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Vermont Christian School Banned from Competitions for Standing Up for Girls Wins $566K in Damages
April 29, 2026

□ [“Supreme Court 6-3 Declares Louisiana’s New Congressional Map ‘Unconstitutional Racial Gerrymander’"]

Now this is something I think was being planned.  No idea how the administration did it because the law is confusing but they worked it through all the courts up through the Supremes.  Again, I have no clue how far this could go but to the extent it's possible, I suspect they discussed every part of this case before carrying it out.

I was under the impression that every state had been gerrymandered to the max by this point, that just seemed like the sort of thing unelected bureaucrats could get politicians to go along with.  But we've heard multiple states going for it this year.  I'm sure it'll be looked into what extent each state can pick its own rules and what extent they must obey federal regulations on the matter.  In this case, Louisiana really wants its blacks-only districts, which is against the law.

I've already seen liberal complaints that this somehow lowers the value of black votes.  Um, their vote is worth the same as anyone else's, ymmv on how much any of that is worth.  Yet again, it's always the same skin color who will fall for this.  Obviously the real blame can only go on liberals who run our schools and teach this garbage.

The reason this decisions seems to be such a big deal is because the parties in charge want to guarantee their pet voters stay in the right place.  Don't know if it's true or not but the rumor is that everybody had worked out how to make gerrymandering work even better for them - yes, this contradicts my previous statement that I thought it had already been done as much as possible - but nobody was willing to go through with it because that would get everybody else to do it too.  And now it's looking like red states can get rid off all their Democrats in Congress, and there's a lot more red states.

Add that to the changes from getting rid of illegal immigrant votes and voter fraud, this could mean a huge difference.  I'm going to be negative as much as possible, there's no way to set it all up by November, or even November 2028.  The legal challenges will keep any change from being made unless it helps Democrats.  And even if it all goes through as planned, Democrats still have ways to steal the election [that, um, they somehow forgot about a year and a half ago.]  This could break the leftist party permanently and I really don't want to tie myself to the belief that it's ready to happen.  Hopefully that way I can be proven wrong very soon.

US Indicts Mexican Governor of Sinaloa on Drug Trafficking and Weapons Charges
April 29, 2026

□ [“Al Gore invokes disaster film, warns of ice age within 25 years"]

While still insisting that he was basically right twenty years ago when he promised global warming would destroy everything in five or ten years, Gore is now promoting the dangers of global cooling.  He really doesn't notice the contradiction.  I'm beginning to think this really is a deliberate plan by our elites to reverse themselves without any consequences from their supporters.  Al was born rich and famous, his dad had already been in Congress for years and would stay there until six years before Al Jr. got elected.  When was the last time he had anybody around who disagreed with him or challenged him on anything?

This earth-worship started off as 'global cooling,' a few years before I was there to be taught about this stuff.  Then it became 'global warming' because that's the same thing.  I was in school by then so that's the term I've always used.  Then it became 'climate change' because too many people noticed the contradiction and it was just easier to stay climate should always stay the same forever.  No one's going to question that.  But now they want to get back to 'global cooling.'  25 years and it's all over!!!  For real this time!

Gore is 78 so he's probably looking for a 'last hurrah.'  I had assumed he'd gone silent because his 'global warming' claims turned out to be so wrong, he was just going to quietly enjoy his wealth.  But here he is again.  I doubt he'll get as much attention this time.  Old rich white man, everything the left attacks.  He knows how worthless they are but can't really go public about it.  I'm still surprised that he's even trying this again.

ISWAP Gunmen Kill 29 Christians in Nigeria in One of Several Attacks This Week
April 29, 2026

□ [“Tim Walz Calls ICE ‘Armed Lawless Gangs’ Conducting ‘Campaign of Organized Brutality’"]

He really has no clue what he's saying.  Otherwise as a governor he would know what law enforcement actually is and would be smart enough to established government organizations are not lawless gangs.  Anybody could apply this to Minnesota government organizations as well.  Just slip those words into his teleprompter and he'd recite it without hesitation.

A bigger point is that he is advocating more violence.  Specifically against the government but it will also apply to anyone who disagrees.  I haven't covered much of it but everyone is watching the left double-down on this urge for violent 'population reduction.'  They see no way it could work against them, especially when they're in charge.  That's probably also why they want to disarm everyone.

I still haven't decided if I believe last weekend's attempted assassination of Trump was real but I think this was the real goal either way.  If it really happened just as we're told, the left will need to encourage even more people to try because eventually someone will succeed.  If it was all a set-up, or even a 'controlled danger,' this was probably the reason behind it, showing everyone how the left will respond.  Anybody who already had a reason to ditch the left can now clearly see what they're going for and the left themselves will just advertise how insane they are.

Two Jewish Men Stabbed in London – Iran-Linked Group Claims Responsibility for Attacks
April 29, 2026

I'm not sure if Steve Ditko was really exploring any concepts related to identity or if it was just part of the job, creating superhero comics.  Since most superheroes have secret-identities, you have to work to avoid dealing with it, making the stories even less realistic.  Maybe he had a plan, maybe it was just a useful subject to get ideas from but the next few issues of Spider-Man would include some of this.

In #24, a villain (who eventually turns out to be Mysterio) has set up an elaborate set of illusions designed to make Spidey think he's going crazy.  Dressed as a psychiatrist, he then goes to the Daily Bugle for free promotion of this idea.  Jameson agrees without any hesitation, this guy is famous in Europe.  Probably has a hot girlfriend in Canada too.  But it obviously works, Peter believes what he reads in the papers and assumes he's gone insane.

The villain's plot doesn't work very well but the story is actually quite fun.  There isn't much in the way of superhero fighting, Mysterio isn't really up for that.  Frederick Foswell is being built up as a mysterious reporter, reporting that the psychiatrist was a fake.  Humiliated yet again, JJJ decides to have it out with the psychiatrist, barging in just as Spidey was ready to reveal his secret identity.  Flash Thompson has been trying hard to hassle Peter to keep him away from Liz.  When that doesn't work, he luckily sees Jonah storming by and starts harassing him about his coverage of Spidey, so he's there when the final victory happens.  He's thrilled, his hero insulted him to his face.  Flash rarely gets to be more than a one-dimensional bully but he had his moments.

As the main example of big business, JJJ is very useful in most stories.  Here he's run out of horrible things to say about Spider-Man so he just sends reporters out to ask the public what they think.  That works to fill up the pages and sell more copies, as well as giving us a glimpse of what people have to say.  Foswell also gets developed as someone up to something.  The opening scene of the story has Spidey beating up some crooks so he can get pictures, but then sees Foswell right there so he couldn't get away with selling them.  We're not given any details but he's relevant to exposing Mysterio so he clearly has skills as a reporter.  But something is still off about him.

Betty doesn't get a lot of attention in this issue.  She still hasn't mentioned the letters she gets from Ned Leeds, now one conveniently falls into Peter's hands.  Now they have it out, he snaps and storms off.  The next day, Liz asks him to help her study for exams and he agrees.  The story ends with her dragging him back to her place.  For studying.  Yep, that's what the kids are doing these days.

#25 is my personal favorite issue of Ditko's run, just because of the way it builds up to give everybody something relevant as well as a few relevant developments in the ongoing storylines.  It should be noted that this is the first time Ditko gets credit for the plot, meaning that he had probably stopped talking to Stan Lee at this point.  Ditko dropped the pages off at Marvel and I'm not sure they had any contact again for the rest of their lives.

I don't get how that worked for either side.  Stan's the boss, the editor and writes the dialogue.  When Ditko gets his penciled pages back, he's inking the dialogue Stan wrote, even if it contradicts the story he was telling.  Stan always insisted that he had no clue why Ditko did this and we have no way to know if he's telling the truth or not.  Anyway, back to the story.

Peter's trying to make a new spare costume.  At the Bugle the next day, he sees Jonah with the still-unnamed Norman Osborn.  He's able to sell some pix by ragging on Spidey, which Betty isn't happy to hear about.  Then another scientist shows up with a big robot that's totally going to beat Spider-Man.  JJJ wants nothing to do with it but in an excellent sequence of characterization, Peter talks him into it while Betty is trying to make him shut up and JJJ finally goes along.

So they test the robot, Peter is assigned to be the target and realizes very quickly that the robot can beat him.  The next day at school, Flash is still trying to keep him away from Liz.  Peter's worried about the robot and runs away as soon as school ends.  Flash and the gang see it and try to chase him down.  Jameson is running the robot with an image that looks spooky and hilarious.  So now the robot is chasing the gang who are chasing Peter down the street.  Luckily he escapes to fight the robot, now the kids have to figure out what to do next.

The robot takes up most of the story but is the least relevant part.  It captures Spidey but it's been several issues since he's used his scientific skills so he figures out how to reprogram it and escape.  He leaves his costume, filled with webbing, so JJJ and the scientist arrive thinking they finally have Spider-Man captured and realize it's a fake.  Nobody thinks to check the costume for fingerprints.

Flash is still a bully but he gets a bit more personality here.  And unless he's getting it specifically from discussions with Ditko back when they were still talking, all the credit goes to Stan Lee.  Liz feels obligated to go along with Flash and the gang and has a thought balloon that it might make him less jealous of Petey.  Meanwhile Flash is thinking "the more she defends him, the more I hate him."  A deep glimpse into these characters and their relationships, all caught in two short thought balloons.

Since Peter wasn't helpful, Betty tries to find her own way to interfere with JJJ's plans.  She attempts to sabotage his control of the robot but is easily caught.  He tells her she's off-work for the rest of the day, without pay of course.  Angry, she tries to call Peter but the line is busy, so she decided to storm over there and deal with him directly.  Flash, Liz and the gang are ready to stalk Peter's house, so Liz is willing to go inside and see if he's there.  She and Betty run into each other and aren't happy to see each other.

This is the proof that Ditko clearly had long-range plans for Peter's love life.  Of course he's not there but Aunt May invites them in.  Oh, and someone else who's come by to see Peter, Mary Jane Watson.  Just like the Green Goblin's identity, MJ's face is hidden from the reader but Betty and Liz are shocked, that's who they're competing with?  They didn't sign up for this, they're both out.  There will be more of them and it will be relevant but as far as Ditko's run is concerned, this is where the love triangle ends.

The other set-up for future events in this story is the ending.  After MJ left, Aunt May went to clean Peter's bedroom for some reason and found the Spidey costume he was working on at the beginning of the story.  Of course she doesn't believe he's Spider-Man - seriously?  How could she miss it at this point? - but now he's lost both costumes so Spider-Man is out of action for the time being.

This issue was just flowing over with future story potential.  Mary Jane was first mentioned in the issue where Betty and Liz first met, now she takes a step forward just as these two girls near the end of their rivalry.  I'm sure few readers even noticed the future Norman Osborne had started appearing regularly.  Frederick Foswell isn't even in this issue so we're no closer to finding out what he's up to.  Even the gimmick about Spidey's costumes becomes relevant later.  This is why Ditko's run was considered so epic and it was clearly only a fraction of what he was prepared to do.

‘An Obvious Cover Up,’ as Biden Health Officials Ignored Covid-19 Shot Safety Concerns
April 29, 2026

Do you want Sydney Sweeney? Because this is how you get more Sydney Sweeney! Er, wait, what?

Illinois Woman Pleads Guilty for Funding Monkey Sexual Torture Videos – Burned Alive, Genitals Mutilated
April 28, 2026

□ [“Ukrainian Erotic Model Part of the Team of Divers That Blew Up the Nord Stream Pipeline"]

She's also a professional diver, it's just that in her younger days she showed off her body on video.  It's not clear what she actually did but the implication is that she provided an excuse for the ship to be there, making porn videos underwater.  One gets the impression these days that the more unlikely a story is, the bigger the chance that it's true.  Couldn't they just use bombs to blow it up?

Germany has been investigating the destruction of the pipeline but by the same logic, they have a reason to cover-up whatever gets found.  I still want to know why no one is interrogating Joe Biden who promised to destroy the pipeline not long before it was destroyed.  Anyway, Germany is still becoming stranger and stranger these days.

Chancellor Merz says that Ukraine must give up territory if there's ever a peace agreement with Russia but gives no details on when or how this would happen.  He doesn't specify what territory although that's at least understandable, it's really not his f*king business.  He also make a point of saying Ukraine cannot join the EU until there's a peace deal.  Problem is, Ukraine's already getting all the perks of membership with none of the drawbacks so why would they want to change now?  Would they want the EU to treat them the way it treats Hungary?

Now that Hungary had finally been defeated, Ukraine had reopened the Druzhba pipeline last week to send oil to Hungary and Slovakia.  But then Russia followed it with threatening to stop the pipeline moving into Germany.  Whether there are specific pipes for each nation or they'll just the tried-and-true method of bombs, Germany is in danger of going without fuel for quite a while as they rebuild their military by the 2039 target date.

As if this wasn't convoluted enough, Merz has also insisted that the US has been humiliated by Iran.  Who is he listening to?  Hasn't he noticed that Iran's leaders haven't been able to do much of anything for the last two months?  If there's a single nation in charge of Europe, it's probably Germany, and if this is the sort of delusion they tie themselves to, that explains a lot about the problems they face and their inability to fix things.

Indiana Democrat Busted After Campaigning While High on Cocaine
April 28, 2026

□ [“FBI Raids 22 Minnesota Child Care Centers and Businesses, Including ‘Quality Learing Center'"]

It's been a hectic few months since we heard about any of this.  I get that there are some legal requirements but it really shouldn't take this long to send in law enforcement.  They had plenty of time to grab some random kids off the street and say that's who they've been paid to care for.  They've also had the time to contact lawmakers, judges and anyone else with influence to make sure this is just something to show the public, nothing is really going to happen here.

Then Tim Walz speaks out to talk about what a great thing they're doing, like he's part of this, and how anybody committing this kind of fraud will be punished.  Even Kash Patel had to slam him for this, pointing out that all this fraud was going on while Walz was in charge.  Is he trying to save his ass by pretending to be on the good side or is he sending out a message to his Somali supporters that the rest of them are safe?

Walz is also being identified by his calls for violence against our tyrant and somehow ignoring that to thank law enforcement for their work at the WHCD.  I'm still trying to figure out how to define this but it's really looking like left leaders are adrift at sea, no idea where they're going or what to do about it.  At least in Walz' case, the feds have been looking into all the Minnesota fraud and his role in protecting it, so they might be telling him what to say in public.  They'd be looking at his connections around the state, his part in the 2024 campaign, his connections to his co-candidate and then her connections.  As much as I complain about how long this is taking for anything to come out - and nobody's actually been punished yet - it's understandable just for being so big and confusing.

UN Elects Iran as Vice President of Nuclear Non-Proliferation Review Conference
April 28, 2026

Virginia Democrat Understands Rural America Because He Grew Up Watching the Dukes of Hazzard
April 23, 2026

Black NYC Youth Bodyslams White Girl and Stomps on Her Head After She Rejects His Advances
April 24, 2026

DHS Counterterrorism Assistant Secretary Placed on Leave - “Sugar Daddies” Funded Her Lavish Lifestyle
April 22, 2026

Appeals Court Blocks California Law That Banned Masks For ICE Agents
April 22, 2026

Illegal Alien Punches Texas Mother in the Face, Tries to Eat Her Three-Year-Old Daughter’s Face
April 24, 2026

Trump Admin in Cuba to Rescue 10-Year-Old Utah Child Kidnapped by Trans Father for Forced Medical Transition
April 23, 2026

□ [“FBI Director James Comey Indicted – Charges Related to Trump Assassination Instagram Post"]

This was the '8647' post he made last May.  Once again, it's taken almost a year to get around to doing this?  Does it have anything to do with what happened last weekend, someone who might have been inspired by this post and was obeying Comey's orders?  Comey has already spoken out to insist he's innocent and the rest of us are in the same place we always are, thinking he's going to get away with it because why would this time be different?

□ [“DOJ Indicts Top Adviser to Anthony Fauci on Several Charges"]

This will be weird, the left seems really determined to ignore everything they imposed on us during the fake-pandemic.  Once in a while I see it referenced with justification but otherwise those in charge know how deeply they were in on it and want to hide that from the rest of us.  In this case, David Morens was passing along classified information about the virus on the internet to avoid putting it through official channels.  There's also the connections to the Chinese lab where Covid got started.

There's also reports that the Clinton Foundation is being seriously looked into.  I get the argument that the feds don't file a case unless they really have evidence but this teasing is just ridiculous.  Trump doesn't have much time left.  No matter how much you respect the guy, there's still the sense that the administration is all getting bogged down with nonsense.  The enemy already has long-term plans.

Virginia Supreme Court Denies AG Request to Pause Blocking of Democrat Gerrymander
April 28, 2026

The Human Torch was a reboot of a golden age character, remade to appeal to the teenage audience.  Lee and Kirby were not remotely teenagers at this point so YMMV on how well they did.  Johnny was given a solo series in Strange Tales but that must not have been doing very well and would be dropped in mid-1965.  A few months earlier, he was a co-star of Spider-Man #21 which did show these characters worked well together.  Of course it was only two issues after the last time they teamed up but continuity can be ignored.

This time it was continuing the romantic story with Betty and adding Johnny's girlfriend Dorrie to the mix.  She's mad that Johnny always flames on and runs away so she demands he stop doing that for 24 hours.  Then she runs into Peter in the streets, flirts with him, takes him back to her place...  All Comics Code-approved of course.  Afterwards, she gushes about it to Johnny, who gets mad and tracks Peter down while he's out with Betty.  Of course she goes away crying.  Peter wants revenge for that so Spider-Man is going to go hit on Dorrie - doesn't she read the Daily Bugle and know what he's capable of?

This is a good time for a supervillain to show up, the Torch's enemy the Beetle, who has decided to kidnap Dorrie.  There is entertaining back-and-forth between the two and the ending is the usual 'Spidey is feeling sorry for himself because his life is a mess.'  It's fun but getting a bit tedious.

#22 is even worse, the return of the Ringmaster and the Circus of Crime.  The superhero part of the story is almost completely irrelevant.  Liz throws herself at Pete again but he refuses because he has enough problems with Betty.  Betty is much nicer this issue, they've been dragged to an art exhibit by JJJ, there's a few amusing comments about modern art and then the criminals show up to rob everything.  JJJ is hurt but not permanently, Peter doesn't ditch Betty and after the story ends, JJJ has woken up and drags them back to the art exhibit.  In the last few panels, Aunt May nag Peter for coming home so late without letting her know.

#23 is much better.  It doesn't add much but it does indicate the direction the intended story is moving.  The Green Goblin returns and is finally starting on the plan he intended from his first appearance, organizing crime.  He fails and the gang he intended to take over is all arrested.  Not a great plan.

The more important parts of the story, Betty receives a letter from Ned Leeds and keeps forgetting to mention it but otherwise she and Peter get along better than they have recently.  I'm not sure there's any precedent in comics for a character we barely knew who then leaves and is still being mentioned months later.

Peter makes a point of washing his costume so sometimes it's not available for him here.  Not sure it's relevant but something similar would happen the next time the Goblin shows up.  Peter also makes a point of hiding during part of the fight scene to call Aunt May, just so she won't worry.  He tries to call her later and nobody answers, so he's the one who starts worrying.

More relevant to this issue is the return of Frederick Foswell to the Daily Bugle.  He was in #10, the first time Ditko focused on organized crime and its connection to big business.  He's out of jail now and gets his job back.  Jameson has been less relevant as an actual supervillain recently and carries on here, talking about what a nice guy he is.  He even discusses this at the club later on when Foswell calls him about the current criminal scheme.  Standing behind JJJ is none other than Norman Osborn, no name given but one look and you know who it is.

There's the connection between big business and organized crime, just waiting for Ditko to flesh it out.  For the rest of his life, the only public statement Ditko made about his plans for the storyline was that Osborn was always going to be the Green Goblin.  This was the Goblin's third appearance in ten issues and he's only gotten this far, showing how long Ditko was stretching this out.

Healthcare Company Fires Social Media Manager for Claiming to be Sad That WHCD Shooter Missed
April 28, 2026

The question isn't "who is on first?" The real question should be "where's the scorecard? Why don't they have their names on the back of their jerseys?"

April 27, 2026 Gerry Conway, comic book writer, The Punisher, "Death of Gwen Stacey", age 73
Somali Pirates Hijack Second Cargo Ship in a Week, as Danger Returns to the Horn of Africa
April 27, 2026

□ [“Trump and Melania Welcome Charles and Camilla at the White House"]

I will admit, I'm surprised.  I'd heard Charles would be coming over, I just didn't realize it was happening this quickly.  And right after the latest assassination attempt but before the next communist strike starts later this week.  That's some timing.

I would like to think this is a big deal, something to do with the globalist elites surrendering to Trump.  That would make a nice image, they had to come over here, Trump wasn't about to go see them.  Unfortunately it's probably something less important, my guess is Charles trying to get some business taken care of before he dies.

It's not a world tour where he's just stopping by, the whole point was to come out here and I'm guessing he won't be available on July 4th.  He'll spend a few days here, then head to Bermuda for a short stay, then go home.  Nothing remotely suspicious about that.  It's not like Trump could give him some orders and he gives them to his homies in the western Atlantic.

5-3 Supreme Court Reverses Lower Court Block, Greenlights Texas Congressional Map
April 27, 2026

□ [“Democrat Rep. Virtue Tweets ‘Concern’ Over WHCD Shooting, Reminded of Her Own Rhetoric"]

This will probably the biggest result of the attempted assassination.  A lot more people are going to have their own calls for violence brought up and more people are going to start searching social media posts for the same thing.  I pulled out this news headline as an example but there are others and that's just counting Congress.  There are teachers, actors, other famous people all urging violence against someone they don't like.  A brewery owner tweets that they'll give free beers when there's a successful assassination of Trump but it won't be today, darn it.

Even some leftists face some reaction from their own.  Bruce Springsteen had to give a speech on stage and say he was glad Trump wasn't hurt.  He was probably just reading a teleprompter, no clue that Bruce actually knew what he was saying, but someone in charge had decided this needed to be done.  Obama has made a public statement too although he only mentioned the Secret Service, nothing about the guy they're paid to protect.

They'll all be insisting 'nobody ever said anything like that!' about Trump being killed.  Point out actual quotes from these people and they'll say 'I wasn't aware of them saying this.'  Point out their own statements and it'll be 'you're taking that out of context!'  Basically it'll require highly-paid lawyers to be involved to get each leftist to say 'my statements may have been misunderstood and I am profoundly sorry for them.'  And then they'll keep going like they did before.  

Nebraska Finally Commits to Ending In-State Tuition For Illegal Aliens
April 27, 2026

□ [“Wisconsin School District Cancels All May 1 Classes So Teachers Can Join ‘Day Without Immigrants’ Protests"]

Safe to assume they will be expecting their students to join them on this 'sudden day off.'  I also assume that at least some districts have a bit of sense and will tell their teachers to show up to work like they're supposed to.  You know, how are kids going to learn leftist propaganda if you aren't there?

This does show that the left really does assume they're already their own national government and we have to submit to their will.  It just seems so unnatural that there's really no clue how they got there or why.  But the kids are their property, no exceptions.  The illegal immigrants probably are too although some may bring some guidance on how to handle the property, maybe move it around to new locations.

Total guess but I don't think this Friday's strike will work out as well as the left thinks it will.  If the economy is so bad, you don't want to risk losing your job.  If Trump is such a tyrant, you've identified yourself as the enemy.  It's a bad movie if immigrants actually want to be part of this country and if they don't, they'd also be singled out as the enemy.  Considering the last year of protests have been old white people, I want to say this won't matter either.  There will probably be more teachers skipping work than in actual businesses.

Google Co-Founder Sergey Brin Turns on the Left, California Drifting Toward ‘Devastating’ Impact
April 27, 2026

Marvel had started moving into multiple-part stories several months earlier with Fantastic Four #25-26.  Spider-Man #17 is also a multi-parter although it doesn't officially say so.  Storylines are carried through the next issue or two.  It opens with Peter thinking about the Green Goblin for no reason, then immediately cutting to the Goblin obsessed with destroying Spider-Man.  No reason is given this time, not even the brief mention of his global criminal syndicate that can only happen when Spidey is gone.  Because apparently the Avengers and the Fantastic Four are irrelevant to things like that.  Gotta be smart to be a world-wide mob boss.  He changes into normal clothes and goes out walking into the streets, unnoticed by anybody.  So obviously he's not some rich famous businessman or inventor who gets lots of publicity.

This issue makes a good snap-shot of the various social structures Ditko is building here.  At school, Flash has decided to start a Spider-Man fan club.  Liz insists that Peter get to join but neither of the boys want that.  So Liz is going to figure out a way to get around them.  Turns out her dad is rich and owns the rich-people's clubhouse.  He'll let Flash's club use it but Liz requires Petey to be allowed to join.  It looks like she stalked Petey to drag him in and meets him walking Betty home.  Oh the girls get at it.

There's some dealings with the public.  At the beginning of the story, Spidey sees a crime, tries to stop it and it turns out to be a movie being filmed.  How embarrassing.  A little later he sees another criminal but before he can do anything, the Human Torch gets involved and is immediately surrounded by fans.  He starts doing autographs and even gives one to Peter for free.

The Green Goblin has decided to attend the club meeting.  JJJ decides to go and orders Betty to call Peter and they'll both be there.  Betty makes a point of not calling Peter.  Aunt May is still trying to hook up Peter with Mary Jane Watson, she's even a fan of Spider-Man so she'd love to go to this club.  But darn it, she's sick again.  Liz's father thinks this will be good promotion for the club and even Johnny Storm has showed up for the meeting, promising to stay out of the limelight.

So most of the cast are here and have various motivations.  Spidey shows up and is immediately attacked by the Goblin.  This is quite restrained since they both need to pretend to the crowd that it's fake.  Johnny knows something is wrong but still feels obligated to stay quiet.  Then he sees some insane crooks through the window on the roof - 'Spider-Man is right there, let's start robbing people now!' - and that spoils everything.  He flame on, interferes with the fight, does nothing except make the crooks run away and gives Spidey an excuse to duck out so now Johnny is fighting the Goblin.  Not sure how either of them know what's going on at this point.

Peter shows up briefly, Liz runs her hands all over him, Peter sees that Betty is watching them.  She's got a reason to dump him now.  This quick break is over, Spidey gets back into the fight but then hears someone on the phone reciting a message for Peter that his aunt just had a heart attack and is in the hospital.  So now he's got a reason to run away like a coward.  The Goblin has won, blinds the Torch briefly and escapes.

JJJ is thrilled, Flash's club has all ditched him.  These are the same people who believed Spidey was a criminal just a few issues ago, not a good look for teenagers.  Peter is now worried about May, the public hates him, he's sure Betty hates him and the Goblin is still out there.  Definitely a step above the last few issues.  The title had been monthly for a year by now and it does give the impression that Ditko had been building towards this storyline.  The next year would finish Peter's time in high school and lead to the 'Master Planner trilogy' which was effectively a sequel to this multiparter,

#18 covers people's reactions to this, various villains, other Marvel characters and good-old J. Jonah Jameson.  May's getting better but is still sick and they need money, so Spidey tries to find ways to make it without fighting crime.  He even runs away from the Sandman and is caught on camera, more bad publicity.  Even Johnny Storm wants to talk to him - "at our last meeting place" which was not the meeting we saw last issue, a footnote tells us where to find out why it's the Statue of Liberty instead - 
and Spidey never shows up.  Flash is so desperate to make Spider-Man look good that he dresses up like him, again, and gets beaten up by crooks.  Flash always comes across as creepy but this is a problem for everybody.

Betty has been avoiding Peter all issue, making herself miserable.  This is turned around by the next step in Ditko's storyline, which unfortunately he will not be there to conclude.  Betty has met some random stranger who's taken her to a movie and she's happy for the first time in ages.  Peter sees them and has had enough, it's time to quit being Spider-Man.  This lasts a page and a half, Aunt May insists she's not as helpless as she looks - or as helpless as she's always assumed Peter is - and gives a speech which somehow inspires Peter to not quit, this is what he's here for.

It was certainly a good follow-up to the previous issue, Stan even points out in a caption that the adventure hero didn't fight any actual enemy this time around.  The motivation for some of these events is a bit shaky and I really don't see much point for the way the ending was done but otherwise it was effective, focusing on the hero's problems in his life.

Because the Sandman was left running around loose - just as Doc Ock had been during Betty's origin - that needs to be taken care of in #19.  Because Johnny Storm is increasingly relevant, he needs to be included.  Marvel did try to make him a solo character although it wasn't really that successful.  Johnny can have his own adventures here or there but he really is a team-player.  And because there's still the underlying theme of big business and organized crime, the Enforcers are brought back, working for Sandman.  This is their last appearance in Ditko's run.

Spidey's back, criminals are being defeated.  JJJ's reaction is probably one of the most popular sequences in any Ditko comic.  The Human Torch has just finished some adventure in Strange Tales #127 - available on news stands everywhere! - and the Enforcers take him prisoner.  Um, why?  Sandman says the goal is to get rid of every superhero but they leave Johnny alive.  There's a really easy way to solve this problem.  But instead they put him in a glass cage.

The next morning, Peter deals with May, watches Flash and Liz argue for more entertaining rom-com behavior.  After school he sees an Enforcer and follows him to a bunch of crooks but the main baddies escape during the fight.  He goes to the Bugle and Betty introducers her new man, Ned Leeds.  He isn't a brand-new hire, he's worked here at least for a little while, but the three of them are only just getting introduced.  Betty, how did Ned get his paychecks until now?  Ned, you work the city desk, did you ever notice the pictures of Spider-Man being used, all by this one photographer?  Peter, did you ever look anywhere else in this building other than when you were fighting supervillains or harassing the man in charge?  But Peter and Ned seem to like each other, no jealousy or threat, so now Betty has yet-another reason to worry she's losing him.

Spidey decides to get back on the Enforcers, finds a random stoolie who tells him everything.  The villains have set up a trap with the Torch still in a glass cage.  It's been well over 24 hours since he was taken prisoner, has Johnny not had to... use his bowels for anything in all that time?  And haven't the FF been looking for him?  Anyway, there's a fight scene, it's only a few pages and the villains are all taken care of.

Peter sells pix to JJJ, is not remotely bothered by Betty and Ned.  The public is reading these stories and assumes Spidey and JJJ are working together to trick the public.  The story ends with some mysterious figure spying on Peter after school the next day and reporting it to a mysterious boss.  It's a well-done set-up and it's disappointing that it becomes irrelevant so quickly in #20.

The following day, the guy is still following Peter who realizes it but can't tell who he is or who he's reporting to.  The day after that - there must not have been any need for Spider-Man - Peter goes to the Bugle to see Betty.  The guy follows him inside and goes upstairs to see JJJ whom he's been working for.  It was broke up across two issues but that's still only five pages of curiosity for the reader.

Just before the guy - Mac Gargan - showed up, JJJ had just discovered a local scientist who could create a supervillain for him to destroy Spider-Man.  JJJ has supported supervillains before but now he's adding to the roster.  Most of the issue is a long fight scene, the Scorpion is much stronger than Spider-Man but is going insane from the chemicals.  He tries to kill JJJ and is eventually defeated because he can break out of webbing but can't break out of webfluid sticking him to the ground.

This is another effective story, Jameson is the real villain, and it's one reason I think Ditko was deliberately exploring big business and media effect on the public.  JJJ caused the mess and now it's coming back to get him.  Once again the Bugle is being ripped apart by a supervillain but JJJ just uses it as an excuse to promote himself as the hero who finally stopped the Scorpion, lecturing that anyone with too much power will become a menace.  There's a very obvious 'dude, look in the mirror' reaction which I assume Ditko and Lee intended.

He was also showing long-range plans for Betty and Ned.  Ned is being sent to Europe to cover the disarmament conferences - are Captain America and Reed Richards also attending? - and Peter has a few thought balloons showing that he really was getting jealous of the time Ned spent with Betty.  When the Scorpion arrives, he does attack her but she seems normalized to this, discussing it calmly with Peter at the end of the issue.

Stan deserves credit and blame for what happened but this is one of those instances where he had to fit whatever he could into the pages he was given.  I also think he was very busy so he wasn't always sure what the story was at any given point.  Betty and Peter's relationship goes all over the place and wasn't easy to keep track of.  Peter is also clearly becoming more mature and I think it was a deliberate decision to have that cause problems for him as well as help his social life.  He's more willing to fight Flash, he's better at approaching girls, he still has to give pointless lies to Aunt May, even when it contradicts previous issues.  In this issue, he gets home covered in bruises and tells her he was playing football.  Not long ago she gave him grief for his lie about playing volleyball and this really isn't something she should be falling for, yet here it is.

But at this point the series had become even deeper that it had been a year ago.  This is an example of why these are such classics, and there is every reason to think Ditko had much longer-range plans.  Just from the first twenty issues, it remained an entertaining regular series and there was enough to build on for a long time.  Given what happens in the next year, I suspect Ditko had planned through roughly a hundred issues and it's one of comics' greatest shames that he wasn't allowed to carry it out.  And I'm still focusing as much as possible on the romance plotlines, I haven't even gotten into the business/organized crime themes.

Phone Recording Reveals L.A. Mayor Karen Bass Was Warned About Wildfires Before Trip to Ghana
April 27, 2026

Oh hell, I don't have much to write tonight.

New ‘Troubles’?  Car Bomb Explodes Outside Police Station in Northern Ireland
April 26, 2026

North Dakota State Rep Liz Conmy Killed in Plane Crash – Plane Erupts Into Fireball
April 26, 2026

□ [“60 Minutes:  Trump Recounts Moment Secret Service Rushed Him During WHCD Shooting"]

Wha...?  I have barely paid any attention to this story, giving the hysteria a chance to wear off, and this is the first thing I actually look into.  Why did he go on 60 Minutes for this?  Don't they schedule their shows weeks or months in advance?  *Maybe* it's something that goes along with taking part in the Correspondents Dinner, it just seems really strange that Trump would agree to this and that he wouldn't have already gone on tv to talk about this.

I haven't really given much thought to whether this was a real assassination attempt or not but this seems like it could go either way.  You have all the so-called "journalists" there and one of the oldest tv-news shows ready to take part.  If this was a real attempt, wouldn't that mean most/all of them were in on it?

□ [“Two Days Ago, Jimmy Kimmel Gave Mock WHCD Speech 'Mrs. Trump, you have a glow like an expectant widow'”]

Partially they just do this out of death-worship but come on, China and Iran want him dead too and they can pay to get help.  As you might expect, the left is unanimous that this was all a fake.  They didn't get what they wanted so it doesn't count, just like no one has ever really tried communism before.  They're not going to restrain themselves from publicly demanding his death, quite the opposite.  You could say that's what they live for, it's what they're trying to promote on all the media outlets.

I'll look into other news articles and see what I think about whether or not this was a genuine assassination attempt or a fake but either way, the leftist mentality is there.  A convincing argument could be made that this was a fake, or at least a 'controlled experiment' to set up someone like this who would try and fail, showing all the sane people how the left reacts to things like this.

FARCS Guerilla Group Kills at Least 19 People in Colombia Ahead of Next Month’s Elections
April 26, 2026

□ [“WHCD Shooter:  Cole Allen, a 30-Year-Old Former ‘Teacher of the Month’ from California"]

Of course there's no way to trust what we learn on the internet.  Last night it was reported that he was dead.  Unless he came back...?  I'm scared, hold me.

Otherwise his social media has been checked, it's just standard leftist ranting.  He doesn't teach children, that we know of, apparently he works for a private education, I don't get how it works but it sound like the sort of thing we'd get in the internet age.  So it seems like typical leftism, although he was able to get weapons and travel all the way over from California to check out a room in the hotel the event was taking place in.  So far I've found no record of any of his allies or contacts, other than a family member he sent a "manifesto" to a few minutes before heading out.

There seems to be a lot of complaints about how the Secret Service handled this event.  As much as anything, that's what makes this look like a fake, or at least what we're being told isn't what really happened.  They had a similar problem in July 2024, leaving one convenient spot for a shooter to make use of and were lucky enough to get one.  I don't think there's any way the SS could be doing this accidentally but there's no clue as to why it's deliberate.

So at this point, I suspect the real purpose for this is to see how everyone reacts.  Whatever actually happened or anybody's motivation is basically secondary, it's just another step where sane people see the left and realize that they're not going to stop.  This is what they do, it's who they self-identify as.

Harvard Students Call Grading Reform Racist
April 26, 2026

Love Triangle

#13 starts with everybody watching Spider-Man commit crimes.  Everybody believes what they read in the papers, except Betty because he once saved her life.  Even Liz sees it in the papers so it must be true.  Nobody calls the other superheroes to handle this.  Peter's ready to believe it although it also means he needs mental help.  He even lashes at Betty for suggesting he do something safer.

It turns out to be Mysterio and is not a good story but it does have some implications about illusion and identity.  JJJ has dealt with supervillains before but I think this is the first time he actively supports one, getting Mysterio a parade on 5th Avenue.  This will become a habit for him.

Liz has gotten a new haircut for Peter which he isn't interested in.  Flash makes a point of complimenting her on it, like he's actually dealt with women before.  Peter has figured out how to beat Mysterio so he needs to leave Betty, who has noticed him with a "pretty blonde."  When was this?  Peter doesn't see Liz outside of school when Betty's at work.  And Flash was always right about Spidey.

#14 continues the theme of illusion and business.  It's another story that isn't very good and the first appearance of the Green Goblin, who is totally out-of-character from what we'll see later.  I will cover that on its own.  Betty is still jealous of the blonde and even knows Liz by name.  I think the was the first time her last name, Allan, has been given.

The Green Goblin is working with the Enforcers, from #10, the ones who told Betty she still owes money.  There is no indication that this was meaningful but the clearest thing about Ditko's future plans was that he put events together in the same issue to be relevant later.  This issue also has an unusual change, during the fight scene the story breaks away to show us what's going on with Aunt May, Liz and Flash, JJJ and Betty at the moment.  Then we return to the fight and the Incredible Hulk shows up.

I will cover this later with the Goblin but *something* about this was a reference to the overall franchise.  The green monster is always out there as a threat, the story includes shady Hollywood business and the whole point is to set up a villain whose identity the audience doesn't know.  The Goblin makes a point of unmasking while his face is hidden from us.  He does say his goal is to defeat Spider-Man and then start a worldwide crime syndicate which makes less and less sense the more you think about it.

#15 introduces Kraven the Hunter, an ally of the Chameleon from #1.  Kraven is some international star so everybody shows up to see his arrival and this is where Liz and Betty meet for the first time.  They don't like each other.  Liz introduces the name "Petey" which I will probably use a lot because it amuses me.  This rivalry is more entertaining than dealing with Kraven although that's fine for what it is.  But there's another change.

Aunt May has decided it's time for Peter do learn what girls are good for so she's hooked him up with her dear friend Emma Watson's niece.  Those grand-nieces and nephews got to come from somewhere.  After the fight scenes - and Jameson again supporting the villain - Betty apologizes for her behavior and asks Peter out but he can't, he has to meet that latest girl.  But the other girl has a headache so it won't happen.  Peter runs to call Betty, she's still mad.  Ok, he'll call Liz.  She's out with Flash.  So Petey's left feeling sorry for himself.  This happens regularly and is certainly a fun end for the story.

#16 is more work on the Marvel franchise, featuring Daredevil as co-star.  It starts with Aunt May really really wanting Peter to try Mary Jane and fall in love.  Well maybe if you get the good sh*t but this stuff is tea.  You know, tea for Teens.  Look, just forget I said anything.

Anyway, the villains are the Ringmaster and the Circus of Crime.  They have previously appeared in The Hulk, so again you can use other character's supporting cast and villains.  They want to trick people to come to their circus and be robbed so they promote that Spidey will appear here because...?  Everyone loves Spider-Man?  My affection for these Ditko stories isn't diminishing but it's getting tough to take a lot of this seriously.

So Peter sees the ad and decides he has to go to the circus but then Betty comes in and asks him to come over for dinner because she discovered a recipe for spaghetti but Peter somehow drops the circus ticket so Betty goes away crying that he's rejected her again for some other girl.  Ok, I changed my mind, this is the harshest, most realistic comic book in history.  Or anything else.  Look in the mirror and what you'll see is unbelievable fantasy compared to this story.

It probably came out a bit earlier but for convenience sake I'll cover Annual 1 here.  It isn't much of a story.  It features the Sinister Six, most of the villains from the previous issues getting together, thinking the can handle Spider-Man together.  Yet again, this reflects the point of the franchise, putting different corporate IPs together, especially as most of the Marvel characters make an appearance, with an ad telling us which book to find them in.

There's a mostly-pointless subplot of Peter believing he's lost his powers.  This ends the first time he faces one of the Six but he had skipped school and his mood worries Aunt May so maybe he's having a problem with Betty.  She goes to see Betty at the Bugle and they get kidnapped by the villains.  Betty must have forgotten her brother because she's not that bothered being held prisoner by the Doctor.  Aunt May is quite easily charmed by Otto.  Betty is happy when Spider-Man shows up to rescue them, May is not.  How long's her husband been dead at this point?

There's an amusing subplot with JJJ being forced to obey the Six, which just makes things worse for his newspaper, but at least he's not cheering them on this time.  Aunt May finally realizes what just happened and is horrified, she missed the Beverly Hillbillies.  This is why VCRs and streaming were invented.  All in all, this was more company product, if you enjoyed previous installments, you'll probably enjoy this one too.

The origin of Betty

The first eight issues of Spider-Man were almost entirely stand-alone.  The stories had very little which would be used for future storylines, other than the characters themselves.  The villains would return with J. Jonah Jameson as arguably the main enemy.  At this point I think Ditko was working on two ongoing storylines.  One of them, the analysis of organized crime and its connection to big business, may not have been a deliberate plot, it may have just been a convenient way to come up with new ideas for each issue.

The other storyline, I think was totally deliberate and if Ditko had been allowed to continue working on this title, it could easily have lasted a hundred issues.  This was the love story with Betty Brant.  Ditko was clearly making that the priority and although Stan Lee liked writing romance comics, he would fight against that to put more focus on the superhero parts of the story.  Stan has a point, the audience is little boys who are not yet become interested in girls, and unfortunately Ditko's motivations will never be known.

Issues #9-12 were effectively a multi-part story, setting Betty up for her role as lead female.  As it starts, her connection with Peter has already grown deep although it's very subtle to the reader.  Aunt May is sick and when Peter arrives to the hospital, Betty is already there.  Stop and think for a second what that says about the relationship.  'My co-worker's aunt is sick so I'm going to visit her in the hospital' is not remotely believable.  Ok, she and Peter have had discussions, he would have mentioned he was raised by his aunt and uncle, that still doesn't get to a point where 'of course I'll go see her when she's sick.'  And think about it from Aunt May's perspective, 'who are you?'  'I'm your nephew's girlfriend.'  You trying to give this lady a heart attack?

So with no information other than one comment from May about how nice it was for Betty to visit, it is clear that they have been introduced and already like each other.  Betty also knows that Peter is hiding secrets from the world.  With the need to pay medical bills, Peter even fakes pictures of fighting Electro to get money from JJJ.  When May goes in for surgery, Betty appears again to comfort him silently.  After the surgery, she informs him about updates from Electro and is worried about the danger Peter gets into taking these pictures.  They both know they're hiding secrets from each other.

They end #9 with an argument that actually deepens their relationship.  Betty's angry that Peter gets into danger.  Peter says he likes her but he's gonna do what he's gotta do.  She's seen bad things before to people she care about.  He storms out but feels bad, then she runs up to apologize and they walk off together into a very empty NYC street.  The captions tell us this could be "love."  They also tell us that Spidey is "the superhero who could be - you!" which doesn't really sound good when you think about but was obviously a good selling point to the audience.

Although most of the issue was fighting Electro as well as the fraud with JJJ, Betty was clearly the central point of the story with becoming close to Peter.  Some changes started being made to her with this issue, specifically her comments about her past.  She said she had just dropped out of high school last year.  And got a job as personal secretary for the publisher of a great metropolitan newspaper, um, no further questions.  What I meant was, and I'm guessing this was Stan Lee's decision, a Peter/Betty romance would be quite inappropriate given their age difference so that needed to be fixed.  I also assume that's the main reason for her new hairstyle in a couple issues, just to make her look younger.

#10 was the first issue of the 'big business/organized crime' storyline which I'll get into later.  This issue also shows the extended multi-issue storylines being planted.  Aunt May is getting better but she needs a blood transfusion and Peter is required to handle it.  No one checks that they even share the same blood type but Peter is jabbed and May is doing better.  She will get sick twice more during Ditko's run and the second time, it is a direct result of this transfusion.  It's a long-term consequence which leads to what generally-considered the highpoint of Ditko's run, the "Master Planner" trilogy.

Meanwhile Betty is leaving work for the day and a gang of thugs are waiting for her outside the Bugle, the Enforcers.  She's already repaid the loan shark but the interest has gone up because of this issue's villain, the Big Man.  Peter arrives in time to save her, almost revealing his superpowers in the attempt.  Betty is more terrified for him than anything else and runs away.

He tries to call her later that night, she reluctantly answers and says she'll explain everything tomorrow, then decides to run away permanently.  The rest of the story is about the Big Man, except for one panel telling us Betty has quit her job and is hiding in Pennsylvania, scared of everything.  We still don't know any details, other than owing money to gangsters.

In #11, Doctor Octopus is released from jail.  Spidey knows he'll be a bad guy and invents his 'spider tracers' to track where he goes.  He is surprised to see Betty driving the car for Ock.  The spider tracer becomes pointless when a map of Philadelphia falls out of the car somehow - yes, it really does that - Spidey knows where to go anyway.

Betty's brother also works for a gangster, that's how they got into this mess.  Doc is abusing both of them and breaking the other gangster out of jail.  Peter tracks Betty down and she's not remotely surprised that a teenage boy did that for her, all the way to Philadelphia.  Nothing creepy about that.  They both act like they're ready to tell each other all the secrets.

But that falls apart when everyone gets together on a boat, the fight scene starts and the gangster accidentally kills Betty's brother.  Initially she blames Spider-Man but later admits it wasn't his fault.  Still, she never wants to see him again, so Peter knows he can never tell that secret.  The way the last page is written and drawn, it looks like she's permanently gone from the series.  Instead she returns to the Bugle on page one of the next issue.

I still have to credit the fight scene in this issue.  They take up most of each issue but remain engaging this one, even just flipping through the pages, more stuff just keeps happening panel-by-panel.  It all builds up to the point where Spidey and Ock have made it to another boat and are both trying to finish this.  But neither can do it, the boat crashes and Ock has escaped.  It wasn't a brand-new concept, Dr. Doom never went to jail either, but I still have to wonder how this was approved by the Comics Code, especially with a murder happening here.

#12, JJJ can't keep a secretary but Betty has returned, all smiles and a new haircut.  Chicks, amiright?  Doc Ock is still on the loose and needs to handle that, so he breaks into the Bugle and kidnaps Betty.  In one of the stupidest scenes ever found in any comic book, Ock tells JJJ to put a note in the paper, telling Spider-Man to come see him and get info on finding Ock and Betty.  He tells JJJ where they will be.  Despite being right there, also threatened by Ock, Peter waits until JJJ has printed this new edition of the Bugle and then shows up to ask JJJ what's going on.  Peter is also getting sick, because that's also a thing.

Eventually Spidey shows up to get the information he already has to save the woman he loves, he goes to the fairgrounds where Ock and Betty are waiting.  He's much sicker so he's easy to beat.  Jameson and the cops have already showed up to watch this, so everybody sees Ock unmask Spidey and storm off looking for the *real* Spider-Man.  Betty is not remotely angry that Peter put himself in such a dangerous situation, just as she's fine watching Spidey fight Ock later on, despite what she said last issue.

Then the police lie to Aunt May and said Peter had fainted in the street because he was sick.  Ok, then a few panels later they came back the next morning to inform her of the truth.  *Now* she's mad about this and Peter - who's now perfectly well because it was only a 24-hour virus - lies to her and says he's going out to burn the costume.  Who is supposed to believe this stuff?

Topping this all off is that now, having seen the school nerd pretend to be a superhero and get beaten up by a supervillain, Liz Allen does a complete 180 and is now totally hot for Peter.  Because of course she is!  In at least four panels this issue, her hands are all over Peter's upper-body as she asks him out on dates.  Teenage boys usually like that, especially from girls they've had a crush on for years.  I quite enjoy Liz' contribution to the next year and her rivalry with Betty but this was not a good set-up for that.

And yet it still works.  I've been reading this comic for over 40 years and I'm not sure I'd ever noticed any of the obviously-stupid parts of this story, much less so many of them.  #12 still works fine on its own, as well as its connection to the last three issues.  Betty had already been set up as the love interest, this storyline set it in cement.

At times she will be inconsistent and I think that's mostly from the dialogue.  Stan was in the middle of a lot of different stories and admitted to not having a great memory so he might have had problems trying to remember where he'd left off the previous issue.  Doesn't have to be that accurate, it's only a comic book.

I've always thought Ditko's inspiration for the Betty/Peter storyline came from Ayn Rand's The Fountainhead.  The lead female character is desperate to avoid admitting her love for the lead male character, even going through a couple marriages trying to avoid it.  This wouldn't work in a Comics Code-approved comic book for children but the theme is similar.  Eventually Betty would be desperate to get married.  Meanwhile Peter would have to deal with other girls, the equivalent of Veronica.

I swore under oath that I was nowhere in the vicinity when the POTUS was attacked. But where was my kitty cat at? Hmmmm, suspicious.

Texas DPS Traffic Stop Leads to Arrest of Human Smuggler Carrying 5 Illegal Aliens
April 25, 2026

Trans Baby Killer Freed from Prison 30 Years Early — Law Enforcement Not Notified of His Release
April 16, 2026

Brigham Young University LGBT Event Features Painting of Trump’s Severed Head
April 20, 2026

Cory Booker Rants, Calls for ‘Foot Soldiers’ Take to the Streets to ‘Stand Up’ Against ‘Darkness’
April 21, 2026

□ [“Swalwell Used $40K Campaign Cash to Pay Lawyer Against Sexual Misconduct Accusations"]

Still looking into how money just gets passed around.  The legal regulations for things like campaign cash get complicated very quickly so few people have any interest in figuring it out and those who do know are probably part of the system.  But there's also leftist hypocrisy and never thinking the laws will apply to them.  Why not, they've gotten away with it this long.  That's also why Swalwell was forgotten so quickly.  I've been going through the news of just a few months ago and he was very popular among Democrat leaders and media.

□ [“Hakeem Jeffries Dismisses Ilhan Omar’s Net Worth, ‘Ghost Winery’ as ‘Right-Wing Conspiracy’"]

They've already moved on.  Until a few weeks ago, anyone who spoke out against Swalwell would be a 'right-wing conspiracy,' just like the poison covid vaccine, Joe Biden's senility and everything else.  At some point they're going to run out of topics they need to ignore as much as possible.  They're also going to have to explain why they've been ignoring it for so long.  If Jeffries is still calling it 'right wing conspiracy' in a week or month after Omar's schemes have been exposed, he's going to look stupid.  Or worse, since he'll be informed about this long before the rest of us.

It's not clear how many more defenses the left has on their elites but it does look like they're starting to run out.  Just being hit by DOGE and the Big Beautiful Bill has cut them off from a lot of money they're getting desperate.  They're not known for an ability to plan for successors and future generations but I think they had been preparing for that here.  I'm thinking of popular music where the Beatles replaced Elvis or grunge and gangsta rap replaced real music, or Hollywood in the late-60s/early-70s where they had finally gotten new stars, I suspect the politicians were trying that here.

People like Jeffries, AOC and Kamala Harris were supposed to be the new Nancy Pelosi, Bernie Sanders and Joe Biden.  It's not working out too well for them these days but this was the leftist attempt to bring in the next generation, building on what had come before.  But they never realized that they required the establish system they've always wanted to destroy, meaning all they can do is get caught up in the traps that others knew how to avoid.  You have to understand the system before you can replace it but people like Swalwell and Omar never got that far.  But they did get enough money to keep them happy, at least for a little while.

Trump Abruptly Cancels Witkoff, Kushner Trip to Pakistan for Iran Peace Talks
April 25, 2026

□ [“Mamdani's New Tax on 2nd Homes Could Backfire on Everyone"]

I don't pay much attention to NYC because it just looks hopeless.  Maybe at some point it can start being fixed but it'll get worse before they get to that point.  Mamdani promised to hike taxes as much as possible and only after taking office did he learn that the mayor can't really do that so he's already facing a big loss for all his insanely-stupid spending.  Property taxes are the only option he has.

The impression I get from Mamdani is that he uses leftist and Muslim words but has never had to think about them.  He comes from a family that's quite well-off so there's never been any incentive to think about anything.  That's how he wound up here.  When push comes to shove, he will send men-with-guns out to seize everyone's property but it hasn't gone that far yet, so he's just going to demand more money from people who own more than one home.

The back-up plan is probably to seize the land when the rich people flee but that's not really going to help.  He's already driving away rich people, meaning they won't get tax money, spending or jobs in this city.  He even stupidly cited a specific billionaire, filming a video in front of his mansion.  The billionaire's company was ready to start a $6 billion construction program - lots of taxes, purchasing and jobs - and now they have every incentive to quit and leave town.  No building but at least you have more poor non-whites to take care of.

Of course there's regular news articles about his latest failed attempt to push socialism.  For the most part I ignore then but I do think about if it's possible for NYC to ever recover from this.  Part of me responds with 'of course it can, it's NYC!' but another part does understand everything that isn't infinite will come to an end.  I have no emotional affection for NYC so it doesn't bother me that much but it does have a relevant place in American history, so there is that.  Maybe we can just tear it all down and invite the Dutch to restart it.

Detroit Thieves Destroy 75 Fire Hydrants in 48 Hours, Steal Metal Parts and Leave Firemen w/o Water
April 25, 2026

CBS News Visits the Southern Border – Is Stunned to Find No One is There Anymore
April 24, 2026

Los Angeles Proposes New Tax to Pay to Fix Street Lights Broken by Copper Wire Thieves
April 23, 2026

Senator Patty Murray (D-WA) Says ‘I’ve Not Heard One Democrat Say Defund ICE’
April 22, 2026

In Their California Home, Biden and Oprah Activist Stabbed, Daughter Stabbed, Mother Killed
April 21, 2026

Colorado Democrat is ‘Creating Lists’ of People to ‘Hold Accountable’ in the Future
April 8, 2026

□ [“Thrawn Explains The Loss At Endor"]
□ [“Supergirl Origins Hope"]

A.I. doesn't seem to be expanding in any real sense.  People are tossing out quick videos and I will admit some of them are appealing, at least to an extent.  The Supergirl video has no story, it's a music video of various clips, often repeated.  It's more like a poorly-done animated cartoon, especially as Kara's costume and bodyshape keeps changing.  The music is bland and forgettable but not bad for what it is.  There is a genuine hint of the Supergirl people actually liked.

The Star Wars video has a similar appeal, a bit more thoughtful but less movement.  Even I know who Thrawn and his captain are, this is just a discussion of why they failed in Return of the Jedi.  The discussion isn't that appealing, especially as Thrawn always starts with disagreeing instead of any more normal form of conversation.  Assuming the comments are from real people, clearly it has a potential audience of Star Wars fans who are interested in this for its own sake.

A brief internet search suggests it's not that expensive to create these A.I. videos although I'm not going to look into it further.  I am wondering how much of these videos are actually being created by the corporate owners of the IPs as a way to keep them going in this new era.  Would Disney or Warner Bros. really have to pay that much to get some geeks working this stuff out?  Still don't know how much real instruction would be needed for A.I. or how much editing but I can't imagine it would be all that hard to do.

Pay someone $5000 to make a handful of five-minute clips about Han, Luke and Leia have a quicky adventure in a serial.  Maybe a bit more to hire some actors to actually do the characters and then use A.I. to replace the visual.  I think there is a wide-spread interest in things like this but I also don't think it will be that deep, not until it comes across as more believable.  Given the upcoming disasters Disney and Warners are getting ready to release this year, I really think they've already started working on how A.I. can replace these expensive failures.

UK Spokesman on Immigration and National Security Says Illegal Aliens Can Never Get Citizenship
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□ [“Trump Rushed Out of White House Correspondents’ Dinner After Shots Fired"]

So he probably won't be attending any more of these.  So far there's only one video and it isn't helpful.  There's close-ups of Trump and Melania at the table, chatting about whatever.  SS comes in and the camera immediately goes back to long distance.  They start being taken out and dropped to the ground for protection.  The video lasts longer but they're gone, the rest of the audience is on the ground, SS goes by and eventually people start getting up.

Leftist sites already say this was a fake.  I could go 50-50 on that.  There was no attack on-screen, we don't even hear any shots.  The shooter has been reportedly killed but there's no info coming out yet.  I am sure that the press will have another step to take if they really expect to be paid for saying they want Trump dead.  Or maybe they'll keep doing it even more, it's not like they have any self-respect from the previous assassination attempts.

It'll be relevant to the people who were there for whatever reason but I doubt the rest of us will focus on this, unless some major relevant information gets released.  At this point I basically assume everything was planned, whether this was a real attempt or not.  But the media's going to need to explain why they let this happen.

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April 25, 2026

The Web Grows

The first appearance of the Vulture was how Peter got a job selling pictures of Spider-Man so narratively it makes perfect sense that his return in #7 takes place mostly at the Daily Bugle.  There's not a lot of story in this issue outside of the fight scenes yet by the end, something about it comes off as satisfying, like Lee and Ditko had reached a deliberately-considered step in the story they were telling.  It starts with a recap of #2 and the Vulture escapes from jail.

One theme for this issue is Peter's dual-identity, a lot of work is put into focusing on both characters.  Attention is also given to taking basic details of life to center the story around, ignoring realism whenever necessary.  The most obvious example is that Spidey injures his arm in the first fight with the Vulture so he needs to make that work as Peter as well as protect it in the rematch, but other details get attention too.

Lee and Ditko probably understood quite well that they couldn't answer some obvious questions with any realism but at least asking the question could be entertaining and make the reader feel more 'sophisticated' with his understanding.  The Parker house is in Queens, the Forest Hills neighborhood, so Peter has to sit around for 20 minutes until he "senses" nobody is around to see Spider-Man leaving the house.  Then he immediately gets to Manhattan.  How?  By walking?  You cannot 'web-sling' between two-story houses.

By now the series had established its characters fairly well so each issue was a decision on how much attention they each got.  Peter hears about the Vulture's escape during a volleyball game at school.  The kids make fun of him for quitting volleyball, then they make fun of him coming back with an injured arm, that's their contribution to the story.  He needs to hide his costume change from Aunt May - by hiding on ceiling like she's a complete idiot - and she forbids him from playing volleyball at school because of his injured arm.  This might be an appeal to the readers, 'this is how stupid the adults in your life are too.'

JJJ's appearance is quite amusing.  Peter has to convince him to buy the Vulture pix and they start negotiating the price.  Then the Vulture attacks and Jameson uses the same negotiation skills to keep from being robbed.  At the end he blames Spidey for all the destruction.  The fight scene is quite good, running through the offices, down the stairs, the printing room and eventually outside.  I'm finally old enough to not really be interested in superhero fights but I have enough experience in comics that I'm quite impressed by Ditko's design and pacing.  Panel-by-panel, he does keep the narrative going.  The dialogue usually bounces back-and-forth from Spidey worrying about what will happen next or quipping at the villain, also fun.

The fight in the Bugle also helped establish the 'big business' aspects of the story.  It would never be fully-fleshed out in Ditko's run but it's clear that he was thinking a lot about this, as was Stan.  It's believable that the offices and buildings are designed like this, as well as all the employees we see running around.  The Vulture made a point that this being payday, it was a perfect time to rob the place.  That part's not as realistic although maybe there was something believable about it before we used internet banking.  But there's an overarching sense of a big business here, even without much focus on its role in a media empire.  It may not be real but it's believable and fund, bring back the reader.

Then there's Betty, being very smoothly added to the story.  She asks how Peter injured his arm and doesn't believe it was a volleyball game, so he says he was fighting the Vulture when it happened.  'Oh well, ask a silly question...'  Peter has certainly been getting better at dealing with girls and Betty is certainly likeable.  After the battle, she probably can't leave, she's still on the clock, so she just sits on the floor next to her desk.  Peter comes back, he was hiding, not heroic, they start talking and that's where the story ends.

Lee and Ditko clearly wanted the romance to be a big part of the story.  Stan always said romance comics were the most fun to write and, working 'Marvel method,' Ditko was doing most of the heavy-lifting right from the start so he was definitely overseeing this.  They also had enough awareness of the medium and genre they were working in to make use of the stereotypes or avoid them.  They also knew their target audience.

#8 was the 'Tribute to Teen-agers' [sic] issue.  Not really any reason for that but it sounded good at the time.  This was two shorter stories.  The main one took place at school.  Flash bullies Peter and breaks his glasses, finally getting rid of the 'Clark Kent' comparisons.  It still seems ridiculous in several ways, but Peter finally decides to have it out with Flash, who he can beat easily.

They've been told to handle it in a boxing match which Peter wins so easily that Stan Lee needs to work in dialogue that makes it look like everyone believes this.  But this was intentional, Flash regains consciousness just before the criminals run in, trying to escape, trip over him and they're now unconscious too.  Peter is able to set him up, 'only Spidey could have beaten them so easily and you weren't around while the rest of the fight was going on!'

The story centers around a super-robot, brought to a high school for some reason.  The robot can solve any problem so the students decide to ask about Spider-Man's real identity for some reason.  They throw in a bunch of random facts which Peter is instructed to program into the robot for some reason.  The robot prints the answer in mathematical code for some reason, which is left with Peter to translate overnight for some reason.  Then criminals who work for the robot scientist for some reason try to steal the robot but accidentally set it on a rampage for some reason.  Everybody in school is watching Peter and Flash fight for some reason so they ignore the robot.  In the last panel of the story, Peter says he'll just say he lost the paper listing Spidey's secret ID for some reason.  This never comes up again so he obviously got a way with it for some reason.  I can't think of any reason this isn't believable and my super-robot is on the fritz so I can't ask it for help.  When oh when are they going to invent google?

The fight with the robot is enjoyable and handled much like the fight with the Vulture in the previous issue.  The kids at school get some attention.  Liz has a very small bit of sympathy for Peter but otherwise no one stands out besides Flash.  Most of stories so far have included some of Peter's interest in science and this is no exception.  In this instance, he doesn't reprogram the robot but is at least able to turn it off during a dangerous moment.  In general the story is quite stupid but all the parts are entertaining enough for what they are.

It was shorter than most issues because #8 also includes a six-page story drawn by Jack Kirby.  The overall franchise is still being constructed and they need to get the two most prominent teenage characters together, handled by the *other* major Marvel artist.  Really it's out-of-character and only Stan's dialogue makes it work.

For some reason, Spidey is stalking the neighborhood Johnny Storm's girlfriend Doris.  Johnny has chosen this moment to show off his brand-new car, a Chevy Corvette Stingray, which had started being manufactured August 1962, the month cover-dated on Amazing Fantasy #15.  Johnny is surrounded by adoration by teenagers, they start dancing because... teenagers, Spidey is spying on them and decides to interfere.  Everybody is angry at him for this so of course he's willing to join the party.  There's needing to give the characters a reason to fight but this is ridiculous.  Isn't there crime out there Spidey could be fighting?

Have you ever heard of Frank Merriwell?  Neither have I but Spidey snarks 'Who writes your dialogue, squirt?' and that's who he cites.  Wikipedia says Merriwell was a fictional character, created and usually written by Gilbert Patten under the pen-name 'Burt L. Standish.'  Merriwell was quite popular in the first few decades of the 20th century, in dime novels along with a comic strip, a radio show and a movie serial.  A reboot was attempted in the 40s but it only lasted a few years and another attempt in the 60s which immediately failed, which may be why Stan was thinking of him for the dialogue here.

Based on the description, Merriwell was essentially a superhero, just without superpowers.  He was excellent at all sports, which gave him a reason to go around, get into adventures and fight crime.  He was always right and idolized by his fictional fans.  I'd never heard of the guy but this is what the mass-media has been pushing for over a century now, Merriwell first appeared in 1896 by a NYC-based pulp fiction publisher, Street & Smith, who would have many other famous writers working for them over the decades.  So in many ways, this was what Marvel was aspiring to become, yet much of it is completely forgotten now.  And you get all of that here in one word-balloon in one panel on one page of one short comic-book story.

Anyway, the Torch is as irritated by Spider-Man as anyone would be and is ready to burn him down.  The Comics Code wouldn't permit the use of FAFO but that's what Spidey is facing here.  Then the other three FF-members show up, Spidey is stupid enough to keep fighting but Sue gets involved and makes them stop.  This is very cheesy and really had no purpose as a story, but the FF had now made four appearances in eight issues, corporate IPs being put together to keep pushing the franchise, the theory which made me start thinking about DC and Marvel history, to the point where I'm now spending page-after-page analyzing Ditko's Spider-Man.

By this point, most of the franchise was in place.  The Avengers had just formed a few months earlier and were only a couple months away from Captain America joining them.  I still think that had always been the goal being aimed towards, back when publisher Martin Goodman told Stan Lee to do a rip-off of Justice League, which led to the Fantastic Four.  Just a couple months after that, Marvel would have its first multi-part story, the Fantastic Four fighting the Avengers over the Hulk.  If you recall, the Hulk was the story-reason for creating the Avengers - reused for the 2012 movie - and was always a monster rampaging around to smash stuff.  Like Spider-Man, he was used to put together the various corporate IPs.

The same month as the FF/Avengers/Hulk fight, Daredevil #1 was released, the final creation for Marvel's early years.  Spider-Man wasn't in the comic but he was on the cover as a selling point, 'if you like him then buy this.'  Daredevil #2 would start with an appearance by the Fantastic Four and the villain was Elektro, one of Spidey's crooks.  Daredevil would be the only character in this era created with no contributions from Kirby or Ditko yet they were still relevant here.  He would also guest-star later this year in Spider-Man #16.

But we never hear about the funniest piss you've ever seen. Why is there discrimination against defecation?

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Spider-Man #3 was the first full-length Ditko story.  He had done stories that long before, such as monster books for Charlton, Gorgo and Konga, and continued working on those well-into his run on Spider-Man, being able to use that many pages every month for the next installment of the story.  This was Doctor Octopus' first appearance and I always wondered if Ditko had a particular fondness of him for that reason.  Doc Ock would be used more than any other villain in Ditko's run.

The story is quite generic and simple, hero loses to villain the first time, then figures out a way to win and carries it out.  This was deliberate, Spidey opens the story bored with how easy criminals are to beat.  Then we meet Doc Ock who turns evil.  The only other noteworthy part is the appearance by Johnny Storm as a speaker at Peter's school, giving generic advice to go back and try again.  School, Aunt May, the Daily Bugle, are very minor parts of the story, otherwise it's all about superhero fights.  Not a complaint, just pointing that out.

#4 makes up for that. Spidey beats up some obvious crooks but they can't be arrested because there's no evidence they did anything illegal.  He's annoyed by how the media hates him and leaves a trick for JJJ which will come up later.  Afterwards he runs into the Sandman.  Can't easily beat him and his mask is ripped during the fight so he needs to escape to protect his identity.

The media broadcasts Sandman's origin - totally realistic - and attempting to repair his costume, Peter has to fake being sick so Aunt May isn't suspicious of anything.  Later Sandman, running from the cops, breaks into the school and holds the students hostage.  Luckily Peter hadn't been seen, Spidey shows up and wins the fight.  JJJ has showed up with the police and blusters as Spidey tries to hand over the prisoner, building on the opening scene.  Spidey even has to take fake pictures of fighting sand to get pix to sell Jameson.

The most relevant part of the story would be the start of a major storyline and unfortunately the only one Ditko would bring to a full conclusion.  The trick Spidey had left for JJJ was webbing on his desk chair which means he needs his secretary to get him a new pair of pants.  Breaking-and-entering and destruction of property is not mentioned among Spider-Man's crimes but Peter is at the Daily Bugle as this happens and has his first known interaction with "Miss Brant."  It's still not clear that this was the woman at the front desk in #2 but their hair is vaguely similar so I'll use that as evidence.  There's interaction with JJJ and, disappointed, Peter goes to school.

At school, the bullies are talking about him and Liz - no last name given - admits she had agreed to go on a date with Peter because he kept begging her.  Typical high school girl behavior, especially when she's also hanging out with the school's star athlete.  But Peter has to break the date off because he needs to look for Sandman.  During the fight later, Liz is wondering where Peter is.  Afterwards, he's now free for the evening but she's ditched him and everybody laughs.

So this makes the ending work with multiple storylines coming together.  It's already becoming a standard ending that the story usually ends with Peter feeling sorry for himself.  There's the school, JJJ, the media, fighting crime, keeping a secret identity.  Aunt May rarely contributes to these stories but she remains as a weight he has to carry.  This isn't solid literature but given the low-bar comics have had for most of their existence, it is notably above-average.  I don't have much to say about the fight scenes because they're so long but visually they do remain entertaining.

#5 came out one month later, meaning this title was selling well enough to go monthly.  I'm still unsure how well the news-stand sales could be tracked back then and I still think Spider-Man was always intended to be the flagship of the whole franchise.  This was also shown by the fact that the villain wasn't even from his title, Dr. Doom.  This makes the third time in five issues that the Fantastic Four have been connected to this title.  The web is getting bigger.

JJJ rants in the media, the school kids listen to him, as does Doom.  He recaps his last appearance in FF, signals Spidey to meet him, they fight, Spidey flees.  The side-characters get a little more development.  "Miss Brant" even speaks up for Spidey, suggesting to Peter that she's a fan.  JJJ says hating Spider-Man makes money and sells papers, that's why he does it.  Flash Thompson is going to impersonate Spidey - where did he get the costume? - to scare Peter who is being tracked by Doom, so he grabs Flash by mistake.  He broadcasts the world and the FF that he has Spider-Man prisoner!

Of course Peter has to get involved, another long fight scene but if you're into that sort of thing, it's right up your alley.  Doom is very well-armed, neither side can win but when the Fantastic Four show up, both of them flee.  Peter and Betty show some slight attraction to each other and Flash is idolized by high schoolers for this stunt, even Liz.  'Oh, what a life!'  The formula for these endings is already set but are very entertaining and show no signs of decreasing.  No wonder this title went monthly.

#6 is mostly in the trend of Marvel's monster books, the Lizard is rampaging in Florida and most of the story is covering his origin and the fight scene.  The most notable part of the story was that Dr. Curt Connors was very grateful to Spider-Man for fixing this situation and would repay the debt in future issues as a helpful scientist.  Beyond that a few pages are used for set-up and the storylines continue.

The Daily Bugle is challenging Spidey to fight the Lizard because that sells newspapers, JJJ himself doesn't believe it.  There's a bit more with Betty, Peter almost asks her on a date.  Meanwhile the school kids are at a museum, criminals show up, Spidey beats them and saves Liz specifically.  Now she has a crush on him and the story ends with her having no time for Peter or Flash in case Spidey calls her.  Still not realism but there is a slight depth to the story as it develops.  The target audience might have been boys who've already reached puberty, which was usually the point where the audience stopped reading superhero comics.

The media plot continues.  JJJ admitted he didn't believe in the Lizard but Spidey directly challenges him about it, so he'll go with Peter down to Florida to find out.  Peter gets pictures but can't admit he took them because even that would be too ridiculous, so Jameson assumes they're fakes.  That's an amusing ending, justifying his refusal to believe in the Lizard.  The final panel informs us the Vulture will return next issue, showing that there were preparations underway for future stories, so just keep reading!

Egyptian Christian Could Face Death Penalty on Terrorism Charges for Criticizing Islam
April 24, 2026

□ [“DOJ Indicts Southern Poverty Law Center for Funding KKK, Defrauding Donors"]

This story has been coming out for a few days.  I know virtually nothing about the SPLC, you could probably count on your fingers the number of times I've ever referred to them in my thousands of pages of current events coverage.  They are a leftist funding group, or something to that effect.  So as you might expect, they've been using their money for things that they claim to oppose, like funding the KKK.  The left is supposed to be against people who associate with them, especially giving them money.  Yet there's mostly been silence.

I know they were part of the 'Black Lives Matter' group ages ago, promoting the *woke* agenda and anyone who disagrees is part of a "hate group."  There's already jokes about how there's so little racism that they need to pay to find something to attack.  It looks like that's basically what they've done.  Since they're so far out of my sphere of interests, I'm more curious about where the funding comes from, particularly with what's been exposed by DOGE, USAID and other recent government investigations.

I have to wonder if the SPLC knew it was lying about this or if it's more like an example of being very similar to your enemies, so much so that you'll team up to turn against the rest of us.  Of course, conspiracy theorist that I am, naturally I assume there's long-standing connections to Democrats and their connections to southern NGOs and unofficial allies of the government.

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□ [“Iran Is on a Deadline, Oil Infrastructure Soon to Be Damaged by Lack of Exports"]

Not something most of us would have expected.  It's just not one of the problems you hear about in war, where the losers have way too much oil.  Iran's economy is based on sending oil to other countries but now they can't transport it.  That means they're out of places to store it which means they have to stop mining it.  That's a big issue which would cause even more problems if (when) they get it re-started.

It's interesting that there's nothing Iran's rulers can do about this.  The best way to describe this might be as a modern form of siege.  They're trapped and can only defend themselves but at this point they have nothing to defend themselves with, so they're trapped along with their own allies and nobody else.  I still keep wanting the people to overthrow them, and maybe that has started by now, but it's taking longer than we wanted.  I can't think of any precedent for this in war.

We're nearing the two month-mark and it's pretty clear Iran supporters don't have a clue what to do about it.  They're not even starting peace protests, the best they can do is complain about gas prices and ignore what they were before Trump took charge.  I'm not even sure Congress has made much in the way of claims about what's going on and there's only generic promises that Democrats will magically fix it if they ever get power again.  That's not helping the mullahs so what else is it good for?

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April 24, 2026

□ [“Ilhan Omar Rages at Reporter Who Confronted Her About Financial Disclosure ‘You’re Stupid’"]

She seems to be the most obvious target for the next round of attacks on Congress and corruption.  Is she easy to hit, weak enough to give in, strong enough to hold out and hurt everyone connected with her?  Or will she just turn on everyone when it's the last escape option?  She's already at a point where it just looks bad to keep pushing away any actual questions about this, especially given what has been revealed for the last couple years.

Minnesota Congress has given her until May 5 to turn over documents explaining one of her frauds, the "Feeding our Future" organization which got over $250 million of Covid money for supposed-child feeding.  She has ignored any request for this information so far which doesn't look good.  The winery she was invested in has also shut down.  Like that will keep them from being asked how this worked.  There's also an investigation into an NGO she tried to get taxpayer money funding for whose address is the same as Somali-owned restaurant which has been in this location for many years.

Because she's a non-white non-male Muslim, I'm guessing she's tied to everyone in this scandal.  If nothing else, she's a convenient excuse to use DEI to hide what's going on.  That's why I'm hoping she's also the one that's going to take everyone else down with her.  It's not clear how long she could hold out, she may be gone next week or she may win re-election this November.  I think the latter is unlikely but unless something big happens, it's still a possibility.  I do think she'll have to start talking about it soon and at least some info might be made public.

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