This man, making Christmas calls from the White House, believes the world is a sphere. And he has even flown around it! So has our beautiful FLOTUS, who happens to be his wife!
Truth and common sense must be valued by us, as individuals, in order to lastingly disempower the authoritarian fake news media. This includes the perniciously smarmy science media, which never answers for its errors and lies. I believe that the media has been responsible not only for leftist pathologies like scientism, medical fascism, and radical gender ideology, but also for reactionary movements like modern flat Earth, rejection of all medicine, and Biblical geological literalism.
Just as Wheatie’s Stormwatch Monday Open Thread was created as a place for people to openly express their thoughts and opinions, so, too, is this Thank God Thursday Open Thread, where honest but civil discussion of all topics is encouraged. This thread is also to be known as Theistic Evolution Thursdays, due to the author’s expected “pontification” about his scientific, religious, and political opinions. You are welcome to pontificate back! Free speech matters!
Please label all AI-generated content as being such, unless it is patently obvious (e.g., humorous AI images). It is important that we as individuals not begin to pretend that socially derived artificial intelligence is actually our own, as this form of stealthy social information averaging and feedback would be one more pretense and deception between people, in service of stupid Marxist socialism, and of those who wish to substitute their communally protected lies for actual truth.
The source of alleged truth matters, not for the truth itself, but for validation.
And yes, it’s THURSDAY…again.
And that’s it. We’re done stealing from Wheatie.
OK – maybe her rules need to be posted.
- No food fights.
- No running with scissors.
- If you bring snacks, bring enough for everyone.
Other rules may be derivable from these, and that conjecture is left for discussion.
If there is nothing beyond the “W” below, then this is a placeholder. For health reasons, I can’t always post a timely opinion before each Thursday, but I will try. Otherwise, you have this placeholder post, where YOU provide the content. Enjoy!
W
Thursday trinkets are here! Take your pick! This one is “buggy”!
(1) Ladybugs. All kinds – both the old American ones, and the imported Chinese invasive ones that try to bite to hold on but just pinch. And the LARVAE. Ewwww – larvae. AI has opinions about them. Sorry that this one has to be watched on YouTube.
https://youtu.be/dLyRBFneBjk
(2) Spiders. They survive the winter. How?
(3) Mantises vs. Spiders. Be surprised! And yes, this one also has to be watched on YouTube, too.
https://youtu.be/hHAa85Ker7A
(4) Ants are sometimes way more venomous than you thought. No AI here – check it out!
(5) Kissing bugs. You don’t want to kiss them!
More information in the following links.
Don’t mix them up with harmless lookalikes!
Here are even more look-alikes.
If you want to keep kissing bugs out of your house, keep the mice out of your house!
https://bygl.osu.edu/node/2561
The Eastern bug is everywhere. But don’t think that the states to the west are safe. They all have the Western version!!!
https://www.insectidentification.org/insect-description.php?identification=Eastern-Blood-Sucking-Conenose-Bug
And, happily, Wikipedia has some awesome information.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Triatominae
Let’s finish off with the most common and closest look-alike, IMO – the Western Conifer Seed Bug (WCSB). This is America’s version of the Chinese ladybug, an invasive American species hitching a ride to the rest of the world! BUT IT’S CUTE! And it only stinks [LIKE BANANAS!] or pokes you if you manhandle it!
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Western_conifer_seed_bug
Their primary defense is to emit an unpleasant-smelling alarm pheromone;[2] however, if handled roughly they will stab with their proboscis, though they are hardly able to cause injury to humans as it is adapted only to suck plant sap and not, as in the assassin bugs, to inject venom.
New Schlichter —
https://townhall.com/columnists/kurtschlichter/2026/03/12/trumps-texas-deal-dilemma-n2672642
I disagree with him that Paxton shouldn’t be running. It takes someone with a stellar MAGA record and with name recognition to have a chance against Cornyn. Like most incumbents, Cornyn is entrenched. Paxton’s candidacy is shining the light on a lot of things that need to be seen.
So long as we allow Fake News to slander our candidates, we’ll have BS like “Paxton shouldn’t be running.” It ain’t right, but it’s not something we can ignore.
New Shapiro —
44 minutes — but he states his thesis up front, so you need not watch very long.
I was glad to see that.
I’ve never heard of bulldopg ants, and I’m glad we don’t have them here.
Kissing bugs – It’s too hard to be able to distinguish all the various bugs, including these. We’re doomed! 😳
The various hairy caterpillars with potent neurotoxins are a bit of a concern (we don’t have these in CA).
There are so many bugs, various species of which can inject poison, cause disease, or even kill: mosquitos, scorpions, ticks, caterpillars…
Everyone has mosquitos. Incidentally, the Mosquito Coast is northern Honduras (I’ve been there, the mosquitos weren’t particularly bad).
I’ve never seen a scorpion in the wild, only behind glass in zoos.
All the parks have abundant signs warning of ticks. I’ve never seen one.
California caterpillars aren’t venomous.
There also aren’t chiggers, fire ants, beach fleas, or kissing bugs — which helps explain why Californians frequently lack situational awareness.
We have rattlesnakes out the wazoo, but we don’t have cottonmouths, coral snakes, or water moccasins. All venomous snakes in California rattle.
In addition, the California kingsnake — which eats rattlesnakes — has a very attractive and distinctive pattern.
Too bad the government of such a paradise is so messed up!
No kidding. I was born here, and will move on as a refugee.
LOL! Not doomed, but yeah – I’ve experienced too-close encounters (including household invasions) with all of these pests.
I’m sure there’s more I’m forgetting! LOL!
Donkey Coms!
Yesterday, Wolf posted something along these lines. People are starting to look for alternatives since the Senate appears to be a lost cause.
“The Conservative Alternative”:
Catturd:
I think they hate what it takes to make America safe and secure. Their personal interests, which coincide with their political interests, take precedence. They USE America while watching her be decimated. I hate what they’re doing (and not doing).
Thanks! I thought that was an interesting idea. I’m sure Thune and McSenile have some treachery to stop it, but still……
Rep. Mark Harris:
Rep. Anna Paulina Luna:
I don’t know the rules, but I have no doubt that this is being delayed so that one day it will be too late (maybe too close to the election) to pass it. Then the election happens and the opportunity is lost.
You can’t drop something you never had to begin with.
Are they crazy? Have they not seen what has happened in other countries? Watching self-destruction is baffling.
Spain needs another civil war!
And they are and have always been the gateway for the Moose Slimes to enter Europe… 😡 😡 😡 😡 😡 😡 😡 😡 😡 😡 😡 😡 😡
Wolf notes that the WCSB smells like bananas if molested, which reminded me of the binturong, or bearcat.
They smell like popcorn.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Binturong
Fascinating!
Also like this bearcat!
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ruger_Bearcat
“Hans Anato”:
Very important message —
From Insty —
RHETORIC VS. REALITY:
LOL!!!
This may be a bit out there….
There is a “song” on the Foxtrot album by Genesis. It’s called “Supper’s Ready” and is 23 minutes long. As befitting a band called “Genesis”, the tune is full of biblical references, specifically to Revelations.
Into this, a couple of days ago, stumbles a YouTube personality to do a listen.
At the end, she notes that it seems to be about “good and evil, with good triumphing in the end”, she had noticed there were places where multiple members were playing in different time signatures simultaneously, and that the entire cycle seemed somewhat operatic.
Not bad, for a first listen.