNJ!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F8d785ee2-7ed6-476f-b47f-fc99e16cf4a6_1792x1024.png 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!3TNJ!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F8d785ee2-7ed6-476f-b47f-fc99e16cf4a6_1792x1024.png" width="1456" height="832" data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/8d785ee2-7ed6-476f-b47f-fc99e16cf4a6_1792x1024.png&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:832,&quot;width&quot;:1456,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:null,&quot;bytes&quot;:3218381,&quot;alt&quot;:null,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image/png&quot;,&quot;href&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:false,&quot;topImage&quot;:true,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:null,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!3TNJ!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F8d785ee2-7ed6-476f-b47f-fc99e16cf4a6_1792x1024.png 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!3TNJ!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F8d785ee2-7ed6-476f-b47f-fc99e16cf4a6_1792x1024.png 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!3TNJ!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F8d785ee2-7ed6-476f-b47f-fc99e16cf4a6_1792x1024.png 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!3TNJ!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F8d785ee2-7ed6-476f-b47f-fc99e16cf4a6_1792x1024.png 1456w" sizes="100vw" fetchpriority="high"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg role="img" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><title></title><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a></figure></div><h3><strong>Setting the Stage for Disaster</strong></h3><p>Donald Trump&#8212;excuse me, <strong>Felon 47</strong>&#8212;has once again proven that he views the world as his personal Monopoly board, except this time, the stakes aren&#8217;t just fake hotels and play money. Fresh off his felony convictions and desperate for a distraction, he&#8217;s now openly floating the idea of <strong>taking over Gaza</strong> like it&#8217;s some fixer-upper casino project he can slap his name on.</p><p>Yes, you read that right. The man who <strong>bankrupted a damn casino</strong> now thinks he should be in charge of a war-torn region. Because nothing says &#8220;stable international diplomacy&#8221; like letting an unhinged, twice-impeached conman who <strong>thinks windmills cause cancer</strong> dictate foreign policy.</p><div class="subscription-widget-wrap-editor" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://opts.org/subscribe?&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Subscribe&quot;,&quot;language&quot;:&quot;en&quot;}" data-component-name="SubscribeWidgetToDOM"><div class="subscription-widget show-subscribe"><div class="preamble"><p class="cta-caption">TAC: Unfiltered. Unapologetic. Unhinged is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.</p></div><form class="subscription-widget-subscribe"><input type="email" class="email-input" name="email" placeholder="Type your email&#8230;" tabindex="-1"><input type="submit" class="button primary" value="Subscribe"><div class="fake-input-wrapper"><div class="fake-input"></div><div class="fake-button"></div></div></form></div></div><p>Meanwhile, Democrats in the Senate sit there like a bunch of stunned goldfish, too afraid to challenge a man who just announced, in broad daylight, that he&#8217;s considering <strong>ethnic cleansing as a real estate venture</strong>.</p><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!jSWc!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fc27e7918-395d-4a84-b70e-296ee5ac65c3_1080x1080.jpeg" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!jSWc!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fc27e7918-395d-4a84-b70e-296ee5ac65c3_1080x1080.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!jSWc!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fc27e7918-395d-4a84-b70e-296ee5ac65c3_1080x1080.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!jSWc!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fc27e7918-395d-4a84-b70e-296ee5ac65c3_1080x1080.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!jSWc!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fc27e7918-395d-4a84-b70e-296ee5ac65c3_1080x1080.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!jSWc!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fc27e7918-395d-4a84-b70e-296ee5ac65c3_1080x1080.jpeg" width="1080" height="1080" data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/c27e7918-395d-4a84-b70e-296ee5ac65c3_1080x1080.jpeg&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:1080,&quot;width&quot;:1080,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:null,&quot;bytes&quot;:172544,&quot;alt&quot;:null,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image/jpeg&quot;,&quot;href&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:false,&quot;topImage&quot;:false,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:null,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!jSWc!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fc27e7918-395d-4a84-b70e-296ee5ac65c3_1080x1080.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!jSWc!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fc27e7918-395d-4a84-b70e-296ee5ac65c3_1080x1080.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!jSWc!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fc27e7918-395d-4a84-b70e-296ee5ac65c3_1080x1080.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!jSWc!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fc27e7918-395d-4a84-b70e-296ee5ac65c3_1080x1080.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg role="img" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><title></title><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a></figure></div><p><em>America just officially put on the black hat. No more pretending we&#8217;re the good guys.</em></p><p></p><h3><strong>The Gaza &#8220;Takeover&#8221;: The Real Estate Grift of the Century</strong></h3><p>For those still playing along at home, Trump&#8217;s &#8220;plan&#8221; (and I use that term <strong>loosely</strong>) involves the U.S. taking control of Gaza, presumably under some deranged fantasy where he bulldozes what&#8217;s left and builds a tacky golf course for billionaires. Never mind the fact that this would be <strong>a blatant act of colonialism</strong>, never mind that Gaza is <strong>already in ruins</strong>, never mind that Palestinians <strong>still exist and have rights</strong>&#8212;Trump, in his infinite wisdom, believes this is a <strong>solid</strong> move.</p><p>Oh, and the world&#8217;s response? <strong>Horrified.</strong> Even <strong>Russia and China</strong>&#8212;two countries not exactly known for their bleeding-heart diplomacy&#8212;are calling this a catastrophe waiting to happen. Germany, of all places, is warning that this will bring <strong>&#8220;new suffering and new hatred.&#8221;</strong> And yet, Felon 47 still thinks it&#8217;s a great idea, because if there&#8217;s one thing Trump loves, it&#8217;s taking something that&#8217;s already a disaster and somehow <strong>making it worse</strong>.</p><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!KKLo!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fe4def64c-ea8d-4915-bfc9-30506de186cf_1080x1350.jpeg" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!KKLo!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fe4def64c-ea8d-4915-bfc9-30506de186cf_1080x1350.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!KKLo!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fe4def64c-ea8d-4915-bfc9-30506de186cf_1080x1350.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!KKLo!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fe4def64c-ea8d-4915-bfc9-30506de186cf_1080x1350.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!KKLo!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fe4def64c-ea8d-4915-bfc9-30506de186cf_1080x1350.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!KKLo!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fe4def64c-ea8d-4915-bfc9-30506de186cf_1080x1350.jpeg" width="1080" height="1350" data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/e4def64c-ea8d-4915-bfc9-30506de186cf_1080x1350.jpeg&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:1350,&quot;width&quot;:1080,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:null,&quot;bytes&quot;:273620,&quot;alt&quot;:null,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image/jpeg&quot;,&quot;href&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:true,&quot;topImage&quot;:false,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:null,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!KKLo!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fe4def64c-ea8d-4915-bfc9-30506de186cf_1080x1350.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!KKLo!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fe4def64c-ea8d-4915-bfc9-30506de186cf_1080x1350.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!KKLo!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fe4def64c-ea8d-4915-bfc9-30506de186cf_1080x1350.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!KKLo!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fe4def64c-ea8d-4915-bfc9-30506de186cf_1080x1350.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw" loading="lazy"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg role="img" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><title></title><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a></figure></div><p><em>When even Russia and China think you&#8217;ve gone too far, you know you&#8217;ve truly hit rock bottom.</em></p><p></p><h3><strong>The Cult Still Drinks the Kool-Aid</strong></h3><p>Now, let&#8217;s take a moment to appreciate the truly <strong>spectacular irony</strong> of Trump&#8217;s Muslim supporters.</p><p>In 2016 and 2020, <strong>a baffling number of Arab Americans and Muslims</strong> voted for this guy, despite his blatant Islamophobia, his Muslim ban, and his endless ass-kissing of far-right Israel hardliners. And now? <strong>Now they&#8217;re shocked.</strong> Stunned. Betrayed. As if Trump hadn&#8217;t already told them exactly who he was.</p><p>Congratulations, geniuses&#8212;you got played. You let a man <strong>who said he wanted to take your rights away</strong> con you into thinking he was your friend. And now, here we are, with Felon 47 openly discussing <strong>forcibly removing Palestinians</strong> from their land.</p><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!MtJT!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fed04f887-dbc9-4c4e-9f45-1afca0406daa_1080x1311.jpeg" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!MtJT!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fed04f887-dbc9-4c4e-9f45-1afca0406daa_1080x1311.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!MtJT!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fed04f887-dbc9-4c4e-9f45-1afca0406daa_1080x1311.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!MtJT!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fed04f887-dbc9-4c4e-9f45-1afca0406daa_1080x1311.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!MtJT!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fed04f887-dbc9-4c4e-9f45-1afca0406daa_1080x1311.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!MtJT!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fed04f887-dbc9-4c4e-9f45-1afca0406daa_1080x1311.jpeg" width="1080" height="1311" data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/ed04f887-dbc9-4c4e-9f45-1afca0406daa_1080x1311.jpeg&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:1311,&quot;width&quot;:1080,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:null,&quot;bytes&quot;:152011,&quot;alt&quot;:null,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image/jpeg&quot;,&quot;href&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:true,&quot;topImage&quot;:false,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:null,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!MtJT!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fed04f887-dbc9-4c4e-9f45-1afca0406daa_1080x1311.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!MtJT!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fed04f887-dbc9-4c4e-9f45-1afca0406daa_1080x1311.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!MtJT!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fed04f887-dbc9-4c4e-9f45-1afca0406daa_1080x1311.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!MtJT!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fed04f887-dbc9-4c4e-9f45-1afca0406daa_1080x1311.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw" loading="lazy"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg role="img" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><title></title><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a></figure></div><p><em>You fell for the scam. No refunds.</em></p><p></p><h3><strong>Where the Hell Are Senate Democrats?</strong></h3><p>At this point, you&#8217;d think Senate Democrats would be <strong>screaming</strong> from the rooftops about the literal possibility of ethnic cleansing under a U.S. administration. But nope. Nothing. Silence. Maybe a few &#8220;strongly worded statements,&#8221; but when it comes to <strong>actual action?</strong> Crickets.</p><p>This is the problem with the modern Democratic Party: they are <strong>so terrified of offending swing voters</strong> that they won&#8217;t even call out <strong>literal fascist tendencies</strong> when they see them. They watched this man <strong>try to overthrow democracy</strong>, they watched him <strong>strip funding from Palestinian aid programs</strong>, and now, as he literally <strong>proposes taking over Gaza</strong>, they do nothing but whisper about &#8220;concerns.&#8221;</p><p>Where is the outrage? Where is the backbone? Where is the goddamn fight?</p><p></p><h3><strong>The Bigger Picture: America&#8217;s Moral Collapse</strong></h3><p>This is bigger than just Gaza. This is about America&#8217;s continued descent into authoritarianism, one Trump soundbite at a time. We&#8217;re witnessing a <strong>once-functional democracy crumble in real-time</strong>, and half the country is <strong>too brainwashed</strong> to care while the other half is <strong>too spineless</strong> to stop it.</p><p>Trump has <strong>openly admired dictators</strong> for years. He wants to <strong>round up immigrants</strong>, <strong>silence dissent</strong>, and now, he wants to <strong>forcibly take land that doesn&#8217;t belong to us</strong>. This is <strong>imperialism at its ugliest</strong>, and the fact that Senate Democrats can&#8217;t even muster the energy to call it what it is proves that America is well on its way to full-blown decline.</p><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!ZEjD!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Ffb268357-3153-4a2b-bab8-a72b07b2ac12_1080x1350.jpeg" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!ZEjD!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Ffb268357-3153-4a2b-bab8-a72b07b2ac12_1080x1350.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!ZEjD!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Ffb268357-3153-4a2b-bab8-a72b07b2ac12_1080x1350.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!ZEjD!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Ffb268357-3153-4a2b-bab8-a72b07b2ac12_1080x1350.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!ZEjD!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Ffb268357-3153-4a2b-bab8-a72b07b2ac12_1080x1350.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!ZEjD!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Ffb268357-3153-4a2b-bab8-a72b07b2ac12_1080x1350.jpeg" width="1080" height="1350" data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/fb268357-3153-4a2b-bab8-a72b07b2ac12_1080x1350.jpeg&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:1350,&quot;width&quot;:1080,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:null,&quot;bytes&quot;:344317,&quot;alt&quot;:null,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image/jpeg&quot;,&quot;href&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:true,&quot;topImage&quot;:false,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:null,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!ZEjD!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Ffb268357-3153-4a2b-bab8-a72b07b2ac12_1080x1350.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!ZEjD!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Ffb268357-3153-4a2b-bab8-a72b07b2ac12_1080x1350.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!ZEjD!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Ffb268357-3153-4a2b-bab8-a72b07b2ac12_1080x1350.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!ZEjD!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Ffb268357-3153-4a2b-bab8-a72b07b2ac12_1080x1350.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw" loading="lazy"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg role="img" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><title></title><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a></figure></div><p><em>Welcome to Trump&#8217;s vision for Gaza: a luxury war zone brought to you by MAGA Nation.</em></p><p></p><h3><strong>Wake Up Before It&#8217;s Too Late</strong></h3><p>If you think Trump is joking, <strong>he&#8217;s not</strong>. If you think this isn&#8217;t serious, <strong>it is</strong>. If you think he won&#8217;t actually try to make this happen, <strong>he absolutely will</strong>&#8212;because Trump has never met an act of destruction he didn&#8217;t want to be a part of.</p><p>The time to fight back was yesterday. The time to demand that Democrats <strong>actually stand up to this madness</strong> is <strong>right now</strong>.</p><p>And if you&#8217;re still on the fence about whether Trump is a threat to global stability, congratulations&#8212;you&#8217;ve just nominated yourself for <strong>Biggest Idiot of the Year</strong>.</p><p>America, wake the hell up. The collapse isn&#8217;t coming. <strong>It&#8217;s already here.</strong></p><div class="subscription-widget-wrap-editor" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://opts.org/subscribe?&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Subscribe&quot;,&quot;language&quot;:&quot;en&quot;}" data-component-name="SubscribeWidgetToDOM"><div class="subscription-widget show-subscribe"><div class="preamble"><p class="cta-caption">TAC: Unfiltered. Unapologetic. Unhinged is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.</p></div><form class="subscription-widget-subscribe"><input type="email" class="email-input" name="email" placeholder="Type your email&#8230;" tabindex="-1"><input type="submit" class="button primary" value="Subscribe"><div class="fake-input-wrapper"><div class="fake-input"></div><div class="fake-button"></div></div></form></div></div>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[From 'But Her Emails' to 'Here’s Your SSN on a Platter']]></title><description><![CDATA[From 'But Her Emails' to 'Here&#8217;s Your SSN on a Platter' MAGA&#8217;s Hypocrisy Knows No Bounds, and Now Your Data is at Risk]]></description><link>https://opts.org/p/from-but-her-emails-to-heres-your</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://opts.org/p/from-but-her-emails-to-heres-your</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[The Angry Creamsicle]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Wed, 05 Feb 2025 01:32:05 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!NjZc!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fd743c7fe-4150-4424-953a-79ebbe079879_1792x1024.webp" length="0" type="image/jpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<div><hr></div><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!NjZc!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fd743c7fe-4150-4424-953a-79ebbe079879_1792x1024.webp" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!NjZc!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fd743c7fe-4150-4424-953a-79ebbe079879_1792x1024.webp 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!NjZc!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fd743c7fe-4150-4424-953a-79ebbe079879_1792x1024.webp 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!NjZc!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fd743c7fe-4150-4424-953a-79ebbe079879_1792x1024.webp 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!NjZc!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fd743c7fe-4150-4424-953a-79ebbe079879_1792x1024.webp 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!NjZc!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fd743c7fe-4150-4424-953a-79ebbe079879_1792x1024.webp" width="1456" height="832" data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/d743c7fe-4150-4424-953a-79ebbe079879_1792x1024.webp&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:832,&quot;width&quot;:1456,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:null,&quot;bytes&quot;:590320,&quot;alt&quot;:null,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image/webp&quot;,&quot;href&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:false,&quot;topImage&quot;:true,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:null,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!NjZc!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fd743c7fe-4150-4424-953a-79ebbe079879_1792x1024.webp 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!NjZc!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fd743c7fe-4150-4424-953a-79ebbe079879_1792x1024.webp 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!NjZc!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fd743c7fe-4150-4424-953a-79ebbe079879_1792x1024.webp 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!NjZc!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fd743c7fe-4150-4424-953a-79ebbe079879_1792x1024.webp 1456w" sizes="100vw" fetchpriority="high"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg role="img" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><title></title><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a></figure></div><p>Oh, would you look at that? The same MAGA cult that spent years foaming at the mouth about <strong>Hillary&#8217;s damn emails</strong> is suddenly <strong>dead silent</strong> while a bunch of unqualified <strong>tech bro toddlers</strong> are digging through <strong>every American&#8217;s Social Security number, financial aid data, and god knows what else.</strong></p><p>Where&#8217;s the outrage? Where are the <strong>lock her up</strong> chants? Oh right&#8212;<strong>hypocrisy is the house special at the Republican clown buffet.</strong></p><p>Let&#8217;s break this down:</p><div><hr></div><h2><strong>A Private Email Server Was TREASON, But This Is Fine?</strong></h2><p>The GOP spent <em>years</em> screeching that <strong>Hillary Clinton&#8217;s private email server</strong> was the single biggest threat to national security since Pearl Harbor. Never mind that <strong>multiple investigations</strong> (<a href="https://apnews.com/article/clinton-emails-investigation">AP</a>) found no wrongdoing, or that <strong>Trump&#8217;s entire administration</strong> routinely used private emails and messaging apps (<a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/trump-private-emails/">Washington Post</a>).</p><p>But now?</p><p>Now we have <strong>Elon Musk&#8217;s frat house of dropout tech bros</strong> waltzing into government buildings, <strong>unauthorized, unchecked, and unqualified</strong>, getting access to:</p><ul><li><p>Millions of Americans&#8217; <strong>Social Security numbers</strong></p></li><li><p>Federal student aid <strong>financial data</strong></p></li><li><p>Internal government communication systems</p></li></ul><p>And suddenly, the MAGA outrage machine <strong>has nothing to say.</strong></p><div><hr></div><h2><strong>Who The Hell Let This Happen?</strong></h2><p>Oh, just <strong>Elon Musk&#8217;s personal fan club in the GOP.</strong></p><p>As reported by <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/white-house/usaid-personnel-told-stay-away-headquarters-elon-musks-shutdown-commen-rcna190405">NBC News</a>, <strong>about 20 of Musk&#8217;s goons have been embedded inside the Education Department, gaining access to federal systems.</strong> Because when you think of people who should handle <strong>millions of Americans&#8217; personal data,</strong> the first pick should definitely be <strong>some 20-year-old Reddit libertarian who still thinks Dogecoin is a real currency.</strong></p><p>And let&#8217;s be real&#8212;this isn&#8217;t just about <strong>tech bros running wild.</strong> This is about <strong>privatizing government functions</strong> under the guise of &#8220;efficiency&#8221; while handing <strong>raw power and sensitive information to unelected billionaires.</strong></p><div><hr></div><h2><strong>What&#8217;s Next? Twitter Blue Running the Treasury?</strong></h2><p>At this point, why even have a government? Let&#8217;s just replace:</p><ul><li><p>The <strong>FBI</strong> with <strong>Reddit moderators</strong></p></li><li><p>The <strong>Treasury</strong> with <strong>Twitter Blue subscribers</strong></p></li><li><p>The <strong>Pentagon</strong> with <strong>SpaceX fanboys on Discord</strong></p></li></ul><p>Let&#8217;s go <strong>full chaos mode</strong> since apparently <strong>basic national security doesn&#8217;t f</strong>*ing matter anymore.**</p><div><hr></div><h2><strong>How Does This End?</strong></h2><p>This <strong>doesn&#8217;t</strong> end well. When you let <strong>a bunch of unqualified tech bros</strong> play dress-up in government offices, the results are <strong>disastrous:</strong></p><ul><li><p><strong>Massive data breaches</strong> (because of course)</p></li><li><p><strong>Identity theft on steroids</strong> (hope you like your Social Security number being traded for Bitcoin)</p></li><li><p><strong>Foreign manipulation</strong> (because why wouldn&#8217;t a hostile government take advantage of this mess?)</p></li></ul><p>Meanwhile, <strong>MAGA cultists who once chanted 'lock her up' are now licking Elon&#8217;s boots like their retirement depends on it.</strong></p><div><hr></div><h2><strong>The GOP&#8217;s Selective Outrage Is a F</strong>*ing Joke**</h2><p>Republicans love screaming about &#8220;government corruption&#8221; when it suits them. But when a billionaire <strong>waltzes in, hijacks federal access, and hands your personal data to god-knows-who?</strong> Silence. Not a peep.</p><p>Where&#8217;s the Fox News meltdown? Where&#8217;s the non-stop congressional hearings? Oh right, <strong>they only care when it&#8217;s a Democrat.</strong></p><p>Remember when Trump&#8217;s White House lost <strong>hundreds of classified documents</strong> and used personal emails? (<a href="https://www.cnn.com/2020/09/25/politics/trump-officials-private-email/index.html">CNN</a>) MAGA didn&#8217;t bat an eye. <strong>Now, they&#8217;re just handing the keys to the kingdom over to a billionaire tech cult and pretending it&#8217;s &#8216;accountability.&#8217;</strong></p><div><hr></div><h2><strong>Final Thought: If You Voted for This, Own It</strong></h2><p>This was never about <strong>national security.</strong> It was never about <strong>emails, treason, or protecting Americans.</strong></p><p><strong>It was always about power and control.</strong></p><p>And now, the same crowd that screamed about Hillary&#8217;s server has handed <strong>your most sensitive information</strong> to a bunch of Twitter fanboys who think cybersecurity is optional.</p><p>So if you voted for this mess? <strong>Congrats. Your identity is probably already floating around on a server in Moscow.</strong></p><p>And don&#8217;t come crying when it&#8217;s your data being exploited next&#8212;<strong>you made this bed, now lie in it.</strong></p><div><hr></div>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[Proud Boys Get Owned - Literally]]></title><description><![CDATA[From White Supremacy to Church Fundraisers, What a Glorious Fall]]></description><link>https://opts.org/p/proud-boys-get-owned-literally</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://opts.org/p/proud-boys-get-owned-literally</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[The Angry Creamsicle]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Wed, 05 Feb 2025 00:14:47 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!gsEr!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fe523533c-0d4d-46fe-8311-d448247ed167_1792x1024.png" length="0" type="image/jpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<div><hr></div><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!gsEr!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fe523533c-0d4d-46fe-8311-d448247ed167_1792x1024.png" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!gsEr!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fe523533c-0d4d-46fe-8311-d448247ed167_1792x1024.png 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!gsEr!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fe523533c-0d4d-46fe-8311-d448247ed167_1792x1024.png 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!gsEr!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fe523533c-0d4d-46fe-8311-d448247ed167_1792x1024.png 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!gsEr!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fe523533c-0d4d-46fe-8311-d448247ed167_1792x1024.png 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!gsEr!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fe523533c-0d4d-46fe-8311-d448247ed167_1792x1024.png" width="1456" height="832" data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/e523533c-0d4d-46fe-8311-d448247ed167_1792x1024.png&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:832,&quot;width&quot;:1456,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:null,&quot;bytes&quot;:2631687,&quot;alt&quot;:null,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image/png&quot;,&quot;href&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:false,&quot;topImage&quot;:true,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:null,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!gsEr!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fe523533c-0d4d-46fe-8311-d448247ed167_1792x1024.png 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!gsEr!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fe523533c-0d4d-46fe-8311-d448247ed167_1792x1024.png 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!gsEr!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fe523533c-0d4d-46fe-8311-d448247ed167_1792x1024.png 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!gsEr!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fe523533c-0d4d-46fe-8311-d448247ed167_1792x1024.png 1456w" sizes="100vw" fetchpriority="high"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg role="img" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><title></title><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a></figure></div><p><strong>Well, well, well. If it isn&#8217;t the consequences of their own dumbass actions.</strong></p><p>The Proud Boys, a group of wannabe tough guys LARPing as patriots, just got hit where it really hurts&#8212;<strong>their brand.</strong> A judge awarded the trademarked name and symbols of the far-right extremist group to a <strong>Black church they vandalized</strong> in Washington, D.C., to help satisfy a $2.8 million judgment against them. (<a href="https://www.cbsnews.com/news/proud-boys-name-black-church-lawsuit/">CBS News</a>)</p><p>That&#8217;s right&#8212;<strong>these brain-dead goons literally lost ownership of their own damn name</strong> to a group they tried to terrorize. You can&#8217;t make this up. This is karma, divine justice, and pure unfiltered humiliation wrapped into one delicious package.</p><div><hr></div><h2><strong>How We Got Here: The Dumbassery Timeline</strong></h2><p>The Proud Boys, known for their violent antics and frat-boy fascism, decided it would be a great idea to <strong>vandalize a historic Black church</strong> during a pro-Trump rally in 2020. Because when you have the IQ of a turnip and a hero complex, attacking a house of worship seems like a logical way to &#8220;save America.&#8221;</p><p>Unfortunately for them, the <strong>Metropolitan African Methodist Episcopal Church</strong> wasn&#8217;t having it. They sued the hell out of these discount insurrectionists and won a multi-million dollar judgment. <strong>And since these broke-ass fascists don&#8217;t have two pennies to rub together, the court handed over their trademarked name and symbols to the church instead.</strong></p><p>Let&#8217;s take a moment to appreciate the sheer poetic justice of this. The same group that stormed cities, harassed minorities, and pretended to be the &#8220;defenders of Western civilization&#8221; just got legally strong-armed by the very people they tried to intimidate. <strong>Now their beloved brand, their MAGA fashion statement, their little club name&#8212;belongs to a Black church.</strong></p><div><hr></div><h2><strong>The Meltdown Is Glorious</strong></h2><p>As expected, the incel brigade is losing its collective mind. They spent years building up their idiotic brand, only to have it handed over to the very people they despise. Imagine getting your ass kicked so hard by the legal system that your name becomes a <strong>fundraising tool for your enemies.</strong></p><p>Even better? <strong>This ruling means the church now owns all rights to the Proud Boys' branding.</strong> That means if these numbskulls try to use the name or logo, they could be sued into further oblivion. Oh, the irony. <strong>The very system they claim to &#8220;defend&#8221; just neutered them in broad daylight.</strong></p><div><hr></div><h2><strong>Let&#8217;s Talk About &#8216;Freedom&#8217;</strong></h2><p>The Proud Boys love to whine about &#8220;freedom&#8221; and &#8220;free speech,&#8221; but here&#8217;s a fun fact: <strong>Actions have consequences.</strong></p><p>You don&#8217;t get to <strong>terrorize communities</strong> and expect to walk away unscathed. You don&#8217;t get to <strong>play Nazi dress-up</strong> and think there won&#8217;t be repercussions. And you sure as hell don&#8217;t get to <strong>vandalize a Black church</strong> and then cry when the courts legally repossess your entire movement.</p><p>Freedom doesn&#8217;t mean you get to be a violent asshole without consequences. It means everyone&#8212;<strong>including the people you tried to intimidate&#8212;has the right to fight back.</strong> And fight back they did.</p><div><hr></div><h2><strong>What Happens Next?</strong></h2><p>With their brand in the hands of a Black church, the Proud Boys now face two possible futures:</p><ol><li><p><strong>Rebrand under a new name,</strong> because nothing screams &#8220;strong patriotic movement&#8221; like running from legal ownership issues.</p></li><li><p><strong>Keep using the Proud Boys name and get sued into bankruptcy again.</strong> (Honestly, please pick this one. I&#8217;d love to see these idiots self-destruct even further.)</p></li></ol><p>Meanwhile, the <strong>Metropolitan AME Church now has full control over the Proud Boys' name and can use it to fundraise, spread awareness, or simply rub salt in the wound.</strong> This is what real power looks like&#8212;not cosplaying in tactical gear and whining on Parler.</p><div><hr></div><h2><strong>Final Thoughts: A Satisfying Collapse</strong></h2><p>The Proud Boys have always been a pathetic excuse for a movement&#8212;<strong>a bunch of fragile man-children who think violence is a personality trait.</strong> Now, they&#8217;ve been financially gutted, legally humiliated, and stripped of their own identity.</p><p>And the best part? <strong>It was done completely legally.</strong> No riots. No violence. Just a courtroom and a righteous legal smackdown. <strong>Turns out the system works just fine when it&#8217;s used to stomp out actual threats to democracy.</strong></p><p>So let&#8217;s all take a moment to enjoy this. <strong>Let&#8217;s laugh. Let&#8217;s celebrate.</strong> Because watching fascists lose never gets old.</p><p>And to the Proud Boys: <strong>Good luck explaining to your grandkids how you lost your entire movement to a Black church.</strong> That&#8217;s gonna be a hell of a bedtime story.</p><div><hr></div>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[An Open Letter to the Spineless Majority of Congressional Democrats]]></title><description><![CDATA[Do your damn job or get the hell out of the way.]]></description><link>https://opts.org/p/an-open-letter-to-the-spineless-majority</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://opts.org/p/an-open-letter-to-the-spineless-majority</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[The Angry Creamsicle]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Tue, 04 Feb 2025 20:01:23 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!ZaY1!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F860b1264-f196-4147-a14b-1e84bc633f27_1792x1024.png" length="0" type="image/jpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<div><hr></div><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!ZaY1!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F860b1264-f196-4147-a14b-1e84bc633f27_1792x1024.png" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!ZaY1!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F860b1264-f196-4147-a14b-1e84bc633f27_1792x1024.png 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!ZaY1!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F860b1264-f196-4147-a14b-1e84bc633f27_1792x1024.png 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!ZaY1!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F860b1264-f196-4147-a14b-1e84bc633f27_1792x1024.png 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!ZaY1!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F860b1264-f196-4147-a14b-1e84bc633f27_1792x1024.png 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!ZaY1!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F860b1264-f196-4147-a14b-1e84bc633f27_1792x1024.png" width="1456" height="832" 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https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!ZaY1!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F860b1264-f196-4147-a14b-1e84bc633f27_1792x1024.png 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!ZaY1!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F860b1264-f196-4147-a14b-1e84bc633f27_1792x1024.png 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!ZaY1!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F860b1264-f196-4147-a14b-1e84bc633f27_1792x1024.png 1456w" sizes="100vw" fetchpriority="high"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg role="img" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><title></title><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a></figure></div><p>Dear Congressional Democrats (a.k.a. The Masters of Disappointment),</p><p>I hope this letter finds you well. Actually, scratch that&#8212;I hope it finds you sweating because you&#8217;re failing at <strong>literally everything that matters right now.</strong></p><p>Let me put it plainly: The Republican Party has gone full authoritarian, and you all are still playing by the <strong>Marquess of Queensberry rules</strong> like this is a polite chess match instead of a bare-knuckle street fight.</p><p>You were handed power in 2020, and what did you do with it? Passed a few bills, sure. But you let <em>actual traitors</em> walk free. You let the Supreme Court go rogue. You sat back while the GOP gerrymandered democracy into oblivion, and now, in 2025, we&#8217;re staring down the barrel of an orange-drenched fascist comeback. <strong>What the hell are you even doing?</strong></p><h3>Let&#8217;s break this down:</h3><h4>1. <strong>You had a chance to prosecute Trump and his cronies, and you flinched.</strong></h4><p><em>Oh, we wouldn&#8217;t want to look &#8216;too political.&#8217;</em> Screw that. The GOP spent years turning Benghazi into a full-blown circus over <strong>four deaths</strong>, but an actual attempted coup? Crickets. (<a href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2023/nov/15/trump-january-6-prosecutions-democrats">Guardian</a>)</p><h4>2. <strong>The Supreme Court is out of control, and you still think &#8216;institutional norms&#8217; will save you.</strong></h4><p>You watched the Court dismantle <strong>abortion rights</strong>, <strong>voting rights</strong>, and <strong>environmental protections</strong>, and instead of aggressively expanding it or putting those justices in check, you sent <strong>strongly worded tweets.</strong> (<a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/supreme-court/supreme-court-strikes-down-roe-v-wade-rcna34923">NBC</a>)</p><h4>3. <strong>Republicans are banning books, criminalizing teachers, and rigging elections while you &#8216;look for common ground.&#8217;</strong></h4><p>Newsflash: There is <strong>no common ground</strong> with fascists. While you&#8217;re extending olive branches, they&#8217;re burning libraries and banning history. (<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2024/01/05/us/book-bans-teachers.html">NYT</a>)</p><h4>4. <strong>You&#8217;re still letting a handful of &#8216;moderate&#8217; corporate sellouts dictate the entire party.</strong></h4><p>Why do Joe Manchin and Kyrsten Sinema have more power than the entire Democratic base? You had a chance to <strong>abolish the filibuster</strong> and protect democracy, but instead, you let those two clowns hold everything hostage. (<a href="https://www.cnn.com/2023/12/11/politics/manchin-sinema-filibuster-democrats-analysis">CNN</a>)</p><div><hr></div><h3>What needs to happen NOW:</h3><ul><li><p><strong>Prosecute Trump and his enablers.</strong> No more &#8216;moving on.&#8217; Charge them with everything under the sun. Let the GOP scream&#8212;who cares? They&#8217;d throw <em>you</em> in jail in a heartbeat if the roles were reversed.</p></li><li><p><strong>Expand the Supreme Court.</strong> The current majority was <strong>stolen.</strong> Fix it.</p></li><li><p><strong>Pass actual voting rights protections.</strong> And <strong>fight like hell</strong> against gerrymandering and voter suppression.</p></li><li><p><strong>Stop treating Republicans like good-faith actors.</strong> They aren&#8217;t. They want power and nothing else. Fight them like your democracy depends on it&#8212;because it does.</p></li><li><p><strong>Call out the media for their both-sides bullshit.</strong> Stop letting networks frame democracy vs. fascism as &#8216;just another election cycle.&#8217; (<a href="https://www.mediamatters.org/2024-election">Media Matters</a>)</p></li></ul><div><hr></div><p><strong>Either start acting like you give a damn, or step aside for people who do.</strong></p><p>We don&#8217;t have time for your cowardice anymore. The GOP isn&#8217;t playing politics&#8212;they&#8217;re staging a hostile takeover, and you&#8217;re still debating &#8216;bipartisanship.&#8217; <strong>Wake up before it&#8217;s too late.</strong></p><p>Signed,<br>Every American Who Still Believes in Democracy</p><div><hr></div>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[America First? More Like America F***ed: Trump’s Latest Cowardly Retreat from the UN Human Rights Council]]></title><description><![CDATA[Because nothing says 'leader of the free world' like running away from accountability while giving dictators a back rub. Another day, another diplomatic dumpster fire courtesy of the Tangerine Tyrant.]]></description><link>https://opts.org/p/america-first-more-like-america-fed</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://opts.org/p/america-first-more-like-america-fed</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[The Angry Creamsicle]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Tue, 04 Feb 2025 18:18:27 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!IzJp!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F794a02f3-5b9e-4cff-81e3-b36a7c1c8191_938x450.png" length="0" type="image/jpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!IzJp!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F794a02f3-5b9e-4cff-81e3-b36a7c1c8191_938x450.png" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!IzJp!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F794a02f3-5b9e-4cff-81e3-b36a7c1c8191_938x450.png 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!IzJp!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F794a02f3-5b9e-4cff-81e3-b36a7c1c8191_938x450.png 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!IzJp!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F794a02f3-5b9e-4cff-81e3-b36a7c1c8191_938x450.png 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!IzJp!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F794a02f3-5b9e-4cff-81e3-b36a7c1c8191_938x450.png 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!IzJp!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F794a02f3-5b9e-4cff-81e3-b36a7c1c8191_938x450.png" width="938" height="450" data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/794a02f3-5b9e-4cff-81e3-b36a7c1c8191_938x450.png&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:450,&quot;width&quot;:938,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:null,&quot;bytes&quot;:767487,&quot;alt&quot;:null,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image/png&quot;,&quot;href&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:false,&quot;topImage&quot;:true,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:null,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!IzJp!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F794a02f3-5b9e-4cff-81e3-b36a7c1c8191_938x450.png 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!IzJp!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F794a02f3-5b9e-4cff-81e3-b36a7c1c8191_938x450.png 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!IzJp!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F794a02f3-5b9e-4cff-81e3-b36a7c1c8191_938x450.png 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!IzJp!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F794a02f3-5b9e-4cff-81e3-b36a7c1c8191_938x450.png 1456w" sizes="100vw" fetchpriority="high"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg role="img" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><title></title><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a></figure></div><p>Donald Trump is pulling the U.S. out of the United Nations Human Rights Council. Again. Because nothing screams "strong leadership" like running away from global accountability while simultaneously licking the boots of authoritarians. This move isn&#8217;t just reckless&#8212;it&#8217;s a flashing neon sign that Trump doesn&#8217;t give a damn about human rights, democracy, or America&#8217;s standing in the world.</p><p>This is the same man who praised Kim Jong-un for his "love letters," called Putin "savvy" for invading Ukraine, and spent his first term cozying up to every tin-pot dictator who gave him the time of day. Now, in his second act of disaster, he&#8217;s making sure the U.S. isn&#8217;t even in the room when the world discusses human rights violations. Because let&#8217;s be real&#8212;when your personal rap sheet includes inciting insurrection, attempting to overturn an election, running a fraudulent business empire, and stashing classified documents in your gaudy country club, the last thing you want is people bringing up accountability.</p><div class="subscription-widget-wrap-editor" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://opts.org/subscribe?&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Subscribe&quot;,&quot;language&quot;:&quot;en&quot;}" data-component-name="SubscribeWidgetToDOM"><div class="subscription-widget show-subscribe"><div class="preamble"><p class="cta-caption">TAC: Unfiltered. Unapologetic. Unhinged is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.</p></div><form class="subscription-widget-subscribe"><input type="email" class="email-input" name="email" placeholder="Type your email&#8230;" tabindex="-1"><input type="submit" class="button primary" value="Subscribe"><div class="fake-input-wrapper"><div class="fake-input"></div><div class="fake-button"></div></div></form></div></div><p>But let&#8217;s talk about the real reason behind this move: Israel. Trump has never missed an opportunity to pander to the far-right, evangelical pro-Israel crowd that sees Netanyahu as some kind of biblical warrior. Cutting ties with the UNHRC is just another way to keep that base happy while pretending he&#8217;s taking some kind of principled stand against "bias." In reality, he&#8217;s doing what he does best&#8212;sabotaging international cooperation in the name of his own ego and political survival.</p><p>And of course, this decision conveniently aligns with cutting off aid to Palestinians. Because nothing says "peace in the Middle East" like pouring gasoline on the fire and then running away. The Biden administration had paused funding to the UN Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) after unverified accusations that some staff had ties to Hamas. An independent review found no evidence, but now Trump is swooping in to make sure that funding is permanently cut off&#8212;because apparently starving children and displaced families are just collateral damage in his ongoing need to "own the libs."</p><p>Let&#8217;s not forget that Trump <em>already</em> withdrew from the UNHRC in 2018, only for Biden to reverse the decision and rejoin in 2021. That means this isn&#8217;t some grand new strategy&#8212;it&#8217;s just a petty, vindictive, knee-jerk reaction designed to undo everything his predecessor did. It&#8217;s the policy equivalent of a toddler knocking over a sandcastle just because someone else built it.</p><p>And what does America get out of this? Nothing. Zero. Zilch. All it does is send a message to the world that the U.S. no longer cares about human rights. That we don&#8217;t want a seat at the table when it comes to addressing genocide, war crimes, and state-sponsored oppression. That our foreign policy is dictated by a twice-impeached, 91-times-indicted reality TV con man who treats global diplomacy like a WrestleMania promo.</p><p>The peaceful transfer of power is a core principle of democracy, and yet Trump attempted to burn that principle to the ground in 2021. Now, he&#8217;s setting fire to another pillar of American credibility&#8212;our ability to lead on human rights. The only "deal" Trump has ever mastered is the art of burning bridges and selling snake oil to his followers. The rest of us are just left dealing with the damage.</p><p>So congratulations, America. We&#8217;re now the country that shrugs at human rights abuses, cheers for criminals, and lets a spray-tanned con artist dictate foreign policy based on whatever Fox News is ranting about that day. If this is "making America great again," then I&#8217;d hate to see what failure looks like.</p><div class="subscription-widget-wrap-editor" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://opts.org/subscribe?&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Subscribe&quot;,&quot;language&quot;:&quot;en&quot;}" data-component-name="SubscribeWidgetToDOM"><div class="subscription-widget show-subscribe"><div class="preamble"><p class="cta-caption">TAC: Unfiltered. Unapologetic. Unhinged is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.</p></div><form class="subscription-widget-subscribe"><input type="email" class="email-input" name="email" placeholder="Type your email&#8230;" tabindex="-1"><input type="submit" class="button primary" value="Subscribe"><div class="fake-input-wrapper"><div class="fake-input"></div><div class="fake-button"></div></div></form></div></div>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[Elon Musk's Infiltration of the Education Department: A Privacy Nightmare Unfolds]]></title><description><![CDATA[When Billionaires Play Bureaucrat, Students Pay the Price]]></description><link>https://opts.org/p/elon-musks-infiltration-of-the-education</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://opts.org/p/elon-musks-infiltration-of-the-education</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[The Angry Creamsicle]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Tue, 04 Feb 2025 16:23:49 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!i3fO!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F50a9d361-0cf8-452a-b73b-5d3054b25ba3_1792x1024.webp" length="0" type="image/jpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!i3fO!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F50a9d361-0cf8-452a-b73b-5d3054b25ba3_1792x1024.webp" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!i3fO!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F50a9d361-0cf8-452a-b73b-5d3054b25ba3_1792x1024.webp 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!i3fO!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F50a9d361-0cf8-452a-b73b-5d3054b25ba3_1792x1024.webp 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!i3fO!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F50a9d361-0cf8-452a-b73b-5d3054b25ba3_1792x1024.webp 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!i3fO!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F50a9d361-0cf8-452a-b73b-5d3054b25ba3_1792x1024.webp 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!i3fO!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F50a9d361-0cf8-452a-b73b-5d3054b25ba3_1792x1024.webp" width="1456" height="832" data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/50a9d361-0cf8-452a-b73b-5d3054b25ba3_1792x1024.webp&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:832,&quot;width&quot;:1456,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:null,&quot;bytes&quot;:735514,&quot;alt&quot;:null,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image/webp&quot;,&quot;href&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:false,&quot;topImage&quot;:true,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:null,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!i3fO!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F50a9d361-0cf8-452a-b73b-5d3054b25ba3_1792x1024.webp 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!i3fO!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F50a9d361-0cf8-452a-b73b-5d3054b25ba3_1792x1024.webp 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!i3fO!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F50a9d361-0cf8-452a-b73b-5d3054b25ba3_1792x1024.webp 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!i3fO!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F50a9d361-0cf8-452a-b73b-5d3054b25ba3_1792x1024.webp 1456w" sizes="100vw" fetchpriority="high"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg role="img" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><title></title><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a></figure></div><p>Well, isn't this just the dystopian cherry on top of our crumbling democracy sundae? Elon Musk, the tech overlord with a Messiah complex, has now embedded approximately 20 of his minions within the U.S. Department of Education. These unelected tech bros have wormed their way into the heart of our educational system, gaining access to sensitive internal systems, including a financial aid dataset brimming with the personal information of millions of students. Yes, you heard that right&#8212;your Social Security numbers, financial records, and who knows what else are now at the fingertips of Musk's merry band of disruptors.</p><p>This isn't some baseless conspiracy theory; it's happening right under our noses. According to reports, Musk's so-called Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE)&#8212;a name that would be laughable if the reality weren't so terrifying&#8212;has been granted access to federal payment systems and sensitive databases across multiple agencies, including the Treasury Department and USAID.</p><p><a href="https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2025/feb/02/elon-musk-doge-access-federal-payment-system">theguardian.com</a></p><p>But let's focus on the Education Department, shall we? The very institution responsible for safeguarding the futures of our nation's students has been compromised. With Musk's cronies digging through financial aid data, the potential for misuse is staggering. Imagine a world where your eligibility for financial aid is determined not by need, but by an algorithm designed by a billionaire who thinks traffic tunnels and flamethrowers are solutions to society's problems.</p><p>And what about the employees who have dedicated their careers to public service? Dozens of Education Department workers have been placed on administrative leave, ostensibly due to an executive order targeting diversity, equity, and inclusion programs. But one can't help but wonder if this purge is conveniently clearing the path for Musk's minions to take control unchallenged.</p><p><a href="https://apnews.com/article/education-department-paid-leave-dei-ad8ab48fabba227316e394dc5ad32770">apnews.com</a></p><p>This is not just a breach of privacy; it's a hostile takeover of our government by a billionaire with no accountability. The lines between public service and private interest have been obliterated, and the casualties are the American people&#8212;especially students who trusted that their personal information was in safe hands.</p><p>So, what's next? Will Musk's team start deciding which students are worthy of aid based on their social media profiles? Will our education policies be dictated by the whims of a man who once named his child after a collection of random characters? The possibilities are as endless as they are horrifying.</p><p>It's time to wake up and recognize this for what it is: an egregious overreach by a tech billionaire into the sanctity of our public institutions. If we don't push back now, we risk setting a precedent that places our most sensitive information in the hands of those who view privacy as an outdated concept and governance as a game.</p><p>Enough is enough. Our students deserve better. Our country deserves better. It's time to tell Elon Musk and his Department of Government Efficiency to take a hike&#8212;and to remind them that our government is not for sale to the highest bidder.</p>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[Marco Rubio’s New Puppet Show: Installing a Trump Lackey at USAID]]></title><description><![CDATA[Because What Could Go Wrong When a MAGA Loyalist Runs Foreign Aid?]]></description><link>https://opts.org/p/marco-rubios-new-puppet-show-installing</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://opts.org/p/marco-rubios-new-puppet-show-installing</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[The Angry Creamsicle]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Tue, 04 Feb 2025 04:51:03 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!dq86!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F73ccc9da-fc7d-4279-94eb-5dcf2e578a32_1792x1024.png" length="0" type="image/jpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!dq86!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F73ccc9da-fc7d-4279-94eb-5dcf2e578a32_1792x1024.png" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!dq86!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F73ccc9da-fc7d-4279-94eb-5dcf2e578a32_1792x1024.png 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!dq86!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F73ccc9da-fc7d-4279-94eb-5dcf2e578a32_1792x1024.png 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!dq86!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F73ccc9da-fc7d-4279-94eb-5dcf2e578a32_1792x1024.png 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!dq86!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F73ccc9da-fc7d-4279-94eb-5dcf2e578a32_1792x1024.png 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!dq86!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F73ccc9da-fc7d-4279-94eb-5dcf2e578a32_1792x1024.png" width="1456" height="832" data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/73ccc9da-fc7d-4279-94eb-5dcf2e578a32_1792x1024.png&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:832,&quot;width&quot;:1456,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:null,&quot;bytes&quot;:2692036,&quot;alt&quot;:null,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image/png&quot;,&quot;href&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:false,&quot;topImage&quot;:true,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:null,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!dq86!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F73ccc9da-fc7d-4279-94eb-5dcf2e578a32_1792x1024.png 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!dq86!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F73ccc9da-fc7d-4279-94eb-5dcf2e578a32_1792x1024.png 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!dq86!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F73ccc9da-fc7d-4279-94eb-5dcf2e578a32_1792x1024.png 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!dq86!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F73ccc9da-fc7d-4279-94eb-5dcf2e578a32_1792x1024.png 1456w" sizes="100vw" fetchpriority="high"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg role="img" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><title></title><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a></figure></div><p>Ah yes, Marco Rubio&#8212;the human embodiment of a wet paper bag&#8212;has once again proven his only skill is kissing the ring of whichever authoritarian cosplay rejects are running the GOP this week. This time, he&#8217;s shoving Pete Marocco, a full-fledged Trump lackey, into USAID, an agency responsible for distributing billions in foreign aid. That&#8217;s right, a MAGA stooge is about to be in charge of life-saving humanitarian efforts. What could possibly go wrong? (<em>Spoiler: Everything.</em>)</p><h3>&#128293; FROM FOREIGN AID TO FASCIST AGENDA &#128293;</h3><p>For those who don&#8217;t follow government dysfunction as closely as I do (congratulations on your peace of mind, by the way), USAID is supposed to help stabilize the world, fight poverty, and prevent disasters before they become global crises. That means the job requires <em>actual</em> professionals&#8212;not some political grifter who treats international development like another pawn in the Republican Party&#8217;s endless culture war.</p><div class="subscription-widget-wrap-editor" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://opts.org/subscribe?&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Subscribe&quot;,&quot;language&quot;:&quot;en&quot;}" data-component-name="SubscribeWidgetToDOM"><div class="subscription-widget show-subscribe"><div class="preamble"><p class="cta-caption">TAC: Unfiltered. Unapologetic. Unhinged is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.</p></div><form class="subscription-widget-subscribe"><input type="email" class="email-input" name="email" placeholder="Type your email&#8230;" tabindex="-1"><input type="submit" class="button primary" value="Subscribe"><div class="fake-input-wrapper"><div class="fake-input"></div><div class="fake-button"></div></div></form></div></div><p>But this is the new normal, isn&#8217;t it? Take an institution that works, hollow it out, pack it full of bootlickers and yes-men, and then cry about the "deep state" when career professionals warn that putting <em>Steve from MAGA Facebook</em> in charge of global development might not be the best idea.</p><p>And let&#8217;s be clear: Marocco isn&#8217;t some unbiased bureaucrat just trying to "help the process." This guy made his name in the Trump State Department purging actual experts and replacing them with incompetent, far-right political appointees. Sound familiar? That&#8217;s because it&#8217;s the same damn playbook Republicans have been running for years: Destroy functional institutions, install loyalists, and then blame the <em>government</em> when everything collapses.</p><div><hr></div><h3>&#129326; WHY DOES MARCO RUBIO LOVE DESTROYING EVERYTHING HE TOUCHES? &#129326;</h3><p>Rubio has spent years trying to prove he&#8217;s the biggest, most loyal little lapdog for whatever right-wing disaster is currently leading the GOP. He started as the <em>Tea Party Golden Boy,</em> then tried (and failed) to rebrand as a serious "statesman," and now he&#8217;s just another spineless coward desperately clinging to relevance.</p><p>Pushing Marocco into USAID isn&#8217;t about making the agency "better." It&#8217;s about turning foreign aid into another tool for right-wing political theater. Imagine future USAID missions:</p><ul><li><p>"Sorry, kids, no food aid unless your government stops acknowledging climate change!"</p></li><li><p>"We <em>would</em> send medical supplies, but your country isn&#8217;t banning enough books yet."</p></li><li><p>"Need disaster relief? Let&#8217;s check if you voted Republican first!"</p></li></ul><p>The GOP has been gutting expertise in government for years, all in the name of loyalty over competence. They don&#8217;t care if the people running the show have no idea what they&#8217;re doing&#8212;as long as they can count on them to serve the agenda.</p><p>And the kicker? USAID employees are already being told to <em>stay away</em> from headquarters because of <em>Elon Musk&#8217;s government shutdown crew.</em> (<a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/white-house/usaid-personnel-told-stay-away-headquarters-elon-musks-shutdown-commen-rcna190405">NBC News</a>) Yep, while Musk&#8217;s techno-authoritarian fanboys run around playing government, actual employees are being <em>locked out</em> of the agency they work for. What a time to be alive.</p><div><hr></div><h3>&#128680; WAKE UP BEFORE THE WHOLE DAMN SYSTEM COLLAPSES &#128680;</h3><p>The U.S. already has enough credibility issues without turning USAID into another Republican plaything. This is an agency that quite literally saves lives. It should be run by people who actually know what they&#8217;re doing&#8212;not another partisan goon whose only qualification is loyalty to the far-right cult.</p><p>So congrats, Marco. You&#8217;ve taken yet another functioning institution and turned it into a right-wing dumpster fire. If the goal is to burn every last shred of credibility America has on the world stage, <em>you&#8217;re doing one hell of a job.</em></p><p>And to everyone else? Start paying attention. Because if these idiots get their way, it won&#8217;t just be USAID going up in flames&#8212;it&#8217;ll be <em>everything.</em></p><div class="subscription-widget-wrap-editor" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://opts.org/subscribe?&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Subscribe&quot;,&quot;language&quot;:&quot;en&quot;}" data-component-name="SubscribeWidgetToDOM"><div class="subscription-widget show-subscribe"><div class="preamble"><p class="cta-caption">TAC: Unfiltered. Unapologetic. Unhinged is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.</p></div><form class="subscription-widget-subscribe"><input type="email" class="email-input" name="email" placeholder="Type your email&#8230;" tabindex="-1"><input type="submit" class="button primary" value="Subscribe"><div class="fake-input-wrapper"><div class="fake-input"></div><div class="fake-button"></div></div></form></div></div>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[Felon 47’s Fascism Starter Kit: Just Add Bootlickers]]></title><description><![CDATA[Constitutions Are Just Suggestions When You&#8217;re a Wannabe Dictator]]></description><link>https://opts.org/p/felon-47s-fascism-starter-kit-just</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://opts.org/p/felon-47s-fascism-starter-kit-just</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[The Angry Creamsicle]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Tue, 04 Feb 2025 03:50:53 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!GvIG!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fcc0d3771-88f2-44ce-bc44-166cc89b5116_1792x1024.webp" length="0" type="image/jpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!GvIG!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fcc0d3771-88f2-44ce-bc44-166cc89b5116_1792x1024.webp" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!GvIG!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fcc0d3771-88f2-44ce-bc44-166cc89b5116_1792x1024.webp 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!GvIG!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fcc0d3771-88f2-44ce-bc44-166cc89b5116_1792x1024.webp 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!GvIG!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fcc0d3771-88f2-44ce-bc44-166cc89b5116_1792x1024.webp 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!GvIG!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fcc0d3771-88f2-44ce-bc44-166cc89b5116_1792x1024.webp 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!GvIG!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fcc0d3771-88f2-44ce-bc44-166cc89b5116_1792x1024.webp" width="1456" height="832" data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/cc0d3771-88f2-44ce-bc44-166cc89b5116_1792x1024.webp&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:832,&quot;width&quot;:1456,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:null,&quot;bytes&quot;:521270,&quot;alt&quot;:null,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image/webp&quot;,&quot;href&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:false,&quot;topImage&quot;:true,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:null,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!GvIG!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fcc0d3771-88f2-44ce-bc44-166cc89b5116_1792x1024.webp 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!GvIG!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fcc0d3771-88f2-44ce-bc44-166cc89b5116_1792x1024.webp 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!GvIG!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fcc0d3771-88f2-44ce-bc44-166cc89b5116_1792x1024.webp 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!GvIG!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fcc0d3771-88f2-44ce-bc44-166cc89b5116_1792x1024.webp 1456w" sizes="100vw" fetchpriority="high"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg role="img" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><title></title><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a></figure></div><p></p><p>Ah yes, the man-baby who screamed <em>&#8220;WITCH HUNT&#8221;</em> at every felony conviction, lost an election by seven million votes, and staged a sloppy-ass coup attempt is now just straight-up saying the quiet part out loud: <em>He wants to be a dictator.</em> And guess what? His cult is eating it up like it's deep-fried in Crisco and served with a side of Bud Light.</p><p>This is what the beginning of dictatorship looks like. You gut the Constitution, install yourself as the one true power, and surround yourself with enough Kool-Aid-drunk morons who will cheer while you set the country on fire. Sound familiar? Yeah, history books (the ones Republicans haven&#8217;t banned yet) tell us this never ends well.</p><p>Felon 47 isn&#8217;t even <em>pretending</em> to be a president anymore. He&#8217;s openly fantasizing about using the government to punish his enemies, throw political opponents in jail, and <em>&#8220;terminate&#8221;</em> parts of the Constitution that get in his way. If a Democrat said <em>any</em> of this, conservatives would be losing their goddamn minds, but when it&#8217;s their bloated orange messiah? <em>Crickets.</em></p><p>Here&#8217;s the deal: If this clown gets back in power, you can kiss democracy goodbye. He&#8217;s already promised mass deportations, a government loyalty test (hello, fascism!), and pardons for his January 6th foot soldiers. Meanwhile, his brain-dead fanbase will keep drooling over their <em>Dear Leader</em> while wondering why the rest of the world is pointing and laughing.</p><p>This isn&#8217;t politics. This isn&#8217;t policy. This is a goddamn cult of personality where the only qualification for leadership is how much you kiss the ring&#8212;or in this case, the oversized clown pants. And let&#8217;s be real, Felon 47 isn&#8217;t some 4D chess-playing mastermind. He&#8217;s just a dimwitted conman who stumbled upon a fanbase so gullible they&#8217;d chug bleach if he told them it would own the libs.</p><p>So yeah, Rep. Ilhan Omar is right. This <em>is</em> how dictators are made. And unless people wake the hell up, we&#8217;re all about to find out what happens when a man with the IQ of a used napkin gets unlimited power. Spoiler alert: It won&#8217;t be pretty.</p><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!SYCo!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fbaf460f2-5d1f-426d-9e7a-f308af5a0f50_960x960.png" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!SYCo!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fbaf460f2-5d1f-426d-9e7a-f308af5a0f50_960x960.png 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!SYCo!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fbaf460f2-5d1f-426d-9e7a-f308af5a0f50_960x960.png 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!SYCo!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fbaf460f2-5d1f-426d-9e7a-f308af5a0f50_960x960.png 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!SYCo!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fbaf460f2-5d1f-426d-9e7a-f308af5a0f50_960x960.png 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!SYCo!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fbaf460f2-5d1f-426d-9e7a-f308af5a0f50_960x960.png" width="960" height="960" data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/baf460f2-5d1f-426d-9e7a-f308af5a0f50_960x960.png&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:960,&quot;width&quot;:960,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:null,&quot;bytes&quot;:938891,&quot;alt&quot;:null,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image/png&quot;,&quot;href&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:false,&quot;topImage&quot;:false,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:null,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!SYCo!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fbaf460f2-5d1f-426d-9e7a-f308af5a0f50_960x960.png 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!SYCo!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fbaf460f2-5d1f-426d-9e7a-f308af5a0f50_960x960.png 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!SYCo!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fbaf460f2-5d1f-426d-9e7a-f308af5a0f50_960x960.png 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!SYCo!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fbaf460f2-5d1f-426d-9e7a-f308af5a0f50_960x960.png 1456w" sizes="100vw"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg role="img" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><title></title><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a></figure></div><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://opts.org/subscribe?&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Subscribe now&quot;,&quot;action&quot;:null,&quot;class&quot;:null}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary" href="https://opts.org/subscribe?"><span>Subscribe now</span></a></p><p></p>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[Felon 47’s War on Education: Dumber Voters, Easier Lies]]></title><description><![CDATA[When Your Base Thinks "Algebra" is a Foreign Country, You Burn the Schools Down]]></description><link>https://opts.org/p/felon-47s-war-on-education-dumber</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://opts.org/p/felon-47s-war-on-education-dumber</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[The Angry Creamsicle]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Tue, 04 Feb 2025 03:09:35 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Lzkb!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F5f0e9265-080e-40ba-9aeb-338b9dbd71fd_1024x1024.webp" length="0" type="image/jpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Lzkb!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F5f0e9265-080e-40ba-9aeb-338b9dbd71fd_1024x1024.webp" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Lzkb!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F5f0e9265-080e-40ba-9aeb-338b9dbd71fd_1024x1024.webp 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Lzkb!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F5f0e9265-080e-40ba-9aeb-338b9dbd71fd_1024x1024.webp 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Lzkb!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F5f0e9265-080e-40ba-9aeb-338b9dbd71fd_1024x1024.webp 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Lzkb!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F5f0e9265-080e-40ba-9aeb-338b9dbd71fd_1024x1024.webp 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Lzkb!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F5f0e9265-080e-40ba-9aeb-338b9dbd71fd_1024x1024.webp" width="1024" height="1024" data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/5f0e9265-080e-40ba-9aeb-338b9dbd71fd_1024x1024.webp&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:1024,&quot;width&quot;:1024,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:null,&quot;bytes&quot;:406196,&quot;alt&quot;:null,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image/webp&quot;,&quot;href&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:false,&quot;topImage&quot;:true,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:null,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Lzkb!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F5f0e9265-080e-40ba-9aeb-338b9dbd71fd_1024x1024.webp 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Lzkb!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F5f0e9265-080e-40ba-9aeb-338b9dbd71fd_1024x1024.webp 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Lzkb!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F5f0e9265-080e-40ba-9aeb-338b9dbd71fd_1024x1024.webp 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Lzkb!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F5f0e9265-080e-40ba-9aeb-338b9dbd71fd_1024x1024.webp 1456w" sizes="100vw" fetchpriority="high"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg role="img" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><title></title><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a></figure></div><p>Well, well, well, if it isn&#8217;t <em>Felon 47</em> trying to outdo himself in the Dumbass Olympics. This time, he&#8217;s setting his beady little sights on the Department of Education because, let&#8217;s be honest, nothing terrifies a grifting con man more than an educated voter who can read past a bumper sticker.</p><p>Yes, ladies and gentlemen, the sentient pumpkin with a rap sheet is reportedly planning to dismantle the entire Department of Education&#8212;because who needs literacy when you've got rage, ignorance, and Fox News propaganda filling your skull with hot air and QAnon conspiracies?</p><div class="subscription-widget-wrap-editor" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://opts.org/subscribe?&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Subscribe&quot;,&quot;language&quot;:&quot;en&quot;}" data-component-name="SubscribeWidgetToDOM"><div class="subscription-widget show-subscribe"><div class="preamble"><p class="cta-caption">TAC: Unfiltered. Unapologetic. Unhinged is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.</p></div><form class="subscription-widget-subscribe"><input type="email" class="email-input" name="email" placeholder="Type your email&#8230;" tabindex="-1"><input type="submit" class="button primary" value="Subscribe"><div class="fake-input-wrapper"><div class="fake-input"></div><div class="fake-button"></div></div></form></div></div><p>This is the same guy whose fans struggle to spell <em>"patriot"</em> correctly while draped in poorly printed Chinese-made American flags at his cult rallies. The same guy who thinks Frederick Douglass is <em>"doing a great job,"</em> even though the man has been dead for over a century. And now, in a move so predictable it could be tattooed on the forehead of every slack-jawed MAGA moron, he wants to gut education entirely.</p><p>Why? Because educated people ask questions. They demand answers. They don&#8217;t fall for sweaty, bloated carnival barkers slurring their way through rally speeches littered with word salads and Big Mac grease. Keeping his base as dumb as a bag of hammers ensures they&#8217;ll keep voting against their own interests while cheering for a man whose only loyalty is to his own wallet.</p><p>His justification? &#8220;States' rights.&#8221; Ah, yes. That classic dog whistle for <em>&#8220;We want the freedom to teach our kids that the dinosaurs were Republican Jesus&#8217; battle mounts and slavery was just an unpaid internship.&#8221;</em> This is about gutting funding for public schools while funneling cash to religious indoctrination factories where critical thinking is a sin but praying to a golden statue of a convicted felon is fine.</p><p>And let&#8217;s not forget: this is all part of the larger conservative wet dream to turn America into a nation of worker drones who won&#8217;t ask why billionaires keep getting richer while they&#8217;re struggling to afford gas station burritos. If they can&#8217;t read the fine print, they won&#8217;t know when they&#8217;re being scammed. If they can&#8217;t understand history, they won&#8217;t recognize fascism creeping up their doorstep. And if they can&#8217;t do basic math, they&#8217;ll believe Trump&#8217;s economic policies actually benefited them.</p><p>The kicker? The Department of Education&#8217;s <em>own employees</em> are now preparing for mass layoffs, because when Republicans claim they &#8220;love America,&#8221; what they really mean is &#8220;we love keeping Americans just dumb enough to re-elect us.&#8221;</p><p>So, congrats, MAGA cultists. You wanted to own the libs? Enjoy owning a future where your grandkids are being taught that 2+2=Freedom and where books are replaced with prayer circles and AR-15 appreciation classes. And when America falls even further behind in global rankings for education, don&#8217;t be surprised when China, India, and basically every other developed nation leaves us in the dust.</p><p>But hey, at least you stopped the scary woke books, right? <em>Idiots.</em></p><p>Source: <a href="https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/trump-order-dismantle-education-department-works-sources/story?id=118418280">Trump order to dismantle the education department</a></p><div class="subscription-widget-wrap-editor" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://opts.org/subscribe?&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Subscribe&quot;,&quot;language&quot;:&quot;en&quot;}" data-component-name="SubscribeWidgetToDOM"><div class="subscription-widget show-subscribe"><div class="preamble"><p class="cta-caption">TAC: Unfiltered. Unapologetic. Unhinged is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.</p></div><form class="subscription-widget-subscribe"><input type="email" class="email-input" name="email" placeholder="Type your email&#8230;" tabindex="-1"><input type="submit" class="button primary" value="Subscribe"><div class="fake-input-wrapper"><div class="fake-input"></div><div class="fake-button"></div></div></form></div></div>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[Kristi Noem: Governor, Grifter, and Full-Time Fox News Cosplayer]]></title><description><![CDATA[From Kevlar Barbie to ICE Agent Ken Doll, South Dakota&#8217;s governor treats politics like a spirit Halloween. The only thing missing? Competence.]]></description><link>https://opts.org/p/kristi-noem-governor-grifter-and</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://opts.org/p/kristi-noem-governor-grifter-and</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[The Angry Creamsicle]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Tue, 04 Feb 2025 02:46:08 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!pVHX!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F3949ed63-6103-48f8-8bc0-4823f096736f_960x960.png" length="0" type="image/jpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!pVHX!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F3949ed63-6103-48f8-8bc0-4823f096736f_960x960.png" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" 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srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!pVHX!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F3949ed63-6103-48f8-8bc0-4823f096736f_960x960.png 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!pVHX!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F3949ed63-6103-48f8-8bc0-4823f096736f_960x960.png 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!pVHX!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F3949ed63-6103-48f8-8bc0-4823f096736f_960x960.png 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!pVHX!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F3949ed63-6103-48f8-8bc0-4823f096736f_960x960.png 1456w" sizes="100vw" fetchpriority="high"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg role="img" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><title></title><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a></figure></div><h3><strong>Kristi Noem: Leading South Dakota One Costume Change at a Time</strong></h3><p>Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the <strong>Kristi Noem Dress-Up Hour</strong>, where every day is a new performative patriotism parade, and actual governance is left in the dust like an old Trump steak. You might know her as the governor of South Dakota, but let&#8217;s be real&#8212;her actual job is <strong>cosplaying every Fox News fever dream imaginable</strong>.</p><p>One day she&#8217;s <strong>a cowboy hat-wearing border patrol wannabe</strong>, scowling at some razor wire she probably had installed just for a photo op. The next, she&#8217;s <strong>strutting around in full military cosplay</strong>, pretending she has any idea how to operate a tractor, a gun, or basic public policy. And don&#8217;t forget the <strong>Kevlar vest ensemble</strong>, because nothing screams <em>&#8220;serious leader&#8221;</em> like dressing for an active warzone while walking through a cornfield.</p><div class="subscription-widget-wrap-editor" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://opts.org/subscribe?&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Subscribe&quot;,&quot;language&quot;:&quot;en&quot;}" data-component-name="SubscribeWidgetToDOM"><div class="subscription-widget show-subscribe"><div class="preamble"><p class="cta-caption">TAC: Unfiltered. Unapologetic. Unhinged is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.</p></div><form class="subscription-widget-subscribe"><input type="email" class="email-input" name="email" placeholder="Type your email&#8230;" tabindex="-1"><input type="submit" class="button primary" value="Subscribe"><div class="fake-input-wrapper"><div class="fake-input"></div><div class="fake-button"></div></div></form></div></div><p>Let&#8217;s face it&#8212;Kristi Noem doesn&#8217;t govern; <strong>she LARPs</strong>.</p><div><hr></div><h3><strong>The Fashion Show of Fascism</strong></h3><p>If you&#8217;ve ever wondered what happens when someone <strong>completely runs out of original ideas but still desperately wants attention</strong>, look no further than Noem&#8217;s wardrobe.</p><p>&#128668; <strong>Tractor Barbie:</strong> Perfect for pandering to the hard-working farm folk while ensuring their actual problems (like crop subsidies and rural healthcare) are completely ignored.</p><p>&#128110; <strong>ICE Agent Cosplay:</strong> Because nothing rallies the Fox News base like play-acting as a tough-on-immigration enforcer&#8212;despite <strong>South Dakota not even being a border state</strong>.</p><p>&#129312; <strong>Budget Yellowstone Extra:</strong> The black cowboy hat, the ranch photo shoots, the awkward staged "authentic" moments&#8212;she&#8217;s got all the aesthetics of a cattle rancher <strong>without ever actually doing the work</strong>.</p><p>&#127894;&#65039; <strong>Tactical Barbie:</strong> Decked out in full military gear for dramatic effect, as if she&#8217;s about to storm a compound instead of taking taxpayer-funded photo ops.</p><p>If there&#8217;s a <strong>right-wing culture war fantasy</strong>, Kristi Noem has a <strong>matching outfit</strong> for it.</p><div><hr></div><h3><strong>South Dakota Deserves a Governor, Not a Dress-Up Doll</strong></h3><p>All of this might be funny if it weren&#8217;t so <strong>goddamn embarrassing</strong>. South Dakota is facing <strong>actual problems</strong>&#8212;rural hospitals shutting down, teachers underpaid, infrastructure crumbling&#8212;but Kristi&#8217;s too busy <strong>auditioning for her next Fox News segment</strong> to do anything about it. She spends more time <strong>tweeting about woke corporations</strong> than fixing the state&#8217;s <strong>sky-high brain drain problem</strong>.</p><p>And let&#8217;s talk about her <strong>obsession with the border</strong>, which makes absolutely <strong>zero sense</strong> considering South Dakota&#8217;s biggest border crisis is probably when North Dakota tourists show up drunk at Sturgis.</p><p>She&#8217;s not solving problems&#8212;she&#8217;s <strong>pandering to the national GOP cult</strong> while using South Dakota taxpayers as her personal <strong>funding source for right-wing cosplay hour</strong>.</p><div><hr></div><h3><strong>The GOP Loves a Good Prop&#8212;and That&#8217;s All She Is</strong></h3><p>Here&#8217;s the thing: <strong>Kristi Noem isn&#8217;t a leader. She&#8217;s a glorified MAGA influencer in a governor&#8217;s office.</strong> Her entire career revolves around <strong>grifting attention, not governing a state</strong>. She&#8217;s a <strong>walking billboard for right-wing clickbait</strong>, parroting Fox News talking points while her actual constituents get left behind.</p><p>And it&#8217;s working&#8212;because the GOP <strong>loves a good mascot</strong> more than it loves <strong>competence</strong>.</p><p>We saw it with Sarah Palin. We saw it with Lauren Boebert. And now we&#8217;re seeing it with Noem&#8212;just another <strong>professional outrage generator</strong>, dressing up for the cameras, saying the right buzzwords, and hoping she lands a VP gig on <strong>the next Felon 47 ticket</strong>.</p><div><hr></div><h3><strong>Final Thoughts: Less Cosplay, More Governing</strong></h3><p>Kristi Noem wants to be famous. That&#8217;s it. That&#8217;s the whole platform. She&#8217;s not <strong>fighting for South Dakota</strong>, she&#8217;s <strong>auditioning for a Fox News contract</strong> while playing <em>Dress-Up Dictator</em> for the MAGA crowd.</p><p>If she spent half as much time <strong>doing her actual job</strong> as she does <strong>changing costumes</strong>, maybe&#8212;just maybe&#8212;South Dakota wouldn&#8217;t be a <strong>punchline</strong>.</p><p>But hey, at least she&#8217;s prepared for Halloween. &#127875;</p><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!zkoN!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fffa2981f-c709-4889-b145-3ba0b9cc70fc_1080x1226.jpeg" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!zkoN!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fffa2981f-c709-4889-b145-3ba0b9cc70fc_1080x1226.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!zkoN!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fffa2981f-c709-4889-b145-3ba0b9cc70fc_1080x1226.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!zkoN!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fffa2981f-c709-4889-b145-3ba0b9cc70fc_1080x1226.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!zkoN!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fffa2981f-c709-4889-b145-3ba0b9cc70fc_1080x1226.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!zkoN!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fffa2981f-c709-4889-b145-3ba0b9cc70fc_1080x1226.jpeg" width="1080" height="1226" data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/ffa2981f-c709-4889-b145-3ba0b9cc70fc_1080x1226.jpeg&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:1226,&quot;width&quot;:1080,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:null,&quot;bytes&quot;:144658,&quot;alt&quot;:null,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image/jpeg&quot;,&quot;href&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:true,&quot;topImage&quot;:false,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:null,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!zkoN!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fffa2981f-c709-4889-b145-3ba0b9cc70fc_1080x1226.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!zkoN!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fffa2981f-c709-4889-b145-3ba0b9cc70fc_1080x1226.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!zkoN!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fffa2981f-c709-4889-b145-3ba0b9cc70fc_1080x1226.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!zkoN!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fffa2981f-c709-4889-b145-3ba0b9cc70fc_1080x1226.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw" loading="lazy"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg role="img" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><title></title><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a></figure></div><p></p><div class="subscription-widget-wrap-editor" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://opts.org/subscribe?&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Subscribe&quot;,&quot;language&quot;:&quot;en&quot;}" data-component-name="SubscribeWidgetToDOM"><div class="subscription-widget show-subscribe"><div class="preamble"><p class="cta-caption">TAC: Unfiltered. Unapologetic. Unhinged is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.</p></div><form class="subscription-widget-subscribe"><input type="email" class="email-input" name="email" placeholder="Type your email&#8230;" tabindex="-1"><input type="submit" class="button primary" value="Subscribe"><div class="fake-input-wrapper"><div class="fake-input"></div><div class="fake-button"></div></div></form></div></div>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[Corporate Welfare Kings: How Billionaires Scam America While You Foot the Bill]]></title><description><![CDATA[Elon pays nothing, Tesla rakes in billions, and the IRS will still kick down your door over $20. Welcome to the land of the free (for the rich) and the home of the screwed.]]></description><link>https://opts.org/p/corporate-welfare-kings-how-billionaires</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://opts.org/p/corporate-welfare-kings-how-billionaires</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[The Angry Creamsicle]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Tue, 04 Feb 2025 02:30:18 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!mj_V!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F78e7d4d3-61af-40e6-87b6-db4a17bdc7f2_1024x1024.jpeg" length="0" type="image/jpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<h3><strong>Title:</strong> <em>Corporate Welfare Kings: How Billionaires Scam America While You Foot the Bill</em></h3><h3><strong>Subtitle:</strong> <em>Elon pays nothing, Tesla rakes in billions, and the IRS will still kick down your door over $20. Welcome to the land of the free (for the rich) and the home of the screwed.</em></h3><div><hr></div><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!mj_V!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F78e7d4d3-61af-40e6-87b6-db4a17bdc7f2_1024x1024.jpeg" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!mj_V!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F78e7d4d3-61af-40e6-87b6-db4a17bdc7f2_1024x1024.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!mj_V!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F78e7d4d3-61af-40e6-87b6-db4a17bdc7f2_1024x1024.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!mj_V!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F78e7d4d3-61af-40e6-87b6-db4a17bdc7f2_1024x1024.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!mj_V!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F78e7d4d3-61af-40e6-87b6-db4a17bdc7f2_1024x1024.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!mj_V!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F78e7d4d3-61af-40e6-87b6-db4a17bdc7f2_1024x1024.jpeg" width="1024" height="1024" data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/78e7d4d3-61af-40e6-87b6-db4a17bdc7f2_1024x1024.jpeg&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:1024,&quot;width&quot;:1024,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:null,&quot;bytes&quot;:363052,&quot;alt&quot;:null,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image/jpeg&quot;,&quot;href&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:false,&quot;topImage&quot;:true,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:null,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!mj_V!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F78e7d4d3-61af-40e6-87b6-db4a17bdc7f2_1024x1024.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!mj_V!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F78e7d4d3-61af-40e6-87b6-db4a17bdc7f2_1024x1024.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!mj_V!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F78e7d4d3-61af-40e6-87b6-db4a17bdc7f2_1024x1024.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!mj_V!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F78e7d4d3-61af-40e6-87b6-db4a17bdc7f2_1024x1024.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw" fetchpriority="high"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg role="img" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><title></title><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a></figure></div><h3><strong>Welcome to the Greatest Heist in American History</strong></h3><p>Ah yes, the American dream&#8212;where a schoolteacher making $50K a year pays a higher tax rate than a billionaire space troll who sells exploding cars and runs his companies like a cult. Tesla raked in <strong>$2.3 BILLION</strong> in profits last year and somehow contributed <strong>$0</strong> to the roads, schools, and infrastructure its cars literally drive on. <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2023/10/24/tesla-profit-declines-in-q3-2023.html">(Source: CNBC)</a></p><p>Meanwhile, if you forget to Venmo your buddy $20 and don&#8217;t report it to the IRS, they&#8217;ll be at your door with a battering ram. That&#8217;s the system we&#8217;re living under: one where billionaires suck the country dry while working-class people are told to &#8220;tighten their belts&#8221; and &#8220;just work harder.&#8221;</p><div class="subscription-widget-wrap-editor" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://opts.org/subscribe?&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Subscribe&quot;,&quot;language&quot;:&quot;en&quot;}" data-component-name="SubscribeWidgetToDOM"><div class="subscription-widget show-subscribe"><div class="preamble"><p class="cta-caption">TAC: Unfiltered. Unapologetic. Unhinged is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.</p></div><form class="subscription-widget-subscribe"><input type="email" class="email-input" name="email" placeholder="Type your email&#8230;" tabindex="-1"><input type="submit" class="button primary" value="Subscribe"><div class="fake-input-wrapper"><div class="fake-input"></div><div class="fake-button"></div></div></form></div></div><div><hr></div><h3><strong>Trickle-Down Economics? More Like a Golden Shower</strong></h3><p>The myth of trickle-down economics is <strong>the</strong> greatest scam ever pulled on the American people&#8212;right up there with MLMs, essential oils, and believing Congress will ever fix itself. The idea that giving billionaires tax breaks will somehow &#8220;create jobs&#8221; and &#8220;boost the economy&#8221; has been disproven more times than a flat-Earther convention. <a href="https://www.americanprogress.org/article/trickle-down-economics-works/">(Source: Center for American Progress)</a></p><p>Yet here we are, watching Tesla, Amazon, and countless other corporations rake in <strong>billions</strong> while paying zero in federal taxes. Why? Because they&#8217;ve rigged the system, bought off politicians, and convinced half the country that taxing the ultra-wealthy is &#8220;socialism.&#8221; Meanwhile, Jeff Bezos is out here cosplaying as a Bond villain while working-class folks are drowning in medical debt.</p><div><hr></div><h3><strong>Billionaires Don&#8217;t Work, They Leech</strong></h3><p>Let&#8217;s get one thing straight: billionaires don&#8217;t &#8220;work&#8221; for their money. They <strong>extract</strong> it. They exploit loopholes, offshore their profits, and hoard wealth like a dragon sitting on a mountain of gold. Their wealth grows exponentially because they own <strong>assets</strong>&#8212;stocks, real estate, and entire industries&#8212;while the average person&#8217;s wages stagnate like a clogged toilet. <a href="https://www.propublica.org/article/secret-irs-files-trove-of-never-before-seen-records-reveal-how-the-wealthiest-avoid-income-tax">(Source: ProPublica)</a></p><p>Elon Musk, for example, has made <strong>more money from government subsidies and stock manipulation than from actual business success.</strong> Tesla&#8217;s entire existence was propped up by <strong>$4.9 billion in government funding.</strong> <a href="https://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-hy-musk-subsidies-20150531-story.html">(Source: LA Times)</a></p><p>Yet somehow, your uncle on Facebook still thinks Musk is a "self-made genius" while screaming that poor people need to &#8220;pull themselves up by their bootstraps.&#8221;</p><div><hr></div><h3><strong>Your Taxes Fund Their Yacht Lifestyle</strong></h3><p>Corporate welfare is the <strong>real</strong> American tradition. The government hands out <strong>trillions</strong> in subsidies, tax breaks, and bailouts to corporations, while the average American gets pennies. The richest 1% dodge <strong>$163 billion</strong> in taxes every year. <a href="https://home.treasury.gov/news/press-releases/jy0341">(Source: U.S. Treasury)</a></p><p>Meanwhile, tell a Republican that maybe&#8212;just <strong>maybe</strong>&#8212;the government should spend money on <strong>education, healthcare, or infrastructure</strong>, and suddenly it&#8217;s <strong>&#8220;fiscal responsibility&#8221; time.</strong> But when billionaires want another bailout? No problem, here&#8217;s a blank check.</p><div><hr></div><h3><strong>The System is Rigged&#8212;And You&#8217;re Paying the Bill</strong></h3><p>Every time you see potholes, overcrowded classrooms, or hospitals closing, remember: it&#8217;s not because &#8220;there&#8217;s no money.&#8221; It&#8217;s because <strong>billionaires stole it.</strong> The richest in this country pay <strong>zero in taxes</strong> while the middle class is forced to carry the entire damn economy on its back. <a href="https://itep.org/corporate-tax-avoidance-in-the-first-year-of-the-trump-tax-law/">(Source: Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy)</a></p><p>They have <strong>convinced you</strong> that taxing the rich would &#8220;hurt the economy&#8221; when in reality, <strong>they are the ones looting it.</strong></p><div><hr></div><h3><strong>No One&#8217;s Coming to Save Us&#8212;So What Do We Do?</strong></h3><p>We <strong>fight back</strong> by demanding tax reform that actually makes the wealthy pay their fair share. We <strong>call out</strong> politicians who sell us out for corporate donations. We <strong>stop buying into the myth</strong> that billionaires are anything more than parasites bleeding society dry.</p><p>Because if we don&#8217;t? Then get ready for more of the same: billionaires laughing all the way to the bank, while the rest of us drown in debt, crumbling infrastructure, and a system designed to keep us struggling.</p><p>And that&#8217;s not a bug in the system&#8212;it&#8217;s the <strong>whole damn point.</strong></p><div class="subscription-widget-wrap-editor" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://opts.org/subscribe?&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Subscribe&quot;,&quot;language&quot;:&quot;en&quot;}" data-component-name="SubscribeWidgetToDOM"><div class="subscription-widget show-subscribe"><div class="preamble"><p class="cta-caption">TAC: Unfiltered. Unapologetic. Unhinged is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.</p></div><form class="subscription-widget-subscribe"><input type="email" class="email-input" name="email" placeholder="Type your email&#8230;" tabindex="-1"><input type="submit" class="button primary" value="Subscribe"><div class="fake-input-wrapper"><div class="fake-input"></div><div class="fake-button"></div></div></form></div></div>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[Democracy in Handcuffs: The Rise of Autocracy and the Fall of a Nation]]></title><description><![CDATA[The oligarchs have seized control, the boot is pressing down, and democracy is being marched to its grave. Autocracy isn&#8217;t coming&#8212;it&#8217;s already here.]]></description><link>https://opts.org/p/democracy-in-handcuffs-the-rise-of</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://opts.org/p/democracy-in-handcuffs-the-rise-of</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[The Angry Creamsicle]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Tue, 04 Feb 2025 02:13:50 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!UCim!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F8b31a239-6e14-4c0e-aceb-219364ee529e_1080x1080.jpeg" length="0" type="image/jpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!UCim!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F8b31a239-6e14-4c0e-aceb-219364ee529e_1080x1080.jpeg" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!UCim!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F8b31a239-6e14-4c0e-aceb-219364ee529e_1080x1080.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!UCim!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F8b31a239-6e14-4c0e-aceb-219364ee529e_1080x1080.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!UCim!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F8b31a239-6e14-4c0e-aceb-219364ee529e_1080x1080.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!UCim!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F8b31a239-6e14-4c0e-aceb-219364ee529e_1080x1080.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!UCim!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F8b31a239-6e14-4c0e-aceb-219364ee529e_1080x1080.jpeg" width="1080" height="1080" data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/8b31a239-6e14-4c0e-aceb-219364ee529e_1080x1080.jpeg&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:1080,&quot;width&quot;:1080,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:null,&quot;bytes&quot;:147888,&quot;alt&quot;:null,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image/jpeg&quot;,&quot;href&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:false,&quot;topImage&quot;:true,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:null,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!UCim!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F8b31a239-6e14-4c0e-aceb-219364ee529e_1080x1080.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!UCim!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F8b31a239-6e14-4c0e-aceb-219364ee529e_1080x1080.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!UCim!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F8b31a239-6e14-4c0e-aceb-219364ee529e_1080x1080.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!UCim!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F8b31a239-6e14-4c0e-aceb-219364ee529e_1080x1080.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw" fetchpriority="high"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg role="img" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><title></title><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a></figure></div><h3><strong>America&#8217;s Obituary Is Being Written in Real-Time</strong></h3><p>The slow, agonizing march toward autocracy is no longer a warning&#8212;it&#8217;s a reality. The United States, once the self-proclaimed beacon of democracy, is now a rotting corpse being looted by the oligarchs while the cultists cheer its demise.</p><p>The institutions meant to uphold democracy are being dismantled brick by brick. Checks and balances? Gutted. Government agencies meant to enforce law and order? Purged of anyone who believes in democracy and replaced with obedient cronies and billionaire enablers. The very foundation of our system is being bulldozed, and the working class is too distracted by manufactured outrage to notice.</p><div class="subscription-widget-wrap-editor" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://opts.org/subscribe?&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Subscribe&quot;,&quot;language&quot;:&quot;en&quot;}" data-component-name="SubscribeWidgetToDOM"><div class="subscription-widget show-subscribe"><div class="preamble"><p class="cta-caption">TAC: Unfiltered. Unapologetic. Unhinged is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.</p></div><form class="subscription-widget-subscribe"><input type="email" class="email-input" name="email" placeholder="Type your email&#8230;" tabindex="-1"><input type="submit" class="button primary" value="Subscribe"><div class="fake-input-wrapper"><div class="fake-input"></div><div class="fake-button"></div></div></form></div></div><h3><strong>Divide and Conquer: The Billionaire Playbook</strong></h3><p>The ruling elite have convinced the working class that their suffering isn&#8217;t caused by the ultra-wealthy siphoning trillions from the economy&#8212;but by immigrants, minorities, and marginalized communities. The same people struggling to pay rent, drowning in medical debt, and working multiple jobs just to survive are pointing fingers at the powerless while the actual thieves sip champagne in their tax-free offshore accounts.</p><p>They&#8217;ve dismantled social programs and called it &#8220;fiscal responsibility.&#8221; They&#8217;ve funneled trillions to defense contractors and corporations while handing scraps to the people. They&#8217;ve erased science, gutted education, and convinced half the country that they&#8217;re the victims of oppression while handing over their freedoms on a silver platter. It&#8217;s a masterclass in gaslighting, and the American public has swallowed it whole.</p><h3><strong>The Authoritarian Future We Were Warned About</strong></h3><p>This isn&#8217;t theoretical anymore. They&#8217;re silencing dissent. They&#8217;re criminalizing protests. They&#8217;re banning books. They&#8217;re rewriting history. They&#8217;ve turned the justice system into a weapon, where billionaires and corrupt politicians walk free while the poor are thrown into for-profit prisons.</p><p>The fundamental principles of democracy&#8212;free and fair elections, the peaceful transfer of power, and government accountability&#8212;are being dragged into the grave. Meanwhile, the same people who claim to love &#8220;freedom&#8221; are the ones wrapping the chains around their own wrists.</p><h3><strong>No One Is Coming to Save Us</strong></h3><p>There&#8217;s no cavalry, no last-minute hero, no miraculous intervention. Either we wake up and fight back now, or we watch democracy die in handcuffs. The warning signs have been flashing for years. The question is&#8212;what are we going to do about it?</p><div class="subscription-widget-wrap-editor" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://opts.org/subscribe?&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Subscribe&quot;,&quot;language&quot;:&quot;en&quot;}" data-component-name="SubscribeWidgetToDOM"><div class="subscription-widget show-subscribe"><div class="preamble"><p class="cta-caption">TAC: Unfiltered. Unapologetic. Unhinged is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.</p></div><form class="subscription-widget-subscribe"><input type="email" class="email-input" name="email" placeholder="Type your email&#8230;" tabindex="-1"><input type="submit" class="button primary" value="Subscribe"><div class="fake-input-wrapper"><div class="fake-input"></div><div class="fake-button"></div></div></form></div></div>]]></content:encoded></item></channel></rss>