The Audacity of Hope

                  "Hope is not a strategy" -- Rudy Giuliani

Except for his father abandoning his mother when he was but an infant, Barack Obummer has seldom experienced serious disappointment. In many ways he has led a charmed life ... getting into the best schools despite questionable aptitude, becoming the Law Review editor at Harvard without the usual credentials, getting a mediocre book published to rave reviews, never suffering any consequences for his extensive drug use, easily being escorted into his series of political offices, winning a Grammy, Time's Person of the Year, the Nobel Peace prize ... and beating the former First Lady to win the highest political office in the land ... on and on.

Why would this man-child not believe that he has the Midas Touch? And so he, unfortunately, has come to believe that he can do no wrong ... despite overwhelming evidence to the contrary. Apparently none of this evidence makes it through his phalanx of toadies and his halo of self-righteousness to shake his confidence in his own infallibility. Self confidence is obviously a requisite for holding such a position as the presidency ... but when this audacity blocks out the searing sun of continued failure, it can bring eventual havoc upon this office and its constituency  ... even if its holder never has to atone for or even recognize his failures.

It is long past the time that Obummer needs to do a serious reappraisal of his audacity of hope. He obviously has yet to learn that mere hope and audacity are not enough to succeed long term.

Jollies

"Jollies" is an interesting word. It can be quite innocent and Yule-like ... or it can refer to sexual pleasures of almost unlimited appetite. We have recently seen a number of famous people exposed for how they get their jollies. Bill Cosby immediately comes to mind ... but then there is Charlie Sheen ... Eliot Spitzer ... of course, Bill Clinton and his procurer, Jeffery Epstein (see: Breitbart Story) ... his former aide, Dick Morris ... Anthony Weiner (the husband of Huma Abedin, Hillary Clinton's amanuensis) ... perhaps Huma herself with her boss ... Barack Obummer (see: Gay Abandon) ... the list goes on and on and on. In fact one can, without compunction, surmise that virtually every human being, from Catholic priest to Muslim Imam ... from philosopher to poet ... from bricklayer to Boy Scout leader ... all have or have had unique ways of getting their jollies.

The question then becomes ... what types and manners of jollydom are acceptable to our civilized society? Clearly, in our lifetimes, the bounds  for satisfying ones' jolly appetites have been greatly relaxed and expanded to levels unimagined by our Puritan founders.  A short jaunt on some of the Internet porn sites will demonstrate this range of jollydom ... and likely curl your hair. I don't suppose I can here go through the taxonomy (interesting word) of these practices, but I think I can safely say that any such act that damages someone else physically or mentally should be conscripted ... this means involving innocent children, harm to one or more parties (even if desired), and, in my opinion, any activity that disrupts the public's sensibilities (such as public sex in a gay pride parade.)

Call me a prude if you wish ... but just don't deny me my jollies.