Poetry Sunday

Wondering - too much - how it might all have been different ...

Post Hoc

by Jennifer Maier

It happened because he looked a gift horse in the mouth.

It happened because he couldn't get that monkey off his back.

It happened because she didn't chew 22 times before swallowing.

What was she thinking, letting him walk home alone from the bus stop?

What was he thinking, standing up in the boat like that?

Once she signed those papers the die was cast.

She should have waited an hour before going in; everyone knows

salami and seawater don't mix.

He should have checked his parachute a seventh time;

you can never be too careful.

Why didn't she declare her true feelings?

Why didn't she play hard to get? She could be out at some

nice restaurant right now instead of in church, praying

for the strength to let him go.

It all started with that tattoo.

It all started with her decision to order the chicken salad.

Why was he so picky?

Why wasn't she more discriminating?

He should have read the writing on the wall; listened

to the still small voice, had a lick of sense. But how could he when he

was blinded by passion? Deaf to warnings? Really dumb?

Why, why, in God's name, did he run with scissors?

If only they'd asked Jesus for help.

If only they'd asked their friends for help.

If only they'd ignored the advice of others and held fast

to their own convictions, they might all be here, now,

with us, instead of six feet under; instead of trying to adopt

that foreign baby, instead of warming that barstool

at the Road Not Taken Eatery and Lounge, wondering how it might all

have been different, if only they had done

the right thing.

Have a good day and enjoy the rest of your weekend ... no sense in second-guessing it. 

More thoughts coming. 

Bilbo

Cartoon Saturday

Just one more day to go in February, and then we have March to look forward to ... oy ...

Despite excoriating Der Furor for his responsibility for the Capitol riot in January, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell said he would "absolutely" support the Insurrectionist-in-Chief if he became the GOP presidential nominee in 2024; a bill making its way through the Hawaii state senate will require hikers who disobey warning signs to pay for their own rescues; golf legend Tiger Woods was seriously injured in a single-car accident; the U.S. launched airstrikes in Syria on Thursday targeting Iranian-backed militia groups in the first known offensive military operation carried out by the Biden administration; and because North Korea has forbidden travel by train as a measure to prevent the spread of Covid-19, a group of Russian diplomats and their families departed North Korea on a hand-pushed rail trolley.

This week, because so little actual thinking is going on at CPAC*, I thought a collection of cartoons about thinking would be appropriate.

I think most Republicans have overdosed ...  

In the spring, a young man's thoughts turn to ...

There must be a great many open-minded people around nowadays ...

Testing how one thinks ... or doesn't ...

I suppose that what one thinks about matters ...

Tomato, tomahto ...

Yes, many of those tanks are quite shallow ... 

Well, yes, I suppose it does ...

Which ones are made of tinfoil? ...

Hmmm ...

Have a good day and a great weekend. Don't overthink it. And come back tomorrow for Poetry Sunday ... more thoughts then.

Bilbo

* Which features an actual, bizarre golden statue of Der Furor for the faithful to worship and take selfies with ...

You just can't make this stuff up.

The Left-Cheek Ass Clown for February, 2021

The world of ass-clownery is just chock-a-block with amazingly well-qualified candidates, as those of you who have been following these awards over the years will know. Last month, I noted that one of my long-time readers had lamented the fact that so few awards have been given out in the last few years to ass clowns from walks of life other than politics. I agreed, but then went on to present January's Left-Cheek award to Georgia Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene, who was so far ahead of other candidates that I couldn't in good conscience not present the award to her.

Sadly, although there are legions of ass clowns deserving of the award to a greater or lesser degree, the world of politics remains the most fertile source of amazingly, staggeringly, incredibly noteworthy ass clownery, and so it is that I bypass otherwise worthy candidates like Tucker Carlson* and present

The Left-Cheek Ass Clown for February, 2021

to

Senator Ron Johnson (R, WI)

Senator Johnson earned his award earlier this week when, during Congressional hearings into the causes and effects of the deadly January 6th riot at the US Capitol, he claimed that a "jovial" protest objecting to a "stolen election" was hijacked by "agent provocateurs" and "fake Trump protesters" in an attempt to smear the good name of the former president and cast patriotic, law-and-order Republicans who deeply love the police as villains in an attempt to distract from the real crime of dastardly voter fraud.

Of course, Senator Johnson fails to explain why left-wing agitators would want to dress up like right-wing agitators and murderously riot at the Capitol in order to change the outcome of an election that they won, or why so many of the rioters themselves were known far-right characters who proudly claimed that they were there because Der Furor had called them to defend his regime ... but then, logic and common sense have never been in large supply in today's Republican party.

Senator Johnson's crude attempt to deflect responsibility for the deadly riots of January 6th would be laughable were the future stakes not so high.

Ladies and gentlemen, Dear Readers, the Left-Cheek Ass Clown award for February, 2021, is presented to Senator Ron Johnson of Wisconsin. Honorable mention is given to those dumb enough to have voted for him.

Have a good day, and come back tomorrow for Cartoon Saturday. More thoughts then.

Bilbo

* Tucker Carlson has earned his own award, having been designated the Left-Cheek Ass Clown for March, 2019. Incredibly enough, he's still around and people keep listening to him.

Musical Sunday

In honor of everyone freezing in Texas because it's more important to stick it to the Feds than to take care of the people, here's an appropriate song ...

Have a good day, and enjoy the rest of your weekend. Stay warm if you can, and don't forget to keep washing your hands and wearing your masks.

More thoughts coming.

Bilbo

Cartoon Saturday

We've made it halfway through February ...

Ultra-conservative screaming head and hard-right news icon Rush Limbaugh died of cancer at the age of 70; NASA's Perseverence rover landed safely on Mars in a staggering feat of engineering, science, and pure luck; life expectancy in the United States fell by a full year during the first half of 2020, reflecting both the toll of the covid-19 pandemic and a rise in concurrent deaths from drug overdoses, heart attacks and other diseases; Texans continued to suffer under icy conditions that overwhelmed the state's power grid while blowhard Texas senator Ted Cruz, instead of remaining in place to offer assistance and support to his constituents, flew to Cancun for a vacation with his family; and in Alaska, a woman was injured when she was bitten in the ... backside ... by a bear hiding underneath the outhouse she was attempting to use.

This week, a collection of cartoons about apps, because why not? ...

They aren't just for people ...  

I thought about getting one of these, but I'd probably overload it ...

I wonder why nobody has built this app for aging Beatles fans ...

I think it would take too long to do even my little yard ...

The dating app women really want ...

Modern children sometimes get confused ...

Bwa, ha, HAAAA ...

You can't blame him for trying ...

Yes, all you Shakespeare buffs, I know that's not what "wherefore" means in context ... just bear with me, okay? ...

It's got the same problem as that lawn-mowing app we saw before ...

Have a good day and a great weekend, and come back tomorrow for Musical Sunday. More thoughts then. 

Bilbo

Great Moments in Editing and Signage

And awaaaaaay we go ...

It must have hit him in the MAGA lobe ...

So, that's where they come from ...

If you defund the police, this is the obvious way to prevent crime ...

Who knew that driving in winter could be fattening as well as dangerous? ...

I wonder if Der Furor has called to see if Jerry will defend him ...

Buy it or else ...

Damn ... I thought I'd found a great new job ...

I wonder if this employee's health care covers eye exams ...

Well, duh ...

I hope they offer really good benefits ...

Have a good day, and read the fine print of your employment contract. See you tomorrow, when Cartoon Saturday reappears to lift your spirits. More thoughts then.

Bilbo

Poetry Sunday

"What is the light that remains when we leave?" It's a question I ask myself often as I grow older ...

The Light We Leave Behind

by Kenneth Ronkowitz

A star chart tells me

that the star I am seeing tonight

is 500 light years away.

It may have died 499 years ago,

and I am still seeing its last light.

Stars are born, they live, and they die.

What is the light that remains when we leave?

If I die after writing this poem, is this my light,

and how long might that light remain and be seen?

I wondered last night and still this morning

about these questions, and still now,

standing again outside

under a mackerel sky dappled, rippled with clouds

and the sun, our family star,

which will also die.

Then, there will be no light remaining.

Perhaps, this is not what you believed.

When it dies, the Earth dies with it.

No last light to come after it.

In its end, the sun will expand

into a red giant

and will vaporize the Earth.

My son rises

and joins me outside

his coffee steaming a small cloud

into the December air.

In this enormous moment,

we look into the sky and universe.

We are a fortnight from the year ending

and hopeful for many more circles

around the sun. We are expanding,

gathering our light, and sharing it

while we can still see it reflected

in those constellating nearby.

Have a good day and enjoy the rest of your weekend. More thoughts coming.

Bilbo

Cartoon Saturday

It's Cartoon Saturday ... because after a week of hearing about the malfeasance of Der Furor and his supporters and enablers, you know you need a few laughs ...

The second impeachment trial of Der Furor continued, with the disclosure of a shouting match between Der Furor and Republican stalwart Kevin McCarthy, in which the Dear Leader pointedly refused to intervene to stop the riot at the Capitol; at least six people were killed and dozens injured when more than 130 cars piled up in a huge crash in icy conditions in Fort Worth, Texas; prosecutors have dropped criminal charges against two policemen filmed knocking a 75-year-old protester to the ground and fracturing his skull during a protest in Buffalo, NY, last year; police are increasing patrols and volunteers are increasing their street presence after a series of violent attacks on older Asians in San Francisco; and in Bogota, Colombia, a 14-year-old-girl wielding a machete ruthlessly drove off three armed thugs who attempted to rob her family's store.

This week, in honor of those presenting a defense of Der Furor, a collection of cartoons about clowns.

The little-car-filled-with-clowns is always a staple of clown cartoons ...  

They terrify me, too ...

When clowns go astray ...

To the rescue!! ...

Such a deal! ...

Psst ... buddy ... 

When things go wrong in clown surgery ...

The eye test ...

The multi-clown car joke, taken to the next level ...

Without objection ...

And there you go - don't forget to support your favorite clowns ... and condemn those who deserve it.

Have a good day and a great weekend, more thoughts tomorrow, on Poetry Sunday. See you then.

Bilbo

The Right-Cheek Ass Clown for February, 2021

Sometimes, the award just writes itself.

Ladies and Gentlemen, I give you

The Right-Cheek Ass Clown for February, 2021

  

Bruce Castor

Mr Castor, a conservative lawyer, prosecutor, and former acting Attorney General of Pennsylvania, was selected as one of the last-minute appointees to the team defending Der Furor on charges of inciting insurrection after all five of the original lawyers resigned. He made a name for himself, although not the name he might have wished, when his initial presentation at the trial was widely derided as rambling and disjointed, leading attorney Alan Dershowitz, a member of the defense team during Trump's first impeachment trial, to comment, “There is no argument. I have no idea what he’s doing. I have no idea why he’s saying what he’s saying.” Attorney George Conway, a member of the conservative anti-Trump Lincoln Project, commented on Twitter that "I thought I was watching a legal proceeding but there's now just some guy on TV rambling on about random things." Evidently, such a defense is what you get after all the professionals have quit in disgust.

Der Furor was reportedly "furious" at Mr Castor's performance, with CNN's Kaitlin Collins reporting sources told her Der Furor "was basically screaming as Castor made a meandering opening argument."

Mr Castor's opening remarks were followed by those of lawyer David Schoen, whose presentation was notable more for its volume and ferocity than for the excellence and cogency of its arguments. The combination of performances led commentator Paul Begala to suggest that Der Furor was being represented by the legal team of "Meandering and Furious."

For a trial as deadly serious, as important to the nation's future and concepts of justice and presidential accountability, as this one, it's disheartening to think that such an individual is the face of the defense.

Ladies and Gentlemen, Dear Readers, the Right-Cheek Ass Clown for February, 2021, is lawyer Bruce Castor.

Have a good day, and come back tomorrow for Cartoon Saturday. More thoughts then.

Bilbo

Musical Sunday

For this week's Musical Sunday, we continue yesterday's theme of cartoons in honor of Congress by bringing back this classic tune from Judy Collins ...

Don't bother, they're here.

Have a good day and enjoy the rest of your weekend. More thoughts coming.

Bilbo

Cartoon Saturday

Yes, it's time for another attempt to distract ourselves from the world ...

After the GOP failed to take action, House Democrats forced a vote which resulted in conspiracy theorist and all-round weirdo Marjorie Taylor-Greene being removed from her assignments to two important House committees; the Russian government expelled three diplomats from Germany, Sweden and Poland for joining protests in support of jailed opposition activist Alexei Navalny; the Smartmatic company, which manufactures voting machines, has sued Fox News and several of its commentators for 2.7 billion for defamation as a result of their on-air accusations against the company; famed actor Christopher Plummer passed away at the age of 91; and a woman posted a Tik Tok video of herself using Gorilla Glue to style her hair ... giving new meaning to the term "permanent wave."

This week, a collection of cartoons about Congress. Because, why not?

Well, it's a time-saver ...

It's an oldie, but still a goodie ...

It worked for Jared and Ivanka, so why not give it a try? ...

Looking for a defense team in the upcoming insurrection impeachment trial ...

Why, indeed? ...

Marjorie Taylor-Greene has made it much easier for the GOP students ... 

Me, too ...

True, dat ...

It isn't what the Founders envisioned, but it's how it worked out ...

Sometimes it's better if you just see some people declaiming to an empty chamber ...

Have a good day and a great weekend. Come back tomorrow for Musical Sunday ... more thoughts then.

Bilbo