The Days Of Our Anti-Lives!

How in the world did the United States get like this. How did a nation that healed itself after a Civil War, organized and participated successfully in two World Wars and generally over many hard-fought decades come to include all its citizens in the public square get like this. Well, the beginning of the story began in 1987 when the Federal Trade Commission, then operated under the Republican Reagan administration rescinded a rule that had governed communications in these United States of America since 1949. The Fairness Doctrine was adopted in 1949, when it was clear that both radio and television communication were to become dominant in the coming society. In a world in which in addition to a chicken in every pot, there would be a new visitor in nearly every household, to hold sway with is older brother.  Radio was the means of communication in the United States for over two decades then came TV. This was potent stuff, and the immense power of propaganda was well understood by a nat

Now that Joe Biden has left the Presidential race, Donald Trump becomes the oldest man to seek the office. Why don't the slings and arrows begin to strike as diligently as they did Biden? The double standard which has stood in politics for some time rears its ugly head again. Democrats are held to a higher standard than Republicans, both by media and the public.  This double standard has allowed a convicted felon, adjudicated rapist, convicted fraudster and general overall creep to seek the highest office in the land. His outlandish statements and racist rants shoved aside because that's just what we've come to expect from the likes of him. His cronies and sycophants mimic his disgraceful behavior, and they too seem to get a pass. Now the media which harassed Biden endlessly about his age is as usual mum about this new reality.  How are we as people supposed to maintain a civil order, a society respecting all its members, when our watchdogs, the "Fourth Estate" mi

I find it hilarious that from time to time, comic book publishers and cartoon maker would "run" their characters for President of the United States. It was good and proper satire. A great entertainment that still has potency today. Politics can be at times very unsavory, and satire drops some sunshine into it.   But that said, anyone who has ever written in the name of a cartoon character for President of the United States is a fool. If you've done it, don't get mad. I'm a fool too. I've never done that, but I've thought about it, and that's pretty damn close. Sometimes the options seem limited, and we throw up our hands and say fuck it, I'll just cast my vote to the wind. And that's the foolish part.  I live in what they call a "Red State". In America that means the folks in my state reliably vote Republican election after election after election after election. They don't realize if they'd change it up a bit, they might get

Let me begin by saying that Joe Biden is a man I admire, both for the way he lives his life and the way he has served his nation over the many decades. Politics in America has become an increasingly dirty and downright dangerous affair, and I have no scales on my eyes about what might have had to be done under his leadership. He is not a perfect man by any means, nor is he a perfect President, but his fundamental goodness is evident, if only one is willing to see it. He is not an angel. But the other side offers us a demon.  Now Joe has withdrawn and has thrown his support to Vice President Kamala Harris. If this choice had to be made then, this is the only really acceptable way in my mind.  I have endorsed her candidacy officially. My fury at the Democratic Party for abandoning the President has cooled, though the facts of the betrayal seem all too evident. Politics is hardball and Joe has been a player long enough to understand the game. In my loyalty to Joe, I pledged to leave the P

It seems I might have a new date for the prom this year. President Joe Biden has bowed to the pressure from his own party and stepped down as a candidate for re-election. He has passed his torch to his VP Kamala Harris. Let there be no doubt, I will vote for Kamala Harris.  But will my former party?  The Democrats now have an open convention coming up. With Biden standing down, there is no one who can formally claim the title until the convention decides to confer it. Technically neither could Biden, but he was the presumptive nominee with more than enough committed delegates to lock the nomination. Kamala's campaign claims to have more than enough. She has abundant and enthusiastic endorsements. But as I understand it anyone who can gather three hundred delegates can lay claim to the nomination. They won't win it in all likelihood, but they can run. If perchance Kamala's poll numbers dip lower than Joe's will the party once again call for the candidate to step down? Do

 Guess what!  President Joe Biden got old. So, he was rejected by the Democratic Party.   And now we face the uncertainty of an open Democratic convention. Back in the olden times without an internet, an open convention might have seemed a good idea, but now with split-second analysis and instantaneous second-guessing steaming down everyone's necks, it's going to be a major crap-fest. That is unless the Dems get it together and nominate on the first ballot. That's critical. The other side nominated a criminal sex-offender, but they are united behind him. Kamala is the flavor of the moment. Hopefully that remains the case. The Dems could nominate Captain America, but it won't mean a fucking thing unless they unite behind that nominee. I'll vote for a block of cheese if it's on the ballot, if it means we save ourselves and the world from more of that village idiot's tomfoolery.  I guess we just have to hope it's not an aged cheese.  Rip Off

There's a famous joke that Rorschach tells in  The Watchmen . It goes like this... I heard a joke once: Man goes to the doctor. Says he's depressed. Says life is harsh and cruel. Says he feel all alone in a threatening world.  Doctor says, "Treatment is simple. The great clown Pagliacci is in town tonight. Go see him. That should pick you up."  Man bursts into tears, "But doctor...I am Pagliacci."  Good joke.  Everybody laugh. Roll on snare drum. Curtains. Something about the news of the day makes me want to read  The Watchmen  again. I think I will.  Rip Off

If efforts to push Joe Biden off this year's Democratic ticket for President succeed, I will vote Blue to help save my nation, but the day after I vote I will change my registration to Independent. The leaders of the Democratic Party will have demonstrated that they have as little regard for the vote of the citizens as do the Republicans, so I see no need, even after decades of loyal support to continue to identify myself with them.  The latest round of back-channel discussions among leaders of the Party to oust Joe come on the heels of the end of the Republican Convention and are clearly keyed to setting up a Democratic Convention in which some way and somehow the candidate with 14, 465, 519 votes to be the nominee, or 87% of the total is replaced. That's an overwhelming number. He should under normal circumstances clinch it on the first round. He and Harris have accumulated 3, 894 delegates with only 42 remaining from the total number of 3, 949. 1968 delegates are required to

I am old enough to remember a time when journalists eschewed coverage of a political campaign in terms of a horse race. The issues were too important to consider the analogy more than a passing consideration. But as the years have rolled on and journalism has become more about ratings and ad revenue, the horse race has pretty much become all that matters. But how does a person go about conducting a "horse race" between two human politicians? The answer my friend is blowing in the wind. The answer if polls.  It has gotten to the point where it doesn't matter what the positions on policy the candidates have, but rather how they are doing in the polls. The number one indicator of poll success is name recognition and the winner in that game will almost always be the incumbent. That makes the challenge of bringing entrenched power to heel even more difficult. Incumbents start ahead in the "horse race" and so have an easier time getting funded in a culture in which mo

I will continue to speak out strongly for our democracy and stand up for the Constitution and the rule of law. I will continue to call for action at the ballot box, and not violence in the streets.  That's how democracy should work. We debate and disagree. We compare and contrast the character of the candidates, the record, the issues. the agendas, and the visions for America. We cannot lose sight of who we are.  In America, we resolve our differences at the ballot box. NOT with bullets.  We cannot -- we must not -- go down this road in America. We have traveled it before throughout our history. Violence has never been the answer.  -- Joe Biden  This is part of a message I found in my mailbox this morning. This is why I want to vote for this good and decent man. It's why I've voted for him in the past time and again. He's better than me.  He's a leader for us all.  GO JOE!  Rip Off

I'm currently in a process of escaping the deluge of daily media, but it caught up with me nonetheless with the news that someone had taken a shot at "Sweet Potato Hitler". He was wounded but not killed apparently, and I'm sure this will be sold as him acting bravely in the face of extreme danger. Give me a contingent of Secret Service pledged to surround me at the first sign of trouble and I'll be pretty bold too. This myth was largely horseshit when they played the song with Reagan, and I guarantee it will be even a bigger horse turd with this new event when he gathers himself and plays to the camera. God only knows who he will blame for it. I've already caught a glimpse. I wish all the incessant shootings America still suffers because of our fetish for guns got the coverage this one will get.    But that said, I don't think this event will change a single vote. And if it does it will only take a teensy piece out of Biden's overwhelming victory. We&#

I have spent more than a few minutes the past two weeks, ever since Joe Biden's less than impressive debate performance fuming. Not because Joe performed poorly. That often happens to incumbents in a first debate, so often that scheduling the debate this early was a strategy to get that one out of the way. At least that's what I suspect. The debate would be mostly forgotten now save members of my own party keep bringing it up. No, I'm fuming because some members of the leadership of the Democratic Party and some allies have been spending the days since the debate calling for Joe to drop out. No calls for the larcenous, lying, sociopathic, sex pervert and felon in the cremains of the Republican Party to drop out! No, the Dems are saving their ammunition for their own guy! The devout long-time legislator, loyal Vice-President, devoted husband and loving father, and successful first-term President is the one they've targeted. And it's all because he's had the great

I've kept my views on the news of the day off this blog for several years because things had settled down with a President who obeyed the laws and didn't riff on tormenting the helpless day after day after day, but the quite recent travesty of a Supreme Court decision has moved me to speak up again. I genuinely worry that the democracy I have enjoyed for my many decades on this planet is indeed in danger of disappearing for all practical terms. The case was obviously taken up by the highest court in the land in bad faith because of the timing and extensive duration of consideration, and the decision is dangerous in the extreme. The United States Supreme Court has created a Super-Executive who is not answerable to the laws applicable to the common folk. We are lucky that the man in the office now is a good and decent fellow, who will not order the assassination of his enemies.  This all happened because the disgraceful cowardice of Republicans in Congress who some years ago fail