366 (It's a Leap Year, Boys) Days of UNF: Day 152
I Just Can't Right Now
With the country shattering in front of my eyes, I think it's time to step back for a while from this here blog thing. Right now I feel that anything I post will never adequately describe the sense of despair I—and people of conscience—are feeling right now, and posting anything silly, salacious, or light-hearted just seems out of place.
I have two more months of Days of UNF auto-posting, but except for those already in the pipeline I'm reasonably certain I'm going to suspend operations until all this madness plays itself out or withdrawal from blogging proves to be an insurmountable task. Whether that's 24 hours, a few days, a few weeks, is anyone's guess at this point.
I feel the same way about Instagram, my last remaining link to social media. That may also go silent for a while, because as I was scrolling through the images today I found myself asking more and more, "How can these idiots post photos of themselves at the beach or shoving their stuffed speedos in my face when the country is fucking burning around them?"
Peace.
366 (It's a Leap Year, Boys) Days of UNF: Day 151
Ugly Houses
My dad worked as principal designer for Hallcraft (later NuWest) Homes from around 1972 to 1980. During that time, some of the company's most iconic developments were built in the valley.
Unfortunately, in the decade before he took over, Hallcraft had another designer who—IMHO and I'm admittedly biased—came up with some of the ugliest designs the company ever built.
These were generally homes that fell in the upper price range, which might explain their rarity In the various subdivisions. Of course, the other reason might be because they're butt-fugly.
If you're in Phoenix and would like to see these for yourself (why?!) they're in neighborhoods on the southeast and northwest corners of West Bethany Home Road and 43rd Avenue. The area, like most, has gone through ups and downs, and I think it's all in a very depressed mode at the moment.
Still Good for a Laugh
If 2020 Was a Carnival Ride
Basic Human Decency
We Are So Screwed
I Doubt This is Real…
But that number's gotta be pretty close to the truth, wouldn't you say?
Just Fucking Eat Me
A Reminder
A Question I Ask Myself Every Day
Those of us who grew up in the 60s were sold a bill of goods.
I Could Live There
And at this point I'd also be willing to give a go at living in Stockholm, where this is located.
Quarantine PSA
And We All Know What Happened Next…
#accurate
#Mood
And it's not because it's my birthday. That has very little to do with my current mood. I'm in this headspace because of all the awful going on in this country right now and our seeming inability to remove the cancer that's metastasizing from from the White House.
It seems COVID-19 and the very reasonable recommendations about staying home, closing non-essential businesses, and wearing masks and practicing social distancing when you do have to go out have brought out the absolute worst in a certain (i.e. racist, Trump rimming, MAGA-hat-wearing) portion of the population.
My heart goes out to my non-white brothers and sisters who are bearing the brunt of this behavior. It's as if the United States is finally vomiting up 244 years of suppressed hate, and instead of it blocking out the sun as it did in the I Am The Night—Color Me Black episode of The Twilight Zone from 1961, the country—or at least Minneapolis—is going up in flames. I have feared all along it will take just one more incident to touch off a conflagration that will consume this country like none seen in our lifetimes. And George Floyd's murder seems to be the spark thrown into that dry tinder.
And you know what? I say burn it to the ground. The horseshit treatment of minorities has gone on more than long enough. It needs to be stopped, by any means necessary. Being nice and playing fair only leads to genocide. Racists are bullies just like Trump, and the only way to put them in their place is to smack them back into the 1860s where they belong.
I fear that even if Minneapolis does not spread to the rest of the country, the rage of the minority Reich Wing when Trump is removed from office will reignite a whole new set of fires because you know that after months of Citrus Calignula's sowing seeds that the election will be rigged or the results illegitimate when he loses that his followers will not acquiesce to a peaceful transfer of power. He is, after all, their GOD.
And regarding the Orange Russian Wig Stand's threats to shut down his Twitter account? Be serious. Trump cut off his only conduit to his brain-dead sheep? Oh PLEASE.
And his promise to muzzle social media? BRING IT, BITCH.
366 (It's a Leap Year, Boys) Days of UNF: Day 211
366 (It's a Leap Year, Boys) Days of UNF: Day 150
Epic
The man is pissed. And well he should be.
They Need to Be Squashed By the Rocks They Slithered Out From Under
They should just break out the hoods, declare him the Supreme Dragon or Grand Wizard or whatever and get it over with.
The Republikkkans need to be squashed.
Vote.
Sure, Jan
As you all well know, I'm no fan of Twitter, but…
It's a national embarrassment that this imbecile is the President but it is a national shame that he has NO UNDERSTANDING of the Constitution
The First Amendment reads:
Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances.
It is freedom, generally speaking, from the government interfering with you saying anything you want, whenever and wherever you want to say it but there is no First Amendment right to use Twitter or have a Facebook page.
Social media companies are private enterprises and therefore free to adopt policies relating to user content and to remove users who violate such policies without implicating the First Amendment.
The moron in chief keeps declaring that he is directing his administration to "explore all regulatory and legislative solutions to protect free speech and the free speech rights of all Americans" & that they will "strongly regulate or close them down" by which he only means people that agree with him or encourage him.
Any regulatory or legislative action taken by the government, which obviously includes the current corrupt AF administration, would constitute a threat to the free speech rights of all Americans.
It's upside down world in the Cheetohinchief's head but it's a reminder to the rest of us never to give so much power to someone so ill informed on the Constitution.
Quote of the Day
I am an infectious diseases physician. Let's be clear about masks. I wear a mask to protect you. You wear a mask to protect me. That's how it works, and it's simple. Without your mask, you are telling me and everyone around you that you don't care about others. And that's not how we get through a pandemic." ~ Stan Schwartz, M.D., Tulsa
Preach.
Oh Sah-NAP!
From The Palmer Report:
There is still no one who has any idea what Donald Trump's "Obamagate" scandal is about – least of all Trump himself. But that hasn't stopped Trump's most embarrassing sycophants from trying to prop up the imaginary scandal. That includes Ted Cruz, who never misses an opportunity to humiliate himself.
It all started when Trump incoherently tweeted "OBAMAGATE MAKES WATERGATE LOOK LIKE SMALL POTATOES!" This prompted pundit John Heilemann to ask, "Could you explain again exactly what it is? We'll wait." That's when Ted Cruz decided to get involved, much to his own detriment.
Cruz thought he was being clever when he fired back at Heilemann with "I thought that was a reporter's job?" At that point Heilemann finished him off: "Sorry, I'm still busy reporting out Trump's accusation that your father was involved in the killing of JFK."
Ouch.
366 (It's a Leap Year, Boys) Days of UNF: Day 149
And that's exactly why I won't be able to wear a red cap for the rest of my life.
So Satisfying
366 (It's a Leap Year, Boys) Days of UNF: Day 148
