Arrogance
At the presidential debate on Tuesday, September 29th, the family of Donald Trump refused to wear masks. The rules clearly stated that everyone in the venue would wear a mask except the two candidates and the moderator, yet Ivanka, Melania, Junior, Eric and the rest of the clan were sans masks. It was no surprise to anyone that this clan thinks they are superior to the rest of us, for they have demonstrated that every single day for nearly four years.
But last night, at the vice-presidential debate, the same rules were in place and it was clearly stated that everyone except Mr. Pence, Senator Harris, and moderator Susan Page would wear a mask or would not be allowed into the venue. And yet … Karen Pence, Mike’s wife, was maskless when she appeared onstage at the end of the debate. This, my friends, is supreme arrogance. She put the lives of everyone in that room in jeopardy, for no doubt she has been exposed via her husband who was exposed by Trump himself. In addition, she attended the Rose Garden event on September 26th that has been blamed for many others in the administration contracting the virus. 
WHY was she allowed to remove her mask, against the rules? Why wasn’t she told to put the mask back on or be forcibly removed, just as you or I would have been? For the record, Kamala Harris’ husband, Douglas Emhoff, did wear his mask throughout the event and even after, when he appeared onstage.
I expected such arrogance and lack of consideration out of the Trump clan, but until last night I thought Karen Pence was a more decent human being than the Trumps. Obviously, I was mistaken. Perhaps she thinks her god will protect her, but it should be obvious even to her that her god has not protected the more than a million people worldwide who have died from the coronavirus, 217,000+ in the U.S. alone.
Where does this attitude of arrogance come from? Karen Pence is a schoolteacher, for Pete’s sake! She, of all people, should know the dangers this pandemic carries! She is an artist who painted the illustrations for a children’s book written by her daughter. One might think she was actually human, unlike her husband and the rest of the current administration. But no … she is just like Ivanka and the rest … a self-centered bitch who cares little for any and puts her own image far ahead of the safety of this nation.
More arrogance
This morning the Commission on Presidential Debates (CPD) announced that next week’s debate between Donald Trump and Joe Biden will be held virtually in the wake of Trump’s positive coronavirus diagnosis. I was glad for the announcement, for Trump has no concern, no care for anyone and has downplayed … continues to downplay … the virus as if it were naught more than a common cold. He remains contagious, even as he himself recovers from the virus and should not be allowed to expose others.
However, in his supreme arrogance, Trump said …
“I am not going to do a virtual debate. I am not going to waste my time on a virtual debate.”
Okay, fine by me … the first debate was such a bloody fiasco that We the People gained nothing but elevated blood pressure and a sense of deep frustration from watching it. Better not to have any more anyway, for they are costly and of absolutely no benefit to anyone, given Trump’s refusal to observe the rules of either the debate or of common courtesy.
When he says he isn’t going to waste his time, I suppose that means the time he would otherwise spend watching Fox ‘News’ or tweeting out ignominious one-liners while munching on his Big Macs.
Joe Biden’s campaign quickly agreed to the virtual debate, likely relieved that Joe and his family wouldn’t have to risk the exposure of an unmasked Trump clan. Biden campaign spokeswoman Kate Bedingfield responded to Trump’s refusal to participate by noting Biden would be happy to appear virtually, but said if Trump refuses to appear, Joe Biden “will find an appropriate place to take questions from voters directly on October 15th.” I think that may well be the best option anyway.
We already know what Donald Trump thinks … or says he thinks … on nearly every topic, for we have had four years of listening to his incessant b.s. We would like to hear more from Joe Biden, which is nearly impossible in a debate venue such as the last one, where Trump literally bulldozed over Biden every time he attempted to answer a question. I would much prefer hearing from Biden with Trump nowhere in sight! We might actually learn what he thinks, what he his plans for the nation are.
To Donald Trump I say: You just stay home with your cheeseburger and Diet Coke watching Fox and tweeting your little heart out. We’ll all be better off.
And for a bit of spot-on musical commentary by James Corden of Gavin and Stacy fame, and more recently The Late, Late Show and Carpool Karaoke …
OH NO … Say it ain’t so! Ever hear the expression “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it”? Sesame Street has been around since November 1969. They have been right there at 123 Sesame Street on PBS, but last August a deal was negotiated moving the show to HBO. Changes, it seems, are in the wind. Here are two articles about what might become of our pals Big Bird, Elmo, Cookie Monster, Bert & Ernie, my personal favourite Oscar the Grouch, and the rest of the gang. 
One of my favourite Op-ed writers is Nicholas Kristof, a two-time Pulitzer Prize winner, who writes a twice-weekly column for the New York Times. He is a humanitarian and his columns typically address issues related to human rights abuses and social injustices. His column today is about the inhumane treatment of chickens by today’s poultry industry. It is stirring and sad, and I strongly advise you not to read it while you are munching a chicken sandwich, but that said, it is well worth the 
We hear a lot about Donald Trump, his nude-model wife Melania, former wives Ivana and Marla, but little about his children, other than Ivanka who is somewhat active in his campaign and also made headlines for having a baby last month. So, here is an article answering everything you never wanted to know about his children. 
Filosofa's Word 