One Week Later

The world changed one week ago today, when not only the Electoral College total but the popular vote in the American presidential election went to the most manifestly unfit creature imaginable. Since then, I have kept asking myself where we went wrong.

On the day after the election, my friend Trang sent me this insightful article by Carlos Lozada: "Stop Pretending [Der Furor] Is Not Who We Are." Contrary to President Biden's insistent refrain that "this is not who we are," it is now obvious, as Mr Lozada eloquently explains, that it is who we are.

And my friend Mike pointed me to another sad, but important article, this one by Democratic strategist Max Burns: "America Will Regret Its Decision to Reelect Donald Trump."  

These two articles are both long, but offer important insights into what happened and why we allowed it to do so. They say what I had wanted to say in my own words in this post, so I hope you will take the time to read them and think deeply about what they say about today's America ... about who we are, the choices we've made, and why we made them. 

We've done it to ourselves, just as millions of Germans did in the 1930s. In the words of the famous (if controversial) curmudgeon and commentator Henry L. Mencken, which I quoted in the Ass Clown Special Award I presented last week,

"Democracy is the theory that the common people know what they want, and deserve to get it good and hard."

We will. Unfortunately, the cost of the bitter lesson will be paid not only by those deluded into voting for one of the most awful human beings ever to draw breath, but by the rest of us, too.

It's going to be a long four years, and the education will be tough.

Have a good day. More thoughts coming.

Bilbo

 

Poetry Sunday

I'm a father of three - two boys and one girl - and grandfather of six, four of whom are girls. This poem speaks to all fathers and grandfathers, not only those of girls ...

For Fathers of Girls

by Stephen Dunn

          for Susanne

When sperm leaves us

and we cockadoodledo

and our wives rise like morning

the children we start

are insignificant as bullets

that get lodged, say,

in a field somewhere

in the midwest.

If we are thinking then

it is probably of sleep

or the potency of rest, or

the one—hand catch we made

long ago at the peak of our lives.

Later, though, in a dream

we may imagine something in the womb

of our heads, neither boy nor girl,

nothing quite so simple.

But when we wake, our wives are

breathing like the wounded

on the whitest street in the world.

We are there

we are wearing conspicuous masks

for the first time,

our eyes show the sweat

from our palms.

Suddenly we are fathers

of girls: purply, covered with slime

we could kiss. There's a cry,

and the burden of living up

to ourselves is upon us again.

I'm not sure how well I've lived up to myself, but I hope history's judgement will be kind.

Have a good day and enjoy the rest of your weekend. Love your children, especially the girls ... in the next few years, I think they'll probably need it more than ever.

More thoughts coming.

Bilbo

Cartoon Saturday

Do you think we can cancel our subscriptions to 2024?

In a stunning event that called the collective national IQ into question, Der Furor was elected once again to the presidency he already spent four years debasing ... to no one's surprise, Russian President Vladimir Putin was quick to congratulate his protege on the victory; police are hunting for 43 monkeys who escaped from a South Carolina research facility after a keeper left their pen open; the Russian parliament’s committee on Family Protection, Paternity, Maternity and Childhood, is studying a petition to establish a "Ministry of Sex" to help remedy the country’s low birth rate and replace men killed in the war in Ukraine; and in England (not Florida, go figure) a pub has been forced to change its name from "The Midget" (after an iconic MG car) to "The Roaring Raindrop" (another historic MG car) after more than 1,000 people signed a petition claiming "midget" was "a form of disablist hate speech ... that should be consigned to the history books."

This week, instead of the usual cartoons, I thought I'd dip into the deep well of memes that have made me chuckle over the past year ... 

Anyone else? ...

I know a great many people to whom this applies ...

Good decision ...

This is spot-on ...

If you find this place, send me the contact information right away ...

I need one with a bigger hood and a larger hose ...

It makes you wonder, doesn't it? ...

This is how my journal often reads ...

Indeed ...

This one will be funnier for history buffs like me, but trust me - it's hilarious ...

And a disappointing week swirls down the drain of history to the accompaniment of - I hope - a few chuckles.

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

Bilbo

Great Moments in Editing and Signage

I'm sure we could all use a lift after the events of the past Tuesday, and so here is our first collection of Great Moments in Editing and Signage for November ...

A similar robbery took place some years ago at the credit union where Agnes worked ...

The graffito says, "please don't season the pigeons" ...

Never try to rob a lady who milks goats ...

Ya think? ...

Well, that makes sense in view of the election results ...

I suppose not ...

As floor shows go, it leaves a bit to be desired ...

Um ... the price is okay, but I think I'll shop somewhere else ...

I can think of one reason ...

It's a long time to wait to get ahead ...

That's enough for now ... I need to keep enough material on hand to cheer us up for the next four years.

Have a good day and be sure to come back tomorrow for Cartoon Saturday. You know you need it.

More thoughts then.

Bilbo

Ass Clown Special Award

In 1966 Dick Tuck, a notorious political consultant and trickster, was soundly defeated in his race for the California State Senate. As the results came in and his defeat appeared certain, Mr Tuck was memorably quoted as saying, "The people have spoken ... the bastards."

The bastards have spoken again, and so it is that I take a moment on this otherwise beautiful NoVa day to present an

Ass Clown Special Award

 to

The American Electorate

America is a nation where everyone is free to vote based on their beliefs, their conscience, and their susceptibility to fear, chicanery, bribery, and desire for religious and political dominance. A large segment of the population has voted its fears, and will take the rest of us along with it.

I have led a very good life. Part of it was the good fortune to be born into a loving and supportive family in a time of prosperity and optimism. I had a good military and civilian career and worked hard to provide a good quality of life for my family. I understand that many others did not enjoy my advantages and, in fact, may well have resented it. These people were easily swayed by a demagogue who promised them what they wanted and who enjoyed largely unchallenged freedom to campaign on a platform of lies and distortions.

The American Electorate has returned to office a man whose plans for a dystopian American future were clearly spelled out in the infamous Project 2025. Famous American journalist and curmudgeon H. L. Mencken once said, "Democracy is the theory that the common people know what they want, and deserve to get it good and hard."

Well, they will.

I will try to remain optimistic in the face of massive evidence for pessimism. I will hope - against all evidence - that there will remain enough adults in government to temper the worst excesses of Der Furor's new regime.

But I will also remain realistic about the future, and so should you.

Ladies and Gentlemen, Dear Readers, I present an Ass Clown Special Award to The American Electorate, which has voted to return to power a man singularly unfit to wield it, supported by a party ignorant of the dark road down which it leads the nation.

Good luck.

Have a good day and try to remain positive. More thoughts coming.

Bilbo

Election Day

It's finally here.

All the tens of millions of dollars wasted on misleading attack ads, signs, flags, rallies, and stupid hats have come down to this day on which we will decide the future direction of the nation.

It's 3:30 AM as I write this; in an hour, I'll head to the precinct to serve as a county Officer of Election - one small cog in the huge and expensive machinery that ensures our elections are honest, secure, and scrupulously fair.

Don't listen to the ignorant dumbasses who scream "fraud!" when they don't win. The entire machinery of our election administration is designed to prevent fraud and chicanery, and it works. 

Vote, if you haven't already, and be confident that your vote will be counted. 

The future in which my grandchildren will live is, quite literally, in your hands.

Vote wisely.

Have a good day, and be sure your voice is heard. Vote.

More thoughts coming.

Bilbo

P.S. - Quit reading this and go vote.

B.

Musical Sunday

With the election a mere two days away and some people - incredibly enough - still claiming to be "undecided," this parody song speaks to people who really ought to understand what they may be voting for ...

Enjoy your favorite things now, because many of them may no longer be here after the election.

Have a good day, enjoy the rest of your weekend, and if you haven't already voted, make sure you are ready to show up at your local precinct on Tuesday.

More thoughts coming.

Bilbo

Cartoon Saturday

Because we are traveling this weekend and will have limited time and spotty wi-fi, the usual news summary will not appear today. It's all right, though ... the news is all depressing, anyhow. 

With the 2024 election only a few days away, it's time for a few topical cartoons ...

I'd do the same ...

It's how I feel most of the time ...

If you don't vote, just put a sock in it ... you don't have the right to bitch ...

Crazy is, indeed, a sliding scale, and it's sliding to the right ...

Maybe they'll take us along and we can slip over the border to Germany ...

It's too bad live people never call any more ... I miss the chance to tell them to get stuffed ... 

Only a million? Slacker ...

I'll let you know when I see who won ...

That's probably how Der Furor's vote farmers would prefer to do it ...

Me, too ...

And that's it for your last pre-election collection of cartoons. I hope they helped give you a bit of a chuckle, because nothing else about this election does.

Have a good day and a great weekend. If you haven't voted yet, make sure you have a plan to show up at the polls on Tuesday. The nation only asks you to do this once every four years ... you can spare the time to make your voice heard.

More thoughts coming.

Bilbo

The Right-Cheek Ass Clown for November, 2024

It's a new month, the election is mere days away, and it's time to present the first of this month's three - count 'em, three - ass clown awards is here. This time, there's no doubt in my mind about the recipient.

Ladies and Gentlemen, Dear Readers, the tinfoil and toilet paper crown designating

The Right-Cheek Ass Clown for November, 2024

is presented jointly to

Washington Post Owner

Jeff Bezos

and

Los Angeles Times Owner

Patrick Soon-Shiong

With merely a week to go until the 2024 presidential election, the editorial boards of both the Washington Post and the Los Angeles Times had prepared formal endorsements of Vice-President Kamala Harris. 

Both endorsements were scuttled by the papers' multi-billionaire owners.

LA Times owner Soon-Shiong claimed that his decision not to offer readers a recommendation would be less divisive in a tumultuous election year, although his daughter was quoted as saying it was because of opposition to the war in Gaza.

Washington Post owner Bezos published an op-ed article explaining his decision, which he claimed was intended to restore the legitimacy of the press in the eyes of the public and was completely unrelated to his business interests and any desire to curry favor with Der Furor ("any suggestion otherwise is false," he wrote); he also claimed that the timing of the announcement was the result of "inadequate planning, and not some intentional strategy." 

In both cases, the reason for the decision not to endorse a candidate - Mr Bezos' explanation notwithstanding - is clear: both wealthy owners want - for business and financial reasons - to avoid antagonizing Der Furor should he be reelected. 

As I noted in my own endorsement* of Vice-President Harris, this is a clear choice between integrity and crude authoritarianism, between "he gets to be lawless, she has to be flawless." That two of the most wealthy and influential figures in the country have forbidden the news outlets THEY OWN to formally endorse a candidate in this most critical of elections represents the height of moral cowardice in favor of personal financial and business advantage.

That wealthy owners can stifle the editorial freedom of newspapers on which millions of readers depend for information - mere days before a critical election - is unconscionable. 

Ladies and Gentlemen, Dear Readers, the Right-Cheek Ass Clown Award for November, 2024, is shared by Jeff Bezos and Patrick Soon-Shiong for their disgusting pandering to Der Furor in the hope of future advantage. May they choke on it.

Have a good day and make sure that - if you haven't already voted - you are planning to vote on Tuesday. The choice is clear.

More thoughts coming.

Bilbo

* As if it matters to anyone.