Blog Posts

All The News Unfit to Print

1/31/2017

So, there's this gentleman named "Jaka Parker" who's been posting some amazing YouTube videos that show daily life in Pyongyang from the perspective of an average Joe who lives/works in the city. And Parker's really got some balls; he explores the capitol with a hidden camera that records all surroundings like Google Glass, or James Bond's can of shaving cream. Considering how secretive DPRK society is, I'm surprised the local thought-police haven't retraced Jaka's steps, busted down his door, and thrown him into Camp 14. In North Korea you see, it's a crime to secretly record anything about daily life, especially events that show the NK regime in a negative light. One example of negative light would be the public executions of people who've secretly recorded daily life.

Anyway, with camera recording, the viewer follows Jaka Parker down streets, through urban pedestrian tunnels, across intersections with more bikes than cars, and down miles and miles of colorless boulevards lined with bleak, identical, Orwellian apartment buildings. Unlike footage of soldiers marching though the People's Square, Jaka's videos capture the monotony of North Korean life - a world void of joy. There are no corner coffee shops or breakfast diners with neon-trimmed windows. There are no 7-Elevens, and certainly no 24-hour superstores with parking lots full of cars. There are no glowing Coke/Pepsi machines, no twinkling LED advertisements, no lines outside the Taco Bell drive-thru. There is no "entertainment" of any kind - in the windows of buildings, or anywhere on the street - unless you count the billboards of Kim, Kim, and Kim painted within images of Soviet bounty above empty shops and grocery stores. Jaka Parker has captured the "genuine" North Korea, cold & comfortless, repetitive & gray. It's like the world's most depressing virtual-reality trip. And it's a haunting omen of what's likely to come during the first four years of Trump's presidency -

Hold that thought.

A friend of mine recently said, "ENOUGH with the political blogs already." I told him I agree, and look forward to returning to my favorite topics. It's hard not write political stuff though; the anger surrounding the Trump Presidency is extreme, especially within the gay community. With so much focus on cabinet picks, executive orders, and immigration, no one even noticed this amazing passage from the President's inauguration speech - with a message directed to the millions of people who believe that full extraterrestrial disclosure will happen at any moment: "We stand at the birth of a new millennium, ready to unlock the mysteries of space, to free the earth from the miseries of disease, and to harness the energies, industries and technologies of tomorrow. A new national pride will stir ourselves, lift our sights and heal our divisions." When I heard that, a chill shot up my spine. "Does anyone realize the importance of what Trump just said?" I wondered. "That's language straight from Alex Jones, Steven Greer, and even - in theme - Micheo Kaku."

Almost a year ago, I remember watching an InfoWars video where Alex Jones first connected Donald Trump to potential ET disclosure. I can't recall Jones' exact words, but they involved Trump being in the know, a billionaire who understood how the world really "works" - alluding to big business actively repressing new energy technologies that would reduce (and ultimately eliminate) our dependance on oil. This concept is the holy grail of the disclosure movement, and I'll admit I used to think it was all a bunch of conspiratorial nonsense. But I don't think that anymore. There are too many high-profile politicians and world leaders who have flat-out admitted that not only are extraterrestrials real, but they've likely been involved with humanity since the dawn of time. And with both world powers like China & Russia - and private companies like Space-X, Virgin Galactic, and Bigelow Aerospace - all pushing full steam ahead to return to the moon and launch missions to explore the solar system, our government can't keep the ET secret for much longer: we're gonna find out. So, they'd better fess up now.

It's no secret that since the 1970s, the White House press corps has been forbidden to ask any question regarding our government's knowledge of extraterrestrial intelligence. To ask such a question would result in removal from the press room, with possible repercussions for the reporter's parent news organization. But the Trump White House is breaking with status quo, allowing reporters from "non traditional" organizations to sit/Skype side by side with CNN, Fox, and the New York Times. For the first time ever, bloggers, aggregation sites, e-zines, and people like Alex Jones are being taken just as seriously as venerable networks & papers that have monopolized the news cycle for almost a century. And it makes perfect sense. Far more people (myself included) now get their news from places like Drudge or the Fox iPhone app than reading a paper or even watching a news channel. We no longer need to read "All The News That's Fit To Print," we can read what we want to read, and go to sites, shows, podcasts, and YouTube channels that specialize in the topics that interest us. And right now I'm very interested in what Donald Trump might share about "the mysteries of space." Don't forget John Podesta's final tweet, before joining Hillary's campaign in 2015:

Why was this not a front-page news story?

If Jaka Parker can smuggle footage out of Pyongyang, you know damn well that someone in government will do the same with ET disclosure. I suspect it's already happened; the internet is filled with chillingly-real video & audio recordings that share what was said on private "medical channels" (during the Apollo missions), or live NASA feeds that were suddenly cut off when something unexplainable entered camera view. I've said this before in previous blogs: these days every kid, soccer mom, airplane passenger, or even military officer has an Android or an IPhone in their pocket, with a quality HD camera. It's impossible to repress any news story, because there are just too many people with instant access to all information - and the ability to share it all with the tap of a touch screen. And like we saw with the recent election, if enough people get behind an idea, that idea becomes a movement that will force its way to the news cycle's center.

My prediction is that the disclosure movement will make itself heard before the next Presidential election.

Check this out: http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/weird-news/nasa-cuts-live-feed-international-9695537

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Post-Election For A Gay Mr. T Supporter

11/11/2016

4 Comments

It's funny how Clinton supporters aren't afraid to share their disappointment, but Trump supporters won't share their joy out of fear of having cars scratched, windows shattered, or noses broken.

Please bare with me, as I clean up a few post-election issues.

So, my employer has an unauthorized FaceBook page - and I've participated in it for years. As many of you know, I work for one of the last big bookstores standing - and I've watched the page evolve from a generic what-are-you-reading forum to a place where employees discuss genuine issues that reflect our changing industry. This particular FB page is notoriously left-leaning, and actually banned all political posts (about four months ago) because those discussions made some unhappy. But on the morning following the 11/8 election, that ban was lifted - and booksellers were allowed to speak their minds.

Throughout 11/9, this forum was commandeered by an avalanche of post-election grief - and employees who understandably hated the results. From the day I joined three years ago, I've watched this group closely...and admittedly used it for multiple reasons, including gauging the book world's "temperature," learning to participate in similar online forums, and teaching myself the art of "social media outreach" to promote both upcoming writing and drawing projects. As a gay Republican, this page has often proved hostile to me, especially when sharing views that aren't always popular with the mainstream. But, I've played along. The forum continues to generate many contacts, FB friends, and LinkedIn requests - all of which have have helped build my online resume, so to speak. Social media is a crucial part of the modern age, and as a 47-year-old Gen-Xer, it's been a challenge to get good at it.

Throughout the day following the election, I watched my employer's forum erupt in angry, demeaning, and insulting posts - all directed at Trump voters, and people like myself. The discussion grew heated, and I was shocked that the room's moderators were allowing it to continue; again, as mentioned, the forum had a strict rule about political topics, including the following pinned post: "I noticed there might be some kind of election happening - here's everyone's obligatory friendly reminder that you're always more than welcome to post all about it on your own timeline." By the time I got home - after following the forum all day, I'd had it. MOD's clearly had no intention of stopping the insults, so I responded with this:

I'm an out/proud gay man...and not only did I vote for Donald Trump, I really LIKE him. The GOP is NOT going to cancel GLBT rights/marriages. The GOP is NOT going to make customers attack cashiers. The GOP is NOT going to hold anyone hostage, and force them to conform to outdated ideas. Seriously...so many claim that Trump is intolerant, but can anyone see their hypocrisy to us who respect conservatism? I get that folks need to vent, but this world is made of all kinds of people. As Obama said, "the sun will rise tomorrow"...and I definitely continued, lived, and thrived in my life when he was re-elected. No, I'm not happy with the recent campaign, but I AM happy with its result. And I know I'm not the only one." (NOTE: This isn't an exact quote, because my comments were removed so fast, I couldn't record my post - or those of others. This was the basic draft that I jotted on my iPad on the way home.)

My response lasted twenty minutes max, and was removed almost immediately - along with every other election-related post in the group. I've had a rapport with one of the room's moderators for years, and when I asked her why, she claimed that she had only just noticed everyone's comments - and had decided to take everything down, to avoid a "flame war." Funny how she - nor any other MOD - had not made that decision in the twelve hours earlier, before I tried to defend myself after a day's worth of attacks. From a previous blog: "It's funny how people who preach intolerance are often the most intolerant of all." Sadly, that sums up this election in a nutshell.

On a personal note, my response - though only allowed to stand briefly - generated a stunning number of new FB friend requests (and several private messages, thanking me for what I'd said). I wonder how many followers I would have added, had I not held my tongue - and joined the discussion, earlier in the day.

Secondly, it was not FBI Director Comey's fault that Clinton closed her campaign on the defensive. If you really want to blame a single "turning point," it was the person who caused Comey to reopen Hillary's email case to begin with...and a single photograph that was splashed across the world's headlines. Be careful who you sext, Mr. Weiner. That picture of your abs, bulge, and swaddled papoose was the epicenter for the hurricane that swept up your wife's laptop - which led to the FBI finding over 600,000 emails. Personally, I think it's fitting that for as adept as the Clinton machine was at navigating scandal, it couldn't avoid a weiner-shaped iceberg that came (ahem) out of nowhere, in the middle of the night. Good thing smart phones weren't around during Monica's days.

Finally, though I'm pleased with Trump's election, I do support Hillary's "globalist" outlook - and I regret that Mr. T doesn't appear to share the same. As discussed in previous blogs, I believe humanity's on the verge of it's greatest adventure: exploring the cosmos, and learning what's really out there, beyond our planet's confines. In order to achieve this, we must start acting as a "species," a unified planet - not a bunch of foreign countries who are constantly fighting with each other. Admittedly, Trump's election might seem to go against that idea - but I firmly believe that we must get our country "in order" to lead in humanity's next step. And I don't mean that the US should lead in exploring space, itself. Rather, it's crucial to partner with other countries. China intends to explore space. So does India, as well as the contributors to the ISS. Chuckling...I'm sure I'll talk about a hell a lot more about this, in future blogs.

I firmly believe in the Star Trek view of Earth's future: no war, no poverty, everyone gets along. But even The Enterprise has photon torpedoes, and humanity's future isn't portrayed as some kumbaya drum-circle. The military is as important as affordable housing/health care, but again, we're not quite there yet. We still have one last round of "fighting" to go, a third world war so to speak, in an effort to get Christians, Muslims, Buddhists, Hindus, atheists, agnostics - everyone - on the same page. It ain't gonna' be easy folks, and there will be more than just hurt feelings from having one's post deleted from a FaceBook forum. But it will happen. Humanity is almost there. And I for one am pleased to be alive, in time to see the beginnings of all of it starting to happen. We need "nationalism" for the moment, but once ISIS stops beheading jihadists (and North Korea & Iran stop threatening with nukes), we must think bigger. It's the only way humanity survives.

Can you just imagine how exciting it will be when everyone looks UP for the very first time?

How petty our election will look when that finally happens.

4 Comments

Resistance is NOT Futile, I Will NOT Assimilate...

10/26/2016

2 Comments

First off, I hope to fucking-God this is the last political blog I write for a very long time. Over the past six months there have been many topics I've wanted to explore, including North Korea, American Horror Story & Walking Dead, private space travel, Cermak's disgusting meat department ... and watching Barbara Streisand morph into Joan Rivers, while trying to look 30 at 90. Though I have strong political opinions, I'm not a political blogger; the fact that politics have commandeered this forum's past six months shows just how much this election has intruded into my life - and the lives of those around me. From news headlines to SNL skits, from interactions with coworkers to conversations with friends, the election has loomed over every aspect of life like Godzilla looms over Tokyo - or karma looms over the Clinton campaign. Seriously, it's been exhausting. And as a lone Trump supporter fighting the thousands within the C.A.G.H.B.C. (Chicago-Area-Gay-Hillary-Borg-Collective), I'm a bit more shell shocked than most. Resistance is NOT futile. I will NOT assimilate...

It's hard to discuss specific election issues in a monthly blog because topics change quickly, often several times in a daily news cycle. What I can say is that this has been a horrible month to be a Trump-supporter, not with the candidate himself, but with the assault he's/we've taken in the media. With the exception of FoxNews and conservative talk radio, every single news channel, paper, and news magazine has launched an all-out WAR against him, 24/7. They've dropped all premise of being objective, manufacturing news rather than reporting it . Granted, Trump's given the media some cringe-worthy sound bites, and I do agree with calling him to task with issues like his tax returns - and love of Pussy Riot's music. But it's still blatant censorship for CNN and the rest of the gang to flat-out refuse to report far worse news about Clinton, especially when daily Wikileaks dumps reveal corruption on a scale of the Kim regime. No wonder Obama pressured Ecuador into cutting off Julian Assange's internet. I hope Matt Drudge has Wikileaks' same contingency plan.

Yesterday I was watching live coverage from Trump's new hotel in Washington DC. Apparently he just opened it. It's a top-to-bottom renovation of the old post office on Pennsylvania Avenue, originally built in 1899. The story caught my attention because it hit on three of my favorite things: historic buildings, big hotels, and the candidacy of Donald Trump. Though Ivanka's head movements were a bit distracting (she looked like she was watching tennis), I loved how she talked about restoration things like preserving doors, crown moldings, and a century-old-exterior ... all while taking something old & broken and creating something new & functional. (What a great metaphor for a potential Trump presidency!) The "big picture" was obvious - Trump can fix things - and in his brief message following his daughter, the Donald described how rehabs are much harder than building something from scratch (because you have to address existing structural problems, in order to preserve the integrity of the building. Again, the metaphor!). Though not a campaign rally, this was a glimpse of Trump at his best. He was smart, honest, and humble in the sense that he didn't overshadow his daughter, though he did take a few liberties at the end. He was ... presidential.

But going back to my original point, this past month has reeeeeeeally sucked to be a Republican. Every news story, every current events magazine cover, every top-of-the-hour radio blurb, and every FaceBook headline has attacked Trump in a coordinated effort, growing nastier the closer we get to November. I've discussed this issue in my last few blogs, and the censorship it imposes on a large segment of our society. We twist ourselves into knots to accommodate every crazy-assed vegan-transgender-furry, but we censor any level-headed voice that dares suggest something traditional.

... And as a gay man living in the burbs, I happen to like traditional. I like my traditional house, traditional job in a bookstore, and I respect those with traditional values - values that for better or worse have built our modern country. But just because I "respect" traditional values doesn't mean I embrace every last one of them. For example, I still think my Catholic neighborhood is trying too hard to be a Norman Rockwell painting. I also think that despite the fact that Hispanic culture eats every part of the horse, the meat department in Cermak - our local Hispanic grocery store - looks like the set of a Saw movie. And I really think that the gays in C.A.G.H.B.C (see above) are hypocrites for not respecting my (or other's) support for Donald Trump ... especially when homosexuals have fought for decades to get the same respect as straight people. It doesn't make sense. We're all so much smarter than that. And after embracing Obama's flaccidity for the past eight years, it's time to embrace a more traditional administration ... and a President who likes to do traditional things like pay off debt, stimulate job growth, keep illegals from voting in our elections, and tell fringe special interest groups that they can't all have their own bathrooms.

At least the end is finally near.

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The Presidential Roast and/or Debate

9/22/2016

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"I don't understand why people are so upset about Hillary's 'deplorable' comment. I mean, she's obviously LYING."

So, I finally got around to watching Comedy Central's roast of Rob Lowe - and I was absolutely horrified by the treatment of Ann Coulter. Her presence on the dais was clearly a set-up, and as the roasters delivered jokes, there were more Coulter/cunt insults then there were snipes about Soda Pop's sex tapes - or Lowe's perpetual Death Becomes Her looks. I happen to like Ann Coulter. She's a wickedly funny/intelligent lady. And I'm sure she knew that by appearing at the event, she she'd be conservative catnip in a den of liberal lions - more of a target than Lowe, himself. But what genuinely shocked me were the moments of silence when the camera panned the audience during her set. The crowd was...seething. You could feel their anger like radiant heat. They hated Ann Coulter like jihadists hate infidels, and their heart-stopping glares - and refusal to acknowledge a single point she made - marked the first time I truly understood the ideology that separates Clinton and Trump supporters. It scared the hell out of me.

From William Shatner to Larry the Cable Guy to even Donald Trump, I've always enjoyed Comedy Central's yearly roasts. Some are better than others of course, and the Rob Lowe event was kinda' near the bottom...especially with David Spade's sluggish/tepid hosting, and too many young comedians. What I remember most about the whole broadcast were bottles & bottles of wine & booze, on tables littered with half-eaten platters of onion rings. "Consumption" was clearly the evening's behind-the-scene theme, and as the cameras showed the audience close-ups (inadvertently catching tables that hadn't been pre-bussed), it was hard not to notice that people were stuffing their faces...and racking up massive bar tabs. It was the epitome of limousine-liberalism, the new Hollywood elite blowing thousands on a frivolous night. No one considered how "out of touch" they looked, or how viewers might react to such gluttony and arrogance. "THESE are Hillary's people," I thought. "These are the donors who fund her campaign, and are terrified of a potential Trump presidency."

The whole thing left a bitter taste in my mouth, and I wondered what might just happen if alcohol & onion rings were served at Monday's presidential debate. Hmm...

CNN's newest "scud stud."

Speaking of alcohol & onion rings, this was yet the latest week of drunken people taking to the streets to riot. Tuesday's excuse: a black cop shot a black criminal in Charlotte, NC. Forget the fact that the perp was armed, standing outside his car surrounded by police, and refusing to comply with authority's countless warnings. As soon as officers did what they had to, bricks went through liquor store windows and the governor declared a state of emergency. Things got even uglier when a CNN reporter was assaulted on live TV - an event that was covered (briefly) with more distain than the rioters, themselves. As the night glowed orange with garbage can fires, Limbaugh made a brilliant observation: In the second term of the first black President, rioting is the new normal. Take a moment to think about just how frightening that statement is.

Eight years ago, Obama had the chance to confront racial tension in a way that no previous President could. Our first black Commander and Chief had opportunity to be an amazing unifier, and to lead by example during the initial signs of 1968-like unrest early in his presidency. Obama could have spoken to the African American community directly, like Reagan did Gorbachev in the waning days of the Berlin Wall. But he didn't, not even close. He "led" with such flaccid political correctness that he actually fueled the racial divide, increasing animosity. Sadly, Obama has proven as ineffective a leader as David Spade proved a roast-host. And the unrest in our country - getting worse the closer we get to November 8th - is as chilling as the audience's silence during Ann Coulter's set. The new normal is indeed, no laughing matter.

A Trump-built castle on a cloud.

You know, after Hillary called people like me "deplorable," I absolutely loved when Trump opened his rally to the tune of "When Tomorrow Comes" from Les Miserables: "Do you hear the people sing? Singing the songs of angry men. It is the music of the people who will not be slaves again..." To me, that's proof positive that Donald Trump really likes gays because only a gay man would come up with an idea that snarky. Chuckling...if I were Johnny Henshaw on the Trump team, I'd follow Les Deplorables up with a reference from Evita: "Mrs. Clinton: Between your illicit rise to power, your money-laundering charity foundation, and your health problems after your husband's presidency, do you see yourself as the modern day Eva Peron?" I wonder who would play Hillary in the movie? Personally, I'm leaning more toward Kathy Bates than Madonna. Since Abe Vigoda is dead, Jeffery Tambor will have to be cast as Bill. Trump, of course, will be played by Rob Lowe.

Wait, Bill...isn't Monica the one who's supposed to have her mouth open?

To play Trump, all Lowe has to do is wear the Startz wig sideways.

Seriously...is that not a Hillary "happy face" or what?

But going back to my original point, I finally understand the ideology that separates Clinton and Trump supporters - and it's equal parts "offensive" and "scary." The offensive part is obvious: like the audience at the roast, Clinton backers are living in an bubble; they surround themselves with a jury of peers who reinforce their own elitism - refusing to consider other's point of view. They're people with money who make decisions about spending other people's money. They donate "time" rather than cash because they feel their time is better than everyone else's. They're arrogant. They're hypocrites. They're astonishingly intolerant. They complain about Americans living an unfairly comfortable lifestyle...while at the same time, washing down $40 Comedy Central onion rings with $200 bottles of Comedy Central champagne. They're the people who gulf-stream from LA to Manhattan, without ever looking down at the American heartland. And they're the people who consider us Trump supporters "deplorable," despite the fact that we're the ones who pay to see their movies. Even the shitty ones.

The scary side of Hillary supporters can be sized up with a 9/21 Drudge headline: "ANTI TRUMP FORCES SCOUR GLOBE FOR VOTES" - which linked to the BreitBart story: "Soros-Linked 'October Surprise That Will End Trump: The Campaign To Register 8 Million Global Citizens To Vote."

http://www.breitbart.com/london/2016/09/21/surprise-that-will-end-trump-globalists-registering-8-million/

The story explains that a massive, well-funded effort has been started to mobilize American ex-pats living overseas - voters, they claim, who are likely to have "masters degrees" - clearly implying that continental Trump supporters are ignorant. This is a chilling precedent. For the first time in history, Democrats are spending money overseas, campaigning in other countries to influence an American election. Even more unsettling is the arrogance needed for such a campaign to even begin with. Imagine if Mexico were to target American illegals during prime time commercial breaks, encouraging them to vote in the presidential election - even though they're not citizens?

I know that the Soros-effort isn't quite the same thing, but it does share the same liberal panic that Trump might actually win, and even worse, make us pay for our own onion rings. I remember being saddened when Obama won the first election, and I clearly remember being royally pissed when he beat Mitt Romney in the second (even though there was clearly voting fraud in certain precincts). And though these last eight years have marked an embarrassing decline in American influence and power, I've never been afraid that it all can't be reversed with the right decision in the upcoming election. Liberals tout tolerance and patience, and I've been patiently waiting to vote Obama the hell out of office...and to replace him with a man who's donated money as well as a year and a half of his time (so far).

Fear is clearly the country's new normal, and the closer we get to November 8th, the more frightened many Hollywood liberals will become. And once Trump wins, may I suggest "Hillary Clinton" for the next Comedy Central roast -

The dais can be a "town hall" format, with Bernie, Monica, and staffers who haven't yet signed an immunity deal.

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Big Gold Balls, Hidden in Plain Sight

8/15/2016

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The headline of Drudge, 8am, 6/16/2016

"It's amazing how those who aggressively preach tolerance are often the most intolerant of all."

So, I'm up to three reasonably-close gay friends who have either unfriended/blocked me on FaceBook - or, in one case, ended our friendship completely - just because I'm voting for Trump this fall. It's both sad and silly. Gay men are supposed to be tolerant of everyone, no matter their special interest - or which bathroom their gender identity prefers to take a shit in. But that isn't the case this year, this election, and I'm ashamed to witness the jaw-dropping hypocrisy of many gay friends & acquaintances. Most gays are liberals, and liberals like to be known for open mindedness. But that's the opposite of what's happening now, despite the fact the Democratic candidate has been proven corrupt on a scale unmatched by any other nominee in history. But as a gay man, if you dare not tote the liberal party line, the backlash is incredible - and really quite insulting. Especially if you're a Republican like me who likes Donald Trump. Chuckling...very honestly, I find myself rooting for him like a straight man rooting for a sports star. Run OJ, run!

Of course, what really bothers me about those supposedly intelligent/tolerant gay friends is the fact they refuse to see how an entire segment of our population is not just being discriminated against, but being repressed. With the exception of Drudge, FoxNews, and conservative talk radio, every single news outlet available - in print, online, or on TV - has taken an anti-Trump stance. Every Trump story is reported with disdain. Every Trump comment is edited to make the worst sound byte possible. Not only do they ignore Hillary's scandals, failing health, and impeachable dishonesty, the media refuses to cover Trump in any sort of positive light - even when his polls are up, and his campaign continues to hammer out solid, progressive points. Again and again, he's portrayed as a blowhard, despite the fact his rallies fill stadiums - while Hillary barely fills gymnasiums. I love watching Trump rallies on YouTube; I view them start-to-finish, so I can see the crowd and hear the opening speakers. There are so many...people. So much enthusiasm. And I love watching Trump call out the CNN guys, when their cameras refuse to pan left or right to show the size of the crowd. Considering their bias, you'd think they'd at least turn left...

As mentioned, I really like Donald Trump. I like his attitude, outrageous personal style, and the fact he refuses to give up his Members Only hairstyle. I never watched The Apprentice, so I'm unfamiliar with his stint on reality TV. But I have done my research, watching hours of "real" Trump documentaries filmed years before his Presidential bid. (Look for the YouTube video about his 757; it's a fascinating glimpse into how he maintains his property.) Like Shatner, Trump's a lovable ass...and what he said on Oprah in 1985 is identical to the policy he shouts at his rallies today. For a man who's never held office, Trump's been firmly on message for over thirty years. I admire that consistency, even when delivered with New York attitude, and I like the shiny gold balls it takes to put his name on everything from skyscrapers to bottled water. Again, I follow him like a sports star...and I wish Denny Crane was a real person, so he be Trump's VP. Hell, I'll go one step further and say that Trump's style is as over-the-top as a drag queen's. (Don't tell me that Frank Marino - "Ms. Las Vegas" - wouldn't love to perform in a casino that bares his name!) For that reason alone, you'd think gays would support him. Gays as a whole have spent so much time complaining about the wall, we've completely failed to notice that Trump's immigration plan mirrors Breitbart's - and screens peoples' commitment to gay rights, women's issues, and religious tolerance before letting them in the door. (Smiling sadly.) I guess I've lost some friends because I support those issues.

The CNN.com headline, same date & time.

But going back to the gorilla in the room, one entire segment of our population is being repressed. And that repression is being disguised as "support for a racist," the largest mass-manipulation of public opinion I've ever seen. Not a day goes by that another Wikileaks bomb isn't detonated on the DNC platform. I'm sickened by the depth of the corruption of the Democratic party, Obama administration, and the Hillary campaign combined. This morning's Drudge headline (as pictured at the top of this blog) describes how George Soros' foundation has been outed using the immigration crisis to scare the public into advancing a left-wing agenda. The breaking Soros news mirrors dishonesty on a House of Cards scale, and I am no less than absolutely stunned that CNN is ignoring it completely, opting to mock Trump instead - continuing intentional misdirection.

It's been a while since I've written about North Korea, but I still follow DPRK news every day. Unfortunately, in the case of the US election, our media is acting like Pyongyang (seriously). North Korea is a hermit kingdom, a fragile bubble that's trying not to burst in the sharp modern world; the Kim regime controls all state media, like Pravda & Tass during the cold war. Within the DPRK, every news story is scripted to reinforce the state - and North Koreans are punished severely if caught reading news from outside sources that conflict with their government's official point of view. It's a system of "propaganda," a world where every newspaper, radio, and TV broadcast are coordinated to give only one side of a story. That's exactly what's happening now in the American media, and the coordinated anti-Trump effort being made by CNN, MSNBC, and Hillary-friendly news sites, papers, and services. All of these organizations are united in a coordinated attack to both stop the Trump campaign and to ignore a tsunami of scandals - any one of which makes Watergate look like a puddle. It's disgusting. And if allowed to continue, it will grow increasingly dangerous.

I was recently talking to a friend at work, an adorable little old lady named Abby. Abby's one of my fellow Republicans, and she and her husband are enjoying retirement (though Abby works part time to get the hell away from him for a few hours each week). As we work in an environment governed by political-correctness, Abby & I make sure to look over each others' shoulders before talking politics in hushed tones. We both love Trump, and we're both extremely troubled by how the media downplays Hillary's corruption. And as both Abby and her husband have far more free time to watch/read the news than myself, she's usually the one to call my attention to something I missed. The other day she pulled me aside, and whispered: "I think Bill Clinton has AIDS." I scoffed. "Jesus, Ab! Why would you say that?" She shook her head and explained:

"The way he looks now...that's more than just getting old. He's frail, weak, his eyes are sunken. And he has no color under all that makeup. He's got that look that Charlie Sheen has, or that Rock Hudson had - right before he died. He's lost so much weight, David. I don't think he's well, and I think its being covered up."

Abby went onto remind me of all the women Bill Clinton is known to have had affairs with, and how likely it was that he'd caught an STD from one of them. I shuddered to consider this. I can honestly say that such an illness wasn't even on my radar. As a gay man at 47, I remember the early 90s - when HIV ravaged the community. My conversation with Abby then turned to Hillary's own health, and how news has broke - on the conservative sites - that she is taking weekends off to find the strength to finish the campaign. I remembered a chilling song from EVITA: "Oh, what I'd give for a hundred years. But the physical interferes, every day more..." Later that evening, I Googled the possibility of what Abby had said. I cautiously settled back in the chair, as my iMac displayed over 1.9 million results. Jesus...

As Milwaukee burns in the latest example of race baiting, Obama has chosen tepid, measured comments - instead of bringing the "hope" he promised that would unite blacks & whites over seven years ago. International issues aside, our country is fighting an enemy hidden in plain sight...and it's maddening for those of us who can see danger clearly, gay or straight, like the friends & family of an alcoholic preparing to intervene with their votes in November.

About a month ago, I had a day-long online chat with a gay coworker in another state. He started the discussion himself, genuinely asking me WHY I supported Trump. His IM included a ridiculous graft, allegedly showing how the Donald wanted to end all gay marriages...along with other trumped-up anti-gay intentions that would be sure to happen in Trump's first days in office. I scoffed of course, and I shared my favorite Trump-defense: I put it in terms of credit card debt, and what happens when a person's debt-to-income ratio becomes unsustainable - and leads to bankruptcy. "Why don't we hold the government to the same standard that we hold our own finances?" I asked. "Our country is almost twenty trillion dollars in debt, and Trump is the only candidate who's jumping up and down, desperately trying to get our attention. If you get distracted by politically-correct social issues, you're not going to have a country left to be married in!" But, no dice. My buddy couldn't see the danger hidden in plain sight. Ironically, I ended up unfriending HIM on FaceBook - not because I disagreed with his politics, rather, because I couldn't stand seeing his weepy, testosterone-free posts popping up on my news feed.

Sigh...we all need to grow a set of balls, and take back our media...and, our country.

And, God willing, after November 8, we'll see a nice set in gleaming Trump-gold balls on the back of the new Presidential limousine...

2 Comments

Wag The Dog

7/17/2016

1 Comment

For storytime at the bookstore, I want to read "Hillary Rodham Clinton: Some Girls Are Born To Lead" AND Gary Byrne's "Crisis of Character." For the craft afterward, I'll have the kiddies make little blue construction paper dresses with glitter stains.

So, this is truly a God-awful thing to say, but when I heard the news about last week's Dallas police shooting, the VERY FIRST THING that came to mind was: "Baby Aspirin Factory." As in, Bill Clinton bombing a baby aspirin factory to distract the American public from the growing - and worsening - Monica Lewinski scandal, back in the 90s. Bill lied, Monica pulled out the stained dress, and before the media could fully grasp the story - BOOM! All TV cameras were immediately turned to a national emergency - and a little Afghanistan hospital that the President totally assured us was harboring terrorists or Anthrax or Republicans or something. Wag the dog.

Change the story...fast.

All decent comedic stories have a little bit of truth in them, just enough to make you think: "Yeah. I can see that happen." And the sad truth is simple: Hillary Clinton - like her husband - behaves as though she's above the law. FBI Director Comey confirmed this, and his testimony before Congress a few weeks back was no less than damning. As America watched the hearing (with Loretta Lynch/Bill Clinton still fresh on their mind), it was impossible to deny the scope of Clinton's corruption...and how that corruption has affected those around her. From cattle futures to Whitewater, from email/security negligence to Benghazi...Mrs. Clinton has been surrounded by scandal for decades. And when last week's headlines changed from Clinton to sniper bullets, I sadly thought, "Yeah. I can see that happen." Wag the dog. There may have been no precedent to bring inditement, but there is precedent for when a Clinton's dishonesty gets caught on camera.

Speaking of dishonesty on camera, exactly one month after the Pulse nightclub shooting, Loretta Lynch went before Congress to explain how Hillary avoided charges again. Lynch's talking points were meticulously crafted, designed to dodge issues with a consistent narrative, and she was far better prepped than Comely last week. I'll give her this: Lynch was surprisingly eloquent, but she refused to answer yes-or-no questions, constantly deferring to her highly skilled team of investigators" - in a manner that sounded like taking the fifth. To further convolute her testimony, other panel Democrats - in coordinated attack - repeatedly dragged the discussion back to gun control, a topic that was nothing more than a thinly-masked diversion, shamefully politicizing recent Dallas events. And if THAT weren't bad enough, Lynch's testimony was preempted by Sanders' announcement of a Clinton endorsement. Wag, wag, wag the dog...so hard that it's tail breaks off.

I'm far from a political activist, but I've followed politics closely since Clinton's 92' election - about the time I found talk radio, along with Rush and WLS's "Roe & Garry." I remember Carter & Reagan clearly, but I don't think I started voting until Bill Clinton ran for office. And even then, I wasn't voting out of anger or fear; I'm sure I voted for Bush, but it wasn't the end of the world when Clinton came to office. At least not the first Clinton...

Back in the early 90s, in the days before the Internet, the only place to get information was CNN, the big three networks, newspapers, and talk radio. It was hard to find anyone with conservative views on TV, and news channels - traditional nightly news in particular - making it seem like the entire country cared more about fringe social issues than real-life responsibilities. Reagan was the first to get passed this; he found a way to speak "through" left-leaning cameras to reach those people who rolled their eyes when Laura Dern cried on Donahue. Hosts like Limbaugh helped a lot, but the Internet was what really gave conservatives a voice - especially during election years. With every ill-tempered comment archived on YouTube, nothing gets forgotten anymore. Nothing gets censored or truly covered up. Twenty years later, you can Google more about Bill Clinton's impeachment than you could read in the news at the time it was happening. Luckily for us, Hillary's corruption is a lot less hard to find.

So, a radical Muslim turns off his OnStar autopilot and drives through Bastille Day, like the Blues Brothers in a shopping mall. 50 dead so far, more than the Pulse nightclub toll...and now we've learned that the Baton Rouge police are the latest victims in an ongoing assault on law enforcement. The violence in the world is unsettling, making American elections seem tame in comparison. But, like Turkey, our own country is experiencing a coup...and I genuinely believe we're on the verge of abandoning the electoral college completely, and embracing a popular vote. The technology is available. With the right security protocols, we can vote from home, on our couches on our smartphones. There is absolutely no danger in populism, so long as we have access to unbiased information before casting our votes. And even die-hard liberals & Bernie supporters can sense when the dog is being wagged...distracting us from the latest damning Clinton news. When you're lied to, time and time again, you're going to get angry. And "anger" is why so many gay men like me are voting for the good of the country, rather than narrow special interests...and that means voting for Trump.

Who else is with me?

1 Comment

#GaysForTrump and The Danger of Political Correctness

6/26/2016

1 Comment

Chuckling...didn't I just write a blog on political correctness?

The blood had barely dried on the dance floor when the media rushed to embrace the gay community. The lights came on, the cameras rolled, and microphones were shoved into faces of the grieving - broadcasting genuine drama queens' tears. The coverage was as fierce as 9-11. Every news channel & website was wall-to-wall speculation, backed up by millions of FaceBook feeds. WHO would do this? WAS this a hate crime? WHY was this allowed to happen, when it was clear early on that the shooter had been radicalized? Of course, no one dared answer MY first question: "How long would it take Obama & Hillary to make a speech about gun control?" (Answer: about 24 hours.) As the coverage unfolded over the following week, it was hard to decide which thing was more appalling: the nightclub shooting itself, or the media assumption that all gays are Democrats. My own immediate reaction last Sunday went something like, "You mean nobody but the terrorist had a gun in Florida nightclub at 2am?" That's certainly not what I expected after watching CSI Miami. Or Scarface.

As CNN insisted that the terrorist was "home grown," the media's political correctness machine was forced into overdrive. The shooter was undeniably a Radical Muslim. He'd purposely called 911 from the club to make sure that authorities knew he was killing gays for Allah. His father supported the Taliban, he'd made several Meccas to Saudi Arabia, and his coworkers knew about his upcoming killing spree - but didn't tell police out of blatant political correctness. I remember people saying once, "Bush lied, people died," so what would make a snappy Orlando jingle? It's hard to rhyme "Muhammad" with "blood," and no snappy chant effectively communicates the opportunism of reporters during on-the-street interviews. I wonder how many fellow gays even realize how we've been used to advance the Clinton/Obama agenda in the shooting's wake? "#Gays4Trump" became one of last week's top hashtags, but CNN refused to report how Twitter tried to censor (gay) Republican's tweets following the slaughter. Sigh...such a dangerous double standard.

For as terrible as the Orlando shooting was, what it revealed about our media was far more terrifying. Despite the killer's shout-from-the-rooftops ISIS connection, news anchors refused to say the words "radical Islam," intentionally downplaying the incident. A terrorist attack in a gay bar - a direct assault on a crucial Democratic voting demographic - was the worst case scenario for Hillary's agenda (so bad that CNN.com even refused to call Pulse a "gay" bar for the first six hours). The shooting forced us to face the fallacy of gun control, the menace of political correctness, and the out-and-out danger of failing to use every means possible to profile those who clearly intend us harm. Seriously, the only thing missing was "Baghdad Bob" denying that the Americans were in Iraq.

But a much darker truth surfaced in the days that followed, especially after Donald Trump's chillingly matter-o-fact speech. News anchors began insisting the shooter was "homegrown," ignoring mounting evidence of multiple radical Islam connections. The killer's 911 transcripts were edited to remove all references to Allah - completely changing their tone for public release, with the clear intention of misleading voters. Hillary & Obama capitalized on the tragedy to bring up gun control, while CNN planted Anderson Cooper in Orland - ready to ambush local authorities on camera. And while all this was happening, gays in Orlando were threatened a second time, when a local "GaysForTrump" movement surfaced, before being quickly repressed by death threats. Who knew that the Pulse's shooter would seem like the "tolerant" one...?

I cannot fathom why people can't see how dangerous the political climate has become. I'm saddened by gays in particular - my community, my people - because for as hard as we've fought for equality over the decades, we can't see that we're repressing other people, in the same way we once were, ourselves. We're intolerant to a fault, and we've forgotten the fact that WE'RE the minority in a vastly larger world of traditional values. We behave like smokers who force ourselves into a nonsmoker's house, then light up in the living room, ash'ing on the upholstery. If someone was that rude in our homes, we'd blow a gasket - and throw them out on their asses.

But when anyone criticizes our own behavior, we attack like children who've yet to learn the reality of the world. And that's what I feel like we're doing when anyone dares suggest that the Republicans might be right on this one, in regards to the overall safety of the country. Forty nine of our brothers & sisters were reduced to puddles of blood & flesh, but we're all still sharing PC talking points on social media, as though we have blinders on. Come on, people...we're so much smarter than that. And we should be as scared as hell with the fact that our current media - including FaceBook, Google, and Twitter - is intentionally censoring hashtags, searches, and news feeds of those who don't share their liberal political views. We may be smug now, but there will come a time when the tables are turned...and we'll be the ones as hated as GaysForTrump. Think about that. It's closer than you think.

Reveling in being on the "popular" side sets a dangerous precedent. When we revel, we're so caught up in groupthink, we fail to notice imminent dangers that are growing under our noses. Blindly reveling is a lot like an alcoholic's denial; everyone can see the addict's problem, except for the addict himself. And the way that liberals refuse to see the menace of rampant political correctness is almost worse than denial, because it endangers so many other people. They're "addicted" to political correctness, and Orlando's massacre is their most recent DUI. How many times are we going to let them back on the road? How many people have to die in Florida discos or Bengazi embassies before we take their license to govern away?

Whether you support Trump or Hillary, I really want you to pay attention to how the media covers their campaigns. Whenever a candidate gives a speech, observe how the content is "spun" by different news organizations - and more importantly, how some news outlets intentionally try to influence viewers/readers opinions, barely hiding their bias. Watch your favorite news channel, and then re-watch the same story on the network you hate the most. The exact same exact topic is reported one way on FoxNews, but covered completely differently on CNN, MSNBC, ABC, CBS, and NBC. It isn't fair. It isn't American. Reporters are supposed to "cover" the news without bias, but few actually do.

But take a moment to consider if you were on the "unpopular" side of the bias. How would you feel? How angry would it make you? How you you react if you knew in your heart that you were right, but no one else would give you the time of day?

THAT'S what the upcoming election is really all about, and I can't wait to see what it brings out in everyone. We gays may think that we're riding high now, but all that will change if our next President has a Crisis of Character.

And I still think Trump should choose Bernie Sanders as his running mate.

1 Comment

The Hunt For Red November

5/31/2016

3 Comments

At risk of sounding like a Clinton-supporter, I tend to read PRAVDA almost every day. It's a Russian news service, a relic from the Cold War, and it's on my list of daily news websites...a list that also includes Drudge, FoxNews, CNN, the BBC, and a few sites out of Asia. I've always been a news-junkie, but since 9/11, I find myself checking the headlines more than my Scruff texts. If Pravda had an app, I'd totally subscribe to it; its news feed - like the opening of most Trump rallies - comes across as a litany of anger, for readers who don't understand the source. And as I'm about to start writing the next draft of If You Write the Music, I'll Write the Lyrics, I've been thinking a lot about anger lately.

Pravda is hysterical to read, especially if you're used to the comparitively tame American media. Here's a blurb from a story they ran during the Sochi games, regarding Russia's treatment of homosexuals. I'll post it in pink because that's a softer shade of red: "Homosexuality is a troubling moral and social phenomenon. Due to benign interpretations of the homosexual condition itself it is increasingly being viewed as something neutral or even good. In the words of Cardinal George of Chicago, the gay liberation movement has begun to "morph into something like the Ku Klux Klan". They have thus far succeeded in inverting the West's rule of law into the law of the jungle."

Pravda is void of ALL political correctness, which reflects the attitude of Russians, themselves. Russians are tough, traditional, sexist. And they have no problem calling women "sluts," even in printed news stories. Even House of Cards mocked Putin's state-sanctioned repression of homosexuals and the band Pussy Riot. With a country so brazen they routinely "buzz" our carriers, there's no amount of Gallup polling that can find the right words to gently tell Pootie-poo to be nice to trees. Russians are proud people who fiercely defend their conservative moral values. When Moscow threatened "nuclear war" a few weeks back, Obama's response was as flaccid as old celery. And that's a pity because Russian bears eat meat.

But Russia isn't the only country unconcerned with political correctness. China makes no secret of how little they respect us, the Mideast considers ugly Americans "infidels," and North Korea is so outrageous, it's hard to believe its statements come through diplomatic channels: "South Korean President Park Geun-hye is a “senile granny” and a “tailless, old, insane bitch.” (They also called Obama a monkey.) And that doesn't even count countries like Saudi Arabia, where sexism (their treatment of women) has been entrenched in their culture for thousands of years. How many female American government employees have been forced to wear headscarves when visiting the Emirates? Personally, I'd love to see Hillary in a burka.

So, with all these countries lobbing F-Bombs & sexist demands at us, why do we reply with gentle political correctness? Do we think Tehran takes us seriously? Has Pyongyang started allowing tourists to roam the city freely, or to visit Kim's reeducation camps? What was Don Draper's vision in the final scene of Mad Men? "I'd like to sing Beijing a song, in perfect harmony..."

Speaking of Beijing, I love how Trump says China: CHAI-NAAH. With over enunciated lips & teeth, and eyes & eyebrows that contort into a squint :) Of all the words in Donald's campaign vocabulary, "China" is the one that I'll never get tired of hearing - and it always makes me think of a Spitting Image puppet. I sincerely hope that he wins the presidency, because many of us need a good kick in the ass. It's obvious he'll shatter political correctness like glass, and get Americans talking (and fighting) about those things that only grandparents are allowed to say. Chuckling...Trump is old enough to be America's grandfather, and if he's anything like my own late grandma, some of the things that come from his mouth tend to be startling. I suspect that the WWII generation had far bigger things to worry about than which bathroom a transgender person uses to take an afternoon shit. And during the era of "Japs" and "Chinks," there was no PC way to describe an Auschwitz oven. And I know that our current generation needs to lose the PC-talk, if we ever want to regain the strength & respect that America only seems to have when Republicans run the show. I'd also like to stop seeing our President sitting across from Jimmy Kimmel on late-night TV talk shows. It cheapens the office when leader of the free world is seen sitting in the same chair that a raunchy comedian occupied just a few nights before.

Again, I apologize for back-to-back political blogs...but it's hard to focus on other topics when the biggest civil battle of recent history is unfolding right this second on every news channel & FaceBook page. I'm very liberal on most social matters, but I truly despise what liberalism has become - and how most liberals demand tolerance from others, without ever realizing how intolerant they are, themselves.

Not a day goes by that I don't think about how lucky I am to have been born in America; as a gay man who flies a leather-pride freak-flag, I can live openly here...and I've never once worried that my lifestyle would trigger Russian-style homophobia. But I do often worry about those in power who speak on "my behalf." So much time seems to be spent fighting case-specific social issues that we've forgotten how important to maintain the basic ideals that have provided our freedom for 240 years. Over the last few weeks, I've heard more about transgender's feelings than I have about the hundreds of ISIS agents who are known to have penetrated our porous southern border. I know it ain't PC to say this, but when a suicide bomber walks into the Naperville Olive Garden, the last think I'm worried about are the hairy legs in heels in the bathroom stall next to me. Our priorities are waaaaay out of whack, and who we choose for our next President is more important now than it's ever been before. I hope that people realize that. I really do.

3 Comments

Trump's Wall, Keeping Out the Walking Dead

4/19/2016

4 Comments

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! 😘

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.

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:)

Orange is the New Black.

4 Comments

The World Is No Longer Flat

1/10/2016

18 Comments

So, who else noticed that Hillary Clinton vowed to "get to the bottom" of UFO disclosure last week? Here's a link to the Huffington Post story that first broke the story: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/hillary-clinton-vows-to-investigate-ufos_5687073ce4b014efe0da95db

Chuckling...though I approve of the topic, I'm also convinced that Mrs. Clinton is a dishonest politician; within the world of ufology, it's a well-known fact that Dr. Steven Greer (the founder of The Disclosure Project) briefed both Bill & Hillary on extraterrestrials back in the 90s, at a meeting on the Rockefeller ranch. Though Hillary stopped the meeting short, the Clintons were nevertheless provided a bound report on the subject; Bill kept it in the White House residence, often reading it in the bathroom - the place, I suspect, that he made many decisions. The report obviously wasn't made public, and the topic of ET life remained "the third rail" for White House correspondents throughout the Clinton, Bush, and Obama administrations. The fastest way to get one's press credentials revoked was to point to the stars and dare to ask: "Mr. President, are you seriously going to keep denying that we've known about the existence of extraterrestrial life since the Eisenhower administration?" I'd ask how stupid the government thinks we are, but considering how easily Obamacare was passed, well...

But the larger point is that the existence of extraterrestrial life is finally creeping into mainstream discussion, and not just limited to Internet blogs or cable television shows. I think the latest figure is that 80% of Americans believe in ET life, with almost 50% believing that ET's are actively visiting the earth. And I've written about this before. It's absolute madness to think we're alone in the universe. Like Dr. Greer, I believe our galaxy is teeming with life - and that humanity is only just beginning to see our place in all of it. It's really an exciting time to be alive.

So with all that in mind, I look towards the upcoming Presidential election and chuckle at the spectacle. There's so much at stake, both domestically and within foreign policy, and Trump is the only candidate talking honestly about immigration, China & North Korea, Russia, and America's spending & debt. I can't help but think - hope - that finally getting voters to discuss looming domestic/international issues might bring about the next crucial subject: what do we already know about extraterrestrial life-and its influence on our society? I don't see Trump as the man who will immediately broach the topic, but I do see his candidacy bringing a type of discussion that's not restricted by political correctness - afraid of ridicule by those who still think the world is flat.

Going back to Clinton's comments, the fact that alien life was even acknowledged by a prominent politician proves that our country is on the verge of ET disclosure. You can read my blog archives to learn why I feel this way, and God knows that the Internet is full of credible ufologists and tens of thousands of pages of documentation. Sure, you have to filter out the crap, but I challenge you to watch the Disclosure Project's video testimony without getting chills. All those people who went on record in the last years of their lives - the military men, scientists, the politicians who held public office - spilling their guts about what they saw from the 1950s through the 1990s, and crying as they described the moments when they realized that everything they'd been taught about life & religion was wrong.

I recently started watching The Expanse, a nifty little show on the SyFy channel. The Expanse is the latest in the next generation of scripted science fiction dramas, and like the Galactica reboot, it draws its plots from current politics and social attitudes. So far it's a solid show, with great human drama and an interesting take on the potential militarization of space. Like many decent future-dramas, The Expanse focuses on the "human" experience as travel within the solar system becomes common, and places like the moon, astroid belt, and Mars have been colonized. It's a gritty portrayal of humanity 200 years in the future, where technology has grown - but we still have Hallmark picture frames on our mantles. There are no shiny costumes or talking robots in the show. The starship kitchens may be high-tech, but we still brew coffee with beans and hot water. Two centuries from now, I'm sure Select Comfort will have improved its present product line, but 1,000 thread count sheets feel just as good in space as they do right now on my old spring mattress...as they did 200 years in the past, on the beds of wealthy society men.

But despite getting the human story right, I can't help but feel The Expanse gets space travel wrong. The show depicts starships that rocket through space with traditional chemical engines - technology that's existed since the very first time a kid shook up a can of Coke, then turned it on its side and punctured it. That's a big sore spot for the likes of Steven Greer - the fact that here in 2016, we still use the same basic internal combustion engines that powered our cars in the 1930s. Have you ever read about Tesla's findings? Or how many patents about "zero point energy" (often described as "cold fusion") have vanished completely, along with their inventors? There is a very real validity to "new energy," above and beyond solar, nuclear, and natural gas...and I suspect some in power have been threatened by their potential. You can research the many conspiracy theories on your own, but I will say that when Southwest Airlines finally adds Mars to its frequent-flier package, I seriously doubt that the space-plane will run on gasoline.

Technology is evolving lightning-fast, and we can see it with each new election cycle. Not only does the Internet instant access to news & information, it's allowed us to question the bias surrounding most news stories. Like the New Years Eve fire at Dubai's Address Hotel, we can watch live feeds from peoples' cell phones, Skyped in real time from the other side of the globe. And if "communication" has gotten that good, you know damn well that other technologies have become just as efficient - but haven't been made public yet. I wonder what we really know, from new energy sources that would stop our dependance on oil to who - or what - might be watching from above, waiting for humanity to get its act together.

UFO over the Dome of the Rock, 1/28/2011

I wonder if people would actually vote for Hillary (or Trump) if the candidate went on record to embrace disclosure, once and for all?

Even as a Republican, I want to know the "truth" so badly, it would very likely swing my vote.

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