The SAVE Act Will Mean The End of American Democracy

by Shelt Garner
@sheltgarner

Now, obviously there is the issue of the filibuster in the Senate…and…yet…I suspect the fucking SAVE Act is going to pass one way or another. This is an act that pretty much makes it so difficult to vote that even married women will be disenfranchised.

As such, I think there won’t be free-and-fair elections in 2026 — if ever again.

Somehow, someway, MAGA Republicans will pass the SAVE Act, despite the prospect of the filibuster and the US will become a “managed democracy” like Hungary or Russia.

And, before you know it, ICE will crash through my door and murder me in cold blood. Lulz!

‘Street Screams’ — Lyrics To A Folk-Pop Protest Song In The Style of Neil Young Written By ChatGPT

🎸 Street Screams 🎸

(Verse 1 — raw and pointed)
Oh, the frost lies thick on Nicollet,
Where they said protect and serve,
But a mother tried to turn her wheels,
And a bullet found its nerve.
Renée was just observing,
Not a threat, not a flame,
Three shots in a snowy street —
And they washed away her name.

(Chorus — ringing, hard truth)
Street screams, the cold winds blowing,
Truth buried while the lies keep growing.
Street screams, in a town once free,
They took our neighbors — now they echo streets.

(Verse 2 — steady and biting)
Then came the morning sun,
A nurse with a camera in his hand,
He stood to see what justice looked like,
Ice boots tearing at this land.
They peppered down his spirit,
Pinned him in the snow —
Ten shots rang out before he could breathe,
And the city watched the show.

(Chorus — stronger)
Street screams, in the frozen morning,
Fear unmasked by the cold and warning.
Street screams, hear the people plea,
Two gone — and the truth ain’t free.

(Bridge — reflective, uneasy)
Oh, they’ll tell you it’s complicated,
They’ll hide behind the badge,
But we saw the tape, saw the fear,
Saw the fire in their hands.
And we won’t forget these faces,
Won’t let this story fade —
Not in the alleys of this city,
Not in the songs we’ve made.

(Final Chorus — urgent)
Street screams, don’t silence crying,
Raise your voice, no more denying.
Street screams, till justice gleams,
We remember what we saw — America, hear our street screams.

‘Don’t Tread On Me’ Lyrics To A Prince-Like Protest Song Written by ChatGPT

🎵 Don’t Tread On Me 🎵

(Verse 1 — spoken-singing, sharp and direct)
U.S. streets lit by protest lights,
Minneapolis winter, frozen fights.
They said protect and they said serve,
Then rubber bullets choke our nerves.
Renée, a mom, just trying to observe,
Three shots in the snow — got the city stirred.
They said she tried to hit an ICE boot — bull-**** on the reel,
Video don’t lie — you know just how we feel.

(Chorus — detached but cutting)
Don’t tread on me, don’t tread on me,
But they came down here like stormy seas.
Don’t tread on me, don’t tread on me,
Two lives lost so the powers could breathe.

(Verse 2 — urgency builds)
Then Alex, an ICU nurse with a heart so real,
Holding up a phone, trying to calm the wheels.
They shoved him down, sprayed him hard,
Then bullets flew — oh, they hit their mark.
Federal boots on Nicollet Ave,
Two federal shootings in just one month.
They say he was armed — we saw the tape,
Wrong narrative — now we gape.

(Bridge — blunt, rhythmic)
White coats, black hoods, they patrol the street,
But justice can’t walk where lies meet heat.
Court orders and restraining walls,
Minnesota cries as another voice calls.

(Chorus — louder, more biting)
Don’t tread on me, don’t tread on me,
The snow turned red and the cameras see.
Don’t tread on me, don’t tread on me,
Truth’s in the streets — not in policy.

(Outro — echo, almost whispered)
And if they walk away like it’s routine,
Remember every name in the cold winter scene.
Don’t tread on me — don’t tread on we.

I’m Struggling Through NetFlix’s The Rip

by Shelt Garner
@sheltgarner

I’m an extreme storytelling snob, but here I am struggling — STRUGGLING — to watch the otherwise really good Netflix potboiler crime drama The Rip. I’m at just about the midpoint now and, sure enough, the “midpoint switch” is happening.

So, as such, it seems as though the screenwriter is doing things by the numbers.

The only thing I can’t quite figure out is if Matt Damon or Ben Affleck is the protagonist. I THINK it’s Damon, but I don’t know just yet. Which, I suppose is why this is a pretty good story — it keeps the audience guessing.

2026 Could Be The Year Of High Quality AI Generated Celebrity Porn

by Shelt Garner
@sheltgarner

To date, because only the proprietary state-of-the-art AI image generators could produce hyper-realistic photos, we haven’t really seen any high quality AI generated celebrity porn.

And, yet, just this year, I’ve started to see a few instances of not AI celebrity porn….but more suggestive high quality AI celebrity images. Like, for instance, I’ve seen a number of really good fakes that have several well-known female celebrities in one-piece swimsuits.

Which makes me wonder if 2026 will be the year when “unaligned” open source AI image generators finally good enough to pump out really high quality AI celebrity porn.

So, it could be that by the end of the year, there will be a mad rush to regulate AI specifically when it comes to AI celebrity porn. But, the problem, of course, is if it really is coming from open source AI image generators, then, lulz, there’s not much lawmakers can do.

That is a potential dystopian future for you — we could just have to accept that social media will be awash in high quality celebrity porn and there will be little we can do about it.

‘I Know What I Saw’ — Lyrics to a Pop-Protest Song In The Style Of John Lennon Written By ChatGPT

🎵 I Know What I Saw 🎵

(Verse 1 — honest, biting)
They paint it clean in black and white,
Say it’s self-defense, say they did right —
But I recall the lights, the snow, the crowd,
I saw the cameras, the shouts too loud.
A mom behind the wheel, trying to drive away,
Three shots rang out — three too many that day.
And when the tape rolled back on streets so cold,
Her life spilled out, her story told.

(Chorus — repeated with rising urgency)
I know what I saw, I saw what went down,
Two lives taken in a public town.
I know what I saw, and it don’t match their claim —
Tell me their truth, but I know what I saw.

(Verse 2 — accusatory, reflective)
They told us he resisted, they told us he had a gun,
But the video’s grainy truth ain’t what they spun.
He tried to help his neighbor up,
Pinned to the pavement, drenched in pepper, beat up —
Ten shots in seconds, echoes through the air,
And people watched in horror, and they shouted their despair.

(Chorus — firm, insistent)
I know what I saw, I saw what went down,
Two lives taken in a public town.
I know what I saw, and it don’t match their claim —
Tell me their truth, but I know what I saw.

(Bridge — quiet rage building)
Oh, they say it’s complicated, they say “trust the badge,”
They say they had to act — well, they never had
To pull that trigger in a chilly Minnesota dawn,
When all we want is justice, all we want is what’s gone.

(Final Chorus — strongest, almost pleading)
I know what I saw, and I won’t look away,
We’re crying for justice every night and day.
I know what I saw — you can twist every frame,
But I know what I saw… you can’t rewrite their names.

‘Restless Republic’ A Rap Protest Song In The Style of Public Enemy Written By ChatGPT

🎤 RESTLESS REPUBLIC 🎤

(Intro – spoken / rhythmic)
Yeah
Comin’ out the cold, Minneapolis streets
Two lives taken, and the people won’t retreat
We’re tired, we’re loud — we won’t bow
Restless Republic — stand up now!

(Verse 1)
Look around, this land’s cracked with anger
Federals roll deep, but justice looks stranger
Renée out her car, sun just breaking the day
Shot down in broad light — they say it’s lawful play.
Then Alex on the block, ICU hero on the ground
Tryna lift a neighbor up, federal boots pinned him down.
They say he had a weapon — but tape tells another tale
Pepper sprayed, wrestled, shot — this story’s off the rails.

(Pre-Hook)
We’re not fools, we see the lies they sell
Two names, two graves — let the chorus swell!

(Chorus – shouted)
Restless Republic — we won’t rest!
Two fallen Minnesotans — we protest!
Rise up, shout out, won’t let it drop!
Restless Republic — we won’t stop!

(Verse 2)
They came in numbers, badges in a swarm
Claimin’ law and order — but they sparked the storm.
Crowds hit the streets frozen feet in the snow
Candles in the night where the truth started to glow. (
Politicians squabble — community in pain
Anger ain’t silent, it’s movin’ like a train.

They cry “protocol!” — but loyalty’s to power
We write their names, candlelight by candlelight hour after hour.
Don’t try to bury the truth in PR spin
Restless Republic — rise up from within!

(Pre-Hook)
Speak the truth — don’t let it slip
History’s watching — tighten your grip!

(Chorus – louder)
Restless Republic — we won’t rest!
Two fallen Minnesotans — we protest!
Rise up, shout out, won’t let it drop!
Restless Republic — we won’t stop!

(Bridge – call and response)
Tell us who you serve!
We serve the people!
Tell us who you fear!
We fear no steeple!
Tell us who stands tall when justice falls?
Restless Republic — we raise our walls!

(Outro – empowering)
From Nicollet to Main Street — voices rise
Two names engraved where the cold wind cries.
We’re restless, relentless — never penned
Restless Republic — this fight won’t end!

‘Enemies of the People’ A Protest Ballad In The Style Of Radiohead Written By ChatGPT

🎵 Enemies of the People 🎵

(Verse 1 — whisper-like, layered)
Cold streets, fractured mirrors in the snow
Two lives, blurred in flashes, moments we all know
Agents come with badges, but shadows follow close
Renée, Alex — names rise like ghosts

(Pre-Chorus — unsettling repetition)
And you say it’s explained
You say they were threats
You say march away
But the film won’t forget
You say “law,” “protocol,” “fear,”
But we see what was here

(Chorus — drifting, echo)
Enemies of the people
Enemies in plain sight
Two shots in the winter
Echoes through the night
Enemies of the people
Truth’s burning through the lie
We fold into the cold light
But their names will not die

(Verse 2 — dissonant)
A nurse with a warm heart, just trying to help
A mother in her car, caught in a clash you’ve felt
And the streets fill with whispers, rising into cries
Questions never answered, under vacant skies

(Bridge — layered vocals, soft but intense)
We held our breath…
We held our ground…
We watched them fall…
Now we hear the sound…
Of footsteps on cracked ice
Of questions that persist
Of faces and echoes
That the state can’t dismiss

(Chorus — more urgent)
Enemies of the people
Enemies in plain sight
Two shots in the winter
Echoes through the night
Enemies of the people
Truth’s burning through the lie
We fold into the cold light
But their names will not die

(Outro — fading whisper)
Two names rise in the hush…
Two lights in the gray…
Enemies of the people
But not of our way…

I Have A Bone To Pick With Peter Kafka Of Business Insider

by Shelt Garner
@sheltgarner

There I was, listening to Peter Kafka’s “Channels” podcast that was all about Bari Weiss when it started to occur to me that there was something seriously wrong about the discussion he was having.

Peter Kafka

He made it seem like Weiss was just a bright, center-Right media personality when I know damn well she’s if not MAGA, she’s very MAGA friendly to the point of being Vichy.

Something about that slight “deception” really grates on my nerves. He and his guest were “playing it straight” about Weiss to the point that they were not telling their audience the whole truth about what she believes.

Weiss is a darling of plutocrats because she makes MAGA palatable to their craven, megalomaniacal wealthy egos. She is not just a simple, well educated woman with a center-Right agenda as Kafka would have us believe.

Ugh. But no one cares what I have to say, so lulz.

Bari Weiss, Girl Genius

by Shelt Garner
@sheltgarner

I was listening to a VOX podcast and the people talking about Bari Weiss were extremely effusive about how great and wonderful she was. They all but spooged themselves talking about how she generated content for people who were “politically orphaned” because of the rise of MAGA.

Bari Weiss

From what they said about her, on paper she seems like someone I might be interested in reading. AND YET, there is the meta element to it all. In this age of MAGA and Trumplandia, I fucking hate people who hide behind the cloak “centrism.”

Centrists in the age of Trump are nothing more than Vichy collaborators who don’t want to out themselves.

From what I can tell from the podcast, the person that Weiss reminds me of the most is Jennifer 8. Lee, also formerly of the New York Times. Both women have a knack for making many, many friends.

Which gets me thinking about my own ability to schmooze at cocktail parties. If I was about 20 years younger and living in LA, I probably could get a four picture deal by the end of one high powered party.

But those days are numbered, I suspect. Even if fell into the money necessary to get to LA and live there for a while, I’m just not as cute as I used to be. I still have a lot of “rizz” as the kids say, by the context is totally different.

Ugh.

Don’t quite know what I’m going to do. Maybe the Singularity will happen and I’ll be able to live for a few more hundred years and finally get my act together in a cool way.