Today's cartoon by Michael Ramirez for the Washington Post:

Reagan’s OMB Director:

Told my wife to have dinner ready at 6 or I'll obliterate her entire civilization. So anyway, she now charges me a fee to use the bathroom that used to be free, and I didn't get any dinner, but I'm pretty sure I won that exchange.

I lol'd at this.😆

Trump’s buddy Putin is helping Iran kill Americans Russia is providing Iran with targeting information to help locate U.S. assets like warships and aircrafts. The revelation follows years of cozy relations between President Donald Trump and Russian .....

Trump’s buddy Putin is helping Iran kill Americans www.dailykos.com/stories/2026...

Exclusive | Why One Big Ship Buyer Wants Shadow Fleet Tankers GMS seeks a U.S. license to legally pay cash for sanctioned “floating rust buckets.”

GMS wants to buy shadow fleet tankers. I have a better idea: Shadow fleet tankers get seized with no compensation for owners: www.wsj.com/articles/why...

‘You Feel Betrayed.’ In Denmark, People Are Stunned by Trump’s Greenland Threats. Of all the U.S.’s allies in Europe, Denmark was among those that fought closest alongside Americans in Iraq and Afghanistan.

www.wsj.com/world/europe...

Ukraine and Moldova Quietly Cut Off Russia’s Hidden Army at Midnight on New Year’s Day Ukraine and Moldova have implemented a blockade on Transnistria, cutting off Russian support and reshaping regional dynamics without military engagement.

Ukraine and Moldova Quietly Cut Off Russia’s Hidden Army at Midnight on New Year’s Day

I'm still a bit skeptical about this pending more reliable confirmation

Here is another lawless tanker no one cared about.

Outbound from Russia with millions of profit in her wake.

bsky.app/profile/mich...

No flag
No insurance
No problem!

Rustbucket zombie-tanker ARCUSAT/TAVIAN/TIA will enter Baltics in ~3 days.

This will be her third fetch of Russian oil since October.

No flag, no state, no identity and no registry -> she is basically lawless.

Some would even argue states have obligations here.

And the price goes up every time Trump says something disrespectful, aggressive, or obnoxious

(11) This price does not include:
2. Additional US military spending, which is also not much because the US will be paying for that regardless of whether sovereignty is Danish or American.

(10) This price does not include:
1. Compensation to the Danish government for Danish-owned assets (which is not much because Greenland’s main assets, land and fishing rights, are “owned” by Greenlanders, not Denmark).

(9) $14 billion is an estimate of what it would “cost” for the US to “buy” Greenland in terms of a reasonable payment to Greenlanders to convince them to vote to switch their allegiance from Denmark to the USA. Overall, this is a pretty easy price for the USA to pay.

(8) Assuming that a successful tender offer requires about a 50% premium over the current value, gives an updated total estimate of about $14 billion, or about $250,000 per person.

(7) Current net Danish subsidies are about $750 million per year, which is about $13,392 per capita per year.
Assuming a 20-year horizon and 5% discount rate, the present value of Danish subsidies is about $9.3 billion, or $167,000 per person.

(6) So, the main issue is what it would cost for the US to outbid the current Danish subsidies, to get Greenlanders to vote in favor of a US tender offer. What would be a reasonable offer price from the USA? Very rough estimates:

(5) Greenlanders are not particularly patriotic towards Denmark due to the colonial history. They may vote for the better offer.

(4) The Greenlanders’ vote would be in 2 parts: First, for independence from Denmark, followed by a vote of free association or statehood with the US. In return, the US would make a binding offer of an annual subsidy or one-time lump sum payment to all Greenlanders.

(3) Denmark has repeatedly stated that they will respect any referendum by Greenland's people. The main reason why Greenland has not already voted for independence is because the people of Greenland are supported by generous subsidies from Denmark.

(2) First, no, technically Greenland cannot be bought. However, the US can make something resembling a tender offer to the people of Greenland and then Greenlanders are free to vote on free association with the USA or statehood.

Posted this a couple months ago. I don't think it's changed. This is the reality that neither the US not Danish governments seem to be talking about much because it's more entertaining to talk about crazy military action following Maduro's capture:

🤣 No, it was released as usually in the web at Indymedia...🤣

Divergent paths

I've officially spent one-third of 2026 so far on Maduro memes. What joys will the rest of the year hold?

Interesting perspective. Not saying I agree: