Day: February 21, 2019

Our Hypocritical, Despicable President

Fandango27 Comments

2C5F8C39-822F-4D78-BE42-677A2C1AE877Seldom — in fact, never before — has a President of the United States demonstrated such moral bankruptcy as has Donald Trump. Well, maybe Nixon did.

Look how quick Trump was to condemn Jussie Smollett, a black actor on the TV show, “Empire.” I admit that what Smollett allegedly did, staging an attack that he claimed was perpetrated by white, MAGA hat wearing, homophobic and racist men in order to promote his career, is worthy of condemnation.

But why has Trump remained completely silent on the arrest of a U.S. Coast Guard lieutenant and self-identified white nationalist after federal investigators uncovered a cache of weapons and ammunition in his Maryland home? Authorities say the guy stockpiled the weapons to launch a widespread domestic terrorist attack targeting Democratic politicians and liberal journalists.

Trump has not said a word or sent out a tweet about that. Could it be because the guy is white? Could it be because he is an avid Trump supporter (are there any other kind of Trump supporters)? Could it be that his intended targets were liberals who do not typically don MAGA hats?

Trump’s words, deeds, and acts of continue each and every day to undermine everything that our American democracy stands for.

According to a report from the Associated Press, every day many millions of gallons of water loaded with arsenic, lead and other toxic metals flow from some of the most contaminated mining sites in the U.S. are being introduced into surrounding streams and ponds without being treated. And yet the Trump administration has continued to rollback and even remove regulations designed to prevent such toxic pollution.

Everyone knows that our country was the victim of a sophisticated, well-orchestrated cyber attacked in 2015 and 2016 by Russia in order to benefit the candidacy of Donald Trump. And yet last year, the White House eliminated the position of cybersecurity coordinator on the National Security Council, doing away with a post central to developing policy to defend against increasingly sophisticated digital attacks and the use of offensive cyber weapons.

Our president is a racist, xenophobic, misogynistic, narcissistic asshole who is a traitor to his country and is Putin’s puppet.

I could go on and on about how deplorable our president is, but I think you get my drift.

Includes these daily prompt words: Word of the Day Challenge (seldomly), Your Daily Word Prompt (bankruptcy), and Fandango’s One-Word Challenge (undermine).

Seven Things About Me

Fandango9 Comments

904C6BCE-4E6D-4028-92F9-04A6C46AF44CMelanie, over at Sparks From a Combustible Mind, was kind enough to gift me with the Versatile Blogger Award. She wrote of me, “He writes about a variety of subjects, does a variety of challenges and prompt type posts, and is all around VERSATILE. Well IMHO.” Aw, thanks, Melanie.

What I’m supposed to do now is to tell the person who nominated me seven things about myself.

Okay, here goes:

  1. I’m a first generation American.
  2. I have a black cat and a black dog.
  3. I am retired.
  4. I used to be 6’1”, but as I’ve gotten older, I’ve shrunk. I’m now 5’11”.
  5. I still read a physical newspaper every morning with my first cup of coffee.
  6. Other than WordPress, I shun social media.
  7. I’ve worn a beard and mustache for 50 years. They’re gray now, which is why some of my friends call me “Graybeard.”

Now I’m supposed to select 10 -15 blogs or bloggers that I’ve recently discovered or follow regularly and nominate those bloggers for the Versatile Blogger Award.

I’m not going to do that. Nearly every blogger I know and follow is versatile. So instead, I’m going to open this up to any and all bloggers who would like to share with me/us seven things about himself or herself.

Ready, set, go….

More No Way/So Way

Fandango13 Comments

A63EA3F6-FBBF-4FA0-8358-3ABCDBF75EF2Rory, A Guy Called Bloke, has come up with yet another “Oh So Way/Oh No Way” post. It’s essentially a yes or no exercise where he makes a bunch of statements to which you respond with either “oh so way,” meaning “yeah, I’ve done that,” or “oh no way,” meaning “uh uh, not on a bet have I ever done that.”

So hear goes:

I have eaten snails — Oh so way! Yummy!

Received a speeding ticket — Oh so way, so way, and so way. I have a heavy foot.

Fallen asleep during an important meeting — Oh no way, but I did fall asleep in classes in college.

Sunbathed nude — Oh so way.

Taken part in a talent show. — Oh so way.

Worn Crocs — Oh no fucking way!

Screamed at a scary scene in a movie showhouse — Oh no way, but I did jump outta my seat a few times.

Been involved in a hit and run — Oh no way.

Been locked outside when naked — I’ve been outside and naked, but oh no way I was locked outside.

Been approached by a hooker — Oh so way. But I didn’t hook up.

Re–gifted a gift to someone else that I was gifted — Oh no way. At least not that I know of.

Fallen over something in the street while texting — Sadly, oh so way.

Fallen asleep on the toilet — Oh no way, but I did drop my iPhone in the toilet once.

Had sex in a tent — Oh so way.

Properly kissed someone of the same sex — Oh no way. I assume a fatherly kiss to one’s son is not what you’re referring to.

Surfed — Does body surfing count? If so, then oh so way.

Had sex on the first date — Oh so way. Mmm.

Holidayed in a nudist camp — Does going to a nude beach count? If yes, then oh so way.

100WW — One Sick Puppy

Fandango5 Comments

B6B36ED4-FCBA-4AB6-A29C-5C2EA5553A8F“Tina, I carved our initials and a heart in this tree,” Matt said.

Tina looked closely at the carved letters in the tree’s trunk. “What does ‘MAIV’ stand for?”

“That’s me, Matt Anderson the fourth,” he said proudly.

“And ‘TSWV’?”

“Tina Susan Wilson,” Matt said. “But I screwed up the carving a little.”

“And ‘NYIAJ’?”

“New York in April,” Matt explained. “Remember last April? The ‘J’ was supposed to be an exclamation mark, but I screwed that up, too.”

“And the red color?”

“I accidentally sliced my finger, so I painted the letters with my blood.”

“You’re one sick puppy.”

Written for Bikurgurl’s 100 Word Wednesday prompt.

FOWC with Fandango — Undermine

Fandango21 Comments

FOWCWelcome to February 21, 2019 and to Fandango’s One-Word Challenge (aka, FOWC). It’s designed to fill the void after WordPress bailed on its daily one-word prompt.

I will be posting each day’s word just after midnight Pacific Time (US).

Today’s word is “undermine.”

Write a post using that word. It can be prose, poetry, fiction, non-fiction. It can be any length. It can be just a picture or a drawing if you want. No holds barred, so to speak.

Once you are done, tag your post with #FOWC and create a pingback to this post if you are on WordPress. Or you can simply include a link to your post in the comments.

And be sure to read the posts of other bloggers who respond to this prompt. You will marvel at their creativity.