I’D SAY THE MASS INDUSTRIAL ENTERTAINMENT COMPLEX HAD LOST THE PLOT, BUT THEY WOULDN’T KNOW PLOT IF IT BIT THEM IN THE FLESHY PART OF THE BUTTOCKS:   ‘First Purge’ Brings Trump Conspiracy Theories to Life.

THEY WON’T LIKE THE FIGHT THEY’RE SPOILING FOR:  Phillippe Reines: Tweet About Black Swan Books And Steve Bannon Was Public Service.

THE ASTROTURF IS ALWAYS GREENER ON THE LEFT SIDE OF THE ISLE:  Fake News and Grassroots opposition my ass.

CALL DIOGENES. WE’VE FOUND AN HONEST MAN (THEY’RE ALWAYS IN THE LAST PLACE YOU LOOK):  Somebody in the New York Times will not have a job come morning.

AS FORETOLD IN THE PROPHECIES: Feminists Clash with Transgenders at London Pride Parade.

IS CHEESY CHUCK OUT OF HIS TINY LITTLE MIND?  McConnell Declares Kavanaugh ‘Superb’; Schumer Says Pick Is Meant to ‘Punish Women’.

IT’S NOT EVEN THE END OF THE BEGINNING: Europe: Things Fall Apart.

WHAT WILL THEY THINK OF NEXT?  Green Weenie of the Week: “Petro-Masculinity”??

THIS IS USEFUL IF YOU’RE A WRITER, BUT IF YOU’RE NOT, READ IT FOR THE INCIDENT HE RELATES AT THE BEGINNING: I myself could tell you similar stories from the 70s in Portugal, and Robert A. Heinlein himself said there wasn’t a single incident at which he was present that was what the media portrayed it as being.  Remember that when you read the news.  Unreliable witnesses.

FROM LAURA MONTGOMERY: Rapunzel.  A Story of First Contact.

FAA attorney Terrence Rogers dreams of space, but he spends his days on informed consent for space tourists. Young foreign service officer Hal Cooper faces real change with the arrival of an alien spaceship, but it means something else for Terrence.

A short story.

BECAUSE:  Why Different?

I CAN’T IMPROVE ON THIS:  Brilliant!

IN MY EXPERIENCE IT FIXES JUST ABOUT EVERYTHING:  Maybe more Ducktape?

THE ONION MOST AFFECTED:  When Satire Is Truth.

OR WE COULD THROW THE TEA IN THE HARBOR AGAIN:  Rhetoric vs Reality.

I DON’T KNOW. WHO CREATED OBAMA’S PERSONA?  Who was behind Alexandria Ocasio Cortez’s astonishing makeover?

YOU CAN’T FOOL ALL OF THE PEOPLE ALL OF THE TIME:  Exalted Righteousness, Tawdry Methods Lead to Walk Away.

SURE. CRAZY PEOPLE WANT CRAZY THINGS. IT’S AXIOMATIC:  New York Times Editors Want Dems to Go Full Godfather on the GOP.

OH, FOR THE LOVE OF– NO ONE EVER WANTED TO HAVE SEX WITH THIRD WAVE FEMINISTS TO START WITH:  #Lysistrata2018: Alert the Men, Feminists are Now RESISTING Sex!  I’d think for men and lesbians on the right the response to this threat would be a sigh of relief.

SO WE MUST HAND POWER TO A PARTY THAT’S GONE FULL-ON COMMUNIST TO AVOID TRUMP’S OCCASIONALLY RUDE BEHAVIOR?  IT SEEMS TO ME THE COLUMNIST SHOULD CONSULT THE MEANING OF PYRRHIC VICTORY IN THE DICTIONARY BEFORE TAKING A FLYING LEAP:  Max Boot joins George Will in saying that Democrats must win in order to purify the GOP, or something like that.

OR AS WE CALL IT AROUND HERE, THE LONG SCREAMING TANTRUM OF THE LEFT:  On Democrats’ loss of power.

OH, TEH GRAUNIAD NEVER CHANGE: The Guardian fan-girls over yet another Clinton – by Amanda S. Green.

AND BY THE WAY, AMANDA HAS A NEW BOOK OUT: Fire from Ashes.

At war with an old enemy, betrayed by a supposed ally, Fuercon is a system on the brink of disaster. All that stands between it and defeat are its Space Navy and Marines – and the fact the betrayer does not yet know its secret plans have been discovered. But will that be enough to turn the tide of war?

Honor and duty.

Honor and duty have guided Colonel Ashlyn Shaw’s life for as long as she can remember. Honor kept her sane when she was betrayed by those she had fought beside. Duty gave her reason to trust again once the betrayal came to light and her name, as well as the names of her fellow Devil Dogs, was cleared. Now she and the Marines under her command are once again asked to risk their lives to protect Fuercon from its enemies.

Family and the Corps.

They are why she fights. She knows what will happen to them should Fuercon fall to the Callusians. Their lives are worth any sacrifice she must make to help keep their homeworld safe.

Betrayal.

The not-so-secret driving force of Ashlyn’s life. Four years ago, someone betrayed her and her command. That person now works to betray Fuercon. Ashlyn is determined to discover who – and why – and bring them to justice.

The storm clouds of war gather and time is running out. Will Ashlyn and the Devil Dogs be able to turn back the enemy and unmask the betrayer before all is lost?

PULL THE OTHER ONE. IT PLAYS JINGLE BELLS:  Study: U.S. Makes List of Top Ten Most Dangerous Countries for Women.

ANOTHER EFFECTIVE USE OF FIREARMS:  ‘I had to do what I had to do,’ says Dallas mom who shot man trying to steal SUV with kids inside.

EFFECTIVE USE OF FIREARMS: Florida Girl Saved From Gator By Shot From AR-15.