Roseanne Barr Tweets Way Out of Her Sitcom

Just a few weeks earlier, ABC had renewed its revival of the 1990s sitcom "Roseanne" for a second season.  The story of the Conner family of Lanford, Illinois was fetching boffo ratings for the Disney-owned broadcast network, two decades after the original series ended.

Then the show's star Roseanne Barr chose to add to her Twitter account a few choice thoughts about, among other things, a former White House adviser under President Barack Obama.  Barr thought African-American Valerie Jarrett was the product of a relationship between a Muslim and an ape from the "Planet of the Apes" movies.  She later apologized, claiming it was a bad joke fueled by a prescription sleep aid.

But it was too late.  To the applause of many, including critics and colleagues, ABC quickly pulled the plug on "Roseanne".  So did other broadcast and cable channels who had been airing repeats of her previous series.  Just like what happened to Bill Cosby, Charlie Rose, Harvey Weinstien, Matt Lauer, Kevin Spacey and others in Hollywood and in politics who got caught with their pants down.

This isn't the first time Roseanne courted controversy.  In 1990 she screeched, spit and crotch-grabbed her way through the "Star Spangled Banner" before a San Diego Padres baseball game.  She also ran for president in 2012, garnering nearly 70,000 votes in the election.  She posed as Adolf Hitler for the cover of a Jewish humor magazine.  She has also posted conspiracy theories about gun control advocate David Hogg, survivor of the Parkland, FL high school shooting.  And she decided to make her character Roseanne Conner a Donald Trump supporter just like her, a move which would alienate her more liberal fans.

For ABC, currently the network of "The Bachelor", "Dancing With The Stars" and "American Idol" (which also happens to be a reboot), parting ways with their number one show was a gutsy move.   They had planned their entire prime time programming philosophy around "Roseanne" once it became a hit, catering more to conservative white folks who made up Middle America than to the LGBTQs, women and minorities that they had been.  That meant letting producer Shonda Rimes, whose dramas made up one night of ABC programming ("Grey's Anatomy", "Scandal", "How to Get Away with Murder"), go to Netflix.  It also meant throwing minority-led shows like "black-ish" and "Fresh Off The Boat" under the bus.  Until it all blew up in their faces.

And what was the reaction from the biggest Twitter user, which would be President Donald Trump?  As usual, it was all about himself, complaining about the negative coverage he gets from ABC News, and demanding to know why Disney CEO Bob Iger won't apologize to him like he did with Jarrett.

Roseanne Barr has made a career of breaking barriers in her comedy and in her TV sitcom, while at the same time doing enough outrageous things to make people wonder about her sanity.  If there is a lesson about her rapid slide to being persona non grata, it is this:  Tweet wisely, and keep your racism to yourself.

UPDATE (6/22/18):  ABC is bringing "Roseanne" back to TV, but without Roseanne Barr.  They've just green lighted a continuation of the sitcom with the remaining members of the cast for the fall, which is tentatively titled "The Connors".  Which begs the questions:  How will they explain Roseanne's absence on the show?  Can "The Connors" survive without Barr, just like "The Hogan Family" did without Valerie Harper (salary dispute) or "Eight Simple Rules For Dating My Teenage Daughter" without John Ritter (death)?  Will anyone still watch?

Parkland, Santa Fe: Will You Remember in November?

This is the fifth month of 2018, and we have already had 22 incidents of gun violence at public facilities.  The most recent one occurred on Friday at a high school in the Houston suburb of Santa Fe, Texas (not to be confused--nor would they want to be--with Santa Fe, New Mexico and the railroad now known as Burlington Northern Santa Fe), where ten people lost their lives to a teenager with a gun.

The suspect, according to reports, has been taken into custody but is not expected to serve much jail time (he's 17).  In addition to the weapon he allegedly used, there were reports of explosives found inside the school.  One of his victims, reportedly, was the girlfriend who rejected his advances.

(An aside:  Among all the BS women have to put up with when dealing with men, they shouldn't have to risk their lives if they turn down a date.)

All this comes three months after the last major shooting, when 17 were gunned down at a high school in Parkland, FL.  That led to students taking to the streets, pleading with lawmakers to pass new restrictions on guns and to make their schools safer.  It has also made celebrities out of activists David Hogg and Emma Gonzalez, students at the school who were dismissed by the right as tools of the left.

Results have been mixed.  Some states have been more receptive to the students' concerns than others on this issue, but Washington is still beholden to the wealth and power of the National Rifle Association.  "Thoughts and prayers" are the rules of the day.

Now that it's happened again, expect the usual round of "thoughts and prayers" and victim-bashing while nothing gets done. 

And nothing will be done as long as there are people with attitudes like Texas' lieutenant governor Dan Patrick (no relation to the sportscaster), who blamed the shooting on such things as violent video games and too many school entrances.  The NRA, who just named another celebrity in Oliver North (of Iran/Contra fame) to be their new president, has named Ritalin as a culprit.  In other words, people who will blame gun violence on everything except the gun itself, while spending billions of dollars to help keep it that way.

There are calls for people to remember the lack of action on weapons and its consequences at this year's midterm elections, and to choose those who pledge to change things in Congress and state legislatures across the country.  That's all well and good, except for one thing:

What happened in Parkland, Santa Fe and a dozen other places will be ancient history by the time November rolls around.  Politicians from both parties are counting on the fickleness of the American voter, not to mention the jury-rigging of some districts in their favor.  And, oh yes, there's the antics of President Donald Trump to consider. 

So what's it going to take for things to turn around at the ballot box?  Another massacre in the fall?  Or is it already too late?

All Apologies From the White House. Not.

It happened during a White House staff meeting that was supposed to be behind closed doors.  They were apparently discussing Arizona's U.S. Senator John McCain's opposition to the nomination of Gina Haspel, President Donald Trump's choice to be CIA director, for her less-than honest testimony in Senate confirmation hearings about her views on water torture.

McCain, who was known for spending most of the Vietnam War as a "guest" of the North Vietnamese government before parlaying his POW status into a successful political career, has been diagnosed with brain cancer.  He is not expected to live more than a year or two.  He and the President have not gotten along because, among other things, Trump once said he preferred soldiers who weren't captured.

With this in mind, staffer Kelly Sadler was said to have joked that McCain shouldn't be taken seriously because "he's dying anyway".

Bipartisan outrage followed by calls for the White House to not only apologize for the remark, but also to have Sadler fired.  Meghan McCain, the senator's daughter, said she spoke to Sadler about it and got a personal apology.

That's about the best the younger McCain is going to get from this White House, having not issued a formal apology to the Senator and to continue employing Sadler.  The staff prefers to see this as an internal matter, reading the riot act to anyone who tattles to the "fake news" media.  The President doesn't much care for leakers, either, but they seem to be doing a poor job in stopping them.

This incident shouldn't be considered unusual behavior for the Trump administration.  When was the last time the President apologized for much of anything?  He seems to think saying "I'm sorry" is a sign of weakness that too many of his predecessors used to engage in, and that it doesn't fit in with his plans to make America great again.

After all, Trump has said and tweeted nasty things about business associates, beauty queens, fellow GOP candidates, Hillary Clinton, the mainstream media, immigrants, certain European nations, law enforcement agencies, and anyone else who happened to stand in his way.  All this without so much as an apology.  So John McCain isn't the only person to feel the President's personal wrath.

There are also plenty of things going on in the Trump administration that demand an apology, which is something the President might have to answer for down the road.  But that's a long ways off.  Right now Trump is making people sorry they ever knew him.  Or voted for him.

Stormy Weather in Trumpland

President Donald Trump might not believe in climate change, but there are several weather-related advisories that could affect the fates of not just his administration, but the country and the world as a whole.  These advisories may not be as accurate as your local TV weather Storm Track Doppler team.  But, as Bob Dylan might have put it, you don't need them to tell you which way the wind's blowing.

Nuclear Fallout Watch  Though this watch might have lessened in intensity with the possibility of an agreement with North Korea, it remains in effect now that Trump has decided to take the U.S. out of an international agreement with Iran to limit its nuclear program and reinstitute economic sanctions, citing alleged violations and a desire to renegotiate.  Which means Iran can resume its nuclear program any time it wants, and countries still honoring the agreement can do little to stop them as long as the current government is in charge.  This could turn into a warning should war start.

President Deal Breaker, in his pursuit of better treaties and economic agreements favorable to the United States, has in the process trashed perfectly good ones (See:  Paris climate accords, the Trans Pacific Partnership, NAFTA, etc.) just to satisfy his campaign promises while sticking it to his predecessor Barack Obama and leaving the rest of the world holding the bag.  The Iran nuclear accords weren't perfect, but it was better than nothing.  And nothing is what we're getting.

Tropical Storm Rudy  Once known as America's Mayor following the 9/11/01 attacks, former New York City mayor Rudolph Giuliani is now Trump's Mouthpiece.  He assumed the role of the President's lead attorney following the departure of Michael Cohen.

You couldn't miss seeing Giuliani on TV last week (even if you tried), talking out of school about Cohen's allegedly getting a six-figure reimbursement from Trump for buying adult film actress Stormy Daniels' silence about their alleged affair during the 2016 campaign, or for suggesting that the President might invoke the Fifth Amendment if he is ever interviewed by special counsel Robert Mueller about his role in the Russian election investigation. 

Trump has assured us that Giuliani will "get his facts straight" once he settles into his new job.  The Facts, that is, as Trump knows them.  It might also be a good idea to keep Giuliani off TV for awhile, because who knows what he might say next?  Otherwise, this tropical storm is in effect for as long as Giuliani remains employed by the White House.

Severe Stormy Warning  As long as Stormy Daniels (aka Stephanie Clifford) remains in the news, this warning will continue in effect.  Besides the alleged hush money payment, Daniels is currently suing the President for defamation, and is still looking for the guy she says threatened her and her child.

Daniels also turned up on "Saturday Night Live", playing herself talking on the phone to Alec Baldwin as Trump in the opening skit.  It's the first time most of us have seen her act with her clothes on.  Or seen her act, period.

Blue Tsunami Watch  Also known as Red Tsunami Watch, the prime season is usually in October  and November of election years.  Republicans in Congress, due to their inability to pass major legislation and in handling an unpredictable President, have been heading to the exits in droves.  This leaves Democrats with a good chance of reclaiming the House and Senate this fall.  Even Trump has said that if the GOP loses, he could very well be impeached.

But there's always the possibility that the Democrats could somehow screw this up:  Weak candidates, political gerrymandering, Russian meddling and the "October Surprise" could contribute to the GOP being back on top.  If the pundits are correct, though, this watch could be upgraded to a warning.

No one knows what will happen when the storms hit, or if Trump's presidency will survive any of this.  So batten down the hatches and seek shelter because, as Ms. Daniels has so eloquently put it on SNL:  "Storm's a-coming, baby".

The Wolves at Trump's Door

Before we begin, here are a list of things we should be more concerned about right now.

• North and South Korea have agreed to end their state of war for the first time since fighting ceased in 1953.  Not much is known of the agreement, but it appears the validity of it has a lot to do with the proposed summit between President Donald Trump (who of course is claiming the credit for this) and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, which is scheduled for about a month from now.
• Trump might scuttle the nuclear treaty with Iran because he claims the mullahs aren't holding their end of the bargain.  Israel is saying the same thing, and they might go to war against Iran.  No matter what happens in the Middle East, it all comes back to defending Israel, doesn't it?
• According to the New York Times, special counsel Robert Mueller has a few questions he'd like to ask Trump about alleged collusion with the Russians in the 2016 election scandal.  If reports are accurate, the President might respond by pleading the Fifth (if he's smart), just like Michael Cohen is planning on doing in the Stormy Daniels matter.
• Another in the long line of incompetent boobs in the Trump administration is Scott Pruitt, who's supposed to be running the Environmental Protection Agency.  Instead, he's apparently more interested in improving his environment than ours.
• Bill Cosby has been convicted in a Pennsylvania court of sexually assaulting a woman, in ways familiar to too many other women who have crossed his path.  Now Tom Brokaw and R. Kelly are in MeToo's crosshairs, and their reputations are going to take a big hit regardless of what happens.
• Nine journalists were killed in suicide attacks in Kabul, Afghanistan.

Instead, we're talking about a comedian named Michelle Wolf, who could pass for a younger version of Democratic congresswoman Debbie Wasserman-Schultz .  Wolf delivered an HBO-worthy monologue at the annual White House Correspondents Dinner in Washington.  It was political commentary disguised as comedy, with Wolf aiming her sharp tongue at the Trump administration and the media, among other targets.

Wolf got mixed reviews on her speech depending on which party you follow, with folks wondering why the WHCD would hire such a woman for an event like this.    She skewered press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders in ways that made her look on TV as if she's squirming in her seat, which some Sanders defenders weren't too happy with.  Neither were members of the media, most of whom were dressed to the nines as if this were Oscar night, too impressed with what Wolf had to say about them.  Uh, make that the Golden Globes when Ricky Gervais was hosting.

Trump didn't show up for the dinner for the second consecutive year, opting instead to rant and rave at one of his "campaign" rallies in Michigan.  Given his relations with the media that isn't Fox News that he calls "fake news" and the way he treats them, Trump wouldn't have been welcome anyway.

Yes, there are plenty of things to worry about in this world.  Whether it's the law breathing down his neck, war on the horizon or a woman named Michelle cracking jokes at his expense, President Trump has wolves at the door waiting to tear him to shreds.  One wonders how he's going to come out of all that.

And Flint, Michigan still doesn't have clean water.