Shutdown Wednesday!

 

Well, here I am! First post on my new desktop! My old one was so old that I couldn't update it to Windows 11. Who knows what I'll be able to do, which apps and features will carry over, and which won't?

Will I have Grammarly? Can I post this to my other apps? It's exciting that my keyboard is new, and some of the letter key identifiers have not worn out yet. But the keyboard is smaller, and will I get used to that, or will Captain Typo Fingers create more fumble-fingered errors?

Only time will tell!

MEANWHILE

How many government shutdowns did we have during Trump's first term? 2

How many government shutdowns did we have in Biden's term? ZERO

Now we have Trump's tragic return, and we already have our first one...AND THERE'S OVER THREE YEARS TO GO?

Art of the Deal, my sweet patootie! He may be the worst negotiator we've ever had in the White House!

No, shutdowns are horrible. My son, Benjamin's, job is at risk, as are those of tens of thousands of other federal employees. Essential government services, including those that support individuals who depend on regular social security payments and Medicare/Medicaid, will be jeopardized. 

The Trumpelthinskin is giddy over the harm this shutdown will impose. He's sneering at how this may be an opportunity to fire more people and cut more services. He delights in the suffering of others.

Before we jump all over the Democrats, please understand what they're fighting for - YOUR HEALTH CARE. The Republicans want to let federal subsidies for the Affordable Care Act expire. Between that and the cuts to Medicaid, an increasing number of Americans will be unable to afford coverage.

To my contingent of friends who believe nothing matters unless it affects them, you need to think more carefully. First, those left out will still receive emergency care - it will just cost the system more as their conditions worsen, requiring more dire situations and more expensive care. Second, YOUR premiums are going to rise as a result...DRAMATICALLY. For those fortunate enough to have health insurance through their employer, the portion they take from their paycheck is going to rise, and they will take home less money. Need a raise? Forgetabbout it! That money is now needed to cover the employer portion of the health insurance.

And no, Democrats are not fighting to get undocumented workers covered by government plans, including the ACA. Right or wrong, that is already illegal, and there is no proposal by anyone to cover them. And for those in the Magat club. I don't even want to talk about your disgusting hatred of trans people. Your unvarnished bigotry makes me sick.

As Jimmy Kimmel and Disney found out, at some point, you have to stand up to the bully, or he will wind up running you over and taking everything you have. So, as unpleasant as this is, it's time to take a stand; it's time to show the Orange Grifter that there is a limit to how much we are willing to be bullied and intimidated.

As an Independent Progressive and admirer of AOC, I wish we could reclaim much of what the Republicans have taken away. Realistically, I would be happy for the renewal of the ACA credits.

The rest may have to wait for other challenges. The big hope is the midterm, but we can't wait that long. We need fighters who are willing to combat the Narcissist-in-Chief at every turn.

This doesn't even cover the dangerously repulsive rally held by Hegseth and Trump to our military leaders. That was way over the top and about as Unameican as you can get. I may post about it later, or I might let those with military experience speak on my behalf. It's wrong to challenge the Geneva Convention. It's wrong to unleash the military on American citizens, as Trump insists. Everything was just plain wrong.

Anyway, let me see what I can correct and clean up, and then post it to my blog. I'm slowly getting used to the keyboard, but this may take some time. Hang in there with me!

Sincerely,

T. M. Strait

AOC'28!

Top 100 Sci-Fi Movies of the 20th Century!!! Part 4 No. 72 - 66

 

Top 100 Sci-Fi Movies of the 20th Century!!! Part 4 No. 72 - 66

  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 as well. Each issue focuses on different topics, such as country music, westerns, and "where are they now" issues, among others. I enjoy it, as I love pop history. They also have puzzles and a monthly guide to what's on TCM (Turner Classic Movies).

I thought it would be fun to review the movies on the list in reverse order and share my thoughts on 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.

72)

Silent Running

Year: 1972  IMDb: 6.6 Tom: 5  Had I seen before?   Yes  Service found on: Classic Movies & TV

Interesting in theory, kind of dull in execution.  Burce Dern plays a man determined to keep what may be the last plant life/forest left, one that is in a domed bubble on a spaceship. There is still life on Earth.  How it's getting along without vegetation, I'm not sure.  Lots of bits with robots.  

71)

 THX 1138

 

Year: 1971  IMDb: 6.6 Tom: 6  Had I seen before?   Yes  Service found on: Library Rental

This is George Lucas's first work, and it started as a student film!  Given that, it's pretty good. Robert Duvall, in an early role, effectively plays the man trying to escape a dystopian society. Francis Ford Coppola even had a hand in getting the film made.  I found it a little disjointed, and some of the plot hard to follow, but it did have an effective dystopian feel to it.  

70)

Galaxy Quest

Year: 1999  IMDb: 7.4 Tom: 8  Had I seen before?   Yes  Service found on: Pluto TV

Great send up of 60s style science fiction, especailly Star Trek.  Humorous, with above average special effects and make up/costuming (special notr to Sigourney Weaver).  This is and the first Santa Clause movie are the only things I've seen Tim Allen in, including TV series. All the characters are enjoyable, especially Alan Rickman as the frustrated Spock stand-in. I enjoyed the oportunity to see it again, and it held up pretty well! 

 69)

The Rocky Horror Picture Show

Year: 1975  IMDb: 7.4 Tom: 6  Had I seen before?   Yes  Service found on: Prime Purchase

When the phrase cult classic comes to mind, this is the first one people think of.  Some places had (or maybe even have) this film running at midnight, with attendees wearing outfits from it, and chanting well-known lines.  Me? I thought it was okay, good but not worthy of worship.  Tim Allen romps through this move with as much joy and verve as I've ever seen from an acting performance.  I do love the song Time Warp.

68) 

Time After Time

 

Year: 1979  IMDb: 7 Tom: 8  Had I seen before?   Yes  Service found on: Library Rental

Time travel? Yes, please!  HG Wells? Oh, thank you! A romance that I actually cared about?  Yes!  I'm not a big romance person, but this one was so beleivable and affectionate, I couldn't resist.  Malcolm McDowall and Mary Steenbergen became a real-life couple, married for a while (in Hollywood, little lasts forever).  HG Wells, with the Time Machine used in his novel of the same name, pursues an escaped Jack the Ripper (played engagingly by David Warner) to 1970s San Francsico.  The time travel did not focus on paradoxes or how we can't change things, but instead delvered a fast paced story that made sense.

67)

Superman

Year: 1978  IMDb: 7.4  Tom: 8  Had I seen it before?   Yes!  Service found on: HBO Max

There a number of missteps in this movie, but there is also a lot to love.  Way too long is spent on the origin story.  Lex Luthor is played a bit too broadly by Gene Hackman. The flying around Earth to turn back time is quite a reach, even for a comic book superhero.  But Christopher Reeve as Clark Kent/Superman? Perfection!  The scenes with his Lois and the Daily Planet family? Loved it! And the montage of Superman's first super feats, rescuing kittens and interrupting robberies in progress?  As a lifelong Superman fan, it was the kind of stuff I had waited a lifetime to see.

Superman II was, up until that time, the movie that most effectively felt like a comic book.  And the 2025 Superman movie?  I can't even talk about that movie without breaking down into tears of joy. 

66)

Dune

A David Lynch extravaganza! I'm not sure if what I saw was an edited version, but the story unfolded okay until the last half hour, which rushed through almost half of the novel it's based on. It was et with atmosphere and some strong characters, but the scripting was shaky.

Year: 1984  IMDb: 6.7  Tom: 7  Had I seen before?   Yes!  Service found on: Netflix

As an added feature, I would like to keep a running list of those movies I have rated 8 or higher.

90) Akira 8

89) Cocoon 9

88) They Live 9

84) Face Off 8

77) The Time Machine 8

75) The Truman Show 8

          70) Galaxy Quest 8

          68) Time After Time 8

          67) Superman 8 

Next up? We turn invisible, dress in black, rampage an amusement park, get small, and find a new element..

Until next time!

T. M. Strait (thanx, H. G. Wells!)

AOC '28

 

It's Not About Jimmy Kimmel

 

I don't watch Jimmy Kimmel. At least not from broadcast TV, nor do I watch his entire show from a streaming app (HULU, maybe? I'm not sure).

I don't dislike Jimmy Kimmel. I may occasionally see YouTube clips, especially when he makes political references. I watch Stephen Colbert or The Daily Show clips more often. I'm not much into celebrity interviews, musical performances, or people who write books I'm not interested in.

I stay up later than most, but even I go to bed before these late-night programs start.

But I don't have to be a big fan of Jimmy Kimmel to appreciate what happened.

What happened is not just about Jimmy Kimmel. It's about all of us, and our shrinking right to freedom of speech,

Nothing that happened had anything to do with ratings or the corporation's right to end shows for business reasons. It had to do with FCC Chairman Brendan Carr and Drumpf specifically targeting someone because they didn't like his jokes. Trump has the thinnest skin of any public figure I've ever seen. He wants to effectively mute the voices of opposition.

We've seen countless groups pushed around and cede to the orange conman. Law firms, universities, and media conglomerates all surrender their rights to placate an insatiable monster. The more you give in to him, the more he wants to take,

However, with Kimmel, we have witnessed something truly remarkable. Instead of letting the billionaire media oligarchs continue to kowtow to the authoritarian overlord, everyday citizens struck back in the only language they understand - they canceled streaming services, trips to theme parks and cruises, planned weddings and parties at their hotels. They hit them in the pocketbook enough for them to squeal in pain, and restore Jimmy Kimmel's show.

Hopefully, this is just the beginning. The oligarchs need to be more terrified of us than the Dementia Patient In Charge. We forgot that we hold the purse strings.

We need to remember this beyond politics. Want prices to go down? Boycott those products that are raising prices the most. Want to set an age limit for candidates? STOP voting for them!  

Even with the authoritarian rampage we see around us, we still hold more power than we think.

I welcome Jimmy Kimmel's program back. Now the affiliates that hold large numbers of local stations, specifically Nexstar and Sinclair, are refusing to air the show. Well, fellow patriots, you know what to do next. Contact the sponsors of whatever programming they replace Kimmel with, and make sure you're not interested in their products. Sinclair and Nexstar may get the message. Nexstar is more likely than Sinclair, which is owned by a cruel cabal of extreme right-wingers.

Our next mission? Restore Stephen Colbert from his scheduled show termination.

The Kimmel return is the best news I've heard in a long time. The forces of censorship and oppression can be defeated.

I pray that this is not a one-time thing, but a beginning of a pro-democracy revival.

Falcon Fever: Mysterious Photograph #5

 

My fourth entry into Alfred Hitchcock Mystery Magazine's Mysterious Photograph contest. Yes, it won nothing.  I have no idea what that bird is.  Probably not a falcon.  But it fit the story I wanted to write.  That's me - always on the edge, always taking chances.

Falcon Fever

 

My dearest Dulyngia,

            I pray this message finds you. I know that Flash has been trained primarily to hunt, but since you sent him to me, I have confidence he will return to you. Please forgive the dampness of the note. I hope it is still legible.

            No, things are not well here in Midgar. The Grim Plague is spreading faster every day. My beloved mother passed two days ago, my father last night. It’s not pleasant. The sweats, the vomits, the sloughing off of flesh; ‘tis a nightmare I wish I could forget.

            It starts with a fever and a lack of appetite. I have a fever. I no longer wish to eat. I fear you may never see me again.

            Our physicians have discovered the source, but it is too late. Once introduced into the water system, it spreads quickly. You don’t even need to drink it. Contact alone will start it. And then it carries from person to person.

            How did it get into our water system? We believe a foreign agent planted it. We recently had a visit from a delegation from your Kingdom, including your brother, Ranaldo.

            Falcons appear to be immune. That is how I can send you this special present, which I pray will spread throughout the land. If you’re reading this, it is already too late.

            I will not see you again in this world. I hope you will join me soon in another.

Your loving companion in hell,

Infortuno

Turning Point

This is adapted from a Facebook post I put up on September 15th. It got 30 responses, substantially more than I get when I post my blog pieces. I've put my new additions in bold.

 I really haven't posted or said much about the Charlie Kirk assassination. It's a horrible thing, and that it happens so often in this country makes me very upset, especially the mass shootings in schools, churches, shopping areas, and more. Everyone wants to blame the shooter as a leftist or a right-wing extremist. I don't know. Trying to look at it is like looking through a kaleidoscope - every time you twist it, you can come up with a different answer.

Presently, there is more coming out about a connection between the shooter and a transgender friend. Although the killer seems mostly apolitical, he may have been recently riled up about Charlie Kirk's extreme and hateful rhetoric against the lgbtq community, with special vitriol reserved for the transgender community. The killer was part of a gaming group, who, from the posts I've seen, are just kids, typical online gamers, like my son, Benjamin.

Still, don't jump to conclusions. The kaleidoscope is still twisting.

The same is true with Charlie Kirk. Is he an exemplary Christian, or is he a leading promoter of the heresy of Christian Nationalism? The quotes I see from him clearly identify him as racist, misogynistic, anti-LBGTQ, pro-Russian/anti-Ukraine, in favor of the Gaza genocide being perpetrated by Netanyahu, against children getting free school lunches, and more values that seem to me more anti-Christian than pro-Christian.

However, perhaps I'm only seeing things from those who share my views. There may be some quotes and positions that I'm missing. So, please, if you manage to break through the Facebook algorithms and see this, are there any quotes you know of that are pro-Christian and not representative of the push towards Christian Nationalism? I would appreciate it if you could point to any.

As far as the kaleidoscope goes, be aware that the dials that are twisting are now in the hands of a very partisan FBI and Department of Justice. Trump knows what he wants this to look like, and he won't stop pushing until he gets it.

So, the tragedy of this (the horrible, inexcusable loss of an American for speaking out) is going to be amplified, and taken in directions that will only increase the stain of hate and violence that has dominated this country, especially since the escalator ride more than a decade ago.

Charlie Kirk represented an organization known as Turning Point USA. The conservative movement was losing the youth vote significantly, and Charlie was meant to help stem the tide. He boldly went on to college campuses and challenged anyone to prove him wrong. His tactics may have been manipulative and full of false equivalencies; nevertheless, he was willing to engage in rhetorical battle. Although I can argue about his techniques, I can't be against the idea of the free exercise of speech. The turning point he was looking for was to turn as many young people as he could back to MAGA and Christian Nationalists' ideals. Not pleasant, but within the realms of our democracy.

This is not the turning point that Trump, Miller, and other extremeists are looking for. The turning point they are looking for is nothing less than stamping out all opposition, including eliminating the Democratic Party, and starting the dance of one-party rule.

The persecution of the lgbtq community will accelerate, with special venom saved for the transgendered. People who have dared to not canonize Kirk have lost their jobs. All incidents of right-wing violence have been edited out of existence. They will go after educators. They will threaten corporations and businesses that don't toe the line.

At some point, this may play itself out. Trump has little staying power on any topic. However, we can clearly see what they want and what they are hoping for.

They are looking for the turning point, the excuse to put out the dying embers of democracy.

We must resist for as long as we can.

The Walls of Jerry Coe: Mysterious Photograph #4

 My fourth entry into Alfred Hitchcock Mystery Magazine's Mysterious Photograph contest. Yes, it won nothing.

The Walls of Jerry Coe

He came a-tumbling down. It took three, but they did it. Smashed, left bleeding, gasping, the alley walls closing in. A forehead cut dripped down into his eyes. Jerry Coe was paying for his sins in the cruelest way possible.

What sins? Introversion? Dressing differently? Pushing back at Tommy Tuba, making the big bully look weak at practice? Breaking into his locker, spray-painting two words – TOMMY TUTU?  

Jerry realized the alley shortcut was a mistake. Yes, he'd get him home quicker, but he didn't factor in how isolated he would be. And that Tommy Tuba would bring friends who'd make easy work of Jerry.

Jerry tried to scream, but no sound came out, frightened into silence. Looking at the right alley wall, he saw his trumpet. They had thrown it there, miraculously undamaged. He stretched to reach it. No good. Too much pain.

 He wouldn't give in. Jerry Coe tooted to the sound of a different trumpet. Two tumbling rolls, and Jerry grabbed his horn. He put it to his lips. If Jerry couldn't speak, how could he play? He closed his eyes, concentrated, mustering as much breath as he could.

And he played. A beautiful reveille. A clarion call echoed down the walls and into the nearby street.

Someone heard it. Help was coming.

But not for Tommy Tuba and his bully buddies. This was not over. Jerry Coe wouldn't let this go unavenged.

Soon, the walls would tumble in on Tommy Tuba.

 

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.