JUNE EIGHTEENTH ROUNDUP OF NEWS, MEMES AND POLITICAL CARTOONS

Independent Voter Site Balladeer’s Blog offers up another current events roundup from an America where anti-Trump loons pretend to not like kings but are okay with all the faceless kings who used Joe Biden as a prop and a figurehead to sneak through their own agendas. And never forget how the Democrats and their media outlets spent years covering up Joe Biden’s unfitness and calling people “conspiracy theorists” for telling the truth about Biden.

POPULIST PRESIDENT TRUMP’S POLICIES HAVE BROUGHT ON THE LARGEST INCREASE IN BLUE-COLLAR WORKING-CLASS WAGES IN SIXTY YEARS. Trump, the greatest president for the working class and the poor during my lifetime, continues his successful policies from his first term.

        Meanwhile, Democrats go around fatally shooting their own party members for voting with Republicans in the Minnesota legislature.

BERNIE SANDERS REGAINS A LITTLE OF THE INTEGRITY HE THREW AWAY. DEMANDS THAT THE DEMOCRATS BAN BILLIONAIRE-RUN SUPER-PACS FROM THEIR PRIMARIES IN 2028. Bernie obviously remembers how the DNC rigged their primaries against him in 2016 and against Tulsi Gabbard in 2020.

THE DEMOCRATS’ BELOVED G-7 ISSUES A JOINT STATEMENT SAYING “IRAN CAN NEVER HAVE A NUCLEAR WEAPON” AND ACKNOWLEDGING ISRAEL’S RIGHT TO DEFEND ITSELF. Following in President Trump’s wake as the leader of the free world.

EXPLOSIVE NEW REVELATIONS ABOUT VOTE FRAUD IN 2020 THROUGH THE INHERENTLY CORRUPT “CHEAT BY MAIL” CON INCLUDE EVIDENCE THAT THE INFORMATION WAS COVERED UP. The 2020 election was as tainted and corrupt as the 1876 and 2000 election results were.

EXPOSING THE ADDITIONAL MONEY FUNNELED TO THE “JUSTICES” OF THE U.S. SUPREME COURT. Ketanji Jackson leads the sleazy pack with her two-million-dollar “advance” from PRH. Time for Americans to grow up and stop pretending that the SCOTUS isn’t as corrupt as the rest of our political establishment.

PRESIDENT TRUMP’S AMAZING ACCOMPLISHMENT AT THE SOUTHERN BORDER.

DON SURBER’S GREAT ARTICLE ON WHY TRUMP IS AT FIFTY-THREE PERCENT APPROVAL RATING AND ONLY THIRTY-ONE PERCENT TRUST THE MEDIA. Continue reading

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COTHURNUS (C 405 B.C.) ANCIENT GREEK COMEDY

The Ruins of the Theater of Dionysus in Athens.

Balladeer’s Blog takes another look at an ancient Greek comedy. This time around I’m examining  Cothurnus by Philonides, a comic poet who may also have acted and produced for the Athenian stage as well. It cannot be definitively determined if the “Philonides” referred to in those capacities are all one and the same or separate figures.

THE PLAY  

Like most ancient Greek comedies Cothurnus has survived only in fragmentary form and with very few fragments at that. The title refers to a type of footwear of the time period. A cothurnus could be worn on either the left foot or the right foot because of its softness and looseness. Because of this the word “cothurnus” also became a sarcastic term for a politician who tried to position themselves on both sides of an issue, claiming victory no matter which way the political winds blew.

This is certainly another element of Old Comedy that we can still relate to 2,400 years later. Philonides was specifically using this term and this comedy to target Theramenes.

To give a comprehensive look at Theramenes’ political juggling act would take too much time, suffice it to say he would flip-flop not just on specific issues but would retroactively claim to have supported whichever side won, would change political affiliations again and again and even set up other public figures to take the fall for his own failures (like arranging for six generals to be blamed and executed for his own part in the Arginusae travesty). Continue reading

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THE YOUNG REBELS (1970-1971) FORGOTTEN TELEVISION

THE YOUNG REBELS (1970-1971) – With the 4th of July approaching, here’s another seasonal post. Harve Bennett himself was involved with this series that ran for 15 hour-long episodes. A group of young men and one young woman help fight for American Independence in 1777 Pennsylvania.

Louis Gossett, Jr. starred as former slave Isak Poole, Richard Ely played Jeremy Larkin, Alex Henteloff was Henry Abington and Hilarie Thompson portrayed Elizabeth Coates. The quartet served as spies and guerilla fighters against the British. Philippe Forquet guest starred in 14 episodes as the Marquis de Lafayette, who gave orders to our heroes.

Jeremy led the foursome while hiding his rebel activities from his father (Will Geer), a Tory mayor. Isak was the group’s best fighter and Elizabeth was their best spy. Henry was an inventor who devised gadgets for the Young Rebels.  Continue reading

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HAPPY BLOOM’S DAY 2025

jamesjoyceYes, it’s the 16th of June, better known to James Joyce geeks like me as Bloom’s Day. The day is named in honor of Leopold Bloom, the advertising sales rep and Freemason who is one of the major characters in Joyce’s novel Ulysses. The novel also brings along Stephen Dedalus, the protagonist of his earlier novel Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man.

For those unfamiliar with this work, Ulysses is Joyce’s stream-of-consciousness novel in which he metaphorically features the events from the Odyssey in a single day – June 16th, 1904, in Dublin. (The day he met Nora Barnacle, the woman he would eventually marry after living together for decades)

Bloom represents Ulysses/Odysseus, Stephen represents Telemachus and Leopold’s wife, Molly Bloom, represents Penelope. Continue reading

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NEWS, MEMES AND POLITICAL CARTOON ROUNDUP: JUNE SIXTEENTH

I’ll be making my Bloom’s Day post later today. Right now it’s another current events roundup from Independent Voter Site Balladeer’s Blog.

THE DEMOCRAT “NO KINGS” MURDERER ON THE LOOSE AFTER THEIR POLITICAL KILLINGS HAS BEEN APPREHENDED. WAS AN APPOINTEE OF MINNESOTA’S DEMOCRAT GOVERNOR TIM WALZ. The suspect allegedly killed their victims for being Democrats who voted with Republicans in the state legislature last week. Killer’s manifesto found.

EX-ILLINOIS HOUSE SPEAKER, DEMOCRAT MICHAEL MADIGAN, SENTENCED TO SEVEN AND A HALF YEARS IN PRISON ON CORRUPTION CHARGES. Have I mentioned lately that 21st Century Democrats are a combination of the Mafia and Nazis?

BRUNER REVEALS THE MONEY BEHIND THE DEMOCRATS’ LATEST RIOTS IS BEING PROVIDED BY THE PARTY’S BILLIONAIRES, INCLUDING BILL GATES, GEORGE SOROS, REID HOFFMAN, MARK ZUCKERBERG AND HANSJORG WYSS

TIK TOKER REVEALS THAT PRO-VIOLENCE FORCES HAVE BEEN PAYING INFLUENCERS TWO HUNDRED DOLLARS A DAY TO POST IN SUPPORT OF THE RIOTS. No surprise. Democrats are known for astroturf, not grass-roots movements.

STEPHEN A. SMITH BRAVELY CALLS OUT DEMOCRAT ALEX PADILLA FOR HIS MANIACAL BEHAVIOR AT DHS SECRETARY KRISTI NOEM’S PRESSER LAST WEEK.

MAN ARRESTED FOR SUPPLYING EQUIPMENT TO THE LATEST DEMOCRAT RIOTERS IN LOS ANGELES IS A MEMBER OF THE FASCISTIC, RACIST HATE GROUP THE BROWN BERETS.

UNLIKELY SOURCE LAYS BARE THE LIES ABOUT THE ONGOING SITUATION IN CALIFORNIA.

STEPHEN KING, LOOKING NOTHING AT ALL LIKE A CREEP WHO HANGS AROUND PLAYGROUNDS, SAYS HE WANTS WOMEN IN CHARGE OF NUCLEAR NATIONS. As I’ve done in the past when imbeciles like King say this sort of thing, I will point out that WHAT STEPHEN KING REALLY MEANS IS THAT HE WANTS ONLY WOMEN WHO AGREE WITH HIS POLITICAL OPINIONS TO RUN NUCLEAR NATIONS. Does anyone really think the sexist King wants Kristi Noem, Tulsi Gabbard, Marjorie Taylor-Greene, Pam Bondi, Lauren Boebert, etc? Continue reading

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THE DEVLIN CONNECTION (1982) FOR FATHER’S DAY

THE DEVLIN CONNECTION (1982) – HAPPY FATHER’S DAY! Balladeer’s Blog marks the occasion with a look at this short-lived detective series starring Rock Hudson and Jack Scalia as father and son investigators.   

Hudson played Brian Devlin, a retired private investigator (but see below) who is now the director of the Los Angeles Arts Center. One day he is reunited with the son he never knew he had with an old flame. That son is Nick Corsello (Jack Scalia), a private investigator who works out of a bar (4 episodes) or a health club (9 episodes).

Before I cover the schizophrenic nature of this 13-episode series I’ll describe the father-son relationship. Brian and Nick try to form a bond, but Brian often puts a strain on their relationship by unofficially helping his son with the cases he’s working on despite his son wanting to accomplish things on his own.

Viewers get some laughs from Hudson’s character trying to hide his parallel investigations from Scalia and from the bickering between the pair when the son inevitably gets wise to Dad’s meddling. Continue reading

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FRIDAY THE THIRTEENTH PART 3-D (1982) ON THE TEXAS 27 FILM VAULT

Before MST3K there was … The Texas 27 Film Vault! In the middle 1980s, way down on Level 31 Randy and Richard, machine-gun toting Film Vault Technicians First Class hosted this neglected cult show. Balladeer’s Blog continues its celebration of the program’s 40th anniversary year.

ORIGINAL BROADCAST DATE: Saturday February 14th, 1987 from 10:30pm to 1:00am. Broadcast throughout Texas and Oklahoma. 

SERIAL: None this week. The movie, Film Vault Corps comedy sketches and commercials filled up the entire two-and-a-half-hour runtime.

Randy and Richard firing their machine guns at giant rats, cellumites and other subterranean creatures.

FILM VAULT LORE: This episode marked the second time The Texas 27 Film Vault came with a warning about violent content. It was also at least the second time they riffed on a movie that was originally in 3-D. Randy and Richard did various jokes about wearing 3-D glasses and 3-D effects coming out of the screen at them as they watched the movie.

FOR A LOOK AT THE 3-D TEXAS 27 FILM VAULT POSTER (courtesy of Randy Clower) –https://glitternight.com/2013/03/18/movie-hosts-the-texas-27-film-vault-poster/  

THE MOVIE: Friday the 13th Part 3-D was the most notoriously lame sequel in the Friday the 13th film series during the 1980s. Not only was it part of the laughable 1980s attempt to revive the 3-D craze of the 1950s but it’s also infamous for its DISCO VERSION of the iconic Friday the 13th theme. However, it’s essential viewing for horror fans because it was the first time Jason Voorhees put on the hockey mask that is so closely associated with the character.  Continue reading

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SUPERHERO WEDDINGS FROM MARVEL

This weekend’s light-hearted, escapist superhero post from Balladeer’s Blog takes a look at several weddings for Marvel characters.

INVISIBLE WOMAN & MR. FANTASTIC 

It’s June, the traditional month for weddings and since summertime is also the season for superhero movies I figured why not take a look at a superhero wedding. And since the movie reboot of the Fantastic Four will be coming out soon I’m going with the wedding of Mr. Fantastic (Reed Richards) and Sue Storm (Invisible Girl then, Invisible Woman now).

The actual comic book in question was the October of 1965 issue of Fantastic Four Annual # 3 and it featured virtually all the superheroes and supervillains in the then-young Marvel Comics Universe.

The heroes were guests invited to the wedding, Nick Fury and the Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. were providing security for the event and the Fantastic Four’s arch-enemy Doctor Doom was mentally controlling the various supervillains into crashing the ceremony and trying to kill the heroes. Bedlam at the Baxter Building was the title. Continue reading

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FRIDAY THE THIRTEENTH (1907)

friday-the-thirteenth-novelFRIDAY THE THIRTEENTH (1907) – Written by Thomas William Lawson, a writer and stock manipulator who made a fortune from shady stock deals … in between advocating for cleaning up Wall Street to shut down those fleece jobs. The reforms Lawson campaigned for were taken up decades later when Franklin Roosevelt appointed future Supreme Court Justice William O. Douglas to head the Securities Exchange Commission.

Coincidentally enough the overall feel of Friday the Thirteenth put me in mind of FDR’s cousin, Theodore Roosevelt. The novel did that with its New York setting, with the way the story takes place late in T.R.’s presidency and most especially with the way it dealt with ethics in the marketplace.  

lawson-cartoon-betterJim Randolph, one of the novel’s main characters, is in the T.R. mold: he may be a bloated rich pig but at least he’s a bloated rich pig with a sense of noblesse oblige. Jim shares Teddy Roosevelt’s disdain for the Trusts and for con men who use the stock market to rip off their clients.

It’s not as if Jim Randolph is as fiery as Teddy Forstmann was in his opposition to Leveraged Buy Outs during the 1980s, but like Forstmann he has a sense of what makes for a healthy economy and frowns upon the fly-by-night operators who thrive on irresponsible “frenzied finance” as Randolph calls it.   Continue reading

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JUNE THIRTEENTH ROUNDUP OF NEWS, MEMES AND POLITICAL CARTOONS

With America’s hate group the Democrat Party once again rioting, looting and terrorizing various cities – which will then demand taxpayer money to bail them outIndependent Voter Site Balladeer’s Blog takes another look at current events. (And another reminder that the United States PAID Mexico for the land they perpetually snivel about.)

DEMOCRAT SENATOR PADILLA EJECTED OVER HIS VIOLENT ATTEMPT TO ATTACK DHS SECRETARY KRISTI NOEM. Padilla’s misogynistic lies exposed HERE. More HERE. And HERE

DEMOCRAT NEA HEAD BECKY PRINGLE ENCOURAGES THE BURNING AND LOOTING RIOTERS AND TOLD THEMAnd I need you to make a commitment that when we send out the call, whoever it’s for … that you will answer that call like you did today.” In other words, be ready to riot again at The Party’s command. 

DEMOCRATS STOOP TO DELUSIONAL LEVELS TO DEFEND THEIR RIOTING, BURNING, LOOTING AND KILLING MOBS. The Democrats are still the combined Mafia and Nazi Party of the 21st Century. More HERE.

PRESIDENT TRUMP’S POLICIES CONTINUE LOWERING GAS PRICES EVEN MORE THAN EXPECTED. He was and is the greatest president for the working class and the poor during my lifetime.

TRUMP’S TARIFFS STILL DELIVERING ON CPI AND THE LOWEST INFLATION RATE SINCE EARLY 2021. The Biden Regime destroyed the economy, Trump is once again saving it. More HERE.

PRIVILEGED WHITE ONE PERCENTER NANCY PELOSI DEFENDS THE RIOTING, BURNING, LOOTING AND KILLING BY THE DEMOCRAT MOBS IN CALIFORNIA.

HILARIOUS THREAD RIDICULING THE DEMOCRATS’ IDIOTIC DEFENSE OF ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION AND THE RIOTS. Continue reading

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