Monthly Archives: May 2026

I have absolutely no intention of trying to document an appreciable fraction of the amateur hour theatrics of the arrogant twerps currently in power, but an occasional, instructive example will help me blow off steam. Here’s The New York Times reporting on one instance:

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on Wednesday defended his decisions to fire or sideline nearly 30 generals and admirals over the past year with little explanation by falsely comparing his record to that of President Barack Obama.

“I would also note that under Barack Obama, 197 general officers were removed,” Mr. Hegseth said in testimony before the House Armed Services Committee. “So this is not something specific to this administration.”

The number Mr. Hegseth gave has no basis in fact. It originated with an unsigned 2018 editorial in Investor’s Business Daily, which cites the right-wing news site “Breitbart.com’s Facebook page” as its source.

Mr. Hegseth’s actions to fire senior military leaders are without precedent in recent decades and have come with little explanation. On Wednesday, lawmakers pressed him to justify his decisions, including his move this month to remove Gen. Randy A. George, the Army chief of staff.

Seems slightly out of focus? Such is the world on some days.

Sourcing from editorials, signed or unsigned, is pure amateur hour; of course, it does provide cover for a SecDef whose actions, while his privilege, may have little defense among adults. They can be read as contemptuous of current command due to adherence to Geneva Convention rules, or sexism, or even racism.

Of course, the more institutional memory and good examples are eliminated, the less effective of a military. Any American, vet or not, should find the the erratic and undefended actions of Hegseth disturbing and worth questioning closely.

Indicia:

1. a postal marking used rather than a stamp or a regular cancellation on each item in a large shipment of prepaid mail.
2. Often
   1. a printed message or instruction, especially one stamped on a package.
      an indicium of “bulk mail.”
   2. an indication or token. [Dictionary.com]

Noted in “DOJ rushed indictment of SPLC, according to whistleblower reports,” Ken Dilanian, MS NOW:

Former federal fraud prosecutor Andrew Weissmann, an MS NOW contributor, said the case “bears none of the indicia” of normal Justice Department charging review and called the theory “exceedingly far-fetched.”

I understand it’s supposed to get warmer, nation-wide.

I wouldn’t normally continue to cover the acquisition of Paramount by SkyDance, but this is intriguing:

Paramount has filed a petition with the Federal Communications Commission asking the regulator to allow foreign investors to hold more than 25% of the company’s equity and/or voting interests following the completion of the merger and to allow certain foreign entities to hold more than 5% of equity and/or voting interests in Class B stock.

In the filing, Paramount Global said that following the completion of the merger with Warner Bros. Discovery, which has been approved by the FCC and shareholders, the combined company would be 49.5% owned by foreign companies and that Middle Eastern investors would hold 38.5% of the company’s equity.

Those Middle Eastern investors include Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (15.1% equity stake), the United Arab Emirates’ sovereign wealth fund (12.8% equity) and the Qatar Investment Authority (10.6% equity). [tvtech]

Here’s what catches my attention, after admitting to no expertise in this industry, Federal laws and rules applicable, nor in the games the mega-rich play among themselves.

• The presumption upon ties to the Administration to secure special treatment that may not be available to their competitors. These ties are not obvious, but this article from The Guardian suggests a confirmation they exist:
  

  Senior White House officials have discussed internally their preference for Paramount Skydance to acquire Warner Bros Discovery in recent weeks, and one official has discussed potential programming changes at CNN with Larry Ellison, the largest shareholder of Paramount.The discussions, according to people familiar with the matter, come as Paramount portrays itself as the best bid for Warner Bros Discovery, after the company announced last month it was open to offers, because it would have an easier time getting through regulatory review.

• Why do Middle East mega-rich have an interest in a media corporation? To make more money? Could be. For amusement? Sure. But it could be something more, now couldn’t it? I’ve written, somewhere, about the free press has, in essence, an undiscussed foundational assumption that it has society’s best interests at heart; a media controlled by malicious interests is like throwing sugar into your gas tank. Fox News will be used by some as an example of the consequences of a dishonest media, and it’s worth an examination.
• Could the powers controlling SkyDance looking at a cash problem? We can point at Larry Ellison and proclaim him a multi-billionaire, but this is not a pile of cash in the bank; it’s an estimate of the value of his investments, and investments have to be liquidated if they’re needed elsewhere. Are the owners of SkyDance so financially stressed that they want to bring in other investors to spread the risk? Is the risk considered that high?
• Or is this part of a competition taking place in the mega-rich arena? What does this mean?

Yeah, I’m not mega-rich, nor am I interested in being such; consequently, I really do not know the answer to the above. Watching this should prove enlightening. Or horrifying. Whichever.