Have Ya' Heard?

The past four years have seen an increase in “go home”, go back to your country” and similar vile remarks to those other than fair skinned by prejudicial white hued morons. Some hold to the thought that the Oval Office occupant has had an influence on this sorry situation. It’s interesting to note that he does maintain a portrait of Andrew Jackson on the walls of that office. Jackson was well known for his Indian Removal Policy which included a forced fatal march, The Trail of Tears, which took Native Americans from their southern homes to remote western areas.

Found in the “hold on” department, seems Natalia Escudero, an employee of Spanish public broadcaster RTVE, enthused on camera when she learned she was a winner in the in a $4 million Euro Christmas lottery She immediately voiced an enthusiastic resignation from her job. Problem is there were multiple winners and her share turned out to be but $5.500, hardly enough for retirement.  .

Can’t recall seeing such traffic during the final days before Christmas. My longtime pal Howie and I were located in a spot at our regular coffee stop where we couldn’t help but see an unending flow of cars driven by stressed shoppers. I always sympathize with these folks who, for one reason or another, leave their gift buying to the last minute resulting in an unusual amount of pressure and the tendency to overspend into unwelcome debt.

I‘ve never understood the allure of crowding into Times Square for the ball drop and the entrance of the New Year. The elbow to elbow long time standing is distressing enough. Then there’s the ever present bathroom situation. End of the year temps don’t exactly dictate an infrequency of john junkets. Do the surrounding retail stores and restaurants allow the crowds to use their facilities?  Are there massive amounts of portable stalls located beyond the tv cameras’ eyes?  May any and all who take part in this yearly event enjoy more than just being able to say “I was there”as perhaps you make new neighbors, new friendships, new endurance records.

Reports continue from May 2017 to the present concerning what appears to be a lonely Donald Trump. “Trump looks increasingly isolated”, “Trump is more isolated than ever”/: It’s said that “Our allies are “deeply worried”.

 Following the Trump-Fox divorce, competition to become his favorite cable news outlet found an unlikely new frontrunner: One America News Network which gained favor by becoming his most loyal promoter. Previously he had disparaged the tiny web for its inept graphics and air product

Ah, now a report on a lame brain who was caught on video smiling and shooting a gun from a car.  This loser was seen grinning and firing an AK-47 several times as the vehicle traveled an El Paso highway. Fortunately no one was injured. Police called for the guilty dingbat to come forward which he did the next day, was given jail residence and held on $50,000 bail.

Oh No!

George Conway has just come up with a new label for the present Oval Office occupant. The usual has been POTUS (President of the United States). According to Conway, because of The House bestowing impeachment upon Donald Trump his forever title has now become IMPOTUS.  After hearing this from George, I bet wife Kellyanne left for her White House job not in a government vehicle but a huff.  

A recent survey demonstrates that 70% of white Evangelicals favorably compare Trump to Jesus. There’s a word for that: sacrilege.

Last minute gift buying advice. Grab anything that’s easily exchangeable.

After being silent during her final months as press secretary, Sarah Huckabee Sanders, raced to twitter to criticize Joe Biden for referring to and supposedly making fun of stuttering children.  Had she done her research, she would have known that the former Vice President was not insulting those afflicted, but rather recognizing their problem....one from which he himself had suffered.  After learning the truth, which was public knowledge, Sanders withdrew her initial tweet and replaced it with an apologetic one. Guess her former White House experience failed to teach her to check before condemning.

Snow and cold belong on the Weather and Travel Channels, not in the vicinity of our home. I’ll save you time by omitting the several hundred words that describe how much I dislike winter!

On tombstones of the famous:   Jackie Gleason “Away We Go”.  Rodney Dangerfield “There Goes the Neighborhood”.

Word is “Cats”, the movie, is nothing to meow about. The former Broadway hit’s transformation to the big screen is far less than purr-fect. Apparently, this flick should join the rest of the debris in the cat box.

The much ballyhooed “The Irishman” has arrived.  Impressive cast, Al Pacino, Robert DeNiro, Joe Pesce and directed by Martin Scorcese.  Sounds great, right?  Except for the fact that this flick clocks in at almost 3 ½ hours long, more time than I care to invest. If you go, bring a lunch.

Whatever may be your Holiday celebration, Bev and I send our best to you and yours.

Donald Trump had issued a 6 page tantrum to Speaker Nancy Pelosi. Doubtless, you’ve heard the details by now. The question being raised is did he compose this diatribe by himself or was it inspired, even written at least in part by his pally Sean Hannity? 

Meantime, across the political aisle candidate Michael Bloomberg asks “Donald Trump says he wants gun safety, so why has he consistently sided with the NRA? So why did the NRA spend $30 million to elect him?

The question is: What’s the name of the process that places a very essential ingredient into a fruit salad? The answer:  Impeachment

Interesting to note that during the Wednesday hearings the Grand Master of Gripes tweeted some 45 times. Good to realize he’s not idle by likely setting a twitter record.

Prince Andrew may be “stepping away from royal duties but he’s still attending royal family events.  He was seen arriving at Buckingham Palace this past week for the Queen’s annual Christmas lunch. There was a marked change however. This time he was serving it, not consuming it.

Gerritt Cole who just signed another one of those absurd contracts expressed his sadness at having to shave his beard as now he’s a member of the no facial hair New York Yankees. Poor baby, I guess he'll have to put up with being bald faced for some $35+ million a year.

A former White House adviser David Gergen has said that Donald Trump will respond to his impeachment by seeking revenge. Gergen served under Nixon, Ford, Reagan and Clinton telling Anderson Cooper this week that Trump’s belligerent outlook on his impeachment is starkly contrasted to that of Nixon and Clinton.

Seems a toilet revolution has taken place which is being welcomed by employers who claim their workers spend too much time on the john. Standard Toilet’s model slopes forward at a 13 degree angle. This causes discomfort spending any longer than five minutes aboard without suffering leg strain. No sense even taking the daily paper with you any longer. There won’t be even enough time to get through the sports section.

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Alright!

A family was about to lose a package delivered to their front door, but alas, the would-be thief suffered a case of “drop trou” when he attempted to grab the loot.  Seems he fumbled the package in the course of losing his pants and then made a hasty retreat on his motorcycle.  Doubtless he’ll be apprehended and further embarrassed when the resident displays the video he has of the entire misadventure.

Looks as though “Full House” actress Lori Loughlin and mate are now finger pointing at the feds as holding back evidence prior to their trial in the college admissions scandal. The pair have pleaded not guilty to the charges that they paid $500,000 to bribe their daughters’ entrance into USC as phony athletic recruits. How a jury will eventually judge these moneyed marrieds is another matter. The accused face a max penalty of 40 years behind bars which will never happen.

Certainly it was yet another enjoyable evening watching the “Kennedy Center Honors”. That wonderful hall is worthy of the 35^th President. The welcome tributes were well placed. Linda Ronstadt who is bravely fighting Parkinson’s, popular and accomplished Sally Field, the forever marvelous Sesame Street, conductor Michael Tilson Thomas and the incomparable Earth, Wind and Fire. One of the presenters for the group was David Foster who took the occasion to talk about himself.  What a surprise. 

Quote of the week goes to President Obama who said, “I’m absolutely confident that for two years if every nation on earth was run by women, you would see a significant improvement across the board on just about everything ... living standards and outcomes,”  I totally agree.

Now from the positive to the other side, seems the Oval Officer is setting more records. The Washington Post reports that the Trump false or misleading claims have skyrocketed to some 15,413 during his 1,055 days in office, an average of nearly 15 every day. The mistruth rate of Trump has more than doubled the total for his three years in office.

Been filling your piggy bank for a very special occasion?  Well, here it is: The chance to buy Gloria Vanderbilt’s family mansion. It’s comprised of seven floors, 18,000 square feet on New York’s posh 72^nd street and carries a $50 million price tag.  

Oh So

After losing to 16 year old climate activist Greta Thunberg as Time Magazine’s Person of the Year, the White House resident’s praise and congrats were in limbo calling her selection “ridiculous” and that she has an “anger management problem”.  His chances of ever holding the title “gracious loser” remain slim to none.

 Responding to the Trump put down of Greta Thunberg former first lady and class act Michele Obama said, “Don’t let anyone dim your light. Like the girls I’ve met in Vietnam and all over the world, you have so much to offer us all. Ignore the doubters and know that millions of people are cheering you on.”

Surprise,The Chancellor of the Cheap Shot’s latest twitter foray was yet another expression of outrage at his old pal Fox News when it announced it will be talking to former FBI Director James Comey and House Judiciary Chairman Adam Shiff.  “Hard to believe that Fox News will be interviewing sleazebag & totally discredited former FBI Director James Comey, & also corrupt politician Adam ‘Shifty’ Schiff.” He later added a comparison of Fox to “Commiecast MSNBC and CNN”. Yet more proof that when a love affair, such as Trump-Fox, ends things can get nasty.

Another bit of evidence that this age is one of rage and thoughtlessness. I just read a letter to the editor which detailed the callous behavior of some drivers regarding funeral processions.  The writer details instances of drivers invading said processions then tail gating, horn blowing and even displaying obscene gestures.  Seems any such behavior should be rewarded with suspension or loss of license for any moronic perpetrators.

President Obama was unable to fill Supreme Court vacancies during his final two years in office because of blockage by the GOP controlled Senate and its leader, Mitch McConnell. This public sponge recently capped his claim with a creepy laugh.  Ah yes, another servant, not to the electorate, but to his party and himself.

So The House will now pass the impeachment against Trump. Certainly, the Senate will not.  Then what?

Word has it that The Supreme Court will hear three cases in regard to subpoenas for the fabled Donald Trump financial records. One involves the use of hush money allegedly sent to two women.  The remaining two center around subpoenas to Trump’s banks and an accounting firm. The cases won’t be heard until March with a predicted decision in June. Perhaps the conservative leaning Court can delay a decision until after the next election.

We’ve just seen the seventh year since the horrendous shooting of twenty six, twenty children and six teachers, at Sandy Hook Elementary School on December 14, 2012. Sadly, what might have been a lesson for all has failed as the senseless killing continues. Incredibly, there have been 1600+ of such since Sandy Hook. We’ve often been referred to as “The Greatest Country in The World”. Certainly and ashamedly, we’re now in contention for the dubious title as “Most Violent in the World”.