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).

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