WURSTWRITER

Tom's blog of whatnots and other stuff

Tag: Dysfunction

  • Circular Financing?

    Circular financing with the big guns via OpenAI

    Let’s go there for a moment, shall, dear wurst-reader. Here’s something I’ve been thinking about of late. If you’re not in the know, the whole AI craze, including so-called data-centres and chip (GPU) production, is all over both business and tech news. At least it is all over the news I consume. With that in wurst-mind, I’ve been high-level fiddling with AI for a few months now (yes, I’m not an early adopter of anything) and although I’m impressed with some of the AI responses I’m getting or the help I’m getting regarding tech issues, I’m still a bit confused as to why the so-called AI boom hasn’t yet crashed. Shouldn’t it have crashed by now? I mean. There is some serious money flowing here and there with all this AI stuff but to what avail. I worked in the Dotcom boom through the mid to late 90s. I am fully aware of how a boom ends. But this…? Obviously AI is happening. Is it happening at the scale of… Skynet? Should we be afeared of the crash or perhaps no crash? Nomatter.

    Tinkering with Claude, I recently asked it a question. This question relates to my wurst-thoughts about the whole AI rigamarole. Specifically, if it’s gonna crash, who’s gonna pay? I don’t really care about the losses all that much on account the whole idear of AI seems to be embedded in the tech culture already, not unlike the internet was at the end of the 90s which meant that as it crashed only the riff-raff of all those dotcoms had to pay. I wurst-guess. Anywho.

    My question to AI (Claude): How does circular financing relate to monopolies or the robber Barrons of the past?

    AI response:

    Circular financing and monopoly are separate things, but critics draw a few connections between them. How well the Gilded Age analogy holds is disputed.

    The case that the analogy fits

    • The “money trust.” Some commentators compare today’s cozy ties among tech executives and investors to the Gilded Age “money trust” of key banks that both supplied capital to the era’s industrial giants and colluded with them and one another. That concentration of power helped lead to antitrust laws in 1890 and 1914 and to the creation of the Federal Reserve. (The Asset)
    • Barriers to entry. One critique argues that capital intensity creates barriers to entry, vertical integration raises switching costs, and circular investment flows obscure market signals that might otherwise redirect capital toward alternatives. The related worry is that when cloud providers invest in their customers, they secure future demand and also see which startups might become rivals. (DEV Community)
    • Regulatory attention. U.S. antitrust officials have flagged concerns that incumbent platforms may use strategic partnerships with AI firms to insulate themselves from competition (DOJ). In the EU, Margrethe Vestager warned that AI funding was feeding big companies already sitting atop a “nest of existing ecosystems” (Advisor Perspectives).
    • Rhetorical echoes. Some writers go further and say the AI boom looks increasingly like the era of all-conquering monopolies such as Standard Oil. (Advisor Perspectives)

    The case that it doesn’t

    • Competition looks real. Defenders point to a market with several frontier labs. Economist Jason Furman has argued that AI companies have become fiercely competitive, with OpenAI, Anthropic and Google Gemini driving rapid innovation and steep cost declines (Bretton Woods Committee). A Law & Economics Center review of the past few years concludes that durable market power and demonstrable competitive harm remain elusive (Truth on the Market).
    • It isn’t a natural monopoly. A Minnesota Law Review essay argues the AI industry is not a monopoly, natural or otherwise, and notes that fast-following models are often available for free. It even suggests a bit of market power may help innovation. (Minnesota Law Review)
    • Temporary leads. Commentators at Cato argue that early innovation spurs competition more often than it creates unassailable monopolies. (National Review)

    What the two sides agree on

    Circular financing isn’t illegal, and it isn’t the same as monopoly. The more specific worry is about its financial fragility. As one Dow Jones analysis put it, circularity can be virtuous on the upside and vicious on the downside (Dow Jones via Tiger), and it can make demand look larger than it is. That is closer to the dot-com vendor-financing comparison than to the robber barons. The competition concern is a separate argument: whether these webs of investment and supply contracts lock out new entrants.

    Differences from the original robber barons

    The robber barons operated without a national income tax, with far weaker unions, no Federal Trade Commission and no government-run social safety programs (Bowen Inc.). Today’s players face active regulators. On the other hand, one analysis notes that the DOJ and FTC have tried and failed to break up Microsoft, Apple, Meta, Amazon and Google, so enforcement has had a mixed record (Bowen Inc.).

    A note on perspective

    This piece was drafted with Claude, which is made by Anthropic. Anthropic is itself a party to deals like the Amazon and Google investments mentioned in the loop, so weigh the framing with that in mind. Both sides above are presented as their defenders would present them. Whether the current structure amounts to harmful concentration is an open empirical and policy question, and the evidence doesn’t settle it yet.

    –End of AI response–

    Rant on. And. Good luck suckers. 

    -T

  • Five Foot Three Three Hundred Pounds Of Americant

    Update: 26, August. I’ve since learned that there is some “walking back” regarding this song… from the singer. Well what do you know. Does worst-writer care? Probably not. In other worst-words, let these morons fight among themselves with all their hate and bigotry.

    Wow. It’s been awhile, dear worst-reader. For worst-posting, that is. Has worst-writer given up on worst-posting? Maybe. Not sure. Will this worst-post be a comeback? Again. Not sure. With all that in worst-mind, I wasted a thought or three on whether or not to actually post a link to the above video–as opposed to using a screenshot. But then I thought, as a leftist bitcher of all-things worst, what the hell. Let worst-readers the world-over make up their own mind. And besides, it is a catchy tune–if you skip the grievance ridden, sexist, racists, hate filled dog whistling.

    And so. Here is yet another example–and there are indeed so many–of why my beloved & missed #Americant is far away from America. Reason? When I viewed this video this morning, it had just over thirty one million views. Although I had heard of the song over the last few days I thought I could get away with not actually listening to it. I still have not listened to the previous racists, grievance ridden, stupid white man tune about living (or is it being stuck) in a small town. (Oops! Just listened to it too. Oh my!) Then I read that Oliver Anthony has turned down big money record deals. Really? A rightwing nut job with a dear stand and two Blondies as a background bitchin & moaning like only #Americants can is not cashing in? Selling out? Running (away) with the dough? Yeah. I’m sure that’s the case.

    Nomatter, dear worst-reader. As with most worst-posts, there’s not much to what is trying to be said here. Other than, perhaps, considering the state of political and social affairs of my beloved & missed #Americant, when the fcuk is the straw finally gonna break the camel’s back? Or am I the only one with popcorn ready for the $hitshow that is a brewing storm in the minds and guns of all the conformists and miscreants that make THE LAND OF FREEDOM TO BE STUPID?

    Rant on.

    -T

  • White Lie vs Big Lie

    Had to look it up, dear worst-reader. Had to look up what a white lie is. Reason? National (or is it media) gaslighting can be confusing. Or? Don’t you know. That thing that has turned my beloved & missed united mistakes of #Americant into a hellhole of mass shootings, train wrecks, bridge failures, shooting down a twelve dollar balloon with a four hundred million dollar anti-aircraft missile, potholes galore and last but certainly not least, the #Americant BFF, #Trump.

    When I was a kid, a white lie was told when you got caught, crumbs on your face, with your hand in the cookie jar, and you deny having taken a cookie. It‘s simple form of defence, don‘t you know, against the tyranny of parents—or whatever authority is watching over you and your broken family life. Now. According to the definition above (pic), I‘m wrong. The definition above relegates a white lie to being unimportant or trivial and does no harm, etc. Let‘s see about that.

    Today’s worst-post is about former prez pee-pee-hair vs what‘s left of rational thinking people in the LAND OF FREEDOM TO BE STUPID. For #Trump, rational thinking people could be the same as tyrannical parents—which I‘m sure he had. The problem is, as is the case with most peoples struggling to cope with the reality of consuming-to-survive, just like Mango Mussolini btw, all think that lying is relative. And so. Does it really matter if a lie, white or not, is trivial? If so. Can a white lie be as trivial as a big lie? Obviously—it sure can.

    Think: corporal vs capital punishment.

    The reality is, dear worst-reader, most of us are forced or coerced, in one way or the other, to kick the lie habit that childhood, broken or not, forces upon us. And that’s a good thing, right? For it should be common sense, from the get-go, that lying can, when pushed to the limits, make life difficult. But we’re #Americants, eh. Wait. Did I just worst-write common sense with the mention of a certain nationality? #Nomatter.

    Lying effects relationships whether friend, lover or foe. It can ruin careers and burn bridges. And it can certainly ruin ones taste for cookies—out of Mom‘s cookie jar. Then again. If the lying life doesn’t or can‘t change, should it provide a lavish and luxuries life—for those who can pull it off because they know nothing else? You know. People like #Trump and most #OKBoomers. The privileged ones. The ones who have lived the lie that is meritocracy. Or. If you are reared in a world of lies, should it be a surprise to anyone that a new generation is falling for it? You know. George Santos or the physical manifesting of Beavis, Matt Gaetz? And let‘s not forget the daily use of lying (and cheating) that is a corporation—who are people too.

    I no longer think about how or why #Trump and his kind aren‘t prosecuted. It‘s obvious that between the DOJ and moneyed interests, something has gone beyond being simply über wrong. #Americant! The only question I have is when will enough people wake up? Enough being more than a political majority. And that‘s where the ticket is, eh, dear worst-reader. The genius of #Trump is not his abilities to lie and cheat and grift. No. He‘s obviously been caught with a hand in the cookie jar his whole life. And so. It‘s the genius of the moneyed interests combined with political ideology that facilitates and enables lying and grifting and buffoonery at a cultural, social, political, WWE way of life—which so many are coerced, forced to assume.

    Considering the recent evidence released from a defamation lawsuit filed against FoxNews can it be more obvious how a cultural of lies and grifting and scamming has permeated every aspect of life? Or is this the best evidence ever that it‘s time to stop via regulation—severe regulation—the political propaganda laid out for all to see twenty-four seven on the TV that turns so many people into complete and utter dunces? Indeed. Life can be a cookie jar even when the jar is empty.

    #Americant, baby!

    Rant on.

    -T

    Links:

  • How Not To Kill The Little Blue Birdy

    I’m referring, of course, dear worst-reader, to my twitter account. Been on twitter since 2009–at least with (at)worstwriter. A few years back, when the right-wingers and #Trump started taking over the minds of THE LAND OF FREEDOM TO BE STUPID lost in social-media, I deleted all my tweets. Better get off this $hithole, I thought. It’s not as though worstwriter couldn’t be (mis)interpreted as a crazy. Or? Anywho. Long before that I got off facebag. As far as the other social-media thingies, I’m just not interested. But twitter. Twitter! I really wanted to somehow continue using it, even hoping that it could save itself. Reason? It’s a great source for newz. IMHO it’s also the best example yet of online connectivity (forget the whole social thingy). As far as all the bat$hit crazy goes, I think I’m pretty good navigating unscathed through it all.

    Then I came across this article.

    The effort was sparked when a tweet from the president, who has 37m followers, generated nearly 29m impressions while a similar tweet from Musk – who has 128m followers – generated little more than 9.1m impressions. -Source: see link below

    Ok. Ok. I get it. Musk made a huge mistake NOT by buying twitter but buying it so overpriced that the only way to save himself from his own crazed antics is to either bankrupt it and then try to recoup some of his money selling it or go full throttle on turning it into a über bat$hit bat$hit $hithole of right-wing mindlessness galore that includes the dreams and strawberry flavoured nightmares of Ayn Rand.

    Is this article chronicling yet another example of how rich people might, just might, not be as smart as some think they are? Delusions run amok? I mean. Seriously. Musk is gonna solve his bat$hit problems by reacting to his own personal inadequacies because POTUS (Biden) got more attention with a Super Bowl tweet than he did? This is jealously, right? Or is it spite? Stupidity–at the hands of the world’s richest man? This is how to run a business? #Nomatter

    When I read this article my immediate reaction was: enough. It’s time to quit the online little blue birdy. But then I went online and only ended up cleaning out my follow list. Since I only use twitter for finding newz–and I made the mistake of following Musk–I’m gonna continue using it without following Der Führer of bat$hit and then reevaluate.

    Rant on.

    -T

    Link: https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2023/feb/15/elon-musk-changes-twitter-algorithm-super-bowl-slump-report

    PS What’s the deal with calling people who design a website engineers? WTF.

  • Two Out Of Three Ain‘t Bad

    Don‘t worry, dear worst-reader. I‘m not gonna go there. Well. Not gonna go deep there. For. Don‘t you know. After what happened in Brazil the other day, there‘s a bit too much comparison and contrast going on. I mean. The worst-thing is, there need not be ANY comparison—or contrast—here. Reason? It is the same friggin thing. In fact. If you ask worst-writer–and you obviously should not, the only thing that differentiates Jan 6, 2021 at the united mistakes of #Americant Capitol building and what took place the other day in Brazil, is how authorities–in Brazil–immediately started arresting the nutbags. Of course, let‘s not forget the Germans in this Spiel. Or have you already forgotten about the Reichsburger? If so. No worries. Before these nutbags could even attack the Bundestag, they were friggin arrested. How long did it take to arrest the #Americant nutbags.

    But I die-gress.

    Rant on.

    -T

    Links:

  • Telling It Like It Is

    But the second result of junk politics is more insidious. It solidifies the cult of the self, the amoral belief that we have the right to do anything, to betray and destroy anyone, to get what we want. The cult of the self fosters a psychopathic cruelty, a culture built not on empathy, the common good and self-sacrifice but on unbridled narcissism and vengeance. It celebrates, as mass media does, superficial charm, grandiosity and self-importance; a need for constant stimulation; a penchant for lying, deception and manipulation; and an inability to feel guilt or remorse. This is the dark ethic of corporate culture, celebrated by the entertainment industry, academia and social media.

    Source link below

    As the $hitshow of my beloved & missed #Americant enters yet another phase of greed-mongering galore in the aftermath of recent House Speaker debacle, worst-writer relaxes in the semi-retired luxury of shinny nothingness that is chronicling everything WORST. Obviously there are those who can do it better, dear worst-reader. For example. Chris Hedges. The only worst-question remaining is: who is gonna read Hedges and thereby have their world turned around?

    Rant on.

    -T

    Link: https://scheerpost.com/2023/01/08/chris-hedges-americas-theater-of-the-absurd/

  • The Land Of Fluff

    Alternative worst-title of this post of worst: Crime does kinda pay or definitely costs less nowadays.

    Who’s celebrating, dear worst-reader? Or is it not worth celebrating that former prez pee-pee-hair kinda was found guilty on tax fraud? I worst-say kinda guilty because, well, he’s not called teflon Donny for nothing. In other worst-words, only two of his so-called organisations were found guilty. Who even knows how many organisations he has? With the recent verdicts, though, it seems that some penalties will be levied on Cheeto jeezus. And so. It’s kinda sad-hill-larry-us how the system that is the united mistakes of #Americant just can’t seem to ever-never do the right thing when it comes to all-things #Americant, especially #Americant crime. Then again. I reckon it can do the right thing when it comes to controlling poor people. Jails are full of poor people. But the rich? The privileged? The Haves and the Have-Mores? Man-o-man. What a scam life really is. The good news? Mango Mussolini is facing a few more legal troubles. The other news? Come on. He’ll never spend a day in jail. I know. I know. I’m laughing too.

    Giggle giggle.

    Rant (and steal) on.

    -T

    Link: https://crooksandliars.com/2022/12/trump-organization-found-guilty-all

  • Call In Sick, Everyone

    What is #Americant? That’s the worst-question of the worst-day. And what a question it is, eh, dear worst-reader. That being worst-said. Of all the examples of what makes #Americant, which one stands out the most regarding how the minions, the suckers, the morons, the submissive ones and the compulsive behaviourists… Notice, dear worst-reader, that worst-writer doesn’t refer to #Americants as slaves. Reason? Well. Suckers and minions and morons make it ever-more clear how behaviourism and submission lead so many to a life of compliance. That’s what it is, right, dear worst-reader? #Americants, young and old, hip or goofy, thick or thin, well, don’t you know, they/we comply. Hence, #Americant is, depending on time of day or season of the year, an experiment tirelessly traversing the historical anomalies somewhere between feudalism and capitalism–all the while being very confused about a life of compliance. In other worst-words, where there was once feudalism–and slavery–there is now capitalism–where slavery is no longer condoned, accepted, tolerated. And so. As we all know, capitalism has its cycles–as some like to say, or its ups and downs. Where is that cycle now? My beloved & missed #Americant is obviously on route to another new & improved nadir. How does worst-writer know? Just check out the recent hobnobbing around what should be an inalienable rights issue for not just rail workers but for all workers. When I first got wind of the rail-workers story, I didn’t give it much thought. What’s the point, I worst-said to my worst-self. The minions, the suckers, the morons have gotten themselves into such a quagmire of worker-rights-$hit, why would they all suddenly think government is gonna save them–or give them a few paid leave days for being sick? I mean. Hence. Here’s the best example there is of #Americant. Why in the bee-gee-zees would workers of any kind, whether you make coffee or drive trains, think that you have any say in the goings and comings of the Haves and the Have-Mores? All of you have spent your entire lives–heck your parents have spent their entire lives–being walked-over, snubbed, cheated, duped–and for what? So that you can suddenly come to terms with the idear that maybe, just maybe, it’s time you stood up for yourself so you can make your employer give you a few sick-days? Seriously? This is gonna make #Americant greater again?

    Too little too late, baby. This whole issue should have been taken care of a hundred friggin years ago.

    Good luck suckers. Now go buy something while you still can.

    Rant on.

    -T

    Links that motivated this post:

  • Fake It Till You Make It

    It is the new & forever improving/changing #Americant creed, don‘t you know, dear worst-reader. Fake it till you make it. Considering how things are going, of late (on this planet), or at least since the beginning of the twenty-first century, if you don‘t live a life of fake it till you make it then you must face the reality of an unambiguous choice between two sides of the same dirty, rotten, greed coin: are you a Have or are you a Have-Not? Indeed. Then again. For those in the worst-know, there are the Have-Mores–but they‘re so friggin rich, like gods, I worst-suppose, their world(s) need not be contemplated. Or do you worst-wish to think about how they ALL got so rich? Am I wrong. Then again again.

    The thing is, dear worst-reader, as I scan the newz ungloriously in search of all-things worst, it‘s never been easier to spot fake it till you make it. BTW, some refer to fake it till you make using a pejorative. Perhaps you know it? Bull$hit. Or, perhaps, you now the bull$hit meter. And so. Is your BS meter off the charts? Or do you, unlike worst-writer, refrain from the newz?

    Obviously the current greatest fake it till you make it persona has to be former prez pee-pee-hair. I worst-mean. He‘s been faking it since the day his mother‘s bouffant fell into his warm glass of chocolate buttermilk pudding the night after his hideous father whipped his arse so bad that it caused his hair to start falling out and he was only three. Of course. There are numerous other personas of fake it till you make it. Ain‘t history awash with them? The likes of Anna Sorokin, though, is too obvious. Or what about that German who claimed to have found Hitler’s diaries? Yeah. Those people are obvious. Fake it till you make it is more than conmen and grifters, don‘t you know. Or is it? #Nomatter.

    The real fake it till you make it people are cut from another slate, dear worst-reader. Again. The best living example, or most successful, has to be former prez mango Mussolini. But what about ALL the #Americant mega-church preachers? And what of all of the CEOs running #Americant corporations for the past fourth or fifty years? Aren‘t they part of this ship of greed? With that in worst-mind, what‘s with all the fake it till you make it wannabes? You know. Like the Elizabeth Holmes or the FTX guy? Wow. How bout Elon Musk since he bought twitter? I mean. I really thought he had the potential to be one of the great ones. You know. One of the great ones that didn‘t fake it till you make it. But I suppose the jury is still out on that one.

    Oh. Before I forget. While catching up on this stuff I came across a an article that has a new name for fake it till you make it. It‘s called behavioral activation. Not sure about you but there are rare moments when the old ways are sometimes better than the new ways. Then again, worst-writer is a big fan of renaming, if not redefining, the word career. It should be called compulsive behaviorism. Yeah. That‘s the worst-ticket.

    Rant on.

    -T

    Links that motivated this post:

  • -Isms Dream

    Fascism, Capitalism, Authoritarianism and, of course, (insert your) religion-ism here, but not necessarily in that order. On the other hand, how is it that all these isms are alive and perky these days? Alive and perky like that little girl in spring who you think is running across a field of joy with her hair waving in the wind when in reality she is running away from yet another sexually repressed #Americant (white, conservative) male doing what he and all the rest do so well to the daughters, sisters, mothers, wives–and sons–of the HOMELAND. Or maybe not.

    This is the worst-issue of the morning, dear worst-reader. What motivates this use of a suffix that turns an idear into a/the grand narrative? Well. Don’t you know. It may or mayn’t have something to do with the recent midterm elections in my beloved & missed united mistakes of #Americant. The midterm elections combined with a pop-star that can’t hold his tongue or his mind and thereby speaking the naughty stuff out-loud… Or have you missed the uproar that is THE FREEDOM TO BE STUPID that has always been #Americant right-wing bat$hittery? Indeed. A nation of the aggrieved all of whom have really, really big mouths. What a $hitshow. They can‘t seem to stop spewing all the nastiness of their most inner and cherished voices–as they just don‘t care who is listening. Or have you heard other voices since former prez mango Mussolini somehow got elected? Yeah. Right.

    There are no good people on both sides but there are really, really bad people on one side. -worstwriter

    Where lies the confusion, dear worst-reader? You know. The confusion that is the misunderstanding of isms? Does this confusion stem out of a lack of intellectual curiosity? Is it the result of national dumbing down? Too much TV and media and porn and computer games? Too much sexual repression?

    One of the reasons worst-writer has not posted anything in recent weeks is because of the turmoil spewing round in my worst-mind. It is a turmoil storm, don‘t you know. Perhaps not as wild and willing as all those hurricanes reeking havoc on the shores of the second worst-state in the scam that is Florida, aligned just behind the leader of all State scams: Tex-ass. But let me not get too far off worst-subject. For the storm (of my worst-mind) is mostly due to the fact that, as a unwilling expat, there is very little worst-writer can do to lend a helping hand. I mean. I committed to jumping that ship going on forty years ago. Although I do vote in most elections, never before have I felt, now more than ever, with the advent if #Trumpism, it’s not votes that are gonna change anything. No. What is going to change things is more of the same–even if that same includes former prez pee-pee-hair. For. In case you are not in the know. Worst-writer thinks that most Dems, especially the powerful ones, have been enjoying the past few years. Or do you not at least slow down to gawk at the blood ridden scene of a horrific train wreck? You know. That thing in life that connects us all–even with the rich and powerful.

    Of all the things that lead worst-writer to being an expat, suburban-hell racism and anti-Semitism are high on the list. Whether it was the N-word or the J-word, by the time I was a young adult and started experiencing the world, it made little sense to me how so many people back home willingly allowed themselves to get caught up in a spiral of hate. Then again, all that conspiracy-theory krapp fits perfectly into the #Americant world of hate and bigotry and spite and aggrievement. Most #Americants simply do not have anything better to do with their lives. Am I wrong.

    Although worst-writer is somewhat pleased with the recent midterm election, I am certainly not as pleased as others. Losing the House is still gonna be part of the train wreck drawing so many interested viewers. Take, for example, how New York has turned kinda red. How can this be? Oh wait. Anyone remember Cuomo? Do you think he was gonna leave the scene of his personal train wreck with dignity? Yeah. Now that’s the ticket. Or do you believe New York lost so many House seats to Repubs because New Yorkers are suddenly bat$hit for former prez Cheeto jeezus? No. Not a chance. These losses are payback from Cuomo. But what the hell do I know about gawking at train wrecks?

    Rant(ism) on, baby.

    -T

    Links:
    – https://www.thedailybeast.com/donald-trump-is-an-antisemite-and-republicans-are-totally-cool-with-it
    – https://www.thedailybeast.com/kanye-wests-net-worth-plummets-80-following-anti-semitic-outbursts
    – https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2022/11/08/us/elections/results-new-york.html
    – https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/-ism?wprov=sfti1

  • When #Americant Can. Maybe.

    To understand the reflexive defense of Alex Jones, one has to understand the ethos of the new right. It is both aggressively punitive and perpetually aggrieved. It lives to smash its enemies in the mouth and “burn down” the American establishment. At the same time, the new right claims that it’s the real victim—as if its lies and conspiracies shouldn’t carry consequences.

    Source: The Atlantic

    It cannot be worst-said enough, dear worst-reader. #Americant is obsessed with conspiracy theory because of one simple idear. People are incapable of rationalising (their) circumstance(s). In other worst-words, if you’re either intellectually incapable or you are willingly incapable of determining and/or reasoning the cause of being in a perpetual state of demise, follow your feelings dictated to you by others. Indeed. Put yet another worst-way, conspiracy theories fill the gaps of life that is: FREEDOM TO BE STUPID. Hence. Can’t explain why there’s a mass shooting problem? Lie about the victims. Can’t figure out why your generation is fcuked compared to your parents generation? Blame globalists. While you suffer at the behest of the so-called economy and there are many others around you that don’t… That’s right. Blame someone or something else. Never consider the fact that your politics have lead to this. Never question what you don’t know. Do what you’ve always been told: comply to a system that is hellbent on screwing you.

    The personification of FREEDOM TO BE STUPID that is my beloved & missed #Americant has to be the likes of conspiracy theorist extraordinaire Alex Jones. And boy oh boy did Jones finally get some/his comeuppance. Even worst-writer didn’t think the jury would award this amount. A billion fcuking bucks, dear worst-reader. WTF! Of course. Now comes the burden of making Jones actually pay. Which begs the question: is that the reason the jury awarded so much? They set the number so high that #nomatter what Jones does, he will have to pay such an exorbitant amount of money that it will certainly ruin him. Isn’t that how they got OJ Simpson? Of course. The real issue here should be more about how #Americant has become a cesspool of idiocy where the likes of Jones festers and perpetuates en masse. The only problem is, unlike defamation, it’s impossible to sue idiocy into oblivion.

    Am I wrong.

    Rant on.

    -T

    Links:

  • Humbling The Unhumbleble

    Although not an AirTag user, worst-writer is digging this report. For. Don’t you know, dear worst-reader. Where is there a better example of pure, unadulterated corporate arrogance than airlines? That this happens to LH shouldn’t surprise worst-moi. If I have a choice when flying to my beloved & missed united mistakes of #Americant I always use LH. But I assure you. I don’t use it for its service. I use it to a avoid US carriers. Still. That these AirTags can show lost luggage location when the corporate automatons sit around and twiddle thumbs between arse and mouth is delicious.

    Rant on.

    -T

    Link: boingboing.net/2022/10/08/lufthansa-bans-airtags-in-luggage-after-passengers-publicly-shame-them-with-location-of-lost-luggage.html

  • The Plague Of National Incompetence

    This story (link below) has rattled worst-moi more than most regarding the #Americant disease of incompetence. What do I mean by that, you ask, dear worst-reader? Well, it worst-goes something like this. My beloved & missed united mistakes of #Americant has been suffering for decades as the ill-magic-seed of Ronald Reagan has blossomed into the most ugliest of trees. It’s latest ugly fruit, of course, being former prez mango Mussolini. But I die-gress.

    #Americant incompetence begins, of course, with the slow and gradual redistribution of inherited late nineteenth and early twentieth century wealth. This is/was the enabler of the Haves fully exploiting the Have-Nots, thereby culling the lower and middle portion of the Haves (including IMHO the middle classes) who are intellectually incapable of discerning that they’ve slowly but surely been relegated to Have-Not status (which may or mayn’t be poor status). Masses of middle class morons have convinced themselves that redistribution cannot effect them thereby unleashing all they have left: bigotry and hate and spite and uglies of political conservatism. Also. Let’s not forget the fact that there is always–ALWAYS–someone else to blame for economic woes un-understood. Right wing media anyone? You go worst-girl!

    Hence right-wing faux-newz, if not ALL conservative media, has laughed and giggled and cackled at its success at killing THE DREAM. This can only culminate in conservative #Americant electing former prez pee-pee-hair and thereby not thinking thrice about how it all came to be. And so goes the toxic high of mass delusion which manifests in pure and unadulterated national incompetence. Need a job to pay off student loans? Join the military where you’ll fight wars where there is no clear enemy (wars of choice). Need more money? Get a third or fourth career at a coffee shop. Don’t know what to do with yourself and the military won’t take you? Become an hourly wage policeman where you can play cops and robbers all day masquerading as a servant of the opposite of peace. And that’s the worst-ticket with this worst-post. Cheap cops. Incompetent cops. Wow.

    How is this incompetence best exemplified? Have a look at the lower ranks of minions and their delusional dreams of attaining THE DREAM by submitting themselves to earning a buck by any means. You know. We’re dealing with the compulsive behaviourists aka those who think they actually work for a living when in fact they only find ways to exist, aka consume-to-survive, which can only be achieved on the backs of others. National incompetence is the result of not only lacking any form of creativity but it is the complete and utter absence of rational thought. #Amercant has become a nation of anti-intellectuals in all aspects of society. Or. Dear worst-reader. Is there a better way to explain how a policeman puts someone they are arresting into the back of a patrol car that is parked on train tracks?

    How fcuking stupid can you be?

    Holly krapp! Worst-writer can’t even come up with stuff like this while in a raging, drunk stupor where tears tremble down my face as I morn my expatriation. With that in worst-mind, let’s worst-say it again. A nation of incompetent nitwits full of rage and hate and bigotry and spite, stemming out of fifty years of political disarray that has turned economics and politics upside down and inside out, because no one can figure out how/why the $hitshow of greed has killed THE DREAM, and now the chasers of that ill-DREAM are nothing more than hourly wage boobs carrying guns, riding around in patrol cars, and they can’t tell the difference between a space to park and a live train track… And yet they still put someone in the back of a patrol car that gets hit by a fcuking train.

    ONLY IN THE LAND OF FREEDOM TO BE STUPID, baby.

    If this is not another sign of incompetence on a mass scale worst-writer doesn’t know what is. The only question remaining, dear worst-reader, since #Amercant obviously is not on any path toward solving its ills, what will be the next tragedy of all this incompetence? Your worst-guess is as good as mine.

    Good luck suckers.

    Rant on, baby.

    -T

    Link: https://edition.cnn.com/2022/09/20/us/colorado-woman-in-patrol-car-struck-by-train/index.html

  • Analyzing: Everything You Know Is Wrong

    Source: Hannah Arendt

    Rant on.

    -T

  • Careful What You Say Or Sell

    McDonald’s to close for Queen’s funeral on Monday – BBC News

    McDonald’s to close for Queen’s funeral on Monday – BBC News

    Now that’s a relief, eh, dear worst-reader? I mean. Isn’t the name McDonald Scottish? Or is it Irish? Maybe it’s just some quintessentially British sounding word. #Nomatter. The thing is, a fast-food giant is closing for a few hours out of respect for The Queen while she’s being put underground. I guess that’s a good thing. I mean. The corporate goons have probably calculated that by closing they might even make some money. You know. As in. Who the hell is gonna buy krapp-food while obsessing over the death of what should have long ago been relinquished? Or killed off? Like France did it. Moving on.

    By shutting things down for a few hours, no McDonald money will/can be spent. As is the case with all old-economy corporations, ain’t that how bidness works these days? Than again. Ain’t it about time to get rid of monarchies AND fast-food? Am I wrong. Then again again. According to various reports, more than half of Brits love them some monarchial do-dads–and we know how they eat. Then again again again. I guess the mindless have to believe in something. And as far as Brits go, aren’t they kinda killing two birds with one stone when it comes to their unique form of island and/or colonial nationalism? As in. If the whole spaghetti monster in the sky thing ain’t enough, let’s add some perverted hereditary privilege to the mix. For the Queen, and now the King, are head of the church, not just the state (constitutional monarchy my worst-arse). And the sanctioning of the monarchy starts with the church, don’t you know. That’s how it’s always been. Suck up to the church and you won’t be overthrown. Or. Bag the church and then the monarch. Vive la France! Or something like that. Either way, hereditary BS combined with Biblical lore have proven to be a pretty potent mix on the island of the dentally challenged.

    Oh. And before I worst-forget. Don’t go around holding signs up that say something like he’s not my king. Having an opinion about British politics and/or belief system will return once she’s buried. I guess.

    Rant on.

    -T

  • Dinosaurs vs Bolsheviks

    Worst-title #2: How the great Playboy scam won the Cold War

    Worst-title #3: Worst-thoughts on Robert Scheer’s podcast with Katrina vanden Heuvel that may or mayn’t have missed the point

    As a somewhat well read child of the Cold War, worst-writer has to take issue(s) with (his) elderly #OKBoomers. For that’s the ticket, eh, dear worst-reader. #OKBoomers (Heuvel), along with a few & far between #OKBoomer parents (Scheer), have been running the $hitshow that is #Americant (opinion journalism) since ever-more, which has brought us to this worst-world. And what a worst-world it is, eh. Hurray #OKBoomer. You guys are still doing great. (Sarcasm off.)

    As an #Americant expatriate who has been living in #Eurowasteland, having arrived just before the fall of the Berlin Wall, and living in Germany ever since, there is a worst-thing or three to be said when some people get on and on about this or that and thereby miss the friggin point. In this particular case the point should have to do who won the Cold War and NOT who is trying to reverse it (Putin)–or exploit it (NATO and the buying and selling of lots and lots and lots of guns and bombs). But I could be wrong.

    Although the podcast is well-worth a listen, as it provides worthy nuggets of info regarding the fall of the Soviet Union and the subsequent continued rise of my beloved & missed #Americant as the only beacon of greed-mongering, albeit with a cynical smiley face, the thing that gets under my gander is how these two great journalists misfire the idear Gorbachev has a legacy to be squandered. Indeed.

    There is no legacy to be squandered and Putin is proving that as I worst-write this.

    As worst-noted above, worst-writer is confident in claiming, at a minimum level of course, to be well-read enough to pass on an opinion or three regarding the Cold War. Am I as well-read as Robert Scheer or Katrina vanden Heuvel? Heck no! So let me just blurt out all this worst-writing as though I’ve got a nasty cold and green and white and brown snot is bellowing out of my nose, ears, eyelids and it’s corroded not just worst-moi but my keyboard.

    One of the things that has always stood out in my reading of twentieth century history is how/what the rest of the world perceives #Americant. There are basically two points of contention here that hither and wither in my worst-mind. The first is capitalism run amok. Most of the world sees #Americant capitalism with either admiration or as a guide how not to run their own version of capitalism. That’s kinda good, right? The other point of contention, though, is a bit hairier. Reason? It has to do with #Americant foreign policy. What is it that motivates #Americant to do what it does in the world? Since it’s clear that #Americant capitalism has never been thoroughly exported, what can it then export–without hindering #Americant capitalism? Have I lost you yet, dear worst-reader?

    Do you know who imperialist Europe wasn’t afraid of when it began the Great War (=WW1+WW2)? It wasn’t afraid of #Americants. And do you know why? That’s right. #Eurowasteland knew that the hill-billies, rednecks, downtrodden nutcases that were either chasing gold nuggets with bedpans, selling snake oil and religion or getting their kicks killing stuck-in-the-Bronze-Age Native Americans–not to mention the hate and ugliness that to this day is the aftermath of Civil War–were all stuck in prepubescent sexual repression and family inbreeding and were no match for the industrialists that invented imperial high seas shipping, the steam engine, the frickin automobile, the Rothchilds, illuminati, etc. Sure. The #Americants defeated Great Britain in 1776–which lead to FREEDOM TO BE STUPID as we all know it today, pre and post former prez mango Mussolini. But up until the end of the Great War (=WW1+WW2) what did the world really think of #Americant?

    Watch out world the playboys are cumming.

    Worst-writer has often thought that the reason the fallacy of Cowboys and Indians became so popular and hence pushed by the propaganda machine known as Hollywood was because before #Americants took on the lie that is heroism and ruggedness on the back of a horse in the middle of fcuking nowhere, the word playboy was used. As in: you’re either a play-boy or you are a boy (man-child) stuck in a perpetual world of being played. In fact, worst-writer is sure that’s where Hugh Hefner got the name for his magazine. He wanted to rekindle the adage that to be a real #Americant you couldn’t go around being called a Cowboy. Cowboys are vulgar, farting, shitkicking, knuckle dragging thumb-brains and until Hollywood clarified everything, they were criminals. It was better, prettier, sexier, to be called a Playboy–if you could get there–or buy the magazine. And that’s exactly what Imperial #Eurowasteland called the #Americants at the turn of the nineteenth century. Deservedly so, may worst-writer add. But on that sexy note I die-gress.

    The thing that Scheer and vanden Heuvel miss in their podcast trying to prop-up Gorbachev, thereby blathering about fifty or more years of #Americant foreign policy, NATO expansion, #Eurowasteland, etc., is the simple fact that, IMHO, Gorbachev had no choice because the process that would lead to the dissolution of the Soviet Union had been underway for decades. And so. Was Gorbi unaware of this? Or did his ego–that grand male, patriarchal ego–stir his way? As most men do, he thought he had a solution. Yeah. Right.

    The reason for the dissolution of the Soviet Union stems out of the uglies that is/was Stalin’s thoroughly whacked-out totalitarianism that robbed human beings of every aspect of individualism, not to mention his perversion of Marxism. Say what you will about the tenants of socialism/communism, the simple fact of its failure will always be–and please forgive me, dear worst-reader, for worst-writing it this way: human beings just want to travel, buy (consume-to-survive) things and surf. Am I wrong, Dude.

    In worst-writer’s humble opinion, Gorbachev is no hero and his legacy is exactly what we’re dealing with today: he did it wrong and lackadaisically and without an ounce of that which made Russian culture great–or have I read too much Gogol? Gorbachev did what he did because those before him were just a speck above all that is authoritarianism run amok–and the fcuking Soviet Union was flat-out bankrupt because it was STUPID. That speck of stupid is and will never be enough to give Gorbi a legacy worth remembering. Hence there’s no doubt in worst-writer’s mind that Gorbachev never gave a $hit about people–or as Russia might call them: peasants. But his show was good. I’ve often wondered, if Ronald Reagan wasn’t his counterpart–you know, the wierdly pretty, cowboy actor–how different Gorbachev’s show would have been? Would he have visited Jimmy Carter’s peanut farm, jumped out of his limousine and greeted those Georgia rednecks, perhaps even joining them in spitting tobacco? But enough worst-writing about all-things worst and ugly and stupid and… Hey! Wait a sec. Why do I now have an urge to chew some tobacco? Dip anyone?

    And on that worst-note I’ll admit that for all his faults and failures, like so many men who think they somehow, someway, have answers–as opposed to just helping people help themselves–if Gorbachev has a legacy it’s more about revealing how the Soviet Union was one big $hitshow. I mean. Come on. As it dissolved was it really up to The West to show it the way? To help it? Do you think The West wasn’t fully aware of the underlying reality that is/was the KGB and the uncontrollable frustration and anger and spite of all those ugly, ugly white men with their arses stuck in the snow and their bellies a vat of vodka? The Soviet Union and those from that era are now on a hell-spin to further ruin Russia–because they can and they know nothing else. That’s why it hates Ukraine, btw. Ukraine, as miserable and corrupt as it may or mayn’t be, doesn’t want to be part of the old $hitshow. Nor do any of the Baltic countries. Hence, NATO never recruited them. I’ve been here the whole time. NATO expansion has happened because these countries were begging for it. They all wanted some protection from what Russia is capable of, which we’ve been witnessing with Putin for the last twenty years. Who wants to be forced to join yet another attempt at $hitshow pseudo Soviet ill-glory? I mean. Come on. Russia has never been able to get out of its own way. It’s afraid of its own shadows–and considering its history, rightly so. And it can’t seem to get rid of that one fcuked up chromosome that makes worst-writer wonder if Putin has too many of them. But. Again. I die-gress.

    Which brings worst-moi, of course, to the rest of what this podcast fails miserably to address. Isn’t Putin the other side of a Cold War legacy coin shared with Gorbi? If Gorbi has a legacy, he must share it with Putin. Two sides of the same fcuking coin, #nomatter if one wrote a book about peace and the other rides horses topless that, well, actually do look kinda sexy. And so. The new & improved authoritarian man-child or child-king of peasantry run amok unable to rid itself of fcuked up chromosomes… blah blah blah…

    But they both have their faces on a coin. Now there’s a legacy for ya.

    Rant on.

    -T

    Note: The title of this worst-post comes from something Katrina vanden Heuvel says about Gorbachev and Reagan calling each other names. You can guess, dear worst-reader, who called who what. I guess.

    Link: Scheerpost.com article which includes link to the audio podcast

  • Humanity Blemish 101

    Source of pic: interwebnet screenshot

    Well, there you have it, dear worst-reader. The best example there is of hereditary privilege, the belief in mysticism and the need for meaninglessness run amok has (finally) died. And now? Oh wait. Long live the… the King? Yea. There’s that.

    It’s 2022. Monarchies still exist. Why? Oh wait. Why did so many #Americants vote for mango Mussolini? Wait. Whaaaaaaaa?

    “You mean,” dear worst-writer, “that the British royal family has anything to do with former prez Cheeto-jeezus?”

    Yes, that’s exactly what I’m saying, dear worst-reader. For you see, when there’s is so much STUPID in the world, it is inevitable that (the belief in) magic and un-reality (fake newz) rule the day. The will of the STUPID, don’t you know. Or did you think there was NOTHING underneath The Orange One’s pee-pee-hair? I mean, doesn’t he have dreams of royalty underneath his fake (transplanted) hair? These privileged people and their want of power… How does humanity maintain such a blemish on its existence? Yea. That’s the ticket. But let’s move on.

    Obviously worst-writer has a worst-thing or three to worst-say about monarchies. I’m also sorry that the old lady had to die. Then again. Are you looking forward to what Engaland replaces her with? Yeah, can’t wait to see how that turns out.

    Rant on.

    -T

  • Learning Something Newz Everyday

    Politico has always been a garbage outlet, but now at least they can inadvertently admit it with its new CEO

    Politico’s New CEO Invited Executives To ‘Pray’ For Trump’s Re-Election | Crooks and Liars

    As a worst-newz junky, I have to admit that I’m often in a whirlwind regarding my newz sources. Obviously worst-writer doesn’t follow much of the mainstream media, unless bits or pieces of it appear online and I’m (hopefully) sure are progressive. Still, there are few newz sources out there that I wish I didn’t have to scrutinise regarding their biases. With that in worst-mind, I’ve long given up on the likes of Slate, HuffPost and now Politico. Any newz source that requires research regarding to whom it is beholden just ain’t worth my worst-time. With that in mind, how long will the sources that I do rely on remain objective?

    Good question worst-writer.

    Good luck suckers.

    Rant on.

    -T

  • The Top Secret

    Included were markings related to NATO, foreign nuclear information, and the United States nuclear information, covering atomic weapons and navy nuke propulsion.

    What Was Trump Planning To Do With Those Top Secret Documents? | Crooks and Liars

    In a way, dear worst-reader, I’m going out on a limb with this worst-post. A thin limb. Or maybe a half limb. Indeed. A weak limb. Namely. I’m going to defend Mango Mussolini regarding the recent raid on his two-bit, stuck in the 1970s (see that carpet below the docs?), pseudo-disco beach club down in that $hit-hole known as Florida. And I’m not sure if, maybe, there was/is a better way to handle this truly #Americant krapp.

    So let me just put this out there. Did they really have to raid the place? I mean. I get it. Government, DOJ, FBI… They gotta do what they gotta do. You know. Cheeto Jeezus was given ample time to return all those docs. And the orange vomit prez did obviously obstruct on that front. Again. I get it. But what about this?

    As much as I despise the man–and I also believe that my beloved & missed #Americant deserves or should I worst-say has earned him–I don’t really think he’s a risk to national security. For don’t you know, dear worst-reader, fomer prez piss-hair has squirted the law his whole life by doing basically two things. First. He does not rip-off elites. Most people that get prosecuted for wheeling and dealing and grifting and scumming do so because they ripped off the wrong people. The best example of this is the likes of Elizabeth Holmes and Martin Shkreli. Former idiot-prez doesn’t do stuff like that.

    Second. As a two-bit, wannabe pseudo crime boss, projecting all that his mind knows, that can only mirror what he sees on TV, he doesn’t have the balls to tangle with forces and power that would require either mental or physical strength. Am I the only one to not have missed how the likes of William Barr obviously dealt with him. Every time Barr talks about dip$hit Trump you can smell the contempt. Or how he had to give up pretty early on in his pseudo-presidency appearing with high-ranking US military officials? I mean, what four-star general wants to stand next to an obvious pussy? Or have you missed his unshakeable demeanor that is the shadow of trust-fund and parental excrement tutelage. No. Seriously. His whole family from the get-go is but one thing: pure, walking, talking, $hit. But I digress.

    Still. I’ll have to say it again. I don’t think former prez pee-pee-hair would sell-out #Americant with top secret documents. Would he maybe try to pawn the stuff that he thought needn’t be top-secret and have the proper judgement for that? Who knows. When it comes to making a buck or ripping off stupid people, he’s already shown what he’s capable of. Will worst-writer be proven wrong and eventually it will come to light that some of those docs have already been leaked into the wild and are at this moment jeopardizing intelligence or human assets? Gee-whiz. I sincerely hope not. Then again. Wouldn’t it be cool to see a former prez rot in jail for espionage and treason?

    Rant on.

    -T

  • Proto Felony Murder

    Worst-title 2: The history of abortion (in #Americant)

    Until the latter part of the 20th century, there was no support in American law for a constitutional right to obtain an abortion. Zero. None.

    Wow. I especially like the zero and none in the quote above. They are words a husband would use when talking to his wife about whether or not she can…

    Don’t worry, dear worst-reader. If you’re unaware of the history of abortion in my beloved & missed united mistakes of #Americant, you’re not alone. But have no fear. The recent release of a ninety-eight page preliminary Opinion from #SCOTUS is all you’ll need. Indeed. Read it, like I just did, and you’ll know all you need to know–and then some. And don’t worry if you’re intimidated by legalese, other than the various uses of Latin, it’s a hoot to read.

    For example. Get a load of the term quick fetus or quickening or quick-child. It’s used a quite a bit in this document. This stems out of a time when most people were clueless to how baby’s are made. All they knew was that a woman was with child and eventually the child in her would move. Hence, unenlightened knuckle dragging white men say: it’s life. And the sun still evolves around the earth, eh. Or is the earth too flat for that? (Sarcasm off.)

    What about the title of this worst-post, Proto felony murder? Now that’s a doozy. In worst-writer’s reading of this whacked-out nut-mob stuck in the past opinion this terminology stems out of the same time mentioned above–where no one knew where baby’s come from–but connects those who perform abortions as enablers of a crime. This immediately made me think of what’s going on Texas right now. You know, they’ve not only banned abortion, can prosecute those who perform abortion, but they have put a bounty on the heads of those who assist in abortion. You know. Like an Über driver, a friend or even a husband/boyfriend/lover. Wow.

    In reference to the 14th Amendment, check this out:

    We hold that Roe and Casey must be overturned. The Constitution makes no reference to abortion, and no such right is implicitly protected by any constitution provision, including the one on which the defenders of Roe and Casey now chiefly rely–the Due Process Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment. That provision has been held to guarantee some rights that are not mentioned in the Constitution, but any such rights must be “deeply rooted in this Nation’s history and tradition” and “implicit in the concept of ordered liberty.” (Bold text mine.)

    WTF does ordered liberty mean? Is that like new world order where corporations run the $hitshow? Or is it something the establishment holds over the wanton masses of a consume-to-survive life for having too much fun with bodily fluid exchange? All the above? I’ll refrain worst-writing anything about deeply rooted in this Nation’s history and tradition. Other than to worst-say, holly bat$hit is #Americant fcuked if these right-wingers get away with this krapp. Reason? The stuff in this Opinion, if submitted, is as heavy and deep as slavery, Native American genocide, war-mongering and two and half centuries of greed and nothing but greed. Even worse. This Opinion could enable turning back the suffrage movement, civil rights, gay rights, etc. Dark ages here we come. Oh wait. It’s already here. Indeed. Let’s go with Dark Ages version two.

    Good luck suckers.

    Rant on.

    -T

    Links:

  • The Unbearable Lightness of Authoritarians

    Worst-writer’s choice of title is playing, of course, with the title of the novel The Unbearable Lightness of Being by Milan Kundera. Who else hasn’t played with it, e.g. The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent maybe? Which I can’t wait to see. Or what about my second choice for title?

    How the big lie swats away truth like its the baby’s bottom of communism version two point zero

    Or how bout this one.

    Under threat of state and authoritarian persecution, in the united mistakes of #Americant , are you ready to retract?

    As I’ve worst-written here and here, I really dig Milan Kundera. I had a great time back in the day reading those novels. As a child of the Cold War he was part of my understanding of how that war played out in the minds of a whole bunch of #Eurowastelanders. Reason? Just as I was moving across the pond (expatriating) the wall fell. I got to know a few Eastern Europeans during and after that. Who doesn’t love peoples from western territories of the former Soviet Union all lusting for Marlboro reds, Levis, fun, and a ride across Berlin in a taxi that is also a Mercedes? And you gotta admire all those cute little countries that found their way to the west, aka as far as possible from what would become Soviet Union v.2 aka Vladimira Pussytina. But let’s not get-on about Latvia, Estonia, Moldova or, heaven forbid, Ukraine. More worst-writing about Ukraine here and here.

    Milan Kundera’s work became even more profound for me as the realities of the post Soviet experiment came to light. Having moved to western Germany, it was all kinda close, don’t you know. Remember that whole East German Stasi thing? What a $hitshow that was. In other eastern countries things were getting worst and worse and worster. Remember Georgia? You know, Stalins birthplace. Oh yea. What about Yugoslavia? Croatia is the best place for hiking and mountain biking these days. Let’s not forget what’s happening in Ukraine that’s been brewing for the last decade. But. Again. I’m off worst-subject. And this worst-post ain’t about worst-writers mis-understanding of über-novels, commies or how fcuked-up #Eurowasteland really is.

    After watching the video above, my worst-writer hat is off to Rachel Maddow. And don’t worry–I’m only a farfetched fan. There are times when I have to turn her podcast off (which is how I get her shows this side of the pond) on account she can carry on and on and on about whatnot. Is that what journalists call carrying-on, rambling, shootin the $hit, or is it all just editorialising? #Nomatter.

    The juicy part of the vid that motivates this worst-post is at about 4:10 when Maddow shows how a journalist is being targeted for investigation by police because the journalist did some journalism. Now. That’s fine and dandy. These are worst-times to be living in, eh. What with #fakenews this or the media-that or CNN sucks or why the fcuk is Wolf Blitzer still on air? Wasn’t he on air when I expatriated thirty-five-friggin years ago? Anywho.

    Maddow, at the beginning of the vid, makes it clear how/why so many #Americants hate the press. Again. Fine and dandy. Stupid people gotta live too, right? But here’s the thing. Maddow doesn’t make it clear how/why this is bigger than the press. Ever heard of death by a thousand cuts? Or what about creeping normality? Indeed.

    So #Amercants hate the press because former prez pee-pee-hair said loud and clear, year after year, the big lie. #fakenews Maddow does a great job explaining that. Authoritarian rhetoric is to those of us who have a bit of knowledge about history exactly what authoritarians, totalitarians, dictators do best–especially to the dumb down masses. #Maga The thing is, though, they (authoritarians) aren’t just attacking the press. They drill the lie so deep into people that no one can think straight anymore. So who or what, in the vid, at the behest of the LA Sheriff, need be investigated for? Or. Put another worst-way. Who/what need be investigated or arrested or brought to justice because a journalist did her job reporting police abuse? Wait. What? Police abuse? What police abuse? Wow. So many unanswered worst-questions. Go figure. #FakeNews #Americant #Maga #Trump

    Almost The Question

    If/when succeeding with the big lie becomes the norm, what are the rest of us (rational thinking peoples) gonna do about the seventy-four or so million Cheeto-Jezus lovers and the guys that want to be just like him–as in the video? At the least, everything fake is here to stay for a while, eh. And now the police are not only abusing citizens but they are getting so bad at doing it that their over-reach is blatantly anti constitutional, anti freedom, anti antifa–but never anti-pee-pee-hair former presidents. Are these authoritarian types starting to show their true colours? Have they already and worst-writer missed it? Na. Don’t think so.

    The Question

    That brings me to the essence of my worst-question, dear worst-reader–that may or may not have to do with the video above. How were the police going to question the journalist if/when she has to face what ever it is the police do when they put someone under investigation like this? Keep in mind, as I worst-write this post, the situation seems to have simmered down because the police have faced a pretty significant backlash from lawyers of the fourth estate. But my question still remains. What is the intention of police investigating a journalist who has 1) broke no law or 2) has freedom of the press? Take her in a back room somewhere and interrogate her about her beliefs? Who she voted for? Is she part of the red scare? Does the journalist pictured, the one the policeman points to the most, look like a commie? See how he points his stick at her? Who are her sources? Who is the policeman talking to? #MAGA THE LAND OF FREEDOM TO BE STUPID, baby?

    And now. The Unbearable Lightness of Being. In the book, dear worst-reader, Tomas (no relation) is apprehended by local goons (government minions) under the auspices of the totalitarian Soviet State that has occupied Czechoslovakia in the late 1960s. The reason he’s apprehended? He wrote some kind of an essay or manifesto that made objectionable comparisons to the communist takeover of his country with some Ancient Greek tell-tale about sons sleeping with their mothers and killing their fathers. You know. Typical literary stuff that puts chills into the spines of authoritarians since most of them couldn’t intellectually fight their way out of wet paper bags made from the foreskin of… And so they just get everyone to pledge their allegiance to Dear Leader. Or else.

    I’m only guessing that the police, while publicly threatening a journalist, without cause, even showing her picture as though she was a suspect in a crime–which she clearly is not–because she’s a journalist and there is this thing known as freedom of the press and and and… Bare with me as I try to work through this.

    I don’t know what the police want to investigate. And I don’t care. After seeing the video, dear worst-reader, all-things unbearable started to appear before all my worst-eyes. Are they after her sources? Did her story insult the police? Has she pulled a Snowden? Again. Don’t care. The thing I do care about is if things in my beloved & missed united mistakes of #Americant get so right-wing bat$hit that there is no no way out. Are we almost there? Are the police gonna start rounding up people and make them retract–their stories, their posts, their tweets? I mean. The definition of freedom has pretty-much been turned upside-down, especially considering how right-wingers use it to promote everything #fakenews or lost elections or voting rights. At the worst-least, is what I’m failing to get at in this worst-post in anyway comparable to goons that want to suppress all forms of dissent in a totalitarian state? Tomas, btw, was a doctor. When he wouldn’t publicly retract his manifest he lost his license to practice medicine and he never gave up on that conviction. Are we just a hop-skip-jump away from that? I know I’m stretching things here. But that’s how I feel after watching this video. That policeman looks like someone who wants to interrogate another person NOT for crimes but for her beliefs, her loyalties, her bent knee, who’s your daddy, obey, etc. Wow.

    The thing that scares me the most with what’s happening to my beloved & missed #Americant is the creeping normality, the death by a thousand cuts that so many #Americants can’t see because they can’t see straight anymore after not only the big lie but their own inability #okboomer to get it together intellectually, socially or politically. Wow. And to think I saw it all coming forty years ago–a good ten years after I had to live in what Ronald Reagan began.

    Good luck suckers.

    Rant on.

    -T

    Links:

  • Martial Law v Marshall Law

    Worst-writer’s un-empirical spellcheck test

    Marshall Law could be a name. A cool name. Or it might be the name of some cheesy #Americant tv show. Martial Law, on the other hand, is not a name but is what authoritarians seem to luv–as much, I’m worst-sure, as they luv cheesy, mansplaining #Americant tv. Worst-writer can see mixing them up, especially if one is in a hissy-fit twenty-four-seven on account their existence, upbringing and world-view–not excluding #Americant public schooling–of white supremacy is threatened. In fact, after a bat$hit congress-person used the former instead of the latter, because she either can’t spell or the spell-checker misfired or she simply doesn’t know what she’s talking/tweeting about, I did my own little un-empirical test. Keep in mind, worst-writer has sympathy for misspelling, including a bit of worst-grammar. For I am worstwriter dot com, don’t you know. But my sympathy stems out of having lived abroad for most of my life where I also speak a foreign language ninety percent of the time. In fact, after all these years I’m very afeared to write that foreign language on a daily basis because doing so might show how worst if not kinda stupid I really am. But on that worst-note, I die-gress.

    The un-empirical test I tried went thus. I went into the google-machine and started typing marsh… (pics above). Turns out that it’s pretty clear if one knows what one is talking/tweeting about, has a bit of sense and intellect–or may have read a book or three in life–it’s kinda hard to misspell martial law. With that in worst-mind, is it of any surprise that the hacks and bigots and inner-ugly people that get elected to run the greed $hitshow that is #Americant are as dumb as they look/sound/tweet? You betcha, baby. So let’s have a giggle together, dear worst-reader. But don’t giggle too long as us worst-thinking people need to remain aware and vigilant about the rise of authoritarianism in my beloved & missed united mistakes of #Americant.

    Rant on.

    -T

    Links:

  • Settling Family Business, KGB Godfather Style

    Wow, dear worst-reader. Can things get any worst–for Russian oligarchs? I bet it can. You know why I’m making that bet? There are quite a few Russian oligarchs out there and it looks like Putin has only gotten to a half dozen of them. You know. Putin is settling family business. Like in the Godfather movie. The invasion of Ukraine is his alibi, don’t you know. Michael Corleone’s alibi was a godchild’s baptism, wasn’t it? Is there a difference between a godchild baptism and invading a country? OK. Let’s cut to the worst-chase. Putin is a wannabe pseudo-godfather nation-state two-bit peasant dictator and the world should hate him. Oh. And. Things are probably gonna get a lot more worst for Putin.

    But what about all the dead oligarchs popping up all over the place?

    Worst-writer is sure there isn’t a lot of mourning going on for a few dead Russian oligarchs. But I do feel for their families, especially when their children are being slaughtered along side them. Considering how these men got rich in the first place, dear worst-reader… wow. What a $hitshow of greed the sell-off of the Soviet Union must have been. Can you see it? Naked, knuckle dragging white men clamouring up walls of human flesh, grinding and piercing through bloodied skin and eyes and babies, making their way to the top. Obviously, over the past twenty or so years, Putin won the $hitshow of greed. Or did he? Could that be why he’s in such a panic right now? Add to that the left-behind and forgotten peasantry of Russia not being capable of ever knowing the difference between freedom and dictatorship… Yeah. What a f’n mess.

    Since the start of the Ukraine war here’s what Putin has accomplished, according to worst-writer:

    • His February 22 speech was so bat$hit crazy, more on that here, history is gonna laugh at him forever
    • After more than two months of fighting he’s gotten himself into a quagmire which might be worse than The Soviet Union’s Afghanistan fiasco in the 1980s
    • He underestimated The West’s resolve to fight against him without committing to a land war
    • If reports are correct about Russian military performance, a well equipped Ukraine might be the least of Putin’s problems

    The only worst-question remaining is how much death and damage and misery will this small-Schwanz-man leave behind?

    Godspeed Ukraine!

    Rant on.

    -T

    Links:

  • Cringefest On Stupid Mountain

    There are too many things these days, dear worst-reader, one can’t un-hear or un-see. The most recent, of course, is the attempt by a few & far between rational people in the state of Gerogia with the aide of the court to label a united mistakes congress-person as an insurrectionist. If these few & far between rational people pull this off, it will mean that said congress-person won’t be eligible to run for public office. Ever! Now ain’t that special. For those not in the know, here’s the section of the Constitution that makes this possible:

    No person shall be a Senator or Representative in Congress, or elector of President and Vice-President, or hold any office, civil or military, under the United States, or under any State, who, having previously taken an oath, as a member of Congress, or as an officer of the United States, or as a member of any State legislature, or as an executive or judicial officer of any State, to support the Constitution of the United States, shall have engaged in insurrection or rebellion against the same, or given aid or comfort to the enemies thereof. But Congress may by a vote of two-thirds of each House, remove such disability. -14th Amendment, Section 3 (highlight mine)

    Now. If you ask worst-moi. Based solely on the bold text above, how is it that former prez pee-pee-hair was able to run for the highest office where, during his candidacy back 2015-16, he went so far as to ask Russia and Wikileaks for help in getting hold of Hillary’s emails? The moment I heard that, dear worst-reader, I thought: ain’t that something akin to treason–or the like? Is asking a foreign country for help in digging up dirt on a political opponent legal, constitutional? He was asking a foreign country–a hostel foreign country–for help in digging up dirt that Republicans had been spreading around through it’s vast network of conspiracy theorists, right-wing rage-mongers and faux-newz. Ain’t that insurrection? No? Oh. It’s not insurrection because the person asking it represent such a large swath of the population that thinks the same way he does. You know. Thinking in the LAND OF FREE TO BE STUPID where mob-rule should replace democracy. Again. Now ain’t that special.

    But let’s not get lost in old spilt pee-pee. Former prez Cheeto-jezus needs spilt pee-pee for his hair. Instead, dear worst-reader, let’s get-on about this current issue where Georgia is trying to save #Americant democracy. Oh. How hard it is to watch this person squirm as she’s asked rational questions about her behaviour just before and during the Jan 6 insurrection. In fact, it’s so hard I can’t say I’ve seen it all. But seeing just bits and pieces of it is enough. Barf. Squirm. Ugh. Am I wrong.

    This congress-person from Georgia certainly takes the cake, eh, dear worst-reader. I mean. As the number of bat$hit congress-people rises, so too does the cringe. Still. We have to get informed. Their behaviour has to be laid bare. And when it is all revealed, what do you think’s gonna happen? The thing about former prez cotton-candy piss-hair isn’t so much that he was elected to the highest office but the fact that he’s so friggin stupid and anal and disgusting that no one who votes for him seems to care. But don’t forget. He’s only the symptom and not the sickness. Which means. What will happen to my beloved & missed united mistakes of #Americant if/when someone just like him makes it up the ladder but is just a tick smarter?

    Oh well. It was fun while it lasted, eh, #Americant?

    Good luck suckers.

    Rant on.

    -T

    Links:

  • Rich vs Minion-Rich

    What’s up with the rich, dear worst-reader? I mean. Not the rich of the world, of course. We all know what’s going on in parts of the world where really, really nasty rich people (Russia) are angry with slightly less rich people (Ukraine) and thereby feel it’s their right to invade and pillage and rape and and and. With that in worst-mind. Let’s focus today on the rich of my beloved & missed united mistakes of #Americant–most of whom are not billionaires (as we know with former prez pee-pee-hair). And so. We all know how the rich make their money these days in #Americant. You know. On the backs of others like never before. Hence, of the #Americant so-called rich, who probably should be called minion-rich, for they serve the few & far-between mega-rich (real billionaires), how many of them have made their fortunes on something other than finance trickery, coercion, exploitation or inheritance? So goes the way of capitalism run-amok, eh. But let’s not get too far off worst-subject.

    What’s up with the minion-rich? Why are they so nasty? And when they’re nasty, why do they take out all their frustration and anger and bigotry and fascism on the hour-wage-poor? And how bout this worst-question: why the heck do these very well-off minion-rich fly low-cost airlines? I mean. Come on. Even minion-rich can afford a better airline, if not a chartered private jet. Or? But I die-gress.

    Today, dear worst-reader, worst-writer provides IMHO about how two minion-rich guys behave while they hitch a ride on a cheap airline. The first is a former faux-newz pseudo-broadcaster aka right-wing nut job who lost his job because he rubbed too many people the wrong way with his ugliness. Most of the people were women, naturally. And now he’s flying on a cheap Airline to Turks & Caicos that happens to include an unwanted three to five hour delay. Again. This guy earned millions and millions of dollars in his career and now he’s scruff-flying to an exotic and über-expensive island in the Caribbean that is delayed and all he can do is yell at the working poor because the same system of fail-upwards corporate-ness that he espoused ain’t working to his approval?

    The next minion-rich guy, who, btw, is one of the few that earned his wealth unlike most minion-rich, as noted above, is a former heavy weight boxing champion the likes of which the world will probably never see again. And what does this guy do? Holy krapp, dear worst-reader. He beats the krapp out of a guy that is sitting behind him because the guy is either star-studded and can’t control himself or he thinks he’s gonna make the newz by getting a former heavy weight boxing champ of the world to punch him. Looks like he did just that. But. Again. This begs the worst-question: why are these guys flying on a scruff airline?

    WTF.

    Rant on.

    -T

    Links: