Yes, I know this is not Black History Month. I often get ahead of myself. Still, I was reminded today of the greatness of Martin Luther King.
Amidst a tempest of rain and lightning, he clawed his way to the top of Mt. Sinai. Once at the summit, he rose tall and unleashed the judgment of God, his voice raised above the thunder and his silhouette reflected against an angry sky. I am proud for the memory of such a brave man. Listen and judge for yourself. This was his speech in Washington, D.C. in 1963:
He knew his days were limited. He said so himself. You cannot proclaim such a message and not expect the worst, at least not in his day. He lived with a target on his chest. He knew it. Yet he persisted. Time and again. The fateful day came in Memphis, 1968, when he was assassinated by a rifleman. I don't recall whether he died quickly or slowly. But I recall the day he fell to the floor of his hotel balcony, dropped by an assassin's bullet. Where is such courage today? Where is the voice crying out in the wilderness, willing to lay down his life for righteousness' sake?
In Hollywood? Puhleese.
In Washington, D.C.? Get real.
On Wall Street? Not a chance.
It's all play-acting these days ... bravado that is full of sound and fury but signifies nothing. King was a man's man. He walked the walk. He looked death in the eye and marched straight toward his adversary. Lots of people wish to be like him, but few are. Most break for cover at the first sound of gunfire. He didn't. He stayed the path. Toward destiny ... the end to which faith led him ... where ultimately he was embraced by those who preceded him, and by the One who makes the journey worth the decision. He preached non-violence and the equality of all. A costly decision.
I'm sure many people repeated to him a version of what the Jewish philosopher Martin Buber wrote to Mahatma Gandhi shortly before Gandhi's assassination in India in 1948:
Nations not infrequently swallow up the greatness to which they have given birth.
Folks like MLK -- and Gandhi -- march forward nonetheless.
I think the Brits cut Barack Obama a lot of slack, just like they did other African leaders whom they didn’t expect to know any better. This is not to say B.O. was/is African, just that IMHO he self-identifies as African because of his attachment to his father, a man he met twice in his lifetime. But that, too, is to be expected. Rejected kids generally want to earn the love of the parent who rejected him. (In BO’s case, it was both parents as his mother gave him to his grandparents to rear when he was in his early teens). This cannot have been good for his psyche and I think it shows. Just a non-psychologist opinion.
Like yy4u, I think Obama did well for himself despite his life experiences. He sucked it up and moved forward and eventually became President of the United States, the most powerful man in the world. What's not to admire about that? Not to say he did it on his own, but he got there nonetheless. He obviously lacked skills for the job, yet he got the job anyway. And he got re-elected to a second term. If you don't respect that feat, I suspect you probably are resentful of him or those who put him in power. Think about it. He will never have to work another day in his life. Though in 2006 you never heard of him, in 2008 he was elected President of the United States and got his hands on the wheel of the biggest ship in the ocean (...let's not go there). That he couldn't steer was not his fault. He simply lacked the ability. But give him credit. He made his way into the Captain's seat for eight years. Others kept him off the shoals.
Anyway, Obama's journey is over. He will enjoy a life of leisure from this point forward. And with the respect of many. Good for him and his family. I only hope he doesn't interfere with the history that follows him. History is amoral. It's a cause-and-effect kind of thing. Hence, Donald J. Trump. It's wise not to mess with Mother Nature.
BTW, did I mention that Hillary didn't inherit the job? Bwahahahahaha. History may be amoral, but it isn't blind.
Speaking of duplicity, Speaker of the House Paul Ryan did something to show the duplicity of three Democrat representatives. I guess when you're on your way out, it really doesn't matter that the hoi polloi get to see.
Anyway, back to my story. The three righteous Democrats decided to introduce a bill calling for the abolition of the Immigration and Customs Enforcement Agency (ICE). It's a ludicrous suggestion, but Ryan decided to call their bluff, so he agreed that he would introduce their bill and let the House of Representatives vote on it. Who wouldn't want to abolish customs enforcement at our seaports, airports, and borders? I mean, what opioid crisis? What terror threats? The three Democrats seemed hell-bent to stand up for righteousness and goodwill.
So how did the three Democrats respond when Ryan supported their effort?
Wait for it.
They said if Ryan introduced their bill, they would VOTE AGAINST IT!!! Yes, you heard me correctly. They would vote against their own bill. You can't make this stuff up. See here:
Three Democratic congressmen declared on Thursday that they will vote “no” on their own legislation if House Speaker Paul Ryan puts their bill on the floor.
Reps. Mark Pocan of Wisconsin, Pramila Jayapal of Washington and Adriano Espaillat of New York introduced the Establishing a Humane Immigration Enforcement Act earlier Thursday, which would abolish ICE within one year of enactment, and also assemble a commission tasked with setting up a new immigration enforcement agency.
Hours later, House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy announced he planned to bring the proposed “Abolish ICE” bill to the floor, reported The Hill.
The three congressmen promptly released a joint statement accusing Ryan of not taking their bill seriously, and as an act of protest, they will vote down their own legislation....
Yes, folks, simpletons actually do get elected to lead our nation. Fortunately, most of them are not this stupid. There's a reason you've never heard of these three. I think they just showed why.
Your vote counts in November. Let this serve as a reminder.
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I am somewhat sympathetic with never-Trumpers who keep hoping the worst for him and his administration. While I never wished ill on Barack Obama or his family, or on the country, I must admit I fostered an extreme distaste for what I saw as his duplicity, opportunism, narcissism, foreign policy ineptness, lack of spontaneity and a genuine absence of leadership skills (unless reading from a teleprompter is a virtue). He's the single greatest gift to conservatives since the 1920s. Just look at the takeover of state and local governments by conservatives during his tenure. There's been nothing like it in our lifetime.
I opposed Obama's leadership at every sensible opportunity. Results matter. Mr. Obama produced precious few of them. Yet, as an individual, he was extremely popular. He gets credit for that. At the same time, he gets credit for being glib and inept. Such as in moments like this, when his teleprompter malfunctions and he must think on his feet, which is not his forte:
So have at it, Trump critics. If you don't like him, that's okay. I felt somewhat like you during the Obama years. I respect your safe space as you adjust to the new reality. At some point, however, we need to agree on relevant criteria and compare notes. Middle-class jobs, for instance. Or net take-home pay. Or unemployment levels. Or investments in durable goods. Or beef prices. Or the stock market. Or GDP. Pink hats and black masks don't count. Anyone heard from PETA lately? I haven't. Made-up grievances don't count for much in the real world.
If you are a never-Trumper, let me encourage you with a few facts:
Trump's approval ratings are as good as Obama's during the same time in office.
Manufacturing investments in the U.S. have sky-rocketed.
We now have more job openings than we do applicants (best news in a long time for middle-class workers) Watch what this does to middle-class wages.
Tax legislation has increased take-home pay for working-class families.
Unemployment is at an all-time low for blacks and Hispanics.
Wall Street did not collapse with Trump's election, as predicted by certain stupid people, but instead has begun redirecting its investments to Main Street. These Wall Street folks are opportunists, but good for them if it works for Main Street.
Unlike the Obama years, when we were told those manufacturing jobs were never coming back, blue-collar workers are now first in line to benefit from Trump's new economy. If you have poor neighbors, be happy for them. For yourself, too. Happy neighbors make for happy neighborhoods.
ISIS is on the run. You can thank General Mattis for that. And Trump, for putting Mattis in charge.
Kim Jong-Un is still in the game for denuclearization. Kudos to Pompeo.
Russia and China understand that Trump knows how to squeeze them economically -- via tariffs -- rather than merely rattle sabres, give speeches and talk tough in media interviews.
Trump is willing to call out hypocrisy (cf. Germany's willing reliance on Russian oil and gas) no matter how embarrassed the hypocrites feel. There's no need to hate Russia, as the E.U. and Democrats insist we must. For those who don't remember, the Soviet Union died in 1989. Much of their Potemkin village died with them. Aside from oil and gas, Russians really don't have much of an economy remaining. Additionally, the Russian people are nice, no matter what you think of Putin and his team.
The Iranian mullahs have suffered severe losses in Syria and face civil unrest among their own citizens. Thank Trump and his Arab allies.
Heard of Hamas or Hezbollah lately? Me, neither. The MSM are licking their wounds.
Political leaders in Canada, Mexico and the E.U. are beginning to realize they can no longer feed at the U.S. taxpayer's trough in order to provide government benefits to their citizens. Again, thank Trump.
Anyway, enjoy your Saturday. We are living in extraordinary times.
Okay, this is a bit one-sided, but still ... the music (meh):
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Just when you think the Muh Russia investigation by Mueller's Special Council can't get more ludicrous, there comes this, courtesy of CNN:
(CNN)The US Office of Special Counsel has opened a case file on whether Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke violated the Hatch Act when he tweeted a photo of himself wearing socks featuring President Donald Trump's "Make America Great Again" campaign slogan.
The internal federal watchdog agency opened the file in response to a complaint from the government watchdog Campaign for Accountability.
"Breaking in new socks on a hike with the governors today," the official @SecretaryZinke account tweeted on June 26 with a photo of Zinke's "Make America Great Again" socks, according to the complaint.
That tweet was later removed from the account and replaced with an apology tweet -- which also no longer appears on the account.
"Earlier I tweeted a pic of my new socks not realizing it had what could be viewed as a political slogan. I've deleted it and apologize for the mistake. I remain excited about all the incredible policy work POTUS is doing," Zinke wrote in the tweet, according to the complaint, accompanied by the same picture with the "Make America Great Again" text blocked out.
Office of Special Counsel spokesman Zachary Kurz told CNN on Monday, "I can confirm that OSC received the complaint and has opened a case file. However, I'm unable to comment on or confirm whether an investigation has been opened."
Yes, believe it or not, Interior Secretary Zinke tweeted out a seditious picture of himself on a hiking trail wearing a pair of MAGA socks. I know. How could he??? Aside from toe jam, a pair of MAGA socks is one of the few things sure to erode the pillars of our democracy. It took CNN to spot it. Thank God for them. How else would we have known? If you want to see a video of this seditious hiking trip, go here.
It's a sickness, folks. Avoid it at all costs.
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Here's what I love about abstract art, in this case, Jackson Pollock's On Arches (oil on canvas, 1950): after 68 years, the painting still doesn't represent ... anything ... other than a harbinger of postmodernism ... which I dub epistemology on a paintbrush. Here's what he did, in essence: he painted a smile without lips. Or then again, maybe he didn't. Who are you to say? I'm not joking. What you want to see is what you get, nothing more and nothing less. So why can't it be a smile without lips? Some people call it art. And I suppose it is, since a paintbrush was involved. Obviously, it takes great skill.
I wonder how long it took to complete it? I also wonder why. Fortunately, the sheer abstractness of it means that even you and I can comment on the painting intelligently, and others can disagree with us intelligently, and nobody is wrong. Plus, someone can pay a lot of money for the original. What's not to like about that? We all get a trophy. Or such is how I understand abstract art.
No offense to abstract art afficionados everywhere, who I'm sure have a real life, but this painting looks to me like various lava flows from the Kilauea volcano in Hawaii as they close in on nearby dwellings, lakes and sundry black holes, at least when viewed through night goggles from outer space. I know this just by watching The Weather Channel in my underwear while wearing 3-D glasses. No art class needed. But, hey, that's just me. Others think it expresses magnetic resonance imaging over Moscow shortly after the fall of the Berlin Wall. Or, again, as someone else said, "Don't drink and work." Decide for yourself:
Okay, enough educational stuff. Now back to our regular programming.
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Based on comments I have received, some people think I have nothing better to do than write stupid blog posts on certain topics, such as abstract art. That is false. I have lots of other things to do. I just don't do them.
Anyway, since you're here, enjoy more of This 'N That, Friday Edition.
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Okay, kids, don't try this at home (operative term: L.I.O.N.), but enjoy:
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Some thoughts from Mark Twain, who said:
Never regret anything that made you smile.
and,
Never argue with stupid people. They will drag you down to their level and then beat you with experience.
So, a guy walks up to a girl who is sitting on a bar stool, where she had gone to order another drink. The male interloper leans over and starts yammering. Mostly ignoring him, she begins texting her girlfriends at a nearby table, who are watching with amusement.
The string of texts she sends are these:
Total jerk!
😣😣😣
Guy is idiot.
Drink pls.
Drop dead.
NOT MY FAULT.
OMG!!!
When her drink arrives, she returns to her girlfriends. Give me your guess. Did he get her phone number or not?
At today's Congressional hearing, FBI special agent Peter Strzok insisted that his texts with Lisa Page had no influence on his investigation of Hillary Clinton or Donald Trump. Indeed, according to him, his texts may have reflected his strong personal beliefs, but they do not reflect a bias against either of them vis-a-vis his investigative efforts. Hmm. Okay. In that same vein, I assume the girl's texts merely expressed her private beliefs and had nothing to do with her refusal to pass out her phone number. Um ... sure.
In fairness to Mr. Strzok, I completely understand that if a guy has a history of setting off explosives and you are currently investigating him on yet another terrorist charge, you may believe him guilty before actually collecting sufficient evidence to prosecute. That's not a complicated notion. Many law enforcement investigators start with a hunch or presupposition early into an investigation, depending on the prima facie evidence, and then use their skills to see if the facts fit the theory. It's called experience. Cui bono, right? That's not a new idea. But, as important as hunches can be when trying to solve a crime, that's not really the issue here, is it? Hunch or not, compelling (or sufficient) evidence still must be gathered. Deciding Hillary Clinton is innocent before she and her staff have been interviewed? Deciding Trump must be stopped before he is even elected? That's a different tack altogether.
While listening to Committee Democrats defend Strzok's self-defense, I was reminded of a joke:
A wife comes home and finds her husband naked and in bed with another woman. She shrieks in disbelief and shouts that he is a slimy adulterer. After pulling up the sheets, he denies the claim, insists that he is innocent, and retorts, "Are you going to believe me or your own lying eyes?
... a defense that Democrats in today's Congressional hearing would have uniformly supported, based on their insistence that the wife obviously was biased and therefore must be a Republican. Plus, the pre-planned Democrat dissembling in the first thirty minutes (Point of order! Point of order!) was ludicrous, earning them four pinochios and a ...
Listen for yourself if you have time for it. Otherwise, trust me on this one. As with most other Congressional hearings, it's like Olympic fencing. No one ever gets stabbed. Contestants are judged merely on who can thrust and parry the best.
If you ever wondered how Trump might handle negotiations in a Board Room, today's breakfast meeting with Jens Stoltenberg at NATO Headquarters is a primer.
Understand that Trump is not there to negotiate particulars regarding the future of NATO. Rather, he is setting the boundaries for whatever discussions follow. He is direct. To the point. And brusque when needed. A true model of efficiency. What he says is true, both from a business perspective and a strategic geo-political perspective. Tact is useful. But it easily can become the enemy of the good. Hidden in Trump's brusqueness is a simplicity ... a rough elegance ... and a power that is breath-taking. He is a force of nature.
Trump opens the meeting with a 15-second greeting to all, after which Stoltenberg is invited to give his own opening remarks. You can tell that Stoltenberg is not sure what tack Trump will take in the meeting, so he attempts not to stick his foot in his mouth. Then, at about the 2:35 mark, alpha-male Trump takes over the conversation, armed with facts and an impolite candor that must've felt like a forced enema. Watch the face of former Texas governor Kay Bailey Hutchinson to his right. It's as if she pities them for how easily her "sonny boy" takes charge.
Barack Obama made a similar point to the EU back in 2014, but the EU ignored him and continued to increase its dependence on Russian oil and natural gas. Obama simply had no negotiating experience, business acumen, foresight or global leadership skills. Trump has all four in spades. That Trump might succeed where Obama failed has left a lot of people seething in anger at ... Trump! God forbid that Trump might make Obama and Hillary look inept. They are the symbols of what Washington, D.C. looked like before Trump's magical election to the Presidency.
What might be Trump's objectives in taking this tack with NATO? Here's one interesting perspective, which reads more like a wish list than a prophecy, but I do believe Trump thinks strategically along these lines:
President Trump puts the BOOM to NATO: • NAILS NATO “Allies” for ENRICHING Russia with oil and gas deals. • NAILS Germany for shutting down COAL & NUCLEAR Plants to do the deals. • NAILS Germany for making itself HOSTAGE to Russia. • CREDITS Poland for DUMPING Deals with Russia.
NO ONE has anticipated where this is going. [Lookin at YOU, Russia & China]
NATO Allies massively shift to COAL & NUCLEAR for Electric Generation Plants. • American COAL exports SOAR to NATO Allies. • American NUCLEAR exports SOAR to NATO Allies. • America SOYBEAN exports SOAR to NATO Allies, too. • These exports eliminate TRADE EXPORT SURPLUSES with America. • NATO Allies DROP TRADE TARIFFS & BARRIERS.
RUSSIA: Trump LEVERAGE magically appears. • Russia’s Mideast Gas Pipeline from Iran thru Syria to Europe is now STUPID. • Mideast Gas Pipeline has ZERO MARKET and MULTIPLIES PRICE COMPETITION. • Russia TERMINATES alliance with Iran and SUPPORTS our Iran Sanctions. • Russia TERMINATES alliance with Syria and SUPPORTS future Syrian Sanctions. • Russia seeks a TRADE DEAL with America to reduce its ENERGY DEPENDENCY.
CHEATIN CHINA: Trump LEVERAGE magically appears. • China BURNS ITSELF with American Soybean Tariffs paying more to other suppliers. • Cheatin China BURNS ITSELF as America SHIFTS COAL EXPORTS to NATO. • China’s PRICES SKYROCKET for Coal Imports from America and others. • China must BACK OFF Military Expansionism in the South China Seas • China must BACK OFF CYBER WARFARE & CHEATING WORLDWIDE. • … or Economically STRANGLE on Coal-based Energy Shortages and Cost Spikes.
This 1984 New York Times article is an excellent reminder of the skills that Trump brings to the table thirty-four years later as President of the U.S. He's John Wayne redivivus, replete with swagger. One doesn't need to live in the past in order to resurrect its better qualities. You simply take the good, leave the bad behind, and move forward.
Ah, so simple. Yet for some, they don't learn until they get home from the woodshed.
No, not that. The soccer kids in Thailand all got out safely. Thank God for that. All are okay, last I heard. The world sighs with relief for those children and their coach. What a nightmare that was.
No, that tragedy has been averted. Miraculously so.
The new problem is that the leader of the European Union is unhappy with Donald Trump. Oh, my. God forbid. The President's plane should be landing any time now. Who knows what he will say tomorrow?
Despite the fact that the E.U. will take a financial haircut if Trump looks out for American interests, E.U. President Donald Tusk has decided to preen on the global stage. Read this:
Brussels – Speaking on the eve of the NATO summit here in Brussels, I would like to address President Trump directly, who for a long time now has been criticising Europe almost daily for, in his view, insufficient contributions to the common defence capabilities, and for living off the US.
Dear President Trump: America does not have, and will not have a better ally than Europe. Today Europeans spend on defence many times more than Russia, and as much as China. And I think you can have no doubt, Mr President, that this is an investment in common American and European defence and security. Which can’t be said with confidence about Russian or Chinese spending.
I would therefore have two remarks here. First of all, dear America, appreciate your allies, after all you don’t have that many. And, dear Europe, spend more on your defence, because everyone respects an ally that is well-prepared and equipped.
That last sentence sounds like a concession that E.U. members should pay their fair share of NATO obligations, as Donald Trump had earlier insisted. Then came the telling statement:
Money is important, but genuine solidarity is even more important. Speaking about solidarity, I want to dispel the American President’s argument, which says that the US alone protects Europe against our enemies, and that the US is almost alone in this struggle.
Europe was first to respond on a large scale when the US was attacked, and called for solidarity after 9/11. European soldiers have been fighting shoulder-to-shoulder with American soldiers in Afghanistan. 870 brave European men and women sacrificed their lives, including 40 soldiers from my homeland Poland.
Dear Mr President, please remember about this tomorrow, when we meet at the NATO summit, but above all when you meet president Putin in Helsinki. It is always worth knowing: who is your strategic friend? And who is your strategic problem?
Huh? Wait! What? Solidarity is more important than the money at risk? You think my mortgage lender will buy that line of reasoning? Or tax-paying Americans and their unemployed neighbors?
Notice how all talk of paying one's debts drops out of the conversation. Convenient, eh? Money suddenly isn't important, but solidarity is. Tusk shifts the conversation to who first expressed sympathy after the attack in New York on Sept. 11, 2001. The E.U., of course. Boy, oh boy, that sure saved a lot of lives, didn't it? But thanks so much for the call. It was a nice thing to do. And the right thing. So now we can go on doing the things we did before, right, what with solidarity and all? The U.S. continues to lose manufacturing jobs, the E.U. enjoys a trade surplus and thus can afford its immigration and welfare programs, and we skip on down the road, right? American workers be damned, right? Plus all those unemployed folks.
Who is he kidding? Tusk can stick his beak in his feathers all day long, but the U.S. still remains the largest global market in the world. If the E.U. can't sell their products here, they are in trouble. Trump knows that. So does Tusk, yet still he blusters. In effect, he is raising the ante while holding a pair of deuces. Meanwhile, Trump has forty-seven cards to sift through to find his preferred hand. Four aces, maybe ... or a royal flush? It's Trump's decision. Tusk will find out tomorrow how the game is played.
Don't doubt Donald Trump. When he says America First, he means it. He has the consumer market to back him up. Plus an invigorated manufacturing sector made possible by tax cuts and tariffs. He wants the U.S to be self-sufficient again. That's the essence of MAGA. Tusk knows as much. He's just jockeying for position on the global stage. Some call it virtue-signalling. It won't work. But, still, it makes Tusk look good among his self-preening peers. Come tomorrow, Trump will call Tusk's bluff and lay out his hand. At that point the preening ends and the bird-droppings begin. The E.U. will have another oh s**t moment when Trump calls their bluff.
I'm depressed. Why? Because Washington Democrats have lost their entertainment value and now have entered the realm of the utterly absurd. It's a shame. I feel the loss deeply. They were so much fun for a while.
I remember the good old days. Who can forget when Obama claimed he would drive down the cost of healthcare by an average of $2,500 per family, plus lower the sea level and regulate the sun at no extra charge? What a hoot. Or let you keep your doctor and your existing insurance coverage? The punch lines came fast and furious. And he always did it with a straight face. No smidgen of evidence that the IRS targeted Tea Party groups? Law enforcement is always the guilty party? The guy was comedy gold. And don't forget Hillary telling us how she dodged enemy fire in Bosnia ... and Chuck Schumer explaining to the nation how open borders would be the ruin of our country ... and Clinton assuring us that there was never any classified information on her private email server. Or even two years ago, during the 2016 presidential primary campaign, when Bernie supporters thought their contributions to the DNC actually would be shared with Bernie Sanders? Too rich. And, of course, Muh Russia, which is still getting laughs. Hahaha. Who needed comic strips back then? We had the NYTimes and WaPo at our fingertips. Plus the MSM. And Debbie Wasserman Schultz on CNN and MSNBC. Not to mention Harry Reid and Nancy Pelosi, Rachael Maddow and the Young Turks, especially in the run-up to the 2016 election. It's just so difficult to fit them all in. Gosh, how I miss those days.
Now look at what's happened. I didn't think we were supposed to take Washington Democrats seriously. In fact, I thought they wanted us to laugh along, which I did, religiously. Turns out, they weren't joking. Now they are mad. Real mad. Fleck-spittle mad. Even wild-eyed. You can only imagine how dumb that made me look. Their 2016 theatrical transition from comedy to high drama caught me off guard at first. I couldn't understand what I had missed in the transition. Naturally, after listening to them vent their spleens for a while, I began to blame myself, not only for being insensitive and uncaring, but also for being male and/or American and unlettered in outre subjects. So don't think you were the only one. It was #metoo. Then I realized what they were doing, and I smiled once again. It was all a joke. Like establishment Republicans, they didn't really mean it. They never transitioned from comedy to high drama at all. Rather, they simply shifted from farce to ironical comedy. It's a subtle shift, but not a genre change. More like a linguistic inflection, much like a bagel is something you eat with lox up north and an animal you hunt with down south. Delivery is the key.
I'll admit, Washington Democrats delivered the message well. I was fooled in the beginning. Until I figured out what they were doing, I was bewildered. Doubt crept in. The skies darkened as clouds of self-loathing loomed above. Might the fault lie with moi for not wearing a pink hat or a black mask and uniform? Reality blurred. I began to hate my employer for paying me an agreeable wage, just as I hated myself for working. I found myself asking, What's the point of my employer making a profit off my labor? That's ... FASCISM or something. I should quit and stop feeding my family.Or else break the windows in someone's car.
Then the scales miraculously fell off my eyes, rays of sunlight beamed down, and once again I saw the humor of it all. Washington Democrats were just pulling my leg. They really didn't mean it. They didn't exactly wink at me, but I knew they would if they could. I could now sit back and enjoy the show again, relieved to know that my grievances were as legitimate as anyone else's. Well done, I say. You almost got me on that one. A true encore performance. And, yes, you shall receive the credit you are due. Your spiel is actually funnier this time around than the last. I'm entertained anew. Indeed, I love ironical comedy most of all. Such as in Meet the Fokkers, starring Robert DeNiro. I still laugh at that guy, especially these days. What a clown. And to think I doubted you. I have a tendency to think some people are extraordinarily stupid. It's a weakness of mine. I apologize.
So here's to you, you geniuses of ironical comedy. Keep it up. Whatever it is you're smoking, have another toke, 'cause it's working. Laughter is up to 8.0 on the Richter Scale. The following video came from InfoWars, which I don't watch, but I found this on YouTube and it humored me, as it may you. It's entertainment, folks:
If only these people knew how to smile. Crying over Hillary Clinton is a waste of tears. Even Hillary knows that much. She would never cry over you. A mind is a terrible thing to waste.
For my readers in Germany (of which I have a couple), here's the moral of the story: Wer zuletzt lacht, lacht am besten.
Roughly translated into English, it means I'm laughing better than ever.
Antifaschistishe Aktion -- a movement that began among German communists who opposed Adolph Hitler's Democratic Socialism in the 1930s -- has now gained a toe-hold in the U.S., particularly in university cities. It's now communist v. socialist all over again, though few of today's anti-fascists can define either term, much less fascism itself, though they sure as hell are opposed to it! Ah, to be ill-informed. In some ways, I miss the innocence of youthful ignorance. Thank God we have professors who still teach these wayward ideas. Otherwise, what would I do for entertainment?
All I can say is: Welcome, Antifa, to the home of descendants of the rugged American frontier. Sorry you were so late getting here. By way of advance notice, please be prepared to defend yourself, 'cause most of those who couldn't defend themselves in this country died off long ago. It wasn't pretty.
Any social group that has ever ended up in this country has had to fight their way out and up. Just study the history of America. Start with indigenous native Americans and work your way forward to Calvinists, Catholics, Irish, Swedes, Jews, Chinese, West Africans and Hispanics of all stripes. Most all the folks who ended up here had a brutal go of it, some more than others, and their descendants know how to fight. Those who couldn't were usually flushed out of the gene pool. I didn't establish those rules, but I have noticed them. Their descendants are a hearty lot, even in our poorest urban areas. So choose your fights carefully, all you Antifa youngsters. As an Irish ancestor once asked, Is this a private fight, or can anyone join in? Yes, that's how Americans roll. It's in their blood. They are peaceful, but they are not pacifists by heritage. Indeed, if you stir up too much trouble, they may find themselves drawn to you like moths to a lightbulb. Call it an American instinct.
But, alas, some folks have no sense of American history. Such as the anti-gun folks. And the speech police. Yes, I digress, though hopefully I will offend at least a few of the speech monitors in the room.
Antifa now shows up and thinks they can scare ordinary citizens simply by virtue of their masks, black outfits, vulgarity, and the ability to break stuff. All they are doing is angering their adversary, who is bigger and stronger and holds a Ph.D. from the Historical School of Hard Knocks. It's not wise to poke the bear too hard lest you are fleet of foot. Owning a pair of NIKE's does not guarantee success.
As we have seen too often with Hamas in Palestine, these Antifa tough guys hide behind women and raise baseball bats in the background, shoulder-to-shoulder with other masked bro's who throw bricks and M-80s from their safe space, or else shout vulgarities on a par with the women who lead them. Yeah, that'll teach the other side, I suppose. I think most Antifa members have played one too many video games or spent one too many nights in the tents of San Francisco. Still, I can see that it's a fun time for Antifa guys, provided they bring along the right girls. The guys can sprint out into no-man's land and bash in a car window here or there before dashing back to safety behind the women. Or else wave their batons in the air in defiance of ... well ... someone or something. But God forbid if they leave their safe space and the other side catches them in the open, in which case it looks like this:
One good punch and the Antifa guys quickly retreat to a safe distance, dragging their wounded with them. There's a word for these kind of guys, a term most often reserved for the bedroom. When Antifa meets Home Boy, it's not a pretty picture. No wonder Democrat women prefer to date Republican men. Not all women, mind you. Otherwise, where would Antifa find its front-liners ... such as the girl in the picture above, who must be happy she wore dark pants to the event?
P.S. I don't like such scenes as depicted in the above video.
P.S.S. Okay, maybe I do, to a degree, but I regret that I do.
I would hate to be this guy, who already has been identified by name:
Reports say that a 30-year-old Whataburger employee in Texas saw a teenaged customer wearing a MAGA hat and didn't like it. So he walked over, grabbed the kid's hat, threw a drink in his face, and cussed the kid as he paraded back toward the counter with hat in hand. A tough guy, no doubt. (/s)
There exist people who resent what happened to this teenaged customer and are willing to embrace the terms of conflict resolution espoused by the newly-fired tough guy. Worse yet for the tough guy, his name and location now have gone viral. I suspect he should relocate. Soon, and often. Choices have consequences.
If he gets any jail time, he probably will discover that most of his new neighbors are as "socially inept" as he is, have a strong disregard for child abusers, and have different ways to get their kicks and giggles. Hopefully for him, he just gets his come-uppance and quickly learns to be more respectful, or at least more circumspect. If not, he's in for rough times.
