@f800gecko@mastodon.online cover
@f800gecko@mastodon.online avatar

f800gecko

@[email protected]

Current events, politics, images, lit, movies, art, aviation (lapsed PPL), travel, science/tech, cats, dogs, nature, cycling, music, Linux, Python. Greyhound rescuer. BLM. Slava Ukraini! LGBTQ+ ally. Lived corporate IT/ Projects / Strategic Sourcing 30+ years—loved/hated. I follow stochastically—a bio and a few resonant posts often tip the scale. ADHD+ive. CDN/SW Ontario.

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@f800gecko@mastodon.online avatar f800gecko , to random

Das Boots is Made for Walking


@f800gecko@mastodon.online avatar f800gecko , to random

Mrs. Doubtfire in the Hole

(apologies to Steely Dan)


@f800gecko@mastodon.online avatar f800gecko , to random

Eight Mules High Plains Drifter


@f800gecko@mastodon.online avatar f800gecko , to random

Dust in a Mighty Wind


@dhj1961@mstdn.ca avatar dhj1961 , to random

Attack Of The 50ft Gold Dust Woman


f800gecko ,
@f800gecko@mastodon.online avatar

@dhj1961

The Treasure of the Santa Monica Boulevard.


@404mediaco@mastodon.social avatar 404mediaco , to random

An Oklahoma man tried to talk about a data center coming to his community. Police arrested him when he went a few seconds over his time limit.

https://www.404media.co/man-opposing-data-center-arrested-for-speaking-slightly-too-long/

f800gecko ,
@f800gecko@mastodon.online avatar

@404mediaco

Land of the free*

  • billionaires
@pluralistic@mamot.fr avatar pluralistic , to random

Today's threads (a thread)

Inside: Six years of Pluralistic; and more!

Archived at: https://pluralistic.net/2026/02/19/now-we-are-six/

1/

A screengrab from the first episode of 'The Prisoner,' showing Number Six (Patrick McGoohan) lying unconscious on the beach after being bowled over by a giant white sphere (a 'Rover'). The image has been altered; my head has been superimposed on McGoohan's body; TV scan lines have been added, and the image has been given a vertical 'ripple' of the sort that appears in a badly tuned broadcast TV signal.
ALT
f800gecko ,
@f800gecko@mastodon.online avatar

@pluralistic

This is good one.

Readable, informative, thought provoking (my view of AI having been adjusted somewhat in line with inklings I know I'd been having that were given voice here), and a cool look inside a thought factory.

@tante@tldr.nettime.org avatar tante , to random

This whole "OpenClaw" thing has made me very angry and I wrote a bit about the why. It's not that "it's AI": It is the way that kind of project invalidates decades of work and care in free software. "AI" software isn't just careless, it is actively rejecting responsibility and care.

https://tante.cc/2026/02/14/diffusion-of-responsibility/

f800gecko ,
@f800gecko@mastodon.online avatar

@tante @pluralistic

More truth...

'Decades of collective work proving that “open source” is not less but at least as secure as commercial offerings now slowly going down the drain. Because a bunch of men – and it is always all men – just don’t want to be responsible for their actions. Which is fine if you are 5. But after 18 it gets old really fucking fast.'

@f800gecko@mastodon.online avatar f800gecko , to random

Never forget this:

https://www.irishtimes.com/world/us/2025/12/12/its-surreal-us-sanctions-lock-international-criminal-court-judge-out-of-daily-life/

All it takes is a single tantrum.

Here's where you can sign up for Proton email, calendar, VPN, etc...

https://pr.tn/ref/90A9QAFA

@f800gecko@mastodon.online avatar f800gecko , to random

How long until Trump starts sinking boats on Canada's coasts & the Great Lakes, arrests the prime minister, and starts bombing to get his hands on minerals, water & oil after the 'steal' of 1812?

Where is the line?

Is there a line?

@georgetakei@universeodon.com avatar georgetakei , to random
f800gecko ,
@f800gecko@mastodon.online avatar

@georgetakei

Anything to keep the delusion alive.

@f800gecko@mastodon.online avatar f800gecko , to random

I've been reading about and by necessity mucking about with UEFI boot-related matters the past while as I get settled with Linux, reorganize partitions, etc., which led eventually to this – a sobering & still-topical read on the hardware/firmware-level erosion of your privacy and control of your own IT:

https://pluralistic.net/2024/01/18/descartes-delenda-est/#self-destruct-sequence-initiated

More here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/UEFI#Secure_Boot_criticism

@pluralistic

@itsfoss@mastodon.social avatar itsfoss , to random

Is the internet we knew already gone? Dive into how bots, AI, and algorithms are reshaping the web. 🤖🖥️

https://news.itsfoss.com/internet-is-dying/

f800gecko ,
@f800gecko@mastodon.online avatar

@itsfoss

Good reading.

'...what would an 18 year old me dreaming of films and film-making, encounter on the internet in 2025? I encourage my younger readers (those born in the 2000s) to do the opposite: imagine if you were old enough to encounter the pre-social media, pre-SEO spam, pre-AI sludge filled internet.'

@molly0xfff@hachyderm.io avatar molly0xfff , to random

Someone should probably inform the White House's "AI & Crypto Czar" that no one is forcing AI companies to train their models on Wikipedia

You would think the obvious solution to "the volunteer-powered project we all train our AI models on for free isn't adequately twisting reality to our political views" would be "... and so we stopped training on it" and not "... and so we will force the volunteers to bend to our will"

Tweet by David Sacks: "Wikipedia is hopelessly biased. An army of left-wing activists maintain the bios and fight reasonable corrections. Magnifying the problem, Wikipedia often appears first in Google search results, and now it’s a trusted source for AI model training. This is a huge problem."
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f800gecko ,
@f800gecko@mastodon.online avatar

@molly0xfff

The reality of human beings under corporate control being entirely based on a catalogue of lies as extensive as Borges's 'Library of Babel', the leadership cannot abide the presence of anything near to truth.

But why stop at a wiki? At a single community of contributors?

Next we must ban science and art in their entirety.

The biggest guy with the loudest bike and the scariest tattoos should say how things go.

@evacide@hachyderm.io avatar evacide , (edited ) to random

Samsung has rolled out a software update to its smart fridges that will display ads, despite saying they had "no plans" to do so. We're headed for a future where you will have to pay extra for appliances without ads.

https://www.theverge.com/news/780757/samsung-brings-ads-to-us-fridges

f800gecko ,
@f800gecko@mastodon.online avatar

@evacide

Our bullshit world.

@pluralistic@mamot.fr avatar pluralistic , to random

The food here is terrible and the portions are so small.

Jesus fucking Christ! Just write a goddamned article and post it online somewhere. You're notable enough these days to reach an audience that actually gives a shit about what you have to say. This is a fine example of the #Enshittification you claim to hate. Don't fucking spam my timeline with 32 posts that is fundamentally an article you could post elsewhere. And I didn't read it incidentally. And you've been unfollowed, but I'm sure you don't give a fuck.
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f800gecko ,
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@Daojoan@mastodon.social avatar Daojoan , (edited ) to random
f800gecko ,
@f800gecko@mastodon.online avatar

@Daojoan

Encouraging at face value.

@thejapantimes@mastodon.social avatar thejapantimes , to random

The United States moved on Friday to dismantle a "burdensome" federal program that tracks greenhouse gas emissions across the U.S. economy. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/environment/2025/09/13/climate-change/us-scraps-emissions-reporting/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon

f800gecko ,
@f800gecko@mastodon.online avatar

@thejapantimes

To paraphrase Trump:

BURN, BABY, BURN!

@w7voa@journa.host avatar w7voa , to random

NYT - In a setback to President Trump’s global trade war, a federal appeals court fonds that many of his tariffs were issued illegally, upholding an earlier decision from a federal trade court. https://www.nytimes.com/live/2025/08/29/us/trump-news

f800gecko ,
@f800gecko@mastodon.online avatar

@w7voa

President Trump's writer.

They have no feel for how he communicates.

When Trump dies, how long 'til they tell us?

Meanwhile he's already dead in the way Biden was: a tool of others and his own fixed ideology.

Beyond that, can anyone imagine the Supreme Court ruling against Trump after reading this latest Stephen Miller & co. outrage?

He'd have them executed.

And they know it.

@f800gecko@mastodon.online avatar f800gecko , to random

Look at the AI-generated shit passing as journalism these days.

'The article discusses the issue of missed strikes and missed balls in football games, focusing on the accuracy of umpires.'

The item is entirely & only about MLB. Beyond the idiocy quoted above, check out the nonsensical section on 'worst umpire ever' and the many binary contradictions in the text.

We’re killing the planet for this vomit?

https://sportslawblogger.com/in-baseball-do-umpires-still-call-balls-and-strikes.html

@pluralistic

@georgetakei@universeodon.com avatar georgetakei , to random

Let me get this straight. 19-year old Big Balls got himself beat up, so they brought in federal troops, which are now helping ICE, which the 26 year old Fish and Wildlife lady is the new deputy of?

A screenshot of an X post by Aaron Reichlin-Melnick (@R ...) posted 6 hours ago, featuring a profile picture of a man in a suit. The post reads: "This is Madison Sheahan. After graduating college in 2019, she became an aide to Kristi Noem. In 2024, on Noem's rec., Jeff Landry named her Director of Louisiana Fish and Wildlife Service at age 26. In February, Noem made her ICE Deputy Director, despite no relevant experience." The post includes a quoted X post from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) posted 15 hours ago, stating: "ICE and our federal partners will make D.C. safer for Americans." The quoted post features an image of Madison Sheahan on a Fox News LIVE broadcast, with the caption "MADISON SHEAHAN ICE DEPUTY DIRECTOR" and "BONDI SIGNS ORDER TO END DC SANCTUARY POLICIES" visible, aired at 1 PM ET today.
ALT
f800gecko ,
@f800gecko@mastodon.online avatar

@georgetakei

They are the American funhouse mirror version of the Khmer Rouge.

@f800gecko@mastodon.online avatar f800gecko , to random

'It was embarrassing for Americans to welcome a notorious wanted war criminal on their territory. It was humiliating to watch an American president act like a happy puppy upon encountering the dictator of a much poorer, much less important state, treating him as a superior.'

14-day gift read

https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2025/08/trump-putin-ukraine-talks/683899/?gift=rMst1BY9gP1HWgkOEVmAK26QXIlbmVKyC4KOuoJ1DDU

@briankrebs@infosec.exchange avatar briankrebs , to random

This isn't going to stop with Washington, D.C. or Chicago. Also, taking >100 FBI agents off of whatever they are doing and assigning them as temporary beat cops in DC has to be the dumbest, most wasteful and demoralizing use of federal law enforcement I've seen in a while. The one thing you can be sure about is that the stated reason for these actions -- cracking down on crime -- is not in fact the goal. You know it's not, because that's what they said was the reason.

A three-column headline spans the top of the Washington Post today: "Trump to place D.C. police under federal control, deploy National Guard." Subheads say: Trump suggests that National Guard could be deployed in Chicago." At the center of the page is a photo of Trump at a recent White House press conference announcing the move.
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f800gecko ,
@f800gecko@mastodon.online avatar

@briankrebs

FBI vs. Homeless = Ali vs. Me

Absurdist nonsense.

Pathological.

@omgubuntu@floss.social avatar omgubuntu , to Firefox

Firefox users report high CPU and memory usage in the latest release, caused by browser's on-device AI inferencing for its 'smart tab grouping' feature.

https://www.omgubuntu.co.uk/2025/08/firefox-high-cpu-usage-inference-disable

f800gecko ,
@f800gecko@mastodon.online avatar

@omgubuntu

'Running down battery life' over millions upon millions of devices is a massive energy suck.

It is not trivial.

@randahl@mastodon.social avatar randahl , to random

In the jails run by Trump's secret police, inmates are tied behind their back and made to eat their food without using their hands, like dogs. And when you protest, ICE attacks violently and fingers are broken.

The list of lawsuits when this is over, will be unfathomably long and very, very expensive for US taxpayers.

This is Abu Graib but on US soil.

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/jul/21/migrants-miami-ice-jail-abuses

f800gecko ,
@f800gecko@mastodon.online avatar

@randahl

Trump has elevated the worst of society to 'legitimate' levels.

@georgetakei@universeodon.com avatar georgetakei , to random

RFK Jr. axes $500M in mRNA research. Texas GOP threatens to arrest Democrats for blocking a Trump-backed gerrymander. A judge halts construction at Florida’s “Alligator Alcatraz” as a whistleblower reports inhumane conditions. The cruelty is loud—and growing. https://thinkbigpicture.substack.com/p/august-8-weekly-news-roundup

f800gecko ,
@f800gecko@mastodon.online avatar

@georgetakei

It is neither a good nor stable situation.

Here in Canada, I suspect many feel as I do: separated from the craziness by no more than a thin sheet of paper.

@georgetakei@universeodon.com avatar georgetakei , to random
f800gecko ,
@f800gecko@mastodon.online avatar

@georgetakei

Always a silver lining, tho.

He shows us what true evil looks like.

A lot like us, if we’re not loud and opposed enough.

@gerrymcgovern@mastodon.green avatar gerrymcgovern , to random

The AI data centers will destroy rural USA

"Almost overnight it seems, Artificial Intelligence (AI) has become “an integral part of modern society, revolutionizing industries, enhancing daily life, and driving economic growth”. At least that’s the hype."

https://arkvalleyvoice.com/why-rural-america-may-be-rightfully-worried-about-the-growth-of-data-centers/

f800gecko ,
@f800gecko@mastodon.online avatar

@gerrymcgovern

Leaded gasoline appeared almost overnight as well.

It took years of struggle between activists, scientists and corporate ghouls to get rid of it (something general aviation still hasn't got figured out: about 6 g/gallon— nearly a pound—per full tanks on a typical C-172).

@w7voa@journa.host avatar w7voa , to random

President Emmanuel Macron has announced that France will recognize Palestine as a state. https://www.france24.com/en/live-news/20250724-french-president-macron-says-france-will-recognize-palestine-as-a-state-in-september

f800gecko ,
@f800gecko@mastodon.online avatar

@w7voa

If they're serious, it’s basically a commitment to international armed intervention at this point.

Is that understood?

Or is it more stalling and lip service.

If it’s real, the next steps are clear.

And not just for France.

For all of us watching.

@gerrymcgovern@mastodon.green avatar gerrymcgovern , to random

Gold mining is truly evil

Yellowknife’s Giant Gold Mine: Canada downplayed arsenic exposure as an Indigenous community was poisoned
https://theconversation.com/yellowknifes-giant-mine-canada-downplayed-arsenic-exposure-as-an-indigenous-community-was-poisoned-261002

This is the story of modern civilization. As we poison our environment we downplay, ignore and deliberately hide the impacts. All for growth. All for greed.

f800gecko ,
@f800gecko@mastodon.online avatar

@gerrymcgovern

The province of Ontario and Canada's feds have each just passed bills (5 and C5) allowing this sort of thing to accelerate.

'Ford and Carney want to fast-track the so-called Ring of Fire mineral deposit within Treaty 9 territory in northern Ontario by labelling it a “special economic zone” and of “national interest.” The proposed development is often described as a potential $90 billion opportunity.'

From a link in the item you posted: https://thenarwhal.ca/ontario-bill-5-explained/

f800gecko ,
@f800gecko@mastodon.online avatar

@gerrymcgovern @the5thColumnist

Diamonds as well.

Prime candidates.

@arstechnica@mastodon.social avatar arstechnica , to random

FCC to eliminate gigabit speed goal and scrap analysis of broadband prices
Analysis of broadband affordability deemed "extraneous" by FCC chair.
https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2025/07/fcc-to-eliminate-gigabit-speed-goal-and-scrap-analysis-of-broadband-prices/?utm_brand=arstechnica&utm_social-type=owned&utm_source=mastodon&utm_medium=social

f800gecko ,
@f800gecko@mastodon.online avatar

@arstechnica

Doubtless it detracts from 'shareholder value'.

And is probably of greatest benefit to voters of little value to shareholders.

It’s quite something how 'shareholder value' takes a priori precedence over absolutely everything else of value under the hyper-neoliberalist economic model (a train without brakes), including the planet itself.

Everyone in their little bubbles, some polluted and hot, some climate-controlled with a lovely buffet.

It can't last long this way.

@georgetakei@universeodon.com avatar georgetakei , to random

JD Vance has no real principles or courage.

f800gecko ,
@f800gecko@mastodon.online avatar

@georgetakei

He is the flapping pirate flag of the administration.

@MAJ1@beige.party avatar MAJ1 , to weirdfolks group

Good evening Squirrel Fans.

With Rachel Reeves espousing the benefits of a ‘trickle down economy’ this seemed an appropriate quote:

“Bandits and governments 'ave so much in common that they might be interchangeable anywhere in the world...”
― Terry Pratchett, Raising Steam

Off to see if the new ‘auto drive’ facility in Cyberpunk 2077 can get me in trouble with the police again!

Wherever you are, whatever you are doing, I hope you’re well & safe! 😊🫶:party_major_squirrel:🖖 weirdfolks@a.gup.pe icon weirdfolks group

For today’s diary update please follow

Red squirrel riding a black motorcycle with a side car and pine cone in it.
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f800gecko ,
@f800gecko@mastodon.online avatar

@MAJ1 weirdfolks@a.gup.pe icon weirdfolks group

Reminds of the 1980's when mainframe tapes containing monthly instructions for the lead bank's disbursement of billions in Ontario social assistance payments used to travel by subway from North York down to the financial district.

A sweaty palms ride for the short-straw guy every time.

@randahl@mastodon.social avatar randahl , to random

Update: I talked to Harriett, and I got the impression that we both realize that this huge misunderstanding was caused by a pretty poorly implemented Bluesky bridge.

I think everyone learned something — I know I did.

I will leave the explainer posts below for future reference.

Thank you everyone who helped clear this up. ♥️
https://mastodon.social/@randahl/114872915952021938

f800gecko ,
@f800gecko@mastodon.online avatar

@randahl

I'm glad I waited to see how this would turn out.

Good on you for the detailed explanation.

@w7voa@journa.host avatar w7voa , to random

Media reports, citing White House officials, indicate the US president is likely soon to fire the head of the central bank, which is supposed to be independent within the federal government. https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2025-07-16/trump-likely-to-fire-powell-soon-white-house-official-says

f800gecko ,
@f800gecko@mastodon.online avatar

@w7voa

Nobody knows banking, reserves, world currency exchange, interest rates, public/private lending & debt, overnight markets, minting/printing, etc., better than the King.

He's the only one who can do it.

In a day, doubtless.

Same way he brought peace the the Middle East and Ukraine exactly as promised, and put that nasty Epstein thing to bed.

@gerrymcgovern@mastodon.green avatar gerrymcgovern , to random

Belkin ends support for Wemo devices, many will become e-waste come January

Any Wemo devices released before 2021 will essentially become e-waste.

https://www.techspot.com/news/108669-belkin-ends-support-wemo-devices-many-become-e.html

E-waste is one more horror story of modern tech. Nothing is designed to last. Nothing is designed to be recycled. Quite the opposite. It's all designed for waste in order to maximize profit.

f800gecko ,
@f800gecko@mastodon.online avatar

@gerrymcgovern

Ghouls who pay nothing for what they extract, burn and spew at their 'valued customers'.

@w7voa@journa.host avatar w7voa , to random

You can't really understand the MAGA base's sense of betrayal on the Epstein Files without understanding "QAnon" and the long-held belief that Trump is secretly at war against a cabal of Democrat child abusers, writes CNN’s Brian Stelter. https://www.cnn.com/2025/07/14/media/trump-maga-media-epstein-files-conspiracy-bondi

f800gecko ,
@f800gecko@mastodon.online avatar

@w7voa

Canadian here with ex-pat American friend who was shocked to learn (from me a couple years ago, since he rejects MSM) that law enforcement turned up nothing at the DC pizza joint epicentre.

f800gecko ,
@f800gecko@mastodon.online avatar

@w7voa

And let us leave readers no doubt the Epstein contact list was and is real:

https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2020/10/i-called-everyone-in-jeffrey-epsteins-little-black-book/

@f800gecko@mastodon.online avatar f800gecko , to random

Watched pt 1 of PBS's Citizen Hurst.

Worth it alone for the visual feast: 19th/20th-century California and some beautiful b&w photography.

As to the man: a product of family first & everlastingly, hot- and cold-rolled in his to a similarly impenetrable alloy of Musk & Trump, self-stressed, tormented by avarice, at war without and within, all the while never appearing to care or to know it.

I may try Citizen Kane again; the opening has been a hill climb for some reason.

@f800gecko@mastodon.online avatar f800gecko , to random

I'm watching PBS's brilliant 'Citizen Hurst' this evening.

The California of old looks stunning.

@w7voa@journa.host avatar w7voa , to random

The Hindu - Both engines of the Air India Boeing 787-8 involved in a crash last month shut down shortly after takeoff, according to the India AAIB preliminary report into the June 12 tragedy that killed at least 260 people. https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/air-india-ahmedabad-plane-crash-aircraft-accident-investigation-bureau-publishes-preliminary-report/article69802170.ece

f800gecko ,
@f800gecko@mastodon.online avatar
@anneapplebaum@journa.host avatar anneapplebaum , to random

"Americans have never witnessed anything like the corruption that President Donald Trump and his inner circle have perpetrated in recent months. Its brazenness, volume, and variety defy historical comparison"
https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2025/07/trump-corruption-foreign-regimes/683487/?gift=hVZeG3M9DnxL4CekrWGK3xSta40_DslDm1uSm0fgwF0&utm_source=copy-link&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=share

f800gecko ,
@f800gecko@mastodon.online avatar
@arstechnica@mastodon.social avatar arstechnica , to random

Northwood Space successfully tests second-generation phased array antenna
"This system will be the first building block in our network."
https://arstechnica.com/space/2025/07/northwood-space-successfully-tests-second-generation-phased-array-antenna/?utm_brand=arstechnica&utm_social-type=owned&utm_source=mastodon&utm_medium=social

f800gecko ,
@f800gecko@mastodon.online avatar

@arstechnica

It’s amazing how space (or spacetime) handles the full spectrum effortlessly, silently, and it takes us this much work to peer into an infinitesimally small slice of it.

Nature is weird.

@georgetakei@universeodon.com avatar georgetakei , to random

I hoped never to see concentration camps like the ones I grew up in appear again in this country. Reading this breaks my heart.

f800gecko ,
@f800gecko@mastodon.online avatar

@georgetakei

My parents were of the same generation as yours.

They arrived in Canada with the clothes they were wearing after events in Europe.

I inherited their stories.

It breaks my heart, too, to see the truth dissolving and running off like so much water.

An ex-pat taxi driver of South America said to me in Toronto in 2016, 'They have no idea what they are voting for...'

It chilled me then and still does whenever I call it to mind.

@Daojoan@mastodon.social avatar Daojoan , to random
f800gecko ,
@f800gecko@mastodon.online avatar

@Daojoan

Every social network monetizes identity, but none has done it as brazenly, or for as long so brazenly, as LinkedIn.

It is their raison d'etre.

@JessTheUnstill@infosec.exchange avatar JessTheUnstill , to random

[Thread, post or comment was deleted by the author]

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    f800gecko ,
    @f800gecko@mastodon.online avatar

    @JessTheUnstill

    Meanwhile, being disabled or in pain and having to act as their own carer and advocate should family or friends not be near means a solution will be impossible for many of these people.

    The GOP being content to let them suffer and perish in silence, effectively socially 'locked-in', much like the guy with the neurological condition in the book & movie.

    @georgetakei@universeodon.com avatar georgetakei , to random

    Republicans are making sure the Medicaid cuts don’t happen until after the midterm elections. It’s cynical politics, and it will hurt their own voters the most.

    f800gecko ,
    @f800gecko@mastodon.online avatar

    @georgetakei

    I wonder how many of those voters even think about healthcare.

    Carefree, drunk on being great again—which to them means meaning something to their nation, meaning which can only at present be achieved in their own minds by voting for and cheering on the guy who's said he's going to tear down all that ails them, but who in reality has no plan on that front beyond the bare cosmetic necessities (many awful enough) to keep his enormous and criminal pyramid of grift and hate going.