Exile on Corona Street, Day 64 (In Memoriam Edition)

Here's a basic & a timely lesson in Science:
Let's suppose, very unfortunately, that your doctor diagnoses you with having cancer.  Let's also suppose that you have unlimited financial resources.  Based on those unlimited resources, you are able to see 99 other doctors for a second (and third...up to 99th) opinion.  In all of those 100 diagnoses, 98 of the doctors said that you do, in fact, have cancer.  Two doctors, one of whom is not a specialist, by the way, said that you do not have cancer.  The question is this:  At the end of all of this, do you now think that you have cancer and will you seek out appropriate treatment?

Science is about coming up with a hypothesis (i.e. you have cancer) based upon the preponderance of the evidence (i.e. data from medical test results).  That hypothesis then stands up to scrutiny and is either validated or proven wrong...again...based upon the preponderance of evidence/data.  Not faith.  Not the opinion of a politician or his enablers.

The moral is this:  If in doubt about something related to biology (or climatology, or astronomy, etc.), look for what consensus of what science tells you.  Ignore fringe opinions.  And certainly ignore the opinions of those who are not experts, most especially those who are politicians or media talking heads.

* * * * * *

The lilacs are in bloom, including the two small bushes I planted last Spring.

My mother loved lilacs, and I have to confess that I am rather fond of them myself.  Lilacs are interesting plants in that they are very slow-growing, they can be very long-lived and for the most part pretty damn unimpressive as far as bushes go.  Yet, those two or so weeks in mid-spring when they are in bloom, they are the kings of the plant world.  Sometimes a single grand gesture can make up for a year's worth of mediocrity.

* * * * * *

(My brother in his natural habitat...the kitchen)

Today would have been my brother Chris's 55th birthday.  To honor him on this day, I'll talk about some of his very human qualities.

First, Chris was well-read.  Like me, he wasn't all that interested in fiction (unless you include the border-line fictional writings of Ann Coulter), but he devoured biographies, especially about musicians.  He also loved the poetry of Edgar Allen Poe.  There were more than a few books we traded over the years.  In fact, the last gift I got for Chris was I Am Brian Wilson.

Second, Chris was tidy.  Another trait we had in common, absolutely the result of how we were raised, was the fact that he was very neat and tidy.  Wherever he lived, the place was always well taken care of, including (and especially) the kitchen, where he loved spending time.

Third, Chris loved to cook.  I have little interest in food for the most part; I don't like to cook and my tastes tend to run in the simple/boring.  Chris, on the other hand, just loved cooking and eating different things.  He shared the later with my older brother Rich, who will basically eat just about anything once.  No matter what he was actually doing to earn a living, he almost always had a cooking side-job.

Fourth, Chris was very good-hearted.  While he was quick with what could be some insensitive humor (see "Finally, ..."), in reality, Chris had no time for racists, racism, bigots, or anything else of that same ilk.  This is one of the reasons why I firmly believe that this often-spouted love for some political conservatives was actually more about theater (and cheesing off our mother) than anything else.

Fifth, Chris was the only one of us with any shred of athletic ability.  While I played a little bit of basketball, in reality, I have little in the way of natural athletic ability.  Chris, on the other hand, was both a runner and an amateur boxer.  I could tell when life was getting the better of Chris as he stopped running, something that he truly enjoyed.

Sixth, Chris was very thrifty.  I think part of that was also a reaction who how we were raised.  Regardless, it was sometimes almost comical in its application.  For example, the first new car he ever owned was a completely generic small economy vehicle.  No air conditioning.  Crank windows.  A standard transmission (Chris preferred standards; I can barely drive one).  AM radio.  I don't think the thing even had carpeting.

Seventh, Chris loved music.  His tastes in music generally were more bent towards the blues and jazz, with some Rolling Stones and The Doors thrown in for good measure.  My musical tastes, on the other hand, are nowhere near as diverse as his.

Eighth, Chis was incredibly gregarious.  Chris could literally walk up and talk to just about anyone.  For the most part, that's not something I enjoy doing.  Yes, Chris naturally was outgoing and engaging.  So many times in my life I wish I would have had that talent.

Finally, Chris had a wickedly funny sense of humor.  While we disagreed on many things in life, we absolutely shared a very similar sense of humor, with a good portion of it being (mostly) offensive.  There was this element of shock in humor that he enjoyed, including seeing the reaction of someone to something he would say.  Here are just a few examples:

• The first words he ever said to my (now) wife Chris involved a midget porn joke.
• He's the first person I've ever heard actually using the term GILF.  And no, I will not define that, for the record.
• His ability to perfectly time a wholly inappropriate reference to the movie Children of the Corn.  It didn't matter that he (and myself) were just about the only ones who actually got the joke.  Like most naturally funny people, for the most part, it was all just about entertaining himself...the rest of us where just along for the ride.  He had similar "movie drops" for A Clockwork Orange and The Naked Civil Servant.  

Happy Birthday on the Other Side my brother.

Exile on Corona Street, Day 2

Preface

Where does the title come from?  Click HERE.  The intent here is to document what's going on during this time of the coronavirus pandemic.  As the more urban folks would say, "$hit got real".  Maybe 10 years from now I'll look back, read this, and be inspired.  Maybe I'll be amused.  Maybe I'll simply be confused.  Regardless, the intent is to be here 10 years from now to actually read this.

On to the posting.

* * * * * *

It's day 2 of the new normal, for as long as the new normal lasts.  For those that noticed, my "Day 1" posting has disappeared.  Illuminati?  Bilderbergs?  Nope...I accidentally over-wrote it.

What's in a Name?

In the news today, among other things, we had the President of the United States refer to the Covid-19 Virus as the "Chinese Virus", not once, but at least twice.  Here's why that's a problem:

• By tagging this outbreak with a racial term, the President is giving the worst of our society, also known as racist swine, license to act against Asians in general, Chinese people in particular.  
• The virus itself is not actually Chinese.  The idea of race is a categorization we use for humans, not pathogens.
• The virus may have jumped species in China, but "from China" is different than "Chinese".  For example, I read a defense of the President's name for Covid-19 that went along the lines of "yeah, well what about Lyme Disease...that's named after a place!  Is that racist too?"...which is actually an incredibly stupid defense of an incredibly bad name.  Why?  Well yes, Lyme Disease is named after a real place, Lyme Connecticut.  However, for the comparison/racist-excuse to work, the disease would have to be called something like "Connecticuter Disease".  You see, "Lyme" is the name of a place.  "Chinese" is the name of a group of people.
• Even if you buy some incredibly far-fetched 2am talk-radio inspired conspiracy about the origins of Covid-19, not every single person who is Chinese could possibly be in on it.

This, by the way, is what happens when I have time to think about things.

How Was YOUR Day?

Today was day 2 of working from home for me.  As I mentioned in the day 1 posting...if it still existed...I really don't like working from home.  That noted I'm making the best of it.  What helped the day improve was the fact that we visited our favorite ice cream parlor (Ballyhoo) for some take-out after dinner.  If you can, please make an extra effort to patronize local businesses during this crisis.  The WalMarts of the world will weather this fine, but small businesses may not be so lucky.

A Final Thought

More so than any time in my life, it's clear to me that how we end up after this crisis has ended will have far more to do with how we have acted as individuals than any kind of government policy or edict.  This literally could be something of a re-set button for us, a chance to take a step back and appreciate the value of kindness and helping each other.  We desperately need that in this country.

Road Apples, #169

Eye Freckle...In the "news of the weird" department, my annual trip to the eye doctor's office yielded the fact that I apparently have what is commonly (well for something relatively uncommon) known as an "eye freckle".  The technical name is a "choroidal nevus".  I knew something was up when, during the "shine a bright light into your eye" phase of the exam I kept seeing this purple pill-ish looking thing floating in front of my left eye.  Apparently it's nothing to worry about, provided that it doesn't turn into eyeball cancer on me.  My wife warned me that, if horribly this does turn into eyeball cancer, I eventually have to get a glass replacement eye.  I would have gone strictly for the patch.  Kicking it Moshe Dayan style.

On a related note, I really dislike wearing sunglasses.  I find them to be annoying and uncomfortable.  Yet, given the eye freckle, I really do need to engage in some better eye care, especially from the sun.  To that end, I actually broke down and bought a good pair of sunglasses.  Now to see if I actually wear them.

Speaking of the Eye Doctor...I am supposed to go every year, which I do mind you, but the timing is somewhat variable.  This year the impetus was the fact that I stopped wearing my glasses, left them in my truck for a week or so when it was 90+ degrees outside (and hotter inside the truck) and effectively baked the lenses.  The odd thing is that I can go without wearing them as much as I like; I do see better with glasses, especially at night, but I can muddle by without  them.  Anyway, new glasses have been ordered, and this time I have to remember not to bake them in the truck.

Donald Trump...by some accounts, is polling at 1% in the African American community.  That may sound bad, but I can make it worse:  Mitt Romney, quite possibly the whitest American alive, got something like 5% of the African American vote in 2012 (source HERE).  Let that sink in for a moment.

Hillary Clinton...I was talking to a colleague about Hillary Clinton's speaking style the other day.  Now I think I am a fairly good public speaker.  Certainly not up to Presidential standards, but pretty good.  By virtue of that, I feel like I can offer constructive feedback when I hear others speaking.  All of that is window dressing for the following:  Why in the Heck does Hillary Clinton basically engage in monotone yelling when she speaks at rallies, etc?  It's like fingernails across a chalk board.  I know that Ms Clinton can speak well; if you doubt me, just what her hours long performance in front of Congress a few months ago.  Simply brilliant.  On the stump?  Not so much.

A-Fib and Energy Drinks...I came across this a week or so ago:  Energy Drinks & Heart Problems.  The more I read about this stuff, the more convinced I am that my sudden heart issues earlier this year were mostly the result of poor sleep and the consumption of energy drinks (you know, because I didn't sleep so well).  Needless to say, I don't touch the stuff now, although I do worry about generations of younger folks who are growing up drinking Red Bull and Monster drinks.

Kathleen Kane...is now a convicted felon and former Pennsylvania Attorney General.  I'm not the most connected person in the world, especially when it comes to politics, but I did get the impression very early on in Ms Kane's initial campaign for AG that she's difficult to work with; to that you can also add "vindictive" as well.  This is the part where I'm supposed to say "...she came so far, how could she have fallen so fast?" or something like that, but I won't.  Instead I'll simply note that former AG Kane is a great example of just how toxic of a force ego can be in our lives.  Maybe she'll have some time to check out Eckhart Tolle while she's in prison.

Religion and Class...I found this on the intra-webs the other week.  Seems to at least partially make sense to me.

Maybe it's not the intention of religion, and I am not anti-religion by the way, but I think religion has been used as a kind of governing agent for centuries.



 

Difficult Questions for a Difficult Age - Biblical Authority and Hillary Clinton

I do wonder, from time to time, whether or not some conservative Republicans (of the religious type) actually object to Hillary Clinton's candidacy for President on grounds that have nothing to do with policy and her seeming ability to be malleable with the truth.  Granted, I don't consider myself to be a big fan of the former Secretary of State, but given the two major party choices for President, she's got my vote.  Anyway, and back to religious objections to Hillary Clinton, I think the central issue for some folks is the very basic idea that she is a woman who would hold authority over men.
 
In support of the above, I offer the following sample of Bible verses:

"Let a woman learn quietly with all submissiveness.  I do not permit a woman to teach or to exercise authority over a man; rather, she is to remain quiet.  For Adam was formed first, then Eve; and Adam was not deceived, but the woman was deceived and became a transgressor.  Yet she will be saved through childbearing - if they continue in faith and love and holiness, with self-control."
(1 Timothy 2:  11-15)

"Wives, submit to your husbands, as to the Lord.  For the husband is the head of the wife even as Christ is the head of the church, his body, and is himself its Savior.  Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit in everything to their husbands."
(Ephesians 5:  22-24)

"The women should keep silent in the churches.  For they are not permitted to speak, but should be in submission, as the Law also says.  If there is anything they deserve to learn, let them ask their husbands at home.  For it is shameful for a woman to speak in church."
(1 Corinthians 4: 34-35)

I could go on, but the point is made.  It's actually pretty frightening when you think about it.  Islam, for example, gets a fair amount of grief over the treatment of women (a tactic Donald Trump disastrously tried to use against the Khan family; citation HERE), yet the Christian Bible is full of language that seems far out of step with reality.  Maybe that's the point, by the way, namely that the Bible paints a reality that is supposed to be not of this world.

Deep ponderings concerning the nature of sacred scripture aside for a moment, my point is this:  Some conservative Christians in this country will not vote for any woman to hold an office such as that of President.  Let that sink in for a moment or three.  A related and interesting question is this:  Why aren't more religious conservatives more overt about this basic objection?  Could it be that even they realize how toxic of stand this would be, especially given the large percentage of the voting population that doesn't subscribe to the notion of women as being best for "silence, subservience and baby-making"?

Taking this to a deeper level and noting the rise of "religious freedom" laws, what if some folks actually claim that they have a right to disobey any laws created and/or signed by a female President?

Difficult questions for a difficult age.

Melania Trump

Melania Trump is not running for President.  Arguably, she is a public person, but she isn't the one seeking elected office.  As I've written here numerous times before, I strongly believe that the family members of elected officials...and those who desire to be elected officials...need to be exempt from the very public scrutiny that befalls those in (and those seeking) public office.

It was true with Barbara Bush, and the myriad of negative comments directed towards her.  And her granddaughters, the children of George W. Bush.  And Chelsea Clinton (when drug addict Rush Limbaugh mocked her appearance on a national television show) as well.

I've seen numerous stories about Ms. Trump's biography, her immigration status, and the like.  I also understand the desire to paint her husband as a hypocrite on the issue of immigration.  But Melania Trump didn't ask to run for office.  I am sure that with Donald Trump's wealth and influence, she has received many forms of privilege, but that's an all too common perk of being wealthy in this country, regardless of political affiliation.  At best criticize his actions, but not hers.  This goes, especially so, for her former modeling career.

Was it fair to criticize her speech at the Republican National Convention?  Sure, because that was her speech.  She put herself out there, and with that, she opened herself up to the feedback that goes with taking that kind of chance.  Fair enough.  But this is far different than the notion of "attack via association" that's going on now.

By all means, let it rip against Donald Trump, even to the point of noting that he changes wives like some change cars (trading them in for a newer model every few years).  Criticizing Melania Trump just because she happens to be wife #3 for "The Donald"?  That's simply wrong.

And so it begins with demonizing "them".

It's the trick of despots and dictators alike:  Ginning up a fear and hatred for "them" in order to garner power for themselves.  Put another way, it's creating a need and then offering the sole solution, all in one neat little package.

Look, I get being opposed to "him" or "her"; these people, whoever they are, have names, faces, decisions, records, and actions that can be criticized.  That's fair game, especially in the arena of politics.  Even better is the fact that the accusers can themselves be judged based on the quality of their arguments and how they respond to any push-back they receive from their targets.  It's this kind of give-and-take that I think helps people make better decisions.

All possible value from a give-and-take process falls by the wayside when the target is some nameless, faceless group of people that just don't happen to look or act like us.  Then it becomes simply fear-mongering.  Then it becomes dangerous.

I get it:  Hillary Clinton is a liar.  I don't doubt that actually.  What she isn't doing though is demonizing entire groups and, for example, calling for a religious test for immigrants.  A religious test that, under a possible President Trump, would be applied to Muslims, but in the future could be applied against any other religious group.  What she isn't calling for is the construction of a Berlin Wall on our southern border (a wall which Mexico will never pay for, by the way).  If my choice is the fear-mongering proto-despot or the serial liar, I'll pick the least dangerous of the two, namely the liar.  At worst the United States will not be any better under a President Clinton.  Under a President Trump?  Our very soul as a nation is at stake.

In the end, if you choose to vote for Donald Trump, just do so knowing that your candidate enjoys pointing fingers at, and demonizing the nameless and the faceless, principally because they can't fight back.  Those are the actions of a coward.  He also enjoys scaring you into voting for him.  Don't take the bait.  Don't vote for Trump.  If Hillary Clinton turns your stomach, vote for Gary Johnson.

A Picture That Says It All

They say that a "picture paints a thousand words", well if that's true, then all you need to understand the state of the (former) Republican Party is the following:

(photo from CNN)

Would Ronald Reagan have been found standing in front of a giant sign that said "Reagan"?

This is what the GOP has become:  Another platform for one man to engage in self-glorification.

A Storm is Coming (for Republicans)

The past, present and future of the GOP, all in one posting.

Enter the Gipper
Back in 1980, Ronald Reagan was elected President of the United States.  Love him or hate him, he was elected.  There was much wailing and mashing teeth among Democrats, but the man remained popular throughout his presidency.  He was also, at least by modern day Republican standards, fairly moderate:  He worked with Democrats in Congress (including the legendary Tip O'Neill), supported amnesty for illegal immigrants, and he campaigned with a more or less positive message.  I don't consider myself a fan of the late President Reagan, but contrary to current practices of both parties, it's possible to disagree with someone's politics without demonizing them in the process.

The Hand-off & Fumble
After two terms, President Reagan had to ride into the sunset.  His heir apparent, George H. W. Bush, was elected President in 1988 and served just one term in office.  This is where I think the train went off the tracks.  You see, it wasn't supposed to end that way for national Republicans.  The Reagan-Bush years where supposed to last, maybe forever.  It just didn't happen.  Making it far worse?  The fact that the Reagan-Bush legacy was up-ended by a man who many Republicans loathed as being nothing more than a hillbilly JFK:  Bill Clinton.  George H. W. Bush may have been denied a second term in office, but national Republicans would have their revenge and oust the upstart hillbilly.  While national Democrats may have looked on Ronald Reagan as being nothing more than a hack actor who had a mind (and policy agenda) in lock-step with the 1950's, there never seemed to be a need to beat him at all costs.  They were, instead, content with nibbling at him from the edges (Iran-Contra, Anne Gorsuch Burford, etc.).  With national Republicans, it was outright war against Bill Clinton.  The problem was that they failed, miserably, I might add.

Yes, despite despite investigations and whisper campaigns, atrocious right-wing talk radio attacks, and plenty of self-inflicted wounds, Bill Clinton was simply better than his Republican foes.  The fact that he beat them, and ended the Reagan-Bush dynasty is, in my estimation, what brings us today.

On-Going Fouls
Being beaten by Bill Clinton was simply too much for national Republicans.  That failure brought the party onto a trajectory that landed this year with candidate Donald Trump.  In failing to beat Bill Clinton, the national GOP pumped it's grass roots full of vitriolic steroids, instilling a hatred of all things government and counter to hard right conservatism that even surpassed what Ronald Reagan ever envisioned.  The whisper campaigns test driven on Bill Clinton (remember when Hillary Clinton was both a lesbian and having an affair with Vince Foster?), fine-tuned on Michael Dukakis and perfected by Karl Rove (sometimes against fellow Republicans, such as actual war hero John McCain), became part in parcel of the political process.

End Game
What national Republicans created in all of this was a monster they just simply could never control.  It's painfully ironic in a way:  They campaigned against an "evil federal government" from the seat of the federal government, never stopping for a moment to believe that they might in fact get caught in their own political backwash.  National Republicans don't want to admit this, but they are just as much a part of "the system" as the Democrats they seem to loathe.  It's not just me who thinks this by the way...you can add in millions who voted for Donald Trump (against far more conservative challengers, such as Rafael Cruz).

* * * * * *

This doesn't end well for Republicans.  It simply can't.  Even if they win the Presidency, they've already lost their dream of a national Republican majority.  Donald Trump is a lot of things...most of them evil in my estimation...but one thing he's not is beholden to the national Republican party.  His tormenting of the party during the primaries is proof of that point.  His winning in November though seems (hopefully) unlikely.  Assuming he loses, there will be a day of reckoning for those members of the national GOP that supported him...they know this by the way, which explains the many hedging of endorsement bets by the likes of Speaker Paul Ryan and others.

Mark my words:  No matter what happens in November, a storm is coming for the Republican party.

Best Rush Limbaugh Quote, Ever (& Added Bonus)

I stumbled upon this quote the other day, and it's stayed with me, so it's time to share.

(from THIS site)

In a related...and more serious...note, I highly recommend THIS column by Michael Smerconish:  Are The Voters Really Mad As Hell?  A thoughtful look at how we got in this horrid political place in 2016.  My favorite quote from the article?

"Business motives drive the titans of talk. They aim to maximize revenue from advertising, which requires the attraction of computer clicks, ears, and eyeballs. That goal, in turn, necessitates producing an authentic, stimulating product. The more passion provoked by hosts, the better their shot of capturing and maintaining an audience.

Bold, assertive, controversial content achieves this goal far better than thorough, nuanced, paragraph-long explanations. This incentive explains why the content on talk radio and cable television news has long been a precursor to the provocative language of the stump speeches of Donald Trump and one of his final GOP challengers, Ted Cruz."

Talk radio...as in Limbaugh, Savage and others on the hard right...has NEVER been about informing, educating, or even thoughtful advocacy; no, it's all about business, as in earning revenue through a constant stream of bitter sound bite mental candy to people so that they will buy stuff from advertisers.  It becomes a kind of bizarre mental arms race into the gutter, feeding conspiracy and fostering an attitude of "it's the fault of _________ you are not getting ahead", where the blank could be filled by everything from ACORN to Obama to Black Lives Matter to fluoride in drinking water, all in the name of increasing advertising revenues.  Who needs a thought provoking discussion when you can simply point fingers and call names?

For the record, having listened to Limbaugh over the years (from time to time) and having read some of his work, I'm reasonably convinced that even he doesn't believe half the stuff he says, but he does know how to generate ad revenue.  Hillbilly heroin abuse may have destroyed his hearing, but it's done nothing to dull his keen business sense.

  

Politics, April 2016

Greetings from 33,000 feet above sea level, somewhere between Los Angeles and Philadelphia.  Yes, I paid a relatively insane amount of money for in-flight wifi service, but it's a long flight and I had a good week, so what the heck.

I've really, truly been disgusted...yes, disgusted...by the political season this year, both at a local and a national level.  This season embodies so much of the worst in politics...

...rabid followers
...a "win at all cost" competitive environment
...adults acting like children

Some of this I squarely blame on Donald Trump.  This is a "man" who has mocked the disabled, likened Mexican immigrants to criminals, advocated for a religious test for immigration (only for Muslims, as if that were somehow determinable by a special appendage only found on Muslims), called for the United States to "carpet bomb" ISIS (knowing darn well that this would kill hostages and the forced brides & children of these monsters), etc.  I could go on, but that narrative has already been played out well enough.  I don't dislike anyone who is supporting Donald Trump...I merely feel bad for them, as they're acting without thinking.  We need less of that in this country.

Some of it is the fault of the system at large.  I am shocked at the outrage being directed towards the delegate system for electing Presidents in the United States.  Guess what?  It's not new.  I'd say that folks should have maybe stayed awake in high school Civics class, but that would be wrong because I strongly suspect that this probably isn't taught for the most part.  I wasn't taught to me in high school.  Anyway, this system is patently wrong, period.  The idea that a majority of a population can vote for a candidate (even Donald Trump) and yet that isn't reflected in how delegates ultimately act in selecting a party candidate is sickening.  Why even bother having the election?  Simply have party bosses select delegates and then have the delegates make the selection

Speaking of political parties, some of this is their fault.  The United States is one party away from a one party state.  Both political parties are more interested in ideology and winning than they are in actual governance.  I can simply point to budget posturing by both parties as evidence.  Both parties engage in shenanigans and bogus "magic" math when it comes to spending our tax dollars.  Both parties have their sometimes irrational sacred cows that exist mostly just to rally their base voters rather than actually create a better country for all; for the Republicans it's defense spending, for Democrats it's public education.  I do support both defense spending and public education, but both are in severe need of radical change.

Locally things aren't much better.  Lackawanna County has a "Tea Party Patriot" county commissioner who somehow believes that her Facebook comments should be held separate from her pronouncements as an elected official.  Guess what Ms Cummings?  Your words...spoken or typed...matter and have consequence, regardless of where you utter then.  It's time to stop acting like a 12 year old who shares Facebook pronouncements as a means to impress friends in junior high.  Oh, and by the way, Ms Cummings, who identifies herself as a Christian, should be very familiar with what Jesus commanded of his followers (as noted in the Gospel of Mathew, chapter 5, verses 43 to 47):

“You have heard the law that says, ‘Love your neighbor’ and hate your enemy. But I say, love your enemies! Pray for those who persecute you! In that way, you will be acting as true children of your Father in heaven. For he gives his sunlight to both the evil and the good, and he sends rain on the just and the unjust alike. If you love only those who love you, what reward is there for that? Even corrupt tax collectors do that much. If you are kind only to your friends, how are you different from anyone else?"

Walk the Christian talk Ms Cummings or get off the road.

It's not all gloom and doom.  I was glad to see representative Frank Farina lose in the primary election for one simple reason:  His inconsistent stand of the expansion of the Keystone Sanitary landfill.  I got the impression that Rep. Farina wanted it both ways:  He wanted voters to think he wasn't in favor of expansion while simultaneously not upsetting the politically powerful (and financially generous...to politicians) owners of the landfill.  Bad move.  Landfill expansion is the single most important issue facing elected officials in northeastern Pennsylvania and in my mind there is zero room for inconsistency.

The political season isn't even in full swing yet, so no doubt things may get much worse.  Maybe, just maybe, enough voters will be also be disgusted with the process such that there may actually be some real change in this country.  We can start with the elimination of the electoral college and the undue influence two political parties have over who gets elected to national office.  Another start would be for national and state governments to end all financial support for the political parties.  We all want informed voters to make decisions in this country, but part of achieving that goal has to include reducing the over-sized role that just two sets of political party bosses have on governance.

John Oliver's Donald Trump Segment

Watch this, please.  It's worth 21 minutes of your time.


Trump is the only man on the planet who can make me actually root for Ted Cruz.

Internet Graphic of the Week, #4

This one speaks for itself.

#Truth

Donald Trump...protecting Morocco from Africans

Donald Trump's first TV ad shows migrants 'at the southern border,' but they're actually in Morocco

The above is worth five minutes of anyone's time.

Unexpected?  Not really.  Trump has never really been about facts or reality; no, his campaign is more about "the show" and pandering to the lowest common denominator of GOP primary voters than anything else.

Now I do get it:  Plenty of campaigns use stock footage in commercials.  But what Trump has done here is far more interesting in that the commercial is about inciting voters to be fearful, and the fact is that no amount of real footage, relative to this issue, can deliver what he needs.  So what's he to to?  See above...fake it.

Had he consulted with me, I personally would have suggested the following:

Anyway, the show must go on.

Here's my bottom line:  You can't have more than two functioning brain cells AND be a Donald Trump for President supporter.  Sorry.  You can't.

"But, but, but, what about Hillary?"

This isn't about Hillary Clinton, and I personally love it when people who, in the absence of any kind of factual basis for a rebuttal, somehow believe that an effective strategy is to simply change the subject.  I think that worked once...in third grade.

Oh, and I don't even like Hillary Clinton, for the record.

Reason #435 Why Donald Trump Doesn't Deserve Any Votes

As quoted on Fox News.

“And the other thing is with the terrorists, you have to take out their families. They, they care about their lives. Don’t kid yourself. But they say they don’t care about their lives. You have to take out their families.”

No citation needed; simply Google it for yourself.  Oh what the heck, here's one:  Investor Business Times.

If you support Donald Trump, please take a moment and really ponder the above statement.  Really think about it for more than five seconds.  Engage your mind and your conscience.  How do you feel about it?  What does it make you think?  Can you really support someone who wants to KILL the wives and children of terrorists?  

This means killing the pregnant, the elderly, babies and toddlers.  

It means killing women who may have actually been forced to marry "Jihad Johnny".  

It means killing children who can't even say the words "Dad is a terrorist", let alone understand the implications of what that may mean.    

On this one, single, statement alone Donald Trump shouldn't be supported by any American, regardless of party of ideology, for President of the United States.  

Please don't kid yourself about Donald Trump:  This isn't a "conservative vs. liberal" issue, or a "Republican vs. Democrat" issue.  It's an issue of basic moral decency.  Donald Trump wants to lower this country down to the level of the terrorists we are fighting.

Dear Donald Trump,

Apparently you want to ban all Muslim travel to the United States because a very small percentage of Muslims do horrible things.  Fair enough.  In keeping with the precedent you are setting, I would like to make the following modest proposals myself.

Irish - Some folks from the Republic of Ireland, members of a club called the Irish Republican Army, have done some terrible terrorism in their day, especially to our very good friends in England.  As a result I propose banning all immigration from the Republic of Ireland.

Saudi Arabians - The 9/11 terrorists were from Saudi Arabia.  As a result I propose ending all military and economic cooperation with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

Slovenians - According to the United States Department of State...

"While no terrorist organizations are known to be active in Slovenia, its central location and short Adriatic coastline make it an attractive potential transit country for trafficking in drugs, persons, and weapons of mass destruction (WMD) by criminal and terrorist organizations."

...given the potential for harm to U.S. interests, I suggest all Slovenians be put under immediate observation.  I suggest starting with your wife, Melania.

Israelis - There have been several documented instances of Israel working against U.S. interests and even putting U.S. lives at risk.  They include the case of convicted spy Jonathan Pollard and the attack by Israeli forces on the U.S.S. Liberty (which resulted in the deaths of 34 American servicemen; citation from Fox News HERE).  Attacking a U.S. ship and killing our servicemen should be an act of war.  I say let's declare it on Israel.  Now.

Conservative Christians - A real, all American terrorist organization we all know and love is the Klu Klux Klan.  Members of this group self identify as conservative Christians.  In fact, the director for the main KKK group actually identifies as a "pastor".  Given the very real harm the Klan has caused in the past, and continues to cause now, I suggest that all conservative Christians be put on a watch list.  You never know who might be under those Walmart sheets.


Thank you Mr Trump for trying to make America "great again" by keeping out all of those funny colored foreigners who don't even accept Jesus and won't gamble in your casinos (well the one's that haven't declared bankruptcy yet).

Regards,
- S. Elmer Albert

* * * * * *

Post Script - The above is ridiculous, but millions of people aren't going to read it.  Sadly, the same is not true of Donald Trump.

Speaking Fear for Power

Few things actually disgust me in life, but the trajectory of the 2016 Presidential campaign is getting close.  I speak specifically of some candidates who seem to spend most of their time talking about everything we need to be afraid of, including and especially immigrants and those who are of a different religion.

It's all so very disheartening, and yet it's at this time that I'm reminded of a a prayer I learned as a child.  Fitting, especially, for those candidates who claim the mantle of Christianity, and yet don't seem all that interested in acting very Christ-like.

So for those who would turn away the sick and the disheartened...all in the name of acquiring personal political power...the best that I can offer is the following.

I confess to getting too wrapped up in these very poisonous debates.  I'm going to work hard, very hard, at keeping myself out of this moral cesspool.  I'm not going to argue with anyone who makes the choice to bring more injury, more doubt, more despair, more darkness, more sadness into the world.  I will, though, remind some that these are choices.

Life is too short, and I'm not inclined to even utter the names of those who, by their very actions, defile the word "Christian".

Comments Made in Response to Gort42's Posting, Donald Trump

You can read Gort's terrific posting on Donald Trump HERE.

Being someone to never miss an opportunity to re-purpose content, below you can find my reply to the posting.

Before that though, a two thoughts.

First, Donald Trump is a cartoon character; he might as well be one of the residents of South Park squawking about "There took our jobs".



Second, he appeals to the worst instincts and emotions in folks.  Compassion seems like an alien concept to Donald Trump.  He teaches that money equates to success.  He is arrogant and misogynistic.  He's the last thing the GOP needs running for President and would be a disaster if selected as the GOP nominee.

Anyway, here's my comment.

* * * * * *

Good post Gort.

As noted by a fellow GOP candidate back in 2013, the GOP needs to "...stop being the stupid party...". Trump's mission seems to be make sure "stupid" stays firmly entrenched in the GOP lexicon.

For example, do these folks who support Trump REALLY want to live in a country where you have federals hunting down 11 million illegals? Hell, in that scenario, how many times will Lou Barletta (and other sufficiently ethnic looking folks) be asked to produce "papers"? It's yet another example of a 1000% angry emotional appeal, common sense be damned, from a man who probably only laughs when he makes fun of older women. I don't even like Carly Fiorina and I was repulsed when I heard Trump mocking how she looks. 

My guess is that at some point these same angry supporters will be done with Trump. Anger seldom has a long shelf life. Like kids on Christmas morning, they will eventually tire of playing with the same Trump toy, and they'll find another. By then though, the damage will be done. Trump is a walking misogyny machine...couple that with his cheesing off 98% of thinking Hispanics (the remaining 2% includes Rafael Cruz and Marco Rubio...and perhaps a few that work construction for Trump) and you have the makings of a GOP disaster. The "high information" GOP folks (i.e. George Will, Charles Krauthammer and others) have already figured that one out...hence the almost daily stream of Trump attacks.

The truly sad part? Hillary Clinton could very well be damaged goods in 2016 and Bernie Sanders is simply too far left to win a general election. The GOP should have a decent shot at this election, but Trump seems to be doing his best to make sure that never happens.

Maybe this is an example of Big Dan's infamous "false flag" operations, political style.

Anyway, rant concluded. 

- Steve

More Senseless Violence

The video I watched on the news today...where the "news" was actually the news...was shocking and disheartening.

More violence.

More death.

More proclamations.

More searching for answers in the wrong places.

I do not believe that there are easy answers to this kind of violence.  Why?  Well to solve a problem, you first have to understand what the problem is, and quite frankly, we just haven't managed to tackle that yet in this country.

Ideologues on the political Left will tell you that this is another outcome of our failing to address the easy access to handguns.  Maybe there should be more restriction of handgun availability, but in the end just focusing on this is a bit like blaming the car when a drunk driver kills someone.

Ideologues on the political Right will use this to stoke fears of "now they will take away your guns", solely, pretty much, for purposes of raising money.  While part of American weeps, the NRA's money machine will be getting all greased up for another round of pandering.

Those of us in the Center will be left just shaking our heads in a mixture of confusion and disgust.

We, as a society, to look into why mental health issues are so rampant.  What drives people to such depths of despair and anger that they act on the worst of impulses? Maybe it's that we've managed to define things like "happiness" and "success" in terms such that they can never be achieved.  That's truly a recipe for disaster.  When Donald Trump's narcissism screams to the world that happiness and success means being a billionaire, despite the fact that Donal Trump seems like one of the most miserable men* on the planet, well then you've got a totem for modern United States that breeds this kind of thing.

The bottom line?  The real solution to rampant violence isn't going to come any time soon, pretty much because most of the country simply doesn't want to look for it.  Maybe we are too afraid of what we will find.




(*) While I am not a fan of the late President Reagan, I do miss his iconic "happy conservative warrior" attitude.  Happiness seems like one of the many things that Donald Trump can't buy.

Winner of the Dumbest Comment on the Internet, Donald Trump Edition.

From a Facebook posting by Libertarian Presidential candidate Gary Johnson, the following comment  (along with my response) was made in defense of Donald Trump:

• 

  XXXX XXXXXXXX The fact that he isn't a politician, he can't be bought by corporate America. He's not PC and knows how to negotiate deals.
  
  Y'all can keep voting for politicians that continue to ruin this country but I'll take a chance on the business man.

  Like · 5 · 4 hrs
• 

  Steve Albert Wait...Trump IS corporate America.

(Red Bold Text by me.)

Yes, apparently Donald Trump can not be "...bought by corporate America.".

(Excuse me while I go laugh myself into a momentary seizure.  Okay, back.)

Oh, and apparently his negotiation skills aren't that great, as they failed to prevent corporate bankruptcy filings FOUR times.

I'm not sure if I should laugh or cry at this whole exchange.

Another poster to referred to Donald Trump as a "huckster", which seems like an apt description to me.  He's Mr Haney, but in a better suit.

(from the Chicago Tribune)

And it's only July...of 2015.

The WORST Thing About Donald Trump

It's not the hair.

It's not the declaring bankruptcy four times (True:  you can read it here in the bastion of the liberal media, Forbes).

It's not his strong support for traditional family values throughout his three marriages.  Now in fairness I have been married twice, but then again I'm not running for president nor do you hear me crow about "traditional family values" either.

It's not his media claims about Mexicans being rapists.

It's not his strong support for American workers via having his clothing line made in China, Mexico by non-rapists and Bangladesh (reference HERE).

It's not the money he has made via degenerate gamblers.

Heck, again, it's not even the hair.

(from the Daily Mail)

No, I think the very worst thing about Donald Trump is the very notion he brings to the national debate that equates money to happiness and success.  I don't know how happy of a man Donald Trump is, and based on the fuzzy accounting of his finances and his multiple bankruptcy declarations I'm not even sure how financially successful he has been.  I do know this though:  He's a braggart when it comes to being a "billionaire".

I've had times in my life where I was actually buying dress shirts at the Salvation Army because I couldn't afford anything else.  I have also had times when financially I felt like I could take a deep breath and not worry about paying my bills.  Yes, money can buy you some sense of security, but it can't buy happiness and it's a poor measure of success.

Think of all those lottery winners who end up having lives in shreds (one of many examples HERE).

Think of people who have made the biggest differences in your life and for the world.  Were some wealthy?  Maybe.  You could argue that a Bill Gates, for example, has made a difference...but that difference now is manifest in the work of his foundation, where he gives his money away.  However I think that it's the actions people take from the kindness of their hearts, through their giving, that makes a difference in and for the world.  It's every great teacher and coach.  It's the people who serve the poor and helpless.  It's the people that comfort those in need.  These people are truly successful. 

I can't think of a single presidential candidate from either major political party that I'd vote for, but I do know this:  Donald Trump's bullying and bragging makes me sick.  Humility...that's the one thing Donald Trump can't brag about. 

Donald Trump is, in a very real sense, the very ugliest of Americans.