Happy Hump Day

Here's Engelbert with his 2021 remake of his 1988 classic "One World."

Though I have no idea what Enge's politics are, I do know from listening to him talk that he believes in love and peace. I believe in those things too.

Speaking at LBJ Library, Pres. Biden issues announcement on Supreme Court reform

Glenn Kirschner on Pres. Biden's proposed SCOTUS reforms

We Are Not Going Back!

Vice President Kamala Harris

Come Saturday Morning

It's been quite a week! Take a breether, relax, regroup and recharge body and mind for whatever next week may have in store.

DA Bragg Urges NY Judge to REJECT Trump's Attempt to Toss his 34 Convict...

Words Have Consequences

Violence, killing, war - these are not matters to be spoken of lightly. Yet Trump and his MAGA cult members routinely speak of some people needing to be killed and of the need for a civil war to protect their values (perverted as those are) and what they perceive as their liberties and way of life.

And yet, words have consequences. Beyond January Sixth and its ongoing ramifications, Trump's violent rhetoric has the predictable result of inciting terrorism. Yesterday an unnamed man was arrested and held in Las Begas after a months-long spree of harassing and threatening the lives of judges, D.A.s and others in the justice system nationwide who have been involved in legal cases, civil and criminal, against Trump.

The fellon that MAGA proclaimed to be their presidential nominee does not just have a decades-long record of criminal and dangerous behavior behind him, he represents a clear and present danger to our nation in the here and now. For all his painfully obvious mental deterioration, he knows all too well what he is doing when he calls for real, physical violence.

In April, Trump lost an appeal seeking to suspend a series of law suits that seek to hold him liable for January Sixth. Curiously, these suits attract little if any attention from the corporate media, though presumably they are ongoing. Incitement to violence is also a crime. I am no clairvoyant, yet it is not difficult for me to see more indictments, stemming from the actions of his cult members like the one in Las Vegas, in Trumps not so distant future.

Links
Rolling Stone: Trump Allies Sure Are Talking A Lot About Civil War (Opens in a new browser window)
Talking Feds [YouTube channel]: Pro-Trump LUNATIC Arrested for Threatening Judges (opens in a new browser window)

Those people…The shape they’re in, all the expenses, maybe those kinds of people should just die.

Fred C. Trump III with then Pres. Donald Trump in the Oval Office, 2018

Just when you think you've heard the worst about Donald Trump, something worse comes up.

In a forthcoming book by his nephew, Fred C. Trump III, the former president and wannabe dictator is quoted as telling Fred that he should let his disabled son die and then move down to Florida.

Now maybe I'm biased, seeing that I myself am disabled, but I take exception to that attitude. It reminds me of something a doctor - a doctor mind you - told my recently widowed mother when I was lying comatose in his hospital and not expected to recover: "Throw her in a custodial care facility till she dies of pneumonia. You're young. You can have other children."

Trump's attitude does not surprise me. We've seen glimpses of it before. Remember his 2015 mockery of reporter Serge Kovaleski, who suffered from a congenital joint condition? If I had known nothing else about Trump, that act of cruelty and disrespect alone would have caused me not to vote for him.

Kovaleski was a stranger and a grown man. Here he's suggesting that his own flesh and blood, a teenager, be "allowed to die" since, after all, he has multiple disabilities, including mental defacits. In other words, he's not a person at all.

In 2024, if that were the only thing I knew about Donald Trump, it would cause me not to vote for him.

Links
Time: My Uncle Donald Trump Told Me Disabled Americans Like My Son ‘Should Just Die’ (opens in a new browser window)
The Guardian: Trump told nephew to let his disabled son die, then move to Florida, book says (opens in a new browser window)
The Guardian: Trump nephew reveals Uncle Donald’s racist outburst in new book (opens in a new browser window)

President Biden's address to the Nation, July 24 2024

Country unites behind Harris as MAGA panics

The Prosecutor Versus The Criminal

Hump Day

It's Hump Day, so here's the Hump himself.
Mano a mano, hand in hand, we've got the power to turn this darkness into light!

Police violence claims another life

The American system of policing is fundamentally flawed. Hardly a week goes by without a report of some cop, somewhere, shooting dead a citizen, usually a person of color, frequently a teenaged black boy.

The latest incident is particularly shocking since the victim, a black woman named Sonya Massey, called the police for assistance because she believed there was an intruder in her home. On the officer’s body cam video, he can be heard verbally abusing Sonya and then threatening to kill her before fatally shooting her in the head.

His own words and action demonstrate that this man should never have been in any job dealing with the public, certainly not one as demanding of intelligence, quick wits, patience and empathy as that of a law enforcement officer.

As one man quoted in the Guardian report points out, for years the Defense Department has been sending surplus armaments to city and town police departments. Our civilian police do not need tanks. They need the ability to cope calmly, rationally and with a touch of sympathy with distraught people who call for their help.

Links
Biden calls for justice after footage released of police killing Black woman (opens in a new browser windo)
Kamala Harris joins calls for police reforms after Sonya Massey killing (opens in a new browser windo)

Trump’s Kryptonite

We have to" earn his sacrifice" Rick Wilson says, and he's absolutely right. How many of us would, or could, have done what Pres. Biden did? Up to now the 2024 election has been centered on a negative - keeping Trump from returning to the presidency. Now, it is centered on a positive - electing Pres. Biden's chosen successor and thereby honoring his heroic patriotism.

If Kamala Harris Is The Dem Nominee For President, It Will Be The Prosec...

It's a brand new morning

I've come to peace, more or less, with our new reality. After all, it was Pres. Biden's decision and sacrifice to make. He has graciously and fully endorsed V.P. Harris, who is moving with all deliberate speed to make the requisite arrangements and to unify the Party, together with all others of good will who wish to purge the body politic of the cancer that is Trump and his MAGA cult.

Is she my ideal candidate? No. Can she win with what one might call a coalilition of the democracy minded? Yes! She has charisma and style. She is intelligent and devoted to our country and our Constitution. She is a former D.A. and a former senator, after all. She has a heavy load to lift but, with the help of us all, she shall shift it and lift it and fling it far into the depths.

I am still reeling from the events of yesterday afternoon. Perhaps you are as well. That's okay. It's all right to grieve and to feel disappointment and anger. But rather than letting these emotions overcome us, tempting us to give up, we must carry on, must turn our disappointment and anger and sorrow into renewed determination to defeat Trump. The mission hasn't changed, only the one being sent. Together, Mrs. Harris and all of us will see that mission through to the end, and start a new, bright chapter for America.

President pushed out by Dem. leadership in bogus crisis

In a move as notable for its hubris and bigotry as for its sheer shortsighted stupidity, key members of the Democratic Party have forced U.S. Pres. Joe Biden to step down as the party's presumptive presidential nominee in favor of his Vice President, Kamala Harris.

The big cable news companies ignited an artificial bruhaha after the June 27 presidential debate, where Mr. Biden experienced a major stuttering episode brought on by a combination of exhaustion and anxiety/frustration. Although the president came through the episode and continued the debate, and although what he said throughout was logical, sensible and true while Donald Trump lied continually, the corporate media manufactured a crisis over Mr. Biden's supposed mentaal decline. This in the face of years' worth of evidence that Mr. Biden is intelligent, thoughtful, mentally well organized and extremely competent while Mr. Trump's mental illness and cognitive decline have been blindingly evident for years and have, in fact, been growing more severe practically by the week.

From the start, Democratic Party "leaders" jumped on the so-called crisis, calling into question the President's fitness to serve as the Democrats' challenger to Trump. Were it not for these self-serving hacks, the made up nonstory would have died a quick and quiet death, since the people themselves, who voted overwhelmingly for Mr. Biden in the primaries, have been with him all the way; indeed, contrary to the lie promulgated by corporate news, support for the President has only been growing since the debate and the recent "MAGA (formerly Republican) nominating convention.

But, not to be deterred by the will of the people, these same selfserving Democrats succeeded on Sunday in pressuring Mr. Biden, who has recently suffered a second bout of Covid, into stepping aside in favor of Harris.

The ageism and contempt for a person who has largely overcome a stutter, to say nothing of the blatent disrespect for a man of principle, moral rectatude, deep knowledge of U.S. and World politics and frankly breathtaking mental accuity sickens this writer. It is also incredible that those who claim to want to defeat Trump have now cacheered the one and only candidate with a proven track record of defeating Trump. It may still be possible to pull off a blue tsunami that effectively buries MAGA without a trace. I certainly hope so! But it would have been a whole lot easier with Biden as the nominee.

It's Saturday!

- Stock Photo

It's Saturday! Kick back, relax with a tall glass of ice cold lemonade and forget about your cares for a while.

FED UP Professor Lichtman DROPS THE HAMMER on Trump and SPINELESS…

Project 2025

Check out Rolling Stone's Guide to Project 2025 [click].

Lilies

First, Supreme Court Makes Trump a King. Now, Biden to Propose Fixing a ...

Hostas Chez Catreona

The hostas are doing remarkably well this year. Sis took this photo earlier this week.

How Do I Stop Loving You?

It Was a Good Time

Sometimes A Day Goes By

I've always loved this song, from a fantastic Pop album by Placcido Domingo. But since losing Mom, I find it really reminds me of her. It's so true.

The Impossible Dream

Another Broadway score Mom and I loved was "The Man of La Mancha". Here's the incomparable Richard Kiley.

Wind beneath My Wings

Carmel Quin did two or three concerts at my alma mater, The College of our Lady of the Elms in Chicopee, Mass. while I was a student there. Mom and I attended and enjoyed them. At one of the shows, Carmel sang "The Wind beneath My Wings." Funnily enough, though I was familiar with the song, it had never done a whole lot for me. Hearing Carmel sing it, though, brought the meaning home to me. I remember squeezing Mom's hand during the song, and her seeming perplexed at my doing so. But it said everything I was never able to say to her.

Can't seem to find Carmel Quin on YouTube, so here's Bette Midler.

Cecelia

Mom was a fan of Simon and Garfunkel, and "Cecelia" was a particular favorite.

Mack and Mabel & I wont Send Roses

When we lived in England in the mid 1980s, Mom and I both enjoyed listening to "Saturday Morning with David Jacobs" on BBC Radio 2. One of David's things was the score from an obscure Jerry Herman show called _Mack and Mabel_. He loved that score and especially a sort of anti-love song called "I Won't Send Roses" sung by Robert Preston. He played that song, and played it... It wouldn't surprise me to find that David Jacobs singlehandedly made that score a bestselling record in Gritain. We bought it, and well nigh wore out the cassette before upgrading to CD a few years later.

Something else Mom and I shared was being enchanted with Torvill and Dean. When YouTube came along, we both spent happy hours watching their videos. So, what could be better than Torvill and Dean meat "Mack and Mabel"?

Up, Up and Away

With one Mom and I always loved to turn up loud and sing along with, here's The 5th Dimension.

You And Me Against The World

Today marks three years my mother has been gone. Throughout the day I'll be posting songs that she liked and/or that remind me of her. We begin with Helen Reddy and "You and Me against the World".

My papa was lost at sea in December, 1968. Mom married my dad in June, 1971. So, there was a period when it was just the two of us. This song reminds me of that period and, despite hard times, all the fun we had.

Lawrence O'Donnell: Biden speaks to NATO and AFL-CIO after Trump read a teleprompt...

Though this video is a few days old, it is well worth watching in its entirety.

Judge Cannon DISMISSES Trump's Classified Documents Case; This May Ultim...

Disturbing GOP Ads Surface after Trump Rally Shooting

#NoMAGA #StopMAGA
Be warned, friends, the campaign ads shown in this video are violent. That's what MAGA is all about, after all, violence...violence and lies. One ad depicts Democrats as Klansmen.

We need to recognize and continually point out that this is not normal political rhetoric, but rather an appeal to voters' bassest instincts, to their lowest nature. By doing so, of course, they demean the very voter's they're trying to win over by saying to them, "You can only understand an action movie or a video game. You can't be expected to understand policy. Vote for me, Heep Big Action Hero, and I'll take care of the mean old bad guys for you.

Any way you slice it, they're despicable. Vote Blue

That Sunday That Summer

Here's Natalie Cole with a lovely way to start off your Sunday.

New Music Order Game

As you may or may not know, one of my avocation is writing quizzes for FunTrivia. Here's my latest, in the match format. If you're a Donny Osmond fan, give it a whirl.

Ordering Donny Osmond

Green Economics May Aid Union renascence

Breakthrough union contract for electric school bus workers promises better lives and cleaner air - Click

🚨 Bombshell exposé ROCKS 2024 election

Something Cool

Here are a couple options for quenching your thirst this warm July Saturday:

Classic Strawberry Daiquiri [Click]
Nonalcoholic Strawberry Daiquiri [Click]
Banana Daiquiri (with or without alcohol) [Click]

And for your listening pleasure:
June Christy: "Something Cool" - YouTube [Click]

State Supreme Court hands UNEXPECTED loss to Republicans

A Summer Song

It's time to take a break. Sit back, sip some lemonade and let Engelbert calm your mind with his Summer Song.

New York Times Editorial Board: "Donald Trump Is Unfit To Lead"

President Biden TORCHES Trump in HISTORIC PRESSER

Post debate panic? What post debate panic would that be?

As usual, the American man in the street shows a lot more commonsense than the media. A new report from a consortium of major universities finds, unsurprisingly to anyone who has a brain and uses it on a regular basis, that the June 27 debate caused exactly zero panicked rush to dump Pres. Biden amongst ordinary folks.

Democrats who are calling for Biden’s removal are playing into a crisis that the media created. There is no statistical support for the idea that voters have left Biden or that there is an urgent need for Democrats to replace their nominee. The Biden debate crisis appears to be a media construct that panicked Democratic elites have played into. President Biden is doing a better job than Donald Trump of holding on to his supporters.

Report Finds Biden Debate Crisis Is A Bogus Media Creation - Click

Thinking about things and a supergirl fantasy

It seems Don Jr. has just as many bats in the belfry as Dear Old Dad. He’s concerned about Marco Rubio as Trump’s running mate. According to Don Jr., once the ticket is elected nefarious forces (he might have named them, I don’t remember) will force Trump into the background and shine the spotlight on Rubio. Uhuh. Well, I guess it’s nice to see filial concern. :P

Actually, I had forgotten about the news item until this morning, when it surfaced. Up to now, I hadn’t given any thought to Trump’s VP pick, but remembering the article got me thinking. You know who the perfect choice would be? Marjorie Taylor Green. Follow me here. My reasoning is that, once the MAGA ticket is thoroughly trounced, her political career will be over. Remember Sarah Palen? After her half a term as governor, she sank without a trace; and, that was a run of the mill presidential campaign. With Trump and Co. plowed under, presumably everybody concerned will be, shall we say, toast.

And, can you imagine the VP debate? Harris would chop Green into mincemeat and Green wouldn’t even know what hit her. Thinking about that gives me a great deal of pleasure. I’d love to see Green put in her place. Even more, I’d love to see her have to go crawling back to Georgia 14 in disgrace – ignorant, bullying piece of filth that she is.

Biden admin. applies Supreme Court ruling to RFK Jr. anti-vax propaganda

Link
Joe Biden Moves Against RFK Jr. After Supreme Court Win

Trump's Lawyers Plan to STOP Judge Chutkan's Jan. 6 Evidentiary Hearings...

BREAKING: Trump to get SHUT DOWN in DC courtroom

'I am not going anywhere': Defiant Biden's message to Dem critics in MSN...

Trump Gets OUTCLASSED in Another STUNNING LOSS

Revolutionary process holds promise for recycling polyester

Link
A Polyester-Dissolving Process Could Make Modern Clothing Recyclable

The Way to Beat Donald Trump (with Rick Wilson) | The Michael Steele Pod...

FED UP Judge Luttig RIPS the Supreme Court’s ABOMINATION

Asiatic Lilies chez Catreona

Sis took this photo Friday.

Things ain't what they used to be

I’ve spent (wasted?) the afternoon tinkering with the blog layout. In its infinite wisdom Blogger has changed the creator interface since The Arty Blog was created in the Dark Ages. So, I have a lot less control over exactly how the thing looks than I’d prefer – which is aggravating. But then, most everything seems to be aggravating nowadays.

I mean, it is the world, right? It’s not that I’m getting old and cranky! 8)

"I wouldn't if I didn't think I did."

In a televised interview last night, Pres. Biden rejected claims of mental incompetence and calls for him to leave the presidential race that have grown and spread like kudzu since his poor showing in the June Twenty-seventh CNN debate with former president Trump. In a spirited exchange with ABC's George Stephanopoulos, the president discussed recent campaign events and gave a glimpse into his daily workload. Needless to say, Mr. Biden was sharp and in control of facts. He also aserted (rightly in this blogger's view) that he is the candidate who can and shall beat Trump in November.

I have been disgusted and infuriated by the rush, even by some I had long admired, to create an issue where none existed- there have been bad debate performannces before! - and foment panic. Perhaps the President's forceful presentation last night will put such dangerous nonsense to rest once and for all, so we can get on with the business of keeping Trump from being re-elected.

US Economy: Jobs numbers not great but still okay

Here's NBC Nwews' summary of today's US jobs report:

The Labor Department's June jobs report showed employers added 206,000 roles last month, down from 218,000 in May.

Unemployment ticked up to 4.1%, inching above 4% for the first time since November 2021 while remaining historically low.

The labor market has defied long-running forecasts of a sharper pullback in hiring, though conditions are steadily tightening.

It's been a long, long time!

After some eight years, I'm back. A lot has happened since I was last here:

We’ve lived through the disaster of the Trump presidency, the Covid 19 pandemic and the 2020 election. A week after Biden was officially declared the winner, my mother had a stroke. She lingered until the evening of July 17, 2021. Since she’s been gone Dad, Sis and I have been desolate. One goes on, of course, but everything seems pretty blank. In the immortal words of Paul Simon:

I have my books and my poetry to protect me
I am shielded in my armor

In other words, I read a great deal not, I suppose, that that’s really anything new. Also I’ve been spending a lot of time watching videos concerning Trump, his legal travails and mental health issues cum cognitive decline. That at least has the advantage of keeping my mind off my own troubles.

My first link of the new era for _The Arty Blog_ concerns humans helping their fello creatures:

Over 100 Dolphins Saved from Historic Mass Stranding in Cape Cod