Poetry Sunday

Nowadays, being a "boomer" is often viewed as something shameful, as if our generation is responsible for all the ills of the world. Granted, we had quite a bit to do with them, but I don't think we were all bad. If nothing else, we had some of the greatest popular music ever - that's how cool we are. And speaking of the boomer generation's popular music, here's an anonymously-written poem that turned up on Facebook, composed entirely of bits of music from the 50's to the 70's. Enjoy!

Reflections of a Boomer

by "Uncle Joe"

I’ve seen fire and I’ve seen rain.

I’ve been through the desert on a horse with no name.

I’ve gone to Kansas City, I sang in the sunshine.

I’ve been on the road again, with Georgia on my mind.

Like a rolling stone, I’ve given peace a chance.

I’ve put a camel to bed and danced the last dance.

Mr. Tambourine man played a song for me,

I’ve whispered words of wisdom, let it be.

I’ve fallen into a burning ring of fire and walked the line,

To all the girls I’ve loved before, you were always on my mind.

I’ve been everywhere, I’ve been so lonesome I could cry,

I’ve driven my Chevy to the levee when the levee was dry.

I’ve been to Itchycoo Park in a yellow submarine.

I’ve made the scene in a time machine.

I’ve done the Hokey Pokey and turned myself around.

I’ve welcomed baby back to the poor side of town.

I’ve followed the tracks of my tears down a long and winding road.

I’ve kept on searching for a heart of gold.

I’ve sought shelter from the storm, I’ve sat on the dock of the bay.

I’ve rocked around the clock, on a sunshiny day.

I’ve knocked on Heaven’s door, while blowing in the wind.

Joy to the world, those were the days my friend.

Lay lady lay, in crimson and clover.

It’s been a hard day’s night, the party’s over.

If you need me, I'll be here, counting flowers on the wall.

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

Bilbo

Cartoon Saturday

Had enough of Der Furor's whining and complaining? Me, too. What else is going on in the world? ... 

The Supreme Court on Thursday heard arguments on whether a president has absolute immunity from prosecution for actions taken while in office, with the result that any potential consequences for Der Furor's attempt to overthrow the 2020 election will be delayed yet again; Russia's Deputy Defense Minister has been arrested on charges of accepting bribes ... his defenestration has not yet been scheduled; a wave of protests against the war in Gaza, some of them violent, hit college campuses across the country; after months of delay by Congressional Republicans, a foreign aid package for Ukraine and Israel passed both the House and Senate and was signed into law by President Biden; and in Colorado, a man who engaged in "paper terrorism" against judges and fellow citizens using his claimed status as a "sovereign citizen" above the law has been sentenced to 12 years in prison. 

It's said that in the spring, a young man's thoughts turn to love, while an old man's thoughts turn to gardening. So while I'm out puttering in the herb garden, how about a collection of cartoons about sex?

Seems pretty definitive to me ...

How, indeed? ...

Busted!

I hate to tell you this, but ...

Hope there's a Lowe's or a Home Depot close by ...

I don't think it'll be a quickie ...

Whatever works ...

I'll bet she's right ...

Now, that's cruel ...

I think I know ...

 

And that's it for this week's sexy edition of Cartoon Saturday - I hope you ... uh ... got a rise out of it.

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

Bilbo

Great Moments in Editing and Signage

It's time once again to celebrate Great Moments in Editing and Signage! Let's get it on ...

I wonder if this guy was a member of the House Freedom Caucus ...

I don't know what's being operated, but I'll train ...

Truth in advertising ...

I think this may give ideas to Republican poll-watchers desperate to scare undesirable voters away from the polls ...

I'm going to make sure all my granddaughters stay inside during hunting season ...

I'll just stick with blogging, if it's all the same to you ...

In the interim, later meetings will be held earlier ...

I wonder if this was a case of crazily high electrical charges or of out-of-control autocorrect ...

Yes, I'll bet they are ...

I wonder whether the Second Presybyterian Church can outdo this topic ...

And that's it for this week's collection of editorial and signage ya-ha's, the last one for the month of April ... I hope they helped you get over a week dominated by Der Furor's endless, nauseating whining about how unfair life is.

Have a good day and come back tomorrow, when we dance the horizontal tango for Cartoon Saturday ... more thoughts then.

Bilbo

Musical Sunday

This week marked the beginning of the hush-money/election-interference trial of Der Furor - the closest he's ever gotten to actually being held to account for something he did. The news media and the comedians are having the expected field day with it ... as is, of course, The Parody Project, with its take on the classic 1968 tune "Stormy," by the Classics IV ...

Oh, Stormy ... 

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

Bilbo

Cartoon Saturday

It's been a Crime and Punishment* sort of week ... 

The first of Der Furor's numerous pending criminal trials began in New York City with the selection of jurors for his hush-money/election-interference trial; the nation of Dubai this week saw its heaviest rainfall in 75 years, with some areas recording more than around 10 inches of precipitation in fewer than 24 hours, including four inches - a normal year's worth of rain - in 12 hours; Arizona's Republican-controlled House of Representatives voted a second time against a repeal of the state’s 160-year-old abortion ban, causing many GOP candidates to scramble to distance themselves from the unpopular action; Der Furor has demanded that GOP candidates using his name or image in their fund-raising must pay 5% of any money thus raised to his campaign; and in Washington, the House "Freedom Caucus" of extremist Republicans this week created (I am not making this up) a Floor Action Response Team - FART - to make sure other, marginally saner, Republicans didn’t limit the extremists' power when they were away from the floor. If you had any doubts about the legislative seriousness of the House GOP, this ought to wake you up.

Tax season is over, and so this week Cartoon Saturday takes a fond** look at those who manage to avoid most taxes ... the 1%. 

There's always a loophole somewhere, if you're rich enough to take advantage of it ...

Well, they'd know, wouldn't they? ...

I'll be darned ... you can take it with you! ...

Only five? ...

Sounds like a plan ...

Forever and ever, amen ...

Give him a few years ...

Hey, if it works, go for it ...

Once you've given the secret handshake, you can learn the real secrets ...

He must absolutely adore Der Furor ...

And that's it for this week's Cartoon Saturday salute to The 1% - I hope it brought a laugh in the face of economic reality.

Have a good day and a great weekend. More thoughts coming.

Bilbo

* Maybe someday.

** Not really.

The Left-Cheek Ass Clown for April, 2024

How time flies! We're already into the second half of April, and it's time once again to dip our net into the swirling cesspool of buffoonery and dredge up a dishonoree worthy of being named

The Left-Cheek Ass Clown for April, 2024

In spite of the intense competition on all fronts - social, political, and religious, national and international, I think I've found a suitable winner, and he is

Israeli Prime Minister

Benjamin Netanyahu*

Israel lives in a tough neighborhood, surrounded by neighbors who, at best, don't wish it well and, at worst, wish to see it wiped from the face of the earth. One could argue that such a position requires tough leadership and a willingness to do what it takes to protect the citizens. But the scorched-earth policies of Mr. Netanyahu reflect less tough leadership than a single-minded policy based not on long-term strategic calculations, but on the immediate survival of his political career.

The world was horrified by the brutal attack on Israeli border settlements by Hamas terrorists last October, and support for defensive action by Israeli government and armed forces to recover its kidnapped citizens and avenge the dead was generally supported by most governments. But the savage Israeli response to the October attack long ago passed all limits of proportionality and rationality, laying waste to vast stretches of Gaza and killing more than 30,000 Palestinian residents of the tiny enclave. Mr. Netanyahu has declared that the Israeli operations will continue until Hamas has been "eliminated" as a threat and all Israeli hostages have been recovered ... a worthy, but likely unattainable goal.

Mr. Netanyahu's intransigence and willingness to thumb his nose even at his most reliable international supporters is amazingly self-defeating, and reflects a complete lack of strategic understanding. He has relentlessly alienated necessary sources of political, military, and economic support and divided Israeli society in the face of mounting international threats. Only Der Furor can compare to Mr. Netanyahu in the scope of his strategic ineptitude. The damage he has done, and continues to do, to Israel, the larger Middle East, and the world, is beyond calculation.

Ladies and Gentlemen, Dear Readers, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is awarded the battered tinfoil and toilet paper crown to acknowledge his selection as the Left-Cheek Ass Clown for April, 2024. 

Have a good day. More thoughts tomorrow, when Cartoon Saturday looks askance at the 1%. See you then.

Bilbo

* This is Mr. Netanyahu's second award; his first, the Right-Cheek Award for December of 2023, was shared with his national security advisor and with the leaders of Hamas. 

Der Furor as Poster Child for The Seven Deadly Sins

One of my favorite movies is the brilliant "Se7en," which followed the attempts of detectives Morgan Freeman and Brad Pitt to catch a sadistic murderer whose victims represent the embodiment of the Seven Deadly Sins. It occurs to me, as it has frequently, that the Seven Deadly Sins are a convenient way to frame Der Furor's behavior and fitness (or lack thereof) for a return to the presidency. I wrote about this back in March of 2018, and now seems like a good time to revisit the issue ..

Envy is defined as a resentful covetousness towards the traits, possessions, or achievements of someone else. Consider that Der Furor repeatedly promised but never delivered an “infrastructure week,” to the point it became a running joke. He tried relentlessly to undermine President Biden’s infrastructure bill, and when Biden actually delivered it, he and his GOP sycophants were quick to take credit for its benefits after doing their best to tank it.

Greed is the inordinate desire to acquire or possess more than one needs, especially material wealth. Der Furor's homes are heavily decorated with gold. ‘Nuff said.

While we tend to think of Gluttony in terms of overeating, it traditionally refers to obsessive overindulgence and materialism. It's like greed on steroids. 

I think a strong case could be made for Der Furor as the poster child for Lust: “I just start kissing them. It’s like a magnet. Just kiss. I don’t even wait. And when you’re a star, they let you do it. You can do anything ... Grab ’em by the pussy. You can do anything.” Need I say more?

Pride: Der Furor is a man who puts his name on everything you can imagine, from buildings to golf courses to vodka. And, of course, he’s the guy who always lets us know that “Nobody knows more about (insert topic) than me.”

Sloth has been defined as absence of interest in things of importance, a disinclination to exertion, and a wanton neglect of one’s responsibilities. When running for the presidency, Der Furor claimed he wouldn’t have time to play golf, because he’d be working every day for America, yet he spent a huge amount of time on the links. One also notes that Der Furor was observed falling asleep during his criminal trial in Manhattan yesterday. 

Wrath is the exercise of uncontrolled feelings of rage or hatred, often manifesting itself in a desire for vengeance. We all know that Der Furor was famous for leading chants of "lock her up!" about Hillary Clinton, but his recent record of angrily hateful rhetoric and need for revenge on his foes goes far beyond any "normal" political hyperbole. 

And, of course, there was the famous Golden Idol, which probably combines pride, greed, and gluttony ...

If you're one of those deluded folks who believes Der Furor was sent by God to save America, you may want to question why the deity would select so woefully unsuitable a messenger.

Have a good day. More thoughts coming. 

Bilbo

Tax Day, 2024

Today is April 15th, 2024, the day on which most American citizens will have to have paid their federal taxes on "incomes, from whatever source derived."* It's a day most of us hate, but it represents - together with voting - one of the fundamental duties of responsible citizenship ... sharing in the costs and mechanisms of good government.

In modern America, paying your taxes isn't easy. Nor is voting in many places, for that matter. This year, as I've done every year for decades, I spent many hundreds of dollars to pay a professional to calculate my taxes and file all the appropriate paperwork to keep me out of jail. This amount is deductible on my taxes if I itemize my deductions ... but, like most middle- and lower-class Americans, I don't have enough total deductions to itemize. Unfortunately, one has to do all the byzantine calculations to determine whether or not itemization is possible. Over the years, most deductions that benefit average citizens** have been whittled away or eliminated by Congress in an attempt to make up for the tax cuts benefiting businesses and the very wealthy - those who are able to shape the tax laws to their advantage by the strategic use of donations to the right parties and politicians.

I've written about the unfairness and idiocy of our tax system many times in this space, but as a (relatively) low-fixed-income senior citizen, my voice doesn't rise above the din of outrage raised by those who pay virtually nothing in taxes and wish to pay less. You may want to remember, when you cast your vote in November, that there are a lot of people paying vast amounts of money to once again elect Der Furor and other Republicans because they promise "tax cuts." Just read the fine print and understand it's not your taxes that are being cut.

Have a good day. I hope it won't be too ... taxing. More thoughts coming.

Bilbo

* According to the Sixteenth Amendment to the Constitution, adopted in 1913. The Amendment itself is two lines long. Today's tax code is millions of lines long. Go figure.

** Such as interest on consumer loans and credit cards, and medical expenses. And consider that a billionaire can deduct many expenses related to his/her private jet, but a teacher who has to spend her/his own money on a classroom not properly funded by local government has to just eat those expenses and smile.

Poetry Sunday

The United States we're living in today is not the same one that I grew up in. Nor is it the same United States I served for more than two decades as an Air Force officer. Granted, some things have gotten better, although the benefits have hardly been distributed equally. I never thought I'd see a manifestly crazy, politically inept clown like Der Furor as our president, or that the Republican party to which I once belonged had gone Full Nazi ... and now I can't imagine that a significant number of people can believe that - gawd forbid - Robert F. Kennedy, Jr - would be an acceptable option to those dissatisfied with both President Biden and Der Furor. Or that wealth will trickle down from the top 1% to make life wonderful for the rest of us. Everybody knows ... but nobody really cares enough.

Everybody Knows

By Leonard Cohen

 

Everybody knows that the dice are loaded

Everybody rolls with their fingers crossed

Everybody knows that the war is over

Everybody knows the good guys lost

Everybody knows the fight was fixed

The poor stay poor, the rich get rich

That's how it goes

Everybody knows

Everybody knows that the boat is leaking

Everybody knows that the captain lied

Everybody got this broken feeling

Like their father or their dog just died

Everybody talking to their pockets

Everybody wants a box of chocolates

And a long stem rose

Everybody knows

Everybody knows that you love me baby

Everybody knows that you really do

Everybody knows that you've been faithful

Give or take a night or two

Everybody knows you've been discreet

But there were so many people you just had to meet

Without your clothes

And everybody knows

Everybody knows, everybody knows

That's how it goes

Everybody knows

Everybody knows, everybody knows

That's how it goes

Everybody knows

And everybody knows that it's now or never

Everybody knows that it's me or you

And everybody knows that you live forever

When you've done a line or two

Everybody knows the deal is rotten

Old Black Joe's still pickin' cotton

For your ribbons and your bows

And everybody knows

And everybody knows that the Plague is coming

Everybody knows that it's moving fast

Everybody knows that the naked man and woman

Are just a shining artifact of the past

Everybody knows the scene is dead

But there's gonna be a meter on your bed

That will disclose

What everybody knows

And everybody knows that you're in trouble

Everybody knows what you've been through

From the bloody cross on top of Calvary

To the beach of Malibu

Everybody knows it's coming apart

Take one last look at this Sacred Heart

Before it blows

And everybody knows

Everybody knows, everybody knows

That's how it goes

Everybody knows

Oh everybody knows, everybody knows

That's how it goes

Everybody knows

Everybody knows

In case you're interested, here's a great video of Leonard Cohen performing this song live in Dublin.

Have a good day, and enjoy the rest of your weekend. Think very carefully about how you vote in November ... everybody knows what could happen, but nobody wants to admit how far we've fallen as a nation.

More thoughts coming.

Bilbo

Cartoon Saturday

Time for a new Cartoon Saturday! You know you need it ... 

The Biden administration announced it will use a mix of existing forgiveness programs to cancel another $7.4 billion in student loans owed by 277,000 Americans; the Arizona Supreme Court dusted off a territorial law dating to 1864 to implement a near-total ban on abortion services in the state; Vietnamese billionaire Truong My Lan has been sentenced to death for fraud in which, over an 11-year period, she looted one of the country's largest banks; Apple said Thursday that it would allow repair of newer iPhones with used parts like screens, batteries and cameras, reversing its previous practice of encouraging people to use new, more expensive Apple-approved parts; and in Indiana, multiple criminal charges have been filed against a man who presented himself as a “Christian chiropractor” in order to make his female victims feel more comfortable and at ease before sexually assaulting them. 

I've been grinding away on the novel I've been trying for years to write, and it's slow going ... we'll see if I ever manage to get it done. In the meantime, how about a collection of cartoons about those of us coping with the rigors of writing ... 

This may be how long it'll take me to get it done ...

Someday he can get a job writing speeches for Der Furor or policy documents for the GOP ...

I wonder if this exchange between Mr Dickens and his editor actually happened ...

This is a handy guide for writers ... I've used a few for my novel ...

It's not mine ...

This one's closer to my effort ...

It's a modern, Top 1%, riches-to-riches story ...

I'm a black belt in every one of these ...

We'll see how it goes ...

That's why I'm not going for wonderful ...

Have a good day and a great weekend. More thoughts tomorrow, when Poetry Sunday turns to a timely set of great song lyrics. See you then.

Bilbo 

Great Moments in Editing and Signage

It's time once again for another edition of Great Moments in Editing and Signage! Ready ... set ... go!

Now, that's what I call enhanced water!

They bite into you ...

I suppose they do, but I think they may want a meeting with the headline writer ...

Don't bite down too hard on them ...

In case you need someone to do really cheesy roof work ...

I hope that this study didn't cost too much ...

Well, I suppose that if you're willing to settle for a pre-owned version, it's okay ...

I guess it balances out the deserts that are too dry ...

I'm glad that more wild-caught options are becoming available ...

As I was saying ...

And there you go - the latest collection of great moments! I hope you enjoyed the break from your otherwise humdrum day.

Have a good day, and be sure to come back tomorrow for Cartoon Saturday - more thoughts then.

Bilbo