Tag: Donald Trump

Stranger than Fiction: again

Commentary, History, In the News, Poetry, politics, Sometimes re-runs, This and That, WORD PRESS, Writing and Blogging

This is one of my personal favorite assignments from writing class last year…in response to rules that the work be a limerick and contain certain other attributes of writing poetry.    I had great fun writing it—

THE DONALD’S MARCH TO INFAMY

There once was a boy named Donald
Who wanted to be rich, and grow up to be President
ha ha! said the people as he started to
stump
but he knew what he was doing and had all the cards he needed to
trump,
and win the game
opponents screamed like angry cat matrons
and picked on his hair and his noisy patrons
but Donald just said they should “lump it!”

“You haven’t a chance, you’re not one of us,” they wailed
“is that so?” said Donald as he placed a standing order for tea and crumpets
to serve to his fans to keep them from starving on the campaign trail
His crowd of the faithful grew and grew
’til they filled the land
so they bought him a very big trumpet.

© Sometimes, 2015

Nursery Rhyme commentary

Commentary, In the News, Poetry, politics, This and That, Writing and Blogging

 

Remember the Maiden All Forlorn?
Who kissed the cow with the crumpled horn?
Ever wonder what was her problem?

Was it the Man All Tattered and Torn?
Did our Maiden prefer the Cow
to the advances of the passerby?

The saddest dilemma the poor Maiden faced
was that to report the bad man was out of place
for a mere milkmaid with a pretty face.

Now she is old and has Maidens of her own,
and tries to forget the horrible Man with the
slobbering kiss—but he calls her a Crone

“Never happened,” says He, with a straight face,
“How could it….look at her!   There’s no way
she would have have had any appeal!”

Now the Maiden is famous throughout the land
and has forfeited her anonymity to critics
who scoff and sneer…just another statistic!

©Sometimes, 2016

the maiden all forlorn

http://www.comicbookreligion.com/?c=29941&maiden_all_forlorn

rats and sinking ships, reblogged

Commentary, History, In the News, politics, This and That

(This post was originally posted in 2016, almost to the exact date of today. In four years it seems that the subject is still pertinent, though the lesson seems to have fallen on deaf ears.)

Donald Trump finally succeeded
in shocking his fellows…
now he’s watching in dismay
while they scramble to jump ship.

It was OK when Mr T made nasty remarks
about Megan and Rosie and Miss Universe
that were just worthy of snickers…
his followship barely wrinkled.

The insane idea of using the nukes
as long as they are stacked up waiting
to annihilate or “educate”
various would-be belligerants.

A good idea to plan alternatives
for marching aliens back to their spaceships
peacefully and obediently…even citizens.
Build a wall…keep ’em out in the first place.

Women don’t know what’s good for them,
so The Don and his lackeys will teach them
that they have no say over their bodies or lives.
Population control through legislation.

Playing footsie with long-time enemies
is acceptable, if frowned-upon….  effective
as long as it insults and  slanders the President.
Were they not paying attention during the Cold War?

But now—the ultimate straw–the camel’s
nemesis!  At last something that loosens the
groveling and politically correct echoing
of the Party Line by even the most promising!

Dirty Words…bad expressions of filth and misogny
that bring snickers and good-old-boy “locker room”
banter from sycophants and hangers-on…
Bad Words uttered to impress and shock admirers.

Well, at least The Don didn’t try to blame Barack Obama,
the usual scapegoat for anything bad that ever happened…
as his role-model for dirty talk about women.

The rush to get off the threatening-to-sink ship
the politicians will fall all over each other trying
to escape.   Some of these chaps, it seems,
would support the Devil himself for political gain.

(©Sometimes, 2016/2020)

“Many Say”—the new “THEY”

Commentary, History, politics, This and That, Writing and Blogging

Well, one thing I’ll grudgingly give Donald Trump is that when he says “many say” he actually isn’t exaggerating===every word he says is diligently (and selectively) repeated on the television, in newspapers…on-line magazines, even Facebook.   Since he never takes credit (responsibility) for what he says  no matter how many times the video footage is repeated.

One wonders…[uh, as for the use of “One” in place of saying something more direct such as “I wonder”,  “the Generals wonder,” “Hillary Clinton wonders,”   or the  generic “some of us wonder”, “women wonder” …. the word “One” in the context of “all of us” or “we” conveys the message without specifics.]     Any way, One wonders if anyone hears what The Donald is really saying?

What ever happened to the laws against inciting public unrest…the old yelling “fire!” in a crowded room,  slander laws, legislation designed to identify and earmark threats to other people?     If I picked up my phone and called city hall and threatened the Mayor, there would be so many police cars in my driveway it would look like their parking lot.   There I would be….in the slammer….waiting to appear before a court on charges of making a telephone threat, maligning (or worse) a public official, insanity, and sedition.       (whee doggies…as Jeb Clampett used to say!)

 SEDITION

se·di·tion

[səˈdiSH(ə)n]

NOUN

  1. conduct or speech inciting people to rebel against the authority of a state or monarch.

    synonyms: rabble-rousing · incitement to rebel · subversion ·

    [more]

ORIGIN

late Middle English (in the sense ‘violent strife’): from Old French, or from Latin seditio(n-), from sed- ‘apart’ + itio(n-) ‘going’ (from the verb ire).

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WAIT! DO RUSSIANS REALLY OWN DONALD J. TRUMP? (Re-blogged from Jnana’s Red Barn.)

Commentary, History, Other Bloggers' Work (re-posted here), politics, This and That, Writing and Blogging

Very interesting speculation here. Thanks — Jnana!   for posting the link to Josh Marshall’s TPM (Talking Points Memo.) This information and revelations do indeed plug in to the overall Trump Mystery….it’s hard to believe he is just ignorant. WHY would the Russians be interested in “helping” The Donald? Hillary Clinton probably is, as you say, the last person Vladimir Putin might be stumping for in her bid for the presidency of the U.S. Do I believe in conspiracies? Of course…but as I like to say, just because I’m a conspiracy theorist doesn’t mean they aren’t out to get me. 🙂

Jnana's Red Barn

Apart from the furor over the WikiLeaks release of hacked Democratic National Committee emails is a much bigger, more troubling, question: Exactly why were the Russians doing covert electronic snooping against the American liberal party, anyway?

(Makes me wonder about the presumed security of U.S. State Department lines, by the way – the ones Hillary Clinton avoided at times, to the consternation of her partisan attackers.)

We might begin with the fact that Russian president Vladimir Putin hates Hillary Clinton, probably because of her toughness as Secretary of State in opposition to his aggression.

But now Josh Marshall of Talking Points Memo makes more serious connections as he looks at what he calls “the seeming bromance between Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin.”

Quite simply, as he notes, ” There is a lot of Russian money flowing into Trump’s coffers and he is conspicuously solicitous of Russian foreign policy priorities.”

View original post 392 more words

Hey…we love Pocahontas!

Commentary, History, politics, This and That

http://www.dailykos.com/stories/2016/5/26/1531355/-Donald-Trump-gets-called-out-for-his-offensive-Pocahontas-remark-against-Senator-Elizabeth-Warren

I realize that Mr. Trump is fully intending to insult Senator Elizabeth Warren…and by association all of the Native American Tribes in general.  Why not?  Why should they be exempt from the general bad-mouthing by the President Assumptive Trump.   (Just kidding…no derision of Native Americans intended. )

My first reaction was to wonder why “Pocahontas” would be taken as an insult and derogatory slur.   Pocahontas is and was one of most loved and respected…and most celebrated…of our female national hero(ines.)   Back in the day she defied her Father—a brave thing indeed for a Native Princess to do!

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pocahontas

The above wikipedia article is very good…covers all aspects of the case, and of course helps to both promote AND attack the legendary information.   Pocahontas was the wife of an English settler at Jamestown, John Rolfe.   Her father was the Algonquin Chief Powhatan.  The way the story goes: English Captain John Smith was about to be executed by beheading, when the lovely Pocahontas threw herself upon him in order that if a head rolled—it would be hers.    She later chose the English over her tribe…and became very famous.

Here’s a couple of clips from Google.   Yes, that’s her in the red cape and white hat…boy, I’ll bet she wished she was back in that buckskin!

Hmmm… of course there aren’t photos of the “real” Pocahontas because it was back in the 17th Century.  🙂      There are  movies, and books, including Little Golden Books around.   The drawing is a Disney cartoon; the portrait by an English artist long after her move to England.

Pocahontas_Disney.pngjohnsmith2a.jpg

 

 

 

The Donald–renamed and re-blogged

Commentary, Poetry, politics, This and That

HI… I originally wrote this ditty for a WordPress class last year.  It is re-blogged here because I think it is still very pertinent to current events.    With apologies to my readers that have read this bit before.

Who you calling imperfect?

There once was a boy named Donald

Who wanted to  be rich, and grow up to be President

ha ha! said the people as he started to

stump

but he knew what he was doing and had all the cards he needed to

trump,

and win the game

opponents screamed like angry cat matrons

and picked on his hair and his noisy patrons

but Donald just said they should “lump it!”

You haven’t a chance, you’re not one of us, they wailed

“is that so?” said Donald as he placed a standing order for tea and crumpets

to serve to his fans to keep them from starving on the campaign trail

His crowd of the faithful grew and grew

’til they filled the land

so they bought him a very big trumpet.

© Sometimes 2015, 2016

 

Slingin’ Smack

Commentary, Just For Fun, Poetry, Sometimes, This and That, Writing and Blogging

Donald Trump
is no horse’s rump
no matter what I say.

This is a man with
a Midas’ Touch, who
slays rival politicos
…like the old knights
slew dragons.

They could all learn a lesson
from The Donald…
the more wheels spin the
deeper they dig in the mud–or muck.
As the saying goes: you can’t Con a Con!

What are the other R’s thinking?
Instead of leaping on each other
like a pack of hyenas…
why not take the chance to
beat their own drums?

Bush-whacking Jeb  is
counter productive.
Who cares if Ted’s a Canuck?
fussing and calling other guys names
just doesn’t work.

Tell us what you’re going to do–
not what others didn’t do,
won’t do, can’t do…
and know what you are talking about–
or at least make something up.

Hype is hype–if you are a politician
no one believes you any way.
All you have to do is say
“I didn’t SAY that, and if I did…
the press got it wrong.”

©Sometimes,2016

Using Time Bonus

Just For Fun, Sometimes, This and That, Writing and Blogging

I never have had trouble killing time, as they say, although many times “found” time is a bonus for me.  This is because it is usually time spent in a waiting room somewhere, an airport, in-between classes…wherever there is nothing to do but sit.  Watching people is great fun, and that is one of the perks about waiting rooms, there are always people waiting too, or workers performing interesting tasks.

If the readership here was not made up almost exclusively of other Writers, I wouldn’t dream of revealing publically that I just spent two hours sitting alone in a waiting room, writing in a tiny notebook as fast as my fingers would scribble–about a fish tank.  A giant fish tank, really well appointed with lovely fish of all persuasions, and of all things amazing…the feature is a giant navy submarine, sunken in the center of the scene at the ocean floor, its side all burst out and a big part of it ripped from the hull.

The ill-fated vessel has no identification, such as a national flag, or other information, but…well I know a navy submarine when I see one, even if it is at the bottom of a fish tank.

Yes, I did write a poem about it, plus a rambling but astute dissertation about fish and fish tanks politics.  I will publish that soon.  There is a photo, too!

While hanging around my little notebook also recorded an observation about Donald Trump and the Great Saga of the Two Debates.     Oh, and some notes about the value of knowing languages other than one’s own…and my friend from Korea with whom I conversed for weeks with no mutual language.

I am very easily entertained.  🙂

 

 

 

Donald Trump is going… where?

Commentary, Poetry, This and That, Writing101

This rhyme was originally published on Sometimes in October 2015, and  I decided to re-post it again now with a new title.  The original title was:  Who You Calling Imperfect?   

That post was written in response to an assignment in the Writing 101-Poetry class, which is alo repeating at this time.

 

SOMETIMES

[Writing 201, Poetry.  DAY 4: Imperfect, Limerick, Enjambment–which is a technique they must have taught when I was skipping English class in high school.]

           Who you calling imperfect?

There once was a boy named Donald

Who wanted to  be rich, and grow up to be President

ha ha! said the people as he started to

stump

but he knew what he was doing and had all the cards he needed to

trump,

and win the game

opponents screamed like angry cat matrons

and picked on his hair and his noisy patrons

but Donald just said they should “lump it!”

You haven’t a chance, you’re not one of us, they wailed

“is that so?” said Donald as he placed a standing order for tea and crumpets

to serve to his fans to keep them from starving on the campaign trail

His crowd of the faithful grew and grew

’til they…

View original post 12 more words

Watch those spectators sitting behind debate stars (re-blogged)

Commentary, politics, This and That, Writing and Blogging

Some of the most interesting fans, or supporters, or spectators–whatever you call them–are the people sitting in the stands directly behind the speaker’s podium at televised speeches.

A case in point is the woman who ended up more or less trapped at a Donald Trump rally recently.  She happened to be black…which she said was perhaps not at all coincidental…and she was escorted to the VIP seating right behind the candidate.  http://www.dailykos.com/stories/2015/11/12/1449095/-It-s-hard-not-to-laugh-about-this-woman-reading-during-a-Trump-speech-but-her-reasoning-is-legit?detail=email

Her name is Johari Osayi Idusuyi, a community college student, has achieved a certain amount of fame or notoriety on the telly.  Apparently she was not seeking anything more than just getting a peek at the famous Trump, but when she and some friends were turned away from the first rows, which were empty at the time, they were told the area was reserved for only VIPs….which (if there is anyone who is not familiar with that term,) means “Very Important Persons.”

Ms. Idusuyi accepted when the VIP rule was lifted, and she and her friends were ushered to the middle of the row of seats, right behind The Donald.     How fortuitous was that!

Anyway, she sat and read a book throughout the speech, much to the dismay of “older” people in the crowd that hassled her about being rude…telling her she should leave if she didn’t like what was going on and being said.   She wisely pointed out that it would be even more rude to stand up and leave.

I love watching these crowds.   The VIPs are obviously either “Very Important Local Republicans,” or staffers that are required to fill in the rows.   The reason I say that is because many of the people are obviously not paying attention.   They are whispering to their neighbors, looking at the ceiling, and apparently either ignoring, or otherwise not engaging with what is being said.

To be fair, it isn’t uncommon to see crowds at VIP speeches whose eyes are glazed-over, yawning, clapping gratituously–even when the spectators are members of the military, university students, Congress–I might call these “Mandated Crowds.”   These are often show-up-and-try-to-stay-awake  appearances.  Professors sometimes give class credit for showing up at these occasions, or there are consequences for NOT showing up.  The crowd should be reacting…laughing, nodding their heads, shaking their heads, cheering, jeering… showing signs of being awake.

In my opinion, just watching the people in these crowds is entertaining.

 

 

The Donald’s March to Infamy (re-titled and posted again.)

Commentary, History, In the News, Poetry, politics, This and That, Writing and Blogging

This is one of my personal favorite assignments from writing class last year…in response to rules that the work be a limerick and contain certain other attributes of writing poetry.  I had great fun writing it—and I think it is very pertinent at this particular time, less than a week away from the  Election for President of the United States.    I have reposted this before, and I have changed the original title previously as well.

           THE DONALD’S MARCH TO INFAMY

There once was a boy named Donald

Who wanted to  be rich, and grow up to be President

ha ha! said the people as he started to

stump

but he knew what he was doing and had all the cards he needed to

trump,

and win the game

opponents screamed like angry cat matrons

and picked on his hair and his noisy patrons

but Donald just said they should “lump it!”

You haven’t a chance, you’re not one of us, they wailed

“is that so?” said Donald as he placed a standing order for tea and crumpets

to serve to his fans to keep them from starving on the campaign trail

His crowd of the faithful grew and grew

’til they filled the land

so they bought him a very big trumpet.

© Sometimes, 2015