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David McElroy

making sense of a dysfunctional culture

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David McElroy

Trump apologists hope you don’t even know about the golden calf

By David McElroy · May 11, 2026

If a 22-foot-high golden statue of a narcissistic ruler doesn’t remind you of the golden calf, you probably aren’t very familiar with a certain story about the children of Israel in the Sinai desert.

And the people who endorsed this colossal monument to ego seem to think that if they keep saying, “It’s not a golden calf,” people will believe them. Sadly, many naive victims will do anything to avoid accepting that they’ve been snookered by a narcissistic con man.

I rarely talk about Donald Trump in a serious way anymore, but the recent unveiling of a golden statue of Trump — dedicated by Christian and Jewish clergy — was so outrageous that I had to try one more time. It’s painful to realize that many of my fellow Christians still haven’t accepted that their support of Trump is very much like the Israelites’ worship of a golden calf 3,500 years ago.

So I made a two-minute video late last night about this Trumpian “golden calf.” It’s embedded below.

In the video, I accidentally said the story of the golden calf was from about 1,500 years ago, but I was off by about 2,000 years. The story is actually said to have taken place about 3,500 years ago.

Fellow Christians, stop making excuses for this lying narcissist. This isn’t about ideology or politics. It’s about decency and core moral values.

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Looking for a good read? Check out my book recommendations

By David McElroy · May 9, 2026

I’ve been making book recommendations for many years, but I’m not sure I’ve ever actually written out a formal list. I’ve done that now — and it was a lot harder than I thought it would be.

Although I can strongly recommend each of the 10 books on this list, I can’t say these are the 10 books I’d most recommend over everything else. There are a few that would be on any list of my favorite books, but beyond that, there might be 40 or 50 that I feel equally strongly about.

Even worse, I feel as though I would have different lists for different kinds of people and for different circumstances.

As a result, I think I’m going to try to maintain a top 1o list, but the books on that list are going to change over time. In addition, I’m going to add some speciality lists at some point — because these first 10 do no more than scratch the surface of what I’d like you to read.

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Six months after her death, I like to believe Lucy is waiting for me

By David McElroy · May 8, 2026

It’s been six months since I lost Lucy. I like to believe she’s patiently waiting at the gates of heaven — ready for the reunion when I meet her again one day.

I still think about this sweet and faithful companion every single day. If you’ve ever had a dog who you loved, you’ll understand.

When I put the key into my front door when I return home each day, part of me still waits to hear the sound of her tail hitting the door as she realizes I’ve returned.

When I get up in the morning, part of me still feels compelled to get her leash and take her for the first walk of the day — something she loved so much. At night, part of me wants to take her for one last walk before bed, because each walk made her so happy.

But I can’t do those things, because the World’s Happiest Dog isn’t here anymore.

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Here’s proof that reality and satire are indisting Here’s proof that reality and satire are indistinguishable these days.
This was the sunset I saw from the parking lot out This was the sunset I saw from the parking lot outside of the Walmart near my house just after the sun went down Friday evening.
This little parody was inspired by my trip to buy This little parody was inspired by my trip to buy gas a little while ago. Even at a no-name brand, the price was $4.09. If I remember correctly, it was $2.29 a gallon at the same station on the day the war started. I don’t know about you, but I’m tired of winning. 🤣
For the best and most sophisticated in lawn care, For the best and most sophisticated in lawn care, check out the sponsor of one of my upcoming YouTube video episodes. 🙃 #parody #threestooges
Have you felt as though you’re living through Grou Have you felt as though you’re living through Groundhog Day lately? Me, too. Here’s a quick-and-dirty political satire I made this evening for fun and stress relief.
About three minutes before sunrise, vibrant color About three minutes before sunrise, vibrant color is poking through the skies to the east of my back yard.
The lights and color might have been more spectacu The lights and color might have been more spectacular a couple of minutes before this, but this was the best view I had of the Monday afternoon sunset from a bridge over I-20 in Moody, Ala.
I just remembered this shot I got a couple of hour I just remembered this shot I got a couple of hours ago of the fading sunset while I was in the Publix parking lot on the way home. If you suddenly find yourself craving Arby’s or Wendy’s, blame the giant icons in the sky, not me. 😃 (BTW, this was with the iPhone’s 8X telephoto lens.) #nature #naturephotography #sunset #birmingham #alabama
I had just pulled into a parking lot Friday night I had just pulled into a parking lot Friday night and was watching traffic through the distortion of the gently falling rain on my car window when I realized that the abstract view I had matched the way I was feeling tonight, so I turned it into a brief abstract video to match my mood.
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From the CritterCam: I like to think Oliver is eag From the CritterCam: I like to think Oliver is eagerly waiting for me to get back home late Friday night.
When I came home, Alex was the one demanding atten When I came home, Alex was the one demanding attention tonight. When they’re relaxing on me in this way, I typically just show a closeup in photos, but the second picture here shows how they spread out — just expecting me to extend my arm for them to rest their paws on. 😺
Before the mechanic left my house late Friday afte Before the mechanic left my house late Friday afternoon, I was able to take a selfie with Lincoln.
I have a mobile mechanic at my house doing some re I have a mobile mechanic at my house doing some repairs and maintenance right now — and the security detail with which he travels are some fierce characters. They both tried to lick me to death. They’re vicious. 😉
Sam spends half of his daylight hours on Neighborh Sam spends half of his daylight hours on Neighborhood Watch and the other half sleeping in the sun. I think he’s about ready for some sleep early Friday afternoon.
I just got home a few minutes ago and Oliver wants I just got home a few minutes ago and Oliver wants a lot of attention, but he also seems to be falling asleep pretty quickly.
I just got home to find Alex sound asleep in an of I just got home to find Alex sound asleep in an office window. He woke up long enough to see whether it was dinner time — and then he was back to sleep.
If you need cheap transportation — and you’re a ca If you need cheap transportation — and you’re a cat — come see King Cashpaw for the purr-fect deal. #parody #satire
I’m working on my MacBook in the bedroom Tuesday a I’m working on my MacBook in the bedroom Tuesday afternoon and Sam decided he’d spend a few minutes with me. He started by using me as a giant observation tower and then ended up rolling around on his back in my arms. He’s come a long way since I met him as a feral boy almost two years ago.
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Here’s the latest of my ridiculous parody shorts. It crossed my mind Tuesday to wonder what a slick and fast-talking car dealer might do right now to try to turn the high price of gasoline to his advantage. So I conceived of a fat and lovable character who tried to sell cars that don’t use any fuel — and then I started wondering if it would be funnier if all the characters were felines. Designing the King Cashpaw character took about four hours, but the rest took only another four hours, so this was a relatively quick piece that virtually wrote itself. I know it’s almost impossible for these parody videos to find a larger audience, but at least they amuse me — and there are 19 of them on my YouTube page now. The first few were very limited, but they’re getting more complex.

The Republican Party is dead. It still exists in name, of course, but it’s nothing but a shell. All that’s left are idiots and stooges and con men of the MAGA party. When Donald Trump is gone — which won’t be long — those populist idiots and pragmatic fools will have no one to follow. Democrats will thrive. They will take more power than ever and they will push the federal government further to the radical far left than ever. When that happens, don’t just blame Trump if you’re a conservative. Blame every person who has claimed to be a conservative and has given up on principles, character and everything else that Republicans once claimed to stand for. As someone who worked as a GOP political consultant for many years, this is disgusting and disturbing to me. Those who have enabled Trump to have almost unchecked power are going to be shocked when they see what they will unleash in the long run. It’s been plain all along what this narcissistic con man is. It’s your fault that you chose to pretend not to see what he really is.

We are ruled by the dumbest and most incompetent people among us — and we have a system which allows stupid and irresponsible people to force the costs of their idiocy onto smarter and wiser people. Can we get away with that? Yes, for quite some time. But we eventually reach a point at which the dumbest of the dumb — who are habitual liars and mentally ill fools — lead us to the disasters and destruction that some of us have seen coming for years. We are approaching that point. And yet most of the idiots around us still wave their rhetorical banners of support for the evil people who are leading us to ruin — and all of them point their fingers at someone else, never noticing that their own enthusiastic support of evil is to blame. When things finally fall apart, blame yourself for your blindness to the evil, not whoever happens to be in power when it happens.

I’ve been making some changes to the site lately and there are more changes coming in the days ahead, so don’t be surprised if you some small differences. This is not a wholesale redesign, but rather the addition of some features. Since they’re smarter than I am, I’ve put Oliver and Alex in charge of the technical work, which you can see in this action photo from the control room of our media complex. I recently added a series of landing pages for readers who randomly discover the site from an Internet search. I’ve also changed the YouTube link at the top of the page to go to the new YouTube channel for video essays that reflect things I’ve already published here. (Here’s a little bit about both of the YouTube channels I’m working on.) In addition, I’m trying to move away from using Instagram, so I’m experimenting with photo plug-ins that will eventually allow me to host the pictures — cats, dogs, sunsets, whatever — that I often take. So don’t be surprised to see more changes. Thanks for your patience. Let’s hope Alex and Oliver know what they’re doing.

I have no use for the theocratic and repressive government of Iran. The people who run the country are cruel at best and evil at worst. The Iranian people deserve freedom. But I have no personal quarrel with anybody in Iran. While I’m not thrilled about a future Iranian government having nuclear weapons, I’m just as concerned about nukes in the hands of politicians in Israel, Pakistan, India, China and Russia. I’m not even thrilled with the U.S., Britain and France having them, either, because I don’t trust any politicians to be responsible with such terrible weapons. All I can say with certainty is that American taxpayers have no business attacking Iran, especially since we’re being forced to pay for this attack in order to benefit the politicians of Israel — and nobody else. If Middle Eastern countries want to fight among themselves, that’s none of my business. It’s not the business of the U.S. government, either. I have no quarrel with anybody in Iran — and having the government which claims to represent me launch an unprovoked attack against a sovereign country will only make all Americans less safe in the near future. This attack is poorly conceived and morally unjustified. Remember that when the Iranians launch attacks that we will then condemn as “terrorism.” What the U.S. is doing right now looks like terrorism to me. And let’s not forget that the attack is the latest in a long line of unconstitutional wars by various U.S. presidents — who have no legal power to declare war on their own, according to the U.S. Constitution.

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