Quantum Vibe, 02/02/26
Source: Big Head Press
by Scott Bieser
Cartoon. (02/02/26)
Category: Opinion
Affordability fact check: Trump can’t hide from higher prices
Source: JimBovard.com
by James Bovard
“During his 2024 presidential campaign, Trump continually promised to make life more ‘affordable’ for Americans battered by Bidenflation. But in Iowa, Trump scoffed that Democrats ‘come up with this word ‘affordability.’’ ‘First time you heard about it was like a few months ago,’ he said. ‘You’re not hearing it so much anymore … because the prices are coming down so much.’ Yet on Nov. 29, Trump proclaimed on Truth Social: ‘I AM THE AFFORDABILITY PRESIDENT.’ Six weeks later, he sneered in Detroit that affordability is a ‘fake word by Democrats.’ For Donald Trump, the affordability issue conveniently appears and vanishes like the Cheshire Cat in ‘Alice in Wonderland.'” (02/01/26)
“Melania” serves as a dainty middle finger to Trump’s media tormenters (who were wrong about everything)
Source: New York Post
by Miranda Devine
“In a big blow to the Trump-deranged community, Melania Trump’s eponymous movie knocked the lights out on its opening weekend. It came in at No. 3 overall, and its $7 million box office take in three days is almost unheard of for a documentary. ‘Melania’ is crushing it on Rotten Tomatoes, too, with a 99% audience score on the ‘popcornometer’ easily besting the sneering critics’ 10% on the Tomatometer ratings. Like everything to do with Donald Trump’s two presidencies, whatever the leftist media’s opinion, the American public thinks the opposite. The inverse media-ometer is one of the most reliable gauges of public sentiment in this country.” (02/01/25)
We All Need to Have a Serious Conversation About Revolution
Source: exile in happy valley
by Nicky Reid
“A pretty good portion of humanity clearly seems to recognize that we are gazing into the abyss at the moment but how exactly do we turn this ship around from the brink of oblivion? … At some point somebody has to say the word ‘revolution’ and I’m not talking about some commie-scented air-freshener for a champaign socialist candidacy in SOHO. I am talking in no uncertain terms about all of us putting our partisan tribalism aside and doing what I think we all know needs to be done. I am talking about having a serious and ongoing conversation about overthrowing the government of the United States of America.” (02/01/26)
https://exileinhappyvalley.blogspot.com/2026/02/we-all-need-to-have-serious.html
Ammon Bundy Is All Alone
Source: The Atlantic
by Jacob Stern
“Not so long ago, Ammon Bundy was the most famous right-wing militia leader in America. His two armed standoffs with federal agents had made him the face of the Patriot Movement: a loose assemblage of anti-government extremists, Second Amendment maximalists, and more than a few white nationalists. Even some mainstream elements of the Republican Party embraced him as a modern folk hero. But Bundy’s criticism of the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown now threatens to make him a pariah within his own community.” (02/01/26)
https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/2026/02/ammon-bundy-trump-ice/685849/
Trump’s lawless DHS is tearing America apart
Source: Orange County Register
by Dave Min
“The murders of Alex Pretti and Renee Good by masked federal agents earlier this month shocked our consciences. But it is important to understand these killings were the inevitable result of a culture of violence and lawlessness at the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), in which masked DHS agents have been routinely engaging in brazenly criminal acts across the country for months with no accountability or oversight. To be clear, punching someone in the face because you don’t like the sign they are holding is a crime. Same with pulling a gun on or spraying bear mace at a peaceful bystander. And yet we have seen literally thousands of clearly documented crimes like these committed by DHS agents over the past year with no consequences or even investigations. This is part of a broader culture of lawlessness and contempt for accountability that permeates DHS and ICE.” (02/01/26)
https://www.ocregister.com/2026/02/01/dave-min-trumps-lawless-dhs-is-tearing-america-apart/
The Permanent Overclass
Source: The American Prospect
by Rodger Sherman
“Football taught me rich people could be stupid. Even as a kid, I’d seen plenty of movies and TV shows where rich people were greedy, cruel, vain, and unlikable. But stupid? Obviously, rich people are smart! Otherwise, how did they become rich? But as any NFL fan knows, some franchises are just always bad. Superstars wilt when traded to these teams; top draft picks fail to live up to their billing. No coach can fix their problems. And when you look under the microscope at these teams, to understand why they never win or get their act together, there’s often a common answer: a billionaire, convinced of his own brilliance, swerving the team into a ditch over and over again.” (02/02/25)
Where It Ends
Source: The Reframe
by AR Moxon
“The so-called Justice Department issued another tranche of emails from the Jeffery Epstein trove known colloquially as ‘The Epstein Files.’ I imagine that, like previous emissions, Justice has redacted most of the references to the best friend of the infamous serial child-rapist and sex trafficker (who is our current and temporary president Don Trump, in case you didn’t know). And I imagine that, like before, a bit of the tip of Trump’s culpability iceberg will manage to break through to the surface, because when you’re dealing with an iceberg of such magnitude there’s only so much hiding you can do.” (02/01/26)
The revenge of the periphery
Source: spiked
by Joel Kotkin
“The 20th century was an era of consolidation and centralisation. Power shifted away from localities, communities and families, moving ever higher up the political food chain. In the ultimate shift, power flowed towards transnational bureaucracies – most notably in Europe, in the form of the EU. Today, we may be seeing the emergence of a counter-trend: one that seeks to return control to local bodies, closer to where people actually live. The internet and social-media platforms, though destructive in many ways, have also empowered local communities, who now enjoy access to much the same information as those in Brussels or Washington, or in the corporate towers.” (01/31/26)
When Life Hands Trump the Epstein Files, Trump Makes Lemon Aid
Source: Garrison Center
by Thomas L Knapp
“On January 29, secret federal police (‘Homeland Security Investigations’) arrested journalists Don Lemon and Georgia Fort for covering, and activists Trahern Jeen Crews and Jamael Lydell Lundy for planning and organizing, a protest at a St. Paul, Minnesota church. Arresting two journalists for covering an event most Americans correctly condemned — if you want to hold a protest during a religious service, hold it somewhere other than in the church — is a great way to create a ‘chilling effect’ on journalism … and distract the public’s attention from other events.” (01/31/26)