Quote for Today

The bones of the spine are far more important than those in the middle finger -- Anon.

Food Fight

Civility is just about dead. Almost every issue is a food fight these days. The Oscars. Both party's nomination processes. The replacement for Scalia on the Supreme Court. The immigration issue. Free speech on college campuses. Black Lives Matter activism. The climate.

What is the genesis of all this mud slinging? If one starts connecting the dots back from Donald Trump's brand of playground shenanigans, it is not too surprising that one ends up on the steps of the White House. The public discourse has steadily gone down hill since the 2008 elections when Obummer (yes, I have also been sucked into this base rhetoric) repeatedly gave a not-too-disguised middle finger to his political foes. Or, even further back, when Bill Clinton was using a cigar as a sex toy.

Is there any stopping this downward spiral? My guess is that it must run its evil course. Eventually the public will get disgusted with all this banality ... most likely, if Hellery gets elected, it will be when we choose the next president in 2020. Then, once again we will have to fumigate 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue.

Subtle Messages

I already know that many of  his acolytes will accuse me of exaggerating things, but I am convinced that our president (I think his name is Barack Hussein Obama) relishes sending subtle messages to his devotees ... communications that often run counter to his rhetoric. These messages can be visual (like forcing Bibi Netanyahu to exit the White House past the garbage cans) ... to word-smithing things (the continual use of the term "folks" to show he is one of us) ... to the juxtaposition of events (like the flying to a fundraiser in Las Vegas the day after the Benghazi massacre). Here are just a few of my top-of-mind incidents that our fearless leader has graced us with over the last seven years:

- chewing gum during the international 70th anniversary memorial services for the Normandy invasion ... and during his recent visit to India while watching their Republic Day parade.
- starting a round of golf on Martha's Vineyard only minutes after announcing the beheading of the American James Foley by ISIS.
- insisting that everyone in his administration call the revolution in Iraq and Syria "ISIL" when the   "L" stands for "Levant," an area that includes Israel ... and also denying that this is an Islamic state when this is what the first letter of its name in fact means.
- scratching his cheek with his middle finger to show his contempt for his election opponents ... bringing cheers from his hip audiences.
- filming a sophomoric and egotistical promo video for Obamacare only hours after it was revealed that the American woman, Kayla Mueller, had been killed by ISIS ... in which video he uttered YOLO (you only live once).
- particularly early on in his administration, his continual bowing to Asian and Middle-eastern heads of state.
- insulting of American entrepreneurs by his saying "you didn't build that."
- his comparing, at the National Prayer breakfast, of ISIS's brutal murdering ways to the Christean's medieval crusades and the Inquisition.
- removing the bust of Winston Churchill from the Oval Office as one of his first acts after entering the White House.

I could go on and on (I have mentioned none of his racist innuendos) ... but one thing that does strike me ... is that these subtle messages seem to be getting more numerous during the latter days of his reign. Could these be his base-line feelings that he has been hiding all along?