“I cannot do my job here at the department with a constant background commentary that undercuts me.”
– William Barr, U.S. Attorney General, in an interview with ABC News’ Pierre Thomas.
I feel it’s odd that Barr, a known Trump loyalist, suddenly seems to have turned on his boss – the borderline psychotic with a mob mentality who has been masquerading as president of the United States for 3 years. I also don’t understand why Trump is allowed to maintain his Twitter account. After Barack Obama won the presidency in 2008 – without any question, I have to add – the Secret Service confiscated his Blackberry, as a matter of national cybersecurity. And, in the current state of affairs, one of the biggest threats to our national security is Trump.
“Suddenly, in the span of ten minutes on Sunday, they became concerned about the welfare of women and girls. I wonder if they were thinking of women and girls three years ago when they voted for the guy who said, ‘I did try and fuck her. She was married. I moved on her very heavily. I moved on her like a bitch.’”
The right-wing hypocrisy over the performance is glaring. Many of the people who condemned former President Bill Clinton for his sexual indiscretions have amazingly ignored the even more egregious actions of Donald Trump. I follow Pavlovitz’s site, “Stuff That Needs to Be Said,” which has a definite liberal take on modern American life.
“So actually in the Constitution of the United States (if) they are found guilty of being a socialist member you either go to prison or are shot.”
– Rodney Garcia, a Republican legislator from the state of Montana.
Garcia made the comment after a speech by former Secretary of the Interior Ryan Zinke, who was Montana’s representative in the U.S. House for two years. Garcia said he was concerned about socialists “entering our government” and socialists “everywhere” in Billings, before saying the Constitution says to either shoot socialists or put them in jail. The Montana Republican Party has condemned Garcia’s remarks.
“I left the [State of the Union address] after Trump – a draft dodger who has mocked Sen. John McCain, Gold Star families, and soldiers with traumatic brain injury – started talking about the good he has done for our military.”
– Seth Moulton, Democratic Congressman from Massachusetts.
A former Marine, Moulton led one of the first infantry platoons into Baghdad at the start of the Iraq War in 2003 – a conflict initiated by another well-known draft dodger and indiscriminate liar: George W. Bush. He left Trump’s Congressional address this past Tuesday when Trump began talking about his “record-breaking” investments and support of the U.S. military.
Ronald Reagan and Tip O’Neill conceded they didn’t get along personally. O’Neill would go so far as to say Reagan was one of the laziest presidents he’d ever known. It was ironic that two old Irish-Americans would have such disparate viewpoints, as they each reached the apex of their careers. Yet, despite their differences in how government should function and what policies were best for the nation, they did try to work together. Those differences fell into the background in March of 1981, when Reagan almost fell victim to a would-be assassin’s bullet. O’Neill visited Reagan in the hospital and the two even read biblical passages together.
Flash forward nearly four decades and try to imagine such comingling in Washington now. On Tuesday, Donald Trump gave his State of the Union address. As required, he provided copies of his speech to Vice-President Mike Pence and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. Despite intense animosity between Trump and Pelosi, the latter extended her hand to the president – which he deliberately ignored. After Trump concluded speaking, Pelosi ripped up her copy of the speech, explaining later that Trump had “shredded the truth,” so she saw fit to shred the speech. Then, on Wednesday, the U.S. Senate voted to acquit Trump of both articles of impeachment the House had brought up at the end of last year. Over these past couple of days, Trump has gloated over his acquittal; proudly displaying various newspapers announcing the trial verdict and – in a live press conference – condemned the entire fiasco; ultimately calling it “bullshit”. Yes, he really did utter that word on live television. Then again, it’s Donald Trump. Nothing he says or does should surprise anyone by now.
I have NEVER seen anything like this in my lifetime. In my own 40-plus years of studying American politics, these past four have been surreal and almost otherworldly. Donald Trump is the stress test of all stress tests. And I thought George W. Bush was disoriented! Trump is one block away from full-fledged derangement! Bush’s actions in office embarrassed me more than once. But Trump has stained the U.S. presidency with a new level of disgrace and shame.
It’s disillusioned me to the point where I’ve begun deleting all incoming emails of a political nature – even from Democratic and Green Party candidates. I disliked Bush, but I absolutely loathe Trump. I don’t like to say I hate someone I don’t know personally. However, Trump has come as close to it for me as have only a few others – animal abusers, neo-Nazis, Caitlyn Jenner. Just to name a few.
And none of that gives me pleasure. It’s easy to hate and demonize. It’s harder to dismiss bad behavior, especially from our political leaders. I’ve been watching this circus and cringe at the thought of foreign opinions. The United States is the self-claimed beacon of democracy and national dignity. We’re supposed to be far above these kinds of third-world antics. Now we’ve dropped into the abyss of antagonism and mockery. People in Somalia must be laughing.
After Bush ascended to the presidency in 2001, some outspoken liberals announced they would actually flee the country. Even with the current political diorama, I’m not ready to update my passport. Well…not yet. I just don’t know when this somnambulistic nightmare will end. But the dénouement can’t arrive soon enough.
Thanks goodness all bad things – like blind dates and ptomaine poisoning – must come to an end!
The “actress” formerly known as Belladonna in all her pornographic glory.
When I earned my English degree from Ellis University – then part of the New York Institute of Technology – one issue frequently discussed was the veracity of sources. In the old days (e.g. before Google), people conducting research on essays and theses had to drag themselves to a notable library and scour catalog files for appropriate resource materials. Along with physically going to said library, carting armloads of books and binders could be considered a bodybuilding class.
But, at Ellis, one source NOT considered valid is Wikipedia. It’s one of those ubiquitous Internet sites – kind of like online ads for pillows, vibrating toothbrushes and butt paste. A number of my fellow writers and bloggers have referenced Wikipedia. However, in vicariously perusing some Wikipedia entries, I’ve noticed the site itself will note – in vibrant red or blue lettering – that some items need further clarification or verification. Supposedly Wikipedia is a generic, quick-pick type of site; a place – much like a cafeteria – where people can choose whatever they want to consume. Therefore, it’s not considered a valid archive of information.
A while back I came across the name of an adult film model who went by the name Belladonna. Her real name is Michelle Sinclair, and she entered the world of porn in 2000 at the age of 19. I actually remember seeing her on an ABC News special hosted by Diane Sawyer several years ago. I found Belladonna interesting because she chose to dye her natural blonde hair black. In an industry where fair-haired vixens seem to rule, this was somewhat (forgive me) refreshing.
But, in looking her up on – where else? – the Internet, I came across her Wikipedia entry and zeroed in on a peculiar statement: ‘She thought she had contracted herpes in 2002…it was later discovered that it was a skin rash…’.
For some ungodly (read: perverted) reason, I found that unbelievably hysterical! The flippant nature of that specific verbiage – how it’s worded – jump-started my laugh meter. If anything, it proved what higher education has already declared: you can’t trust Wikipedia that much.
Now place that “skin rash” statement in the context of other situations:
Is that mole really melanoma?
Naw, it’s just a skin rash.
Did a spider bite you?!
Calm down! It’s just a skin rash.
You still have all those bruises from the pool party?
No, they’re just skin rashes.
That bee sting must have hurt like hell!
Oh no! It’s just a skin rash.
Are you pregnant?
God no, mother! I just have a skin rash.
That looks like such an awful sunburn.
Calm down, boss! It’s just a skin rash.
Please feel free to devise your own predicaments that include a “skin rash”.
“If we are to hope to understand the often violent world in which we live, we cannot confine our attention to the great impersonal forces, natural and man-made, which act upon us. The goals and motives that guide human action must be looked at in the light of all that we know and understand; their roots and growth, their essence, and above all their validity, must be critically examined with every intellectual resource that we have.”
– Isaiah Berlin, The Crooked Timber of Humanity, 1991
“You consistently make fun of half the country and then complain that it is divided. The arrogance, mocking accents and smug ridicule of this nation’s ‘Real Elites’ is disgusting.”
– Ivanka Trump Kushner, Donald Trump’s eldest daughter, in response to the aforementioned Rick Wilson statement on CNN.
To refresh the gilded princess’ selective memory, here’s this bit from the 2016 campaign.
