ON MATTERS OF DUBIOUS INTEREST
Finally, unless I croak, Trumpworld Begins should be published in a couple of weeks. There have been problems, naturally. The book consists of blog posts, from the period 2016 to 2018, that clearly show the chaos unfolding as the participants fumbled their way through Trump 1. As characters in this earlier drama they are almost, but not quite, as batty and inept as those in our contemporary cast. Continue reading “The Importance of Trump 1”
They found they had more in common than was predicted or expected. It was a nice surprise but many of us had a hunch they would get along. Mamdani’s charm and intelligence carried the day. “I expect to be helping him, not hurting him,” Trump said in a later press conference. Continue reading “Antisemitic Communist Wows Fascist”
As if the meeting with Xi wasn’t bad enough. The war against Chicago continues. The shutdown continues. We could go on but we’ll let Axios summarize the crimes and punishments that never seem to end. Continue reading “The Village Idiot Strikes Again”
The actions of this administration and its leader often leave us open-mouthed and tongue-tied. Trying to categorize what’s going on we use defective, inaccurate, fuzzy words like fascism, conservatism, liberal. Yes, we resort to clichés. We argue. What does “liberal” mean anymore? The imprecision is not just in the political context. Abstract and broad concept words tend to become not only ambiguous and diverse; they vary with the user’s understanding, background and purpose. Continue reading “There Are No Words”
No, I don’t mean the old Black Sabbath album. It’s what came to mind as a short take on Trump’s transfiguration from the bumbling dodo of the first term to the crazed sociopath we deal with today. Black Sabbath’s music was a pretense, a masquerade for the masses. Trump and his crew are all too real. Continue reading “Live Evil”
It’s been barely a month since I began my hiatus from the blog, and I feel like Rip Van Winkle. You know that story—Rip sleeps twenty years through the American Revolution and wakes to find everything changed. I took time off in hopes of getting a handle on the daily mutations enacted by our delusional President. Now my metaphorical twenty years have passed, and every day brings forth a new monstrosity. I may go back to sleep. Continue reading “Waking Up”
As some of you know I’ve had several medical issues. And we’ve all had emotional issues with Trump & Co. The combination has led me to put this blog on hold for awhile as well as my book project, Trumpworld Begins. The flood of bad news worldwide exacerbates everything. I need a break. We all need a break. Continue reading “Taking a Breather”
It’s pretty quiet today in my house, though I have some Bach playing in the background. Bach in Mexico is as incongruous as the Fourth of July is here. Not many Mexicans care about Bach, though a few do. The cultural values are just different, viz., tacos and hot dogs. Like so many other holidays, the Fourth has lost its original purpose, celebrating the independence and founding of the USA. Today it’s the Big Holiday: three days off from work, barbecuing, drinking, the beach, family time. Fireworks are the only symbol of Independence Day left that makes sense.
And there isn’t much unity left in the old federalist vision of a mutually united United States, is there? Maybe there never was. I thought for a minute about comparing Trump to George Washington, a man of reason, humility and integrity. Well, no need to go further with that.
There are pockets of Americans in Mexico who do celebrate the Fourth—in places like Cabo and Cancun. But the American Fourth is quite different in tone and style from Mexican Independence Day on September 16th which features marching bands, parades, street food and folk festivals.
For me, American holidays have lost most of their meaning. I know that’s true for many of us whether we live at home or abroad. Big holidays are mostly about time off and Black Friday sales. Much has been written about the dessication of our holidays over time. It’s true even in my lifetime. The old parades and the fire trucks showed the kids some hometown spectacle. My mother used to call Memorial Day Decoration Day, its former name. Some still lament the commercialization of Christmas. Holidays are now major economic events, and that’s also becoming true in Mexico.
As the world has become more money-driven, it’s also turned more authoritarian, which implies a denial (or transmutation) of most historical values and traditions. I wish you a Happy Fourth of July anyway, and you might try putting on some Bach.
As some of you know, Trumpwold Begins came about through my blogging on jazzinsideandout in the years 2016-2018. From jazz my comments turned almost exclusively to politics. Continue reading ““The book will be out in about two weeks.”
–Donald Trump”
This is what Hervé Villechaize (Tattoo) kept shouting in Fantasy Island, that popular comedy show of the ‘70s, now come to life as Trumpie lives out his fantasies with that grandiose gift from Qatar. It is the highpoint in a life of corruption. It is an out-and-out 400-million-dollar bribe. Continue reading ““De plane! De plane!””
