2017: The Year We Wished Was Fake News

And so 2017 nears its end.  A year of fear, loathing and partisanship that caused protests, investigations, resignations and the truth depends on which side you're on.  A year of pullouts from climate change and trade agreements, plus travel bans on immigrants from certain countries, making America great only to those who could afford it.  Hurricanes in the southeast and wildfires in the west just added to the misery.  The specter of nuclear war, something we thought we'd never see again, reared its ugly head.  But hey, the economy's booming!

The catalyst for all this, of course, is President Donald Trump.  His inability to leave well enough alone shows in his tweets and public statements, whether it's about Hillary Clinton, the media, the legacy of his predecessor Barack Obama, the NFL, or whatever Fox News considers important.

Recently, Trump shook up the Middle East with his decision to recognize Jerusalem as Israel's capital and to move the American embassy there, which makes a major terrorist attack on this country all the more possible.  And the one victory in Congress the President can claim this year is the new tax law, which would not only give rich Americans a bigger cut, but also send the federal deficit over a trillion dollars.

Trump might also think Obamacare is dead with the repeal of the individual mandate (included in the tax bill), which says that you either get health insurance or you face paying a penalty.  For younger people who thought nothing bad would ever happen to them, it was an easy choice--unless they got sick or had an accident.  So this was one part of the Affordable Care Act that was worth losing.  But dead?  Look at the number of folks who signed up for insurance during the enrollment period, which got no promotion whatsoever.

If there's one thing that will continue to dog Trump in the new year, it's the ongoing investigation into Russia's alleged hacking of the 2016 presidential election and whether the Current Occupant had anything to do with it.  As this enters a critical phase, the President is tweeting his displeasure over its handling by special prosecutor Robert Mueller and the FBI.  There is the feeling that, as we get closer to the truth, Mueller might fly too close to the sun and Trump finds an excuse to either fire him, or pardon those who are either already under indictment or are about to spill the beans.

Trump also stands accused of sexual harassment in words and deeds, but he's likely to fare better than the other guys who lost their careers since Bill Cosby and Harvey Weinstein got their comeuppance from women who suffered in silence for years and couldn't take it any more.  Some examples:  Christopher Plummer is getting rave reviews in the film "All The Money In the World" as the emergency replacement for Kevin Spacey, who also lost his role on TV's "House of Cards".  Garrison Keillor's "A Prairie Home Companion" was replaced on radio by "Live From Here" with Chris Thile.  Minnesota's Lieutenant Governor Tina Smith will replace Al Franken as the state's U.S. Senator.  And still no word on who's replacing Matt Lauer and Charlie Rose on morning TV.

The biggest trend in TV is the rise of streaming services such as Netflix and Hulu, caused by people who didn't want to pay extra for channels they don't watch.  Now that net neutrality is history (pending court decisions), it will be interesting to see if those same people come crawling back to cable once streaming becomes less convenient and more expensive.

Because of streaming, whether you watch or listen to it, a number of media companies had the urge to merge in 2017.  There's the AT&T-Time Warner combo, of course, though the Trump administration is doing all it can to derail the deal because the news channel they hate--CNN--is involved.  Disney is buying up most of the assets in Fox, except for its broadcast network, TV stations, and news and sports channels.  Sinclair Broadcasting, which already owns more TV stations than anybody else, wants to add Tribune's to its portfolio, meaning that iconic stations like WGN in Chicago, WPIX in New York and KTLA in Los Angeles will soon be spouting the Trump/GOP line on its newscasts.  And CBS is getting out of the radio business after 90 years, selling its local stations to Entercom.

Those who did not make it past 2017 include . . . Dorothy Mengering, Lola Albright, Chuck Barris, Barbara Hale, Heather Menzies, Dick Enberg, Jim Nabors, Rance Howard, David Cassidy, Della Reese, Mel Tillis, Liz Smith, Fats Domino, Robert Guillaume, Y.A.Tittle, Tom Petty, Monty Hall, Hugh Hefner, Harry Dean Stanton, Jay Thomas, Jerry Lewis, Dick Gregory, Glen Campbell, Sam Shepard, June Foray, Martin Landau, Stephen Furst, Adam West, Frank Deford, Gregg Allman, Zbigniew Brzezinski, Roger Moore, Roger Ailes, Chris Cornell, Powers Boothe, Jonathan Demme, Erin Moran, John Geils, Don Rickles, Jimmy Breslin, Chuck Berry, Joni Sledge, Robert Osbourne, Joseph Wapner, Bill Paxton, Norma McCorvey, Al Jaurreau, Richard Hatch, John Hurt, Mary Tyler Moore, Eugene Cernan, William Peter Blatty, Chester Bennington, Malcolm Young, Ann Wedgeworth, Bernie Casey, Don Williams, Walter Becker, Glenne Headly, Cuba Gooding Sr., Mike Conners, Miguel Ferrer, Roger Erickson, Bill Diehl, Johnny Canton, Chuck Lilligren, Ray Christensen, Johnny Bower, Dick Orkin and Rose Marie.

Who or what will survive 2018?  Stay tuned.

After Al Franken, What?

Al Franken announced his resignation as Minnesota's U.S. Senator on December 7, having noted he was leaving because of charges of sexual harassment while a man from Alabama accused of molesting girls might be elected senator, and that President Donald Trump is still in office despite claims of sexual misconduct.  Franken did not say when his resignation would take effect, nor did he apologize to any of the women he had supposedly wronged.  He now follows congressmen John Conyers of Michigan and Trent Franks of Arizona out of the Capitol doors, all busted for their behavior towards the women they worked with.

The climate is changing in Washington, and it isn't just the weather.  A number of Democratic women in Congress banded together to demand Franken's resignation.  Time magazine made its Person of the Year "The Silence Breakers", women who chose to call out their male bosses' sexual power plays.  And some women who claimed to have been taken advantage of by Trump have been calling for (A) his resignation and/or (B) a Congressional investigation.  The President and the White House have called them all liars.

In Minnesota, Franken's departure has made the 2018 midterm elections more interesting than it already was.  Democratic (known as the Democratic Farmer-Labor party in Minnesota) Governor Mark Dayton is not running again, so his seat is up for grabs.  DFL Senator Amy Klobuchar is up for re-election, but at this point is favored to win no matter who Republicans put up against her.  And now there's going to be a special election to fill out the remainder of Franken's term, with plenty of big names from both parties who are mulling runs.

What matters right now is who Dayton will name as Franken's fill-in until the election, someone who not only would carry on the Senator's policies, but also may or may not want to run in November.  Most pundits say it should be Tina Smith, who is currently the state's Lieutenant Governor.  A logical choice, until you consider how committed to the job she might be.  Not only is Smith as low profile a politician as you can get, but she has already ruled out a run for Dayton's job.  What makes you think she'd want a high-profile position in Washington, much less for the long haul?

There have been some calls for Franken to reconsider his resignation, given his previously stellar reputation in the Senate and as a Trump critic, and let the Senate Ethics Committee decide whether or not he should be punished.  They have even alleged that original accuser Leeann Tweeden was being influenced by right-wing elements, who wanted to neutralize Democrats' portrayals of the GOP as the party of overgrown frat boys and pedophiles.

But the picture of Franken fondling Tweeden's breasts while she was sleeping, taken long before he entered politics, is kind of hard to ignore.  So are the number of women who say they were either groped or deep-kissed by Franken, even after he became Senator.  All of this evidence has rendered his efforts as an advocate for women's rights moot, hasn't it?

It's time to turn the page on Al Franken, and all the others who found themselves cold-shouldered by changing times and the political reawakening of women.  Will the next chapter bring a new beginning, or just the same old story?

UPDATE (12/13/17):  Governor Dayton has indeed chosen Tina Smith to be interim U.S. Senator, and will be sworn in as soon as outgoing Senator Al Franken decides to leave the stage.  Smith says she's running in November for the rest of Franken's term.  Minnesota now joins California and a few other states to have two women as senators.

UPDATE (12/24/17):  Franken's official resignation is set for January 2.  Smith will be sworn in the following day.

Trump: Skating on Thin Ice

Now that waking up with Matt Lauer or hearing Garrison Keillor talk about Lake Wobegon on the radio are no longer options, due to their respective managements determining that they were taking too many liberties with the female help, we should never again question the legitimacy of women who complain about being harassed by powerful men.  Even if your name is President Donald Trump.

As the President was doubting the legitimacy of the "Access Hollywood" audio that nearly sank his campaign (Billy Bush, whose TV career had already sunk because of it, tells us it's all true), he went ahead and endorsed Roy Moore, an accused pedophile who's running for Alabama's U.S. Senate seat in a special election next week.  The Republicans, in spite of their initial skittishness over associating with such a man, seem to be willing to ignore Moore's baggage just so they could keep their margin of control in the Senate.

That margin of control could make the difference for the major tax reform the GOP so desperately wants, which is essentially a "reverse Robin Hood" package that gives tax breaks to corporations and other rich folks and steals from the poor in tax hikes.  The Senate passed its version in the middle of the night, leaving little time for letting anyone read the lengthy bill, let alone understand it.  The President will be more than happy to sign the final version of the bill as soon as the House and Senate agree on what's going in it.  This would be the most significant (and only) legislative victory since Trump took office, and one the GOP hopes will convince voters to give them another chance in 2018.

But there are storm clouds ahead.  Robert Mueller's investigation of Trump's ties with the Russian government over any alleged tinkering with the 2016 election has just nabbed Michael Flynn.  The former national security adviser pleaded guilty to charges of lying to the FBI and Vice President Mike Pence about conversations with Russian officials, and is cooperating with the investigation.

The deliberateness of Mueller's investigation thus far has led to questions about whether Trump will actually get caught.  He could try to derail the matter by firing Mueller, or he could pardon many of those in his family or inner circle, including himself.  And, like Moore, the GOP is willing to look the other way.  If all else fails, then blame Hillary Clinton.

The President also has to worry about the long term job statuses of Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and Attorney General Jeff Sessions, with whom he's had disagreements with in the past.

Then there's North Korea.  They just launched a test missile that they say could reach anywhere in the United States.  It doesn't have a nuclear device, but that's coming.  If Trump wants to avoid war with Kim Jong-un, he's going to have to tamp down the saber rattling and hope diplomacy works.

One more thing:  If Russia doesn't prove to be Trump's eventual downfall, is it possible that there's a woman out there who's brave enough to pin "very bad things" (as he might term it) on the President?  If that woman exists, she might very well send Trump to the same scrap heap as Lauer, Keillor and countless others.

Oh wait . . .

Keeping the Net Neutral

Net neutrality is defined as a policy where internet service providers (ISPs) such as Comcast or Verizon must treat everything on the internet as the same, and not block, slow down or charge extra for content, websites or bandwidth.

It's been working rather well for most users, whether we own a business, write blogs or just use it to search for stuff.  There are flaws such as living in areas that still have dial-up service, or some folks not being able to afford internet service, period.  Who would want to mess up a system like that?

The Federal Communications Commission would.  Its commissioner, Ajit Pai, would like to reverse net neutrality rules for the sake of allowing ISPs to increase its investment in infrastructure and innovation.  Opponents see it as a backdoor way for the FCC to allow ISPs to charge more for putting its favored services at blazing broadband speed, while everyone else has to watch their screens buffer nonstop at a lower price.

The last time we went through this debate was in 2015 when, after a public outcry, the FCC reclassified broadband access as a telecommunications service and not a luxury.  Net neutrality was saved!  But now that we have a new president, it has become another vestige of the Barack Obama era that President Donald Trump would like to get rid of.  And the Republicans have become masters at making attempts to fix what isn't broken.  Like, let's say, health care.  Or tax reform.

As for the ISPs, who stand to gain plenty with the proposed repeal of net neutrality, some of them have pledged to keep things the way they are, insisting that they would never ever pinky swear take unfair advantage of the consumer.  Should we believe them?

The FCC will make a final decision on net neutrality sometime in December.  Which will probably be followed by legal challenges if the vote doesn't go the way of either side.  What happens next could determine whether the internet remains open and free, or it becomes tangled in corporate barbed wire.

UPDATE (12/14/17):  The FCC voted 3-2 to end the net neutrality rules, leading to dire predictions on what this all means to Average Joes and Janes  The rules don't go into effect for a couple of months, but that's plenty of time for lawsuits to delay the process and for Congress to come up with its own ideas of keeping the net neutral.  Since whatever Congress comes up with will probably be lobbied down to include major concessions to the telecoms and not much to those who use and pay for the internet--that is, if they decide to act on it at all, it's better to let the judges decide.

It's No Joke, Senator

Since his election to the U.S. Senate from Minnesota in 2008, Al Franken has been mostly successful in distancing himself from his former career as a satirist/comedian, writing and performing sometimes off-color skits for "Saturday Night Live" and other shows.  As a Senator, Franken had been active in his advocacy of the rights of women and minorities, maintaining net neutrality and opposing media mergers, and as a frequent critic of President Donald Trump.  Franken was briefly mentioned as a possible Democratic presidential candidate in 2020.

Then the past came to bite Franken.

Leeann Tweeden, a former model and TV host who reads news for a morning show on KABC-AM radio in Los Angeles (owned by Cumulus Media, not Disney), made headlines of her own Thursday when she revealed that Franken put some unwanted moves on her back in 2006.

According to Tweeden, she and Franken were part of a group of entertainers visiting soldiers in the Middle East when, while rehearsing a skit, he kissed her roughly.  Then, she said, she saw a photo of a grinning Franken putting his hands on her breasts while she was sleeping.

With that image, Tweeden became the latest in a long line of women and some men since the Harvey Weinstein scandal broke who have accused powerful men from coast to coast of using sex as a way of getting ahead in the world.  Unlike most of those men, who would rather fight the accusers than take the blame, Franken apologized to Tweeden and she has accepted.

But that's not the end of the story.  The Senate plans to investigate the matter, and it could end with some kind of punishment for Franken.  There have been calls for him to resign.  President Trump has even tweeted on this, referring to the senator as "Al Frankenstein".

In the national wave of shaming alleged sexual predators, Franken and others might get swept away.  But here's what the tide brought in:  A judge from Alabama who's been accused of having sex with teenaged girls (some of whom might be underage) might be elected to the Senate.  And a man who's admitted to groping and fondling women in the past is currently President of the United States.

It's hard to understand at this point how Franken can remain Senator, despite his admission and apology to Tweeden.  Even if he's allowed to complete his term (and promise not to run again in 2020), he can no longer be an effective advocate for women or as a critic of Trump.  Which is too bad because the Democrats really need someone like that right now.

The joke's on you, Senator.

UPDATE (11/21/17):  It gets worse for Senator Franken.  A woman claims the Senator grabbed her rear end while they were posing for pictures at the Minnesota State Fair in 2010.  He says he doesn't  remember the incident.  He has also said he won't resign.

Meanwhile, CBS and PBS have fired correspondent and talk show host Charlie Rose for alleged sexual misconduct.  A Disney/Pixar executive is taking a leave of absence for much the same reason.  And two Minnesota state senators are resigning.  The wave continues.

And it sure sounds like President Trump is endorsing former judge Roy Moore's U.S. Senate bid, though he didn't come out and say it.  The Republicans, it seems, would rather have one more vote in the Senate.  Even if that vote belongs to someone who's accused of being a pedophile.

Roy Moore: Poor Judgment?

Former state justice Roy Moore is running as the Republican candidate in a special election next month for Alabama's U.S. Senate seat, a job once held by Jeff Sessions before he became President Donald Trump's attorney general.

Moore is believed to be an extreme-right man of God, basing his decisions on the Bible rather than the U.S. Constitution, which has caused him to twice be elected--and twice removed from--his role as Chief Justice of the Alabama Supreme Court.  The first time was for disobeying a federal order to take down a monument to the Ten Commandments from the steps of the state justice building.  The second was for directing other judges to continue enforcing the state's same sex marriage ban, even though it was declared unconstitutional.

But now Moore's Senate campaign has encountered a major road block.  There have been reports from several women who allege that Moore took sexual advantage of them when he was in his 30s and when they were teenagers, some of them below the state's age of consent.  Moore is now 70.

The former justice joins the lengthy list of once-powerful men whose careers came to a screeching halt when women (and some men) started accusing them of sexual harassment decades ago, but were too afraid to make public until now.  It has already claimed the careers of producer Harvey Weinstien, director James Toback, actor Kevin Spacey, comedian Louis C.K., commentator Bill O'Reilly and countless others in media, business and government. (The Democrats don't have their hands clean in this matter, either.  See:  the Kennedys, Bill Clinton, Anthony Weiner, etc.)

Despite calls from both parties to drop out of the race, Moore is having none of this.  He has denied the allegations, refuses to step aside, and has threatened to sue the women in question and the Washington Post, which broke the story.  He would also help get rid of Mitch McConnell as the Senate's majority leader.

Scandal or not, Moore is the overwhelming favorite to defeat his Democratic opponent in the special election.  The GOP publicly may not want anything to do with Moore, but if his election keeps one more Democrat out of a Senate they already control, they'll take the risk.  If they can work with a man who has also been accused of sexual harassment in the past and have no plans to dump him (that would be President Trump), then they could certainly work with Moore.  However, if the GOP is really serious about ousting Moore, maybe they can convince Sessions to quit his job--which hasn't been going too well anyway--and get his old one back as a write-in candidate.

The women who have so far broken their silence about their unwanted sexual experiences with rich and powerful men (and sometimes not so) deserve our respect and support.  One wonders if anything positive is going to come out of this, as men and women try to deal with how to relate to each other going forward without having to resort to sleeping your way to success.

UPDATE (12/13/17)):  Nightmare averted.  Moore lost the election to his Democratic opponent Doug Jones Tuesday, with African-American support and enough folks voting for write-in candidates to save the great state of Alabama from national embarrassment.  We haven't heard the last from the old judge, however.  Moore refuses to concede and has demanded a recount.  But when President Trump tweets congratulations to Jones, then drops Moore like a bad habit, it's over.

America, Trumped: One Year Later

English: Donald Trump at a press conference announcing David Blaine's latest feat in New York City at the Trump Tower. The photographer dedicates this portrait of Donald Trump to Tony Santiago, Wikipedia editor Marine 69-71, perhaps the most officially recognized and accomplished content contributor to Wikipedia, for his outstanding contributions to improving articles related to his Puerto Rican heritage. He is also a close friend. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

It's been a year since Hillary Clinton won the election, but lost the presidency to Donald Trump in the Electoral College.  One year of insults, broken promises, protests, threats, investigations and general fear over what Trump might do to medical care and immigration to a possible nuclear attack.

One year later, we're still arguing over the results.

Even though he's been in the White House for almost a year, President Trump is still obsessing over "Crooked Hillary"'s e-mails and obliterating predecessor Barack Obama's legacy.  This comes as former aides Paul Manafort and Rick Gates are the first to be indicted in Robert Mueller's ongoing probe of alleged Russian influence in the election.

Statements like "I alone will fix it" and "I am the only one that matters" do not suggest that this is a man who cares about preserving constitutional government, especially if Vladimir Putin is one of your role models.

The Republicans don't seem to know what to do with Trump.  On the one hand, some senators like Bob Corker of Tennessee and Jeff Flake of Arizona would rather quit than stay in and fight the President.  On the other hand, with gritted teeth, GOP leaders seem to be willing to endure insults from Trump and the ones who voted for him back home, if that's what it takes to get their agenda passed.

The Democrats should be looking in the mirror right about now.  Books by Clinton and former Democratic National Committee chair Donna Brazile showed how fractured the party was during the campaign (and still is).  Brazile, for one, claimed in her book that Clinton bought up so much influence within the DNC that challenger Bernie Sanders had little chance to win the most significant primaries, even though his support was growing among those who didn't think Clinton was the inevitable nominee.  If the Democrats think they have any chance to make dents in the 2018 and '20 elections, they need to look beyond the current (and aging) leadership and offer candidates with a fresher perspective.

A recent CNN poll tells us that support for all politicians--President Trump, Republicans and Democrats--are at their lowest ever.  Fake news or not, this is a sign that the political landscape is in such disarray that it's going to take more than one person to fix it.  Barring the resignation or removal of Trump before his first term ends, we're likely to suffer the consequences of the election of 2016 for the foreseeable future.

Roger Erickson: Another Part of the Radio Neighborhood

English: WCCO Radio Logo (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Roger Erickson, who had an on-air partnership with Charlie Boone that lasted 37 years on WCCO-AM radio (believed to be the longest running duo in the medium's history), died Monday at 89.

Boone and Erickson attracted a huge following from 1961 to 1998, in an era when half of the listening audience in Minnesota tuned to The Big 8-3-0.  Every morning they would banter among themselves, play records, interview guests, do commercials and perform in skits and sketches.  From "World Wide News" and "Worst Jokes" to "Minnesota Hospital", they spoofed the world around them as they involved everyone from politicians to entertainment figures.  The partnership was extended to the stage, where they once performed in the Old Log Theater's production of "The Odd Couple".

But Erickson could also play it straight.  If you were listening to him between 5 and 6 a.m. most mornings, he'd read the headlines, the time and temperature, introduce the farm reports and play a gospel record.  On days when the snow fell and the wind blew, Erickson became the Voice of School Closings to thousands of Minnesota kids waiting with bated breath to hear him announce their school's name, and whether classes would be delayed or canceled.

Erickson was a Minnesota boy, having grown up on his farm in Winthrop.  He attended the University of Minnesota, where he studied speech and theater and spent time working at KUOM radio.  He came to WCCO in 1959 after a few years in Stillwater radio at WAVN (now KLBB-AM 1220).  He also spent some time playing Bozo the Clown on a WCCO-TV kids' show.

Erickson was one of the original members of the Minnesota Broadcasting Hall of Fame, having been inducted in 2001.

We wrote this back in 2015 after Boone died, but this bears repeating:  Morning radio in the Twin Cities and elsewhere have a harder edge now than it did when Boone and Erickson ruled the local airwaves, singing the closing line of the "Good Morning" song shortly after the 6 a.m. news to begin another day.  When they sang "it's grand to be on hand", they meant it.  This is why people in Minnesota and elsewhere have fond memories of the Good Neighbor to the Northwest.  

And of Charlie Boone and Roger Erickson.

UPDATE (11/6/17):  Days after the passing of Erickson, another figure from WCCO's golden era has signed off for good.  Chuck Liligren, who was the station's farm director for 24 years, died on November 3 at the age of 89.

Checking The Trump List

Whether it's picking fights with senators from his own party, being labeled a "moron" by his own Secretary of State or questioning the legitimacy of a nuclear weapons treaty, President Donald Trump has a knack for cheesing off everyone if it suits his agenda.  Whatever that agenda happens to be.

Herewith, a quick review of recent events.

• Trump announced his intention to decertify the treaty the U.S. made with Iran's nuclear weapons program, citing their alleged lack of compliance.  Then he leaves the pact alone, passing the whole thing to Congress, which has a dubious recent history of getting anything done.
• He feuded with Republican senators Bob Corker of Tennessee and John McCain of Arizona when they took shots at his leadership.  Silly men.  Don't they know that Trump can crush them with a tweet or three, depending on his mood and the time of day?
• After an attack in Niger that killed four American soldiers, Trump allegedly tells one of the soldier's widows that he knew what he signed up for.  That might be true, but it's not something you would normally say to someone who is grieving.  Then again, we've learned to expect things like this from the new Consoler-In-Chief.
• He threatens NBC's broadcasting license because they aired a report that he wanted to double the number of nuclear weapons.  NBC isn't required to have a license, but TV stations owned by their parent company Comcast do.  And it takes years to get that through the Federal Communications Commission.
• The President also wants equal time from late night hosts who rip him a new one every night.  Didn't the Fairness Doctrine go away decades ago?
• Trump signs an executive order to stop funding cost sharing subsidies for Obamacare, leaving some states in the lurch over how to keep their health care plans afloat.  Meanwhile, there's a bipartisan agreement to restore the subsidies for a two year period that initially met with Trump's approval.  Until it didn't. 
• After movie mogul Harvey Weinstien's banishment from Hollywood due to an all-star cast of women accusing him of sexual harassment, it's fair to ask what's going to happen to another alleged sexual predator named Donald Trump.  Well, we've already elected Presidents who fit the profile without our knowing it.  John Kennedy had so many women coming and going during his term, which we didn't know about until long after he was dead.  Bill Clinton was almost impeached because of his dalliances with other women.  Now that Trump's been in the White House for a few months, and his liberties with women are well known, what makes you think this is going to be any different?

Obviously, there's more to come.

What Happened In Las Vegas

Mandalay Bay-Hotel (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

So it's happened again.  Another individual of questionable character and an agenda to tend to makes a name for himself by shooting up as many people as possible, sometimes before turning the gun on himself.  And a nation points fingers at who or what should take the blame for the carnage, while nothing gets done.

An outdoor country music concert Sunday night in Las Vegas that began with Jason Aldean performing ended abruptly half an hour later, when flying bullets from a nearby hotel that definitely weren't part of the entertainment left thousands to either scramble or take cover.  To date, 59 people are dead and hundreds wounded.

Jason Aldean, meet Ariana Grande.  Your lives and careers will never be the same after this.

The suspect, according to police, had a small arsenal of weapons in his hotel room overlooking the concert area.  We don't know why he did it, nor do we know what kind of connections he might have had with known terrorist groups.  We may never know the whole story because the suspect killed himself.

The news media has been careful to tell us that what happened in Las Vegas was the worst mass shooting in modern American history.  What do they mean by "modern"?  Is it post-World War II?  Dallas in 1963?  Columbine in 1997?  Because nothing that's occurred in the past 50 years or so, short of war and terrorism, begins to compare with the carnage racked up by events such as Wounded Knee and others where people of color suffered the consequences of running afoul of the white man.

To those hoping that what happened in Las Vegas will finally, finally result in a "national conversation" about guns and the misuse of them, they can forget it.  The debate was settled long ago, when Americans decided they'd rather have their weapons and Second Amendment rights pried from their cold, dead hands.

For President Donald Trump (who, by the way, is against any new gun law), this is one of the most unsavory parts of his job, which is having to be Consoler-In-Chief  to a grieving nation when things like this happen.  Barack Obama had to play that role so many times during his presidency.  Can Trump approach tragedy with the same dignity and class Obama displayed without calling attention to himself?  Or is that too much to ask?

Life goes on in Las Vegas.  Even though there's been a massacre, hotels, casinos and other attractions are all open for business.  The tourists and convention-goers will still come.  What happened here will stay here, at least until the next person tries to break the modern day record for a mass shooting.  And we get to do this all over again.

Big Trouble In Paradise

Flag of Puerto Rico (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

It's been a couple of weeks since Hurricane Maria slammed into Puerto Rico, leaving 24 dead (as of October 1) and plunging the island into darkness.  There's no power, little food and approximately $85 billion worth of damage to the 3.4 million who live on this American commonwealth.  And there won't be much improvement for months.

Help has been slow in coming from Washington.  President Donald Trump, when he's not tweeting about athletes who don't salute the flag or why negotiating with North Korea is a waste of time, has insisted that FEMA is doing a wonderful job and that he's satisfied relief efforts are going well.

But not according to Carmen Yulin Cruz, the mayor of the island's largest city San Juan, who was seen on TV begging for help from the seemingly indifferent federal government.  What the mayor got for her trouble was a series of tweets from the President, accusing her of poor leadership, and Puerto Rico of wanting everything done for them.  As if Cruz didn't know, insults on Twitter are now considered typical behavior for Trump.

Because it is a commonwealth, Puerto Ricans are by law considered American citizens.  They can't vote for President or Vice President, but they do have a non-voting representative in Congress.  Which makes it hard for anyone in Washington to take them seriously.

Some are saying this is Trump's Katrina, the storm that helped sink George W, Bush's presidency, with his poor decision-making.  Let's compare.  Katrina destroyed New Orleans, a major American city with history and culture on its side.  Puerto Rico has history and culture too, but they're a tiny archipelago in the middle of the Caribbean Sea (and not just in the middle of a great big ocean, as the President referred to it), alongside other island nations that got hit by hurricanes.  You can't get there unless it's by boat or plane.  But that's true of any flooded area.

Complicating matters is the fact that the government has already doled out billions in the past month to revive areas of Texas and Florida, which have had their own bouts with hurricanes.  They also happen to be places where retirees and rich folk like Trump tend to reside.  Life is slowly coming back to normal for them.  As for Puerto Rico, they're full of the kinds of people Trump would like to see deported.  So it's no surprise that they're getting the short end of the stick.

Trump is scheduled to visit Puerto Rico this week, presumably to see for himself what Maria had wrought.  He'll either be moved enough by the relief efforts to promise more federal aid, or declare everything to be in tip top shape before moving on.  Or else it'll be one big photo-op.

You want an indication of how seriously President Trump is taking this humanitarian crisis?  He dedicated the President's Cup, an international golf tournament won by the United States this past weekend, to the hurricane victims.  That's nice, but the survivors of Harvey, Irma and Maria need more than trophies right now.  They need help.

Unsportsmanlike Conduct

speaking at CPAC in Washington D.C. on February 10, 2011. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

In the past few days, President Donald Trump has alienated professional athletes, two countries with nuclear weapons programs and the United Nations.  If this were a football game, the President would be penalized 15 yards and tossed from the field for taunting.

In reality, no one tells the President to shut up and to take down his Twitter account.  So he can say anything he wants, even to the point of encouraging racial hatred and starting a war.  And all we can do is to watch him lead his country to implosion.

At the United Nations last week, Trump used undiplomatic language as he spoke to the body dedicated to keeping world peace.  He threatened North Korea with death and destruction if they didn't stop testing their nuclear weapons, then referred to that nation's leader Kim Jong-un as "Rocket Man" (which he obviously cribbed from the Elton John-Bernie Taupin songbook).  He wants to rescind the nuclear deal between the United States and Iran because of alleged violations.  And he wanted the UN itself to pay its own way and get rid of the deadwood, much like what he tried to do with NATO.

With the U.S. on the brink of nuclear war, Republicans threatening to repeal and replace Obamacare (and failing) for what seems like the umpteenth time, and Puerto Rico being added to the list of areas devastated by hurricanes and earthquakes, Trump decides to take on . . . the National Football League.

Giving new meaning to the term "political football", the President told a rabid crowd in Alabama that NFL owners should fire or suspend players who disrespected the American flag or did anything but stand during "The Star Spangled Banner".  The NFL and its players responded not only by taking knees during the anthem, but also by linking arms or staying in the locker room.

Ignoring the fact that this "taking a knee" business began when quarterback Colin Kaepernick did it before a game to protest racist white cops who get acquitted for killing African American men, it has somehow become an attack on America's manhood.  The anthem and the Stars and Stripes, which has become the symbol of fealty to the military, police and the GOP instead of being the symbol of freedom and equality for all, was brought to its knees by a pro football player who just took one?  No, we can't have that.  Not by someone the NFL has refused to hire since.

This same attitude also resulted in Trump disinviting the NBA champion Golden State Warriors from the White House.  But hey, the NHL champion Pittsburgh Penguins are available.  Darn few Americans on the team, but there's plenty of hardworking Canadians and Europeans to make the President look good.

Trump, who used to own a pro football team (the USFL New Jersey Generals in the 1980s), hasn't gotten it through his head that freedom to disagree with your leaders is a cherished right.  That he continues to stand with white supremacist groups while making his travel ban stronger only makes dissenters out of all but his most fervent supporters, which are dwindling in number as they learn more about the man they helped elect.

Meanwhile, how's the Russian investigation going?  Not a day goes by without some kind of revelation Trump and his minions would prefer you didn't know about.

This all makes you wonder what's going to come first--nuclear war or Trump's resignation.  Either way, it's game over.  Everybody loses.

The 2017 Emmys' Tale

Stephen Colbert in New York City at Border's signing copies for his book I Am America (And So Can You!) The photographer dedicates this portrait of Stephen Colbert to Wikipedia editor Pete Forsyth of Portland, Oregon, who has improved Wikipedia in immeasurable ways. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

It was expected that the 69th Emmy Awards, held Sunday evening in Los Angeles and televised on CBS, would be an ongoing roast of President Donald Trump, what with the presence of host Stephen Colbert and the prevailing mood of defiance in Hollywood.  It was also expected that the proceedings turned out to be, well, expected if you know anything about the history of the Emmys.

The political tone was set early when Sean Spicer, the former White House press secretary, turned up to make fun of himself.  Unfortunately for Spicer, Melissa McCarthy won an Emmy for a guest supporting role on "Saturday Night Live" by doing a better job of lampooning him than he ever could.

It continued when Alec Baldwin and Kate McKinnon won for supporting roles on "SNL", mainly for their sendups of Trump and Hillary Clinton, respectively.  The night ended with "The Handmaid's Tale", another one of those dystopian shows that depress the hell out of people, taking home the Emmy for best drama.  In between were comedy sketches and acceptance speeches driving home the point that--yes, we get it--Hollywood hates Trump.  So does most of America. 

Moving right along . . .

"Handmaid's Tale", a Hulu show which won the most Emmys overall this year (six), benefited from not having to compete with "Game of Thrones", which was not eligible this year.  For its star Elisabeth Moss, who won for actress in a drama series, this must have been payback for all those times she was denied an Emmy for her role in "Mad Men".

Julia Louis-Dreyfus continues to own the comedy category, winning for the sixth time as best actress.  Her HBO show "Veep", in which she plays a fictional vice president, won for best comedy for the third time.  What, no term limits?

The other big winner was the HBO miniseries "Big Little Lies", which won for best limited series.  Movie actors Nicole Kidman and Laura Dern won Emmys for best actress and supporting actress, respectively, giving credence to the notion that TV has always had an inferiority complex when being compared to films.  Once your name is in lights on the marquee, anything you did on the small screen pales considerably.

Trying to prove how much more diverse the Emmy are than, let's say, the Oscars, here's a partial list of winners:  Lena Waithe got a writing award for Netflix' "Master of None".  Donald Glover got two for acting and directing the FX comedy "Atlanta".  Riz Ahmed won for actor in a limited series for HBO's "The Night Of".  And Sterling K. Brown was rewarded as best actor in a drama for his role in the NBC weeper "This Is Us".

Brown did not get to finish his acceptance speech on stage because (A) some of the night's winners got more time to say their thank-you's than others, and (B) CBS didn't want to extend a show that was already three hours long.  Would this have happened if the Emmys were on NBC?

And a couple more things:

• Why does it take more than two people to present an award or to introduce an act?  Is is really that important to have reaction shots from the celebrities in the front row?
• Why do awards shows try to entertain us with pop stars crooning while the otherwise somber In Memoriam segment is in progress?  And isn't it inevitable that the producers would leave somebody out?
• You'll notice that many of the shows that won Emmys come to you from streaming services and HBO, which charge a fee for their exclusive content.  If you're considering cutting the cord, how much do you think you'll be paying for all that compared to cable?
• The Emmy telecast finished a distant second to NBC's "Sunday Night Football".  Why watch an awards show that nominates TV shows and actors you've never heard of, or could afford to watch?

Random Thoughts--Hurricane Edition

1978 Atlantic hurricane season (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

To date, Hurricane Irma has damaged much of South Florida, the Keys and the Caribbean islands, causing millions to go without power for days and possibly weeks, and is on track to make this the most expensive hurricane season in American history.  Though the numbers could change by the time you see this, a total of at least 60 people have died because of Irma.

Before that, Hurricane Harvey struck southeastern Texas and Louisiana, leaving 71 dead and at least $70 billion in damages.  And Jose is currently spinning around in the Atlantic, unsure if it wants to wreak havoc on the east coast or just fizzle out.

So, after the storms go away, they leave behind a few things that need to be mentioned:

• After a major storm, who gets priority in getting the electricity back?  You would think nursing homes would be near the top of the list, especially in a place where even in September it is still hot and humid.  But on Wednesday, eight people died in a Broward County facility that had no power, thus no air conditioning.  Police there are investigating.
• They say politics makes strange bedfellows.  Perhaps that was why President Donald Trump made a deal with Democratic leaders in Congress to not only increase aid for Harvey (and maybe soon Irma), but also to take care of the debt ceiling so that the government can remain open until the end of the year.  Obviously, the Republicans aren't thrilled that a President of their own party would make such a deal with the other guys..  But Trump and the GOP aren't seeing eye to eye these days.  And any attempt at bipartisanship in a divided country is an unusual sight.
• Events like Harvey, Irma and wildfires in the west will do nothing but clarify that climate change is more than just a theory.  No, it's a reality.  But those who don't worship Al Gore will say "it's just weather", then move on with their lives.  They won't change unless they're forced to.
• In watching the destruction and misery following natural disasters like Hurricane Irma on TV, we usually say to ourselves "oh those poor people".  Well, those "poor people" chose to live in hurricane-prone areas on a peninsula of sand, with million-dollar mansions and condos with a great view of the ocean.  Once the wind and rain takes care of them, they can always be rebuilt.  Save your tears for those who don't have that kind of money, and whose lives will never be the same.
• Have you noticed that every TV network and advertisers like Walmart has been beseeching its viewers to part with their hard earned money to support disaster relief?  So-called non-profits like the American Red Cross (the go-to charity for Corporate America) have been accused of promising more than they could deliver when it came to blood donations or disaster relief.  If you must spend money on charities, choose one where ALL the money goes to the victims.  
• Can we have a moratorium on the use of the term 'first responders' when describing emergency personnel?  'First responders', which dates back to the aftermath of the September 11 attacks, is such a politically-loaded term that belongs in the dustbin of history with the George W. Bush administration.  Just call them 'emergency workers'.
• Finally, if you're a TV reporter sent to cover a hurricane or other natural disaster. shouldn't you (A) wear enough protection that makes you look like a United Nations peacekeeper, and (B) stop lecturing your viewers on how dangerous it is outside while you're trying to stand in gale-force winds, butt-deep in flood waters?

Homeland Insecurity

English: World Trade Center, New York, aerial view March 2001. Français : Le World Trade Center à New York. Vue aérienne datant de mars 2001. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

On the 16th anniversary of the day when planes crashed into the World Trade Center in New York, the Pentagon in Washington and a field somewhere in western Pennsylvania, which collectively killed around three thousand people, America has become more insecure than ever.

We don't hear much these days about the Islamic State or Al Qaeda planning attacks in this country like the ones in Europe that were attributed to them.  But we don't just need those guys to instill fear in the hearts of Americans.  Plenty of other 'threats' to the so-called "homeland" are coming up to join them:

Homegrown Terrorism  With President Donald Trump's tacit approval, hate groups like neo-Nazis, the KKK and other white nationalists are allowed to flourish because he considers them "very fine people".  Does this mean it is now open season on minorities, women, gays, lesbians, transgenders and anyone else who's not in lockstep with the new fascism?

North Korea, whose attention-seeking dictator Kim Jong-un has allegedly exploded a hydrogen device, shortly after tossing a test missile over Japan.  It would be nice if Kim responded positively to such things as economic sanctions and global isolation, but that's not happening.  It also doesn't help that Trump is making threats of his own, putting the rest of the world in nuclear peril.

Children of Undocumented Workers, who are currently going to college, serving in the military and otherwise involved in gainful employment as de facto citizens of the United States.  That is, until the President announced his intention to phase out DACA (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals), a Barack Obama-era executive order that legitimized all those now-grown-up offspring of undocumented parents, who apparently had the foresight to cross the border from Mexico long enough to make sure their newborn kids became U.S. citizens.  This is really the fault of our laws, which stipulate that anyone who was born here is automatically an American.  Which comes at the expense of all those who have waited years to enter this country legitimately only to see this going on.

In a sign that the President is having second thoughts about what he just did, he's turned the matter over to Congress, where he gave them six months to turn DACA into law.  Given Congress' track record on legislation in the past few years, good luck with this one, Dreamers.

President Trump, as much as he wants to make America great again, is proving to be just as much a real-or-perceived security risk as anything else we've mentioned here.  He and his cronies are under investigation for his alleged pre-election dealings with Russia.  He speaks (and tweets) before he thinks.  He doesn't get along with the leaders of his own party, let alone the media.  And, well, you know the rest.

The people who died on a September day in 2001 were just going about their business, not knowing they would help usher in an era of war, racism, violence and fear.  They also didn't know there'd be years of extreme political partisanship, resulting in a President who's a threat to national stability and world peace.  It's up to us to prove their deaths were not in vain.

Houston (and America), We Have a Problem

Larger Houston Landsat From http://landsat.usgs.gov/gallery/detail/370/ (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

The city of Houston and much of southeast Texas have just been through a watery hell, thanks to Hurricane/Tropical Storm Harvey.  The toll so far:  51 inches of rain (that's over four feet), 28 dead (according to CNN), tens of thousands displaced and possibly billions of dollars in damages from the storm.

Meanwhile President Donald Trump, having just come off another ego-stroking rah-rah event in Phoenix, tried to upstage the hurricane's landfall (as only he can) by making the following announcements:

• Pardoning Joe Arpaio, the former sheriff of Maricopa County, Arizona.  He was about to face jail time for alleged racial profiling and other human rights violations in how he treated his prisoners. before Trump  came to the rescue.

• Reinforcing his ban on transgenders from serving in the military, though that has since been frozen by Defense Secretary Jim Mattis so they could study the ban before implementing it.

After days of tweets giving 'attaboys' to FEMA officials in Houston and plugging somebody's book, the President finally made it to Texas (but not Houston) to meet with local officials on how to deal with the situation.  Otherwise he treated this like a campaign stop (he did win the state in the election, you know), though he couldn't be bothered to mention those who have died or are still suffering because of Harvey.  Trump did rectify that omission the next day--in Springfield, Missouri, where he'd rather talk about reforming taxes.

Houston is the fourth-largest city in America.  It is also an environmental and man-made disaster waiting to happen, having paved over a swamp and put up a parking lot (to paraphrase Joni Mitchell), allowing no place for the water to go.  As a result, Houston from the air resembles either the Lost City of Atlantis or an American Venice every time a hurricane or a major rainstorm hits.

Because oil refineries and offshore rigs have been closed and/or damaged due to Harvey, expect to see prices spike at the pump.  It will not only cost you more to drive, but you will also be paying more for everything else.  So there goes Trump's robust economy.

It's too early to compare Harvey with Katrina, the other infamous storm that hit a major U.S. city.  As this storm moves north (it has already hit Beaumont and Lake Charles hard), the floodwaters will eventually recede and many unpleasant reminders of what the water left behind await.  Is this going to be the future of violent storms and cities underwater many scientists have warned about?  And what do we do about a president who just sentenced us to that kind of future?

Jerry Lewis (1926-2017): Comedian, Auteur, Lightning Rod

English: Comedian Jerry Lewis - Photograph by Patty Mooney, Crystal Pyramid Productions, San Diego, California (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Jerry Lewis, who died Sunday at age 91, was a man of many talents.  He was a comedian, a singer, an actor, a film director and a humanitarian.  He also did some things that rubbed people the wrong way.

Lewis first came to our attention as one-half of a successful professional partnership with Dean Martin during the 1940s and 50s.  The act worked like this:  Lewis used a high-pitched voice and ran around like a little kid, while Martin played straight man and sang love songs.  Martin and Lewis mugged their way through nightclubs, radio, TV and several Hollywood movies.  Audiences ate it up.

When the partnership famously ended in 1956, Lewis started acting and directing movies that were essentially comedies with a dramatic edge--something you couldn't replicate in a nightclub act.  The best-known of these films was "The Nutty Professor", which was Lewis' take on "Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, playing a dual role as the aforementioned professor and his lounge-singing alter ego with a mean streak.

Lewis' later films were met with mixed results for critics and audiences alike, though he did win rave reviews for his dramatic roles in the movie "The King of Comedy" (with Robert DeNiro) and in the TV series "Wiseguy".  He was much better received in France, however, having been awarded their Legion of Honor.

Lewis was also known for his annual Labor Day telethons, which benefited the Muscular Dystrophy Association.  He raised over two billion dollars in the 44-year history of the telethon for his "kids", though the manner in which he did it--portraying those living with the disease as objects of pity and condescension--bothered disabled rights advocates and other critics. He also got in hot water when it came to his antiquated views on women in comedy and gays.

Jerry Lewis was a man who spent most of his career making us laugh, cry, think and get angry.  He did it his way, just like old showbiz pal Frank Sinatra did.  And he was never boring.  All that mugging really paid off.

The Trump Eclipse

English: Total Solar eclipse 1999 in France. * Additional noise reduction performed by Diliff. Original image by Luc Viatour. Français : L'éclipse totale de soleil en 1999 faite en France. * Réduction du bruit réalisée par Diliff. Image d'origine Luc Viatour. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Monday was the day when the moon merged with the sun over the continental United States, creating a minute or two of midday darkness for the first time since 1979.

Big deal.  President Donald Trump has been blotting out the political and media sunlight with his words, actions and tweets for the past eight months.  He even took off his protective eyewear during the solar eclipse, just to prove he could.  No, the sun, moon and stars doesn't revolve around the President.  It just seems that way.

In the past week alone, Trump used his news conference to make himself the best friend neo-Nazis, the KKK and other hate groups ever had in insisting that "both sides" were responsible for the violence in Charlottesville, Virginia that left one dead and nineteen injured.  He used Twitter to bemoan the removal of statues of Confederate generals (which is what started the disturbance in the first place), as if the War Between The States was a noble cause reflecting the values of all the rednecks who voted for him.

The day after his Trump Tower meltdown, the President disbanded his economic councils after several CEOs who were horrified by his comments quit in disgust.  Later, the arts commission made a similar decision.  In response, Trump decides not to participate in the Kennedy Center Honors.

On Friday, chief strategist Steve Bannon was let go.  A role model for the alt-right, Bannon was believed to be the mastermind behind many of Trump's most controversial actions.  But then the President must have decided he could do racism all by himself, thank you.  So Bannon returned to the Breitbart website from whence he came, where he will presumably rip into his former boss whenever possible.

On the day of the solar eclipse, Trump went on what he likes to call the "fake news" TV channels to talk about Afghanistan--a 17-year old conflict most Americans had forgotten about.  He said something about doubling down on the commitment to America's longest war, but mentioned nothing about increasing troop levels to take on those hated Taliban or when they were coming home.  He also managed to alienate Pakistan by trying to get India involved, even though both U.S. allies could annihilate each other with nuclear weapons within minutes.  (Speaking of nukes, whatever happened to North Korea?)  This reverses years of Trump's complaining about how the Afghan war was a losing proposition that should have ended a long time ago.  Your perspective does change once you step into that Oval Office.

Congressional Republicans seem to be blinded by the light when it comes to figuring out what to do about Trump.  Several GOP luminaries have denounced him by name over Charlottesville, which is something they wouldn't have done before for fear of a Trump tweet-lashing.  But others look at the popularity of Trump among voters in their home states and say nothing.  Despite all the options available to remove a President (impeachment, resignation, censure, implementation of the 25th Amendment, etc.), the most likely course of action for the GOP is a familiar one--which is sitting on their hands and doing nothing, then hope the voters won't notice in 2018.

The next solar eclipse to pass through the United States won't be until 2024.  By then, the Trump Eclipse will either be nearing the end of its second term, or will have fizzled out long before.  Until then, the future's so cloudy that you're gonna need those protective sunglasses.

The Pulpit of a Bully

Donald Trump enters the Oscar De LA Renta Fashion Show, New York. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

The term 'bully pulpit' was coined by Theodore Roosevelt, which was originally meant as a way for the former President to promote his agenda when he was in office, whether it's busting trusts or protecting the environment.  TR also liked to say "bully" a lot, in reaction to anything he considered superb or great to him.

Fast forward to this century.  The word "bully" has taken on a more ominous meaning.  Under President Donald Trump the pulpit he uses, whether it be Twitter or the occasional public statement where no questions from the peanut gallery are allowed, has not resulted in getting his agenda across.  Instead, it's been mostly used to bully and intimidate all those who oppose him.  And the list is long:  his own staff, politicians from both parties, the news media, "Saturday Night Live", world leaders, environmentalists, Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton, anyone involved in the Russian investigation, etc.  Everyone, that is, except Russian president Vladimir Putin.

There are times when Trump's bully pulpit gets him in serious trouble, enough to endanger the lives of millions of people and his own credibility.  Here are two recent examples.

The North Korean Missile Crisis

When North Korea's nuclear program advanced much farther than anyone thought, developing a missile capable of reaching the United States, Trump responded with a war of words with "Dear Leader" Kim Jong-un that frightened the world.   The President threatened to unleash "fire and fury like the world has never seen" on the Korean peninsula if Kim dared to attack this country.  And should the North Koreans bomb the Pacific island of Guam, which has American military bases, Trump assures us that Our Troops are "locked and loaded".  Seeing that the Trump administration is nowhere near ready to commit the country to a nuclear holocaust, nor is Kim willing to sacrifice his impoverished nation to a war he's certain to lose, apocalyptic rhetoric like this is never helpful in the cause of world peace.

For now, Kim has apparently decided to back off on plans to bomb Guam, instead preferring to wait and see what Trump's next move might be.  So are we.

Charlottesville

In Charlottesville, Virginia--the home of a university founded by Thomas Jefferson and located in the heart of the old Confederacy--a march of extreme-right groups degenerated into violent clashes between them and the demonstrators who protested their mere existence.  A car rammed into those demonstrators, killing one woman and injuring 19 others.  The suspect, who is from Ohio, has been arrested and charged.

Trump took time out from his "working vacation" at one of his resorts in New Jersey to address the situation, sort of.  He blamed "all sides" for the violence in Virginia, spoke a few words about tolerance, then exited stage left.  The crescendo of criticism from "all sides"--including members of his own party--forced the President to make another statement from the White House two days later. This time he remembered to mention by name the hate groups--the ones who helped him win the election--who helped make this tragedy possible.  His critics were not impressed.

It should be noted that in neither speech did the President mention nor give his reaction to the bombing of a mosque in Bloomington, Minnesota the previous week, with no deaths reported.  As of August 15, the FBI is still investigating and no suspects have been arrested.

President Trump has turned the bully pulpit into the pulpit of a bully.  The longer he stays in office, the more likely it is he could say or do something that causes irreparable harm to him, his country and the world.  Not that he listens to anyone's advice but his own, but Trump might benefit from another of Teddy Roosevelt's famous sayings:  "Speak softly and carry a big stick".  In the President's case, it might as well be "Tweet Loudly and Carry a Big Mouth".

Random Thoughts '17: North Korea, Olympics, Glen Campbell, etc.

Flag of North Korea (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

With North Korea's ability to fire nuclear missiles at the United States getting better and better sooner than most experts thought, so is the warmongering rhetoric between President Donald Trump and Kim Jong-un.  They're both acting like belligerent children instead of mature adults every time they make statements predicting the other's fiery doom.  Secretary of State Rex Tillerson actually told Americans to sleep well while defending his boss' rash words.  Um, no.  People in Seattle, the rest of the West Coast, Hawaii, Alaska, and now Guam are definitely sleepless over being in the line of nuclear fire should the Korean War ever restart after a 64-year absence.

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Ten days after Anthony Scaramucci was named White House communications director, he was told to scram by the new chief of staff, former Homeland Security chief John Kelly.  "The Mooch" came in like a wrecking ball (apologies to Miley Cyrus), getting press secretary Sean Spicer and Kelly's predecessor Reince Priebus to quit.  But then came the expletive-laden interview with The New Yorker magazine, in which Scaramucci ripped into other Trump staffers.  All this was accomplished before he officially got the job.  Nice work.  See ya, Mooch.

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Over the weekend, somebody snuck a pipe bomb into a mosque in Bloomington, Minnesota.  Nobody was hurt in the explosion, but there was substantial damage to the place.  The FBI is currently on the case, and no suspects have been arrested.  Yet the governor of Minnesota, Mark Dayton, called the incident a terrorist attack even though there is no evidence of that.  Peaceful demonstrations consisted of people of all faiths who came to show support.  President Trump, who has made no secret of his desire to deport every Muslim he can, has not made a statement condemning the incident.  But one of his advisers did claim that Democrats might be behind this.  Maybe we should all wait until the facts come in before we jump to conclusions.

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Paris and Los Angeles were the only two cities willing to pay big money for the opportunity to host the Summer Olympic games.  Both have hosted twice:  Paris in 1900 and 1924.  Los Angeles in 1932 and 1984.  Now both will host a third time:  Paris in 2024 and L.A. in 2028.  That is, if one of Kim Jong-un's bombs doesn't destroy the city first.

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Glen Campbell (1936-2017) was a musician who parlayed his master guitar picking and his good looks into a career that included songs that topped the pop and country charts in the 1960s and '70s ("Wichita Lineman", "Galveston", "Rhinestone Cowboy" and so many others), his own TV variety series and several movie roles.  When he was diagnosed with Alzheimer's, he taught the world how to say goodbye with a final concert tour and album, which resulted in the documentary "I'll Be Me".  He was 81.

The Fall and Rise of a Minneapolis Bridge

I-35W Mississippi River bridge collapse, Minneapolis, Minnesota (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Portions of this post was originally published as "Tumbling Down" on August 9, 2007.  It has been updated and revised.

Imagine, if you will, driving down a major metropolitan bridge  in the heart of the rush hour.  Suddenly, the ground underneath you buckles, cars start disappearing in front of you, and either you fall into the river or come face to face with broken steel girders and crooked slabs of concrete.  Either you survive this or you don't.

No need to imagine.  This actually happened on the evening of August 1, 2007--ten years ago this week--on what used to be known as the I-35W Mississippi River Bridge in Minneapolis, which had been traveled on by an estimated 140,000 cars daily.  The collapse killed 13 people and injured 145.

This was a disaster that could have happened just about anywhere.  Roads, bridges and utilities decades old have gone without improvements.  The I-35W bridge, built in 1967, was deemed "structurally deficient" back when it was last inspected in 2005.  It wasn't supposed to be replaced until 2020.

The National Transportation Safety Board blamed the collapse on a gusset plate that was too thin, plus the added weight from all those cars.  Terrorism was not involved.

One question bothered me throughout this crisis:  What if this happened in New York City?  There are a few bridges crossing the Hudson River that could easily have gone down with ten times more traffic than Minneapolis.  If this were in New York, broadcast and cable news coverage would be wall-to-wall, not to mention the havoc it would have created on social media.  The President and Congress would be taking immediate action, and the country would be in mourning for several days.  If this had happened in New York, Minneapolis would be quickly forgotten the way the Oklahoma City bombing of its federal building was after September 11, 2001.

President Donald Trump made a promise during the campaign to upgrade the country's infrastructure, and he has proposed a budget that would improve roads, bridges, airports, etc.  But Congress, exhausted from having failed once again to repeal and replace Obamacare along with the ongoing shenanigans in the White House, is putting infrastructure on the back burner for now.

Soon after the bridge collapsed, plans were made to build a replacement on the same site.  Construction began in September 2007, and was impressively finished a year later.  The rebuilt structure, now named the St. Anthony Falls Bridge, opened September 18, 2008.  But every August 1st since then, a moment of silence is observed to honor the victims of what happened here on a summer's evening in 2007.  After all, it could have been you or me.

The Least Boy Scout

History of the Boy Scouts of America (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

"A Scout is trustworthy, loyal, helpful, friendly, courteous, kind, obedient, cheerful, thrifty, brave, clean and reverent"--Boy Scout law.

For decades, the Boy Scouts of America has invited nearly every President of the United States since Franklin Roosevelt to speak at its Jamboree, which is held every four years in West Virginia.  This year, it was Donald Trump's turn.

Most Presidents used their message to the Scouts to extol the virtues of patriotism, public service and the promise of a better future, not to discuss politics.  It wouldn't be appropriate for an audience who either couldn't vote yet, or just think it is so irrelevant to their lives.  Trump, as we all know, is not most Presidents.  He just had to go there.

In front of nearly 40,000, Trump bragged about how he won the election for the millionth time, ripped his Democratic opponent Hillary Clinton and the "fake news" media, threatened his Health and Human Services secretary with his job if Obamacare isn't repealed, and made loyalty to him a priority.  Well, at least he got one part of the Scout law right.

Parents and former Eagle Scouts went wild.  This isn't the kind of thing you'd say to young people, even if you're the President.  Right?  Wrong.  This is Donald Trump we're talking about.  You can't count on him to stick to the script, let alone escort an old woman across the street without making a lewd remark.

The BSA, which has had its own public embarrassments over membership restrictions regarding gays and transgenders until they decided to let them in, has apologized for Trump's speech.  The organization, which says it's non-partisan, deserves a demerit badge for this one.

Here are other recent examples of Trump repeatedly violating Scout law:

• He tweeted an order banning transgenders from serving in the military, which is something that caught the Pentagon (and most everyone else) by surprise.  It came on the anniversary of when President Harry Truman in 1948 ordered the Armed Forces and other federal agencies to be desegregated.
• Letting his attorney general Jeff Sessions twist slowly in the wind because he recused himself from the Russian hacking probe, before he is eventually fired.  Special prosecutor Robert Mueller has, for all practical purposes, also been put on notice.  Meanwhile, the President is considering ways to pardon himself and his family should the worst happen.
• The White House media staff has been reshuffled with Anthony Scaramucci as the new communications director.  Press secretary Sean Spicer, who for months was in over his head and then mocked by Melissa McCarthy's impersonation of him on "Saturday Night Live", has been replaced by Sarah Huckabee Sanders.
• Trump has threatened to disown any Republican senator who dares to vote against repealing Obamacare.  So far, the Senate has voted down two proposals, and is considering another one as we speak.  That one's not looking so good, either.

There is one Boy Scout motto that applies not only to President Trump, but also to those who either work for him or cover him whenever he takes to Twitter, or says something outrageous in public.

That motto is:  Be Prepared.

Dial 9-1-1 for Murder

Minneapolis Police Department (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

We have unfortunately become accustomed to news reports of police officers who shoot unarmed citizens during routine stops, and what happens in the aftermath.  This has usually happened to African Americans and other minorities who get pulled over for nothing more than a minor traffic violation, then end up paying the price.

But something happened recently to change the narrative.  In a south Minneapolis neighborhood not usually associated with crime, police responded to a 9-1-1 emergency call regarding a possible sexual assault matter.  The woman who made the call, Justine Ruszczyk Damond, was talking to one of the officers when she was shot and killed.  The alleged assailant, Mohamed Noor, an officer who had been with the Minneapolis Police Department for less than two years, apparently shot Damond through an open window in his patrol car.

No charges have been filed against Noor or anyone else at the scene, as of July 25.  There is not much information about what else happened.  Body cameras on officers were never used, so police are interviewing witnesses the old-fashioned way.  Noor and his attorney have not made any kind of statement, not even to local authorities, much to the consternation of Damond's family, local officials and those in her native Australia who have been following the case.   (By the way, whatever happened to that sexual assault case?)

Taking the fall for this incident is Janee Harteau, who had been Minneapolis' Chief of Police until mayor Betsy Hodges (who faces re-election in November) asked for her resignation and got it.  Before that, Harteau couldn't be reached for days because she was backpacking in Colorado.  When she did return to town, Harteau told the media that Damond "didn't have to die" and that body cameras should have been used.  Hodges named assistant chief Medaria Arradondo to be acting chief, pending City Council approval.

Harteau, who became the first openly gay chief of police anywhere in 2012, was not let go simply because of a poorly-timed vacation.  She and her department had been under fire for such high-profile mishaps as the handling of the officer-involved shooting of an unarmed African American named Jamar Clark, which resulted in the refusal of the Hennepin County attorney to bring charges against the officers involved.  More recently, two officers were caught on security video shooting at barking dogs in somebody's back yard.

The lack of body camera footage in the Damond case is because, in Minneapolis, police officers aren't required to use them.  It's also possible that the cameras were turned off by the rank-and-file in response to the way Harteau and Hodges had been running things.

Noor is a native of Somalia, whose citizens came to Minnesota to escape the war and violence in their homeland.  With all the scrutiny Somalis have been getting from federal officials about young men who are allegedly joining terrorist organizations, and from others who have reacted negatively to their presence, the alleged shooting is just one more thing for them to deal with.

But most of all, incidents like the Damond case (and Jamar Clark and Philando Castile, etc.) have decreased our trust in law enforcement to protect and to serve.  You know those old movies and TV shows where the victim pleads with the lead character not to involve the police in their dangerous situation because (A) the hostage would be killed, or (B) the cops are such incompetent fools that not cooperating with them would be a plus.  When it gets to the point in real life where someone gets shot for making a 9-1-1 call like Justine Damond did, or for getting stopped for a minor traffic violation like Castile did, something's wrong.  Something is terribly wrong.

UPDATE (3/20/18):  Eight months after the incident took place, Noor surrendered and has been charged with third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter.  Should Noor be convicted in a court of law, he could be serving up to 25 years in prison on the murder charge and up to ten years on the manslaughter charge.

Like Father, Like Son?

Description: Trump Tower, in New York City Author: Photo by Martin Dürrschnabel, Benutzer:Martin-D1, user:Martin-D (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Donald Trump Jr., the eldest son of the 45th President of the United States, is not a government official.  He is the executive director of The Trump Organization, the family-run business that oversees all of their properties which include hotels and golf courses.  But Junior wasn't above helping his old man out during last year's presidential campaign.  That helps explain why father an son are in trouble today, caught up in the ongoing Russian election hacking scandal.

Most of it was explained in the e-mails Junior voluntarily released before the New York Times could:  On June 9, 2016, Junior, Jared Kushner (Trump's son-in-law and presently his senior advisor) and campaign director Paul Manafort met with attorney Natalia Veselnitskaya and a lobbyist or two at Trump Tower in New York, hoping to hear whatever dirt the Russian contingent said they'd had on Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton.  Instead, the half-hour meeting centered on what to do about a U.S. law imposing sanctions on Russian individuals, and President Vladimir Putin's response of suspending adoptions of Russian children by Americans.

What's wrong with this picture?  Let's start with numbers, such as the number of times Junior has changed his story.  The number of people who may or may not have attended that meeting (reports tell us it is now eight).  The amount of money in campaign contributions that may or may not have been exchanged.  And maybe Junior should have notified the proper authorities before the meeting took place?

In defending his son (as every father would do, even when it involves national security), the President went on his usual Twitter rant, saying the whole thing was a 'witch hunt' and 'that's politics'.  He also claimed he didn't know about Junior's meeting until recently.

Donald Trump, before he entered the White House, was a businessman who made his name using tough negotiating tactics to buy and sell properties.  Donald Trump Jr. has apparently learned many of the same things, except he may have done his father one better.  He just might have helped sell his country down the river.

Make America Wince Again

Donald Trump enters the Oscar De LA Renta Fashion Show, New York. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

AS Americans celebrated what might be one of the last July Fourths as a free country, President Donald Trump provided the fireworks.  He does that every week, actually.  Some of them happen to be duds.

At the G-20 summit in Hamburg, Germany, Trump did not say or do anything stupid--which is a change from the last time he visited Europe.  He even let his daughter Ivanka save a seat for him during one of the meetings.  How sweet.

What was noteworthy during the summit were the latest examples of American prestige in freefall since Trump took office.

• Trump and Russian president Vladimir Putin finally met face to face.  You might say it was a one-sided discussion with Putin doing most of the talking, no matter how much the White House tries to spin it.  From what we heard, there were questions about whether there was a serious back-and-forth between the two leaders over the Russians' alleged hacking of the 2016 U.S. presidential election.  You might also say that Trump wouldn't dare offend the man to whom he owes his job.
• The rest of the G-20 leaders reiterated their commitment to the Paris climate accords, telling Trump in so many words that his decision to take the United States out of the agreement is non-negotiable.  Hoping to pick up the slack, many American states and cities have said they're going to abide by the climate agreement with or without the federal government's help.  However noble that gesture is, it just wouldn't be as effective without Washington's backing.

Another sign of American weakness comes from North Korea, where they launched an experimental ICBM that's supposedly capable of reaching Alaska.  Short of war, there's not much Trump can do to put a lid on Kim Jong-Un's destructive ambitions except impose more economic sanctions.  China could help, but they've apparently decided that a united Korea with U.S. troops at its border would not be in their best interests.  Meanwhile, we wonder how the International Olympic Committee feels about staging its Winter Games in a potential war zone.  It's scheduled for Pyongchang, South Korea next February, and who knows what might happen by then.

The gulf between the President and the "fake news" media grows ever wider.  At the summit, trump did not hold a news conference.  His secretary of state Rex Tillerson did hold one, but only with no cameras present.

Before leaving for Europe, the President took to Twitter to pick fights with CNN and the "Morning Joe" program on MSNBC, whom he believes are guilty of not being as deferential to him like the hosts of "Fox and Friends" are.  So he tweets about "Morning Joe" co-host Mika Brzezinski's appearance in an unflattering manner, much like he's done with other women in the media.  He also retweeted a video showing him punching out a man with the CNN logo on his face at a pro wrestling match.  Classy.

Some believe Trump should be kicked off of Twitter for his constant violations of their policy.  But Twitter's not going to do that.  Just like Republicans and other Trump supporters are looking the other way, not seeing what he's doing to them.  He's the President of the United States, for goodness sake.  Nobody wants to do anything about him.

In the six months since President Donald Trump took office, he's done more through his actions to diminish the status of the United States at home and abroad (except maybe Russia) than any other leader in recent memory.  And we're just getting started.