Pardon Me?

 

Oh, my lawdy! I'm starting to get the vapors!

President Biden pardoned his son, Hunter!

What ugly, brutal miscarriage of justice is this?

And don't forget! He PROMISED us he wouldn't do it!

Just because multiple Presidents in the past have pardoned relatives (Abraham Lincoln, Bill Clinton, Donald Trump) doesn't allow Biden to do the same. He had declared repeatedly that he wouldn't do it.

Me? I don't really care. It doesn't affect my opinion of Biden one way or another.

Why did he change his mind?

Biden's earlier declaration was based on a series of misinterpretations and errors in judgment.

1) I think he really thought Kamala Harris would win. It was not a huge mistake. I fully expected her to win as well. We both over-relied on the common decency of the American people.

Oops.

The idea here is that there would be little value in viciously pursuing a President's son, especially for crimes that most are rarely prosecuted for and virtually where no one goes to jail.

2) He then thought that with the Orange fascist in control, he would have little desire to pursue vendettas. I mean, really, what was there in the con man's character to lead you to believe that he would waste his time demolishing opponents he had beaten?

Oops.

3) It would look bad as to their stand against the criminal clown, making it look like they were just like him.

As if he would care.

Oops.

Cut to current times.

King Fool has been accumulating the worst collection of cabinet nominees in the history of ever - billionaires, sexual assaulters, fraudsters, criminals, those who want to destroy the department they head, and on and on. It's embarrassing, really. But I guess MAGA is no longer capable of being embarrassed. It's a cult, worshipping at the feet of their criminal overlord, not a political party.

In that tone, it becomes clear that Mister Vicious is dead serious about retribution. His FBI selection, Kash Patel, has an actual hit list of people who have committed NO CRIME other than stand up to the unholy narcissist-in-chief. MAGA congress members want to prosecute everyone involved in the J6 committee - including witnesses.

Biden had to see this monstrous march to prosecutorial insanity and decided he had to get his son out of the way.

Under that steady stream of vile bile?

I WOULD EFFING ABSOLUTELY DO THE SAME!

The reaction to this shouldn't be "Heavens to Murgatroyd! How dare that man pardon his son after telling us he wouldn't do it!"

It should be, "Why did he do it? Because an unholy s---storm is coming our way! Anyone who doesn't bend the knee will be destroyed!"

Look at Joe and Mika of Morning Joe. They groveled all the way to Mar-A-Lago and, in the process, demolished their feeble little morning show. But you know what? Maybe they feared what standing up to him would mean. Fear led them to choose safety over courage.

And we are going to see this repeated over and over again.

This is how fascists win.

I don't blame Biden for saving his son. It may not be the only pardon to come. He may have to protect many who have committed no crime but will have their lives consumed anyway.

Yeah. There's a lot I could say, but I'll leave it to other posts. One biggie is when MAGAs try to compare the pretend crimes of those who stand against him to the REAL crimes of the Orange Buffoon.

Yeah. It's going to be a rough four years.

The Cleansing of the Soles: Mysterious Photograph #2

 Everybody has dreams. 

One of mine was to see my name as an author in a pulp fiction magazine.  I was reading Worlds of If and Fantastic Stories from when I was as young as 8, buying them for 35 cents.  I fantasized about what it would be like to have a story published in them one day.

Sixty-one years later, I still dream about it.  What feeble efforts I made over the years were ignored and easily swatted away,

But I'm not giving up.  I have found a contest in Alfred Hitchcock's Mystery Magazine, a short (flash fiction) story based on a "mysterious photograph."

My first submission, One Small Step, did not win.  It did not receive honorable mention.

Nevertheless, I persist.

I submitted the story below. my second attempt.

I am pleased to report that it was runner-up, and my name will be in the January/February issue of Alfred Hitchcock's Mystery Magazine! 

So, part of my dream has been accomplished!  The story itself won't be, but my name will be in a pulp magazine, and for writing!

This reinvigorates me to keep trying, that maybe there is some merit to my writing!

And now, for the winning runner-up!

The Cleansing of the Soles

by T. M. Strait 

It had to be you. Of all the people to walk into my basement, it had to be Marvin. Restraining order be damned – there you were.

“Get out!’ I shouted. “You can’t be here!”

“Yes, I can! I don’t care what the lawyers say! This is my house, and I’m taking it back!” Marvin moved menacingly toward me, a bat in his hands.

Enough of his belittling and abuse! I’d had my fill. Rather than cower, I surprised him by rushing toward him, my arms in front of me. I took advantage of his confusion, and I knocked him down. He fell heavily, his head crunching on the concrete basement step.

He didn’t move. “Marvin? Are you okay?”  I kicked him, but he didn’t respond. I checked for breath. There was none. A pool of blood under his head seeped out to redden the gray of the step.

Marvin would never threaten me again. It wasn’t easy, but I stuffed his body in the freezer. I mopped up the blood. I thought I was done when I noticed the blood on the bottom of my sneaker.

In a panic, I took off my shoes, and threw them to the washer.

I needed to be done with this.  I wanted the last remnant of Marvin off of me.

I wanted to wash that man right out of my sole.

One Small Step: Mysterious Photograph #1

Everybody has dreams. 

One of mine was to see my name as an author in a pulp fiction magazine.  I was reading Worlds of If and Fantastic Stories from when I was as young as 8, buying them for 35 cents.  U fantasized about what it would be like to have a story published in them one day.

Sixty-one years later, I still dream about it.  What feeble efforts I made over the years were ignored and easily swatted away,

But I'm not giving up.  I have found a contest in Alfred Hitchcock's Mystery Magazine, a short (flash fiction) story based on a "mysterious photograph."

I submitted the story below.  I did not win the grand prize of $25.  I did not get honorable mention.

Nevertheless, I persist.

I have submitted two more stories since.  I've heard nothing back, but I am determined not to give up.  Like a monkey in front of a typewriter, someday I may stumble out a winning entry.

Meanwhile, as I lose, I will continue to post out my losing entries as the deadline passes.

One Small Step

by T. M. Strait

I don't always think things out. Rob the Scherba Museum's space exhibit of its rare Martian rocks? Not a bad idea. Hiding in a spacesuit until closing? Not so much.

Lisa got me into the suit and convinced others it was part of the show. Near closing, she told them she needed to take me to a backroom to remove the suit.

Instead, she left me in the suit, kissing me for luck, leaving bright red lipstick on the face glass.

I waited several hours after closing, timing my exhibit exploration with the security guard's routine.

The rocks lay on a Martian landscape, including a Mars Rover. Lisa's app neutralized the lasers protecting it. I filled the suit's pockets with valuable rocks. Lisa's fence thought we could get millions!

I left the museum and went into the streets behind it. Lisa was to meet me and help me out of the suit, 

But there was no Lisa. I waited. And waited.

Dawn approached. Where was she?

I heard a ding from inside the suit. A voice said, "Ten minutes air remaining."

What? I had no idea how to get out of this suit. I screamed for Lisa.

I don't know if she heard me, but suddenly she was skipping towards me. She smiled, reaching into my spacesuit pockets, gathering the Mars rocks. I couldn't hear her, but she was dancing and making happy noises. She mouthed the words, "Thank you!"

And she danced away.

Nope. Didn't think that part out.

Thanksgiving in the New Era

 Happy Thanksgiving, y'all.

In the past, I have blogged a list of 31 things I am thankful for, revising it each year for any changes.

That's very tough to do this year.

It's not that I don't have plenty to be grateful for. I am thankful for my family, my friends, our health, our pets, my church, and many of my church family.

I am thankful that my son, Benjamin, and our friend, Anita Lynn, will be with us for Thanksgiving.

There are many personal things that I am thankful for.

But it is difficult to be completely thankful when the nation that I love so much has had its happiness and future snatched away from us.

It's difficult to live in a county where 89% of the voters chose the orange fascist.

I won't go into all the many ways that this unfortunate decision will affect us in the US and around the globe. I'll have plenty of other posts about that.

I wish I could be like so many who have decided to cut these poisonous people from their lives. I'm doing it to the extent that I can. But it's not easy when the view that thinks this is okay is dominant here. That this was just another election, and why can't we all be friends.

As many have clarified, it's not a difference in politics; it's a base difference in morality. And that is hard to get around.

I'm doing the best I can. Thankfully, I no longer have to work in an environment filled with his supporters.  

Tomorrow, I have to go into the Lion's Den and have a Thanksgiving meal with relatives who support him. If I was a stronger person, I would refuse to go there. But I can't do that. It's not in me. But I  will do my best to minimize interaction beyond what is needed to be polite.

Some who read this blog may wonder when it will turn to a broader range of topics—family, nostalgia, movies/TV/books/theatre, etc.

Maybe that will come in time.

But right now, there is too much anger and fear and rage.  

I can't let it go. To do so would be to surrender to fascism and to accede to the immorality of the narcissist in chief.

If that bothers you, then cut me off. Because it's not going to stop.

I can't let it go.

As dark as times are, I refuse to stop lighting up what I can.

Happy Thanksgiving to you all, including the Trumpeteers. I despise what you did and will never understand or forget it. But on a personal level, I wish nothing but the best for you and your family and friends. 

United States of America

1776 - 2025

A noble experiment has come to an end.

Someday, God willing, it will be returned to us.

But for now.

It is gone.

A Dream Deferred

 On Friday, November 1, I wrote a letter from the future, A Glimpse of Better Times, as written by my granddaughter. It showed an increasingly bright future, all stemming from Harris/Walz's victory.

Shockingly, that didn't happen. Americans chose the Orange Fascist instead.

I thought, maybe I need to rewrite that story, show all the horrible things that this despicable person and his Trumpeteers will do, and the damage that will reverberate for decades.

But then I thought, I can't write about that kind of nightmarish hellscape and put my Granddaughter in it.

I prefer to keep this sticker set and give it to her at the right time so she knows that it is not over but a dream deferred.

For her sake and the sake of all those I love, I have to pray that somehow we get out of this with a minimum of suffering and pain.

There is a lot to be pessimistic about. For those who think this was just a normal election with a normal election outcome - you truly do not know what you have done.

I despair. I find it difficult to be around anyone who willingly puts us in this mess. I fear about the effects not just to democracy but to the irreversible damage that will be done to our environment. I fear for the lives of Ukrainians and Palestinians. I fear for those who will be persecuted for their sexual identities and their open gender expression. I fear for those who continue to speak out and risk their well-being and freedom. I fear for the lack of women's reproductive health care. I fear for all civil workers, being led by absolute morons whose only intent is not to serve but to destroy and enrich themselves. 

I could go on and on. Yeah, a lot of bad stuff is going to go down.

But then, I look at my Granddaughter and know I can't surrender. I can't just give in to my grief.

It's hard right now.   Hard to be anything but angry and worried.   It's hard to be around those who sold this nation out.

But I promise you, my sweet, precious Retta, that I will fight these feelings and do whatever I can to make your future better.

It is not a dream ended.   It can't be.

It is a dream deferred.

What Went Wrong?

 

This is what we could have had. Love, family, and a team devoted to helping the American people.

This is what we got. Narcissistic billionaires, conspiracy theorists, sexual assaulters - all centered on benefitting themselves at your expense.

What went wrong?

Everything. Absolutely everything.

Yes, those who look at my recent posts will know I missed my election prediction by a mile. 

Truthfully, my prediction was not based on sophisticated poll analysis or other scientific data. Polls were unreliable and all over the map.

No, mine was based on gut instinct. I had faith in the decency of the American people and that they would give Vice President Harris the landslide she deserved.

I relied on the decency of our fellow citizens. I was wrong. I'm not the first person to get shot down because they overestimated the discernment and intelligence of Americans.

The bottom line is I couldn't fathom us choosing another Trump administration. I couldn't imagine enough people deliberately picking that kind of hate and destruction.

What went wrong?

There are as many theories as there are people as to why Harris did not emerge victorious. Most of them are bullcrap.

Should Biden have gotten out earlier? It wouldn't have helped. He'd be done as President, and he would not have been able to accomplish anything. The nominee that they picked would have either been Harris or somebody on the Corporate Democrat side of the spectrum.

Harris was too woke? HAHAHAHAHA! That's the silliest thing I've ever heard. Did you really listen to their campaign? We have guns! I'll shoot the burglar invading my home! We'll be tough on the immigrants! And not one word about the endangered trans community. They weren't even allowed to speak at the convention.

Harris should have gone further right? That would have been difficult. Any further right, and the Democrats might as well have picked Liz Cheney.

The economy was bad? Disregarding the power of Fox to make you believe what isn't true, the economy was about as good as it gets for at least the last fifty years. There were some problems (housing, college costs, healthcare), but anyone who thought that Republicans had any solutions were fooling themselves

Here's some that I consider to have at least some validity to them - 

1) Harris spent too much time courting the elusive disaffected Republican.

This has happened before. Much of Hilary Clinton's campaign overfocused on winning over Republicans who understood that Trump was a bad character.

It didn't work then. It didn't work now.

Granted, even I thought there was some validity to the strategy this time. Many (well, more than a handful) of Republicans stated their opposition to Trump, some prominent, some not so prominent. Surely, some of the more reasonable Republicans would choose country over party.

I knew this was a failure when I saw the Pierce County vote count. 89% voted for Trump, virtually the same percentage for every Trump election. No falloff whatsoever. No miracle conversions. Just the same percentage determined to plunge this country into a nightmarish hellscape.

2) Harris's policies were incremental rather than dramatic.

Harris overfocused on small incremental tax code changes rather than bold, transformative initiatives. This caused particular problems with the working poor and/or the noncollege educated.

I guess she thought she would lose support among moderate and right-leaning independents if she was too bold. Maybe she would have, but I don't know.

All I know is that, since 2000, Democratic campaigns have been littered with the corpses of those campaigns that refused to be bold. Gore, Kerry, and Clinton (and now Harris) all tried to trim their sails and all came up short (thanx and a hat's tip to the slave state inspired Electoral College).

We lost the working poor (mainly but not exclusively whites) when the Democratic Party did everything it could, in both 2016 and 2020, to shut down Bernie Sanders and then to ignore what appealed to his more diverse base.

The Democrats chose corporate policies over people policies. And they've been suffering ever since.

3) Too many refused to vote for a woman, especially a black woman,

This was a factor. It makes me sick to my stomach to live in a country so backward and so misogynistic that this may have been why some didn't vote for her.

And the most important -

4) I blame the American people.

Yeah. I said it. All of you who voted for Trump; those of you left it blank or voted third party - I blame you.

You know better. At least you should.

He was/is lawless.

She was/is flawless. Regardless of what was said above, she is of sterling character, ran the best campaign she could, picked the best Vice Presidential candidate I've ever seen, is the most qualified candidate of recent times, and is empathetic and caring.

And none of that mattered. None of it.

These next four years are going to be terrible.  

The best case scenario is that an adult/adults come back in 2026 and 2028 and can repair as much as possible.

The worst case scenario is that was the last election, and anything in the future will be a front and a sham, like they are in other authoritarian governments, like Hungary and Russia.  

What went wrong?

Everything. Absolutely everything.

And we're just beginning to find out what that means.

Our Darkest Day

 

This morning, in my alternating melancholy and rage, it is probably best that I don't say too much.  I am ready to burn bridges to the ground.  Not Christ-like, I know.  But there is nothing Christ-like that happened in this election.

There will be a temptation to understand and forgive those who did this, and the analysis will be endless.

I don't care about the analysis.  I don't care about considering forgiveness.  

What has been done is unforgivable.

What has been done will do horrible and irreversible damage.

And there is no way of getting around that.

There will be more later as I try to restore rationality to my temper.

But for now, I write the most terrifying words I have ever written - 

The Trumpocalypse Continues

2024 Final Projections: Saturday Political Soapbox 299

 

This is my final 2024 projection for the 2024 election!

The above is my overly rosy projection for the Electoral College.  

My less rosy projection is Harris 328 and the fascist 210.

Something's happening, and the polls aren't always catching it. Some polls are sponsored by and skewed by one party or the other (although to be honest, this is mostly a MAGAt game). Others are misapplying lessons learned in prior elections. Pollsters always overadjust. This time they are underestimating the furor of women and the youth vote. They are overestimating MAGA-style Republicans.

This does not include the fact that many people are no longer answering their phones. Even text messages are left unanswered. I had one pollster try to message me several times. I looked up the organization polling and decided it was not legit.

Examples of a trend towards Harris - the highly reputable Iowa Poll that showed her winning Iowa by 3 points! Also interesting was the Kansas poll that showed  Harris within five points! The last time a Kansas election was within five points was in 1896! The last Democrat to win Kansas was LBJ in 1964! Heck, FDR lost Kansas in 2 out of his four races! The fascist won Kansas by 15 points in 2016 and 11 points in 2020. What kind of seismic shift must be occurring for Kansas to be almost in play?

2024 HOUSE

My house projections:

Rosy: Democrats 236 Republicans 199

Less Rosy: Democrats 226 Republicans 209

I am confident that Hakeem Jeffries will be the Speaker of the House for the 119th Congress. I'm less sure of the margins. However, I would not be surprised if the final numbers are even rosier than I suggest!

I would love to see a Congress without Boebert, MTG, and Gaetz. However, that may be difficult because they are in very red districts. Of the three, Boebert is the most vulnerable.  

2024 SENATE

My Senate projections:

Rosy: Democrats 54 Republicans 46

Less Rosy: Democrats 51 Republicans 49

These numbers are with all the Independents caucusing with whom they really belong.

The Senate is the one I'm least sure about and makes me the most queasy. Because of the seats at risk, with Democrats having to defend the most territory, the natural course of events favors the Republicans.  

If the Republicans control the Senate, it would be a disaster. No one will get confirmed, leaving hundreds of vacancies. No legislation would pass, even bipartisan legislation. And I am afraid, with the Harris administration able to get little done, the 2026 backlash will be ugly, with morons blaming Harris rather than the Republican Senate.

The Republicans that I most want gone include Cruz of Texas, Scott of Florida, and Hawley of Missouri.

I am sorry. I cannot picture a scenario where the Orange fascist wins. But if he does, I fear for the nation. I fear for the world.

The MAGA fascist movement, the Christian nationalists, the billionaire bros - they all must be stamped out. Or at least neutered.

A Glimpse of Better Times

 There were some tough times.

That was inevitable with how history flows - it's not always a smooth course. There are always steps forward and steps back. You just have to hope you're lucky enough to live in a time when the forward steps exceed the backward ones.

Finally, in the deep twilight of my life, I feel blessed to have seen us progress towards a brighter future.

I thought we would never get a handle on global warming. And we didn't. Not completely. But it's nowhere near as bad as it was in the late twenties. We finally did the right things, moving to renewable fuels and taking better care of the Earth.

Sadly, poverty still exists. But very few live in starvation and misery, and we've ended the Age of Billionaires. Population peaked and stabilized, and we've learned much about sustainable agriculture.

In 2033, we finally gained true universal health care, thanks in large part to the efforts of President Ocasio-Cortez and the Progressive majority. Electoral reforms, such as the elimination of the Electoral College and ranked-choice voting, universal voting registration, increases in the Congressional delegation (Senate and House) based on population, the outlawing of legislative gerrymandering, increasing the Supreme Court to 13 (matching the number of circuit courts) and limiting their terms to 18 years, all of these increased the democratization of the American experiment.

Education flourished as public universities were made free, and critical thinking skills took preeminence at our public schools. Public libraries became central, parks were prioritized, and urban planning was implemented to beautify many cities, including the blooming of urban gardening.

People were free to love who they wanted. Gender and sexuality were a brilliant rainbow. Diversity was respected and enriched us all. We were no longer a white majority country, and except for a stubborn few, that made the country richer, more tolerant, and more loving.

With the essential safeguards in place, people felt more secure in becoming entrepreneurs, pursuing their dreams, and making the nation a rich patchwork of businesses and enterprises.  

At times, it looked like Christianity would be a thing of the past. But once the domination of the Christian Nationalists was broken, the Christian Progressives took center stage, and now Christianity is stronger and more purposeful than ever. The power of love and inclusivity, the desire to bring us closer to heaven on Earth, proved to be more potent than the power of hate and exclusivity.

As I sit here, on my porch in the Catskills, overlooking the beauty of nature, here in 2113, I look back to the early days when I was a child and my parents who fought so hard to end the country's teetering toward fascism, and the remarkable turnaround that began with the election of our first female President (amazing to think that it's been almost seventy years since our last male President), I see a world that is far from perfect but is so much better than it could have been.

God bless President Harris, and god bless all who voted for her. You made my world so much better.

Love to all,

Pastor Retta Strait

Top 100 Sci-Fi Movies of the 20th Century!!! Part 2 No. 93 - 87

 

 I received this issue of Remind, or what Alison calls "my old people magazine," which ranks the top 100 Science Fiction movies of the 20th century.

Remind does have many pop culture stories, focusing primarily on the 1950s through the 1990s, although there are some references to earlier decades. Each issue focuses on different topics, such as country music, westerns, where are they now issues, and much more  I enjoy it, as I love pop history. They also have puzzles and a monthly guide as to what's on TCM (Turner Classic Movies).

I thought it would be fun to see the movies on the list in reverse order and see what I thought of them. The magazine's ranking of the movies is not mine.  

I won't go into detailed reviews, but I will share the IMDb ranking and my own on a 1 to 10 scale.

94)

The Blob

Year: 1958  IMDb: 6.3 Tom: 6  Had I seen before?   Yes  Service found on: Max

Not too bad, but kinda cheesy (blobby?). A growing blob threatens a small town, slowly rolling towards threatening more and more citizens. Only a small group of teenagers try to wake everybody to the menace, led by a young, intrepid Steve McQueen (not looking too much as a teen at 28 years old). One of the most popular themes in these kinds of movies is to have the alien defeated by something otherwise common. This dates back to at least H. G. Well's book The War of the Worlds.

92)

Enemy Mine

Year: 1985  IMDb: 6.8 Tom: 6  Had I seen before?   Yes  Service found on: Prime Rental

A war between an alien race and humans results in one of each being isolated on a remote planet. The two sworn enemies find themselves trapped with each other, and over time, their initial hostilities are replaced with grudging respect and interdependence and, gradually, a devoted friendship. I try very hard to ignore that the human, Dennis Quaid, has become a Trump supporter, but in the spirit of the movie, I do my best to look past it. Louis Gossett Jr. is amazing as the alien.

91)

Things to Come

Year: 1936  IMDb: 6.6 Tom: 7 Had I seen before?   No  Service found on: Prime 

I am a great fan of H. G. Wells, especially when I was younger. This movie is prophetic in parts, but like any movie set in the future, it doesn't always hit the mark. Its predictions are even more impressive when you consider that they were originally written in 1933 and predicted the effects of World War II, atomic weapons, pandemics, and more. It is dated but enjoyable.

90)

Akira

Year: 1988  IMDb: 8.0 Tom: 8 Had I seen before? Yes  Service found on: Hulu

I had the privilege of seeing this at an Atlanta movie theatre when it first came to the United States. Although I am not a hater of anime, I am not a superfan, but this movie is the exception that proves the rule. It is an awesome story set in a post-apocalyptic Tokyo, where young teens are experimented on to disastrous results.

89)

Cocoon

Year: 1985 IMDb: 6.7 Tom: 9 Had I seen before? Yes  Service found on: Library Rental

Trying to find this movie slowed my progress considerably. It's not available on any streaming service, and getting a digital copy to own or rent is impossible. I requested it from my library, and it took a week or so to locate it, but they finally located a copy for me. Remember that - don't forget about your friendly local public library!

This film is a great favorite of mine. Elderly men find that bathing in a pool near their nursing home has rejuvenating properties—they now feel young and energetic. 
They share the pool with alien cocoon entities. They gradually meet and befriend the aliens shepherding the cocoons.

To me, this movie is extra special in that the seniors are given the opportunity to travel to the alien's home planet and live forever. In virtually every other movie I've seen, those offered eternal life would turn it down. Spoiler alert!  - in this movie, it's different!

Another interesting anecdote is that one of the senior citizens, Wiford Brimley, was just 49 years when the movie was filmed!

Don Ameche (winning Best Supporting Actor), Hume Cronyn, Wilford Brimley

88) 

They Live

Year: 1988 IMDb: 7.2 Tom: 9 Had I seen before? Yes  Service found on: Peacock

Another all-time favorite of mine! I am a big fan of director John Carpenter, and this is one of his best! Set in the near future, the movie shows a world where the gap between rich and poor has increased (talk about prophetic!), and one of the downtrodden, Roddy Piper (of wrestling fame), finds a pair of glasses that allow him to see the world as it really is. And yes, most of the rich are actually alien invaders! Or, well, frankly, many of the Republicans. John Carpenter made clear that this movie was an extension of what was happening under Reaganism.

And guess what? Minus the aliens, that's about what's happened!

87)

eXistenZ

Year: 1999 IMDb: 6.8 Tom: 4 Had I seen before? No  Service found on: You Tube

I had to watch this on YouTube in 10-minute segments. It didn't help make this movie any better. As big as a fan I am of John Carpenter, I am apparently the opposite with director David Cronenberg. I guess I'm just not a big fan of random guts and body parts. This has something to do with the otherwise talented Jennifer Jason Leigh leading Jude Law through one of her reality game simulations. A huge mess that made little sense to me.

I hate to end this on a down movie, but it did include some gems like Cocoon and They Live.

Next edition!  - more of one of my least favorite directors, and another Trump-loving actor. But then it gets better - I promise!

Nobody Moves!

 

It's hard to say that Hilary lost when she won the popular vote by about three million. Nevertheless, because of the antiquated antics of the electoral college, the most disgusting man in America ruined American History and assumed the American Presidency.

In that campaign, Ms. Clinton spent an inordinate amount of time trying to woo "disaffected Republicans." Yes, many of them were disgusted by Trump and initially supported other Republicans. They sounded pretty adamant against him. But in the end, 99.9% of them came back home to roost, held their noses, and voted for the orange conman.  

In my own sphere, I had a co-worker who did not like Trump, would participate in my anti-Trump rants, and voted for another very conservative candidate in the primary. I had no idea until much later that he voted for the narcissistic racist in the general election. It was a great shock, and I did not react well. I felt my whole world built on people being rational crumble. After that, we never talked about politics.

Hilary Clinton wasted a lot of time and energy trying to win over the unwinnable and needed to spend more time trying to recapture the otherwise nonpolitical Bernie voter. In my opinion, these were the voters who could be won over, those who did not traditionally vote or always vote Democratic.

In 2020, when four years of the incompetent fraudster should have convinced many in the conservative base of how bad he was, there still was great resistance to switching. I did not talk to my co-worker about it, but I knew he had a Trump sign in the cabinet in his office. Biden won decisively, thanks to a large turnout, overcoming Trump winning more votes than he did in 2016.  

In the present. Kamala Harris has made a big deal out of winning over disaffected Republicans. I'm not sure how that's going to go. At least this time, she has a plethora of Republican figures supporting her, including the VERY CONSERVATIVE Cheneys, military generals, and most of Trump's cabinet; if you worked with him, you knew he was a POS.

How will that work this time? There is some hope she will gain more ground than Hillary Clinton did — the anecdotal evidence leans that way. Fortunately, that is not the only thing Harris is doing. She is appealing to the Democratic base and Independents as well. As an independent progressive, I am way fired up in a way that even exceeds my disdain for TRUMP/VANCE/PROJECT 2025. Minnesota Governor Tim Walz is the best choice I could imagine for Vice President. 

In my own sphere, looking back on the last nine years we've lived with the sour reality that so many blindly support a fascist, I'm thinking hard if I know personally of even one person who had supported him who has since changed their mind.

Granted, I live in a 90% Trump county. It's not socially acceptable, or even safe, to publicly express opposition to him. But people know where I'm at and how I feel. You think at least one person could slip me word that they are now off the Trump reservation. But I've never heard that, not in nine long years.

Do you know anybody who was once for Trump but now disavows him? You don't need to name names. Just let me know - is there any hope? Is there anyone you know who moved out of the fascist darkness?

I really want to know.

Back to Political Basics

 

It's a strange season.

Many of you have already voted. It's difficult to know how much persuasion is warranted. Some of you have already voted for the future of American democracy. Some of you have already made the biggest mistake of your life.

In my personal world, I have seen little change or movement. For nine years, the lines have remained relatively solid. Nothing has been more discouraging and disappointing to me than my failure to persuade a single, solitary soul.  

So, enough about the monstrous shortcomings of the orange conman. None of you who are enthralled with him are willing to peek behind the curtain. The only thing left is to pray that the quirks of the Electoral College and the crafty manipulations of those who don't believe in democracy leave us with an unthinkable situation.

Once again, let me list the positions that are most important to me and who I feel will help the most. This will be brief, and it is important to note that I am picking those who represent it best, even if they are not the ideal.

1) Climate change/global warming is happening now, not just in the future. We need to do everything in our power to mitigate and slow the damage that is already underway. HARRIS/WALZ is the team to slow this.  

2) This country should have universal health care, ideally a single-payer plan. HARRIS/WALZ may only get there partially, but they'll make more progress than the other side (who are more likely to increase the cost and reduce the number covered).

3) The increasing gap between the wealthy and the working class needs to be reversed. HARRIS/WALZ have policies that will help close that gap, and start to reverse 40+ years of Reaganomics greed is good philosophy.

4) Public resources, such as public schools and libraries, need to be cherished and financed. HARRIS/WALZ will support and strengthen them.

5) My view, based on my faith, is that national borders mean nothing. God loves us all, and we should love all. There is no special relationship between God and any country. In that view, immigration means nothing. All jobs should have a living wage, and if Americans aren't willing to do them, then they are fair game for others to come in and do. Nobody deserves to be paid a wage they can't live on, regardless of where they come from. To be clear, nobody in politics represents this radical view. But I do think the HARRIS/WALZ will not focus on demonizing and dehumanizing immigrants.  

6) College costs need to be brought under control, and that means more federal and state involvement. HARRIS/WALZ will move us in that direction.  

There are many other issues I could address, but that is a start. I haven't addressed foreign policy, but rest assured, HARRIS/WALZ are the best. They won't abandon Ukraine, and although I'm not happy with how we're dealing with Israel's violence in Gaza, I do think Harris/Walz is more persuadable than the Orange Cheeto, who just wants Israel to "finish the job."

I can't think of a single issue where TRUMP/VANCE/PROJECT 2025 would be better for the country. Actually, all their positions would move us to an authoritarian fascist state.

But, apparently, some of you are perfectly happy with that.

And that scares the crap out of me.

Nine Years Into an American Nightmare

 I knew from the minute he rode down that escalator more than nine years ago - June 16th, 2015.

Really, I knew well before then. From the 80s on, I was aware that he represented the worst of America. His bankruptcies, his fraudulence, his racism, his misogyny - all was clear to anyone even paying half attention.

Descending (both physically and verbally) into the darkest corners of American racism and xenophobia, calling Mexicans criminals and rapists (talk about mirroring and projection!), I did not think this narcissistic buffoon would be no more than an extremist footnote on our body politic.

Boy, was I wrong.

A great swath of the American people disappointed me - again and again and again. Every day was a new low for this scamming blowhard, and every day, those who should know better overlooked it and stuck with him.

Thanks to our minority-enshrining Electoral College, Trump blustered his way into the White House. Having lost the popular vote by THREE MILLION meant nothing to him. It meant nothing to his supporters. I swear to you, had it happened the other way around, the Electoral College would have been shredded by now.

His President, by all measures, was a disaster. He inherited an excellent economy from Obama, and over the course of three years, he slowly ebbed it away. The Covid disaster covered up how much the economy was deteriorating before then. So some still get misty eyed for the return of the Obama economy.

We have been in a vicious cycle for the last forty-four years. Republicans destroy the economy, and then a Democrat has to come in to restore it (Clinton, Obama, Biden). And yet, polling indicates that a majority of people think Republicans are better at the economy. Ah, the enduring power of Reaganesque propaganda!

However, the economy is only one of Trump's problems. He has demonized and divided since Day One. And his lack of Covid response resulted in the needless death of hundreds of thousands of Americans. We had quantifiably the worst response to COVID-19 on the planet. He turned wearing masks and social distancing and vaccines into a political issue instead of community health care. Many of us simply stopped caring about each other. I'm not sure I'll ever get over many's warped, selfish response to Covid.  

He illegally did everything he could to steal an election and insert himself as a defacto dictator. You say that Vice President Pence is endangered by the mob I incited? As Trump said that day when told - "So what?"

It has been so hard. I live in a 90% Trump county. It is not comfortable to live here. You must be very careful who you speak to and how you speak. In person, I sometimes have a fierce temper when confronted by lunacy, so I have to be extra careful. Right or wrong, I have less hesitation when writing.

Every day has been wrenching. Every day, even now, I hope people around me, some of whom are otherwise decent, will wake up and say, "Tom, you've been right all along. Trump is a monster, and I'm no longer going to vote for him."

I see posts on social media that show former Trump supporters who no longer will back him. But in my own life? I don't know a single one. It has been a long, bitter wait to see any Trumpeteer I know return to the fold of Democracy.

It's so hard to accept. They don't want democracy—whether it's fascism, authoritarianism, or Christian nationalism—whatever they want to call what is, in essence, the same thing—they're all for it. And it is so hard to see the breakdown of the civic compact that is supposed to bind us all.

I just pray that this nightmare comes to an abrupt end on November 5th.

If it doesn't ... I'm not sure what to do. My heart and spirit will be broken.  

This is my most heartfelt message to the Trumpeteers in my life: Please wake up. Please return to the diversity and civic strength that are the best of America.

I can't take more sleepless nights.

P. S.  It is impossible to list in any one post all the rotten things Trump has done.  Please look at my label, Trumpocalypse, to get a fuller picture.  Or, just get your head out of the right-wing bubble.

Where's the Policy?

 

Ah, yes. It's time for our quadrennial ode to the independent voter.

The most repeated concern for this election cycle is - "I don't know enough about Kamala Herris's policies."

Really?

That's your concern?

Over time, politicians have learned not to be stupid enough to spend their time detailing elaborate, pages-long plans that map out what they're going to do in great detail. Why? 1) They're not writing fully fleshed legislative bills that they may or may not be able to pass.  2) The independent voter wouldn't listen to it anyway.

They've already made it clear that being undecided in one of the most clear-choice elections we've ever had means you're not paying attention, and many won't even at the last minute.

All detailed plans do is give the press, special interests, and the opposition party opportunities to pick it apart.

You think being more specific helps? Why don't we check with those who felt like they had to concentrate on specific plans - Al Gore? John Kerry? Hilary Clinton? Any thoughts? How did that help you win the Presidency?

Vice President Harris is telling you where she wants to take the country in broad strokes. First and foremost - BY HELPING THE MIDDLE CLASS, the workers that are the backbone of this country. Immigration? Pass the bipartisan border bill that Trump tanked. Inflation? Challenge corporate greed. Housing? $25,000 to first-time home buyers, encourage more affordable homes to be built, challenge private equity buying up, and inflate the price of real estate. Women's healthcare rights? Bust the filibuster and codify Roe v. Wade. Voter's right? Pass already pending bills to secure the vote and democracy.  

And more. Want more details? See her website.

There is no excuse for not knowing her policies. You'll get the gist of where she's going. Detailed specifics are for losers.

Speaking of losers, what about Donald Trump? You sure as heck can't get many specifics out of a Donald Trump speech. I mean, once you get past the Hannibal Lecter, sharks, toilet flushes, and whatever else he's whining about.

Here's what you'll get - immigration is bad, and he'll paint that in demonizing, dehumanizing terms. He'll have mass deportations, INCLUDING legal immigrants. He'll do another round of massive tax cuts for the rich and large corporations. He'll impose massive tariffs, ones sure to spur inflation and wreck the US economy, and cost the average citizen thousands of dollars. Don't think so? Research how excessive tariffs deepened and extended the Great Depression of the 20s and 30s.

Other issues are just braggadocio of how he'll fix it without real explanation.  

But do not despair.

There is a detailed explanation of what Trump will do. It's called Project 2025, an almost 900-page tome that lays out all the autocratic moves designed to make our country a fascist state. Many of the people who wrote it are connected to the Trump administration. His name is mentioned over 300 times. JD Vance wrote the forward.

Most independent voters are not really independent. Many have a clear bias towards conservatism or progressivism. They may hesitate due to character concerns, or stuff they saw on social media, or what their Uncle Ferd told them. They are just searching for enough confirmation bias to justify their decision.

If you're really concerned about policy details, don't expect the candidates to waste their precious time at rallies and interviews gushing out great details (we're not all Michael Dukakis, you know).

If you're concerned about Harris, check her website.

If you're concerned about Trump, find what you can about Project 2025.

Inform yourself and vote. It's what preserves our constitutional democracy.

That is if you're interested in preserving it.

September Wednesday Wanderings

I've been absent from the blog for a while. I would apologize, but I just think that's the way it will be now. Rest assured, I'm not abandoning my blog, even if I can't get to it every day.

PERSONAL HEALTH UPDATE

I'm doing pretty good. I have blood pressure problems and am prediabetic, but I'm doing my best to mitigate those with exercise and diet and shutting out MAGA world when I can.  

I am affected by rheumatoid arthritis, which primarily affects my knees, feet, and legs. It is difficult to sit at the computer for significant stretches when I am in a flareup, like I was until recently. Consequently, during those periods, I write less.

I have received help from my physician's assistant and am on the mend. This is good. I will visit my granddaughter soon and wanted to be as mobile as possible.

WORK SITUATION

I have acquired a part-time job. Yes, it's in accounting and bookkeeping, which is not my favorite, but it's for good people and is only about 10 hours a week. It should help family resources so we can maybe travel more.

UPDATE ON BLOG SERIES

I still want to write the final installment of Getting Off in All the Wrong Places. It's difficult because current events keep overtaking what I want to say. But rest assured, it's still fulminating in the back of my mind.

I also will work towards another installment about the 100 best science fiction movies of the 20th century. I'm going in reverse order, starting with #100. I stalled out at Cocoon; it's not available to stream anywhere. They have also not made a new DVD in many a year. But, thanks to the great resources of our public library, I was able to borrow a DVD of Cocoon! Only to find out my DVD player no longer worked! Not to be deterred, I purchased a new DVD player via Amazon. It came in yesterday. It is installed, and I hope to watch Cocoon as soon as today!

I will post fiction as it comes to me. Currently, I am entering a flash fiction contest in Alfred Hitchcock Mystery Magazine - wish me luck!

I will also post about other things—politics, public library support, and family stuff, both current and nostalgic—as time and inspiration allow.

HARRIS/WALZ 2024!

The debate last night was incredible. She was personable, communicated effective plans, and she just wound him up. She stayed calm but strong, while he was loud and angry and incoherent and lying nonstop.

Has anyone else noticed, and I don't mean this in any negative way, that Kamala's voice style and tone are similar to Judy Garland's? 

This remenided me of what the debate was like. It was like Dorothy scolding the Wizard of Oz for being a fraud, with a symbolic Toto ripping back the curtain to show what a manipulative, empty suit Trump really is.

There is no there there. And now the American people know it for sure.

Will this move enough Trumpeteers that I don't have to stay awake at night worried about the outcome of this election?

Probably not. But one can dream.

I'm ready for Harris to click her heels and bring us back home.

A Legacy Devolved: Saturday Political Soap Box 298

 

We are often heavily influenced by political figures that are popular when we come of age.

I became politically aware younger than most. JFK and Camelot meant a lot to me, not just for what they did but also for what they promised to do.

The assassination of President Kennedy seemed to me like a dream interrupted. LBJ accomplished much of the Civil Rights agenda, only to fall way short with Vietnam.

RFK felt to me like an opportunity to restore the dream. Bobby was a more brash figure than his brother, starting out more conservative. But after the assassination, he went on a spiritual and political journey that brought him to identify more with minorities and the poor and disadvantaged. He had the rare ability to earn support from both Black and Latino voters, along with the white working class.

In my room at home, I had a poster of a quote that Bobby would often use -

This was initially said by George Bernard Shaw but made popular in my generation by RFK.

Once again, the dream was cut short by an assassination. It left me angry, confused, hopeless. Would the legacy ever be restored?

The youngest brother, Teddy, held some promise, but Chappaquiddick left him compromised. He still had a lot of good things to say, but it was hard for him to overcome what happened in that tragic accident. Although I longed for a Kennedy restoration, I stuck with President Carter in the primaries.

I looked for future generations as they entered adulthood and politics. Joe Kennedy Jr, congressman for Massachusetts, came the closest, but none quite fit the bill.

On the surface, I should have liked RFK, Jr., but I admired his earlier career in environmentalism. But then...

He kind of went off the nut.

His personal life was shaky (babysitter affairs, brain worms, adventures with roadkill). His policies were skewed towards the unacceptable. Some might consider his anti-vaccine routine acceptable or just a minor thing. I do not, not when childhood diseases are making a comeback, not when he was a significant part of the Covidiot nonsense.

So, I knew that he was not someone I could support. Some friends were upset that he was getting resistance from being on the debate stage or fighting to get on enough ballots.

If he was a ground-roots movement designed to build a vital new political party, I might have some sympathy with that viewpoint.  

But his is not. It's another rich guy's vanity project. Funding came from a consortium of right-wing billionaires. I kept being told RFK was a liberal by those who damn well knew that he was not.

Many thought he was a plant to draw Democratic voters away from Biden. I was skeptical and just thought it was narcissistic selfishness.

I was wrong.

Yesterday, he suspended his campaign and endorsed Donald Trump, even showing up at one of Trump's rallies.

Well, that rips the cover off that ball, doesn't it?

I am grateful that we don't have a monarchy in this country. We've had few families where we could safely transfer power from one family member to another.

The royal attraction is still strong in this country. John Adams to his son John Quincy Adams. Roosevelt cousins. Bush Sr to Bush Jr. The desire to go from Bill to Hilary. Those who swore until the convention that the Democrats would turn to Michelle Obama.

I am no longer yearning for a return to the Kenedys. However, I do still yearn for the politics represented by Bobby Kennedy—that progressive bent that attracts ALL the working class across all other barriers.

I see that ticket in Harris/Walz. Harris is experienced and competent speaks the right language, is strong in our various American communities, and crosses gender and racial lines. Coach Walz has a simple and direct way of communicating with the working class in ways that they can understand and identify with.

I still wonder what American History would have been like had Bobby not been assassinated and had won the Presidency in 1968. We can only conjecture. We can only dream.

But even though the dream of Bobby might be gone, and his legacy devolved by his own son, Harris/Walz convinces me that the dream is still alive.

I'm voting for Gus's Dad!

Harris/Walz 2024!!!