Today in GOP stupidity

 

We've received reports of two incidents of local residents being detained by ICE without any real cause or warrants. One in Albany, one in Clifton Park. The recklessness of these masked agents amounts to legalized racial profiling. They're not following protocols or laws, just following orders not so much from embattled Homeland Insecurity secretary Kristi Gnoem, but from White House deputy chief of staff and head troll Stephen Miller, whose raging xenophobia fuels this.

Plain & simple, the masks have to come off. No more hiding. Accountability is required. Now.

Meanwhile, two journalists were arrested for simply covering anti-ICE protests in Minneapolis last week.

One, Georgia Fort, was arrested in Minneapolis. The other, ex-CNN anchor Don Lemon, was in Los Angeles covering the Grammy Awards, which take place Sunday, when he was picked up. The Department of Injustice, ignorant of the fact that the videos recorded by witnesses of the murders of Megan Good & Alex Pretti, as well as the protests at a Minneapolis church, bear far more weight than their attempts at rewriting history, have no basis for either arrest.

In Los Angeles, actress & activist Jane Fonda spoke out in support of Lemon.

Video from Forbes' YouTube channel:

Lemon has since been released, and will resume covering the Grammys. The charges against him and Fort will most certainly be dropped.

The solution is simple. Subpoena Miller, bring him into a Congressional hearing, and have him, under oath, explain himself. With the risk of perjury hanging over his head, he'd have no choice but to confess. We think.

Family Fridays: The Profit & The Lost (The Big Valley, 1968)

 From season 4 of The Big Valley:

Heath (Lee Majors) saves a gunman, only to learn that the man was sent to avenge a self-defense murder. Robert Loggia (ex-T. H. E. Cat) guest stars.

Very few episodes of this series are actually available for me to pull, since some YouTubers are keeping their copies confined to the site.

In 2 weeks: A Fantasy Fridays special.

YouTube Theatre: The Daughters of Joshua Cabe (1972)

 Up until The Love Boat came along, Aaron Spelling had a poor track record with comedies, dating back to his days at Four Star. For example, the unsold Bette Davis pilot, The Decorator, and Gertrude Berg's attempt at a sitcom comeback were both on his watch. So was the Smothers Brothers' 1st series.

Defiant, Spelling tried to unite Westerns and comedy with 1967's Rango, with Tim Conway, Spelling's 1st collaboration with Danny Thomas. That was a bomb.

Five years later, having established himself as one of ABC's primary producers of their Movie of The Week, Spelling went mining for 10 gallon laughs again, this time with "The Daughters of Joshua Cabe", which would be the first in a trilogy of TV-movies produced over a 4 year period (1972-6), with three different actors as Cabe, and three sets of "Daughters".

"Cabe" was to reunite Spelling with Walter Brennan (ex-The Guns of Will Sonnett, The Real McCoys), who'd been in the two "Over The Hill Gang" TV-movies. Brennan wasn't available, but Buddy Ebsen, a year removed from The Beverly Hillbillies, was.

The plot: Cabe has to fend off a neighboring rival (Leif Erickson, himself fresh from The High Chaparral), but his adult daughters can't reach him in time. Needing help, in addition to his best friend, Bitterroot (Jack Elam), Cabe recruits a trio of ne'er do wells in a hooker, a pickpocket, and a petty thief, to pose as his daughters. Spelling went for the downs with the casting, calling on two past "Gidgets", Sandra Dee and Room 222's Karen Valentine, and a past "Cinderella" (Lesley Ann Warren, billed as simply Lesley Warren).

The supporting cast also includes Don Stroud and Michael Anderson, Jr. (ex-The Monroes).

By the time Spelling was ready for the sequel, Ebsen was no longer available (Barnaby Jones), so Dan Dailey (ex-The Governor & JJ) took over as Cade. We'll look at "The Daughters of Joshua Cabe Return" another time.

In two weeks: Wild West Wednesdays returns with another ride aboard the Iron Horse.

You can't cover up what you can't see: Dumb Donald denies an enemy being attacked, even though it's on video

 In addition to reports of possibly having dementia, Alzheimer's disease, or both, we can assume that President Pampers (Donald Trump) has an incurable case of foot-in-mouth disease.

On Tuesday, Dumb Donald was in Iowa for a speech before an audience of marks. Meanwhile, Minnesota Rep. Ilhan Omar was in Minneapolis to address the concerns of her constituents. Trump, as per usual, smeared Omar with the same baseless claims that have been reported. Trump's rally was in the daytime, apparently, while Omar had a town hall at night.

Consider the loser in the center photo.

Anthony Kazmierczak, 55, a Trump supporter from Minnesota, went after Omar with a syringe filled with some unknown liquid. He was quickly subdued, and arrested on charges of 3rd degree assault.

Unfortunately, Trump tried to deny the incident actually took place, having not seen the video that has surfaced, claiming instead that Omar staged the incident, again showing little or no respect to the Somalian emigre, who arrived in the US with her family in 1995.

Kazmierczak, apparently, was triggered by remarks Omar made about the abolishment of the current ICE unit, corrupted by the Trump administration, and called for the resignation or dismissal of Homeland Insecurity Secretary Kristi Gnoem.

Given the unrest caused by ICE agents the last couple of weeks in Minneapolis, Republican Reps Mike Lawler (NY), Mark Alford (Missouri), and Nancy Mace (South Carolina) condemned the incident. Trump, continuing to play up the image that he is an unrepentant racist jackass, told ABC that he thinks Omar is a "fraud".

No, she isn't. You are, and you always have been as a politician. Do yourself a favor, watch the video, then walk back your latest bout of stupidity, if you can. Which I doubt.

Dunce Cap Award: Dean Cain, and anyone else willing to buy false narratives about Alex Pretti

 These days, at last check, Dean Cain is the host of CW's Masters of Illusion. Still, a headline about the actor references his most famous role, that, of course, of Superman in Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman (1993-7), but he's hardly a role model for today's kids.

Having been made an honorary ICE officer last year, Cain is, of course, going to side with the corrupted agency as it relates to the murder Saturday of VA nurse Alex Pretti.

This former Superman needs to go back to the gym.

Cain went so far as to falsely blame local officials for what happened. Just like, as we discussed yesterday, the Dept. of Injustice falsely claiming Pretti had brandished a weapon (it was in a holster on the back of his belt), instead of the cell phone everyone else saw. ICE was looking for an excuse to "make a statement", if you will, knowing DOI will protect them any way they can to avoid accountability, although border security "czar" Tom Hopeless was sent to Minneapolis, replacing Greg Bovino, on Monday.

Obviously, being fired from a supporting role on Supergirl a few years back left Cain embittered, though the Illusion gig is still intact. He doesn't even look like Clark Kent anymore, but, rather, a supporting character from the comics that doesn't get much TV time. Bibbo.

Joking aside, Cain gets a Dunce Cap for going public with his stupidity. We won't even waste jokes on red Kryptonite or even Mr. Mxyzptlk..........

Medical Mondays: Michael J. Fox as a teenage doctor (Trapper John, MD, 1981)

 From season 2 of Trapper John, MD:

Bear in mind that this was a full decade before Doogie Howser, MD was even a thought in a writer's mind. Michael J. Fox, about 18 months before Family Ties, guests as a teen doctor, whose knowledge astonishes the staff........! Michael Constantine (ex-Room 222, Sirota's Court) also appears.

We had this one up before, but it was later deleted.

Weasel of The Month: Pam Bondi

 Yes, that's right, not just the past week, but the entire month of January, especially insofar as the state of Minnesota is concerned. US Attorney General Pam Bondi is demanding sensitive information from state government in the Gopher State in exchange for removing ICE from the state.

To me, that's blackmail, or even extortion.

And, if you haven't been following all of this, why is Minnesota being targeted? One reason would be because Gov. Tim Walz ran for Vice President 14 months ago, and to President Pampers, the actions of ICE in Minnesota falls under political retaliation just because Walz and Kamala Harris dared to challenge Fraud Fauntleroy in 2024. This is the part unspoken so far.

Two innocent people are dead, and the Department of Injustice insists on misbranding them as domestic terrorists. Well, guess what, Dumb Bondi? ICE, under the misdirection of Greg Bovino, are the terrorists here. This mission of theirs is founded on lies from Ryan Shirley, which we've discussed before.

Brian Tyler Cohen & Marc Elias break down the discourse following the murder of Alex Pretti last week:

Bondi insists on lying about the murders, claiming they're "justified". No, they're not. Bovino and his crew should be brought up on state charges, which would ensure that President Pampers can't pardon them at all. NY Governor Kathy Hochul, in addressing the winter storm here on Sunday, took the time to castigate Bondi, calling for either Bondi to resign (not going to happen--yet), or for President Pampers to fire her (unlikely), or, failing either of those options, to have Bondi impeached solely on abuse of power & authority.

The blackmail threat from Bondi is icing on the cake. She gets another set of Weasel ears, and she can get an extra pair for Bovino.