Take a Breath

 The speculation is running wild.

It's all through my social media. It even includes some family and friends,

Trump is ill, much more ill than we were led to believe.

Speculation even runs to congestive heart failure, with death imminent in a matter of months. Some feel he won't make it until next year.

What do I think?

I don't know. Nothing would surprise me. Whether it's a political end or a mortal end, I feel like I've been down this road too many times, and I'm exhausted. 

We have a long history in this country of Presidents covering up their health crises, dating back to FDR and even further back to Grover Cleveland. Many are critical of what Biden's staff may have covered up. I personally think that, in historical terms, the cover-up wasn't as vast or deep as some people think.

I don't think we should count on anything one way or another.

It's very hard for me. I don't wish ill on any human. Even now, I'm not sure I could celebrate his death. I do know that, other than the normal regret of someone passing, I will not feel anything positive about him. He is a terrible human being and has done much to destroy this country and even the planet.

My karmic sense wishes more that he is convicted for his crimes, and spends the rest of his life in jail, and he is so clearly vile that no human being is deluded enough to support him.

But that's not going to happen. If he survives his term, there will be other loopholes and delays that he may never have to pay. And I'm supposed to believe that the disgusting MAGAs that take joy in Alligator Alcatraz will someday wake up to their cruelty?

If Trump should no longer be able to continue in office, the prize in the Crackerjack Box will be JD Vance. I've heard people say that he has no charisma or appeal and, therefore, will be a spectacular failure.

Two things about that -1) he is supported by big-name billionaires, ones who are disintegrating democracy, and there may not be enough left where elections matter anymore, and 2) just wait until the right-wing media machine decides to change the narrative about Vance, and blast the trumpets announcing him as the Second Coming.

No, I won't be sad if Trump passes. But I won't celebrate either. There will still be miles to go to save our constitutional republic, our representative democracy, our precious system of checks and balances.

We, on the progressive side, have our own social media fevers, and this may be one of them. Many of us have convinced ourselves that this is true. It may be. It may not. Either way, we need to take a breath and gear ourselves up for the long haul.

Return of the Speculatron!

 

I used to frequently speculate about the political future.  If you search some of my older posts, you would find regular posts that I call speculatrons, where I opine on the potential of different political outcomes.

In the ugly return of the Trump era, this has become too grim to contemplate.

How a nation could return to someone as foul as Trump is beyond anything I could conceive.  It makes it hard to look at the future when you're staring at the reality of his supreme foulness.

Consider where we're at.

His popularity now ranges between 42 and 38%.  Most of that is with the collapse of independent support.  Most Republicans are still in his camp and will stay there, regardless of the Epstein files or even economic collapse.

What is happening with ICE and the concentration camps is unconscionable.  All economic indicators are moving in the wrong direction, including unemployment, the housing market, and inflation.  The stock market has rollercoastered, but is currently in the same place it was when Biden left office. Truth is being revised, including that, gosh darn, didn't you know? Slavery wasn't so bad.  Government data is being stifled.  We won't know much about the next devastating hurricane or storm, how severely the next pandemic is affecting us, or even the job numbers will be censored and fudged.  

Foreign policy?  The lunatic is aligning with the worst dictators on the planet.  He incessantly whines about how he deserves a Nobel Peace Prize.  Now he is implying that getting one may be his ticket to heaven.  

So, despite all this, he can still get Republicans to listen to him.  And right now, they are willing to gerrymander everyone else's vote away, led by Texas.

Let me clarify.  I hate gerrymandering. Congressional districts should be drawn as independently as possible, along lines that make geographical sense.

Unfortunately, that's not the world we live in.  Recent Supreme Court decisions have opened the way to this madness.  Republicans have done and will do this without impunity, and the Democrats cannot unilaterally withdraw and let the Republicans cheat their way to control.  Even with dwindling numbers, they think they can create enough safe districts to preserve their control of the House.

Enter Gavin Newsom.  He is meeting them tit for tat.  Not only is he threatening (with the people's support) to gerrymander California in response, he is also matching Trump in rhetoric and memes.  It is making Republicans angry as hell to see Trump's own tactics used against him.

But is this the best course to challenge Trump in 2028?

My argument is that Gavin Newsom is the best choice to face Trump in ... 2024. I'm not sure that's what is needed for the future of the Democratic Party in 2028.

Governor Newsom is a strong, formidable candidate.  But he offers nothing new or distinct in public policy.  

And I know what you're going to say.  That politics are largely personality-driven.

That's true, at least for the election cycle you're in.  However, it does not permanently alter the Democratic Party.  It would largely be a party dedicated as much to its corporate and wealthy donors as to anything else.  At most, it would offer small incremental changes.

And that is not what people want, at least the large majority of the working class.  They have to see the Democratic Party as their champions, and I'm not sure any of the mainstream candidates offer that.  And that would include Buttigieg, Harris, Shapiro, and similarly profiled candidates.

You're going to have to be bold.  Medicare for all, free college tuition, increased childcare support, significantly higher minimum wage, taxing the rich.  If the Democrats do not move towards this agenda, they will fail to become the party of the future.

The common wisdom now is that the Democrats don't dare run a woman or a person of color.  That is utter bull hockey.  What is needed is unadulterated progressivism, and a rejection of big-dollar donors. What you say is more important than any perceived demographic appeal.

However, personality and charisma are also important.  I wish that Governor Tim Walz had not been tainted with the Harris loss, but I don't think he can break free of it.  I wish Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren were younger.  Usually, after having had such old Presidents, we switch to a younger one.  I'm not sure anybody who is not under 60 and also high-energy will work.

That is why I'm solidly in AOC's camp.  She is young, vibrant, charismatic, and learning more about politics and how to express them every day.  She has the right positions to appeal to the working class, those with college degrees, across the entire racial and ethnic perspective. 

Yes, the reich wing will try to vilify her.  But they'll do that to any Democrat who runs.  Hell, if it were Joe Manchin, they would attack even him for being a socialist/communist.

It's probably true. Governor Newsom could probably win the election.

But Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez can win the future.

And I'm much more interested in the future of the country than I am in any corporate Democrat.

Until next time,

T. M. Strait

AOC '28!

The True Meaning of Extended Release

 Swallow me not!

The pill on the right - if I have to swallow a pill, that is the perfect size. 

The pill in the center - it's a major challenge for me to swallow whole.  It's an extended-release formulation - it's designed to be swallowed whole, and then it disintegrates gradually. I did not realize this until recently, so I had been chewing it (at least to make it easier to swallow).  I have recently made an attempt to swallow it whole.  I succeed maybe two out of every five tries.  I can swallow it if I don't think about it too much.

The pill on the right - nah, not happening.  It's huge and fat and too much for baby Tommy.

Some may call me a wussy.  Some may think it's all in my head.

Maybe.  It might be all or in part psychological.  But I do think there is at least a possibility of an esophagus issue.  I know that my Dad, particularly later in life, had a lot of swallowing issues.  I know that it takes me longer to eat a meal than Alison and Benjamin - I am typically taking smaller bites and chewing more (they recommend this if you're trying to lose weight - HA! I sure fooled them!).

This huge pill is what was given to me as my first diabetes medicine.  It's my own fault, because I think they were trying to accommodate my desire for a staggered effect rather than hitting all at once.  Little did I know that "extended release" is a pharmacy code for BIG A-- HORSE PILL!

The diabetes medicine is costly (at least for our budget).  I couldn't find any gimmicks or discounts to help. I bought it and did not see the pill size until days later.* 

I have been in contact with a special team provided through the insurance company that will help manage diabetes and provide support in obtaining certain diabetes medications. The diabetes horsepill I got is not on the list.  I do have that list, and I am hoping that my primary care can find one suitable.

Since I need to change medicine anyway, I have not pushed myself to swallow it.  If it was on the list and the primary care people insisted it was the best choice, I would try to figure out a way to swallow it.  I have been told that greasing it with applesauce or something similar would help.  I'm not sure if I could do it, but I would at least try if I had to.

I know that if my blog were anything that people responded to anymore**, I would get people trying to present ways to get over the psychological barrier.  Sort of like when I blogged about how much gnats loved me.

I appreciate that, and I may have to deal with it at some point.  How real the small esophagus is is harder for me to say.

I will keep you updated!

*There may be some issues with stomach reactions, and I was trying to pick a time when I would be home to deal with any of that.

**Usually, pets and family are a sure thing to get at least a few likes from Facebook, but my recent post filled with cute pictures of our new kitten, Scout, got ZERO response.  Facebook and its algorithms are not my friend.

PPS

Grammarly is out, for whatever reason.  Plus, I'm trying to do this around a keyboard-loving kitten, so please forgive the plethora of errors.  I will fix it when I can.

I Swear To You I Am Not a Cat Person

 

Less than two years ago, we had five pets, four dogs and one cat. And then, in a year or so, we lost all but Pixie, our white-aired chihuahua mix. Most of it had to do with the age of the pets. They had reached old age, and their passings, although not a surprise, were still hard on us.

We didn't think too much about new pets, at least I didn't. We had our trip to California to think about, and we didn't want to bring one into the family and then be gone for two weeks. We also had to consider Pixie's age. It would have made it tough for her to cope with a new puppy/dog. 

After we returned from California, I wasn't thinking much about it. I had other things on my mind, including the vicious firing of our local librarian, and a flare-up of my arthritis. But I'm not the only member of my family. Alison was thinking very seriously about it, and she was thinking about ......a CAT!

I am a dog person. I've had dogs all my life, since I was eight years old. I love dogs and form strong bonds with them very easily. Watching Krypto in the fabulous new Superman movie brought happy tears to me. The idea of a cat wasn't high on my radar.

But it was high on Alison's. She brought a kitten home, a rescue that a friend had. It was very young, perhaps just four weeks old. We had to go away the first weekend to see Benjamin in Warner Robins, the young kitten taken care of by Alison's friend, Cheryl. Alison gleefully shopped for supplies and toys in Warner Robins.

The poor, kitten. however, was not in good shape. Weaned too soon and riddled with worms, it passed even before we got back home.

I thought the cat thing would now be put on the back burner. No. Alison found another litter of kittens through a church friend, this time somewhat older and sturdier.

You can see Alison holding the kitten in the picture above. His name is Scout. And he is a scout with a vengeance, exploring the house, parkouring all over the place. Strong, fun, healthy, he quickly fit into our home. Pixie and Scout have not been perfect together, but they have developed a grudging respect and are able to be near each other more and more.

But, you know, this is still a cat. I haven't been around many. Alison had a cat named Patches, who, if not super friendly, at least accepted me as part of the family. I think I qualified as Alison's suitor because I was the first human male that Patches liked. Still, there was tolerance but little bonding.

We tried to have outdoor cats for a while, and let's just say...in the areas where we lived, the survival rate of outdoor cats was not long.

When Benjamin was little, Alison got a kitten from a feral litter at a friend's farm. That was Skitty, who was with us for over 16 years. Skitty bonded really well with Benjamin, but I was barely acknowledged.   She was not affectionate, at least to me. There was no connection between us.

Then comes Scout. An active but extremely sweet-natured kitten. One who chooses to spend a lot of time around me. Being semi-retired, I'm home a lot, and he choosing to hang with me so much - well, let's just say I've never experienced that with a cat before.

This makes working at the computer a challenge. He gets up on the desk, and I give up, turning on Cat TV, where she can track birds and squirrels. I should be bothered by the intrusion, but somehow I don't mind. He also loves seeing our favorite sport, soccer.

Often, he will settle in near me, resting or sleeping in my chair with me. 

Oh, good Lord!

This cat is bonding with me.

And I am bonding with him.

I swear, I am not a cat person.

But I am definitely a Scout person!

Our newest soccer fan!

The Tiger sleeps tonight!

Not a flattering picture of me (that may be an impossibility nowadays) but an incredibly flattering picture of the bonds between me and Scout.

Superman: Woke Since 1938!

 

Sometimes, I really hate what we've become. I'm a fan of the website IMDb. We love to know about what we're watching. We see a familiar actor, and Alison and I will research to find out who they are and what we've seen them in.

There is an unpleasant aspect to IMDb, and that is with the unwoke army that comes in and corrupts their ratings. They will diss any show or movie that their right-wing nut job influencers have told them to mark down to 1s and 2s, bringing down the average score. For example, the lowest-rated episode of the new Quantum Leap series dared to feature a transgender athlete. I thought the story was beautiful, and the only episode of the series that brought me to tears.  

So, who is the unwoke army's newest vendetta? The latest Superman movie. Why? It glorifies an illegal immigrant (spoiler alert - Superman is not from around here). He's too soft. He's too kind. He takes the side of a weak nation about to be pillaged by a much stronger one. His opponent is a villainous stereotype of a billionaire. He takes the time to save a squirrel, for God's sake!

Did none of these mooks actually read Superman? He was created by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster, two Jewish high school students from Cleveland. Almost like a Golem, ready to defend the weak and powerless. Superman was an alien, rocketed by his parents from the dying planet Krypton, landing in a Kansas cornfield, raised by two loving, caring farmers, and endowed with a tremendous sense of humanity. He chose as his alter ego, Clark Kent, to be a reporter, putting himself in a position where he could discover social ills and the problems of everyday citizens and address them. Some of his first cases involved confronting a husband who was abusing his wife, defending and revitalizing an area that was exploited by slumlords, and yes, intervening in a war involving Boravia and arms dealers profiting off of it.

That is from Superman #2, published in 1939. So much for Borovia just being an invention of Dorector James Gumn,

Any character that is almost nine decades old and has been written/drawn by dozens of comic book talents is bound to have reboots and reinterpretations. It's not always a straight line.

But I know what the core of Superman is. I've been reading Superman comics since the early 60s, and yes, I still read them today, both the classics and the newest issues. And what James Gunn has done is a perfect capture of the essence of Superman and his world, as I have ever seen.

This is not a review per se. But I do feel every character in it is a home run. There are no false notes. Much of it left me weeping with joy, as I feel blessed to have seen this movie.

I had a slight difference with my son, Benjamin, who also saw the movie. He said it was the best Superman movie he's ever seen. I slightly disagreed, in the sense that I thought it was the best movie I've ever seen.

As I come down from my high, that evaluation may change. But right now? It is the best. It's one of the few movies I've seen in my life that I immediately wanted to go back and see again.

Sorry, unwoke army. Like it or not, Superman is the epitome of woke and all the good things that it represents. I love him! Superman! Woke since 1938!

What Were They Thinking?

 What was MAGA thinking? What did they think was going to happen if the Epstein files were released?

It's hard for me to picture this. Did they really think that the Epstein Client list was a who's who of Democratic politicians and Democratic friendly billionaires? That this would expose the Democratic pedophile ring that looped in Pizzagate and Hilary drinking baby's blood?

The most logical implications of Trump and Epstein's friendship completely elude them.  

They hung out all the time. They were best friends (as much as two narcissists can be friends). And you think even though everything in Trump's life is cold-blooded and transactional, somehow Trump was entirely ignorant of what Epstein was doing.

Trump? The man who bought teen beauty pageants because it gave him an excuse to hang out in their dressing rooms? The man who had worked with modeling agencies that took advantage of foreign models, some of whom were very, very young? A man who coveted his own daughter, implying he would "date" her if she weren't his daughter? A man who tells preteens he might be dating them when they get a few years older? A man accused of sexual misconduct by over two dozen women? A man CONVICTED of sexual assault, whom the judge said that what Trump did was, in essence, RAPE? A man who bragged in the infamous Access Hollywood recording about how he could take advantage of women because he was a celebrity, even grab them in the nether regions?

He's on the flight logs. He gave Epstein a clever birthday card, implying deeper secrets. His wife, Melania, has ties to Epstein, and they are all connected to Ghislaine Maxwell.  

And yet...MAGA thinks that Trump is going to fulfill his campaign promise and release all the Epstein files and client lists...all UNREDACTED.

You were played, MAGA. He would say anything to get reelected. He hoped you would forget all about it.

What are liberals thinking?

They think that whatever Trump reveals will be the truth?

That the files won't be sanitized, leaving only Trump opponents exposed? Oh, look! One of the few pages not to be redacted reveals a Democratic icon!

You can't trust Trump to release anything incriminating about himself. Look at the moves he's made so far - they are discussing the release of some selected and redacted grand jury transcripts, colluding with Ghislaine Maxwell, exchanging information that only names Democrats, offering her limited immunity, and eventually a pardon.  

Trump and Maxwell were good friends. And now that he is President again, she knows her quickest route to freedom is by serving his interests.

What am I thinking?

I'd rather this all come out. I'd rather anyone involved, regardless of party, be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.  

I just don't see that happening, at least anytime soon.

There are too many roadblocks to a true release of unredacted information.

On the other hand...

This isn't a vast mystery. The circumstantial ties between Trump and Epstein are overwhelming. And even without the Epstein files, you have dozens of women who were abused step forward and have TOLD us what was happening. But do we ever believe the women? Why don't we check in with Clarence Thomas and Brett Kavanaugh about that? Hell, Trump has been convicted, both civilly and criminally, for how he treated women, and many MAGA still choose to believe Trump.

Stop acting like he couldn't do it. Of course, he could. It's well within his personality's wheelhouse.

However, be aware that he may not be on the Epstein Client List.

That's because he wasn't a client.

He was a partner, a co-conspirator, a beneficiary of special favors.

He wasn't paying. He was collecting both women and money.

Sorry, MAGA. The Epstein files aren't what you think they are.

Sorry, liberals. It may not be until 2029 that we get to see what the files really look like. You're in for another 3+ years of gaslighting and false finger-pointing.

But you don't need all the files to see the truth.

The truth is already out there.

A Well-Traveled Park

I may have used this picture in an earlier blog story, and am now repeating it here.  Oh, well. That kind of repetition is a hallmark of aging.

I went to the doctor for a checkup.  At 70, that's always a scary adventure. Especially when reviewing blood work from the previous week.

It was a mixed bag.  Most of the results were good.  There were a few things I need to be careful with and follow up on.  

I've fought some things for a few years now, things that were marginal and felt that I could control myself.

Finally, my age gave me a new perspective, and I realized I had to accept who I am and that I may need some help in combating health issues.  The biggest one was admitting something that is hard for me, because I, for better or worse, view it as a personal failure.

I am a diabetic.

My numbers are not that bad, just over the line, but I have pretended for too long.  I must admit that I have it, and I cannot delay any longer.  So, I'm going on medication to control and reverse it.

I know that a balanced diet and regular exercise, along with weight loss, can help with this.  And, with Alison's help, I think I can get better.  

Whether I'm on medication for a few months or a lifetime, it is now something I'll always have to think about, monitor, and consider.

I realize I'm not alone in this.  Many go through this, including a lot of my friends and family. I know that's partly cultural, a result of our lifestyle and the prevalence of processed foods. And I've seen the results when diabetes is ignored or handled poorly.  That is not a path I wish to travel.

I prefer to do those things I need to do to minimize the harm this disease causes, so that I can keep traveling in my well-worn park, and continue to enjoy life - time with Alison and my children and grandchild, reading, writing, performing, attending church, loving pets, binging scripted shows, supporting public libraries, fighting the Trumpocalypse.

Here's to many more adventures - just with a little less sugar!