Year: 2016

And I’ve decided that Hillary should be grateful that he is her opponent.

I want you to consider your own life. Think about the last twenty years of it. I want you to think about every single thing you’ve done that was positive. Now I want you to think about every mistake you’ve ever made.

Now imagine that there is a group of people who take every positive action and declare that it was wrongheaded and evil, try to prevent you from doing it, or try to undo it after you did it. And when it comes to your mistakes, they are blown up out of all proportion and linked together into a vast conspiracy that portrays you as power mad, money hungry, self-centered and cold.

With all that going on for nearly a quarter of a century:

How many people do you think would like you?

Not a lot.

Add to it that you’re a female. And if you think that doesn’t matter, then I want you to envision how far a three-time married, philandering, income tax dodging, racist serial liar would get in the campaign process if the person were female.

Continue Reading “I’ve been thinking about Trump” →

So now that the dust of the convention has settled, I’ve had a good deal of time to assess my behavior regarding the Romani and my conduct during the convention. I’ve read many of the links that were sent my way and really thought about what I witnessed two decades ago back in Bucharest. And I’ve been assessing my actions during the panel that lead to all this.

After all that, I have to conclude that I’m ashamed of myself.

Continue Reading “Final Thoughts on the Romani” →

Right here.

9:00–Citizen questioners. This is going to be a train wreck. And this debate is going to be entirely about sex. Man, we’ve come a long way from the Lincoln Douglas debate.

9:01–Of course, Hillary must be prepared for this. There is no question in my mind of that. There is no way that she’s going to be caught off guard. The thing is, how is she going to handle it. She must have SOMEthing prepared. God, I hate this…but at the same time, you can’t look away, like a jackknifed tractor trailer.

9:03–This will be a new low no matter what.

9:04–HOW IN THE HÊLL CAN YOU NOT HAVE COMMITTED TO A CANDIDATE AT THIS POINT?!? JESUS CHRIST!!

9:05–They did not shake hands. I’m not surprised.

9:06–I like that she immediately asked if the questioner that was a teacher.

9:07–I can’t believe I’m saying it, but..I really like her outfit.

9:08–And he goes immediately to attack talking points rather than answer the question. He’s off and running. At least she addressed what she was asked.

9:10–Locker room talk. Jesus. I’ve been in plenty of locker rooms and I’ve never heard anyone talk like that. Quick! Deflect the question! Yup…he is. Drag in ISIS which has nothing to do with the question.

9:11–Yeah, he’s never done those things. And I’m positive that right now woman he has attacked/molested are grabbing their phones.

9:13–God, he looks like Alec Baldwin.

9:14–At least he’s not interrupting her.

9:15–It’s not just words. No one believes that for a second.

9:16–He knows he has zero support from blacks and Hispanics which is why he keeps mentioning them. And boy, the journalists are not backing off.

9:17–Here we go. She knew he was going to say this. She must be prepared.

9:18–He’s fighting to keep his voice flat and monotone. Hillary needs to send him off the rails.

9:20–So so far she’s not responding to his charges against Clinton and her. Interesting choice.

9:21–NO, CLINTON’S CAMPAIGN DID NOT START THE WHOLE BIRTHER THING.

9:22–So it’s gone from “Secretary Clinton” to “Hillary.” Well, she called him Bill, so it could be argued that she opened the door for that. Signing on with the devil? Seriously? So now she’s Satan? Boxes of emails? What the hëll are boxes of emails? And now he says if he wins he’s going to prosecute her? Jesus Christ.

9:23–She needs to slap him down. She needs to slap him down as hard as she can.

9:24–Well, the Trump supporters must have loved the “you’d be in jail” line.

9:26–He’s shifting a lot. He can’t just stand and listen.

9:27–Why are they letting him just respond endlessly? He keeps using the word “liar” just trying to get it to stick.

9:27–Drinking game challenge warning: Do NOT drink every time he sniffs because you’ll suffer from alcohol poisoning.

9:29–He keeps trying to interrupt and they keep stopping him. Oh my God, one on three.

9:29–No, he is not a gentleman. That fools no one.

9:30–She’s handling the health care question quite well so far.

9:32–Great answer. Best so far.

9:32–The biggest expense? Bigger than the military? Can anyone check that?

9:33–Whoa, whoa. Is he nuts? Everything I’ve heard is that Canada’s medical care is the best. At least that’s what Canadians have said.

9:35–Dude, stop trying to dismiss Anderson Cooper out of hand. It’s not working and it’s just going to piss him off.

9:36–Cooper keeps trying to get him to answer questions and Trump keeps dodging or interrupting or complaining.

9:37–THAT’S A SHAME?!?! HE PROMOTES IT!!

9:38–What is he SNIFFING?!?

9:38–He’s completely off the rails. Why in the hëll is everything regarding Muslims related to terrorism?

9:40–Yes. Yes. She’s nailing this one.

9:42–Oh my God. Oh my freaking God, he’s screwing himself to the floor.

9:42–They don’t interrupt her and demand she answer the question because she IS answering the question. That’s why, you jáçkášš.

9:44–Why does he keep pacing? To upstage her?

9:48–Boy, that’s a loaded question.

9:49–Seems a reasonable explanation regarding what she said.

9:50–Kathleen may have to leave the room because her blood pressure is beginning to skyrocket.

9:52–Once again he tries to change the subject so that he doesn’t have to answer it.

9:52–Whoa whoa whoa. He pays hundreds of millions of dollars in taxes? I thought he boasted about how clever he was for NOT paying his taxes.

9:53–Okay, so…it’s Hillary Clinton’s fault that tax laws weren’t changed that he took advantage of? So his taking advantage of tax laws is HER fault? Is anyone else having trouble tracking that?

9:55–What’s the sniff count up to?

9:56–That MAYBE enabled him to avoid paying taxes. Remember, we still don’t know for sure.

9:58–So he finally flat out admits that he hasn’t paid taxes for 18 years. Outstanding.

9:58–I don’t give a šhìŧ about Hillary Clinton’s friends because THEY ARE NOT RUNNING FOR PRESIDENT.

10:00–And of course he interrupts again and again and again.

10:02–Anyone know if this is 90 minutes or two hours?

10:02–My God, he will NOT SHUT UP.

10:06–He thinks nukes are the answers to everything. Yes, we’re old and tired–of listening to him.

10:07–WHOA that was a big sniff.

10:08–Someone cut his microphone.

10:08–Oooo she’s hurling Pence at him.

10:09–Wait, they HAVEN’T SPOKEN? Since THE DEBATE?! Good Christ, and some people were snarking on Clinton because she didn’t speak to Kaine until the following DAY.

10:10–Yes, she assumed he couldn’t think of it; that’s why she was citing some.

10:11–Clinton is trying not to break up.

10:11–“I’m going to go to Secretary Clinton”…for some sanity.

10:12–Next debate I’m going to keep track of the number of times he interrupts her.

10:13–Definitely, arm the Kurds. Give them whey.

10:14–For the record, no, she didn’t go over. Two minutes.

10:16–He’s running over.

10:17–I feel like she’s doing a better job connecting with the questioners in the place.

10:17–Also next time I’m actually going to time every single response to see who is going over.

10:19–But they ARE deplorables. That’s the problem. They really are. I mean, I’m sorry that they feel upset because she said that what they are makes them deplorable, but it really does.

10:20–Fast correction: She said “some” of them were irredeemable.

10:21–No, that IS what he said. Sex tape.

10:21–Cooper keeps desperately trying to get him to answer a single dámņëd question.

10:27–No, he did NOT die recently, you idiot. It wasn’t recent at all. That’s the point.

10:27–Please, SOMEONE ask him how specifically Clinton has been attacking the 2nd Amendment.

10:28–And she flat out said she wasn’t against it. Not that his base will believe her, of course.

10:31–And then the Lollipop guild will come in to help.

10:31–By startling coincidence, he cites several of the swing states to praise.

10:32–So far this debate isn’t even close. Not only has she seemed far more presidential, but her answers were quite simply better, more detailed and more knowledgeable than his.

10:34–Ooooooo…

10:34–My God, what a BRILLIANT answer. That is the SINGLE best answer to a question I’ve heard tonight.

10:35–His response isn’t bad either.

10:37–Who would have thought this screw fest would end on a positive note.

I should have kept my big mouth shut.

I am attending the New York Comic Con and was on a panel about gays in comic books (characters, not creators, although half of the panel was in fact gay.) Everything was going fine. We all chatted about the subject for forty five minutes and then we threw it open to the audience for questions. And that’s where it went off the rails.

Continue Reading “Me and my big mouth” →

9:01–Welcome to the VP debate, being held at a university I’ve never heard of, being fought between two guys whose names I keep forgetting.

9:02–And I’m watching on ABC where they just reported that more than 40% of Americans can’t remember the VP candidates’ names, so apparently I have company.

9:04–And I have never heard of the moderator, so at least I’m being consistent.

9:05–Crap. I’m not sure which one is which.

9:06–Aaaaand he’s not answering the question. Why can’t they EVER ANSWER THE ÐÃMNÊÐ QUESTION?!

9:07–Just once I’d love to hear an opponent say, “He didn’t answer the question.” Ah, okay. Finally, he kind of responded. Sort of.

9:08–Didn’t need to launch an attack on Trump so early.

9:08–Aw, his grandfather immigrated here. And since we all know how much Trump loves immigrants, I’m sure he’d have been welcome by a Trump administration.

9:10–Believe me, if he gets elected, we’ll all be praying.

9:10–Why don’t people trust her? Because the GOP has been attacking her nonstop for a quarter of a century, that’s why. Pretty easy question.

9:11–Don’t bother attacking Trump. It’s not going to have any impact. His supporters adore him blindly.

9:12–Yes, the Middle East is spinning out of control, largely because of Bush’s actions that destabilized it. And the first interruptions go flying.

9:13–Seriously, dude? He’s accusing the Clinton campaign of insults, considering all the crap that Trump typically does.

9:15–Kaine seems to be getting the upper hand, listing Clinton’s positive accomplishments.

9:15–Oh thank God, she took charge.

9:16–So far this is insane. Two guys who keep interrupting each other, hurling talking points that we’ve already heard done to death.

9:17–But Obamacare IS a good start, you moron. Not that Trump has suggested any kind of improvement. He just says he’ll get rid of it immediately and substitute “something great” without any specifics.

9:19–“Do you want a you’re hired or you’re fired President.” Yeah, he just came up with that quip off the top of his head.

9:20–I wish Pence would stop shaking his head. He looks like a dámņëd bobblehead.

9:21–No, Trump never actually promised to release his income taxes.

9:21–Crap, Pence pointed out what I just pointed out. Not sure how to feel about. And yes, it IS all working. Economy is up and there are more jobs.

9:22–Yes, he can roll out the numbers, because the numbers are relevant.

9:22–She’s keeping on him. I’m starting to like her. She’s acting like a reporter.

9:23–He’s continuing to avoid answering the question. Which really answers the question.

9:24–Oooo, Kaine is driving it home.

9:25–Yes, thank you, moderator, telling them to stop talking over each other.

9:27–I love it. Pence is trying to dodge his voting record and things that were in a book.

9:31–Marc Yturralde on his Facebook page says that Pence looks like a constipated Race Bannon. My God, he’s right. That should become a meme.

9:32–Wow, they actually agree on something. Ooop, no, now Pence is screwing up the moment of agreement and using it to attack Clinton. Seriously?

9:34–So much for her asking them not to interrupt each other.

9:35–Ah, so Pence has one black friend. How nice.

9:36–Boy, Pence is not only not answering her questions, he’s ignoring her repeated attempts to get him to respond.

9:37–Yes, Trump said all this, and his supporters still adore him. Which implies that they agree with him, which is even more frightening.

9:38–What in hëll do those policies have to do with jobs? Oh, horrors, immigrants are coming into the United States and taking jobs Americans don’t want. And the problem with that is…?

9:39–Wait, the things that Kaine said were all quotes from Trump, you moron! And yes, half of his supporters ARE deplorable! I thought that was obvious!

9:41–No, Trump never apologizes. Another aspect of his campaign that the deplorables adore about him.

9:42–It’s not nonsense! They’ve said it!

9:45–Immigrants are criminals? Really? How about this: “5. Illegal immigrants bring crime.

Nationally, since 1994, the violent crime rate has declined 34% and the property crime rate has fallen 26%, even as the number of undocumented immigrants has doubled. According to the conservative Americas Majority Foundation, crime rates during the period 1999–2006 were lowest in states with the highest immigration growth rates. During that period the total crime rate fell 14% in the 19 top immigration states, compared to only 7% in the other 31. Truth is, foreign-born people in America — whether they are naturalized citizens, permanent residents, or undocumented — are incarcerated at a much lower rate than native-born Americans, according to the National Institute of Corrections.

You can find more at this website: Check it.

9:47–Why the hëll does Kaine KEEP SHAKING HIS HEAD whenever Trump is quoted?!?

9:48–“See if you can defend any of it.” Yes, let’s hear it.

9:49–America is less safe? Really?

9:49–Really. See, I seem to recall that Isis rose up because Bush destabilized the region by killing Saddam Hussein. Meanwhile the GOP demanded that our troops be brought home. But Pence condemns Hillary Clinton for NOT keeping troops there.

9:51–It seems to me that the moderator is targeting Pence more than Kaine. Which I’m fine with, honestly. I think he has the bigger problems to be defended. Or maybe she’s just pìššëd that he keeps not answering her questions.

9:53–Seriously? He’s trying to keep Syrians out because of things that happened in other countries by a handful of áššhølëš?

9:54–Pence keeps trying to defend the notion of bias by someone based on their country.

9:55–Boy, Kaine’s eyebrows are weird. It looks like they were drawn on by a drunk Bugs Bunny.

9:56–“Asymmetrical enemies?” What the hëll are those? Have we only have symmetrical enemies until now?

9:57–I wish she’d reach over and slap him. She should have an airhorn that she could blast at them when they keep interrupting her.

9:58–Wait, hold on. Pence is criticizing Putin? Trump’s best pal? Holy Hëll, I’m astounded. I wonder if he’s gonna be called on that.

10:00–If Hillary Clinton attacked Putin in this way, Trump would launch another Twitter war.

10:01–There we go. Took him thirty seconds to bring up Trump’s endorsing of Putin. And Pence apparently said Putin was a better leader than Obama.

10:02–And she points out that Kaine is likewise not responding.

10:03–Stop bringing up the taxes; the point’s been made. Trump doesn’t pay taxes and says he’s smart not to do so; we get it.

10:04–If one of them answers a question I may have a heart attack.

10:05–No, it was not a low shot at all. Every sane person is terrified that Trump might start a nuclear war. Military experts say he’s not authorized to have his finger on the nuclear weapons. It’s a perfectly reasonable concern to voice.

10:07–I feel like there is 45 minutes of material that we’re now seeing repeated.

10:08–Trump has never praised Putin. Except yes, he has. Like here.

10:10–Enough with the tax returns!

10:11–Seriously? The running mate of the guy who kisses Putin’s ášš is trying to attack Clinton on Russia?

10:13–So now he’s trying to roll back Trump’s praising Putin.

10:14–Ah yes, the Clinton Foundation, which gets four star rated for its charitable efforts, as opposed to the Trump Foundation which is being attacked by the New York Attorney General.

10:19–PENCE KEEPS SHAKING HIS HEAD AND KAINE KEEPS GOING BACK TO THE TAX RETURNS. I’M STARTING TO GET SICK OF BOTH OF THEM.

10:20–Yeah, we never got back to North Korea.

10:21–And Elaine has to ask her question again. Jesus.

10:23–Oy. Faith. This is going to end well.

10:26–Please don’t turn this into a pro/anti-choice debate.

10:26–Can gay people adopt?

10:27–God dámņņìŧ. Pence takes a softball question about faith and turns it into an attack on Clinton about abortion. What a freaking áššhølë.

10:28–STOP SHAKING YOUR HEAD! TRUMP SAID THAT! HE SAID WOMEN SHOULD BE PUNISHED!

10:29–Wait, weren’t women sending Pence menstrual pads because of his attitudes? Or am I misremembering?

10:31–Yes. He is. Right here.

10:31–Wow, I’m fact checking.

10:33–Considering Trump’s entire campaign is about divisiveness, I’m really interested in his answer.

10:34–And he’s not answering it.

10:35–It’s over. Thank God.

God knows why.

PAD

So Glenn Hauman, the administrator of this website, called and asked if I was interested in being a part of a new movement, Trek Against Trump. Apparently an assortment of Trek-related individuals were signing onto a letter that urged voters to turn away from Donald Trump and vote for Clinton. Was I interested in signing on as a supporter. I said, “Sure.” What could be the harm?

Boy, did word get out. Every major (and a lot of minor) media outlets covered it. And a goodly number of high-profile individuals lent their name to the undertaking, including J.J. Abrams, Wil Wheaton, George Takei, Chris Pine and something like seventy others. You can read more about it here

There are well over a thousand comments in the reply section and many of them are exactly what you would expect from Trump supporters. Condemnations of Hollywood-type daring to voice an opinion, declarations that they were going to stop supporting Trek, and–my personal favorite–the shouts of “How dare you bring politics into Star Trek.” Right, because Star Trek never reflected politics. Except for “Omega Glory” which featured the Constitution. And “Patterns of Force” with Nazis. Or “Private Little War” which was a Vietnam metaphor. Or “Bread and Circuses” which features a government at odds with worshipers of the Sun (except no, it’s “the Son,” i.e., Jesus. So politics AND religion.) Or “The Way to Eden” with hippies seeking to leave civilization behind. Or “Conscience of the King” which was a metaphor about hunting Nazis. Or the entirety of “Star Trek VI” which was inspired by the end of the Cold War and the USSR’s collapse. And that’s not even getting into the pre-Vietnam/post Vietnam mindset that governed the way the ships operated in Original Trek vs. Next Gen: the former aggressively interfering despite the Prime Directive because the Enterprise was America and we knew best; the latter hewing tightly to the Prime Directive, hesitant and insanely reluctant to mix in because we didn’t have the right.

So yes, Star Trek is about politics and always has been, and this latest movement by dozens of its most ardent supporters and workers is consistent with that philosophy.

Vote for Clinton.

PAD