Saturday, February 4, 2017
Monday, January 30, 2017
Saturday, January 21, 2017
The Misogynist
I offer this poem, written by Austin Dobson in 1874, as a token of solidarity with today's Women's March on Washington, and in cities all around the world. It is a message for all those Americans who voted to elect the 45th President of the United States of America.
THE MISOGYNIST
When first he sought our haunts, he wore
His locks in Hamlet-style ;
His brow with thought was 'sicklied o'er,'–
We rarely saw him smile ;
And e'en when none was looking on,
His air was always woe-begone.
He kept, I think, his bosom bare
To imitate Jean Paul ;
His solitary topics were
Æsthetics, Fate , and Soul ;–
Although at times, but not for long,
He bowed his Intellect to song.
He served, he said, a Muse of Tears :
I know his verses breathed
A fine funereal air of biers,
And objects cypress-wreathed ;–
Indeed, his tried acquaintance fled
An ode he named 'The Sheeted Dead.'
In these light moods, I call to mind,
He darkly would allude
To some dread sorrow undefined,–
Some passion unsubdued ;
Then break into a ghastly laugh,
And talk of Keats his epitaph.
He railed at women's faith as Cant ;
We thought him grandest when
He named them Siren-shapes then 'chant
On blanching bones of Men' ;–
Alas, not e'en the great go free
From that insidious minstrelsy !
His lot, he oft would gravely urge,
Lay on a lone Rock where
Around Time-beaten bases surge
The Billows of Despair.
We dreamed it true. We never knew
What gentler ears he told it to.
We, bound with him in common care,
One-minded, celibate,
Resolved to Thought and Diet spare
Our lives to dedicate ;–
We, truly in no common sense,
Deserved his closest confidence !
But soon, and yet, though soon, too late,
We, sorrowing, sighed to find
A gradual softness enervate
That all superior mind,
Until,–in full assembly met,
He dared to speak of Etiquette.
The verse that we severe had known,
Assumed a wanton air,–
A fond effeminate monotone
Of eyebrows, lips, and hair ;
He read 'The Angel in the House' !
Nay worse. He, once sublime to chaff,
Grew ludicrously sore
If we but named a photograph
We found him simpering o'er ;
Or told how in his chambers lurked
a watch-guard intricately worked.
Then worse again. He tried to dress ;
He trimmed his tragic mane ;
Announcing at length (to our distress)
He had not 'lived in vain' ;–
Thenceforth his one prevailing mood
Became a base beatitude.
And O Jean Paul, and Fate,, and Soul !
We met him last, grown stout,
His throat with wedlock's triple roll,
'All wool,' enwound about ;
HIs very hat had changed its brim ;–
Our course was clear,––WE BANISHED HIM !
When first he sought our haunts, he wore
His locks in Hamlet-style ;
His brow with thought was 'sicklied o'er,'–
We rarely saw him smile ;
And e'en when none was looking on,
His air was always woe-begone.
He kept, I think, his bosom bare
To imitate Jean Paul ;
His solitary topics were
Æsthetics, Fate , and Soul ;–
Although at times, but not for long,
He bowed his Intellect to song.
He served, he said, a Muse of Tears :
I know his verses breathed
A fine funereal air of biers,
And objects cypress-wreathed ;–
Indeed, his tried acquaintance fled
An ode he named 'The Sheeted Dead.'
In these light moods, I call to mind,
He darkly would allude
To some dread sorrow undefined,–
Some passion unsubdued ;
Then break into a ghastly laugh,
And talk of Keats his epitaph.
He railed at women's faith as Cant ;
We thought him grandest when
He named them Siren-shapes then 'chant
On blanching bones of Men' ;–
Alas, not e'en the great go free
From that insidious minstrelsy !
His lot, he oft would gravely urge,
Lay on a lone Rock where
Around Time-beaten bases surge
The Billows of Despair.
We dreamed it true. We never knew
What gentler ears he told it to.
We, bound with him in common care,
One-minded, celibate,
Resolved to Thought and Diet spare
Our lives to dedicate ;–
We, truly in no common sense,
Deserved his closest confidence !
But soon, and yet, though soon, too late,
We, sorrowing, sighed to find
A gradual softness enervate
That all superior mind,
Until,–in full assembly met,
He dared to speak of Etiquette.
The verse that we severe had known,
Assumed a wanton air,–
A fond effeminate monotone
Of eyebrows, lips, and hair ;
Nay worse. He, once sublime to chaff,
Grew ludicrously sore
If we but named a photograph
We found him simpering o'er ;
Or told how in his chambers lurked
a watch-guard intricately worked.
Then worse again. He tried to dress ;
He trimmed his tragic mane ;
Announcing at length (to our distress)
He had not 'lived in vain' ;–
Thenceforth his one prevailing mood
Became a base beatitude.
And O Jean Paul, and Fate,, and Soul !
We met him last, grown stout,
His throat with wedlock's triple roll,
'All wool,' enwound about ;
HIs very hat had changed its brim ;–
Our course was clear,––WE BANISHED HIM !
Tuesday, January 17, 2017
A Presidential Thank You
This is the third and last letter I have received from "My President." Thousands of Americans will receive this letter from their President thanking them for writing him. And to him, I say, "Thank you for being 'My President."
Wednesday, January 4, 2017
How the Affordable Care Act Really Became Unaffordable
Donald Trump tweeted this morning that the Democrats are to blame for the massive premium increases in the cost of Obama Care.
And that the Republicans must be careful: "the Dems own the failed ObamaCare disaster..."
If Marco Rubio were a Democrat, that might be true...
Republican researchers actually found a way to make the Affordable Care Act unaffordable two years ago. And Marco Rubio introduced the seemingly unnoticed bill as a rider to the Omnibus Government Spending Bill.
The rider bill prohibited the Department of Health and Human Services from using government funds "to bail out" failing health insurance companies.
When the Affordable Care Act was created, insurers had no idea how much it would cost to insure the people who signed up for Obama Care. To entice the insurance companies to keep premium payments reasonable, the government created a Risk Corridor Program. This program was set up to reimburse insurance companies who lost money during the first few years of Obama Care. The funds for the Risk Corridor Program would come from either the excessive profits of successful insurance companies or from the government itself. Senator Rubio's bill effectively killed the Risk Corridor Program by prohibiting the use of government funds to "bail out" failing insurance companies.
And insurance companies were fleeing from Obama Care as fast as they could. Some insurance companies folded, while others raised their rates a few months before the election. Insurance companies lost 8 billion dollars. So surely, the companies that survived would raise their premiums high enough to make a profit and then some.
And whose fault was it? It had to be the Democrats!
And whose fault is it still?
Donald Trump wants you to think the Democrats own it...
And that the Republicans must be careful: "the Dems own the failed ObamaCare disaster..."
If Marco Rubio were a Democrat, that might be true...
Republican researchers actually found a way to make the Affordable Care Act unaffordable two years ago. And Marco Rubio introduced the seemingly unnoticed bill as a rider to the Omnibus Government Spending Bill.
The rider bill prohibited the Department of Health and Human Services from using government funds "to bail out" failing health insurance companies.
When the Affordable Care Act was created, insurers had no idea how much it would cost to insure the people who signed up for Obama Care. To entice the insurance companies to keep premium payments reasonable, the government created a Risk Corridor Program. This program was set up to reimburse insurance companies who lost money during the first few years of Obama Care. The funds for the Risk Corridor Program would come from either the excessive profits of successful insurance companies or from the government itself. Senator Rubio's bill effectively killed the Risk Corridor Program by prohibiting the use of government funds to "bail out" failing insurance companies.
And insurance companies were fleeing from Obama Care as fast as they could. Some insurance companies folded, while others raised their rates a few months before the election. Insurance companies lost 8 billion dollars. So surely, the companies that survived would raise their premiums high enough to make a profit and then some.
And whose fault was it? It had to be the Democrats!
And whose fault is it still?
Donald Trump wants you to think the Democrats own it...
Thursday, December 29, 2016
Cursory Remarks on the Current State of the Union
For only the third time since its founding in 1857, The Atlantic endorsed a candidate: Hillary Clinton. Worth repeating was The Atlantic's rejection of the other candidate:
...but we are mainly concerned with the Republican Party’s nominee, Donald J. Trump, who might be the most ostentatiously unqualified major-party candidate in the 227-year history of the American presidency.
Much to the dismay of the popular will of America, and not as independent of the popular will of Russia, Donald Trump was elected by the Electoral College to be
What the Hell?
Where does the Majority of Americans–those of us who voted for Hillary–go from here?
How could this have happened to America?
Congress said it is going to investigate the Russian intervention of our electoral process. And Congress should–but it won't–investigate the Giuliani/Flynn connections to the FBI that affected the outcome of the election.
As for those who voted for Trump, we are ashamed of you.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IFqCJfUKlls
On January 23, 2016, in making a point about the loyalty of his followers, Donald Trump said, "I could stand in the middle of 5th Avenue and shoot somebody and I wouldn't lose any voters okay."
Donald Trump was right. No matter what he did or said, he didn't lose voters. No matter what the Press discovered and revealed about him, he didn't lose voters. No matter who he bullied or ridiculed, he didn't lose voters.
And now he is on the doorsteps of the White House, and the majority of Americans are ashamed.
As for the Trump followers, those who voted for Trump–our brothers, sons, fathers, sisters, aunts, uncles and yes, former friends–they have lost our respect. They have made America morally bankrupt.
Do they really think he is going to make America Great again?
Drain the swamp! Did he? Not by the looks of his cabinet choices.
And how about all those Russian connections?
Are you proud of yourself?
Aren't you afraid of what Trump can do to our country?
We are very afraid.
And we are ashamed of you for making us feel this way.
Saturday, December 3, 2016
Hillary Clinton's Biggest Mistake
I, like most Democrats, am still shocked by the outcome of the Presidential election. Around the middle of October, it appeared that Hillary Clinton would become the next President of the United States. Trump was imploding, Republicans were abandoning ship, and there was even talk that the Democrats were going to retake the Senate.
On October 19th, Jason Easely wrote an article for PoliticusUSA reporting that Trump's own campaign manager did not agree with Trump that the election was rigged: The Rats Flee the Sinking Ship as Trump's Own Campaign Manager Throws Him Under the Bus.
On October 20th, Nicholas Lemann wrote in The New Yorker about the disarray of the Republican Party and "Trump's apparently inevitable defeat:" The Long Decline of the Republican Establishment.
On October 21st, the website Five Thirty Eight gave Hillary Clinton an 86.5% chance of becoming the next President of the United States. And it gave the Democrats a 73.5% chance of retaking the Senate!
Even the USC/L.A. Times Poll had Hillary ahead on Oct 24th and 25th!
What happened?
Rudy Giuliani happened.
Rudy Giuliani happened to be at the Al Smith Charity Event in New York City on October 20th. And Hillary Clinton made her biggest mistake! She belittled Giuliani for calling Trump "a genius" for not paying taxes.
And Giuliani was not amused: Huffington Post Article: Giuliani Was Not Amused....
On October 25th, Rudy Giuliani appeared on Fox and Friends, chuckled and said that the Trump camp still had a few surprises up their sleeve. When asked if they were October surprises, he chuckled again and said, "You'll see...:"
On October 28th, James Comey released his bombshell that the FBI was looking into more Clinton emails. And Rudy Giuliani was still chuckling!
On November 2nd, Fox News' Bret Baier reported that an avalanche of evidence had the FBI heading toward an indictment of the Clinton Foundation. And Rudy Giuliani couldn't stop chuckling!
Note in the tweets above what Gen Flynn said. Also note Rachel Maddow's comment about the FBI leaks.
On November 4th, CNN's Don Lemon called out Giuliani for hinting about the Comey letter two days before it happened. Did Giuliani use his FBI contacts to stir the pot and get even with Hillary? One of Giuliani's companies represents the union of active and retired FBI agents.
On November 4th Fox News' Bret Baier apologized for his "incorrect story." And Rudy Giuliani was still chuckling! Side Note: Didn't Dan Rather get fired for "falsely" reporting about George Bush's National Guard Service?
On November 6th, James Comey reported that the FBI had completed their investigation and had turned up no new damaging emails. But the damage had already been done. On Nov 6th, the USC/L.A. Times poll had Trump ahead again:
48.2% to 42.6%
And Rudy Giuliani was still chuckling!
You know the rest. The Clinton campaign never recovered. Trump voters voted down the ticket. Trump won the election, and the Republican party retained control of both houses.
And now Rudy Giuliani believes he "earned" Trump's nomination to be Secretary of State.
And yes, Rudy Giuliani is still chuckling!
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