The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly
UPDATE: 4/26/2024: For the record, I DO like, respect, and support Ted Cruz. At the time I wrote this blog, I wasn't in a "good place" in my head - and I apologize for the things said below. That being said, I'm leaving this blog up because of it's historical significance - and its many valid points at the time. Sorry, Ted! 😘
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I don't know who I dislike more - Hillary Clinton or Ted Cruz. I have never hated two presidential front-runners more intently, and it's not just because I disagree with their politics: I don't like them as people. Hillary - obviously - is corrupt to the core, with more colored pant suits than the Queen has dresses. But Cruz is just...smarmy, like fire n' brimstone smarmy, with a face that's already a Mad Magazine parody (complete with Bob Hope's old nose). Hillary carries yeeeeears of Clinton baggage, and her condescending "it's my turn" attitude is as out of touch with the modern world as a biddy who holds up the line at Starbucks because she's writing a check. And Cruz isn't any better. He's like that biddy's adult son directly in line behind her. He pretends to be nice by holding his mother's purse, but when he returns it, her Youth Dew is missing. I doubt that either candidate could keep "Alexandria" running smoothly, let alone a country with 18 trillion in debt. And debt is just one of the devastating issues that most voters just don't seem to be concerned about.
It pains me to watch Donald Trump's campaign struggle, not with its message, but with the venom from other Republicans. I really like the guy. I enjoy his brazen, unscripted comments. And I LOVE how he infuriates traditional politicians, and exposes the same corrupt "behind the scenes" that Bernie Sanders brings up in his speeches. Trump & Bernie overlap in many places, especially when alluding to the type of conspiracies that drives many Dan Brown novels. I'll spare the political diatribe, but I must say that even if Trump fails, he'll have succeeded in revealing the flaws of an antiquated election system. It's time to abandon our country's electoral college, and to modernize "how" we choose our President. We're ready for a "popular vote," without the primary slog - and with an election "day" where voters can cast their ballots online with security, transparency, and the Internet's up-to-date information. It's the only way to avoid the current election spectacle. Chuckling...it's what Ayn Rand would want, if she were alive today.
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I don't know who I dislike more - Hillary Clinton or Ted Cruz. I have never hated two presidential front-runners more intently, and it's not just because I disagree with their politics: I don't like them as people. Hillary - obviously - is corrupt to the core, with more colored pant suits than the Queen has dresses. But Cruz is just...smarmy, like fire n' brimstone smarmy, with a face that's already a Mad Magazine parody (complete with Bob Hope's old nose). Hillary carries yeeeeears of Clinton baggage, and her condescending "it's my turn" attitude is as out of touch with the modern world as a biddy who holds up the line at Starbucks because she's writing a check. And Cruz isn't any better. He's like that biddy's adult son directly in line behind her. He pretends to be nice by holding his mother's purse, but when he returns it, her Youth Dew is missing. I doubt that either candidate could keep "Alexandria" running smoothly, let alone a country with 18 trillion in debt. And debt is just one of the devastating issues that most voters just don't seem to be concerned about.
It pains me to watch Donald Trump's campaign struggle, not with its message, but with the venom from other Republicans. I really like the guy. I enjoy his brazen, unscripted comments. And I LOVE how he infuriates traditional politicians, and exposes the same corrupt "behind the scenes" that Bernie Sanders brings up in his speeches. Trump & Bernie overlap in many places, especially when alluding to the type of conspiracies that drives many Dan Brown novels. I'll spare the political diatribe, but I must say that even if Trump fails, he'll have succeeded in revealing the flaws of an antiquated election system. It's time to abandon our country's electoral college, and to modernize "how" we choose our President. We're ready for a "popular vote," without the primary slog - and with an election "day" where voters can cast their ballots online with security, transparency, and the Internet's up-to-date information. It's the only way to avoid the current election spectacle. Chuckling...it's what Ayn Rand would want, if she were alive today.
I've written before about how fast the world is changing, and how important it is to start behaving like a "planet," rather than a bunch of angry, childish nations. And by planet I mean a "species" - the kind of united humanity we see in Star Trek films - an earth that's learned to work together in its quest to advance society. Last week marked the successful test of Space-X's reusable rocket, the dawn of commercial space travel - and proof that big government isn't needed for rocket ship rides. China may have its sights on the moon, but private entrepreneurs have their pulse on going farther - and within a generation, we'll all have a better understanding of our place in the universe. Again, it's an amazing time to be alive...despite heated elections, and a news cycle full of election yuck.
Today on my way to work, I was looking at my neighborhood in the onset of spring. The sun was shining, the sky was popsicle-blue, and the homes in my historic district were surrounded with budding trees, freshly-cut grass, and the yellows & whites of April. As I walked down the street, I could smell fresh mulch in perineal beds. Neighbors were walking dogs, and making improvements on their houses. The scene was beautiful. Aurora was alive with the approach of summer. Cars zipped by me as I approached the intersection of Oak and Lake Street, and the Prisco Center was advertising spring swimming classes for all of the neighborhood hell-children. And I bring all this up because the shit above going on in the world was the last thing on my mind. I didn't give a damn about anything else, and for a few minutes my entire world had been reduced to what I saw on the street. That's how most of us live our lives every day. We pay no attention to anything but our immediate surroundings, myself included.
Today on my way to work, I was looking at my neighborhood in the onset of spring. The sun was shining, the sky was popsicle-blue, and the homes in my historic district were surrounded with budding trees, freshly-cut grass, and the yellows & whites of April. As I walked down the street, I could smell fresh mulch in perineal beds. Neighbors were walking dogs, and making improvements on their houses. The scene was beautiful. Aurora was alive with the approach of summer. Cars zipped by me as I approached the intersection of Oak and Lake Street, and the Prisco Center was advertising spring swimming classes for all of the neighborhood hell-children. And I bring all this up because the shit above going on in the world was the last thing on my mind. I didn't give a damn about anything else, and for a few minutes my entire world had been reduced to what I saw on the street. That's how most of us live our lives every day. We pay no attention to anything but our immediate surroundings, myself included.
DPRK boats - many with dead bodies - have been washing up on the coast of Japan for years. Of course, once that idea hit my mind, I immediately started thinking about the stories I'd seen on the Drudge Report. There was election news of course - especially today, with the New York primaries - and updates on Russia's intentional "buzzing" of American naval vessels. There was also that entire restaurant staff of North Koreans who defected last week, while at the same time, more "ghost ships" had washed up on the shores of Japan. (Can you just imagine that, btw? Ships full of corpses washing up in your back yard? It's been going on in Japan for years, but has somehow avoided becoming a national story.) Beijing was rattling sabers, but Tehran was rattling louder. Aside from the premiere of Archer, there was no big ISIS news last week, but it's clearly only a matter of time before some Kim Jong Idiot pops a nuke. It's almost like we "want" something bad to happen, so we can hear what our favorite candidates say about it. Personally, I do want to see a wall, provided that Trump puts Walking Dead zombies on the other side of it. If the illegals make it passed the biters, they can stay.
So, I had this amazing idea today after imagining what might happen if Cruz acquires all of Trump's delegates at the convention. With Cruz in the background, I imagined Trump going in front of the cameras to make what everyone assumes will be a concession speech, but quickly turns the tables on everyone and announces his run as an independent candidate. But it gets better. His VP would be...Bernie Sanders! "See that look on Lyin' Ted's face right now?" Donald would say. "That's the look you'll see on Vladimir Putin, when I'm sitting at the negotiating table as our next president.!" The crowd goes wild, Cruz goes red, and Hillary thinks she actually has a chance with Ross Perot 2.0 entering the election.
BTW, am I the only one who thinks that she looks like she's in a prison jumpsuit, whenever she wears an orange pant suit? Orange is the new black, indeed... particularly when considering Trump's skin tone. Developing...
BTW PART TWO: I'll try to keep the political posts to a minimum, but you've gotta' give me at least one:)
So, I had this amazing idea today after imagining what might happen if Cruz acquires all of Trump's delegates at the convention. With Cruz in the background, I imagined Trump going in front of the cameras to make what everyone assumes will be a concession speech, but quickly turns the tables on everyone and announces his run as an independent candidate. But it gets better. His VP would be...Bernie Sanders! "See that look on Lyin' Ted's face right now?" Donald would say. "That's the look you'll see on Vladimir Putin, when I'm sitting at the negotiating table as our next president.!" The crowd goes wild, Cruz goes red, and Hillary thinks she actually has a chance with Ross Perot 2.0 entering the election.
BTW, am I the only one who thinks that she looks like she's in a prison jumpsuit, whenever she wears an orange pant suit? Orange is the new black, indeed... particularly when considering Trump's skin tone. Developing...
BTW PART TWO: I'll try to keep the political posts to a minimum, but you've gotta' give me at least one:)
Orange is the New Black.