I’m still talking smack about 2024. It was a very bad year that turned this Sinatra classic on its head:

I’ve often used images by Max Ernst to adorn this feature. I chose the hand collage because it reflects the chaos that has overwhelmed our political system since 2015. It will be all hands on deck for the next four years to prevent Team Trump from sinking the Good Ship America. It’s the incompetence, stupid.

Irksome things is usually a monthly feature, but I feel like taking a few parting shots at 2024. It’s time for more vexatious venting about irksome things.

I’m irked that the legacy media has ignored the interview Elon Musk gave to the German newspaper Die Welt. In it, he proclaimed his preference for the German neo-Nazi party, AfD. Thanks to Joyce Vance for bringing this to my attention at Civil Discourse. Ain’t nothing civil about Elon Musk’s discourse.

Talk about a song fitting the times. We might as well add Todd Rundgren’s stellar cover while we’re at it:

I’m irked that the MSM refuses to report why some voters think the Insult Comedian is good on the economy: He’s RICH and a certain segment of the populace has boss worship.

I’m irked that people don’t understand that Trump’s tariff threats are akin to a Mafia protection racket. He’s already shown that he’ll exempt products if the company bends the knee to him. Come on down, Apple CEO Tim Cook.

Repeat after me: It’s the shakedown, stupid.

I’m irked that watching the fine HBO documentary Yacht Rock has given me this damn Ambrosia song as an earworm:

I’ll have a review of Yacht Rock later this week. Ahoy maties or some such shit.

I’m still irked by how terrible the New Orleans Saints are this season. It figures that they’d save the worst for this fucking year, but this is ridiculous. It reminds me of the 1999 edition coached by proto-Trumper Mike Ditka.

I’m irked that the New Orleans Pelicans are even worse than the Saints this year. It’s what happens when you build your team around a guy who never plays and doesn’t seem to like basketball on the rare occasions he’s on the court. Come on down, Zion Williamson.

Yeah, I know. There are no hills in New Orleans, but that song has Zion in the title. Besides, Ralph Fucking Stanley.

I’m irked that the Gret Stet of Louisiana is barring state public health employees from advocating public health. Shorter Adrastos: Nix on the vax talk.

It’s an outbreak of reckless stupidity courtesy of The Clownfish DBA Jeff Landry. It’s another shot to the body politic from our very own Trump mini-me:

Finally, I’m so irked by the ongoing Democratic circular firing squad that I’m biting my tongue about Jimmy Carter. I agree with Jamie O that he was a decent man, but to me he’ll always be the president who conceded the 1980 election while the polls were still open on the West Coast thereby ensuring GOP control of the Senate. I could go on, but I won’t. Carter was, however, a model former president. Consider my tongue unbitten. Is that a thing?

Since it’s been such a shitty year, let’s close with a song by Jimmy’s homeys The Allman Brothers. I’ve never identified with this song before but 2024 was that kind of year.