Pope Francis (1936-2025)
22/04/25 05:09
April 22, 2025 (Vol. 19 No. 18) - His death shouldn't have come as a surprise. After all, Pope Francis had been in failing health for some time. Still, his passing on Easter Monday came as a shock to many, especially after his greeting the throngs in Vatican City on Easter morning and his surprise meeting with Vice President J.D. Vance. I am not Catholic. However, I am married to a Catholic and my late first wife was also Catholic. As a confirmed Episcopalian, you might say that I am "Catholic light." For that reason, I pay close attention to the Pontiff who sits on St. Peter's throne. I very much liked Pope Francis, primarily because he was a Franciscan, meaning he put spirituality and humanity ahead of the trappings of his high office. At a time in world history when human beings have demonstrated a shocking capacity for hurting one another, this Pope's compassion and empathy toward the downtrodden and suffering was a welcome relief. Nor was he afraid to speak truth to power. On his very last day on earth, he spoke up for the immigrants who flee oppression in their homelands only to have barriers thrown in their paths where they seek refuge. His calmness and serenity stood in sharp contrast to the chaos we are experiencing here and in other nations. Was Pope Francis without fault? No one is. For example, his response to the church's ongoing sexual abuse scandals had been underwhelming. However, from this non-Catholic's perspective, Pope Francis was the right person at the right time for his very important job. Even to non-Catholics, the person who serves as Pope, the moral leader among 1.6 billion Catholics worldwide, matters. The Pope carries with him a moral authority that few other world leaders enjoy. Here's hoping that the next Pope will speak with the humility and humanity with which Pope Francis blessed us. That's it for now. Fear the Turtle. Photo courtesy TimePat Paulsen For President
16/04/25 15:54
April 16, 2025 (Vol. 19 No. 17) - Tired of writing about that schmuck in the White House, I decided to turn my attention to one of the great leaders of America's not-too-distant past, Patrick Layton Paulsen. OK, I realize that most Americans under the age of 70 may be scratching their heads and saying, "Who?" But he was an inspirational leader introduced to us in 1967 as a writer and performer on the Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour, a show that provided some of the most astute political commentary at that time. Paulsen was a deadpan satirist who we first came to know for his outrageous editorials. However, during the presidential election year of 1968, the Brothers took things a step further, showcasing Paulsen as a candidate for president running on the Strait-Talking American Government (STAG) Party. And, as you will see in this clip, the man could really turn a phrase. Unfortunately, Paulsen lost that election to Richard Nixon - and, in fact, to everyone else as well. He made one of the greatest concession speeches in American history. One of my favorite books on my personal bookshelf is Paulsen's How to Wage a Successful Campaign for the Presidency, published in 1972 at a price of only $2.95 a copy. In it, he wrote, "In America, any boy can grow up to become President. Or, if he never grows up, Vice President." One of the chapters in the book is entitled "Choosing Your Party: Democrat, Republican or Tupperware." Why did Paulsen want to become President? He said it was because with the job you get "a big house, a big plane, $100,000 salary and it's the only government job that does not require a civil service examination." In light of the outrageous lunacy of today's political scene, how could you not vote for a man like Paulsen? Unfortunately, Patrick Layton Paulsen died in 1977 at the age of 69. Come to think of it, that changes nothing. Considering today's offerings, how could you still not vote for a man like Paulsen? That's it for now. Fear the Turtle.Takin' It To The Streets
07/04/25 08:57
April 7, 2025 (Vol. 19 No. 16) - Millions of Americans took to the streets this past weekend to show that democracy and free speech are alive and well - at least for now. There were "Hands Offs" rallies in more than 1,200 communities, including right here in my hometown of Lawrence, Kansas (photo above). Of course, many butt-kissing MAGA sycophants in Kansas would tell you that Lawrence is the "Lib-tard" capital of Kansas. However, I was one of the 500+ people standing at a busy downtown intersection. While there were some individuals who may have come from the outer fringes of society, most were mainstream folks - some of whom identified themselves as Republicans - who were fed up with the reckless, heartless and unconstitutional dismantling of government that has occurred since President Poopinpantz took office in January. (And, by the way, did you see the strange life forms that attended last summer's GOP convention?) It is important to remember that this national day of protest was called weeks ago, before President Manchild single-handedly sent the American economy into free-fall by announcing "global across-the-board reciprocal tariffs." Many of the harshest penalties were levied against some of this nation's closest allies. He called them "The Dirty 15," although there were actually 29 nations on that list. (We are trusting our economy to a guy who can't even count?) One particularly onerous tariff was imposed against Heard Island and McDonald Islands, an Australian territory comprised of no people and maybe a million penguins. (It's a good thing the movie Happy Feet came long before penguins got on this administration's enemies list.) And guess who was not included in his "across-the-board" tariffs? Russia, of course. Maybe that's because we are going to need all of the vodka we can get to dull the economic pain Felon47 has inflicted upon us. Of course, our Demander-in-Chief says we should trust him, just like his voters did last fall when, as a candidate, he promised us that tariffs will not cost the American people any higher costs. If you believe that, why not go out and buy a new car? Of course, it is not his fault that he lied. It was his voters fault that they believed him. (Shame on you!) And I haven't even begun to discuss his unconstitutional mass firings, deportations and dismantling of vital government agencies - all on the behest of a psychopathic oligarch who wants to repopulate the earth with his own offspring. Millions of my fellow citizens took a page out of Howard Beale's script and said "they are as mad as hell, and they are not going to take it anymore." Some Republicans are beginning to take note. Those that don't, do so at their own risk. GOP elephants are not the only creatures with long memories. The mid-term elections are not that far off that we, the people, are unlikely to forget. That's it for now. Fear the Turtle. Photo copyright David W. Guth, 2025Just How Stupid Do They Think We Are?
27/03/25 10:39
March 27, 2025 (Vol. 19 No. 15) - Just how stupid does Trump and his band of thugs think the American people are? Based on their behavior this week, I'd guess they think the people are dolts and dim-witted slugs. And an argument can be made that a core percentage of the electorate - the people who blindly support Felon 47 - believe everything the Administration and Fox News tells them. However, in light of this Administration's behavior during the past week, it appears that the folks making up the White House's national security team are the dolts and dim-wits. Against all national security protocols, they used a public messaging app, Signal, to chat up operational plans for an attack on Houthi terrorists in Yemen. It is bad enough that Signal is easily hacked by foreign operatives, but one of this little chatty group was actually in Russia at the time the chat took place. (Hell, for all we know, he was allowing Vladimir Putin to read over this shoulder.) If that is not enough, the Gang that Couldn't Shoot Straight accidentally included a reporter, the editor of The Atlantic, into the chat, Make no mistake: A premature release of these war plans could have resulted in American deaths. Fortunately, the reporter was ethical and wasn't willing to disclose these operational plans until after the attack had been completed. Frankly, at first, he didn't think anyone was as stupid as to allow reporter to listen in on a classified operation. Yet, they were. The White House's response to the justified outrage among Republicans, Democrats, the military and the American public has been to lie. They looked square into the camera and said they did not discuss specifics of the operation. Trump and his chatty minions were basically using the Wizard of Oz defense: "Pay no attention to that man behind the curtain." Faced with those claims, The Atlantic published the entire chat, including specific details regard what weapons would be used and the timing of the attacks. Still, as late as the time of this writing, President Bone Spur is calling the whole controversy "a hoax." Read that chat yourself. Make your own judgment as to whether this ill-considered dialogue among officials at the highest levels of the U.S. government could have put our service men and women in harm's way. Which takes us back to the core question: Just how stupid do they think we are? Perhaps the better question is: Just how doltish are the people running the country and shouldn't someone or several people be fired for what is, metaphorically and really, criminal stupidity? That's it for now. Fear the Turtle. AI Image Copyright David W. Guth, 2025.Safeguarding Bridges
23/03/25 10:16
March 22, 2025 (Vol. 19 No. 14) - I have had a lifelong obsession with the Chesapeake Bay Bridge. My first memory of it is in Fall 1955 when as a two-year-old I sat in the front seat of the family car between my mother and father as the family moved from Baltimore County to the Eastern Shore. It also made a strong impression on me when I attended a church camp just south of the Bay Bridge in 1962. I spent a lot of the week gazing at the bridge, watching the traffic flow to and fro, and wondering about where all those people were going. My "love affair" with the bridge was cemented in spring 1973, when I was permitted to photograph construction of a parallel span for a college television production class project (picture above). This passion eventually resulted in the publication of my first self-authored book Bridging the Chesapeake - A 'Fool Idea' That Unified Maryland. (By the way, it makes a great gift!) Recently, the bridge - officially the William Preston Lane Jr. Memorial Bridge - has been on my mind for a very serious reason. Ever since a gigantic cargo ship destroyed the Francis Scott Key bridge across the opening of Baltimore harbor last year, one cannot help but wonder if the same fate confronts the Bay Bridge. I didn't really give the question of bridge vulnerability much thought when I wrote the book more than a decade ago. However, I did report that the bay ferry John M. Dennis lost its steering on July 6, 1952, and crashed into one of the bridge's main piers. This was three weeks before the bridge opened. No one was hurt and the bridge received minimal damage (page 269). One should note that loss of steering was the same issue that led to the destruction of the Key Bridge. It is also noteworthy that a bay ferry is minuscule compared to the humongous container ships that traverse bay waters today. Last week, the National Transportation Safety Board identified 68 bridges - including the twin spans of the Bay Bridge and the Chesapeake City Bridge that crosses the Chesapeake and Delaware canal - that should be evaluated for the risk of collapse from vessel strike. The NTSB was critical of Maryland officials for not proactively conducting these reviews, suggesting that this tragic situation could have been avoided. For its part, the Maryland Transportation Authority pushed back at the critical report, saying the Key Bridge collapse was solely the responsibility of the ship owners. They have also noted that a bridge risk assessment has been underway since last fall. In yesterday's edition of The Baltimore Sun, Johns Hopkins civil and systems engineering professor Michael Shields said, "Hindsight is 20/20. The important thing is that we acknowledge the risk now." Former President Joe Biden knew of importance of repairing and upgrading the nation's infrastructure by successfully passing his $1.2 trillion infrastructure bill, something his predecessor promised to do but failed, and his successor now criticizes as extravagant spending. As the current administration in Washington continues its slash and burn approach to the nation's budget, let's hope that common sense will prevail and this and other infrastructure projects will be allowed to continue. Failing to do so would result in a false economy and result in real consequences in the future. That's it for now. Fear the Turtle. Photo Copyright David W. Guth, 1973