9/11 Redux

 The worst foreign terrorist attack on American soil is suddenly all over the media space again, refracted by the prism of 2025.

The death of Dick Cheney reminds us that he was essentially the acting president as George Bush concluded his reading of The Pet Goat and began flitting about the country until it was deemed safe to bring him back to Washington.  Bush has maintained a deafening silence about Trump's depravity, breaking it today to put out some sonorous words about Cheney being "decent, honorable, mature judgment, character" -- all the funerary boilerplate.  I don't remember him that way at all, though he did criticize Trump, mostly in support of Liz.  And now Bush can duck back into his studio and not have to worry about vicious TruthSocials being flung in his direction.  Does silence imply consent?

The latest polling shows Zohran Mamdani leading Andrew Cuomo by 16 points, so a Cuomo-supporting superpac decided it was time to go there, releasing an ad that portrays him alongside the burning World Trade Center.  Six years ago the streamer Hasan Piker was heard to say "America deserved 9/11" and Mamdani appeared with him a few months ago, so he's practically a terrorist, right?  "If Mamdani was in the seat on 9/11 what would have happened in this city?" Cuomo asked rhetorically in a recent interview.  I don't know, maybe they would have attacked Philadelphia.  Or maybe the exact same thing because an American city is an American city no matter who is mayor.  In any case, it smells of desperation.

It doesn't smell as bad as the aroma from what's left of the White House:

He has also threatened to "take over" the city and have the mayor-elect arrested and deported.  How enraged is Trump?  He hasn't even slimed Harrison Ford for saying, "I don't know of a greater criminal in history."  (He means American history, I assume.)  No wonder the doctors ordered an MRI.

Last night he expanded on that scream in a formal endorsement of Cuomo "who has had a Record of Success," just the opposite of what he said five years ago when people ignored him and waited for Cuomo's daily press conferences to get useful news about covid.  Again he threatened to withhold federal money from the city, when states like New York and California would be within their rights to withhold funds from Washington ("no taxation without representation").  Mamdani, according to MRI-27, has "a Record of COMPLETE AND TOTAL FAILURE," presumably as an assemblyman, the only office he has held.  And not as handsome as Trump, all right, grandpa, let's get you down for your nap.

The goofiest case of Mamdani Derangement Syndrome must be the one diagnosed in Greg Abbott.  Not to be outdone by Ron DeSantis, who whimsically proposed a wall on I-95 to protect Florida from fleeing New Yorkers, Abbott posted:  "After the polls close tomorrow night I will impose a 100% tariff on anyone moving to Texas from NYC."  Great, another moron who doesn't know how tariffs work.  Usually these governors are eager to tempt people with money and job skills to abandon New York or California for states without income tax or the amenities it supports (decent schools, renewable energy, public transportation, making it easy to vote).  The people who vow to leave the city if Mamdani wins seem to be the same people who promised they'd leave when Bill DeBlasio was elected, but just try to find a one-bedroom you can afford.

CBS News is a cadaver, CNN is run by a Murdochoid escapee from Fleet Street but it's never enough because, as John Adams didn't say, facts are stupid things.  Trump's poll numbers continue to collapse like a wet souffle so of course it's the fault of the "evil and corrupt" Fake News.  His endorsement of Cuomo may not be the game changer he thinks it is.  He's "setting standards for Right Track/Wrong Track for a future U.S.A." whatever that means," and right now he can't even keep basic government functioning.  It must be fun living in Cloud Cuckoo Land surrounded by gold paint, stolen trophies and the sound of hammering.  No one dares tell him how hated he is.  

Well, almost no one.  In a speech to the United Federation of Teachers, J.B. Pritzker went straight after the Department of Education and the wrestling executive charged with dismantling it:  "Books are being banned.  History is being erased...They want to punish teachers for telling the truth.  They want to criminalize teachers for supporting LGBTQ students.  They want to turn classrooms into cultural war battlegrounds.  And I'm sorry to be vulgar but Donald Trump and his cronies can fuck all the way off."  Newsom has the good hair and the media savvy but PRITZKER FOR PRESIDENT.

The Cult is spending millions on the gubernatorial elections in Virginia and New Jersey but why stop there?  This morning bomb threats were made to polling stations in New Jersey's most populous counties, including Essex (Newark), Bergen and Passaic.  Most have been reopened, but it's easy to see why MAGA is desperate to end mail voting.  Also the Bondi Department sent poll "watchers" to monitor the in-person voting in New Jersey and California, so California has sent its own watchers to make sure they don't go ICEstapo on voters.  Trump has already raged about Prop 50 (California redistricting), which is likely to pass, a response to the redistricting of states like Texas and Indiana which involved no voter input and is fine with him.

The law-and-order administration is as larcenous as ever.  Today the Chicago Sun-Times demanded that DHS stop using its photos in social media posts without permission.  Taylor Swift's people haven't been heard from, but it's unlikely the singer (who Trump "can't stand") is happy to find "The Fate of Ophelia" playing over a bizarre TikTok video featuring Trump, Vance, their wives and stock footage of the military.  And good grief, old fish lips snogging an American flag.  After that you pretty much have to burn it.  Of course, these are comparatively petty crimes if the New York Times is right about Trump's plot to steal the oil of Venezuela.  (You know who else has a lot of oil?  Nigeria.)

The cruelty is always the point.  Despite two court orders to fund SNAP the regime continues to drag its feet and blame the Democrats for Little Mike's record-breaking Congressional shutdown.  (Grijalva!  Epstein file!)  Compassionate grocery stores offered special discounts to SNAP recipients who may eventually receive some money and Ag Hag Brooke Rollins actually threatened that it would be a violation of the program's rules.  This is what she spent $16,000 for.

I can remember when Halloween was a simpler time in America's Heartland, with toilet paper in trees, affordable eggs smashed against houses and parade floats depicting Hillary Clinton or Kamala Harris in cages wearing orange jumpsuits.  What the hell is this?

St. Joseph Catholic School in Hanover, Pennsylvania, decided to go with a replica of the gate of Auschwitz beneath the words Arbeit macht frei.  It was condemned by Bishop Timothy Senior of the Diocese of Harrisburg, who pronounced himself "shocked and appalled."  

Listen to Governor Pritzker.  Get back to teaching history.  

Remember how quiet the skies were after the planes hit the WTC and the Pentagon?  They could be that way again.  Sean Duffy is threatening to close all US airspace after obediently blaming Democrats for Trump's panic about recalling Congress, seating Adelita Grijalva and all that would ensue.  Moments ago Duffy's master issued this Victorian-melodrama warning to New Jersey and Virginia:  "YOU WILL RUE THE DAY THAT YOU VOTED TO DESTROY YOUR LIFE."  He's out of bed again!  Come on, grandpa, save something for the midterms.  Would you like a juice box?

This is Sandringham, where Andrew Windsor is headed.  I'm pretty sure it's haunted.