Descending into political madness

DJT’s Propagandist Kellyann Conway scolded Chuck Todd on Meet the Press this morning, saying press secretary Sean Spicer presented "alternative facts" when he sparred with the press over the number of people who showed up for DJT’s inauguration. On CBC News this morning Trump, Spicer and Conway’s behaviour was described as ‘bizarre, seeing as how many people showed up at the inauguration is a triviality’, and seeing that how many were there is easily documentable, and has been done so by several non-political agencies, and the number pegged between 200,000 - 250,000.     

Kim Jong-il, former “Supreme Leader” of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea died in 2011, but he was as bat-shit crazy as DJT, and his propaganda people were as nuts as he was, or more than likely too terrified to stand up to him, but you simply must know a bit about Kim Jong-il to get a taste of what we’re in for if the media allows Trump to get away with this delusional “alternative facts” business. 

North Korea's official record of his birth says that, "In 1941 a magical hummingbird visited the People of North Korea foretelling the birth of Kim Jong-il."  This prophecy was allegedly fulfilled on Mount Paektu, "the highest mountain ever" when Kim Jong-il  "emerged, walking from his mother's Patriotic and Revolutionary Vagina six months early and without the aid of a physician, thus rendering the Korean medical community irrelevant.  In shame, all doctors fled our Great and Innovative Nation never to return."  

And for the record, at 2,744 m (9,003 ft) Mount Paektu is 20,002 feet too short to be the tallest mountain in the world.  Other than that it his alternative facts seem totally almost but not quite believable. Trump might say they are the best facts, the greatest facts, but we know they are only alternative facts and not worth the energy it took to defend them. 

But take note, DJT might try to use this tack to rid the USA of meddlesome physicians. If only he supplied a bit of alternative history and walked from his mother’s patriotic and revolutionary vagina six months early, comb-over in place, and grabbed the nearest nanny by her 🐈  then all US physicians would get the hint that they are superfluous to needs and flee the country in shame. Obamacare problem solved. Kellyann needs to get on this one, with photos. 

Since Kim Jong-il felt, illogically, that he was a supernatural being,   (he hadn’t gotten the memo that he was delusional because no one was brave enough to deliver it) he believed that he had the Midas touch at any sport he decided to play. At one point the North Korean Press reported that the very first time he played a round of golf he shot 38 under par, making him the very best golfer the world has ever known.  S’truth!  

Makes you wonder how they did it. I imagine he made the shot, then gazed off into the distance while his lackeys applauded, kissed his feet, cried tears of joy and admired the magnificence of his body and praised the perfection of the shot, while someone ran and dropped a ball into the cup and screamed, “OH, SUPREME LEADER! MAGNIFICENT! ANOTHER HOLE IN ONE!” and burst into tears of joy. His lackeys must have been a somewhat anxious bunch, owing to his notoriously unpredictable nature. 

His official birthday celebrations consisted of huge parades, tanks, missiles, and 100,000 starved but smartly dressed soldiers  and slender North Korean ladies who would march by and pause to bow and cry out their birthday wishes and undying love for Supreme Leader before the dais holding him and his family and generals. 

At one birthday celebration Supreme Leader took out his pistol, turned and shot the general (a family member) standing next to him in the head, turned back and said, “He was not smiling broadly enough when troupe 72 cried out they loved me. I suspect he is not loyal.” No one dared move, not even the man’s wife or brother. The body lay there until the parade was over. Court life went on, his name was never mentioned again, his family is said to have been killed. 

So if, on the golf course, if Kim wanted to make 38 under par, and you were there to help, you did everything with a joyful countenance and your heart in your throat. 

One reason Kim was so “great” at every endeavour was because he didn’t have to take time out to crap, because according to the North Korean State website their beloved leader, unlike other men, did not defecate. I guess that would be a time-saver. 

I might mention another political prevaricator of note, China’s Mao Tse-Tung.  In the summer of 1966, China was experiencing turmoil and widespread famine due to Mao’s irrational policies, and his leadership was being questioned. Mao had been in hiding for months. On July 16 he suddenly resurfaced in Wuhan where he took a vigorous and well-reported swim in the Yangtze River by the Wuhan bridge. This was covered by the news worldwide and I remember it well, Mao’s bald head with its fringe of hair bobbing up and down in the water, and his fat belly as he emerged from the water. Although he was in his early 70s, party propagandists claimed that he had swum upstream against a strong current nearly 15 km (9.3 miles) in 65 min. that day - besting the world’s Olympic records. The claim drew incredulous laughter from foreign observers, who took the claim as a sign that China was descending into political madness. 

“Alternative Facts”. Something tells me that like Kim Jong-il, and Mao Tse-Tung, DJT is going to try to convince us of even more terrifying “alternative facts” than inflating 250,000 to 1.5 Million. The difference is, he doesn’t have the power to kill people and their families in order to make them create and disseminate propaganda for him. Time will tell if Conway and Spicer are as delusional as Trump, or if in the end pitching his alternative reality is too much for them to stomach and they pull back like slugs who have been salted. 

The Chinese Curse has descended on us: We live in interesting times.    

Smacked Upside the Head by the Clutter Fairy

Although I didn’t make a resolution of it, we’re looking down the barrel of an upcoming  move, with a great many things to do between now and then. 

I woke up about a week ago with the Clutter Fairy hovering menacingly over me, threatening to whang me in the head with the toaster, like the Ghost of Christmas Present did to Bill Murray in “Scrooged”. She looks all gossamer wings and pixie dust, but she’s as mean as a junkyard dog, so I have finally put shoulder to wheel and begun the clearing out, moving along, pitching and purging process.

It is amazing how much clutter two people can accumulate in six years. But I am packing anything seasonal that we won’t need until after we move as I purge. 

Clothing, anything stained, hole-y, tired, too small, uncomfortable, outdated, not worn in two years - out the door. I had *35* pairs of socks. Honestly, I don't hoard socks, I just bought four packs that said, “non-restrictive tops” because my ankles tend to swell. Well, they *did* restrict and I can’t wear them. Off to the recycling table. Bathing suit I haven’t worn since we left Oliver in 2008, perfectly good but no one needs to see *that* much of me! Off to the recycling table. Anyway, my dresser drawers are now in great shape, no longer a jumble. 

I also cleaned out and organized the top drawer in the kitchen, moving the cutlery from the drawer to a cutlery caddy I bought a year ago now. Tea towels and hot pads in that drawer. Much better. 

And today I tackled the fridge and freezer. It’s a side-by-side, otherwise known as Narnia for frozen items. I had no idea what was in that thing. If there’s a worse design for a freezer I haven’t run across it yet. I emptied everything out, and in the process solved the mystery of, “What happened to that five pound bag of masa I bought to make tamales with?” In fact I found two five pound bags of masa in there, and enough meat to feed us until we move, which should be around April, if things go as planned. I was able to cross several items off my shopping list, as I already had them in the freezer.  

Tomorrow (well, later today as it is almost 3:00 am) I will take the broom and shovel and dig the car out from under the snow so I can go grocery shopping. I haven’t left the house since Dec. 23rd. I think that’s about two weeks, but I’m not counting. It’s been so blooming cold I haven’t wanted to stick my nose out. But unless we want to live on meat, frozen okra and masa - lots and lots of masa, I have got to bundle up and brave the cold and snow this afternoon.  I’ve got to keep my strength up and keep purging, or that Fairy will skin me, tan my hide and use it to cover her new leather sofa. 

I have no idea how to say “See ya,” in polar bear, but you probably don’t speak polar bear either, so I’ll just say it in Canajun English. Bye, and wish me luck.  

We Have Never Seen a Year Like 2017

Reblogged from Ronni Bennett's Blog for American Seniors:  'As Time Goes By' 

There are ceremonies tomorrow at the Capitol Building in Washington, D.C. At noon or thereabouts, the 115th Congress will be sworn in. All the of 435 members of the House of Representatives will take the oath. In the Senate, the newly elected and re-elected one-third will do so. It goes like this:

I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; that I take this obligation freely, without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion; and that I will well and faithfully discharge the duties of the office on which I am about to enter: So help me God.

Would that every member of Congress took that oath seriously. But honestly, when in recorded history have all politicians lived up to their oaths and obligations?

Last Friday, at a lunch I attended, the conversation at my table of six turned to the president-elect. Every one of us expressed fear at what might be coming this year and the concern that we – individually and as “we the people” who are aghast at the terrifying proposals – are up to the sustained effort of resistance that is required.

I like that word “resistance”. It brings to mind the brave members of the World War II underground in the occupied countries. At their start, it took awhile to get organized but over time, the resistance forces grew in size and number and were amazingly effective against an overwhelming war machine.

With the entire federal government now held by a Republican majority, that is how we need to operate – to resist in every manner we can imagine and create.

By the way, I have ordered my “Resist!” teeshirt. I'm not saying you should do that too – at $40 it's expensive – but if you are interested, it supports Think Progress, an important and well-established progressive institution that will certainly be of help in the coming months and years.

Between the new executive administration and the Republican Congress – both so full of themselves - it won't be easy keeping up with number of outrageous changes they will throw our way: environmental, nuclear, border walls, taxes, deportation, public education, poverty, Wall Street de-regulation and of course, what they like to falsely call “entitlements”.

In fact, according to Robert Pear in The New York Times a couple of days ago:

”Within hours of the new Congress convening on Tuesday, the House plans to adopt a package of rules to clear the way for repealing the health care law and replacing it with as-yet-unspecified measures meant to help people obtain insurance coverage.

“Then, in the week of Jan. 9, according to a likely timetable sketched out by Representative Greg Walden, Republican of Oregon, the House will vote on a budget blueprint, which is expected to call for the repeal of the Affordable Care Act.”

These are procedural moves and neither repeals Obamacare (yet) so I don't want to waste our ammunition by asking us to call our Congress members yet. But you see what it's going to be like - one damned move after another and we will need to be alert to keep up.

No single person, website, political organization can handle all the issues Congress and the Trump administration with throw out way and because the focus of the this website has always been ageing and elders, TimeGoesBy will target and resist the already announced threats to repeal, privatize and/or voucherize Medicare, Medicaid, Obamacare and Social Security.

Right now, there is an explosion of resistance plans on the internet from old and new organizations. So far, they are scatter shooting their resources, each with individual plans for this march, that petition, those visits with representatives and various other public events as they request donations from you and me.

And god bless them. We, America, need every protester and resister we can mobilize but what I'm looking and watching for is are two or three well-organized coalitions where people like us with targeted concerns can share resources and support one another as events from Washington require us to speak out and to act.

Here's what worries me (not counting the frightening assault on our institutions): my energy. I will be 76 in a couple of months and in the past year I have felt more acutely than ever before how much my stamina waxes and wanes from day to day and how much I need to pace myself.

Tiring more easily is a fact of ageing life and I'm working to devise a good plan to keep going in what will be a completely unpredictable 2017. We're facing a frightening new world and we must do our part even if our physical gusto isn't quite what it was in the 1960s.

Meanwhile, here are a couple of links you can set aside to use for the coming campaign:

• Indivisible: The Practical Guide for Resisting the Trump Agenda that we have discussed here before

• List of the freshmen members of Congress