This date... 47 yrs ago today... the details of what happened at Kent State and how we reacted to it for the next 10 days on the Univ of Wisconsin campus will forever be a part of who I am. This song is an anthem for those lost and for the conflict that raged in the country while politics in Washington were as corrupt as they may likely become again.
Thank you, Neil for writing "Ohio", and thank you Crosby, Stills and Nash for rushing into the studio and laying it down with him. May all those lost then forever rest in peace. This song is yours.
If you're one of those who finds editorials like these unproven, fake, made up, and/or simply lefty liberal nonsense then may God have mercy on your soul because you fall into a category of conservative supporters who will soon be hurt very badly. Unless you're a billionaire Trump could care less about you. As this current genre of presidential fiction continues to unfold we will gather even more reasons to question the mental stability of the man. Normal people simply don't pathologically lie like this. Regardless, no one with a personality disorder as severe as his belongs in the most powerful office on the planet.
Thank God... this 18-month political campaign nightmare is almost over! Seth Meyers distills it all perfectly with his last "Closer Look" segment before we head to the polls to exercise our patriotic duty tomorrow. Regardless of what you believe... VOTE! As they chanted in Chicago in the summer of 1968, "The Whole World is Watching"! VOTE! You have no right to complain if you don't.
I've come to believe that something similar to the warning above should be plastered over our television screens every time Donald Trump's name is mentioned. This slow motion train wreck of a presidential campaign is putting a stink on all of us that may take many communal showers to wash off. Only the late night comics seem to have the perspective needed to cut thru the crap and reduce the soup to its basic ingredients. This is another example of how it is done best.
John Oliver says what a lot of us are thinking about Trump these days; that Trump should have been taught the definition of the word "sacrifice" by the time he was 10 years old. A candidate seeking a key to the most powerful office on the planet should not have to be reminded that its meaning has nothing to do with personal wealth or success.
Pro Choice? Pro Life? Pro Punishment?! Really?!!! Trump talks about issues, "... in the vague way middle schoolers give book reports on books they haven't read." That really nailed it.
Trump, daily proving the wisdom of Venkatesh G. Rao, H. L. Mencken, Albert Einstein, and others when they said: “For every complex question, there is an answer that is simple, elegant and wrong.”
We don't punish women for having abortions, we don't build walls to stop immigration, we don't ban wide swaths of ethnic groups from traveling here because terrorists are unraveling societies elsewhere, and we don't encourage more guns in a society that's already awash with them because it will never stop a home grown lone wolf massacre. Who's buying this constant delivery of bovine scatology?!
I'm not. If we want an ass clown with a bad hairdo for president maybe someone should nominate this one:
Ever been conned into a high pressure sales pitch? Maybe it was for time share condos when you visited Disney World and they called just as you entered your hotel room. Or maybe it was that time when you were offered a free $50 gift card for a major department store if you just showed up to hear a quick talk about investing strategies. Has anyone ever come to your house with a pitch about the dangers of fire and how your family can be saved by smoke/fire/heat detectors? That one was scary. They're all scary... and worse than sitting in the showroom buying a new car.
The one thing these con jobs all have in common are the salesmen; like the guys selling ShamWows, Vegimatics, super knives at the state fair, or used cars. Yeah... you got the picture.
The video that follows was a live podcast taping on May 9, 2016. In a uniquely American way it illustrates why the American voting public needs to be as informed as possible before going to the polls in the upcoming presidential election, and why they should do some serious thinking about what the implications truly might be if they cast a misguided vote.
The divisive, reckless, ill conceived, and bombastically simplistic arguments being put forward by the presumptive narcissistic GOP misogynistic candidate are alarming to the intelligentsia of this country, to many members of the candidate's own political party, and world leaders around the globe. If elected, a Trump presidency would present nothing less than a clear and present danger to our economy, security, near, and long term future. Many people have already, and will yet, cast votes in frustration and protest - justifiably maybe at a dysfunctional federal government - but they have done so without first doing due diligence on the candidates or with any clear and informed thought of the implications their vote may have.
Be informed. Listen to all sides of the argument before casting your vote. Make up your own mind based on objective and researched facts - and not on 20-second sound bites, late night Twitter rants, or Nielson ratings.
Final Disclaimer: If you're offended by profanity, frank discussions of politics, or the concept of objective free speech, just leave now. But if you're open minded enough to put up with a little rough language there is a message here that shouldn't be missed. One other note; the comments feature for this posting has been turned off for no other reason than I'd like the video to stand on its own. If you do have comments, objections, or otherwise feel the need to vent on anything Jon said, feel free to send them to The Axe Files directly as they'll have much more impact there. Otherwise, simply sit back and...
I just looked at my stats tonight and noticed a large number of hits from Ukraine today. My thoughts and prayers go out to all of you caught up in things over there currently, and hope you can get the political turmoil sorted out one way or another soon before too many more lives are lost.
Be assured over there... all of you: the world is watching.
Today Hawaii and the entire United States lost a true American hero, Sen. Daniel K. Inoye. In ways that will go far beyond politics, the State of Hawai‘i, including the
military, airline, travel, agricultural, aviation, science and high technology industries all gained much
from the senator's tenure in office and his senior ranking on several of the most powerful committees in government.
The senator was a true American hero. He was a World War II veteran, a
soldier in the 442nd, "Go For Broke", Regimental Combat Team, the most decorated unit for its size and length of service, in the entire history of the U.S. Military. He lost his right arm in
combat near San Terenzo, Italy and earned the highest military honor the country awards, the Congressional Medal of Honor. He served in the Hawaii Territorial legislature after the war, and went on to represent Hawaii in Washington, D.C. when statehood came in 1959. He was the most senior member of the Senate and third in line to the US presidency.
I was fortunate enough to meet Senator Inouye on several occasions in connection with Hawaii Airports Division projects, including the siting and construction of the new FAA air traffic control tower at Kona, during a dedication for new ARFF vehicles at Kona, and at a briefing I prepared and delivered to him and his staff once during a Hawaii visit.
Sen. Inouye was often a man of few words, but when he spoke they all had meaning. When he listened he did so quietly and respectfully and you always knew he missed nothing. He however, will be missed by many. "Aloha" to you and RIP, Senator.
