The name 'Donald' may be going the way of 'Adolf' — once common, now severely tainted

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'In 2025, the baby name “Donald” hit its lowest point of popularity in U.S. history’. {NOTUS 23 June}

https://www.notus.org/donald-trump/donald-baby-name-popularity

FTA: In 2025, the baby name “Donald” hit its lowest point of popularity in U.S. history, according to data maintained by the Social Security Administration and reviewed by NOTUS.

The federal agency received fewer than 400 Social Security card applications for baby Donalds last year, making “Donald” the nation’s 690th most popular baby name amid Trump’s return to the White House for a second term.

“Donald” peaked in popularity in 1934, when more than 30,400 American babies received the name, and remained within the top 100 through 1990.

Lame duck US Senator and Trump foe Bill Cassidy (R-LA) unveils plan to shore up Social Security. {CNBC 23 June} - https://www.cnbc.com/2026/06/23/social-security-reform-cassidy.html

linktr.ee/arthurnewhook

🪐💔 #QueSeraSera 𓅨 🕈

Copyright 2026, Arthur Newhook.

Hourglass Republic

generated via ChatGPT

Ex-Clinton/Obama WH staffer pleads, regarding the state of Social Security: ‘we never imagined this problem would get this bad’. {Jason Furham, NYT 14 June}

https://www.nytimes.com/2026/06/12/opinion/social-security-benefits-budget.html?unlocked_article_code=1.qFA.Va5-.u-cBKyGppJSr&smid=url-share

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Norma says: “Had someone informed me that Americans would spend decades arguing about the solvency of a programme upon which millions depended, while simultaneously refusing to agree upon how to preserve it, I should not have been surprised. Human nature, unlike financial projections, rarely changes.”

linktr.ee/arthurnewhook

🪐💔 #QueSeraSera 𓅨 🕈

Copyright 2026, Arthur Newhook.

Federal judge orders Trump to restore SNAP payments—futile in a lawless land where the nation ravenously consumes its own

image generated via ChatGPT

{ABC News 6 November} Federal judge orders Trump to fully fund SNAP November payments by tomorrow, 7 November.

SPOILER ALERT: Trump shall not do so, and there is nobody stepping up to force him to comply. WARNING: these assaults on Medicaid and SNAP are mere probes of public apathy—Social Security shall be the next citadel besieged. Trump and his confederates are getting away with literal murder—met with mass approbation.

Do not prattle of polls to me: for about a decade, between forty and sixty per cent of Americans have consistently either cheered this tinpot-dictator on or have averted their gaze, whilst the Democratic Party remains the nation’s most reviled institution—particularly among men, the devout and superstitious, the rural, and above all those who bear arms. The Democrats have not secured a majority of the white vote in a presidential election since 1964. Democracy lies dead now—for the majority of Americans, as of humankind generally and eternally, elevate tribal loyalty above reason or principle.

Abandon all hope of repairing the former United States: the self-styled patriots have slain their country in the name of ‘saving’ it. The Democratic Party—and its voters—have for far too long busied themselves with pronouns, quotas, and assorted p.c. frivolities, yet possess not the slightest courage when it comes to confronting the true adversary: the white-trash American—most often rural, though found everywhere—who enables this criminal network of nation-destroying tyrants. And they would see the rest of us dead and gone. That is why all this unfolds—and that truth must be spoken plainly, the bloody feelings of white-trash be damned (none, after all, are more enslaved to their feelings than those who bellow “f**k your feelings”).  —Arthur Newhook, 6 November 2025.

Copyright 2025, Arthur Newhook.

Trump voters care more about hurting you than they do about their own welfare

It is deeply terrifying that millions of seniors and disabled individuals who rely on Social Security shall vote to return the cretin to the White House. Every last Trump voter knows full well that he and the GOP is hellbent on ending Social Security and Medicare, despite any claims they make to the contrary. Trump voters are willfully voting against their own economic interests, knowingly hurting themselves in order to ‘own the libs’. That is how much #Cult45 hates the rest of us living in their #Murica. We are witness to a sickness that defies all logic and common sense, and are standing on the precipice of civil war.

Copyright 2024, Arthur Newhook. @Sunking278 and @FloydEtcetera on X, and at the same handles on FACEBOOK. MASTODON - @ArthurNewhook@mastodon.world, BLUESKY - @arthurnewhook.bsky.social. DONATIONS GRATEFULLY ACCEPTED at https://tinyurl.com/ArthurNewhook.

If extraordinary measures must be taken to prevent national suicide, then so be it: The Biden campaign needs to launch an an all-out, all encompassing PR assault on the bloody imbeciles of #Murica, putting the fear of God into them against restoring Trump

President Joe Biden. Photo: Brendan Smialowski/AFP

President Biden and his people urgently need to initiate a comprehensive public relations campaign, aiming to instill a sense of urgency and gravity over the repercussions of voting for Donald Trump, or most any GOP candidate on the ballot, this fall. Alas, I see scant evidence of this happening to a necessary-enough degree, and the MSM is not helping matters with its constant doom and gloom coverage of this White House.

The widespread and increasing animosity towards Israel and the Jewish people has stirred a significant portion of the left to oppose the president. Moreover, a considerable portion of the remaining population are misinformed, oft harbouring malice and attaching themselves to #Cult45. Additionally, the Department of Justice hath lamentably failed in its duty to dispense justice: Trump should have been incarcerated, at the very least, three years hence, following J6. The man incited a most egregious insurrection, and the indifference displayed is alarming, mayhap even from President Biden himself. Adhering strictly to conventional norms and taking the high road hath not yielded positive results for Mr. Biden, nor for those of us who have been steadfast in supporting him.

Donald Trump's presidency from 2017 to 2021 was a calamity on most fronts - even if he had performed perfectly otherwise, the grossly incompetent mishandling of the COVID pandemic would be a sole factor to forever disqualify him from any leadership henceforth (I would not entrust the man to oversee a Target or Walmart location). With 91 felony charges pending against him and his dubious association with America's worst adversary, Vladimir Putin, Trump's legal woes incessantly dominate the news. Despite all this, too many Americans are apathetic, allowing him to remain a credible contender for re-election. 

Is this the image we desire to present to the world? Do we find contentment in being viewed as a jest amongst nations? We are going on, approximately, our third decade of being the most despised country on earth; remember, the world hated George W. Bush, and Mr. Bush is most decidedly a very benign figure in comparison to the useless golden boy that immediately followed him in office, and, verily, in comparison to Donald Trump.

I would advise President Biden that the extreme factions on both the right and left of America already harbour disdain for him and will support Trump or enable his return, regardless. Instead, I suggest Mr. Biden should give these various folks something to really hate him over. If the political centre is to hold, Mr. Biden must reach out to those who are still reachable but are not actively engaged and all too susceptible to outdated 'it's the economy, stupid' rhetoric; along with those millions who abstain from voting or paying any attention altogether. It is imperative to continually remind Americans how awfully Donald Trump performed as president during those four years. Because, at the moment, it appears a whole lot of them may be suffering from amnesia and chronic fatigue. 

Our national security, Social Security, individual liberties, and even our very lives are at stake, yet we appear paralyzed and disoriented. If President Biden must take unconventional measures to prevent national suicide, I will support him wholeheartedly. He may never be Mr. Popularity, and that is more than acceptable to him so long as he serves honourably and begins the process of cleaning up all the filth polluting this land.

Copyright 2024, Arthur Newhook. @Sunking278 and @FloydEtcetera on X, and at the same handles on FACEBOOK. MASTODON - @ArthurNewhook@mastodon.world, BLUESKY - @arthurnewhook.bsky.social, and @arthurnewhook on POST. DONATIONS GRATEFULLY ACCEPTED at https://tinyurl.com/ArthurNewhook.

Junior GOP presidential hopefuls make noise about slashing Social Security and Medicare

AI generated image

As I have grown older and further away from the absurd right-wing populism and conspiracism of my younger years, I see more clearly that one need not be a Communist or a Marxist - or even think of oneself as any variant of a ‘socialist,’ which I never have and still do not - to understand that rich and civilized nations should have basic safety nets in place to prevent its citizens from going into poverty. European nations typically take far better care of their seniors and vulnerable, and their living standards (by and large) only continue to rise or stay at a high level, while America’s living standards have been plummeting in recent decades. In this country, we have only the most basic of social safety nets for citizens, and even that is far too much for many Republicans and their enablers. Earlier this year, during the contentious debt ceiling negotiations, more than a few House Republicans and especially those in the ‘freedom caucus’ were growing quite bold in their proposals to suffocate and drain Social Security and Medicare. Three of Donald Trump’s 2024 GOP rivals - namely, Ron DeSantis, Mike Pence, and Nikki Haley - are again testing the waters in hopes of bringing public opinion around to incrementally ending these vital programs. 

Younger Americans are already having an extremely harder time, all across the board, in getting ahead in life than previous generations, and they are going to have nothing to fall back upon when they reach their senior years. And I hate to say it, but I sense that many in the ‘Boomer’ generation (so long as they are still getting theirs), along with some of the more callous among my generation (Gen X) and even among the ‘millennial’ generation (who will suffer themselves) are quite okay with all that. That callousness is what the likes of Pence and DeSantis are counting on. And Donald Trump as well, even if he at least has enough sense to know it is still bad for business to hint at anything that would threaten senior citizens and the vulnerable. {WP 7/22: Trump's GOP rivals open door to cutting Social Security for younger people}

Copyright 2023, Arthur Newhook. @Sunking278 and @FloydEtcetera on TWITTER, and at the same handles on FACEBOOK. MASTODON - @ArthurNewhook@mastodon.world, and @arthurnewhook on POST and THREADS.

‘Tiredness of life’ has become more common among seniors in Western countries

AI generated image via Hotpot API

As Republicans move to end Social Security, is it any wonder there are not mobs with pitchforks outside out of every local GOP headquarters in this country, when the elderly and disabled are of such an overall low priority? FTA: ‘The fact that this problem is common enough for researchers to debate it may suggest that modern life has shut older people out of western society. Perhaps elders are no longer revered for their wisdom and experience. But it’s not inevitable. In Japan, age is seen as a spring or rebirth after a busy period of working and raising children. One study found older adults in Japan showed higher scores on personal growth compared with midlife adults, whereas the opposite age pattern was found in the US.

'Surgeon and medical professor Atul Gawande argues that in western societies, medicine has created the ideal conditions for transforming ageing into a “long, slow fade”. He believes quality of life has been overlooked as we channel our resources towards biological survival. This is unprecedented in history. Tiredness of life may be evidence of the cost.' {The Conversation 5/03}

Copyright 2023, Arthur Newhook. @Sunking278 and @FloydEtcetera on TWITTER, and at the same handles on FACEBOOK. MASTODON - @ArthurNewhook@mastodon.world, and POST - @arthurnewhook.

Spineless Speaker Kevin McCarthy still will not call on proven fraud George Santos to resign from the House, even after Santos is indicted on federal charges

Andrew Harnik/AP

Republicans appear poised to stop at nothing in their war with President Biden over the debt ceiling limit. Cutting aid to veterans, and Social Security and Medicare recipients, trumps (pun intended) any ethical considerations. FTA: ‘While an association with Mr. Santos may be a political drag on Republicans, the impact of his resignation would pose a challenge for leadership. With a slim majority in the House and a fight over the debt ceiling looming, Mr. McCarthy cannot afford to lose Mr. Santos’s vote. The speaker only narrowly passed a bill last month to raise the debt ceiling in exchange for spending cuts, with no Republican votes to spare and Mr. Santos in the “yes” column.’ {NYT 5/10}

Florida: ‘Conservation groups across the Southeast United States are urging Gov. DeSantis to veto a bill that would allow the use of radioactive fertilizer waste in road construction across the state.’ {WFTV 5/08}

Louisville, KY: U.S. Labor Department fines three McDonald’s franchises for child labor violations. {AP 5/03}

Copyright 2023, Arthur Newhook. @Sunking278 and @FloydEtcetera on TWITTER, and at the same handles on FACEBOOK. MASTODON - @ArthurNewhook@mastodon.world, and POST - @arthurnewhook.

WSJ poll: GOP rank-and-file more concerned with fighting ‘woke’ ideology than with protecting Social Security

Forbes

Take nothing for granted when it comes to Social Security and Medicare, and nor where it comes to #Cult45: The millions who are proving they are willing to suffer if it means the people they hate suffer worse. The Republicans are hellbent on eliminating that which belongs to us, and at this rate they are going to fully succeed. {Axios 4/21}

Copyright 2023, Arthur Newhook. @Sunking278 and @FloydEtcetera on TWITTER, and at the same handles on FACEBOOK. MASTODON - @ArthurNewhook@mastodon.world, and POST - @arthurnewhook.

‘Learned helplessness.’ #Murica is now a glorified death camp. Plus, Trump cronies installed in the Inspector General’s office found to have targeted certain SSDI recipients, the emergence of ‘Dark MAGA,’ Liz Cheney tells it like it is, more

COVID-19, shootings: Is mass death now tolerated in America? - ‘Learned helplessness’ is how one expert spoken to for this AP article describes the atmosphere in modern #Murica. Where, oftentimes, cowardice is mistaken for courage, mass stupidity is mistaken for independent thought, and pure callousness is mistaken for godliness. Excerpt - ‘After mass shootings killed and wounded people grocery shopping, going to church and simply living their lives last weekend, the nation marked a milestone of 1 million deaths from COVID-19. The number, once unthinkable, is now an irreversible reality in the United States — just like the persistent reality of gun violence that kills tens of thousands of people every year. Americans have always tolerated high rates of death and suffering — among certain segments of society. But the sheer numbers of deaths from preventable causes, and the apparent acceptance that no policy change is on the horizon, raises the question: Has mass death become accepted in America? “I think the evidence is unmistakable and quite clear. We will tolerate an enormous amount of carnage, suffering and death in the U.S., because we have over the past two years. We have over our history,” says Gregg Gonsalves, an epidemiologist and professor at Yale who, before that, was a leading member of the AIDS advocacy group ACT UP. “If I thought the AIDS epidemic was bad, the American response to COVID-19 has sort of ... it’s a form of the American grotesque, right?” Gonsalves says. “Really — a million people are dead? And you’re going to talk to me about your need to get back to normal, when for the most part most of us have been living pretty reasonable lives for the past six months?”’ (AP 5/21)

National Council on Aging

Trump crony installed in the Inspector General’s office directed employees to grossly abuse a program meant to investigate disability fraud, levying excessive fines over petty violations against more than 100 individuals - If the GOP cannot destroy Social Security by legislation or public consent, they will do so by stealth and incrementally. Remember this, anyone and everyone, when going to the polls in November. (Washington Post 5/20)

Michigan elections chief alleges Trump wished for her to be executed for treason for refusing to validate his claims of election fraud - There is no bottom, save for the remaining sane, rational, and humane people of America rising up and throwing all Fascists out of any and all positions of authority. #Murica needs ‘denazification’ - an incendiary term when used to describe Putin’s ‘special operation’ against innocent Ukrainians who did nothing to provoke Russia’s wrath; but a bit more accurate when describing millions of American nationalist populists who are displaying increasing levels of hostility toward the rest of society, to say nothing of recklessly engaging in scary, cult-like behavior. I am increasingly afraid this only ends with President Biden having to resort to drastic measures, and right now millions of populist Americans are determined to test him. (NBC News 5/19)

Mario Tama/Getty Images

Dark MAGA: ‘(E)mbracing the role of the villain and stripping away any facade of decency’ - As if it wasn’t dark enough to begin with. No, this is just all proving that the degradation can and will always get worse, and nothing can be put past those hellbent on dominating society and destroying anyone deemed to be an enemy. (Business Insider 5/15)

Saul Loeb/AFP/Getty Images/Axios

Rep. Liz Cheney calls out her own party: ‘The House GOP leadership has enabled white nationalism, white supremacy, and anti-semitism’ - It is not every day we see a member of Congress display genuine integrity, but a fire has been lit under Liz Cheney. (Axios 5/16)

Copyright 2022, Sunking278. Stay up-to-date: Twitter – @Sunking278 and Facebook – click here. DONATIONS - click here.

No ifs, ands, or buts: The GOP is the greater of ‘two evils’ and the biggest threat to America; and #Murica loves them for it

Joe Burbank/Orlando Sentinel/AP

For many reasons, America has always been more afraid of leftist nuttery than far-right wing nuttery. That may change in the not too distant future as demographics shift, but it remains true in 2022. ‘Conservative’ #Murica is more afraid and combative than it has been in generations. The far-right are larger in number than their counterparts. Hence, why I spend more time fighting the far-right than paying too much attention to the crazy left. Even as one who remains center-right and forever an independent, it is easy to see who is the bigger threat to my personal liberty and well-being. It is not hard to figure out who is trying to destroy Social Security. It is clear as day which side was stupid enough to put their faith in a failed real estate developer and sleazy tabloid fixture. It will be a very long time before the GOP faithful will live that down. Most telling, it is painfully obvious who is standing with the civilized world against Fascism and barbarism, and who is making excuses for Vladimir Putin, ginning up phony moral panics, and inciting sedition against a sitting president at the behest of a former president. I care nothing about the partisan make-up of Congress, I only wish for competent, serious, level-headed adults to be in office. ‘What a concept,’ right? Congress is a reflection of who ‘we the people’ are, and we will not have nearly enough grown-ups in charge again until ordinary individuals quit being such willfully and petulantly ignorant imbeciles. The side with the largest numbers, who are most loudly airing their grievances - but insist that a proven failure and corrupt orange a**hole is our only hope - are *really* not helping matters at this time. I have absolutely zero faith left in people or in this rotten nation.

Copyright 2022, Sunking278. Stay up-to-date: Twitter – @Sunking278 and Facebook – click here. DONATIONS - click here.