Tag: Trump

America Had A Choice. America Chose Wrong

Sharing some thoughts of mine and others while trying to process this awful change.

America had a choice on November 5, 2024. America chose wrong. Donald Trump, the decaying orange convicted felon/child rapist who stole state secrets and tried to overturn his 2020 election defeat was reelected to be President and Commander-in-Chief of the United States. We can’t say we weren’t warned.

From The Onion

I’m still reeling a bit, alternating between shock, grief, and trying to find my way to process what I believe marks the end of America two years shy of its 250th birthday. Oh, sure it’ll still show up on a map, have a flag, and command a place in the world. But it will never be the same. No more defiantly claiming this is not who we are. In an act of national lunacy, this is who we’ve chosen to be. Sorry. That’s how I see it. You don’t invite a criminal into your home and stand in surprise when he steals the silver.

But back to the processing.

One of the things I do is read and share writing and subjects I think are worth your time. Typically that appears in my Sunday Morning Reading column here on the Wicked Stage. Today, I’m sharing some reading that has helped me through a couple of sleepless nights and very gray moods under very gray skies. Some seeks solace and understanding. Some might feel vindictive and angry. As I said, processing.

I hope you take the time to read this writing from some very thoughtful thinkers.

First up is Scattered Thoughts On The Worst of Days by Ian Dunt. Helpful words from overseas.

David Todd McCarty is trying to make sense of things in the aftermath of a catastrophe in So, That Happened.

Mark McKinnon pens An Open Letter to My Daughters. It’s meant as some words of solace. I’m not sure I’m there yet. One day, maybe. But I’m saving this for my granddaughter to read down the road.

Charles Pierce writes With The Election of Donald Trump, America is About to Get Exactly What It Wants.

James C. Nelson is a vet from a distinguished military family. He comes in hot with I Will Fly My Flag No Longer.

Finally, Ken White of PopeHat fame writes down some thoughts in And Yet It Moves. Damn good. Here’s a quote:

Are Americans inherently good, freedom-loving, devoted to free speech and free worship, committed to all people being created equal? That’s our founding myth, and isn’t it pretty to think so? But a glance at history shows it’s not true. Bodies in graves and jails across America disprove it. We’re freedom-loving when times are easy, devoted to speech and worship we like with lip service to the rest, and divided about our differences since our inception.

In some small way I’m selfishly hoping sharing this might help me as much as you. Good reading.

If you’re interested in just what the heck Sunday Morning Reading is all about you can read more about the origins of Sunday Morning Reading here.  You can also find more of my writings on Medium at this link, including in the publications Ellemeno and Rome. You can also find me on social networks under my own name.

The Verge’s Election Coverage Is Top Notch

The Verge is rocking its political coverage.

Kudos to Nilay Patel and his team at The Verge. In an era when many businesses, including those in media and journalism, are working overtime to hedge their bets in the event of a victory by the decaying orange convicted felon/child rapist, who promises to exact retribution on his enemies, The Verge is producing some outstanding and unflinching political content.

You can check out each of the posts they’ve published in The Verge’s Guide to the 2024 Presidential Election. They are each well done. I’d like to highlight two of them:

A Vote For Donald Trump Is A Vote for School Shootings and Measles is Nilay Patel’s endorsement for democracy, solving problems, and Kamala Harris. Here’s a quote:

Donald Trump is a dangerous maniac who can barely complete a sentence, and it is lunacy to believe he can even recognize the existentially threatening collective action problems facing our nation, let alone actually solve them.

In an age when we’re seeing the former top dogs of the journalism profession tuck tail and retreat into their dog houses and not issue endorsements, this one is not only worth a read it is worth sharing.

Sarah Jeong lays out the stakes when it comes to our justice system in Trump’s Takeover Of The Entire Legal System Hinges On This Election. Here’s a quote:

Legal observers understood at the time the enormity and lasting impact of what was happening, but few clocked that the problem was about to become exacerbated by a recursive power grab.

Again, well done and well worth your time as are each of the posts on the blog.

I say posts, because The Verge has resumed a blogging format for its work. Don’t let that fool you. There’s real quality journalism happening on that blog. Much better, much more thorough than what we’re seeing in what used to be called the Main Stream Media.

Certainly we can’t say we weren’t warned.

You can find more of my writings on a variety of topics on Medium at this link, including in the publications Ellemeno and Rome. I can also be found on social media under my name as above. 

The Marsh Family Is Back with Bohemian Trumpsody

The Marsh Family takes on Trump with Queen in Bohemian Trumpsody.

Music might sooth the savage beast though I’m not sure it’ll help us through this last week before the election that will decide the fate of the United States and possibly the world. But The Marsh Family is certainly giving it a shot with another terrific musical parody, turning Queen’s Bohemian Rhapsody into the Bohemian Trumpsody.

As with their previous parody take on JD Vance, the lyric content hits all the right notes. Interspersing video footage of January 6th, the video hits home in a way that might make calling it a parody seem odd, but the political punch is spot on.

This British family must have a blast putting these efforts together. Their musical efforts have been a highlight in a dangerous political era. 

Watch and share it. 

You can find more of my writings on a variety of topics on Medium at this link, including in the publications Ellemeno and Rome. I can also be found on social media under my name as above. 

Living on a Knife’s Edge: Post Election Fears

The Anxiety Is Real

While we’re treading water waiting for the election I have to admit my anxiety is split about evenly between what actually happens with the vote before and on November 5th, and what happens after that. To be honest, I’m more worried about the latter.

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I’ll break it down into my four biggest fears.

Violence

Do I think there will be violence? I do. To what degree I don’t know. From what quarter I don’t know. I wouldn’t be surprised if the MAGAts and insurrectionists don’t have some sort of Maskirovka in the works to try and force the Department of Justice (which they don’t control) to take some action. Which brings me to my second fear:

Merrick Garland

I have no faith that Merrick Garland will do the right thing in any event, violent or no. He’s proven that he doesn’t understand that not taking action is as political as taking action. Frankly, this could easily be my number one fear.

SCOTUS

If whatever happens ends up in front of the Supreme Court, we’re screwed. I don’t see any other possible outcome.

The Body Politic

I have no way of knowing what’s going to happen with the vote or its aftermath. Consequently I have no way of knowing how our body politic is going to react to whatever that will be. I just fear that we’re sitting on a knife’s edge that has been honed for far too long. Does this mean going back to Fear #1 above? Not necessarily. I fear we could also end up in a situation when disillusionment settles in one way or the other that could be just as dangerous in the long run as violence would be in the short term.

Someone, somewhere on the Internet described our anxious waiting as akin to a national waiting for the results of a biopsy. I think they were spot on.

You can find more of my writings on a variety of topics on Medium at this link, including in the publications Ellemeno and Rome. I can also be found on social media under my name as above. 

Sunday Morning Reading

Halloween is around the corner and the election is nearing. Sunday Morning Reading is full of scary politics and a tech ghost story.

There’s one month to go prior to the election that will decide the fate of the U.S. and possibly the world. After today that’s four more Sundays for Sunday Morning Reading. Fair warning those four Sundays will have more than a normal dose of politics in the mix. That said, enjoy this week’s edition of Sunday Morning Reading. 

Politics has infected everything and in my opinion in the worst ways imaginable. Nothing points this up like the storm around the storm recovery from Hurricane Helene. Juliette Kayyem in The Atlantic tells us The Fog of Disaster Is Getting Worse, and she’s correct. Perhaps a better way for journalism to cover this beyond just complaining would be to do what Chantal Allam and Joe Marusak did in the Charlotte Observer and tackle each bit of disinformation, (which I prefer to call lies) head on in Helene Fact Check: Here Are The Rumors and the Reality in Western North Carolina. 

The mythical swing voter has become larger than myth. Parker Malloy in Dame tells us The Real Swing Voters Aren’t Who You Think. 

Phillip Bump usually nails it. He does so again in Trump and His Allies Are Not Planning To Concede Another Election Loss. Nothing is over on November 5th.

LZ Granderson in The Los Angeles Times also nails it in Trump Blames Immigrants As If That Were A Policy Position. It’s Just Racist. I’m losing hope we’ll ever recognize that we’ve recognized this and don’t seem to care. 

Trump and his delusional followers couldn’t be this close to turning the clock back unless they had help from our transparently corrupt Supreme Court. Bill Blum takes a look at the awful immunity decision in John Roberts and the Second Coming of Dred Scott.

Speaking of the Supreme Court, Andy Kroll, Andrea Bernstein and Ilya Marritz take a look at why We Don’t Talk About Leonard: The Man Behind the Right’s Supreme Court’s Supermajority. 

Joyce Vance is worried that even if Trump loses he won’t face any consequences in Trump Must Be Tried. She’s right to worry.

And the final link on the politics beat is and is not about politics, but it is about endings. Sunita Puri looks at how promises at the end of life, like Jimmy Carter’s to stay alive to vote one last time, can affect our last days in Death Has Two Timelines.

The WordPress saga continues and it seems to get muddier with each clarifying new chapter. Dave Winer says WordPress Has a Greater Destiny. I agree with his premise. I think those screwing things up do as well. In a competition between destinies unfortunately everyone loses. 

I’m preparing some thoughts on the new iPhones and Apple releases for later this week. I won’t have to write much about the new Camera Control after reading José Adorno’s piece Apple’s Biggest Hardware Change On the iPhone 16 Is A Huge Disappointment. I feel much the same.

As if the political moment wasn’t harrowing enough, Halloween is also around the corner. Angela Watercutter tells an intriguing tale that weaves tech (TikToK), a haunted house, the cops and a rolled up rug in her backyard in She Asked TikTok If Her House Was Haunted. Then The Cops Came.

If you’re interested in just what the heck Sunday Morning Reading is all about you can read more about the origins of Sunday Morning Reading here.  You can also find more of my writings on Medium at this link, including in the publications Ellemeno and Rome. You can also find me on social networks under my own name.

The New York Times Plays the ‘What If’ Game with Trump’s Desire for Revenge

The question isn’t ‘what if’? The question is how can it be stopped?

In one of its graphic layouts the New York Times has decided to play “What If” with Donald Trump’s desire for revenge and retribution should he be reelected in an article titled If Trump Wins, Could He Really Use the Justice Department to Jail His Rivals?

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The short answer is yes.

There’s really no “what if” about it. One of the most frightening discoveries many Americans came to over this past almost-decade is just how ill equipped our constitution and system of justice is when it comes to dealing with someone of Trump’s ilk. It’s always been that way but we’ve had (mostly) men of good character keeping us on the tracks. We’ve only had one instance in my lifetime (Nixon) that has tested the boundaries and limitations to the point of breaking. Things held then. They won’t this time around.

Dependent on the honor and integrity of those holding office those boundaries and limitations have been washed away like most of the top soil in Western North Carolina. When it comes to what used to be the Republican Party, the only honor that seems to exist in that crowd is the honor among thieves with no limitations on their lack of integrity.

To such a point that Trump feels completely free to talk about how he wants to leverage the Justice Department to set up his own reign of terror, and finds far too many cheering him on. You can almost smell the blood lust seeping out from under those red hats.

Now that we know Trump’s desires AND that he has a completely corrupted Supreme Court willing to grant him the leeway, this shouldn’t come as a surprise nor should it be a game of “What If?” We have a system that can’t stop it and individuals willing to gleefully take advantage of it to pursue harm.

As the Times points out, Trump could easily pull this off and “stay within the constitutional limits on presidential power.”

Regardless of who is elected, the only question is what are we going to do about it?

You can find more of my writings on a variety of topics on Medium at this link, including in the publications Ellemeno and Rome. I can also be found on social media under my name as above. 

If Jesus Christ Denounced Trump I Imagine All Hell Would Break Loose

Unbreakable ties that bind.

The New York Times ran a piece bundling up a list of former Trumpers, world leaders, and family members who’ve come out against the decaying orange convicted felon/child rapist. I’m certain you’ve heard most of the comments before. I’m sure we’ll hear more of them, and probably for some not yet on the list.

Yet there are a still too many out there remaining silent, and by doing so still riding the Trump train over an America helplessly tied to the tracks. I only highlight this list as it made me wonder what would happen if we actually had a second coming from Jesus Christ and he intervened in the election to tell folks not to vote for the guy.

I hate to call this MAGAt nonsense a cult, because that removes some of the personal culpability from some caught up in and/or profiting from this twisted nonsense, but I’m guessing there would be a cult-like reaction.

Too many have twisted themselves and scripture into such knots continuing to support Trump that my hunch is that after a brief lurch while everyone took a breath, far too many would quickly move on to disproving and then denouncing Jesus.

I’m not anti-religion and I don’t wish ill on anyone who finds something in their faith that helps them through the night. That said, the folks who’d like to keep us in the dark need some comeuppance from somewhere.

On some imagined plane of existence I can’t say I would be afraid to see this happen. In fact, I’d relish it.

You can find more of my writings on a variety of topics on Medium at this link, including in the publications Ellemeno and Rome. I can also be found on social media under my name as above. 

Sunday Morning Reading

Fall is creeping in and things are creeping me out.

The world continues its whirl, the vultures continue circling, and down here on the ground we keep working hard to turn the tide on the ignorant before it’s too late. Still, it’s time to sit down, breathe and enjoy if you can some Sunday Morning Reading.

Perhaps you aren’t aware of the Second Circuit of Appeals decision rejecting the Internet Archive’s fair use defense. You can check out info on the decision here. Reading beyond that check out Matthew Ingram’s post The Second Circuit’s Decision in the Internet Archive Case is Bad. It is bad news for all of us. As a side note, Matthew has recently struck out on his own and you might want to check out his writing on The Torment Nexus. It promises to be a great place to read about issues in the intersection of technology, media, and, well…life.

Politics, or what passes for it these days, continues to dominate much of our attention even as it gets darker and more stupid with each passing day. Springfield, Ohio found itself the unwelcome center of the political world with all of the talk about eating pets and immigration. Isabel Fattal has a very good piece in The Atlantic titled The Springfield Effect. FWIW I don’t think Springfield is going to catch a break anytime soon, but then neither are the rest of us.

Voting is just around the corner, but the discussions and machinations around it now dominate our lives all the time. Check out Eli Saslow’s 3 Georgia Women Caught Up in a Flood of Suspicion About Voting. 

Sanewashing is just a new name in a long line of new names for ignoring the crazy, idiotic, and dangerous ways of the decaying orange convicted felon/child rapist and his followers. Parker Malloy tells us Why The Atlantic’s Critique of Sanewashing Doesn’t Hold Up. There’s a link to the Atlantic piece in Malloy’s article. When a thing becomes a thing to criticize it becomes just another excuse for ignoring the truth.

There’s sadly a chance of some sort of carnage, physical or psychic, post-election. Certainly there will be political casualties. Perhaps that’s why we should read Ian Rose’s piece The Hidden Value of Vultures. Let’s hope the vultures doing the cleanup are only feasting on those who caused the mess.

Karen Hao takes a look at Microsoft’s Hypocrisy on AI when it comes to Microsoft working with fossil-fuel companies while purporting to fight climate change.

In a world full of what feels like willful ignorance, Daniel R. DeNicola takes a look at Plato’s Cave and the Stubborn Persistence of Ignorance.

Elizabeth Laura Nelson has a very poignant piece called Friends for 16 Years. Lovers for One Night. Don’t let moments and opportunities pass you by.

Before you clear your palette and move on to whatever you move on to, take a brief trip along with NatashaMH to Bangkok City in When The World’s Your Oyster.

If you’re interested in just what the heck Sunday Morning Reading is all about you can read more about the origins of Sunday Morning Reading here.  You can also find more of my writings on Medium at this link, including in the publications Ellemeno and Rome. You can also find me on social networks under my own name.

WSJ Seems Shocked That Nutballs are Looming on the Right

Looming Loomer Tunes

For some reason the Wall Street Journal Editorial Pooh-Bahs have just recently discovered that there is a “growing segment of the American Right” that’s gone off the deep end.

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Well, there is a reason. Apparently Trump is hanging out and flying around with right-wing nutball Laura Loomer who is apparently toxic enough to taint part of the great unwashed and possibly influence the thoughts of the decaying orange convicted felon/child rapist. The old guard of crackpot fascists are apparently just fine, but this is a racist crackpot too far.

In an editorial titled Donald Trump and Loomer Tunes the Editorial Board seems to have decided enough might just be enough to quit spinning its own conspiracies in favor of ditching a 9/11 truther like Loomer.

Another favorite quote from the editorial is “Ms. Loomer is usually described in the press as ‘far right,’ but that’s unfair to the fever swamps.”

For goodness sakes, let’s protect the fever swamps from any association with Trump’s rumored new squeeze. Fever swamp dwellers vote too, you know.

You can find more of my writings on a variety of topics on Medium at this link, including in the publications Ellemeno and Rome. I can also be found on social media under my name as above. 

I Don’t Think We Need A Debate

Why have a debate when we already know what’s going to happen?

The hype machines are running full tilt for next week, whipping up a frenzy of sound and fury that will eventually signify something, but in the end nothing. I’m not talking about the annual run up to Apple’s announcements of new iPhones or the kickoff to the NFL season, both of which generate enough hype to overwhelm their respectve events. I’m talking about the debate between Kamala Harris and the decaying orange convicted felon/child rapist Donald Trump. I just don’t think we need to have a debate.

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Sure debates have been a part of political campaigns since time immemorial. It’s been accepted canon that we need to see how candidates stack up side by side and face to face. But we’ve long since wrung any substance out of these beauty contests in American politics. And this one promises to continue that trend and deepen the trench our politics has fallen into.

Let’s get real. We already know the candidates positions or lack thereof. Nothing new of substance will be announced during a debate. We also already know what the candidates will say of each other. The only suspsense is how Harris will choose to respond to the bullshit Trump will spew all over the stage. We also already know the debate moderators won’t bring up the high stakes that this election is really about. They’ll dance around January 6th and Trump’s stealing of classified material. They’ll also piroutette away from asking directly if Trump wants to dismantle the constitution and serve as a dictator.

It will be left up to the candidates to “fact check” each other, a task that offers no real benefit since Trump gish-gallopped out of Reality TV into this surreal reality we all deal with now. Perhaps, and more importantly, no matter how the debate goes we already know the spin that’s going to be spun in the hours and days after the debate. God could moderate this debate and declare a winner and it wouldn’t matter to most.

What I think also doesn’t matter and I’m guessing I’m not alone. Sure, there might be a relative handful of undecided voters who tune in to see what’s what, but call me cynical, I don’t think I want those folks deciding the future of the country given what we face and what we’re living through.

The debate will happen. Apple will also announce new iPhones and the NFL will kick off another season. It will be a week. And then we’ll move on to the next big thing to over hype, over ripen, wishing it would just be over.

You can find more of my writings on a variety of topics on Medium at this link, including in the publications Ellemeno and Rome. I can also be found on social media under my name as above.