Don’t you just love it when you wake up grumpy? Good thing I wrote Saturday Surprise last night, else it wouldn’t have been written. So, how about I share my ill humour so you guys can be grumpy, too?
Personae non grata …
European Union (EU) officials have compiled a list of countries whose residents can visit the EU when it reopens its borders next week and guess what? The U.S. is not on that list. Nothing political about the decision, simply common sense. The United States has failed to get a handle on the coronavirus, new cases are surging, and the EU doesn’t welcome us because of the high risk involved. Russia and Brazil are also excluded.
Despite Mike Pence’s assurances that everything is under control, the daily new case tally keeps breaking records. Yesterday’s new case total was 47,341 … nearly 50,000! Until the past week or so, the death toll in the U.S. was over 1,000 people daily. It has dropped slightly to around 600 per day, but it is only a matter of days before it is back in the thousand range.
Foolishly, Trump demanded that businesses re-open, even against the advice of the experts, and equally foolishly, the people of this nation felt their right to go out and have fun superseded safety. This is the result … we are now banned from traveling to the EU, and if Boris Johnson & Co in the UK have any sense, we will also be banned from travel to the UK. We have already been banned from traveling to Canada. We are, essentially, stuck in this virus-infested, fool-driven nation with a clown running the show, a ship of fools controlling our well-being … or lack thereof.
And the real terrorists are …
A new study by the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) last week titled “Escalating Terrorism Problem in the United States”, determined that the problem of domestic terrorism in the U.S. is primarily from the far right. The report says “the majority of all terrorist incidents in the United States since 1994, and the total number of rightwing attacks and plots has grown significantly during the past six years”, with the far right launching two-thirds of attacks and plots in 2019, and 90% of those in 2020. Surprised? You shouldn’t be. All that talk about ‘antifa’ is just that … talk. Or perhaps an effort to distract from the real threat of white supremacy.
The report also shows the far left has been an increasingly negligible source of attacks since the mid-2000s. Those of us on the left fight our battles with our voices, not our guns.
In February, a report by the Anti-Defamation League’s Center on Extremism reported that cases of circulated propaganda by white supremacist groups in 2019 had more than doubled from the previous year, and the 2018 figures were 180% higher than 2017. About two-thirds of the total propaganda incidents in the new report were traced back to a single white supremacist group, Patriot Front, which the ADL describes as “formed by disaffected members” of the white supremacist organization Vanguard America after the Charlottesville rally in 2017.
Is it purely coincidence that these groups have expanded only since Donald Trump took office? I think not.
Justice? We’ll see …
Well finally ol’ Roger Stone is going to prison … or is he? Stone, convicted on charges of repeatedly lying to Congress and intimidating a witness to impede the House’s investigation of Russian interference in the 2016 election, was sentenced to 40 months back in February. Stone had already received one delay on reporting to prison when he was first sentenced, and last week he requested yet another delay … until September 3rd. He cites the coronavirus as his reason. However, Judge Amy Berman Jackson has had enough of the Stone/Trump show and ruled that Stone must report to the federal correction institution in Jesup, Georgia, on July 14th.
But, unfortunately for the cause of justice, Donald Trump appears to have his pardon pen fully inked and ready to go. Just this morning, he tweeted …
“IT’s TIME TO #PardonRogerStone”
So, if I had to lay odds, I’d say that Stone will, just like another corrupt Trump crony Michael Flynn, be a free man by the middle of July. Stone has been a nasty piece of work since he was a very young man and has only gotten more insidious as he grew older.
Sadly, ‘justice’ is no longer defined in the United States as it once was. Today it does not matter if you are guilty or innocent, corrupt or not … it only matters what Trump thinks of you. I never thought I’d live to see the day when the United States became a banana republic, but that day is here.
Y’know … it’s really hard to stay grumpy when there is an adorable little squirrel just outside your window eating the bird seed and every now and then looking right at you. It’s funny, but the birds don’t seem bothered by him in the least … they just go right on eating, perfectly willing to share their food, even though he doesn’t quite look the same as them. Is there a lesson for us in that?
Who would’ve thought that the day would come when being an American would make one undesirable for entry in an allied country? Who needs walls when one is not welcome in a neighboring state?
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We are living in dark days in this nation. Who can blame the EU, though? We act as if there is no coronavirus, as if there aren’t 40,000+ new cases every day, and the only thing that matters is that we can go to the bars, the beach, and to church. There is a price to be paid for our perfidy. Sigh. Sad thing is that those of us who are using our heads are paying the price, too.
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It bothers me, too, that we’re all paying the price for those who refuse to follow the advice of health experts.
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Agreed, and while I think there would be some who would refuse anyway, it doesn’t help that the “leader” of the country shuns mask-wearing, social distancing, and encourages people to gather in close quarters with no precautions at all.
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White supremacists.
Send them photos of Berlin & Konigsberg 1945 and German dead at Stalingrad and ask them who well that worked out.
I know they’ll deny it, get angry wave their guns and their flags about the place, but it will scare them too.
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I don’t know as anything scares them as much as losing their “majority” status. Stupidity or ignorance seem to run rampant throughout their numbers. However, your idea is worth a shot.
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It might shift those who feel not voting is the correct stance. That’s where the battle will be one or lost. The difficulty being The Unholy Church of Trump doesn’t have to do anything.
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Today after the Supreme Court struck down a restrictive anti-abortion law in Louisiana, people were immediately ranting, saying they will definitely vote for Trump now so he will put more “pro-life” judges on the bench to make abortion illegal once and for all. Grrrrrrrrrr. Ain’t it nice that these blathering idiots get to decide what’s right for all women? Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr.
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Are they going to provide care and support for the women?
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Hell no! They don’t even want to help the woman by providing medical care of food & shelter once the kid is born. That is why their terminology when they call themselves “pro-life” is so wrong. They aren’t pro-life, they are simply misogynists who want to control women. True pro-lifers would be willing to have their tax dollars help the woman financially and in other ways.
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A few years back one of the order of nuns up in Scotland tried to run a scheme to convince unmarried and disadvantaged pregnant to see the pregnancy through.
Not like the old treat them like sinners stuff.
In this case they provided emotional and material support, counselling and an option for the mother to have the child adopted.
It wasn’t a perfect scheme and it came in for a lot of stick, but the well-meaning and the proper ‘Christian charity’ was there.
Of course, NO doubt the pro-life crew you are encountering would be horrified because it was obviously a popish plot to secretly indoctrinate more children to be Catholics, who as you all know are still planning to take over the world and rule from Rome.
🤦♂️ 🤦♀️ 🤷 🤷♂️
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Yes, in this country she would be called a … GASP … Socialist! And a papist trying to convert innocent young women! Sigh. So much for doing good work to help people, eh?
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Something like that.
While we’re on the subject…
In the wake of his recent statement, there must howls from the devotees of the Unholy Church of Trump to have Fauci arrested on charges of treason or something equally peculiar.
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Probably so … I was surprised Trump didn’t fire Fauci several months ago, but apparently somebody told him it wouldn’t look good, might harm his chances for re-election. My current rage, though, is over Trump hogging all the doses of a drug approved to treat the coronavirus … grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr.
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Registered Republican voters first?
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Grumpy is just one of the Seven Dwarfs, whose negative influence is inhabiting your mind. Tell him to take a hike and adopt the positive Happy or the one more like yourself, the intellectual leader, Doc! Bashful and Dopey never enter your mind and you already avoid Sleepy at your own peril. Beware of Sneezy, unless he is wearing an N-95 mask, the possibility of catching Covid-19 remains high in Ohio! Now then, isn’t your Grumpy gone?! Irascibility, however, is still waiting on the fringes of your mind…and trump can easily set it off on an hourly basis. Unfortunately, I have no suggestions for a law abiding citizen on how to combat that affliction! Thank-you!
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I must admit that on reading this comment, my Grumpy was run off by the sound of my laughter! You are such a dear friend, Ellen … thank you for chasing off my Grumpy and replacing it with Doc!!!
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Jill, sometimes you need to type away the grumpiness. Here are few keystrokes in response:
– It will surprise Trump followers to see the EU put travelers from the US on the restricted list. What won’t be a surprise is Trump’s reaction.
– Law enforcement has requested more money for years to fight domestic terrorists, which by far have been white nationalists groups. The money went for Islamic terrorists, but the former group dwarfs the latter. Has for awhile.
– Why does Trump help free or protect people who do slimy things? Rod Blagovich? Michael Flynn? Rudy Giuliani? Roger Stone? People who hang with slimy friends tend to be slimy as well.
Keith
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I think they’re slimy because they slink around with the sleaziest snake alive. They learn from him, not the other way around.
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He is one of them.
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Indeed, sometimes typing away the grumpiness is the only thing that works! Much better than kicking a brick wall while barefoot, or punching a wall and leaving a hole in the wall (not to mention bruised knuckles).
I’m surprised we haven’t heard Trump railing against the EU already! Yes, the white nationalist groups have been around forever, and the KKK never went away, though they rather faded into the background. There is a reason, though, that David Duke endorsed Trump’s bid for election. And Trump helps free and protect the slimy people because … he is one of them, of course.
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Yeah, “sometimes you feel like a nut, sometimes you don’t” 😁 sorry, I’ve been off my meds for a few days.
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🙄 I think you better get back on the meds, Larry. And thanks … now you’ve put that song in my head … “Almond Joy’s got nuts, Mounds don’t …”
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Boris won;t have any common sense and feeling put out at the EU is bound to allow the Americans in.
Anyone want to lay odds on when Trump will be pardonning Stone.
Love squirrels.
Cwtch
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That’s what I figure, too. And Boris, for some reason that is beyond me, seems to want to cozy up to Trump. Trump will likely pardon Stone, though I suspect he’ll wait until just a day or two before July 14th for dramatic effect … he likes showmanship. My bigger concern is that he’s got plans for Flynn and Stone between now and election day. I do too … the one that keeps visiting here is so darn cute, but I can’t get a picture of him because every time I get too near the window he runs away.
Cwtch
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For showmanship what could be better than 4th of July
cwtch
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Ah yes, set fire to the western half of the nation. Sigh.
Cwtch
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I couldn’t blame the EU from banning UK residents on the grounds of gross stupidity and xenophobia.
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No, I don’t blame them one bit, but I don’t think they could or should ban UK residents, for many are EU nationals and it wouldn’t be fair. Sigh. Such a mess our countries have made of things.
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Overall we seem to be doing the job for them.
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it’s so sad that a bird and squirrel existing together has to have political overtones brought into it.
even innocence isn’t sacred anymore.
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Hi Scott,
We haven’t spoken in a while. What I would like to ask, and you do not have to answer me, but I can no longer decide where your politics lie. You do not seem to be apolitical, yet sometimes you seem to lean to the left, and others you seem to lean to the right. Or are you just playing devil’s advocate to both sides? Just wondering.
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Now Scott … I wasn’t politicizing the birds and the squirrel at all. I was saying we humans could take a lesson from them. Sheesh.
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I wouldn’t blame EU for not letting in Les Anglaise either! Ironically our son and family are due back from their 3 years in USA next week – wonder if they will be allowed in?
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No, I don’t blame them one bit. I do hope your son and his family are able to return home, though!
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I can’t help but reflect on the fact that about 30 years ago, I came to the States from what is now the EU, as a political refugee. America was the place we dreamed of going to, it was where you could find a better life. Now, my native continent will not be allowing us Americans in…and rightly so. Oh, how things have changed.
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You are so very right … things have changed dramatically and not for the better. How low can we go, I wonder?
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I’m not sure I want to know!
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