Let’s Get Physical, Physical…

Posted on November 14, 2023 by RegenAxe

Well, how are things going in Congress these days? The short answer is not so good. On Friday, we have yet another government shutdown deadline looming. And what are our intrepid elected officials doing about this? Are they earnestly deliberating in a last-ditch attempt to avert disaster? Not so much.

Just today, the former Speaker of the House, Kevin McCarthy, once second in line of succession to the presidency, elbowed in the kidney from behind fellow Republican representative Tim Burchett of Tennessee, while passing him in a Capitol hallway. McCarthy’s sucker punch threw the representative onto NPR correspondent Claudia Grisales, who was conversing with Burchett at the time of the altercation. A chase ensued and words were exchanged, but no further physical violence occurred. Praise be!

Also today, not to be outdone by the lower chamber, the U.S. Senate that esteemed body of civility and comity almost broke out into a fistfight, when Republican Senator Markwayne Mullin (OK) challenged Teamsters leader Sean O’Brien to a fight during the middle of a Senate committee hearing. Apparently, Mullin had taken exception to some of the things that O’Brien had tweeted about him in the past. Challenges were issued—”Stand your butt up.”—”You stand your butt up.” Then as both men began to stand, only the timely intervention of 82-year-old Chairman Bernie Sanders averted what was sure to come to blows.

These two incidents illustrate how Congress has become a powder keg. This week, with its budget deadline drawing ever closer is especially fraught with tension. I just pray that there is no further violence within the Capitol’s walls and that no blood is shed, but Friday is still a long way away folks

Thanks, Joe Biden!

Posted on October 23, 2023 by RegenAxe

One of the maxims of American politics is that the sitting president gets blamed for everything that happens on his watch. So, then it is logical to conclude that it is all President Biden’s fault that the House Republicans cannot get their act together. This is a caucus that cannot elect its own leader. Is unable to authorize aid for two of America’s allies in their hour of need, Israel and Ukraine. Next month they will be unable to pass a budget resolution to keep our government open, forcing yet another shutdown. I mean who else is there to blame?

You could blame the former guy, but he has plenty of problems of his own to deal with now. Blaming him for wreaking the Republican party would be just like piling on. Besides he is going to jail.

You could blame the House Republicans themselves. They gerrymandered themselves into power while only being a minority party. The gerrymandering that gave them the House also gave them a clique of bomb throwing insurrectionist that they have to contend with. But those people do not want to govern. They’re insurrectionists! Besides not belonging in government in the first place, they just don’t care a wit about this country.

You could blame the Republican base that elected all of these clowns in the first place. A base that has been fed a steady diet of lies. That have been persuaded to vote against their own self-interest. People who if you waved an American flag in front of their face, would follow you blindly anywhere. No, this would imply that they have freewill. So, who is left to blame? Joe Biden. Thanks, Joe Biden!

Mete Justice at the Butcher’s

Posted on August 2, 2023 by RegenAxe

US Attorney Jack Smith’s goal was to mete out justice, or rather “meat” out justice. This dichotomy was Harry’s biggest takeaway from yesterday’s J6 indictment hoopla. His take was that our republic is falling apart and civilization is crumbling. I’m sure that the TV talking head said mete and not meat, but Harry is quite deaf and totally reliant on the TV’s accompanying closed captioning, which read meat. He went on and on about this to such an extent that it overshadowed the monumental seriousness of the whole event and interjected some much needed levity. Not that we were not already giddy with excitement. A former Spanish teacher and a lifelong student of language, Harry was mortified by this transposition of two similar sounding words. He comes from the eras of Edward R Morrow and Walter Cronkite and these MSNBC machine generated subtitles just were not up to snuff. He eventually calmed down and we bade him goodnight. Anyway, Trump is going to jail.

Начала конца Путина

Posted on June 24, 2023 by RegenAxe

Beginning of the end of Putin. — Alexander Vindman

Sit back, put your feet up, grab an adult beverage and a bowl of popcorn and enjoy the unfolding spectacle. Raise your glass and toast to the confusion of our enemies. Last year, the Russians expected Kiev to fall in three days, now it appears more likely that Moscow will fall in three days. Update: Putin reportedly flees Moscow. Machine gun positions erected around Moscow. Wagner convoy heading to Moscow. I do not know what is really happening over in Russia right now, or what will happen next, but remember, it is only a coup if it comes from the coup d’état region of France. What appears to be happening in Moscow right now is just a sparkling insurrection.

UPDATE: Well, that was weird. I should have remained an expert on undersea submersible and not try to become an expert on internal Russian politics too. I have many hours of experience playing Civilization V. Vladimir Putin should have known that when his national happiness fell below -20 he would start spawning random insurgents. Here’s what he should do next: Consider buying pikemen in his closest cities.

Happy Juneteenth!

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Twelfth Night

Posted on June 10, 2023 by RegenAxe

Viola & Orsino and Sebastian & Olivia and Toby & Maria

On Thursday night, we attended the Shakespeare Festival in Forest Park. This year’s production is Twelfth Night. Along with Joanie, we braved both bad air and unusually cold temperatures, because the show must go on. Twelfth Night is a comedy that supposedly got its name, because it was first performed for Elizabeth during Christmastime and no better title came to Shakespeare’s mind. This Shakespeare comedy includes romance, humor, masqueraded identities, gender switching roles and lots of partying. Naturally then, this production was moved from its traditional European locale to Miami. With its live band, the show is heavily laden with Latin music, giving it along with the play’s many colorful costumes a distinct South Beach vibe.

At intermission, when the audience turned their phones back on, we were greeted with the news of the new inditements. Later, I learned that the perp walk was scheduled to also occur in Miami. Finally, following his inditements, the perp-in-chief lashed out at the special prosecutor and his wife, Katy Chevigny, the later whom he termed his biggest hater of all. I do not understand how Ms. Chevigny has incurred so much of his ire, because she is best known as a producer of the Michelle Obama documentary, Becoming, a film biography of Ms. Obama’s book tour for her autobiography of the same name. This morning, I watched this film. It mentions the perp by name only once, while Michelle is recounting their last night in the Whitehouse. Her daughters plead with her for an impromptu sleepover that night. She eventually relents, but not before warning her girls that they would need to be ready to go in the morning, because the Trumps are coming.

In Twelfth Night, by the end of the fifth act the confusion that propelled the play’s plot has been cleared. All the couples have been paired and after the curtain call, the audience is sent on its way to the beat of one more Latin musical number. If only real life could be so well scripted. Chevigny’s documentary was a joy to watch too. It was nice to be reminded of all the hope and joy that accompanied the Obamas. Especially, after what followed it.