451 days remain until the November 3, 2020 election for senators, congressmen and women and the president. That alone is reason enough to start blogging again. So start I shall..be prepared for an onslaught of verbiage on a plethora of topics..not the least of which will be trying to ascertain the answer to the question: will we be stuck with that man for another 4 years? We shall see.

On the day before Father’s Day, my immediate family is gathered for a meal celebrating fathers and a couple of birthdays. Thanks to Alexa, we started listening to music to satisfy everyone’s tastes. My Girl, by the Temptations..Beat It Michael Jackson; and then Emily started playing ‘Feelin’ Good’, the version by Nina Simone. That made me think about Dinah Washington’s “What a Difference a Day Makes”. “Alexa: play ‘What a Difference a Day Makes” by Dinah Washington. There it was. I was immediately transported back to 1962 or so – when my mother and father were still together, and there was always something interesting playing on the stereo. My father introduced me to Dinah, to Judy Garland with her Carnegie Hall two record set (I still know all the words to every song), Barbra Streisand’s Second Album. But Dinah had a special place with me, as he loved her music and played the album often. And that is a gift he gave me. I still recall every word to the song, and can sort of sound like her singing it. Would I have ever found her without him? Not likely.

The art of Jack Amoroso, a Coconut Grove artist of little repute, but his vivid colors in his boat scenes still brings back memories. Danish modern furniture, including the Grundig Majestic hi-fi with a short wave radio built in that could pick up international broadcasts (like it was trying to go home to Berlin). His ’62 Thunderbird and her ’57 Fairlane convertible. He’d make razor thin slices of eggplant into the best parmigiana dish ever tasted. To this day, I can’t eat sloppy joe without a dollop of sour cream on top – his legacy too. Those were the good days. But there were always hints of random bad days, and worse days to come. When I was five and we were supposed to go to the school carnival, but he came home drunk (apparently – I was too young to know about that) and threatened to shoot her? Or how eventually, since his drinking episodes were so unpredictable, I stopped inviting friends over to the house completely. Then the divorce, her acrimony and inability to recognize her own contribution to the demise of the marriage. So many painful issues, never addressed and never resolved.

How could two people who could have been decent parents have gotten it so wrong? How could grandparents, aware of the impending disaster, have given up and moved away so they didn’t have to see the carnage? Was it the times – the era of the Cold War or a generation that was between the conformist Eisenhower era and the hippie ’60’s with nothing to claim as their own? Boredom? Midlife crisis? But these afflictions didn’t seem to affect my friends’ parents. Why were mine so screwed up, the effect of which was to maim, in varying degrees and in varying ways, their children?

I have begun to understand a little of how he ended up the way he did. His older brother – the favored one by both parents – the musician, the one with the beautiful blonde girlfriend that eventually married Dean Martin – died an alleged war hero in April ’44. Younger brother – dad – was in ‘flight training’ in Arkansas when older brother was a KIA. That was an event that family could neither talk about nor overcome. Nothing was ever the same for anybody in that immediate family. Dad hated his older brother; they’d have fistfights that drew blood as a reflection of their mutual hatred. But when older brother died, jeez – how do you compete with that? Those pictures on the wall of the grandparents house – the fighter pilot in his sheepskin-collar flight jacket, looking dashing but now long dead. He might have been short, but he was tanned, buff and good looking. But then there was dad – pale, thin, white-blonde hair and only a navigator that never saw action because it was all over essentially by the time his training was done. So what does he do? HE TRIES TO TAKE THAT DEAD BROTHER’S PLACE…but he could never succeed.

He wanted to be an architect; he became a lawyer and joined his father’s practice, as his brother would have been in law school without the war. He was involved in the gun range and shooting clubs, but his heart was never in it – his brother in law Jim took his place in that venue, so he was even more alienated from his father – another perfect man that everybody loved and respected. And then there was the child that wasn’t his – our oldest brother – the product of my mother’s brief ‘marriage’ to a navy man named Kane after dad went off to training and wouldn’t marry her before he left. She just wanted to get away from her mother – another bad family dynamic, with a twin sibling that her mom always favored. So they were two disasters that came together to create three additional children that I don’t think either of them ever had any interest in or wanted.

But the entire family was schooled in never being willing to face any of their demons. I suppose it’s a fairly new phenomenon with the advent of self-help books and psychotherapy to dredge it all up and get past it. But they wouldn’t – or couldn’t. So here I am at age 68, finally coming to grips with the whys and hows, and being truly grateful for the few good times and pleasant memories of my childhood. So on this Father’s Day eve, now that you are no more, bye Dad. I wish things had been different. But I’m still grateful for the gifts you gave me.

Unscripted Trump (UT)

If you’re old enough to recall the Fifties, a movie called The Three Faces of Eve introduced us to Multiple Personality Disorder, MPD. What is MPD? Well, it may be a conspiracy, created by patient and therapist to diagnose a problem and sell books and movie rights, or it may be a real product of childhood abuse. Who can tell? But in the case of DtheT, I think it’s helpful to identify three completely separate personalities in order to predict what he is likely to do in the future.

First, I must give a nod to the NY Times columnist Gail Collins for the idea and the titles. Thank you, Gail. You are a very wise woman – and it would take a woman thinking and writing about DtheT to define it this way. Men would be unlikely to see the three personalities, because they are generally not aware of the nuances of anyone’s personality.

Let’s start with the one everybody pretty uniformly dislikes: the one Gail called Unscripted Trump (UT). The picture above kind of says it all, eh? This personality seems to come out when DtheT is tired, under pressure (like press conferences when he doesn’t have an answer right or readily available), or just annoyed – maybe when he looks at Tiffany and realizes what he gave up to fool around with Marla. In the parlance of Will Schutz and The Human Element, this personality is low on competence (facts seem to elude him, so he makes stuff up), extremely low on likeability (the picture), but very high on significance (I am the greatest president ever!) This profile reminds one of the usual suspects: Hitler, Mussolini, Idi Amin and Ted Bundy. Yep – psychopaths.

Then there’s the second personality. This one Gail calls Reasonable Chatty Trump (RCT). This is the one most likely to show his face in private meetings with people he admires and respects, like Bill Gates or Robert Gates. This is the one that seems to listen, and appears to share these individuals’ world view. This is how we got Rex Tillerson, a fairly reasonable Secretary of State. It’s how we got H.R. McMaster, taking up the reins at the National Security Council after Mad Dog Mattis suggested his name. But the public seldom sees RCT, because this persona does not comport with what UT thinks the ‘base’ want to see. So this one remains in the shadows, and only comes out when it’s absolutely necessary. RCT is evenly balanced between competence and likeability, and is actually a bit suppressed on significance. Think George W. Bush mixed with Papa Bush. Just an all around decent fellow.

Then there’s the third personality, the one Gail calls SNORT (Somewhat Normal Republican Trump). This is the personality the Republicans in Congress most like to see, but the one the ‘base’ hates because he’s BORING. The speech given two nights ago to Congress was given by SNORT. This is a necessary personality, because it’s the equivalent of a belly rub for the media. They are so happy to see UT put under wraps, and they seldom get to see RCT, so they settle for SNORT and get all giggly over him. Sad, isn’t it? This persona appears to be higher on competence, lower on likeability and practically invisible on significance. This is the ‘presidential’ one.

So which personality will spell the ultimate doom of DtheT, if doom comes? Duh – UT will become dominant, and cause the host body to crack and hide under the bed in the Lincoln bedroom. Can he keep it together long enough to fulfill his four year term? If the pressure continues unabated, probably not. If the Republicans in Congress and the people that surround the host body can keep UT suppressed and try to encourage RCT to come out, leavened with a little SNORT when necessary, he will survive.

But here’s the thing. The next four years will be payback time for the Dems to get even. Eight years of abuse at the hands of the Reps will be avenged. In the process, nothing will get done. Fixing health care is hard. Getting those coal miners back to work is likely impossible, unless he creates a CCC-type government jobs opportunity in Appalachia with public works taking the place of mining for coal. Immigration reform has been a complete bust thus far, and the blue states’ attorneys general are sharpening rhetoric to bring down whatever comes next. And then there’s the question of money – who is going to pay for all this? Will Tea Party Republicans abandon their zeal to tamp down deficit spending? Maybe. But even if they do go along, with no support from Senate Democrats, nothing will get down by 2018. The less that gets done, the more we’ll see UT. As a result, in 2020, a reasonable Republican like Brian Sandoval from Nevada will fight all three faces of DtheT for the nomination in order to bring the party back to sanity again. This is when UT will be most dangerous. Slippery slope.

I find it interesting that DtheT seems to use the Rolling Stones’ You Can’t Always Get What You Want song in his ‘campaign’ events – you know, the re-election campaign for nearly four years from now that he’s perpetually running? If you actually read the lyrics, they’re quite dark, with references to lives that in no way resemble his. Oh, you say – what? Because Mick is so hard to understand, you have no idea what those lyrics are? Neither did I, so here they are.

You Can’t Always Get What You Want
Music and Lyrics by Mick Jagger and Keith Richards

I saw her today at the reception
A glass of wine in her hand
I knew she was gonna meet her connection
At her feet was footloose man
You can’t always get what you want
You can’t always get what you want
You can’t always get what you want
But if you try sometimes well you might find
You get what you need
I went down to the demonstration
To get my fair share of abuse
Singing, “We’re gonna vent our frustration
If we don’t we’re gonna blow a 50-amp fuse”

Chorus

I went down to the Chelsea drugstore
To get your prescription filled
I was standing in line with Mr. Jimmy
And man, did he look pretty ill
We decided that we would have a soda
My favorite flavor, cherry red
I sung my song to Mr. Jimmy
Yeah, and he said one word to me, and that was “dead”
I said to him:

[Chorus]

I saw her today at the reception
In her glass was a bleeding man
She was practiced at the art of deception
Well I could tell by her blood-stained hands

Chorus

These lyrics are way too dark, soulful and drug-addled for this to be from Trumpland. This has Steve Bannon’s fingerprints all over it. From the datelines on articles about The Stones being dismayed at him using their music, it’s clear it was added after Bannon took over.

It is all Bannon, all the time with Trump, the empty vessel. And it will be this way for a while, until the vessel begins to think the credit belongs to him. When that happens, you will finally see all the campaign truths come out from the master himself, who will destroy his creation. The guileless Reps in Congress will have no choice but to go along. Is this good governance for our country? Decidedly not. Will we survive it? I believe so. Wait for it – and be prepared for the implosion.

Here’s the next one in the continuing story of my two fish. Enjoy

Here’s my first effort at cartooning..to say it is basic is … well, it’s basic. So now I’m gonna get defensive: hey! This is my first try at it! Gimme a break, will ya? I am learning the tools, and building my characters, ok? So lay off.

Hey, so even the great and wonderful Charles Schultz had to start somewhere…here’s the first ever Peanuts strip.

So here it is – in video format, with no voices – yet. That will come later, and I’ll build it into the plot, as I intend to make myself a Goddess with a capital Godd…well, you know.

Let me know what you think, but be kind – I’m as thin-skinned as Tiny Hands on this new venture. That’s my new name for he who thinks, “me must be obeyed” – the buffoon known as tiny hands, also known as TH. If Teddy Roosevelt could be TR, then … well, you getit.

Here’s a picture of McConnell and Ryan, taken while DtheT was delivering his inaugural Hitler-inspired screed (see previous post). The looks on the two men’s faces couldn’t be different. Ryan is basking in the glow of words that should be sending shivers down his spine. His desire for raw power is superseding his sense. Sad that he doesn’t realize the peril that he faces: he’ll likely figure it out, and then, my friends, he’ll have to go.

But more interesting is the look on Mitch’s face. As he listens to the disjointed, ugly, fear-feeling and mongering speech, he knows that this will spell the end of the Republican party he has served and enjoyed for the past 53 years. And it won’t be a soft landing for the party, either. It will be an ignoble end, and likely doom the party to at least a decade of humiliation and pariah status, not just with Americans, but across the globe. You almost feel a little sorry for him.

But don’t. When the Tea Party was first in its ascendancy, Mitch thought he could use them to his own ends: first to garner the Majority Leader position, and then for a Republican to win the presidency. He envisioned a return to prototypical conservatism: low taxes, an emphasis on global business and trade, and an end to regulation that stifled commerce. Well, he got the presidency for the Republicans. But not the kind of president he thought would work with him – you know, Jeb Bush. Instead, he got DtheT, a psychopathic, petty thin skin who represents all that is dark about the deplorable portion of the party. In his column today, David Brooks refers to DtheT’s motivation as “porcupine fear”. I’m not quite sure what that is, since Googling the phrase only gives me some progressive rock band’s album name. But it does conjure up a picture, eh?

So look at Mitch’s face and examine it well. What do you see? Porcupine fear.

No, I did not watch any of the inauguration (other than what the nightly news hour foisted upon me). No, I did not get drunk, as I did not want to deal with hangover consequences. Instead, I waited to hear or read something cogent from all the talking heads assembled and providing commentary on the event. Sad to say, I was disappointed at every turn. I believe the media is fatigued and depressed over it all. The only happy people I saw yesterday were wearing red hats and naively believing this man was their salvation.

So this morning, it occurred to me: there was another man who was similarly labeled in history. In 1933, he was appointed Chancellor of his country by an old and weak President. I wondered about his first speech, compared to DtheT’s. So I looked it up. And here it is – at least appropriate parts, relative to yesterday’s missive.

“More than fourteen years have passed since that ill-fated day when, blinded by promises at home and abroad, the German volk lost sight of the most valuable assets of our past and of our Reich, its honour and its freedom, and thus lost everything. Since those days of treachery, the Almighty has withheld His blessing from our Volk. Dissension and hatred have made their way into our midst. In the profoundest distress, millions of the best German men and women from all walks of life watch, as the unity of the nation vanishes and dissolves in a muddle of political and egotistical opinions, economic interests and differences…

Today’s ceremony, however, has very special meaning. Because today we are not merely transferring power from one administration to another, or from one party to another — but we are transferring power from Washington, D.C. and giving it back to you, the American People.

The misery of our volk is appalling! The starving millions of unemployed proletarians in industry are being followed by the impoverishment of the entire Mittelstand [middle-class] and artisan professions.

But for too many of our citizens, a different reality exists: Mothers and children trapped in poverty in our inner cities; rusted-out factories scattered like tombstones across the landscape of our nation; an education system flush with cash, but which leaves our young and beautiful students deprived of knowledge; and the crime and gangs and drugs that have stolen too many lives and robbed our country of so much unrealized potential.

When this disintegration ultimately reaches the German peasants, we will be confronted by a catastrophe of unfathomable dimensions. For not only will the Reich disintegrate, but with it a 2000-year-old inheritance, the most valuable assets of human culture and civilization.

For many decades, we’ve enriched foreign industry at the expense of American industry; subsidized the armies of other countries while allowing for the very sad depletion of our military; we’ve defended other nation’s borders while refusing to defend our own; and spent trillions of dollars overseas while America’s infrastructure has fallen into disrepair and decay.

The warning signs of this approaching disintegration are all about us. In a single gigantic offensive of willpower and violence, the communist method of madness is attempting to poison and disrupt the volk, which is shaken and uprooted to its innermost core…

We will reinforce old alliances and form new ones — and unite the civilized world against radical Islamic terrorism, which we will eradicate completely from the face of the Earth.

Peasants, workers, and bourgeoisie must all join together to provide the building blocks for the new Reich. The National Government will therefore regard it as its first and foremost duty to re-establish Volksgemeinschaft – the unity of spirit and will of our volk.

At the bedrock of our politics will be a total allegiance to the United States of America, and through our loyalty to our country, we will rediscover our loyalty to each other.
When you open your heart to patriotism, there is no room for prejudice. The Bible tells us, “How good and pleasant it is when God’s people live together in unity.”

It will preserve and defend the foundations upon which the power of our nation rests.
A new national pride will stir our souls, lift our sights, and heal our divisions.
It will extend its strong, protecting hand over Christianity as the basis of our entire morality, and the family as the germ cell of the body of our volk and State.

We will be protected by the great men and women of our military and law enforcement and, most importantly, we are protected by God.

It will reawaken in our volk, beyond the borders of rank and class, its sense of national and political unity and its resultant duties. It will establish reverence for our great past and pride in our old traditions as the basis for the education of our German youth. It will declare a merciless war against spiritual, political and cultural nihilism. Germany must not and will not drown in anarchistic communism…

This American carnage stops right here and stops right now.

Resolved and true to our oath, we will thus—in view of the present Reichstag’s inability to support this work—ask the German volk itself to take on this task we call our own. Reich President von Hindenburg has called upon us and given us the order to use our own unity to restore to the nation the chance for recovery. Thus we now appeal to the German volk to take part in signing this deed of reconciliation.

Together, We will make America strong again.
We will make wealthy again.
We will make America proud again.
We will make America safe again.
And yes, together, we will make America great again.

The government wants to work, and it will work. It was not this government which led the German nation into ruin for fourteen years; this government wants to lead the nation to the top once more. It is determined to pay the debt of fourteen years in four years. But it cannot make the work of reconstruction dependent upon the approval of those who are to blame for the collapse.

For too long, a small group in our nation’s Capital has reaped the rewards of government while the people have borne the cost. Washington flourished — but the people did not share in its wealth. Politicians prospered — but the jobs left, and the factories closed.

The Marxist parties and their fellow travellers have had fourteen years to prove their prowess. The result is a heap of ruins. Now, German volk, give us four years, and then pass judgment upon us!

The establishment protected itself, but not the citizens of our country. Their victories have not been your victories; their triumphs have not been your triumphs; and while they celebrated in our nation’s capital, there was little to celebrate for struggling families all across our land.

True to the order of the Field Marshal, we shall begin. May Almighty God look mercifully upon our work, lead our will on the right path, bless our wisdom, and reward us with the confidence of our volk. We are not fighting for ourselves, but for Germany!

That all changes — starting right here, and right now, because this moment is your moment: it belongs to you.
You will never be ignored again.
Your voice, your hopes, and your dreams will define our American destiny. And your courage and goodness and love will forever guide us along the way.
___________________________________
Be afraid. Be very afraid.

Remember that great scene in The Lost Boys with Max, the head Vampire? I know I keep referencing that movie, but geez, it’s really on point in these SURREAL days.

So Max reminds the non-Corey kid of the Frog Brothers that you are helpless if you invite a vampire into your house. So how is that relevant? I just finished watching Part II of The Battle of Chile. The documentary film was made in 1976, while the Pinochet takeover was happening. Here’s the point: the good citizenry of Chile thought it was a fine idea for Augusto and the boys to take over the government, as strikes called by supporters of the Allende government caused life to become a trifle difficult in Santiago. So with much help from the Nixon administration’s CIA, Allende was overthrown and killed himself, rather than being taken prisoner by the junta.

Over the following 15 or so years, 3,000 folk ‘disappeared’ and repression was the name of the game. So the message here: be careful when you invite the Vampire in. Listen to Max’s advice. I think he knows of whence he speaks.

The place to deal with the election of Diaper Baby is NOT in the Electoral College. Silly rabbits – it would set a precedent that would negate any future election the losers didn’t like. So now that we’re past that and ready to move on to inauguration, there’s only one question left: what will be the alcohol of choice to achieve maximum inebriation with minimum imbibation on January 20th? Suggestions appreciated.