I have been away from news and the internet machine for the entire afternoon so I as a tad pleased to learn that congress passed the War Powers Act.

Trump can’t make war unless the use of armed forces “is necessary and appropriate to defend against an imminent armed attack upon the United States.”

Well, isn’t that what he said before assassinating the last guy?  And, Republicans claim the resolution is not legally binding.  Well, neither is chasing an intern around the desk in the oval office, but they sure got upset about that.

And, if you’re keeping score …

The vote was 224-194. Republican Reps. Matt Gaetz of Florida, Thomas Massie of Kentucky and Francis Rooney of Florida crossed party lines to vote in favor while Democratic Reps. Max Rose of New York, Ben McAdams of Utah, Anthony Brindisi of New York, Joe Cunningham of South Carolina, Elaine Luria of Virginia, Josh Gottheimer of New Jersey, Kendra Horn of Oklahoma and Stephanie Murphy of Florida voted against the resolution.

Write down those names and put them on your refrigerator door. If you get on their email list and they ask for money, tell them only if they roll it up, stick up their nose and set it on blazing damn fire.

So … putting pencil to paper, the Trump administration is trying to make a new law that says he does not have to disclose how much it has cost the taxpayers for him to travel about like the Prince of Siam  (I have no idea what that means but my grandmother used to say it all the time.) until after the 2020 election.

Let me give you an idea about how awful this is.

The government spent about $96 million on travel by Obama over eight years, according to documents obtained by the conservative group Judicial Watch. A report by the Government Accountability Office, which serves as the congressional watchdog on federal spending, estimated that Trump’s travel cost $13.6 million in just one month in early 2017. That total included the costs of travel for Secret Service and Defense Department personnel, and the costs of renting space and operating equipment such as boats and planes. If spending continued at that pace, Trump would have exceeded Obama’s total expenses before the end of his first year in office.

I added some stuff up for 8 years of this crap and – voila! – that’s one billion, three hundred and five million and some change. We could move the whole Trump family to Mars for that, which ain’t a bad idea.

And then you consider that most of that money goes directly to Trump for his hotels and golf courses and Mara Lago, and hair spray and what not, then steam starts coming out your ears.

And he’s still blaming Obama for everything.

Trump looked like a pavement princess in church or the guy at the bar who looks like he’s been there three hours and ten drinks too long.

All this is Obama’s fault?

Trump can’t pronunciate words right – was that tolerate or toilirite? – and somebody please give him a Kleenex.

The only thing that keeps you awake during his speeches is the total terror that he’s going to declare war on Hawaii because … Obama.

If Texas Gov. Greg Abbott is not tottering on the verge of paranoid hysteria, he’s sleeping or has passed out at the dinner table.

Get this:

Oh silver plated rodeo with mother of pearl inlay!  Texas must be the highest bastion of anti-Persian power on earth and neighboring planets and that’s why they are going after us.  But Texas, fully armed, loaded, and ready to fight a damn war with Bubba and Melvin over at the shooting range leading the troops currently housed at trailer parks in Grimes County (and I have proof of that), are holding off them damn hackers.

Okay, proof about the trailer parks in Grimes County:

If you’ve never heard of Confederate Heroes Day, neither have people in Iran.  And they made it tricky because they put it on Martin Luther King Day.

Back to the idea of 10,000 Iranian computer hacks per minute on the Texas state computer system.

One hack did get the job done, though.  Our big doofus agriculture commissioner, Sid Miller, got his website hacked.

However, even Miller says it was probably the work of kids.

It’s not clear how the hackers got into the website. Officials don’t think it was Iran, but they suspect it may have been youth participating in some type of cyber challenge, Miller said.

Good Lord, he got that figured out and he’s an idiot.

Yeah, and I don’t think Iranians would name themselves #theloserteam.

Just a guess on my part though, just like every official statement from Greg Abbott.

Thanks to Deb T for the heads up.

Well, lookie here …

President Donald Trump’s first national security adviser Michael Flynn should serve up to six months in jail, prosecutors told a federal judge on Tuesday, saying Flynn has failed to accept responsibility for his actions and undermined a separate criminal case.

“It is clear that the defendant has not learned his lesson,” the Justice Department wrote. “He has behaved as though the law does not apply to him, and as if there are no consequences for his actions.”

Nooooooooo. Not a fine upstanding patriot like Mike Flynn.

Look, I know Trump will pardon him and that Flynn and Gallagher will open a torture consulting firm next month.  I know they will both get gigs on Fox News.  I know that. But I jut want to holler Lock him up! as they walk him out of the courtroom.

Okay, CNN breaks some news and says —

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said Tuesday that he has the votes to set the ground rules of the impeachment trial for President Donald Trump — without Democrats’ support.

All McConnell needs is 51 senators — or a simple majority of the 100-member chamber — and several key Republicans. GOP Sens. Susan Collins of Maine, Lisa Murkowski of Alaska and Mitt Romney of Utah have said they back the leader’s approach.

I hate to say I told you so, but … oh crap, I knew it all along and so did you.  Collins and Murkowski need a dipstick like McConnell to prove they are about a quart low on estrogen and Mitch never had any guts whatsoever.

It’d be a dog and pony show except the pony died and the dog doesn’t know any tricks.

Don’t give them a hearing, Nancy.  They held a Supreme Court nominee for over a year so it’s about time for payback.