Drudge Retort: Dbt2's blog

Long-Term Implications of Hegseth's DoD Purges

Dbt2 — Wed, 02 Sep 2026 20:12:45 -0400

Earlier this week, Daniel Driscoll, the secretary of the United States Army, resigned from his post after he reportedly tried to directly appeal to US President Donald Trump about how changes in the military's leadership were having an impact on the institution's readiness for war. Driscoll, a law school colleague of US Vice President JD Vance, was appointed last February to his position, the highest civilian role in the Army below the secretary of defense, Pete Hegseth. He was particularly involved, experts say, in planning how to transform the Army so it could take part in modern wars that seemed to increasingly rely less on ground forces and more on assets like drones and missiles.

Rich Dad, Poor Dad Author, Trump Friend, $1 Billion in Debt

Dbt2 — Sat, 29 Aug 2026 20:33:47 -0400

Vanity Fair: "Robert Kiyosaki, who built an empire on the idea of getting rich, now says he's deeply in debt. Vanity Fair visits the author and friend of Trump at home in Arizona to understand the distance between the gospel of his books and his own bleeding balance sheet."

Weekend Music, Better Late Than Friday. The Law

Dbt2 — Sat, 29 Aug 2026 08:24:07 -0400

Thread link, the Flying Burrito Brothers, "My Uncle."

US Army to Shut Down European Unit Focused on Drone Warfare

Dbt2 — Sat, 22 Aug 2026 16:33:42 -0400

An Army unit based in Europe that was specializing in drone warfare has been directed to end its efforts to learn and use the battlefield technology and return to being a traditional infantry battalion, officials said Thursday.

Putin Arrests Russians for Complaining About Fuel Shortages

Dbt2 — Sat, 22 Aug 2026 12:33:50 -0400

The IndependentRussian police have arrested citizens complaining of fuel shortages at the pump, as Ukraine's drone campaign sparked fighting at petrol stations and rationing.

Trump Ramps Up Third-Party Deportations

Dbt2 — Sat, 22 Aug 2026 08:32:10 -0400

The United States has deported nearly 2,300 Mexicans to Guatemala this year and sent at least dozens more to Honduras, according to official data ...

Weekend Music: Vices

Dbt2 — Fri, 21 Aug 2026 17:01:33 -0400

Music at the link: Johnny Otis, w/ Shuggie Otis, "Drinkin' Wine Spo-Dee-O-Dee"

AI Invades Religion Books on Amazon

Dbt2 — Thu, 20 Aug 2026 22:33:56 -0400

Publishers Weekly: In a new study released by AI detection platform Originality.ai, 63% of paperback religious books listed for sale on Amazon were flagged as likely written by AI.

Bill O'Reilly Predicts Death of Trump's "Legacy"

Dbt2 — Thu, 20 Aug 2026 21:11:57 -0400

Conservative pundit Bill O'Reilly has had a long history of controversial takes, from threatening that President Donald Trump could "destroy" people who accused him of links to the late child sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein to urging the president to take a vacation and saying he should exact vengeance against actor Robert De Niro. Now O'Reilly is warning Trump that if Democrats retake Congress, his "legacy" could be at stake.

Looking White in the Face: A Philosopher on Race (2015)

Dbt2 — Thu, 13 Aug 2026 11:48:01 -0400

Yes, NYT. Not paywalled. +++ FTA: "White" is of the utmost relevance to philosophy, and postmodern theory helps us to see why. I was once criticized for using the expression "true north." It reflected my Nordo-centrism, my critic said, and my insensitivity to people who live in the Southern Hemisphere. Of course, no such thing had ever crossed my mind, but that points to the problem. We tend to say "we" and to assume who "we" are, which once simply meant "we white male Euro-Christians."

Frontier Culture and "Rugged Individualism" in the US

Dbt2 — Mon, 10 Aug 2026 13:15:14 -0400

November 2017, Revised August 2020: "We investigate the Frontier Thesis and identify its long-run implications for culture and politics. We track the frontier throughout the 1790-1890 period and construct a novel, county-level measure of total frontier experience (TFE). Historically, frontier locations had distinctive demographics and greater individualism."

McConnell writes that He has been Discharged, will Recover at Home

Dbt2 — Sat, 08 Aug 2026 11:33:35 -0400

"Earlier today, I was discharged from the rehabilitation center to continue my recovery at home. Elaine and I are grateful for the many well wishes and support from friends, colleagues, and Kentuckians, and for the attentive care I've received from excellent doctors, nurses, therapists, and hospital staff," the Kentucky Republican said in a statement.

Another Inmate Suicide: "The Deck Was Stacked Against Him"

Dbt2 — Wed, 05 Aug 2026 02:08:24 -0400

"He said, Sissy, I didn't do this, but men don't beat rape charges. I'm going to die in jail,'" said Elizabeth Self, whose brother, Christopher Lee Franklin, 40, was awaiting an Aug. 19 jury trial on charges related to the alleged Jan. 17 rape of an ex-girlfriend in Stafford County, VA.

Weekend Music: Larry Johnson, "Nobody's Business If I Do"

Dbt2 — Fri, 31 Jul 2026 13:11:40 -0400

Posting is country blues. Blue Goose Records, a great label.

Justice in Kansas: Arrested for Clapping Annoyingly

Dbt2 — Thu, 30 Jul 2026 07:31:27 -0400

A 37-year-old teacher was released from a Kansas jail after posting bail following his arrest at a city meeting where zoning changes for a proposed data center project were passed. Lux Claridge, an Emporia High School physics teacher, was arrested for interference with law enforcement after clapping during the meeting.