January 2023
Santosia
24/01/23 07:27
January 24, 2023 (Vol. 17 No. 7) - There is a new affliction threatening the health and well-being of our nation. It is known as Santosia, not to be confused with Santosha, a term used in yoga circles denoting contentment and a lack of desire for what others have. Nor should it be confused with the Brazilian plant of the same name - although this particular form of mental illness appears to have originated in Brazil and taken flower on Long Island in New York. Its symptoms include delusionary expressions of grandeur that expotentially grow in their number and scope, particularly during political campaign election seasons. An example would be if I claimed to have won the first of my six Congressional Medals of Honor during the Korean War - which would have been amazing, considering that the war ended before my first birthday. The incidious thing about Santosia is that it not only afflicts its perpetrator, but it also affects those around its carrier who are willing to accept anything they are told because it appears to serve their purposes. Given enough exposure to Santosia, these people eventually lose their spines. The medical term for this condition is known as Kevin McCarthyitus, a sort of Lou Gehrig's Disease for the politically impotent. There is a particularly virulent strain of Santosia in the Mar-a-Lago region of Florida. (That strain also appears to have infected at least one resident of Tallahassee.) But at least in the case of the Mar-a-Lago strain, there's a chance a cure may be found within the U.S. Department of Justice - unless, of course a bad case of Garlandian paralysis takes hold. When it comes to Santosia, there is only one cure: To vote as if the future of democracy depends upon it - because it does. That's it for now. Fear the Turtle!
C'mon, Joe!
16/01/23 12:01
Jan. 16, 2023 (Vol. 17 No. 6) - I am an unapologetic fan of President Joe Biden. He is the least pretentious and most productive president we have had since the days of Ronald Reagan. Unlike the Gipper, who was able to get a lot of things done by garnering support from the other side of the aisle, Biden's substantial accomplishments have been largely accomplished without the help of and, frankly, despite the hinderance of the Republican Sedition Caucus. Our economy is slowly on the mend after the disastrous mess created by his predecessor, the Jipper. Even with the challenges the party in the White House traditionally faces during midterm elections, the Democrats actually gained ground in the Senate while barely losing the House. (And after what we saw last week, can we really say the Republicans are in control of the House?) Does Joe occasionally put his foot in his mouth? Yes, but who doesn't? It is a part of the endearing quality of the man. Yes, Joe has done a good job - even if the polls do not reflect it. However, I am not pleased about these reports of classified documents showing up in Biden's former office spaces and in the garage of his Delaware home. Considering what we have been through with The Con Man from Mar-a-Lago, this should not have happened. I know that the two situations are different. One returned the documents when discovered while the other actively engaged in a year-long deception to hide classified material from the National Archives. The two things are not the same. And yet, the former president's sycophants in the Sedition Caucus and the propagandists at Fox News now claim they are. I am deeply disappointed that Joe and his company have given the Disloyal Opposition even the slightest opportunity to claim of a moral equivalency. Let's not kid ourselves: American Democracy is still in peril. While Dangerous Donnie, Klansman Kevin and Rebel Rousin' Ronnie are plotting their next electoral coup, President Biden has to operate an Administration that is beyond reproach. This is not how you do it. C'Mon, Joe! Stop with the "the documents were safely locked in the garage with my Corvette" crap and keep your eye on the ball. That's it for now. Fear the Turtle!
Volunteering for the Red Cross
12/01/23 17:37
Jan. 12, 2023 (Vol. 17 No. 5) - I have been associated with the American Red Cross since the late 1970s. Back in those days, I was living in Rocky Mount, North Carolina. At first, I served on the "blood committee," mostly because I was news director of the local radio station and my role was to provide publicity for local blood drives. After I left that job to become the public information director of North Carolina Wesleyan College, I took on a more active role. For two years, I served as disaster committee chairman, a role in which I helped develop a disaster response plan that, in turn, made it possible for the chapter to procure its first disaster response van. I was in line to become chapter president when I took a job with the Capitol Broadcasting Company in Raleigh. After that, my active involvement with the Red Cross was put on hold for the next 37 years, After I retired from the School of Journalism faculty at the University of Kansas in 2019, I returned to the Red Cross as a communications volunteer for the Kansas-Oklahoma Region. Because of my association with a former regional communications director who has assumed similar responsibilities in Houston, I am now also a volunteer for the Texas Gulf Coast Region, as well. Volunteering for the Red Cross has been a rewarding experience. First of all, I believe in its mission "to alleviate human suffering in the face of emergencies by mobilizing the power of volunteers and the generosity of donors." Most people don't realize it, but 93 percent of the Red Cross workforce is made of volunteers. And as one considered an expert in crisis communications and internal relations, I can tell you without hesitation that the Red Cross does a fabulous job of encouraging, training and recognizing its volunteer force. There are dozens of role volunteers can fill, from helping with the collection and distribution of 40 percent of the nation's blood supply to responding virtually and/or in-person to a myriad of natural and man-made disasters affecting our fellow citizens every day. If you have time on your hands and like the idea of associating with the world's most respect humanitarian organization, I invite you to visit www.redcross.org/volunteer to learn more. And if you don't have the time to volunteer, I encourage you to give to the Red Cross. An average of 90 cents of every dollar donated is spent serving those in need. For the record: No one asked me to write this blog post. I have done so because I believe in the Red Cross and its mission. I hope you do, too. That's it for now. Fear the Turtle.
Watching Train Wrecks
10/01/23 07:39
Jan. 10, 2023 (Vol. 17 No.4) - If you like watching train wrecks, demolition derbys, building implosions and other stuff where things end up on a heap of rubble, this has been a good week for you. It started with the U.S. House of Representatives voting to elect a Speaker. Normally, this is a fairly easy vote. The party that has the majority unanimously supports its candidate, ensuring election. But who said the Republican Party is normal? It took 15 ballots over four days - actually five, since the 15th ballot came after midnight Saturday - and one near fist-flight for Kevin McCarthy to finally be given his crown. However, considering all of the concessions he made to the MAGA-maggots on the right, his crown is now nothing more than paper mache. One can only question how long it will last in the rain of criticism and goading he will get from all sides when the really tough votes, such as the debt ceiling and Ukraine, come up. Perhaps that is why the Democratic caucus has ordered a large shipment of popcorn. This will be fun to watch - until it is no longer fun and the nation's citizens and credibility are placed in jeopardy. Across the pond in not-so-jolly-old-England, the Royal family is reminding us about the dangers of inbreeding. Prince Harry and his lovely wife Princess Megan are at war with the rest of the Windsors. I suspect that some of his complaints are justified. Judging by what I have read and seen through the years, especially by watching five seasons of The Crown, the King and his family come across like a bunch of cold fish. Somewhere along the royal blood line those people lost their emotional empathy genes. However, this is not to give Harry and Megan a pass. After all, if they truly want to be left alone to live out their lives in California in peace, why on earth do you write a book and go on a whirlwind tour of television interviews to dredge up dirt on the royal family? The Windsor family definitely puts in the "fun" in dysfunctional. Of course, if you want to talk about train wrecks, we should mention Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers. Maybe I will save that for another time. Or maybe not. After all, I want to keep this train on its tracks. That's it for now. Fear the Turtle!
Driving Off The Cliff
05/01/23 06:12
Jan. 5, 2023 (Vol. 17 No. 3) - You may have seen the news story out of California: A family of four was dramatically rescued this week after their car plunged approximately 300 feet off a cliff. At first, it was a story about a miraculous rescue. But now it has changed, as the driver has been accused of trying to kill his wife and children by deliberately causing the crash. That is a perfect metaphor for the Republican caucus in the U.S. House of Representatives. The nation has stood witness for the past two days at what President Biden has rightly called "an embarrassment." After six votes, the Republican majority has been unable to elect a speaker. There are nearly two dozen MAGA-maggots who have completely jammed up the wheels of government by refusing to support the man their party's caucus selected as its choice for speaker, Rep. Kevin McCarthy. It's not clear what their complaint against McCarthy is. They haven't really articulated it. (No surprise, since this isn't a particularly articulate crowd.) What this seems to be about is a small group of marginalized neo-cons making a power grab. We are left with a stalemate, as the tail is trying to wag the dog. I do not feel any sympathy for McCarthy. After all, this is a disaster of his own creation. After the January 6 insurrection, McCarthy had the opportunity to severe ties with the seditious former president. Instead, he hurried down to Mar-a-Lago to kiss his ring - or someplace else lower in his anatomy. In short, McCarthy continued to fan the flames of a fire that is now out of control. The irony is that many Republicans are now turning to Democrats in the hope that they can bail them out of this mess. Without Democrat votes - or non-votes - the lower chamber of the U.S. Congress will continue to sink even lower in the murky MAGA swamp it created. At least for now, the Democrats would much rather sit back, eat popcorn and remind the country "we told you so." That may not be the most adult position they should take. And things may change by the end of the day. But, for now, that approach is totally justified. Unless Democrats can swing a deal that will take Hunter Biden's laptop, abortion restrictions and other ultra-conservative non-sequitur distractions off the legislative agenda, they should just sit back and let the Republicans simmer in their own stew. The Republicans have chosen to drive their clown-car caucus off the cliff. There's no need for the Democrats to join them. That's it for now. Fear the Turtle!
The Republican Conundrum
03/01/23 08:30
Jan 3, 2023 (Vol. 17 No. 2) - As the new Congress convenes today, some of the faces may be different, but nothing much will have changed. The midterm elections did not significantly alter Washington's political equation, although Republicans have gained nominal control of the House of Representatives. I say nominal because the Republicans may be in the majority, but I seriously doubt that they will be in control. Kevin McCarthy has sold his soul to become Speaker. And as Paul Ryan and John Boehner before him discovered, his caucus is an ungovernable and undisciplined clown car where numerous factions are steering in different directions. Many of them are members of the Sedition Caucus, an angry and unprincipled group who ignored their oaths to preserve and protect the Constitution and instead tried to overthrow the expressed will of 81 million of their fellow citizens. As I write this, there is no guarantee that McCarthy can muster the 218 votes he needs. Even if he does, he has already made concessions that will cripple his speakership. Because of the GOP's failure to win the Senate - Democrats actually gained a seat - there isn't a lot the Republicans will be able to accomplish legislatively by themselves - other than waste time and money on a silly investigation of Hunter Biden's laptop. The Republicans also start this session rudderless, as their "North Star," the Discount of Mar-a-Largo, is about to go supernova in the wake of a wide range of criminal investigations. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, who hasn't attempted to hide his distain for the former President, will be interesting to watch. He may be more willing to work in a bipartisan manner on some issues with President Biden. McConnell is more secure within his caucus than McCarthy is in his, so don't expect him to throw McCarthy a lifeline. That will put the new, and likely temporary Speaker with a conundrum. If he tries to work with the Democrats, he risks ouster by the lunatic fringe of his own party. If he doesn't, he will likely alienate moderate Republicans and Independents who made it clear in November that they are not interested in a continuing congressional stalemate. This is not to suggest that the Democrats are without significant problems of their own that could derail them in the next election. But the Democrats come into this new Congress with two things the GOP does not - party unity and a recent record of significant legislative and electoral success. The Republican Party's failure to realize their projected "Red Wave" last November spells significant challenges for them as they look ahead to November 2024. The battle for the heart and soul of the Republican Party has begun. That's it for now. Fear the Turtle!
New Year, New Look
01/01/23 17:38
Jan. 1, 2023 (Vol. 17 No. 1) - First and foremost, allow me this opportunity to wish you and yours a Happy New Year. For those of you who are regular readers to this blog - and I suspect that is not a huge number - you will notice that there is a new look to this page and to much of the website. It is cleaner, simpler and easier to read. I'd like to say it was my idea, but it wasn't. You can thank Apple - if thank is the correct word - for the change. When Apple upgraded its operating system, the software I had been using to compose and edit this website was no longer functional. In short, Apple screwed me. That forced me to look for website composing software that is essentially WYSIWYG (What You See Is What You Get). I am not, nor do I desire to be, a web designer or HTLM coder. That's why I settled on a program called RapidWeaver - which I am still trying to master. In short, this old dog isn't really interested in learning new tricks. So, here we are. And isn't this what new years are all about, getting a fresh start? One can only hope that 2023 is a better year than the one just past. To me, at least, 2022 was a Dickens of a years - as in "It was the best of times. It was the worst of times." I can honestly say that I am in much better health and in a much better frame of mind than I was this time last year. Unfortunately, the loss of three family members last year tampers down any joy I may feel. However, New Year's Day is also about looking ahead to the promise of tomorrow. So, with optimism toward the future, let the latest life chapter begin! That's it for now. Fear the Turtle!