“Life is like a bag of Skittles . . . you never know what you’re gonna get.”
I am semi-plagiarizing the character Forrest Gump’s famous line from the film Forrest Gump.
Donald Trump, Jr. likens Syrian refugees to “poison Skittles.” How fitting that a man of no taste refers to people he knows nothing about as a multi-colored confection.
“This image says it all. Let’s end the politically correct agenda that doesn’t put America first.”
This is the caption below the gleaming white bowl of Skittles with the Trump/Pence logo: “If I had a bowl of skittles and I told you just three would kill you. Would you take a handful? That’s our Syrian refugee problem.”
Hmm. White bowl, colored Skittles. This could also be seen as racist, could it not? Like the white ruling class holding the non-white people in a bowl (earth?) and controlling them. Alas, I do digress.
The white color could symbolize purity and innocence and the candies inside, the unknown or the impure? Perhaps it is a cautionary tale for trick-or-treaters. After all, Halloween is fast upon us. Should we withhold mini bags of Skittles gathered by our jubilant children at All Hallows’ Eve, for fear they may be in possession of a tainted one? So many questions.
What are your thoughts on the poison Skittles predicament?
The beauty, the pageantry, the test of human endurance and achieving athletic triumphs heretofore unknown: the Olympic Games. The glory of the human body and spirit. What could be wrong with that?
Location, location, location.
Why Rio? One in seven Rio denizens lives in cinderblock shacks or “favelas” stacked on top of one another. Violence and street gangs run rampant.
Rio’s governor declared a “state of calamity” last month because the administration had run out of funds for public security and healthcare. Part of this was due to spending on the Olympic Games. Contracts for stadiums, transportation and port renovations have added to the already enormous wealth of Brazil’s elite families and their companies.
One of the most expensive Olympic projects is the $3 billion subway extension linking the wealthy suburb of Barra de Tijuca to the tony beach neighborhoods Leblon and Ipanema. 92-year-old billionaire Carlos Caravalho is one of the men who owns most of Barra’s land. Once the games come to a close, all 31 of the Olympic Village’s 17-story towers will be converted into luxury condos.
In an interview with The Guardian last year, he [Carvalho] spoke of his dream to turn Barra into “a city of the elite, of good taste.” This is why he dubbed the Athletes’ Village development Ilha Pura, or pure island. “It needed to be noble housing,” Carvalho said, “not housing for the poor.” (The Atlantic, “The Broken Promise of the Rio Olympics,” Alex Cuadros, Aug. 1, 2016)
So pure does not equal poor.
Mayor Eduardo Paes, an Olympics enthusiast, belongs to the Brazilian Democratic Movement Party, representing the old establishment. He is the son of a highly respected attorney and a member of Rio’s elite.
Beyond the economic concerns surrounding the projects of the Summer Games, there is the substantial human cost. Under Paes, more than 20,000 families have been evicted from their homes. It’s the most extensive favela removal drive in Rio’s history—and a far cry from the mayor’s declared goal of social integration. (The Atlantic, “The Broken Promise of the Rio Olympics,” Alex Cuadros, Aug. 1, 2016)
Paes admitted in an interview that the Olympics were used as an excuse to complete unrelated projects and that his goal is to make Barra the new hub of international business.
Nothing wrong with growing business, but it seems that average citizens were once again deceived. They were told the Olympics would benefit all of Rio, but this is indeed not the case. One could say the same thing if the homeless of New York City were told that Olympic Games held in the Big Apple would improve their quality of life. They might also be “relocated” or have their makeshift cardboard homes destroyed.
My intention is not to rain on anyone’s Olympic parade, but simply to shed some light on a perhaps not-so-well kept secret. The elites strike again!
Source: The Atlantic, “The Broken Promise of the Rio Olympics,” Alex Cuadros, Aug. 1, 2016.
Another article of interest: http://www.nytimes.com/2016/08/12/world/americas/brazil-rio-olympics-crime-poverty-favelas.html?smid=nytcore-iphone-share&smprod=nytcore-iphone&_r=0
On July 30, The Denver Post reported that Donald Trump and members of his Secret Service were stuck in a stalled elevator between the first and second floors at The Mining Exchange, a luxury hotel and resort, in Colorado Springs. Luckily, the Fire Department came to the rescue. Thank goodness!
Trump was none too happy with the fire marshal for restricting the number of people attending his rally in Colorado. Never the shrinking violet, he let his feelings be known:
“This is why our country doesn’t work,” Trump said as he slammed the Colorado Springs fire marshal during the rally, moments after the department’s firefighters rescued him. The paper reported that Trump said the fire marshal “didn’t know what he was doing and ‘was probably a Democrat.’ “
Yes, that makes perfect sense. Our country doesn’t work because of incompetent fire marshals who rescue people from elevators, and of course, being a Democrat also lessens the probability that he had the requisite skills to perform his duties.
I’m surprised Trump didn’t blame President Obama or Hillary Clinton for the elevator debacle, Perhaps it will go down in history as “Elevatorgate.”
The idea of a would-be president being trapped in an elevator in the so-called “Mining Exchange” brings to mind the “mineshaft gap” in Dr. Strangelove. I think Mr. Trump might enjoy living in a mine shaft since he’s so enamored with the idea of using nuclear weapons. In his own words, “If we have them, we can’t we use them?”
Trump’s latest attack on Hillary: he called her “the devil.” And, as you all may have heard, he has accused Bernie Sanders of “making a deal with the devil.”
Pot calling the kettle black, anyone?
One could say the same of Chris Christie, who received nada for his loyalty to Trump. Who can forget that priceless photo of him standing seemingly shell-shocked (like he had been abducted or had Stockholm syndrome) behind his self-proclaimed master.
(google image)
I was waiting for Christie to blurt out, “I am Tania,” in the spirit of Patty Hearst.
(google – Patty Hearst)
But who really made a deal with the devil? Could it be the Republican Party, who still endorses Trump in spite of his exceptionally crude, un-presidential behavior? The latest debacle is his maligning the parents of fallen U.S. soldier Humayun Khan, saying, among other things, that Mrs. Khan didn’t speak at the Democratic National Convention because she wasn’t allowed to (being a Muslim woman). Trump went on to say that he had sacrificed a lot for his businesses, after Khizr Khan pronounced, “You have sacrificed nothing. and no one . . . .”
On the subject of sacrifice, an article in today’s New York Times discusses Trump’s multiple deferments from serving in the Vietnam War: four for college, one for bone spurs. Yes, he has sacrificed. Of course, he isn’t the only would-be president to have deferred serving in the military, but he is the only one to attack the family of someone who has served, and paid the ultimate price.
Even Warren Buffett piped in regarding this latest super-gaffe, echoing the words of former Army Chief counsel Joe Welch to Senator Joe McCarthy, “Have you no sense of decency, sir?”
That’s really what it all comes down to: decency.
Be forewarned: Devils come in all shapes, colors and sizes, including orange.
As an ardent Bernie Sanders supporter, I must take umbrage at the call for Bernie to somehow coerce his supporters into vowing allegiance to Camp Hillary. I am not saying that I will not vote for Hillary in November, but I am not a fan.
An article in today’s New York Times is entitled “Sanders Faces Task of Putting Down Revolt He Started.” Why is it his duty to quell the so-called “revolt”? Why should he abandon his beliefs and what he has fought for his entire life and during his campaign simply to kowtow to the DNC? Especially after leaked emails revealed how they tried to destroy his campaign and credibility. At the very least, the DNC should apologize to Bernie and the American people for trying to undermine his hard-fought run and malign his faith.
I didn’t have the heart to listen to his speech last night, although I did listen to Michelle Obama. Her words were heartfelt and stirring. She is a marvelous woman whom I greatly admire. But her speech still didn’t move me to start lapping up the Hillary Kool-aid.
I read Michael Moore’s “Five Reasons Why Trump Will Win.” As much as many of us don’t want to believe it, he may very well be right. As he noted, we cannot blame disaffected or as he calls them, “depressed,” Sanders supporters if Trump does win. However, I do believe most Bernie supporters will come out in support of Hillary in November.
I digress.
What I mainly wanted to convey is that Bernie Sanders should not be blamed if Trump wins or if his supporters cannot find it in their hearts or heads to vote Clinton. Some may say, well, he’s just a socialist turned Democrat for political gain. What choice did he have? And once he came on board, the least they could have done is treat him with respect, instead of like the bastard step-child.
I guess that’s all I have to say. I am feeling a lot of anger and sadness about the current state of affairs, and am trying to get past it and move forward.
It took an old man from Georgia
whose skull was cracked
by the cudgel of prejudice
on “Bloody Sunday,” 1965,
to force the speaker down
even if he would not hear
The speaker called the sit in
a “publicity stunt,”
debasing the act with
a catchall phrase
We are not blind,
Mr. Speaker.
We are not deaf.
You will not silence
the will of the just,
the pure-hearted.
We see through
your icy smile
(photo: nj.com. This is Joseph Hornick’s house. He has litigated to keep this flag in front of his home.)
(The folllowing isbased on “The Ballad of Sweeney Todd”)
Attend the tale of Donald Trump
His skin was orange, his hands were small
He turned people to zombies with a glance
who never thereafter lived free again
He trod a path that few have trod
Did Donald Trump
The demon rich fuck of America
He kept hotels all over town
with fancy clients and good renown
And what if none of their souls were saved?
They went to their maker rather depraved
by Donald
by Donald Trump
The demon rich fuck of America
Wave your gold bars high, Donald!
Hold them to the skies!
Freely flows the blood of those who moralize
His needs were great, his rooms were grand
Three foreign wives, five children fair
posh towers, golf courses, Taj Mahal
hosting beauty pageants, reality show
for spending he deserved a nod
did Donald Trump
The demon rich fuck of America
Ostentatious, Donald was
Loud, narcissistic and mean, he was
Back of his smile, under his word
Donald heard voices that nobody heard
Donald boasted and Donald bragged
Like a perfect machine, he ran
Donald was brash, Donald was vulgar
Donald would blink and rats would scuttle
Donald! Donald! Donald! Donald!
Donald!
Attend the tale of Donald Trump
He served a dark and greedy god
What happened, then, well, that’s the play
And he wouldn’t want us to give it away
Not Donald
Not Donald Trump
The demon rich fuck of Amer-ica
Those of you who perused today’s New York Times may have read the story about Trump’s longtime butler Anthony Senecal calling for the execution of President Obama. He rants ad nauseam on his facebook page about his hatred for Obama. This story was uncovered by Mother Jones.
Trump campaign spokesperson Hope Hicks said in an email, “We totally and completely disavow the horrible statements made by him.”
I certainly hope so.
I read the article in Mother Jones which includes several of his facebook posts and responses to them. He repeatedly refers to “muzzies” (Muslims) and to President Obama as a “commie muzzie.”
This was Senecal’s Facebook post on Wednesday:
To all my friends on FB, just a short note to you on our pus headed “president” !!!! This character who I refer to as zero (0) should have been taken out by our military and shot as an enemy agent in his first term !!!!! Instead he still remains in office doing every thing he can to gut the America we all know and love !!!!! Now comes Donald J Trump to put an end to the corruption in government !!!! The so called elite, who are nothing but common dog turds from your front lawn are shaking in their boots because there is a new Sheriff coming to town, and the end to their corruption of the American people (YOU) is at hand !!!! I cannot believe that a common murder is even allowed to run (killery clinton) OR that a commie like bernie is a also allowed to also run !!!! Come on America put your big boy pants on—this election you have a choice—GET YOUR ASS OUT AND VOTE !!!! Thank you !!!!
We can all shake our heads and say he’s insane or is suffering from dementia, but the fact is he has a forum for his hatred, and many people support his views.
In 1990 Senecal took a couple years off from his butler-ing stint at Mar-A-Lago in Palm Beach, Florida to become mayor of Martinsburg, West Virginia. One of his proposals was to require panhandlers to carry “begging permits” at all times. What a tender-hearted fellow!
On June 16, 2015, he posted on Facebook:
Today, my employer and friend Donald J Trump announced he was running for the Office of President of the United States… NO ONE deserves to run for and be elected to this GREAT office, than Mr. Trump. !!!!!
His love and loyalty for Trump seem to no no bounds.
The Secret Service is going to investigate.
These are the times that indeed try men’s and women’s souls.
Now that the die has been cast, and the “presumptive” GOP nominee–in the guise of Donald Trump–has been anointed, I’m going to offer up my picks for a preferred nominee. I was moved to write this after learning that artist Illma Gore, who created a nude portrait of Trump, was assaulted by a group of his followers. She has also received death threats and is unable to show this piece in the United States, but it has been displayed at the Maddox Gallery in London. priced at $1.87 million.
(google – Ilma Gore / “Make America Great Again”)
My picks:
(1) Chance, the protagonist from the film (based on the Jerzy Kosinski novel) Being There, brilliantly portrayed by Peter Sellers.
Chance is a simple-minded gardener who tends the garden of a wealthy old man in Washington, DC. When the old man dies, Chance is forced to leave the old man’s house and makes his way into the “real” world for the first time, ending up at the home of an elderly business mogul who is also a confidant and adviser to the president of the United States. Chance unwittingly becomes enmeshed in politics but has no real awareness of what is going on around him.
I think Chance would be a better Republican nominee for the simple reason he has no malice or guile, and could do no harm.
(2) Bernie the Cat.
Bernie is a five-year-old domestic shorthair feline. He believes in equal rights for all, particularly the abused, homeless and disenfranchised (very un-Republican) and is fervently against fat-shaming. He himself weighs 24 pounds and is currently on a diet. He feels the abuse suffered by the overweight in our society is cruel and not based on science. He would like his future constituents to read this New York Times article on the plight of the obese, citing former contestants from the TV show The Biggest Loser who regained much of the weight they lost after leaving the show.
(3) Your next-door neighbor who is not a psycho.
I’m certain that many of you have neighbors who are hard-working, decent people grounded in reality. I know it would be a sacrifice for them, but perhaps we can ask our neighbors to run for office. Being independently wealthy or having lots of wealthy friends would help.
Poor Ted. Not only has he been accused of being the Zodiac Killer, been called “Lucifer in the flesh” by John Boehner, and “Lyin’ Ted” by Trump, but his father Rafael has been linked to Lee Harvey Oswald. Sheesh, let’s give the guy a break!
Yesterday he dropped out of the Republican presidential race after his loss to Trump in Indiana. Not a graceful exit, either. After his concession speech, he accidentally elbowed and punched his wife in the face. Poor Heidi! She has been such a staunch defender of her husband too, asserting in a Vanity Fairexclusive that he is not the Zodiac Killer.
CNN
Well, he may not be the Zodiac Killer, and his father may not be an accomplice to Lee Harvey Oswald, but he sure needs to watch his elbows and fists. If I were you, Heidi, I would be careful NOT to stand by your man. You might end up black and blue.
Suburban Hobo 