Chowdah

I am old enough to know how clam chowder has changed just in the time that I’ve been alive. In the last decade alone, it seems like there has been a race to see who can make the thickest chowdah!

Set your Way-Back Machine to the year of the Revolution… 1776! What was in their bowls back then looked more like Manhattan Clam Chowder. Brace yourself: the recipe consisted of clams, salt pork, onions, potatoes, and tomatoes in a clear broth.

Jumping forward to the 1830s and the recipe has morphed to…

CHOWDER RECIPE (1830)

The Frugal Housewife (1830)

Lydia Maria Child

TO MAKE A CHOWDER

Four pounds of fish are enough to make a chowder, for four or five people,—half dozen slices of salt pork in the bottom of the pot,—hang it high, so that the pork may not burn,—take it out when done very brown,—put in a layer of fish, cut in lengthwise slices,—then a layer formed of crackers, small or sliced onions, and potatoes sliced as thin as a four-pence, mixed with pieces of pork you have fried; then a layer of fish again, and so on. Six crackers are enough. Strew a little salt and pepper over each layer; over the whole pour a bowl full of flour and water, enough to come up even with the surface of what you have in the pot. A sliced lemon adds to the flavor. A cup of Tomato catsup is very excellent. Some people put in a cup of beer. A few clams are a pleasant addition. It should be covered so as not to let a particle of steam escape, if possible. Do not open it, except when nearly done, to taste if it be well seasoned.

OMG! There’s the tomatoes again!

In the 1920s, a lightning bolt split the chowder world apart. Those who worshipped New England called it Boston Clam Chowder, while those who still swore their allegiance to the tomato called it Rhode Island Red Chowder

Things got so heated that by 1939, a Maine politician actually tried to make putting tomatoes in chowder illegal! According to the New England Historical Society, the proposed law would have sentenced anti-creamy offenders to the impossible task of digging a barrel of clams at high tide.

It wasn't until the middle of the century that we saw chowder change from something resembling a clam stew into a true chowder.

Now, in the new century, we see chowdah get heavily thickened. It seems like a spoon needs to stand straight up in the bowl for it to even be called clam chowder anymore!

I prefer mine with milk or cream and no thickeners. One of the reasons I don’t like it thick is because the added starch spikes my blood sugar! When I'm on the Cape, I love going to Mac’s On The Pier—their chowdah is the perfect, traditional thin style.

Chalk Up Another One For Trump

60 Minutes first went on the air on September 24, 1968 and you can thank Trump for killing the show... 

Opinion | Major shakeup at “60 Minutes” raises questions about its future

Two program hosts were fired and its new executive producer has no background in traditional network news

Poynter

By: Tom Jones

May 29, 2026

Put this moment in your memory bank.

Years from now, we may look back and see what happened Thursday as among the most pivotal days — maybe for the better, although many are predicting for the worse — in the history of the best American TV journalism show that’s ever been.

On Thursday, CBS News and controversial editor-in-chief Bari Weiss shook up TV news gold standard, “60 Minutes.” This isn’t a minor tweak or slight change in philosophy. This is a major overhaul.

Weiss fired executive producer Tanya Simon, who had been with the program for nearly three decades and is part of CBS News royalty, (Her late father, Bob Simon, was a legendary CBS newsman).

Ever since CBS bowed down and kiss Trumps feet their ratings have dropped.

Wa! Wa!

Trump is taking all his marbles and going home!

Judge says Kennedy Center board broke law putting Trump’s name on building, blocks closure

AP News

By  MICHAEL KUNZELMAN and STEVEN SLOAN

May 29, 2026

A federal judge ruled Friday that President Donald Trump’s name was illegally added to the Kennedy Center and blocked the administration from closing the cultural and arts venue for major renovations — the latest legal setback for Trump’s efforts to leave his personal mark on the landscape of the nation’s capital.

Trump said in response that he’s backing away from his proposed renovation and returning control of the arts institution to Congress.

“Unless I am free to do what I do better than anyone else, bring this Institution back, physically, financially, and artistically, I have no interest in continuing what could only be a hopeless journey into ‘NEVER NEVER LAND,’” Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform.

He is having a five-year-old's temper tantrum. The $257 million renovation project was less about structural preservation and more about personal branding. Trump is like a little child living Never, Never Land in his own little fantasy world.

He is obsessed with branding everything with his name. If you have ever taken a dog for a walk, you know they have to brand everything with their scent: "This is my territory, keep your hands off!"

Cooper also concluded that the board “overstepped its statutory bounds” by unilaterally adding Trump’s name to the center. Congress gave the Kennedy Center its name, and only Congress can change it, he said.

Wa!

Trump can't get his way, so he throws a petulant tantrum, takes his marbles, and walks away.

Only The Best, Only The Fittest

That caught my attention. The Secretary of Defense said that, and my first thought was, "Huh? What does he mean?"

Troops Must Be Fit and Tall to Attend Trump’s UFC Fight

“No fat troops” at the president’s birthday.

Mother Jones

Inae Oh

May 30, 2026

In preparation for President Donald Trump’s UFC fight on the White House South Lawn next month, Pentagon officials are hoping to lure hundreds of troops to attend the event. The catch? Troops need to meet strict physical requirements, including weight and height standards, in order to be eligible.

That’s according to internal memos seen by the Washington Post, including one demanding that troops “MUST MEET CURRENT WAIST-HEIGHT RATIO” and wear short-sleeved uniforms. Another memo revealed that the Pentagon is soliciting only junior-level officers. In other words: No heavyweights. You better be jacked. And no old people.

The report comes as construction for the cage fight begins to take shape, with the beginnings of a beastly octagon-shaped arena popping up on the South Lawn this week. The effort to attract a very specific kind of soldier is something of a theme for the Pentagon under Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, who has effectively gone to war with “fat troops” and what he has deemed as “unacceptable” physical appearances in the military.

“Frankly, it’s tiring to look out at combat formations, or really any formation, and see fat troops,” Hegseth said in October. “Likewise, it’s completely unacceptable to see fat generals and admirals in the halls of the Pentagon.”

I would like to remind you all that this comes from history. We have seen this obsession with the hyper-masculine "perfect warrior" before.

A central part of Nazi ideology during World War II was the promotion of a highly idealized form of masculinity: physically strong, disciplined, militaristic, emotionally stoic, and devoted to the state.

Sound familiar?

Miltarty.com reported that,

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, a former Fox News host and National Guardsman, has attempted to reframe the role of the Pentagon's top civilian leader during his first months on the job, casting himself as a relatable everyman -- "one of the guys."

Instead of the standard suit and tie, he regularly appears in khaki hiking pants, rolled-up sleeves that reveal tattooed forearms and occasionally a trucker hat emblazoned with an American flag. He often posts videos and photos of himself working out with troops.

But that carefully curated image -- so different from past defense secretaries -- may not be totally landing with the rank and file. Interviews with service members and a review of hundreds of social media posts on message boards suggest the image the Pentagon chief is trying to project is seen by some as overly manufactured and desperate for affirmation.

I think Hegseth has visions of himself as Crusader on a white horse leading the charge carrying the banner of the Crusades.

His visions match those of Germany 90 years ago.

 

Theme	Pete Hegseth's "Warrior Ethos"	Nazi "Hyper-Male" Ideal
Social Status	A separate "breed" of human untethered to the norms of polite society.	An elite racial/military aristocracy (SS) operating above regular law.
The Body's Role	Must be physically imposing, fit, uniform, and stripped of personal expression (no "shabby" troops).	Must project "Aryan" physical perfection, symmetry, and absolute uniformity.
View on Diversity	Rejects DEI and gender inclusivity as "woke weakness" that dilutes combat lethality.	Rejects diversity as "degeneration" and a contaminant to the collective state.
Rules of War	Rejects international constraints and rules of engagement in favor of maximum violence.	Utterly rejected international law, viewing violence as a positive good for state survival.

Oh, and by the way... just like the Secretary of Defense, Nazi Germany also hated gay people.

Saturday 9

Saturday 9: Mystical Magical (2025)
On Saturdays I take a break from the heavy stuff and have some fun…
 

Unfamiliar with this week's tune? Hear it here.

1) This week's song is about a new love affair, and Benson Boone bounces between frustration and optimism when he thinks about it. Does anything inspire your mixed emotions these days?
Surviving.

2) The lyrics mention "moonbeam ice cream," which is something Benson just made up. Last summer, when this week's song became popular, ice cream shops were inspired to create flavors with that name. What's your favorite ice cream flavor, and will you take that in a cup or cone?
How can you limit yourself to one flavor when there are so many great flavors; rum raisin, butter pecan, cookies and cream, but you asked for my favorite… Husky Tracks! Every time I had to go on UConn's campus I always stopped by and got some. UConn is an agricultural college and they have their own dairy herd; you can't get ice cream fresher than that!
Husky Tracks
Vanilla ice cream with fudge swirl and peanut butter cups

3) He sings that "once you know" about a love like this, "you know." Tell us about something you had to experience to fully understand.
Boy, that's a hard question because it is something I haven't really thought about it. you know when you are retired one day just blurs into another.

4) He composed this song at the piano. Do you play piano?
Nope… I can’t keep a beat. I have Auditory Dyslexia where I miss a beat or double beat.
Gemini: “There is actually a fascinating and deeply researched connection between dyslexia and the inability to keep a steady beat.

For a long time, people thought dyslexia was purely a visual issue—seeing letters floating around or backwards. However, modern neuroscience has revealed that dyslexia is fundamentally a timing and rhythm processing issue in the brain.”

5) He first sang in public at a high school talent show, which he only entered on a dare. Can you recall any dares from your junior high or high school days?
Um… I don’t think that the statue of limitation has expired yet. So I take the Fifth! But most of us survived.

6) Benson was a good high school athlete and competed in diving at the state level. Can you execute a dive off the diving board?
Well first you have to be willing to jump into the water… I like to get my toes wet first.

7) When he was 18, Boone auditioned for American Idol. What were you up to when you were 18?
Well, I had just graduating and the drinking age was 18… so it is pretty easy to figure out. Party-time!

8) Benson has a dog named Max. He's not alone in this. "Max" is one of the most popular pet names in the US today. Have you ever known anyone (furry or otherwise) named Max?
Nope.

9) Random question: If we knocked on your door on one of your lazy, stay-at-home days, what would we likely find you wearing?
You mean like every day? When you are retired everyday is a lazy, stay-at-home day… PJs

Thanks so much for joining us again at Saturday: 9. As always, feel free to come back, see who has participated and comment on their posts. In fact sometimes, if you want to read & comment on everyone's responses, you might want to check back again tomorrow. But it is not a rule. We haven’t any rules here. Join us on next Saturday for another version of Saturday: 9, "Just A Silly Meme on a Saturday!" Enjoy your weekend!

I Have A Question.

If voter fraud is so rampant as Trump says... How did he get elected?

Judge refuses to block Trump order to limit mail voting. There’s no immediate effect on the midterms

AP News

By  NICHOLAS RICCARDI

May 28, 2026

A federal judge has declined to halt President Donald Trump’s executive order creating a federal voter list and limiting mail voting, clearing the way for potential sweeping changes in how American elections are run shortly before this year’s midterm elections.

U.S. District Judge Carl Nichols, a Trump appointee in Washington, late Wednesday rejected the request by Democrats and civil rights groups that had argued Trump’s order would likely be found unconstitutional because the states and Congress, not the president, have the power to set election rules. Nichols agreed with the Republican Trump administration’s contention that it was too early to block the order because it has yet to be implemented.

Nichols’ ruling leaves the door open for further challenges when the Trump administration moves to implement the president’s directive. A separate lawsuit seeking to block the executive order is underway in Boston. No matter how rapidly the administration acts, no voting changes are expected during primary elections, which continue into next month.

I want to point out that even the ultra-conservative Heritage Foundation documents only roughly 1,500 to 1,600 proven instances of election fraud collected over several decades! That is out of roughly 204 million voters!

So, what is it that Trump wants to do?

Trump administration promotes program to check voter eligibility. Critics fear a midterm purge

AP News

By  JOHN HANNA

May 17, 2026

Even as Democratic officials fight the effort in court, the Trump administration has run millions of voter registrations through government databases to determine their eligibility in a process that critics worry could end up purging valid voters from the rolls before the November elections.

At least 67 million registrations, primarily from Republican-controlled states, have gone through a beefed-up verification program at the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, and tens of thousands of those have been flagged as potential noncitizens or people who have died. Some states allow only a month for people to prove their eligibility and others suspend it immediately.

The scanning of state voter rolls at the national level is part of a broader effort by Republican President Donald Trump to federalize certain election functions and promote his messaging that elections are marred by noncitizen voting, even though instances of that are rare. Voting and civil rights advocates say the DHS system is error-prone and can mistakenly flag people who are eligible to vote.

Somehow I don't want Trump and his cronies to have my Social Security... I don't want the databases tied together! It give way too much power to Trump and his fascists tendencies! Autocracies love centralized

There have a number of improprieties that has been suggested that DOGE did with the SS database! Such as hand over sensitive personal data to an outside conservative advocacy group looking to "overturn election results" in certain states!

Trump has been trying to overhaul U.S. elections, including calling for a federal list of verified voters, and his Department of Justice has pushed states to hand over unredacted voter information for mass checks through the DHS program known as SAVE.

The Justice Department has sued states that refuse, saying the government is trying to ensure that they are complying with federal law and have accurate voter lists. States already take a number of steps to maintain the accuracy of their voter rolls.

SAVE, short for Systematic Alien Verification for Entitlements, was created under an immigration law mandating that DHS help federal, state and local agencies prevent government benefits from going to noncitizens. U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, an arm of DHS, said more than 1,300 agencies use it.

Remember, they have only found under 2,000 undocumented immigrants on the rolls! Yet, they want all this personal data on over 200 million voters. A centralized database like that will be a prime target for hackers!

It will also create massive problems with database matching. For example, some records might still use a woman's maiden name, leading to a database mismatch that could cause her to be tossed off the voter rolls! The same is true for trans voters, we might have a name and gender mismatch and also be prevented from voting!

Human rights organizations say this effort is designed to give the administration these lists so they can force states to purge voters—disproportionately targeting naturalized citizens, minorities, and women—just before major elections, as these groups tend to vote progressive. Critics argue the administration's motive is to feed data to partisan operations, and that this is an attempt to federalize the voting system and centralize election power in Washington. Just like Russia, China, and North Korea!

Weaponization

That word get tossed around a lot these days, but unfortunately  is is true!

Pursuant to 18 U.S.C. § 3282, the federal government must formally charge or indict an individual within five years of the date the false statement was actually made.

Naw! No way! That Trump is weaponizing the Department of Justice.

DOJ launches criminal probe into E. Jean Carroll: Sources

Acting AG Todd Blanche recused himself from the investigation, sources said.

ABC News

By Katherine Faulders, Aaron Katersky, and Alexander Mallin

May 27, 2026

The Department of Justice has launched a criminal investigation into E. Jean Carroll, the former Elle magazine columnist who accused President Donald Trump of sexual assault, according to multiple sources familiar with the matter. 

The investigation is allegedly centered around whether Carroll committed perjury during her civil lawsuits against President Trump, after which she was awarded a $5 million judgment, the sources said. 

Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche recused himself from the investigation, given his past representation of Trump in the matter, the sources said.  

[...]

The Department of Justice has launched a criminal investigation into E. Jean Carroll, the former Elle magazine columnist who accused President Donald Trump of sexual assault, according to multiple sources familiar with the matter. 

The investigation is allegedly centered around whether Carroll committed perjury during her civil lawsuits against President Trump, after which she was awarded a $5 million judgment, the sources said. 

Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche recused himself from the investigation, given his past representation of Trump in the matter, the sources said.  

Instead of crossing of the naughty nice list Trump has them prosecuted!

Trump earlier this month asked a federal appeals court in New York to pause its ruling rejecting his challenge to her defamation lawsuit so he could pursue an appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court.

The request came after the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals declined to rehear Trump's claim of immunity and his attempt to substitute the United States as a defendant in the case.

Vengeance is mine saith Trump!