NO MAS

School's out for the summer!! And I have a few gems for your consideration. Here goes: --Hate to say it but I would have to take Marjorie Taylor Greene in any wrestle mania bout with AOC. AOC wins all other battles. --I will not discuss the case of "Spencer the Goat" which of course appeared in the Globe. --I am so so disheartened by the Hamas/Israeli "war" and the deaths of so many. Netanyahu has to go but I fear this tragedy may get him the support he needs to stay in office. --Have come to love the Dropkick Murphys. A kind of old fashioned rock and roll band--first time in too long that I have gotten into a new group. --We all know that Gaetz did all that shit, right? That's it. No mas. I will be back in the fall. Have a good summer.

THE TURTLES

No, not the teenage mutant ninja ones. And not Flo and Eddie who collaboratively called themselves the Turtles (as in a singing duo) in the fabulous 60's. I'm talking about the cute live ones who appeared on my computer screen at the scene of a fire in my neighborhod. After the Globe assured us that people were saved but that the loss was estimated at $500,000--after that, they not only told us that the turtles were saved but shared a picture of the little things. They just cannot help themselves and use so much footage from third parties,you would think they had no staff. Moving to other items of note: --I do not want to hear the words "proximate" or "transparent" coming out of the mouths of any politician. First of all, I have no clue what they mean about proximate. Second, they have to quit yakking about transparncy and just behave in a transparent manner. Talk continues to be cheap. In light of that, kudos to Liz Cheyney for being so direct about the Trumpster. --MSNBC lhas to do something about Reverend Al. He has a regular show on the network but also is the President of an activist group whose issues he forcefully addresses when he is on the air. He also sits at a desk with the name of that organization prominently displayed over his shoulder. Seems like lit is proximate to being a conflict of interest. Just sayin. --No more apologies emanating from the mouths of public figures. Either shape up or get kicked to the curb. --Two little factoids frokm my birth state (which is Fla. for those who forgot). First, the CEO of some private school informed her staff that if they chose to get vaccinated, they would be fired. Seriously. No insight abouit what if they get the virus. Then, in a state with too many private airplane pilots, one decided to land in the water off Cocoa Beach. And not way out there in the water; but within yards of the beach. He got out and just kind of sat on the wing for a bit. Probably looking to be congrautlated on his perfect crash landing. This is a state which has a Governor who makes the Trumpster look almost normal. --My current fine state will shortly be using helicopters to drop anti rabies medicine in places where racoons and coyotes live--seems they frequently are rabid. But, omg, maybe we should tell people not to go near them? --I was very scared about the Chauvin jury while they deliberated. I did not want to be around if, like many juries before, they returned not guilty verdicts. I am frequently referred to as a Luddite because of how I am not a big fan of cell phones. But I have to say that without the video shot by onlookers, that guy would be free and likely back on the force. --Despite a bunch of signs and fairly clear recycling guidelines, our common trash area is a fucking nightmare. My fellow condo dwellers either ignore the signs or don't care. But there is trash all over and no shared plan to address it. --There are regularly a bunch of law suits involving the Boston Public Schools. Usually they involve the elite exam schools in the system. The suits are generally filed by parents who want their kids to go to these schools and are usually white. If the other schools in the system were of a high quality, this woud not be an issue. But the Teachers Union is in control of that system and change is consistently opposed and seemingly not in their vocabulary. --The Worcester AAA farm team of the Red Flops opens its first season this week. Predictions of the end of the world accompany this opening because of worry no one will attend the games. These folks who worry about things before they happen drive me to distraction. Shalom

"I LIVE DEEP INSIDE MY HEAD"

That's a direct quote from a song on the last album by John Prine. He just had a way with words--his choice of rhymes (pairing Idaho with ago) that is virtually poetic. I miss his music and regret the opportunities I had to go see him but something came up or it was too expensive OR OR OR.....He died right at the beginning of the pandemic and was at risk due to bouts with cancer. These specific words resonate with me because I sometimes think this blog allows me to share some things that lie deep inside my head. Moving on. --Speaking of poignant phrasing. How about: "camaraderie of the marginalized"? I stole that from a novel by Matt Goldman. He is a writer who originally wrote for Seinfeld and then Curb Your Enthusiasm. I have now read two of his mysteries which are set in Minneapolis and feature a private detective whose name is Nils Shapiro. I have yet to be informed about that mixed lineage. Anyhow, I recommend his books if you like mysteries. --Please send the inventor of collagen directly to the principal's office. That person needs to explain him or herself. Same goes for whoever invented "anal bleaching". Which is apparently a thing. This person also needs to explain him or herself. Both of these people need to go sit in the corner of the principal's office until they settle down and apologize. --Now we get to that great interchange between Dr. Fauci and Jim Jordan. Did any of you see it? Jordan's take on the pandemic is that it (the virus) has taken away our freedom and it is the fault of science. Jordan is a fucking idiot. I am more surprised that Fauci did not get up and leave the room. Maxine Waters finally and literally told Jordan to shut up. This lack of belief in science is scary because it gets linked to the anti-vaxers, the anti-maskers, and the I'm against anything the government tries to make me do. That is one reason nearly 600,000 have died from Covid. --We turn now to the following. Please don't tell anyhone that I was raised in Miami. As of this moment, I officially repudiate that entire state--except for that city way down at the bottom closer to Havana than it is to Orlando--Key West. Let's see: DeSantis is Governor, Scott and Rubio are its two senators, Gaetz traffics in drugs and underage minors. If that is not enough, Dade County is full of crazed wealthy right wing emigres from all over Central and South America. And they are killing the Everglades in favor of development. Good riddens and good luck. --Our Governor, who I generally like, is a firm believer in privatization. That philosophy rests of the assumption that the private sector does anything and everything better than the public sector. It also implicity is a way to diminish the role of unions. But oh my--it is not perfect. So the state's effort to set up vaccine web sites was privatized. The computer system running our Regisltry of Motor Vehicles is also privatized. Both systems have crashed in the last month. Even though I have recived my two shots, it was totally a mess trying to access the web site. --Two things I don't want to hear: How businesses on the Cape are having trouble finding employees. Every year we have to hear that shit. Nor do I want to hear how wonderful the new Boston College unis will be now that they have an agreement with New Balance. They still will have sucky teams (except for ice hockey) but they will be prettier. I'm done with that. --If that police officer is somehow found not guilty in Minneapolis, it will get very ugly very fast. Have no words for the regularity of young men of color being murdered. Especially as a parent, it is not something I can fathom. How can you recover from such losses. SPORTS TALK --One question for you red flop fans: when they started 0-3, how worried were you? TA TA

RANDOM THOUGHTS

--Major, Joe's dog, was banished to Wilmington because there was a biting incident at the White House. Then he gets to Wilmington and,a couple of days later, there is another biting incident. Oh, those dogs--just like humans except, well, they are animals and have pea sized brains. --The area South of Boston is known as the South Shore--duh. As an fyi for those of you not from around here, it consists of the towns you pass on the way to the Cape. Some people refer to that area as the "Irish Riviera" due to the fact that many folks who live there came from city neighborhoods predominantly Irish. Now we have the fine athletic staff at Dluxbury High Slchool. In this screwy pandemic year, high school footbal is being played in the spring. The coach at this fine bastion of academia decided he needed a code to transmit plays to his team. Two of he codes were "rabbi" and "Auschwitz". MMM--do you sense a trend? It was all fine and dandy until someone actually learned of these play calling trends. Oh, you are reading too much into this--these are just kids. That was the first explanation. Then the Coach was fired and other games were cancelled. A day late I'd say. Either they are not teaching well in that school or the kids are not listening. But in the end, I am not shocked--it is there below the surface. Anti semitism will raise it read again aomeplace else and we will be shocked all over again. --Kind of like the recent attacks on Asian Americans. These things do not go away. They simply submerge until one of the people (a la the capitol rioters) feels irked by diversity and has access to weapons. --Teresa Hanafin is a Globe reporter with a blog. I like her writing a lot and in response to folks who refuse the vaccines, she had this to say: "it is astonishing that they take pride in their ignorance of science". Where is the Trumpster when we need him. --It is time for Deborah Brix to go away and quit trying to resurrect her career. Talk about a day late and a dollar short? Where was she during the last 6 months of the Trumpster's presidency. Kick her to the curb with the rest of the apologists. --In the midst of the pandemic, our transit system (MBTA) went about cutting some servies and eliminating others. Demand was down they said and in the narrow sense they were right. But the stimuus bill will give them tons of money--yet they insisted they stil had to make the cuts. Until of couirse, our Reps and Senators in DC basically said restore everything or maybe you wont get any money. This governor simply is not interested in public transit. They quicikly and fearfully caved. --I continue to be sick of teachere'unions who continue to fight a return to face to face education. The city had to set up a special and separate vaccination site for the union members and even then, they were not sure it was a good enough location. I say Fuck 'em. --We finally have a Secfretgary of the Intlerior who cares about the land and its importance to us citizens. She is a Native American woman who has already set about minimizing if not eliminating many of the trumpsters drilling decisions. --When NCAAm baseketball teams finally hire a woman to coach a men's team, then I lwill know that there has been a big change in that world. I have seen far too many men coaching the women's teams and nary a woman coaching the men. --Speaking of which, I had a grand old time texting back and forth with OH to discuss the brackets. We both got demolished but he was a fierce competitor. --Have no words or even language for the Denver murders. As a local reporter put it--If laws did not change after Newtown and the murder of children, why should we expect them to change now? --The "normalcy of this President is astonishing. Shalom

A LETTER TO THE SUPERINTENDENT OF SCHOOLS---AND OTHER THOUGHTS

Dear Ms. Smith: First, let me say how wonderful it is that my boy Tommy has a male teacher in elementary school. It is so rare. I also want to acknwoledge that this has been a difficult year for you and your staff. On the other hand, let me share a few parental thoughts. In general, if you believe my son has been educated over the last year, you are mistaken. Remote education is a contradiction in terms. We were lucky to have a computer--otherwise, it could have been called no education. It has been a little over a year since the virus impacted the town, the state, the country, and even the world. I could not expect that the local school system would have prepared for this disaster.So,my child was remotely educated for the last 3 months of the 2019/2020 school year. That deprived him of all sorts of peer interaction and, as a single parent, it created a major crisis in our home life. I did expect that by September of 2020, your system would have made adjustments and minimally would have offered multiple days of weekly instruction--even if remote. But nope, Tommy continued to be fully educated remotely throughout the fall--for half days. Since January, he has gone into the school building one full day a week. Recently, we were told tht all K-8 students would return to buildings completely by May 1st. But our local teachers union has sued the state saying they have not been prepared adequately. If my math is accurate, 13 months have passed since the beginning of the crisis. What have you been doing if not preparing for the reopening of schools? Preparing lawsuits? Hiring lawyers? Plese explain why the CDC says teachers are safe to teach in person. Please explain how teachers can be prioritized for vaccinations yet still not be prepared. I have already lost my job and have to hope that the recently passed federal bail out will reach us soon. I assume you and all the teachers have continued to get paid. TOMMY'S MOTHER Moving on: --Am wondering if Cuomo will survive. Kind of believe he has done all these awful things. Also wonder why it took so long for Senator Gillenbrand to say he should step down--after all, it took all of 5 minutes for her to ask Al Franken to resign. --Speaking of Senators, can someone explain to me how the state of Wisconsin can elect a progressive out gay woman (Tammy Baldwin) to one Senate seat and elect a moron like Ron Johnson to the other? He is too stupid for words. --I'm waiting for Ozzie and Harriet to show up at one of those CPAC conferences maybe with Robert Young along for the ride. Bring back small town values and all the good stuff from the 50's. Sky King is at the airport ready to pilot your 737. --I did not watch the Oprah interview with the royals and have no time for their shit. I got enough of my own, thanks. --The Globe gave us this past week the 25 most frequently used names of dogs. The vaccinations are all screwed up here and we continue to get pet stories. --Kids are streaming across our southern border and being detained for, on average, 107 hours. That is better than the Trumpster but detaining young children is not a good idea and kind of still smells like an unplanned big time first problem for Joe. --One can only hope that the stimulus money does in fact impact low income people and enhance their lives. ONE SPORTS NOTE: I worry that both the Bruins and Celtics have the same issues--no depth and lots of inconsistency. SHALOM.

DOG NAPPING AND OTHER URBAN ANECTDOTES

So, right here on this very block, right here in this very complex, right here a few doors down (the litany as stolen from Arlo), in other words very close--a neighbor has a mini-dog named Lady Gaga. That dog had a traumatic week when she learned that two of her distant relatives were dognapped and their dog walker assaulted. Furthermore, that dog never knew that she was named after a famous singer--it was all news to her and apparently the Globe which featured the story prominently. Our local Gaga quarantined herself in case those dognappers came for her. But fortunately the dogs were found--due to the vigilance of Officer Obie (also stolen from Arlo) and other public servants just doing their job. Moving on. --Close your eyes and see me if you can imabgine this: a President who visits an ailing Senator from an opposition party. Can you imagine that President being Trujmp. Nah, not even with your eys open. Biden just visitd Robert Dole who apparently is very ill. Biden may have already made some mistakes but the affect coming out of the White House and the presidency in general is so much more positive and less gloomy. Mistakes are allowed. Dark versions/visions of American are the work of fools. --Speaking of which, what planet deposited Ron Johnson here? I mean the Senator from Wisconsin not the former great Wolverine running back. The guy from the Badger state is still supporting the Big lie theory of the election. And used one of the confirmation hearings to share his grievances. --I hope all of you saw some of the speeches at the CPAC conference. All of those light weights paying homage to Trump as they are already running for Presidengt in 2024. Pathetically Cruz was making jokes about his Cancun trip. At least, he did not blame his daughter which he had done previously. --I did not grieve for a second over Limbaugh's passing. He was a festering wound on the body of our democracy. Not worthy of that Congressional Medal hung on his neck by the Trumpster. --I am so so tired over the Cornel West tenure battles with Harvard. He wants it and they don't want to give it. But why should I care about anything going on over on that Cambridge campus? Give it to him or not--but it truly is not the biggest issue in my life. --But the vaccine might be the biggest. Got my first one last night at the Tom Menino YMCA. The Y is located in a Boston neighborhood and is named after the former Mayor who lived in that area. Easy peasy. The difficulty was finding the place since I had never been in that part of the city before. --Our Governor, who I happen to like, really botched the whole vaccination process especially the on line access to the vaccine appointments. This is a guy who ran a major health care business and loves to be identified as a hands on manager. Well, he pretty much mismanged this and he exhibited as little skill as I might have. Ugly computer crashes, long lines, and confusing guidelines. --I am beginning to really like Brianna Kellar on CNN. She is factual, to the point, and nails politicians with what sems like an unending supply of video catching them in all sorts of lies. --Do you have a weather addict in your family? You know, the kid of person who cannot plan an activity withoout checiking the weather firt. The kind of person who gets immobilized by the first mention of the word STORM. Well, I thought I was above that fray until this winter when I kind of got caught up in all the weird weather all over the place. Not quite addicted by getting close. --And now this--to quote John Oliver. I had a memorable week last week as I passed the 3/4 century mark. The women in my life made that day so very special. Friends/family said very nice things about me--to the point that I wondered if they mistook me for someone else. I am still exhilirated by that day. Love them all Shalom

WE DIDN'T SEND HIM THERE TO VOTE HIS CONSCIENCE

Apparently, they sent him there to do anything Trump asked. The title is a semi exact quote from a Republican official in Pnnylvania. He was reacting to Senator Toomey's vote to convict Trump. In general, Toomey is not one of those communists trying to take over the country. By and large, he is a conservative Republican. While Toomey did vote to convict, he had a major advantage. He had already decided to retire and was not going to run in 2022. So the Trumpsters did not scare him. Many other Republican state committees are censuring their Representatives and Senators for voting the "wrong" way. Rep. Adam Kinzinger's family wrote vulgar angry letters essntially disowning him. Worse, they got them published. Moving on. --JM wrote to tell me what a "joyous moment" it was to see Kamala laugh so often. After so much darkness emasnating from the White House. --BTW, anybody hear from Stephen Miller? --The Republicans basically chose Greene over Cheyney. Cheyney being another one of those Commies who spoke against Trump. --Anyone else bothered by the length of Rachel's intros? Or the length of her questions? She just goes on and on sometimes. --Bruce has had a bad few weeks. Got trashed for being in a Super Bowl ad for Jeep--which I kinda liked. But then we later learned he got arrested for DWI. Oh my. --Rand Paul was very busy doing work while the House managers presented their case. And Hawley was doing paperwork in the gallery. --Ted Cruz needs to shut up along with Ron Johnson and Marco. Step aside and grow a pair. All excited about 2022,they are. --Amanda Gorman's poem diuring the Super Bowl was wonderful. I love how she recites and uses her hands as part of the presentation. --Watched "One Night in Miami". The guy playing Clay/Ali was so so good. Meanwhile, I grew up there but due to segregation, that could have been set on Mars for all I knew about that part of the city. --Marilyn Stasio has been my reviewer of choice for a long time. Every 2 weeks or so, she reviewed mystery novels in the NYT book review. I learned about Rankin, Adler-Olsen, French, and many others from her columns. She is no longer a regular reviewer and will appear every so often. Hope the new person is as good. I will miss Marilyn. Next to the wedding announcement writers, she was my most favoirite Sunday writer. --A year ago I celebrated a birthday by taking out three of my favorite relatives for dinner. That was the last time I have eaten inside a restaurant. It means that not only am I coming up on another birthday, it also means we have been "inside" for a bit more than a year. It is getting to be grueling and yet I know I have it better than many many others. --I have yet to be vaccinated and l refuse to cheat. I should be able to get my first shot next week. --For a manager with a serious background in Health Care, Charley Baker really screwed up the vaccine distribution process. I had come to like the guy a lot and then this mess. --Someone else I liked is our about to be Secretary of Labor--aka Marty the Mayor of Boston. He totally blew the process of replacing the retiring Police Chief. Almost immediately, the new guy was found to have been charged with dom4estic abuse a bunch of years ago. Marty picked a good time to leave town. --If anyone ever wanted to appoint me to a big position that required deep back ground checks, I would have never been hired. Lots of stuff has been swept under my carpet. A SPORTS NOTE I knew it. I warned all of you about Pedey not being a HOF worthy second baseman. Sure enough, the following week the talking heads and other sports media types started advocating for him. No fucking way. Shalom. Shalom

THEY BLEW IT AGAIN

They have all the latest electronic gizmos. They have NWS updates. They have the European model and they have the GPS model. They have the models they designed at their own stations. They have all this and they still got it wrong. As late as 5 p.m. yesterday, they told me (personally) that we would be getting 10-14 inches of snow. Schools, (which barely are open anyhow) cancelled whatever in person classes they had. Cities declared snow emergencies and told people they could park in city lots overnight. The Weather Channel folks were the worst--virtually hysterical as they described how bad it would be. And then and then--if there was 3 inches when I woke up this morning, that would be a lot. Don't tell me about all the places that got gigantic amounts of snow. With all their models, they should be able to differentiate between the city and a town ten miles away. As I have said before--if I had done my job this badly, l would have been let go. But all of them are now alerting us to some other MAJOR storm next week. Moving on. --Larry King died last week--and I have an anectdote. Back in the day, a close relative of mine was a journalist for the Miami Herald. He was very SMART and very IMPORTANT. He frequently appeared on King's radio show which broadcast from a houseboat on Indian Creek on Miami Beach. I was allowed to sit in every so often. Way cool. And my memory is that King was very nice. WIOD on your dial. --What I consider a little known fact about the inaugeration--one of the songs sung was by Woody Gluthrie and another was by Leonard Cohen. That was a message from Biden to us about diversity and the new world order. --Did you see Kamala swear in the 3 new male senators? One was Jewish (GA.), one was an African American (GA.). and one was Hispanic (CA.). All of these men sworn in by an Afican/South Asian female Vice President. --Beyond whatever else elections represent, they also mean we are sending people to offices(at the local, state, and national levels) to make decisions. Not to eqiuivocate, not to be wishy washy,and certainly not to complain that they have too many issues to deal with. So it is the old thing about walking and chewing gum at the same time--they apparently cannot multi task and would likely choke on their gum if they were walking. --I am already tired of the media's impatience with Biden. As I write this, he has not been in office for two weeks and some of them are already telling us about his "problems". And, oh my, what impact will this or that have on the 2022 elections. Enough--try and give the man and his extraordinarily bright helpers some time. That woman who does the press conferences makes Kaleigh seem like an infant. --A bunch of revisionist stuff is going on about Deborah Brix. So what if she quietly travelled the country to help state governments deal with the virus. She also stood next to POTUS as he lied his pants off about fake science. --Poor Kelly Loeffler--she lost and is now selling her interest in the Atlanta WNBA team. The same mainly African American women who publicly supported Warnock. --I would pay big bucks to see Rubio battle Ivanka in the Florida Republican primary. A Brief Sports Note Dustin Pedroia was overrated and if his name gets mentioned in a sentence about the Hall of Fame, you red flop fans should be embarassed. Shalom

[-------------------------------------------------------]

Fill in whatever title you want or--don't fill in anything. I am fresh out of catchy titles for this blog. I can no longer pretend it cannot get worse before it does get worse. So rather than struggle for a thougtfuil headline, I decided to encourage you to let your own mind wander and figure soethihng out. Moving on. --I watched it live and got scared. I have listened to the talking heads every day since January 6 and got more scared. And,now, I am scareder still about the inaugeration and the lead up to it. John Klelly has reappeared to tell us how bad things are--even though he was enabler in chief for a good chunk of time. I don't want to hear from Kelly or any other person who never spoke up until people had died and there was blood spilled. Kellye Anne? please. Scaramucci, please. Republican enablers all. their silence and, in some cases their explicit support, allowed this POTUS to get away with inciting this mayhem. Not intersted in any of them attempting to resurrect their reputations. I hope they are all un3employe3d forever and a day. I am done with that crew. -- A memory. ln 1968, the summer olympics were held in Mexico City. Tommie Smith and John Carlos won gold and silver in either the 200 meters or the 400--i forget which. What I haven't forgotten is that they each raised black gloved hands and bowed their heads at the playing of the national anthem. It was a sacrilege to see Josh Hawley raise his left hand (sans glove) to encourage the rioters. Even after the riot when the chambers were "safe", Hawley still went ahead with challenging the electoral votes. --Question--Am i supposed to praise that Raffensberger guy for doing his job and upholding the constitution? Not here and not until he backs off from supressing Georgia voters. --I know the virus is out of control. But callilng each case or each death as a record setter does not set the right tone. Records get set in sports or someplace else for positive occurrences. Not for deaths partly caused by the mishandling of the virus. --One picture after the riot really hit me. It was a picutre of the African American capitol staff cleaning up the mess left by the predominantly white rioters. On their lhands and knees cleaning up our capitol. --How did you like the guy with the "Camp Auschwitz" tee shirt? A fine exapmpe of manhood that. Wonder what Jared and Ivanka thought of it. --What do you make of a Jewish man and an African American man winning senate seats in that hot bed of progressive politics, the state of Georgia. I never expected both to win. I will say Kelly Loeffler is an idiot. --So, the Republicans have about 5 days to muck things up--as of an hour ago they already postponed the first scheduled confirmation hearing. Cannot wait until MItch gets kicked to the sideline. --In the Department of Who Cares--Sheldon Adelson has passed away. --Keep all fingers and toes crossed in advance of and during the inaugeration. Shalom.

I'M WORKING TIRELESSLY FOR THE AMERICAN PEOPLE

Well not exactly. First of all, I'm not out on a Florida golf course even though,technologically speaking, I could work from there. Second, being a retiree, I'm not workinng at all. Third, the virus has me virtually home bound too frightened to go out except to get my scripts and/or buy food. Fourth, I'm very busy psychologically pardoning all the people who have offended me over the years and did not show me sufficient loyalty. That list is long and takes up a lot of time. Finally, the light out here in the mall's parking lot is terrible and my beach chair is not as comfy as my bed. But down here in Florida, the elderly are prioritized over health care workers thanks to our great Governor. So I'm in the first come/first served line for the vaccine. Hope they don't run out. --Who cares that Barr left? He already gutted DOJ and gave all sorts of support to POTUS. I hope he never finds another job--tho I expect there are other heartless lawyers out there ready to hire him. --I hate it when I get messages from political fund raisers who ask me to join ther "team" or be part of their "family". I am not on any team and only a member of my immediate family. I cannot understand if these folks believe those words are so enticing and creating some sort of inducement to send more money. Arggh. --Is anyone else sick of POTUS stealing headlines from Biden? A wise nwoman I know believes that after 1/20, the media companies should join forces and eliminate all POTUS headlines. --Glad Mike Flynn got pardoned. Now he can devote all his efforts convincing POTUS to invoke maritial law. That shit is scary, folks. --And, I do worry about the relative silnce of those militia groups. We have not heard too much from them but they are not gone. POTUS will be back in DC urging them on next week. --Every time I read or her that Congress is on the verge of making a big decision and isn't that going to be dfifficult--I think what else are they supposed to do except make decisions. Tough luck if they are difficult. Make some decision and move on. Mitch and the gang are not doing brain surgery. Truly, I could make some of these decisions in half the time. --Heard a Richie Havens CD the other day. He sang a Jackson Browne song called "Lives in the Balance". I believe Browne originally sang it in the 1970's. It could be about 40 years old. Yet, the words are so relevant today that it is worrisome that some things have not changed. Seriously, people are dying and some folks are worried about budget deficits but did suppport those tax cuts. --I hope all of you, if celebrating, had good holidays. SPORTS SENTENCE: The loss of Chara to the Bruins is far less consequential than Brady's loss to the Pats. On the other had, Chara is a much more consequential person. HAVE A HAPPY AND HEALTHY 2021. Shalom

30 DAYS AND COUNTING EVERY SECOND

At this point, I am fairly confident that Joe Biden and Kamala Harris will be sworn in just about one month from now. I have much less confidence that POTUS will put on his big boy pants and act like a grown up. Bad enough to ignore the hacking stuff; but to remain silent in the face of COVID and its devastating impact is--I'm not sure what word fits here. People are dying and there is not one word of support for the families who have lost loved ones. Have to move on. And no word from him about why each state's vaccine allotments have been cut. --That Loeffler woman running for Senate in Georgia is an idiot and happens to have that Ivanka look--barbie dollish and running on empty upstairs. Oh, she did not know the guy she was posing with was a member of a neo nazi group. Absolutely not. Serioiusly? I kind of think the Dems will not win both seats. But she is the most vulnerable of the two Republican candidates. --I love this item. The day the FDA approved the Pfizer vaccine, MSNBC had as a guest a Doctor from Childrens Hospital right up the street. Name of Ofer Levy. Me,I am thinking he might just be a member of my tribe. As the interview concludes, Ofer reminds us all that it is Hannukah and he wants us to know it is a holiday marked by lighting candles. He then links the holiday to the vaccine which symbolically is illuminating our way out of the COVID tunnel. --Not suirprisingly, POTUS has no empathy--just acts like a baby who takes his toys and runs home. We always knew he was missing a few key genes. One factoid for me is that every time I think he has gone way too low--he manages to go lower. With Tucker and Sean egging him on, he is living either on fantasy island with Fernando Llamas (look him up) or on Gilligans Island. I really wonder what the MAGA people think about this. --State dollars are in very short supply here so I get it that the MBTA (our transit syustem) needs to think about budget cuts. But the impact on people who use that system and frequently are low income people of color--those cuts have to be delayed and, if not, will force more people into their own cars. --Those pathetic congressmen/women from both parties cannot fucking make a decision--what else do they have to do now that the election is over? This is not brain surgery. It is support for the people thqat got them elected. --One thing the POTUS administration has suceeded in doing is expediting the execution of Federal death row inmates.Trying to squeeze them in before that ol lefty Joe Biden arrives. --Barr really was the handmaiden to POTUS. And no one should say one kind word about him. Ditto for Steven Miller. --On a more somber note: DH has been my friend for just about 70 years. I learned that his wife passed away recently. Thinking of him and hoping he has all the support he needs. I hope some of you had a Happy Hannukah. And a merry christmas to those of you celebrating. SEE YOU IN A HAPPIER AND HEALTHIER 2021. Shalom

WHILE I AM ON THE MIDNIGHT TRAIN, GEORGIA IS ON MY MIND

Thanks to Brother Ray and Sister Gladys for loaning me this title. I won't be on the train but it is on my mind. I do not believe both Georgia senate seats will be won by the Democrats; but I am feeling like one of them may. My totally uninformed thought is that Reverend Warnock has a better shot than Jon Ossoff. First of all Kelly Loeffler is an idiot. Plus I happen not to like Jon at all. POTUS is there today and maybe he will totally go off script and fuck things up. Whatever--if I am Joe, I am on the phone today with Romney. He is a Senator who actually has congratulated Joe and who mght actually in some rare instances cross the aisle and vote with the Democrats. Those other Repbublican snators are plainly embarassing themselves and this country. Not even acknowledging the victory--a bunch of babies. Moving on. --Kayleigh refused a question from a CNN reporter because the reporter was an "activist". What does that mean to a liar like Kayleigh? She is like the asskisser from High School who got better grades than me. Even though I was smarter!!! --John Kelly came to the party way too late. I am not interested in his opinion of POTUS now--not after he was one of the chief enablers just a year ago. --Will not even waste words on Lindsey Graham. --The election is over folks--Joe won by almost 8 million votes. And yes, I do know POTUS got a bazillion votes also. Too bad for his supporters. But he can say whatever he wants about fraud. But it is OVAH as we say in the Hub. --The virus is rampaging through the upper Midwest. Governors who fully bought into the rants of POTUS and chose to ignore Dr. Fauci--those governors are now dealing with major increases in the incidence of the virus. They are also states with limited mdical care and likely chose not to expand medicaid options even though much of the financial increaes were reimbursed by the Feds. Just saw a video of the South Dakota Governor bird hunting and dropping a pheasant or two. Great shooter but not a big believer in science. --I believe in a free press and free speech. But I am already sick of the media for being already critical of Joe for not doing this or doing that. He is 5 weeks away from the inaugeration. Then he has 4 years. Judge him after January 20th. I know these are the same people who heavbily criticized POTUS; but at least those comments were based on actual performance not future predictive decisions. --What was that crap dripping off Rudy's face? He realy has gotten.unhinged--have you seen him in action recently? --The Globe reported about a wild turkey who attacked some folks. Big headline along with a cat rescued from a fire. Yikes. --Jacob Sobronoff is an MSNBC reporter. Just read his book about the separation of children from the3ir parents at our southern border. Makes me want to drain the swamp of heartless bureacrats who just pass the buck. At its heart,however, the book is so so sad and should embarass us all. --On the other hand, Carl Hiasen's recent book is a laugh a minute and is set near Casa Bellicosa in Palm Beach. That is a made up name for Mar -a-Lago. --No good deed goes unpunished cagtegory. The Children's Museum announced that Stonewall Kitchen will open and operate a cafe at the Museum. Stuck there with kids, food becomes impportant as many of you know. But lo and behold, they will serve PB and J. So all the anti peanut folks are up in arms. You just cannot win. Please do not tell me abouit peanuit allegies--I am aware of that issue. Happy holdays to all of you. Hope in the coming year, you remain healthy and stay safe. See ya in 2021. SHALOM

P.S.

Whoops, almost forgot--I also want to acnowledge all the Vets out there especialoy RD. Peace

BUT IT DOES NOT SEEM REALLY OVER--SOME QUICK THOUGHTS

Biden got more votes than POTUS--that's a fact,Jack. But even in defeat, POTUS has stolen the limelight. Headlines are all about him and how Biden is just the perfect gentleman in the face of people like Pompeo saying: "the transition to a ssecond Trump administration will be smooth". Lackey's all of them and I have not even gotten to Mitch. Meanwhile as POTUS bitches, the virus is runing rampant. --The Senate defeats were disappointing especially the win by Susan Collins. And I do not beieve both Democratic candidates in Georgia will win--maybe one but not two --Some mixed news for you pet lovers. The good news is that if Biden actuially gets into the White Hoiuse, he will bring two dogs one of whom is a rescue dog. The bad news is that Marty, the pet cat of the staff of the Mt. Washington Observatory, has died. Naturally the Globe reported this. I assume he never ventured out in the winter. --Most mportantly,there is a major happy event in the life of my family. OH is having a bar mitzvah--a virtual one but, nonetheless, something to enjoy and something for all of us in his family to feel good about. Positive/good news has been hard to come by. All of us are excited for this milestone. Shalom

LET IT BE OVER

I start with this heresy--even if HE wins, I want this over. I am tired of both Hannity and Maddow; tired of FOX and MSNBC; and tired of checking every god damn poll multiple times a day. I know it will be awful if HE wins--but it will be over. Over and done with--the yiddish word for that is (not sure about the spelling) "fachtich". Just in case HE wins, I decided to share a few thoughts in advance because, if the unthinkable happens, and HE wins, I will be speechless/wordless. --How can anyone be undecided? I might not agree with those supporting HIM but they have decided and so have Joe's supporters. You cannot be of sound mental health if you insist, 96 hours before this stupendously important election, that you cannot make up your mind. Seriously? Thats yet another reason that it shouild be over NOW. Forcing those undecided to actually decide. --Two anecdotes about children. First we have the parents of young hockey players in my fine state saying it is unfair that hockey rinks have been closed due to the virus. Unfair to whom? These games,rinks,and practices are incublators for the virus--closing those rinks protects me. All of us just have to put on our big boy/girl clothes and deal with it. Here is how it could be much worse for kids/parents. Your child might be one of the 545 still separated from you because of Stephen Miller and his wretched policies. I dont want to hear that it's the fault of "coyotes' or the couintries of Central America. It is the fault of this administration. Growingh up withiout your parent is more than unfair--it is criminal when it is perpetrated by your government. And it is a damn sight worse than missing hockey practice. --Rachel might have labelled Dr. Altlas the "rambo raqdiologist". Maybe not. But whoever said it was right on target. He has apparently taken over from Fauci and Birx and is HIS chief Covid influencer. Ask the people in the Midwest (the ones with Republican governors) if they should have worn masks. --Speaking of doctors. that bright light Jared is quoted in Woodward's book as bragging that the administration has "taken control back from doctors". And this week, HE blamed those doctors for juicing up the cost of Covid treatment in order to make more money. No science/no medicine/no brains. --Go watch "Bend the Arc" if you want to see what committed doctors actually do. It is a documentary about Partners in Health and the work they do. If Obama-care is overturned, they might need to start working in America as opposed to what we call "third world"countries. --On a more positive note, the Pope has recognized same sex civil marriages which promptly drew a blast of criticism from the Bishop of Proividence--a notorious man wishing us all back to the dark ages. --And the Hasids? Pissed off at the NYC Mayor for refusing to approve a license allowing the wedding of the son of the Grand Rebbe--proposed attendance was going to be 10,000. And their community was already in a high Covid status. --That's it. Good luck to us all. Here's hoping the Proud Boys stand down if HE loses. Shalom

I JUST HAD TO SHARE

Plus, more than a few of you complained when nothing went out on 10/15. On the other hand, I needed an outlet for all my anxiety and nervousness. Despite saying I did not trust any of the polls after 2016, I find myself looking at them more than a few times daily. In virtually every one, the results indicate a big Biden win plus the Dems taking over the senate. All of which makes me nervouser and more nervouser. Like I should check into the hospital for the very very nervous whose Superintendent is Mel Brooks. If only, Carl Reiner could be my psychiatrist. Moving on. --I did not wish good health or even a prayer to POTUS or Ms. POTUS when they had Covid. Let them suffer, I figured. But I did care a smidgen about Baron because he did not ask to move into the White House. But nada for the Prez and Melania. He does not care about the 200,000 plus Americans who have died from the virus and were impacted by his disregard for any preventative measures--you know,like masks. So I do not care about him and his health. He is still running around the country with no masks and infecting those MAGA attendees. So, screw him. --His return from the hospital was marked by his demand that his White House re-entry be reshot because he did not like how the original turned out. It is all a show, after all. --You can be doubly sure I do not care about my fellow tribe member Stephen Miller or his wife. No prayers here. Let them suffer just like those children separated from their parents and living in detention facilities. A double screw him. --In yesterday's NYT, the entire opinion section was devoted to an endorsement of Biden. In support of that worthy goal, they included quotes from a group of individuals who had worked for POTUS. Putting aside their words, I am sick and tired of these folks who said shit while working for him but have now seen the light. Where were they before? Fuck 'em. --And Kayleigh with her gold cross can also be kicked to the curb with that crew. She is a little weasel. --The SNL skit with Jim Carrey and the fly was hysterical. --Another member of my tribe (Sheldon Adelson) just gave POTUS' campaign $75 million dollars. They seem to be running out of money!! But who cares. Adelson is all about AIPAC and POTUS and his casinos which virtually print money. He is an embarassment. Like Bobby Kraft. --Over and beyond the election, it is a joy to see Kamala smile and laugh. She is enjoyable and makes the other 3 candidates (including Joe) seem very boring. --Erdogan has not done enough damage to his own country so he is using his influence and military in an effort to crush the Armenians. He is yet another dictator who is an ally of POTUS. --I have a sports comment or two but if you quit here, I'm fine with that and will be in touch on or about 11/4--hopefully with a celebratory hangover. SPORTS TALK Watching the Pats yesterday was painful. If they had scored at the end of the seattle game or scored at the end yesterday, they could have been 4-1. But winning at the end of games is something great teams do--the Pats are not that. Shalom

I DID NOT PRAY HARD ENOUGH

I prayed for her regularly. She faced her ongoing illnesses with more bravery and dignity than i could have mustered. But secretely, my prayers were as much for me as for her. I knew that with her passing, POTUS would get a shot at filling her seat. And he has. I know nothing about RBG's replacement--she might end up being terrific tho I doubt it. I do know this: Being noiminated by this President is a very bad sign. Moving on: --I had promised myself not to follow all the polls since I felt burned 4 years ago by Nate and the 538 crowd. But every day, and sometimes more than once a day, I am looking at them. I fear if I share the latest ones, I will hex the whole process so I will only say as of right now, they look fine. My focus and my little donations, remain on the senate and that is looking extra fine. --This is being written about 36 hours after the first debate. None of us should be surprised by the behavior of POTUS. In the absnce of any major accomlishments, he is running on white anger and white racism. He has nothing else. His toadies (especialy, that prunish McConnell) continue to do all sorts of damage in the absence of anyone putting the brakes on. He is a bully and the danger is that he has a very important bully pulpit to spew from. --You do know that a signifcant number of ICE detained women had forced hysterectomies--and most of us (includingl moi) are not surprised. We have simply become inured to the indignities and the dangers of this man and his crew. --Let me remind you that CVS is NOT offering anything for free. So when you see those big signs offereing free flu shots, they are not free. CVS just bills some insurance company. --Those Sturgis party goers out there in South Dakota rode their choppers in with no masks of course and now a bunch of them have the virus. In a state with a Governor who is a female version of POTUS. The virus is just the flu kind of state. Good luck. --I really do not want to read something Michael Cohen's daughter wrote. And who set her up to go public? --A skunk got his head caught in some srt of container. And, of course, the Globe scooped that story and blared the headline of a policeman freeing that poor animal. --Sometime in the last month, Christopher Muther had a terrific travel column in the Globe. In it he focussed on how he and his parents out foxed the state of Maine by travelling there for a few days. At that time, Maine pretty much had banned the fine citizens of Mass. from coming up. He was all masked up and his column reads like some sort of mystery novel. SPORTS TALK --The Bruins were eliminated kind of pathetically. The Celtics got closer than I expected but then just choked up. I remain a fan of Jaylen. --Watching the Pats is kind of fun. I especially enjoy not watching Tommy sulk on the sidelines. Shalom

YEAH YEAH--I'M BACK

Had a major technological snafu--those bright minds at google decided this website needed a new format. That took me a few days and a lot of four letter words to figure out. I kind of believe that they are not being malicious but just that they have nothing else to do to justify their work. It has been awhile so I will get right to it via a bunch of bullets. Here goes. --The John Lewis eulogies showed that the Democrats have a whole group of better speakers than the Republicans. Unfortunately it does not necessarily mean that therefore they will win the presidency. Potus had nary a word to say except that Lewis did not attend his inaugeration--a tit for a tat. But if you have heard Potus try to read from a script, then you did not miss a thing except has flat monotone. On the other hand, (tho I disagree with anything that comes out of his mouth),I have to admit his off the cuff words are way more effective. --Did you see his remarks from the clubhouse at Bedminster? A rousing red meat speech delivered to club members most of whom had no masks and no distance. Run of the mill Americans who paid 350K for membership. Quite a white group. He is verging into George Wallace territory--the land of racism demagoguery. --I tell myself not to check the polls after what Nate Silver and crew did 4 years ago. But by the end of every day, I am looking and getting scared shitless. Keep seeing every headline beginning with "Potus" this or that. I wish Joe and Kamala were out, about, and more visible. --An aside: read a Globe breaking news story which basically said a great white shark was off Block Island heading to the Cape. It is the ocean, right? --The Bucks refusal to play their game lit up the NBA and the Afican American community. The shut up and dribble folks need to shut up themselves. In the aftermath of the temporary cancellation of the NBA playoffs, I heard Charles Barkely tell Wolf Blitzer two cogent things: he said that it was exhausting to be an African American man in America and wondered why every time there is a death involving use of police force, someone asks him what it all means. Charles might at times act like a fool, but he walks the walk. --The Conways must be in family therapy. Both have left their jobs to concentrate on raising their children. DUH. --The anti-vaxxers should have a field day with the Covid vaccine in the future. They already hate vaccines which have gone through stringent clinical trials . And now we have the possibility of a vaccine rushed out in order to help Potus. Oh,and they have hooked up with the groups of militia who are wandering around with god awful weaponry. Vaccine nationalism is rearing its head. --Hats off (or I should say masks off) to the Florida sheriff who banned the wearing of masks in the County sheriffs office. --In my fine state, 51A's (child abuse reports) have been filed against some parents whose children are not complying with on line learning. Mostly poor people who may not even have access to computers. Really? --The gun toting couple from St. Louis spoke at the Republican convention. If they had hurt someone they might have gotten even more time. --Got a covid test (negative) but noticed that the 3 people woking at the site were: all women of color. An Asian woman, a Hispanic woman, and a woman who was black and probably from the Caribbean. When Stephen Miller needs hospice or a nursing home, he better fucking hope the immigration laws are more flexible because there are very few white folks lining up for these jobs. Shalom. Hope to return on or about 10/1.

NOTHING SHOULD BE A SURPRISE

We are living in a very dark time.  If we observed another country, especially in the so called "third world", which had a leader who assaults truth on a daily basis--we would condemn that country, condemn that leader, and boastfully point to ourselves as an exemplar of a better place.  Instead, we have come to expect the worst from POTUS and his cronies.  During the same week that John Lewis was buried, POTUS (presumably with the support of Ben Carson) eliminated an Obama era mandate that outlawed discrimination in public housing.  Reaching out to the suburbs, he told us that this change will keep suburban people safer. Such blatant racism should not surprise us anymore.  I want the election to occur next week--but, as if it were a joke, this guy raises the possibility of not even having an election.  Have you ever? I must move on.

--A grocery clerk whose last name is Durso had an incredible op-ed piece in the Globe of 7/18.  Among other things, she talked about being "essential" while putting up with customers verbally abusing her and wages that are inadequate.
--The no mask wearing National Security Advisor is now quarantined because he tested positive.  Along with Louie Gohmert, he did not believe in the science.  I only wish old Louie had spread the virus to all the occupants on that plane one of whom was you know who.
--I cried when I walked across the Pettus bridge.  Never did go there for any of those marches.  But it is such a powerful symbol--I almost (underline almost) wish that the name does not change. It should be a reminder of those men and women who led that struggle. And too many of us will applaud a name change and believe we are in a better place.  But beneath the surface, I sometimes think nothing has changed.
--I cannot stand Mayors/Governors and other politicians trying to tell us that this or that ugly behavior does not reflect our town or our state.  It does exactly reflect on us and the communities we live in.
--I do not care one iota about Miuchael Cohen.  But how infantile if not downright dictatorial that he got thrown back into prison.  Barr is a smarmy fat guy approving such shit.  He needs to go and buy a suit that fits.
--Jared has not been seen in a while.  Must be because he is tired after resolving the conflict in the Middle East, managing the drug epidemic, and then helping the economy to rock and roll in June.  And his ties are too thin.
--Two VERY important local items.  First, the Mayflower has returned to its berth.  I am sure that will relieve many of you who have been waiting.  Second, and an even bigger return, the great whites are back and we are wringing our hands over that.  Though I do not want anyone to perish that way, sharks do live in the ocean and we kind of should know that.
--I am proud to say that I live in one of those cities led by a liberal Democrat.  I also happen to live in a state which has a Republican Governor who lo and behold believes in both science and medicine.
--RBG was hospitalized again--I pray for her regularly and hope she can continue to fight off her many illnesses.
--AW tipped me off to the novels of James McBride. His most recent book is Deacon King Kong.  Just wonderful.
--This is not nice but I do hope one of these professional sports leagues collapses from the weight of the virus.  And I am totally pissed at Michigan and the rest of those big schools which are allowing college football to proceed.

See you in September.  Stay safe.  Shalom

NEWS OF A MIRACULOUS MEDICAL DISCOVERY

This is what happens when I leave the house in the summer:  get a hat; get my sunglasses; get my reading glasses just in case I need them; put on my hearing aids; and then put on my mask.  So I got three things using my ears as "home" and invariably one or more of those things will not stay on due to the crowd up there..  This ordeal explains why this medical discovery is so important.  Thanks to late night tv (home of phil swift--google him if you don't know who he is), I learned about ear extensions!!  I have just returned from CVS and bought a pair--and knowing me, you probably guessed correctly that I bought a back up pair. Any how they adhere to the top of your ear which, in turn, gives me more space to hang all those things that travel with me.  I urge all of you to get a pair before the supply is runs out.  Or call:  1-800-blah blah blah.  Moving on.

--First off:  A prayer for RBG.  I have to assume that Potus will lose.  If he does and if the Senate has a 

Democrtic majority, she has to make it until mid January.

--I get pretty worked up with all the media when they start with "a new "COVID" record--in cases, in hospital admissions, in deaths, or anything else.  Records do not matter in the midst of this crisis. People matter.

--You all know, don't you, that Potus disbanded the office in charge of the nations response to pandemics.

--Governor Desantis and Governor Kemp are embarassments.  And, along with Potus, they are embarassing this country for all the world to see. The media is at fault, according to them,as their states implode.

--During the course of this past week, I came to believe that Stephen Miller and Betsy Devos were running the country.  First of all they have had their Kool Aid.  More importantly, they are smarter than Potus and pretty much get approvals for anything that further erodes our support of public education and then gets coupled with further restrictions on immigration.

--It never occurred to me but there is a strong argument to be made about licenses for law enforcement personnel since we do require licenses of barbers and other professions.

--Among other indignities, use of the words "they" or  "them"  really separate us from each other.  The words alone are kind of neutral.  When used with vitriol and venom, they send us down the road to George Wallace country.

--That itsy bitsy press secretary is a big liar and does it with a fat cross visible around her neck.  That type of consistency is consistent (!) with the other shenanigans.  If you or I lost a case at the Supreme Court, we would likely just comply.  But this tax case is being appealed despite what the court said.  Call in the lawyers. And we just say oh that's just Potus being Potusd.

--On a lighter note, since it is summer, the sharks are back and many people are wringing their hands over the sightings.  Don't people have other things to worry about?

--Disney has reopened with the permission of the Florida governor.  Who the fuck would take their kids there right now?

--I cannot even discuss that smarmy Roger Stone.

--I have a fantasy that one of these major sports leagues will not reopen because of the virus. I have no/zero sympathy for owners who are losing money.  They wanted to make money and have made money--lots of it.

I have a bit of sympathy for the marginal players who have families to support and unlike the mega stars will be in a bad financial state should a league shut down.

Shalom