Happy holydays indeed...

 

For years the pond worked on Xmas day, a confluence of job description and the need to prep for Boxing Day, but for years the pond refused to post on the pond on Xmas day.

What are traditions worth, if not to be broken? 

And yet the pond had self-imposed a work to regulation order that meant only one reptile would, could,s should make the holyday season cut.

That meant the pond had to ignore Rachel Maddow's offer of a special Xmas gift, celebrating the way that the tangerine tyrant had ripped off his coat of arms from another family, taking over what had been left in plain sight by the previous owner of Mar-a-Lago:

Besides, it was a pretty tatty second hand Xmas present, which had been already been given over and over by others. 

Back in 2017, the Beeb had written it up as Right to bear arms? Trump accused of plagiarising family crest.

The UK Terror ran with it the same year, making clear the Maddow "integrity" joke in its headline, Donald Trump using family crest granted to Mar-a-Lago's original owners as his own - with the word 'Integrity' replaced by 'Trump'.

Typical of Maddow, turn a single page of a tax return into an endless beat-up. So no joy there. 

And no joy either from Jonathan D. Strum's opinion piece for The Hill, Netanyahu wants to return Israel to October 6 and his judicial coup.

What's new? Have they suddenly started reading Haaretz?

The pond tried to lather up some interest in the latest antics of President Leon, knowing he beguiled esteemed pond corespondents, but that just led to sad tales, such as Amanda Marcotte in Salon scribbling Elon Musk can easily use Donald Trump's greatest advantage against him. 

Things reached a pretty pass when the pond stumbled on Samuel Clench furiously scribbling 'One of the dumbest things I've ever read': Elon Musk's bizarre support for right-wing German political party (warning, news.com.au link). 

The temptation to make a joke about that surname made the pond's bowels clench in a shocking way ... 

Apparently it's now fashionable in Murdochian circles to promote fear of a Musky stench now that Uncle Leon has taken on the role of President, in service to King Donald I in much the same way as Cromwell once helped out Henry VIII (spoiler alert, what a pity that Wolf Hall was so prettified and instead of showing Cromwell's head on a spike in a London street, he was sent off to a monastery making honey from its bee hives, a bit like the way the pond's dog was once sent to a farm).

There was nothing for it but to turn back to the lizard Oz and see if there was anything suitable for the day of days in the holyday season ...

Say what? Not a single message from Xian leaders spreading the seasonal word, just a bit of FUD about inflation to lead off the day, and this ...

No Xian leaders, just the lizard Oz editorialist? And what's this?

Happy holydays to all

What kind of woke progressive drivel is this? Who hit the keyboard to pound out that snivelling snowflake nonsense? What sort of kataclysmic kumbaya karry-on is this? 

What would happen if fervent reptile Xians of the bromancer kind woke up on Xmas day to see they were being invited to be woke with a happy holydays to all greeting?

Is the war on Xmas entirely lost? Have the filthy, vile, despicable secularists won? (Remember to hit "despicable" with a Daffy Duck lisp).

Then it got worse ...

Reheated Dame Groan, like left over pud shoved into the microwave, and the same for the reheated ancient Troy, still trying to interest the pond in next year's reading.

That's the best they've got for happy holydays?

And at the top of the extreme far right world ma, a feeble effort imported from The Times. 

Filth, vile filth, enough to make Mary Whitehouse roll in her grave... ancient idols, gay jokes, nudity...

...The clean-shaven Jesus, which broke from the standard bearded depiction of Christ, was thought to have been inspired by an ancient Greek statue of Apollo that had recently been acquired by Pope Julius II. The face on the flayed skin torn from the body of the martyr St Bartholomew is believed to be a self-portrait of Michelangelo. At the bottom of The Last Judgment, the mythological figure Minos, who oversees the entry of the damned into Hell, bears a resemblance to Biagio da Cesena, a papal master of ceremonies and contemporary critic of Michelangelo.
During a visit to the Sistine Chapel to see the half-completed work, Da Cesena reportedly told the Pope it was “disgraceful that in so sacred a place there should have been depicted all those nude ­figures, exposing themselves so shamefully, and that it was no work for a papal chapel but rather for the public baths and taverns”.
Michelangelo apparently reacted by giving Minos Da Cesena’s features, donkey’s ears, and wrapping a coiled snake around him. During later restoration work, it was discovered the snake was biting Da Cesena’s genitals. When he complained, the Pope famously replied that he could do nothing about it because his jurisdiction did not extend to Hell.
For a fresco adorning the chapel in which popes are elected, The Last Judgment quickly prompted criticism from Vatican bigwigs over the number of muscular, naked men it contained, which were a clue to Michelangelo’s sexual tastes.
Look closely at the crowd of do-gooders heading for paradise and a male couple appear to be kissing.
Researchers have speculated that the artist drew inspiration from the burly manual workers and porters he saw in Rome’s 16th-century bath houses, where both male and female prostitution was a feature.
It all proved too much for the Vatican, which ordered the artist Daniele da Volterra to cover up the dangling genitalia after Michelangelo’s death, earning him the nickname “Il Braghettone” or “the breeches maker”.
The artist was also asked to repaint St Blaise, an Armenian bishop in The Last Judgment, who appeared to be staring at St Catherine’s naked behind.

This on Xmas Day? Naked bums?

Oh happy filthy reptile holydays indeed ...

In the end, the pond was forced to turn to the WSJ for some relief, celebrating all that's best in the current GOP, a heroic figure done down by dastardly forces ...

The Wall Street Journal Editorial Board pretended everything was normal and there was sanity in the land, in Reading the Matt Gaetz ethics report, By blocking him as AG, Senators helped the country — and Trump.

For those who came in late, there was a snap of a man who knew how to make Xmas day a real party ... all you need is a little coke, and a happy hooker ... Former Rep. Matt Gaetz. Picture: Mandel Ngan/AFP

The WSJ began with a tut-tutting:

Whether Donald Trump realises it or not, Republicans did him a favour by making clear that former Rep. Matt Gaetz was unconfirmable as U.S. Attorney-General. On Monday the House Ethics Committee released a 37-page report from its misconduct inquiry into Mr. Gaetz, which found “substantial evidence” of drug use, prostitution, and statutory rape.
“The Committee heard testimony from over half a dozen witnesses who attended parties, events, and trips with Representative Gaetz from 2017-2020,” it says. “Nearly every young woman that the Committee interviewed confirmed that she was paid for sex by, or on behalf of, Representative Gaetz.” Some were first contacted via “a ‘sugar dating’ website,” the report adds. Mr Gaetz “did not appear to have negotiated specific payment amounts.”
Yet the committee alleges that the terms of the deal were clear. “The women had a general expectation that they would typically receive some amount of money after each sexual encounter,” it says. One woman who got $5,000 over two years testified: “99 per cent of the time that [Representative Gaetz and I] were hanging out, there was sex involved.” Text messages included lines such as: “BTW Matt also mentioned he is going to be a bit generous.”

The American reptiles' sunny holyday season optimism was bolstered by a video suggesting that the Florida man had been sent packing, Former Rep. Matt Gaetz of Florida said he would not rejoin Congress after he withdrew as President Trump's pick for lawyer general. His comments came during a livestream with conservative activist Charlie Kirk.

The rag chortled on, convinced that America, or at least the GOP, had saved itself from itself ...

The report says the record “overwhelmingly suggests” Mr. Gaetz had sex with a 17-year-old at a house party in 2017, when he was 35, citing corroboration by “multiple individuals.” The woman testified she was given “$400 in cash from Representative Gaetz that evening, which she understood to be payment for sex.” She said “she did not inform Representative Gaetz that she was under 18 at the time, nor did he ask.” The committee says it has evidence Mr. Gaetz didn’t learn her age until later, while noting that “statutory rape is a strict liability crime.”
In text messages, the report says, Mr. Gaetz would “ask women to bring drugs to their rendezvous,” in some cases “requesting ‘a full compliment [sic] of party favours,’ ‘vitamins,’ or ‘rolls.’” One woman said that she “witnessed him taking cocaine or ecstasy on at least five occasions.”
Mr Gaetz denies illegal behaviour. “In my single days, I often sent funds to women I dated,” he wrote last week. “I NEVER had sexual contact with someone under 18. Any claim that I have would be destroyed in court — which is why no such claim was ever made in court.” He added: “It’s embarrassing, though not criminal, that I probably partied, womanised, drank and smoked more than I should have earlier in life.” The Justice Department investigated Mr. Gaetz but didn’t bring any charges, which he claims is an exoneration.

Another snap showed off the plastic features, as if that somehow made the garrulous Gaetz an unfit nominee ...The Senate’s advise-and-consent role is to protect the country from unfit nominees. Picture: Andrew Caballero-Reynolds/AFP

Two questions:

Is the beast really dead? 

Over at The Bulwark you could read Marc A. Caputo's 'Not Dead Yet': Why Matt Gaetz Could Survive the Lurid Ethics Report.

Inter alia:

In a normal time and state, Matt Gaetz’s political future would be over after Monday’s release of a damning 36-page House Ethics Committee report accusing the Florida Republican of “statutory rape,” paying women for sex, illicit drug use, and other conduct unbecoming of a congressman.
But these are not normal times. It’s the Trump era. And this is not a normal state. Gaetz hails from Florida, the heart of MAGAville.
And in the aftermath of Monday’s bombshell revelations, operatives and political pros here said they really could see Gaetz—now radioactive—making a successful return to elected office.
“There was a time I would say he was done—there was a time politicians would disappear just for having an affair—but those days are gone,” said Kevin Wagner, a Florida pollster and political scientist.
“The short answer is I don’t know what happens to Matt Gaetz,” Wagner said. “The incoming president could endorse him in 2026, and in that case, I wouldn’t bet against him in Florida."

...Already, the groundwork is being laid to get Gaetz to run once more. On Monday, MAGA operatives were lashing out at the Ethics Committee report, treating it as a form of political propaganda engineered by establishment lawmakers to remove a perpetual thorn in their side. Steve Bannon, a Trump adviser and the host of the War Room podcast influential in MAGAville, urged Gaetz to “return to Congress on its first day next year and take a page from that old song the ‘Harper Valley P.T.A.’ and expose all the hypocrites in the House who have used tax money to cover up their sexual depravity.”
Bannon’s bet is that the no-apologies-no-fucks-given approach that Trump has perfected can be adopted by his acolytes, even if it hasn’t worked for others (see: Lake, Kari). Some fellow Republicans agree that negative saturation media coverage isn’t as deadly as it used to be, especially in GOP politics, and that politicians with their own standalone brands like Gaetz are better built than others to survive scandal when scandal no longer seems scandalous.
“The political culture in this country has become much more secular, but the press still tries and treat it with a sanctity and purity that our primary voters no longer seem to,” said Ryan Tyson, adviser to Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and a polling coordinator for billionaire Elon Musk’s political committee that backed Trump.
“There’s a sense of pearl-clutching by the media that voters don’t get. And people don’t believe the media like they used to,” he said. “And I’ll bet if we tested this, more primary voters than you think will say ‘He’s married, he’s moved on, and this is a political hit job.’ That’s why I won’t say he’s done.”

...Steve Vancore, a Florida Democratic pollster, said of Gaetz: “I don’t know if he is toast. If it is played off as a Democratic witch hunt and he becomes a martyr, it could elevate him in a primary.”
Vancore said Republican and Florida voters are just different nowadays.
“I mean we have a guy headed back to the White House who admitted to enjoying inappropriately grabbing women in their private parts (euphemism alert) and has a series of felony convictions etc etc.,” Vancore said in a text message. “So I think it is fair to say that culture warriors often get a pass. Short answer is ¯\_(ツ)_/¯”

Exactly.

Who knows?, said with a shrug.

What's wrong with a frisky Tom Jones style lad sowing a few wild oats, enjoying a few drugs, some happy hookers, and sex with an underage girl?

Why he's a chip off the old pussy groper's block, and if you can get to the very top after confessing to a love of pussy groping, there's still a chance for a repentant married man ...

Second question.

What makes Gaetz the worst problem? The whole pack of nominations is a stacked deck of jokers, from wild cards like RFK Jr to Putin lovers of the Tulsi Gabbard kind to having a drink with Fox News weekend personality Pete Hegseth. 

Wander through the lot of them, and they'll be taking over Canada, Greenland and the Panama Canal before January is out.

Oh yes, Trump's 'stunningly unqualified' diplomatic team shapes up at breakneck speed.

Who knew that John Bolton could attempt to sound sane by casting the big man as an agent of chaos in Major international crisis ‘much more likely’ in Trump’s second term, says his ex-national security adviser, John Bolton delivers scathing critique of Trump’s lack of knowledge or coherent strategy: ‘I’m very worried’

...“He doesn’t know much about foreign policy. He’s not a big reader. He reads newspapers from time to time but briefing papers are almost never read because he doesn’t think they’re important. He doesn’t think these facts are important. He thinks he looks the other guy across the table in the eye and they make a deal and that’s what’s important.”
Trump believes he has a friendship with Putin, Bolton added. “I don’t know what Putin thinks his relationship is with Trump but he believes he knows how to play Trump, that Trump’s an easy mark. Trump doesn’t see that at all.
“If you put everything on the basis of personal relations and you don’t understand how the person you’re talking about on the other side views you, that’s a real lack of situational awareness that can only cause trouble.”
Trump has repeatedly praised authoritarians such as Putin and Hungary’s Viktor Orbán and not ruled out withdrawing from Nato. Asked about Trump’s now notorious affinity with strongmen, the former national security adviser replied: “I suppose a shrink would have a better a better grasp of it but I think Trump likes being a big guy, likes other big guys.
“These other big guys don’t have pesky independent legislatures and judiciaries and they do big guy things that Trump can’t do and he just wishes he could do. It’s a lot more fun if you don’t have the kinds of constraints that constitutional governments impose.”
In recent days, Trump has again rattled diplomats by threatening to take back the Panama Canal, calling for the US to buy Greenland and suggesting that Canada become the 51st state. Kim Darroch, who was Britain’s ambassador to Washington for four years from 2016, told Sky News that Trump’s second term will be “like a 24/7 bar-room brawl”.

And so on, and yet here's the WSJ trying pretend it's all hunky dory and everything's under control in an advise and consent kind of way:

The ethics report, however, alleges that his conduct broke state laws while also perhaps avoiding the federal sex-trafficking statute: “Although Representative Gaetz did cause the transportation of women across state lines for purposes of commercial sex, the Committee did not find evidence that any of those women were under 18 at the time of travel, nor did the Committee find sufficient evidence to conclude that the commercial sex acts were induced by force, fraud, or coercion.”
Appended to the report is a short dissent by a Republican, but it’s focused on the decision to release these ugly details after Mr. Gaetz quit Congress. “We do not challenge the Committee’s findings,” it says. Mr Gaetz presents himself as a victim of a political vendetta, but his behaviour should be disqualifying for a cabinet post, especially chief law enforcement officer. Mr Gaetz abruptly resigned from Congress in hopes of forestalling the report’s release.
All of this vindicates GOP Senators who were sceptical of Mr. Gaetz’s nomination. The Senate’s advise-and-consent role is to protect the country from unfit nominees. By doing that job well, Republican Senators can also protect Mr. Trump from his worst decisions.

The Wall Street Journal

Did you like that Appended to the report is a short dissent by a Republican

As if it was just a minor matter from a minor figure.

But pussy groping has now long been institutionalised ...

People avert eyes, and if you want to know how they do it, try reading The New Yorker's long and harrowing The Other Side of the Story, aka Alice Munro's Passive Voice, Alice Munro's partner sexually abused her daughter Andrea. The abuse transformed the celebrated writer's work, but she left it to Andrea to confront the true story. "There are things tht get pushed to the next generation," Andrea says. Rachel Aviv reports on how Munro traded reality for fiction, her daughter for art. (soft paywall)

Happy holydays? 

A happy four years from an unfit man offering the country an abundance of unfit nominees, billionaire advisers with delusions of fascist grandeur, and endless bar-room brawls and abuse, guaranteed to generate PTSD...

On the upside, there's going to be a lot of humour amidst the hysteria ...

Cue Will Saletan ...

There once was a lady named Mace
who thought drones had arrived from deep space
and given the rot
that her party has bought (shouldn't that be brought?)
one can't really say she's off base

Cue David Stafford ...

A curious woman Miss Mace
Was determined to make her own case
In pressers, sincere
Her intention was clear
Pay attention to me and my face

Cue Mike Luckovich ...billionaire must-haves!

Cue a few seasonal 'toons relevant to the above ...