WHAT A GREAT PLACE TO LIVE.

It's too bad so many African-Americans are so anti-gay. Because I think gay people could save Baltimore. I went house hunting in Baltimore about five years ago. I decided not to move there, but was amazed at the number of four- and five-story brick town houses were available. Baltimore was like Boston before it was gentrified and the South End went from brick town houses selling for $25,000 to over three million. There is no house bargains in downtown Boston anymore, but there are hundreds in Baltimore, a city ripe for rebirth. I personally like Baltimore and saw some houses that would be fantastic showplaces given the right attention. Bow front houses with two entrances, two living rooms connected by handsome pocket doors, and four, count them, four bedrooms Row houses who could  go from shabby to stately without a lot of work or money. I could easily see Baltimore becoming San Francisco East, offering elegant apartments to workers in Washington D.C. Being a sophisticated, beautiful, integrated city.

Joe Biden just lost my vote. He say he's open to a Republican running mate. Perhaps he hasn't noticed, but the Republicans are the cowards that are defending Donald Trump, you know the guys who won't honor their oaths, the ones who are lying about nearly everything. They're helping Putin as much as our fake president is. Thanks Joe, but no thanks. Saying you'd have a Republican running  mate, doesn't make me admire you more. Just the opposite. 

13 SOLDIERS

Trump was an incompetent idiot from day one of his presidency, but unlike Bush Jr. he wasn't responsible for any deaths. Not until the weapons freeze. While Ukraine waited out Trump's blackmail threat,13 soldiers died. These 13 soldiers might have lived if the Ukraine had the fire power they were promised. But Trump, egotist that he is, felt his needs were more important than those of a country being threatened by Trump's pal Putin. Who were these soldiers? Men? Women Parents? Does Trump feel any responsibility for their deaths? Of course not. He wanted dirt on Joe Biden and his, Trump's, needs are more important than anyone's on earth. So if 13 people had to die for his sake, so be it. I assure you, if he is elected again, far more than 13 people will die. You can't put a mental case in high office and expect a safe administration.

YOU HAVE ONLY ON THING TRUMP VALUES.

You are an incredibly gullible Trumpist if you believe for a moment, for a single second, that he is religious. Trump only began to claim religion when he needed the vote of the Evangelicals. Before then he was a Democrat, an atheist, pro-choice and everything else Evangelicals aren't. The truth is that he considers you a necessary evil. He thinks you're stupid, superstitious, and easily hoodwinked. He is amazed that you so adore him, when he wouldn't want to spend ten minutes in your company, He only goes to church occasionally to keep you quiet. He hates every minute, is bored to death, doesn't buy any of what he considers bullshit about Jesus. As far as abortion goes, he'll only be against it as long as he needs your vote, otherwise he couldn't care less how many babies are killed any more than he cared how many children, who were separated from their parents, died. The next time you see Trump, wise up. This guy thinks you are dirt under his feet. He has no use for you, no use for Christ, no use for anything that doesn't benefit him. And your vote benefits him. Other than that you're worthless. 

Note the photo above shows a vote-getting action Trump only performs in public with cameras recording his fakery. He rarely goes to church and never prays in private because he is an atheist

A MURDERER'S HEART.

 Trump committed a crime when he blackmailed the president of Ukraine on the phone. Fortunately a whistle blower exposed his crime, which was quickly proven by other witnesses. Trump is furious for being exposed and has campaigned to find the name of the whistle blower, though such information is now irrelevant. Trump doesn't care. He wants the whistle blower exposed and he hopes that one of his more rabid fans will kill this patriotic person. Understand that. He hopes this person, this innocent person, is murdered. That's the kind of cold-blooded, maniacal, and evil president we
have running our country. Can you really support a monster like Trump?

PAY ATTENTION TO IT.

I'm pretty sure that TV reporterers are well-paid, and, one assumes they are educated. So I cannot understand why so many of them, including those on NBC just now, keep mispronouncing antisemitic as antisemetic. It's not et, it's it. It's not that difficult. With so much antisemitism today we all should make sure we call it what it is, not something incorrect that suggests we don't care enough when we do.

SOAR OR SINK.

If you're a Republican in Congress, consider this. If you continue to be a Trump supporter and take your marching orders from Mitch McConnell, you will go down in history as an unAmerican marionette, who ignored his oath of office and betrayed the laws of his country. And you will carry that stench with you long after the traitorous terrapin McConnell is out of office and Trump is in prison and the subject of dozens of books revealing all the other crimes you willingly let him get away with. On the other hand, if you fight for a fair impeachment trail and vote your conscience not your party's lockstep command, you are certain to see the truths your party wants you to ignore, and history will recognize your morality and patriotism. The choice is yours. How do you want your nation and your children to remember you? As an American patriot? Or a cowardly lemming?

THEY'RE BACK!

Try as I might, I can't recall a single person saying, "What we need is another Little Women". Not that I don't love the story. I do. And, I must admit, the Winona Ryder version was very weak. But still, we have Katharine Hepburn and June Allyson and a Broadway musical and at least three television specials. I even have  a 1958 TV musical version with Jeannie Carson, Florence Henderson, Bill Hayes, and Joel Grey which nobody remembers. So why this urgent need for another Little Women? I guess this is a feminist version, but so weren't all the others. (You don't get more feminist than Kate Hepburn.) Was it different? Sort of. In this version Laurie was a jerk. Aunt March was Meryl Streep. And Jo, (the unpronounceable Saoirse Ronan)  wasn't the usual tomboy. Did I enjoy it? Sort of. At least enough to have spare brain time to ask questions I never asked before. Like if Aunt March was so rich, why didn't she give her relatives more in creature comforts. How did their father support them at all? Why did Aunt March leave her house to Jo, whom she considered not very serious, and would she really have said "cat house"? Do I recommend it? Sure, why not? That is if you can keep track of Greta Gerwig's jumping back and forth in time. And take all kinds of mushy sentiment. You know what we need? Another Pride and Prejudice.

THE GREATEST MYSTERY OF OUR LANGUAGE.

Why does almost everybody say,"the reason why"? The why is never needed. Anytime you hear someone use a sentence with "the reason why"  in it, remove the why and you'll see how superfluous it is. "The reason why we have eyes is to see." has the same meaning as, "The reason we have eyes is to see." "What is the reason why we travel?" is the same as "What is the reason we travel?" Why is useless, redundant, repetitive. Why do we use it? There is no reason. Below is one of a million redundant whys. Completely unnecessary.

SONGS NOT WORTH SINGING.

What does the irritating song for Infiniti automobiles have to do with purchasing a car.  "I'm falling off a mountain..." doesn't put me in a buying mood. But then that's true for so many products today whose commercials include totally inappropriate songs. Having been in advertising for more than forty years I can easily see some dippy copywriter and spacey art director convincing a gullible client that the song they like is cool and ideal for the product when it isn't. At least when I did a commercial with an equally talented art director, we made sure the song fit the product like "Ain't we got fun?" for the Carnival Fun Ships.

Huffpost has called Trump, "The loneliest man in America". Add to that the greediest, the stupidest, the laziest, the most corrupt, and a hundred other negative superlatives. Shall I be noble and say that I even wish the evil Donald Trump a Merry Christmas? Nah!

Being an atheist, I am astounded at how gullible evangelicals can be. And I am not referring to the Bible. There's no harm in believing in the gospels and following the teachings of Christ, though many evangelicals do not do either. There is harm, great harm, in giving Donald Trump a pass on all his sins. There is harm in handing over your hard-earned money to charlatans like Billie Graham, Franklin Graham, Jerry Falwell before he died, and now Jerry Falwell, Jr. who will only take the money you set aside for Christ and spend it on his horny wife and the pool boy. Why are evangelicals so moralistic about non-Christians and so forgiving of indulging, spoiled millionaire religious "leaders" who spend their followers' donations on expensive cars, princely homes, jet planes,  designer clothes and —yes— costly hustlers or hookers. If you're an evangelical who really believes in heaven, you're going to have a lot of explaining to do if you get there.

THE MYSTERY OF THE MISSING MYSTERY CLASSICS.

According to critic Otto Penzler, "As an anthologist, Ellery Queen is without peer, his taste unequalled. As a bibliographer and a collector of the detective short story, Queen is, again, a historical personage. Indeed, Ellery Queen clearly is, after Poe, the most important American in mystery fiction."^[6] British crime novelist Margery Allingham wrote that Ellery Queen had "done far more for the detective story than any other two men put together".
I saw this quote today on the Internet while I was looking up Ellery Queen, the only writer (actually two cousins) of crime fiction that I read.What I found fascinating about this quote is that the critic gives such high praise to the works of Ellery Queen, yet you can hardly find them today, a mystery in itself. Barnes and Noble had only one novel in stock and none available even on order. When I was fourteen someone gave me a collection of ten hardbound volumes, which I have lost over time. Pity. With so many crime writers today cashing in on ordinary novels (M as in Mediocre) it's a pleasure to have found at least one Ellery Queen mystery. 

THOSE IN TRUMP'S CORNER.

How can we ever get rid of this criminal president when all the networks, including MSNBC, showcase his defenders, give him lots of face time to lie about what he has done for America, and refuse to condemn him very strongly? The news is not just being fair, it is leaning heavily in Trump's corner. Even the fact that Christianity Today has come out strongly against Trump has already been weakened by coverage of all the gullible pseudo-Christians who still support him. If we are stuck with this evil bastard for four more destructive years blame ABC, CBS, NBC, MSNBC, CNN and all the news channels who give us Donald Trump 24-7.

AN INANE SPOT BY GAIN.

A commercial I find poorly conceived and frankly weird is for Gain detergent. The father is apparently reluctant to play the rear end of a horse because ((I assume) he thinks his daughter will be malodorous. His fears are resolved once gets behind her and is calmed by the smell of her Gain-cleaned top. What a bizarre concept. Why should he think his daughter stinks? And when he finds out she doesn't, his delight in sniffing her clothing in such a confined area seems nothing less than creepy.

TUT. TUT. MR ROKER.

How can Al Roker, who has been doing the weather for 100 years possibly think to say that the weather was very wintery. The weather is wintry. And while we're on the subject just about every announcer in America refers to our coldest season as winner. Why is everybody so terrified of interior ts?

How can you judge the actual character of a person who has never had to fight for anything?

DUH.

Ivanka Trump is constantly proving to the world at large that she is a bimbo. Today on MSNBC she proclaimed that her father is energized about being impeached. I assume she means energized like Ted Bundy was energized by the death sentence. What a ridiculous person she is, so obviouslly programmed to deliver her father's talking points, and probably happy to do so.  Doesn't she realize that some day her children will be grown and have minds of their own. How sad to see endless videos of their mother so constantly making a fool of herself in the media,  writing books that nobody reads, taking elevated positions for which she has no skill, spending so much time away from her children, and always having the appearance and intellect of a Macy's window mannikin. Ten years from now she'll be as blousy as her mother and regretful of defending an indefensible dictator who will either be in his grave (we hope) or drooling all over himself in an unvisited suite at Trump Tower.

I didn't catch the name of the hypocrite on Katie Tur's show today, but his defense of Trump was very disturbing. It seemed that he was saying that Trump can separate families, imprison children, cheat on his wives, lie, steal, and create havoc as long as he is anti-abortion and appoints conservative judges. This hypocrite kept saying that Christ is the standard for behavior, but what the hell, we can overlook any number of immoralities as long as we get what we want. This schmuck was the most pathetic apologist I've ever seen. Fortunately Christianity Today, an influential evangelical magazine, says Trump, "should be removed from office."  For some unknown reason evangelicals have been standing firmly behind the complete immoral Trump. Nice to see that at least one magazine has finally come to their senses.

Note: This happy change would not have happened if Billie Graham or Franklin Graham were in charge of this progressive magazine. Both of them were, like Trump, charlatans and firmly in his corner, or any corner that resulted in wealth. 

Note: I'm not sure the hypocrite was Bob Vander Plaats, but he was just on MSNBC delivering the same kind of idiotic support for Trump. 

AMERICA MADE ITSELF CLEAR.

House Republicans are not only traitors, they're stupid. After seeing the impeach Trump rallies in over 600 American communities, how can they possibly believe they're shoo-ins in the next election. It seems to me that Americans are eager to get rid of these Russian sympathizers and Trump supporters, (which is the same thing). The message was pretty clear in Boston, New York, Detroit, Baltimore and more than 500 other venues. Trump is a liar and a fraud and not a very bright one.Our country needs to get back to normal which means dumping this dunderhead and all his sleazy sycophants. I don't know if we'll ever  find out what makes McConnell so antiAmercan or what causes Lindsey to be so stubbornly ignorant, but I suspect next year they will be be irrelevant, along with Barr, Gaetz, Jordan, Nunes and all these other GOPsmacking liars.

HUFFPOST SHOWS THEIR TRUE COLORS.

While I check in with Huffpost frequently, I don't really like it. One reason is they are far too enamored with the offensive word "queer" which they use more than anyone. Plus their content is slim. Today I was especially offended by their "Next" feature. A next is when the publication gives you a teaser report or story headline. To find the meat or conclusion you have to keep paging to the "next" item and possibly go through many to get to the climax. What Huff did today was suggest that Tom Selleck was gay and had a lover for many years. Who wouldn't want to see the revelation of of that piece of gossip about arch conservative Selleck? Well surprising no one it was a fake. Tom is married to a woman and has been for years, a fact you learn after Nexting through dozens of other straight celebrities. If I disliked Huffpost before, I  detest them now for such a cheap trick. The fact that they even used a gay rumor as a ruse proves to me that they are not as pro gay as they pretend.

Note:: I can't show you the photo of Tom and another man and the misleading headline because once you check out a Next, it disappears.

TRUMP'S SECOND-BIGGEST SUPPORTER.

Hey, MSNBC, I feel that you really helped Trump win the last election, and I see you're doing it again. You should know that giving Trump a 10-minute spotlight to promote himself, attack Democrats and tell a pack of lies is not Breaking News. This is the kind of face time you gave him before and it's upsetting to see you do it again. In many ways you're as bad as Fox because while your seem to vilify Trump you give him lots of exposure and a far-too-much coverage of his rantings that many gullible people perceive as truth.  You should be limiting his face time and squelching his rants, but you're not, and your fairness is very dangerous.

"THEY'RE HERE, ALREADY! YOU'RE NEXT!"

 Yesterday the invasion of the body snatchers was in full force as each betrayer of his oath to our country stepped up and delivered his lie in defense of the most corrupt politician who ever victimized the U.S. This morning the pods are in a Washington landfill and the fraudulent patriots are pretending to be real people as they traffic with the wives and children they just committed to a country less just, less free, less American.

"I'M GONNA SIT RIGHT DOWN AND WRITE MYSELF A LETTER."

I wonder who helped Trump with this wacko letter.  While it has all the whining, projection and illogical that are hallmarks of Trump, it also has words he could never use and conclusions he could never reach on his own. For instance, I doubt if someone as ignorant as Trump knows anything about the Salem Witch Trials. Although even that bit of vitriol was incorrect. The letter is rich in lies (another Trump hallmark) and accusations. The nice part is that the tone is so desperate, so frightened, so aware of his predicament. It must have killed him to put Pelosi's title on the letterhead when he's so angry and vindictive. So who helped him? Kellyanne? Being a witch herself and so steeped in alternate facts that seems likely. Or was it Nosferatu (Miller)? He seems like an excellent source of endless acidity. Or maybe one of the Katzenjammer kids helped him write it. I can see Gaetz and Jordan giggling with every new paragraph. Truly hilarious is that Trump has declared that the letter is admired and complimented. What more proof do you need that Donald J. Trump is completely unhinged?

MUST READING FOR PATRIOTS.

All you have to do is read A few questions for enraged Republicans on the Rude Pundit's blog  to see just what hypocrites, liars, and traitors the Republicans in office are. The Rude Pundit traps all these
unAmerican parasites in their own fantasies by asking logical questions which they cannot answer about Ukraine, Hunter Biden, Adam Schiff, and all the many ways their thin defense of Trump doesn't hold up. I can't do the Rude Pundit justice. You have to read it for yourself. He does end this blog, however, by writing,"These are all ridiculous questions because Republicans have decided that any sense of consistency, dignity, or honesty must be subsumed in their deeply depraved defense of Donald Trump. They are all his willing bitches and he's their enthusiastic pimp, sending them out to fuck the country, knock it out, and take its wallet." Amen.

Mitch McConnell on December 18, 2019. 

"YOU DON'T LIKE ANYTHING."

That's one of the most annoying comments I hear every year from people who seem to hear only the negative things I say, and never the praise and compliments with which I am just as generous. If I hate a popular movie, they remember that. If I praise and recommend a film, they have no awareness of that every happening. They remember how much I hated the two Shark battery-operated vacuums I bought, all of which lasted through barely three cleanings, but never heard me rave about the Regina Electrik Broom, which did a great job for a decade. And today I became aware of another product that has proven an outstanding purchase: A Wahl hair trimmer called The Designer, which has performed perfectly for 30 years giving me over 360 haircuts and saving me at least $8,000! There are thousands of things I like and mention them often. Pity nobody pays attention.

LINDSEY BETRAYS HIS COUNTRY AND FORMER BEST FRIEND.

 We know there's never been a greater liar than Trump. But has there ever been a greater hypocrite than Lindsey Graham. He accepts the money we pay him every week, but insists he will not do the job we pay him for. He dismisses his responsibility to impeach a Republican president, but is constantly seen on old news clips insisting it is one's duty to weigh all the evidence against a democratic president. He throws a hissy fit like a spoiled belle at a ball, insisting his mind is made up and will not change, forgetting that he was elected and is being paid to be fair and unbiased. He not only disgraces himself on a daily basis but he makes his friendship with McCain worthless, proving he gained nothing from such a close bond with a man of principle. Nobody cares that Lindsey is gay, but America is bothered that he is so lacking in honesty, courage, and patriotism. The history books will not be kind to Mr. Graham, nor should they be.

THE CASE OF THE DEMENTED DENTIST.

New Jersey dentist and representative Jeff Van Drew, who must be brain damaged from mercury poisoning, is switching from Democrat to Republican and hilariously convinced he's making the right move.  It will be great a year or two from now to see him ridiculed for skipping merrily to the wrong side of history and defending one the greatest evils to ever infect America. Though Drew obviously has no morals or standards, his aides do and have left en masse after hearing about his defection. What is wrong with these people who are absolutely blind to Trump's corruption, and who are willing to stake their political careers on a charlatan who wouldn't lift a finger for them. Oh, well. Drew has shown he has no ability to recognize fraud and bribery, maybe he'd be better off to just stick with cavities and crowns.

UNDER COVER OF NIGHT.

Detective Joe Kenda says that nothing good happens late at night. I agree with him. As a fan of true crime shows, I am stunned by the number of women who are murdered after meeting someone in a bar late at night, or just being out and alone after midnight. Last night there was a famous case of a young woman in Bloomington, Indiana, who disappeared after bar hopping as late as 4 am. Everybody felt sorry for her, of course, but nobody said what the hell was she doing on the streets alone at that time of night. The lovely young girl this week who was stabbed to death by a teenager was in the park alone after dark. True it was early, but still dark. Dark is dangerous. Did she not have any sense of being a vulnerable target? I think every parent should have their young daughters watch Forensic Files or the I.D. channel. Yes, women are abducted in broad daylight. But not as often or as successful as under cover of dark. Be careful. They're out there.

JERK!

If there's one person, other than crooked Trump, who's responsible for the mess we're in, it's James Comey. His crying wolf about the innocent Hillary e-mails was all it took to cause her to lose her lead in the election and give the fake victory to Putin's Pet. Today he tries to seem like a sane and steady lawyer, but we may never recover from his stupidity and arrogance. Of course he cries mea culpa and insists he didn't deliberately sabotage Hillary's campaign, but considering he was a Republican all his life, one wonders. The amount of damage he has done is incalculable.

THE LOSER WHO THINKS HE WON.

Let's get something straight here. Donald Trump is an illegitimate president. The Russians helped him get elected. He didn't win the popular vote and the votes he did get were often the result of Internet lies and vilifying Hillary Clinton, sadly with the help of all the networks who didn't do enough research or any. And considering Trump's criminal past, he should never have been allowed to run. Also he is mentally ill. No sane person sends 123 tweets in just a few hours unless he is paranoid and wacko. Also Ukraine is just one of his great sins. Imprisoning children is another. Constant lying another. Trying to profit from the presidency another. I could on and on.  The only reason this buffoon gained power was that enough low-brow idiots watched The Apprentice. And the only reason he stays in power is that the Republican Party is a coven of liars and traitors who have no regard for their oath of office and no allegiance to the Constitution. Let's get something straight here. Donald Trump is a cancer on America, a liar, a grifter, a fraud, an ignoramus. The sooner we get rid of him, the better - and possibly the only salvation for our once great country.

KENTUCKY'S BIGGEST HORSE'S ASS

Mitch McConnell has proven time and again that he is not a patriotic America. That he should be the Majority Leader is a disgrace. He should be impeached and possibly jailed and so should his crooked wife. McConnell tried to destroy Obama's presidency from day one, and has stood solidly behind every crooked act by Trump. Why. Not out of admiration, but out of greed. I'm sure Trump's criminal administration has put lots of lucre into the McConnell's pockets. McConnell has clearly identified himself as a racist, a liar, a dangerous partisan, and as much of danger to our nation as Trump. This is a man who is as ugly inside as he is outside and someone worthy of bringing back an old American
punishment: tar and feathers.

I WONDER WHERE THE NEWSWEEK COVERS ARE.

Surely Trump can't believe that Greta Thunberg beat him out as Time's Person of the Year. Trump wasn't really in the running. His days of Time covers are over. Unless, of course, he fakes one which he has done in the past.* How sad that a 73-year-old mass of wrinkles and cellulite out of jealousy attacks a 16-year-old, suggesting that, in a fit of projection, she needs anger management. Sadder still that he forces his adult son to echo his whining, thus making ridiculous the poor sport quacking of both Donald Trumps. Even the hair-brained Ivanka knew to stay out of this bawling baby battle. I delight in knowing that Greta has a lifetime of achievements ahead of her, while Trump can only look forward to a decade or so of humiliation, financial losses, increasing grotesqueness, and knowing that given the opportunity of a lifetime, he was too stupid to achieve anything but utter failure. *Shown below is the Time Magazine cover that our pathetically insecure president faked and had prominently displayed at several of his golf resorts until the fraud was exposed.

DECEPTIVE ADVERTISING STINKS.

If Prevagen is the biggest fake product on television,  fabreze has got to be the runner up. The ads say that it eliminates odors. Bull!  Today I sprayed their product called fabric to "eliminate" the unpleasant odor left after cleaning up  my cat's lavatory choice. The smell of fabric is still powerfly strong hours later as is the original offending odor, which it did to eliminate.  Fabreze , like ever other deodorizer, masks odors and no more effectively than all the other sprays, candles, and plug-ins. So don't fall for that "eliminates" nonsense. It just ain't so.

ANTICHRIST: THE POLAR OPPOSITE AND ULTIMATE ENEMY OF CHRIST.

I know a guy who thinks he's a good Christian. But he's also a Trump supporter. He doesn't realize you cannot be both. To support Trump is to allow for infidelity, imprisoning and abusing children, having sex with minors, raping one's wife, betraying your friends, not paying your debts, constant lying, walking off with profits and leaving others holding the bag, separating families, putting yourself before your country, reneging on solemn vows, excessive vanity, unbridled greed, sloth, envy, cruelty, traffic with prostitutes, maligning others, bragging, hateful vendettas, feigning piety, and every other human failing except for murder, though he has been responsible for deaths of dozens by deliberately putting them in harm's way, It's astonishing the number of hypocrites who admire Trump, who is clearly the polar opposite of Christ and ultimate enemy of all Christian teaching.

PAST AND PRESENT.

I find it both amusing and annoying that the flattering photo on the left is used so often by the media. Even MSNBC are prone to use it on a regular basis. I wonder why. Since Trump hasn't looked like this for at least twenty years and his hair has never looked that natural. That is, if he ever looked like this in the first place. I think this other photo is much more indicative of how our president would appear. Or at least how he would look sans wig and makeup. Also note the eye lift. He didn't always have fish-like eyes.

"THEY CHOSE GRETA OVER ME.. WA WA WA"

So  ridiculous. Donald Trump even thinking he was more qualified for Time's Person of the Year than 16-year-old Greta Thunberg. He must work on his jealousy management skills. Greta is 57 years younger than Trump and has already exceeded him in good works, value to the world, and character. Chances are she'll be on other Time covers long after Trump is dead, buried and decayed in a grave that has become the world's most famous urinal.

ANOTHER "WHO CARES?" OPINION FROM A JUNIOR TRUMP.

Donald Trump Jr. is offended that Time Magazine named Greta Thunberg as Person of the Year. He says he feels Time should have named the Hong Kong protesters. That's a lie, of course. He's just too afraid to say he feels his demented father deserved the honor and I doubt that he knows anything about the causes of the Hong Kong protesters. But, let's face it,  the ancient Trump had as much chance of being Person of the Year as Jr. had of winning the Nobel Prize for Literature. I don't know why the news media even quotes someone as insignificant as Trump Jr. The opinions of the Trump Children of the Corn are of no value or import unless they are used as humorous quotes to show just how little these spoiled brats know about the world. Contrast these ignorant, soulless, uninvolved, materialistic, grifters with Greta Thunberg, a 16-year old who is fighting for the survival of the world.

The Arctic Ocean's
melting
Faster than it oughta.
I know it's a disaster,
But I need my bottled water.
Mountain tops are greening
There are no more snowy crags.
But I take comfort knowing
We still have plastic bags.
Civilizations sinking
Into a hopeless mire
That worsens every day
With every flood and fire.
Conservatives opine
That these are only rumors,
And fight against any fact
That might frighten consumers.

A WONDER OF PLASTIC SURGERY.

I just saw Seth Meyers do a wonderful takedown of Laura Ingraham. I am always happy to tell people that after thousands of tweets I was banned from Twitter for calling Laura a bitch. Poor old tomato must be very sensitive to be bothered by such a mild epithet when most non-fans think of her with a much more severe and and one-letter-shorter description. On the serious side, it is bewildering why someone so successful is such a nasty piece of work. What is it with these vicious AARP blondes like Laura who are so filled with hate and malice?  Did she have cruel parents? Is she suffering from a massive inferiority complex? Is she mentally ill? Is the bleach rotting her brain? Does she crave a strong and demanding father figure so badly that someone as creepy as Trump wins her endless support. Or is it as simple as that she's just a bitch.

ALTERED MASTERPIECES.

Just finished watching The Magnificent Ambersons, Orson Welles' second brilliant film.Sadly the studio in charge, RKO, spoiled his masterpiece by cutting out 40 minutes and tacking on a less than artful happy ending. The film is still well worth watching for the brilliance that remains, though it is very discouraging to think of all the destruction caused by studio executives who had zero taste. This is true not only of the films but the casting. Marilyn Monroe was requested for, and would have been would have been a sensation in, Oklahoma, The Brothers Karamazov, Damn Yankee, Breakfast at Tiffany's, and Cat On a Hot Tin Roof. However, her boorish and greedy studio heads insisted that she only do mindless comedies. Elvis Presley a multi-talented performer could have had a legacy acting  in quality films if control-freak Colonel Parker didn't keep him mired in profitable and forgettable third-rate musicals. There are many great movies that we revere and rewatch. Think of how many more there would be if pen pushers and bean counters didn't mistakingly believe they also had taste.

P.S. Yes, I know that Audrey Hepburn was iconic as Holly Golightly and Liz Taylor was a gorgeous Maggie the Cat, but Monroe would have given both roles something unique. Also who can argue that she would have been a far sexier Lola in Damn Yankees than the too-old Gwen Verdon? And shouldn't Elvis Presley have been Conrad Birdie in Bye Bye Birdie. Also if he had been starred in Bus Stop with Marilyn Monroe, it would have been nothing short of movie magic. We wuz robbed.

"WELL, SORTA, MAYBE, YUH, I SUPPOSE, NOT REALLY."

As an ardent Democrat, I am delighted that the Republicans chose Stephen Castor as their lawyer at the impeachment hearings. Castor, who arrived with a grocery bag of papers, looks inept and confused. Wonderful. His answers are often stuttered and indecisive. Fabulous. While Trump fans should be focused on his defense of Trump, they are preoccupied with his odd hairdo and manner of a trapped rodent. Combine him with beaver-toothed Gaetz and scruffy hound Jordan and you have a defense team worthy of a Disney feature.

DADDY'S DEVOTED DRUNK,

At the impeachment hearings, Matt Gaetz's behavior is both petulant and treasonous. There is no justification for his illogical defense of President Trump other than he was denied a strong father figure growing up and Jim Jordan has not filled that role. Thus he feels he must rant and rave and do everything but hold his breath till his chubby face turns blue. He is obviously so desperate to be noticed that he is willing to give up all semblance of sanity and reason if it will get him even a small place in substitute daddy's cold heart.

To win somebody's heart
What you have to do.
Is say, "I love you."
Not, "I love you, too."

'WE'RE ON TO YOU."

I love it when the Internet features an article that says, "One simple way to help your cat live longer." This is followed by a so-called "expert" who, having the secret way, is unwilling to reveal it until you
are forced to watch his money-making video. So he actually doesn't care about your cat's health or he would tell you this amazing secret. Is he an expert?  Maybe. But he's also a greedy entrepreneur out to sell you some high-priced product that's certainly not worth the money. As my brilliant blogger friend would say, "We cats hiss."

RON LEIBMAN DEAD AT 82.

I always find it annoying that when important celebrities die, the press always lists their most insignificant roles first, as in the case of Ron Leibman. I find this especially annoying since I felt close to Ron, having had lunch with him in L.A. All right, we didn't actually have lunch together, but he was sitting alone at the next table and I think we exchanged pleasantries. Anyway, he died this week at age 82, and all the no-nothing juvenile reporters only knew that he was on Friends. Well kids, he was also on Broadway in Angels in America, playing Trump's hero, Roy Cohn. He starred with Sally Field in Norma Rae and other non-sitcom roles. Also notable he was married to two major stars: Jessica Walter and Linda Lavin. Ron Leibman was an important actor and I will always treasure that afternoon in L.A. when we had lunch together.

JOHN AS DON IS RIGHT ON.

In a national competition to name the best Trump imitator, the winner was John Di Domenico who does an excellent imitation of Trump. Alec Baldwin is such a talented actor, and such a bad imitator
of Trump, it couldn't hurt for him to take some tips from Domenico.

ONCE AGAIN, NOT FUNNY.

Just watched, against my better judgement, the latest SNL skit about Trump in the cafeteria during NATO. SNL is worst than bad, it's embarrassing. These skits bear no relation to reality. The characters are totally unrecognizable and as far removed from quality imitation as possible. Baldwin's take on Trump is unacceptable and always was. Putting a Trump-like wig on your head does not a mimicry make. This skit like most others is weak and ill-conceived and is not helped by the excessive laughter of a programmed audience. When characters look and behave nothing like the actual persons, it is not satire. It is a completely unrelated and unsuccessful attempt at humor. There is no explaining the success of these third-rate skits unless they were possibly funny years ago, which I doubt. If the members of SNL want to see how it's done they should watch hours of British skit comedy like The Big Train, French and Saunders, Monty Python, and The Fast Show. I suspect that true fans of SNL have never seen these shows. If they had, they wouldn't be satisfied with the paltry offerings from SNL.

TRUMPY VERY OLD MEN

You can look at President Trump and his lawyer Giuliani as two very dangerous American traitors whose machinations are doing great damage to the American democracy. (While Trump is obviously in league with Russia, this does not bother the Republicans in office who seem to be comfortable in their own obeisance to Putin's desires.) On the other hand you can see Donald and Rudy as two mischievous and senile septuagenarians who have no concept of their effect on world order because they're both incredibly spoiled and stupid. Trump certainly behaves like a child having a tantrum every time he refuses to follow instructions and behave. Giuliani is like the irritating moppet who claims he doesn't know who ate the blueberry pie while his face is blueberry blue. Yes, it's easy to see this pair as a couple of incorrigible brats if the mischief they're up to didn't pose a danger for the whole world. So, I suggest instead of a spanking, we put them both in prison for years.

"HOW DARE YOU SAY SUCH A COMPLIMENT."

What a neurotic nation we've become. Mayor Bloomberg says that Corey Booker is well-spoken and the news media leaps on that comment like wolves on a lost sheep. Sorry, but Corey Booker is well-spoken so is Pete Buttigieg, but with Pete it would be a compliment  with Corey it must be a racist remark. Surely Mayor Bloomberg couldn't have meant it as a innocent awareness of one of Corey's many skills; no, it had to be a veiled insult. So now, instead of focusing on his campaign and what he can promise the voters, he has to dodge assaults from a "looking for trouble" press corps or at least
some biased members of the press who probably leaped on the comment because that's the way their bigoted little minds work.

NOW PLAYING: THE UNREACHABLES.

I just read an article in Reader's Digest about the benefits of criticism. Shortly after I saw that one of my e-mails was undeliverable. This happens frequently. You actually cannot reply to many e-mails because the senders prefer to remain unreachable. I think this is one of the main problems with the modern world. Too many companies remove themselves from any kind of criticism. They do not want to learn how to improve their service, better their product, or consider their flaws. In many cases, you cannot locate a phone number or address for a company. It can only be contacted on the Internet where it remains free from any direct complaint or criticism. The company I tried to reach yesterday was Fandango, who often promote their movies theaters.  I wanted them to know why I don't go to the movies any more. Now they will never know how to improve their product, not that they would have cared.

Why are low-class people always so loud. When having a party, they feel compelled to play music at top volume, loud enough to annoy everyone in their neighborhood. Is that just part of being a loser?

TRUMP PLEDGES ALLEGIANCE TO MANY FLAGS.

The killings this week at the Pensacola military base were perpetrated by a Saudi soldier. The murder of an American journalist was committed by Saudis. The 9-11 destruction of the twin towers and the carnage it brought with it was perpetrated mostly by Saudis. Despite this George W. Bush gave the Saudi families safe passage home when no other planes were flying. More recently Donald Trump befriended leading Saudis and was quite willing to overlook their murder of American journalist, Jamal Khashoggi. Are the many rabid Trump fans aware of often their hero embraces the enemies of America? He loves Putin, adores the tubby Korean leader, and socializes with all the Saudi royals. The only persons he doesn't like are the patriotic Democrats who are trying to keep our democracy together and our country free. If you're a Trump fan, go the nearest mirror and ask yourself, "why?"

A KILLER RUNS FREE.

There is no doubt in my mind that O.J. Simpson murdered his wife and Ron Goldman. And there is no doubt in my mind that George Zimmerman murdered Treyvon Martin. Two of America's most violent killers were acquitted by idiotic juries who should be ashamed of themselves. Now Zimmerman is launching a major law suit against the parents of Treyvon Martin and various other entities. Tonight a film that portrays him as a victim is being shown in Coral Gables, unless wiser heads prevail. How sad that societies most evil misfits even get a chance to punish society for accusing them of what they actually did. Do we think that blind Justice will ever be able to balance her scales again. Or will we see criminal after criminal go free because the law increasingly leans on the side of evil?

"IS ANYBODY THERE? DOES ANYBODY CARE?"

Sheila and Patty and Bill and Laura. I know you're there. But since I rarely see comments and they're always from the same persons, I often feel I am writing to the ether. So I am hoping that you, yes you, if you exist send some kind of response, even if it's just a word or two to make me feel like this is all worth it. By the way the headline isn't me being paranoid, they're lyrics from 1776, but then you knew that Sheila.