Guess who got his orders from Putin?

Trump FUNDAMENTALLY misunderstands the military if he thinks we have guys stationed in Germany, Italy, and Spain just bc we’re doing them a solid This is what happens when you elect stupid people who are also intellectually lazy and egomaniacal Avoiding this in the future would be advisable

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— Austin Swafford (@swaffordaustin.bsky.social) April 30, 2026 at 3:58 PM

Fuck Donald Trump

Peace,

emaycee

 

The laughing stock of the world

We are the laughing stock of the world.

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— Christopher Webb (@cwebbonline.com) February 17, 2026 at 12:20 AM

Fuck Donald Trump

Peace,

emaycee

 

Friday Night Jukebox, Vol. DLXXVIII--Pachelbel: Canon in D

[Imagine you're listening to Beethoven's Fifth...] Bum, bum, bum, bum, Bum, bum, bum, bum...I'm (only six days?) late again....

My introduction to this week's tune was way back in the day when I was managing my first Camelot Music store in Decatur, Illinois.  There was some sort of Classical Music compilation (couldn't begin to remember the name or music company that made it) that we were encouraged to play and the piece was on it.  Over time it grew on me--it remains the only Classical Music piece that I play regularly, though if I'd had more time through the years, I'm sure there would have been quite a few more....

Johann Pachelbel was born in Nuremberg, Germany in 1653 (thus making him--and the piece he wrote--by far and away the oldest I've written about on Friday Night Jukebox), and showed an early gift for studies and music.  He actually had a full and varied career both as an organist and in writing numerous Classical pieces in numerous styles.  Over the centuries his music went largely forgotten, until the Jean-Francois Paillard chamber orchestra did a recording of his Canon in D in 1968 and it became, for a classical tune, quite the hit.  It's been featured in numerous films (most notably Best Picture winner Ordinary People) and television programs, as well as countless weddings and funerals.  Pachelbel passed away in 1706, so he did not live to see the ubiquity of his piece--unfortunately (or not--he's been dead for over three hundred years, so I doubt he cares), not much else of the dozens of pieces he wrote over the course of his lifetime have attracted much of an audience in light of the success of Canon in D.  Still to have one piece still popular after three hundred years must be at least a taste of immortality.

Fun Fact:  After eighteen years of running a music store, I have a working--albeit small--knowledge of Classical music.  But after doing my half-assed research this week, I realized how truly small it was.  Of the dozens of composers mentioned in Pachelbel's Wikipedia bio, I knew one--Johann Sebastian Bach.  So, if you're wondering where your musical heroes will be three hundred years from now, my guess would be largely forgotten.

Since the phonograph would not be invented until roughly 170 years after his death, there was neither a single nor an album released of Canon in D.  However, the sheer number of Classical artists who have recorded it since its 1968 rediscovery has more than made up for it....

I'm not about to embarrass myself trying to write about a Classical piece (I'll just say it's an absolutely lovely piece featuring violins and a cello).  However, a couple of points:  First, if you listen to it below, be prepared to say "Hey, I know that piece" (or some variant thereof).  As I was playing it before writing this post my partner asked what it was because she'd heard it somewhere before. Second, the fact that it's played at both weddings (beginnings) and funerals (endings) probably tells you all you need to know about its greatness.

Lyric Sheet:  None--it's an instrumental!

Enjoy:

Fuck Donald Trump

Peace,

emaycee

The GOP is covering up for pedophiles

Todd Blanche says the Epstein files provide no basis for criminal investigations. But as of this morning they have fueled the opening of criminal probes in the UK, France, Germany, Slovakia, Poland and Norway... and that's only the ones that have become public.

— Scott Horton (@robertscotthorton.bsky.social) February 5, 2026 at 12:51 PM

Fuck Donald Trump

Peace,

emaycee

 

Stand tall, Europe--the American people are counting on you

BREAKING: Statement by Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Norway, Sweden and the United Kingdom:

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— Peter Stefanovic (@peterstefanovic.bsky.social) January 18, 2026 at 9:05 AM

Fuck Donald Trump

Peace,

emaycee

 

Good German humor

 Fuck Donald Trump

Peace,

emaycee

It also shows America can learn from Trump's mistakes

We are at the point in history where Germany is having to lecture the US on the need to fight fascism.

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— News Eye (@newseye.bsky.social) May 2, 2025 at 5:07 PM

Fuck Donald Trump

Peace,

emaycee

 

This is how you do it

BREAKING: France, Germany, Poland, Italy, Spain & UK sign a joint statement vowing to protect Ukraine’s sovereignty & demanding a role in the peace talks. This is leadership. It’s also unprecedented. A western alliance is having to form against a new, twin & united threat: Trump & Putin.

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— News Eye (@newseye.bsky.social) February 12, 2025 at 5:29 PM

Fuck Donald Trump

Peace,

emaycee

 

It wasn't

I’m starting to think it might not have just been a simple hand gesture

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— Molly Jong-Fast (@mollyjongfast.bsky.social) January 25, 2025 at 3:06 PM

Fuck Donald Trump

Peace,

emaycee

 

Read the signs

The German Chancellor & President haven’t been invited to the felon’s inauguration but the co leader of the Neo-Nazi far right German AfD party will be there at his request. Read the signs: Nazi. White Supremacy. www.euronews.com/my-europe/20...

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— Jennifer💙Get In Good Trouble🌊 (@thejenniwren.teamlh.social) January 16, 2025 at 10:24 PM

Fuck Donald Trump

Peace,

emaycee

 

GOP = Nazi lovers

THIS FLEW UNDER THE RADAR Members of the German neo-Nazi political group AfD plan to attend Trump’s inauguration. They’ve actively been engaging with U.S. conservatives & trying to capitalize on Trump’s momentum. Keep an eye on this, especially in light of Elon’s newly discovered support of AfD. 🧵

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— Christopher Webb (@cwebbonline.com) December 23, 2024 at 5:27 PM

Fuck Donald Trump

Peace,

emaycee

 

Friday Night Jukebox, Vol. DIX--Dire Straits: Communique

 Jesus H.--almost two weeks late...

I've noted this before (no idea which post, too many now for remembering some word of wisdom (?) that I dropped in the intro), but originally, I had planned to feature a lot more tunes that were album cuts that didn't get released as singles, or at best were a third or fourth single released when the moment had passed.  Over time my top of the pops sensibilities got in the way, but there are still a few long-abandoned album tracks that I'm going to feature--like this week's tune....

I wrote about Dire Straits wondrous first single in Jukebox, Vol. XLVII, and as the band has been disbanded since 1995, and with Mark Knopfler again claiming just last year that he would never play with the Dire Straits again, the only thing to add is that they were finally inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2018.  And that Knopfler--true to form--did not show up for the ceremony.

Fun Fact:  In its listing of the "100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time," Rolling Stone ranked Knopfler at twenty-seventh.  In a completely unsurprising related note, I did not make their list at all.

"Communique" was the fourth song on Dire Straits second album, the rather communicatively entitled Communique.  The song was not released as a single, but the album reached #5 in their native U.K., and #11 here in America.  In Germany, however, the album debuted at #1, while their previous album was still at #3--so many cool kids in Germany!

As I was doing my half-assed research this week and listening to our featured tune a number of times, it dawned on me that "Communique" could conceivably be about Knopfler himself, who was never fond of his celebrity, and that the "communique" could actually be his songwriting, where he could be more deliberate that one normally can be with the press.  Neither here nor there, I suppose, but I also noticed that the song in many ways foreshadowed their phenomenal success over the next ten years with its playful lyrics and Knopfler's wink, wink, nudge, nudge vocals.  It was definitely in the vein of so many of their hit singles to come--top notch guitar playing, a catchy as all hell melody and equally so chorus, and the incorporation of more instruments to give a grander sound.  All of which is to say, it's a great tune that time has forgot--but not here in the annals we call Friday Night Jukebox....

Lyric Sheet:  "They want to get a statement for Jesus' sake/It's like talking to the wall/He's incommunicado, no comment to make/He's saying nothing at all..."

Enjoy:

Republicans = Nazis

Peace,

emaycee

Trump would have been too busy kissing Putin's ass to foil it

Breaking exclusive: The US and Germany foiled a Russian plot to assassinate the chief executive of the powerful German arms manufacturer Rheinmetall, which has been producing shells and equipment for Ukraine. with @KatieBoLillis @fpleitgenCNN https://t.co/gKqRrQ8RSL

— Natasha Bertrand (@NatashaBertrand) July 11, 2024

Republicans = Nazis

Peace,

emaycee

 

For want of a nail

Germany and Peru take attempted coups and presidential efforts to set aside the Constitution seriously enough to arrest the plotters quickly. It’s clear that we don’t. We mistakenly think we have immunity to the disease of seditious conspiracy.

— Laurence Tribe (@tribelaw) December 9, 2022

Republicans = Losers

Peace,

emaycee

 

Learning from our mistakes

In Germany, teaching the Holocaust is mandatory. It includes visits to concentration camp, museums, etc. They don’t shy away from their own ugly history. Yet the kids aren’t damaged; they’re strengthened, matured, humbled. US needs to do same re slavery. Not that complicated.

— SiggyRose (@SiggyRose1) April 20, 2022

Republican = Traitor

Peace,

emaycee

 

Turns out Putin is just as incompetent as his buddy the stable genius

No recent event has done more to galvanize and unite Europe than the situation in Ukraine. Broad support for punishing sanctions & now Germany increasing its defense budget … in one fell swoop Putin has undermined decades of efforts to divide Europe. Strategic genius my ass

— Michael Cohen (@speechboy71) February 27, 2022

Republican = Traitor

Peace,

emaycee

 

This is the Catholic Church

Another stellar moment in Catholic history...

Not content with their legacy of standing idly by while Mussolini turned Italy into a racist haven for fascists and Hitler murdered six million Jews, the Catholic Church has decided to vocally embrace the far right government currently ruling Poland, even though the party is inching closer and closer (through disregard of its constitution, court packing, and politicizing government jobs) to authoritarianism.

But, hey, as long as the Church's real estate holdings and cash assets are safe and the government is hating on abortion and gays, what's the loss of a few civil rights and a little human suffering, right?

The Catholic Church:  Enabling Fascists Since the 1930's.

What a proud legacy.

Fuck Donald Trump,
emaycee

Monument-ally simple

Good riddance

Have you ever noticed that you never hear about people in Germany protesting the removal of monuments to Hitler or Goebbels or Himmler?  That's because the good folks in Germany had the sense not to erect statues of cretins who were a stain on humanity.

Too bad we can't say the same about our neighbors in the American South.

Fuck Donald Trump,
emaycee

Meet the new boss...

Not the same as the current boss...

You know, there's some delicious irony in the fact that 72 years after America led the way in defeating a psychopathic German despot and hence the President of the United States became the de facto leader of the free world, that a German Chancellor has become the de facto leader of the free world as she tries to help save us all from a psychopathic American President.

And for the umpteenth time in the history of humankind, truth proves stranger than fiction.

Fuck Donald Trump,
emaycee

Greeks bearing a gift

Make no mistake--today's overwhelming victory for the no vote on further austerity measures in Greece is huge.  While I don't pretend to understand all of the ramifications (there is a nice primer on the Greek economic situation here), I do know this:  the banks basically told the Greek people that they were going to have to accept a new economic reality wherein they were going to have a permanently reduced standard of living, and the Greek people said "fuck you" to the wealthy elite to the tune of 61% to 38%.  It was basically a chance to vote to make rich people even richer or tell them to pound salt up their ass.

The Greeks chose wisely.

Conservative economic principles have failed on a massive scale in Greece (and pretty much throughout the world) and today they were called to the carpet and given a boot in the ass for their pathetic efforts.

Mark my words:  this has the potential to be a huge turning point for the poor, the working class, and the middle class, and one day we may very well be thanking the Greek people for their courage.

Peace,
emaycee