Day: February 6, 2018

ENROLL TRUMP FOR TREASON – A STUNNING COMMENTARY BY RICH WILSON

I think I’m pretty good with words, but compared to this guy, I’m a first-grader writing with blunt crayons. In this piece titled:

Donald Trump Cracks the Seal on Talk of Treason

Written — or should I say composed — by conservative author Rich Wilson, the words flow like music. This is a symphony of the English language describing our so-called president. I should let the author speak for himself. I don’t think anyone could say it better. This was so good, I read the first half out loud to Garry. 

You may have noticed by now, but I’m not one to pull any punches on Donald Trump. As a conservative, I see him as a statist abomination, a plump, be-wattled authoritarian-wannabe man-baby with the intellectual horsepower of a toaster oven.

One thing we’ve learned in the last two years is that no legal, moral or cultural strictures bind Trump and that he is immune to the better angels of human nature. The moral event horizon around him consumes the good in anyone who becomes one of his vassals. There is no better version of Trump, ever. He can only degrade and destroy everything he touches, but today was remarkable, even for him.

Monday’s simpering, prissy, self-indulgent performance in Ohio was just another raree-show with our Kentucky Fried Nero fiddling while the stock market burned. Then came the moment where he broke another seal, and cracked another seam in the foundation of our Republic.

That was when Trump, in his typical sneering, sniggling, purse-lipped way said of the Democrats watching his State of the Union speech: “They were like death. And un-American. Un-American. Somebody said ‘treasonous.’ I mean, yeah, I guess, why not? Can we call that treason? Why not? I mean they certainly didn’t seem to love our country very much.”

Even for Trump, on an endless quest to define American decency down, this was a new low. His followers and Congressional cheering section will love it, of course. A few Republicans in Congress may furrow a brow or intone some anodyne statement like, “I wouldn’t have put it that way, but…”

Trump lacks the mental capacity to see where this very slippery slope leads, but the political arsonists around him do. With that, prepare to reap the whirlwind.

See the rest of the story at: DONALD TRUMP CRACKS THE SEAL ON TREASON

And thus the man himself has slipped the word into the national conversation. This is the one crime that has never been trivialized or minimized. “Our Founders viewed treason as the most severe crime against the Republic. Treason was an act without shades of gray, without gradiations, without rationalization. It is the one crime we punish by stripping those found guilty of it of their citizenship, or even their lives.”

You hear the expression “Let slip the dogs of war.” I think, as words go, these may well be our dogs of war. Casual talk of treason? Casual? Treason?

Remember this in days to come. The day the stock market crashed, Trump talked casually and humorously of himself as a man accused of treason. A light-hearted jest tossed at the heart of the nation he supposedly serves.

WORLD SHARING – FEBRUARY 2018

Share Your World – February 5, 2018

What would be your ideal fantasy way to spend Monday?

You know, I’m retired so everyday is pretty much like every other day. If no one reminds me of what’s on TV, I don’t know what day it is. The only reason I know the date is because I schedule posts in advance.

Bringing me, briefly, to the subject of scheduling. Except for the little Daily Post in the morning, I schedule everything. Why? Because I am the typo queen and therefore,  a ceaseless editor. There is a 50-50 chance that if I have enough time, I’ll find most of the typos and get rid of them before publication.

Reality? I miss at least half of the half and there are always typos or other errors at publication, no matter how much time I’ve left myself to edit. I don’t seem to be getting better, either. Worse, if anything. I forget to complete words, sometimes leaving out the final letter … or syllable. Most annoying, while my brain is thinking “write” my fingers are typing “right.”

How does that happen? Occasionally, what my fingers type has absolutely nothing to do with what I was thinking. I find that odd to say the least and if anyone has a scientific explanation for this phenomenon, I’d really like to hear it.

What one person that you are out of contact with would you like to say thank you to?

P.S. 35, Queens

My fourth grade teacher who told me to write more and then, when I thought I’d written enough, encouraged me to write even more than that! She seemed to think I had a bit of talent, the dear.

List your favorite toys or games as a kid?

Dolls were my personal favorite and remarkably, still are. But games to be played with others? Monopoly was the first big one. but most card games were a hot second. By the time we (my little friends and I) were ten, we were playing bridge. Not well and with a lot of cheating — we showed our partner our cards. But we learned to play and eventually, we also learned to bid and in the end, I was a not-too-bad bridge player.

Annabelle – The first and best

I played lots of board games over the years, from Parcheesi to Sorry. Clue was not a big one, maybe because it was a bit slow and I never enjoyed chess. I got so involved in planning future moves, I was usually dead be the third real move.

What did you appreciate or what made you smile this past week?  Feel free to use a quote, a photo, a story, or even a combination. 

We had a great time visiting Tom and Ellin.

It’s a high old time for great conversation. Really good conversation is such a rarity these days! It was also nice to see the family for the Super Bowl and even losing didn’t ruin the moment.

LOSING IS THE OTHER SIDE OF WINNING – SUPER BOWL LII

Since the Patriots became a “real” football team in 2001, there have been 18 super bowls. The Patriots won five. Lost three. The other 10 Super Bowls were won by other teams and the Patriots weren’t in the game.

The Patriots won 5 Super Bowls — one fewer than the Steelers, by the way — and lost three.

So this rumor that the Patriots never lose was never true. They only played fewer than half of the games — and didn’t win all of them.

The Patriots lost Sunday. Aside from whatever internal stupidity made Bellichick decide to exclude our best defensive player, it was a great game. The Eagles won by playing better and harder than the Patriots.

Super Bowl XXXV (Jan. 29, 2001): Ravens 34, Giants 7
Super Bowl XXXVI (Feb. 3, 2002): Patriots 20, Rams 17
Super Bowl XXXVII (Jan. 26, 2003): Buccaneers 48, Raiders 21
Super Bowl XXXVIII (Feb. 1, 2004): Patriots 32, Panthers 29
Super Bowl XXXIX (Feb. 6, 2005): Patriots 24, Eagles 21
Super Bowl XL (Feb. 5, 2006): Steelers 21, Seahawks 10
Super Bowl XLI (Feb. 4, 2007): Colts 29, Bears 17
Super Bowl XLII (Feb. 3, 2008): Giants 17, Patriots 14
Super Bowl XLIII (Feb. 1, 2009): Steelers 27, Cardinals 23
Super Bowl XLIV (Feb. 7, 2010): Saints 31, Colts 17
Super Bowl XLV (Feb. 6, 2011): Packers 31, Steelers 25
Super Bowl XLVI (Feb. 5, 2012): Giants 21, Patriots 17
Super Bowl XLVII (Feb. 3, 2013): Ravens 34, 49ers 31
Super Bowl XLVIII (Feb. 2, 2014): Seahawks 43, Broncos 8
Super Bowl XLIX (Feb. 1, 2015): Patriots 28, Seahawks 24
Super Bowl L (Feb. 7, 2016): Broncos 24, Panthers 10
Super Bowl LI (Feb. 5, 2017) Patriots 34, Falcons 28 (OT) 
Super Bowl LII  (Feb. 4, 2018) Eagles 41, Patriots 33

Garry says those statistics sound wrong, but they are accurate.

The wins and losses are not really the issue. The Patriots have been a wonderful team for its fans. Whether or not they made it to the Super Bowl, they have always been magical to watch, a pleasure for New England fans. It has been a privilege to have had them to root for these past 17 years. I’m sure we’ll be rooting for them next year, too.

Win or lose, they are a fine team. I just thought a little perspective via statistics was in order.

THANKS FOR THE ANGST – ELLIN CURLEY

Scientific studies now exist that defend
Stress as something good which we need to extend
Our productive lives,  as we get on in years.
So perhaps we should fuel, not conquer our fears
And dwell on what is scary in the world today
So we can keep our minds sharp and dotage at bay.

That’s easier today than it was in the past
Thanks to round-the-clock, in your face, varied and vast
News media, that seem to excel at frightening
(But not at their job – informing and enlightening!)

Illustration: Bangor Daily Tribune

Whenever we search for what we used to call “news”,
Major world events and leaders’ well-reasoned views,
The depths of human depravity appear
In bold print before our eyes or loudly in our ear.
We get endless non-reporting, in-depth and detail,
Of the endless ways in which the conscience can derail

A killer with a torture device collection,
A kidnapper with a sex slave ring connection,
A pervert who goes way beyond weird and bizarre,
A psycho who hoards, God knows what, in his car!

The news keeps us knee-deep in sickos and creeps,
Who are out there for real, not just made up for sweeps!
We’ve been programmed to be on our guard all the time
So we don’t end up being a statistic of crime.
Instead of relating with trust and with ease
We assume those we meet have a mental disease.
You’ve made everyone in the country paranoid;
We’ve all got PTSD now, according to Freud!

Then there are reports that are billed as “public service”
Which really just want to make sure that we’re nervous
About things in our house that can kill our pet,
Diseases we never heard of we’re at risk to get,
Some food or drink we give our grandkids every day
That’s been reported to sicken or kill in some way,
The “fluke” accidents that seem to daily kill and maim,
The fear we’ll die with a Darwin Award in our name.
“Petty” you may say – but the message is clear –
Vigilance is a must to live out the year.

Darwin_Evolve

Thanks to the media we are also aware
Of all the stupidity and ignorance out there.
Not just IN the world, but running it as well
(Running it into the ground and straight to hell)!
Instead of dealing with the problems we must solve
Leaders argue if man “appeared” or “evolved”.
Rational and civil debate has been hijacked
By arguments whether a fact is, in fact, a fact.
“Discussion” is now defined as “loud, angry yelling”
And there’s little hope of the hostilities quelling.
It feels like we’re devolving back to the cave
Or rapidly digging a species sized grave.
That’s because there are no longer systems in place
To keep PEOPLE from destroying the human race!

It may be true that we won’t lose our edge if the press
Artificially elevates our levels of stress.
But the more we’re exposed to greed and insanity,
Selfishness, prejudice, lying, inanity,
The less we care about our brains getting stronger
And our bodies thriving so we can live longer.

The bombardment of negativity we endure
Has left us conflicted, hopeless and unsure –
Do we really WANT to keep senility at bay?
Or just let our minds slip peacefully away?
Being connected and well-informed these days
Creates angst and despair in so many ways!
We often think,” Why bother getting out of bed?
Long life is a croc! We’d be better off dead”!