Fuck Donald Trump
Peace,
emaycee
Tuesday, June 30, 2026
The musings of a lightweight bonehead
JD Vance: "I think Nixon's historical legacy is enjoying a bit of a renaissance, and deservedly so. I joked that if Watergate happened tomorrow, it would be like a 12 hours news story. The idea that it took down a presidency is crazy."
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar.com) June 25, 2026 at 5:03 PM
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Fuck Donald Trump
Peace,
emaycee
Trump first, Michigan second
A beautiful bridge, fully built, ready to open, much needed and long awaited, now sits unused because the owner of the older, smaller, more run down toll bridge nearby bribed the president to stop it from opening. So Trump got paid AND got a chance to punish both Canada and Detroit.
— Khashoggi's Ghost (@urocklive1.bsky.social) June 16, 2026 at 5:15 PM
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Fuck Donald Trump
Peace,
emaycee
Funny thing is, he's the one going to hell
Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick on Friday said Democratic nominee for U.S. Senate Rep. James Talarico will “go to hell” for his interpretations of the Bible, as Talarico has made his Christian faith a cornerstone of his campaign.
— Texas Tribune (@texastribune.org) June 12, 2026 at 5:13 PM
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Fuck Donald Trump
Peace,
emaycee
And they should be locked up
Undermining American democracy should be treated as an act of treason
— StrictlyChristo πΊπ¦π» (@strictlychristo.bsky.social) June 6, 2026 at 9:50 PM
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Fuck Donald Trump
Peace,
emaycee
Monday, June 29, 2026
If Trump wants it, let him pay for it
As many suspected, taxpayers will end up footing part of the bill for the new White House ballroom after all. According to a new report from The Washington Post, the estimated cost of the project has now climbed to $600 million, with roughly half expected to come from taxpayer dollars.
— Alt National Park Service (@altnps.bsky.social) June 16, 2026 at 6:14 PM
Fuck Donald Trump
Peace,
emaycee
A court that fits the country
Buttigieg: Nowhere in the Constitution does it say that there have to be nine Supreme Court justices. That one doesn't even take a constitutional amendment. It just takes a readiness to set up a court that fits this country.
— Acyn (@acyn.bsky.social) June 11, 2026 at 5:32 PM
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Fuck Donald Trump
Peace,
emaycee
Not the comparison America wants
"The Americans can't get the slime out of their capital's monument pool and will arrest you for touching it," sounds like the sort of lie they'd tell us in the Soviet Union so we'd stop bitching about bread lines.
— Dmitry Grozoubinski (@explaintrade.com) June 21, 2026 at 1:37 AM
Fuck Donald Trump
Peace,
emaycee
Second class citizens
I will never understand a woman voting for a Republican. Don’t you understand they would literally sign your death warrant to force you to deliver a pregnancy? They stand with rapists. They stand with domestic abusers. They stand with pedophiles.  Women are second class citizens to Republicans.
— Jess Piper (@piperformissouri.bsky.social) June 20, 2026 at 7:14 PM
Fuck Donald Trump
Peace,
emaycee
Sunday, June 28, 2026
Supreme racists
The Supreme Court's decision in the Temporary Protected Status case proves the Supreme Court *is* racist. They don't merely affirm Trump's racism, they endorse it. And while that's not "news" for anyone paying attention, it's still outrageous. My latest in @thenation.com
— ElieNYC (@elienyc.bsky.social) June 25, 2026 at 1:23 PM
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Fuck Donald Trump
Peace,
emaycee
This is every Republican, everyone in MAGA
Tom Emmer: "Minnesotans are so afraid that you're gonna call us a racist, you're gonna call us an Islamophobe. You know what? I'm done being even the least bit careful. Somalis don't assimilate. And if they don't assimilate, then they should go the hell back to where they came from."
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar.com) June 25, 2026 at 2:49 PM
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Fuck Donald Trump
Peace,
emaycee
What MAGA hath wrought
Pete Buttigieg said on Friday that he and his husband were kept away from their 4-year-old twins after an anonymous report falsely accused Buttigieg of posing a threat to their children. The separation lasted for 24 hours, he said.
— The New York Times (@nytimes.com) June 26, 2026 at 6:20 PM
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Fuck Donald Trump
Peace,
emaycee
And I bet she considers herself a Christian--as if!
Megyn Kelly goes full White supremacist today about Haitians: "You being here only dilutes it for us, those who built it and live it..We don’t want you! We don’t care if you’re offended. Get out! Go home! Go back to f*cking Haiti!" www.mediaite.com/media/news/g...
— Dean Obeidallah (@deanobeidallah.bsky.social) June 25, 2026 at 5:00 PM
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Fuck Donald Trump
Peace,
emaycee
Saturday, June 27, 2026
Who'd have ever guessed we'd have more corruption in the Trump administration?
The Trump administration's newest corruption scheme just dropped. Kash Patel may be using the FBI's budget as his personal slush fund to pay agents tens of thousands of dollars in exchange for carrying out illegal orders, or as hush money to keep quiet about what they witnessed.
— Sen. Adam Schiff (@schiff.senate.gov) June 17, 2026 at 10:36 AM
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Fuck Donald Trump
Peace,
emaycee
Redemption 2029: The Hague
"So this very much looks like a deliberate war crime. It's an attack I fear the USA will regret for a long time. It is no different than Al-Qaeda deliberately targeting civilians. If the US gets attacked in return, it will only be served what seems to be official American policy on a cold plate."
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar.com) June 12, 2026 at 1:50 PM
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Fuck Donald Trump
Peace,
emaycee
Because Americans so love corruption, fraud, and pedophilia
Johnson: If we lose the midterms, these Democrats will turn every committee of Congress into an investigative body, and they'll go after the president's family, the cabinet, his donors, friends, half of you in this room will be targeted. I run the protection program. We’ll take care of you.
— Acyn (@acyn.bsky.social) June 26, 2026 at 1:05 PM
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Fuck Donald Trump
Peace,
emaycee
Governing for the people
In January, Zohran Mamdani took action against bankrupt landlord Pinnacle, which was responsible for over 5,000 housing violations. Thanks to his intervention, Pinnacle's new owners have forgiven millions in tenants' back rent. This is what governing for the people looks like.
— Robert Reich (@rbreich.bsky.social) June 10, 2026 at 3:45 PM
Fuck Donald Trump
Peace,
emaycee
Friday, June 26, 2026
Friday Night Jukebox, Vol. DXCVII--Tim Curry: Working on My Tan
[Blogger's Note: Hold your horses--while it is Friday, I'm late as noted below. You'll still have to wait for my once-a-year music post that's actually on the correct Friday....]
My introduction to this week's tune came, for the umpteenth time, via my time at Camelot Music. 'Twas very early in my career--first year in fact--and my guess as to why a relatively neophyte musical performer would be given such prominence in our in-store play would most assuredly be his career making role as Dr. Frank-In-Furter in first the play, then the movie, The Rocky Horror Picture Show. If memory serves (though often it doesn't), the album--though decidedly not a hit--was very popular with our team....
Tim Curry was born in Cheshire, England in 1946, and contrary to just about every artist featured here on Friday Night Jukebox has had the vast majority of his success as an actor. Curry's big break came in 1968 with a role in the London cast of the musical Hair, and then in 1973, again in the London cast, with the role noted above. Since then, he has had a steady supply of acting work, mostly in supporting roles, in a wide variety of plays, movies, and television shows. Curry has been nominated for three Tony Awards, two Emmys (winning a Daytime Emmy), and a Grammy Award (for spoken word). Surprisingly to me, Curry's music career was rather short-lived. He released three studio albums between 1978 and 1981, and in the late eighties a greatest hits package. A previously unreleased album from 1976 debuted in 2010. His last two studio albums did hit the charts, and his second album yielded a top 100 single. Curry has also penned a memoir. Sadly, he suffered a major stroke in 2012 and has been confined to a wheelchair ever since.
Fun Fact: The movie version of The Rocky Horror Picture Show (1976) is still in limited release as of this year and is the longest running theatrical release in movie history (for those who suck at math, fifty years).
"Working on My Tan" was the first single from his final studio album in 1981, the rather sincerely entitled, Simplicity. The single did not chart, while the album peaked at #112. Also, the album was the only one of his three to chart in Canada, hitting #45 (so many cool kids in the Great White North!).
Sometimes a song doesn't have to be earth shattering and can just be fun, and "Working on My Tan" is one such song. It's right up my alley--catchy stanzas, catchy chorus, and a lovely theme of living the chill life in the sunshine. The music is reggae inflected, and Curry sings it with a respectful Jamaican accent. The lyrics make generous use of simply rhyming patterns (always enjoyable when singing along), and the "oh man" in the chorus is just to die for. An ode to the sun that is simply divine.
Lyric Sheet: "Hunt yourself an island/Hitch down to the beach/The sun belong to everyone/In everybody's reach..."
Enjoy:
Fuck Donald Trump
Peace,
emaycee
Somewhere
"But somewhere I read of the freedom of assembly. Somewhere I read of the freedom of speech. Somewhere I read of the freedom of press. Somewhere I read that the greatness of America is the right to protest for right." ― The Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.
— Amy (@amymerz.bsky.social) June 2, 2026 at 9:46 PM
Fuck Donald Trump
Peace,
emaycee
A scumbag as big as Texas
Ken Paxton was indicted for scamming his own friends. He convinced them to invest hundreds of thousands in a company while secretly pocketing a commission. Paxton sold out his own friends for a quick buck. What makes you think he won't sell you out in the Senate?
— James Talarico (@jamestalarico.bsky.social) June 2, 2026 at 7:08 PM
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Fuck Donald Trump
Peace,
emaycee
The GOP specializes in a special kind of stupid
The last time a U.S.-backed invasion of Cuba failed is because they knew they were coming.
— Matt Ortega (@mattortega.com) May 22, 2026 at 10:55 PM
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Fuck Donald Trump
Peace,
emaycee
A disgrace to the nation
President Trump was supposed to sign the largest bipartisan housing bill in 30 years into law today. He’s refusing to do so until his election-rigging bill passes. This is Trump 101: Trump first, Americans last. He’s a disgrace to this nation.
— Rep. Angie Craig (@repangiecraig.bsky.social) June 24, 2026 at 11:28 AM
Fuck Donald Trump
Peace,
emaycee
Thursday, June 25, 2026
And this wimpy toady wants to be President?
oh my goodness - Lieu played Rubio a video of Trump sleeping while Rubio tried to talk to him during a cabinet meeting. Then this exchange: RUBIO: I've never seen him fall asleep LIEU: I'm gonna show you a video that shows you just lied to Congress *plays another clip of Trump sleeping by Rubio*
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar.com) June 3, 2026 at 12:03 PM
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Fuck Donald Trump
Peace,
emaycee
Racists in robes
BREAKING: Supreme Court allows Alabama to use congressional map that will eliminate a majority-Black district a lower court said intentionally discriminated against Black voters. www.nbcnews.com/politics/sup...
— Lawrence Hurley (@lawrencehurley.bsky.social) June 2, 2026 at 9:22 PM
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Fuck Donald Trump
Peace,
emaycee
And Trump is guilty as charged
Nothing makes someone look guiltier than forcing the Justice Department to promise never to investigate your taxes or prosecute you for anything they might find
— Tina Smith (@smith.senate.gov) May 19, 2026 at 7:29 PM
Fuck Donald Trump
Peace,
emaycee
What comes around goes around
Analysts were left stunned Wednesday morning after a trio of progressive congressional candidates backed by NYC Mayor Zohran Mamdani swept Tuesday’s Democratic primary elections in New York, many of whom drew comparisons to the late 2000s Tea Party movement that reshaped the Republican Party.
— Raw Story (@rawstory.com) June 24, 2026 at 10:00 AM
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Fuck Donald Trump
Peace,
emaycee
Wednesday, June 24, 2026
Your money for Trump's plane
The plan is for this plane to be in service for two years and then Trump will take if for himself. No President has ever stolen an Air Force for himself. And you paid for it. The total cost could be $1 billion of your money for a new luxury jet for Trump and his family.
— Chris Murphy (@chrismurphyct.bsky.social) June 20, 2026 at 4:26 PM
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Fuck Donald Trump
Peace,
emaycee
Soviet Union level intimidation
NEW: Eight protesters who the DOJ accused of having connections to antifa were sentenced to decades in prison over a shooting outside a Texas immigration detention center that left one police officer wounded. Activists who didn’t plan the protest and left when asked still received 50-year terms.
— Mother Jones (@motherjones.com) June 23, 2026 at 4:51 PM
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Fuck Donald Trump
Peace,
emaycee
How dumb do you have to be to trust these motherfuckers?
According to a new Reuters report, Trump and his sons have added over $2.3B to their family fortune from their main crypto ventures — while handing their investors $2.3B in losses. The grifter-in-chief's crypto corruption knows no bounds.
— Robert Reich (@rbreich.bsky.social) June 9, 2026 at 4:45 PM
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Fuck Donald Trump
Peace,
emaycee
A pitiful lie of epic stupidity
Another day, another update on the Reflecting Pool drama. This morning, Trump claimed there was a “350-foot gash, made by a very sharp knife or razors” in the pool. However, reporters checked and found “no sign” of the gash the president wrote about. www.rawstory.com/reporters-no...
— Mack Butterfield (@mack2114.bsky.social) June 23, 2026 at 6:45 PM
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Fuck Donald Trump
Peace,
emaycee
Tuesday, June 23, 2026
And Musk deported
Elon Musk spent $290 million getting Trump elected. During this midterm cycle, he's spent $85 million. In total, that’s 0.0375% of his $1 trillion net worth. Oligarchs can rig the system at the expense of everyone else, and only spend pennies doing so. We must get Big Money out of politics.
— Robert Reich (@rbreich.bsky.social) June 20, 2026 at 2:01 PM
Fuck Donald Trump
Peace,
emaycee
Stupid is as stupid does
A major flu outbreak has sickened nearly 160 troops at Lackland Air Force Base in Texas less than two months after Pete Hegseth announced that U.S. troops would no longer be required to be vaccinated for the flu.
— Kyle Griffin (@kylegriffin1.bsky.social) June 19, 2026 at 12:10 PM
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Trump continuing to fuck over the least among us
The Trump administration plans to transfer several core Education Department responsibilities, including its civil rights and special education programs, to other federal agencies as part of its efforts to dismantle the department.
— Politico (@politico.com) June 16, 2026 at 1:21 PM
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Fuck Donald Trump
Peace,
emaycee
Gee, I wonder why?
π§ American Pride Slips to New Low. 58 percent of U.S. adults are extremely or very proud to be Americans, the lowest in Gallup's 25-year trend. Pride among Democrats tumbles, while independents also hit new low, more than offsetting increase among Republicans. news.gallup.com/poll/692150/...
— They Call Me Gary (@theycallmegary.bsky.social) June 30, 2025 at 11:46 AM
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Fuck Donald Trump
Peace,
emaycee
Monday, June 22, 2026
Most hated man in the free world
— George Conway ⚖️πΊπΈ (@gtconway.bsky.social) June 19, 2026 at 2:41 PM
Fuck Donald Trump
Peace,
emaycee
Thanks for nothing
The Failed Warmongering Murderers,Chump And KegsBreath, Of School Children, 13 Brave American Soldiers, Innocent Civilians, American Credibility And Prestige. Thanks For NOTHING...ππ»
— M Meerkat (@kackbro.bsky.social) June 21, 2026 at 9:12 AM
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Fuck Donald Trump
Peace,
emaycee
Literally gestapo level persecution
Noticing a piece of the new “American flag blue” liner that was partially detached from the Reflecting Pool, David Hearn said he reached in to see what it felt like. Moments later, U.S. Park Police officers arrested him on a misdemeanor charge of destruction of government property. wapo.st/4xVNzcS
— The Washington Post (@washingtonpost.com) June 20, 2026 at 6:33 PM
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Fuck Donald Trump
Peace,
emaycee
Is there anything lower than lying about a double amputee veteran?
Don’t tell me Fox News didn’t know this, they’re just there to disinform their viewers….
— Dutchy Patrick (@dutchiepatrick.bsky.social) June 21, 2026 at 8:57 AM
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Fuck Donald Trump
Peace,
emaycee
Sunday, June 21, 2026
Friday Night Jukebox, Vol. DXCVI--Timbuk 3: The Future's So Bright, I Gotta Wear Shades
Row, row, row your boat, gently down the stream, merrily, merrily, merrily, merrily...I am (nine days) late again....
My introduction to this week's tune was fairly simple--back in my Camelot Music days we'd get promotional copies of new LPs, and when we got a free copy of this week's featured album the band's name (a clever play on words) and the album cover piqued our interest and we gave it a spin. Though it's been a thousand years since I heard it, I recall that while this week's song was obviously the standout track (hence it being "featured"), the rest of the album was pretty darn good, too. You'll never guess who grabbed the free copy when all was said and done....
Timbuk 3 was born in Madison, Wisconsin in 1984 by the husband-and-wife team of Pat MacDonald and Barbara Kooyman and...a drum machine. Shortly thereafter they moved to Austin, Texas and got their first recording contract. They released their debut album in 1986, had a moderate hit, and were nominated for a Grammy for Best New Artist. Over time they did some soundtrack work and were also featured in a movie. They also got a chance to do work with Bob Dylan, Jackson Browne, and Sting. Unfortunately, the couple eventually divorced and released their last album together in 1995. For their career as Timbuk 3, they released six studio albums, one EP, and seven singles. In the years since their demise, both have continued to perform. MacDonald has released ten solo studio albums, worked with numerous artists as a songwriter, and been in two bands. Kooyman has released four solo studio albums and was one of three artists to set up the charitable organization Artists for Media Diversity, which protects free speech and helps promote independent media.
"The Future's So Bright, I Gotta Wear Shades" was the first single they released from their very first album, the rather salutationally entitled Greetings from Timbuk 3. The single would reach #19 (with a bullet!) in the United States and #21 in the U.K, while the album peaked at #50 in America and #51 in Great Britain.
Fun Fact: Just to show that there are some artists left who still have integrity, Timbuk 3 has refused lucrative offers from AT & T, Ford, the U.S. Army, and Ray-Ban sunglasses to license their song for commercials. Good on them--Corporate America doesn't have to bastardize everything....
"The Future's So Bright, I Gotta Wear Shades" got its start when Barbara said to Pat at a particularly auspicious time in their lives (newly married, starting a family, band was getting plenty of gigs) "The future is so bright we'll have to wear sunglasses!" Which Pat tweaked and turned into a song not about a great future for a college grad (common error--I made it, too) but a warning about the dangers of nuclear energy (with some very optimistic music). A couple of notes from my half-assed research--had forgotten how much (excellent) harmonica (emaycee fave!) there was in the song. Also didn't remember Kooyman's excellent backing vocals throughout. MacDonald's vocals capture perfectly the cockiness of youth and the music throughout is buoyant. In the end, it's that rarest of songs--catchy and prescient. A fun beauty.
Lyric Sheet: "Well, I'm heavenly blessed and worldly wise/I'm a peeping tom techie with x-ray eyes/Things are going great, and they're only getting better..."
Enjoy:
Fuck Donald Trump
Peace,
emaycee
Like hiring a bank robber to be a bank teller
Wow. A convicted Jan. 6 Capitol rioter has been hired to work in a Pentagon office that handles classified military information. Elias Irizarry was hired to work in the DOD’s Special Operations and Low Intensity Conflict, and internal alarms are going off. www.mediaite.com/media/news/t...
— Khashoggi's Ghost (@urocklive1.bsky.social) June 2, 2026 at 8:14 PM
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Fuck Donald Trump
Peace,
emaycee
This is great, but a strong indictment of our national media as well
We live in a country where some of the best journalists are late night comedians & editorial cartoonists. THANK YOU Stephen Colbert, Jimmy Kimmel, Seth Meyers, John Oliver, Jimmy Fallon, Tom Tomorrow, Mike Luckovich & Michael de Adder ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! #LAUGH_DO_NOT_DESPAIR ✊
— Mark Hamill (@markhamillofficial.bsky.social) June 1, 2026 at 2:54 PM
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Fuck Donald Trump
Peace,
emaycee
Wimpiest. President. Ever.
There’s something so reassuring about Trump confirming for all the world to see how deeply insecure and pathetic he is that he needed a sheet put up to hide his name being torn off the Kennedy Center, that he illegally installed merely to serve his ego and boost his narcissistic grandiose false self
— Matt Lombardo (@mattlombardo.bsky.social) June 13, 2026 at 10:04 AM
Fuck Donald Trump
Peace,
emaycee
The Department of Surrender
Department of War? More like the Department of Surrender
— I AM DAD (@iamdad.bsky.social) June 17, 2026 at 2:50 PM
Fuck Donald Trump
Peace,
emaycee
Saturday, June 20, 2026
The GOP's America
The world's first trillionaire received 38 Billion Dollars from the US government. But, no, we won't have enough money to pay for school lunches for your kids. Or give you healthcare. ¯\_(γ)_/¯
— Mrs. Betty Bowers (@mrsbettybowers.bsky.social) June 12, 2026 at 7:55 PM
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Fuck Donald Trump
Peace,
emaycee
The Pariah of the United States
I don’t know who to credit for this photo of Trump at the G7, but it’s excellent.
— Miffythegamer (@miffythegamer.bsky.social) June 16, 2026 at 3:41 PM
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Fuck Donald Trump
Peace,
emaycee
Trump's $14 million cesspool
Paint has begun stripping off the Reflecting Pool just days after Trump's $14 million repainting was finished
— FactPost (@factpostnews.bsky.social) June 18, 2026 at 11:10 AM
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Fuck Donald Trump
Peace,
emaycee
Now Italy is humiliating Trump
Meloni response to Trump’s lie that she begged him for a photo: “Trump’s statements are completely fabricated. I am frankly astonished. I don’t know why the president behaves like this towards his allies. This is not the first time this has happened. Italy and I never beg.”
— Ron Filipkowski (@ronfilipkowski.bsky.social) June 19, 2026 at 9:23 AM
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Fuck Donald Trump
Peace,
emaycee
Friday, June 19, 2026
Trump in defeat
The war President Trump waged against Iran promises to conclude with the signing of a cease-fire agreement this week—leaving the United States diminished militarily, strategically, economically, and perhaps morally, Jonathan Lemire argues.
— The Atlantic (@theatlantic.com) June 18, 2026 at 3:15 PM
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Fuck Donald Trump
Peace,
emaycee
America's laughingstock
Trump at the G7 was a total embarrassment. The whole world now sees that our President is a madman. How long are we going to accept this humiliation? #ProudBlue www.alternet.org/trump-g7-spe...
— ElizabethC ππΈ (@econklin44.bsky.social) June 17, 2026 at 3:49 PM
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Fuck Donald Trump
Peace,
emaycee
Macron played Trump like a cheap drum
The Retreaty of Versailles
— Peter Fraize (@peterfraize.bsky.social) June 17, 2026 at 8:36 PM
Fuck Donald Trump
Peace.
emaycee
A celebration worthy of America's 250th birthday
Former Presidents Biden, Obama, Bush, and Clinton, joined by former First Ladies Jill Biden, Michelle Obama, Laura Bush, and Secretary Clinton, at the opening of the Obama Presidential Center in Chicago.
— Yashar Ali π (@yasharali.bsky.social) June 18, 2026 at 4:19 PM
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Fuck Donald Trump
Peace,
emaycee
Thursday, June 18, 2026
Nazi Germany level propaganda
In @nytopinion.nytimes.com A new White House web page, which compares immigrants to aliens with phrases like “They walk among us” and “They do not belong here,” belongs to “a subgenre of Trumpian gestures that are menacing and sophomoric at the same time,” our columnist M. Gessen writes.
— The New York Times (@nytimes.com) June 5, 2026 at 11:20 PM
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Fuck Donald Trump
Peace,
emaycee
Doddering Old Man Syndrome
Trump Falls Asleep Again During White House Meeting, Does Some Sleep Mumbling newsvideoclip.com/trump-falls-...
— LAWriter (@lawriter1.bsky.social) June 4, 2026 at 8:26 PM
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Fuck Donald Trump
Peace,
emaycee
Primo
The art of the deal is to start a war of choice and lose. Primo.
— Eli Friedmann (@eligit.bsky.social) June 15, 2026 at 9:37 AM
Fuck Donald Trump
Peace,
emaycee
Project 2029?
Buttigieg: We sit in a in a country that's got the wrong number of people on the Supreme Court, possibly the wrong number of representatives in the House of Representatives. And by the way, when you consider the disenfranchisement of the people of DC, we have the wrong number of states in the US
— Acyn (@acyn.bsky.social) June 11, 2026 at 5:34 PM
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Fuck Donald Trump
Peace,
emaycee
Wednesday, June 17, 2026
Friday Night Jukebox, Vol. DXCV--Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers: Damn the Torpedoes (Album)
Yeah, I'm late--whatevs. This is my yearly "It's My Birthday And I'll Write About An Album If I Want To" post....
[Sixty-seven years young, for those counting at home.]
It would be impossible to overstate how influential this album has been to my life listening to music. It was originally released October 19, 1979, and somewhere around that time I read a rave review in Rolling Stone. I put it on my Christmas list for December of that year, and Mom and Dad were kind enough to oblige, and I started listening to it on Christmas Day. I immediately recognized the first song on side two as one I'd been hearing on the radio and had yet to find who sang it (well before the internet for you young 'uns wondering how I wouldn't know). Within a matter of weeks, I had gone to the record shop to buy their first two albums (absolutely killer records as well). Thus began a love affair with Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers that lasts to this day and is only slightly surpassed by my love for Bruce Springsteen.
Damn the Torpedoes (and what a great album title that is) would go on to become Tom Petty's breakthrough album, eventually reaching #2 (most assuredly with a bullet!) on the Billboard 200, and spawning two top fifteen singles. It featured the band's original line-up: Mike Campbell on lead guitar, Benmont Tench on piano/organ, Ron Blair on bass guitar, and Stan Lynch on drums.
As these yearly posts generally end up quite long, we'll start here without further ado....
Refugee--And what a song to open an album with--one of my all-time favorites. Every band member shines: the guitars are ominous, the organ searing, the bass pulsating, the drums crashing, and the sneer in Petty's vocals is to die for. And to top it all off? The beyond killer backing vocals in the chorus. A stunning piece of music. Favorite line: "Somewhere, somehow, somebody must have kicked you around some/Who knows maybe you were kidnapped, tied up/Taken away for ransom...."
Here Comes My Girl--Aaand...the second one is amazing, too. The music is the sound of love triumphing, as Petty talk sings his way through the stanzas and his antagonist lets us know how her love has saved him and made it all make sense. When the instrumental break begins and Petty says, "Watch her walk" it always sends me into musical ecstasy. Favorite line: "Every now and then, I get down to the end of a day/I have to stop, I ask myself why I've done it/It just seems so useless to work so hard/And nothin' ever really seems to come from it..."
Even the Losers--This one is actually based on Petty's young life--he spent an evening with a popular girl and she let him know the next day that one night together was all he'd ever get. Great guitars, plenty of power from the rhythm section, and Petty's defiant vocals rule the day. The spoken "It's just the normal noises in here" that ends the static at the song's beginning is Mike Campbell's wife. Petty's anthem for the not so cool kids. Favorite line: "Baby, even the losers/Get lucky sometimes/Even the losers/Keep a little bit of pride..."
Shadow of a Doubt (Complex Kid)--It had been a while since I heard this one until I did my half-assed research this week. Kind of forgot--though it's not a standout track--that it was a pretty nice little ditty. Petty does a nice job vocally of capturing the protagonist's doubt about his girl's love for him--or is he just kidding himself about those feeings? The band's playing--as always--is solid and just a bit understated, which plays perfectly with the song's theme. Favorite line: "And when she's dreaming/Sometimes she sings in French/But in the morning/She don't remember it..."
Century City--There actually is a Century City--it's in L.A. and is quite well known as a commerce center. I've often wondered if this is Petty's ode to Los Angeles, the modern world where he would make his home for many years. Nice track, the band is solid and makes the music sound futuristic to go with the storyline. Sci fi music for the late seventies.... Favorite line: "Sometimes I get discouraged/Sometimes I get so down/Sometimes I get so worried/But I don't know what about..."
Flip it over for side two....
Don't Do Me Like That--The song that made me a fan for life. Benmont Tench steals the show with his organ playing, Stan Lynch pounds the drums into oblivion, Mike Campbell throws in a few nice licks, and Petty's gritty vocals take us into another stratosphere--and turned them all into superstars. Two minutes and forty-one seconds of unadulterated rock and roll joy. Oh, oh, oh indeed. Favorite line: "I was talking with a friend of mine, said a woman had hurt his pride/Told him that she loved him so and turned around and let him go..."
You Tell Me--And follows it with...a not so upbeat number. Could have been called "A Man with no Self Respect." Petty spins a tale of a man trying a little too hard to hold on to the one he's got. A solid if unspectacular effort. Favorite line: "Well you put me through your paces and you twisted/Until I felt like dying/Yeah the last thing I needed/Was to finally realize you were lying..."
What Are You Doin' in My Life?--A song about the stalker from hell. Petty plays the victim with a touch of terror and a touch of humor. Ron Blair's bass in killer throughout--almost hear echoes of rockabilly here. Add in some nice riffs from Campbell and some terrific piano from Tench and we have another winner. Favorite line: "Well, you're the last woman in the world that thrills me/Now you got my girlfriend trying to kill me..."
Louisiana Rain--I've always thought this was one of Petty's more underrated tunes (translation: I really, really like it). Not sure if this was their stab at a country song or a southern rock ballad, but either way, it worked. It's the story of a man travelling America and the years have not been kind (unlucky in love, booze, the world's sorrow always in his sight), still hoping (or not) to get back to Baton Rouge. Petty's vocals carry all his pathos, Tench's organ guides him from city to city, and the rest of the band plays their part in playing out his story. Just a tremendous ending to a tremendous album. Favorite line: "Louisiana Rain is falling just like tears/Running down my face, washing out the years/Louisiana rain is soaking through my shoes/I may never be the same when I reach Baton Rouge..."
Can't begin to tell you what a joy it was to revisit this year's album. Here's hoping next year is equally as satisfying--same bat time, same bat channel....
Enjoy:
Fuck Donald Trump
Peace,
emaycee
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