Tag Archives: Jimmy Kimmel

Mini-Snippets of Snark

Posted on by under Bits 'n Pieces, education, Election 2022, guns, Law and justice, Political commentary, Racism & Bigotry, Social commentary

I sometimes have a short attention span and today I have only a few mini-snippets of snark for you …

The Republicans have solutions for mass shootings.  Last week it was arming the teachers. This week it’s arm the doctors, arm the undertakers. But when that white supremacist shot up the Black grocery store in Buffalo, guess what they did not say:  Arm the black people.  Anybody wonder why?

Nobody who still believes that the 2020 election results were not fair, that the former guy actually won, has any right whatsoever to be placed in a position of trust either monitoring or otherwise affecting election results in 2022 or 2024 … or ever.  The Republicans talk the talk about election integrity, but they damn sure don’t walk the walk, for they already have plans in the works to put partisan hacks in charge of elections starting this November.

Rumour has it that the former guy is planning, along with his minions in Congress, to offer a ‘counter-program’ to the January 6th House investigative committee televised hearings this month.  Send in the clowns! 🤡 I may have more on this later, but for right now I see it as irrelevant just as I see the former guy.  The media needs to wake up and stop giving airtime to this circus.  Pbtht.

James Madison Preparatory High School in Madison, Florida, raffled off fishing and hunting gear and firearms, including handguns and semi-automatic rifles, in a $100-per-ticket raffle that started May 2nd.  Am I the only one whose jaw dropped over this?  A school.  In Florida.  Selling guns.  Does anybody see this as sane?

Stewart Parks, running for a seat in the U.S. House of Representatives, has this to say:

“If you elect me, this month will be the last National Gay Pride month ever celebrated. We need to elect people into US congress that will stand up and say Homosexuality and Transgenderism are evil.  Sexual Liberation is NOT western values. LGBQT+ movement is communist as they seek to destabilize our country with their divisive rhetoric and destroy families. Transgenderism and Pedophilia are now rampant in our society.”

I can only shake my head, growl, and hope to Hell that Tennesseans have enough sense to Never elect this bigot to ANY office.

I found humour here.  A couple in India is threatening to sue their grown son for $650,000.  Why?  Because he’s been married for six years yet has failed to present them with a grandchild.  Yep, you read it right … because he and his spouse haven’t yet had children, his parents want back all the money they invested in him through the years.  They are demanding that their son and daughter-in-law produce a grandchild within a year or pay $650,000 in ‘damages’.

And last, but not least, late night comedian Jimmy Kimmel isn’t laughing in this one from a week ago … but he is spot on and smarter than most of the people he talks about here.

A Few Thoughts From My Bouncing Mind

Posted on by under education, Election 2022, guns, Law and justice, Political commentary, Social commentary

First, I start with a short, passionate and heartfelt clip from Jimmy Kimmel …

Next, a shout-out to singer/songwriter Don McLean of American Pie fame for having a conscience.  He has cancelled his appearance at the upcoming NRA annual meeting this weekend in, of all places, Houston, Texas.  McLean issued a statement saying …

“In light of the recent events in Texas, I have decided it would be disrespectful and hurtful for me to perform for the NRA at their convention in Houston this week. I’m sure all the folks planning to attend this event are shocked and sickened by these events as well. After all, we are all Americans.”

Of course, if he truly had a conscience, he would never have agreed to appear at their event in the first place, but … better late than never I suppose.  Others are also pulling out and I will have a good laugh if the venue is only about 2% full all weekend!

Daniel Defense, the company that manufactured the weapon used in Tuesday’s school massacre, has also pulled out of the NRA convention this weekend.  Their reason is not likely any sudden attack of conscience so much as fear of being assaulted by people who are angry and looking for a target for their anger.  And there should be fury toward this company who not so long ago posted this picture …

Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old, he will not depart from it. 🙏

I am sickened.

Some, such as the not-so-illustrious Greg Abbott and Ted Cruz, still plan to attend … surprised, aren’t you?  Every single person who attends that convention is a target for my anger, so they should probably be thankful that I won’t be there, eh?  Does anybody else see the irony in that this nation is banning books by the dozens … BOOKS 📕 📚 that open minds, educate, and help us make the world a better place … while at the same time refusing to ban assault weapons such as the one used on Tuesday, the ones that have been used so many times to kill thousands of innocent people?  There is something intrinsically wrong here …

The following chart lists the 50 senators who have taken the most money from the NRA.  Is one or more of your state’s senators on this list?  One of my own state’s senators, Rob Portman, has taken more than $3 million in donations from the NRA and I am more ashamed of him than ever before.  He is retiring this year, but I’m not doing any happy dances because he’s likely to be replaced by someone even worse, J.D. Vance … an unqualified bozo who loves guns, lies, and will do just about anything to get his name in print.  Read those senator’s names and look at the amounts … now do you understand why our lives mean less than nothing to these men and women who we have elected to act in our best interests?

Senator NRA Donations Gun Deaths in State per Year
Mitt Romney (UT) $13,647,676 365
Richard Burr (NC) $6,987,380 1,311
Roy Blunt (MO) $4,555,722 1,074
Thom Tillis (NC) $4,421,333 1,311
Cory Gardner (CO) $3,939,199 715
Marco Rubio (FL) $3,303,355 2,568
Joni Ernst (IA) $3,124,773 264
Rob Portman (OH) $3,063,327 1,402
Todd C. Young (IN) $2,897,582 907
Bill Cassidy (LA) $2,867,074 946
David Perdue (GA) $2,002,462 1,459
Tom Cotton (AR) $1,968,714 534
Pat Roberts (KS) $1,581,153 368
Pat Toomey (PA) $1,475,448 1,503
Josh Hawley (MO) $1,391,548 1,074
Marsha Blackburn (TN) $1,306,130 1,103
Ronald Harold “Ron” Johnson (WI) $1,269,486 592
Mitch McConnell (KY) $1,267,139 690
Mike Braun (IN) $1,249,967 907
John Thune (SD) $638,942 95
Shelley Moore Capito (WV) $341,738 305
Martha McSally (AZ) $303,853 1,013
Richard Shelby (AL) $258,514 961
Chuck Grassley (IA) $226,007 264
John Neely Kennedy (LA) $215,788 946
Ted Cruz (TX) $176,274 3,139
Lisa Murkowski (AK) $146,262 165
Johnny Isakson (GA) $131,571 1,459
Steve Daines (MT) $123,711 197
Cindy Hyde-Smith (MS) $109,547 576
Roger Wicker (MS) $106,680 576
Rand Paul (KY) $104,456 690
Mike Rounds (SD) $95,049 95
John Boozman (AR) $82,352 534
John Cornyn (TX) $78,945 3,139
Ben Sasse (NE) $68,623 169
Jim Inhofe (OK) $66,758 679
Lindsey Graham (SC) $55,961 829
Mike Crapo (ID) $55,039 242
Jerry Moran (KS) $34,718 368
John Barrasso (WY) $26,989 104
Lamar Alexander (TN) $25,293 1,103
Mike Enzi (WY) $24,722 104
John Hoeven (ND) $22,050 93
Susan Collins (ME) $19,800 146
Deb Fischer (NE) $19,638 169
James Lankford (OK) $18,955 679
Jim Risch (ID) $18,850 242
Tim Scott (SC) $18,513 829
Kevin Cramer (ND) $13,255 93

I am writing to a number of members of Congress this week with a simple, single question:  89% of people in this nation support stricter gun regulations, and some 67% support a ban on assault weapons – so why don’t you?  How can you claim to represent the people of this nation when you are voting against their will, against their best interests?

Fellow countrymen … now is the time for us to stop the madness, to stop electing and re-electing men and women who have no conscience, whose own lust for power and wealth are their only priority.  Research the candidates in your district and state, make sure the candidate you support does NOT support the NRA, does not support wealthy corporations over the interests of the people.  Look at that list above … if any of them are from your state and are up for re-election this year, vote them out!!!

Bits of Snarks ‘n Snippets

Posted on by under Bits 'n Pieces, education, Humour, Law and justice, Political commentary, Racism & Bigotry, Social commentary

I tried to come up with something fun for a Saturday Surprise post, but sadly the snarky angst is bubbling over, so please forgive my lack of humour today.  Perhaps there will be a Sunday Surprise – who knows?

The not-so-great State of Ohio

I hate the state I live in – Ohio.  I have always hated it, and had it not been for a job offer from Honda back in the 80s, I would never have moved to this state.  I’ve lived in the State Capitol, Columbus, and for the last nearly 30 years, have lived in the northern suburbs of Cincinnati.  The state is heavily republican, and about 80% of the people are arrogant bigots.  But what I read today makes me more determined than ever to get the hell out of this state!

This memo put out by two state legislators says it all …

Ohio-memo

One of the “greatest presidents in American history”?????  WTF?????  If this passes, then I am definitely leaving the state, if I have to live in a lean-to in the mountains and forage for wild berries and mushrooms to eat!

Jon Stewart on Twitter

Former Daily Show Host Jon Stewart Testifies On Need To Reauthorize The September 11th Victim Compensation Fund

Comedian Jon Stewart, a long-time favourite of mine, joined Twitter two days ago, though he has long said it would never happen, and already he has nearly one million followers!  Wow … I’ve been on Twitter since January 2009 – 12 years – and I have only 140 followers!  And he’s only tweeted twice!  Hmmmm … wonder what I’m doing wrong?

Reward for bad behaviour?

Yesterday I wrote a rant about newly-elected representative Marjorie Taylor-Greene.  She is a conspiracy theorist, a gun-totin’ bitch, a Trump loyalist, and played a role in the attack on Congress on January 6th.  Many, including myself, have called for her to be removed from the House of Representatives, for she is not somebody I want making the laws that I live under. 

She is not, in fact, lawmaker material, but rather troublemaker material with her many nasty remarks and allegations that 9/11, the Sandy Hook school shootings, and the Parkland school shootings were all hoaxes.  More recently it has come to light that she said that ‘wildfires in California were not natural. Forests don’t just catch fire, you know. Rather, the blazes had been started by PG&E, in conjunction with the Rothschilds, using a space laser, in order to clear room for a high-speed rail project.’ 

But now for the worst of it! 

The only education this woman has is a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration.  She does not have a degree in education, has never been a teacher, and yet she was placed on the House Education and Labour Committee!  She would be making the decisions about what is taught and how it is taught in our public schools???  NO!  Just effing NO!  After her committee placement was criticized by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and in light of Greene’s spreading of conspiracy theories regarding school shootings, Representative Debbie Wasserman Schultz introduced a motion to remove Greene from all committee assignments.  I want her removed from Congress … hell, truth be told, I want her removed from the planet Earth!  Send her to join her alien friends somewhere way up in space!  See if Elon Musk can help.

A breath of fresh air … literally

President Biden has nominated Deb Haaland to be the new Secretary of the Interior, replacing Trump’s fossil fuel entwined David Bernhardt.  Let me tell you just a bit about Deb Haaland …

deb-hallandMs. Haaland is a politician who has been the U.S. Representative from New Mexico’s 1st congressional district since 2019. The district includes most of Albuquerque, along with most of its suburbs. Haaland is a former chairwoman of the Democratic Party of New Mexico. Along with Sharice Davids, she is one of the first two Native American women elected to the U.S. Congress. Haaland is an enrolled member of the Laguna Pueblo and a 35th-generation New Mexican. Haaland is a political progressive who supports the movements to abolish ICE and to implement the Green New Deal and Medicare for All.

When President Biden picked Representative Haaland to be his Interior secretary, the positive response to the historic choice was so enormous, it virtually overshadowed any meaningful dissent.  But now that the bulk of the confirmation hearings are due to start next week, the naysayers are coming out of the woodwork.  Why?

Two words:  fossil fuel.  Senator Bill Cassidy, a republican from Louisiana who sits on the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, which will oversee Haaland’s confirmation proceedings, and appears ready to hold Haaland to account for the Biden administration’s plans to stop issuing new leases for oil and gas drilling on federal lands.  THOSE LEASES NEED TO BE STOPPED!  Fossil fuels are just that … fossil:  a relic of the past!  Renewable energy is where we turn our sights now, Mr. Cassidy!

Ms. Haaland stands for strong conservation, climate action, and tribal rights … all in direct contrast with the fossil fuel industry, in whose pockets are many of the republicans in Congress, obviously including Mr. Cassidy.  I have sent an email to both of my state’s senators urging them to confirm the nomination of Deb Haaland as Secretary of the Interior, for I feel strongly that her values are what this nation needs more of. 

A laugh or two

And last, I give you a bit of humour about … well, about so many things.  This clip from Jimmy Kimmel actually made me laugh, so watch it – it’ll be good for your blood pressure!

Rainy Day Snarky Snippets

Posted on by under Bits 'n Pieces, Election 2020, Environmental Issues, Political commentary, Social commentary

It seems that there is a correlation between gloomy, rainy days and my level of snark.  Today, it is pouring, grey and dreary, and my snark-o-meter is at about 80%.  Now you might think that with the good news that Trump’s attempt to overturn the will of the people in this month’s election has failed … an epic failure … would lower my snark, that I would be sitting here grinning and typing about happy things like … um …

Raindrops on roses
And whiskers on kittens
Bright copper kettles and warm woolen mittens
Brown paper packages tied up with strings

But I am not Julie Andrews and my singing is nearly a criminal offense, so instead, as I watch the pouring rain create a river in my backyard, I shall share my snarkiness with you, my friends!

Living in a bubble …

The pandemic continues to rage, and yesterday we broke yet another record with 2,194 deaths, bringing our recorded death toll to 266,311.  Mike Pence, who is allegedly the head of the coronavirus task force but has not spoken of it since July, finally broke his vow of silence last Thursday.  Despite record high new cases, hospitalizations, and more than a quarter of a million deaths, he had this to say …

“America has never been more prepared to combat this virus than we are today.”

From what I can discern, ol’ Mikey has been living in a bubble somewhere underground for the past ten months!  That death toll … those are people, not just numbers.  Those are our grandparents, our siblings, our children, and our friends!  Just what the Sam Hell has this ‘task force’ even done besides waste time and money?

Two new records

More Americans voted in the 2020 election than in any other in more than 100 years.

voting-record

This is encouraging, but I’m still disappointed … yeah, I know … give a mouse a cookie.  But seriously, 65%?  Where were the other 35% of eligible voters?  This year, most every state made mail-in voting available due to the pandemic, some states even allowed voters to register online.  Yes, some states throw up roadblocks, especially in areas where there is a significant percentage of minorities – it’s called disenfranchisement, and is a republican ploy to keep Blacks, Asians and Hispanics away from the polls.  But even with that in mind … why isn’t the number 85%?  Yeah, yeah … I know all the excuses, have heard them a million times before.  I just wonder what we have to do to convince people … all people … that voting is a responsibility, as well as a right.  You owe it to every person in this country to make your voice heard, and most of all you owe it to yourself to feel that you aren’t just a bystander, but an actual participant.  Turnout in Minnesota reached nearly 80% … if they can do it, why can’t the rest of the nation?

But there’s even more good news … President-elect Joe Biden is now the first ever to win more than 80 million votes!  Ever.  Think about that one … that sends quite a message, doesn’t it?

Good for a laugh …

I had to laugh when I read that Trump thinks his legal team (led by none other than Rudy Giuliani) is made up of “fools that are making him look bad.”

Giuliani

As if he ever needed help in looking bad???  No president in the history of the nation has ever looked worse than Donald Trump on a good day!  Whatever will we do for humour once this bunch of clowns has packed up their circus show and left?

And speaking of humour … let’s see what Jimmy Kimmel has to say about the latest developments.

How Will ‘The Donald’ Spin This One???

Posted on by under Election 2020, Global Issues, Humour, Law and justice, Political commentary, Social commentary

Robert Mueller worked tirelessly for about two years investigating the Russian interference in our 2016 election, and he proved beyond a shadow of a doubt what most of us already knew, that the Russians did, in fact, attempt to help put Donald Trump into office with their high-level propaganda campaign, among other things.  Since Mueller was professional and cautious, and because Attorney General William Barr had already made it clear that Trump could not, would not, be prosecuted of any crimes, Mueller stopped short of recommending such an action.  Contrary to what Mr. Trump said after the report was released, the report did not clear or exonerate Trump, but rather left it up to the Department of Justice to decide whether his crimes ought to be prosecuted.  Trump called Mueller’s report a sham, a democratic witch hunt, and more, but the reality, the truth, was all there in black and white.  Except … the Department of Justice redacted so much of it that it was difficult to read three consecutive sentences.

So now, one year after the Mueller report was released, comes this from Politico …

The Senate Intelligence Committee on Tuesday reaffirmed its support for the U.S. intelligence community’s conclusion that the Russian government interfered in the 2016 presidential election with the goal of putting Donald Trump in the Oval Office.

Tuesday’s bipartisan report, from a panel chaired by North Carolina Republican Richard Burr, undercuts Trump’s years of efforts to portray allegations of Kremlin assistance to his campaign as a “hoax,” driven by Democrats and a “deep state” embedded within the government bureaucracy.

[…]

Senators and committee aides examined everything from the sources and methods used for the intelligence-gathering, to the Kremlin’s actions itself. The 158-page report is heavily redacted, with dozens of pages blacked out entirely. But its final conclusions were unambiguous.

“The committee found no reason to dispute the intelligence community’s conclusions,” Burr said in a statement, adding that the intelligence community’s conclusions reflect “strong tradecraft” and “sound analytical reasoning.”

Lest anybody wish to say the report is biased, the Senate Intelligence Committee is chaired by a Republican, Richard Burr, and there are a total of 8 Republicans, 6 Democrats, and 1 Independent serving on the committee.  You can find the .pdf report here, but with all the redactions (including most of the Table of Contents), it’s really rather a waste of time.  Still, just how the hell many reports do we need before Trump’s band of loyal toadies finally accept what is right in front of their face???

Trump has openly criticized the intelligence community’s work, both as a presidential candidate and as commander in chief. His fury has only intensified since its inspector general alerted Congress last year of a whistleblower complaint regarding the president’s posture toward Ukraine, a process that resulted in his impeachment.

The president is still rejecting intelligence officials’ more recent warnings — delivered to lawmakers last month — that Russia is interfering in this year’s election and that Moscow has a preference for Trump.

Of course Moscow has a preference for Trump … he is both greedy and ignorant, meaning he is easily manipulated, used as a puppet in exchange for a small amount of praise and stroking of his ego.  What does this mean for November’s election?  Well, let’s see … the odds of a fair and honest election according to my calculations are slim-to-none.  Russia is and will continue to spout false narratives, gerrymandered states largely remain so, Trump still has an approximately 40% loyal following, Trump is fighting against mail-in voting that would level the playing field just a bit by encouraging everyone to vote … what could possibly go wrong?

We’ve been missing our occasional treat of a Stephen Colbert or Jimmy Kimmel monologue of late, so today in order to lighten the mood a bit (did I really just say that???) I found the latest ‘at home’ monologue by Jimmy.  Somehow, it’s just not the same without the audience, the band, etc., but still he tried.  At least you’ll get a bit of a chuckle.

A Few Mini-Rants … Grrrrrrrrrrrrr

Posted on by under Bits 'n Pieces, Global Issues, Law and justice, Political commentary, Social commentary

It was going to be just another mildly Snarky Snippets piece, but suddenly I discovered I really felt a rant building up.  And so …

Another unqualified candidate on the bench …

Her name is Sarah Elizabeth Pitlyk, she is 42 years of age, her only judiciary experience was clerking for then-Judge Brett Kavanaugh, she has never tried a case as a lead or co-counsel, has never examined a witness, and yet now she is a federal judge for the U.S. District Court in St. Louis!  The American Bar Association (ABA) gave her a “not qualified” rating … you can read their letter if you wish.

So, what has she done?  What, exactly, made Trump think she was a good candidate for the federal court?  Did she bat her eyes just right, or swing her hips just so?  Oh no … here it is … “Sarah Pitlyk has spent most of her career defending our most fundamental freedoms, including religious liberty.”

Vanita Gupta, a former head of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division, said of Pitlyk’s confirmation …

“She is exactly the type of judicial nominee that Trump promised to fill the courts with: an individual who threatens reproductive rights and access to abortion. With Pitlyk’s confirmation, the administration is betting on her to carry out their agenda for decades to come.”

Another setback to women’s rights!  One lousy republican, Senator Susan Collins, found enough compunction to vote against this woman’s confirmation.  To the rest of you damn republicans … go soak your heads in a vat of boiling oil, please!!!   Hear that low growl emitting from my throat?

Let them eat cake!  Oh wait … they cannot afford that, either

Scrooge McTrump is at it again!

The Agriculture Department gave its final approval to the first of three rules that are ultimately expected to cut more than three million from the food stamp rolls.  According to the Department of Agriculture, the economy has improved under the Trump administration, and assistance to unemployed, able-bodied adults was no longer necessary in a strong job market.

sonny-perdueSonny Perdue, head of the Department of Agriculture and one of Trump’s many yes-men, aka boot lickers, is a millionaire.  Not one night in his worthless life has he gone to bed hungry!  This is the problem with too damn many rich people in this administration … they have no concept … NONE … of what the average person deals with.

Cut food stamps, cut other social service programs, but increase military spending.  Oh yeah … let’s not forget … cut taxes on the wealthy.  Is this any way to run a government?  No, it is not.  Again, as I have said so many times before … this is a government of, by and for the wealthy and to hell with the rest of us.  The growl gets louder …

Jim Jordan …

jim-jordanI think it speaks volumes when one of the Republican Party’s loudest mouthpieces is a man who is implicated in a sex scandal at Ohio State University (OSU).  It says much about the values – or should I say lack of values – of the GOP.

Mind you, Representative Jim Jordan is not accused of sexual abuse himself, but when he served as Assistant Coach from 1986 – 1994, numerous students went to him with complaints that the campus doctor, Dr. Richard Strauss, had abused them.  Strauss has been found to have abused at least 177 male students during his tenure at the university.  Jim Jordan did nothing when students took their concerns to him, but simply blew them off.

Jordan claims that he did not know, but numerous students and even a referee have come forward to say that they went to Jordan, hoping he would help them, but instead he blew them off, saying, “Yeah, that’s Strauss.”  Where there is so much smoke, there is a fire somewhere.

And this is one of the faces of the GOP today.  How low they have sunk since the days when GOP stood for ‘Grand Old Party’.

The laughingstock of the world …

All throughout Donald Trump’s 2016 campaign, when nobody thought he could possibly win the election (and for the record, he didn’t), he was the laughingstock of both the nation and our allies.  Here in the U.S., we stopped laughing in the wee hours of November 9th, 2016.  The rest of the world kept laughing until probably mid-March 2017, when they saw that he was not only a threat to the U.S. and its people, but to the entire world.

Now, he is seen abroad as a fool, but a dangerous fool, and world leaders spend a bit of time in the days leading up to a summit or conference he will attend, trying to head off any dramatics, any crisis.

It was reported on December 2nd that NATO leaders had done everything in their power ahead of this week’s NATO summit to ensure that there would be no disruptive incidents.  But, wherever Trump goes, he insists on being the center of attention, and if he isn’t, then he will find a way to make it so.nato-trump.jpgYesterday, he stormed out of the summit in London after seeing a video of a group of leaders, including Boris Johnson, ridiculing him at Buckingham Palace for staging lengthy press conferences.  I suppose it hurt his itty-bitty feelings, punctured that thin skin of his, and he took his toys and went home.  He fully deserved the ridicule, and those who dished it out … Princess Anne, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, French president Emmanuel Macron, and Dutch prime minister Mark Rutte … were not aware they were being recorded, nor that the recording would be shown to Trump.  But, let’s face it folks … the bully got just exactly what he deserved.  As one commentor noted, the conversation wasn’t even newsworthy until Trump made it newsworthy.

And, I laugh, but at the same time I wonder, for Trump is a bully, he retaliates against those who would mock him.  Perhaps cooler heads will convince him to drop it.  Wait … are there any cooler heads left in the White House???

And Putin smiles …

Okay, well, it’s getting late and what started as a low growl is now a full-throttle roar, so it’s time for me to stop ranting and get a few hours of nice, peaceful sleep.  And I leave you with a bit of chuckle-inducing humour from our friend Jimmy Kimmel …

Snarky Snippets To End The Week …

Posted on by under Bits 'n Pieces, Law and justice, Political commentary, Social commentary

I was plugging along, working on a post about the democrats and last night’s debate, when I came across a few snippets that … well, I just couldn’t resist another snarky snippets post!  The debate post will come later, hopefully tomorrow afternoon, but for today I was sidetracked … that seems to happen a lot!

She got WHAT from WHOM???

Trump’s kids are hot on the campaign trail, stumping for daddy.  Late last month, daughter Ivanka (you know, the useless one whose sole purpose in the administration seems to be to stand by daddy fluttering her lashes) attended a “retreat” (what the Sam Heck are they retreating from?) arranged by Republican House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy Jackson Hole in the Wyoming mountains. The sole purpose was to bilk money from the wealthy potential donors in attendance.IvankaIvanka was asked what personality traits she has inherited from her parents.  She said that her mother gave her an example of how to be a powerful, successful woman, and that … wait for it … her father had given her his “moral compass”! Hoo-boy!  If that one didn’t make you nearly fall out of your seat laughing, then nothing will!  Moral compass???  What moral compass???  Well, folks, you’ve got to feel sorry for the little Trumps, if nothing else.  Ivanka and Jared have three (this family really makes the case for forced sterilization):  Arabella Rose, Joseph Frederick, and Theodore James.  See, they cannot even give the poor kids simple names … well, at least their last name isn’t Trump, though I’m not sure ‘Kushner’ is any more respectable.

Skewed priorities

I’ve heard of ‘vaping’, but never cared enough to figure out exactly what it is. I knew only that it was a replacement for smoking.  But, in the past few weeks it has been in all the headlines, as apparently a few people … I believe it is six people, to be exact … had died as a result of vaping.  I still wasn’t all that interested, and I’ll tell you why.  I am a smoker.  I started smoking at age 13, some 55 years ago.  I smoke, on average, 3 packs a day.  That is my choice, and I’m well aware of the health risks involved, and I accept full responsibility for my actions and the results of those actions.  Period.  So, if people choose vaping instead of smoking tobacco, fine, but accept that the onus is on you, not society at large.

But what did finally catch my attention was when it was announced that Trump is considering a ban on flavoured electronic cigarettes.  The reason?

“We can’t allow people to get sick. And we can’t have our youth be so affected.”

Oh … oh oh oh … the IRONY!!!  This, from the ‘man’ who has fought tooth and nail to repeal the Affordable Care Act, aka Obamacare, and cause some 20 million people to lose their access to affordable health care!  This from the ‘man’ who refuses to even consider the most minimal of gun regulations, due to pressure from his buddies over at the NRA!

There is not even any evidence thus far that it was vaping that caused the six deaths.  Consider the most recent case, a 50-year-old man from Kansas who had a history of underlying health issues!  Not a child, not even a healthy adult!  Six cases … and he’s going to ban it!  Heck, last year in the U.S., five people died from eating lettuce contaminated with E. coli from contaminated water that was used to irrigate the crops.  Simply testing the water would have prevented it, but Trump & Co. even then refused to make testing of irrigation water mandatory.  And … Trump did not ban lettuce … I know this because I just bought some on Wednesday.

There have been 22 school shootings in the U.S. in 2019 thus far.  Six deaths possibly related to vaping, and he’ll ban e-cigarettes, but 22 school shootings don’t even warrant a consideration of enhanced gun safety laws???  This, folks, is a problem.  This is an upside-down setting of priorities. The only thing I can figure is that the vaping industry doesn’t have a strong enough lobby.

And, since nobody … not even me … does snarky better than the late-night hosts, let’s let Jimmy Kimmel start our weekend out with bunch of laughs!

Have a great weekend, my friends!