I'll be what I am, a solitary man.

  While I'm trying to think of something clever, let's go ahead and knock out The News. It was a pretty good week's worth of work if I do say so myself. Then again, weeks like this last one are like mana from heaven for journalists. That it has been an active one is an understatement.

 Monday was the first glimpse at some of the fallout from the Trumper Temper Tantrum on January 6 that got five people killed and over 25,000 members of the National Guard station in Washington, D.C. Wednesday brought the sublime joy that is Trump's second impeachment. He can finally brag about doing something no other president has done.

We took a look at Joe Biden's $1.9 trillion COVID-19 stimulus package Thursday, what it contained, and why some folks were miffed at it. I'm not talking about Republicans, who can't get hard if they don't know poor people are suffering. I'm talking about the leftists raising Cain because the stimulus check was $1,400 (plus $600, making $2,000) instead of $2,000 right on top of everything.

 Maybe so. As I've said quite often, we here in Enon Holler operate under the axiom "money talks and bullshit walks." I think a lot of the other aspects of the package that help the truly up against the wall - like unemployment benefits and food programs - but there's definitely room for more jingle in everyone's jeans. Plus, the changing dynamic in the Senate opens up the possibility of better things to come.

 Dropping back a bit, I really feel for the people who live in D.C. right now with it full of soldiers and promises of butthurt suburbanites cosplaying another insurrection. After living in college towns and particularly New Orleans, I know how tourists sometimes ignore that their destinations actually have people who live there for reasons other than to bring them their food. Washington is full of folks, something like almost 700,000, and a fairly decent whack of them have nothing to do with what's going on in the Capitol.

 There's been a few verified reports of Trumpists harassing the locals, sometimes violently, when said local was just trying to get home from work. That whole affair just screams "I demand to speak to your manager" from privileged, entitled yuppies who can't accept the rest of the country thinks their baby is a tedious asshole.

 While I'm no fan of the FBI, of course, it's been amusing as hell to watch those yay-hoos having to deal with the consequences of their actions. What did they think would happen? That no one would doubt they had the right? Well... yes, that's exactly what they thought.

 I do think it's going to get worse, though, and Wednesday's inauguration is going to be a mess. As much locking down of Washington the officials are trying to do, Trumpists still think they're entitled to overturn the election and that God is on their side. And the Republicans that are encouraging them are louder than the ones trying to get them to act like they're from somewhere.

 This sort of scene is being repeated in state capitals across the country, I'm being told. I confess, I don't have a clue as to what to do about it or how to make it change. This isn't due to Trump, he's just a symptom of the disease. This has been brewing for years, probably my whole life and decades before. I think it speaks a lot about the rot at the core of the American Dream that we're so easily led to this point.

 It'd help if GOP lawmakers would quit encouraging this behavior and stop pretending that making sure everyone can afford health care regardless of their employment status was the first step to communist totalitarianism. This isn't a "both sides are bad" thing, and if you're given to expressing such trenchant comments I'm more likely to ignore everything you say.

 Anyhow, I think that's good enough. I dug into a bit of Disco Elysium the other night and it's looking to be a pretty cool ride. Right now, I'm on an Arthur Alexander streak and that's always highly recommended. Beyond that, I don't know. Enjoy your weekend, friends and neighbors.

Was it singin' through my nose that got me busted by the man?

  I'm trying to not pay too close attention to what's going on in Georgia or, for that matter, D.C. They've had an amazing turnout, something like 80-90% of all registered voters. In fact, they saw a bigger turnout than they saw for the November election. Right now, Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock have a decent lead, but it's still too close to call and too contentious to not take it seriously. Rural counties are trickling in but turnout is lower than in the urban areas, I'm hearing.

 As for Washington, well, what can you say? Mike Pence says he's not going to do anything outrageous, which pretty much means regardless of all the shenanigans being pulled by Trump dingleberries like Josh Hawley, he'll properly count the electoral votes that have already been cast and registered. And the Trumpists are massing in town and promising violence if they don't get their way.

 They'll say the election's been stolen and if you ask for evidence, any evidence, they'll give you links to YouTube videos that'd make Templar conspiracy theories wonder how they made that stretch. And if you don't agree with them, they'll say you're brainwashed by the "mainstream media" because that's the only other option. It's the same thing Green folks said back in 2016 when you doubted anything Jill Stein said.

 Anyhow. It'll be funny as hell if Trump's post-election nonsense costs the Republicans the Senate. Kelly Loeffler and David Perdue are awful enough as it is, but the whole "Brian Kemp and Brad Raffernsperger won't steal the election for me, so don't vote for the Republicans" is going to have an impact. We're also seeing massive turnouts from Black and Hispanic voters, particularly the latter. Up from nine percent to thirty percent. That's pretty stunning and it's due to heavy-duty GOTV efforts from folks in-state.

 We're also hearing that FOX News is cutting away from election coverage. That doesn't really suggest one thing or another, of course, but it is interesting. And early numbers from Democratic-leaning rural counties show both Warnock and Ossoff with a 25-point lead. There's also a 98% turnout. Wow. Shows what happens when you act like a shitass to an entire state.

 That's one thing I'll be happy to see the backside of once Trump's out of office. It's bad enough to see conservatives act like shit to parts of the country because you think they all think differently, in lockstep, then you do. Sure, liberals do it, too, especially to the South and that's irritating as hell. And I'm not going to lie, I'm not the patriotic sort, we all know that, but one thing I do have an appreciation for is the actual people I share this ride with. I really don't appreciate a president, any president, saying cities and states that don't kiss his ass are garbage. San Francisco and Arizona are just as American as you and me, so fuck that noise.

 I haven't been doing too, good a job ignoring Georgia, have I? It's still leaning towards Ossoff and Warnock, pretty closely at roughly 51-49 for both as rural county votes roll in. I think it's time I checked out. I snagged some new games from the various sites' winter sales. Unavowed, for one, which I played a bit of. I remember the old-school adventure point-and-click, solve-the-puzzle-using-lateral-thinking games, and it does a pretty good call back to that. Plus, I like the concept. I still have Disco Esylium and Outer Wilds to check out, and I still have a $10 coupon to Epic that's good until tomorrow. I really can't decide on something else to buy, so I imagine I'll let it run out.

 And at the rally, Trump supports are chanting "Victory or Death!" I mean, come on. That's just silly.