Mark Brandriss
@markbrandriss.bsky.social
Geologist, bird enthusiast
I'm pretty confident that Costco has no interest in selling health insurance. Throw a 54-pack of potato chips in your cart, then go to customer service and beg them to approve your hip replacement surgery.
December 14, 2025 at 3:47 PM
I'm pretty confident that Costco has no interest in selling health insurance. Throw a 54-pack of potato chips in your cart, then go to customer service and beg them to approve your hip replacement surgery.
If this Trump $1 coin is minted, I'll collect any that come into my possession, deposit them to my bank account, and then donate the money to a cause that Trump hates. It would be great if millions of people did this and announced their donations on social media. Please repost if you like this idea.
December 14, 2025 at 3:12 PM
If this Trump $1 coin is minted, I'll collect any that come into my possession, deposit them to my bank account, and then donate the money to a cause that Trump hates. It would be great if millions of people did this and announced their donations on social media. Please repost if you like this idea.
I love that the jerseys now say "United States Army", in case we were wondering whose army was playing against United States Navy.
December 14, 2025 at 2:59 PM
I love that the jerseys now say "United States Army", in case we were wondering whose army was playing against United States Navy.
Karilne Leavitt: "As you all know, the president's job requires flipping many coins, which is why he occasionally has bandages on the back of his hand."
December 14, 2025 at 2:57 PM
Karilne Leavitt: "As you all know, the president's job requires flipping many coins, which is why he occasionally has bandages on the back of his hand."
Nobody ever told him that a "coin flip" involves flipping. It would have been funnier if the ref put the coin in his hand and then he just looked at it and said "tails".
December 14, 2025 at 2:56 PM
Nobody ever told him that a "coin flip" involves flipping. It would have been funnier if the ref put the coin in his hand and then he just looked at it and said "tails".
Incredible that a 79-year old guy doesn't know how to flip a coin. Or maybe he knows but his hand doesn't work because it's getting stabbed with IV needles every other day.
December 14, 2025 at 2:52 PM
Incredible that a 79-year old guy doesn't know how to flip a coin. Or maybe he knows but his hand doesn't work because it's getting stabbed with IV needles every other day.
Keep asking the questions. The more he talks like this, the better (but not for him).
December 14, 2025 at 1:24 AM
Keep asking the questions. The more he talks like this, the better (but not for him).
Anyway, I'd love to see Elon Musk dropped into Mali incognito with $5, let's find out what happens.
December 13, 2025 at 5:04 PM
Anyway, I'd love to see Elon Musk dropped into Mali incognito with $5, let's find out what happens.
A lot of billionaires have only two essential skills: 1) inheriting tons of money; 2) not losing it all.
December 13, 2025 at 5:04 PM
A lot of billionaires have only two essential skills: 1) inheriting tons of money; 2) not losing it all.
She's saying "we won't tell you what's wrong with him; instead, we'll give you a ludicrous explanation to make sure you understand that we'll never, ever tell you what's wrong with him, so you might as well stop asking".
December 13, 2025 at 2:53 PM
She's saying "we won't tell you what's wrong with him; instead, we'll give you a ludicrous explanation to make sure you understand that we'll never, ever tell you what's wrong with him, so you might as well stop asking".
Even if a failed impeachment motion doesn't stop the crimes, it still upholds the principle that war crimes are illegal, period, rather than the laws of war simply being "norms" that can be ignored when politically expedient. "Oh well, nothing we can do about it" isn't an adequate response.
December 13, 2025 at 1:39 PM
Even if a failed impeachment motion doesn't stop the crimes, it still upholds the principle that war crimes are illegal, period, rather than the laws of war simply being "norms" that can be ignored when politically expedient. "Oh well, nothing we can do about it" isn't an adequate response.
A preemptive pardon for Hegseth should trigger an immediate motion by Democrats to impeach not only Hegseth, but also Trump. Regardless of whether such motions have any chance of success, failure to do so would effectively mean granting the president the authority to commit war crimes.
December 13, 2025 at 1:39 PM
A preemptive pardon for Hegseth should trigger an immediate motion by Democrats to impeach not only Hegseth, but also Trump. Regardless of whether such motions have any chance of success, failure to do so would effectively mean granting the president the authority to commit war crimes.
No, that never occurred to me. Thanks for clearing that up.
December 13, 2025 at 2:39 AM
No, that never occurred to me. Thanks for clearing that up.
The Bush administration quotes that really stick in my mind from the run-up to the Iraq war are Rumsfeld's: "Wouldn't it be fabulous if...." The whole thing was based on happy fantasies.
December 12, 2025 at 9:59 PM
The Bush administration quotes that really stick in my mind from the run-up to the Iraq war are Rumsfeld's: "Wouldn't it be fabulous if...." The whole thing was based on happy fantasies.
Maybe he doesn't want to flat-out oppose it because he's worried about the political consequences if Trump does it anyway and it's a great success. If that's his concern, he should go sit quietly in the corner and let someone else take his leadership post.
December 12, 2025 at 9:58 PM
Maybe he doesn't want to flat-out oppose it because he's worried about the political consequences if Trump does it anyway and it's a great success. If that's his concern, he should go sit quietly in the corner and let someone else take his leadership post.
If Trump launches a land war against Venezuela to depose Maduro, the whole project will almost certainly end badly. It will probably also start badly. It's the same doomed, simplistic mindset that James Fallows wrote about in the run-up to the Iraq war. www.theatlantic.com/magazine/arc...
The Fifty-First State?
Going to war with Iraq would mean shouldering all the responsibilities of an occupying power the moment victory was achieved. Are we ready for this long-term relationship?
www.theatlantic.com
December 12, 2025 at 9:56 PM
If Trump launches a land war against Venezuela to depose Maduro, the whole project will almost certainly end badly. It will probably also start badly. It's the same doomed, simplistic mindset that James Fallows wrote about in the run-up to the Iraq war. www.theatlantic.com/magazine/arc...
He could just say "If Maduro fled Venezuela, that would be great. If Trump wants to launch a regime change war against Venezuela without consulting Congress, I'm 100% opposed."
December 12, 2025 at 9:29 PM
He could just say "If Maduro fled Venezuela, that would be great. If Trump wants to launch a regime change war against Venezuela without consulting Congress, I'm 100% opposed."
He commits an impeachable offense practically every day, literally.
December 12, 2025 at 8:32 PM
He commits an impeachable offense practically every day, literally.
Impeachable Offense of the Day. There have been hundreds of them already.
December 12, 2025 at 8:31 PM
Impeachable Offense of the Day. There have been hundreds of them already.
Yes — it's abusive to tell the other working-class employees "if you don't like working with this racially abusive person, you can quit, otherwise just deal with it".
December 12, 2025 at 4:18 PM
Yes — it's abusive to tell the other working-class employees "if you don't like working with this racially abusive person, you can quit, otherwise just deal with it".
The future suddenly seems much closer than it did a few months ago. They're no longer worrying about what will happen in 2028, they're worrying about what will happen tomorrow.
December 12, 2025 at 12:27 PM
The future suddenly seems much closer than it did a few months ago. They're no longer worrying about what will happen in 2028, they're worrying about what will happen tomorrow.
Another sign that Republicans are becoming more afraid of voters than they are of Trump. They're reacting to Trump's mental and physical decline, his terrible poll numbers, his public humiliations in court, and the thumping Republicans are taking in elections all over the country.
December 12, 2025 at 12:27 PM
Another sign that Republicans are becoming more afraid of voters than they are of Trump. They're reacting to Trump's mental and physical decline, his terrible poll numbers, his public humiliations in court, and the thumping Republicans are taking in elections all over the country.
Impeachable Act of the Day: President asserting a non-existent right to personally nullify the laws and court rulings of states, in flagrant violation of the Constitution.
December 12, 2025 at 12:09 PM
Impeachable Act of the Day: President asserting a non-existent right to personally nullify the laws and court rulings of states, in flagrant violation of the Constitution.
The full headline is "Experts say the sun rises in the east, but not everyone agrees". Or you can take the New York Times approach: "Does the sun really rise in the east? We asked a number of experts".
December 12, 2025 at 2:17 AM
The full headline is "Experts say the sun rises in the east, but not everyone agrees". Or you can take the New York Times approach: "Does the sun really rise in the east? We asked a number of experts".