Sunk in Helsinki by the Donado

Hell, he eclipsed himself this time, fawning
over Putin during their "Summit" (--height
of futility's folly, no?) on July 16th. So far
few of us have heard anything beyond
speculation re: their two hours spent alone
except for two translators. This sort of intimate
private talk worked well for Reagan and
Gorbachev back in 1987, but then, those two
were much smarter than the current duo, much
more interested in Glasnost.

The "clarification"/correction vis a vis "would/
wouldn't" is laughable--gallows humor  only,
that is.  I can see it now: Kelly Kelly, Pompeo
and a few other trusted sycophants gathered
in the Oval Office, poring over the by now
infamous sentence broadcast 'round the world...

"Hmmn, lemme see, oh! Will you look at THAT,
Mr. President--just change would to wouldn't,
issue a clarification, and voila! storm over!"

But no, squalls still erupt as millions of us keep
laughing and shaking our heads about the
effrontery/stupidity of yet another mindless
attempt at creaming over what the world has
known for two and a half years--the Donald
is irrational, narcissistic, heedless and ignorant,
not to be depended upon, unless you count his
determination to fulfill his campaign promises...
the Donado continues to blow dangerously,
fomenting/threatening wars, further
destabilizing an already fractious planet.

PBS as Tone Deaf as Ordinary Retail American Media

Tonight on WTTW (PBS Chicago) Judy
Woodruff described Jane Ferguson as
"intrepid" after showing the viewers
Jane broadcasting from the field in
war torn Yemen. She had a headscarf
(not covering her hair) at the ready,
but what about her tight little black
leather or leather-like cropped jacket
and faded, tight enough jeans? This
is an Arab country where most if not
all women wear black head to toe
clothing. Reporter Jane should have
done her homework and brought
appropriate clothing to "the field"
especially since she had to be
smuggled in, according to Ms.
Woodruff.

I don't see humane/humanitarian
journalism here, only a spoiled
blond white girl eager for glory
able to dine out on the strength of
her adventures. Western  "I gotta
be me" behavior always, anytime and
everywhere is wildly inappropriate in
the Middle East, especially in nations
of a theocratic Sharia/Sunni turn of
mind.

PBS has not been head and shoulders
above ABC, CBS, NBC, etc. for some
time now...can its tone deaf approach
be more expertly tuned?

Obviously Oblivious, That's the Donald, Funny too

Please see today's Bloomberg Opinion piece,
Trump's Ineptitude No Joke, July 2nd, 2018.
It is a real eye-opener, a jewel of observation
amid uninspired "me too" reams of reportage.
Bloomberg doesn't let his wealth and
Republican Party membership stand in the
way of accuracy and acute observation; his
magazine is excellent, refulgent with the
details required to more fully understand
a complicated issue--these days, there are
many.

USFARTA is the unfortunate acronym of
a White House bill which is currently being
floated, to many detractors' delight and
comedians everywhere. The "ineptitude
no joke" piece from today goes on to
remind us a lot of the Prez's favorite
notions are "entertained" but never
quite become policy, as well as other
astute points.

You may enjoy this article about our
obviously oblivious White House
temporary tenant-- i sure did.

The Border Crossing Children Will be Family Safe--for a Mere Three Weeks More

Unless the USA's Republicans in the House  of
Representatives further pressure the Donald to
add to his recent executive order, effecting a
permanent policy change housing illegals with
their children. All the huzzahs, hooplas and hurrays
are all about a little break in this cruel treatment
of young children.

I still say some fault accrues to these adults
running for our border. We are not heaven on
Earth here, crime, gang, murder and prejudice
free here, despite the "exceptionalist" label our
pols and presidents apply to our land. We do not
have the funds and the jobs for the immigrant
hopefuls (millions?) who think America is Paradise
...which it is not.

Are we wealthy? Yes, but also heavily in debt,
dimming some of the financial luster many see
without delving into the details.

Do we now enjoy full employment?
Yes, statistically, 'til you recall the many who
stop looking for work are not included in these
selfsame stats coming out of the Census Bureau,
the Labor Dep't., et al., ALL of which are part
of the Executive Branch--so I don't particularly
trust the numbers' veracity put out by our current
government (--or any government).

All of these human rights problems basically
stem from two phenomenons: overpopulation
and far too many now not fixing their own
countries' ills.

But wait! A third thing that must never be
forgotten--The United States manufactures
more guns, airplanes, automatic weapons
than anywhere else, and we sell them
EVERYwhere else. We COULD assist the
Central Americans in their anti-violence
struggles by not selling a single weapon
to these incompetent, immoral dictatorships,
but...
$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$

The U.S. Media, Their Obsession with the Unimportant, and Other Sins

Well, we gotta have 'em, love 'em or
loathe 'em: but some of us DEMAND
our so-called journalists do their damn
jobs, just as we insist the pols DO
THEIRS.

I oh so rarely agree with the Donald
about anything, but he was spot on
in his defense of wife Melania, who
wasn't seen in public for three weeks.
In indecent speculation, reporters were
howling how hadn't Ms. M had  plastic
surgery, and alluded to other less than
desirable motivations/actions...Stay in
your lane, media maniacs!

In the interest of accuracy of info going
out to the public, I have often dialed up TV
stations (even PBS!) to object to errors
of all sorts and provided corrections.
This phenomenon is intolerable, as I possess
fewer educational credentials than these
anchors--they should be more
accurate THAN ME.

Pursuing a president's wife or other celebrity,
harping on their clothing, public appearances,
health, etc. is highly unseemly AND robs
time from coverage of more matters
of import, matters directly affecting most
people's lives, like war, corruption,
eliminating programs helping the poor,
elderly and disabled, to say nothing of
easing middle class tax burdens.

But then less-researched drama may boost
ratings and provide lazy reporters the
'relaxation" they all SO desperately need.
(I am not criticizing Lester Holt and the
other serious hard news beat journalists
who often serve in harms' way.)

Say, lazy bones, are you up to emulating
the higher level of reportage evinced by
Walter Cronkite, Edw. R. Murrow and
like-minded others?

It's doubtful--habit and a nice salary plus
some prestige will militate against such
improvements...

So obsession with the unimportant will
roll on, along with cruel unsupported digs
at people in a vulnerable state.

We Remember Roseanne-- Why Didn't ABC?

Roseanne Barr may be a funny comedienne,
but she has always been prejudiced and
racist. Wasn't it Ms. Barr who pulled her
eyelids into slants some years back,
hatefully mimicking garbled Oriental speech?
How did ABC fail to recall that flap, as well
as many more by her and others,?

 --TSK,  TSK, ABC, you did not do the
requisite due diligence one might expect.
Ms. Barr has had several of these embarrassingly
inhumane outbursts, but TV execs, harking back
to the past, looked to her old hit series and hoped
lightning  might just strike one more time. ($$$!)

Now Roseanne has been fired again;
perhaps she can get a job at a restaurant,
life imitating art, just as she did years
ago on the show.

The Animal Welfare League: Time for Critics to Roll Up Their Sleeves, Open Their Wallets and Help

But instead, they mindlessly copy the candlelight
vigil practice/demonstrations generally employed
when innocent people, especially children, are
killed. I have been to this very caring and humane
shelter in Chicago Ridge, IL, many times over the
past ten years and found nothing amiss--seen cages
filled with dogs, cats, small mammals. The front and
adoption areas are always clean, the vets and support
staff pleasant and kind...

Ahem: it DOES PAY to be kind to the shelter's staff too,
recognizing and understanding they DO have problems.
From the ASPCA to the various states' SPCAs, the
Chicago Humane Society, et al., all are almost
overrun with animals dropped off, too often by
owners who did zero research, not realizing that
cute little puppy would grow to almost human
size. Sometimes it is a tragedy or simple necessity
which brings the pet to a shelter, yes, but more often,
too many heedless Americans are to blame.

Back to the whistleblowers of Chicago Ridge:
Just who are you, exactly? Do you really care
about animals or are you merely angling for
more press coverage? Have you sent AWL
$25.00 every month as I'm doing, even on my
laughable $1,000 SSA monthly check, rent $600?
I suspect not. Are you all volunteering? I'm 72
and not well, wish I COULD volunteer.

It is easy to criticize. Here's my message to all
those naysayers who claim they want to reform
The Animal Welfare League, not close it:
Open up your hearts, your wallets,
VOLUNTEER.

P.S.: Perhaps more inquiry will reveal a more
heartfelt, sincere motivation re: the AWL
protesters/vigil holders. I'm willing to
listen. Best Wishes to all involved.