NOT AN ACCIDENT.

I hate the word "accident". Mostly it's used to excuse stupidity, carelessness, and even malice. This week 12 people, including four children, died in a Bronx apartment building fire. The blaze was started by a 3-year-old boy playing with a stove and was described by Mayor de Blasio as a "horrible, tragic accident". It was not an accident. Some adult was not watching that child, someone was not preventing him from "playing" with a deadly device. Someone (or someones) is responsible for this tragic non-accident and should be arrested and tried and punished.  I wonder what affect this will have on that 3-year-old when he's older and learns his action killed a dozen people, and who will he blame?

I love this tweet. So true. Let's add amoral, dishonest, unfeeling, 
hypocritical, overfed, and unAmerican.

Since you've been gone,
I still get up at dawn.
I still have coffee in the yard,
Even when it rains.
I still suffer all the same
 old aches and pains
 I did before —
Maybe even more.
Since you've been gone,
Life goes on.

THE LIFE OF PUFF GOES POOF.

If it weren't for my favorite blog,"My Cats are Democrats" I never would have known about a bomb threat on Obama's life. It seems the crazy woman above, Julia Poff of Sealy, Texas, sent one of her homemade bombs to Obama and another to Governor Greg Abbott. Being a slob as well as a nut, her packages had the telltale evidence of cat hair and a local cigarette purchase. So now she's being held in jail awaiting trial, which should put her away for life. The article didn't say whether she was married or had children. Probably not: these bomb makers lead such loveless lives. Obviously she's worthless, but her cat (cats) are not. I hope some kind person in Sealy adopts her completely innocent pet. If you do, just think you can tell all your visitors,"My cats saved a president's life."

THE WORLD'S UGLIEST MAN.

In an article today, Billy Baldwin accused Trump of crashing his party and hitting on his wife Chynna Phillips. No surprise there.But what I did find amusing was the photo of Trump that went with the article. I think this shows Trump in all his repulsive ugliness. All too often the news media uses a rather flattering photo of our pretend president. I think they should use this instead since it so clearly shows Trump for who or what he is. This is not a man who should occupy our White House, but a creature who should live under a bridge.

POISON IVEY.

Now I don't think that everyone in Alabama is a stupid, narrow, bigoted, racist, bible-thumping redneck, but their governor sure is. Yesterday Republican (what else?) governor Kay Ivey proudly told the press that she plans to vote for pederast, mall stalker, teen seducer, homophobic, pseudo-Christian serial adulterer Roy Moore. Apparently Ms. Ivey, whose perpetual geriatric grin suggests she has no awareness of what sex actually is, can overlook Moore's history of "dating" teenager girls and trying to seduce one as young as 14. The fact that nine woman have accused Moore of sexually reprehensible acts holds no sway with the morally indifferent Ivey who has no interest in overturning Alabama's image as a completely backward state. As the dotty 73-year-old dumbed her way through
this event at the Governor's mansion-—looking like the brochure cover for a costly retirement community—she said she had no reason to believe the accusers and no reason not to,  apparently her idea of fair-minded logic. Also at this turkey-pardon event was a bevy of clueless middle-age tin magnolias standing up for Moore, including his wife Kayla who doesn't care who he molests as long as it isn't her.

WHATEVER HAPPENED TO VELCO?

I have been to three stores today in search of Velcro. Office Max, Publix, and Walgreens. No one has it. Not a strip, not a roll, not a tab. Why? This is a product you could find just about anywhere. It's
like not being able to find Scotch Tape or Elmer's Glue, or thumb tacks. Oh,wait! You can't find thumb tacks anymore. Or old-fashioned picture hooks. (Today they only have those Command things, that they insist don't leave marks, which I don't believe.) DVDs are disappearing.  Cassettes are already gone, but, oddly enough, LPs are coming back. Maybe I had better hold off before tossing out those Sinatra albums and the cabinet I keep them in, which I could fix if I could only find some Velcro.

TEARS, IDLE TEARS.

One of the latest accusers of Roy Moore is a 62-year-old named Beverly Young Nelson. She tells of a harrowing scene in which she had to fight off Moore's assault in his car when she was 16, When Moore failed in his attack, he threatened that she wouldn't be believed if she told anyone because, as he said, "you are just a child".  Though I sympathize with her lifelong distress, I am disturbed to know that she voted for Trump. This means that while she is tearful about her own past, she couldn't care less about all the women abused or molested by Donald Trump. Did she know about his past? Of course she did! Everyone did. Voting for Trump by Beverly, by anyone, is to excuse his history of molesting women, of grabbing their genitals, of using his power to sexually intimidate. Sorry, Beverly, you were certainly a victim in Moore's car, but you helped make all of us victims in the voting booth.

"YOUR CHECK WILL BE IN THE MAIL."

Today I had technical problems with my two-month old Apple computer. Since I bought the service guarantee, I felt comfortable calling their service number. But it seems the guarantee isn't for technical problems. That requires one buying an additional contract for $149.00 a year, which I did since I had no choice. The odd thing was, once they repaired the problem, they were obsessed with getting their money. This, despite my request for a postal bill to which I would respond with an immediate check. No. They needed it now. They begged, pleaded, almost threatened me, even sent me a follow-up e-mail. Since I assumed both Appleites were toiling somewhere in Asia, I pictured they were working for a demanding taskmaster. Sad, of course, but I  think they should pay me considering how much time I spent on the phone answering all their hard-to-understand questions.

ALWAYS A SHAMEFUL STATE OF AFFAIRS.

I'm ashamed to say that I used to write for the Florida Lottery because I can see from their new commercials they have no standards at all. It used to be that you could not, with any lottery, show a person winning. Since your chances of winning are so infinitesimal it would be deceptive to suggest it was in any way easy or guaranteed. That doesn't stop The Florida Lottery. In a new commercial they  show all kinds of persons winning, including the construction worker who rejoices with his friends and the graduate who it is suggested paid her way through college with her fabulous windfall. This is very immoral and very sad when you consider the many persons with low wages who "invest" so much of their salary on lottery or scratch-off tickets, or even the well-to-do who waste their capital on the remote possibility of a profitable win. The lottery is a long shot, a very long shot. It only looks possible because the one-in-a-million-or-more winners are so publicized. Gambling in general is a dirty business, which to some is glamorous and fun in a casino when used wisely, and dangerously  habitual when employed by an uncaring government. And in both case millions have lost their money, their homes, their family, their self-respect, and in many cases their lives as gambling debts often result in suicide.  Do I gamble? Yes. I buy two dollar tickets a week for the Wednesday and Saturday drawings. I have used the same number of over 29 years, and have never won more than $5 about every three months. That shows you how bad your odds are and how stupid the average person, including me, is to expect to hit that incredibly seductive and elusive jackpot.

I think most car advertisers have an utter contempt for men. I say that because generally their commercials are always so fawning, obsequious, and written to suggest that every purchaser is a sophisticated handsome free-spirited hottie rather than the average working Joe, often a father, who needs transportation to work. But the most offensive of the kiss- commercials is Alfa Romeo, which says I'll get you to buy with a sexy woman's voice, a red car, and the message that it's the answer to all your dreams. How stupid do they think men are? Naturally their "I am what you have been looking for" nonsense also shows gorgeous open roads and lush scenery, never the traffic-jammed highways that most  guys sees on their way to work.

LIVE AND LEARN.

Despite knowing that mattress buying is the latest overpriced, bullshit, money-making industry, I decided I need a new mattress and went to Mattress Firm. Since I'm not about to spend $1,000 or more for a mattress that's 15 inches thick and weighs a ton,  I chose a 9-inch mattress that I was told was "Memory Foam". It felt comfortable enough in the store, so I bought it for $300 (still way overpriced). The excessive delivery charge was $80, but that included removing my old mattress, which once de-sheeted  looked incredibly new, and was probably sold as such. Well it turns out the mattress was not comfortable, certainly not quality, and nowhere near what it eventually cost. Fortunately there is a 30-day return policy, which I intend to use. Of course they'll charge another $80 to take it away. So basically I will have spent $160 plus tax for a cheap uncomfortable mattress, and I still don't have a bed to sleep on.

AN INTELLECTUAL LYNCHING.

People are dropping Kevin Space left and right, despite the fact the the evidence is not in. An article in today's Huffington Post by an actor accuses Spacey of putting his hand on the his thigh, no more. While he's not sure of the accuracy of his memory, he's happy to add to the destruction of Spacey's career and livelihood.  While I'm sure there must be some truth to all these allegations,  they are allegations. Pity because Spacey is one of the most versatile and multi-talented actors in the world today. But what can you do?America is terrified and fascinated by sex, and right now the country is on a witch hunt to punish sexual acts as serious as rape or as harmless as a message whispered in one's ear. Surprisingly, however, nothing has been done about Trump's life-long offenses against women: assaults, rapes, insults, pussy grabbing. I would seem that the Christian majority of Republicans in  Congress are not the least bit offended by our vulgar, misogynistic, former satyr of a president, nor do they have any interest in protecting the rights of woman and never have had, But they'll be damned if they'll watch another episode of House of Cards.

I hope anyone who reads my blog will take the time to sign on to needtoimpeach, a website set up by Tom Steyer to collect the million signatures needed to start the ball rolling to rid ourselves of our very dangerous, mentally incompetent president before he does more damage or starts a nuclear war.

WHERE THEY TAKE A BIG BITE.

I must be very naive. I would assume that a corporation that specializes in pet products and runs commercials stating how much they love pets would have lower prices on pet products than, say,
super markets or leading retailers. I was wrong. Today when I went to the local PetSmart I was amazed at how costly everything was. The Temptations I buy at Target for $1.57 were priced at $1.89. That's even more expensive than at Public Supermarkets, which are not cheap. The same was true of pet food, litter, toys, just about everything one buys for cats. I can't imagine how costly their products for dogs are. In today's greedy economy I am not surprised at the overpricing of this popular chain, but I am amazed that it's popular. Consumers must have more expendable income than I give them credit for or rely more on credit than they have income for.

TERRIFYNG, BUT NOT FOR LONG.

I don't see how the death penalty is a suitable punishment for crime. Once you're dead, you feel nothing, suffer nothing, regret nothing. You're dead. All right, so you suffer the fear and anxiety of being put to death. But that's the only punishment. The second you're gone all punishment ends. Whereas in prison you suffer every day. Confinement. Regret. Fear of other prisoners. Having no control of your life. Not having ice cream when you want it. Sleeping in a lousy bed. The deprivations are endless. But the dying is fast. In an hour or less it's over. You're out of it. Your punishment is complete, There's no more retribution. If you want to punish someone, don't kill them. Take away almost everything they loved about being alive.

A NIGHT AT THE WHITE CASTLE.

I just spent a night at a ridiculous hotel in New York. I won't tell you the name, as I will smear them enough with this post, but I found it very silly, though its patrons think of it as very in, very now. For one thing the entire hotel is white, including the elevators. The guest bathrooms feature the very latest in pretentious sinks and fixtures.I was surprised when the water ran rusty for several minutes, adding a touch of color.The large glass shower was impressive, once you figured out how to regulate the trendy controls,which I never did. After a few hours I was suffering from snow blindness. The only colors were on the TV, which I also could never figure out. The reason I stayed there was, at $239.00 a night, it was less costly than any other hotel. However when I got the bill for that one night, they had added $21.23 sales tax, $14.05 city TAX, $2.00 occupancy tax, $1.50 hotel unit fee, and $20.69 facility fee. This last charge is for all the items they put in the refrigerator for you to enjoy. Since there is usually a charge for such items, I avoid using them. But at the white hotel, you are charged for them whether you "enjoy" them or not. Final charge: $298.67. But then again it may be my last hotel charge in New York City, which has become ridiculously unaffordable.

JINGO ALL THE WAY.

I got a very stupid e-mail poll today. The question was "Do you stand for the National Anthem, yes or no?" The reason it's stupid is that it's not a yes or no answer. I was taught when I was young that you stood if the anthem was live, but were not required to so if it was recorded. Either way it's jingoism, of which I don't approve. I am also not thrilled that it is not an original tune and that it's theme is war. Many people have suggested that "America the Beautiful"  would be more suitable. And it would be it didn't have that damned "god shed his grace on thee" in it, which is unconstitutional. Also unconstitutional is the addition of "under god" in the Pledge of Allegiance, which is why I will never pledge. It's annoying enough that this is even under discussion today because Trump felt to not stand was unpatriotic. This is the same Trump who was a cowardly draft dodger, does not believe in free speech or that all men and women are created equal. The same guy who vilifies minorities, praises Nazis and white supremacists, and more than likely, with the aid of Russia, stole the presidency from Hillary Clinton after attacking her with vicious lies in a most unAmerican manner. The crushing has begun.

"MIDDLE CLASS, DON'T SPEAK OF IT. SAVOIR FAIRE, WE REEK OF IT"

In planning a trip to New York, I thought I would surprise my partner with tickets to Hello Dolly. I knew Broadway prices had risen as high as $100, but I figured I'd be a sport. But when I checked on the Internet I was shocked to find the least expensive ticket was $160 and others were as high as $275. In short Broadway is now only for the wealthy. You have to be very rich or profligate to spend nearly $300 just to sit in a not-that-comfortable seat for two hours to watch a musical which may not even live up to your expectations. Not only do I find it obscene that Broadway, which I loved, has surrendered to commercialism and greed but I am surprised that Bette Midler, whom I have always admired, would subscribe to this obvious elitism. During my 75 years I have read many biographies from famous actors, singers and dancers. Many of them describe the magical moment when, as a child, they first saw a live performance and how it inspired them to seek their place in the American theater. I don't see that happening any more, at least not in New York City or at Broadway road shows, unless of course that child has very, very wealthy parents.

THE FACE OR RACISM.

I'm not sure what the bible means by "The mark of Cain". I'm sure it refers to a distinguishing scar or blemish that reveals that he killed his brother Abel. Fortunately we have such tells today, notably in
the intensely evil Steve Bannon. Bannon carries through life a Halloween mask of a face, a countenance that proclaims he is mean, lazy, a heavy drinker, and not the least bit interested in affection, kindness or human contact. The fact that Trump chose such a repulsive ally suggests the very power of this demonic troll, or maybe Donald he just wanted the comfort of a man even nastier and ugly than himself. Well at least this creature has exited the White House and taken his acne, eczema, rosacea, ruptured blood vessels, and full head of greasy hair and cold, cold heart to a new lair.

"Birds fly. Fish swim. Jaguars roar." That's just one of the utterly pretentious car commercials which are playing second fiddle to pharmaceutical ads on America's TVs. Automakers must assume that car buyers are not only stupid and gullible but desperately needy for recognition and ego stroking. Their commercials suggest that their machines are not only beautiful, but sure to increase your sexual appeal, energy level, and success in life not to mention making you a better parent, a better driver, and a leader of men and women. It's all subliminal, or course, but childishly transparent. Further, you will not be using your new car to go to work. No, you will be exceeding the speed limit along desert highways, winding your way through mountain roads, and driving to the most elegant nightclubs where you and a beautiful blonde companion will leave your car with an admiring and insanely jealous valet.

IT'S LIKE ACID ON THE TONGUE.

There's a lot to hate about Comcast/Infinity. But the thing I hate the most is their unwillingness to ever admit they're wrong. They always hope you'll think the outage or problem is your fault. Right now there is no e-mail. But they have an extensive ad for their programs instead, They could just as easily use that space to tell their users, "Sorry E-Mail is not available now. We are working on it." But, of course, they don't. Always leave them guessing. That's their motto. When will e-mail be back?Who knows? But no matter how long it takes, you can be absolutely sure they they will never give you a credit for any lack of service. Which is why, yet again, Comcast is the most hated company in America.

LET US NOW PRAISE WORTHLESS MEN.

It's such an American thing. We get a public figure like Sean Spicer. Day after day he covers Trump's ass by lying to the press. He shows himself to be a complete coward, a wimp, a cretan without any
kind of character and patriotism. Then suddenly this worthless nonentity is out of work and what do we do? We  treat him like a celebrity, invite him to the Emmies, give him star treatment, forget just dishonest he is. We've done it with Cheney, George W., daddy Bush, Condazleeza, and lots of other losers, so why not Sean? Eventually we'll have a whole army of appalling achievers.

WHY DIDN'T I THINK OF THAT?

Everyone has gone mad today. I just called Miami Water and Sewer and said, "Are you sure the water is safe to drink, as I just did some laundry and it smells decidedly sewerish." She said, "I think so sir, but you might try flushing your system." "How do I do that?"I asked naively. She then explained a complicated procedure that required turning on every tap in the house. "And how was I supposed to know that?" I asked naively. Her response, "Well we would tell you if you called."

HOW IRMA RESCUED ME FROM DONALD.

Despite its fury, Irma was not as destructive as we had imagined. My house had zero damage, though the yard is a jungle of fallen trees. And the hurricane brought with it an incredible advantage. Since we were so busy preparing for the storm, and since we early on lost power, TV, and internet, I had no news about politics or our insane president for four days. On the fourth day, I wondered why I felt to cheerful and anxiety-fee, Obviously it was because I had been free or our national bugaboo for several blissful days. When services were restored I wisely avoided going back to the depressing news coverage and chose the more cheerful murders of Forensic Files and ID. I know, of course, that our president has made daily blunders, said stupid things, insulted worthy people, threatened world powers, and bragged endlessly.  But I happily, have no more knowledge than that. Thanks Irma.

A PLEASANT WINE WITH AN EERIE BOUQUET.

One of the dumbest trends in society today is the pairing of wines with TV networks. I don't know who started this absurd pretension, but I suspect it was TCM. The idea that there is a wine compatible with viewing Casablanca, Now Voyager, or King Kong is ridiculous. I see that even ID, the crime network, has jumped on the bandwagon. Does that mean that there's a wine to have while watching a
garroting, and different wines for stabbings, shootings, and pushing someone off a cliff? I imagine they only recommend red wines, the color of blood. What next? Will viewers be planning  their menus around their favorite programs. At least we'll know what to savor while watching The Silence of the Lambs. (Do I really need to spell it out?)

TRUMP PUT A GOON IN CHARGE OF THE MOON.

Maybe it's unkind to call Jim Bridenstine, the new administrator of NASA a goon. Or for that matter label him as a jerk, a ninny, a schmuck, an idiot. But he does have some things going against him. For one thing, he is liked by Trump, already a black mark. He's a Republican, which always earns the yuck factor.  He's an Oklahoman of which very few are brilliant and never Republicans. But worst of all he knows nothing about space or science and probably even evolution. The closest he came was seeing 2001 with his drugged-out pals. So I guess that settles it. Who gladly accepts an important position or which they are completey unqualified?  A jerk, a ninny, a schmuck and an idiot.

TOO GOOD TO LAST.

Once upon a time TD Banks had a wonderful coin counting machine called Penny Arcade. It was easy and fun to use, and free of a percentage charge to the bank's customers. I used it several times. Then one day some neurotic malcontent was short-changed and made such a fuss that all these convenient machines were removed for all the banks. Today I receive a postcard asking if I wanted to be part of the Penny Arcade settlement, obviously a ridiculous lawsuit from which only lawyers will profit. Meanwhile all the TD customers will have to have their change counted at machines in supermarkets or other locations and pay a percentage of 7-10%. All because some idiot probably lost a dollar or two from a malfunctioning Penny Arcade.

Some more of my doggerel

A boy and a girl

Who were total strangers

Fell in love

Despite the dangers.

She felt that love

Made her a queen.

He felt it made him a hero.

They scaled heights

That few can reach

But soon were back to zero.

They were like a dog and cat.

He needed constant attention.

And though she needed care,

She needed lots of time alone,

And he was always there.

As a man and woman

They're now estranged

Both their lives are rearranged.

She thinks the break

Was all his fault.

He feels the fault

Was hers.

Now he has a dog

Who loves only him.

And she has a cat

She rarely pets

But when she does, it purrs.

"Of course I still love you, Stevie. But I have to let you go. You'll see it's all for the best. We still have Charlottesville."

TRADING IN LIES.

There was a time in America, not long ago, when we had Truth in Advertising. You could not make claims for products that we're true. If you did an ad for The Lottery, you couldn't show someone winning and celebrating joyously since most people don't win. You couldn't, like Bayer, suggest that
your aspirin would help you during a heart attack or prevent a stroke. And, if you promoted investments, you could not suggest that you will double your money if in fact you could just as easily lose it all. I miss these rules. Especially now when I see ads for E-Trade that suggest you could be flying first class and living a more luxurious life if you become a client of E-Trade; or Bayer suggesting that their overpriced aspirin is the sure preventative for practically everything but cancer. There are so many deceptive ads out there. All no more truthful than the slender blonde who says, "With these little pills, I lost 10 pounds in the very first week."

"WHAT ME WORRY?"

We are not in danger of a nuclear attack by North Korea. That's absurd. With Trump in the presidency, Jared Kusher in charge of running the nation, and Ivanka handling all possible Chinese clothing contracts,  all petulant Kim Jong-Un has to do is watch American westerns until America destroys itself. It's sure to happen, considering that the cowardly Republic majority has no intention of reining in our insane president. Turtly Mitch McConnell and his toadie wife remain reticent about any goal of removing Trump, while most other congressmen sit on their hands (except of course for the position of one thumb). One doesn't hear a peep from the still-loyal Trumpers who should be shouting, "What have I done." and begging their non-existent god for forgiveness. So here we are in the country Trump would make great again with no new health care, no infrastructure, no tax reform, no unity, no pride, no European admirers, and no idea how long we'll have to put up with this Nazi-loving ninny.

HAIL TO THE CHIEF.

One thing Donald Trump never has to worry about is citizens removing a statue of him, because there's no chance there will ever be any. Unless, of course he commissions one himself as he has done with several flattering portraits. The only true full-size likeness of Trump we're ever likely to see is the one shown here. I admit this also is a bit too flattering to the president, but c'est la vie. Of course it hasn't remained for long in public parks, but has been highly popular in five American cities.I couldn't find the name of the inspired artist, but I read that statue was commissioned by a god-bless-him millionaire and it's titled, "The Emperor Has No Balls" which is as appropriate a title as Rodin's "The Thinker".

"SHALL I STAY, OR SHALL I GO?"

One has to wonder why Jared Kushner is still working in the Trump White House. Isn't that a bit like having a rabbi be Hitler's right-hand man. I'm sure Jared loves the power that goes with his incompetency as much as his vapid wife adores her undeserved office. But still, you would think Jared would speak up about daddy-in-law's racism. Well, maybe not speak, but at least do some dramatic charades. And what about Jared's very pious ex-con father? He must certainly be highly offended by Donald's anti-semitism, but maybe not enough to endanger any arrangements that both crime families made with Mr. Putin. It's a mystery. I can't imagine how the Kushners can hold their heads up in temple after the president's endorsement of the Neo Nazis. Of course Trump has no trouble holding his head up in church because he never goes to church.

August 18: Bannon was fired today. Shame on you Jared, you were still there at the time. You would have left ages ago if you had any integrity, but you and your wife love your anti-semitic playpen.

We all know that President Trump is a not highly literate. He probably has a vocabulary of several hundred words, which is why he repeats himself so much. One wonders if even had English in school since he makes so many grammatical mistakes. But the most egregious error he keeps making is one of my pet peeves. He often uses expressions like, "If I would have known." or "If I would have been there." Why can't this Wharton scholar (not) hear how horribly inaccurate this expression is, especially since it can be fixed with the simple word, "had". Example: "If I had known decades ago that America was going to elect a deranged, immoral, racist, I would be resettled in Europe by now."

IT COULD HAPPEN HERE

Our deranged president has today blamed those who protested Neo-Nazis, Klansmen and other vile racists, as equally guilty, citing their anger and aggression. He, being a racist himself, sees these protests as a bad thing. But think how much better the world would be today if more brave citizens protested the original Nazis in the early days of the Third Reich.

NO CAPTION NEEDED

IN MEMORIAM, BARBARA COOK

Barbara Cook, one of America's greatest talents is gone. But what a remarkable life.  She was a slender young ingenue on Broadway, who starred in such 50s musicals as Flahooley, Plain and Fancy, The Music Man and Candide. When her career went into decline she became an overweight and unemployed alcoholic. But with the help of musician Wally Harper she overcame her addiction and made a triumphal comeback concert at Carnegie Hall. Together they began a successful collaboration that lasted for 31 years. Barbara  Cook continued to perform to sold-out concert and cabaret audiences throughout the world well into her 80s. (After a concert in London, leading critic Alistair Macaulay proclaimed her"the greatest singer in the world".) If you look her up on YouTube, you will see many celebrity tributes to Barbara Cook for whom Broadway dimmed their lights on the night of August 9. Not surprisingly the naive TV networks did not recognize the immense importance of this musical legend. I tried to include her signature song "Ice Cream" from She Loves Me, but being a Luddite, I failed.  If you are not familiar with Barbara Cook, I encourage you to seek out her singing "Ice Cream" as well as many other famous songs that she delivers like nobody else in the world.

ANTI-DOGMA DOGGEREL

Here's a truth I'd like to share:
There's no such thing as an answered prayer.
If you get what you prayed for,
You're full of praise.
If you don't,
"He works in mysterious ways."

MORE THAN A MEMORY.

My brother Gary Provost. a very successful writer and teacher, died 22 years ago. He had just returned from a trip to California in which he was working with Kelsey Grammer to write that popular actor's biography. He no sooner returned to Massachusetts than he suffered a heart attack and died the same day. This was a great loss to his family, his students, his readers and his fans. In addition to his many popular books, he created a video workshop called Write It/Sell It. For the past 22 years, I have been unwilling to view these CDs. But recently I felt I wanted to see Gary again. Today the CD collection arrived from his widow who has continued his workshops. Instead of finding it disturbing, I found it incredibly inspiring. Gary was a greater teacher than even I knew. His insights were brilliant. His presentation clear and logical. Spending hours with him again was  wonderfully educational. How nice that he taught me so much about writing decades after the day I thought I would never see him again. I'm proud to say that anyone who has any ambitions to be a writer will benefit greatly from this video course from my immensely admired and greatly missed brother.

INCENDIARY IDIOT

Trump is such a dangerous mental case that he's about to unleash a holocaust. He is so stupid, so dense that he sees North Korea as a single enemy. He has no concept that it is a country of men, women and children. He only sees leaders who are his enemies. So it would give him great satisfaction to nuke this country, having no regret or sorrow about the millions of innocent people who have to die. And if thousands of Americans have to perish as well, well that's the cost of his enormous ego. Our Congress is a collection of traitorous cowards who have given this maniac free rein to pass punishing bills, trash Constitutional laws and collude with foreign enemies. Why? Because they are lazy? frightened? complacent? We are on the borderline of a nightmare. Once we cross it, there is no going back..