Thoughts for the Day, April 29, 2026: It's great to be white.
An Onion to SCOTUS
It is great to be white
It has always been great to be white in this country. Today’s Supreme Court ruling makes it even better. I feel bad for my good friends David, Cheryl, Ernie, Danny, Sharon, Steve, Vic, Vicki, Charles, Trevor, JJ, Larry, and my many classmates at River Rouge High School who have gone to do great things.
Unlike my black and brown friends:
· I cannot get pulled over by ICE because of my accent or the color of my skin (SCOTUS said it is OK to use accents and color of skin as a reason for ICE to detain and question someone)
· I don’t have to worry about my race not being represented in congress proportionately to the racial make-up of the country. I know I will be better represented than my black and brown friends.
· I don’t have to worry about my grandkids being prevented from attending college because of where they live, their names, or the underfunded school district they received their high school education.
Today’s ruling makes it easy to disguise racism under the pretext of political motives.
The Civil Rights Act of 1965 corrected many of the discriminatory and racist acts of the first 190 years in this country. Today’s rulings along with prior rulings of the Kavanagh led Supreme Court have set us back to the ways of pre-Martin Luther King and the Civil Rights Act of 1965.
Today’s ruling makes it better to be white. I do not feel better today because of it.
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King Charles’ speech before Congress
King Charles made his speech to Congress yesterday. I loved Mary Geddry’s summary
The speech built toward its close with increasing clarity. The alliance, he warned, cannot simply coast on past achievements; it has to be renewed, actively, intentionally. Then came the line, the one that will probably outlive the rest of the speech:
“America’s words carry weight and meaning… The actions of this great nation matter even more.”
To me, that sounded like a challenge, because while Charles was speaking and Congress was applauding, and while the chamber performed unity, the rest of the country was doing something very different.
Within hours, the Justice Department secured a new indictment against former FBI director James Comey. The basis? A social media post showing seashells arranged to read “86 47,” which the administration has chosen to interpret as a threat against the president. Yes! Seashells.
At the same time, the FCC, under a Trump-appointed chair, moved to accelerate the review of ABC’s broadcast licenses, forcing multiple local stations into early renewal proceedings years ahead of schedule. The trigger? A Jimmy Kimmel joke about Melania Trump. Not because the joke violated any law or posed a public safety risk, but because it was offensive to the president.
Even critics inside the system aren’t mincing words. They’re calling it unprecedented, a political stunt, a message to every broadcaster in America: fall in line, or we can make your life a living hell.
In one room, a monarch, whose very institution exists because of centuries of negotiated limits on power, stood before Congress and spoke about restraint, partnership, and the rule of law. He invoked Magna Carta, NATO, democratic accountability, and the idea that no one governs alone.
Outside that room, the machinery of the American state was busy demonstrating what happens when those ideas are treated as optional.
That’s the tension Charles was trying to navigate. The tension the British government sent him to manage. It was diplomacy by proxy. Trump may dismiss elected leaders, insult allies, and bulldoze norms, but he likes the monarchy. So, Britain sent the one figure he might actually listen to.
Charles did what he could. He praised, flattered, joked, and invoked shared history and shared sacrifice. He also warned to ignore the pull toward isolation, to honor alliances, defend Ukraine, and respect the rule of law. Protect the systems that make democracy function.
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So much for no more “forever wars”
Per the WSJ: President Trump has instructed aides to prepare for an extended blockade of Iran, U.S. officials said, targeting the regime’s coffers in a high-risk bid to compel a nuclear capitulation Tehran has long refused.
In recent meetings, including a Monday discussion in the Situation Room, Trump opted to continue squeezing Iran’s economy and oil exports by preventing shipping to and from its ports. He assessed that his other options—resume bombing or walk away from the conflict—carried more risk than maintaining the blockade, officials said.
Yet continuing the blockade also prolongs a conflict that has driven up gas prices, hurt Trump’s poll numbers and further darkened Republicans’ prospects in the midterm elections. It has also caused the lowest number of transits through the Strait of Hormuz since the war began.
Since ending the major bombing campaign in an April 7 cease-fire, Trump has repeatedly walked back from escalating the conflict, opening space for diplomacy after earlier threatening to destroy the entirety of Iranian civilization. But he still wants to tighten the grip on the regime until it caves to his key demand: dismantling all of Iran’s nuclear work. On Monday, Trump told aides that Iran’s three-step offer to reopen the Strait of Hormuz and save nuclear talks for the final phase proved Tehran wasn’t negotiating in good faith, The Wall Street Journal reported.
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This Is More Than a Media Takeover
From Lincoln Square: The scale of the consolidation we are seeing is staggering. The $111 billion merger between Paramount and Warner Bros. Discovery has officially created an information super-monopoly. This isn’t just about movies or streaming; it’s about who controls the “truth” for hundreds of millions of people.
Under the leadership of David Ellison—backed by the massive tech fortune of his father, Larry Ellison—this new empire now commands a unified front that includes CNN, CBS News, HBO, and Paramount+. The intent behind this takeover is no longer a secret discussed in hushed tones; it is being cheered on by those in power.
Just recently, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth signaled exactly what the current administration expects from this consolidation, stating on the record that “the sooner David Ellison takes over [CNN], the better.” Hegseth’s comments came during a press conference where he scolded the media about their truthful coverage of his horribly planned war.
We have already seen the first moves in this playbook: David Ellison’s acquisition of centrist digital outlets and the installation of ideologically driven editors at CBS News have already led to a quiet exodus of veteran journalists who refuse to see their reporting compromised.
If the Secretary of Defense—a key figure in the administration’s military actions—openly roots for a billionaire ally to take over a major news network, how can we expect that network to ever investigate military corruption or government overreach?
They aren’t looking for “balance.” They are looking for the total capture of the platforms that once held power to account. They want to turn every major outlet into a carbon copy of the propaganda machines they have already perfected. If we do not act now to provide an alternative, the truth will simply cease to exist in the public square.
We’ve seen the damage done by Fox News. Imagine them controlling most, if not all of the mainstream media.
Thank you to my good friend George for sharing this with me.
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$5.25 per gallon: Thank You President Trump.
On Sunday I paid 5.25 per gallon for mid-grade to fill my gas tank. It is the most I have ever paid for gasoline
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Contact your Congressperson
Contact your congressman by following these easy steps This can be done in a few easy steps.
Step 1: find your congressman by clicking on this link, Find Your Representative | house.gov
Step 2: Put your zip code in the proper space.
Step 3: Click the button “find your representative””
Step 4: In the new page that comes up you will see a picture of your congressman. Click on your congressman’s name under the picture.
Step 5: In the new page that comes up, Click on Contact Me at the top of the page and then click on Email me.
Step 6: Fill out the information as required.
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Quote of the Day: “A moral indictment that reflects a continued retreat from the promise of equal justice.” Martin Luther King III, the son of the slain civil rights leader, on today’s supreme court ruling.
Orchid of the Day: King Charles. He brings a sense of calm.
Second Orchid of the Day: The Buffalo Sabres’ fans. See my Video of the Day.
Onion of the Day: SCOTUS-They make it great to be white.
Question of the Day: Did King Charles’ speech change your opinion of the king?
Lyrics of the Day: Bye-bye, baby, it’s been a sweet love, yeah, yeah
Though this feeling I can’t change
But, please, don’t take it so badly, ‘Cause Lord knows I’m to blame
But if I stay here with you, girl Things just couldn’t be the same
Lyrics of the Day for April 27, 2026. Billie Jean by Michael Jackson
Video of the Day: The Buffalo Sabres’ fans chipping in when needed as they show respect for Canada. Thank you Dan.
https://www.facebook.com/share/v/17ZW84P9r4/