That Blue Wave – or the Red Tide

I have voted early, and I hope that you have also, or that you will vote on Tuesday.  I have done what I could to get others out to vote for the Dems.

If you are reading this, I think there is a good chance you will vote for Democrats. The promise of the Democratic party is a stronger middle class, the rich carrying their fair share of the burden I paying for things that we all need, improved health care, greater personal freedom for everyone, and other things that I feel anybody in his or her right mind out be for.

The republicans are the party of Trump. Trump’s message, at least at the current moment, seems to be fear. Fear of change. Fear of people who might be different that his ideal voter. And, fear of the great hordes of humanity that are headed to our southern border, known as the caravan of immigrants. This caravan – or maybe it’s actually two caravans – are made up of foreigners who, according to Trump, are coming for "…free health care, free welfare, free education, and for the right to vote."

How many individuals are headed this way? The number could be as high as seven or eight thousand. That means that, if you take the approximately 2,000 border patrol professionals on the job in the area, and add the 5,200 troops that is being deployed to the border, that’s about a ratio of one border agent or solder to every man, woman, child, and baby in this terrifying caravan.

The list of diseases said to be infecting these weary travelers includes everything from leprosy to smallpox. Yes, there could be some sickness traveling with the caravan people, but smallpox and other afflictions will be about as rare as the Middle Eastern terrorists that Trump claimed are hitching a ride – or a slow, thirsty walk – with the migrants.

Trump says that any migrant throwing a rock at the soldiers will be treated as though he or she had used deadly force, and fired upon. This is one of the problems with having a president who never served in the military or held an office or studied any history: he knows nothing of the Rules of Engagement followed by the professional men and women of our armed forces.

Trump acts like every man, woman, and stroller- or backpack-riding child in the caravan is either a terrorist or a freeloader. But, I would like you to think about something.

These men and women and families will have traveled over a thousand miles to reach our southern border. They had the sense to form a large group. It is safer that way. But we must not minimize the danger that these families face daily.

They want to come here. Those who are allowed to apply for and who achieve refugee status, will almost certainly work hard to stay here. They have the potential to become good Americans. Do you think most of those MAGA-hat wearing haters, who still think it’s the height of decorum and ingenuity to shout “Lock her up!” every time Trump mentions Hillary Clinton would be willing to walk a thousand miles across formidable desert  landscape to keep their right to vote for the deranged orangutan in chief? I don’t think so either.

Anyway, we have gotten off the subject of the subject of why it is so important for you to vote in the midterm election – especially this midterm election. Come to think of it, maybe we haven’t strayed that far off the topic after all.

Everybody says this is the most important midterm in recent history. We say that every time, don’t we? Well, this time it is the truth. This is the time to vote for the Dems and only the Dems. Green Party, Libertarians, Unicorn Party, writing in the name of your maternal grandmother – let’s save these “protest votes” and whimsical ballots for another time. And, I am not saying that your maternal grandmother might make a much better president than the one we have. We’re just not voting for that office this time.

So, you gotta vote! If you haven’t cast a mail-in or early-voting ballot, do so on Tuesday, November 6!

That’s just for Democrats. Because voting is expected to be so popular this election, Republicans are asked to show up to vote on Wednesday, November 8.

Ha ha ha ha!  That was a joke!

You can’t afford to lose your sense of humor during times like these.

We need to try for that blue wave! We don’t want to see the red tide. Floridians especially have seen enough of that. It smells terrible and makes our beautiful beaches undesirable.

Will we settle for a purple rain?

We’ll live with what we get, but this is time to look for the best possible outcome and to work to make it happen.

Kava-not!

Like a new, September TV daytime soap opera, people are tuning in to see the Brett Kavanaugh hearings. Trump and the republicans thought this would be an easy appointment. But then a California psychologist and professor named Christine Blasie Ford emerged on the scene with a claim that Kavanaugh sexually assaulted her more than three decades ago. At first, Dr. Ford did not want to testify. It appears that she has decided to do her civic duty and, against her own fear of flying and fear of the death-threats she has received, she decided to tell her story before the Senate Committee and everyone watching the national coverage.

And, good for her, because, unlike a television serial, these hearings really are important.

I did see all of Christine Blasie Ford's testimony in which she claims she was assaulted by Brett Kavanaugh, and I happen to believe her. I don't know that that matters, but I do. And I think a lot of others do, also.

Dr. Ford has not been caught in a single lie, but we know that Kavanaugh has told at least one: that remark he make about Donald Trump's having consulted with more people from more backgrounds than any other president before choosing him as a candidate for the Supreme Court is a complete fabrication. Kavanaugh's name came from a list submitted by right-wing organizations, among them, the Federalist Society.

I do not think Kavanaugh should be appointed to the Supreme Court, no matter what the FBI may or may not learn about his past. His rich boy, prep school, presumption that he is deserving of the appointment, and his whining over how his family has been destroyed over this, makes me sick.

I know that people who are accused of crimes are presumed innocent until proved guilty, but he is not on trial for a crime here. These supreme court hearings are a job interview, and he does not have a right to a position on the Supreme Court. I believe he has totally disqualified himself, based on his petulant grousing alone. Then there is his ranting about this being the work of the Clintons and some kind of left-wing conspiracy? No way. It looks like poor little rich boy Brett didn’t get the memo about the work of judges taking place in a realm outside of politics. Or maybe he got the memo and read it on a day when he had too many beers, and just blacked that out of his mind.

Time to hit the old Eject button.This is not the behavior of someone we want on the Supreme Court for the next several decades.

If you still fell sorry for Kavanaugh, I would not worry. He will be fine. He can resume his position as a judge in whatever federal court he now serves. Its time for Trump to move down to the next conservative candidate on the list.

But, why is Trump so reluctant to give up on appointing Kavanaugh? Maybe it is because Kavanaugh is the only candidate on the list who has made statements to the effect that he feels sitting presidents should not be indicted for crimes committed while in office. Funny thing how Kavanaugh won't comment on so many other things – they are are "hypotheticals" in his vernacular – but he has made this one opinion quite clear.

Maybe that is makes him the favorite of another entitled prep school rich boy, Donald Trump. Just because Trump is absolutely unqualified to hold the position now occupies does not mean that the country needs to do it again with another very high office.

The Feckless and the Clueless

I was so happy to check my DVR and find a new episode of Full Frontal with Samantha Bee. Thank you TBS for not listening to our rotting pumpkinguts for brains president and canceling her show.

I realize that she might have overstepped a line with her comment about Ivanka Trump. She got herself compared to Rosanne and her wee-hours, racist tweet. These two things are not the same. Rosanne's comment was just mean. Samantha's comment was at least accurate, if crudely stated.

If Ivanka really does have the president's ear, they why hasn't she done more to moderate some of his more hateful policies – such as removing children from parents when those parents cross the border, even with done totally legally.

Samantha called Ivanka feckless and then used a word that I have heard emphasized as C-U-Next-Thursday. The second word was inaccurate. Sam Bee's show is on Wednesdays, and if she had used a an acronym for C-U-Next-Wednesday, she would have been accurate on both counts. Samantha has apologized to her viewers, and that is a good thing, lest the news cycle focus totally on her, and not on the injustice that she seeks to change.

Thank you TBS for not giving into our feckless twit of a president.

Yeah, I used the T-word.

An Open Letter to President Donald Trump: Advice for the New Year

Introduction: Hey, everybody, it is a new year. Happy 2018 everyone!

How was your 2017?

I hope it was okay, in spite of the inauguration of Donald Trump as president of the United States.

Yep, he is going to be president for the coming year and, barring impeachment or accident or too many Big Macs, he will be president for the next three years.

Three years! How much damage can he do?

Well, if 2017 is any example, a hell of a lot.

What are the right-thinking people of the country to do?

My first action of the year will be to offer the president some advice. Totally free advice. What a bargain for him and the Republican Party!

I am as sure as I can be that Trump does not read this blog. But each of us is supposed to be no more than six people away from anyone else. So, maybe some of you know someone who knows someone…who knows him and can get the following letter into his hands.

AN OPEN LETTER OF ADVICE TO PRESIDENT DONALD J. TRUMP

Dear President Trump,

Already this has proven more difficult than I thought it would be. In what universe do those three words go together? But, we have taken that first step, so onward…

Dear President Trump,

Wow, Donald, you have made it through your first year. A bit less than a year ago, were elected to the highest office in the country – maybe in the world. And you have had a lot of fun, right? But, let’s face it, being president has had its challenges. Not quite the non-stop reality show that you thought it would be. But you can’t quit now. Oh, my bad. You absolutely could quit right now and that would be just fine. But, I think we all know that is something you will not be doing. Unless you want to, of course.

All right, you are sticking it out as long as you can. In spite of the fact that, at any given time, the majority of your country’s citizens disapprove of you and the job you are doing, and your approval score looks like the forecast for the DC-metro area, you will always be able t draw a crowd of supporters. There will always be those die-hard supporters that make up your base. Even though they are not the brightest tiki torches in the white-supremacy march, they are very loyal. They support you no matter what whacked-out stunt you decide to pull off, as long as you can convince them that you are making America great again.

And that should be very easy. Let’s face it, Donald, you and fact-checking go together like hot dogs and maple syrup.  Like corn flakes and hot sauce. Like a fine steak and catsup. Wait – disregard that last one. You get the idea.

Now, before you start defending yourself, let me say that your alternative facts are okay. That’s right. Everybody has an overriding talent, and yours appears to be...to put it bluntly, Mr. President…lying.

Don’t get angry and don’t deny your one real talent. I am not writing to tell you to stop spreading horseshit with that golden tongue of yours. I’m suggesting that you take it up a notch.

Follow my plan and you will keep your base, give the Failing New York Times and Crooked CNN much less to complain about, and save the country a lot of money.

Here is the plan. Remember all of those promises you made on the campaign trail?  You were going to deport all of these illegal aliens, reduce crime, add thousands of coal-related jobs to the economy, build that wall on the country’s southern border, fix the country’s failing infrastructure, and so many other things.

All of these things are hard. So, I am suggesting that you just don’t have to do them. All you have to do it say that you did them. Tweet it out or call in to Sean Hannity when he is on the air. Tell everyone that the illegals are all gone. All of them. You put them all in boxcars, headed for Mexico. You put all the adults on one train and the children on another, headed for different Mexican cities, so they can all have fun finding their families. I am sure you can get some stock footage of people being loaded into boxcars somewhere. Announce that, with all of the illegals gone, the crime rate has dropped to near-zero.

Announce that a million new coal-mining jobs have been added to the economy. Just say it with a straight face. And say, “Trust me.” That usually works. Do you really thing those folks who are here illegally are going to hold press conferences to call you a liar?

There is no reason to waste twenty billion or more dollars building a wall. Just announce the task finished. Show a picture of the final section of the wall to be erected. Use any old photo of a wall, or draw one yourself. Here, I’ll draw one for you.

I know it is not a very good drawing, but it is good enough. Maybe Eric or Barron can do better. Remember, just tell them that it is an actual photo of your big beautiful wall. Get Sarah Sanders to repeat it over and over and your supporters will believe her and spread the word.

With all of the money you save by saying that the wall is built, you can actually start to keep one of your promises for real – use the money you were going to spend to build the wall and get busy fixing that infrastructure. The reason you should do this one for real is that, well, when the bridges start falling down and planes start crashing, some of the people die might be some of your strongest supporters, and you don’t want that to happen.

Sure the news media will cry foul, and the fact-checkers will work overtime to inform the public that that you have not done these things. They won’t be able to help themselves. Trying to publish the truth is what they do. Don’t let them stop you. You just keep on calling them the fake-news and your base will not listen to them.

Once all of those Crooked-Hillary supporters see that you really aren’t a threat to the country and the world, they will get on with other things, such a putting solar panels on their houses. They won’t approve of you, but they won’t be quite so vocal. And your supporters will be thrilled that you have kept so many of your promises.

So you have it. It’s a win-win situation.

Like I said, Mr. President, it is a whole new year and a great time to start doing things a little differently.