2017: 2016 Redux

I’ve had a sinus infection for a full week.  Obviously, the illness has kept me indoors the entire time, save for a trip to my physician who gave me the antibiotics I need to knock it out of my system.  This also precluded our annual Christmas Day dinner out at a local Asian buffet or some similar variation. In short, the holidays were ruined between my health and the extreme cold sub-freezing temperatures here on the east coast.

Brrrr!    Brrrr and humbug!

Despite all this, I take computer keyboard in hand to note the state of life on the last day of the year.  I researched my blog entry from a year ago when I generally dumped on 2016 as the worst year ever (GTFOoH 2016).  At that time, I looked ahead to 2017 and I didn’t like what I saw coming.  Now looking back, I can safely state that the events of 2017 did not disappoint me: it was all as horrible as I imagined it…and then some.

It was the worst year for my health in 10 years.  Heart trouble in June, prostate surgery in August, and now the lingering arthritis has limited my ability to do even the most menial of tasks since September.  I was scheduled to have a cortisone shot in my hip a few days ago, which promised to alleviate my arthritis problem.  Alas, the medications for my sinus infection would have adverse complications for my injection…so now the injection has been postponed for the next available appointment on 1/29/18.

Damn me! I can’t even get sick without messing something else up! 

Warrior Queen, who has been watching my struggle the last few months and subsequently listening to my rather loud at times groans of pain, was not happy to hear this news.  As our dear late friend Janey might say, Warrior Queen is not smiling.

Oh, enough about me.  Let’s look at the world.  Ugh!  On second thought….

Our reputation in the international community has taken an enormous hit thanks in part to the selfish “America First” attitude adopted by the current regime.  Our long-time adversaries are now making credible inroads in foreign relations and the global economics, while we sit on the side and watch.  We used to be the ones on top, we were the respected nation that other countries could count on to do the right thing.  Alas, not now at the end of 2017.

Despite this feeling of despair, we should note a sliver of hope on the horizon.  Mid-term Congressional elections happen in 2018 and historically the party in the White House loses control of the legislature in the mid-term elections.  Progressives have already seen the tide turning in Virginia and Alabama.  Also, there seems to be a renewed push among those under-represented in Congress (read: females) to step forward and run for seats in the traditionally patriarchal dominated culture.   

Welcome ladies!  I hope your revolt will change the inside the Beltway mentality which has kept us all back for far too long.

There is also the more direct threat of change from the Mueller investigation.  So far it has borne some fruit and promises more to come.  El Presidente’s administration is giving every sign of looking guilty of something despicable in the 2016 elections.  Sad to say our country may have to endure another painful round of impeachment proceedings before it is over.

So be it!  We survived that once, twice and we will survive again. 

So long 2017!  Time to retire with your evil twin 2016.  And please, 2018, please be kind to us…

(Thank you for reading and Happy New Year to all!)

Happy Christmas, Everyone!

I promised something a bit more in keeping with the merry vibe of the holiday season in yesterday’s entry.  I hope this entry will not turn out to be as cranky as yesterday.

In recent years, we have been confronted, whether we wanted to or not, with the choice of saying “Merry Christmas” or “Happy Holidays”.  The Fox News pearl clutchers have insisted that they have been under siege because they were afraid of not being perceived as PC if they said the traditional “Merry Christmas”.  The cultural conflict which ensued was a figment of their xenophobic imaginations and the ratings-hungry producers at Fox News.  

Saying “Merry Christmas” never went out of fashion, Mr. President.  What we as Christians need to work on is the arrogant (read un-Christlike) attitude that our holiday and traditions are more important than other cultures.  This is the argument Christians should have embraced, rather than take offense.

Well, so much for a kinder, gentler, non-cranky blog post entry.

I myself have opted to compromise with the greeting “Happy Christmas”.  This compromise will either please or piss off everyone on both sides of the cultural war debate.   I am content with either outcome.

So, I will wish all merry holidays (see what I did there) by posting a video of my favorite holiday song.  I have to hear it at least once a day during the season else I feel like I’ve missed out on a wonderful experience.   There are a number of video versions on the web, but I found one with at least some shots of young children singing along as they do on the recording.  

So Happy Christmas from me, John, Yoko and the Harlem Community Choir:

Thank you for reading.  (Still, bah humbug to you, Mr. President!)

Dispatch #993

It is the holiday season, and, for the second year in a row, I haven’t been in the holiday mood to bake chocolate chip cookies as a Christmas gift.  I should also note that the President elevated to the Oval Office earlier this year is still in power.  Does anyone see a direct relationship between my lack of holiday spirit and the current occupant in the White House?

Spoiler alert: yes, this is a direct cause and effect relationship between my mood and (shudder) him!

This weekend, the Dictator with Small Hands has signed his only legislative achievement of his first year in office: the long-sought dream of Paul Ryan-since-he-attended-keggers-in-college income tax reform. And of course, he’s gloating about it!

This mere fact is changing my mood.  I am no longer depressed. Now I am positively morose!

The week’s events in Washington was downright nauseating at times, culminated by the GOP pat ourselves on the back event at the White House to celebrate passage of the aforementioned tax plan.  The Republican congressional leadership took turns stroking El Presidente’s ego to the point that they were making him out to be bigger than Christ!  At one point, Vice President Mike Pence lauded the President: "With President Trump’s leadership, we will Make America Great Again."

This has given me the idea for a new holiday song: “Michael, The Brown Nosed Vice President”.  So far, I’ve completed the first few lyrics:

Michael, the brown nosed Vee Pee

Had a very dirty nose.

And if you ever saw it.

You would even say, “Oh shit!”

I am open to suggestions for the other stanzas.   If we work together, we can make it the next big holiday favorite.

I know it’s gross and disgusting, but hey, it’s my name on the blog!  I will try to have something more uplifting for tomorrow.

Today let us liberals gripe, moan, and groan about the negative state of affairs inside the Beltway.  So, here’s the plan for the weekend:

Saturday: wallow not in self-pity at the condition of the progressive movement, but an honest mourning for the lose of the cultural gains attained in the last 8 years.

Sunday: eat, drink, and make merry as best we can in the best spirit of the season.

Monday: eat, drink, and make merry repeat.

Tuesday: recover from two days of eating and drinking.  Plan, plot, scheme for the coming new year.  The chances of Democrats retaking Congress next November are looking better every day.  The challenge will be to keep the momentum going until then.

In the meantime, we will see and experience the actual results of the tax plan.  Will it spur the economy as the GOP hopes?  Or are we in store for a world of economic hardship next year?   As the old proverb goes, “Hope for the best, expect the worst.”

(Thank you for reading.  President Trump's leadership?  Oh puke!)