Sooo?

So it seems we’ll now be treated to O.J. Simpson twitter babble. Include me out.  Any possible interest I might have in anything he has to say is non-existent. Father’s Day saw another tweet, this one from the deposed Cosby which began “Hey, hey, hey..it’s America’s Dad”, neglecting to add “tweeting from the can”. Same goes for him. Just go away.

Ted Allen, host of the Food Network’s “Chopped” is in the running for quote of the week: “ **** tolerance, I want respect”. Perhaps the elimination of that obscenity from his public utterances might garner him more respect. Sadly, the use of that once banned word has now become almost commonplace.

June 17^th is designated “Flag Day”. In recognition, The White House tweeted that previously seen picture of its occupant hugging the Stars and Stripes. The official U.S. Flag code stipulates “The flag should never be fastened, displayed, used, or stored in such a manner as to permit it to be easily torn, soiled, or damaged in any way....The flag should never be used for advertising purposes in any manner whatsoever". Add another poorly conceived tweet to the already generous collection. 

John Stewart’s elegant speech was made before an unforgivably scarce collection of Congressional members regarding health care funding for 911 responders. His follow up was a well-deserved lashing of a lifetime politician who’s lived off the taxpayers for years, Mitch McConnell. John tore into the Senate leader citing McConnell’s lack of compassion in securing the necessary funding for the heroic victims from that horrific day saying,  “I want to make it clear that this has never been dealt with compassionately by Senator McConnell”. 

Feature story headline in a N.Y. rag: “Teen Daughter Walked In On Kelly Ripa And Husband Having Sex”.  Who the hell cares.   

Sooner or later Donald Trump castigates his favorites. The latest case in point that of criticizing his favorite network, Fox. How dare them!!  Seems they released a poll displaying his trailing Biden and others in key states. Meantime, Trump reportedly fired some of his own pollsters who leaked results of his trailing. Certain utterings by former office holders follow them throught the years. His “You’re Fired” from the tv web to the Oval Office is not exactly the substantive words of a JFK or FDR. 

Our Freedom of Speech right is a wonderful thing. It displays not only the barest truths but the most outrageous claims. It often places radicals in the spotlight highlighting their blatant absurdity. Take for example a Connecticut judge now being able to impose penalties on InfoWars conspiracy theorist Alex Jones for airing a show where he’s seen punching a picture of an attorney representing Sandy Hook families and calling the lawyer a “pimp.”  His raging at Chris Mattei, the lawyer for those suing Jones for claiming the 2012 elementary school shootings never happened is typical of this loose cannon. Thankfully, our second Freedom, that of Speech, helps expose the foolhardy as well as spotlight the profound.    

Here’s yet another example of some dufus holding a national office and spewing nonsense. Ronna McDonald is the chairwoman for the Republican National Committee and is obviously more concerned as to how the press has treated Donald Trump during his European trip than focusing on the real meaning of “D Day”. This bozo even suggested that Trump should be the main focus of the 75^th anniversary commemoration. Apparently she has little regard for thousands of Normandy crosses that mark all those who make it possible for us to live the lives we do. She, in her haste to promote the Oval Office holder, fails to recognize all those who gave so much to insure our freedoms. Miz McDaniel is a vapid party promoter who neglects honoring the heroes who fought and fell on “D Day”. She’s a national disgrace.   

Hold on, here’s another case of thoughtless, tasteless behavior. Laura Ingraham used the background of Normandy military crosses while she and another Fox News hired hand were seen laughing throughout the segment. Wonder if she ever considered that those fallen heroes provided the opportunity to pursue that trifling tv career of hers. Then again, the vapid, self-aggrandizing seldom display gratitude

Not as a background but midst the crosses of the fallen it seems the Insulter in Charge diverted from an earlier and positive “D Day” message. He returned to slamming special counsel Robert Muellar calling him “a fool” and labeling House Speaker Nancy Pelosi as “a disaster”. Fill in your own comment here. Words fail me.

For anyone musing that Trump doesn’t get his comeuppance, consider that before leaving England he was subjected to an interview by the redoubtable Piers Morgan whose media presence remains a mystery.

This time out, a pair of “quotes of the week”:  Alec Baldwin, “I’m so done playing Trump on SNL”. Pete Rose: on getting in the Baseball Hall Of fame: “I’m over it”.  

Often when going to the doctor’s office, you’re asked to don a mask if you might have a contagious condition. I recall the last time I experienced such,  I neglected to remove said mask, walked into my bank and caused quite a ruckus.

Yeah?

Here I go failing once again not to begin another of these dispatches with a Trump item. Just couldn’t avoid this one: An official Twitter account for Donald Trump’s reelection campaign “The “Official Trump War Room” account angrily declared “fake news” that Trump had called Meghan Markle “nasty”. Then they followed by posting a video clip of him calling her “nasty’. Talk about a comedy of errors.

A driver’s so called alibi for swerving her school bus, “My stomach was just hurting so bad that a wheel fell off the thing, the curb,” Linda Godejohn said. “That’s all it was, and going 45 mph, it’s going to whip back.” What?? She would fail the sobriety test, apparently, “miserably” according to the police. Godejohn, 55, went on to say a doughnut she had eaten at the school had caused her distress. She told the station that she has not had a drink “in years.”  Her answer as to why she failed the sobriety test, “it was just plain challenging and not easy to pass”. According to this yarn, both abstinence and logic had taken a vacation.

No matter what political camp is yours, points have to be given to protesting and creative Brits in expressing their feelings about Donald Trump during his current state visit to London.  The previously giant inflatable of his nibs we’ve previously seen has now been joined by a 16 foot robotic statue named the Trump Dump, featuring a gigantic Donald atop a golden toilet, using a smartphone, while emitting farting noises and the catchphrase “no collusion.”

Highly respected NBC chief foreign correspondent Richard Engel reported that there was something deeply disturbing about the chief executive claiming he saw thousands of people who were cheering him. Engel said “there were thousands of people in the streets. They were protesting Trump, not celebrating his arrival”. 

By the way, Queen Elizabeth has met with 12 U.S. Presidents during her reign.  Wonder what her rankings would be.

So?

Reflections of the fabled Japan foray:  Endorsement of the North Korean dictator’s comment and agreement with the assessment of Joe Biden as “a person of low I.Q” by the Oval Office occupier, who made us all have to wonder after the chief exec stated “Kim Hong Un called him ‘a low IQ idiot’ and many other things, whereas I related the quote of Chairman Kim’s a much softer ‘low IQ individual’. Who could possibly be upset with that”? Further, his displayed lack of concern with Un’s recent firing of missiles, plus during his remaining hours in Tokyo, Trump, who had chosen to spend Memorial Day out of the country, wished both American AND Japanese service members “A happy Memorial Day”. Totally Unbelievable!

Referencing the above, the Biden camp came up with the quote of the week: “To be on foreign soil, on Memorial Day, and to side repeatedly with a murderous dictator against a fellow American and former Vice President speaks for itself. And it’s part of a pattern of embracing autocrats at the expense of our institutions — whether taking Putin’s word at face value in Helsinki or exchanging ‘love letters’ with Kim Jong Un.

Direct from the “You gotta be kidding department”: U.S. Navy service members could be in trouble for wearing pro-Trump “Make Aircrew Great Again” patches on their uniforms during the president’s visit to the USS Wasp in Japan. The patches feature a depiction of Trump’s face plus the 2016 takeoff slogan which has appeared on various money making articles of wear. Navy officials say they are now reviewing whether the patches violated Defense Department regulations that don’t allow partisan political acts while in uniform.  They might also want to learn who paid for the “adornments” and if any possible payments  found their way into Trump coffers.

NY papers have continuing ample negative feature article material when reporting on WFAN sports talk host Mike Francesa. Seems the griping guru’s latest on air complaints are centered on the station’s program director and calling his employer cheap. He also appears to have a problem with the amount of leave time his producer has regarding the birth of his child. If he’s ever to lose his Big Apple gig his continuing name calling and grousing certainly can more than qualify Francesa to become a member of the current administration. 

Seasoned mountain climbers designate any part of Mt. Everest above 26.000 feet as “the death zone”, an area that has claimed some eleven during this latest scaling session. The pictures of the huge line awaiting reaching the top is reminiscent of a crowd buying tickets to a rock concert. Veteran pro climbers point toward the lack of experience of both commercial operators and climbers as chief factors in this current dreadful situation. We land locked folk always ask why would anyone want to risk their lives to climb Everest or any mountain. The standard answer is “because it’s there”. Of course, so is the peril that’s been available to more than 300 who were issued an excessive crop of permits during this two week climbing season. An element that needs to be introduced into this tragic situation is a heaping dose of common sense. 

How many noted that this past Wednesday, May 29^th, was the birthday of President John F. Kennedy?  For many of us, his name recalls a better, more positive, productive time highlighted by a national pride and optimism that fails to exist today. 

Former First Lady Michelle Obama was on hand to help celebrate Sesame Street’s 50^th this week at its Anniversary Benefit Gala in New York City. Obama’s experience with Sesame Street extends from her childhood, that of her daughters and her many appearances on the show. She said, “There’s nothing in the world that so beautifully marries boundless aspiration with simple goodness, nothing that strips away the daily madness and distraction, nothing that is so pure and hopeful—and absolutely essential to our future." Heartiest congrats to Big Bird and all for maintaining a unique and wonderful Sesame Street. May that “address” be available to all for many more wise, timely and learning exploits. 

If you’re on Facbook, check out the pictures from this month’s very successful and well done R.I. Radio and TV Hall Of Fame banquet and induction.  Look for my bride with Walter Cryan.