"I wear the black for the poor and beaten down." - Johnny Cash
I am on an Americana music kick lately, and this morning as I was brushing my teeth, I heard Johnny Cash's song, "Man in Black." I am not sure I ever heard the song before. I'm sure I have; but I don't think I ever HEARD the song before. It's a wonderful protest song, and though it was written and recorded in 1971, I think it's a tribute to our times.
Here he is performing it for the first time at Vanderbilt University.
This afternoon, I heard that many Democratic Members of Congress planned to wear black at the State of the Union Address as a form of protest and in solidarity with the MeToo movement.
Kismet!
Embed from Getty Images
I got to thinking about protest songs. There were so many during the Vietnam Era; they practically defined rock music of the day. I hadn't heard too many this past year. I looked for some contemporary protest songs. I listened to a bunch, and here are some of my favorites.
The song that defined the 2017 Women's March, "I Can't Keep Quiet"
Mac McCaughan, "Happy New Year (Prince Can't Die Again)"
;
Fiona Apple, "Tiny Hands"
Arcade Fire, "I Give You Power"
Go, Eminem!
Joan Baez, Crusader of Justice since 1959, strikes again.
And my favorite patriotic song done a new way. Chicano Batman, "This Land is Your Land"
Tuesday, January 30, 2018
Monday, January 29, 2018
"No matter what people tell you, words and ideas can change the world."
"No matter what people tell you, words and ideas can change the world." Robin Williams
We're very much living in a changed world.
A running theme of this blog has been the speech and language patterns of the President*. I'm naturally drawn to the subject, being a speech and language expert, and it's such a hallmark feature of this person. We return to this subject today, in a slightly different way.
A while back, I compared Don SCROTOLONE's statements to those of other mob bosses, both real and fictional. It was kinda funny, how he talked like a mob boss. An article this month in The Atlantic compares him to wannabe Fredo Corelone.
But more and more, he is has gone beyond mere Mob Boss speech and is having bouts of sounding more like a dictator. Yet then at other times, he sounds like a spoiled child. And none of it is funny.
SCROTUS is increasingly sounding like a despot.
Within the last few weeks he has indicated that he wants to bend the Justice Department to his will. He has called the DOJ "deep state;" he has threatened to fire Mueller; he is antagonistic against the deputy attorney general Rod Rosenstein and Attorney General Li'l Elf Sessions.
He has both shown distrust of the DOJ and FBI and also indicates that he has the right to bend them to his will. To my mind, these concepts cannot live together, but we're living in an alternate reality, so they are married in the mind of Bonkers Man.
Some of his antagonistic language against the DOJ and against justice in general:
We're very much living in a changed world.
A running theme of this blog has been the speech and language patterns of the President*. I'm naturally drawn to the subject, being a speech and language expert, and it's such a hallmark feature of this person. We return to this subject today, in a slightly different way.
A while back, I compared Don SCROTOLONE's statements to those of other mob bosses, both real and fictional. It was kinda funny, how he talked like a mob boss. An article this month in The Atlantic compares him to wannabe Fredo Corelone.
But more and more, he is has gone beyond mere Mob Boss speech and is having bouts of sounding more like a dictator. Yet then at other times, he sounds like a spoiled child. And none of it is funny.
SCROTUS is increasingly sounding like a despot.
Within the last few weeks he has indicated that he wants to bend the Justice Department to his will. He has called the DOJ "deep state;" he has threatened to fire Mueller; he is antagonistic against the deputy attorney general Rod Rosenstein and Attorney General Li'l Elf Sessions.
He has both shown distrust of the DOJ and FBI and also indicates that he has the right to bend them to his will. To my mind, these concepts cannot live together, but we're living in an alternate reality, so they are married in the mind of Bonkers Man.
Some of his antagonistic language against the DOJ and against justice in general:
"Crooked Hillary Clinton's top aid, Huma Abedin, has been accused of disregarding basic security protocols. She put Classified Passwords into the hands of foreign agents. Remember sailors pictures on submarine? Jail! Deep State Justice Dept must finally act? Also on Comey & others." (Tweet, January 2, 2018)
Crooked Hillary colluded w/FBI and DOJ and media is covering up to protect her. It's a #RiggedSystem! Our country deserves better! (Tweet, October 17, 2017)
“I have (an) absolute right to do what I want to do with the Justice Department." (interview with the New York Times, December 28, 2017)He is extremely angry with Attorney General Jeff Sessions for not recusing himself from the Russia investigation, and seems to think that the AG is his own personal attorney. He has said the wants the li'l elf to "protect him" a la Roy Cohn, asking a New York Times reporter, "Where's my Roy Cohn?" It's a super scary concept for him to have his "own Ray Cohn." Roy Cohn was Senator Joseph McCarthy's protector during those dark, dark days of the communist paranoia, and moved on to advise and protect other power players, including mob boss Carlo Gambino as well as Donny Trump back in the day.
SCROTUS wants to bend the Justice Department to his will. And he has! He complained that the case against Hillary Clinton was closed, and they reopened the case.
He has been openly hostile to the Li'l Elf Sessions. He has said:
This week it came to light that he tried to fire Special Investigator Robert Mueller. He simply wants to make his enemies disappear.
He thinks he has absolute power.
A huge red flag that fully demonstrates his dictator ways is his hostility to a free and open press. He is openly contemptuous of the institution of the free press and the people who inhabit that world. There are so many quotes to cite, and you know them well, but some of them are:
In August at a rally in Phoenix, he called members of the press "sick people" that the press is a "source of division in our country" and that the media is "trying to take away our history and heritage" with their reporting of the protestors marching against the events in Charlottesville and removing Confederate statues.
And then this month there was this:
SCROTUS doesn't want to know that the media isn't a hostile foreign power, it is us. The press is a citizen's ears and eyes. They are Americans, they are citizens, and they are vital. Like a dictator, he sees transparency as the enemy. He may have an imagined war with the media, and truthfully it's getting to be dangerous for them. But he won't win.
A dictator has many enemies, and feels the ever-present need to silence or eliminate them. A dictator moves to jail his political opponents. SCROTUS has another imagined domestic enemy, and that is Hillary Clinton. He can not let go of the election; he can not let go of the fact that any of her supposed wrong-doings were investigated and dismissed. He continues to want to have her punished. He wants her jailed. From the campaign, when he vowed to "lock her up" to now, he is bent on having her punished.
He strong-armed the Department of Justice into re-opening the Clinton email case, as well as investigating the Clinton Foundation and the people who prepared the SCROTUS dossier. It's dangerous and it's tyrannical.
And just today, the deputy director of the FBI, Andrew McCabe, another fine lawman, quit. Speculation is that SCROTUS shoved him out.
He had taunted him in tweets repeatedly, things like:
He also reportedly asked McCabe how he voted. Stinky, stinky. Dictator-y, dictator-y!
As I have written in an earlier post, SCROTUS is a bully, publicly railing against most everyone. He does not descriminate. Even former allies, if they dare to speak against him or stand up to him, come under his Twitter thumb. He insults and bullies just about everyone. Everyone, that is, except other dictators. Those people, he tends to praise.
He has said about China's strongman Xi:
Likewise, he is smitten with the Philippines' strongman Rodrigo Dutarte. SCROTUS praises him, too, saying in a Whitewash House memo after a telephone conversation,
Though he has taunted North Korea's Kim Jong-un with schoolyard insults, he has also sung the praises of the brutal Korean dictator.
And of course, he has never dissed his bestie, his sweetie, his snookums, Putie. I wrote a post several months ago about his love affair with his Co-Dictator of the USA, Vladimir Putin.
Words matter.
If you wanna know why he is chummy with these and other world despots, you might want to follow the money. Some call it conflict, he calls it the love of money.
There are some excellent articles looking deeper at Combover Caligula's dictator behaviors.
Here's a nice write-up from NPR of the concerns about SCROTUS's chumminess with other dictators.
A Washington Post article, which annotates Senator Jeff Flake's (R- AZ) speech comparing SCROTUS to Stalin.
A Newsweek article that quotes a foreign policy expert as saying TЯUMP would be a dictator by now in any other country.
The Independent (UK) showcases Tony Schwartz, SCTROTUS's ghostwriter for The Art of the Deal, who says that the President* wants to be a dictator.
A Politico article, which talks about the fashion and design sense that smacks of authoritarianism.
A video on Business Insider, which directly compares the Mango Mussolini to three world dictators.
Here is Trevor Noah recapping the Dictator-y Behaviors, better than I have:
....But let's just give him the benefit of the doubt for a moment. Perhaps he's not a Dictator Wanna Be. Maybe he's just being a childish bully. As I've examined before, his language is very child-like, and he throws schoolyard taunts at anyone who he perceived has wronged him. And his behavior is positively infantile. You don't need me to tell you that.
The sensational book Fire and Fury reveals that "everyone" said Trump is "like a child."
Just last week, when the government shut down briefly over a partisan disagreement, the outgoing message on the Whitewash House voicemail showed his childishness. You wanna bet on anyone other than SCROTUS directing this poor woman to record that message?
You can listen to the outgoing voicemail message along with other funny stuff with Jimmy Kimmel:
and Stephen Colbert:
;
And remember when the UCLA basketball players were arrested in China and SCROTUS used his influence to nudge for their release? What was his reaction when he felt that not enough credit and thanks and boot-licking was done? He literally screamed, "IT WAS ME!"
Here is an excellent write-up from The Atlantic, The Infantilization of a President. Within that essay is a link to a brilliant catalogue of observations from insiders into the childlike behaviors of the Toddler-in-Chief.
So what is the worse scenario? That he is a chldish, ignorant narcissist who wants to surround himself with yes-men and doesn't-matter-if-she-says-no women and who thinks that he can fire anyone who displeases him? Or that he is a calculating cold dictator bent on rising to power and destroying the foundations of the Republic?
It's most likely "A" but we cannot discount the possibility of "B" - - and we must diligently protect our Democracy's institutions, her checks and balances, her very core values in either case. Because either man is capable of eroding her greatness. He already has.
I have always had a great appreciation for our forefathers, those brilliant men who set up a brand new government from scratch with the deepest ideals. The appreciation is being renewed. Those ideals are what is keeping us afloat. We must all be the soldiers who lift Lady Liberty across these dangerous waters to the other side.
Keep resisting. Stay strong. Have hope. Speak Up. Act on your ideas.
And change the world!
He has been openly hostile to the Li'l Elf Sessions. He has said:
A new INTELLIGENCE LEAK from the Amazon Washington Post,this time against A.G. Jeff Sessions.These illegal leaks, like Comey's, must stop! (Tweet, July 22, 2017)
Attorney General Jeff Sessions has taken a VERY weak position on Hillary Clinton crimes (where are E-mails & DNC server) & Intel leakers! (Tweet, July 25, 2107)He is particularly quite angry that Sessions recused himself, and publicly chided him repeatedly, including telling the New York Times:
"Sessions should have never recused himself, and if he was going to recuse himself, he should have told me before he took the job, and I would have picked somebody else." (interview with the New York Times, July 19, 2017)It came out this month that he tried to directly stop Sessions from recusing himself from the Russia Investigation.
This week it came to light that he tried to fire Special Investigator Robert Mueller. He simply wants to make his enemies disappear.
He thinks he has absolute power.
A huge red flag that fully demonstrates his dictator ways is his hostility to a free and open press. He is openly contemptuous of the institution of the free press and the people who inhabit that world. There are so many quotes to cite, and you know them well, but some of them are:
I use Social Media not because I like to, but because it is the only way to fight a VERY dishonest and unfair “press,” now often referred to as Fake News Media. Phony and non-existent “sources” are being used more often than ever. Many stories & reports a pure fiction! (Tweet, December 30, 2017)
Very little discussion of all the purposely false and defamatory stories put out this week by the Fake News Media. They are out of control - correct reporting means nothing to them. Major lies written, then forced to be withdrawn after they are exposed...a stain on America! (Tweet, December 10. 2018)
In August at a rally in Phoenix, he called members of the press "sick people" that the press is a "source of division in our country" and that the media is "trying to take away our history and heritage" with their reporting of the protestors marching against the events in Charlottesville and removing Confederate statues.
And then this month there was this:
The Fake News Awards, those going to the most corrupt & biased of the Mainstream Media, will be presented to the losers on Wednesday, January 17th, rather than this coming Monday. The interest in, and importance of, these awards is far greater than anyone could have anticipated! (Tweet, January 7, 2018)
SCROTUS doesn't want to know that the media isn't a hostile foreign power, it is us. The press is a citizen's ears and eyes. They are Americans, they are citizens, and they are vital. Like a dictator, he sees transparency as the enemy. He may have an imagined war with the media, and truthfully it's getting to be dangerous for them. But he won't win.
A dictator has many enemies, and feels the ever-present need to silence or eliminate them. A dictator moves to jail his political opponents. SCROTUS has another imagined domestic enemy, and that is Hillary Clinton. He can not let go of the election; he can not let go of the fact that any of her supposed wrong-doings were investigated and dismissed. He continues to want to have her punished. He wants her jailed. From the campaign, when he vowed to "lock her up" to now, he is bent on having her punished.
So General Flynn lies to the FBI and his life is destroyed, while Crooked Hillary Clinton, on that now famous FBI holiday “interrogation” with no swearing in and no recording, lies many times...and nothing happens to her? Rigged system, or just a double standard? (Tweet, December 2, 2017)
Many people in our Country are asking what the “Justice” Department is going to do about the fact that totally Crooked Hillary, AFTER receiving a subpoena from the United States Congress, deleted and “acid washed” 33,000 Emails? No justice! (Tweet, December 2, 2017)
He strong-armed the Department of Justice into re-opening the Clinton email case, as well as investigating the Clinton Foundation and the people who prepared the SCROTUS dossier. It's dangerous and it's tyrannical.
And just today, the deputy director of the FBI, Andrew McCabe, another fine lawman, quit. Speculation is that SCROTUS shoved him out.
He had taunted him in tweets repeatedly, things like:
How can FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe, the man in charge, along with leakin’ James Comey, of the Phony Hillary Clinton investigation (including her 33,000 illegally deleted emails) be given $700,000 for wife’s campaign by Clinton Puppets during investigation? (Tweet, December 23, 2017)
He also reportedly asked McCabe how he voted. Stinky, stinky. Dictator-y, dictator-y!
As I have written in an earlier post, SCROTUS is a bully, publicly railing against most everyone. He does not descriminate. Even former allies, if they dare to speak against him or stand up to him, come under his Twitter thumb. He insults and bullies just about everyone. Everyone, that is, except other dictators. Those people, he tends to praise.
He has said about China's strongman Xi:
My meetings with President Xi Jinping were very productive on both trade and the subject of North Korea. He is a highly respected and powerful representative of his people. It was great being with him and Madame Peng Liyuan! (Tweet, November 9, 2017)
Looking forward to a full day of meetings with President Xi and our delegations tomorrow. THANK YOU for the beautiful welcome China! @FLOTUS Melania and I will never forget it! (Tweet, November 8, 2017)
"He certainly doesn't want to see turmoil and death. He doesn't want to see it. He is a good man. He is a very good man and I got to know him very well." (Reuters interview, April 28, 2017)
Likewise, he is smitten with the Philippines' strongman Rodrigo Dutarte. SCROTUS praises him, too, saying in a Whitewash House memo after a telephone conversation,
President Trump enjoyed the conversation and said that he is looking forward to visiting the Philippines in November to participate in the East Asia Summit and the U.S.-ASEAN Summit. President Trump also invited President Duterte to the White House to discuss the importance of the United States-Philippines alliance, which is now heading in a very positive direction.
Though he has taunted North Korea's Kim Jong-un with schoolyard insults, he has also sung the praises of the brutal Korean dictator.
At a very young age, he was able to assume power. A lot of people, I'm sure, tried to take that power away, whether it was his uncle or anybody else. And he was able to do it. So obviously, he's a pretty smart cookie." (CBS, April 30, 2017)
I probably have a very good relationship with Kim Jong Un,” Mr. Trump said in the Thursday interview. “I have relationships with people. I think you people are surprised. (Wall Street Journal, January 11, 2018)
And of course, he has never dissed his bestie, his sweetie, his snookums, Putie. I wrote a post several months ago about his love affair with his Co-Dictator of the USA, Vladimir Putin.
Words matter.
If you wanna know why he is chummy with these and other world despots, you might want to follow the money. Some call it conflict, he calls it the love of money.
There are some excellent articles looking deeper at Combover Caligula's dictator behaviors.
Here's a nice write-up from NPR of the concerns about SCROTUS's chumminess with other dictators.
A Washington Post article, which annotates Senator Jeff Flake's (R- AZ) speech comparing SCROTUS to Stalin.
A Newsweek article that quotes a foreign policy expert as saying TЯUMP would be a dictator by now in any other country.
The Independent (UK) showcases Tony Schwartz, SCTROTUS's ghostwriter for The Art of the Deal, who says that the President* wants to be a dictator.
A Politico article, which talks about the fashion and design sense that smacks of authoritarianism.
A video on Business Insider, which directly compares the Mango Mussolini to three world dictators.
Here is Trevor Noah recapping the Dictator-y Behaviors, better than I have:
....But let's just give him the benefit of the doubt for a moment. Perhaps he's not a Dictator Wanna Be. Maybe he's just being a childish bully. As I've examined before, his language is very child-like, and he throws schoolyard taunts at anyone who he perceived has wronged him. And his behavior is positively infantile. You don't need me to tell you that.
The sensational book Fire and Fury reveals that "everyone" said Trump is "like a child."
Just last week, when the government shut down briefly over a partisan disagreement, the outgoing message on the Whitewash House voicemail showed his childishness. You wanna bet on anyone other than SCROTUS directing this poor woman to record that message?
You can listen to the outgoing voicemail message along with other funny stuff with Jimmy Kimmel:
and Stephen Colbert:
;
And remember when the UCLA basketball players were arrested in China and SCROTUS used his influence to nudge for their release? What was his reaction when he felt that not enough credit and thanks and boot-licking was done? He literally screamed, "IT WAS ME!"
Here is an excellent write-up from The Atlantic, The Infantilization of a President. Within that essay is a link to a brilliant catalogue of observations from insiders into the childlike behaviors of the Toddler-in-Chief.
 |
| Paul Hands |
So what is the worse scenario? That he is a chldish, ignorant narcissist who wants to surround himself with yes-men and doesn't-matter-if-she-says-no women and who thinks that he can fire anyone who displeases him? Or that he is a calculating cold dictator bent on rising to power and destroying the foundations of the Republic?
It's most likely "A" but we cannot discount the possibility of "B" - - and we must diligently protect our Democracy's institutions, her checks and balances, her very core values in either case. Because either man is capable of eroding her greatness. He already has.
I have always had a great appreciation for our forefathers, those brilliant men who set up a brand new government from scratch with the deepest ideals. The appreciation is being renewed. Those ideals are what is keeping us afloat. We must all be the soldiers who lift Lady Liberty across these dangerous waters to the other side.
Keep resisting. Stay strong. Have hope. Speak Up. Act on your ideas.
And change the world!
Friday, January 19, 2018
"Thinking: the talking of the soul with itself"
"Thinking: the talking of the soul with itself." - Plato
....but what if the thinker has no soul?
45 had his physical exam a week ago, and there was a press briefing this week with the results.
Dr. Ronny said that Little Donny is real healthy.
Time magazine quotes the physician's remarks in full.
My interest, of course, is in his cognitive abilities. I have asserted, as have others, that SCROTUS has some form of dementia. The doctor administered the Montreal Cognitive Assessment, or MoCA. It's a good screening. It's a screening only, as it takes about 10 minutes, but I use it in my practice quite often to give a quick overview of a patient's cognitive abilities. The doctor reported that 45 scored 30/30 on the test.
My initial thought was one of skepticism, cuz that's what I do. Dr. Jackson stated that he performed the MoCA "at the request of the President*." My question was, did the President* request that assessment tool specifically? And if so, how did he know what to ask for? And I wonder if he prepped beforehand.
I looked at the video of the briefing, and it doesn't appear so, based on the doctor's comments. The doctor himself wasn't familiar with the commonly used cognitive screening tools. Below is the full briefing from Dr. Jackson. I've started the video at 11:28, the spot where he discusses the cognitive screening.
So, my concern is this. This MD clearly wasn't familiar with any of the screening tools that are commonly used. Indeed, most MDs don't use them (though we have an AMAZING Parkinson's specialist here in town who routinely does a cognitive screen on her patients), and I can imagine that a long-time White House physician would not have the need to pull a cognitive screening out. Anybody in the behavioral sciences knows the proper administration of a test is critical to the reliability and validity of the results. Though it is a screening, it is a valid screening only if administered correctly. If this was the first time he ever pulled out this tool, it is doubtful that he administered it well.
Another concern of mine, from a professional standpoint, is that Dr. Jackson said that he chose "the hardest one." They are all screening tools. None of them is "hard." The MoCA is slightly longer than the SLUMS exam or the Mini Mental State Exam, but it takes all of 10 minutes. Dr. Jackson said, "It took significantly longer to complete (than other screening tools)." Ten minutes is all it should've taken, which is about the time it takes for the most commonly used screens. If it took a significant amount of time at all, then that leads me to believe that it was not administered correctly.
So, let's just assume that the test was completed in a valid and reliable way and the 30/30 score is the correct score. OK. SCROTUS can name at least 11 words that begin with "F" and he can name a camel and a rhino. He passed a cognitive screening. This tool doesn't screen for intelligence, nor does it look at behavioral or psychiatric problems. The 10-minute screening does not measure fitness for office.
If the President has normal cognition, it's even more concerning, as that means his behaviors are due to a mental health issue, which is much more unpredictable in my opinion. It's doubtful that he would consent to any sort of psychiatric battery.
And really, folks, think about it. What would the Presidential Physician, who has an office in the Whitewash House, say if SCROTUS had scored less than a PERFECT 30/30? (BTW, a "normal" score on this test is 26/30 or above) I believe Dr. Jackson is honorable and ethical, but I also believe he likes his job.
So, with normal cognition, what we have in America is a President* who is a soulless autocrat at best or a dangerous sociopath at worst.
So, again I entreat you, fellow resisters, put on your thinking caps, dig deep into your souls, and resist!
I leave you with this, from the Gotta Laugh to Keep from Crying Files:
....but what if the thinker has no soul?
45 had his physical exam a week ago, and there was a press briefing this week with the results.
Dr. Ronny said that Little Donny is real healthy.
Time magazine quotes the physician's remarks in full.
My interest, of course, is in his cognitive abilities. I have asserted, as have others, that SCROTUS has some form of dementia. The doctor administered the Montreal Cognitive Assessment, or MoCA. It's a good screening. It's a screening only, as it takes about 10 minutes, but I use it in my practice quite often to give a quick overview of a patient's cognitive abilities. The doctor reported that 45 scored 30/30 on the test.
My initial thought was one of skepticism, cuz that's what I do. Dr. Jackson stated that he performed the MoCA "at the request of the President*." My question was, did the President* request that assessment tool specifically? And if so, how did he know what to ask for? And I wonder if he prepped beforehand.
I looked at the video of the briefing, and it doesn't appear so, based on the doctor's comments. The doctor himself wasn't familiar with the commonly used cognitive screening tools. Below is the full briefing from Dr. Jackson. I've started the video at 11:28, the spot where he discusses the cognitive screening.
So, my concern is this. This MD clearly wasn't familiar with any of the screening tools that are commonly used. Indeed, most MDs don't use them (though we have an AMAZING Parkinson's specialist here in town who routinely does a cognitive screen on her patients), and I can imagine that a long-time White House physician would not have the need to pull a cognitive screening out. Anybody in the behavioral sciences knows the proper administration of a test is critical to the reliability and validity of the results. Though it is a screening, it is a valid screening only if administered correctly. If this was the first time he ever pulled out this tool, it is doubtful that he administered it well.
Another concern of mine, from a professional standpoint, is that Dr. Jackson said that he chose "the hardest one." They are all screening tools. None of them is "hard." The MoCA is slightly longer than the SLUMS exam or the Mini Mental State Exam, but it takes all of 10 minutes. Dr. Jackson said, "It took significantly longer to complete (than other screening tools)." Ten minutes is all it should've taken, which is about the time it takes for the most commonly used screens. If it took a significant amount of time at all, then that leads me to believe that it was not administered correctly.
So, let's just assume that the test was completed in a valid and reliable way and the 30/30 score is the correct score. OK. SCROTUS can name at least 11 words that begin with "F" and he can name a camel and a rhino. He passed a cognitive screening. This tool doesn't screen for intelligence, nor does it look at behavioral or psychiatric problems. The 10-minute screening does not measure fitness for office.
If the President has normal cognition, it's even more concerning, as that means his behaviors are due to a mental health issue, which is much more unpredictable in my opinion. It's doubtful that he would consent to any sort of psychiatric battery.
And really, folks, think about it. What would the Presidential Physician, who has an office in the Whitewash House, say if SCROTUS had scored less than a PERFECT 30/30? (BTW, a "normal" score on this test is 26/30 or above) I believe Dr. Jackson is honorable and ethical, but I also believe he likes his job.
So, with normal cognition, what we have in America is a President* who is a soulless autocrat at best or a dangerous sociopath at worst.
So, again I entreat you, fellow resisters, put on your thinking caps, dig deep into your souls, and resist!
I leave you with this, from the Gotta Laugh to Keep from Crying Files:
Monday, January 8, 2018
Buttons! The New Musical
A little musical interlude as a follow-up to my last post.
Randy Rainbow!
And from Alison Russell:
And an oldie but a goodie, from 1997 MadTV, the prescient Darlene McBride sings, "Take Back America."
Randy Rainbow!
And from Alison Russell:
And an oldie but a goodie, from 1997 MadTV, the prescient Darlene McBride sings, "Take Back America."
Sunday, January 7, 2018
Concern should drive us into action and not into a depression.
"Concern should drive us into action and not into a depression."
-Pythagorus
Things are really starting to get concerning.
It sounds so hackneyed by now. We've been "so concerned" for nearly a year. Any one of the events on any one day during this "Presidency" is enough to pull the plug. ...Well, you know. You see Twitter.
But this week, we had the release of Fire and Fury: Inside the Trump White House by Michael Wolff. It's a tell-all book with all kinds of licentious details about the inner workings of the Whitewash House and the whole family. In Particular, Steve Bannon, dog ass lookalike, is quoted with some really delicious stabs.
SCROTUS fought back, sending his lawyer to try to stop the publisher from publishing the book, sending a Cease and Desist letter. "Ummmm, no. Instead, we're going to move the release date up. It's a bestseller already!"
Seeing SCROTUS and Buttface trade barbs would've been amusing if it weren't so concerning. It was like watching an Ouroboros without the warm fuzzies of rebirth and renewal.
Besides the soap opera between Darth Hater and his one-time puppeteer, the book gives us insight into the functioning of the President*. Wolff writes that many sources have said that his capacity is diminishing, and that his abilities are declining. They are quoted as saying the frequency of his repititions is increasing.
Wolff writes:
SCROTUS's reactions to the book and to Bannon's betrayal, was typical. By tweet, he pushed back, first by bullying:
And then by self-aggrandizing:
OOOOOHHHHH! So glad that got cleared up. I'm so relieved that it's finally been established that we have a, like, stable genius as leader of the free world. Because a stable genius is needed to carefully negotiate the difficult course through North Korea.
......Oh, what's that? Oh, he meant stable genius? Like the smart guy down at the barn tending the asses?
Really?! The Stable Genius has engaged in schoolyard taunting match with a benign little fellow over Korea way, one Kim Jong-un? They have been comparing the size of their...... buttons. Typical for third-grade playground taunts, except that the buttons they are poised to push will launch a nuclear airstrike. (And actually "buttons" is probably a great description of their ding-a-lings.)
It's really starting to get scary. Really scary. Many of my readers do not remember the Cold War. It was not a fun time. We watched the Doomsday Clock (which, by the way, has ticked a little closer). There was a humming anxiety throughout our society. In those days, the Threat of nuclear war hung over us. Today, the Threat has grabbed us by the underpants, yanked hard, and picked us up and hung us on a fence post. In the snow. Naked except for the underpants. With no boots on. And no hat.
There are literally two madmen in the world with their fingers poised over their respective big buttons!
More and more people have been speaking out about these dangerous developments. People like esteemed forensic psychiatrist Bandy Lee from Yale. Here is a very good interview with her, where she explains her concerns based on her expertise in being able to assess dangerousness. She calls for an emergency assessment. Basically, she is calling for a 5150! The fact that reasonable, intelligent people are even considering this action should concern each one of us!
And a couple days ago, the Centers for Disease Control announced that they will publish guidelines later this month to educate Americans on how to survive a nuclear event. This shit is real folks. We should all be very concerned.
It's not political, Right-wingers. We are concerned not because we don't want marijuana laws to be rescinded or because we want to use whichever goddamn bathroom suits us. It's not because we would rather tax corporations more and the rest of us less. It's not because we want healthcare for all. This is because We. Don't. Want. To. Die.
Something has got to be done besides hope for a stroke. Republicans, find your backbone. Put country before party. Put your agenda to the side for a few moments. It will be there when we reconvene with a new President. Get this guy out!
And the rest of you, Continue your actions! Contact your lawmakers. Express your concerns. This goes beyond policies and politics! Keep up the Resistance!
...And because we gotta laugh to keep from crying, and because sometimes these guys are all we need to explain our circumstances, I offer you some political cartoons.
Things are really starting to get concerning.
It sounds so hackneyed by now. We've been "so concerned" for nearly a year. Any one of the events on any one day during this "Presidency" is enough to pull the plug. ...Well, you know. You see Twitter.
But this week, we had the release of Fire and Fury: Inside the Trump White House by Michael Wolff. It's a tell-all book with all kinds of licentious details about the inner workings of the Whitewash House and the whole family. In Particular, Steve Bannon, dog ass lookalike, is quoted with some really delicious stabs.
SCROTUS fought back, sending his lawyer to try to stop the publisher from publishing the book, sending a Cease and Desist letter. "Ummmm, no. Instead, we're going to move the release date up. It's a bestseller already!"
Seeing SCROTUS and Buttface trade barbs would've been amusing if it weren't so concerning. It was like watching an Ouroboros without the warm fuzzies of rebirth and renewal.
Besides the soap opera between Darth Hater and his one-time puppeteer, the book gives us insight into the functioning of the President*. Wolff writes that many sources have said that his capacity is diminishing, and that his abilities are declining. They are quoted as saying the frequency of his repititions is increasing.
Wolff writes:
There was more: Everybody was painfully aware of the increasing pace of his repetitions. It used to be inside of 30 minutes he’d repeat, word-for-word and expression-for-expression, the same three stories — now it was within 10 minutes. Indeed, many of his tweets were the product of his repetitions — he just couldn’t stop saying something.I've said it before and I'll say it again. There is something clinically wrong with this person. Dementia. Strokes. Brain tumor. Something is not right!
SCROTUS's reactions to the book and to Bannon's betrayal, was typical. By tweet, he pushed back, first by bullying:
Michael Wolff is a total loser who made up stories in order to sell this really boring and untruthful book. He used Sloppy Steve Bannon, who cried when he got fired and begged for his job. Now Sloppy Steve has been dumped like a dog by almost everyone. Too bad! https://t.co/mEeUhk5ZV9— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 6, 2018
And then by self-aggrandizing:
....Actually, throughout my life, my two greatest assets have been mental stability and being, like, really smart. Crooked Hillary Clinton also played these cards very hard and, as everyone knows, went down in flames. I went from VERY successful businessman, to top T.V. Star.....— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 6, 2018
....to President of the United States (on my first try). I think that would qualify as not smart, but genius....and a very stable genius at that!— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 6, 2018
OOOOOHHHHH! So glad that got cleared up. I'm so relieved that it's finally been established that we have a, like, stable genius as leader of the free world. Because a stable genius is needed to carefully negotiate the difficult course through North Korea.
......Oh, what's that? Oh, he meant stable genius? Like the smart guy down at the barn tending the asses?
Really?! The Stable Genius has engaged in schoolyard taunting match with a benign little fellow over Korea way, one Kim Jong-un? They have been comparing the size of their...... buttons. Typical for third-grade playground taunts, except that the buttons they are poised to push will launch a nuclear airstrike. (And actually "buttons" is probably a great description of their ding-a-lings.)
North Korean Leader Kim Jong Un just stated that the “Nuclear Button is on his desk at all times.” Will someone from his depleted and food starved regime please inform him that I too have a Nuclear Button, but it is a much bigger & more powerful one than his, and my Button works!— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 3, 2018
There are literally two madmen in the world with their fingers poised over their respective big buttons!
More and more people have been speaking out about these dangerous developments. People like esteemed forensic psychiatrist Bandy Lee from Yale. Here is a very good interview with her, where she explains her concerns based on her expertise in being able to assess dangerousness. She calls for an emergency assessment. Basically, she is calling for a 5150! The fact that reasonable, intelligent people are even considering this action should concern each one of us!
And a couple days ago, the Centers for Disease Control announced that they will publish guidelines later this month to educate Americans on how to survive a nuclear event. This shit is real folks. We should all be very concerned.
It's not political, Right-wingers. We are concerned not because we don't want marijuana laws to be rescinded or because we want to use whichever goddamn bathroom suits us. It's not because we would rather tax corporations more and the rest of us less. It's not because we want healthcare for all. This is because We. Don't. Want. To. Die.
Something has got to be done besides hope for a stroke. Republicans, find your backbone. Put country before party. Put your agenda to the side for a few moments. It will be there when we reconvene with a new President. Get this guy out!
And the rest of you, Continue your actions! Contact your lawmakers. Express your concerns. This goes beyond policies and politics! Keep up the Resistance!
...And because we gotta laugh to keep from crying, and because sometimes these guys are all we need to explain our circumstances, I offer you some political cartoons.
 |
| Pat Begley |
 |
| Adam Zyglis |
 |
| Steve Breen |
 |
| Marian Kamensky |
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)