"I'LL BE RIGHT BACK."

See, if I said that, I would be lying like all the networks do. Starting tomorrow I am heading north in search of cold, snow, ice, fireplaces, a sense of Christmas, and pine trees that aren't sold at Publix. I will be visiting Washington, D.C. while it's still civilized, Boston, and New York. Since I am a coward, I will be taking the train up and possibly flying back. Since I am a Luddite, I cannot promise I will be able to write any posts during my trip, but I'll see if I can figure it out. Unlike most travelers, I don't need company, though it is occasionally pleasant, and I don't need major cities. Coolidge Corner is as interesting to me as Piccadilly Circus—well, sorta. Anyway, I may have another gripe or two before I actually take off. But I should be back on line sometime in late January. My partner will be manning the fort and caring for the critters. He loves solitude as much as I do. So don't invite him anywhere. His motto is the same as Elaine's on Seinfeld, "I'll go if I don't have to talk."

P.S. If you want to read an interesting blog by a brilliant and fiery Democrat while I'm gone, I highly recommend my friend's mycatsaredemocrats which usually calms me down.

"WE'LL BE RIGHT BACK."

That's the lie the David Muir repeats every weeknight on the ABC News. Oftentimes he says it right after a single news story. If you think "right back" means immediately or quickly, you'd be wrong. Often there are as many as eleven commercials before they are right back. There are commercials for cars, pharmaceuticals, household appliances, beauty products, breakfast cereals, electronics, etc. Now I subscribe to Acorn, which gives me a wide choice of entertainment, all advertising-free. This service costs me only $4.00 a month. So I can't imagine why the highly profitable networks have to punish their cable-paying customers with so many commercials. My guess is that they don't. Most of the commercials are gravy to them. And they can keep doing it because American consumers don't complain about being deluged with unnecessary pitches while they receive fewer and fewer news stories. It's just another major aspect of the Culture of Greed to which we have, sadly, become inured.

WINNER.

If you're a regular viewer of Jeopardy, you will appreciate that as much as you like to test your knowledge against the contestants, you also get to like or hate those contestants. Some winners are arrogant and obnoxious. Fans will remember several multi-game winners, all male, who they particularly disliked. Other winners are very likeable and it is a pleasure see them increase their winnings. Such a winner was Cindy Stowell, who recently won six games and became the most inspiring contestant in the show's 33-year history. Because what viewers did not now was that when Cindy recorded her shows in August and September she had Stage 4 colon cancer. She was competing while on painkillers and often fighting a fever but never looked anything less than calm and controlled. Sadly Cindy never got to see her appearances as they were broadcast. She died on December 5 just over a week before her episodes were aired. She was 41. Before dying she pledged to donate her more than $100,000 in winnings to the Cancer Research Institute.  Tragic as this story is, Cindy's courage has been one of the few bright lights in these dark, dark days.

CRAPAGANDA.

It will come as no surprise to most people that Donald Trump holds sway with The Enquirer. So it will come as no surprise that the newest issue (not shown) praises Trump for his many supposed accomplishments before his even taking office. The same cover "reveals" that Malia Obama is in rehab and that Bill Clinton is down to 117 pounds and dying of cancer. Like Trump himself, this trashy rag has no problem with stating lies which apparently are the only stories that magnetize their moronic readers. Sadly The Enquirer was once the supermarket tabloid reserved for the lowbrow and near-illiterate reader. Educated Americans read The New Yorker, Vanity Fair, The Atlantic, and other factual magazines and, of course, newspapers. But in the age of Trump, facts and truth are becoming increasingly irrelevant and sadly the broadcast media are eagerly embracing this trend for the sake of ratings. So the next time you're in the checkout line and see the garish cover of the National Enquirer and the lurid and deceptive headlines, ask yourself: Is this the new America?

THREE NATASHAS.

I am watching a four-part War and Peace on Acorn. It's pretty well done, at least compared to the recent dreadful Dr. Zhivago. But it mystifies me. Why? Because this multi-national production boasts gorgeous scenery, lavish sets, believable war scenes, and fantastic costumes. The music is excellent, the camera work superb, and the script good despite its liberties. And yet. After all this location work, expense, set building, and careful attention to every detail, they failed in the most important area: casting. Anyone who has seen the 1968, 8-hour Russian epic is sure to remember the beautiful and raven-haired Lyudmila Savelyeva making her film appearance as Natasha like a sudden sunburst.  Even the entertaining 1956 version, had dark-haired Audrey Hepburn as the irrepressible Natasha. So one wonders why, with all the work that went into this mini-series, one would star the bland blonde fashion model Clemence Poesy in this pivotal part. True, she's had a few successful screen roles including the lead in the TV mystery The Tunnel (which I found too violent and boring to continue watching) but she is not a seasoned actress and is all wrong for the demanding role of Natasha. The series does somewhat better with Andre (too short) and Pierre (too stoic). The last time I recall such an event was with the remaking of The Forsyte Saga, in which they starred Gina McKee as Irene. Irene was a femme fatale whose beauty and charisma created no end of scandals and breakups. The talented Gina, sadly, did not possess that kind of beauty.

This post is just to remind you that once upon a time songs were written with what we call lyrics. These were carefully constructed words with meaning, unlike most of the crap today which is often one line repeated endlessly. Even more surprising back then performers could actually sing, without backups, without echo chambers. Singers were not chosen for their beauty or their busts, but their talent. I include here Charles Aznavour since so many people seem to have no knowledge of this great French star. Sorry, this being 2016, you'll probably have to watch some crappy commercial as ransom for seeing this video.

SURPRISE!

As repulsed as I am at having someone as loathsome as Donald Trump as president, I am delighted to imagine how upset all those worshipful fans at all his rallies will be as he breaks promise after promise. He never had an intention of jailing Hillary who actually hasn't committed any jail-able offense. Those threats were merely red meat to win over his gullible and vindictive admirers. His racist fans, of which there are many, can't be too thrilled at his appointing Ben Carson as Director of Hud. His anti-Semite fans,which are even more numerous, must be apoplectic to learn that his converted-to-Judaism daughter and her Jewish husband will have offices in the West Wing. And, of course, every one of his deplorables will be horrified to know that instead of making American great again, he is making Russia great again with all kinds of loving commitments (after all they did get him the presidency). And, if he lasts four years, which I doubt, they will also discover that he couldn't care less about abortion; will never reveal his taxes; isn't the least bit bothered by gay marriage; is more than likely an atheist (since he sees himself as god); and will continue his long history of financial failures. So all you hateful, hopeful Trump voters, supporters, admirers, and praisers, sorry—but you've been had!

THE RETURN OF THE RACIST

When racist Pamela Taylor, director of the nonprofit Clay County Development Corp. was supposedly fired after making a despicable comment about First Lady Michelle Obama, one could feel there was some justice in the world. Well so much for that. It seems this nasty little bigot is expected to stampede back to work on December 23, suggesting to me that her employer is in agreement with her racism. This does not speak well for Clay County or West Virginia. As I suggested in a previous post, Taylor's bitchy remark about our gorgeous, elegant, and educated First Lady reeks of jealousy, as did the idiotic comment of fellow-racist former county mayor Beverly Whaling. Speaking of whaling. I have harpooned this photo of Pamela for your amusement.

THREE LITTLE WORDS.

Three words that the media toss around today with totally inaccurate abandon: icon, legend, and classic. Alan Thicke died today. The news calls him a TV "icon". That's odd. I thought he was just another replaceable sitcom actor who had an idiot son. It's always sad when any celebrity dies. After all we've spent time with them, watched their shows, and seen them later in life selling life insurance or reverse mortgages. But being on a semi-successful tv show does not qualify you as an icon. What's a "classic"? According to the Disney studio, any film they produce that's more than two days old is a bonafide lasting classic.  It's a Wonderful Life is a classic. Frozen is not. As far as "legend" goes, any number of vin ordinaire products and transient stars are proclaimed to be legends from cars to soup. And while many cars and yes, even some soups, are classics, most are not deserving of a term that demands quality, longevity, and undiminshed popularity. Sadly the media takes no responsibility in protecting our great language from misuse and now that we have a president elect with a vocabulary of 36 words, it's bound to get worse.

Every time I see Donald Trump, always with his too long neckie, I am reminded of another character, Nutsy Squirrel. Except I never hoped that Nutsy would trip on his tie and fall down a flight of stairs. 

THE MERRY MORONS.

I love these Internet surveys that ask, "Should Hillary Clinton be jailed." Boy, there must be lots of nuts out there who hate their mothers, and have found a sick, pathetic way to get even in their demented little minds. Hillary has done nothing to be jailed for, as so many wasteful multi-million dollar investigations have shown. Now Trump on the other hand, the greatest projector of his time,  has been guilty of many criminal offenses:assaulting women, cheating on his taxes, not paying his debtors,  fixing a presidential election, and countless acts of which we will never learn. Yet this never occurs to his moronic supporters while they screw up their faces with illogical anger at Hillary that Donnie is a much greater criminal. Even more strange is that these devoted morons don't connect the dots of Trump's ravings, and realize that he wouldn't spit on these mostly overweight, low IQ, cheaply dressed, economy car, poorly educated, bible-thumping, lower classes. His fans are no more than toilet paper to Donald Trump as he has proved in stating that he only wants a cabinet staffed with men who have made a fortune. And that does not include that sixty-plus, triple-chinned, beer-bellied, polyester-clad, bloated losers robotically holding up signs that illogically read, "Lock Her Up!"

SHAKE HANDS WITH THE DEVIL.

I wonder what information Trump is using to blackmail Romney. I just don't think it's possible that Mitt makes all those nasty comments (and true) about Trump, then is suddenly in the limelight as a possible Secretary of State, which everyone with half a brain knew wasn't going to happen. Then he is publicly rejected and writes a charming thank you note. The result: Romney looks like an obsequious twerp and Trump garners praise from a former detractor. No. Not possible. Trump is holding something over Mitt's head. Would love to know what it is?

FRAGILE BONDS

In September I got a phone call from my oldest-term friend, a woman in London. She had called just to chat, but the conversation soon turned into, on her part, an attack on Hillary Clinton. Since she didn't know what she was talking about and I was already weary of Hillary's no-nothing attackers, the call ended on a sour note. The situation got sourer when I accidentally sent her an e-mail about the conversation designed for another friend. I have not heard from her since, though I have sent several make peace e-mails. At first I felt bad about this After all we had a history: several visits, lots of e-mails, lots of laughs. But since Trump has won the presidency, thanks in great part to all those who attacked Hillary based on effective Republican propaganda and very few facts, I don't feel a sense of loss. My friend, after all, was one of the millions of people who vilified Hillary Clinton, thus helping to usher an racist, narcissistic, amoral egocentric maniac into office. I wonder if she ever questioned her dangerous and unfounded anger.

GOOD NEWS AND BAD NEWS.

The good news is that this Sunday, December 11, CBS will run colorized versions  of two of the funniest Dick Van Dyke Show episodes. The bad news is that CBS will run them which means the endless commercials to which every greedy network subjects its viewers. Still it's probably worth the annoying commercials for the chance to see the superb Dick Van Dyke Show made even more arresting by the latest color technology. The episodes are "That's My Boy" in which the Petries suspect they bought the wrong baby home from the hospital; and "Coast to Coast Big Mouth" in which Laura inadvertently reveals that Alan Brady wears a toupee. Yes, there are still purists who don't approve of colorization. I am one of them. But I have to admit that once you've seen a black and white episode a hundred times, seeing it in color does add a new dimension, especially now that they've improved the technology.

A LONG-LIVING LEGEND.

A Letter to Three Wives, The Bad and the Beautiful, Lonely Are the Brave, The Big Sky, Last Train from Gun Hill. Detective Story, Young Man With a Horn, 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea. These are just some of the dozens of films in which Kirk Douglas starred since his first film appearance in The Strange Love of Martha Ivers in 1946. But if you watched any of the idiotic national news programs today you might think that he only starred in Spartacus, since they seem to have no knowledge of film history. While Kirk is one of my least favorite film giants, he is immensely important and deserves all kinds of recognition, especially today on his 100th birthday. My personal favorite Kirk Douglas film? Strangers When We Meet.

Has anyone noticed that the country is falling apart?  Lying has become standard among once-honest men. (Trump was never an honest man.) Once red-blooded Americans, even veterans, have voted for a racist draft dodger and grifter. Patriotism is no longer admired. The formerly honest media has become obsessed with profits, enough so to wiggle Trump into the presidency and then act completely innocent. Previously educated citizens have eschewed any kind of education and now only embrace their own narrow and preferred views and, of course, the results of Dancing with the Stars. A man who has spent his life cheating suppliers, avoiding taxes, and dodging the draft, is rewarded with America's top job and hailed as worthy. A woman who has spent her life caring for less fortunate people is vilified and cheated out of her chance to make life better for everyone. Villains are elevated. Heroes are ignored. Everything is dangerously upside down. The question is will anything every right it?

DUH!

If Ben Carson was a brilliant brain surgeon, then he must be an idiot savant. Because in every other aspect of his life he is practically an imbecile. What else can you say about a nitwit who thinks men can go into prison straight and come out gay? What other college-educated person with a modicum of knowledge about Egypt could suggest that the ancients built the pyramids to store grain? The guy is a lunatic, and the guy who chose him to head up HUD is also a lunatic. Trump isn't even president yet, and already he's staffing our government with racists, warmongers, morons, and—most dangerous of all—rabid Islamaphobes.  And while it would be hard to choose the worst of Trump's many close-to-insane appointments, Carson has got to take the prize as the absolutely dumbest.

DORIS.

I was very surprised today, December 5, to learn that Doris Roberts, 90, died on April 17, 2016, in Los Angeles. I am usually very aware of the deaths of celebrities, and Doris was among the most famous. Yet I believed she was still alive. So today I feel a belated grief for this great American actress whose career has spanned six decades, all of which I can remember right back to Naked City. Naturally she was most recently heralded for her hilarious role as Marie Barone on Everyone Loves Raymond. But we will continue to see her in repeats of Barney Miller, Remington Steele, Ben Casey, and many other series as well as movies including The Taking of Pelham 123, and as Bette Midler's mother in The Rose. Doris has won five Emmys, countless other awards for both her TV, movie, and stage appearances; she was a lifelong friend to animals;  and naturally—having such an enormous heart—she was a Democrat. A great actress and unforgettable person was Doris May Green from St. Louis, Missouri.

INDIANA IS A STATE OF CARRIER PIGEONS.

You didn't get a deal. Trump didn't save jobs. The Hoosiers got hosed. And Trump got a sweetheart deal with Carrier, a company with whom he owns stock.

THE FLAMES OF FREEDOM.

Donald Trump wants to criminalize one of America's greatest freedoms: flag burning. What other country in the world has such respect for freedom of speech that they would allow a protest to include setting fire to the nation's ensign as unpopular as that may be? How narrow is Trump's knowledge of democracy he can only see flag burning as a criminal act to be punished by time in prison. This is yet another example of the kind of learned leadership we will not be getting from Trump. I suspect that he doesn't give a damn about the flag issue, but feels that he can inflame his pseudo-patriotic mobs with this latest whine. I also suspect that Trump does not know that when an American flag becomes worn, soiled, or faded, it should be replaced with a new flag. The traditional way to achieve this is by burning the tattered flag in a special ceremony.

SERIAL KILLER!

Hunters like Rebecca Francis are so evil, so amoral, so low on the human scale, that I cannot conceive that they have friends and family. This satanic bitch has dozens of photos of herself, smiling besides the many animals she has killed. Never was vanity been so repulsive and vile. How sickening to see a deranged killer take such joy in murdering a creature that had as much right to life as any human. Ricky Gervais has recently blasted hunters male and female for their cold-hearted hunting of animals, just for sport. But even if Francis was asked to kill an aging giraffe supposedly to feed villagers, as she claims, what kind of inhuman person can not only slaughter an innocent harmless animal, but then lie beside its carcass for a photo op. It has never bothered me to learn that some bullfighter was gored to death by a poor condemned animal. One less cruel killer among us. In the future I shall feel the same sense of relief any time that I hear a game hunter has been clawed by a lion, crushed by an elephant, or speared by some native sick of having these wealthy sadists invade his homeland and murder those who live there. What joy it would be so see a handsome living animal beside the rotting carcass of Rebecca Francis.

NOWHERE NEAR AS DELICIOUS!

One of the many great series on PBS in past seasons was The Great British Bake Off. In this surprisingly entertaining competition, chefs from all over the British Isles were challenged to bake a variety of delicious pastries for the title of top chef.  The show was fantastic and the icing on the cake was that there were no commercials. Now it seems that ABC has copied this highly successful show including its celebrity moderator/chef Mary Berry in the new The Great American Baking Show.  Those of us who were fans of the show on PBS have no reason to rejoice. ABC, like all three major networks seems to insist on cramming at least 12-15 commercials into every program break. How pleasant will it be to ooh and aah at gloriously conceived, mouth-watering pastries followed by sudden and endless interruptions for laxatives, pharmaceuticals, automobiles, toilet paper, toothpaste, laundry detergent, quit-smoking aids, and other boring and oft-repeated pitches? My guess? Not at all. For some reason or other Americans are willing to be subjected to millions of superfluous commercials every year so that networks CEOs can accumulate extra millions of dollars. I'll never understand why. In the meantime I'll happily watch the superior, commercial-free programs, on PBS, Netflix, and Acorn—though I must admit any pastries I enjoy during these show will probably be store bought.

A GREAT, GREAT BOOK.

One of the best books I ever read was A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith. This novel about Francie Nolan's childhood in Brooklyn reminded me so much of my own adventures growing up in Roxbury, Massachusetts, and probably has the same effect on all its readers. Since reading it I have always felt that every library in America should take a quote from this great novel and have it displayed in large letters on the wall of its children's reading room. I think the quote is one of the most significant comments about the discoveries of youth. But sadly, though I have been in dozens of libraries, I have never seen this wonderful line printed anywhere.

"Oh, magic hour, when a child first knows she can read printed words."

"WHATEVER YOU SAY, SIR."

I can see why a man might compromise his principles if he needed a job that allowed him to feed and care for his family. Naturally Bob Cratchit had to scrape and bow to Scrooge if he wanted his family to have a warm home and food on the table. And while I can't condone it, I can see why men with no principles at all ally themselves to powerful autocrats in order to enjoy some of their reflected glory. Obviously an obsequious cipher like Rudy Giuliani can't survive outside of at least a glimmer of limelight. And who can blame Kellyann Conley for being a sycophant to Donald Trump? I'm sure it pays well and her hillbilly harridan appearance won't put any sexual pressures on her. What I can't understand is why a multi-millionaire like Mitt Romney, who was so critical of Trump during the election, is now willing to eat humble pie, kowtow, and—yes—kiss Trump's ass in order to become Secretary of State. He doesn't need the money. He claims to love the woman which this position will certain prevent him for seeing as often.  If his character is that weak, and his integrity so easily sold we should be as grateful that he never won the presidency as we are terrified that Trump did.

FACING THE FUTURE.

Tonight a very good friend sent me a CNN article titled, "Trump is incredibly jealous of one person." While the author Rachel Sklar outlined all the cares of state that Donald will be faced with, and probably unable to face, she wisely suggested the person he is most envious of is Hillary Clinton. After all Clinton has the admiration and votes of the majority of Americans. And while she doesn't have the Oval Office she also doesn't have all the responsibilities and sleepless nights that go with it. But what I found most disturbing about the article was not Trump's stupidity and arrogance which we know all too well, it was this photo. True, there are many photos of Trump, that show him as puffy and wrinkled and dour. But this seem even more frightening, more Dorian Gray, more tight-lipped, cold-eyed, wispy-haired, determined and dictatorial. And, surprisingly, more absolutely adrift and alone.

APPLEBEE'S SERVES UP BIZARRE COMMERCIAL.

Apparently the new Applebee's commercial isn't on YouTube yet. That's a shame because it has one of the stupidest lines I've ever heard. It says, "They say that the best gifts come from the heart. But that isn't true. They come from the stomach." How did a copywriter get away with such a repulsive, illogical and idiotic line? What gift comes from the stomach? One hates to speculate. I suspect we won't see this Applebee's commercial on the air for very long.

MIXED MESSAGES.

I think this is one of the creepiest commercials on television. While it seems to is promoting Children's Miracle Network Hospitals, it seems to be doing it with children who are taking delight in killing numbers of sci-fi enemies, to the amusement of a hospital staff. At the end the young heroine of this joyous slaughter hands her rebellion robot to a bedridden child.  Promoting a hospital with a group of children with guns. What is the message here?

A VERY BORING POST

My front porch light has gone out. I would like to change the bulb. But I cannot figure out how to open it. There are no holes for screwdrivers: Phillips or regular. The globe does not turn for removal. The globe does not pull off. Someone out there must have this same light and some idea of how to open it.
I told you it was boring.

TWO DIFFERENT MONSTERS.

Just because Donald Trump is terrible choice for president, don't start giving George W. Bush a pass. So far Trump hasn't been responsible for anyone's deaths, at least not directly. Bush, on the other hand, is a war criminal and mass murderer. His vanity war resulted in the deaths of thousands and left countless soldiers and civilians maimed, crippled, blind, deaf and mentally incapacitated. Despite the fact that Obama hasn't prosecuted him and the media seems to think he's a sweet yet daffy old dear, there are thousands of Americans missing from Thanksgiving tables all over America yesterday because George is a amoral coward who signed, in essence, their death warrants. I don't doubt for a minute that Donald Trump will do irreparable damage to our country and our spirit, but that doesn't make Bush any less guilty of the crimes for which he should have been locked away years ago.

BRAVO!

When Mike Pence attended a performance of Hamilton, he was rightly booed by the audience and the cast, both made up mostly of the kind of people he is eager to crush. Later Donald Trump demanded an  apology, saying, "The Theater must always be a safe and special place. The cast of Hamilton was very rude last night to a very good man, Mike Pence. Apologize!"Wrong. Mike Pence is not a good man. A god man, a man of character, does not seek to withdraw freedom from persons he doesn't like. A good man does not abandon all his alleged religious principles for the opportunity to work for a man who shares none of them. A good man does good things.

Why does Jared Kushchner want control of the White House and why is Donald Trump so willing to provide it?

A KIND OF SORT OF INVITATION.

While we still have freedom of speech, feel free to share with me any comments you have about Donald Trump. Vent your anger about how he's a racist, a bigot, a xenophobe, a grifter, and any other nasty epithet. Rant about he's not fit to govern our country and his choice of cabinet members include racists, antisemites, and a wide range of incompetents. I'm happy to hear it all. HOWEVER, if you didn't vote for Hillary Clinton, I have no interest in anything you have to say. You got just what you deserved.

THERE ARE WITCHES IN WEST VIRGINIA.

You've got to hand it to Patricia Ramsey Taylor. She's the scold from West Virginia who wrote on Facebook "It will be so refreshing to have a classy, beautiful, dignified First Lady in the White House. I'm tired of seeing  a Ape in heels." First of all she's willing to come right out and admit that she's a hateful racist. Bravo. Then she confesses she's maniacally jealous of Michelle Obama who is unquestionably  beautiful, classy and dignified. How nice to have a message so transparent. Then she praises a woman she knows nothing about, the desperate petty move of a complete bitch. And finally she reveals that she is totally uneducated by using an a before a noun with a vowel and a capital letter for a lower-case word. Bigoted. Jealous. Petty. And incredibly stupid. Oh, did I mention unemployed? This nasty little revelation of her vile soul cost her her job. And possibly the job of fellow racist, Beverly Whaling, the Mayor of Clay.

BE AFRAID. BE VERY AFRAID.

Once again I seem to be the only person who thinks the election was, to use Donald's word, "Rigged".
How? I have no idea, but if the Russians can invade our e-mails why not our election machines? Things that bother me. Why was Donald so certain he would win when all the polls suggested otherwise? What did he know?  And how is it possible that the same nation who elected Barak Obama twice would do such an about-face? It isn't.  And how it is possible that so many rigid Christians would suddenly abandon all their moral scruples in favor of a thrice divorced, foul-mouthed assaulter of women? They wouldn't? And if James Comey could release such a damaging e-mail near the close of the election, what other powers did he and his FBI cronies possess?  It seems to me that everybody has accepted this as a reality. I'm not so sure there are that many bitter, unhappy Americans, who, seeing what a loose cannon Trump is are willing to gamble on their futures, the futures of their children, the respect of their country, and the word and promises of a proven pathological liar. Bigots, racists, losers and failures, yes. But the average hard-working American, no, a thousand times no. I think Trump was right. The election was rigged. And it was rigged for him.

"SORRY I ASKED."

I think even women-oriented ads are "created" by smart-assed copywriters and art directors. Take this one, for example. These two women are at a recital by their children. One woman asks the other, "Which one is yours?" She responds, "The one in white." Since they are all in white this can only be taken as a sarcastic, pain-in-the-ass response from a real bitch. I can't imagine why Tide thinks such a nasty commercial in any way reflects well on their product.

THE SADDEST DAY IN AMERICA.

The worst has happened. So much for polls and pundits, surveys and morality. The United States can no  longer refer to itself as a Christian nation. We have torn our history to shreds, spit on the Constitution, and no longer accept poor and huddled masses. We might as well remove the Statue of Liberty and sell her for scrap metal. How did we get here? And where exactly is here?

A TRULY TERRIFYING CABINET.

Friends tell me I'm crazy, but I still say that the broadcast media, notably MSNBC has been pushing for Trump. Even now they are reporting Trump's leads with white voters and non-college educated voters with enthusiasm. Why? From the beginning the networks have given far more coverage to Trump than Clinton, ignored many of his failings while putting all of hers under a microscope and through a loudspeaker. Some celebrities feel that any coverage is good coverage, and I'm sure Donald is one of them. And he's been getting it: day after day, hour after hour, his hair, his face, his voice has been Big Brothering us for endless months. We are shown his huge crowds; the unchallenged lies of his surrogates; his robotic family; Rudy, his modern-day Nosferatu; even supposedly sane Republicans who will not betray their Duce. It's still early in the evening and most of the networks, while trying to suggest a neck and neck horse race, are telling us that Hillary will win. But they've been so deceptive for so long, I wonder.

I wish I were James Comey's banker. I would love to see if a large sum of money was recently deposited into his account.

A SHAMEFUL CASE OF BORROWED INTEREST.

One of the most offensive promotions on TV is for a news program on HLN called On the Story with Erica Hill. Erica, as you can see, is very attractive and looks a bit like a young Mary Tyler Moore. This apparently inspired some unimaginative idiot or idiots to promote her show by stealing the iconic opening to the Mary Tyler Moore Show, using the same music and scenes right up to tossing her hat in he air. There is only one Mary Tyler Moore and the opening to her popular program has special meaning to millions of viewers. To copy it and replace her with a young newswoman, no matter how attractive, is blasphemous. If the owners of the copyright permitted this theft, I am disappointed to know they put such little value on this historic opening. If HLN didn't gain permission, I hope they are soon required to remove this obscene imitation from their schedule. I also hope that Erica Hill is wise enough to see just how offensive this promo will be to Ms. Moore's many, many fans,

HERE'S A POSSIBLE OCTOBER SURPRISE.

Samantha Bee just had a hilarious show in which she gave us many reasons to believe that Donald Trump can't read. Among them his hatred of teleprompters, his always talking from the hip, and the fact that he hasn't read a book in 20 years (maybe ever). But I have another theory to add to that. I think he's had a face lift. This is why he always has a thick head of hair, regardless of how shabby it looks, it hides the scars from his operation. Poor Donald: illiterate, amoral, untruthful, and hopelessly vain.

THE SUPREME COURT HANDED THE PRESIDENCY TO BUSH, IS THE FBI
TRYING TO GIVE IT TO TRUMP?

NOW UNDECIDED MEANS DUMB AS A BRICK.

This whole Hillary nonsense is insane. We are talking about handing the presidency to a woman who has decades of experience, who has been a First Lady, a Senator and a Secretary of State as opposed to
a loose cannon who has been bankrupt many times, thrice married, endlessly sued or suing, accused of multiple sexual assaults, guilty of stiffing dozens of suppliers and contractors, is easily offended, highly sensitive, and along with all that is a bigot, xenophobic, narcissist, racist and compulsive liar. Even if Hillary were a convicted bank robber she would still be more qualified. Who cares if you don't like Hillary, if you don't trust her, if you believe all the propaganda that the Republicans have been vomiting for years? She's still the only candidate qualified to keep our country out of the red and out of the quagmire, and still respected by the world on November 9. She happens to be the only choice that any sane American has, and I think it's a damn good choice. Not only is Donald an incompetent naif, but he is unable and uninterested in doing any of things he promised to his army of deplorables. Do they really think he gives a damn if they achieve anything in life? Of course not. They're as meaningless to him as all the suckers who signed up for Trump University, all the boobs that invested in his other get-rich-quick schemes, all the builders who paid him to let them slap his name on their products or buildings only to find out the Trump name no longer is associated with wealth and style but an army of angry lowbrow losers in vulgar tee-shirts. So if you're undecided, you're just plain stupid.

IT HAS BEGUN.

A vote for anyone other than Clinton is a vote for Trump. If, as an American citizen, you're willing to take that risk and he wins, keep in mind you won't be able to complain when everything falls apart.

REALLY, CHUCK!

There are some things I just don't understand on the news.  Notably MSNBC. Though people think I'm nuts, I feel I have noticed a bias toward Trump from the beginning. Like yesterday, October 21, barely
two weeks before the election Chuck Todd was saying that Trump seemed reasonable that day and if he continued he might still turn the election around. Chuck Todd. Is he nuts? Has he not been paying attention? Does he really think at this late date the Trump, by behaving, can change the vote...or even that Trump can behave. I call this wishful thinking. He must be a closet Trump fan.

DONALD'S LOYALIST.

A lot of people think Donald Trump is the most obnoxious American, and with good reason. But he actually isn't, though he comes very close. But even more obnoxious is Rudy Giuliani, and not just because of his sickening insincere smile. At the moment his is an flunky, hanger-on apologist for Trump, but he is a toad in his own right.  He's a man utterly without any kind of moral code; a cross-dresser who sadly is more attractive as a woman but hideous even then; a pussy-whipped slave to a woman nearly as shallow as he is. His only semi-claim to fame is having been in New York City on 9-11, in which he portrays himself as heroic despite much evidence to the contrary.
The man, in short, is so repulsive I  could not bring myself to include his photo in this post but chose instead to include a related creature that is far easier to look at.

THE FACE OF AN ACCUSER, ABUSER, LOSER AND USER.

It was very clever of Donald Trump to suggest that he and Hillary take a drug test before tonight's final debate. Since he knows perfectly well that such a test would never even be considered, it makes it look like he's confident that he'd pass, which he probably wouldn't. And it allows him to suggest that Hillary might be a user, which is absurd. So tonight he can coke up and sniff his way through the debate and all his moronic fans will say, "If he used coke, he would never have requested a drug test." That's how gullible they are. If Hillary were the bitch that he and the cooperative lazy media suggest, she would have invited all his accusers to the debate. But unlike Paula Jones and those other harridan whores at
the last debate, these women would not have come because they are not paid-off avengers but victims seeking justice and exposure and at the same time preventing a major disaster in American politics. So Donald, ever the schoolyard bully, can have his supposedly intimidating guests, like Obama's ne'er-do-well, much-married, vindictive half brother,  thus showing the country just what a petty and vindictive coward Trump is.

A SIGN OF THE TIMES?

During most presidential campaign seasons there are lots of lawn signs in evidence. But not this year. In my middle-class neighborhood I have seen almost none. And friends in other cities tell me the same thing. This is anecdotal, of course. But I suspect it's accurate. And I think I know why. Because Trump's fans have proven so angry, so vengeful, so illogical and unhinged, putting a Clinton/Kaine sign in front of your house would be inviting vandalism. Same with bumper stickers. I have seen some Trump/Pence signs, but liberals are nowhere near as likely to throw rocks or create graffiti. It's a sad situation, and we can only hope that when Hillary wins, that segment of Trump supporters who are deplorable sore losers can control their illogical anger.

CAN NEWSPAPERS SUFFER FROM SENILITY?

America has gone completely mad. The October issue of the AARP Bulletin has this headline "WHERE THEY STAND" and this subhead, "Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton On Social Security, Health Care, Fixing the Economy and Terrorism." My question is, who the fuck cares where Trump stands?  Donald Trump is a maniac. It doesn't matter where he stands because he's completely unfit to be president, and he's such a liar that even if he weren't he's unlikely to follow through with any so-called stand. What is AARP thinking? Their cover should read "AMERICA IS IN GRAVE DANGER". AARP should list his failings and encourage every member to vote for Hillary Clinton if they want their retirement years to be happy and chaos-free. Any discussion of a Trump presidency should be regarded as insanity. The man is an egomaniac, a xenophobic, a bigot, a racist, an instigator, a paranoid personality, a con man, a liar extraordinaire, and more than likely, a sexual predator. What's next? Time naming him the "Man of the Year". People calling him the "Sexiest Man Alive"?

AN ODIOUS OCTOGENERIAN.

Apparently the only admirable thing that John McCain ever did was get captured and tortured. Even then there are stories that he wasn't as brave and admirable as he likes to portray himself. But in recent years he has proven himself to be a war-mongering idiot. His latest unpatriotic act is to threaten to fight any recommendation President Clinton may have for the Supreme Court. What an asshole threat. This dummy still thinks his word counts. Wrong. Once he chose Sarah Palin as his Vice President, he gave up any kind of credibility. This stupidity is as indelible as full-body tattoos. Unforgettable. Unremovable.  Actually one of the really smart things
that John McCain ever did was marry a rich woman.

FROM DEPLORABLE TO DANGEROUS.

The trouble with losers is they hate losing even though they do it so often. Which is why Trump in anticipation of losing the election is saying that it's rigged. Believing this, he has fired up his gullible fans to violent agreement. Now these boneheads are threatening strikes and worse if Hillary is elected. The GOP has done irreversible damage on America which can only get worse in November. They have unleashed mobs of bitter, disappointed, vengeful Americans who have very little to lose and resent anyone who they believe has prevented their illusory success. And leading them up this pinnacle of anger is the broadcast media with their constant Third Reich coverage of Donald Trump and endless and false attacks on Hillary Clinton. The media wanted to create a dramatic rivalry, instead they may have created a revolution.

Note: The nutcase seen above is named Dan Bowan. He says that if Hillary is elected he will "take her out". We can all guess what that means. When you look at this gullible moron with his maniacal grin,
take him seriously And consider, he is just one of the brainwashed Trump supporters.

NOTHING TO SNIFF AT.

I don't doubt for a minute that all these accusers of Trump are telling the truth.  Nor do I doubt that during each of these episodes Trump was on some kind of drug, possibly coke. His behavior is that of a person feeling the empowering effects of a drug that made him feel erotic and entitled. His actions were too bizarre to have just been an everyday assault. This doesn't, of course, apply to his peeping tom ventures into the dressing rooms of beauty contestants at a time he determined them to be naked. No question about it: the man is a pig.

THE JUNKYARD DOGS.

When all these Hillary haters start growling about her e-mails and suggesting all kinds of evil motives for everything she does, what are they saying? Are they suggesting that she not be elected? And since there are only two choices, do they want Trump as president? Would that make these vengeful people happy? Would they be gleeful that an incredibly experienced woman who they vilified based on very little factual information lost the election to a egocentric, xenophobic, racist, woman abusing megalomaniac without any experience in government but tons of experience in bullshit and bankruptcy? Are they willing to sacrifice their country for the brief satisfaction of settling a vendetta that they can't even explain because it's so illogical?  Trump fans are haters. That's all they are. They don't care about morality, equality, education, fairness, patriotism or any of the precepts of American patriotism. They just hate, with no more thought that a snarling junkyard dog. They've chosen their master who has their leash. And when he says "sic" they rush forward.

MSNBC IS AT IT AGAIN.

Right now they are airing Trump's rally in North Carolina, giving him yet more free air time to promote his campaign and attack Hillary. Just before this Steve Kornacki seemed very exciting to display a map that suggests that Trump still has a chance of winning. After Kornacki's past rants about Hillary I am not surprised at his glee. Earlier coverage gave Trump fans a chance to say why they admire him, and one Republican spokeswoman suggested that it was indeed possible that all these accusations of sexual assault by women may be not true after all. Trump doesn't need Fox; he has MSNBC. That same Republican spokeswoman questioned where else would she put her vote since Hillary doesn't share her views. What she doesn't realize is neither does Trump. He is only saying what will get him elected and if he is he'll do everything his way, which might have nothing to do with the desires of his supporters. But the joke won't just be on them, but on America.

It is now the 3:30 half-hour on MSNBC. They have given a Trump supporter named Steve Cortes lots of time to defend Donald, and vilify Hillary. The vicious things Cortes is saying about Clinton are nasty and unsupported, which doesn't seem to bother the moderator.

ANOTHER VICTIM.

In one of his egocentric rants, Donald vilified the writer who accuses him of assaulting her during a People interview in 2005 at Mara Largo. The reporter Natasha Stoynoff maintains that when she was in a room alone with Trump, he immediate started kissing her and suggesting they were going to have an affair despite her protestations. When Melania entered he of course acted sane. Today he maintains it never happened, that the woman was too unattractive to merit his attention (false) and asks, if it did happen, why wasn't it in the article since he is the most important person in the world? It, of course, never would occur to him that Ms. Stoynoff did wish, at the time, to hurt pregnant Melania during her one-year anniversary, but like any good citizen feels she must now reveal  his predatory nature. I also suspect that he's so stupid he feels that anyone with a Russia-sounding name is fair game.

UNDER THE MICROSCOPE.

The  other day Hillary Clinton said, "Happy Birthday" to someone. What did she mean by that? Was it a sarcastic suggestion that it might not be a happy birthday? Did it mean that she knew that somehow it would be this person's last? Was it code to someone who is involved in one of her nefarious plots? Was it even that person's birthday? Did anyone fact check to see if it was? Or was it even possible that it was her way of wishing that person a happy birthday? I ask because I thought her comment that one needed a private and public position made perfect sense. But the ignorant news people have read deep and troubling meanings into that simple, obvious and common sense statement. This election campaign has given me greater respect for Clinton, but far less respect for all the network's overpaid talking heads.

BE AFRAID, BE VERY AFRAID.

Today Donald Trump had a rally in West Palm Beach. If you heard any of it, you will be aware that he is becoming desperate. And so are his fans. These are not citizens who are out for justice but the misfits of society who are out for vengeance. Against whom? They are not sure. Possibly just cruel fate itself. And sadly, they have seen only one path to redemption: Donald Trump, the con man who never planned on coming through for them. This was the ultimate ego trip, his punishment to Barack Obama for making fun of him at the press dinner, not much more than that. They, his supporters, believe it was much more—that he cared, that he wanted them to achieve success like he did. But to him they were no more than an adoring audience. In the past, he told his butler he liked his guests to be well-dressed. He told everyone he like his women to be beautiful. Have you seen his fans? Do you really think he feels any kind of affinity for these not elegant, not beautiful, not educated sycophants? No. And, win  or lose, they are about to be brutally disappointed when they realize that he never could and never wanted to fulfill their dreams of revenge...only his own. What will they do with all that disappointment and anger?

THE NEW CONGREGATION.

Look at this photo. This is a Trump crowd in Arizona. Almost all white, all Christian. This is the same crowd you would see in many of America's mega-churches. Except when they are in the churches they swear allegiance to Christ and vow to live a good Christian life. But when those same people are here they become racists and bigots and narrow-minded haters. They vindictively shout that they want Hillary in prison, though they don't know why. They giggle at Trump's obscenities; they cheer his plans to evict millions of people from their homes. They ignore his misogyny and charges of criminality. They spew hate and vengeance and worship a powerful pastor who has rarely behaved in a true Christian manner. In short they abandon every precept they were taught in church during their lifetime. They might just as well burn their bibles. As an atheist, I should be pleased to witness such mass hypocrisy, but I'm not.

In  the generously over-covered Trump rallies have you noticed who is holding the "Blacks for Trump" posters? White people. Another example of Trump lies. Would the national news ever point this out? Of course not.

TALK ABOUT MANIACS.

Some people are just so dumb-ass, hopelessly, relentlessly, inescapably stupid, there is no point in even pointing out the areas where they lack any kind of above-infancy judgement. Such a unsalvageable, detestable, despicable moron is Paul LePage, the inexplicable governor of Maine. How did such an admirable state get stuck with such a brick-headed boob? I can't write any more or I would start hitting my computer with a hammer at the sight of his ugly giant-pumpkin-sized brainless head.

WHEN THE SHIRT FITS THE FAN, OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT.

Shown above is one of Donald Trump's gullible geezers wearing a Clinton rape tee-shirt, a campaign gimmick created by a mentally ill radio host. He has offered $1,000 to anyone who gets the shirt seen on TV, and $5,000 to anyone who gets "Bill Clinton is a rapist" heard on the air. The irony, of course, is that Bill Clinton has never been charged with rape. Several bitter bimbos have accused him of sexual misconduct, which is probably true, but rape, no. On the other hand Tiny-Hands Trump has actually been charged with rape and will go to court on December 16. And this is not the rape his wife Ivana accused him of,  but the rape of a 13-year-old. So calling Bill Clinton a rapist is another major case of projection on Donny's part. And another sin that the evangelicals will overlook in their hysterical and hypocritical desire to elect the world's second-best Satan. The other  irony here is that these deplorables are so stupid they don't even realize that Trump, if elected, won't be able to achieve a tenth of what he's promised. A. He doesn't have the brainpower. B. He doesn't have the support of anyone he will need to help him since he has trashed everyone but his drag-queen buddy Rudy Giuliani. One other thing: If you're hateful enough and low-brow enough to earn your $1,000 or $5,000, I wouldn't count on being paid.

TRUMP DID CLINTON A FAVOR.

Donald Trump, by vindictively inviting Juanita Broaddrick, Kathleen Willey and Paula Jones, to the Sunday night debate did Bill Clinton a favor. What kind of women are so filled with venom  after twenty years? Not good-hearted women, not forgiving women, not Christian woman. It takes a vengeful harridan to harbor so much hate for such a long time. Paula Jones, a secretary, won the  blackmail jackpot: $850,000 for sexual harassment. Not rape. Not physical abuse. Why is she still so bent on vengeance? And if Hillary back then was mean to them—boo hoo—what betrayed wife wouldn't be? So, Donald, any illusions that these women were victims has been erased by their appearance at the second debate. In order to be there they would have to be cold-hearted, unpatriotic, spiteful and biased Republicans. Unless, of course, Donald made it well worth it.

Note: I didn't mention Kathy Shelton because her hatred for Hillary is based on a 1975 court case in which she accused a 41-year-old man of raping her when she was 12. At the time Hillary, 27, had no choice but to defend the accused, who she believed to be innocent. Records show that  Shelton didn't realize the man's defense attorney was Clinton until 2008, and has had a vendetta for her ever since. Sadly Kathy feels that her single trial negates all of Hillary's charitable work and lifelong dedication to public service over the next 41 years.