Trumpphobia Can Be Fatal

Bad news! I just had my annual physical and have been diagnosed with Trumpphobia. To make matters worse there is no treatment available. The doctor, however, offered me a glimmer of encouragement. Trumpphobia researchers are frantically working on a cure and hope to have one by 2020. In my case it is hardly a glimmer. A nonagenarian does not have the luxury of awaiting future cures.

 I have found that avoiding CNN news programs provides some relief from trumpphobia but still the very mention of Trump on any news program makes me break out in hives and have an urge to hurl my remote at the TV set. I do have the luxury of not following Trump on Twitter. If only the media would ignore his tweets that would be a help. The parting words from my doctor were to avoid all news of Trump's ascendancy to POTUS on January 20th. Wall to wall coverage of his inauguration might be fatal to someone with trumpphobia.

Happy New Year???

Tomorrow evening cries of "Happy New Year" will abound. If it is wishful thinking I can accept the traditional celebration of a new year. Realistically, I feel it is more prudent to greet 2017 with a "May God have mercy on us". I've been around for a long time and this is the first time I have looked at the New Year with fear. On January 20, 2017 Donald Trump will become POTUS and the United States will enter its declining years. If we are lucky we will at this time next year eagerly anticipate the New Year but I wouldn't bet on it unless Congress decides it is truly the representative of the people and not a puppet at the hands of the Trump family. Happy New Year? I guess it will depend on what comes out of Twitter.

Make America A Banana Republic Again

Trump wins! Racists and bigots poised to celebrate the demise of the America ready to accept the poor and downtrodden of the world. Indeed we will be the most powerful banana republic of the world.

About Baseball And Presidential Elections

The Cleveland Indians had the Chicago Cubs ready for the dumper with a 3-1 lead in the Series. One more game in their hip pocket and Cleveland would rule the baseball world. Curses! The Cubs win 3 straight and the baseball throne is theirs.

Hillary Clinton as recently as two weeks ago was a shoo-in to become the first female President of the United States of America. Fast forward to November 6 and Hillary Clinton may be the first female Presidential candidate to concede to President -elect Donald Trump.

Inconceivable? Unfortunately not. The Cubs are guaranteed their throne for one year. A President Trump would rule for at least four years. Unacceptable but possible. There are enough stupid voters ready to commit the unpardonable act of voting for a simpleton. Come to think of it, birds of a feather flock together. Only a bird brain would waste his vote on Trump.

 This must be a nightmare. There is no way it will play out like this tomorrow. Or is there?

Fast Forward To Election Day

At my age I really can't afford the luxury of wishing we could fast forward time to November, 2016 and get this election for President of The United States over with. I've faithfully voted in every election since the ripe young age of twenty-one and did so with conviction for my choices but ready to accept the opposition if that were to be. Not so this year. I've made my choice and the thought that I might come out the loser has my A-fib acting up. The longer the debate between Trump and Clinton goes on the more chances their are that some stupid event will swing the election to Trump. I most certainly am not ready to accept such an outcome. I've heard enough. I'm ready to vote. Where the hell is that time machine to take us to election day?

Tony's Finch Diner Emerges From Bankruptcy

Tweet, tweet! Tony decided to give his Finch Diner another go. After firing the Chef and splurging on some fresh thistle seed, the Diner is ready for a comeback. As I write this there is a finch gorging himself at the feeder. I have the High Primal to thank for this reversal of fortunes. She kept harping that the thistle I had was too cheap. It was thistle given to me. I not sure of the donor's ethnicity but in the future it will pay to beware of Greeks bearing gifts.

Will Snail Mail Make A Comeback?

The internet has given us e-mail and texting as popular forms of communication. In the process the United States Postal Service and its snail mail have suffered large losses and some say are terminal. Terminal? Not so fast. Hell, politicians and their shenanigans were much safer with snail mail. By the time a stupid snail mail became public they were already history. Not so with e-mail. E-mail as Hillary Clinton and Debbie Wasserman Schultz well know can get into the wrong hands in real time. Any politician worth his salt must have concluded by now that e-mail should not be the bearer of smears and sensitive comments. Snail mail is a much better choice. By the time snail mail is delivered the events leading to its creation are history. Of course snail mail will not make a comeback. We are too committed to quick ways of becoming asses. For instance, tweeting has become an important form of communication for most politicians. In the future politicians will only be guilty of stupid squawks. Incidentally, is it texting's turn to upset some politician's apple cart?

Feeding The "Law and Order" Candidate

News of the slaughter of police officers in Baton Rouge must have Republican strategists hastily coming up with how the Donald is the only choice for stopping this senseless and cowardly violence. The assassination of police officers creates anger and anger feeds votes for Trump. Black lives indeed matter but they will be put into more jeopardy if the likes of a Trump takes residence in the White House. Sure there are bad and cruel police officers. There are many more good and caring officers. The bad officers will thrive under a "law and order" agenda. The self serving hate driving some protesters will only lead to more bloodshed making the demagogues salivate for the chance to impose an autocratic government. Starve the demagogue do not feed him.

With this latest massacre, one has to conclude that although Americans nurture the Second Amendment they certainly prove that they have no respect for lethal instruments in their hands. When the hell is someone going to move for gun control in no uncertain terms.

(I must admit that it is not clear as to whether or not the police were the initial target but the fact remains that gun violence took some lives)

Tony's Finch Diner Declares Bankruptcy

 Tony's Finch Diner will declare bankruptcy! Per my 6/7 post, the finch have decided to boycott my feeder. Taking a page out of Donald Trumps playbook, it is best that I declare bankruptcy and let the finch enjoy themselves wherever they are. Who knows, I may end up a multi-millionaire like Mr. Trump and even run for President in 2020.

I know that I had given up because of the technical problems I've had with my PC, Windows10 and blogger but I got thru this one with a minimum of problems. It just goes to show you that being a quitter is a bad option. On the other hand, ( I'm partial to cliches) I must be a realist and admit that as the years have piled on, my blog posts are comparable to Tweets or Facebook postings at best. I'm not deserting blogger but -----???

BREAKING NEWS! There's a finch at the defunct Tony's Finch Diner. Maybe Trump's business strategy works. Stay tuned.

Negativism Rules The Day

I was going to write a post about the negativism of today's politics which does nothing more than stir up anger  but I'm finding that Windows10 and blogger are not cooperating. So much for progress. I've lost my text several times. I'll just wait for the election results and hope that the damage will be minimal. In the meantime I hope my PC, blogger and Windows10 settle their differences. In the meantime there is the more user friendly social media which just ignore Windows10.

About Politicians

During the course of Campaign 2016, much has been made about Senor Trump - sorry, its Mr. Trump (he ain't no Mexican)- not being a politician. Supposedly this garners him the support of those disgusted with the political process. It also provides Mr. Trump with an excuse to to come up with one outrageous rant after another. The latter is also justified by his handlers as his disdain of being politically correct. As CNN would have it, there is breaking news on this subject. Mr. Trump is a politician! He became a politician the day he announced his candidacy for the Republican nomination for President. As for not being politically correct, he is guilty as charged. He certainly qualifies as one who does not avoid language that might offend anyone, especially with respect to gender, race or ethnic background. In other words he is a politician who could care less about his fellow Americans. There are good politicians and bad politicians. Unfortunately some bad politicians aspire to be President of the United States. 

One For The Birds

If one is fortunate enough to join the ranks of nonagenarians and still possesses his mental faculties as well as physical prowess (although limited), he feels entitled to enjoy certain harmless hobbies. Years ago this nonagenarian became a fan of bird feeders. Tony's Finch Diner has been the target of a number of posts (see Birds, Finch Diner labels) over the years. It is now time to once again update the status of Tony's Finch Diner.

Tony's Finch Diner is again on the verge of bankruptcy. If there are any finches left in this world they have found better feeding grounds. St. Francis who is the greeter for Tony's diner has been in tears.  Where have all the finch gone? The last time I asked this question was 07/03/2012. At the time I blamed my diner problems on Romney. Holy cow! It was during campaign 2012. Could it be that finches stay away during the circus we call selecting Presidential candidates? Our political climate scares the hell out of me - why not the finch. There is also a rumor going around that Trump has built some kind of a wall to keep finches out of the USA. I doubt that. The last finch chirp I heard did not sound Mexican. Even an ass like Trump knows that birds fly over walls. Another rumor is that the Bernie Sanders' bombastic rhetoric is just too much -  even for a bird. By the way there is no truth to the rumor that the Clinton Foundation has offered to bail me out.

I doubt that there is a  connection between presidential campaigns and Tony's Finch Diner problems. After all, so far Campaign 2016 has been for the birds.

No Time For A Revolution

As far as I'm concerned, Bernie Sanders is no longer a viable presidential  candidate. His campaign has boiled down,at least in my opinion, to a greedy power struggle no matter the cost to the future of this country. Nothing short of a revolution would see his solutions to the issues implemented. This country was born from a revolution and has evolved through hard work in legislative halls into a super power. One birth is enough. There is much about Bernie Sanders position on issues that I like. His strategy in the closing months of the primaries however is the strategy of an egotist - not a statesman. I'm not enamored with Hillary Clinton but comared to The Donald she is a winner. It is time that Sanders comes to the same conclusion.

A Stink To Rival The Cicadas

In about two weeks the Cleveland area will be subjected to the deafening sound of the 17-year cicada. According to the latest reports the nuisance will be gone by the time of the RNC convention in July. All that will remain will be lots of dead bugs and and the stink of shells. I firmly believe that these reports are a bit premature. The 17-year cicada may be gone by July but another loud, obnoxious creature which goes by the name of Trump will invade Cleveland in July. After a few days of screaming and roaring it will be gone and only a stink will be left behind. If only we could build a wall.

May God Have Mercy On Us

One of the lessons of Campaign 2016 may very well be that it is time for change. Not the change that the Democrats and the Republicans talk about which is political garbage but the change that disillusioned voters have inferred by their support of a demagogue like Trump and the Don Quixote like Bernie Sanders. The country needs a new political party which can challenge the stodgy Democrats and Republicans without resorting to misguided showmanship. Bernie Sanders' campaign demonstrates that we are ripe for political change. It will not happen without pain. Unfortunately that pain may very well be a President Trump. May God have mercy on us.

Go Obama! Go!

Not having to face a re-election campaign can do wonders for a sitting President's approval rating and  legacy. Obama has been on a tear issuing executive orders and taking positions all designed to benefit those in need of a champion - the Mr. and Mrs. John Does. He has proven once and for all that he has calgione . Shining example, he now advocates the elimination of the forced leasing of cable boxes. This ripoff by cable companies costs the consumer over $200 per year. For what? An antiquated piece of electronics. One has only to look at the history of the telephone to appreciate what the end of leasing can mean for cable boxes.

Enough about cable boxes. The purpose of this post is to put forth a proposal that the term for POTUS be limited to one term only for six years. Not faced with months of political maneuvering a President could concentrate on governing. At least it would get us closer to the benefits of a parliamentary  form of government.

Obama has eight months left to work on his legacy. I have the felling that at long last we have the President we thought we elected in 2008. Bravo Obama!

Time For Freedom From Relgion

We look forward to a world founded upon four essential human freedoms. The first is freedom of speech and expression--everywhere in the world. The second is freedom of every person to worship God in his own way-- everywhere in the world. The third is freedom from want . . . everywhere in the world. The fourth is freedom from fear . . . anywhere in the world.--President Franklin D. Roosevelt, Message to Congress, January 6, 1941

So spoke FDR seventy-five years ago. We have accepted these essential freedoms up until recently. Now a fifth freedom has become a popular buzz word in some parts of this country. Apparently the holier than thou citizens of some states  like Mississippi and North Carolina have taken it upon themselves to blatantly discriminate against the LGBT community. Of course they have had a lot of practice in denying civil rights to anyone that is "different".

Before this fifth freedom gains more steam, I propose that we start a movement for the adoption of yet another freedom. It is essential that the freedom from religion be made part of the fabric of The United States of America. One should worship whatever God or idol one pleases but do it in a church, temple or mosque - not in a legislative chamber. The separation of church and state must be preserved if this nation is to reap the benefits of the Bill of Rights.

What you sow, you shall reap

The holier than thou conservative Republicans are in a state of turmoil and the Democrats have had nothing to do with the chaos. Lets give thanks to Donald "Il Duce" Trump. The obstructionist and racist politics of the past seven years have come to roost and the evangelistic base of the GOP is raising its arms toward the heavens and wailing,"What you sow ,you shall reap". Obama must be gloating all the way to a respectable legacy.

Is there a rebate for watching a GOP debate!?

I watched most of Thursday's GOP debate before I finally gave in to some common sense and went to bed. After listening to almost two hours of trash talk and uncivil behavior I had to turn off the TV before a hurled a chair at it. These so called debates, are character assassination events. Can you top this slam is the name of the game. The candidate who succeeds in insulting the clear thinking voters wins the debate. As for me, I plan to ask CNN for a rebate to compensate me for the nightmares their debate caused. May God have mercy on us no matter who emerges as the nominee.

Technological Advances Must Respect The Environment

GE has announced that they will phase out the production of CFL bulbs by the end of the year. The heir to household illumination will be LED bulbs. Other manufacturers are sure to follow. Applause! We will now have access to even more energy efficient light bulbs. Before we get carried away with a standing ovation, let us remember what the demise of CFL will mean in terms pollution. These gadgets rely on mercury to do their job. One just does not throw in the trash barrel once their usefulness has ended. Home Depot will accept them for recycling but I wonder what will happen when more and more CFL's are disposed of.

It would be worthy of a standing ovation if along with ceasing production of CFL's, corporations would also announce a program to make sure that the mercury in CFL's does not make our fragile environment even more fragile.

Advancement in technology is great as long as being responsive to the dangers these advancements may pose is part of the progress.