Feeling as if we're drowning in a wave of depressing news from the U.S., for the past few months Stew and I have drastically trimmed our daily consumption of current events.According to some reports, symptoms of current-events overload—insomnia, anger and anxiety, among others—are widespread and affecting partisans on both sides of the political crevasse that …
Tag: Donald Trump
Dirty Rotten (Republican) Scoundrels!
Two days ago I noticed a tiny blue sticker, about one-and-a-half inches long by three-quarters-of- an-inch high, on the right end of the rear bumper of our old Nissan Frontier pickup. On closer inspection I discovered it was a "Trump Make America Great Again" sticker. Before my cataract surgery a year ago, I probably wouldn't …
Roseanne or Samantha? I pick neither
Just got back from a couple of weeks in South Africa, a vacation whose most relaxing aspect was being largely disconnected from the endless political skirmishes, conspiracies and name-calling back home. Most of the places we stayed at didn't even have working Wi-Fi. You just kept looking for zebras or leopards instead, which proved to …
Why is Sarah Huckabee perpetually outraged?
While walking the dogs this morning my hubby Stew, who also functions as unsalaried political analyst and ace chef, made an astute observation: "That woman Sarah Huckabee seems to be perpetually outraged about something."Stew's right. Sarah seems to wake up outraged before she slides into outright disgust as the day wears on.Worse still, the rest …
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The 'winner' of the sex scandal sweepstakes
For the past eighteen months, going back to the final heat of the presidential election, Americans have nearly drowned in a tsunami of sleaze, with perpetrators and victims trading accusations, alibis, explanations, revelations, legal maneuvers and lurid details.Perhaps the only moment of clarity came yesterday when comedian Louis C.K., actually admitted that the accusations against …
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Blessings from Chairman Trump
If you want to keep your job,just keep reciting your blessingsAmong the flood of bizarre moments to come out of the Trump White House, yesterday's photo of the first full cabinet meeting, and the story behind it, really stand out. The subject of the meeting, which could have been "Hosanna to the Chief!", began with …
Recent discoveries in cat feeding
Does our cat suffer from "whisker fatigue"?Is that more interesting than politics? With America as troubled as she is, riven by political intrigue and class warfare, and my brain's capacity for bad news almost at the limit, my attention has turned lately to more recondite items in the daily newscycle.For example, did you catch the June …
The United States just pulled out of the Paris climate change agreement. So what?
Trump's decision is cynical and stupid, but this environmentalist just can't get worked up about it. Last night it rained at the ranch, furiously, but only for an hour. It was hardly enough to officially end the dry season but comforting to hear that the clouds haven't forgotten their function is not just to decorate the sky. The rain came …
Continue reading The United States just pulled out of the Paris climate change agreement. So what?
Memories of press censorship
"The first thing dictators do is put an end to the freedom of the press, they establish censorship, there's no doubt that freedom of the press is the first enemy of a dictatorship." *The author of this admonition was none other than Cuban dictator Fidel Castro, shortly after taking power in Cuba in 1959. And …
U.S. manufacturing revival? Dream on
In Herr Trump's piñata of hollow slogans, hyperboles and plain lies, the one about "buying American and hiring American"—with its implicit promise to resuscitate a manufacturing sector that withered away decades ago—stands out as one of his most appealing and appalling promises. Exhibit A sits on the shelf next to the TV in our living …
El Rancho Santa Clara 