CREAPING FASCISM

 

Fuck the Epstein Files!

Democrats need to quit focusing on the short term.  Trump is not a bright man, but he has reptilian survival instincts.

 

On the pretense of rampant crime, Trump has deployed active-duty military to Washington, D.C.

 

He plans to systematically deploy active-duty troops to other cities on the premise of crime deterrence.

 

This is a smoke screen.  It is comparable to boiling a frog in cold water.

 

The public and the military will become accustomed to active-duty troops deployed in cities with large minority populations that lean toward the Democratic Party.

 

During the next Presidential election, Trump will claim voter fraud and task the military, which is already deployed, to seize voting machines in the states where he loses; declaring martial law, he will use the military to remain in office as President for Life. 

 

If Democrats lose the House and Senate during the midterms, future children in school will learn the Pledge of Allegiance to Donald J. Trump.

the Ol'Buzzard

 

REGARDLESS OF TRUMP, LIFE GOES ON

 

 

The Donald Trump Show.  Brought to us by President Joe Biden and Merrick Garland.

 

My wife and I watches the morning news.  The news is Trump, Trump, Trump. We watches the night news: Trump, Trump, Trump…

 

Yesterday it was Trump, Trump, Trump…  It will be Trump tomorrow, Trump next week, next year, the next, the next… 

 

Let’s not fool ourselves, Trump has no plan to leave after this term of office.

 

With that in mind, I will ignore Trump and offer some product reviews over the next few blogs.

 

 

SPECTRUM INTERNET

Our local internet provider has been bought out by Spectrum Internet.     The switch over was automatic.   Here in rural Maine, the switch didn’t leave us much choice.

 

Spectrum made an appointment with me two weeks ago for the installation; they were prompt, on time, courteous, and the representative helped me set up all of my streaming equipment.  There has been a delay in retrieving my original telephone number, but Spectrum reps have kept in contact with me and have been supportive and courteous.

 

 

I was leery of Spectrum.  My internet search uncovered hundreds of dissatisfied customer reviews.

 

So far, I have had a positive experience with Spectrum.   It is possible that the thousands of people who have positive experiences with a product don’t post reviews, so reviews are skewed by the people who have complaints.

 

The only thing I want from an internet provider is for them to be invisible.   I want to turn on my computer or my television and access the internet seamlessly.

 

So far, so good.

the Ol’Buzzard

I don't do paid advertisement for any product.  

Just sharing. 

 

YOU WON’T FIND THIS IN A HIGH SCHOOL HISTORY BOOK

 

NAGASAKI, JAPAN, AUGUST 9, 1945

Eighty years ago today, August 9, 1945, the United States dropped a nuclear bomb on the civilian population of Nagasaki, Japan. 

Three days earlier, on August 6, the U.S. had bombed the civilian population of Hiroshima, instantly killing 70,000 of the civilian population of 255,000.

The second bomb was unnecessary, as the Japanese had already signaled their intention to surrender.  (Read American Prometheus Oppenheimer.) 

 

The bomb over Nagasaki detonated 1,600 feet above the city, with the force of 21,000 tons of TNT, instantly disintegrating or burning to death 40,000 of the 195,00 population. With 100,000 deaths estimated by the end of the year. 

The eventual death toll of the two bombs could range as high as one-quarter of a million men, women, children, and the elderly.

Birth defects in Japan as a result of radiation continued for generations. 

(Too disturbing to show.)

When you win a war, you can delete any history that is disturbing.

"Who controls the past, ran the party slogan, controls the future: Who controls the present controls the past." 

1984 by George Orwell

the Ol'Buzzard

ONE WEEK OF NINETY DEGREE DAYS IN MAINE !

 August 8, 2025

But in Maine

Winter is always coming.

the Ol'Buzzard

DESPITE TRUMP, LIFE GOES ON

 

Two years ago, during a winter nor'easter snowstorm, I had to drive at night from Portland, Maine, 100 miles to my home in the Western Maine mountains.  My headlight lenses were yellow from age.

 

In the dark, with visibility probably no more than fifteen yards, and headlights barely lit the highway, the trip was harrowing.

 

Headlight replacement on an older car is ridiculously expensive, so I decided to clean the lens myself.

 

After searching YouTube, I settled on a product that does not require a power drill for sanding and buffing.

 

I purchased Griot’s Ceramic headlight restorer.    I followed the simple instructions, which were easy even at my age.

 

One year later, the lenses are still clear.

 I don't advertise for any product company.   

 But there is no need for anyone to drive at night with yellow opaque headlights when products on the market can restore headlight lenses.    

 

 the Ol'Buzzard

 

 

I DON’T LIKE THAT NEWS. GIVE ME GOOD NEWS

 

 

Trump fired the Labor Statistics Chief because he did not like the job market data. 

If the doctor says you have cancer, don’t take the treatment – just fire the doctor. 

 

 

My lord, the labor statistics are not good.

That is fake news.  Fire the Chief of Labor Statistics. Bring me some other news.

My lore, labor statistics are good. 

Ah!  Good news.  My diplomacy triumphs.  

the Ol'Buzzard 

ENTREPRENEURING

 

We all have had ideas for new products that we didn’t act on, because the development and patenting of the project seemed too complicated and too much trouble.  

 Back in the early 1960’s I was working in the woods in Maine.  I carried some moose droppings home with me; I took two of the marble-sized globes, dunked them in acrylic, and mounted them on ear earring posts.   I called them moose pearls, and as a joke, gave a set to my wife.

A few years later, I left Maine for seven years.  When I returned, my wife and I went to L.L. Bean’s.  In the sports section, there were moose poop earrings for sale.  Now, moose poop jewelry is everywhere. 

 

I have another shitty idea.  I am too old to pursue it, so I will throw it out there for some enterprising young person to develop.

I just bought a Garmin GPS for my car.  The unit gives real-time verbal and visual directions to any address in Canada, the U.S., and Mexico.

The Garmin GPS female avatar might say, ‘In one half mile, turn right on Willow Street’. 

 

My idea is a Rude GPS:

When you turn it on, a voice like Larry David might say: ‘All right shit-for-brains, let’s see if we can get you from point A to point B; or, ‘Slowdown asshole, the speed limit is seventy; or, Get your head out of your ass and quit playing with yourself numbnuts, your ramp exit is next’; or, “You fucking idiot, you missed your turn – turn around and try again’…

You get the idea.  

Young men and men in midlife crisis would love this.  They would fly off the shelves.

You are welcome

the Ol’Buzzard

THE GARMIN DRIVE 53 GPS

 

Most new cars come with a GPS installed, but I have an old car.

  

Back in 2012, I bought a Tom-Tom GPS for my car, and it has served me well.  Lately, the avatar that speaks directions has been stuttering, so a replacement seemed prudent.

  

I would have preferred a Tom-Tom, but their prices were quite high.  Instead, I found a Garmin Drive 53 on sale at Best Buy for under $100, and I purchased it online.

The Garmin is unnecessarily complicated in selecting a destination address.   With the Tom-Tom, I entered the city name, the street name, and then the number, and was connected.   With the Garmin, I have to first enter a street number; next I enter the street name; then it asks for the country (USA); next, the state; and finally, I have to scroll down through a list to find the destination address.   It seems like the input system for the Garmin was designed by a committee of middle school children.

 

Once you are finally past the hurdle of selecting a destination address, the Garmin works fine.   The display is bright, even on sunny days.  The voice directions are distinct, and the visual directions are easy to follow.

I have seen some wonders in my eighty-plus years: from telephones with operators to smartphones; from computers the size of an automobile with punch card inputs to my desktop that has a hard drive with gigabytes…  But I think the most awe-inspiring device is the little portable GPS, about the size of a deck of playing cards, that is able, in real time, to direct me with oral and visual directions to any address within Canada, the United States, and Mexico.  

Happy trails

the Ol’Buzzard

AN OLD MAN LOOKS BACK

 

I have no regard for the human race.  We are a virus on this earth, destroying everything we touch.   In our conceit, we try to control nature for our benefit.  Like a virus, our population grows unchecked, and we constantly evolve into new strains, more resistant and more destructive. 

In our greed, we have decimated the forest, polluted the land, water, and the air.  We have brought about most animals on this earth to the verge of extinction. 

War is our nature.  There are only two animal forms on this earth that commit war and genocide against their own kind: humans, and chimpanzees which share 98% of human DNA.

We readily kill our own kind in the name of our gods, some ethnic supremacy agenda, or to amass power and wealth. The powerful survive with no thought for the week and the vulnerable.

There is a strain in every human being capable of extreme cruelty.   Millions celebrated the bomb that killed 140,000 people in Hiroshima and 70,000 men, women, children, babies - and no birds sang - in Nagasaki, Japan. 

In reality, this is who we are.

 

the OL'Buzzard

THERE IS NO EPSTEIN LIST

 

 The QAnon / MAGA nut case extremists, for years, have been convinced that a cabal of prominent Democratic lawmakers and Hollywood actors have been molesting and even eating children.  Epstein and his Island have played a big part in their fantasy.   The conspiracy followers have, for years, been encouraged by the right-wing fringe networks that have made a fortune by feeding this conspiracy. 

MAGA  believes that an Epstein list exists that will tell all.

There is no list.

 

BUT...

 

FACTS:

Epstein was convicted of sex trafficking minors to his island.  

 

Epstein was known for hosting the rich and prominent people on his island.

 

Flight manifests with passenger names are available for discovery.

 

Pilots flew Epstein and his guest to his island.

 

Cooks and servants served Epstein and his guests on the Island. 

Epstein's girlfriend/associate, Ghislaine Maxwell, who is currently incarcerated, has firsthand knowledge of parties on the island, including who attended, with whom, where, and when.

There are over a thousand victims of Epstein and Maxwell - some would surely be willing to talk.

Many people must have secondhand knowledge of who visited the island.

 

There is a trail to follow even if there is no Epstein File. 

 

BUT WARNING TO DEMOCRATS

 

Leave this to the Republicans.  Focus on Medicaid cuts, cuts to personnel and funding for the Veterans Administration, cuts to clean energy projects, and defunding PBS radio and television to pass a massive tax cut for the mega-wealthy. 

 

 

PBS BUDGET WILL BE ZEROED OUT BY DONALD TRUMP'S  BILL.

 How many adults grew up watching Sesame Street and Mr. Rogers?

 

 

The Ol'Buzzard

 

 

NOTHING TO SEE HERE

 

EPSTEIN WHO?

the Ol'Buzzard

TRUMP THREATENS RUSSIA WITH TARIFFS

 

Trump has been humiliated by Putin and now threatens to get tough by imposing tariffs against Russia.

This is a balloon full of hot air – all for show.

We do not trade with Russia.

We do not buy Russian goods.

We do not sell goods to Russia.

Therefore: a tariff against nothing equals nothing.

150% x 0 = 0

 

The Ol’Buzzard

 

It looks like Trump’s Big Beautiful Bill is going to pass and MAGA is going to get in the ass.  Unfortunately, the rest of us will have to suffer as the cost of living goes up, rural hospitals close, and medical care becomes more expensive. 

 

Nothing we can do about it, so there is no need to beat that horse any further.

 

I would like to think the passage of this bill would give the Democrats a positive majority in the House and Senate at the midterms; but the reality is that half of the US population are on the downside of the IQ curve, they get their news from Fox, and they are easily manipulated to vote against their own best interest.   Trump and Republicans use shiny objects like: Let’s lock up dark people that are not like us – good white MAGA Christians love that part – to dupe MAGA into blind followship.

 

Meanwhile, his bill cuts Medicaid, which rural hospitals and nursing homes depend on to stay open; It raises the copays on the Affordable Care Act (Obama Care) and medications; It drastically raises everyone’s electric bills by killing the subsidies on solar and wind energy; It cuts food programs for kids in school and food assistance for the very poorest in our society… 

 

But millionaires and billionaires (and Trump himself) make hundreds of thousands from the tax cuts.

So here we are…

 

 MAGA

PRESIDENT TRUMP STRIKES IRAN'S NUCLEAR SITES

 

Donald Trump is an ignorant megalomaniac, a self-serving buffoon.  There is nothing he has done during his presidency that I agree with - until now.

 

The most dangerous threat to human existence is not global warming or AI; it is an unstable man or a religious fanatic with a nuclear weapon.

The Middle East is a region of turmoil and religious mania, destabilizing the entire world.

 

Nations have pussyfooted long enough, trying to delay Iran’s development of a nuclear weapon.

Iran can not be allowed to have a nuclear weapon – ever - as it would bring the whole world one step closer to nuclear annihilation.

 

Finally, someone, Donald Trump, has taken a decisive step to prevent Iran from ever developing a nuclear weapon.  

How much safer are we?

 

The largest nuclear bomb ever exploded was Russia’s Tsar bomb in 1961, releasing the power of 50 million tons of TNT.  Today’s nuclear weapons range from 1.2 megatons to …? 

 

There are enough nuclear weapons in existence today to destroy the entire world one hundred times over.

 

 

It could start with the use of ‘tactical’ nuclear weapons, the size of the bomb dropped on Hiroshima.   Then escalate. 

 

Look at the history of mankind.  How long will it be? 

the Ol'Buzzard