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- Remember when Ronald Reagan characterized America as the “shining city on the hill” that other nations would aspire to be? Today’s Republicans don’t, nor do those isolationists want America to play that role in global affairs.
- Trump trumpeted his visit to East Palestine, Ohio, while Biden visits war-torn Ukraine. Trump hands out hats while campaigning for his ego and perhaps, his freedom. Biden delivered hope and encouragement to people defending democracy and fighting for a nation’s freedom. History will favor Biden, but domestic politics may favor Trump.
- Recently departed Richard Belzer’s “Munch” character is widely credited with being the American television character, portrayed by the same actor, to appear on the most programs: Homicide: Life on the Street, all the Law & Order franchise shows, The Wire, X-Files, among others. (And legendarily on “The Simpsons,” although there’s no official record of Belzer being on the show, so possibly a background cop somewhere?)
- Marjorie Taylor Greene suffers from a condition of people common among those who don’t read books and don’t know history. She thinks every idea she has is a unique innovation no one has ever thought of before, but she doesn’t read so she doesn’t realize these ideas have all been presented–and summarily dismissed as idiotic–in the past.
- A rare recommendation to reread a NatZero piece: Spartan’s commentary on the first anniversary of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. While the date will be remembered in history as the start of the fall of the Putin regime because of the Russian invasion, contemporaneously it should mark a celebration of Ukraine’s bravery, fortitude and determination. The fight is a long way from over but unlike Republicans, the Ukrainians show no signs of easy up on Russia.
- Ronald Reagan and the Republicans of his era would not tolerate the Russian favoritism today’s GOP and their media partners openly advocate. Nor would they have acted as Republicans did when Joe Biden was on Ukrainian soil. There was a time when domestic dirty laundry stopped at the water’s edge, but now the Complete Destruction Caucus wants the world to know they don’t support our President, our Constitution, or America’s traditional role as the beacon of democracy.
- Russia apologist Ron DeSantis is taking his persecution of migrants to a whole new level: he wants to repeal a law–championed by his Lt. Guv while she was in the legislature–that provides in-state tuition to Florida’s state universities to any resident regardless of immigration status. It’s a law that makes sense: these families pay the same increased sales, property and income taxes in the state just like citizens do. They should not be financially burdened simply because of their citizenship status.
- Fox media whiner Howard Kurtz completely neglected to cover the leaked emails and text messages from Fox hosts and executive showing how corrupt they are on his media watchdog show “Media Buzz’ as he continually complains about liberal media bias. I know: shocking.
- DeSantis also wants to ban non-citizens from being members of the Florida Bar Association even if they pass the exam and meet all other requirements, a move that not only violates the First Amendment, but demonstrates the issue is legitimate xenophobia, not judging people on their individual merits, the claim Republicans make to justify their bigotry. (Incidentally, there is no rule, in any Court, including the Supreme Court, that demands a lawyer be an American citizen so long as that person has proper Bar credentials.)
- Little realized fact: the United States did not have a president serve two full terms in office through the 1960s and ‘70s. Eisenhower did it before and Reagan did it after, but no one did it during. (The longest such streak in US history, however, was from the end of Andrew Jackson’s second term in 1837 to the inauguration of US Grant in 1869. There was another run of about a quarter century ended by TR.)
- Marge wants to divide the country into those Blue States that follow the Constitution and Red States that only follow the parts they want to follow, completely ignoring the Equal Protection clause.
- As much as I like my iPhone, I would not be upset if the thing was never invented. Old flip phones were great: calls, texts and (maybe) photos. You could still be connected without being chained to the device.
- Nothing like a deadline to get your brain racing. Four on the same day is a fun challenge. (And when I say “fun” I mean it in the way you feel right before your toboggan hits the big oak tree at the end of a thrilling downhill run.)
- Marge boasted about requiring committee members to say the Pledge of Allegiance before committee meetings–something the Democrats objected to as performative given all members, including Marge, start every session before committee meetings reciting the Pledge that includes the line, “the Republic for which it stands, one Nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.” Marge hears the “under God” part, but erases the subsequent word just as she does the introductory clause of the Second Amendment.
- Trump, like his GOP predecessor GW Bush, knows he can’t leave the US without the potential–no matter how slight–of him being arrested for crimes, or at least facing massive protests that would damage his ego.
- Speaker pro tem Kevin McCarthy providing Capitol security footage from January 6th exclusively to Tucker Carlson undoubtedly was a demand of Matt Gaetz and Marge. He caved to their demand to give sensitive information on facility security to a propagandist who–they all know–will manipulate the video. 44,000 hours is a lot of empty hallways to edit for Tucker to claim, “Look at the video we’re showing you: nobody was really there. See? We’re showing it to you with the actual video. It didn’t happen. They made it up. Why aren’t there people marching through the halls like they said? Where’s the violence? I don’t see any. Do you? They said there was violence all over the building, but I guess not. This leads to more questions: how much are they lying? Well, never lie to you, of course, but why are they? Why are they hiding this? Why did they create a narrative about the Capitol being under attack? If the video doesn’t show people parading through the hallways, did it really happen? Aren’t they the ones really attacking the Capitol? I’m just asking questions and you should be too.”
- Bitching about the ubiquity of smartphones aside, their functionality is fantastic. You to cut out direct human contact while undertaking innumerable tasks, saving time and aggravation. The irony of something called a “phone” facilitating you not talking to people but still functioning is not lost.
- My all-time favorite playwright is Edward Albee for a number of reasons. Besides the fact that I worked for him, he was a groundbreaking talent and was rightly regarded as the foremost American playwright of his generation. Shakespeare, obviously, is the greatest playwright in history, by both quality and quantity. I’ve also liked what I’ve read by August Wilson, though admittedly I haven’t read not enough. And I will also admit to not reading a number of female playwrights, likely because I stopped reading plays or attending new productions about 30 years ago, before the women got their rightful recognition. It’s difficult for me to enjoy a show because I look at it from a director’s perspective, much like an ex-college football player can’t just watch a game without critiquing the play calling internally.
- Despite what you may understand, asking your mate out on your first date on February 29th does not absolve you from commemorating it every year, even though they don’t make a “Happy Nearly Anniversary” card.
