NATIONAL PACKAGE PROTECTION DAY UPDATES

Although ... How Do We Know Stealing Packages Isn't Some Conspiracy Plotted by Big Security To Make Us Buy Door Cameras?

-Back after a Thanksgiving break featuring my first non-pandemic Thanksgiving in my adopted home town of Chicago since I moved here! (And so what if I moved here in 1984? These things take time sometimes!) Anyway, back to the updates ...

-Having been frustrated at his first attempt to install a fawning psychopath to do the job of Whatever Orange Leader's Whim At The Moment Is (and it really is a moment-by-moment thing) thanks to the peccadillos of Matt Gaetz, last night the President-Elect decided to take a second shot at it by announcing his intent to nominate Kash Patel to be FBI Director - and yes, even given the Putz Parade Cabinet already announced, Patel is in the running as Worst Possible Nominee and Worst Possible Administrator.

-Why? Let's start with the fact that he often spells his name with a dollar sign ("Ka$h") because he of course sells all kinds of crap online, from "fashion" including tight leather pants to pills he claims kept him from contracting Covid (yep, another science denier), to a children's book depicting Trump as a King heroically defending himself from all the bad guys who stole the 2020 Presidential election from him. (Yes, a children's book promoting the fiction that Trump actually beat Joe Biden in 2020 - which he did not do.)

-There are also the utter lack of qualifications, naturally. Patel inflates his resume by claiming he was a "lead prosecutor" in the House persecution of Hillary Clinton over the deaths of four Americans in Benghazi (oh, yes, he would go all the way back THERE) when in reality he was a junior staffer, and was such a goof when Trump tried to get him into an intelligence position in 2018-19 that no less a skeeve as William Barr flat-out told staffers Patel would get the assignment "over my dead body."

-Add to that Patel not even hiding his love of Qanon, Steve Bannon, and the worst and most insane conspiracy theories each of them promote, along with open and loud promises that if he were to ever get any governmental power he would use it to persecute all who hate Trump - from reporters to politicians to edifices - while actively working to literally rewrite the 2020 election to make it look like Trump won, delete any files that would make Dear Leader look bad (gee, guess the Jeffrey Epstein files would go poof!), and even purge apostates within MAGA and the GOP who do not bend the knee or the hips to Trump as he enthusiastically has.

-All of that while adding to the Project 2025 goal of purging civil servants and installing bootlickers whose only allegiance would be to Trump instead of silly piffle like the Constitution or citizens or good government or anyone who would even look fixed-eyed at the cross-eyed Patel as he grabbed whatever budgetary loot he could for Ka$h Cowboy boots (or whatever).

-Now, this looks bad, true, but right now Patel is merely a nominee, and there are some hoops that still need to be jumped through before he could execute Trump's dual goals of vengeance and worship. For starters, we already have an FBI Director, Christopher Wray, who was appointed by Trump and should serve until 2027. Wray would need to either resign or be fired for cause, and "Because Trump Said So" is, at least at the moment, not enough cause. So how the position could be opened up is an important question.

-For another, Patel would need to be confirmed by a Senate who already exercised their advice-and-consent muscle by telling Trump that Gaetz would never be confirmed. Four Republicans would have to join the Democrats (53-47 will be the Senate count) and there would have to be hearings on Patel, and while 91-year-old Senator Charles Grassley (R-Pudding?! IA) has already said he will go along with Wray being fired and be "fair" to Patel (read: get an autographed copy of that kids' book for his great-great-great-grandkids or cows or whoever), the prospect of confirming someone who would potentially be in their grills may actually be enough for some pushback.

-Final notes: should Wray step aside, Trump could pull the temporary-appointment card, though that would only last 210 days, which is not super-stable ... and, there is the whole thing about getting FBI agents who may have a few files of their own and knowledge of being stealthy (even if a few of them use that knowledge for bad reasons, because this is US intel we're talking about), it could make for some intriguing data drops and whispers and counterintelligence going on with ol' Ka$h there ...

-On the nominations front, grief - or at least turbulence - has also hit two other Trump nominees, though for very different reasons.

-First, there is still more misogyny and abuse being unearthed about Defense Secretary nominee Pete Hegseth, courtesy of the New York Times and perhaps the most unimpeachable source there could possibly be about anything: Hegseth's own mother, Penelope. The Times published an email sent by Mama Hegseth during his 2018 divorce in which she wrote to her son "On behalf of all the women (and I know it's many) you have abused in some way" to "get some help and take an honest look at yourself," adding "I have no respect for any man that belittles, lies, cheats, sleeps around and uses women for his own power and ego. You are that man (and have been for years) ..."

-Now, in the same Times interview, Ms. Hegseth claimed she apologized for her angry and emotional interview in a follow-up email, but we are talking about a man who has already been married three times, each new wife the result of philandering on the ultimately-old wife, as well as having a sexual assault charge filed against him by a different woman at a Republican woman's conference in 2017, so you decide if Mom had it right with the first email or not - and whether that will tip the scales in any potential nomination fight upcoming.

-The second person who has had a bad few days is Director of National Intelligence nominee Tulsi Gabbard - but in her case, it's because one of her international heartthrobs is having an ever worse few days.

-In one of the potentially more significant developments internationally over the last few days, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad arrived in Moscow for a planned visit from sponsor (and fellow Gabbard love object) Vladimir Putin - and that exit may have been the break that rebels intent on ousting Assad needed, as they proceeded to take over the historically important city of Aleppo and its airport, and leading to serious questions about whether Assad still controls the country. At this point the rebels - who, it must be said, are closely allied with Al-Qaida as well as Turkey - still control Aleppo, with Russian attempts to use air power to displace them proving unsatisfactory. It is not known at this time whether Assad intends to or even can return to power without Russian help, or if Russia has the ability to help them at all.

-Because while Syria teeters on the brink of a coup, unrest has also erupted in the former Soviet republic of Georgia, where the current government who many believe was installed in a corrupt election announced they were suspending talks to allow Georgia to enter the European Union. That act sparked three days and nights of massive protests in the city of Tbilisi, featuring police trying to use tear gas and water cannons to break up the protests and opposition leader Salome Zourabishvili to declare that "the resistance movement (has) begun." Again, a Russian satellite is having its hands full with opposition standing up to what could be (despite MAGA fanbois and fangrls hopes) a depleted Russian empire.

-Because on top of all THAT, even as Russian troops attempt to retake territory in eastern Ukraine, continue to attack Kyiv and power infrastructure throughout the country, and indulge in new rounds of nuclear threats with the use of ballistic missiles for many of these attacks, Ukrainian sources claim Russia suffered their biggest month of losses since their unprovoked invasion in 2022, claiming over 46,000 Russian and Russian-affiliated casualties for their efforts.

-With other reports that the ruble is at an all-time low and a budget that is heavy on military spending and new waves of military drafting continue to be problematic, the situation there is counter to the Trump propaganda line that Ukraine will need to end the fighting by likely giving Putin what he wants, something Volodymyr Zelenskyy - even as he begins proffering a potential deal that would include NATO protection from Moscow with or without Trump - is not likely to give willingly. Watch that space in the next few weeks.

-As always and forever, SLAVA UKRAINI!

-And ... too bad so sad for Tulsi, right?

-Obviously being away has led to some stories that haven't been told but will be in the next few updates, with particular interest in Trump's proposed weird tariffs (oh - CANADA?!) and some re-dipping the toes into electoral politics, but there are two good electoral political stories to close the news section of the updates ...

-First, with one more California election that is tipping Democratic left to count, assuming that race stays trending Democratic it means they will net two pickups (mandate my patoot!) and bring the MAGAGOP majority to a razor-thin 220-215 margin - less when you recall Gaetz has already left his seat and two other MAGAGOP seats will, pending Congressional approval of their nominations, make the majority even narrower. The House will still have the power of the purse despite what Trump and company think, and Speaker Mike Johnson is no Nancy Pelosi when it comes to party unity, so Watch That Space, as the House will continue to be important and tight tight tight …

-Second, as hoped for by this Substacker, Wisconsin Democratic Party Chair Ben Winkler has announced he will seek the national Democratic National Committee Chair. Winkler has built a grass-roots powerhouse in the land of cheese curds, helping revitalize a Party decimated by gerrymandered and systematic attacks started in 2010 by The Bastard Scott Walker (and whose model has been replicated in several states, and with much of his DNA in Project 2025) with energy, some of the most innovative online fundraising (everything from readings of THE PRINCESS BRIDE and THE WEST WING with original cast members to a livestreamed WHOSE LINE IS IT ANYWAY? episode), and a platform to expand that footprint with younger strategists, innovative use of non-traditional outreach, and a promise to help rebuild a communications infrastructure into areas Democrats now find themselves playing catch up in (particularly lower-information voters and younger men without college degrees, both demos being critical to Trump's win), this Democrat hopes the party ignores the Blue Dogs, ices the Obama/Clinton retreads, and promotes Winkler!

-HISTORICAL TRIVIA TIME!!

-On this date in 1814, Andrew Jackson moved U.S. Army forces to New Orleans, gearing up for what became known quite sensibly as The Battle of New Orleans. On this date in 1934, the Mayor of Leningrad was assassinated, giving Joseph Stalin an excuse to begin what became known as The Great Purge of 1934-38. On this date in 1955, Rosa Parks began the Montgomery, AL bus boycott by refusing to give her seat to a white bus rider. On this date in 1958, LIFE magazine described Ricky Nelson as a "teen idol" - the first time that term was used in our culture. On this date in 1959, Antarctica was designated a demilitarized zone by 12 countries, to be preserved for scientific research. On this date in 1976, the Sex Pistols were goaded into dropping an "F" bomb during an infamous chat show appearance on the BBC. And on this date in 1990, British and French workers met as they dug a tunnel underneath the English Channel.

-Debuts on this date: THE GREAT TRAIN ROBBERY (the first movie Western, 1903), the automobile assembly line (1913), Iceland (1918), PLAYBOY Magazine (1953), PROMISES, PROMISES (1968), World AIDS Day (1988), NATIONAL LAMPOON'S CHRISTMAS VACATION (1989), THE LORD OF THE RINGS: THE RETURN OF THE KING (2003).

-Happy Birthday to Madame Tussaud, Cyril Ritchard, Calvin Griffith, Walter Alston, Mary Martin, David Doyle, Dick Shawn, Lou Rawls, Billy Paul, Lee Trevino, Richard Pryor, John Densmore, Bette Midler, Gilbert O'Sullivan, George Foster, Jaco Pastorius, Treat Williams, Charlene Tilton, Sen. Gary Peters, Carol Alt, Larry Walker, Nestor Carbonell, Sarah Silverman, Riz Ahmed, Kristen Kish, Janelle Monae, DeSean Jackson, Tyler Joseph, Zoe Kravitz, and Javier Baez.

-Rest in Peace/Rest in Power to David Ben-Gurion, Nellie Fox, Sam Levene, Bobby Layne, James Baldwin, Alvin Ailey, Stephane Grappelli, Dave McNally, Paul Benedict, Rick Majerus, Ken Berry, Gaylord Perry, and Sandra Day O'Connor.

-Feed the Worms: John Birch Society founder Robert W. Welch, Columbia drug lord Pablo Escobar, Medicare scammer turned U.S. Senator Rick Scott, and punk-ass toxic male dudebro Andrew Tate entered Earth on this date.

-Occultist Aleister Crowley passed away on this date - OR DID HE?!?!!

-The Number One Nonfiction Book in America on this date ... in 2024, CHER: THE MEMOIR, PART ONE, by Cher ... in 2014, 41 by George W. Bush ... in 2004, AMERICA: THE BOOK by Jon Stewart and The Daily Show writers ... in 1994, CROSSING THE THRESHOLD OF HOPE by Pope John Paul II ... in 1984, IACCOCA: AN AUTOBIOGRAPHY by Lee Iacocca with William Novak (which technically makes it a biography) ... and in 1974, ALL THINGS BRIGHT AND BEAUTIFUL by James Herriot.