Year: 2018

You know, when I first embarked on “Freak Out Friday,” I thought it would be around for far shorter a time than it has been. I personally gave Trump six months, tops. How could I have foreseen that the GOP would be so desperate to hang onto power that they would flush away virtually every policy that they ever claimed to govern by and made everything subservient to Trump and his idiot minions. What’s truly impressive is that for almost every schmuck that Trump put into place when he first began, he has managed to blow through them and replace them with someone indisputably worse. I’m positive that sooner or later he’s going to decide to end the Russian investigation and get rid of Robert Mueller. When (not if) he does, the Republicans are then going to be in a really interesting situation, because a number of highly placed ones have flat out stated that if Trump does that, it’s “the beginning of the end” of his presidency. Of course when I heard that, my reaction was the same as yours: The BEGINNING of the end? Trump has already told so many lies, screwed up so many times, the subject of so many law suits, that if he’d been a Democrat the GOP would have launched impeachment proceedings months ago.

1). Dear John: I have to admit, I am a huge fan of John Bolton. I was first introduced to his work when he did a lovely and unappreciated comic book series called “Marada,” written by Chris Claremont. Readers largely ignored it because it wasn’t X-Men, but I really liked it.

Now it might be that John would be able to do a worthy job of National Security Advisor if Trump had chosen him, but no. He selected John R. Bolton, the dìçk that George W. Bush selected to be our ambassador to the United Nations back in 2005. You remember the United Nations: that would be the organization that Bolton claimed, if it vanished tomorrow, that would make no difference to the world. Bolton is a half-assed warhawk who believes an unprovoked first strike nuclear assault on North Korea, which would establish the US as a rogue state and would likely trigger World War III, is a perfectly okay idea. He’s also anxious to get rid of the Iran nuclear deal, which most experts say is an extraordinarily bad thing to do. And now this guy is going to be counseling the other guy who has his fingers on the nuclear football. We are in a truly horrific situation, and I’m thinking the only way to stop it is to pray that within a few months, Bolton is shown the door just as so many of his predecessors have done. But I fear that won’t be the case.

2). Oh, sure. That’s the reason.After panicking his staff with his threat to veto the spending bill, he finally signed off on it ostensibly because it did so much for the military. Astoundingly–no, wait, wrong word. Typically–that’s better–he blamed the complete lack of support for the DACA dreamers squarely on the party that was actively advocating for helping them, the Democrats. The Dems eventually wound up being blamed for “abandoning” the Dreamers by not making legislation supporting them part of the spending bill, which is certainly true enough. But it ignores the fact that the only reason for the Dreamers being screwed was because Trump did away with the Obama-era declarations that helped them, and the Republicans are the ones who have studiously avoided discussing or supporting the fates of the 800,000 immigrants that Trump hung out to dry. It’s just remarkable that the Democrats manage to find new ways to be blamed for the horrific, unfeeling actions of Trump and the GOP.

3). Don’t worry, everything is safe. I mention this even though Trump had nothing to do with it because, actually he had everything to do with it. Michael Avenatti, the lawyer for Stormy Daniels’ suit against Trump, posted on Twitter a photo of what looked like a CD in a safe, saying “If ‘a picture is worth a thousand words,’ how many words is this worth???” The obvious insinuation is that the CD has proof of Daniels’ claims to have had an affair with Trump. It still remains utterly amazing–no, wait, typical again–that the GOP impeached Clinton for getting a bløw jøb but continues to let Trump, who had an extended affair with God knows how many women, keep sitting in the Oval Office.

Did he do anything right? Well, yes, though I hate to admit it. Calling Putin and congratulating him despite his staff explicitly saying he shouldn’t, was the correct move. At the end of the day, he’s the dámņëd POTUS, and that sometimes involves calling up bášŧárd dictators on the phone and congratulating them on rigging yet another vote. Yes, we know the Russians also helped rig ours. Yes, we know that Trump did collude with them, if for no other reason than he keeps saying “There was no collusion” with the same vehemence that Nixon said he was not a thief, and Clinton said he didn’t have sex with that woman. He’s fooling exactly one person, and that person is himself. The rest of us know how this thing is likely going to end, with Trump trudging off on a helicopter as President Mike Pence waves good-bye and then pardons him.

Jesus, there really is no good end to this, is there.

PAD

Here is the simple truth that we can all admit. The Texas bomber was a young white Christian kid. So he’s a bomber.

But if he had had dark skin and been Muslim, he would have been a terrorist. Because let’s face it: that’s what he is. Sending bombs in packages and terrorizing a community. He is a terrorist in every sense of the word, but won’t be recorded as one because only Muslims can be terrorists. And not all the fences or Muslim travel bans in the world would have affected him.

PAD

It’s been a relatively quiet week, which is almost a blessing. Nevertheless, there are some things to be addressed.

1). Weathering the Storm. As Stormy Daniels offers to return the $130,000 she was given so she doesn’t have to worry about the gag ordered she signed and Trump skipped, it’s interesting to note that Trump hasn’t said a dámņëd thing about her on Twitter. This makes Daniels unique. Trump actively denied the accusations by previous women, claiming on Twitter that they were lying and also berating them for their claims and even their physicality. But he’s said nothing about Stormy Daniels. I think we can all come to a mutual conclusion about Trump: When he speaks, either aloud or on line, he is lying. And when he says nothing, that is verification that whatever people are saying about him is accurate.

2). We don’t have a trade deficit, eh?. Trump has repeatedly stated that we have a trade deficit with Canada. No, we don’t. We run at an overall surplus with Canada. Here’s the truly amazing thing: It turned out that not only did Trump not know that, but he confessed to not knowing at a GOP fundraiser. He stated that he contradicted Justin Trudeau by claiming that the US did have a trade deficit when Trudeau said we didn’t, but subsequently admitted, “I had no idea.” It is a measure of Trump’s arrogance that he felt the need to contradict another country’s leader even though he had no clue as to what he was saying.

3). Bum bum bum. Another one bites the dust. Bum bum bum. Another one bites the dust. Someone should start a tourniquet concession in the White House because they are hemorrhaging staff. This week another two went. The first was the firing of Trump’s personal assistant, John McEntee, because of online gambling and questionable finances. The second was the firing of Rex Tillerson, the secretary of state.

Now as I recall, when Tillerson was first given the position, there was not a lot of enthusiasm about it. He was considered supremely unqualified. However he wound up accruing a following some months ago when he was quoted as saying in private that Trump was an f—ing moron. Even I was struck by his candor; he must have known that whoever was in the room when he said it would undoubtedly quote him. In this instance, though, the timing of his firing cannot be ignored. A single day after he stated flat out what England was already saying–that the Russians had arranged the assassinations of a spy and his daughter–that was when Trump got rid of him. A coincidence? I very much doubt it.

4). Another contradiction in terms. But never forget, Trump claims there is no collusion, just the way that the Republicans in the House Intelligence Committee (a contradiction in terms that is right up there with Military Intelligence). While the Democrats assert that there is still plenty of witnesses to be grilled and investigations to be made, the GOP claimed there was no evidence to prove that the Russians interfered with the election for the purpose of putting Trump in office.

How they could come up with such an assertion is an exercise in insanity. Of COURSE the Russians interfered. We know about their tweeting robots and their stunts on Facebook. Does anyone believe for a moment that they interfered in order to benefit Hillary Clinton, who Putin hates? Did Trump, who publicly called for the Russians to hack Clinton’s email, know about these plans? It’s still debatable…except not to the GOP who after a year of half-assed research decided they had found the definite truth. Trump naturally broadcast his declaration of innocence on Twitter with a demented, all caps tweet claiming that the year-long investigation had turned up nothing. Curiously, Hillary Clinton has been investigated for something like the last twenty five years and has never been charged with anything. Yet Trump never once hesitated to refer to her as “Crooked Hillary” and encourage chants of “Lock her up!”

I strongly suggest that everyone invade his Twitter feed and just keep shouting #LOCKHIMUP at him.

PAD

Black athletes have adopted the crossed-arms “Wakanda Forever” salute when they win at something. Serena Williams did it, and indeed athletes have been doing it since the film came out. There’s an article here about it.

I can’t wait for the first time a Mets player does it after hitting a home run.

I guess my only question is: if a white player does it, will he immediately be accused of cultural appropriation? Taking a salute done by a fictional character created by two white Jews?

PAD

So let’s start off with the most recent bit of news, which could wind up being a good thing or become a complete and total disaster.

1). What could possibly go wrong?. In a move that is quite literally historically unprecedented, North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un has offered to meet with Trump and even stand down their nuclear program. Although this has the potential to finally simmer down the previously escalating war of words between the two leaders, it could also send things off in an insane new direction. It has not yet been revealed where the meeting will take place, but if it happens in North Korea, Kim Jong-un would have the president of the United States exactly where he wants him. It doesn’t matter how much secret service protection he has; if a squad of armed soldiers surrounds him, the subsequent gun battle will not end well for the US. Trump could be taken prisoner or killed outright, and suddenly we’re in World War III.

Just as intimidating is the thought of the two of them face to face. This would be one of those instances where we would be praying for Trump’s usual psychology to kick in wherein he hates conflict and does his best to get along with whoever he’s speaking to. Because the absolute last thing we need is for him to offend Kim and suddenly the two countries start lobbing nuclear weapons at each other. We can hope that won’t happen because it’s clear that Kim is seeing all the damage that Trump is doing to US world wide relations and is hoping to use that opportunity to prove that he’s a better leader than Trump.

2). Oh yeah, that’ll take care of the problem.. Despite his big talk about cutting back on guns and raising the age to own them, it is obvious that Trump has knuckled under to the NRA and will do absolutely nothing to make any changes at all. But in order to pretend that he is, he is turning around and blaming violent video games for causing violent bášŧárdš to pump bullets into helpless students. Despite the fact that the most recent shooter proudly sported a red Trump “Make America Great” baseball cap, Trump is convinced that video games are translating into real world crimes. A summit was held at the White House to discuss this. Curiously–no, wait, wrong word. Unsurprisingly, the summit featured exactly zero psychologists or scientists in attendance to address the underpinning of the meeting’s existence. This is likely because they would have said exactly what we already know: there is zero evidence to indicate that there is any causal link between playing video games and committing violent acts. Just as decades ago there was zero evidence that comic books inspired kids to become juvenile delinquents. This is a non-issue that Trump and his crew are transforming into a big deal to distract from all the other crap that’s going on. Crap such as…

3). A pørņ star. Seriously. If I had come up with an idea for a novel about a president being sued by a pørņ star, it would be rejected as being way too out there as a concept. But now we’re finding out that not only is that happening, it’s happening because Trump never bothered to get around to signing the contract with her. THIS is a master businessman? It’s bad enough that he never pays people for the jobs that they do, but now he’s not even signing agreements with people that he’s making deals with in the first place. Let us keep in mind that Congress relentlessly went after Bill Clinton’s sex life for years, but they are standing behind someone who was banging a pørņ star while his wife was pregnant with their son. We’re reaching the point where telling someone you are a Republican is becoming embarrassing because of the party’s non-stop hypocrisy.

4). Down the Hatch. Have you ever heard of the Hatch Act? I had not. Then again, I’m not someone who has to worry about it. Enacted in 1939, it stipulates that save for the President and Vice-President, employees of the Executive branch in engaging in political activity…such as, say, endorsing people in elections. It is a law that Kellyanne Conway cheerfully ignored and so was in violation of it. Now you may ask, what sort of penalty will she have to pay? The answer is: nothing. All that will happen is that the information is being passed on to the president who will then take whatever steps he deems worthy to punish her. Which of course means that Trump will do absolutely nothing. While it’s possible that Conway might watch her mouth in the future, I wouldn’t bet on it all that much.

5). And another one bites the dust.. Trump’s brand spanking new tariff war has already claimed its first victim: Chief economic advisor Gary Cohn. How much greater damage this dumb-ášš move by Trump will accomplish is yet to be seen as other countries are swearing they will likewise implement tariffs on American goods. What kind of a world are we living in where the entire concept of peace is hinging on Kim Jong-un rather than the American president who absolutely thrives on pìššìņg people off and continues to insist that everything is fine in a White House that is rapidly falling apart? Trump insists that it’s no big deal because people come and go from the White House all the time. That’s true, but this is the sixth resignation of a high-profile member of his administration in the last year alone? That’s not normal; that’s insane.

6). California Dreaming. Jeff Sessions is actually launching a suit against California because it has set itself up as a sanctuary state for illegal immigrants. That makes sense since San Diego is bordered with Mexico. Sessions is claiming that California’s laws make it impossible for Federal agents to do their job. Governor Jerry Brown has basically challenged Sessions to bring it on, and California Senate President Kevin de Leon flat out stated, “Bottom line: California will NOT help President Trump, Jeff Sessions or Thomas Homan rip children from the arms of their mothers and fathers. Here in CA, we embrace our historic diversity, and we will do everything in our legal power to protect it.” Now of course we know Trump doesn’t worry about offending states that he will never in a million years carry in an election, but this is a new level of low, to sue politicians who just want to govern in their own way.

Sad.

PAD

As some other pros have already said, something is going on with Stan Lee. His personal assistant, Max Anderson, has been fired and is being kept away from having any contact with Stan, who recently was in poor health fighting a bout with pneumonia.

All of the reportage seems to be coming from Stan’s “camp,” although the identity of those in the camp is a bit debatable.

But I can speak about Max, that’s for dámņëd sure. Because I’ve been a friend of Stan’s for decades, and have had plenty of opportunities to watch Max with Stan at various conventions. And I can tell you right now that whatever bad things you may hear people saying about Max concerning Stan: Don’t believe it.

I’ve watched Max manage Stan at conventions for the last fourteen years. In addition to being a tireless supporter of Stan, including organizing and selling all manner of Stan Lee merchandise that has pumped tons of money into Stan’s pocket, I have watched Max treat Stan the way a good son treats his beloved father. Max doesn’t hesitate to put himself between Stan and overeager fans, creating a bubble of space so Stan doesn’t get crushed by well wishers. I’ve seen Max arrange at conventions for a comfortable couch/rest area to be set up so that Stan has somewhere to go in order to take a nap between panels and autograph fests.

Some years ago, at Dragon*Con, I presented the Julie award (name for Julie Schwartz) to Stan. Now there’s no stairway directly from the ground to the stage; you have to come around and use a side entrance. Disdaining that, Stan–who was in his eighties–vaulted from the floor up onto the stage. I saw a hilarious photograph of Stan leaping onto the stage while the people from his table ran up behind him to spot him in case he pitched backwards. Max was the first one out of his chair.

Max has cared for Stan, watched over his business and health concerns for over a decade. He does not deserve to be kept away from Stan, and he certainly doesn’t deserve to be savaged by fans for any reason. Max is a great guy.

PAD

All blessings to Glenn on today, his birthday, and my thanks for keeping this place up and running.

PAD