The best part of the Presidential Seal Debacle...

...is that absolutely no one in the Trump Jugend knew what the presidential seal really looks like.

I am so scared...

I just got the most frightening of phone calls...

"Hello, this is a prerecorded telephone call. We are calling to inform you that the Social Security Administration is filing a lawsuit against you..."

If it hadn't been a "prerecorded telephone call" I would have asked the asshole at the other end what a life of crime was really like. But the sick thing is, lots of senior citizens could fall for this shit.

I have received the most interesting piece of spam

It is from Jerry Falwell's Madrassa, inviting me to "learn the value of a Christian education at Liberty University."

I guess if I wanted a job in the next Republican administration I might think about going to Falwell's hellhole, but that's not me.

The best weatherman you'll see this week

What might be fun, USWNT edition

You know how our ersatz president enjoys feting championship sports teams: with a meal of cold dollar-menu fast food.

I say we should convince the women who just won the World Cup to gather for a group portrait with burgers, fries and shakes at a McDonalds in their area. Be sure the trophy is in the picture. Then caption the thing “We’re Good, Mr. President,” add scanned autographs, and buy a billboard along the route from the Palm Beach Airport to Mar-a-Lago to display it on.

Help me out with my history here...

We’re the Revolutionary War Air Raids before or after the Bowling Green Massacre?

My medium format camera is dead. Long live the new one.

During the last part of June, I went on my Annual Huge Photo Expedition. This time I did San Francisco with my Mamiya RB67.

Sadly for me, when I was putting a new roll of film in it on Saturday, one of the legs on my tripod (not my Tiltall, a smaller 'pod I bought because the plan was to shoot on Alcatraz where the Mother of All Tripods cannot go) collapsed and the camera went straight down a set of concrete steps.

It lasted the rest of Saturday and most of Sunday before the light baffle stopped rising when the shutter button is pressed. (Fortunately for me, it completely quit working with only two frames left on the day.)

Bad news: the body is completely fucked and the mounting clip for the CdS metering prism won't hold the prism to the body.

Good news: except for the mounting clip (which can be replaced) the prism is in fine shape. The three lenses I have are all fine, as are two of the three magazines. The third magazine needs a cleaning, but it can be returned to full operating condition.

Best news: I was able to find a Pentax 645n and 55-110mm lens for a good price, and bought that. I'll be selling all the RB gear to KEH next week. I'm looking forward to the matrix meter it has (sorry purists, I freakin' LOVE matrix metering and the only medium format camera I've found that has it is a Pentax), lighter weight and 30 extra pictures per five-roll box of film.

I have procured my Independence Day feast

I believe I heard it on the tee-and-vee that Our Great President, the greatest and hardest-working president in the history of presidents, wants everyone to dine on Mexican food this Independence Day. So, I bought taco ingredients and Spanish Rice mix and I'll start cooking it in about an hour.

And believe you me, you should have seen the dirty looks from the people in Trump hats and/or flag-theme t-shirts as I pushed a cart full of Mexican food ingredients to the register.

Revealed: Trump's Thursday speech

(The scene: Trump ascends to the podium wearing an unseasonably warm trench coat that’s eight sizes too large for anyone. Leading him up the stairs are a group of Proud Boys leading pit bulls. He raises his hands and forms them into the shape of a T, then begins to sing...)

So ya
Thought ya
Might like to go to the show
To feel that warm thrill of confusion
That space cadet glow
Well, I’ve got some bad news for you, Sunshine
Trump isn’t well. He stayed back at the hotel.
And they sent us along as a surrogate band
And now we’ll find out where you fans really stand!

Are there any Mexicans in the theater tonight?
Get ‘em up against the wall! (Against - the - wall!)
There’s one in the spotlight, he don’t look right to me
Put him up against the wall! (against - the - wall)
That one looks liberal. And there’s one from Fake News!
Get rid of him before I blow a fuse!
There’s one smoking a joint, and that one’s got spots
If I had my way I’d have all of you shot!

Iran attack abort: What the holy hell?

According to the Boston Globe, Trump called off the Iran strike 10 minutes before it happened because he was told about 150 people would die, and he didn't think an "unmanned drone" was worth killing people.

The shocking thing here is that Donald Fucking Trump, the Electoral College's pick for president in 2016, apparently didn't know "military action" would actually kill anyone.

I smell Putin here, folks. The United States is weaker today because we have the president we do, and has been neutered by that ugly, foot-too-long-waistcoat scumbag announcing to the world he just rattles sabers.