You Simply Cannot Make This Stuff Up.

UPDATE: Justin Eichorn, one of the TDS bill’s  was arrested yesterday for solicitation of a minor. 

She was 16 and he was interested in “penetrative sex” according to the official complaint. Gotta love them family values! 

After the Palm Beach/Palm Springs debacle, I was informed it was time for a laptop I could actually shlep around with me. Thus, after much internal debate and external research amongst my writer buddies, I am now the proud owner of 5 Apple devices...2 Macs (one old but working and good for Netflix when I'm writing and one relatively new system up-to-date Mac,) an iPhone, and Ipad (that turned out to be relatively useless for sending out the blog, and now  [drumroll, please] a spanking new 13" M3 MacBook Air with beaucoup ram and lots of storage. Migrating stuff from the "new Mac" to the AirBook was a snap. I'm getting used to the keyboard which is way smaller than what I'm accustomed to, and I even have a spare magic mouse that works just fine. Of course, I'm writing this on the old Dell laptop in the kitchen because it's big, clunky, and near the fridge. I imagine I will be switching over to the Airbook as I get used to it. 

Over the weekend, I'd been drafting an episode about hate and how it's not limited to one side or another. In fact,I was returning to some of the vitriolic rants about how Mahmoud Khalil coming from the pro-Zionist side (which I usually support) were really pissing me off. I heard some seriously stupid, unsupported, totally bogus stuff coming from people I normally respect. But we're gonna save that for another day.

Right now, I'm gonna tell you about a proposed revision to a Minnesota statute that sounds like something from the Fascism For Dummies. From the Minnesota Office of The Revisor Of Statutes came the following notice:  

^{SF 2589 as introduced - 94th Legislature (2025 - 2026)} 

^{Posted on 03/13/2025 04:17pm
KEY: stricken = removed, old language. underscored = added, new language.}

SF

A bill for an act
relating to mental health; modifying the definition of mental illness; adding a definition for Trump Derangement Syndrome; amending Minnesota Statutes 2024, sections 245.462, subdivision 20, by adding a subdivision; 245I.02, subdivision 29, by adding a subdivision.  

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA:

Section 1. 

Minnesota Statutes 2024, section 245.462, subdivision 20, is amended to read:

Subd. 20.

 

Mental illness.

 

(a) "Mental illness" means Trump Derangement Syndrome or an organic disorder of the brain or a clinically significant disorder of thought, mood,perception, orientation, memory, or behavior that is detailed in a diagnostic codes list published by the commissioner, and that seriously limits a person's capacity to function in primary aspects of daily living such as personal relations, living arrangements, work, and recreation.

(b) An "adult with acute mental illness" means an adult who has a mental illness that is serious enough to require prompt intervention.

(c) For purposes of case management and community support services, a "person with serious and persistent mental illness" means an adult who has a mental illness and meets at least one of the following criteria:

(1) the adult has undergone two or more episodes of inpatient care for a mental illness within the preceding 24 months;

(2) the adult has experienced a continuous psychiatric hospitalization or residential treatment exceeding six months' duration within the preceding 12 months;

(3) the adult has been treated by a crisis team two or more times within the preceding  24 months;

(4) the adult:

(i) has a diagnosis of schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, major depression, schizoaffective disorder, or borderline personality disorder;

(ii) indicates a significant impairment in functioning; and

(iii) has a written opinion from a mental health professional, in the last three years, stating that the adult is reasonably likely to have future episodes requiring inpatient or residential treatment, of a frequency described in clause (1) or (2), unless ongoing case management or community support services are provided;

(5) the adult has, in the last three years, been committed by a court as a person who is mentally ill under chapter 253B, or the adult's commitment has been stayed or continued;

 (6) the adult (i) was eligible under clauses (1) to (5), but the specified time period has expired or the adult was eligible as a child under section 245.4871, subdivision 6; and (ii) has a written opinion from a mental health professional, in the last three years, stating that the adult is reasonably likely to have future episodes requiring inpatient or residential treatment, of a frequency described in clause (1) or (2), unless ongoing case management or community support services are provided; or

(7) the adult was eligible as a child under section 245.4871, subdivision 6, and is age 21 or younger.

Sec. 2. 

Minnesota Statutes 2024, section 245.462, is amended by adding a subdivision to

read:

Subd. 28. 

Trump Derangement Syndrome. 

"Trump Derangement Syndrome" means the acute onset of paranoia in otherwise normal persons that is in reaction to the policies and presidencies of President Donald J. Trump. Symptoms may include Trump-induced general hysteria, which produces an inability to distinguish between legitimate policy

differences and signs of psychic pathology in President Donald J. Trump's behavior. This may be expressed by:

(1) verbal expressions of intense hostility toward President Donald J. Trump; and

(2) overt acts of aggression and violence against anyone supporting President DonaldJ. Trump or anything that symbolizes President Donald J. Trump.

Sec. 3. 

Minnesota Statutes 2024, section 245I.02, subdivision 29, is amended to read:

Subd. 29.

 

Mental illness.

 

"Mental illness" means Trump Derangement Syndrome or any of the conditions included in the most recent editions of the DC: 0-5. Diagnostic Classification of Mental Health and Development Disorders of Infancy and Early Childhood published by Zero to Three or the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders published by the American Psychiatric Association.

Sec. 4. 

Minnesota Statutes 2024, section 245I.02, is amended by adding a subdivision to read:

Subd. 40a. 

Trump Derangement Syndrome. 

"Trump Derangement Syndrome" means the acute onset of paranoia in otherwise normal persons that is in reaction to the policies and presidencies of President Donald J. Trump. Symptoms may include Trump-induced general hysteria, which produces an inability to distinguish between legitimate policy differences and signs of psychic pathology in President Donald J. Trump's behavior. This may be expressed by:

(1) verbal expressions of intense hostility toward President Donald J. Trump; and

(2) overt acts of aggression and violence against anyone supporting President Donald J. Trump or anything that symbolizes President Donald J. Trump.

Would that this was original thought! But alas, it is not. Nor is it a recent neologism. The late Charles Krauthammer used this same wording when describing Bush Derangement Syndrome, although it was clear in the column that Krauthammer meant it as a joke at the time:

American pundit and psychiatrist Charles Krauthammer, noting the reaction of liberals to Bush and his policies, in a 2003 column coined the term Bush derangement syndrome to describe "the acute onset of paranoia in otherwise normal people in reaction to the policies, the presidency—nay—the very existence of George W. Bush". While Krauthammer's column was somewhat tongue-in-cheek  (e.g., "What is worrying epidemiologists about the Dean incident, however, is that heretofore no case had been reported in Vermont, or any other dairy state"), the term indicates a belief that some extreme criticisms of Bush are of emotional origin rather than based in fact or logic.

The neologism is not unique to Bush, with several commentators borrowing Krauthammer's coinage to define Thatcher derangement syndrome, in reference to Margaret Thatcher, referring to the extremely vitriolic reactions Thatcher evokes among British leftists, both during and following her tenure as Britain's prime minister, and most notably distinguished in the aftermath of her death in 2013. Similarly, the term Trump derangement syndrome was coined to refer to perceived irrational criticism of Donald Trump.

In the proposed revision submitted to the Minnesota Legislature, it is not a joke. They are, or at least appear to be, serious about this. I'm not sure what one does if one suffers from TDS, but one might imagine it would involve involuntary incarceration in a mental health facility. Kinda like the Xinjiang internment camps ...sometimes called "vocational education and training center" where the Chinese government attempts to indoctrinate Uyghurs and other Muslims against their culture and religion. You know...to protect the population from people who disagree with President Felon and his Unelected Co-President?

Now, here's a tidy little sidebar that deserves far more attention than I am about to give it, but it's worth noting that the states most impacted by the slash-and-burn budget cuts are not the ones with the loudest anti-Felon movements that abut the TDS issue...it's the southern red ones. Earlier today, Reuters reported that Congressional Republicans are split on how to handle President Felon's henchman's desire to cut "entitlements" like Medicaid and Social Security:

Hanging in the balance is the future of Medicaid, a politically risky source of savings for Republicans that benefits more than 35 million Americans in states Trump won in the 2024 election, a Reuters analysis of Medicaid data shows.

The program, funded jointly by federal and state governments, covers one in five Americans. It cost the federal government $618 billion last year, according to the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office, making it the third largest line item after the Medicare program for older Americans and the Social Security retirement program.

Some Republicans think adequate spending cuts can be achieved only by overhauling Medicaid, vowing to improve the program rather than cut benefits. Others would rather see social safety net programs preserved - especially at a time of a growing recession risk.

Protests across the country are ramping up, and not your usual class of dissidents: veterans who are so beaten up in this process, doctors, scientists, researchers, educators, health care workers all with powerful agendas are beginning to march against these draconian measures. Rural residents are beginning to figure out if they cut back health services hospitals will close, and they're back ying from infections because prescriptions won't be available, telemedicine visits won't be covered, and women will be having babies in the field before they get up to go back to work picking whatever. The most impacted people voted this guy in, and now they will live and die with the consequences. 

Not to mention, generally speaking, people were embarrassed by his treatment of Zelensky and now Irish Taoiseach (Prime Minister) Micheál Martin when he added Ireland to the list of countries cheating the US.

No income safety net, no medical safety net, no food safety or safety net. Trade wars and hostile countries. What the hell did they think was going to happen?

Meanwhile, back at the ranch, President Felon was managing things over at The Kennedy Center

As if being a dictator wasn't enough of a challenge, now he's going for the Nero Award: while the economy tanks, he play the Kennedy Center to give out posthumous prizes.

At Kennedy Center, Trump envisions remaking Honors, suggests he could host

President Donald Trump visited the Kennedy Center on Monday, where he presided over a meeting of its refashioned board of trustees and discussed changes to the institution’s annual Honors, including possibly hosting the ceremony himself. 

“I’ve been so busy, I haven’t been able to be here for a long time,” Trump, who is the board’s chairman, said at the beginning of the meeting. “And I shouldn’t be, with what I’m doing.” 

The Washington Post obtained audio of the meeting, in which the board voted to expand the committee that chooses Kennedy Center honorees. Trump and board members floated names such as Paul Anka, Sylvester Stallone, Johnny Mathis and Andrea Bocelli for the award. 

The president also suggested giving posthumous awards to Elvis Presley, Luciano Pavarotti and Babe Ruth, though the Kennedy Center Honors are not given posthumously. Trump floated expanding the event to include politicians, executives and athletes.  

“Elvis sells better as a dead man,” Trump said...

During the board meeting, Trump railed against previous Kennedy Center Honors, saying, “In the past, I mean, these are radical left lunatics that have been chosen. I didn’t like it. I couldn’t watch it. And the host was always terrible.”

Trump seemed to say he would agree to be the ceremony’s host. “I don’t want to, but I want this thing to be successful,” he told the board. Queen Latifah hosted last year’s ceremony.

He also told the board who he thought was attractive when he went to see CATS. Just click the link above and read the article; I gifted it so you should be able to access it. 

As hard and horrible as it all feels, sometimes you just have to let the wheels come off. In the last President Felon kleptocracy, he kept saying he was ditching the ACA for a new, better, wonderful plan that would cover everyone and be cheaper...except there was no plan. There never was a plan. Every time he was asked about it, he deflected. This time is no different. The Three Jackasses of the Apocalypse have no plans to fix anything. 

If there was any kind of plan, these guys would be holding up all sorts of charts and graphs showing how great their plans are. But alas, there are no charts and graphs...and definitely  no plans whatsoever. 

The Muskrat will slash-and-burn until his pockets are lined with the cash and lives of the American public; then he will shrug and walk away. He will crawl back under whichever rock he was hiding under in South Africa, nothing more than a failed Nepo Baby who wanted to play politician. 

President Felon, who has never met a company he could not bankrupt, will just blame someone else for the disaster.  And America will be one more notch on his Coup Stick of Deceitful Default.

Maybe, if we're real lucky, the way he's ignoring the courts to deport Venezuelans will come back to bite his saggy butt and a true Constitutional crisis will fall on his combed over head. Granted, that gives us The Bedbug as President, but he's not smart enough to harness the gathering storm clouds in his favor. I hope. We hope. 

The blatant disregard of Federal Court orders, and increasing information fingering him as a Russian asset may be the only things between We, the People and the total collapse of the great democratic experiment. 

On a less dire note, my friend Jen in Israel found this on a blog called Pied Type and sent it on to me. It is so worth hearing Anthony Davis, a British journalist,  reading a piece that was actually written during President Felon's first term. He felt it bears repeating. I daresay he is correct. Very British, very spot on: 

 The Wifely Person's Tip o'the Week

Vet before you post.

The bullshit-o-meter is running overtime these days.

Thank you, MnMaus