A Cascade of Cached Memories

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Yesterday, for the very first time, ever, my landline answering machine’s AI verbally alerted me to a memory full condition. Hmm, I’d always conjectured this device’s archival capacity to be astronomical, but, seeing how she had just saved the 59th message, who was I to argue?

Ergo, I began playing back and selectively deleting; in the process, discovering how the cached content, for better or worse, was also unleashing a cascade of my own memories.

Now, just so this post ends on an upbeat note…

Let’s get the downers outta the way, first; i.e., by calling out the threatening messages recorded by the scammers and phishers; namely, the fraudulent federal income tax collectors, shady tech support agents and (for lack of a better phrase) the officious cops, who, via psychological projection, tirelessly “alert” their soon-to-be victims to the very chicanery, which they absolutely intend to perpetrate and perpetuate!

BTW, such messages’ very existence also demonstrates how poorly the telecoms police themselves. I punctually fork over my limited funds, monthly, which, in theory, in part, should be leading to investigations / arrests of these criminals (or, at least, be putting ‘em outta biz); yet, here we are.

Moving onward to the mildly annoying content, there are the messages recorded by ex-classmate Sharon, who’s still trying to con me into attending the upcoming 50th Class Reunion. Of late, she’s even recruited another classmate to redouble her efforts (Bill recently adding his one message to her five).

Hmm, might Sharon’s persistence be an indicator of how a single restaurant booth would prove sufficient to seat Sharon, Bill and their significant others? Perhaps, this event’s only four attendees?

Sure, I could attend and leave, STAT, when everything morphs into the anticipated disappointment; BUT, not when this event’s tickets will have a sizable price tag attached. Beyond that, no one, in their right mind, would ever opt into social mingling when social isolating is still everyone’s best bet.

A tad of background 411 for all who missed my reunion post; not everyone has fond, fuzzy memories of their K thru 12 experience; e.g., from the 4th grade, onward, I’d been bullied, verbally and physically assaulted.

As for the saved messages that I’ll never delete, among them are the four left by my former friend and next door neighbor, who passed on, just last year, at the age of 95; who was such an affable, young at heart, well-read and critical thinker, one could’ve easily mistaken him for a man half his age. RIP Victor.

Which now leads us to the very first message; backdating to late October 2008, when then presidential candidate Barack Obama had recorded his increase voter turn-out / (wink) “vote for me”, message. Seeing how I’ve saved and savored his words for nearly a decade and a half, you’ve likely already correctly concluded I had helped elect / reelect him; would feel deeply honored to have him record my answering machine’s outgoing message.

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Afghanistan: All W’s Fault!

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Near zero interest re my recent post, Dubya Owns the Afghanistan Debacle, comes as no shocker on (at least) three counts.

• Such unflattering, honest critiques PO history’s revisionists/propagandists.
• Saddening/maddening warfare never delivers a feel good buzz to readers.
• Readers rarely find the time to pour over any post with an 863 word count.

Nonetheless, humankind must always understand the perils of empowering errant leaders; especially the sort who remain unaware and/or unyielding and/or unrepentant.

And, while those first two bullet pointed items cannot be readily dealt with, I can rein in my verbosity, thusly…

George W. Bush didn’t take seriously, his 08/06/2001 Presidential Daily Briefing, ominously titled “Bin Laden Determined to Strike in US”. Had he been more attentive re that report’s five weeks in advance, dire warning of hijackings, he’d have heightened airport / airliner security. Alas, he did nothing.

Consequently, the 9/11 attacks went down and W got caught with his Commander-In-Chief pants down.

Job #1 for W’s image makeover consultants became erecting a smokescreen to cover his sorry ass. He’d provoke a distracting, needless, vengeance seeking war against Afghanistan; all on the pretext of “smoking out” Osama bin Laden.

• In essence, the Afghans had become W’s pawns.
• The Afghanistan War never brought ObL to justice.
• Eventually, Operation Neptune Spear succeeded where W had failed.

Conclusion: War criminal George W. Bush is solely responsible for mucking up Afghanistan for mere political gain. He is totally culpable for the needless oceans of hemorrhaging red blood and red ink.

History can only fault his successors, Barack Obama and Donald J. Trump, for not ending that godforsaken, genocidal, $2 Trillion debacle sooner.

President Biden must be commended, never condemned, for finally making the gutsy move to end America’s longest war. At the very least, he must warmly welcome the fleeing Afghan refugees into our American family.

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BTW, I successfully whittled down the word count; from 863 to 327!

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Bye-Bye Bygone Blessed Bliss

Our clip, above and offsite, features Bob Dylan’s released on March 27, 2020, composition, Murder Most Foul; his lyrical assessment of American culture and, of course, the John F. Kennedy assassination; the shots heard around the world, on this very day in 1963. I’ve linked us to detailed accounts of this tragic event, which had influenced the songsmith’s lyrical analysis.

My having witnessed, in real time, the disturbing, gruesome reportage “hemorrhaging” from Dealey Plaza / Dallas TX to my family’s Black and White Zenith™ TV, I can say, with certainty, that assassin had not only shot JFK, he had also blown away my childhood; i.e., my blessed, blissful naiveté.

And tears still welled up my decades older eyes, today, as I reviewed the clip, below, and offsite.

Yep, I had been forced to grow up way too soon; in real time, too; so much so that as my glance averted from that bygone television screen to the living room window; to behold the daylight dissolving into the literal and metaphorical darkness, I wound up concluding:

America will never be the same, again!

Quite the pessimistic (albeit prescient) assessment from a once-upon-a-time, carefree boy, huh?

Regrettably, my prediction of America’s demise has been coming true, too.

Post JFK, a hefty percent of the contemporary American electorate no longer expects excellence in governance; has actually begun to bank on mediocrity; so much so they routinely embrace and empower crooks, cronies and crazies. With many a régime change, we’ve been witnessing an increasingly perilous procession of un-presidential profligates.

Of course, there have been two notable exceptions, namely, the learned and honorable Presidents Jimmy Carter and Barack Obama.

Hmm, were there such a thing as locatable, alternate realities, it would not be surprising to discover one where JFK had survived; where an alternate electorate had never, ever installed Donald J. Trump; where Americans would’ve booed and hissed at the mere whiff of that asshat and aspiring Fascist; so much so that, back in 2015, he’d have promptly done an about face and scampered back up that downward moving escalator.

Hmm, considering how words such as “promptly” and “scampered” would hardly describe Donny, in any reality, that certainly would’ve been a rare treat to behold!

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The Obama Book Reading Sketch

Ciip courtesy of the Jimmy Kimmel Live YouTube Channel
November 20, 2020 • 515,165 views

President Barack Obama, at present, is promoting his new book, A Promised Land. His interview, last night, with late night talk show host Jimmy Kimmell serves as a refreshing reminder of what it’s like to actually have a well-informed, open-minded, good-intentioned, law-abiding, self-effacing, down-to-Earth human being residing within and governing from the White House.

My above portrayal pretty much sums up why, to this very day, I’ve preserved Mr. Obama’s personally delivered, 2008 get-out-the-vote message on my landline’s answering machine; why I did my part to elect and re-elect him; why the election of his VP, Joe Biden, shows much promise. After eight years of working as a team, President-Elect Biden will have a wealth of experience to draw on. And, should additional advice ever be needed, he / we can rest assured that Mr. Obama will always be but a phone call away.

To set up our above clip, cued up to start at 21:49 (if all goes well), we’ll be viewing what I’ve titled “The Obama Book Reading Sketch”. Mr. Kimmel will further explain his novel idea to set the fun in motion.

Obviously, for any of you who’d like to view this positively enlightening and enjoyable interview, in its entirety, its but a rewind away.

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Biden Victorious? Trump Defeated?

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Approximately 24 hours ago, my blog, titled, Trump Victorious / Humanity Defeated, concluded:

“About all that’s left, now, is for my prediction to be proven wrong. Will somebody please prove me wrong? PLEASE?”

Well, it’d APPEAR that America’s poll workers may have proven me wrong. After all, the multiple millions of absentee and early voting ballots, which they’ve been tirelessly processing, APPEAR to have changed Joe Biden’s title from Former Vice President to President-Elect.

And, to be proven wrong in this manner, I could not be happier.

I’m particularly pleased that Michigan, my home state, has played a significant role; that by completing and hand delivering my own absentee ballot to City Hall, a scant eight days ago, I had not only performed my civic duty but had actually made a difference, too!

I haven’t felt so good since doing my part to elect / reelect Barack Obama.

Under normal circumstances, there would now be reason to party hearty. Yet, there’s that pesky “A” word, APPEAR, which keeps on cropping up.

Such iffy language APPEARS because, psychotic Donald J. Trump, with desperation and despotism pounding in his mucked up brain and surging thru his arteriosclerosis diseased body, has opted to go on a filing frivolous lawsuits rampage. His M.O. is to keep on flinging his Fascist fecal matter until he gets it to stick. And in the process he’ll stick it to the American people; flat-out defy our ballot box, peaceable ouster.

What remains to be seen is IF “Adolf” will succeed.

Alas, IF could morph into WHEN, seeing how Trump owns and operates corrupt crony judges, who park their worthless behinds behind the Federal and Supreme Court benches; how the vast majority of them are itching to burn up the U.S. Constitution.

Alas, IF could morph into WHEN, seeing how Trump also commands legions of domestic terrorists, who are itching to burn America down to the ground.

Regrettably, it’d APPEAR that Joe Biden’s legitimate rise to power is not, yet, a done deal.

Sorry to say, I now find myself predicting that we may not have seen the last of yesterday’s headline, Trump Victorious / Humanity Defeated; that those very words may need to re-APPEAR atop a future blog.

About all that’s left, now, is for my new prediction to be proven wrong. Will somebody please prove me wrong? PLEASE?

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R.I.P. R.B.G.

It is with profound sorrow that all true believers in liberty, truth and justice for all, now pause to pay our respects to U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, who passed away, yesterday, at the age of 87.

We are forever indebted to her tireless, courageous fight against discrimination in all its ugly forms; the prejudice, bias, bigotry, intolerance, narrow-mindedness, unfairness, inequity, favoritism, one-sidedness, partisanship; sexism, chauvinism, misogyny, racism, anti-Semitism, heterosexism, ageism, classism and casteism, which habitually target society’s most vulnerable members; be they American citizens or asylum seekers.

We will never forget her ability to unerringly interpret and uphold our Heavenly Father’s and Founding Fathers’ laws; especially on behalf of commoners, such as you and I.

Regrettable but true, We the extraordinary ordinary People have become witness to the amoral mortals, who, with ever increasing frequency and ferocity, in their evil words and wretched deeds, have been thoughtlessly, shamelessly and relentlessly unraveling and undermining what should be inalienable, fundamental human rights.

I could, will, and must say more in the days ahead, for as presidential candidate, Joe Biden, when speaking of our current troubled times, has so oft reminded…

“We are living through a battle for the soul of this nation.”

Our heartfelt condolences to R.B.G.’s family and friends.

 

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Fat Shaming a Fascist Bastard

 

Fat shaming is wrong. But, might there be an exception to that rule? What about when extraordinary events rear their ugly head? Consider these truths that are self-evident.

• Science denier Donald J. Trump’s abject failure to contain Corona-V, early on, has not only sickened, SO FAR, over 6 Million people residing in the U.S.… sickened to death 187,000 of those 6 million… but has also devastated Barack Obama’s once upon a time, relatively decent economy. America is now facing down massive joblessness, looming homelessness and, eventually, could also witness another Wall Street Crash.

• Ever since Despot Donny’s owned Republican Senators flat-out refused to do their (legal and moral) duty to boot his impeached butt out of office, that narcissistic psychopath has been on an ideological nationwide / worldwide rampage which, considering his access to the nuclear launch codes, could, conceivably, wipe humanity off the face of the Earth.

• Autocrat Trump also has loaded the U.S. Supreme court bench with two of HIS hand-picked sycophants, Neil Gorsuch and Brett Kavanaugh, who will, aid and abet their boss’s ongoing voter suppression plot AND at the (figurative?) drop of his trousers, fall to their knees to kiss his ass and, perhaps, even hang around long enough to gratify him in other ways. Only decorum dictates we don’t further go down that road.

• Dictator Donny… in his bid to never relinquish power… has already disenfranchised multiple millions of voters. HIS hand-picked tool, Louis DeJoy, now Postmaster General, has, single-handedly, FUBAR’ed the entire USPS, perhaps irreparably, just to ensure that pandemic and panic stricken Americans cannot mail back their cast absentee ballots. Which leaves us two alternatives… EITHER don’t vote at all OR vote, in person, and risk getting sickened / sickened to death by COVID-19.

• Tyrant Trump is also sadistically pitting justifiably pissed off, mostly peaceable, BLM demonstrators against his illegally deployed, racist stormtroopers AND his seething with bigotry, homicidal, armed to the teeth, gun nut, civilian mercenaries. Marching in lockstep, the Trump Brigade will get off on blowing people of color away… or at the very least… trampling these 1st Amendment Rights.

“Congress shall make no law… abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.”

• Fascist Trump has been stoking up such ferocious civil unrest it could lead up to an all-out Civil War… all of which would give him the “perfect” excuse to declare Martial Law and postpone Election Day, indefinitely. To the constitutional scholars who’d point out that, sans November voting, Trump could no longer be president as of January 20, 2021, I now remind them we are talking about Trump wiping his rump / Fat Fascist Fanny with the U.S. Constitution.

• Seeing how Donald J. Trump’s overthrow of America cannot be contained by Constitutionally Mandated Legislative and Judicial Checks and Balances… and not even We the American Electorate… WTF is left… well… other than fat shaming a narcissist who might… JUST MIGHT… if we’re damned lucky… be slowed down upon his learning that We had poked fun at his larger than life hind end; his grotesque, butt ugly booty; his flattened by sloth and fattened by Fascism fanny!

Against the backdrop of such treasonous circumstances, how could anyone deem fat shaming him wrong?

 

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Let Freedom Ring (Vid of the Day)

Whenever any elected representative of The People believes he is above the law… arrogantly trots out his malevolent, virulent, malignant brand of totalitarianism… harbors a closed mind, stone heart and inert soul… appears barren of even one scintilla of remorse… he only serves his own interests. More to the point, he no longer serves in the best interests of The People… and deserves a punishment by The People… at a level which is directly proportional to his offensive conduct.

This past evening’s vote within the U.S. House of Representatives, which approved the two Articles of Impeachment of one Donald J. Trump, is only Step #1 of a much needed and long overdue, corrective, Constitutional process.

However… seeing how the Senate Majority Leader… one Mitch McConnell… so arrogantly marches in lockstep with his corrupt Oval Office puppeteer… this means that Step #2… the removal of the fake prez from the office he has sullied… will not be forthcoming.

Seeing how The Impeached appears to be oblivious to the seriousness of his offenses and, consequently, is totally incapable of rehabilitation, this means that, left unchecked, we can expect him to go on a seething with vengeance rampage in the days ahead.

Ergo, this American encourages Freedom’s champions… domestic and worldwide… to savor what little is left of our sweet Liberty. After all, if America deteriorates even further into a Fascist state, that falling “domino” could trigger the tumbling of other dominoes / nations, too.

I hereby echo lyricist Samuel Francis Smith’s “Let Freedom Ring” sentiment… the foundation to his song My Country ‘Tis of Thee… as sung by Aretha Franklin at President Barack Obama’s 2009 Inauguration Day ceremony… and dedicate our Vid of the Day to the United States… to the U.S… to all of us!

 

 

 

 

 

A Tale of Two Economies: Robust vs. Going Bust

 

The Best of Times? Trump oft crows excessively about the American economy… as if he, alone, made it a glowing success.

• To keep it all real, we need to acknowledge that, in the wake of George W. Bush’s Crash of 2008, it had been President Barack Obama’s adept, no nonsense leadership and problem solving skills that’d actually returned America to solvency.

The Worst of Times? Donny also incessantly implies that the economy is so fragile that it cannot even support an influx of asylum seekers ISO employment in the United States.

• To keep it all real, we need to acknowledge that the positions immigrants fill oft involve occupations that many Americans deem unappealing.

Hmm… one would think that were Donny’s glowing scenario true, he’d be able to supply enough jobs for everybody, right? So much so, that… other than to indulge his deplorable bigotry… there’d be no need for him to whine about immigrants.

So which economic picture is it? Robust? Going Bust?

True, in Trump’s past life as a so-called businessman, it’d been his avariciousness and recklessness, which had rendered him oblivious to his own oncoming, business failures / bankruptcies. Even so, in the here and now, even he has got to know that he presides over an unsustainable, smoke and mirrors economy that cannot, indefinitely, withstand this triple whammy…

[1] HIS ill-conceived, ill-timed trade war with China
[2] HIS reckless deregulation of the financial world
[3] HIS massive tax breaks for the wealthy which re-
boot the twice failed, trickle down Reaganomics

Sooner or later… long sigh… Trump will crash the American / global economies… at which time, that snake oil salesman will tuck tail, cut and run, and promptly dump HIS whole mucked up mess onto the Oval Office desk of his successor… probably a Democrat… who will possess genuine, adept, no-nonsense leadership that’ll successfully morph Donny’s Worst of Times into America’s Best of Times… AGAIN!

 

 

RIP John McCain

To say that Cancer drastically alters human physiology… until everything becomes inconsistent with sustaining life… would be an understatement. Such was the case, this past Saturday, when 81-year-old, Arizona Senator John McCain lost his battle with the “Big C”.

To say John McCain’s brand of conservatism had been inconsistent with my liberalism would also be an understatement. However, now is not the time to dwell excessively on the right/left schism.

Now is the time to say something positive about McCain, the man. Now is the time to commend the late Senator for his spirit of bipartisanship and statesmanship… for his service to America.

My tribute begins with this video clip… recorded during McCain’s 2008 campaign for the White House. This is a respectability defining moment soundbite, where he defends his (then) Senatorial colleague and presidential wannabe rival, Barack Obama.

To contemporize, compare and contrast… had Donald Trump been running for prez in 2008, could you ever imagine him similarly correcting either misinformed supporter?

Well, within the decade that was to follow, in addition to my newfound respect for McCain, I had also grown to view him as a bold man fully capable of…

1. prioritizing the moral right over the political right.
2. elevating patriotism above partisan politics.
3. differentiating between genuine, heartfelt American patriotism and the mutilated, headstrong Trumpian bastardization.
4. detecting the stench of other Trumpian, fascism reeking policies.

To contemporize, compare and contrast… it’d be a rare Trumpster who’d possess either the spine or moral compass to publicly spurn political expediency and simply do what’s right… i.e, right… as in righteous.

Historically speaking, McCain’s Vietnam War experiences, inclusive of being captured and tortured by the enemy, had afforded him a perspective sorely lacking amongst the war profiteering, torture touting, chickenhawks residing within the U.S. Congress AND Oval Office.

True… such a perspective had failed to prevent McCain’s 2003 vote, which had authorized the war profiteering, torture touting, chickenhawk, half-cocked GW Bush to NEEDLESSLY, preemptively strike / go on a rampage into Iraq. However… from the following excerpt from John’s published 2018 memoir, one gets a sense that were time travel do overs possible, he would’ve never supported W’s folly…

“(Iraq) can’t be judged as anything other than a mistake, a very serious one, and I have to accept my share of the blame for it.”

To contemporize, compare and contrast… it’d be a rare Trumpster who’d possess either the mettle or morals to publicly admit when (s)he is wrong.

Well… had McCain won his battle with the “Big C”… he’d have wound up returning to the U.S. Senate… perhaps even becoming the sorely needed calming, voice of reason during America’s tense, unreasonable times.

Without a man like John McCain to rein in the executive and legislative branch’s chickenhawk saber rattlers… with his likely successor being yet another Trumpian piece of… uh… work… well…

To say that America could wind up mindlessly, needlessly and endlessly fighting upon the battlefields of the fake prez’s own making, could easily become yet another understatement.

My heartfelt condolences to McCain’s family and friends.