Not A Laughing Matter

Or should I say NALM?

A couple of days ago, Rush Limbaugh made reference to an article at U.K Telegraph which stated that, according to a survey, in the United States seventy percent of people between the ages of 16 and 24 had never heard of Mao Tse-tung and 40% of them had never heard of Joseph Stalin.

Perhaps that's why I received so little response to a MAO - LMAO meme I had posted on Facebook or the jpeg of Hillary Clinton dressed like the Chairman. I guess nobody understood the reference.

I'm reasonably sure that even though these young people might not know of Mao Tse-tung and all the horrendous things he did to the Chinese people, they should recognize Bernie and AOC.

A Ghost From Decembers Past

Yesterday, I wrote a post entitled Oh, He's Such a Trump.

Being the old fart that I am, I had forgotten that I had written a post covering the same subject in February of 2017 - Trump : Are We Finally On "The Road to Understanding" ?

Can one plagiarize oneself?

At any rate, it gave me the idea of looking at previous posts with the idea of possible updates. I began by looking at what might be called the ghosts of Christmases past, or at least the ghosts of Decembers past.

That look brought me to this jewel from December of 2014 - The Warren/Clinton Slugfest , when some felt that Elizabeth Warren might make a good POTUS. That was four years ago, and I think there are very few today who would give Warren the same chances in 2020.

That being said, the highlight of that previous post was my inclusion of a Youtube video called "Run Liz Run". When I added the video, I said that, if I were a Hillary Clinton supporter, I would make every effort to make "Run Liz Run" go viral.

The song in the video is horrible. It still remains to be seen if Hillary will make another attempt at the White House, but should Warren test the waters, any Democrat opponent should encourage this video to sweep the Internet.

Trump Equals "1984" ?

A month ago, after having read George Orwell's Burmese Days, I added 1984 to the list of books I'd be reading (or re-reading) this year. Even after reading 1984 a few weeks back, I can't recall if I had actually read the novel in my younger days. I have a vague memory of having read it in the 1970s, but I can't recall if I actually finished reading the book all those many years ago.

I bring up the novel today because of an article I came across on apnews.com, George Orwell’s son says his father’s ‘1984’ was ‘prescient’.

The article states,

One edition of “1984” saw sales jump by 10,000 percent since January, when Trump adviser Kellyanne Conway defended incorrect claims as “alternative facts.” It instantly drew comparisons to Orwell’s terms “doublethink” and “newspeak” and to the type of government manipulation the author wrote about nearly 70 years ago.

Of course, we knew that someone, somewhere would be comparing the world under Trump to Orwell's dystopia. The comparison of Orwell's novel and a U.S. President isn't a new phenomenon , however. Life in the U.S. has been compared to 1984 for as long as I can remember - well before the year 1984 came and went.

I'm not saying life isn't becoming more and more like 1984; we can all see that it is. But, this isn't new under Trump's presidency. Governmental surveillance of our daily lives didn't begin yesterday. Orwell could see it in 1948. The problem has been around for ages, but the techniques and methods used by governments today are becoming more sophisticated.

There are some who want to put the problem down to Trump - as in Trumpian equals Orwellian. The situation didn't begin with Trump. If Barack Obama winning the Nobel Peace Prize wasn't Orwellian, I don't know what is.

Trump is simply the latest manifestation.

Hillary's Racist Hand Gesture

I seem to recall that, not so long ago, the hand gesture we see Hillary using in this photo was called a "a white supremacist hand symbol" by some in the media. When a member of the evil "alt-right" movement makes the "ok sign", it is a secret, coded symbol of racism, but, when Hillary is photographed making the same gesture, it's all OK.

The Recount

Regarding the Green Party plans to pursue recounts in a number of States, Jill Stein Tweeted -

"I will do a recount in any state where the deadline has not passed. Help my staff find state deadlines".

Hillary Clinton's campaign counsel, Marc Elias said the campaign's own investigation has not uncovered any evidence of hacking of voting systems. Elias also said,
"Because we had not uncovered any actionable evidence of hacking or outside attempts to alter the voting technology, we had not planned to exercise this option ourselves, but now that a recount has been initiated in Wisconsin, we intend to participate in order to ensure the process proceeds in a manner that is fair to all sides.".

So, as far as Democrats and Green Party members are concerned, it doesn't matter that there is no evidence to justify a recount, they'll waste time and money pursuing a recount simply because they can.

Before the election, it was Donald Trump who was criticized for his possible unwillingness to accept the results. Now, that's all forgotten by the Left.

Trump Lied To Get Votes

Trump Won’t Pursue Charges Against Clinton.

So, the whole "lock her up" thing was just something he said to get votes.

You still believe he's going to build a wall?

I Was Wrong About Trump

I admit it; I was wrong about Donald Trump - or should I say President-elect Donald Trump?

Anyone who knows me personally, or has read my blog knows that I did not vote for Trump. I didn't vote for Hillary Clinton either. I decided to abstain from voting this time around.

My lack of support from Trump had little to do with his policies. I don't believe that he is a racists or Islamophobe or any of the otherphobes the Democrats accused him of being. I believe his plans regarding immigration to the U.S. are based on a need for tighter border security and a job protection for American citizens, not because of a hatred for Hispanics or Muslims.

No, my main objection to Trump as a candidate was my fear that he could not defeat Hillary Clinton in the general election. I was mistaken. I honestly thought that Trump would push Clinton into the White House. I absolutely did not want Clinton elected and I was convinced that Trump would bring that about.

I was wrong.

I am so relieved that Hillary Clinton will never become POTUS, that I am more than willing now to give a President Trump the benefit of the doubt.

Congratulations, Mr. Trump.

No, Ms Parker. We Won't be Fine.

As usual, Kathleen Parker gets it wrong. In her recent column,[Calm down. We'll be fine no matter who wins,] Parker maintains that the idea that the U.S. has never been as divided as it is today is an exaggeration. "In other words," she writes, "our politics have always been thus, though with one significant difference." She goes on to put the blame, more or less, on the fact that "we never stop receiving news of everything, everywhere in real time". In other words, the Internet and 24/7 cable T.V. news.

Ms Parker believes everything will settle down after the election because whichever candidate wins, he or she will be held back by the Senate and Congress, and after all is said and done, neither candidate is as bad as all that.

We'll see.

My view is that the country is divided, and both Clinton and Trump are extremely unpopular, and this divide guarantees wide spread demonstrations and riots against the ultimate victor.

Parker is more optimistic than I am regarding the post election state of the nation. I believed she's naive. We'll soon see which of us is correct.

Political Spam

The closer it gets to election day in the U.S., the more spam emails I receive. Fortunately, almost every one is sent directly to spam and I don't have to deal with them. Still, haven't the pols gotten the message? I will not be voting in the upcoming election.

I dislike Trump and I dislike Clinton. I won't be voting for "the lesser of two evils" because I honestly don't believe either fit into that category.

In addition to the spam emails asking me to support the presidential candidates, I'm getting hit up by an assortment of Congressional, Senatorial and Gubernatorial candidates asking for money. Needles to say, they won't be getting my support either.

I'm be so happy to see this election cycle end.

Mark Shea, Dim Bulb

As my readers are reader is well aware, I've been banned (more than once) from commenting on Mark Shea's blog and because of that banishment, I no longer link to his blog. I've given up, for the most part, reading what he writes - if I can't leave a comment, why bother?

Now, thanks to the blog, Abbey Roads, I've become aware of a particularly outlandish post by Mr Shea.

After months of lecturing his readers that Trump must be defeated - and if that means voting for Hillary Clinton so be it - Shea writes,

  "Now that it is becoming obvious Hillary will win, it is time to turn our thoughts toward opposing the still very serious danger she poses".

In arguing that Clinton must be opposed, Shea links to Huffington Post article which points out that Clinton is not only "the candidate of Wall Street", she is "the candidate of the military-industrial complex".

From the article comes this: "Perhaps more than any other person, Hillary can lay claim to having stoked the violence that stretches from West Africa to Central Asia and that threatens US security".

Did it take an article written in Huffington Post to turn on the (dim) bulb in Shea's head? He didn't realize how truly dangerous Hillary Clinton is until now?

Everyone familiar with me know that I can't support either Trump or Clinton. The idea that one is less dangerous than the other is stupidity. Shea has been encouraging people in swing states to vote for Clinton. I hope he's happy with the results.

NC Republican Headquarters Firebombed.....Blame Trump?

This weekend, a North Carolina Republican headquarters was firebombed and a swastika was spray painted onto an adjacent building. One of my first thoughts was that no sane person would try to connect the bombers with Hillary Clinton. Of course, Trump has already attempted just that. In a Tweet, he blamed "Animals representing Hillary Clinton and Dems in North Carolina" for the bombing.

The keyword here is sane. I stand by my earlier comment.

Where would the blame be placed had this been a Democrat location? I think we can safely say that Trump would have been blamed because of his "heated rhetoric". How do I know this? Kathleen Parker is already blaming Trump for post election riots which haven't even happened yet  and CNN's Brian Stelter is blaming Trump for the bombing of his own party's headquarters.

Wake me when this @#$!^ election is over.

After Hillary Wins the Election.........

It's less than four weeks away from the 2016 election for POTUS, and like so many others, I will be happy to see November 9th, 2016 arrive.

I know I won't be happy with the final results of the election. That's an easy prediction because I can't bear to see either Clinton or Trump elected. Every minute of every day day, I'm bombarded with cries that I must vote for Clinton because Trump is even worse, as well as shouts that Hillary is an even greater evil than Donald. In trying to express how I hate the fact that one of these two douche bags will be elected President, words fail me.

As I look at the situation today, I believe Hillary will win the election. I don't say that because I want her to win....the U.S. will be up shit creek whichever one wins. Hillary will win because she is the 2nd most disliked Presidential candidate in American history running against the number 1 most disliked Presidential candidate in American history.

As much as I dislike President Obama, I can say that when he was elected in 2008, he was greatly loved by many, many people. Hillary will enter office as the most hated POTUS elected. She will be more unpopular on day one than Richard Nixon the day he resigned. She will be unable to unite the country.......unless, of course you consider how the country will be united in their dislike for her.

I don't believe she'll finish a first term; I believe she'll be impeached or forced to resign. Perhaps this is only wishful thinking, can Kaine be any worse?

Progressives Hate Catholics......What Else is New?

Hacked emails from Clinton campaign chairman John Podesta and released by WikiLeaks demonstrate the loathing Progressives have for conservative Catholics and Evangelicals.

In an email exchange between Podesta, John Halpin and Clinton campaign Director of Communications Jennifer Palmieri, Catholic teachings are trashed as "backwards" and conservative Catholics are termed responsible for "an amazing bastardization of the faith".

Although Hillary Clinton isn't directly involved in this particular email exchange, the emails come from individuals highly placed in the Clinton campaign. It doesn't take a genius to understand that Clinton holds similar views toward Catholics. No one who has followed Hillary Clinton for any length of time should be at all surprised by anything revealed in these emails.

Foreigners Prefer Clinton Over Trump for POTUS

As I've observed before, one need only look at an individual's photo accompanying a news story pertaining to that person to find out if the story will be positive or negative. In the photo used in this UPI story, the stock photo of Hillary Clinton attempts to put her in a favorable light, while the stock photo of Trump is blurry and unflattering. It's the way of "journalism" today.

In the story, it's reported that, according to a recent poll, foreigners would overwhelmingly prefer Hillary Clinton over Donald Trump if they were able to vote for POTUS. The UPI story is quick to point out that the lone exception is Russia, which prefers Trump to Clinton.

Lets look back, however to 2008 when the world adored Barack Obama. He was the favorite of foreigners everywhere. We see how well that worked out.

First Debate Did Nothing to Change My Mind.

Like 100 million other folks, I suffered through the first debate in the Clinton/Trump Slugfest, and as I expected, both sides are claiming its candidate the winner. The Clinton News Network (aka CNN) has "fact checked" many of Trump's statements during the debate and , naturally found those particular statements untrue. Of course, that is CNN after all, and you wouldn't expect otherwise.

I also expected, before the debate, that my dislike for both these douchebags would remain the same no matter what happened. That expectation was realized. All through out this election, I've maintained that choosing between Trump and Clinton is like choosing between mustard or mayo on your shit sandwich. I have not wavered in this assessment.

One expectation not met was my believe that Clinton might very well have a medical episode during the 90 minute debate. That medical episode didn't happen, of course, but we still have two more to go.

What we saw in Trump was a true non-politician - an unpolished, off the cuff speaker. In Clinton we saw a politician who came with her list of practiced talking points who, for the most part, followed the script written for her. With Trump, we saw the real Donald Trump. We saw the real Hillary as well - a programed robot who doesn't understand spontaneity, except for perhaps programed spontaneity.

Tomorrow's Debate.

As I write this post, it is just after 7:00 PM - Monday the 26th - here in Philippines. In 14 hours I'll watch the Clinton/ Trump debate live on television. It'll be 9:00 AM Tuesday here; I'll pour a cup of coffee and enjoy the circus.

I won't bother to predict who'll win the debate on points; both sides will claim victory no matter what the results.

Mostly, I'll be watching in the event that Mrs.Clinton will have one of her coughing fits or perhaps a minor fainting spell. Should either of those happen during the debate, Mrs. Clinton can kiss the White House goodbye. I can't think of any one single thing that could happen concerning Trump which would have the same disastrous affect, and for better or worse, Clinton has to face the same challenge in all three of the POTUS debates.

I don't believe the odds are in Clinton's favor. It will be much easier for Trump to waltz through the debates without a major screw up; it's less likely that Clinton will escape unscathed.

Will the U.S. Expat Vote Go to Clinton?

According to Breitbart.com, there will be a "Soros-Linked 'October Surprise That Will End Trump'". The article goes on to explain that a registered U.S. charity linked to George Soros - Avaaz -, is hoping the 8 million American expats living abroad will register to vote and vote overwhelmingly for Hillary Clinton.

If Avaaz manages to get its wish, it will indeed be an October surprise. The Breitbart article points out that 88% of Americans living abroad did not register to vote in the last U.S. Presidential election. Getting these disaffected Americans to buck the trend would be quite an achievement.

Avaaz believes that a majority of these expats are progressives and maintains that these overseas voters could decide the election for POTUS.

I believe Avaaz may not get the results they're looking for. Let's assume, for the sake of argument, that millions of Americans living abroad decide to register and vote in this election, and let's assume that the majority of these voters do vote for Clinton, there is no reason to believe that their votes will have any effect on the outcome. There is, after all, a little thing called the Electoral College and the overseas vote will be thrown into that mix.

If the election were decided by popular vote, 8 million voters (which Avaaz likens to the 13th largest State) would be a formidable number. But when these voters are shoved into the Electoral College mess, their vote won't be as awe inspiring as Avaaz imagines it will be. It all breaks down into which particular State the individual voter is registered in. Five million expat voters registered in a Blue State like California or Washington or Illinois will be wasting their time voting, if Clinton is their candidate. Hillary will most assuredly win those States, and adding an additional four, five, or six million Clinton voters won't mean diddly squat.

Hillary's Health Problems......Are They Just Mental?

In a recent editorial, The Atlantic maintains that speculation into Hillary Clinton's health is merely the 2016 version of the anti-Obama Birther Issue. With the calls to question Hillary's health being lead by the likes of former New York city Mayor Rudy Guiliani and The Drudge Report, I can understand where the editors might get that impression, but that flies in the face of similar comments made by medical specialist and TV personality Dr. Drew Pinsky - who is said to be gravely concerned about Clinton's health, and medical treatment - as well as recent statements by Rutgers University Professor of Medicine, Dr. Robert Lahita, that concerns over Clinton's health are most certainly not a conspiracy theory.

It is ironic that Hillary's health questions are being compared to the Birther Issue after recent analysis from the Washington Post prove that the anti-Obama Birther movement was started in 2007 and 2008 by Hillary Clinton, her campaign, and her Democrat supporters.

I guess we can say that, not only is HRC a bitch, so is Karma.

Will Trump Surprise Us All?

I've been predicting since it became obvious that Clinton and Trump would be the nomineesfor the two major parties, that the race would come down to which of these despicable candidates is more hated by the American voters, and that Clinton would win because she is hated slightly less than Donald Trump.

In an recent opinion piece, Monica Crowley has a different spin on the election. Crowley lists both candidates' views on the current state of the U.S. and maintains that, while polls show Clinton in the lead, the American people actually support Trump's view on the current condition of the country.

My track record for predicting the results of previous elections for POTUS hasn't been stellar. I'm more often wrong than I am right. Crowley's column leads me to think that my current prediction of a Clinton win might be wrong and Trump may surprise everyone. We'll just have to wait and see.

The Pantsuit Should've Been a Clue