Cruising across the pond in your tenth decade - what a wonderful tonic!

Just returned from a November 15-day westbound transatlantic cruise" from Southampton, UK  to Fort Lauderdale, FL. on the wonderful Celebrity Silhouette.
Absolutely delightful - despite one stormy day. After the dark clouds left we sat on our balcony enjoying balmy sunshine! Who would've believed that November in the North Atlantic could  be so pleasant? It helped that I selected a cabin on the port  (left) side of the ship - since I assumed (or hoped) that going west, we would receive late morning/afternoon sun. So - when we weren't eating, playing bridge, attending cocktail/tea parties or playing trivia - we sat on our balcony and enjoyed reading, playing gin rummy or snoozing!
The ship's first port was Boston and we met our granddaughter Sarah for lunch at the No Name restaurant on Fish Pier - not far from the ship. (She came from her school, Brandeis University, in Waltham.)
Next port was  New York City   - sailing under the Verrazano  Bridge and  saluting the Statue of Liberty; we were invited to view our NYC arrival from the  ship's helipad which was exciting (and chilly); staff handed out blankets and hot chocolate to warm us up!
We docked  at 55th St. and 12th Ave. and remained overnight - not leaving until the afternoon of the next day! This was special since we got to visit our kids/grandkids Laura, Dave, Evan, Jeremy in Chappaqua!
Laura arranged for a car to pick us up at the ship and return us after our visit. What a fantastic treat!
The ship continued on to Bermuda and we disembarked in Fort Lauderdale -flying home to El Paso.

So why was this such a great cruise? After all we've been doing this for more than 25 years - on almost every cruise line/river ship/barge - here and abroad. But  when you're in your 10th decade - getting frailer - can't really handle stairs....like my Ben -  vacation options diminish.  The level of service on this Celebrity ship was phenomenal. Wherever Ben walked (with his cane)  someone on the staff asked if they could help lend  a hand in walking, carrying a cup/plate,  holding the elevator, whatever. Didn't matter if it was a ship's officer or someone polishing the stair railings.... kind, thoughtful service was the watchword.  Ben needed a wheelchair for getting on and off in ports and the ship's staff couldn't do enough to make sure Ben was comfortable.

Which explains why we're returning to Celebrity this December - for a five day Caribbean cruise with Joan (and granddaughters Sarah and Miriam) and Susan (and Lee) to celebrate my 90th!! This time we'll be on an older ship, the Infinity - but I'm expecting the same wonderful service!

Photos below show Celebrity Silhouette docked in Bermuda, the Library, Trifle dessert day at the buffet lunch (Ben's highlight!)  Ruth and Ben - and the lawn at the top of the ship.

 

Invasion of five-year old children without shoes

Lies are getting bigger (Fuhrer style)!
Our Orange King is sending thousands of troops to the US Mexican border for the coming "invasion"! That's what the Trump network (aka FoxyNews) is advising - and they're doing their best to remind viewers constantly about the upcoming invasion.....? The worst part - people living thousands of miles from the border - believe this is an imminent threat!


In the meantime, the Orange King continues to spend your money - on campaign trips, needless posting of troops, National Guard and more. And when there's no more money - he'll reduce Medicare, S.S. and anything else that might help the middle class!

And to extend his exposure before election day, the Orange King serves up bigger and more lies - how about the U.S. "birthright" challenge: "we're the only country" etc. BIG LIE!

Crooked voting machines; sending wrong voting addresses or moving polling places (especially if there are students or minorities involved)  - I find it so hard to understand why the Orange King has such devoted followers; do they really believe he cares about them?

Mendacity rules - hard to laugh......

Haven't posted since August 24 - so depressed at what's happening in this country. Mendacity is still the rule - and I feel hopeless since I don't have political clout or money to counter the lies.
The orange king's mantra: Deny, Deny, Deny is now chanted by all his courtiers and slaves.
And the orange king continues to gloat over his court's accomplishments while campaigning (at our expense) and criticizing/calling names of any who might dare to speak up against him.
For a brief moment I had hopes that Flake and Collins would show some gumption. Collins is either stupid or getting paid off by McConnell and Flake apparently wants to run for president so he's avoiding stepping on toes and antagonizing possible sources of funding.
And Manchin? A Democrat? Where coal is god? Impossible
So I will cast my vote in November and hope that the Democratic Party doesn't shoot itself in the foot before then and mess things up.

Wouldn't it be great if Beto gets elected?

LIES untruths, distortions, fabrications, misstatements, fibs, LIES LIES and more LIES!

The "lies" finally became "print worthy" in  the Washington Post! Previous mentions included "untruths" "distortions" and assorted euphemisms ascribed to the Orange King since he ascended to the throne. But after more than 8000 well documented lies ,WAPO decided it was time call a lie  a lie - in easy to see black and white print.
Sarah, the Orange King's lie purveyor took offense when a reporter asked how could the King deny hush payments for his sexual adventures when there are tapes recording his words.....Sarah's lie: I can tell you the "king" (she calls him President) did nothing wrong!!!!

As usual, the New Yorker magazine's cartoonist Kuper nails it:

Reality checks:
Lindsey Graham in January, 1999 - pontificating about President Clinton and reasons for impeachment:

“So the point I’m trying to make is you don’t even have to be convicted of a crime to lose your job in this constitutional republic, if this body determines that your conduct as a public official is clearly out of bounds in your role......... 

Because impeachment is not about punishment.  Impeachment is about cleansing the office. Impeachment is about restoring honor and integrity to the office.”

Really? My goodness Senator Graham - you don't think it's necessary to clean the Orange King's White Castle? What dictionary does Graham use for defining honor and integrity?

In 2016, Mitch McConnell refused to hold hearings on President Obama's Supreme Court nominee. He said it would be wrong to confirm a nominee during an election year……really?

But it's ok to hold hearings on a flawed wannabe judge who's buddies are refusing to release all his former writings? Like you can't mess with the President because he's so busy ruining the country (oops, spell check :I meant running) and he doesn't have time to appear or prepare for court? Yeah - he's working on his golf game.

Just another day in the swampy kingdom we call Congress.......

Nasty Nunes and friends in the Swamp World

Devin Nunes has  made it clear that Congress’s #1 job is bending over backwards for his Orange King - forget about the oath to his country! Hopefully the leaked recordings will bring him down the same way the clandestine tapes worked at a Romney fund raiser when he was aiming for the White House.

And what’s new with Half-Pence? Space has become his shtick and he claims that once upon a time it was “peaceful and uncontested” but now? Oh boy – it’s  “crowded and adversarial.” So,  sucking up to his Orange King's request, he wants to hurry up and create a new military branch – the Space Force. Oy!

But on the other hand - we can put Half Pence in a spacesuit and send him to outer space to examine the real estate. Maybe he can grab a few bargains while prices are low?

OMG – what’s next?

And grab your handkerchief to weep for our Secretary of Education, Poor Betsy DeVos . One of her 4 yachts, moored on U.S. lakes, slipped away from its mooring, got a few scratches and needed repair work….oh dear – do you think she can afford the repairs? Oh yes – she has them registered outside the U.S. – so she doesn’t have to pay use and other taxes levied on stateside moorings. How the rich get richer……

Changing the subject to tastier items:

Don’t plan on a European beer trip this year – not a good summer over there.

 U.K. had to ration beer during the World Cup because of a carbon dioxide shortage, but now  it’s even worse -  a barley shortage (due to extreme heat – crops drying up all over Europe) will result in sky high prices for consumers.

Since April the price of French barley has shot up by 35 percent.  

So you’ll drink something else? Price of gin and whiskey -  made with barley – will also rise.

But – there’s a silver lining: winemakers are happy since the hot summer will be great for quantity and quality of this year’s wines.

P.S.No shortage of beer if you’re remaining stateside this year; at the end of June there were  6,655 craft breweries in the U.S! (30 years ago there were less than 200.)

MENDACITY - from the Orange King's perspective

E.J. Dionne, columnist for the Washington Post writing about the Orange King:
(Trump's) "theory seems to be that a lie is as good as the truth as long as the right people believe it."

The King's newest saying for rallies:  "Stick with us. (Trump Kingdom) Don't believe the crap you see from these people, the fake news. ... What you're seeing and what you're reading is not what's happening."....
Guess this is a variation of his mantra: "Believe Me".....

So when he says making America great means manufacturing stuff here, hiring only Americans it doesn't matter that:
King Donald Trump branded clothing is not made in the US. Stuff in Trump Kingdom hotels is not made in the US. Ivanka Trump’s now defunct fashion lines were all made abroad. (New Yorker satire writer Andy Borowitz says Ivanka is now ready to be a Business Professor at Trump University)
And, most workers at the Orange King's properties (like Mar-a-Lago) are foreign workers (hastily arranged worker visas or illegals) since why should the King pay real living wages?
It's all in the family: Prince Eric Trump hires foreign workers at the King's winery in Virginia.....and the list goes on.

Be aware:  the King is so sure of Deplorables'  allegiance that he's got workers in China now busy sewing  2020 Trump Pence banners…….!!

Wondering if the King's courtiers will go ahead with the newest Welfare program for farmers?  Royalty and  soy beans?

Oops - Pootie boy not coming to visit the King before elections? Does he smell defeat for his puppet?  Sounds good to me!

Putin the Puppeteer (also holds mortgages on Orange King, princes and princess???)

Puppet showtime!


Anyone read George Will's column two days ago about the "sad embarrassing wreck of a man" who occupies the Oval playpen?....
And how the collusion with Russia is "hiding in plain sight"? 

Mr. Will started his column about the Helsinki meeting: "America's child president had a playdate with a KGB alumnus, who surely enjoyed providing daycare."

So when do we find out what Putin's hold on the Orange King amounts to?

Sorry, no Trump tax returns for you great Americans. Don't ask why - there must be a "good" reason.

Perhaps, as Mr. Will points out: his "incompetence as a businessman tumbled him into unsavory financial dependencies on Russians. A still more sinister explanation might be that the Russians have something else, something worse to keep him compliant." 

So the King tried to engage in damage control after spouting off in Helsinki. And our esteemed members of Congress - got up from their chairs, swished their rear ends a bit - and sat down again. After all he repaired his  "mistake" about not supporting US Intelligence outfits:  big double negative? Please substitute wouldn't for would - right? All's well.

But - one day later, Orange King still gushing over his pals in Russia.

BIG SCREAM! Need a Beto in every state - are you registered to vote in November? Make sure everything's in order.

Pay Attention!!!

I am really paying too much attention to what's going on around me - and it does affect my health - but the alternative? Ignore this terrible administration? Ignore a bunch of Republican jokers visiting Moscow on July 4 to assure them that everything's hunky dory in the good old USA? Reassure the Russians that we  believe everything they say - of course they had nothing to do with our election?

And we certainly don't expect any future meddling from them in upcoming elections?

 And the Orange King continues to rant - it's all about money and tv ratings - who cares about the USA?  

D.C. swamp? That's where he does his washing. Oops, he just pulled out some messy Pruitt swamp weed - after a record number of unethical/ridiculous extravaganzas.

And Stephen Miller reigns supreme with toadying Beauregard Sessions obliging Miller's wish for an all-white Scandinavian nation. Tan colored little children and their moms? Sorry - all filled up here.

The Orange King and his courtiers spout lies every day - Herr Goebbels would've been proud of their technique!

There’s the old story of the frog sitting in a pot of water on the stove: As the temperature rises, the change is too gradual for the frog to detect the danger and escape to safety.

It's time to get out of the pot. Don't just nod your head and agree. Make sure your friends, relatives and other important people are registered to vote! And if you're in Texas - vote for Beto! He really cares about people and this country.

From King Donald: Its' ratings stupid - not kids!!!

I wrote to my senator - John Cornyn - about the inhumane treatment of people trying to cross into this country and our despicable treatment of kids/families. I specifically asked him to do what he could in getting rid of Stephen Miller.

I got my usual acknowledgement and two days later a longer e-mail with the usual political "speak" plus telling me he's introduced Law Act S3093 - for more humane treatment of families.

So I just wrote back - I know these are exercises in futility - but in addition to sticking pins and slamming my King Donald doll all over the place what else can I do?

This is what I just sent off to my self-serving senator:

Thank you for responding to my letter asking for help in getting rid of Stephen Miller and speaking back to your "leader". Your "leader" is only interested in "ratings" and his image - and of course lining his pockets with as much money as possible before he's deposed. He has no interest in other people's suffering - and especially children from other countries.

I commend you for trying to pass Law Act #33093 - but you and I know nothing will happen or change unless your colleagues have the courage to defy our demented bullying president. He is sick and for years has had people defend/cover his acts with words (lies) and money.

Senator Cornyn,  I think you're too smart to cowtow to his behavior and instead of worrying about political consequences - please worry about the damage this man is doing to this country.

Your comment about "recent increase in apprehensions on the southern border" is political speak - not realism.  Facts/figures for the past 20-30 years please!

Wouldn't it be refreshing if humane speech/acts came from Congress  instead of political phrases - which are designed to "keep me in office" no matter the cost. 

I'm turning 90 this year - how sad to live this long and see a demented person  upset all the wonderful retirement days I hoped to enjoy.

Deals - Trump style with babies.

“Shelter Care for Unaccompanied Children 2022.” 

This heading covers ten separate contracts - totaling just under 100 million dollars awarded to five different outfits - which started in SEPTEMBER 2017! - these are contracts  for operating kid shelter for kids through September 2022!  
Beauregard Sessions, King Donald and sicko Stephen Miller had this all planned last year!

So once again: Follow the money - King Donald the deal maker will cash in on this, get great tv ratings (doesn't matter whether they're negative or positive - ratings are ratings!) and we can only weep. 

Trading babies for a ridiculous wall.....how do all those silent congressman sleep at night?






(BTW: Sicko Stephen Miller said that only English speaking people should be allowed to immigrate to this country. Too bad they let his grandma in from Belarus (she only spoke Yiddish!) And chief of the King's staff, John Kelly's great grandma came from Italy and lived here for 30 years without speaking English.)

Everybody needs a toy like this!

Finally - a place to stick pins!  Sold as a toy for pets - or people like me  who feel good slamming this toy on the table or floor!

More adventures of King Donald - now eating hamburgers in Singapore?

The King arrived in Singapore - so what kind of damage can he create while visiting with his Rocket-Man pal? Maybe he'll stop off and visit Pootie boy on his way home? (To do his laundry - money - that is.)

After he left Canada, King Donald's economic adviser, Larry Kudlow, said that the king didn't want to play with his best friends anymore because he was "betrayed" by that kid from Canada. Can you believe that the kid up north said he would not be pushed around by an Orange King? And all the other pals from across the pond agreed. So the King got on his plane to Singapore and started a tweeting frenzy. 

What's even worse - all this happened after the cute kid up north gave the Orange King a gift - a picture of King Donald's grandfather's hotel in Canada many moons ago. A two-story wood establishment - Arctic Restaurant and Hotel - with a highly recommended restaurant and even better brothel facilities.  No need for porn flicks when the real stuff was available in Trump facilities!

Jester Rudy still entertaining his foxy friends - this time agreeing that the Trump clan/staff met with the Russians in Trump Tower before the election - but it really was all a "mistake"  Quoting the jester: "I swear to God, it was a mistake."

Hmmm - God? The one who Texas Lt. Governor Patrick said was thrown out of schools and that's why we have school shootings?  God is now on Jester Rudy's payroll? 

And, finally, we watched the not-too-impressive Tony awards last night - and the best line of the night was censored by CBS - we thought there was a power outage - but it turned out that Robert De Niro said "F..k Trump and got a rousing standing ovation. That made the entire evening of ads interspersed with occasional witty comments worthwhile!

The high and exalted King Donald and court jester Rudy

The king is worried about the Canadians burning down his castle. No problem, his devoted fire department chief Pruitt ordered a bunch of gold plated fire trucks (to protect his environment) and parks them about a chicken coop away from royal offices.

Earlier this week, the Orange king proclaimed he had absolute power to "pardon himself" and court jester Rudy said his ruler could commit murder and "not face indictment" until he was deposed from his throne.

 (Interesting note: King Donald shared similarities with Kaiser Wilhelm who ruled in Germany at the end of the 19th  and early 20th centuries.  The Kaiser considered himself a brilliant person, was known to be a compulsive liar and loved to complain that he was a "victim".)

But the Kaiser didn't have a jester like unruly Giuly, who dropped some gems as he continued the King's PR campaign of obfuscation.  Answering a question about the North Korea summit (while in Israel) he said "Kim begged Trump for the summit on his knees".......(yeah - and I have a bargain bridge for sale in NYC!)

Jester Rudy (among former occupations: philanderer and wife cheater) is  nervous (for his King) and his assorted lawsuits; referring to Ms. Daniels, he said:  "....she has no reputation. If you're going to sell your body for money, you just don't have a reputation...."
Really? I thought that's what King Donald and jester Rudy have been doing all these years - selling themselves to thousands.......the ultimate in crooked salesmen.

Heard a few peeps from courtiers in DC about the absence of spies in the King's ascent to the throne. Hope some more lackeys will rise up against the King!

Ending on a musical note - this was posted on my Music and Art High School website:

Roseanne and big Pharma - one for the books!

So Roseanne's problem spouting racism stems from Ambien? And what about her anti-semitic garbage about George Soros? Was that from Restoril or Halcion?
Roseanne's advice: just call your doctor and he'll prescribe excuses for all stupid hateful remarks.....

Das Trumpf rants:
What bothers me most is how Das Trumpf is waging a PR campaign to distract us from facts -  aided by his Foxy friends and Giuly Boy. He learned this early on when he pretended to be a"PR" man - calling media contacts to promote the importance and wealth of his "boss", Das Trumpf .

How come nobody's talking about the Orange Man's tax returns?

And maybe we should remember our POTUS' curriculum vitae:
He ran the scam  Trump University to bilk (unfortunately) gullible people parting them from their money.
He used Das Trumpf name for illegal pyramid schemes. 
His casinos  went bankrupt – his “associates” and creditors lost millions – but he ended up with millions in his pocket.

He stiffed people he did business with – often not paying full amounts (or not at all) to those who supplied services/goods.

He used illegal/foreign labor  and exploited these workers since they were fearful about their status.

He learned how to discriminate against black potential tenants (from his Klu Klux Klan card carrying daddy) in the Trump NYC apartment houses.

He worked well with the mobs – not only the mafia but the Russian mob - which is full of filthy rich Putin loving oligarchs.

And his ongoing money laundering businesses?  Follow the money - hopefully Mueller will flush this out along with Federal prosecutors in NYC nosing through not-to-swift “lawyer” Michael Cohen’s collection of evidence.

And let's not forget (for the benefit of the holier-than-thou evangelicals who treasure family values) his assorted female conquests - from teeny boppers to more "mature" ladies of the night. Wait for the book - should be a publisher's dream!

Beto O'Rourke is "the Man"; we need a Beto in every state!

Beto O'Rourke is frightening the kooks and the richies. Das Trumpf's  recent tweet recognized his fear of Beto - and would you believe the Bobbsey Twins - otherwise known as Koch Brothers  and their servants took a full page ad in the El Paso Times yesterday (Gannett/USA Today adjunct) crying how Beto "voted" for extending the deficit.......excuse me - did I miss something when the Trump/Ryan/McConnell Tax bill passed?

Don't sit back and expect a Blue Wave next November - please explain to as many people as possible what kind of man is supposedly running (ruining) this country. In case you forgot the mental capacity of Das Trumpf,  let me remind you of this run-on sentence which came out of his mouth at a South Carolina rally in 2016:

                                             

Das Trumpf and his Foxy friends will be exhorting hypocritical evangelicals to vote for their  "Great America" by making sure guns continue to be easy to own, banning abortions, punish anyone with a different sexual orientation/skin color and, of course make sure God has a seat in classrooms. 
You want health care? Don't get sick. 

Are you sure you're registered to vote this fall?  
Wherever you live support Beto O'Rourke - through words and even small donations - he's a fantastic candidate.

One more comment:  Das Trumpf's Memorial Day tweet started with "Happy Memorial Day" and then went on to say how those who died for our country would be happy to know about our  "improved economy" (which has nothing to do with him) and he finished off this garbage with "Nice!" (Yeah - really nice coming from a man who managed to get deferred several times with fake heel spurs and avoid military service!)

And members of the gutless  Congress continue to sit on their butts........

NFL caves to Orange Trumpfman

So - the owners of N.F.L. teams caved to the Orange Man and agreed to a new policy for player conduct during the playing of the national anthem. 

Commissioner Roger Goodell said that owners voted to fine teams if their players  do not stand during the national anthem - if they are on the field or sidelines. If players don' t want to stand, they can  stay in the locker room until the anthem ends. 

Gosh, I thought this was still a free country and you could voice your disapproval in your own way/style (if you didn't hurt anyone in doing so.) 

                                                  ******

Remember the song - Where have all the flowers gone.....? My question: Where have all the facts and truths gone?
Orange Trumpfman and his foxy tv network rush to misinform. Unruly Giuly is their newest mouthpiece. No matter if their "news" items stretch credulity (also known as LIES). Repeat, repeat the garbage and finally enough people  will believe. (Orange Trumpfman learned this from his deceased lawyer friend Roy Cohn, defender of Joe McCarthy and only lawyer willing to defend Trumpfman in his early days of chiseling in NYC ) Interesting, Orange Trumpfman  dumped  him as soon as he found out he (Cohn) had AIDS!
                                                    ******
                                                 
Can the first amendment survive until we get a Congress with enough guts to place the country before politics? I hear talk about Democrats being elected this fall but I worry about their infighting. (They need a Beto O'Rourke type candidate.)

Read this link to Time Magazine's profile of Beto O'Rourke:

http://time.com/longform/beto-orourke-texas-democratic-senate-race/

Bang bang Patrick!

When I'm traveling and people ask me where I'm from I say: "Texas, but....
and then I continue to extol the virtues of El Paso (which is not like other parts of Texas)  We have the warmest, kindest people - hospitality is our middle name and we have consistently been rated as one of the safest cities in the United States. And, best of all -  we have Beto O'Rourke running for U.S. Senator!

Unfortunately we have a lot of kooks living in other parts of Texas.  Along with  gerrymandering and voter suppression gimmicks, this state hosts some awful creatures in state/federal positions. The latest to shoot his mouth off is the sad excuse for a  Lt. Governor (Patrick). His list of "causes" for the school shooting near Galveston this past week were not, unfortunately, a surprise.
His list:
Video games,
We threw God out of school
Abortions
Families that are broken apart
Not enough doors in schools
Unarmed teachers

Abortions/Broken families? This excuse from
 a state official who has done all he can to foster unwanted pregnancies but, since he's incapable of thinking critically or analytically, he doesn't mention anything about how the unplanned-for-kids will be fed or educated. He doesn't mention housing these unwanted kids who may often live in a "home" (hovel) where everybody wishes the kids didn't exist. And, finally, these unwanted kids - after years of neglect - end up uneducated, unemployed, sick, or, as Patrick and his ilk will say, welfare cheaters and criminals.

And, excuse me for asking - when did "God" live in schools? Was that during prohibition? Or was that when "we had a chicken in every pot" or was it when white costumed kooks thought lynching was a fun activity? I guess it was after we massacred the original natives living here - since we didn't have a school system set up to welcome this "deity".

(Don't you just love Ronald and Nancy Reagan's son's tv spots about being an agnostic and not worrying that he'll burn in hell!)

Ending on a sweeter note - here's a baking tip to enhance your goodies next time you bake:  add 1 tablespoon grated lemon peel mixed well with 1 cup sugar. Use this lemon-sugar for added flavor; try this in blueberry muffins, yellow cakes and more.

Swamp notes and more

Undocumented deported moms and dads defined by our Orange leader: "These aren't people. These are animals." And their children, according to Kelly, the facsimile of a retired Marine officer "White House chief of staff, " will be sent to foster homes "or "whatever". Turns out "whatever" equals military bases  - or is that internment camps?

Gun totin' Bolton now threatening European countries who still believe the Iran deal is the best we have at the present (although it could be improved). Bolton telling European diplomats to break their treaty agreement - or otherwise - better watch out - the Orange man is gonna get you!


Are we ready for a Giuliani TV sitcom - the bumbling quasi-lawyer - flashing his smile as he stumbles through political muck? Continuing his rants with Foxy friends, Rudy talked about how it's ok to get info on your opponents (political or otherwise) no matter what country they come from - even Russia - and then he adds: "important to note that the Trump campaign didn't use the info provided by Russia......" Oh really? How could they not use information from a source they claimed they didn't have? Sitcom material - right?

Love watching Lawyer Avenatti who now claims he may have new clients who received even more $$$ than Ms. Stormy Daniels! Guess that's why Michael Cohen needed help from AT&T and Novartis?

Random thoughts: If the orange man has a fatal stroke we're left with terrible half-Pence and if something happens to him, we're left with Wisconsin's lyin Ryan.
As the judge in Gilbert and Sullivan's Trial by Jury sings:   A nice dilemma we have here!  

And - the New Yorker has alerted us to these endangered species:

 

!!!***Grrrrr!!!

 The Department of Health and Human Service’s (HHS) Office on Women’s Health removed a webpage dedicated to breast cancer and other helpful reproductive health information, including insurance information for low-income people.

 A spokesperson at HHS said the info. was removed because of "lack of use". Must be the same spokesperson who claims birth control pills cause breast cancer?

The most common cause of cancer in woman is breast cancer - that certainly explains why the orange man's HHS staff people removed the info. Right?  Goes hand in hand with disdaining anything relating to scientific information

But this is  a bit much - breast cancer a political issue? Guess it goes hand in hand with the concept of "political women's bodies" - harmed, insulted, sold, and in the end - expendable.  
 
 

 

 

Unruly Giuly and his Foxy performance

MSNBC offered front row seats last night - starting with Lawrence O'Donnell and moving on to Brian Williams - for the show of the week: a duo Giuliani/Hannity performance on the Foxy network. Even Hannity was surprised at some of the garbage wafting its way upward from Giuly's mouth.
If they tried this story line on a tv show it wouldn't fly; no matter, the real  attorneys waiting for their day in court (NYC, DC. and Va) received "gifts" thanks to brilliant Rudy.

What really annoyed me:"fair, even-handed" NPR morning edition reporting on Rudy's performance saw fit only to excerpt a spot where he called Comey a "liar".
Hmmm...  when the Orange man suddenly backtracks and - oh yes - he does remember that Stormy woman and he did pay his attorney lots of thousands of dollars for "fixing problems" - it's only a bit of fact misrepresentation?

Hey - NPR - if you can't call Das Trumpf a liar don't give us a spot from Giuly's foxy repartee calling Comey one.
A better excerpt: Giuliani called Jared Kushner a "fine man" but then quickly reminded his audience (with a big snarky smile) that Kushner is "disposable". Oops....does that mean what I hope it doesn't - people of a certain religious faith are disposable? 

And now a word from our Speaker: House Speaker Paul Ryan is “warning” his cronies that Democratic gains in November’s elections will make it impossible to get anything accomplished. Really? He should know all about non-accomplishment. He's been "speaking" to one of the finest non-accomplishing outfits in the world. Oh yes, he’s worried that the Orange man and his gang will be subject to more oversight. Anyone need a tissue for their tears?

And finally, a medical note:

Dr. Bornstein, the NYC gastroenterologist who wrote a glowing medical report for Orange man  before he ascended to the throne was on tv the other night with a neater haircut and some dialogue worthy of the church confessional: “I feel raped….sad.” and he went on to say that the orange man dictated his own “medical” report– full of “positive” results before moving to the White House.  “Positive” ? I wish.

McConnell's looks get shortchanged - upstaged by Sarah!

Oh my - this "handsome" guy wasn't mentioned by the media after Michelle Wolf's  remark about his "looks" at Saturday night's White House Correspondents' dinner.  Could it be part of our misogynist culture?

But a comment about Sarah Sanders' lying  - "burning facts and using the ash to create perfect smoky eyes" got dragged all over the place - with too many people not "getting" that it's all about lies, lies and more lies!

The worst part - these White House "journalists" bowing and scraping to apologize for Wolf's monologue. Excuse me - didn't they know who they engaged for the dinner? 

Journalists (and the media in general)  are thriving like never before - they were the main reason the orange man got elected - reporting every stupid/mean/crazy thing he said - and they're still doing it. Are they afraid they'll lose their WH credentials?

Nice to be an octogenarian - but so sad to see what's happening to our country. And I still worry that the horrors of the 1930's can be repeated here.....

Ronald Reagan in his best role - we need Reruns!

https://youtu.be/ihUoRD4pYzI

Never thought I'd be posting a quote from Ronald Reagan! He knew where Social Security money came from and it wasn't an "entitlement". It appears that many of our elected officials are misinformed (or just don't want to know)
 The party in power, busy lining their pockets (and those of their friends and supporters) continues to moan about the country's terrible deficit (which they expanded with their generous tax cuts for the wealthiest). As they scratch their behinds looking for  "fixes" they inevitably come up with- "cut social programs".  Really!
 Election time is seven months away and if we get our act together (i.e. - vote, clean up the voting process) we can end  the orange man's swamp clearance project. It's time for new "cleaners" to clear the swampy DC muck of stagnant/sucking crooks!

Beto is running for the Senate - to replace this smarmy creature

Smarmy creature: Canadian born son of Cuban father; grew up in Texas, became a useless self serving senator and ran as Republican candidate in 2016 primary race for president. Das Trumpf called  him a liar, criticized his wife's looks and suggested that his father might have been involved in John Kennedy's assassination.  So the first thing he did when the orange man moved into the white house and invited TC (and his unattractive wife) to dinner was to accept and make nice-nice.

Remember his earlier comments during the primary: he called Das Trumpf "a sniveling coward", a "pathological liar", "utterly amoral" "a serial philanderer" and "a narcissist at a level I don't think this country's ever seen".  Then - big memory lapse (or is that normal for this Texas senator?) This week he authored a glorious piece of bull s..t praising the orange man (inTime magazine)saying this: "he worked with Congress to cut taxes for struggling families.....fought to bring back jobs...to our shores......" OMG - I can't even continue without throwing up.

This smarmy, whining excuse for a man - is Beto O'Rourke's opponent for U.S. senator from Texas! 

Beto is the ultimate "mentsch" who really cares about people, doesn't lie or throw platitudes around. If you haven't read anything about El Pasoan Beto O'Rourke, google him now. In a perfect world we'd have a Beto representing very state in the Union!

And the orange man in the white house? Just added a lawyer to his staff who has fewer clients than Michael the fixer. Rudy the Guly - who can really yell and excels at Gestapo tactics.

Name of the game: DISTRACT! DIVERT!

Every year. at the Jewish holiday Passover dinner the youngest at the table helps to remind us why we're there by asking "why is this night different from others?".

On Friday night, April 13, 2018 the orange man in the big white house said "tonight is different"; we're  responding to skinny Assad's inhumane treatment to the residents of his country. Tonight was different because "we had to distract Americans from my manic behavior and my fixer-in-charge's criminal actions". (BTW: more than 50 chemical attacks by Assad since he began this war; we reacted with a slap on his wrist one year ago. Wow - that really did a lot of good.)

The orange man picked the evening of Friday the 13th for a big media splash. How convenient! Now we can distract/divert Americans from my bubbling cauldron of criminal/lying antics performed and enhanced by buddy Cohen (sometimes referred to as "my attorney").

 And the orange man's future strategy? Hmmm - what does that word mean? Guess he'll have to tweet his Foxy friends to find out what to do next.

And our Congress - still sitting on their rear ends - probably yearning for more Benghazi trials and  private e-mail servers to distract from the orange man's "swamp cleaning".

Department of "good works" by Das Trumpf: in deference to West Virginia and other coal mine areas -  he really does have a plan for coal. (After he sells the Brooklyn Bridge.)
(thank you  New Yorker magazine)

Basta!

Addition April 5: Scott Pruitt - BASTA!  Sirens to rush him through town, soundproof phone booths, 24/7 security, First class travel - including trip to Morocco with 2-day stopover in Paris for staff of 7, and virtually free rent in DC thanks to lobbyist - and Das Trumpf says he's doing a wonderful job!

(This New Yorker cartoon has him pegged!)

Dept. of stupidity , circa April 3, 2018: Das Trumpf just announced military personnel on the border to protect us - should I laugh or cry? Wait! do I hear the caravan wheels from the South trundling northward?  Basta already!

Borowitz's recent New Yorker satirical column on Ryan/McConnell miraculously "functioning" without spines was timely - a medical puzzle; even more of a mystery - how do they function without guts?  Basta!

More basta: watching our evening dose of MSNBC I was struck by the deluge of pharma ads/promises of health/youth. "Tell your doctor" - who, unfortunately is often too busy, over screening, over diagnosing, over treating and over  prescribing. Medicalization of this country is furthered by sensationalist style medical reporting, horrific tv advertising and medical centers equally concerned with profits and cures. For those of us getting older - there seems to be no shortage of ridiculous medical procedures that will make absolutely no difference for an elder's remaining years - other than  relieving us of funds.

Must reading: every book written by Dr. Nortin Hadler (most recent: Rethinking Aging).He writes for the medical profession and the lay public with carefully researched statistics to back up his statements. 

On an upbeat note: the Netherlands doing their thing - fighting waste and pollution using products often thrown out. "Soups and chutneys made from wonky vegetables, beer from stale bread, cider from blemished apples and soaps from discarded orange peels are selling fast in a branch of Jumbo, one of the biggest Dutch supermarket chains." Gotta love their slogan: “Waste is Delicious”  (Verspilling is Verrukkelijk). Program is supported by a local university as part of a new national program, United Against Food Waste.

Seasonal Music (New Yorker magazine)

"No smarts, energy or chemistry"

A Comedy Item: 

Trump says he'll succeed with Putin where Bush, Clinton, Obama failed

"Bush tried to get along, but didn't have the 'smarts.' Obama and Clinton tried, but didn't have the energy or chemistry," the president tweeted.

Just in case you missed  this - courtesy of NBC. OF course our "stable genius"
has it covered - he just bows down and prays every day that Putin doesn't spill the beans.
But - sooner or later.......beans have a way of spilling......and I'm opting for sooner!

In the meantime, master "deal maker" is playing games with tariffs and livelihoods. Still waiting for the Congressional butts to get out of their chairs and say ENOUGH already!!!!  And the newest budget - I can't count that high - but if we need money maybe Das Trumpf can ask his "banker" Pootie boy to advance some more?

And how about the newest characters in the Asylum: (courtesy of Fox TV)
John Bolton - a war monger who flies off the handle easily.
Joseph Di Genova and his wife, Victoria - a pair of lawyers who pimp for Fox.

But there's hope - this bright spot: Former U.S. Army Intelligence Office Lt. Col Ralph Peters resigned from his "commentator" job at Fox . He called them a propaganda machine, saying they  “dismiss facts and empirical reality to launch profoundly dishonest assaults on the FBI, the Justice Department, the Courts and the intelligence community … all the while scaremongering with lurid warnings of ‘deep-state’ machinations”........

A sweet ending: how about a nice piece of halvah - the newest favorite of chefs? I loved this sweet as a child - my mom would buy it by the piece in the local "appetizing" store (NYC Zabar's got started as an appetizing store!). Now I see that chef's are dressing it up for desserts in upscale restaurants and some are even crumbling it into breading material for chicken and other foods. What could be bad?

"Money Makes the World Go Round" (apologies to Cabaret)

Just finished reading Red Notice -  a fabulous page turner of a book by Bill Browder (grandson of Earl Browder who was the standard bearer of the Communist Party in the United States in the earlier part of the 20^th century). Grandson Bill is now a citizen of the UK and a British financier. He is the CEO and co-founder of the Hermitage Capital Management and was the first hedge fund manager in Russia.  

 The book reinforced my belief that Das Trumpf’s  "friendship" and glad mouthing of  Pootie boy (he never did anything wrong!) is all about money: Putin has it and Trump needs it;  it’s obvious our "stable genius" can't say anything bad about his "banker Putin". I call Putin his banker because nobody else will advance/lend money to the Trump clan which is bleeding cash. (As he continues to bleed this country at the same time.)

Put this book on your "must read" list.

Last week's  American Experience TV show The Bombing of Wall Street (PBS) offered up a fascinating picture of terrorism in NYC which  occurred in 1920. A horse drawn wagon packed with explosives was set off in front of JP Morgan at midday when many workers were going out to lunch. Based on a book by Yale Historian Beverly Gage, the documentary served up some disturbing behavior by our government in their attempts to apprehend the culprits, get rid of immigrants (most who were innocent!) and how Mr. Hoover/FBI got his start.  

The PBS program can be streamed on your computer (free) until early March. Lots of food for thought.

Lies, anyone? Herr Goebbels, Hitler's propaganda minister was an expert dispenser of lies. His method: tell big or small lies enough times, repeat, repeat -and people will believe you. Sound familiar?

One of  our country's lie dispensers (who unfortunately has a bigger vocabulary than his boss), is Stephen Miller. Last year the White House asked Health and Human Services (HHS) to report on the cost of refugee resettlement in this country. The  study showed revenue generated by these newcomers (through local, state and Federal taxes)  EXCEEDED the costs of resettling them by $63 BILLION dollars. Miller had told HHS at the beginning of the study not to "embarrass the President". Seeing the results, Miller demanded that HHS "recalculate the numbers" - and when they didn't - he did it himself.
Goebbels technique in action:  according to several news sources, the White House went into LIE mode and denied the whole report.

There isn't much I can add to the incredible comments by students at the Florida school after the shooting. Teen-agers articulate beyond their years have little patience with the hypocrisy of our legislators. I hope they will be able to nudge the congressional NRA recipients off their butts!

Waaaa! I want a parade!

If any of you missed the Borowitz column today satirizing Das Trumpf's newest request I've posted the link below. Of course you all remember he didn't serve in the Military because his doctor said he had "bone spurs".

From New Yorker magazine:
“Regrettably, we have no choice but to issue thousands of deferments,” a Pentagon spokesman said.
https://www.newyorker.com/humor/borowitz-report/military-refuses-to-participate-in-trumps-parade-citing-bone-spurs

So - what are the odds of him getting his request filled? How many mouths could be filled with the cost of bringing even only one tank to rip up D.C. streets?
Waaah - Putin gets parades, baby Rocket gets parades and Macron got his parade (forgetting that Bastille Day has a bit  more meaning than our wild leader's desire to feel important). 
"I want my own parade!!!!"  Waaaah!

Of course with his limited vocabulary we would not expect Das Trumpf to understand the word "treason".  If you don't stand up and wildly applause Das Trumpf when he's spewing platitudes and garbage you're committing and act of treason? 

Heil Napoleon Adolf Trumpf!