Today’s New York Times…
A Mexican national whom we are informed was shot at random by ICE (they were looking for an undocument migrant and shot the unfortunate Mr. Lorenzo Salgado Araujo for no reason and, as it happened, Mr. Araujo was also an undocumented migrant (what are the odds in a country where we’re informed that only a tiny percentage of residents are undocumented migrants?)):
Lindsey Graham, whose entire life can be reduced to, simply, “Trump Ally”:
Democrat connections on Facebook are filling up their feeds with glee regarding Senator Graham’s death. Some examples:
“I’ve never wished a man dead, but I have read some obituaries with great pleasure.”
— Clarence Darrow, “The Story of My Life”, 1932According to Dante, Lindsay’s final destination would be Antenora.
X users who previously expressed support for the Gazans and hatred of Israel are also happy. Example from someone affiliated with the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee:
The mere existence of an American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee seems like something that evolved during Lindsey Graham’s adulthood (until Hart-Celler in 1965, Arabs generally weren’t eligible to immigrate to the U.S.). Let’s look at what else has changed since Lindsey Graham was born in 1955.
Lindsey Graham served in the USAF for 33 years, including in Iraq and Afghanistan, and, unusually, did not become disabled by his work at a desk. VA Benefits cost $4.5 billion in 1955. Adjusted for inflation, that’s about 55 billion 2026 mini-dollars. That’s during a period where nearly 100% of American men were veterans of three brutal wars (WWI, WWII, and Korean). The population was smaller because we hadn’t discovered the miracle of open borders and, thus, the U.S. was home to only about 22 million living veterans in 1955. Today, VA benefits, not including military pensions earned via length of service, cost about $440 billion. There are only about 16 million living veterans and a high enough percentage of them are classified as “disabled”, thus forcing taxpayers to pay out more than $200 billion in disability compensation, e.g., to Graham Platner in Maine. The average American who actually pays any significant federal income tax will work approximately 2-3 hours per week to fund payments and services to veterans, despite the fact that it is tough to think of any war that we’ve won since Korea. ChatGPT: “real federal spending per veteran has risen by substantially more than a factor of eight”.
(Note that we will soon be spending more on disability payments to veterans than the Chinese spend on their entire active-duty military. The majority of disabled veterans were never in combat so we can’t blame our enemies becoming tougher for this epidemic of disability. A majority of veterans who left the U.S. military during the Biden-Harris administration were classified as disabled. There are some tough-to-quantify costs of these disability ratings. Veterans who receive TDIU (Total Disability based on Individual Unemployability) can’t work without risking the loss of the taxpayer cash. Veterans who are rated 100 percent disabled, such as Graham Platner, pay no property tax on a primary residence in Florida (imagine if this fearless fighter were to move into Ron DeSantis terrirtory!).)
Lindsey Graham started out wanted to give nearly every undocumented migrant in the U.S. “amnesty” and a passport. The percentage of immigrants in the U.S. has risen from about 5 percent when Lindsey Graham was born to at least 15 percent today (Pew). If we were to look at “immigrants plus children of recent immigrants” the growth would be much more dramatic due to the U.S. having closed its borders in 1924. If we corrected Pew’s numbers with the 2X likely population of undocumented migrants that Yale found, the percentage of the U.S. population that was foreign-born would likely be around 20 percent (and maybe 30 percent for immigrants plus children of recent immigrants since immigrants have higher fertility than the native-born Americans whom they are definitely not “replacing”).
Not in any way related to this enrichment via immigration, the cost of an existing single-family house (i.e., not one in some exurb) relative to median income, is now 2-3X what it was in 1955, relative to median male worker’s earnings, depending on how one adjusts for square footage.
Graham was, like all members of Congress, responsible for setting federal spending levels. Federal debt was about 65 percent of GDP in 1955, not too long after massive borrowing to fund WWII. Today it is 125 percent of GDP. Federal spending has grown from 16.5 percent of GDP to about 23 percent (don’t forget state and local as well!). ChatGPT: “The decline in military spending since 1955 was more than fully absorbed by the growth of Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, veterans’ benefits, other transfers, and interest on the debt.”
Loosely related…
Surprised how poor the media said that guy was, even by the click bait estimates of 10 year old data science that AI reprints. Sub $3M isn’t even a 1st date in Calif*. It kind of agrees with past Greenspun claims of Ron Desantis being dirt poor.
“I have been unable to save much money in my life. I have been in politics, and in politics an honest man does not get rich.” — Sam Rayburn
Think that meeting a woman for money is not called “a date”. How millions of poor menfolks in CA procreate? We know that they do. Think that the issue is somewhere else, not just money.
perplexed: I believe that a woman who imposes a net worth minimum of more than $3 million before she will consider a first date is described as someone who “won’t lower her standards”. Back in the 1980s I remember a gal at Harvard who said “Why would I spend time with any man who can’t take care of me at least as well as my father?” (Her father owned multiple supermarkets.)
Philip, and I had opposite anecdotes, Ivy League female scions ready to spend on prospective poor boyfriends with 1/1000 of their family net worth.
I am talking about majority of people, most are in it for love, sexual attraction, chemistry, common experiences, matching intellect. At least for few first years.
$3 million net worth in Silicon Valley for someone young enough to be interested in dating seem like an engineer working 16 hours a day, not sure why would any female seek such rare companionship if this is not transactional.
P: I should have been more specific. The gal in question was an older graduate student (close to 30) and, therefore, perhaps more practical-minded than the undergraduates who haven’t thought at all about a day when their parents are no longer caring for them financially.
> Lindsey Graham, whose entire life can be reduced to, simply, “Trump Ally”:
Interesting that Sr. Aruajo’s son made a similar argument:
> Salgado Araujo’s son Ronaldo Salgado, speaking at a news conference, said his father…”did not deserve to be reduced to a headline of ‘Mexican man shot and killed by ICE.'”
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Killing_of_Lorenzo_Salgado_Araujo
Furthermore:
> Responding to the incident, Mexican president Claudia Sheinbaum said, “Unfortunately, there has been another death of a Mexican national in the United States for being detained, when that person’s only offense was lacking immigration documents, even though they had been hired by an American company.” Sheinbaum added that she wanted to “go beyond diplomatic notes and the measures we have already raised before the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights”
I guess she needs to get off her ass and work harder on making her country a place where the citizens can find work to support themselves. I blame her as much as anyone, another two-faced goddamn politician. What the hell kind of Mexican name is Sheinbaum, by the way?
Do the pictures on the banner of this link remind anyone of another holocaust?
https://www.hrw.org/world-report/2026/country-chapters/mexico
Why didn’t they send Seal Team Seis de Mexico into Texas to extract Sr. Aruajo from his hellish oppression in Los Estados Unidos? He’s lucky they didn’t, because he probably wouldn’t have had the 35 years that he did.
> In 2025, Forbes ranked Sheinbaum as the fifth most powerful woman in the world
Why isn’t she too busy reporting the innumerable human rights violations in her own country to the world police to have time to notice the several she claims are happening in the U.S.? NAFTA yielded vast swaths of U.S. jobs to Mexico — why was there still such an outflow of refugees from Mexico to the U.S.? Generations now of leadership there have failed to improve the economic conditions even given that gift. They back a rat (the U.S.) into a corner, and complain about not liking the way we defend ourselves. Why isn’t she declaring war on the drug cartels decimating her own country? Drug cartels who victimize American addicts, speaking of human rights violations.
What I am hearing is “How dare the carcass of America defend itself against the vultures picking at its still living body?” At least we have the hope of human rights here — where she comes from all hope is gone. Motes and logs, man.
Some people tell me that I need help
Some people can fuck off and go to hell
— Cypress Hill, Illusions
Maybe as a good faith gesture, Mexico could enact a law making violation of other countries’ immigration laws a felony. That way, instead of a revolving door, when we shipped them back at great expense from the U.S. in a kangaroo civil court or by I.C.E. they would face a shithole, er ethically run, Mexican prison.
Greenspun informs us that it would bankrupt the U.S. to make sneaking into the country a criminal matter. Since Mexico is already bankrupt (as hard as that is to imagine given the amount of money we send them for defective truck wiring harnesses), and has a much better track record at human rights, let them run the illegal alien jails.
> Some people can fuck off and go to hell
You have a nice day too, sir! 🙂
RIP Lindsey Graham. Sad to see sane honest brave Americans to go away. Hope that he is in a better world now.
Lorenzo looks like the guy that cut the line in front of me at the Hilfiger outlet store. Why are illegal aliens so damn rude and why do they feel such an entitlement to discount Tommy merch? Sure ICE made a mistake here — that this home boy wasn’t on their list of people to forcibly deport in the first place. W. too, when he was governor. He ain’t my hero.
[At least the headline wasn’t “Confirmed Bachelor Dies”.]
Maybe Arlo said it better:
And I walked in and sat down
And they gave me a piece of paper
Said, “Kid see the psychiatrist, room 604”
And, and I went up there, I said “Shrink
I wanna kill
I mean, I wanna, I wanna kill
Kill
I wanna, I wanna see
I wanna see blood and gore and guts, and veins in my teeth
Eat dead, burnt bodies
I mean kill
Kill, kill, kill!”
And I started jumpin’ up and down yelling, “Kill, kill!”
And he started jumpin’ up and down with me
And we was both jumpin’ up and down
Yelling, “Kill, kill!”
And the sergeant came over, pinned a medal on me
Sent me down the hall, said, “You’re our boy”
Didn’t feel too good about it
— Arlo Guthrie, Alice’s Restaurant
I listened to this every Thanksgiving for as long as I can remember, and my parents were staunch Republicans.
Rest in peace Mr. Graham, Sr. Araujo, and this tragically young lady on June 16:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daveigh_Chase
She’s the one that really makes me cry. ☮
Lindsey Graham was a RINO and member of the “Gang of 8” that wrote the Immigration Modernization Act of 2013.
DP: I don’t want to speak ill of the dead, but it does seem that Lindsey Graham had the theory that there couldn’t be a resupply of the undocumented. In other words, once we gave everyone in the U.S. a “path to citizenship” that would turn the undocumented into documented and no additional undocumented migrants would come to the U.S. to start the cycle again. It’s the same thinking that makes aid to Africa rational: if we feed currently hungry Africans there will be no more hunger/need in Africa because there is no way for Africans to produce more Africans. Also the U.S. welfare system: if we give free housing to those who don’t work, there is no way that additional residents of the U.S. will choose to stop work in order to receive free housing.
For the past twenty years, my employer has hired mostly US military vets for nearly all entry, lower, and mid-level positions (they are afforded extra points in the hiring process, so many that any non-military applicant cannot surmount the advantage). Every single one of the hired vets is collecting a (tax exempt) VA disability check, as much as 100%, though they appear outwardly fine. Many, many of them are collecting a full military pension + the 100% VA disability payment, effectively doubling their military retirement pay. Plus full health care for life. And full exemption from property tax.
All thanks to GWB starting the forever war!
GWBlMO: How is this related to GWB or war? The majority of disabilities incurred during military service are non-combat (see original post). We could have 100 percent of people leaving the U.S. military rated at 100 percent disability even if we never fought another war.
Jenin Younes? Jenin was the greatest Iraqi victory. Mother of All Battles!
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Jenin_(1948)
Hey buddy, I KNEW they executed your double for your crimes against humanity and that you were still alive in Argentina. (DM me and we can talk about using some of the sinsemilla (weed without seeds) growing in my backyard as a weapon of mass intoxication. Weed not war!)
Jenin Younes:
> The internet today is full of tweets by sanctimonious establishment shills who don’t know the difference between celebrating the death of someone they disagree with politically and expressing positive sentiments about the death of someone who had political power and used it to kill innocent people. Gleefully.
Could you translate this for us Señor Hussein? (I hope I got that honorific right, my knowledge of Arab culture is only so-so.) I’m no shill and an antidisestablishmentarian although very sanctimonious — but I don’t know the difference between “celebrating a human’s death” and “celebrating a human’s death” either? Unix ‘diff’ gives me ‘no differences’.
BTW, do you think your Iraqi uniforms could have been any gayer?
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Iraqi_army_in_jeneen_palestine_1948.jpg
<<<3 bronie
Neo Hippy:
Translation of Jenin Younes:
“Free Speech for Me, Hate Speech for Thee”. Simple!
Madman, diabolical dictator, mass murderer, puppie-kicker…and now philosopher (with your wisdom delivered in the tongue of King James! You really are one of the few PhilG readers that “gets me”.) Is there anything you can’t do, Sad Ham?
By the way, my female friend who was a U.S. Marine, who read my comments here, remarked that company of your troops surrendered to her in Desert Storm (they told her they were too scared of her big mean husband in the M1). If America wasn’t so show-offy and benevolent, we would have just quietly played you and Iran off each other to your mutual destruction and kept the hatred in the Arab family. I also see that Iraqi uniforms are now based on our patented and trademarked U.S. ones, far more fetching.
Much respect, especially for your progressive right wing Socialism and “women’s rights” programs. Been back to the homeland recently to feel the legacy of love you left?
Bring back any memories?
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/M1_Abrams#/media/File:U.S._Army_M1A2_Abrams_Iraq_2005_retouched.jpg
I’d probably pee myself too if I saw that coming at me and I was equipped with just a scavenged AK-47 and the Supreme Commander of Iraq hiding in one of 100 bunker mansions.
I’m surprised the post-neo-libtards on TwitX didn’t blame Lindsey Graham for our victory in Gulf War I too, those fully informed bastards. Bye, bye, homie. ☮
Think through carefully why a government that is widely and justly despised might want veterans to be heavily vested in it continue to run as is…
Go Tony Doe! I did my part. Now do yours. 8647.
TD: a force of disgruntled veterans, disabled by 8 years at military desk jobs, would overthrow the U.S. government? (We used to make fun of a USAF officer friend for having fired exactly five rounds during all of her military training.)
I guess noble child of noble Palestinian enrichers https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nidal_Hasan was pretty destructive, but he was taken out by a military police officer, not by an ordinary future veteran.
Philip,
Nidal Hasan was take out by an MP because before Trump US military bases were gun – free zones, however crazy it sounds.
> We used to make fun of a USAF officer friend for having fired exactly five rounds during all of her military training.
“her” lol Squat to pee, flare to land.
IDK, depending on the “round” I might have done a stint (peacenik that I am) if they promised me in writing I could fire 5 of these at targets of my choice:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:An_AC-208_fires_a_Hellfire_at_practice_target.jpg
And don’t underestimate the lethality of a bunch of disgruntled cube-jockeys.
I would like to formally retract my previous comment. In NYC I was roomies with a woman who had served in the Israeli military. She had fired many, many rounds. I also worked with a woman in the military/industrial complex who was a U.S. Marine (and married to one) — she dangled me off a balcony when I tried to get handsey with her at the biergarten. Neither one claimed “disability” after their service.
If either found out I made that comment, I would probably be toast. (Although they might find the hellfire missile thing funny. ☮, ladies. The Marine and I played many games of Apache on the PC together.) Neo Hippy, out.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apache_(video_game)
The NYT took the time to write about the death of Mr. Lorenzo Salgado Araujo, an illegal migrant, describing how hardworking he was and the family he left behind. It is undeniably a tragic story and so sad. The entire country should pause for a 1 minute silence to remember him.
Yet how often the same level of attention is given to victims of gun violence in America when ICE is not involved. Aren’t those victims equally deserving of being remembered? Weren’t many of them hardworking people? Didn’t they also leave behind grieving families?
Does NYT even know about this site: https://www.gunviolencearchive.org/last-72-hours ? There were 13 death on July 14, 2026 alone!
@George A, I bet that common guns can not pass Turing test and thus guaranteed not to posses consciousness and act on their own. So it should be just called human violence, or gang warfare. Some of the most deadly events did not involve any firearms, for example Delhi Sultanate’s conquest of North India, with millions of lives lost. As a mater of fact murder rates are coming down as more civilians gaining access to legal carry, based on recent Supreme Court decisions.
Unless of course you suggest that all guns are running their own warfare, directed by an escaped DARPA Skynet – like system that achieved general intelligence and consciousness.
Perplexed, in the UK we have thankfully banned guns so we don’t see guns jumping out of nowhere and killing people in the UK willy-nilly. That said, we have seen a big increase in knife violence so we have banned those too. Who could have guessed that knives were prone to becoming violent killers just like guns!?