The Days Of Our Anti-Lives!

I spent much of my youth and early adult life seriously worried that nuclear war about to break out. Then the Berlin Wall fell and things seemed to settle down a bit, though the fundamentals which might lead to war were largely unchanged. The U.S. and the former Soviet Union had more than enough firepower to wipe us off the globe.  During my "worry years" I subscribed to the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists to keep up with the developments across the globe as regards nuclear weapons. I thought about it that much. I subscribed to a host of political magazines, both those with which agreed and those with which dissented. (It was what we did in those pre-internet days.) It was a great weight on my shoulders, one I was unable to shake. Then fortunately I either matured or things got measurably better. Now the Bulletin says we are ninety seconds from doomsday.  Now I worry about nuclear war again. Not so much an attack on the U.S. from Russia since our incoming President is a va...

There's no denying it. I am a "Scrooge". That doesn't mean I'm intemperate with those who seek charity for the needy (I like to give to food charities). That doesn't mean I imagine children should be sent to workhouse if their parents cannot meet the rent. (As long as they stay quiet I'm okay with kids...most of the time.)  None of those extreme over-the-top vile things, but what I am is tired of the spectacle of Christmas which stifles the senses and overruns all media and such, spilling into the streets and filling up the even the stillness with typically mewling Christmas songs. I'm just tired of it before it gets started. If Christmas lasted a week, maybe even two I'd be all in. A two- week spree of holiday cheer and merchandising I could support as a bally end-of-the-year celebration. We all made it again you see; and here's something to show our appreciation all around. That would be dandy. But the damned holiday starts in September ...

The recent killing of the CEO of United Healthcare has created quite a stir in the country. One wonders why, since with thanks to Republicans and the NRA there are at least as many guns as people in the United States. In point of fact the statistic is one and a half guns per individual. With that kind of armament available why is anyone surprised when anyone is killed. Well, it's because folks like Brian Thompson are supposed to be above the fray, well hidden behind stacks of cash which allow them to live apart from the rabble which make their lifestyles possible.  But what is even more amazing is the reaction across the country to his murder. This man was shot down in cold blood on a city street and most Americans find it funny. That's profoundly sad on one hand, but strangely revealing about the state of the nation on the other. There was another time when Americans in masse rooted for villains. It was during the great Depression when villains like Bonny and Clyde, Pretty Boy...

"The Leopards Eating People's Faces Party" has been growing exponentially in the United States by all reports. As dimwits who lazily voted for Trump and against their own best interests begin to realize how his potential policies might impact their lives, they begin to regret their vote and wish to take it back. Alas, it doesn't work that way. That national poll we held in November will have lasting negative consequences for countless people in the future. Workers are already seeing a diminishment in their take home pay just in anticipation of his enacting the hurtful economic policies.    It has become something of an entertainment to watch people feel the penny dropping, and to hear their caterwauling about it. I don't find it all that much fun, since the suffering they just realized might happen to them will likely happen to me and mine as well. I just have the small pleasure of knowing I didn't choose it for myself. Watching these early days of the new ad...

The war in Ukraine has been raging since Russia invaded its peaceful neighbor in 2022 after nearly a decade of unrest. Like so many Americans, I've followed the war with mild interest, considering this struggle just more conflict in a big wide world. I knew perfectly well that the United States was on the side of the Ukrainians, supplying them with arms and weapons enough to stave off the Russian assault. To most folks surprise the Ukrainians have proven to be a tough bunch and Putin has seen his hold on power threatened by their rugged resistance to his schemes. He has been using his resources to pay American influencers to undermine American support for the Ukrainian war effort and our President-Elect is actively hostile to the Ukrainian side of the conflict.  In anticipation of a change of policy, the current President has lifted certain limits placed on the Ukrainians concerning the use of American armaments and this has resulted in American-supplied missiles striking deep into...

Well, it seems the Republicans can't wait this time to get their mitts on the U.S. Social Security system, and we all know that they ain't raisin' any taxes to help support the single most successful public policy program in U.S. history.  They've always hated it, or rather their rich masters have but for many years it was untouchable. It was a program that helped too many people in too many places, and so no one enemy found it feasible to rise in opposition. That broke down in his century and now they hover over these safety-net programs like vultures. Medicare and the Affordable Care Act are the ones to worry about in the immediate future. America's medical situation is appalling with these programs in place, without them we return to barbaric. People will be hurt, and people will die as a direct result of elimination of these programs without a viable substitute which they themselves admit is only a "concept of plan".  Americans have once again voted ag...