Surender

 I don't want to quit.

But it's getting very frustrating.

I know I'm flawed. I love to get feedback. By nature, I'm a storyteller. I love to get applause and attention.

When I was working, the theatre and creative arts were the only way I could survive. I was in a profession where I was competent but not a star, where there was little attention or positive reinforcement. But I could go onstage and get the confirmation I craved— that I wasn't a complete loser, that there was something I could do well, and that people appreciated it.

I even had a period where I was writing entire books and self-publishing them. The first, History of the Trap, garnered some local attention and sold a few copies, with ebook sales of around 300.

But then...it slowly went away. I wrote another book and a couple of collections that immediately sank into obscurity.  

I have an entire book, The Extra Credit Club, that I've never published. The initial advanced readers were mixed, and I lost heart. I didn't know how to fix it, and I can't afford an editor.

Since retirement, I haven't written any long-form stories. No novels. You would think I would have more time, but I haven't organized myself that way. Partly, it is a long time to spend on something that will never make any impact.

At one time, I was making an entry every day on The Strait Line. Since then, it has gradually diminished. I may end the year with about 50 entries.  

I recently wrote my Halloween story, Halloween On ICE, and although it has some views, there has been no reaction —positive or negative. I finally got Alison to read it by posting it directly on her Facebook feed. Even then, it took her a day or two to find it.

So, yes, part of the problem is the social media feeds. Facebook doesn't post my blog posts to many people. Why? Because they think of my blog as a MONEY_MAKING enterprise, and that I should pay them to post it more widely. No, I'm not making any money off my blog. I'm even lifetime-banned from having advertising on it.

People who post directly on Facebook get more notice than my blog stories do. That is true...EVEN FOR ME.  

It's also crushing to keep posting about the Orange Conman and not see any improvement in this area. People are not waking up in my Trumpian county, no matter what he does. No matter how rotten things get. Even when he symbolically dumps crap on them.

So, yes, not to sound like a teenage wannabe influencer, but the lack of feedback does get frustrating.

But there is another reason. One that I was not expecting.

I love being retired. I love being out of the rat race. I love not having to worry about tax season, or which loophole I have to find.

I like being with my pets. I love the time with Alison. Yes, I love reading and catching up on TV series and classic movies. I love my church, and I love being a lector, an intercessor, giving time and money to those in need, and even occasionally preaching. I love being more of a help in cleaning and taking care of the house. I love my library and reading at Story Time. I love seeing my granddaughter, even in FaceTime. I love my sons, sharing soccer games with my two older boys, and visiting the youngest, BenJerMan.  

The drive to be famous, the drive to prove my worth, has diminished. I don't have to worry about a job that constantly crushes my soul.

So, part of the problem is the lack of feedback.

But it's also because I'm no longer haunted by my sense of inferiority. 

I'll get in a better mood. Sometimes, I might write more, or do a play again.

But it'll be because I want to,  Not because I have to.

Sincerely, 

T.M. Strait

AOC '28

Halloween On ICE

 

October 31, 2026

Milwaukee, Wisconsin

They thought he wouldn't track them. But he was a deer hunter, trained in the art of tracking prey.

Those skills were enhanced by Addy's phone. At least, until the signal stopped.

It seemed like a good idea. Walking the streets of Milwaukee, hopping into different parties at bars and nightclubs. Looking for the ones with the freakiest costumes and music.

They left their third party, hearing tell of one that was the creepiest yet, a haunted building in a sketchy part of the city. Walking there was not as bad as they were led to believe. Until three masked men drove up in a van, jumped out, and abducted Addy. He was hit over the head and left lying dazed on the ground.

They had made a fatal mistake. Eddy was not like everyone else. They were messing with the wrong hombre.

---------------------

"Jesus Christ! Won't that bitch ever shut up?"  This seemed like a good idea to have a little fun, but she wouldn't stop squaloring. "Maybe we should just gag her!"

His compatriot shook his head. "Nah! No one's gonna hear her." The three of them had her zip-tied to a chair in an abandoned warehouse, surrounded by a failed industrial park. "Besides, I love it when they fight back."

"You're making a huge mistake!" Addy cried out. "I'm an American!"

"Oh, yeah?" snarled the heaviest set one. None of them was very fit, but the one snarling was the worst. Sitting in a booth at Waffle House would be an impossibility for him. "Prove it!"

"Let me out, and I can get the papers to show you."

"Ha! Whatever you could get would be fake. Just like your Snow White costume!" They laughed.

The one in the Zorro mask spoke up. "You're no more Snow White than that Latino bitch who played her in that woke Disney trash!"

Addy was a light brown woman who looked Latino. "My father was from Mexico, yes, but I was born here in Wisconsin. My mother's family has been here for generations. Please, you're making a mistake.

They laughed. One whose face was covered by a bandana said, "Not possible. ICE doesn't make mistakes. Prepare to be...deported!"

They had descended into yelping hysterics. This was just fun and games to them. ICE was in Milwaukee to "monitor" early voting, intimidating any voter whom they suspected was not a citizen. And boy, did that cast a pretty wide net! The idea was to make people in certain voting districts so intimidated that they wouldn't try to vote. Some hoped that people attempting to vote would strike back, giving the President the excuse to declare martial law and void the election altogether. There was a strong likelihood that the Democrats would reclaim Congress, and that just couldn't be allowed to happen.

But these three agents found the work pretty boring. It was hard to do too much with poll watchers and the press around (what little independent media still existed—oh, there was still work to do in that regard). So, with the noise and chaos of Halloween night, they thought this was the perfect excuse to have a little fun.

"Maybe she has her papers hidden under her costume," chortled the obese one.

They started to pull at her costume. She screamed. "Eddy! Eddy! Please come! I need you!" It was like a prayer that she feared would never be answered.

But then it was. The warehouse door burst open. There was Eddy, in his glorious slasher outfit.

"Who are you?" Zorro asked.

He had on a mask, a mask that for all the world looked like human skin. In his hands was a chainsaw. Eddy proclaimed, in an unaturally high, cartoony voice, "Unhand her and bring her to me. I can't be responsible for what happens if you don't."

"Are you effing insane, Mickey Mouse?" said the one in the bandana face covering. He brought out a nightstick, as did one of the others. The third pulled out a taser. "Who's gonna stop us? You? Sissy man with a toy chainsaw?"

He revved up the chainsaw. "Not a toy."

ICE melted.

Why Does No One Call Him Out?

 

How hard is it to challenge the President when he lies?

Why does no one call him out?

It's not just the press.  It's many of you.  When he lies, exaggerates, or misinforms, why are many of you unquestioning about it? You don't have the access that the media has, but you presumably have the powers of observation.  You presumably have the rudimentary intelligence and critical thinking skills to know when he's spinning bull hockey.

You know it's not mathematically possible to reduce prices more than 100%.  If you reduce a $100 drug price by 100%, the new drug price is $0 - ZERO DOLLARS. FREE.  If you reduce a drug price by 200%, then you are being paid $100 to TAKE THE DRUG. He is constantly bleating that he's going to reduce drug prices by 200%, 500%, even 1500%!

YET NO ONE CALLS HIM OUT!

He attacks people for being low IQ, and over 75% of the time, it's a woman and/or a person of color.  Racist, much? Sexist, much? And the test he wants to challenge them to? A COGNITIVE TEST designed to test the early onset of dementia!*

YET NO ONE CALLS HIM OUT!

He mutters new numbers of how much we've collected in tariffs.  Trillions, I tell ya!  Trillions! and the same thing with new foreign investment in the US.  There is no proof or data to support any of this.  What is more evident are things like American farmers being cut out of the soybean market—China no longer gets its soybeans from us. There are more stories about how other countries are trying to circumvent trade with the US and find ways to open new markets and connections that exclude us.

YET NO ONE CALLS HIM OUT!

There are no detailed plans for a grand, glitzy ballroom - just some hastily prepared preliminary sketches.  Why did he say in July he would not touch the East Wing or any part of the White House, and then bulldoze the entire East Wing—without approval, permits, plans, or anything? He lies that administrations for the past 150 years have wanted this monstrosity of a ballroom.  According to Grok, no President has ever asked for this.

YET NO ONE CALLS HIM OUT!

He bleats about declining prices—groceries, gas, utilities—and none of it is true.  Inflation is still rising, not zeroing out.  He said he would cut energy prices in half.  Is that what's happened to you?  Has your power been cut in half, or is it like mine—rising faster than general inflation? Are your health insurance costs going down?

YET NO ONE CALLS HIM OUT!

He is bombing boats in the Caribbean and claiming they're "drug" boats, offering no proof whatsoever.  He careens us closer and closer to war with Venezuela, but good lord, they don't even have Dic Cheney's ability to fake evidence.  They don't care - he has the right to indiscriminately kill whom he wants to.

YET NO ONE CALLS HIM OUT!

He says he's ended eight wars.  Where? How?  He cannot consistently name them, much less prove them.  His Gaza ceasefire has already fallen apart (sadly).  He openly lusts for a Nobel Peace Prize.  This isn't like a studio campaigning for an Oscar,  The whole effort is just in bad taste.

YET NO ONE CALLS HIM OUT!

His weasely insinuations that he will run again, even to the point of selling Trump 2028 merch IN THE WHITE HOUSE (well, not the East Wing - can't do that anymore), are nonsense.  He constitutionally CANNOT run for President again.   But since when has the Orange Conman ever thought of the US Constitution as more than a list of mild suggestions?

YET NO ONE CALLS HIOM OUT!

I could go on like this all day.  But I've already written more than most people will read.

But you get the drift.  Our media, more and more dominated by Trump-friendly billionaire owners, is turning over its belly like a cocker spaniel waiting to have its belly scratched.

You're going to have to figure out the truth on your own.

God help us all.

Until next time,

T. M. Strait

AOC '28

Hey Kids! Comics!

 A revolution may be occurring!

Comics may be returning to a convenience store near you!

After an interminably long absence, comics may be coming back to where they once were - convenience stores, and maybe soon, drugstores, and other outlets!

A decision was made in the 80s and 90s to concentrate comic sales in specialty comic shops.  They were able to charge the comic store owner the full wholesale rate for the comic book, and it wasn't returnable.  If the comic store owner couldn't sell it, he had to keep it and hope to sell it eventually as a back issue. Sometimes, as comics were dominated by speculators for a while, they could occasionally sell for substantially more than what they paid.  Most of the time, though, they were lucky to sell it for a dollar or less.*

Before this, the retail stores that displayed the comics only had them for a limited sale period, then returned them to the distributor.  In giving them back, they had to tear off half the front cover so it could not be sold again.

What this meant was that comics were available everywhere.  As a kid, I could even walk down to the small lakefront Mom-and-Pop's store near my grandparents' cottage and find a slew of recent comics to choose from, along with science fiction magazines and lots of candy and soda.  My Grandmother gave me some loose change, and I could go there and get several comics, candy, a copy of Worlds of If SF magazine, and still have change left over.

Those were the days!

But, are they back?

Lo, and behold!

Look what I found at the Circle K!

A whole rack of DC comic books!

I've found them at two Circle Ks, and I believe there are many more!

They take a little more now than a few coins.  They're $3.29 a piece now.  That sounds like a lot, but the full retail price is often more.  I bought a Krypto (Spureman's dog**) comic whose original price was $4.99.  What can I say?  Everything costs more money now.

This is probably a promotion in connection with the Superman movie.

Will it work?

I'm in love with it, but I'm sadly sceptical it will work.

I don't know of any special promotions to draw attention to it.  I'm not sure whether customers who are no longer used to seeing magazines or books at convenience stores will even be visually drawn to it.  People have an infinite capacity to not see what's right in front of them, blocking out what they don't expect.

The display of comics are not new.  They are comics that came out in the last few years, but almost exclusively focused on #1 issues.  I have no idea if a kid finds #1 Krrypto, if they're ever going to be able to find #2.  And since they're just DC comics, I can't imagine the reaction of some poor kid pawing through all of them, desperately trying to find a Spider-Man.

I don't know what level of commitment DC's owner. Warner Bros. has to this.  Warner Bros. is up for sale, and I don't know what they'll think of this. When Warner Bros was bought over by the Discovery people, the first thing they did was shelve a $90 billion Batgirl movie that was fully complete and ready for distribution. 

As fragile as this may be, I am thrilled to see the attempt.  If comics are to survive, they must become more widely available.

So. I'm going to enjoy this brief moment in the sunshine while it lasts.

So, please, check it out yourself!

Hey, Kids of all ages!  IT'S COMICS!

* sidenote - the major distributor of comics to comic shops, Diamond Distributors, went out of business.  They had a monopoly-level of control over this market.  How their collapse affects things, I'm not sure.

**Based on the new Superman movie, Krypto is Supergirl's dog.  There are so many retro changes that occur in the comics world, even I can't keep up with them all.  

CNN Town Hall: AOC Leads the Way

 

It's getting harder and harder for mainstream media to hear progressive voices. One of the most laughable assumptions about the mainstream media is that it is filled with liberal bias.  What hockey puck! Virtually ALL our major broadcast networks, their affiliated cable channels, their streaming services, and our social media apps are controlled by billionaires.  Most of them, like Fox, Newsmax, and now Paramount Plus, are owned by billionaires on the far right, pushing authoritarianism, fascism, libertarianism, and devotion to the almightyTrump. MSNBC has a few liberal commentators, but there are many topics that they won't explore - anything that negatively affects the ability of billionaires to control things.

One of the problems that Democrats have is that they have a large contingent of moderate/corporate Democrats that serve primarily their own collection of wealthy interests that have an agenda that might be slightly more moderate than the Democrats, but really listen to the working people they're supposed to represent.

That is not the problem with these two poctured above.  They represent a vision of a Democratic Party that is not beholden to special interests but will work on behalf of the American people as a whole.

Much of the discussion, led by Kaitlin Collins, focused on pinning the shutdown on Democrats.  They had questions from many government workers affected by the shutdown, as well as from others who could lose benefits or programs.

I feel for them.  I really do.  My son is a federal worker. But do they really want to see insurance premiums rise, with subsidies for the ACA eliminated?  No, the majority of people, including Republicans, want these preserved. They don't want to see their insurance rates doubled, tripled, or even quadrupled. It is a fight worth having.

The Bully-In-Chief will keep taking and taking until he is finally stood up to. And these two will lead the way.

The Orange Narcissist is determined to punish Democrats by taking away programs that he perceives as Democratic programs.  You know, like SPECIAL EDUCATION. I wonder how all the people who participate in The Miracle League (a fantastic local program enabling special needs children to play baseball) feel about that?  

You see, Trump doesn't see Democrats as human.  They didn't vote for him, so he doesn't have to be their President.

According to Karoline Leavitt, White House Press Secretary...

"The Democrat Party's main constituency is made up of Hamas terrorists, illegal aliens, and violent criminals."

Contrast that with what AOC said at the CNN Town Hall.

Unlike Trump, "I don't care if someone likes me or not. That will never change the fact that I'm going to fight to ensure they have health care. I want MAGA to have health care. I want MAGA to be paid a living wage."

Look. I know that some of my more moderate Democratic friends are nervous about AOC - a progressive female sounds scary to them. But the times they are a-changing. And we're not going to become the dominant political party until we unite the working class. And Gavin Newsom/Josh Shapiro/Pete Buttegig, etc., may make you swoon, but none of them are capable of rebuilding the Democratic Party the way it needs to be rebuilt. This isn't about marketing a product that can temporarily appeal to a fragile coalition. It is time for bold realignments. Are we going to be a party of the average American, or are we going to be a party that's queasy about Trump and his extremism, but otherwise beholden to their own group of wealthy interests? Are we going to have real answers that improve our country and restore our participatory democracy?

I have swallowed Moderate Democrat after Moderate Democrat. They may not be my favorites, but I understood how dangerous the opposition was. But now I feel in my bones that we have to have a full-throated progressive, and if that comes, I expect all my moderate Democratic friends to join with me.

AOC'28!!!

Until next time,

T. M. Strait

Mysterious Photograph #6 - ICE Fishing

 

My entry for the July/August 2025 mysterious photograph contest in Alfred Hitchcock's Mystery Magazine.

I'm having trouble getting my subscription issues mailed in time for me to compete.  I had to inquire for a month before I finally got my July/August issue, which I received in late August.  This was too late to compete, but I sent this in anyway.

A couple of weeks ago, I got an issue again.  I was expecting September/October, but it was July/August once again.

On their website, they are now promoting their November/December issue.  I love the magazine, but the subscription service, at least for me, sucks.

Anyhoo, here is the story I submitted. 

ICE Fishing

 

 

            Hector was not fishing alone. Lisandra was with him. He felt her presence; her tapered hand pressed gently on his shoulder. This quiet stretch of the Gulf of Mexico was their favorite spot. 

            Lisandro had been taken six months ago, removed from her work by an ICE agent. It did not matter that she was a contributing, well-loved member of her community. The agent took her, despite Hector's protests. Legal efforts failed, and she died in a deportation facility, depressed, tortured, and ill.

            Hector obsessed over who the ICE agent was, and his skills as a former detective paid off. Identified, Hector waited in the shadows as the agent left his car, immobilized him, and bagged his head, taking him to a place from which he would not return.

            His fishing line dangled in the ocean. He wasn't trying to catch anything. He had already caught what he wanted. He was waiting to ensure that the tides would not displace what he had weighted down.

            He would rather have Lisandra back, but this would do. To arrive at their spot and know that the one who took her had paid.

            It would not end there. There were also the guards who tortured her. He already had leads to find them. Then, Hector and Lisandra could come out here forever.

            And fish on their graves.

Fall TV Endurance Champs

 I used to extensively preview the Fall TV schedule with separate blog posts for every day of the week.

Those days are gone.

TV is way too diffuse now. With streaming services and new shows being introduced year-round, it's hard to organize a real preview.

So, this year, I want to note which broadcast TV shows are endurance winners - those TV shows that have been on the air for the most seasons.

Breaking down by category:

SPORTS

1) Monday Night Football            36 Seasons

Reality Competitions

1) Survivor                                       49 Seasons

2) The Amazing Race                      38 Seasons

3) Dancing With the Stars              34 Seasons

Many of the shows are helped by presenting more than one season per year. Our household favorite has been The Amazing Race. Over the years, Alison and I have gone from "maybe we should enter" to "well, we couldn't do that challenge" to "maybe we could just go along and help host Phil with the craft table."

News/True Crime

  1) 60 Minutes                            58 Seasons

  2) 20/20                                      49 Seasons

  3) 48 Hours                               39 Seasons

This category includes true crime, because these shows USED to be investigative journalism, but they are instead focusing more and more on lurid true crime stories. The last holdout was 60 Minutes, which recently had to bow to the Fascist-In-Chief and their MAGA-friendly corporate overlords. Investigative journalism is a fundamental part of true democracy and freedom, and it is hard to see it disappearing.

Animated

1) The Simpsons                         37 Seasons

2) Family Guy                            23 Seasons

3) Bob's Burgers                        16 Seasons

Animated programs can show a lot of endurance, as the "actors" don't age, nor demand phat new contracts.

It may be the harbinger of things to come, as we may soon see "AI actors."

Scripted

1) Law & Order: SVU                           27 Seasons

2) Law & Order                                     25 Seasons

3) NCIS                                                   23 Seasons

4) Grey's Anatomy                                 22 Seasons

5) Chicago Fire                                       14 Seasons

It's interesting that Law& Order: SVU has more seasons than the mothership that spawned it, Law & Order. That's in part because it was returned in what is one of the most popular ways to preserve scripted television - the theme night. A whole evening centered around related shows. The Chicago Wednesday night and the Law & Order Thursday are current prime examples. There have also been nights centered around NCIS, FBI, and 9-1-1. The truly unique shows are getting smaller and smaller space.

The structure of these shows allows them to survive cast changes, as the shows are centered on themes rather than personalities. Special shoutout to Mariska Hargitay for being in all 580 episodes of Law & Order: SVU.

I don't watch any of these shows. We did watch the original CSI program set in Las Vegas, but it, alas, is now gone.

We do watch Ghosts (Season 5), Matlock (Season 2), and Elsbeth (Season 3). We watch some of the reality competitions.

The CW is omitted because they have fallen into obscurity and has not reported much yet. It's possible that Penn & Teller: Fool Us and Masters of Illusions may soon start their 12th seasons. My understanding is that Masters of Illusion was or is hosted by Dean Cain, the reich-wing actor known for The Adventures of Lois & Clark in the 90s, but who is currently closer to Ultraman and Bizarro Superman.

The CW, in general, is completely off my radar since they stopped the Arrowverse/DC superhero shows.

In general, the decline of scripted shows on broadcast TV continues. Only 46% of primetime hours are now scripted (including animated shows). That msy not mean a whole lot to most of you, but as part of Generation Late Boomer (now called Generation Jones), I miss those wobderful plethoa of primetime scripted shows, everything from the absurdity of My Mother the Car, to the wonders of Star Trek: from the sharp social comedies like All in the Family, to the weirdnesangelss of The Addams Family; from the jiggling detectives Charlie's Angels, to the place with the highest murder rate in the world, Cabot Cove of Murder She Wrote.

Oh, well. I'll look forward to the next episode of Peacemaker on HBO Max (or whatever it's called now).