Thank God It's Over

Goodbye 2024, I have not liked you very much. Except for Trump winning back the presidency, it's been sucky. My usual new year's resolution is to lose ten pounds. I never do, so it's basically been the same ten pounds since about 1990. But this year I've decided on a new one: Stop looking at anything online. To make sure, I deleted my Instagram account, the worst offender.

If you spend a consistent amount of time browsing the internet you begin to lose touch with reality, since much of what is on there is false. So many people -- myself included -- are hooked on make-believe lives populated by artificially created people, giving us literally nothing to show for the time spent there. So I figured I might as well read honest-to-goodness fiction, starting with books I have always wanted to read but never have, and maybe become smarter, or at least less dumb. My list follows:

Frankenstein by Mary Shelley

The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde

To The Lighthouse by Virginia Woolf

Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte

Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoyevsky

Princess Diana's Nose

This morning I saw a post online showing Princess Diana visiting a children's hospital somewhere in Africa, looking quite angry. Only it wasn't Princess Diana, instead it was some sort of fake, or deep fake, or AI or virtual lookalike, or whatever we call computer-made images of actual people, dead or alive. The discerning eye can usually tell -- in this case her nose was the giveaway, ending in a perky little upswing like Cheryl Hines, whereas Diana had, despite her unassailable beauty, a long, straight, almost beak-like nose. (See authentic photo above.) But those who don't take the time to really see would assume it to be her.

Naturally many arguments followed in the comment section, with the majority of people insisting it was her and that she had a dark side rarely seen in public, and others saying no way and if you think that's her I have a bridge to sell you in Brooklyn.

The post elicited many questions for me. Like what is the point of AI, why would anyone want to make a fake Princess Diana post, what is the best use of such technology and what is the worst possible outcome if it fully enters the mainstream? Will we have manufactured politicians running for office and running the country? Will human actors become obsolete when movies can be made with fake ones at a fraction of the cost?

I am clinging to reality for as long as possible. Today I had a real slice of toast and two eggs that came from real chickens -- I know because the owner of the chickens is a friend. Eventually might there be fake eggs laid by fake chickens? Or just fake eggs, no chickens needed?

Instead of making things like AI and drones, why can't the smartest people among us who possess enormous abilities focus on a cure for cancer? I mean really, do something useful for a change.
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Mixed -Up Morals

Facebook slapped me on the wrist again today. I was a bad girl and my punishment is that I cannot post any comments on videos until December 31. Boo-hoo.

My infraction? A morbidly obese, to the point of grossness, woman in a hot pink bikini stands before you. She is literally popping out of her garment. Her breasts are ginormous, and her stomach is even bigger. She looks pregnant but isn't. Rubbing her hands sensuously over her protruding stomach and breasts while grinning lasciviously at the camera, she says, "I wish my body were smaller!" 

To which I wrote, "Eat less, you are too fat." (Actually I wrote f a t , trying to fool the bots. They're onto us.) Within seconds the Thought Police sent me a message: I was guilty of bullying which goes against their community standards. But somehow, people posing almost completely nude and twirling around to show us every part -- god forbid we should miss the buttocks -- is A-OK with the powers that be.

I'd like to understand how telling a fat person they are fat is bullying them. In my book you are doing them a favor and possibly saving their life
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Don't Say I Didn't Warn You

WWI poster from 1917

It's happening again, and this is like the third time: My computer is listening to conversations going on in our house, even when it's turned off. How can that be, you ask? As Elaine famously said to Jerry in a memorable "Seinfeld" episode, "Oh, it be!" 

Here's the scoop: For the last few days, maybe a week, I have been experiencing pain along the right side of my neck extending down to my shoulder. This pain comes and goes, sometimes disappearing for almost a whole day. But then it's back again at random times, usually at night just before getting into bed.

Being a complainer -- I am Jewish after all -- I whimper and moan about this pain to my husband when he's home. He tells me it's muscular and that I need to take some ibuprofen, gives me a back rub and suggests I rearrange my bed pillows until I can find a more comfortable position. All good advice -- so good in fact that I have never once googled "neck pain" for treatment suggestions.

Yet starting yesterday I began getting ads on my Facebook page about guess what -- neck pain! Things like, "Are you experiencing neck pain? Try this!" There have been a few ads suggesting, "your pillow might be the problem." To date, ads from three different companies, including one for an electric neck massage device, have shown up. I'm ashamed to admit that last night I ordered a new pillow from one of them. 

WTF? Is there a hidden microphone in our house? Is my brain bugged? How is this happening? It's a good thing I don't walk around saying how much I despise Joe Biden and wish he would pass away, like in a car accident, and take Kamala with him, which is ridiculous since they hate each other and would never be in a car together. Or that I think the government had a hand in the assassination attempt of Trump last summer in Butler, Pennsylvania. And of course JFK and RFK. And the drones. You know, true stuff like that.

Not All Black Lives Matter

Today, somewhere in Colorado, with the temperature hovering at 34 degrees, an infant car seat containing a baby clothed only in a diaper was found abandoned on the median of a busy road. The parents, pictured above, were arrested, proving undeniably that not all black lives matter.

My Real Christmas Letter

Fabulous light display on the LLBean campus!

In my last post, I spoke too soon! Today we received a genuine "Christmas letter" from a friend in the mail, making me want to write mine for real now. And the one we got opened the door for relating information I've never considered before. For example, home repairs are apparently okay to include!

Dear Friends:

This year we installed heat pumps which so far have been less than we hoped. Like we go to sleep and it's 68 degrees in our bedroom and we wake up sweating at three in the morning and it's 75 degrees. Let the buyer beware, that's all I can say. (We have a call in to the heat pump people and are waiting for a call back.) Ever the free-thinkers, we have not installed solar panels on our roof like so many of the locals. 

We have no grandchildren, thus no photos of new "tribe members" are necessary. Our tribe remains the two of us and our one son. Despite not fathering a child, Zack did have an exciting monthlong adventure in Israel as a volunteer for their war effort. (We didn't go although we were very encouraging so I guess we made a contribution too.)

LLBean outdid itself with their light display this year and since it's only three miles away we have driven through several times. Okay, so it's not Vegas but it's what we've got. (We live in Maine, let's remember.)

And this: Mitch and I went to Florida for a week and almost bought a house but decided it's just too damn hot to live there full-time. I sold a painting for $650 in an art show which was pretty satisfying except the gallery took 30%. Mitch got four new tires on his BMW which cost $1,800; that's crazy if you ask me. And oh yeah, my sister died. (We were never close.)

Wishing a Merry Christmas and Happy Hanukah To All! 

The Christmas Letter

Dear Readers:

This is the first year we have not received even one Christmas letter from a friend, which disincentivizes me to write one like I usually do in this space. Hey, I've got other things to do too! So to carry on my tradition, I will have my computer do it for me: 

Dear Friends and Family,

Merry Christmas and warm holiday greetings from the Rouda family! As we reflect on 2024, we are filled with gratitude for the blessings, challenges, and memorable moments that have shaped our year. We hope this letter finds you surrounded by love, laughter, and the joyful spirit of the season.

This year has been one of growth and adventure for our family. Mitch continues to [insert updates about Mitch—perhaps professional milestones, hobbies, or travels]. He has a knack for keeping things exciting, and his energy and passion never fail to inspire us. Andrea has been actively sharing her thoughts and experiences on her blog, "The Daily Droid," covering a wide range of topics from current events to personal reflections. Her writing has sparked engaging conversations and provided insightful commentary on the world around us.

Our travels this year took us to [mention any trips or special vacations]. We made unforgettable memories exploring [specific locations or activities], savoring moments of connection and discovery. Closer to home, we’ve enjoyed [mention favorite local activities or traditions, such as family dinners, gardening, or hosting friends].

As the year comes to a close, we are reminded of the importance of the people in our lives—our cherished friends and family. Your support, laughter, and love have made our journey this year even more special. Whether we’ve shared time together in person or connected from afar, you hold a special place in our hearts.

Looking ahead to 2025, we are excited for new opportunities, continued adventures, and the promise of more time with the people who mean the most to us. We hope your year ahead is filled with joy, health, and all the things that bring you happiness.

Wishing you a holiday season full of wonder and a new year filled with endless possibilities. May your days be merry and bright, and may the spirit of Christmas bring peace to your heart and home.

With love and warm wishes,

Mitch, Andrea and ChatGPT

Grandma Got Run Over By A Reindeer. Big Deal.

The words "grandmother" and "grandfather" have been abused by scores of lazy news writers who lack a broad vocabulary to elicit sympathy and add drama to their stories. For example, if a 70-year-old woman who has twin infant grandchildren is involved in a car accident, the headline will be something like, "Grandmother of two dies in car accident." Should we feel worse about her demise because of the infant twins left behind? Why -- don't they have parents?

Or maybe it's, "Grandfather killed  in subway attack." It turns out that a 60-year-old marathoner in great physical shape whose child had given birth to a child years earlier was the victim of a crime. Is his death worse than someone the same age who A, had no children or B, whose own children are childless?

Recently I befriended a waitress at a restaurant we frequent. I guessed her age to be about 35 and started thinking hmmmm ..... maybe she would like my son. (He has a girlfriend but it's rocky.) I mustered up the courage to ask if she was married or had any children to see if a match was possible. To my shock and amazement -- and shock, did I mention shock? -- she said she is 48, married with two kids and the proud grandmother of an 8-month-old. She became a grandma at 47. I'm not even a grandma and I'm 78!  

News flash: Grandparents are not always old, not always frail even when they are old, and not always deserving of our pity even when they are frail and old. Lots of grannies and gramps are mean sons-of-bitches just like anyone else. So let's stop lionizing grandparents regardless of their character. Older people without grandchildren are often even nicer. In fact, in the famous Christmas song written in 1979 by Randy Brooks, Grannie was an alcoholic. (See lyrics below.) And even though she died, Grandpa doesn't let that ruin his Christmas. (The cad!) 

Grandma got run over by a reindeer
Walking home from our house Christmas Eve.
You can say there's no such thing as Santa,
But as for me and Grandpa, we believe.

She'd been drinkin' too much egg nog,
And we'd begged her not to go.
But she'd left her medication,
So she stumbled out the door into the snow.

When they found her Christmas mornin',
At the scene of the attack,
There were hoof prints on her forehead,
And incriminatin' Claus marks on her back.

Now we're all so proud of Grandpa,
He's been takin' this so well.
See him in there watchin' football,
Drinkin' beer and playin' cards with cousin Belle.

It's not Christmas without Grandma.
All the family's dressed in black.
And we just can't help but wonder:
Should we open up her gifts or send them back?

Facebook Rules

Something I don't understand about Facebook is that I just saw a video -- they are called Reels -- of a bare-chested black woman wearing a miniskirt with a naked penis sticking out from her waist, which apparently is permitted to remain on Facebook, but my comment that someone was "really dumb"  was removed because it "goes against our community standards" and my account was suspended for three days, although I could appeal the decision.

I think the naked penis on the transgender person is more offensive than calling someone dumb. And anatomically speaking, that penis was in the wrong place, making it all the weirder.

The New Godfather

It's ironic that the most powerful person in the world at this very minute is also the least powerful. That would be Joe Biden, who is technically the President of the United States and will remain so for about another month. Despite his weighty title he has less power than almost anyone I can think of in our government, except for maybe the current Vice-president, you know.... what's her name.

Instead, the actual most powerful person in the world is citizen Donald J. Trump. Laugh if you want. Call him "Orange Man." Call him a convicted felon. Go ahead and tell that to the world leaders who are all flocking, driving and jetting to his Palm Beach estate, Mar-A-Lago, hoping for a chance to see him, meet with him, dine with him or simply kiss his ring.

This all makes me very happy as I believe he has been treated badly by his enemies for many years and yet he never gave up, never ran away, and certainly never admitted defeat. He is truly a role model for all of us. And I find that that pretty damn funny.

Siri Claus Is Coming to Town

It dawned on me the other day that some of the lyrics to "Santa Claus Is Coming to Town" are very appropriate and alarmingly descriptive of today's hyper-surveilled, over-governed environment. They follow:

You better watch out
You better not cry
You better not pout
I’m telling you why
Siri Claus is already here 

She’s making a list,
Checking it twice,
Gonna find out who’s naughty or nice.
Siri Claus is already here

She sees you when you’re sleeping
She knows when you’re awake
She knows if you’ve been bad or good
So be good for goodness sake

I'd get rid of that Siri thing if I were you, and soon. And her friend Alexa too.

Whatever Happened to Us?

Lately there has been an increase in two very disturbing developments among our species. While they are not comparable at all in terms of seriousness, they both indicate a continuing downward slide for humanity.

The less serious one, but still sickening, is the alarming increase in homemade videos appearing online showing grotesquely obese women with pendulous, oversized breasts and incredible rolls of body fat posing in teeny bikinis, as if they were lovely fashion models. Some of the women claim that they are starting their "weight-loss journey" while others simply stand there and slowly turn around to show their disgusting bare butts, like that's a turn-on to someone. (If it is, we have even bigger problems.)

The more dire development is the increase in gun violence directed at strangers. When someone murders a person they know personally for a reason that makes sense -- not that I am saying murder makes sense -- like marital  infidelity, child custody battles and financial disputes, we don't feel threatened like we do when it's a random mass shooting. But those are happening with greater frequency, like the one earlier today at a Christian school in Madison, WI where a student and a teacher both died, along with the teenaged shooter. Several others are hospitalized in critical condition.

Something bad is happening to once-normal people. I wonder what it is. Could it simply be that our time is up? Maybe those mysterious drones hovering overhead are picking out houses for after the coming Fall of Man. New Jersey is, after all, a great place to live if you're into city life but still want a backyard.

FILM REVIEW: Carry-On

This film is currently trending, and since I am never trendy I wanted to jump on that bandwagon and see what it feels like. So last night I watched the latest Netflix original, Carry-On. After it was over I felt better about not being trendy. 

Taron Egerton, Jason Bateman

Starring Jason Bateman, who I love even when he's just standing there breathing, I figured it would be great. I figured wrong. Sadly, I'm over my Bateman-love. Alas, all things must end, and I was happy when this movie finally did. 

Carry-On is a Die Hard rip-off from start to finish, only it's set in an airport and there's no Bruce Willis or Allen Rickman or those muscular blonde foreign guys running around. In contrast, this film's supporting cast is pretty lightweight, although I learned later that young people celebrate the lead actor, Taron Egerton, who has been in several movies including Rocketman, playing Elton John. While he might be cute and do well in light fare, he cannot act convincingly in a drama. However I do commend him for not falling through any of the script's gaping loopholes.

The plot is unbelievable and stale: It's Christmas Eve at LAX and a very bad man (Bateman) is determined to get a bomb filled with nerve gas onto a plane and kill everyone on board. There is some sort of political motive attached, but even though my husband and I went back and watched the explanation of it twice, with subtitles on, we still didn't get it. (Not important.) TSA agent Ethan Kopek (Egerton), on his first day at the luggage-screening machine, has his head virtually hijacked when he is given instructions through an earpiece mysteriously delivered to him from a man dressed like an ordinary street bum (Bateman). 

There's lots and lots of talk. Yada, yada, yada, blow up the plane. If Ethan doesn't let the bomb go through security, Bateman or one of his goons who see all through remote cameras will kill Ethan's girlfriend (Sofia Carson). She is newly pregnant so that means two murders and double the number of tissues needed. Yada, yada, yada, the bomb is on a timer and there's only 10 seconds left to deactivate it before EVERYONE DIES A SLOW AND HORRID DEATH CHOKING ON THEIR OWN BLOOD. Count with me now: 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2 ....... Phew, that was close! 

You get the idea.

Say Nothing

If one can believe anything reported online, things are getting pretty dicey here in America. For example, a woman was arrested in her home yesterday following a phone call with her health insurance company about a denied claim during which she said, "Delay, deny, depose," words scrawled on the bullet casings found at the scene of the murdered CEO of a health care company recently. 

Adding, "You people are next," the assumption that she was threatening to kill someone and is a danger to society sent local Florida cops to her door. The 42-year-old mother of three does not own any weapons. Despite that, her bail was set at $100,000.

So just shut up if you know what's good for you. And for God's sake, get rid of that damn Alexa thing. And your phone. And your computer. And move to another country while it's still possible.

Delete this post.

Droning On About A Killer

Okay, here's a little quiz: Tell me all you know about Thomas Crooks. Who is that, you ask? I'll tell you later. Now tell me all you know about Luigi Mangione. Okay, okay, that's enough -- now I'll give you my answers. 

Thomas Crooks is the guy who attempted to kill President Trump last summer at a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania. I think he was 20 years old. That's pretty much all I've got, except that he's dead. (They shot him.)

Luigi Mangione murdered, in broad daylight, the CEO of a huge company, United Healthcare, in New York City last week. He is 26. After college he moved to Hawaii where he was an avid surfer, and hurt his back doing it. He was in a lot of pain and lost touch with many of his friends. He was the valedictorian of his high school, the prestigious private Gilman School in Baltimore that costs $40,000 a year in tuition. He earned two degrees from the University of Pennsylvania, a bachelor's and a master's. He comes from a wealthy family, his father owns several golf country clubs in the Baltimore area.

Mangione's picture has been plastered everywhere -- there are three of them in today's Wall Street Journal -- whereas I could not pick Crooks out of a lineup. Mangione is considered to be good-looking by many women, who have sent him money for his legal fees. (Personally I think his nostrils are too big.)

The point is, WTF? Why do we know so little about a president's assassin but so much about the killer of a private citizen? Could it be for the same reason we know nothing about those drones flying over New Jersey? CIA, FBI -- I'm talking to you.

Film Review: A FAMILY AFFAIR

Actress Joey King is a joy to behold even when she's freaking out.

Now streaming on Netflix, A Family Affair is much better on film than it sounds on paper.  So I won't bore you with a scene-by-scene recap of the plot, which is what most professional film critics do and somehow get paid for doing it. Instead I'll tell you why you should watch it despite -- if you're anything like me -- not wanting to.

It stars Zac Efron, a pretty-boy actor I have never paid any attention to mainly because he's just too handsome in a teeny-bopper kind of way. The other leads are actors I respect, including Kathy Bates, Nicole Kidman and relative young newcomer Joey King. With my husband away I thought I'd give it a try, since I would never dare ask him to watch what sounds like a typical Christmastime rom-com. 

It's not. Instead, it's a complex, heart-stirring and down-to-earth drama about a few lost people trying to find their way, each hoping to make a human connection to feel less alone. It all takes place in the context of Hollywood movie-making and very rich people living the good life, which as fas as I'm concerned is lots of fun to wallow in. 

A zany plot actually works here. Chris Cole (Efron) is a huge Hollywood star and Zara (King) is his tireless, go-fer assistant spending her days fulfilling his selfish requests in hope of advancing her career as a movie producer. Through happenstance he meets Brooke (Kidman), Zara's mother 16 years his senior. They fall in lust, then they fall in love, much to the dismay of Zara who is afraid her mother will get hurt, Chris being a well-known serial womanizer.

To see how it turns out, watch the movie. It's full of truths about family ties, loneliness, forgiveness and grief, offering even the most jaded viewer something to hope for even when things look grim. And as it turns out, Zac Efron is a pretty good actor despite his Greek-god looks.

Person of the Year?

According to news reports, Kamala Harris, our current Vice-president who does absolutely nothing as far as we can see, is on the "short list" to be named 2024 Person of the Year by TIME Magazine. This brings to mind a flood of questions, including who knew TIME is still being published? Does anybody read it? What does being named their Person of the Year indicate? Is that a good thing or a bad thing?

If the title indicates someone who dominated the news all year regardless of their inherent merit or value to society, Kamala might very well be it. But if it indicates someone who is outstanding in their field, or beneficial to all of society in some way, she's off the list.

If it means someone who is a complete know-nothing clown who happened to be in the right place at the right time and with the right skin tone, then she's it. But if it means an intelligent person who people revere, she's out.

Here's my short list for Person of the Year:

Donald Trump

Elon Musk

Vivek Ramaswamy

Benjamin Netanyahu

Tulsi Gabbard

I know I'm gonna be seen as a racist for not listing a black person. But hey -- P. Diddy seemed wrong.

The Jesus Thing

A dear friend of mine is a retired pastor and continuing student of religious teachings. I consider him to be quite intelligent and possibly the best piano player I have ever met in person. However, his firm and unshakeable belief in the existence of Jesus Christ and the power he holds over every living human being makes me question his sanity at times.

Here's the thing: I strongly believe in God. Not sure what that means, but it's definitely not anything in human form. Maybe it's the Ocean and Sky. Or the Constellations. Or the very air we breathe -- I have no idea. Whatever It is, It did not/could not conceive a human son, in particular Jesus Christ. And if some human named Jesus did walk on the Earth, he certainly did not come back to life after three days of being dead. And his mommy was not a virgin, as in The Virgin Mary. And what makes him God's son anyway?

I know that millions of people swallow that story whole and that blows my mind. As for the whole organized religion thing, after seeing the 2015 movie Spotlight which detailed the discovery and worldwide exposure of priests as child molesters and sexual predators by reporters at the Boston Globe, I don't know how anyone can keep the faith .

Clothes to Die For

I have never understood fashion trends. Who follows them and why is a puzzle. Don't people simply wear clothes they like and that feel comfortable? 

An article online highlighting the hottest new trends declares that skinny jeans are out and fuller pants are in for 2025. I can only guess this is to accommodate the steadily growing girth of the average American. Obviously, hiding in baggy clothes is much easier than dieting.

The article I read included the picture shown below, with the caption "Chic classic jeans will be more popular in 2025." (I would have added "if you are a homeless bum," but that's just me.) So go ahead and indulge all you want! At least if you do have a heart attack while stuffing your face, you'll be right in style when the paramedics come to cart you away.

The Kavanaughzation of Pete Hegseth

Bad boy Hegseth.

Back in 2018, a woman named Christine Blasey Ford came forward to accuse Justice Brett Kavanaugh of sexually assaulting her -- he allegedly "groped" her through her sweater -- when he was 17 and she was 15. This was said to have occurred at a high-school beer party nobody could remember, including her. Every Democrat ate it up, seeing as how Kavanaugh, a Republican, had been nominated to become a Supreme Court Justice by Donald Trump, then serving his first term as president.

They dragged Kavanaugh through the mud and muck known as Congressional confirmation hearings, embarrassing themselves in the process. Thankfully Kavanaugh emerged relatively unscathed, except for his sullied reputation and the damage done to his two young daughters during that gruesome ordeal. 

Now the Dems are trying to do the same thing to Pete Hegseth, another Trump appointee -- this time for Secretary of Defense -- who they claim has had too much sex for his own good. It's funny because when Bill Clinton had sex inside the White House they sighed, looked the other way, and said "his sex life is his own business."

I think the Democrats in Congress need a hobby. They could start with closing our borders and making our cities safe. Just a suggestion.

Life Is Short

If aliens from another planet arrived here and could speak our language and use our Internet, which of course they could because they would be so much more advanced than us, having kept themselves hidden for millennia, they would be stupefied by most of what they find. Humans, with the exception of Elon Musk, Albert Einstein and Stephen Hawking, are pathetic. Equipped with incredible brain power, they squander it on things like this:

1. A popular home video is titled something like "What I Eat in A Day As A 150-pound Mom of Three" or "What I Eat In A Day While Dieting to Lose 100 Pounds." They then photograph all their meals and show us how they look eating them.

2. Brides-to-be model three or four different wedding gowns and ask strangers online who are stupid enough to watch them which looks best.

3. Videos of pretend-recipes for giant wedding cakes or complicated casseroles go on and on, showing innumerable ingredients -- Cool Whip is often included -- that look gross and incongruous. These might run 30 minutes or more, and always engender tons of viewer comments like, "This looks disgusting," or "Is this for real, when will they get done with it?" 

The time wasted by hundreds of thousands of people watching inane videos might be spent learning a new language, reading books, exercising or even curing cancer. Almost any other activity would be more beneficial to society. Really, life is short and it gets shorter every day -- for everyone.

Ugly Celebrities Still Get Rich

Sandra Bernhard, net worth $10 million

Kathy Griffin, net worth $40 million

Bill Maher, net worth $140 million

 

How Can We Be Friends?

Politics really messes things up. For example, last night I went out for sushi with my husband. At one point I went to the ladies' room and another woman was in there. I complimented her wild hair -- brown with bright kelly green stripes framing her face. We chatted about this and that as we washed up. It was clear that I liked her and she liked me. 

Maybe I was a little tipsy from all the sake but I said, "We should be friends!" She agreed. Exchanging names, I promised to send her a friend request on Facebook. So when I got home I looked her up and found her profile and did a little looking around. One of the things listed as something she likes was The ReidOut With Joy Reid. 

I don't just dislike Joy Reid, I despise her. In fact, I recently wrote a blog post naming her "The Worst Person in America." Anyone who likes Reid obviously hates Donald Trump and all Republicans. I am a Republican and I voted for Trump.

I decided not to contact the woman from the ladies' room. It's a shame, really. In another time we might be good friends.

Another Turkey Pardoned

The media is all aflutter over Joe Biden's pardoning his son Hunter, like everyone alive on the planet did not see that coming. What's that -- he said he wouldn't and now he did, so he lied? Oh please, lies are the bread and butter of politicians. 

How anyone can get the slightest bit upset about this is beyond me. Hunter is a sleaze bag, a grown-up big baby who cheated on his taxes and maybe did some other sketchy stuff, but he certainly is not a threat to the public and doesn't need to be behind bars. As for Joe, he's his father and he could do it and why wouldn't he? What father wants to see his kid go to jail? 

I see it as a non-story, especially since lying is so common with Joe, ho-hum. But to the members of the media, a hangnail is a story on a slow news day. They will inflate anything into a crisis if it will sell papers, increase ratings or get advertisers. Every reporter, with the possible exception of Bret Baier of FOX News, is no different from the paparazzi who killed Princess Diana in that tunnel in France. 

So relax, turn off the news and turn on a movie, preferably a documentary. There is an excellent one streaming now on the History channel entitled Reagan, about the former Hollywood actor who became our 40th president in 1980. (Not the new movie starring Dennis Qaid, this one was made in 2011.) It's quite interesting, very well-edited and offers a fun snapshot of the times he lived in. Watch it if you loved Ronald Reagan or hated him; either way you'll come away smarter than you will if you tune into all the yapping about Hunter's pardon.

Doing the Trump Shuffle

Come on -- loosen up and give it a try. Doing the Trump Shuffle makes people feel good, and Lord knows the Democrats need something to make them feel good. Maybe if they stopped blindly hating the man and tried being open-minded and, God forbid a million times, loving, things would improve for the whole country.

I know, it's hard since the poison they ingest daily takes its toll. And on Sundays they get a triple-dose of poison that lays them low for days, I'm sure. I'm talking about The New York Times, that insidious Bible for the misguided and unthinking Democratic Party foot soldiers who read it and weep, of course in unison.

Today being Sunday we have the pages of that liberal rag strewn around our living room. After doing the crossword puzzle in the Magazine section, I ventured further and only found blatant negativity concerning everything Trump is doing, will do and ever did, sadness over Kamala's inevitable loss, and suggestions of how to survive the terrible four years ahead until they take back the White House with hopefully a woman president. Like that matters? Have these people learned nothing from the outcome of the recent election, when a black female lost? Get it? Nobody cares about your gender when you are unfit for the job.

My favorite -- and by that I mean my least favorite -- column in today's Opinion section is by Gail Collins, a middling writer who says things like "I dunno" and "um, obviously" in otherwise acceptable sentences. Gail believes that Kamala lost because America is racist: "I know we elected Barack Obama twice, but if we can't rise up above race once and for all, it's hard to believe we'll ever be a country capable of making grand, inclusive decisions like making a woman president."

President Koko Banana-Rama, 2028?

Two things Gail seems to overlook. The first is that we might elect a white woman as president. Would that be grand enough for her, or too lacking in inclusivity? And second, who gives a damn if we have a woman president? Why is that so important? What's next: A dog for president? Or maybe a chimpanzee, I hear they are very smart. 

When will we recognize that we share the planet with many different species? Let them take a crack at running things; they couldn't do any worse than an old man with degenerating brain cells. As for the Dem's so-called deep bench, I actually heard on CNN that AOC is being floated for a presidential run in 2028. If she runs I'm definitely writing in the chimp. (Any chimp.)