The Long Road Out

Here's the letter of thanks I received, in my mind, from Scott Bessent and Trump today: Dear David— We want to thank you for investing so heavily, from your income taxes and social security payments, in the United States of America. We'd particularly like to thank you for paying 100% of the maximum social security taxes every year for 42 straight years. That's amazing, David! You even waited until the deadline to request benefits at age 70, saving us those costs for the first 11 years of your eligibility . As a result of being a generous investor, you are now receiving the highest monthly social security payment available—slightly less than $5300 a month. Never mind that this top dollar amount would leave you and your family near the poverty line if this was your only income. Imagine everyone else who receives, on average, $1500 a month. Do those people eat? Probably not! Never mind that you're paying income taxes on this benefit at the 37% r...

Not content to deport some, invade some, abandon others, and give blowjobs to Putin and Netananyu—Trump is shooting us in the streets. Today there are protests in Caracas, Ottawa, Tehran, Kiev, and anti-US actions across the British Commonwealth and all of South America. The common theme: we are independent of you. We do not respect or like you. Our top 20 trading partners, led by Mexico and Canada, have signed over 80 new trade agreements since Trump re-emerged from his toilet, and every one of them excludes us. They are prepared to move on. Trump eggs them on as they shit on him, and our freedoms here and abroad are withdrawn. Mark Carney—can you sub in and do the State of the Union address? If not, could you simply unite world leaders of respected country around one idea: do NOT return Trump's pleading and whining and bullying phone calls. Do NOT attend any event he appears at. Kick the US out of NATO until Trump is arrested. You can watch from a s...

I have a new girlfriend with a big heart. A big smile. A big and welcoming lap to rest my head on. Big hands to jointly haul the things that should be hauled and lift together what demands to be lifted.  My own life became smaller recently, as it eventually does for most of us--sooner or later. For all who grieve.  Small like a 50 mg tablet of Zoloft. Small like false pageantry. Small like the masked men with guns in our communities.  Small like our collective understanding of justice. My girlfriend breathes with me. In those moments we share the dimensions and cadence of connection. Joint exhales, spirit-sized, leave peace and the sublime rhythm of beauty.  I know I'm safe in the most treacherous terrain when following her pristine perfect ski tracks in the springtime snow.  I become emboldened when I follow, and strong when on parallel paths. What a wonderful new girlfriend!  What a glorious woman. ---Valentine's Day 2026

If you haven't run into Wilhoit's Law---here's a great summary from The Nation in an article today about the moral collapse of MAGA morons.   Wilhoit's Law   — coined by   music composer Frank Wilhoit   in a now-famous 2018 comment on a political science blog — neatly captures this truth. " Conservatism consists   of exactly one proposition — there must be in-groups whom the law protects but does not bind, alongside out-groups whom the law binds but does not protect." Now it's ditching even its in-group protections. 

“I think this is the most corrupt presidency in U.S. history, with the money they are raking in, with the NFTs and the memecoins. I mean it’s so blatant, it’s right in front of our eyes,” Ann Coulter admitted, unashamedly,  on the Triggernometry podcast in August , adding, “and the funny thing about [it is], I don’t care, as long as we get a wall and mass deportations.” This quote is from The Nation .  

I assumed it might be the UK or France who said "fuck you" first, and they have.   But only our two biggest trading partners—Mexico and Canada—had the influence to act on it.  Canada has signed so many treaties with the rest of the world in the last two years that, with hindsight, it was obvious that only Mark Carney could screw Trump.  Mexico needs another six months to protect itself for life without the US.   Today, Carney did it.  Calmly.  With huge pre-planning that everyone else except Trump could see.    With the fear that Trump is so murderous and stupid that he's probably begging the Pentagon to invade and arrest everyone in Ottowa.    I love you Mark!  I call out to every other world leader to simply follow behind this amazing act of business acumen and courage:  NEVER return a call from our tool of a president again.  Ignore him.  Watch him implode.