NEIGH.

Seems Rand Paul is on another tear. This time he's upset that more suckers are not buying the drug, ivermectin, of which I imagine he has quite a few shares.  Paul's tantrum seems to be based on his belief that that unproven medicine isn't popular because Trump is so unpopular. Randy didn't explain the connection. At any rate some gullible Republicans are trying out ivermectin, which is basically a treatment for horses. The FDA has encouraged these ninnies to stop. Someone should explain to Rand Paul that the drug is for horses not horses asses.

OVER AND OUT.

 Sorry to be so gleeful. But when something happens to lessen the hate and lies in the world, I celebrate. So the death of conservative talk host Marc Berniers at 65, is good news. Ironically he broadcasted from Florida which puts his death in the DeSantis column. (Ron is killing off his own propagandists.) By the way that's the third anti-vaccine professional conservative loudmouth to recently die of coronavirus. Tut tut. If they only had trusted in science. I wonder, has a single ray or light entered into Ron DeSantis's brain and caused him to notice how his state is the leader in Covid hospitalizations and death? Do you suppose he's figured out why?

How is feeding your growing children Kraft cheese instead of a nourishing meal a "win win"?

UNSTRUNG

It's fascinating that a person can be a great guitarist and still be an idiot. I am referring to British guitarist Eric Clapton, a major talent, and a significant ninny. He its totally against vaccines for covid, which is not only ignorant, but, at his age, it's dangerous. The old fool is 76, a prime age for checking out in the event you get covid.  He's even written a little ditty in praise of his anti-vaccine stand, "This Has Gotta Stop".

As far as I'm concerned Lt. Byrd of the Capitol Police as a hero and, once again, Trump is a traitor for even taking the side of a criminal like Ashli Babbit over a patriot like Byrd.  In fact, I suspect America would be a much safer country today if more Capitol police instead of wrestling with these thugs and trying to combat their savagery had just shot them. A collection of dead insurrectionists on the Capitol steps would be a great object lesson for anyone trying to overthrow our government.

DIMWIT

THIS MAN IS A MORON AND A MASS MURDERER. HE HAS CAUSED HUNDREDS OF DEATHS WITH HIS ARROGANCE AND STUPIDITY. BUT THE FACT THAT HE IS SO ARROGANT AND  STUPID DOES NOT EXCUSE HIS BEING RESPONSIBLE FOR SO MANY DEATHS.

I read where the Republicans are trying to get Biden to reinvade Afghanistan. Not sure why. I doubt that it has anything to do with concern about the innocents living in fear. I imagine it's just that Republicans like war and conflict. And apparently they would rather see our brave soldiers die than Afghanis. Of course they are using the Taliban issue as a way to attack Biden, as they can only respond to any issue in a petulant, petty and unpatriotic manner. And being traitors, they don't care how much damage war does to our country as long as they get their way. Also, not being bright, the Republicans don't seem to grasp the fact that we have fought this war for twenty futile years. They don't care. As long as fighters on both sides are dying, not including them, they feel satisfied. 

Apparently white cops are allowed to murder innocent, non-threatening blacks, but black cops must, under no conditions, murder guilty, threatening whites. Which is why there is so much criticism of black Officer Byrd for shooting Ashli Babbitt as she marauded her way into the nation's capitol on January 6 and was lawfully shot to death. Tonight I found even Lester Holt's interview accusatory and racist. Ashli was a criminal as I stated in the previous post. Her own illegal and reckless actions caused her death. Officer Byrd did the right thing in depend the law abiding citizens from the savage mob,  and does not deserve this second-guessing and tut-tutting for doing his job. All these insurrectionists were seriously out to destroy our country, and if there were a thousand of them lying dead at the Capitol, it would have been as justified as Ashli's demise.

Ashli Babbit was a criminal, no less so than a bank robber. She broke into a off-limits building illegally in a threatening manner and was shot to death in doing so. Wah wah wah. What did she expect?

OFF THE AIR.

Have you noticed who's dying of Covid-19 because they are anti-vaccine and anti-masks? Republicans. Yup, they've been dropping like flies all over America, many saying at the end that they wished they had been vaccinated.Yet there are still millions of conservatives who stubbornly refuse the needle out of some bizarre belief that it interferes with their freedoms. It does. Their freedom to die. The latest victim is Nashville's conservative talk-radio host Phil Valentine, who insisted he wasn't likely to be affected. But he was, and, at 61, he's dead.While Phil was good at spreading fake conspiracies, he was also good at believing them. If he hadn't been, he would be alive today. 

BITING THE DUST.

 I see no sense in pussyfooting around and pretending to feel an emotion I don't. I am delighted by the death of Presley Stutts. That is one more conspiratorial and treasonous Republican out of the way. Do I at least feel sorry for his being on a ventilator of six days? Not at all. With his constant denial of the need for vaccine, he probably condemned many gullible Republicans to even worse suffering. South Carolina and America are better off without this fatuous, know-it-all fraud. All over U.S. Americans are suffering from the Delta strain of the coronavirus, adults and children alike. Greatly responsible for the crowded hospitals and deaths are Republican so-called leaders like DeSantis, Abbott, and lesser idiot like Taylor and Gaetz, But happily Stutts is no longer an effective propagandist, since he's dead, which I'm delighted to report leaves a much-needed ICU bed for someone else.

EASY COME, EASY GO.

 Mike Richard' stint as host of Jeopardy was forgettable at best. After the initial, "Who?" we viewers watched regularly as usual, waiting for a well-known and more appealing replacement. So when I heard that Richards would be the permanent host, I was disappointed;, and when I heard he wasn't, I was delighted. Most of the replacements were amazingly competent, Ken Jennings and Katie Couric being my favorites. As much as I liked Alex, he is being honored far above his role as highly-paid game show host. (The fact that he was a Republican might have something to do with my disdain.) But Mike Richards is certainly not a suitable replacement, so with his dismissal, all we fans have dodged a bullet.

THERE IS NO WINNING.

After 20 years wasted in the sad lost cause called Afghanistan the alibi-ikes called Republicans are leaping on the opportunity to blame Biden for the withdrawal of troops. Most of his critics are cowards who never did national service and wouldn't go within a thousand miles of the battlegrounds they feel our servicemen should still be dying in. Plus they're all acting as if the Taliban were some strange foreign nationality. They're mostly Afghanis, giving you some idea of why it is such an ungovernable nation. Yes, we all feel terrible about the savagery of the Taliban, and I for one wish the U.S. had given every female over eight a gun before we left. But we didn't. And if we stayed another 20 years the situation would be the same. So, stop bitching about Biden, especially when all you really want is an excuse to bitch.

 You will note that Governor Greg Abbott has covid. And though he has no symptoms, he is in a panic. In fact he's so scared and anxious that he demanded a monoclonal antibody, which he doesn't need, and a third vaccine shot which isn't recommended. This is the same Governor Abbott who discouraged Texans from getting the vaccine and didn't think a mask mandate was necessary. Also note that he was already completely vaccinated, which means any symptoms he gets from covid will be milder than those his unvaccinated constituents will face. He, like the equally ignorant Ron DeSantis, is responsible for dozens of covid deaths. Greg Abbott is a liar and a coward and not fit to serve the people of Texas. Someone should just roll him out of office.

THE BRAT IN THE ROOM.

You don't have to be smart to be devious. Peter Doocy certainly proves that. As a third-rate reporter, he has found a way to gain the limelight: by asking Jen Psaki lots of stupid questions. That he is even allowed into the press conferences is due to the nepotism of his almost equally lame father. Jen Psaki gives the young Doocy more time than she should and he makes full use of the exposure with his annoying, combative questions. This father and son act will go down a one of the dumbest duos in news. Its no surprise White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki called one of Fox News questions "loaded and inaccurate" as are most of them.

GOOD RULE OF THUMB.

If you happen to see a book in the library or at a bookstore and it has as its author James Patterson and somebody else, you can be confident it was written by the somebody else. James Patterson is a book whore. He has found it very profitable to slap his name on the book of unknown authors giving gullible readers an incentive to buy.  Publishers realize it's a scam, but the publishing industry is a huge scam, quick to promote a person as the author of a novel, how-to, or children's book who had nothing to do with it. Most celebrities never write the books that claim to be their work. If you wander through Barnes and Noble, you will soon realize that 74- year-old James Patterson couldn't possible write all those books. 

PASSING NOTES FOR TRUMP.

At the market checkout today, I noticed that the National Enquirer headline posed the question "Does Biden Have Dementia." Since we already know that the editors of this illiterate rag are submissive to Donald Trump, that headline came as no surprise. An the answer is also simple,"No, Biden does not have dementia, but Trump certainly does." Since taking office Biden has had many accomplishments, including the infrastructure bill, which Trump could never get around to, being so busy with golf. It's amazing that The Enquirer is still in business. But the brain-dead gullible need easy-to-read trash just as they need easy-to-watch garbage. I'm sure the cover shown here is Trump-commanded. Think how much he must hate actual billionaires.

EH!

Since the death of Alex Trebeck, the show's producers have had a variety of guests hosts, all capable, none unpleasant. Frankly I think the best host was Ken Jennings, bar none, and  I have never been a fan of his while he was a contestant. He was smooth, genial, modest, perfect in every way. So I was very surprised to learn that one of the most vanilla guests, Mike Richards,  was chosen as the permanent host, a choice that smacks of influence rather than talent. Having watched Jeopardy since the days of Art Fleming, I will continue to do so, but with far less enthusiasm and far less regularity.

WRESTLING WITH DEMONS.

 Jim Jordan is all atwitter because Barack Obama didn't wear a mask at his birthday party. Now while many tweeters responded by ridiculing Jordan's logic, I think there is a bigger story here. Why is Jim Jordan so obsessed with Obama at all? He's no longer president. He has no relation to Jordan's life. It is far from normal for a congressman to focus on an essential stranger and try to vilify him for his behavior at a social event that is none of Jordan's business. This smacks of jealousy, pettiness, and a vey sick mind set. Poor Jimmie.

DECIDERS.

 GOP'S DEATH CULT COMES FOR THE CHILDREN.

That's the headline that went with the photo of America's two evil governors. For some insane political reason (no doubt related to Trump) these two unhinged naifs are opposed to children wearing masks on their return to school. Both their states, Texas and Florida lead the nation in covid hospitalizations and deaths, which doesn't seem to concern either Gregg Abbott or Ron DeSantis. They are unrelenting despite the rising number of children hospitalized for covid. Both arrogant men are already responsible for hundreds of deaths due to their irresponsible behavior and  ignorance of science and medicine. Will your child be their next victim?

A BRIEF ILLNESS.

I am 79. Among my friends of many ages is a woman named Debby who is 84. Debby lives at a popular retirement home. As you can imagine all the home's residents have had both covid shots. So, needless to say I was surprised when she called me several days ago to tell me she was in the hospital with covid. I had heard about breakthrough viruses, but hers was the first in which I had known the victim. She said she didn't feel well and had trouble breathing. Also that she was kept with other sufferers of breakthrough viruses. Being a Fauci fan, I took him at his word that those who had been vaccinated would have far less severe symptoms than those who foolishly were refusing to be vaccinated. Fauci was right. Debby called me this afternoon, five days after admittance to the hospital. She was feeling great, sounding great, and about to return to her retirement home apartment.  There is no question that, at 84, had she refused to  be vaccinated her brush with covid would have been fatal.

P.S. Not that she could have refused as vaccination is mandatory at her retirement home, thank goodness.

 I'm not sure who Madison Cawthorn is, but from what I've heard, she sounds like a real bitch. 

KILLING THEIR OWN

I'm sure that Governor Ron DeSantis thoroughly approved of ex Newsmax host, shock jock Dick Farrel for eschewing the Covid vaccine. Farrel in true DeSantis fashion refused the vaccine and vilified Dr. Fauci for even promoting it. Ah! How self-satisfied Farrel must have felt by ridiculing the great doctor Fauci and denying the savagery of the ubiquitous covid virus. How much he must have been admired by the Trump-worshipping DeSantis who has not brought a shred of science or common sense to his chaotic and deadly administration. But sadly the vaccine-denying Farrell contracted the covid virus and died from it this past Wednesday. At least he had the strength and decency to admit he was wrong, proclaim the virus is real, and encourage everyone he knows to get vaccinated to avoid the cruel fate he suffered at only 65.

IT'S A CURSE.

There's a curse among thousands of people, maybe millions. It affects reporters, movie stars, politicians. For some reason people won't tell you when you have it, obvious as it is. Mrs. Obama had it and defeated it. Some leading actors have it. And it is very common among ordinary people. What is it? "You know". The problem of those afflicted with this curse is the frequent addition of "you know" to their  daily conversation. Many add it after ever declarative sentence. It's a habit difficult to overcome. Check yourself. See if you have the curse. And if you notice it in anyone else, tell them. They may be embarrassed, but you'll be doing them a favor, as well as everyone they talk to.

TAKE NOTE.

Whenever I have to go Walgreens, I am always wildly impressed with how much more they charge for everything than everybody else. Today I needed piddle pads. Their package, which sells for about  $18.00 most places was $24,00. That's even more than the overpriced Pets Mart. This is especially odd since their commercials always position them as a kindly retailer who really cares for their customers.

FOX GETS A TANNING.

 Last night MSNBC showed how Fox News reporters reacted when Obama wore a tan suit. Now if you don't think these people are morons their comments will change your mind. To say they overreacted is an understatement. To say they lied about their reactions is putting it mildly. Only complete morons would have had such insane reactions to a person wearing a summer suit worn by millions. In behaving so absurdly, they completely betrayed their bitterness, pettiness, racism and jealousy. It must have killed them that Obama looked so handsome, so confident, so thin, so fit. Poor Fox people: overweight, over-madeup, over-angry underachievers.

ONLY IN AMERICA.

Only in America could we be trying our best to make a governor resign because he was more than flirtatious with women on his staff who resented his sexual advances. And at the same time deal with another politician who plans to run for president despite his record of sexually intimidating more women, including raping a victim in a department store and more than likely accepting the sexual favors of an under-age girl provided by a real pal. If there's one thing America has never come to terms with, it's sex.  What's good? What's bad? What's repulsive? What's acceptable? Why is Cuomo being dealt with so rapidly, while Trump goes for decades without punishment?  Is dragging a terrified women into a changing room and raping her less of a crime than making an obscene suggestion? I don't get it.

COATTAIL AMBITIONS.

Remember when Marco Rubio was sure he'd be president. He made up that story about his parents being exiled by Fidel Castro, which nobody bought. Then he plastered Twitter with Biblical passages, which only showed what a hypocrite he was. But eventually his hypocrisy, his sanctimony, and Wainwright Park did him in. I figure it's going to be pretty much the same for Ron DeSantis, except Ronnie also has a long death list of Floridians and tourists he didn't protect from Covid, and he's not even as attractive as Marco, though they are both as doughy. And let's face it Ron is much higher up Trump's ass, and he's becoming somewhat of an irritant, which could result in expulsion.

 If you want to prove you're stupid,

And completely addlepated,

Register Republican

And don't get vaccinated.

If you want even stronger proof,

Though I can't imagine why,

Get a case of Covid

And have the grace to die.

AMERICAN VALUES.

We are one crazy country. One of our governors is making unwanted passes at women, suggesting salacious scenarios, making his employees feel incredibly uncomfortable. Therefore we rightly want him to resign and, if not, we'll impeach him. Another governor is knowingly promoting false advice and dictates which is causing the deaths of countless Floridians and tourists. Yet there is no mention of impeachment or even scolding. Ergo: murder is not as serious as taking sexual liberties. Condemning someone to a ventilator and an inability to breathe until they eventually die without the comfort of a family member is not as offensive as vulgar flirtations. Like I say, one crazy country. 

TWO MEN, NOT EQUAL.

It's disheartening that while the law is going after Andrew Cuomo with a passion for his  nonviolent but unwanted sexual acts and salacious comments; Trump who has committed far more aggressive acts including rape gets off scott free. And while many ordinary Americans are badgered by the IRS for  minor discrepancies involving their taxes, Trump keeps avoiding facing any charges for years of million dollar tax evasions. The law is not fair and no matter what anyone says, Donald Trump is above the law and likely to remain so. More than likely Cuomo will resign in disgrace, but I question whether any charges against Trump will ever see the light of day. The legitimate complaints against Cuomo moved with great rapidity, but the equally valid charges against Trump have dragged on or years and seem no closer to justice than they did while he was looting America, lying constantly and refusing to reveal his taxes. 

THE DANGEROUS GAP.

If you're a loyal Republican, you may end up in the hospital with Covid or someone you love may die from Covid because a Republican politician convinced you not to get vaccinated or to not wear a mask. Consider that during these dangerous times that person, who is probably vaccinated, led you into the frightening horror of hospitalization for their own political reasons.  While Democrats encourage every eligible citizen to get vaccinated, Republicans play on your fears and unfounded suspicions. Do you really want to continue with a party that doesn't care if you or anyone you love lives or dies?

NOMENCLATURE

I don't like competitions. Which is probably why I have no interest in sports, any sports. So I certainly have no interest in the Olympics, other than being amazed at the super-human abilities of Simone Biles. So I don't follow sports or Olympics, but unfortunately they follow me. One can hardly turn on the television without having to listen to some score or sports report. Today I was struck by the fact that Olympic competitors refer to their gold, silver, or bronze medals as hardware. This amazed me because "hardware" seems like such a pedestrian appellation for something they worked so hard to procure. (Would movie stars refer to their Academy Awards as hardware?) At any rate, I have read in the past about what a corrupt organization the Olympic committee is. And while I salute all the participating athletes, I couldn't care less which country came home with gold, silver, bronze or returned in complete defeat. Although it still thrills me that American Jesse Owens humiliated Adolf Hilter by being a four-time gold medalist at the 1936 Olympics. 

GOVERNOR DEATH.

Who could have imagined that any American state would have a mass murderer as Governor? But Florida does. Ron de Santis with his stubbornness, ignorance, and ill-conceived covid laws has killed many Floridians and more than a host of state visitors. He has diligently prevented public information on the virus, outlawed preventative measures for state-wide businesses, discouraged vaccinations, and approved of maskless gatherings. He has shown a complete lack of understand of the health measures necessary to fight this cruel virus. He has even promoted the sale of anti-masking merchandise and ridiculing Dr. Fauci who is the hero of this pandemic as he was the hero or such past health assau as AIDS. DeSantis, who has never left the protection of Donald Trump's anus is convinced he will be the next president despite the fact that the daily news points out what a narrow, small-minded, totally ignorant, and completely unqualified toad he is.

MISSOURI MADMAN.

You know, the easiest thing would be to assume that Josh Hawley is a white supremacist, a traitor, and an insurrectionist.  But I think it's more reasonable to assume that Josh Hawley is nuts, stark raving crackers. He hasn't a clue what's right and wrong, what's up and down, he's deranged. He's another case, like Marjorie Taylor Greene, of how a completely insane person got into Congress and immediately started causing trouble. Hawley should already be in jail for his treasonous act on January 6, but his insanity has offered him protection. Now he's ranting with his mad-as-a-hatter idea on how children should be miseducated in order to make them love America, unlike Hawley himself.  Wouldn't it be nice if before someone runs for office, they had a psychiatrist examination?  Think of how many fewer Republicans we'd have in Congress.

 It seems to me that a lot of these so-called merchandising geniuses remove popular items from store shelves and replace them with crap. I see this all the time, but let me point out two instances, Despite the fact that millions of Americans have purchased zillions of CDs, you can no longer buy a decent CD player. Your only recourse are hideous, low-priced boomboxes which are neither sturdy nor attractive. But a  larger, muli-featured unit with excellent sound is out of the question. (I think Bose might still make one if you feel like mortgaging your house.) The other item is a Terry-cloth bathrobe. Every retail store only offers thin polyester summer robes or that icky, awful, can't-stand-to-touch-it fuzzy velour, but nice cozy cotton terry, forget it. Friends, tired of my complaints, tell me to check out the Internet. But I refuse to buy on-line. I detest the cold, complexity of buying on line, despise passwords, and the few times I have tried something always went wrong. No. I like dealing in a real store with real people, though more and more those real people do not have the products I want.

 Presently the cost for hospitalization for covid patients is absorbed by insurance companies and the government. I suggest we stop making it free for those refusing to be vaccinated. Nothing will get these holdouts vaccinated faster than knowing they will get stuck with thousands in hospital bills, that is if they live.

LOW BROW SUPERSTARS.

Matt Damon is a good actor. I'm sorry to hear he's an A-1 jerk. Surprisingly he admitted that his daughter schooled him not to make insulting references to gays. This doesn't absolve him. He's still a jerk. He even suggested that such slams were normal growing up in Boston. Not among refined people. I grew up in Boston and such vulgarities were rare. This revelation appears at the same time Amanda Knox accuses Matt's new film Stillwater of vilifying her. Ironically Mark Wahlberg, another superstar, is from Boston. More than just a homophobic, Mark was a thug who used to beat up minorities just for fun. Apparently fame and fortune and talent doesn't do a damn thing about making you a better person.

The other day, while waiting in a long coffee line, I got talking to the young man behind me. I asked him if he had been vaccinated. He said that, yes, both he and his girlfriend had been vaccinated. Then he mentioned that she had gotten covid even after being vaccinated, but he hadn't, and expressed his opinion that this proved the whole vaccination thing was a huge scam. After discussing other things (and thinking he was a jerk) I asked him if his girlfriend had been hospitalized. "Oh, no." he said,"She was just sick for a day or two. She's fine now."

A MEDICAL SCAM.

I was scheduled for an upper and lower GI on August 4. My gastrointestinal doctor is great. His center is close, and, frankly, I love the drugs he puts me under.  But I cancelled. Why? Because while the colonoscopy is covered, the medical laxative is not. And I refused to pay the asking price for a bottle of liquid that is probably no more effective than Ex-Lax, How much was it? $160.00. This, to me, is nothing short of highway robbery, a scam, an absurd price that every patient should refuse to pay.  In past GIs the liquid was free until the very last one several years ago in which it cost $80.00—a ripoff I still haven't gotten over. Now it is double that price and I won't pay it. It isn't like it's a miracle liquid that makes prepping for a GI more comfortable, less unpleasant. No! It's still a miserable vile-tasting experience with the added misery of knowing it cost you almost $200. Anyway, if you're scheduled for a procedure, refuse to pay for the liquid, or at least complain. I suspect that the doctors make enough profit on these half-hour procedures to spring for the necessary medicine.