The East Wing

Recent perhaps somewhat speculative reporting indicates that one of the real reasons Trump is so determined to build the Ballroom is as a cover for what's really going on... which is not only the bunker he hopes will help him keep power till he dies, but also the one-person hospital they're building since he's been told he is dying. Which is all so weird; people like him can't really believe anything negative about themselves, so he probably has some ridiculous idea that he can be kept alive forever by "the best healthcare" that he can force the executive support system to provide for him. Somehow none of this is going to end well, that much is clear. 

 

______________________________

MUSICA SUMMUM DOLOREM TRANSFIGURAT 

ET SUMMUM GAUDIUM SALTAT

______________________________

Fighting back in 2026, 2028

I have a superi simple motto, one of many, Dems need to use in the upcoming elections.  Gerrymandering is cheating. Americans don't like cheaters. 

We lost the contest to see who could cheat (where we were reacting to them), so now we have to stand for eliminating fundamental unfairness in our system (along with eliminating the corruption that is becoming increasingly blatant and unpopular). 

How about a picture of Trump moving a golf ball. With that line underneath it. 

 

______________________________

MUSICA SUMMUM DOLOREM CANIT ATQUE ITA COMMUTAT ~  

SUMMAM LAETITIAM SALTAT ATQUE ITA ANIMOS CAPIT

______________________________

Justin Wolfers

Justin Wolfers's comments on AI in this video are scary. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=piEpTx1-2f0&list=TLPQMTIwNTIwMjaVxYVfPe2c6g&index=6 

 

Musical therapy

I am of the firmly held belief that the only thing keeping me sane these days is working on playing (however crudely) the preludes and fugues of the Well Tempered Clavier. Fortunately, although apparently the finite work of but one human being, it is a nearly limitless well. 

 

  

.....

"The answer" to life, the universe & everything isn't 42 (Sorry, Douglas Adams), but 1/137, known as the fine structure constant, α (alpha), a pure, dimensionless number equal to the proportional strength of the electromagnetic interaction between elementary charged particles (which is essentially everything we actually see and feel):

α = ⁠e²4πε₀ħc ⁠≅ 1/137.0

Why it has this value, very close to the ratio of two integers, and not some other arbitrary value, is a cosmic mystery. 

We can do it... they're making it hard, but there are a lot more of us now

I say stuff like this all the time, but it bears repeating. The Fascists have been trying really hard to screw up the upcoming midterm elections, including with highly politicized court decisions, but we have a huge majority right now, so we have to just overcome their stolen advantages. And here's my approach to restoring democratic governance, assuming we are able to defeat Trumpism across the board in 2028, which is simply a "must-do."

Expanding the court to the same number as appellate circuits (13) has historical precedent, logic, and sound reasoning behind it. Term limits or age limits for justices are--at best-- questionably constitutional, but court expansion by STATUTE has precedent and is clearly constitutional. The court would risk losing all legitimacy if they tried to resist it. So my solution is: ADD 2 states (Puerto Rico and DC), increase the court to 13, pass a comprehensive new Voting Rights Act with anti-gerrymandering provisions, carefully written by Constitutional scholars, and include in it explicit statement that the Supreme Court lacks jurisdiction to overrule it (for which there is also precedent, and Roberts himself wrote about it in the 80s).

Then get to work on a substantive justice and economic agenda to end corruption and give Americans a new NEW DEAL. And massive anti-corruption and anti-conflict of interest reforms for the executive, judiciary, and Congress (no stock trading, for example). Make it so everyone understands--once again-- that you don't go into government to get rich, because the regulations and ethics provisions just don't allow it. Period.

If Democrats did all these things, they could completely change course and set up a new era that the Republicans (or whatever replaces them) will be unable to upset for 20 years. We CAN DO IT, but we have to really work at it. It may even eventually be possible to fix the disproportion of the Senate and end the Electoral College with hugely popular Constitutional Amendments, but the current Constitution makes that extraordinarily difficult.

 

  

 

The Virginia redistricting decision

Although I am first to criticize the lack of common sense and inability to stick to facts of most LLMs ("AI"), this response to my question by ChatGPT is very telling. BTW, if I had asked the question with a bias towards the outcome, the answer would have been different. But I think this is nonetheless interesting and largely correct. 

My question: 

  I'm pretty shocked by the Virginia Supreme Court decision on the redistricting referendum. I thought courts were deferential to votes of legislative bodies, but EVEN MORE deferential to actual votes of the electorate. And given the recent green light to the most egregious gerrymandering by the US Supreme Court, I don't get how they could reach this decision with a straight face. Can you explain its rationale, and whether the consensus is that it's a primarily politically motivated decision?   

ChatGPT (Open AI)'s answer: 

Your reaction is not unusual. A great many legal commentators — including some who are not especially sympathetic to partisan Democratic redistricting — seem to think the Virginia Supreme Court majority reached for a highly technical procedural rationale in order to invalidate a result it politically disliked. The decision has already generated a lot of commentary precisely because it feels in tension with the modern judiciary’s generally extreme reluctance to overturn enacted maps or voter-approved measures. (Vox)

The core of the court’s reasoning was not, formally speaking, about whether the map itself was an impermissible gerrymander. In fact, after the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision in Rucho v. Common Cause, federal courts largely treat partisan gerrymandering as a “political question” outside their competence. So the Virginia court instead focused on the amendment process itself.

Under the Virginia constitution, constitutional amendments proposed by the legislature must pass in two separate legislative sessions with an intervening general election between them, so voters can theoretically weigh the issue when electing legislators. The majority held that the first legislative approval happened after early voting had already begun for the relevant election. Therefore, they reasoned, the constitutionally required “intervening election” had already started, meaning the process was defective from the outset. (PBS)

That sounds technical because it is technical. The entire dispute turned on what counts as an “election.” Does “the election” mean Election Day itself, or does it mean the entire early-voting period? The majority adopted the latter interpretation. Since some Virginians had already cast ballots before the legislature acted, the court concluded those voters were deprived of the chance to evaluate legislators’ positions on the amendment before voting. (PBS)

The dissenters reportedly argued this interpretation was both overly formalistic and democratically perverse because the electorate ultimately did vote directly on the amendment itself. In other words, even if the procedural sequence was imperfect, the people ratified it anyway. That is very close to the intuition you expressed. (Vox)

And that gets to the heart of why so many observers see the ruling as politically motivated.

Courts are indeed often deferential to enacted legislation. But they are especially deferential to constitutional amendments approved by voters, because striking one down means overriding not merely legislators but the sovereign electorate itself. Traditionally, courts usually require a very clear constitutional violation before doing that.

Here, critics argue the court:

adopted the narrowest and most outcome-determinative reading possible of “election,”
treated early voting as constitutionally transformative in a way Virginia precedent had not clearly established,
and imposed an exceptionally rigid procedural standard despite the referendum’s actual ratification by millions of voters. (Vox)

The broader political context also matters enormously. This case arose amid an escalating national tit-for-tat redistricting war after Republican-controlled states such as Texas and Florida pursued aggressive mid-decade remaps. Virginia Democrats openly intended this amendment as a countermeasure that could shift as many as four House seats toward Democrats. (The Guardian)

That context makes the asymmetry feel striking to many people:

Federal courts, including the current U.S. Supreme Court, have largely tolerated highly aggressive partisan gerrymanders.
But the Virginia court then invalidated a voter-approved Democratic response on procedural grounds.

So even people who dislike the Democratic map itself often see an inconsistency in judicial attitude. The message can appear to be: substantive partisan gerrymandering is acceptable, but procedural imperfections in attempts to counter it are fatal.

There is not complete consensus that the ruling was “purely political.” Conservative defenders argue that constitutional amendment procedures exist precisely to constrain temporary partisan passions, and that courts have a duty to enforce those procedures strictly regardless of consequences. They would say that if early voting has become part of the election itself, then legislators cannot constitutionally wait until voting is already underway before acting. That is at least a legally intelligible argument.

But the dominant reaction in mainstream legal commentary so far seems to be that the majority chose an unusually aggressive remedy and an unusually rigid interpretation in a context where courts normally bend heavily toward validating voter-approved measures. (Vox)

 

  

.....

"The answer" to life, the universe & everything isn't 42 (Sorry, Douglas Adams), but 1/137, known as the fine structure constant, α (alpha), a pure, dimensionless number equal to the proportional strength of the electromagnetic interaction between elementary charged particles (which is essentially everything we actually see and feel):

α = ⁠e²4πε₀ħc ⁠≅ 1/137.0

Why it has this value, very close to the ratio of two integers, and not some other arbitrary value, is a cosmic mystery. 

Coffee

Some would regard it as sacrilege, but even though I pay like $20/lb. for high quality whole bean coffee, I still add a nice drop of real vanilla extract to each pot. Coffee has a delicate flavor, but like many flavors, it is improved by the tiniest hint of vanilla.

Dirty little secret about coffee ... it only really tastes good for about 3 min. after being brewed. It's that fragile. 

There, something to think about other than the collapse of civilization going on around us. 

 

  

.....

"The answer" to life, the universe & everything isn't 42 (Sorry, Douglas Adams), but 1/137, known as the fine structure constant, α (alpha), a pure, dimensionless number equal to the proportional strength of the electromagnetic interaction between elementary charged particles (which is essentially everything we actually see and feel):

α = ⁠e²4πε₀ħc ⁠≅ 1/137.0

Why it has this value, very close to the ratio of two integers, and not some other arbitrary value, is a cosmic mystery. 

A dark day

So, according to the Virginia State Supreme Court, it's ok for Republican fascists to screw with fair districting, but not Democrats. This decision makes me more worried than I had been in quite a while that the march to real fascism in this country may indeed be unstoppable. When even judges consistently put political allegiance ahead of even the most contorted concept of basic fairness, we are in trouble. 

 

   

Restoring Democracy, if we get the chance, will take years and years

I think of Jamie Raskin as one of our time's more important thought leaders, at least in the political realm. 

https://www.dcreport.org/2026/05/06/trump-institutions-restoration-generation-repair/ 

 

  

.....

"The answer" to life, the universe & everything isn't 42 (Sorry, Douglas Adams), but 1/137, known as the fine structure constant, α (alpha), a pure, dimensionless number equal to the proportional strength of the electromagnetic interaction between elementary charged particles (which is essentially everything we actually see and feel):

α = ⁠e²4πε₀ħc ⁠≅ 1/137.0

Why it has this value, very close to the ratio of two integers, and not some other arbitrary value, is a cosmic mystery. 

NYT: Important article abot the dangers of centrism in the UK... and here

This guest op-ed in the NYT about the collapse of support in the UK for Centrist OM Starmer makes what I consider a very important point. The voters don't want cautious moderation from their leaders in the UK, nor do they from Democrats in our country. They was a program of REFORM, to correct the serious constitutional and rule-of-law problems that have arisen from our disastrous fling with real Fascism. But they also want a PROGRAM to actually address our problems. Cost of living, medical care, education, infrastructure, money spent on the people's needs not imperial grandeurm a tax code that favors working people and demands more from corporate profits and the very rich. We need Democratic leaders willing to step out in front and promise real change, both structural and in policy, to get our country back on track. It's a huge job and it requires dramatic, decisive leadership, not caution and centrism. 

https://www.nytimes.com/2026/05/05/opinion/keir-starmer-britain-democrats.html?unlocked_article_code=1.gVA.QJGt.f1EEnh65-exq&smid=url-share 

 

  

.....

"The answer" to life, the universe & everything isn't 42 (Sorry, Douglas Adams), but 1/137, known as the fine structure constant, α (alpha), a pure, dimensionless number equal to the proportional strength of the electromagnetic interaction between elementary charged particles (which is essentially everything we actually see and feel):

α = ⁠e²4πε₀ħc ⁠≅ 1/137.0

Why it has this value, very close to the ratio of two integers, and not some other arbitrary value, is a cosmic mystery. 

Mills out, Platner on glide path to the Senate?

I'm happy to see where Mills has pulled out of the Maine race. Maybe I'm over-optimistic, but is sure looks like Platner has a clear path to win against the old lady. Do we have real prospects for 52 Democrats? (Fetterman might as well switch parties at this point... maybe he even will). It's hard to be optimistic about national politics at all, but a majority in the Senate willing to ditch the filibuster could really change things, and at the very least we could have two years of nonstop investigation and revelations of Trump regime corruption. 

 

  

.....

"The answer" to life, the universe & everything isn't 42 (Sorry, Douglas Adams), but 1/137, known as the fine structure constant, α (alpha), a pure, dimensionless number equal to the proportional strength of the electromagnetic interaction between elementary charged particles (which is essentially everything we actually see and feel):

α = ⁠e²4πε₀ħc ⁠≅ 1/137.0

Why it has this value, very close to the ratio of two integers, and not some other arbitrary value, is a cosmic mystery. 

LBJ's remarks on signing the Voting Right Act in 1965

This is so sad. I honestly cannot imagine ANY of our current politicians saying this, And where is this high purpose in the Democratic Party today? Sure, some of us, but does Schumer or Jeffries talk like this, and are they working on legislation of such import... for when they will have the ability to get it done... which it looks like might actually be happening? We will not reform fascism out of existence unless we can regain this sense of purpose. (And sure, LBJ probably didn't write this and confounded these words himself many times, but that's not the point). 

But what is really sad is that I don't think Johnson could even have imagined that sixty years later the Supreme Court would be voting the last tatters of this reform out of existence as part of a Christofascist agenda that was considered fringe loony in those days. 

 

  

.....

"The answer" to life, the universe & everything isn't 42 (Sorry, Douglas Adams), but 1/137, known as the fine structure constant, α (alpha), a pure, dimensionless number equal to the proportional strength of the electromagnetic interaction between elementary charged particles (which is essentially everything we actually see and feel):

α = ⁠e²4πε₀ħc ⁠≅ 1/137.0

Why it has this value, very close to the ratio of two integers, and not some other arbitrary value, is a cosmic mystery. 

Hilsrious if not so fascistic

Irrelevant fact: I am no fan of James Comey. Pertinent observation: That the DOJ, after supposedly "investigating" for almost a year, sought and obtained a grand jury indictment against Comey for publilshing a photo of seashells arranged to read "86 47" would be absolutely hilarious if it weren't so fascistic. This is not malpractice. It's  malicious prosecution in gross violation of prosecutors' oaths of office. Obviously the giant toddler demanded some more official harrassment of someone who embarassed him and hurt his oh-so-fragile ego. 

 

  

.....

"The answer" to life, the universe & everything isn't 42 (Sorry, Douglas Adams), but 1/137, known as the fine structure constant, α (alpha), a pure, dimensionless number equal to the proportional strength of the electromagnetic interaction between elementary charged particles (which is essentially everything we actually see and feel):

α = ⁠e²4πε₀ħc ⁠≅ 1/137.0

Why it has this value, very close to the ratio of two integers, and not some other arbitrary value, is a cosmic mystery. 

Ballroom has NOTHING to do with security

That anyone, MAGA or not, believes 1) the Trump hogwash that the so called Ballroom has anything to do with security; 2) the Trump hogwash that somehow whatever security needs to be restored to the East Wing area after, in usual Trump fashion, he destoryed the former status quo, which was fine; are somehow inseparable from the above ground project; 3) that Trump will not venture out into other "insecure" venues once the East Wing bunker is in place anyway; and/or 4) that there is any rationale for why this issue couldn't be simply brought up in Congress and voted up or down.... just boggles the mind. 

Fortunately, I think common sense will prevail here. Dems and sensible Republicans can say, "Congress will, of course, vote to ensure the security the president. A 90,000 square foot ballroom is an entirely separate matter, and if they want that built, let them put it before Congress as a proposal and we, the peoples' representatives, will decide what to do. That's the way the Constitutional system is supposed to work."

 

  

.....

"The answer" to life, the universe & everything isn't 42 (Sorry, Douglas Adams), but the fine structure constant, α (alpha), equal to the proportional strength of the electromagnetic interaction between elementary charged particles:

α = ⁠e²4πε₀ħc ⁠≅ 1/137.0

MAGA is toast

On some level most people actually understand Rick Wilson's comment that Biden "had an externality... the pandemic... that explained inflation and high cost of living. Trump has made it worse, but in his case it was a choice."  Harris had this anchor around her neck, made some of her own mistakes, and was in an almost imossible position in terms of timing (not to mention that being a woman probably costs at least 5%, no matter what). But Trump is seen as having chosen to fuck everything up. There is no coming back from this. November will be a wipeout for MAGA. I am increasingly hopeful that we will take the Senate back, despite one of the worst Senate maps in decades. 

 

  

.....

"The answer" to life, the universe & everything isn't 42 (Sorry, Douglas Adams), but the fine structure constant, α (alpha), equal to the proportional strength of the electromagnetic interaction between elementary charged particles:

α = ⁠e²4πε₀ħc ⁠≅ 1/137.0

Thomas Jefferson, in a letter to John Adams, (after both had left office), 1816

>

  

.....

"The answer" to life, the universe & everything isn't 42 (Sorry, Douglas Adams), but the fine structure constant, α (alpha), equal to the proportional strength of the electromagnetic interaction between elementary charged particles:

α = ⁠e²4πε₀ħc ⁠≅ 1/137.0

Trump Jesus goes viral

This you gotta see

https://youtu.be/tMiZpH3ncEA

 

  

.....

"The answer" to life, the universe & everything isn't 42 (Sorry, Douglas Adams), but the fine structure constant, α (alpha), equal to the proportional strength of the electromagnetic interaction between elementary charged particles:

α = ⁠e²4πε₀ħc ⁠≅ 1/137.0

Great images from the Artemis mission

This is absolutely great. Do not miss. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oaXRREHVkHo&list=TLPQMTEwNDIwMjZZfHEjnvqL-g&index=2 

 

  

.....

"The answer" to life, the universe & everything isn't 42 (Sorry, Douglas Adams), but the fine structure constant, α (alpha), equal to the proportional strength of the electromagnetic interaction between elementary charged particles:

α = ⁠e²4πε₀ħc ⁠≅ 1/137.0

We can't be the party of patronizers

It occurs to me that complacency, patronizing and condesenscion  among Democrats in the mediasphere, especially when it borders on or even crosses into smugness, might actually drive away some voters. Especially in places like Arizona, Montana, Georgia, Texas, South Carolina, Texas, Florida, even Maine... where lots of people are realizing that MAGA has screwed them but they don't like the attitude of traditional "wiser than thou" Democrats either. I agree with those who say we need new leadership, especially in the Senate, but we also need to recognize that for the present the Democratic Party just is the only party that actually stands for American ideals, and it needs to act like it. Not by compromising principles, but by communicating straightforwardly the things it stands for: restoration of honest government responsive to the people, real work on the economy for real people, funding the necessary changes to provide health care, job growth, energy inftrastructure, etc. through fair taxes, having an honest immigration policy that enforces fair laws but doesn't demonize immigrants, and perhaps most important, ending corruption. Emphasizing fairness rather than "tax the rich" which has never worked well with traditional conservatives. But the reality is that, issue for issue, Democrats stand for traditional American values much better than the MAGA party, and it's fairly easy to stick to those points. More abstruse "saving (and reforming) democracy" ideas and ideas for Constitutional reform are important, but they have to be brought in at the right time. And every conceivable effort to avoid the "I told you so" "Maghats are so dumb" attitudes will be absolutely crucial. 

 

  

.....

"The answer" to life, the universe & everything isn't 42 (Sorry, Douglas Adams), but the fine structure constant, α (alpha), equal to the proportional strength of the electromagnetic interaction between elementary charged particles:

α = ⁠e²4πε₀ħc ⁠≅ 1/137.0

Narrowing the field in California... urgent

I'm guessing Katie Porter, whom I used to admire, will be too selfish to pull out of the gubernatorial race she can't possibly win, but the Democrats in California need to get their act together and narrow the field or the stupid runoff system is likely to give solid blue California a Maghat governor, which would be insane.  And regardless of the outcome, this stupid system needs to be reformed tout de suite.

Face saving surrender

It seems blatantly obvious that Trump is suing for a face-saving surrender in his idiotic war against Iran. Who gained? Insider traders, with information on Trump's communications. Think about it. This man and his family are not just grifters and deeply crooked people who care and know nothing about our culture and civilization, they're traitors. Full stop, no hyperbole. My country has its most dangerous internal enemies in its history in sharge of the place. We will survive this, I truly believe, but to pretend we won't have lost, irretrievably, a very great deal is just magical thinking. 

Blanche

I would venture to say that there is no intention to try to appoint Blanche as AG permanently. Even in this topsy turvy world, openly declaring that you have no intention of operating the DOJ or FBI with respect for the facts and the law without fear or favor (where did I hear that phrase... oh yeah... the oath of their fucking office).... will ensure you cannot be approved by the Senate. Surely! ..... surely?.... oh, never mind. 

   

Casting off the tryant at long last

I admit I did not sit through Trump's speech on the war. I simply saw no reason to subject myself to it. But from the clips I saw, and the reaction of not only the usual "influencers" but former military leaders, historians, and other public figures speaking almost unanimously, we are in a real pickle here. We have a madman, with seriously diminished capacity and a capacious narcissistic ego incapable of recognizing its own incapacity to actually reason, who has, without any real planning, strategy or understanding, committed us to a war with no viable objectives, no plan to achieve them, and a whole raft of serious detrimental consequences to our country and the whole world. We cannot plausibly hope to return to anything halfway as good as the status quo ante... our best hope is that the Mad King will grow bored, cut and run, and leave us with enough of the momentum of our postwar power and industrial and scientific capacity that we can eventually recover. 

If it is not obvious to any given person by now that this foolish old tryant must be removed from office as soon as possible, such person is almost certainly enthralled to the corrupt machine that is this regime. No person of normal perception and intelligence not corrupted by venal motives can fail to recognize that this man is completely unqualified to continue in office. I say this without the slightest shred of hyperbole. 

I flatter myself that I recognized this man as a rotten hearted grifter virtually the moment I ever saw him in the media for the first time, which must have been around 1992. That our country would be virtually destroyed by this man, I admit I could not then have imagined. Some of us never fell for his scams, but we must unite with everyone now ready to cast him off, even if they had formerly been his sycophants. Only by uniting with all who share this common interest do we have any hope of achieving this aim. 

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End the regime!

If speculation that Trump intends to announce a withdrawal from NATO as part of his war rant tonight, all I can say is the following. The president cannot legally unilaterally withdraw our country from Senate ratified treaty obligations. Just as the president cannot legally involve the United States in war without Congressional action. If Trump continues with that, and compounds it with completely unauthorized abrogation of the most successful and important treaty mutual defense organization in history, then the imperative to impeach and remove this madman will have maxed out. We must organize, take to the streets, and demand the END of this insane regime, now. No mealy mouthed "compromise." Impeach and remove now. 

  

.....

"The answer" to life, the universe & everything... (No, it's not 42, but it is a dimensionless real number): α (alpha), equal to the strength of the electromagnetic interaction between elementary charged particles:

α = ⁠e²4πε₀ħc ⁠≅ 1/137

where 
e is the elementary charge (~1.602×10⁻¹⁹ C);
h is the Planck constant (~6.626×10⁻³⁴ J⋅Hz⁻¹);
ℏ is the reduced Planck constant, ⁠(h/2π⁠ (~1.055×10⁻³⁴ J⋅s);
c is the speed of light in a vacuum(~300Km⋅s⁻¹);
ε₀ is the electrical permittivity of space (~8.854×10⁻¹² F⋅m⁻¹).
As far as anyone knows, having no reason to suspect otherwise, this is and always has been and always will be true everywhere in the universe, but no one really knows why, if there is a why, this number has the value it does. 

Virus-free.www.avast.com