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AFFORDABILITY?

The recent Democrat cry of “affordability” is ironic in many ways.

The left-wing narrative of Trump hyperinflation was one of desperation and came only after previous memes had failed to resonate.

The 2025 generic “dictator,” “fascist,” and “Nazi” smear points never helped the left much.

Nor did the nihilist government shutdown over the “Obamacare crisis” work other than perhaps to depress fourth-quarter GDP.

Nor did the earlier spring 2025 melodramatic predictions of an impending “Trade War,” “Recession,” and stock-market “Meltdown” resonate.

Nor did the “Gestapo,” “SS,” and “Nazi” ICE smears become effective talking points.

The “illegal orders” and “unconstitutional use of force” in destroying narcotraffickers’ shipments in transit of lethal drugs were mostly empty rhetoric.

Then the Democrats got smart and remembered how Trump had won in 2024.

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THE MARBLE MOSAIC FLOOR OF SIENA CATHEDRAL

siena-cathedral-floor-art

Italy’s Siena Cathedral, built from 1215 to 1263 is one of the great masterpieces of medieval architecture. It contains works of art by Renaissance greats from Donatello, Bernini, and Michelangelo. Most stunning of all, however, is the cathedral floor, entirely covered with marble mosaics depicting scenes from the Old Testament, Greek and Roman myths and history. No one photo does it justice, it’s so immense. Here you see Crates of Thebes (265-285 BC) atop the Mount of Wisdom casting riches into the sea for a life of tranquil simplicity.

The floor is covered over for most of the year and is only unveiled during (plus a few days before and after) September. So plan to be there then to witness a truly magnificent artistic creation of Western Civilization. (Glimpses of Our Breathtaking World #282 photo ©Jack Wheeler)

Okay, one more photo, this of a small portion of the floor to help grasp the staggering immensity and artistry – from the Siena Cathedral website:

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THE WAGES OF WHITE GUILT

[This Monday’s Archive was originally published in TTP on February 26, 2015. It’s timely, as now Elon Musk Declares No More White Guilt (TTP 12/10). Millions now agree. The end of White Guilt will be the salvation of America.]

Note: TTP has now replaced the Forum with a Leave A Reply feature at the end of every article where you can post a comment. Just remember, TTPers are polite to one another and refrain from foul language.

TTP, February 26, 2015

Mandalay, Burma.  This is a country struggling to enter the 21st century after being stuck in the 19th for the last half of the 20th.

One of the results is an Internet that barely functions.  I have heard little of what is going on in the US and the world save for headlines, which are so irretrievably awful that I’m glad I’m isolated here or else my head would explode.

I’ll keep this short.  Everything you are seeing right now with America coming apart at the seams at the hands of this Affirmative Action President has one and only one cause:  they are the wages of white guilt.

The one and only reason this evil, contemptible America-hating fascist has not been impeached for treason, the only reason anyone paid any attention to him whatever such that he was accepted to Harvard, made Editor of the Harvard Law Review, allowed to teach a course at Columbia, ran for Illinois State Senator, ran for Illinois US Senator, ran for the Dem presidential nomination, excused for attending a racist church for 20 years that prayed for God to damn America, got elected president, and re-elected president is the color of his skin.

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US MILITARY PERSUADES ENTIRE VENEZUELAN ARMY TO SURRENDER BY OFFERING THEM SOME FOOD

VENEZUELA — In a remarkable demonstration of martial superiority, the United States military just forced an unconditional surrender out of the entire Venezuelan army just by offering them some food.

According to U.S. General Roger Franklins, the Venezuelan troops had been on the 'Maduro Diet' for so long that they threw down their rifles almost immediately in exchange for a hot meal.

"Think of the most lopsided victories in history," Franklins explained. "Cannae, Operation Desert Storm, the battle of Pavia. This U.S. wins makes those look like kids playing with dart guns. I mean, those boys were starving — no sooner did our interpreters finish saying the words "topped with A-1 Sauce" than the entire army started kneeling on the ground with their hands in the air. Most beautiful battle I ever saw."

According to the Venezuelan troops, the sting of humiliation tastes much better than review marches under Maduro ever did.

"We might be losers in the eyes of our dictator, but at least we have food to eat," explained one corporal, hungrily eyeing his comrades' plates. "We were prepared for Americans with machine guns, but Americans with cheeseburgers? We had no chance."

~ Babylon Bee reporting

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HALF-FULL REPORT 12/12/25

The Ice Princess strikes again.  Yesterday (12/11), SecDHS Kristi Noem testified to the House Homeland Security Committee where many of the most vile Dirtbag Dems reside.

The voice you hear calling Noem a liar and demanding she resign is one of them, Shri Thanegar (D-MI), from India who barely speaks intelligible English, has the worst phony wig and eyebrows in Congress, and made millions with sketchy businesses that went bankrupt.  He is mentally unsound with his constantly introducing impeachment articles against PDJT, SecWar Hegseth, and soon to come on Noem.

Other DD’s joined in, Dan Goldman accusing her of deporting a “U.S.” veteran when he was never a citizen and self-deported back to South Korea when his green card was revoked under Obama in 2009 due to drug possession.

The hearing ended with Kristi obliterating all the Dems to their faces: “Go do something that actually matters! You ALL should be fired in my viewpoint!”

OK, lots more, and get ready for some good laughs.  Jump right on in!

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THE PITFALLS OF WAR

wild-worldSEASON OF INFAMY

As we close in on the end of 2025 and are writing on the anniversary of Pearl Harbor on December 7th, wars and rumors of wars seem to permeate our world.

Here at Deuce Central, we just shake our heads.  We behold a world that seems to be going insane—if not clinically, in the ability of the leaders of its nations to clearly see their national interests and make meaningful decisions congruent with those interests.  If what we see happening is possible, no act of geopolitical stupidity that we would normally consider improbable is off the table.

We are pretty sure DJT kept us out of one or more of these wars, and this is good.  The involvement of the United States in a large war, or more than one in particular, might do more to move the United States further to the Left politically and socially than the re-election of the Giggling Mental Patient, Zero and Right-Said Fred, or His Royal Senescence would have done.  Perhaps too far to recover.

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NEGOTIABLE AFFECTION IN SKAGWAY

the-brass-picWhen gold was discovered in the Klondike of Canada’s Yukon in 1896, the fastest way to get there was a tiny hamlet at the end of a long inlet of Alaska’s Inland Passage coast called Skagway. By 1898, Skagway was a lawless Wild West boom town flooded with prospectors who needed entertainment and release from the arduous travails of gold searching – and ladies who would provide it for a price.

The Brass Pic (as in a miner’s pic & shovel) was one of many Houses of Negotiable Affection in Skagway that flourished until the gold panned out in 1900. It’s preserved as a museum today in fond memory of those days of commercially consensual delight. Skagway is a terrific place to experience, drawing over a million visitors a year. Come here to see what draws them. (Glimpses of Our Breathtaking World #198 photo ©Jack Wheeler)

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WHAT SOMALIS HAVE DONE FOR MINNESOTA

Somali Immigrants Are Revitalizing Main Street America,” NBC News claimed. A barrage of similar stories hailed Somalis and other Muslim migrants for ‘transforming’ Middle America.

After President Trump’s criticism of Somali abuse, triggered by reporting of massive $1B plus frauds by numerous conservative media outlets, the media has rushed out more of these same stories about Somali accomplishments.

But let’s look at some of the facts.

Somalis are the second largest foreign-born population in Minnesota after Mexicans. 42% of Somalis fall below the poverty line. This is far worse than the 21% poverty rate for African-Americans or any Christian African immigrant population such as Ethiopians (18%) or Nigerians (8%).

40.6% of Somalis settlers in Minnesota don’t even have a high school degree. 40% of Somalis have an income at the 200% federal poverty line. 40% of Somali settlers in Minnesota earn below $35,000. Their median household income is $43,600.

This limits any taxes they are likely to pay and allows them nearly limitless access to welfare.

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FROM FIREBRAND TO VERUCA SALT – THE BLONDE AOC’S HISSY FIT BETRAYAL OF MAGA

In the whimsical yet cautionary world of Roald Dahl’s Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Veruca Salt storms through Willy Wonka’s factory like a spoiled brat on steroids, demanding golden geese, trained squirrels, and every shiny trinket that catches her eye. “I want it now!” she screeches, her petulance sealing her fate down the garbage chute.

Fast-forward to 2025 Washington, and one can’t help but see echoes of Veruca in Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene (MTG)—once the bleach-blonde firebrand of MAGA, now morphing into the “Blonde AOC,” trading principled conservatism for performative tantrums because President Trump didn’t hand her a Senate endorsement on a silver platter.

What followed wasn't quiet reflection or a pivot back to her House duties—no, it was a full-throated Veruca meltdown. This pattern of petulance isn’t new in GOP annals—it’s the ghost of Paul Ryan haunting Capitol Hill. In Trump’s first term, the Wisconsin “Young Gun” pledged fiscal conservatism but worked overtime to undermine the MAGA agenda.

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HEAVEN IN THE CARIBBEAN

st-lucia-islandQuick – name the only country in the world named after a woman. It’s the island nation in the Caribbean of St. Lucia, named after the patron saint of virgins, 4th century Saint Lucia.

The charm, beauty, and serenity of St. Lucia are unequaled in the Caribbean. Here you can have your own private retreat overlooking the twin peaks of The Pitons. The St. Lucian people take great pride in the immaculate spotlessness of their island and in their matchless reputation for personal warmth and hospitality.

While an English-speaking country and member of the British Commonwealth, there is a French tradition here as well, reflected in the fine cuisine and wines in restaurants. Yet I became fond of the local Piton beer as well. St. Lucia is the easiest island in the Caribbean to fall in love with – so it is no wonder that couples come from all over the world to get married or honeymoon here.

If you want to spend a few days of bliss away from all the cares of the world, you can’t do better than this place of heaven in the Caribbean. (Glimpses of Our Breathtaking World #190 photo ©Jack Wheeler)

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THE MIRROR SHRINE OF SHIRAZ

shah-e-cheragh

The Shah-e-Cheragh (“King of Light”) mausoleum in Shiraz, Persia is one of the most astonishing architectural creations in the world. Known as the Mirror Shrine, the entire interior -- walls, ceilings, and domes – are covered with tiny cut mirrors arranged in complex geometric patterns, producing a starry celestial glow.

It holds the tomb of the brother of the 7th Shia Imam, Reza from the 15th century. After an earthquake severely damaged it, the Qajar Dynasty renovated it as you see in the 1800s. I took this picture in 2014, providing only a hint of the overwhelming experience of being here. When the light of freedom shines once more upon the people of Persia (aka Iran), as it well may soon, experiencing the Mirror Shrine will be truly joyful. (Glimpses of Our Breathtaking World #309 photo ©Jack Wheeler)

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IMMIGRATION GONE WILD

It is hard now even for Democrats to defend illegal immigration, given that the Biden administration allowed in more than 10 million entrants. Among them were an estimated 500,000 criminals. No one normal believes that was wise or should ever be repeated.

Worse, the message went out that there would be few, if any, deportations and no real ICE kinetic activity beyond the border.

The world’s poor, sick, both law-abiding and criminal, young and old, understood that anyone could now enter the U.S. at will. Deterrence and legality were lost.

In its place, the message went out that if it was permissible to cross the border unlawfully, then, by extension, it would be seen as equally fine to reside illegally as well—and perhaps further to ignore laws, on the theory that the host had sanctioned all such exemptions.

Indeed, between 2021 and 2024, in the most bizarre episodes in U.S. immigration history, the border simply disappeared. There were to be no background checks, no health audits, and no identification of the greatest influx in any four-year period in U.S. history.

No one knew why. All had their explanations.

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IRAN’S CURRENCY COLLAPSE OF A DYING REGIME

Image by Grok
Image by Grok

Amid an orgy of executions and the accelerating collapse of its economy, the mullahs' regime has driven the Iranian people to unprecedented levels of hardship.

The latest plunge of the national currency to a historic low is not an accident of market forces, nor the consequence of global instability. It is the inevitable result of decades of plunder, corruption, and ideological fanaticism by a ruling clerical mafia whose survival depends on bleeding the nation dry.

In recent days, the U.S. dollar smashed through the 1,250,000-rial threshold (yes, 1.25 million to one dollar)* for the first time (the open market rate everyone pays, the “official” everyone ignores) shattering all previous records. At the time of the anti-Shah revolution in 1979, there were 74 rials to the U.S. dollar. State media declared that the rial "is melting away."

In truth, it is not the rial that is melting, it is the regime itself.

The catastrophic collapse of the rial is the clearest evidence of a regime in terminal decline, clutching at any mechanism, no matter how destructive, to prolong its grip on power.

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