(Just) Seen on PJ Media. The entire Politico article is a good read, but here are excerpts from PJ

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our other local boy looks a bit goofy, but I’d say he comes out well in this interview; candid, anyway (as does Fetterman)

On Friday, Politico released a fun article, “Sex, Drinking, and Dementia: 25 Lawmakers Spill on What Congress Is Really Like.” And it’s pretty flippin’ crazy. Some of the things that congressmen and senators reveal about their private club will make you do a spit-take — so protect your monitor and/or phone screen accordingly:

Biggest misconceptions the public has about their job:

“How absolutely lame it is. You honestly think that life is full of House of Cards or snappy dialogue out of The West Wing. And it’s sad. You’re constantly living out of a suitcase.” —Sen. John Fetterman (D-Pa.)

“How good of friends some of us are, whose political ideologies are totally separate from each other. Some of my best friends up here are members of the progressive caucus. We go out, have dinner and a beer, and we can even tell jokes with each other, as long as nobody’s listening.” —Rep. Austin Scott (R-Ga.)

“I was surprised at how thirsty my colleagues are.” —Rep. Sydney Kamlager-Dove (D-Calif.) 

What’s the worst thing about the other party?

“The worst thing about the Democratic Party is that I think there’s a number of them in the conference who honestly don’t like this country. I think some of them border on hating it, even down to our foundational documents, such as the Constitution.” —Rep. Riley Moore (R-W.Va.)

“The worst thing about the Republicans is the House Freedom Caucus. The House Freedom Caucus consists of ideological arsonists who are willing to burn everything down — the federal government, the full faith and credit of the United States, the economy — in pursuit of their ideological agenda.” —Rep. Ritchie Torres (D-N.Y.)

What’s the worst thing about your own party?

“Intolerance. We are sometimes self-righteous, judgmental, priggish.” —Rep. Jim Himes (D-Conn.)

“Too much of a stagnancy and deference to people who’ve been in office for a long time. There’s just this slowness in making way for a new generation of leadership.” —Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.)

“Absolute half-measures, doing just enough to where you can go home and gaslight your voters that you’re doing the right thing.” —Rep. Eli Crane (R-Ariz.)

What do you like least about your job?

“The performance art and having to monetize everything. It’s turned all of us into OnlyFans models just monetizing your latest protest or your latest speech or whatever. There’s not a lot of dignity in it.” —Sen. John Fetterman (D-Pa.)

“The single most frustrating thing to me is the dramatic turnover in membership. No one remembers how to really legislate anymore. That’s frustrating to me. I’m old school.” —Rep. Frank Lucas (R-Okla.)

How common is all that scandalous, torrid behavior? Is it really like "House of Cards"?

“Absolutely. We’re human beings, right? We’re all sinners, so to even put on the facade that we’re not regular people that are tempted and do stupid things is laughable. It’s ridiculous. So, don’t act like your s**t doesn’t stink.” —Rep. Eli Crane (R-Ariz.)

“I have no idea. I’ve been doing this for 16 years, I don’t think anybody has ever come up to me and said, ‘Hey, I’m cheating on my wife.’” —Rep. Jim Himes (D-Conn.)

Are politicians showing up drunk to vote on legislation?

“Every time we do an 11 p.m. vote, a minority of the chamber has a zero blood alcohol content. Now, that’s different than voting drunk. I don’t think I’ve ever seen somebody demonstrably drunk on the floor.” —Rep. Jim Himes (D-Conn.)

“Well, I’ve seen one Republican who, unfortunately for you, has to go unnamed, show up drunk a number of times. There were one or two Dems I thought might be high on something but not drunk.” —Rep. Don Beyer (D-Va.)

“If you are prone to substance abuse, everything about this job probably makes it worse.” —Rep. Sean Casten (D-Ill.)

“I have never seen anybody drunk on the floor. I don’t think anybody drinks around the floor. I knew a couple of guys that might have had a drink, but the guys I knew that had a drink, they never showed it. They could hold their liquor well.” —Rep. Steve Cohen (D-Tenn.)

Are there politicians on Capitol Hill who are so overaged that they have cognitive issues?

“There’s no question that somewhere between six and a dozen of my colleagues are at a point where they’re … I think they don’t have the faculties to do their job.” —Rep. Jim Himes (D-Conn.)

“I have a difficult time sometimes telling between the deterioration of members and a handful who are just not very smart.” —Unnamed House Republican

Making Connecticut Proud

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And from a reader who follows the antics of our Greenwich shining star, Cadaver Dick Blumenthal, this:

Today he is asking to get Visa'a records regarding their deal with Musk's X, saying maybe this is why Musk is going after the CFPB.   It would seem obvious that Visa would want to have as many entities accept their card as possible. So I looked at the Senator's web donation site and of course they'll take Visa as a donation method.

Our foreign policy expert, mastermind of the Ukrainian negotiating team has also been busy — like this:

I know I have at least one reader who is familiar with Washington politics and therefore sure to know all about this group, ActBlue; I hadn't, but this sounds like a positive development

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David Strom:

ActBlue Is Toast?

Well, we don't know yet. But things look pretty bad for them according to The New York Times. 

The rats are leaving the sinking ship, all the lawyers are gone, as are most of the top leadership in a flurry of sudden resignations or suspensions, and the ActBlue union (Yes!, they have a union!) is writing alarmed letters to the Board of Directors. 

From the NYT:

ActBlue, the online fund-raising organization that powers Democratic candidates, has plunged into turmoil, with at least seven senior officials resigning late last month and a remaining lawyer suggesting he faced internal retaliation.

The departures from ActBlue, which helps raise money for Democrats running for office at all levels of government, come as the group is under investigation by congressional Republicans. They have advanced legislation that some Democrats warn could be used to debilitate what is the party’s leading fund-raising operation.

The exodus has set off deep concerns about ActBlue’s future. Last week, two unions representing the group’s workers sent a blistering letter to ActBlue’s board of directors that listed the seven officials who had left. The letter described an “alarming pattern” of departures that was “eroding our confidence in the stability of the organization.”

Strom: “Now you may think that shakeups at political organizations after election losses are nothing new, and you would be right. Except for the fact that ActBlue was the ONLY truly successful arm of the Democratic Party over the past few years, raising unprecedented amounts of money. Kamala Harris didn't lose for lack of money--she had more than any candidate could reasonably spend, setting records. 

“ActBlue is the goose that lays the golden eggs, and it is collapsing, likely because the way those gold eggs were laid is likely very, very illegal and the geese are coming home to roost. 

NYT:

According to the letter from the ActBlue unions, which has not been previously reported and was confirmed as authentic by three people briefed on its contents, the senior staff departures began on Feb. 21. That day, ActBlue’s customer service and partnerships directors, who had both worked at the group for more than a decade, left, according to the unions’ letter.

“Now, my primary mission is rest,” Alyssa Twomey, ActBlue’s departing vice president for customer service, wrote on social media. “After 14+ years of living and breathing all things ActBlue, it’s time for a reset. I’m taking an intentional pause before setting course for my next adventure.”

The next week, several other senior officials left, including the associate general counsel — who was the highest-ranking legal officer at ActBlue — the assistant research director, a human resources official, the chief revenue officer and an engineer who had spent 16 years building and maintaining the electronic pipes through which the group’s donations flow.

As these people left, Zain Ahmad, who was the last remaining lawyer in the ActBlue general counsel’s office, wrote in an internal Slack message on Feb. 26 that his access to email and other internal platforms had been cut off and that other messages he had posted in Slack had been deleted, according to a screenshot obtained by The New York Times. Mr. Ahmad is now on leave from ActBlue, according to a person briefed on the group’s staffing.

“Please be advised that we have Anti-Retaliation and Whistleblower Policies for a reason,” Mr. Ahmad wrote.

"Whistleblower" is not something Boards of Directors and fellow workers want to hear. 

“It is widely--universally, actually--understood among people who have paid attention to ActBlue that it facilitates illegal campaign contributions by helping fraudsters funnel money through a technique called "smurfing."

“Smurfing is a scheme in which anonymous sources of big--huge--money funnels donations through straw donors using untraceable sources of funds--generally gift cards that have no identity attached to them. The donations are assigned to small dollar donors who have given a few tens of dollars in the past.

“Suddenly these "donors" on fixed incomes--usually lower-middle class elderly people--are "giving" tens of thousands of dollars, often in hundreds of donations a week--to candidates nationwide. When these "donors" are tracked down they had no idea that their identity had been stolen to funnel money through ActBlue. 

“Now you may think that shakeups at political organizations after election losses are nothing new, and you would be right. Except for the fact that ActBlue was the ONLY truly successful arm of the Democratic Party over the past few years, raising unprecedented amounts of money. Kamala Harris didn't lose for lack of money--she had more than any candidate could reasonably spend, setting records. 

“ActBlue is the goose that lays the golden eggs, and it is collapsing, likely because the way those gold eggs were laid is likely very, very illegal and the geese are coming home to roost. 

The likelihood that ActBlue has been systematically and knowingly breaking campaign finance laws is asymptotically close to 100%. [I had to look that up; basically, on a curve — ED] There is massive evidence to show it, and all that is left is to have a prosecutor put together a case and put it in front of a jury to say it is proven. 

February Sales Stats per GAR

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February 2025 Greenwich Sales 

 Single-Family Home Sales

  • There were 25 single-family residential closings reported across all areas of Greenwich during the month of February 2025. This was an increase, compared to February 2024 when there were 17 closings. 

[Three in Riverside, south of the Post Road: 68 Winthrop Drive, non-MLS, $6.250; 7 Gilliam Lane $2,500,500 on a $2.395 asking price; 27 Linwood Avenue, $3.215 (!). One in Old Greenwich south of the Post Road: 25 Manor Drive, $1.550,000, on an asking price of $1,449,000]

  • The Median Sale Price for a single-family home increased 12.43% to $3,800,000 from the median sales price in February 2024, which was $3,350,000.

  • The average Days On Market (DOM) for residential homes was 77 days; which was a 35.09% increase from 57 days in February 2024.

  • There were 52 new single-family listings brought to the market in February 2025, which is a 7.14% decrease in New Listings when compared to February 2024 when there were 56. 

  • At month-end, Active single-family inventory totaled 113 units, which is a 25.2% decrease from February 2024 when there were 151 units available.

Condominium and Co-op Sales

  • There were 13 condo/co-op residential closings reported across all areas of Greenwich during the month of February 2025. This was an increase, compared to February 2024 when there were 10 closings. 

  • The Median Sale Price for a condo/co-op increased 5.11% to $875,000 from the median sales price in February 2024, which was $832,500. 

  • The average Days On Market (DOM) for condo/co-op residential homes was 75, which was a 134.38% increase from 32 days in February 2024.  

  • There were 22 new condo/co-op units brought to the market in February 2025, which is an increase of new listings compared to February 2024 when there were 14. 

  • At month-end, Active condo/co-op inventory totaled 34 units, which is a 17.2% increase from February 2024 when there were 29 units available. 

 

Keep it up — FDR would have approved

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“Wake up! Wake up, and get out!”

(no fan of public employee unions was he)

DHS ends collective bargaining for TSA’s Transportation Security Officers

DHS says the TSA has more people doing 'full-time union work' rather than performing screening functions at 86% of US airports

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) says it is ending collective bargaining for Transportation Security Officers with the Transportation Security Administration (TSA). 

In a release obtained exclusively by FOX Business, DHS said the TSA has more people doing "full-time union work" rather than performing screening functions at 86% of U.S. airports. 

This means that out of 432 federalized airports, 374 airports have fewer than 200 TSA Officers to perform screening functions. These officers are paid by the government but work "full-time on union matters" and do not retain certification to perform screening functions, DHS said. 

The department cited a recent TSA employee survey which found that more than 60% of "poor performers" are allowed to stay employed and "not surprisingly, continue to not perform."   

DHS said these circumstances have impeded TSA’s chief responsibility "to safeguard our transportation systems and keep Americans safe."  

DHS argued that eliminating collective bargaining will make airports more efficient by removing "bureaucratic hurdles that will enhance productivity, and lower passengers' wait times in security lines." 

DHS said Transportation Security Officers will now be promoted based on their performance, not longevity or union membership. 

A perfect encapsulation of the lies and disinformation fed to the public by the medical establishment.

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Dr. daszak visits his laboratory

While poking around the net looking for information of the I came across this article from March 12, 2020, published by the Yale School of Medicine and Diversity: To think that people believed and acted on this garbage makes me sick.

Calling COVID-19 the “Wuhan Virus” or “China Virus” is inaccurate and xenophobic

This week, my colleagues logged on to Twitter to see “#ChinaVirus” and “#WuhanVirus” trending in the United States. Most posts were written with dismay from people who couldn’t believe some government officials were influencing others to refer to COVID-19 (also known as the Coronavirus) this way.

While there is understandable unease flowing through Americans and people around the globe about the increasing spread of COVID-19, it’s important to remember that words matter and the language we use has power.

As vice chair of diversity, equity, and inclusion for pediatrics at Yale School of Medicine, I feel compelled to speak out. In the weeks since COVID-19 has been circulating, Asian-Americans and Asians around the world have noted a spike in discrimination and xenophobic attacks. Public transit riders have encountered hostile interactions and people simply walking down the street have experienced microaggressions — which I prefer to call veiled aggressions, because there is nothing “micro” about them for the person on the receiving end.

This behavior, and the stigma associated with referring to an illness in a way that deliberately creates unconscious (or conscious) bias, can keep people from getting care they may desperately need to get better and prevent others from getting sick. When faced with this type of constant, heightened discrimination our friends, neighbors and colleagues of Asian-decent can feel uncomfortable in places they should feel welcome, included, and safe. This type of discrimination may also put their mental health at risk. The CDC has noted that health care workers and people who’ve recently traveled to areas where COVID-19 is circulating are facing increased discrimination and stigma, too.

In mid-February, the Asian American Journalists Association called on the media to be mindful and accurate in their reporting on COVID-19. As medical professionals dedicated to equity and inclusion, we must use our platforms to deliver accurate information to help educate our patients and communities. Pathogens do not discriminate. What someone looks has no bearing on how likely they are to be sick from COVID-19.

Here’s what we can all do.

DO: Talk about the new coronavirus disease (COVID-19)
DO NOT: Attach locations or ethnicity to the disease; this is not a “Wuhan Virus,” “Chinese Virus,” or “Asian Virus.” The official name for the disease was deliberately chosen to avoid stigmatization.

We can better prevent the spread of COVID-19 and protect those who may have it when we speak about it with accuracy, empathy, and care — something we should all be committed to.

DO: Talk about “people who have COVID-19,” “people who are being treated for COVID-19,” “people who are recovering from COVID-19,” or “people who died after contracting COVID19.”
DO NOT: Refer to people with the disease as “COVID-19 cases” or “victims.”

DO: Talk about people “acquiring” or “contracting” COVID-19.
DO NOT: Talk about people “transmitting COVID-19,” “infecting others,” or “spreading the virus” as it implies intentional transmission and assigns blame. Criminalizing or dehumanizing terminology creates the impression that those with the disease have somehow done something wrong or are less human than the rest of us, feeding stigma, undermining empathy, and potentially fueling wider reluctance to seek treatment or attend screening, testing and quarantine.

DO: Speak accurately about the risk from COVID-19, based on scientific data and latest official health advice.
DO NOT: Repeat or share unconfirmed rumors, and avoid using hyperbolic language designed to generate fear like “plague,” “apocalypse,” etc.

DO: Talk positively and emphasize the effectiveness of prevention and treatment measures. For most people, this is a disease they can overcome. There are simple steps we can all take to stay safe.
DO NOT: Emphasize or dwell on negativity or messages of threat. We need to work together to help those who are most vulnerable.

We can better prevent the spread of COVID-19 and protect those who may have it when we speak about it with accuracy, empathy, and care — something we should all be committed to.

Dr. Marietta Vazquez is a professor of Pediatrics in the Division of Infectious Diseases & General Pediatrics at the Yale School of Medicine; Vice Chair of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion; Director Yale Children’s Hispanic Clinic (Y-CHiC); and Diversity Officer for the Yale Center for Clinical Investigation (YCCI).

Francis Collins may have retired, but the Godfather of Wuhan is still going strong

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What Is Your Career Path After Killing Millions of People? A Nice Sinecure Spreading Lies

David Strom

In a just world, Peter Daszak would be rotting in jail waiting for his execution warrant. 

He was Fauci's conduit to the Wuhan Institute of Virology, pouring millions of dollars into gain-of-function research that ultimately created the COVID-19 virus, Tens of millions died, the freedom of billions was stolen, children's lives were ruined, trillions of dollars were wasted, and citizens around the world were weaponized against each other to stir unrest and civil strife. 

Far more than Fauci, who ultimately was a sociopathic bureaucrat who committed most of his crimes to cover his own ass after he realized he helped fund the murder of millions, Daszak was responsible for much of the evil the world has witnessed over the past 5 years. 

As the Trump administration defunds all the USAID-backed censorship organizations and Big Tech turns its back on the oppressive speech policing that has characterized our discourse over the past several years, yet another "accountability" project aimed at calling inconvenient facts "disinformation" has sprouted out of thin air, and Daszak is in the thick of it. 

Announced yesterday, the Accountability Journalism Institute is an evolution from something called the "OptOut Media Foundation," which seems to be a propaganda outlet pushing far-left Narratives™. If you go to their website you find that their partners are all the usual leftist suspects like The Nation. 

Much more at the full article, but here are Strom’s concluding paragrphs:

Even the Biden administration cut all ties with Daszak and banned the federal government from doing business with him and the EcoHealth Alliance because they illegally funded gain-of-function research and lied repeatedly to the federal government. They failed to report their work and their findings, and were found to be fundamentally untrustworthy. 

In all likelihood they used US federal dollars to fund the research that created COVID-19. 

That is who Daszak is. 

He is going to be your fact checker, folks. It's like asking Jeffrey Dahmer to cover food for the New Yorker. 

Usually, tabloid headlines wildly overstate the actual facts of a case. Not this time,

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born in boston, raised in berkeley

You can read the NY Post’s article if you wish, but here’s the actual news release from the California District Attorney’s office:

Defendant Trevor Colombano, 38 years old of Santa Rosa, was sentenced today by the Honorable Dana Simonds to a term of probation after he pled “no contest” to charges including mayhem (with a further allegation that he used a deadly weapon,) assault with a deadly weapon (with a further allegation that he inflicted great bodily injury upon the victim,) as well as sexual battery. The District Attorney’s Office, the Court’s Probation Department, the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, and the victim, all recommended or requested Colombano be sentenced to state prison.

On October 28, 2023, the victim took her dog for a walk in Santa Rosa on a sunny Saturday afternoon. She stepped outside of her apartment on Sonoma Avenue near Howarth Park and was approached from behind by Colombano. Colombano rubbed his erect penis on the victim’s buttocks, and when she rebuffed his advances, brutally attacked her. Colombano struck the victim on her head several times with a closed fist, and the attack then took a horrific turn when Colombano retrieved a landscaping rock and repeatedly bashed the victim’s face with it. The attack occurred while the victim’s 13-year-old daughter and 13-year-old cousin looked on helplessly. It only stopped when two bystanders wrestled Colombano to the ground and held him until Santa Rosa police arrived. The victim was left with several lacerations to her scalp and a full-thickness laceration to her lip. The injuries required 17 sutures, 5 staples, and left her permanently disfigured. Colombano also ripped off the victim’s shirt and bra during the attack.

The victim gave an emotional statement to the Court at Colombano’s sentencing, stating, “When you have a stranger attack you in the way I was attacked, it felt like my ability to be strong was taken away from me. I have cried more in the last six months than I have in my entire lifetime…my daughter and my little cousin, both thirteen at the time, had to witness the whole thing…I cannot even put into words the feeling of not being able to protect yourself or your child at the same time.” The victim has since moved out of the State of California and asked the Court to sentence Colombano to prison.

Colombano faced a maximum prison sentence of 9 years, in addition to 18 months in the county jail for his crimes. Prior to trial the defendant pled guilty to all charges against him, with no sentencing agreements by the district attorney. At yesterday afternoon’s sentencing hearing the district attorney’s office asked for the 9-year prison sentence to be imposed.

The Court’s Probation Department also recommended a prison sentence, noting “the defendant is statutorily limited from receiving probation and we cannot, even after much effort considering the complexities, favorable, and mitigating factors involved in this case, identify any factors that mark this matter an unusual case for probation consideration.” The California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation agreed and recommended a prison sentence as well. The Honorable Judge Dana Simonds disagreed, citing Colombano’s cannabis consumption and stress as contributing factors, and referenced mental health issues in sentencing him to probation, and allowing for his release from custody.

District Attorney Rodriguez stated, “Justice was not served in this case. The victim was walking her dog on a public street in Sonoma County and minding her own business when Mr. Colombano viciously attacked her while her 13-year old daughter and niece looked on. He sexually assaulted the victim and then beat her in the face with a rock to the point of hospitalization and permanent disfigurement. This woman will be permanently scarred for the rest of her life, both physically and emotionally.  Her daughter and niece’s sense of safety and well-being will never be the same. Mr. Colombano is a menace to public safety, period, and should be sitting in prison. That won’t happen. As there is no further action legally allowable for our office, the community, and more importantly, the victims will have to live with the consequences of this sentence. I am incredibly disappointed in the outcome of this case.”