You lousy men: I'm pissed off!!!

Here I am wondering again, in the midst of the latest revelations of sexual abuse and harassment by powerful men against women, "WTF?" Where did these men get the idea that they could just take any woman they desired? Where did they learn it was okay to touch another person's body, pleasure themselves in front of someone less powerful, take a fellow human's dignity and crush it to a pulp? Did you learn it from the 60's and 70's, Harvey? I sure didn't. Did you get permission from your father, Donald? My father taught me to respect other people. Does your celebrity grant you special rights, Cosby? Or is it primal, something from our caveman roots? ME WANT. ME TAKE.

You disgust me, you sorry excuses for men. A baby can't help himself, he puts things in his mouth. But he's just a baby. You abusive men, you who catcall women on the street, you who brush against women's bodies for a cheap feel, you who rape women who have had too much to drink, you who claim that the way she dresses or smiles or walks gives you permission - you make me ashamed to be a man.

Here's what a real man, a hu-man, does. He respects others. He stands up for people who can't stand up for themselves. He allows he is not always right. And he doesn't take sexual advantage of people, who rely on him for their livelihoods.

When I was in elementary school, the original version of the poem below was recited every year at the graduation ceremony. (I felt a need to change some of the gender-specific language here) . I have always been touched by the sentiment of the work: we are profoundly connected to each other. It's not really different from The Golden Rule, or other expressions found throughout the centuries in religions and philosophies. Think about it.


No person is an island,
Entire of itself,
Everyone is a piece of the continent,
A part of the main.
If a clod be washed away by the sea,
Europe is the less.
As well as if a promontory were.
As well as if a manor of thy friend's
Or of thine own were:
Anyone's death diminishes me,
Because I am involved in humankind,
And therefore never send to know for whom the bell tolls;
It tolls for thee. - from John Donne

Harvey, I can't even

I can't finish writing even one blog without another horrible thing happening. Hurricanes, fires, #LoserPresident mishandling of hurricanes and fires. Police brutality and other government-sponsored atrocities. Then along comes Harvey Weinstein.

I was brought up to weigh everything in the context of "is it good/bad for Jews?" Bugsy Siegel, Bernie Madoff, Julius and Ethel Rosenberg? Bad for Jews. Ruth Bader Ginsberg? Great for Jews. Adam Sandler? Nu, who cares?

So when I hear that HARVEY WEINSTEIN sexually assaulted and exposed himself in front of unwilling women, I have to shout, "Oy gevalt!" I don't suppose anyone hears the name "Harvey Weinstein" and thinks, those darn Episcopalians? (I confess I felt inbred Jewish shame when Harvey was chosen as the name of a hurricane.) At least scumbag Steven Miller, from his name, could be anything, though still a scumbag. But Harvey Weinstein is a landsman (Yiddish for the Italian paisan); we're stuck with him. But we don't have to own him.

Now Mr. Weinstein has asked for a second chance, saying "We all make mistakes." No.

NO. NO. NO!!! A mistake is when you call a person "Sam" when you know she prefers "Samantha." Taking your penis out in public is not a mistake. It's not an illness. It's just plain disgusting, a display of power and male chauvinism seen over and over again in this world. Think Cosby. Think Trump. So just stop it. Go away. Maybe talk to your rabbi.

Itty Bitty House Nation

These days there are so many shows about people wanting to downsize and move to so-called "tiny houses." They can be found on cable channels HGTV, DIY and A&E, and have names like "Tiny House Hunting," "Tiny House Nation," "Tiny House Building," "Tiny House Something Else"... well, you get the idea.

My wife and I love these shows. The folks who build the houses are really talented in coming up with creative ways of utilizing space. There is one carpenter/designer on Tiny House Nation, Zack Giffin, who is a veritable Rube Goldberg of tiny house design. He has made a dining table that was lowered by cable from the ceiling, a wine cellar under plexiglass in the kitchen floor, hidden bookcases, all sorts of convertible furniture. Amazing. The people who are featured on these shows seem sincere about having smaller spaces, owning fewer things, and leaving a smaller carbon footprint. But some of these houses seem too small for my size 10 1/2 footprint.

A tiny house (pronounced, for no discernible reason, with the first word stressed - TINYhouse) is generally from 100 to 400 square feet. In my day, we called that a studio apartment. Or if it is mobile, an RV.

What I really love about these programs is making fun of the people who think they can move from 3000 square foot to 300 square feet with three kids and two dogs, continue throwing weekly dinner parties for all their friends, while not relinquishing the baby grand piano that has been in the family for generations.

I wonder if I could find a producer for my idea for a "tiny house" show: "I Didn't Think They Really Meant 'Tiny'". Host Leah Remini, fresh from exposing the Scientology cult, takes on the task of saving people from their claustrophobic nightmares. She visits a couple with their German Shepherd during a thunderstorm, all of whom are suffering PTSD from having a tin roof on their 290 square foot cracker box. Leah comforts a family whose 15-year-old daughter is in juvenile detention after attempting to kill her 12-year old brother because he was taking too long in the 4 by 3 foot bathroom/shower/family room. A special feature of the show is Leah meeting with families who have moved back to normal accommodations, helping them to get over their pasts, usually with the help of kerosene. How about it, TLC?

A 10-letter word for "deserving strong condemnation"

Boy,there must be a word to describe unabashed white supremacists and Nazis. What would you call people who would protest the removal of a statue armed with semi-automatic rifles, carrying shields and shouting anti-Semitic and racist slogans? How about a name for someone who would drive a car into a crowd of peaceful protesters, with the intent of killing and injuring them. I don't know, but Hillary Clinton does. The word is "deplorable." (Although the grammarian in me protests the use of an adjective as a noun, I'm willing to let her slide.) Here, from the New York Times, September 10, 2016:

"You know, just to be grossly generalistic, you could put half of Trump's supporters into what I call the basket of deplorables. Right?" she said to applause and laughter. "The racist, sexist, homophobic, xenophobic, Islamaphobic - you name it. And unfortunately there are people like that. And he has lifted them up."

Well, she left out "anti-Semitic," and she forgot to mention that Trump himself wove the basket and carries it like Little Red Riding Hood. But really, wasn't she right? She took a lot of heat for that remark, but honestly... And she even gave the other fifty percent the benefit of the doubt! (Although I suspect she was being generous.) Yep. Deplorable. It's the right word for anyone still backing this guy after all we've seen since the inauguration.

Ball-free zone

I know, I know. The Republicans in Congress are supposed to look out for their own. But come on! Is there not one with the cojones to stand up for what's right in our country? They all hate him, but they support him up and down the line, while taking copious abuse. To wit:

* * * * *

Paul Ryan: 

• "I applaud President Trump for keeping his promise to make this a national priority.” - 01/25/2017, on the executive order initiating Trump's promised wall

 @realDonaldTrump: "Our very weak and ineffective leader, Paul Ryan, had a bad conference call where his members went wild at his disloyalty."

 * * * * *

Reince Priebus:  

• "On behalf of the entire senior staff around you, Mr. President, we thank you for the opportunity and the blessing that you've given us to serve your agenda." - 06/12/2017 

Scaramucci: "...a fucking paranoid schizophrenic!"

* * * * *

Jeff Sessions:

•   "It's so great to be here." - 06/12/2017, at the first Cabinet meeting

@realDonaldTrump: "Attorney General Jeff Sessions has taken a VERY weak position on Hillary Clinton crimes (where are E-mails & DNC leaks) & Intel leakers!"

* * * * *

Mitch McConnell:

•   "Donald Trump delivered an "inspirational" speech to Congress...for people not committed to Donald Trump already, he did become presidential tonight." - 02/28/2017

@realDonaldTrump: "Can you believe that Mitch McConnell, who has screamed Repeal & Replace for 7 years, couldn't get it done. Must Repeal & Replace ObamaCare!"

Enough already. Where is the backbone, the intestinal fortitude - all right, I'll say it - THE BALLS - of our elected representatives? Not one real patriot in the bunch. Not even those mealy-mouthed Senators who voted against repeal of Obamacare. Not Jeff Flake, who can badmouth his party in a book, but not stand up in Congress. Rather than Jefferson Sessions, we need a Jefferson Smith, Jimmy Stewart's character in "Mr. Smith Goes to Washington," someone who will stand up for what's right, party-be-damned. Someone to save us from President Crazypants and his weakling sycophants. If someone doesn't step up, we'll lose our rights, our healthcare and our freedoms. Maybe even our lives, as Trump seems intent on starting a war with North Korea. Anyone got the stuff?

Trump campaign meets with Liechtenstein

Well, no, they didn't. If it was Liechtenstein, Spain, Botswana or Vanuatu, no one would care. It was Russia. Not only was it Russia, but everyone seems to have forgotten to include meetings with Russia on their security clearance forms. It's almost as if the Men in Black had gotten to them.

Here are those on the Trump team that met with Russian representatives (that we know about so far):

• Jeff Sessions
• Jared Kushner
• Michael Flynn
• Carter Page
• Roger Stone
• Paul Manafort
• Donald Trump, Jr.
• JD Gordon

So many of them. So many who neglected to meetings these meetings on their security forms. Not one who met with Liechtenstein and forgot to mention it. Or New Guinea. Or Costa Rica. Funny, that.

Monsters in our midst (well, in the midst of the Congress and Senate)

I already know the answers, but I have to ask. why would Republicans want to reduce medical coverage for the neediest and most at-risk Americans?  How can these people, many of whom consider themselves religious and caring, even think about doing what they are about to do?

Of course, the answers are obvious:

1.  They don't care about the people losing healthcare.
2.  They don't care about most religions' pronouncement on caring for the less fortunate.
3.  Maybe they care a little, but they care more about their wealthy donors' tax breaks.  

I've seen a lot of galling things in my life, but this one takes the cake (see above.) Tax breaks for the rich don't help anyone but the rich (see Kansas under Brownback). But that's the point, isn't it?

Who should pay for healthcare? Only those who can afford it? Would you deny healthcare to the those who can't? Should they (maybe I should say "we") just be allowed to suffer and die, while Congress and their owners eat steak? What kind of monsters are you, Republicans?

Can't remember, but it will come to me soon.

On the way to work this morning, I had a great idea for a blog. Two hours later, when I have time to think about it, nothing but a vague memory that I had a great idea. That is all.

Trump has made his bed, so he has to lie about it

Donald John Trump, 45th President of the United States, is not someone who lies. He is a liar, someone whose lies are a defining part of his persona. He lies about everything. He lies to cover up misdeeds, he lies to make himself look better. Sometimes he lies just to lie.

I will not use the word “misspeak” in this post, with its implications of accidental use of wrong information. No, Trump lies on purpose, and enjoys the idea that he gets away with it.
And get away it he does. He knows he lies, we know it, the people who defend him know it. Even the Wall Street Journal, which in early January (before the inauguration) refused to call Trump’s lies “lies,” by March said that he clings to falsehoods “like a drunk to an empty gin bottle.”

In a way, it’s an impressive feat. He has gotten evangelical Christians to forget the ninth commandment (thou shalt not bear false witness); they love him anyway. He deflects by calling other people liars (Lyin’ Ted! Lying Hillary! Comey’s a liar), when they point out his lying ways.

The old joke “who are you going to believe, me or your lying eyes?” must have been invented for him. When presented with audio or visual evidence that contradicts him, he sticks to his lies about: illegal voters; his net worth; Russian intervention; his health; releasing his taxes; Obama’s birthplace; his inheritance; Muslims cheering 9/11; and on, and on, and on.

When he calls James Comey a leaker, that’s a lie. The wall? A lie. Heathcare for everyone? A lie. Tax reform? A lie. Maybe it would be easier to name instances where Trump has told the truth. Nope, can’t think of one. And that's the truth.

The Audacity of Trump's Hope

Today former FBI director James Comey testified before the Senate that President "hoped" he could "let it go," meaning the pursuit of Michael Flynn in the investigation of Russia's meddling in our election. Comey was taken to task by Idaho Senator Jim Risch (R) for interpreting "hope" as a direct order. If Sen. Risch had access to a dictionary, he would find that any definition of "hope" as a verb, either transitive or intransitive, includes the words "desire" and/or "expect." See Merriam/Webster's entry HERE.

Trump was not using "hope" as one would hope, say, the Penguins win the Stanley Cup (go Pens!) You don't send all the other important folks,except the one person who can stop the investigation, out of the room to "hope" something happens. "Gee, James, I hope it doesn't rain during my golf game this weekend!" Come on, Sen. Risch, get real.

Trump likes to use the word "hope." He thought Comey should hope there were no tapes.

Today, Comey said, basically, Bring on the tapes! You want to know what I hope? I think you can guess.

Shut Up and Bring Me My Food

It has been a long time since I wrote anything not political, so here's a post on my other favorite topic: complaining about "good" service at restaurants.

I understand that restaurant staff (waiters, waitresses, servers, whatevertheywantobecalled) are trained in obsequiousness, but I don't have to like it. They start with "My name is Ignatz, and I'll be taking care of you." No, you won't, unless you're my significant other or a hitman. Eventually you'll be taking my order and with any luck, bringing me what I asked for.

I'm in my sixties, and by this point I have learned to read a menu and decide what I want to eat, ALL BY MYSELF. Sometimes I've even gone online and seen the menu before I've arrived. Yes, I'd like to hear the specials, but I don't want you ask me if I'd like an appetizer, and before I can politely respond, "No, thanks," you begin to recite (as you've been trained) the litany of small plates from the menu, which I've already read. Shut up, and let me order.

Oh, Matthew, you say, you're such a curmudgeon. Damned right I am! As I said, I'm in my sixties, and not only can't I eat as much as I used to, I can't even eat any of the deep-fried, cheesy, sriracha-laced, yummy-sounding concoctions any more.

Don't get me started, Person-Taking-Care-Of-Me. Why would you tell me what your favorite dish is? Have we ever met? Maybe your favorite dish would give me hives. Maybe I'm not in the mood for peanut butter/banana/sushi dessert that is your best seller.

What prompted this rant today? I actually had a server who left me the hell alone, and it was a delight. I don't know her name; she told me, but had no name badge, so I forgot. She helped me choose a dish by asking what I liked. She refilled my beverages and asked me once how I liked my food after it was served. She asked me if I wanted dessert, and most importantly (pay attention here) she did not ask me "Are you sure?" when I politely declined. It's amazing how many servers rudley question me on my certainty of not wanting dessert.

To sum up: I go to restaurants to eat and socialize with the people I'm with. I do not want a relationship with the staff. Okay? Bring me my food.

We're all mad here!

I've always been a fan of Lewis Carroll's Alice books. First as a child, and even more as an adult after reading Martin Gardiner's brilliant "The Annotated Alice," I delighted in the cleverness, the zaniness, the INSANITY of it all. I never thought I'd find myself in a dystopian version of Wonderland, a world in which so much makes no sense that I want to get back to my own side of the looking glass.

If I hadn't seen, heard and lived through the lunacy of the last (almost) two years, I would have thought that a raven is indeed like a writing desk. Could anyone have dreamt these events possible in the 21st century?

• The Senate refused to hold a hearing to a Presidential nominee for the Supreme Court. 
• A wealthy man with no governing experience announces he is running for President of the United States. He loses the popular vote, but wins in the Electoral College, despite the fact that he (among other things):
• Insulted the Hispanic population of the U.S. by calling Mexican immigrants criminals and drug dealers;
• Refused to release his tax returns
• Was shown and heard on tape making disparaging remarks about women;
• Encouraged Russia to hack the Democrats;
• Had a campaign manager that attacked a reporter;
• Had a campaign advisor that is a blatant racist and anti-Semite;
• Had not one specific plan for implementing his ideas;
• Incited his supporters to harm and/or jail his opponent.
• Installed Cabinet Secretaries who by and large want to destroy the departments they head.
• Refused to separate himself from his businesses and brought his (also inexperienced) children in to the White House as advisors.
• The Republican-owned Congress is doing nothing to stop this man from destroying our country.
• Here's the big one:the people who voted for him still support him!

I keep hoping I'll wake up and this will have been some horrific nightmare. But it's real. And it feels like there's no way out.

POTUS is a Goof (apologies to Bock & Harnick)

(to the tune of "Tradition" from Fiddler on the Roof)


The President's a goof. Sounds crazy, no? But in our little country of America,
you might say every one of us is a goof,
trying to figure out how the hell we got here. It isn't easy.
You may ask, why do we stay here if it's so dangerous?
We stay because America is our home... And how do we keep our freedoms?
That I can tell you in one word... Sedition."

Sedition! Sedition....SEDITION.
Sedition! Sedition....SEDITION.

Because of our sedition, we've kept our freedoms for many, many years.
Here in America we have fights about everything...
left-wing, right-wing, populist, Democrat, Republican.
For instance, we always fight against stupidity and lies, no matter what...
This shows our constant devotion to truth. You may ask, how did this sedition get started?
I'll tell you - I don't know. But it's sedition.
Because of our sedition, we freed ourselves from British tyranny and overturned slavery.

What do you do when POTUS is a danger, doesn't trust a stranger, acts like he's the king?
And how do you stop his threatening and tweeting, do you take a meeting? NO.

Sedition! Sedition....SEDITION.
Sedition! Sedition....SEDITION.

Who must know the way to stop a maniac
From leading us to bomb attack?
Who should see if Russia's planning to cyber-hack,
So we can live and have our country back?

The Congress! The Congress. SEDITION.
The Congress! The Congress. SEDITION.

Those boys of his go in his steps, they never learned a trade.
Both Don and Eric run his business. Damn, that's shitty!

Impeachment! Impeachment. SEDITION.
Impeachment! Impeachment. SEDITION.

Ivanka is a peach.
She is her daddy's girl.
Preparing to take over,
I think I'm gonna hurl!

Corruption! Corruption. SEDITION.
Corruption! Corruption. SEDITION.

And in the circle of our little-handed leader, we have our special types.
For instance, Bannon, the troublemaker...
and Sessions, the bigot.
And most important, our beloved Spicey...
And the rest of us, we get along perfectly well.
Of course, there was the time when they refused a hearing to a SCOTUS nominee,
but that's all settled now. Now we live in simple peace and harmony and..."

(chaos ensues)

The Tale of Donald Trump (apologies to Stephen Sondheim)

(sung to the tune of "The Ballad of Sweeney Todd")

Attend the tale of Donald Trump,
With orange hair and ample rump.
He claimed success as a business man,
But all of his bankruptcies prove that's a scam.
From Donald. From Donald Trump.
The evil user of mean tweets.

He tried to sell us steaks and schools.
He never followed the laws or rules.
He'll run the country into the ground.
We start to think he's too tightly wound.
That's Donald. That's Donald Trump.
The constant user of mean tweets.

Hold that cellphone firm, Donald!
Do your Twitter proud!
Better than your wretched voice when heard out loud!

He'll take the seniors' food away.
He'll build a wall and we'll have to pay.
Before you know, he'll kill the press,
I wonder why we're in such a mess.
It's Donald! It's Donald Trump!
That rotten user of Mean! Tweets!

Words have meaning, whether you understand them or not

Whether you call it a Muslim ban (or a "Muslim ban") or travel ban or Ray-Ban, it's still not going to get past judges who have read and understand the Constitution. There is video out there showing Trump calling to ban Muslims. There is video of Giuliani explaining how he advised Trump on getting around the idea of a Muslim ban. But here's the thing: he said it. And whether he meant it or not, those are the words he used. No take-backs allowed.

As long as the man who promised to ban Muslims from our country keeps writing executive orders to do what he promised, they will fail. As long as he directs the ban on countries who have no history of involvement with terrorism on our soil, while skipping the countries that he does business with, it will fail.

Wiretap. That's another word that means something. Even if you misspell it, or surround it in quotation marks, it means something. HERE are several definitions. If you want to accuse someone of wiretapping, know what you're accusing him of. It's not a metaphor for spying in general. (Insert "what's a meta for?" joke here.)

Of course, this president is not interested in being correct or understanding meanings of words. If he was, he would apologize for his careless tweets. He would know what the hell he was talking about before mouthing off (tweeting off?).

Thanks for your time.

The New Devil's Dictionary (apologies to Ambrose Bierce)

The English language, as interpreted by 45 and his minions:

failure: used to describe any person or organization that enjoys major success while at the same time making Trump and his administration look bad. See: failing New York Times, failing Saturday Night Live, failing Affordable Care Act.

microwave oven: a tool used by the Obama administration to spy on poor unsuspecting Republicans. Also, a device used to reheat leftover Chinese takeout.

wire tapping: another word for surreptitious surveillance. Should not be confused with "wiretapping."

alternative facts: lies.

misspoke: lied.

press conference: A place designed to have your surrogates lie for you.

Sunday morning news shows: a great place to test your lying, denying and deflecting skills.

I was joking: Used after making a threaten, after being accused of threatening someone.

crowd size: a metaphor for penis size. It is important for some men to have their crowd size described as "yuge."

Twitter: what to do when you wake up in the middle of the night, can't get back to sleep, and are really pissed off about something.

unfair: describes when a friend or family member is treated negatively by the press, Congress or Nordstrom's.

No, YOU'RE the puppet!

There was a moment in the 2016 Presidential debates where Hillary referred to Trump as a puppet of Vladimir Putin. Trump's response, "No, YOU'RE the puppet!" is indicative of a pattern in the ongoing litany of accusations we've heard from him. It's called "psychological projection," a theory in in which people defend themselves against their own qualities by denying their existence in themselves while attributing them to others. Children express it as "I'm the rubber, you're the glue, whatever you say bounces off of me and sticks on to you!"

Watch and listen. Anytime Trump hurls an accusation, you can be sure it is something he's guilty of. He accused Hillary of starting the birther claims that he promulgated. He labels the most respected news organizations as "fake news," while he gets his information from such discredited sources as Breitbart, Alex Jones and Fox & Friends. He accused Bill Clinton of rape to deflect from his own pussy-grabbing history. And on and on.

So now we come to Trump's accusations aimed at former President Obama. The former President who, after years of dealing with Trump's racism-fueled birtherism, sat for this photo op as part of the transition.

 

Now Trump accused him of wiretapping him at Trump Tower. It makes me think that Trump is covering up some espionage of his own. Oh yeah, like when he encouraged Russia to spy on the Clinton campaign. Projecting much, DJT?

 



Therapy Sessions

Jeff Sessions, explaining away his lie to Congress:

"Sergey? He's Russian? I thought he was from Belarus!?"

"We were just swappin' stories about the Crimson Tide! Can you believe he went to Alabama?"

"I just had to get his meemaw's blini recipe."

"I says to him, "Sergey," I says, "ya gotta cut down on the carbs."

"When you said 'so help you God,' I thought you said 'please help my dog.'"

Sorry. Not my presidential

More than once today, people whose opinions I respect told me, "at least he sounded presidential." Well, if your expectations are rock bottom low, they can only be surpassed. Sure, he sounded almost like he cares about people, but did you pay attention to the content?

Trump and I are never going to agree on ideology, but just restating your claims in a calm, coherent voice does not make them presidential. It's merely civil and adult; it's what we should expect from any speaker.

Here's what would be presidential, in my book:

• Acknowledge that more than half the country did not vote for you, and that your popularity is the lowest for any new president in history. Offer to reach out and change that. ("I understand that not everyone is a supporter, but here is what I will do to change your minds..")
• Hate the press all you want; every other president has. But stop calling them fake or enemies or liars. Not only isn't it presidential, it is counter to our Constitutional tradition and it only makes them dig in more.
• If you are truly not involved with Russia and not involved in conflicts of interests, encourage investigations. How presidential would that be? So magnanimous. If I knew I was innocent of a crime, I'd offer my DNA; you should as well.
• Move on from the election. The public disagrees with your stats? You won, move on. You think Obama and Hillary are conspiring against you? You think Jews are desecrating their own cemeteries to make you look bad? Don't be ridiculous. You won, stop listening to Bannon, move on.
• Get some opinions from other sources. Most presidents had cabinet members from opposing parties. Obama had at least three. Looks presidential, and shows confidence.

Of course, this is highly unlikely, based on the record. Trump is not someone who ever admits being wrong or mistaken. But he gave himself a C on communication, and his performance on this speech demonstrates that someone convinced him to do it differently. How scared must they all be to have gotten him to buckle down, talk in complete sentences and without the constant repetition that he usually delivers. He must have rehearsed, long and hard. Didn't someone make fun of Hillary Clinton for rehearsing?

The Ballad of W., Nixon and Ron

{sung to the tune of "Abraham, Martin and John")

Has anybody here, seen Richard Nixon?
Can you tell me where he's gone?
He tricked us with Watergate, his impeachment ran on and on.
I just couldn't wait 'til he'd gone.

Has anybody here, seen Ronald Reagan?
Can you tell me where he's gone?
He sold guns to Iranians, and slept while AIDS carried on.
I just couldn't wait 'til he'd gone.

Has anybody here, seen George Bush (called W.)?
Can you tell me where he's gone?
He lies us to war and then, got his torture on.
I could barely wait 'til he'd gone.

Now everybody here, is scared of the latest one,
I wonder where those crooks have gone.
Trump's worse than the lot of them. "Fake news," he lies. (Racist con.)
I fear democracy will be gone.

Titanic sinks, big league!

WEST PALM BEACH (AP) In what might be considered a major setback for Donald Trump, his entire administration including his White House staff, Cabinet and all Republican Senators and Congressmen, have perished while celebrating on his yacht, the Titanic, off the coast of West Palm Beach, Florida. In a unique, and some might say, coincidental turn of events, the party ship crashed into an iceberg just 45 miles off the coast. Supreme Court Justices Clarence Thomas, Samuel Alito and John Roberts also perished in the accident, along with presidential advisor Vladimir Putin.

An immense crowd of over thirty mourners gathered around the White House gate, leaving mementos of roses, Mardi Gras beads and Cheeto-stained tax returns. Meanwhile, the next person in line for the Presidency, Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsberg, took the oath of office. "I better find me a Vice-President right quick," she quipped.

In a statement upon hearing the news, Not-The-First-Lady Melania Trump said, "I no know. I stay New York. Barron have school."

Back to the beginning...and the end

Some twenty years ago I wrote a one-page newsletter that I called The Alpha-Omega Times. I had no idea of the religious significance of the title at the time. I just liked the way it sounded. I also like the idea of opposites: yin/yang, and all that.  I do apologize if you expected something about god here. Uh-uh.

Back then I wrote several issues of sarcastic fake news stories (mostly making fun of Bill Clinton), but had no server, no way to circulate it. It could have become The Onion if I'd kept at it (or so I'd like to believe). The times call for me to try again. I plan to write when (and if) my fancy strikes me, and however I am moved at the time. There will be serious commentary and nasty satire. I like to be that thread of pulled pork that you just can't get out of your teeth, so I will hopefully piss some people off. Here goes my next adventure.  I need to exercise my brain, and exorcise my demons.