Tv and radio are running Valentines Day ads earlier every year.

Memes?  Where we're going, we don't need memes.20251118
University of Notre Dame Will No Longer Require Staff to Support its ‘Catholic Mission’
November 19, 2025

□ [“Maduro Speaks of God and Peace While Venezuela Remains Mired in Crisis and Authoritarianism"]

Ok, what is this?  I'm half-convinced this is just being made up.  He's already done John Lennon and now he's promoting religion?  *If* it's real, maybe he's just drugged out.  Or maybe he's always like this and everybody who protected him has escaped by now.  Or Trump has threatened to overthrow him unless he says whatever he's told to.  Or someone has pushed a button to switch the circuits in his brain implants to another program.

The Venezuelans must know he's acting like this.  The Trump administration is surely working on-the-ground with them, along with the chick who was given Trump's Nobel Peace prize.  So are the people just not sure they believe this is happening or are they waiting for the right moment to rebel?   If it's the latter, how the hell did we do this?  We told him to start being batsh*t crazy in public and here he is.  Hey Putin, Xi, Nancy Pelosi, we could do that to you too.

I will continue to respond like this is exactly what's happening but it's so unheard of that it could quite easily be made-up for the internet.  It just comes of like some completely new weapon.  I wonder if this might be part of what the negotiations with Russia and China are about, we can do this so what next?  Of course there's also the possibility that they can do it too.  This is a very strange war.

□ [“US Declares Nicolás Maduro’s Cartel of the Suns 'Foreign Terrorist Organization,' Elevates the Regime to Formal Enemy of the State Status"]

At least this is slightly more understandable, although I don't think I've heard of the "cartel of the suns" until a day or two ago.  Officially it's a "criminal structure" although as always, I have to wonder if it's a demon-worshipping cult.  But this new status is the last step before 'military action' becomes an actual war.  It authorizes us to do whatever we can against the regime and their allies anywhere, at least in the western hemisphere.  Probably more, Iran is still supporting Venezuela.

Top Michigan School Official Can’t Answer How Many Genders There Are
November 19, 2025

□ [“DOJ’s Salacious Distraction:  The Real Epstein Intel Is Locked in Langley"]

"Langley" as in the George Bush Center for Intelligence in Langley, Virginia, CIA headquarters.  Isn't that just like the CIA to make sure we know where to find them?  But the point is that all the stuff coming out now - assuming it's real - is unclassified.  The CIA is still holding on to the real information, Epstein worked for them.

This is has long-been considered although I didn't give a lot of thought to the possibility.  This says he was aimed at 'high-profile' Americans as well as foreign leaders.  He brought as many of them in as possible to provide intelligence and be used for blackmail.  The CIA paid Epstein for being so useful which is why they haven't allowed the real info to be made public.

I'd go 50-50 on whether this is true.  It's certainly believable and I'm not one of those people who always blame everything on Israel or MI6, so who's left to blame but the CIA?  Or maybe they're just the puppet, the one who gets blamed for everything while someone else is completely ignored.  Obviously I'm into conspiracy theories but even I recognize that there's a point where it's just meaningless to focus on any of them.

As I write this, Trump has signed the bill from Congress to release everything.  His public statement just blames the usual Democrats for everything.  There is no word on how the CIA will react or if they will even notice.  House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer has said that if the Clinton's refuse to testify, he'll do them what Democrats did when Steven Bannon refused to testify, send them to jail.  This could be big, or Bill could just bring up some blackmail in private discussion and we'll never hear about it again.

Congresswoman Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick (D-FL) Indicted For Stealing $5 Million in FEMA Funds
November 19, 2025

Clinton Judge Orders Public Schools in North Texas to Remove Ten Commandments From Display
November 18, 2025

□ [“Pope Leo Clarifies Immigration Stance:  Every Nation Has the Right to Control Its Borders"]

Whoever's in charge told him he'd better retreat from some his recent comments.  Otherwise a lot of people can justifiably ask why Vatican City gets to have borders?  Not only that, it has walls to keep people out.  The only way to get away with that is to out-right say that you don't have to follow your own rules.

I'm not sure how big the notion of 'open borders' has ever really been, at least beyond leftist elites in white countries.  Also not sure what the actual definition of "nation" is but it's not clear how many countries out there actually meet it.  The Middle East is an obvious example, it's just lines drawn regardless of who is living where.  Most places, it's the people conquering you decide your borders.  But other nations had to get through this the hard way.  Vatican City, not so much.

Even some leftists are admitting that they need to actually treat borders seriously, so Leo coming out to backtrack his previous comments just makes him and the Vatican look like they're way behind the curve.  Maybe he should ask some of the mosques they have, maybe they'd have some relevant viewpoints he should listen to.

Republicans Ban Dan Crenshaw From International Travel After Alcohol-Related Episode on Trip to Mexico
November 19, 2025