music, politicians, politics

MAGA meltdowns are hilarious… and don’t tell James Taylor what to do!

It’s been kind of a lazy morning here at Chez knotty… Bill and I had a bit of a “lie in” this morning, even though the sun is shining and it’s a beautiful day. We were both kind of tired. I woke up early, but then had no problem dozing after doing my morning routine. Arran’s constant ass licking is what finally got me out of bed. Sorry… it’s gross, but it’s the truth. We humans will never know the obvious pleasure dogs get from that particular habit, will we? Well, at least those of us who lack flexibility…

I’ve been enjoying the news for a change, especially the headlines that scream about the Democrats keeping control of the Senate. I love the fact that election deniers, by and large, are being voted out of office. It gives me some much needed hope for the future, and maybe the reassuring knowledge that Republicans got taken down a peg. It’s entertaining to see Lindsey Graham about to burst into tears as he whines about Herschel Walker, too. It’s so obvious that Walker is nothing more than a political pawn for Georgia Republicans. He is not suited to be a politician, and getting him to run is an insult to people of color in Georgia.

Wahhhhh!

I like what Jamal Bryant had to say about Mr. Walker…

I love this! We don’t need a walker, we need a runner…

It’s very entertaining to watch people melting down over the humiliating, history making poor showing by Republicans in the midterms. Trump has ruined the Republican Party, and it’s going to take some doing to fix this. I have said it before that I’m really not a staunch liberal at all, but the MAGA version of the Republican Party is just not going to be a winning strategy. Unfortunately for the Republicans, they got into bed with a notorious malignant narcissist, and he is not going to stop until he’s dead or so disabled he can’t function. I hope they enjoy the bed they made, teaming up with “Trumpty Dumpty”, who probably acted like an ass at his daughter, Tiffany’s, wedding yesterday.

Speaking of beds… It seems that James Taylor has really needed to be in one for the past week. He finally got COVID-19, and was required to isolate and rest. He’s been on a European tour for months, and it is now coming to its conclusion. But thanks to COVID, last week, he had to cancel his shows in Zurich, Berlin, Antwerp, and now, Randers, Denmark. He initially postponed his shows in Zurich and Frankfurt, and he managed to reschedule the Frankfurt show for this Saturday night (the 19th). The other shows, sadly, had to be cancelled, as I guess the halls they were scheduled for were already booked, and James may be booked for other dates.

Bill and I have tickets for the Frankfurt show. We’re looking forward to it, even though we already had plans to be in France. If he’s well enough to perform on Saturday, we will come home early to see James play. I figure he knows what he’s capable of doing. He’s 74 years old, and of sound mind. He doesn’t need my advice on anything, especially regarding his health and career.

You’d think his fans and followers of his Facebook page would respect James’s judgment, too. After all, these cancellations aren’t just about disappointing fans and losing revenue. They also affect a lot of rank and file people with jobs. From the people in James’s band, to the venue operators, to restaurant and hotel owners, a lot of people are hoping for the show to go on. This isn’t just because it’s a showbiz adage, and James loves to perform. It’s because many people are depending on the show to go on because their livelihoods are at stake.

However… with every new announcement of a concert cancellation, more and more people are chiming in about what they think James should be doing. Lots of people have posted that he should just cancel the rest of the tour and go home to his own bed. Some are even posting as if they’re giving him permission. I find that especially funny, since some of the people giving him permission to cancel are folks who already got a chance to see him this year. I’ve seen a few people leaving advice for James… or even sharing their own stories about COVID recovery, and predicting that James will (or won’t) recover in a similar way.

Personally, I think the most appropriate message to leave for James is one that wishes him a speedy recovery. He obviously hates to cancel his shows, and has said as much in a video he posted on Facebook and Instagram, as he walked around Lake Zurich. That video was posted a few days ago, and he looked and sounded pretty good– not as if he’s on death’s door. He’s had excellent and competent care by (probably) Swiss physicians. If one is going to get sick, Switzerland is a pretty damned good place to do it, especially if one is wealthy, as James is. So I think he’s going to be okay… and he can decide what the best course of action is for his health, and the good of his band.

I did see one very angry comment from an American servicemember (or retiree) living near Kaiserslautern. This guy, who was apparently himself a musician, was fuming that the show was postponed again, and commented that James should find someone to “sit in” with him, so the show could go on. At the time that he made that comment, it wasn’t known that it was James who had COVID. He went off about how “wealthy musicians” took money from regular folks, only to cancel or postpone. Lots of people piled on to tell him what a “jerk” he is. I could understand his frustration, although having been a JT fan for so many years, I know very well that he loves to perform. I know he wouldn’t have called off the shows unless he had a really good reason.

When the news came out that James was the one who was sick, fans went freaking nuts! Some even lectured everybody about wearing masks and getting vaccinated. I just don’t see the point of those kinds of posts, especially now. This is apparently James’s first go with COVID, so he’s done pretty well to stay healthy. He even said in his video that he felt guilty for not being “more careful”, although he quickly added that he didn’t think he could have been more careful than he was. The sad reality is, COVID is very contagious, and most of us are going to get it no matter what. And a lot of us are tired of the lectures from the sanctimonious and self-righteous. So I say, just shut up and let the man play, if he’s up to it. If he’s not, he knows what to do. He doesn’t need your advice or input… but I’m sure he’d appreciate good healing vibes. Because even if it wasn’t obvious that James loves to play shows, he primarily does this for the money. So just STFU and let him do his job. 😉 (Yes, I have authority issues.)

That being said… if he can’t play Frankfurt after all, it’s not such a bad thing to spend another night in France, as we planned…

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Trump

Today’s the day we’ve been waiting for… but I feel anxious.

Election Day is usually exciting for me, especially during a presidential election year. This year, I feel more anxious than excited. I feel hopeful that things will turn around and we’ll finally get some good people leading the United States again. But then I remember what happened in 2016 and I know that no matter what’s in the news, it might not turn out the way I’d like it.

Yesterday, a woman I’ve known since high school posted a somewhat reasonable comment about how Donald Trump isn’t to blame for “everything” wrong in America. In previous years, I would have totally agreed with her that the president isn’t at fault for everything wrong. Even this year, I can concede that Trump isn’t directly responsible for everything bad that has happened since he took office. There are others involved who aided and abetted him. However, no other president in my lifetime has been as unprofessional, uncaring, and unhinged as Trump has been.

Against my better judgment, I responded to my friend’s post that under normal circumstances, I would agree wholeheartedly with her post. Trump is a different animal. My friend reiterated that he’s not at fault for everything. I agreed with that, but then pointed out that he eggs on divisiveness, mockery, and violence. Instead of denouncing the men who plotted to kidnap Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer, Trump cheered them on. Instead of criticizing the mob of Trump supporting drivers in Texas who swarmed Joe Biden’s bus, Trump tweeted about how much he loves Texas and even THANKED them for trying to run Biden’s people off the road! Innocent people could have been KILLED!

So I pointed these things out… and one of my friend’s Trump supporting pals mocked me for my opinion, saying I have “Trump derangement syndrome”. I asked him not to insult me, and he denied claiming that I have a mental illness because I don’t approve of Trump was “insulting”. I reminded the guy that he doesn’t know me at all and can’t make any legitimate evaluations of my mental health. He advised me to “stop watching CNN”. I wondered if he really thought his comments would change my mind, or if he just wanted to be an asshole.

It always surprises me when people think I get all of my news from CNN. First of all, I don’t live in the United States and I don’t get cable TV. So I don’t watch CNN. I do occasionally look at CNN’s Web site, but more often than not, I get my information from well-respected newspapers to which I am a paying subscriber. At this writing, these are the publications I pay to read:

  1. The Washington Post
  2. The New York Times
  3. The Irish Times
  4. The Wall Street Journal
  5. The Atlantic

I also read a lot of books. I have read several about Trump’s presidency, written by people who worked with him. I also have the benefit of two advanced degrees. Although Trump supporting people may want to call me “stupid”, “crazy”, or a “sheep” for reading the news, the truth is, I’m not a dummy. I’m not sure what that guy expects from people, anyway. Is he saying that I should be drawing my own conclusions based on no news at all? Or should I simply get my news from Fox?

Anyway, that attempt at civilized discourse quickly unraveled, so I left the conversation. As I was about to go to sleep, I noticed a post by Ricky Skaggs. I actually love Ricky Skaggs’ music. I don’t go to him or anyone else for my politics. I figure he has as much right as anyone to vote as he likes. But I did pause when I read this…

After hearing a pastor speak a message about life and death, I felt I had to share what I heard. I know many of you are still trying to decide who to vote for on Tuesday. Some people vote for or against a person solely on their personality, I get that, but let me just offer a few words that might help you to decide. Voting is a very personal thing and I’m not telling you who to vote for but just giving you something to think about. When I look at the platform of both parties, I see a stark contrast, nearly as much as day is from night. 

I decided a long time ago that if I was gonna grow up and have a relationship with the living Savior Jesus Christ, I needed to know what His Word says. I needed to love the things He loves, and hate the things He hates. God is love, but God is also righteous in all of His ways. 

His Word says; “God hates the shedding of innocent blood.” There’s nothing more innocent than an unborn baby. The pastor went on to say “anyone who votes for the party that approves abortion, that person has co-signed a death warrant on the unborn. They have come into an agreement and made a covenant with that party and all that it stands for.” I had never heard it said like that before. It was a hard hitting truth. It made me realize the awesome responsibility of agreement! “Today I set before you, life and prosperity, death and destruction.” Deut 30:19

Ricky Skaggs is a very proud and unabashed Trump supporter. I’m surprised Trump’s people didn’t get him to play at his inauguration in 2017. I feel certain that Skaggs would have obliged. But my guess is that Trump wouldn’t appreciate Ricky Skaggs’ bluegrass and gospel stylings.

I don’t understand why Skaggs likes Trump so much. Trump is certainly not “pro-life”. Trump brags about molesting women. He has a history of violence toward women. In fact, some of his victims have been teenagers. I would not be the least bit surprised if he has paid for abortions. In fact, when Trump found out his second wife Marla Maples, who was not his wife at the time, was pregnant with his daughter, Tiffany, he reportedly said, “Oh, great.” He also reportedly asked Marla to have an abortion. Supposedly, Trump’s mother insisted that Trump marry Maples. Their union lasted six years. He’s now on marriage number three. Below is an excerpt from a Vanity Fair article about Trump’s relationship with Maples…

At one point, he broke up with Maples by FedEx-ing her a letter, the source said. Trump bragged about his bachelorhood. “I had been in Europe fucking every model in the world. My life was wild,” he told Vanity Fair in 1994. But Trump, a famous germophobe, also found monogamy reassuring as the AIDS crisis raged. “Being single out there is a little bit scary, to put it mildly,” he said. “It’s like being in Vietnam, in the forests, and knowing there are guns pointed at your head.”

It could be possible that Trump has had a change of heart since the 1990s, but I sincerely doubt it. He’s quite clearly a narcissist and they don’t typically change. They’re famously rigid people who tend to get worse rather than better. So I don’t know why Ricky Skaggs holds Trump up to be such a moral “pro-life” choice. Frankly, I’m much more concerned about people who have already been born. And Trump brags about his conquests. He has no respect for life.

Anyway… I have been waiting for Election Day 2020. I hope Americans do the right thing. I know there are people out there who will vote for Trump because they just can’t see what a dishonest scumbag he is. There’s nothing I can do about that. I have some hope that things will change in 2021, although if Trump loses, he will do everything he can to fuck things up even more before he’s forced out of the White House. And no matter what, there will probably be chaos and violence as people react to the results.

I’m glad to be in Germany, but watching this from afar is also very sad for me. I don’t love everything about the Democrats. I especially dislike their smug, self-righteous tone when it comes to social issues. But we really need a new leader… someone with a conscience and a good brain. We have to get rid of the toxicity that Trump promotes. Otherwise, things are only going to get worse.

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