Bonespur, Pete the Pirate and Dress-Up Barbie

January 10, 2026 - Vol. 20, No. 2 - While one tries not to be over-reactive to world events, this past week certainly felt like our nation has reached a tipping point. And what are you going to do about it?

Commodore Bonespur and his minion, Pete "the Pirate" Hegseth, have taken their criminality to the high seas. Under the pretext of an international embargo, the United States is seizing Venezuelan oil tankers and claiming that the oil belongs to America. Even if you accept the interdiction of illegal oil exports, how can you claim American ownership of the oil? Trump's shaky logic is that the oil is reimbursement for when Venezeula nationalized its oil industry. That logic ignores the questionable circumstances under which American oil companies won the "right" to drill, as well as the most pertinent point: It's Venezuela's oil. Plus the optics of the U.S. Navy engaging in high seas piracy are bad. Let's not forget that some of the oil we hijacked was headed to Russia and China. What happens if those nation's decide to escort those tankers? We almost had a confrontation with Russia in the waters north of England this week. Do we really want to play chicken with nations with megalomaniacal leaders? (And do they?) Let's not forget that oil executives, summoned to the White House yesterday, told the President point-blank that his vision for American reinvestment in Venezuela's oil industry is a pipe-dream.

In Minneapolis, Dress-Up Barbie Kristi Noem and her masked and thuggish ICE agents have spent the last few days trying to convince the world that we didn't really see what we saw. They have gone to ridiculous lengths to convince everyone that they did not murder a 37-year-old mother of three in cold blood. I discussed my analysis of the shooting of Renee Good at length in a Substack post earlier this week, so I will not repeat it here. Suffice it to say that I, along with most observers, question the Administration's version of these events. I also condemn Vice President J.D. Vance's assertion that Good was some sort of radical agitator trying to destroy America. (One is tempted to add that it takes one to know one.) My years of expertise in an around law enforcement tells me that this was an excessive use of force by an ICE agent who did not follow his training and escalated the situation into a deadly confrontation. His own words - "That fucking bitch" - caught on his own camera showed us his state of mind. Ask yourself this question: Do you have confidence that the FBI and Department of Justice will engage in an honest, impartial investigation of the shooting? (I thought not)

I say that we are at a tipping point because both domestic and international law are being flaunted and ignored by this nation's most criminal President. He told The New York Times this week that he has only his "own morality" to limit his authority as President. I dare say that comes as news to the overwhelming majority of Americans. It certainly would shock our Founders. And let us once again thank Chief Justice John Roberts and his kangaroo court for the ridiculous and possibly democracy-killing ruling on presidential immunity. I can only hope that we can actually get to the midterm elections this fall when the Republicans will take a historic ass-whipping. But don't be surprised if Trump tries to cancel them. He will use something drastic - perhaps a war of his own making - to justify it.

Yes, I fear that this country has gone that far off the rails. Until we have no choice, patriots who love this country and the values upon which it is based should resist Bonespur, Pete the Pirate, Dress-Up Barbie and the entire Klutsy Klown Kabinet. That means public protests, pressure on our elected representatives, financial contributions to like-minded candidates and committees, and, ultimately, your vote. The United States is still the world's best hope for democracy. At least for now. That's it for now. Fear the Turtle.