Random Thoughts 2016, Volume II

Paisley Park Studios in 2008. Photo by Nick Scribner, and can also be found on Flickr. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Democrat Hillary Clinton and Republican Donald Trump conquered some of the Northeastern states in primaries Tuesday, including delegate-rich Pennsylvania, to all but mathematically eliminate their opponents on the way to their parties' nominations.  Wednesday, Senator Ted Cruz made former HP CEO (and former presidential candidate) Carly Fiorina his running mate in a last-ditch attempt to stop Trump from snapping up the GOP first-ballot nomination.  Just like his misguided tag-team effort with Ohio Governor John Kasich fell flat, Cruz' pairing up with Fiorina is likely to do the same.  So can Senator Bernie Sanders (who won Rhode Island Tuesday), Cruz and Kasich finally accept reality and drop out of the race?

After all the memorials and tributes to the late singer and musician Prince, attention now turns to how he died and to the state of his finances.  First, it was reported that The Artist, for all the claims about being a clean and sober guy, was allegedly addicted to pain pills.  Second, his sister Tyka Nelson said he left no will, in the apparent belief that he'd live to a ripe old age.  Third, will most of Prince's legacy be sold off to satisfy creditors and the IRS (that's assuming, of course, that he had problems with either or both)?  One can imagine Paisley Park in Chanhassen being turned into an office park, or the instruments and other memorabilia that once belonged to Prince becoming the property of some guy in China.

Many a bad decision has been made in the heat of emotion.  So can we just wait a while before naming things after Prince, or proclaiming purple to be the state color of Minnesota (though the Vikings might want to be on board with that one)?

There are probably many businesses in the Twin Cities and elsewhere that are either playing Prince's music, or are bathed in purple, or both.  It's a nice gesture, but please remember that you might be turning off customers who are either sick of hearing his music, or never cared for The Artist in the first place.  Also, parents who bring their kids into your store might object to the not-exactly-wholesome nature of Prince's lyrics.

There are calls to release the 28 pages of classified documents pertaining to Saudi Arabia's alleged involvement in the 9/11/2001 attacks, supposedly claiming that the Saudis helped fund the terrorists who brought down the World Trade Center.  Are we forgetting that, despite boasts of America being energy-independent, we're still buying barrels of oil from the Middle East?  If the papers are declassified, might the Saudis and their friends retaliate by re-imposing an oil embargo that rivals the one in the 1970s?  Or at least jack up prices at the pump?

It has been 30 years since Chernobyl was turned into a ghost town because of the nuclear accident that occurred there.  Now, nobody wants to build a new nuclear plant because of the environmental consequences.  And the ones that remain are vulnerable to age, ineffectiveness and possible terrorist attacks.  Was it all worth it?

Prince (1958-2016): The Artist In Purple

English: The american artist Prince. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

For the record . . . On the morning of April 21, 2016, it was raining in the Twin Cities.  The skies weren't purple and doves weren't crying, but there were people running in the direction of the suburb of Chanhassen like it was Judgment Day.  Chaos and mourning had descended on the Temple of Paisley.

Prince Rogers Nelson, one of the greatest musical exports Minnesota had ever known, had died at his home at the age of 57.  The details of how he passed are murky, which is appropriate since much of his life and career was that way too.

The son of a jazz musician and a social worker, Prince made his name as the architect of the Minneapolis Sound--a blend of R&B, funk, pop and rock modeled on Jimi Hendrix and James Brown, among others.  His hits were part of the soundtrack of the 1980s--some of them of the R-rated variety:  "I Wanna Be Your Lover", "Little Red Corvette", "1999", "Cream", "Raspberry Beret" and "Kiss".  His music has been covered by Cyndi Lauper ("When You Were Mine"), The Bangles ("Manic Monday"), Tom Jones ("Kiss") and Sinead O'Connor ("Nothing Compares 2U").  He was nothing short of prolific in issuing new music, whether as CDs or for downloading on his website.

Prince also branched out into the movies, with 1984's "Purple Rain" and its soundtrack defining the era, as well as other films that were not as successful.  Thanks to "Purple Rain", he made the First Avenue nightclub in Minneapolis and Eden Prairie's "Graffiti Bridge" (since torn down) famous.

Along the way, Prince built up a stable of singers, musicians and hangers-on who became almost as famous as he was:  Morris Day, The Time, Apollonia, Shiela E., Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis (who went on to produce records for Janet Jackson), among others.  Paisley Park in Chanhassen became his personal residence and recording studio.

Prince was also considered an eccentric and a control freak.  He had run-ins with his record label Warner Bros. over creative and contractual issues.  He changed his name to an unpronounceable glyph, forcing everyone else to refer to him as "The Artist Formerly Known as Prince".  He rarely gave interviews.  He gave surprise concerts with only short notice.  But when he did perform, it was usually past most people's bedtimes.

For all his eccentricities and controversies, Prince made powerful music that you could either dance to or made you think.  Those who saw him perform live, no matter how many times, have marveled at his showmanship and will never forget him.  Having already gotten through this thing called life, it's such a shame that Prince's Purple Reign had to end this way.

When You Gotta Go . . .

English: Restroom signs at Wikimania 2011 (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

From Christine Jorgenson to Caitlyn Jenner and everyone in-between, people who were born one way but who now live another have faced many dilemmas in their struggle for social acceptance.  One of them is having to decide which public restroom to use--male or female--when the urge comes.

Now, just like gays and lesbians who fought for and won the right to marry people of their own sex, it's the transgenders' turn to fight for the right to use whatever bathroom they want.  What makes it an issue is that states like North Carolina, Mississippi and Minnesota have either passed, or are considering, so-called "religious freedom" laws that restrict use of the restrooms in schools and government buildings to the anatomy people were born with, among other things.

The backlash has been notable, to say the least.  Rock musicians and entertainers such as Bruce Springsteen, Pearl Jam and Tracy Morgan have canceled their appearances in North Carolina and Mississippi.  Companies such as Pay Pal are taking their business elsewhere.  Governors such as Minnesota's Mark Dayton have decreed that their state's employees must not travel to the Tar Heel state.  And pro basketball legend Charles Barkley, among others, called on the NBA to move its 2017 All-Star Game out of Charlotte.

There are some companies that have decided to go gender-neutral in its facilities.  Target, for one, has decided to open up its stores' bathrooms and fitting rooms to its employees and guests (as they like to refer to their customers) with gender preferences.

On the other hand, besides lingering resentment over people with not-so-Christian lifestyles getting preferred treatment in the court of public opinion thanks to positive portrayals in Hollywood and the news media, the ones who want to put the brakes on LGBT's momentum do have one point.  It's the fear of potential sex offenders who might use the new liberalism of public bathrooms to, shall we say, gain access to women and children--which, it should be noted, there's not enough evidence to support that claim.  Not to mention the general uneasiness of having to pee next to a transgender in the first place.

There are worse things than wondering who's standing next to you in the stall, and what that person might do to you.  For one, there's the bathrooms themselves.  No matter how much workers are paid to clean them, you can still see (and smell) plenty of gross stuff that makes you want to "hold it" until you get home.  Do you really want to plant your naked butt on a seat that might have been used by several other people, unless you absolutely have to?

Short of declaring every public restroom to be turned into unisex bathrooms, maybe we should admit that the tide of social change no longer favors those who think men are men and women are women, and never the twain shall meet.  Who knows?  We might all be better off for it.

Just try not to stare at the other person, and watch where you put your feet.

Cruz and Sanders Badger Trump and Clinton in Wisconsin

English: Ted Cruz at the Republican Leadership Conference in New Orleans, Louisiana. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

The state of Wisconsin normally goes against the grain when it comes to choosing its leaders, and Tuesday night's primary was no exception.  Voters there chose Senator Ted Cruz of Texas over businessman Donald Trump on the Republican side, while Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont defeated former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in the Democratic race, both by double digits.

The numbers, according to CNN.com, still say the front runners have little to worry about as far as delegates go.  Trump has 746, which is ahead of Cruz' 510 and Ohio Governor John Kasich's 145.  Trump needs 491 more to win the Republican nomination.  Meanwhile, Clinton leads with 1780 delegates to Sanders' 1099.  She needs 603 more for the Democrats to nominate her.

The "Dump Trump" bandwagon had a great week because The Donald really stepped into it, punching more holes into his candidacy than the cheese normally produced by the Dairy State (the kind you eat and the kind you wear on your head):  advocating the punishment of women for abortions (which even the pro-lifers took umbrage at), defending one of his staffers for allegedly injuring a female reporter, and posting unflattering photos of Cruz' wife.  What's more, some national polls are showing that more and more people are growing rather uneasy about a possible Trump presidency.  And still others say they support Trump, no matter what.

Another factor in Cruz' win was in getting endorsed by Wisconsin governor Scott Walker, who until recently was part of the crowd of GOP hopefuls.  Then Walker thought better of it and went back to ruining his own state.

Another sign that a Trump nomination is freaking out the GOP establishment are reports that Speaker of the House (and Wisconsin congressman) Paul Ryan is being persuaded by party officials to run as a compromise candidate.  But Ryan isn't interested, just like he wasn't interested in the Speaker job before he took it.  What part of "no" does the Republican Party not understand?

As for Sanders, he's now won several states in the Midwest and West (including Wisconsin and Minnesota) where there isn't a whole lot of diversity or plentiful numbers of delegates.  The next few primaries are in the Northeast, and that's home turf for both Trump and Clinton.

There have been plenty of calls for Cruz, Kasich and Sanders to get out of the race.  As long as they think Trump and Clinton are vulnerable, and as long as the money keeps coming in, they'll stay in it.  Then, just maybe, they'll have that brokered convention that everybody but Trump, Clinton and their supporters seems to want. 

Of Belgium, Ballots and Baseball

Official logo of Brussels (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

In most of the world, Tuesday, March 22, 2016 was the third day of Spring, a day that already promised to be historic.  A new era of diplomatic and cultural breakthroughs were about to happen in Cuba, despite the continued presence of the leaders that made the United States turn its back on the island nation for nearly sixty years.  In Arizona, Utah and Idaho, voters and caucus-goers made their choices on who they want to see running the country for the next four years.

But before all that happened, this did:

An airport and train station in Brussels, Belgium were hit by explosions that CNN says left 31 dead and 270 injured.  This came a few days after police there arrested a suspect in the November terrorist attack on Paris.  The Islamic State (ISIS) claimed responsibility for both incidents.

Brussels is the home of the European Union and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO).  Yet like most European countries, the Belgians haven't figured out how to separate the terrorists from the migrants who have fled from war-torn regions.  How they and other countries respond to this attack has yet to be determined.

Meanwhile, back in the States, the presidential campaign rolls on in the wake of the Brussels attack.  Republican voters in Utah and Arizona had a choice between Donald Trump, who has said NATO has outlived its usefulness and that he would temporarily stop Muslims from coming into the country, and Texas Senator Ted Cruz, who advocates increased police surveillance of Muslim neighborhoods.  If you're a Democrat, you could choose Hillary Clinton, who has far more foreign policy experience as President Barack Obama's former Secretary of State than either Trump or Clinton, yet doubts remain about her trustworthiness.

Trump and Clinton won their respective primaries in delegate-rich Arizona.  Both of them may be inching closer to their parties' nominations, but their rivals are still doing their best to make it interesting.  Democrat Bernie Sanders won in Utah and Idaho, while Cruz benefited from an anti-Trump backlash in Utah to win there.

Obama was in Cuba, the first President to set foot in that country since Calvin Coolidge in 1928.  He didn't let the Belgian attacks get in the way of his previously announced schedule, but did make a brief mention of it during his address to the Cuban people.  Then he took in a baseball game between the Tampa Bay Rays and a team of Cuban all-stars before departing for Argentina.

There's a small but vocal minority in South Florida and elsewhere who have built their lives in this country after fleeing the Castro regime wondering if they're being betrayed because, even if Obama succeeds in making Cuba safe for Americans again, the Castros still remain in place. We ask that small but vocal minority:  If the Castros were gone tomorrow, would you stay in this country or move back to Cuba?

What happened in Belgium on March 22, 2016 had a ripple effect on everything else going on that day.  But while people in Brussels and elsewhere were in shock and mourning, elections were held, diplomacy was conducted and ball games were played.  Life goes on.  The world doesn't stop for terrorism.

Merrick Garland: Supreme Political Pawn

United States Supreme Court building. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton are currently marching on toward their inevitable November showdown, making news every day with violent rallies, raucous (and sometimes raunchy) debates and new allegations based on old ones.  President Barack Obama has been making news of his own in his final year, occasionally stealing the spotlight from the candidates who want his job.

This is one of those times.  The President has nominated Merrick Garland, an appeals court judge in the District of Columbia, to be the next U.S. Supreme Court justice.  He would replace Antonin Scalia, who died a few weeks ago.

Even though, for all we know, Garland is a centrist (not to be confused with liberal) judge with an impressive record in his decisions and in his dealings with others--and a great guy besides, he's going to have a rough time getting confirmed in the toxic political dump that Washington has become.  With Republicans in control of the Senate and still in shock over conservative icon Scalia's passing, they have vowed that there's no way in hell Garland would get a hearing, much less get confirmed.  Even if he is a nice guy.

This comes as no surprise, given the level of animosity GOP leaders have had toward Obama since before Day One of his presidency.  But do they really want to wait until after the election to add a ninth member to the Supreme Court, whether it's Garland or not?  What if the next President is Trump or Clinton--neither of whom Republicans are big fans of?

For the next few months, we're going to hear lots of political this-and-that over Garland's nomination spilling into the campaign?  We'll be hearing scintillating questions such as:  Does Garland have any skeletons in his closet?  How would he vote on Roe v. Wade, Citizens United and other hot-button cases?  What did he really think of replacing Scalia?  Is he just a pawn of the Democrats?

Obviously, if you want to be a Supreme Court justice, you have to have a thick skin.  If and when the Senate gets around to having hearings and then voting to confirm, Garland should be ready to show what he's got.  If he's rejected or decides this circus isn't worth his time, then Senate Republicans will have won themselves a hollow victory, and the Court will have to muddle along with eight justices for well into the next term.  You think the country deserves better than this?

Politics '16: (Delegate) Size Matters

Truman was so widely expected to lose the 1948 election that the Chicago Tribune ran this incorrect headline. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

First, the results from what was billed "Super Tuesday 2":  Both Democrat Hillary Clinton and Republican Donald Trump are well on their way to the number of delegates needed to win their respective parties' presidential nominations, based on victories in the primaries and caucuses.  Clinton won Mississippi as well as Trump, who also took Michigan and Hawaii.  Idaho chose Texas senator Ted Cruz in its GOP primary.  Senator Marco Rubio of Florida and Governor John Kasich of Ohio?  Let's just say they need a miracle.

But the big news came from the Democratic primary in Michigan, where Clinton lost to Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont.  While this was the worst look the various polling organizations (who thought Clinton would win) have had since "Dewey Defeats Truman" in 1948, it also points up a couple of things the former Secretary of State needs to fix if she is to make it to Election Day:  Clinton is saying most of the right things she needs to get elected, but faces credibility problems when it comes to her e-mails or her dealings with big business.  Also, how come she's losing states like Minnesota and Michigan as well as young voters to Sanders.  For this reason, she needs to win in Ohio and Illinois next week.

As for Sanders, the more he talks, the more unrealistic he sounds.  Free college for all?  Sounds great, but who's going to pay for it?  White people have never known poverty?  If the Great Recession had taught us one thing, it's that you don't need to live in certain areas to be down and out if your house was foreclosed and your job disappeared.  It can be anyone and anywhere at any time, no matter who you are.  Who knows?  They might be Donald Trump's biggest supporters.

Speaking of Trump, the New York billionaire reached new lows in the past week.  First, during the GOP debate in Detroit (telecast live from the Fox Theater on Fox News Channel), he not only referred to Rubio as "Little Marco", but also made comments as to the size of Trump's penis.  Then, at a news conference following his Super Tuesday 2 victories, Trump took the opportunity to pitch products with his name on it.  Classy.

Trump has also scared off another potential competitor in Michael Bloomberg, who was considering a third-party run.  The billionaire media mogul and former mayor of New York City figured out what no one else has ever considered:  A vote for Bloomberg is really a vote for either Trump or Cruz, and he didn't want to subject the country to either of those guys.  If that's true, then it's the most patriotic thing Bloomberg has done yet.  Or the dumbest.

Rubio and Kasich have been hanging around this long, and need to win in their respective states of Florida and Ohio for their campaigns to remain relevant.  If that doesn't happen, they can take a seat next to Dr. Ben Carson, who dropped out last week.

It's getting late to slow down the inevitable march of Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton toward their November showdown.  The other candidates are learning, with every remaining primary or caucus, that the size of how many delegates you need to overcome the leaders really does matter.