Another Letter to Trump

Friday, August 11, 2017

Trump; 

Wow!  Are you 12 years old?  "Locked and Loaded"  I am sure even the most radical member of the NRA is laughing at you for that.  When was the last time a weapon was "Locked and Loaded"?   It is so funny you trying to sound all tough and shit.  You are a joke.  You seem hell bent on taking this nation to war. 

Why is that?  When your nation called on you to serve you ran and hid behind your illegal immigrant mother and claimed to have problems with your feet, yet you played tennis and golf.  You are such a weak coward.  You claimed the military academy your parents sent you to (to get you out of their home) was better training than actual service in the Army.  You are just pathetic.

"Locked and Loaded"  every time I think about your fat little fingers on your orange little hands tweeting those words I convulse into laughter & tears and then I stop to think about the harm you and your grifter family is doing to this country, I get angry and feel compelled to write you again.

How much money has your filthy family made off your trips to your "Exclusive and Private" golf courses in the last 200+ days?  The fact that you are making the taxpayers of this country pay for all of this just shows how little you really care about us.

Just writing this short of a letter is painful - the fact that someone as vulgar, crude, rude, disrespectful and childish as you is President of this great republic is even more painful.

You are weak.

You are a failure

dcf

A Letter To Trump

If I were to write a letter to a person elected President of the United States I would start it Dear Mr. Ms. President.
I would have done that for President Nixon, President Reagan and President Bush (the younger) three men who I never supported or liked but because they were President I respected them.  Trump - I can't even refer to him as Mr. Trump but that would show some level of respect, something he has not earned and does not deserve.

So here we go.

Donald C. Flad Jr

Sunday, July 30, 2017

Trump;

I am writing this because I am sick of you, I am sick of thinking about you, I am sick of worrying about the harm you are doing to this this great republic, I am sick of talking about the harm you are doing to the world's formerly indispensable nation.  Your very brief Presidency has been sickening.

You comment on the figure of the First Lady of France.  Who are you to comment on how someone looks?  I mean really Trump have you looked in a mirror?  You are not by any stretch of the imagination attractive, your hair is ridiculous, you have a very strange skin color, you may be obese (have you seen the pictures of you in the golf whites you like to wear?  Your hands are oddly small for a man so fat and tall and they way you use them in the odd flapping way is just strange. You are really kind of gross.

I am sick of your children (normally I leave family out of my political discussions but your family is different).  I am sick of Ivanka pretending how pro LGBT she is when you prove at every opportunity how much you despise LGBT people.  I am sick of her husband's pre-pubescent voice as he whines his innocence.  He went to meeting with a non-citizen promising campaign information about an opponent - that is illegal and probably treason.  Oh and boo hoo to Donnie junior whining about how hard his grifter life has been since Putin helped you win the title of President.

I am sickened about the money the taxpayers are spending so you can golf and so your "wife" does not have to live with you.

I am sickened that you are already on your second Chief of Staff, your second Press Secretary, your second National Security Advisor and your second Secretary of Homeland Security and you have not reached the 200 day mark

I am sickened that every time you give a "non-campaign style speech" the group you speak to has to apologize because "The President of The United States"  was vulgar, crude and lied.  I mean really Trump your really weird performance before the Boy Scouts was really appalling.  The fact that you think you did a great job makes it even worse. 

The fact that so many of this nation's police departments had to basically say after your speech to police on Long Island last week "Oh hell no!  This idiot does not speak for us"  speaks volumes to what an dumb ass you are.  Again, it was just so visually odd with you flapping your little orange hands through out the entire speech. 

Watch your speeches Trump - no one will ever compliment you on your figure, skin color, hair or hand size or intellect. 

Your Tweets; the spelling, the grammar, the use of ALL CAPS, over use of !!!!!!! - a 13 year old mean girl's tweets are better structured, better thought out and far more interesting.  Where are you when you hold your smart phone in you little orange hands and use your obese little orange fingers to send out these thoughtless, clueless, OK stupid little tweets.  The sad thing is you think you are making/setting policy with these peculiar 140 letters of insanity.  In reality you are confirming how you are in over your head and you have no idea what you are doing.  

The fact that you do not understand how this great republic's three separate but equal branches of government works is unbelievable.  Did you really go to The Wharton School?  Anybody who graduated from Penn would know how the U.S. government works and you do not.  Is this just another one of your lies?

The fact that you lie about shit that is quickly provable as a lie and then never back down from the lie is a clear example of how unstable you are.  I mean really here are some examples 

The wife of the Japanese PM does not speak English - A Lie 

Your inauguration had the largest attendance EVER! - A Lie 

Your electoral college margin was one of the biggest ever - A lie

Your businesses have no Russian investors - A lie  (your beloved namesake says otherwise)

You claim you have passed more legislation than any previous President.  A lie but please prove me wrong - please try 

Kellyanne Conway (ConArtist) says that you believe in an alternate truth.

You did not think health care was so difficult to understand.  And, according to many reports you never understood the legislation working its way through Congress.  The fact is you do not care about anything other than you was so clear during the health care debate.  You would have signed anything just to say you signed it. 

And, how did the insult to John McCain turn out for you?  Did you really you think insulting a genuine American hero would not be responded to.  I mean really, John McCain willingly would have given his life for this country and you played golf during those same year. 

You once said that your military academy experience was tougher than actual military service and your learned more from it. Because your parents sent you to boarding school is not the same as boot camp.  Did it ever cross your mind that your parents may have sent you to boarding school because they hated you and did not want you around?  Or, maybe they were embarrassed by your thinning hair and oddly small hands.

North Korea is more belligerent than ever - it is because of how weak and clueless you are.  You blame China, you blame Russia.  What country are you going to blame next?  Albania (shout out to my twitter pals for this reference).

Iran is all up in our joint like they haven't been for more than a decade.  And, it is all on you chubby.

I could go on and on and on and I know that my usual group of cowardly tea baggers who use fake names will respond to this blog post in their typical juvenile way .  If history predicts the future they will respond like 8th grade boys.  

 I am sick of you Trump, this great republic is sick of you and I am going to try really hard to blog about some things that matter to me from now on......

Gin

Sushi

Downtown Bethlehem

South Side Bethlehem

Bethlehem

Easton

Meals on Wheels

Third Street Alliance for Women

Health Care

Homeless Vets

Hunger

Civil Rights

Martin on Main Festival

LGBT Business Council 

Homelessness

Climate Change

How much I loathe the Eagles and Phillies

Pleated pants

The best hamburger ever 

Sashimi

RuPaul's Drag Race

The weather

Gail Hoover - Realtor 

How hot Tom Brady is - and Gisele 

How I can set my alarm to my garbage pick up

We are! Penn State

Award season red carpet hits and misses

It rained today

What song I am going to "do" and next years bash

Can I find a better bow tie than Tony Iannelli

Should I run for State Senate

Is it gravy or sauce

It's not the heat it's the humidity

In fact, Trump I am so sick of you and sickened by you that I really wish I never had to think about you and your disgusting family ever again.

......................................................  Having said all this I do not want you to leave office before your term is up because that would make Mike Pence President and he is smarter and more politically astute then you which makes him more harmful to the nation I love so much.

Sincerely 

Donald C. Flad Jr

I Knew President Nixon......

I was teenager when President Nixon was President and Trump is no President Richard M Nixon.

President Richard Nixon claimed that the Watergate was made up and his enemies were just out to get him and that he was not involved and he said "I am not a crook".

Trump has claimed all along that the Russia connection is made up and his enemies are just out to get him and he is not involved.  "Comey told me 3 times I was not a target of the investigation".  That is something every person familiar with FBI procedures says would be unlikely that Comey would use those words.

I am not ready to compare Trump to President Nixon. 

President Nixon was smart

And, a dedicated public servant.  President Nixon believed that government could be used to solve our nations problems - he created the EPA and The School Lunch Program, open the diplomatic door to China and attempted to dial back the tensions of the Cold War.

Trump is vulgar, incapable of thinking of anything our anyone but himself, emotionally immature and delusional. 

And, probably stupid.

President Nixon was brought down by his self doubts, his desire to loved by the people and his need to prove that he was as good as a Kennedy.  For Nixon winning was about how he could serve and be a great President. His fear of losing one more time lead to Watergate.  Don't get me wrong President Nixon was not a good man but he was multiple heads and shoulders better than Trump.  Nixon believed in America - Trump believes in Trump

Trump has no interest in the best interest of the country.  His campaign was about his ego and nothing else.  He said what he needed to say but he does not believe in this country he has no desire to help it to a better future he just wanted to be elected President.

That's it.

Trump's ego is so fragile that is does this

President Nixon's crimes were severely damaging to this country and they came after losing Korea,  the cultural change brought about by Civil Rights movement, the murders of John, Martin and Bobby and Vietnam. The American people were already doubting it's institutions and his abuse of the government powers convinced people that our government was not there for us and the results of President Nixon's actions were deeply damaging to the national unity and we have never recovered.

Trump on the other hand does not care about national unity, the meaning of our institutions.  He is not a democrat (note the small d), he admires dictators and as he is sitting alone in his bedroom (since the First Lady refuses to live with him) channel changing between Fox, CNN & MSNBC to see what they are saying about him he thinks about how great it would be if he did not have to deal with Congress and defer to the authority of the Judiciary.  He clearly has a man crush on Putin, is effusive in support of the soon to be dictator of Turkey and invited the murderous President of the Philippines to the White House. 

There is growing evidence that he, his children and in in-laws are using his position to line their pockets.  Maybe by the time he is no longer living at taxpayer expense he actually will be a millionaire. 

President Nixon was despicable Trump is a grifter.  President Nixon served this country Trump serves himself and his extended family. 

Clearly President Nixon had his demons but Congress and the courts stepped up to defend the nation from them.  Trump's demons seem to be much darker, the courts have stepped up to defend the nation, the GOP controlled Congress thus far does not seem ready to defend the nation from this man.  I hope they do but I have my doubts that men like Mitch McConnell and Paul Ryan have what it takes to do so.

I miss Everett Dirkson and Barry Goldwater

Gay Bars

Gay bars are where we go to be in the majority.
Gay bars are where we go to be ourselves.
Gay bars are where we go to be someone else.
Gay bars are where we go to feel comfortable.
Gay bars are we we go to be with people who understand us fully.
Gay bars are where we go to hook up.
Gay bars are where we go to feel free.
Gay bars are where we go for empathy and support.
Gay bars are where we go to feel safe.

Until last night.

There are those who are critical of the bar culture in the LGBT community but the first time I walked into a gay bar I felt accepted, I no longer felt alone and I knew I had a home and a safe place and people would support me and they would understand me.

Until last night.

The people who went to Pulse last night were children, brothers, sisters, aunts, uncles, fathers, mothers, co-workers, Democrats, Republicans and people who don't give a shit about politics. 

The people who went to Pulse last night went to have fun, went to celebrate, went to let loose, to dance, to sing and to look for Mr or Ms Right.

They did not go there to die.

But, 50 of them did.

I am gutted I am heartbroken and I am angry.  But, I don't know what I can do about it. 

Presidential Campaign Review (And Trump)

This presidential campaign has been painful to watch.  Let's review the candidates.

Ben Carson was/is weird
Carly Fiorina was in over her head and a pathological liar
Lindsey Graham was Lindsey Graham
Little Ricky Santorum reminded everyone why they hated him
Mike Huckabee just seemed too desperate - I actually thought he was going to resort to self immolation to get attention
Jeb Bush seemed like he really didn't want to be there
Marco Rubio bless his heart has no idea about anything and thinks that if he is just a blank slate he can win
John Kasich pretends to be from the sensible center, he really is not but he will govern from the extremes
Ted Cruz believes that G-D has chosen him to lead this country and he actually believes in his talking points
Martin O'Malley (who was my first choice) just could not get any oxygen in the Sanders/Clinton world. He tried to run from the right of Sanders and from the left of Hillary - a place that does not exist
Bernie Sanders is a great guy - I don't think he is running on issues that can be achieved - I wish they could be but he is not in the real world
Hillary Clinton who has the best resume of all the candidates but people just can't warm to her

And, then there is Donald J Trump - the MSM darling (they continue to give him a free pass)
I initially thought with Trump in the race it would be hilarious, I thought he was going to be a few months of bluster and drama and he would announce his latest reality show.
But no; it is Trump who has made this race painful.
In his speeches he says nothing, he rambles from topic to odd topic and insult to insult.
He is thin skinned
He is self absorbed
He really believes in nothing other than Donald J Trump
His opinions on the great issues of the day are not based on research or taking the time to think about them He is all impulse and says what he thinks is going to get the best reaction.
He is for traditional marriage and yet he has been married three times
He is all about using the military at every instance but when this country called him to serve, which it did 5 times he applied for and received 5 deferments (rich kid)
He said he learned more about the military from attending a military styled boarding high school than men who actually served in the military.  Remember the 5 deferments
He claims to be self made but  his father was a millionaire and he took over the company
He says he is a great and successful businessman but the companies that are called Trump have filed for bankruptcy 4 times.
He talks about the working class in very racist terms
At what point in is climb to celebrity status has he ever tried to relate to working people?
How is going to make Mexico pay for that wall?  Go to war? (see 5 deferments)
He is fomenting violence by Islamic extremists
I am convinced that he won't release his tax information because we will find out he is not as rich as he tells us he is. Think about - he earned a large pay check from NBC and convinced them to pay his children as well.
He and his children needed that those paychecks
And, then there are his events.
They started out as raucous and he encouraged it and now they have become violent and he has clearly encouraged it.
Very soon a supporter will shoot off her gun at one of his events but that won't stop him.
A week later a white man will shoot and kill a person of color at a Trump event and then and only then will Trump's campaign come to an end

Posts About Palin.......

Why is it that every time I post something about Sarah Palin I get really rude and inappropriate comments from cowards who hide behind the fact that I allow anonymous comments?


Perhaps it is just a reflection of the quality, integrity and intelligence of the people who support Mrs. Palin.

I suppose bottom feeding low life's need a role model and they certainly have one in Sarah.

American Opinions About Jews - I am a little shocked

It appears that old theories die hard , in a recent survey ordered by the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) it appears that 26% of Americans believe that the Jewish people were responsible for the crucifixion and death of Jesus. Despite that fact religious scholars, historians, theologians and Popes have all said and proven the opposite.

Some other results of the survey may explain why more than a quarter of Americans believe this.

14% believe that Jews have to much power in the United States.  Maybe it's all those Jewish Presidents and Vice Presidents we've had.

19% believe Jews have too much power in the business world and 17% to much influence on Wall Street, 18% to much control over the media (except on Fox of course) and in a surprisingly small number only 24% believe that Jews run the movie and TV industry.  I am a little shocked by how small that number is.

But, this number does not surprise me at all; 30% of Americans believe that Jews are more loyal to Israel than to this country. Franklin Roosevelt in response to his Jewish advisers to react more swiftly to reports of the German concentration camps believed that the American people would not support using their boys to rescue the Jews.  When pressed further and harder the very patrician Roosevelt responded that this is a Protestant country and that Jews and in fact Catholics are more less just allowed to live here.  A pretty appalling sentiment. But, FDR was a man of his times and can't fairly be judged by our modern standards but that view is still very much held by many people. Keep in mind that we have had one Catholic President and we now have our first Catholic Vice President.

And, to build on that sentiment an appalling one-quarter of those polled believe that "Jews still talk too much about what happened to them in the Holocaust."  I have heard people say this and it never ceases to stop me in my tracks and at times has left me speechless, something that almost never happens.  I guess people would rather we forget about that icky business of 6,000,000 people slaughtered because of their faith.  Perhaps it is not so shocking after all there are Southern Republicans who are still fighting the Civil War and refer to it as the War of Northern Aggression & the wholesale massacre and dislocation of this continents native peoples is not even taught.

American Jews who support Israel are not anti-American or disloyal to their nation they, like me, believe that Israel is an ally that needs to be supported and supported in the strongest possible terms.  It is the only democracy in the region, they took a neglected region of rock & sand and transformed it into a nation with a thriving economy.  And, it is an historic homeland to people who have long lived in diaspora status.

Other interesting results of this poll 78% of think American Jews value their families but of course that means 22% of us think that they don't.

I just don't get it.

I have never understood the negative attitudes, the bigotry and the hatred that Jewish people have been forced to endure.  Of course when someone who does hold these feelings of hate tries to explain it to me I don't really give them much of chance to finish one of their idiotic utterances. I wave them off and walk away and shake my head in sadness and disgust.

Here is the full report / survey
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What Does it Say About Us? The NYC Opera Closing

This may not be the final scene  but it is the beginning of the final act for The New York City Opera.

The spokesman for the board announced “Today, the board and management will begin the necessary financial and operational steps to wind down the company including initiating the Chapter 11 process.”


I know that I seem obsessed over this story but it really does distress and sadden me.  

The New York City Opera closing, the contents of the Detroit Art Institute may be put on the chopping block, orchestras across the country are closing or cutting back, libraries limiting hours of operations, small museums closing, arts in the schools being cut, preforming arts centers being sold and turned into retail or residential spaces and community theaters are darkened.


What does it say about a nation that does not care about it's arts and culture or appreciates the contributions the creative classes offer to the local community and society at large?  

What does it say about us as a people if art means nothing, if New York City can't support two excellent opera companies?  

Who are we as a people if libraries close and we are not disturbed by it?  

What does it say about our society if we don't care if our PBS/NPR stations struggle, cut back or close?

One of this nations great opera company is shuttered and one of this nations great repositories of fine art may close to solve the problems of a mismanaged and neglected city and so few people either notice or worse yet even care.

But, a Kardashian gets knocked up by an ego maniacal and delusion pop/rap star and this country notices and many of care a great deal. 

What does it say about us? 
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Boehner - Extremists Matter More Than Country

John Boehner has proven to be the worst and weakest House Speaker by capitulating to this . Like many Republicans he has decided that power trumps governing, truth, justice and the American way.


Speaker Boehner has agreed to support Teabaggers in their efforts to allow a government shutdown rather than fund The Affordable Health Care Act.

John Boehner has decided keeping his office is more important than anything else. Historians will write that he has been one of the weakest and least effective Speakers in history but apparently that does not matter to Mr. Boehner.

He has coveted this role for such a long time and he will do anything and everything he can to keep it. The Speaker of the House of Representatives, the second in line to the Presidency has decided that the extremists in his party are more important than his country.


There can be no worse political humiliation than being tossed out as Speaker by your own party (ask Newt) and if John Boehner does not bow to the extremists he is in danger of that happening. So, instead of doing what is right for the country Speaker Boehner is falling in line with the people who gave him the Speakership because being Speaker means more to Boehner than anything else.

President of Brazil Cancels US Visit

A consequence of  of Edward Snowden's leaking.

The President of Brasil has postponed her official state visit to the United States as a result of the disclosure that the NSA was spying on Brazilian officials.

The NSA was doing what it was mandated to do by Congress.



Remember a few weeks ago when our President stood up to Putin and cancelled a summit with the Russian leader. Remember when President Obama decided to not reward Putin's bad behavior with a summit meeting.  As I recall most of us thought it was a good idea.

What is the message of President Rousseff state visit cancellation?  She is punishing the American President for the actions of one of this nation's spy agencies

Are her actions justified?

 Does her snub diminish Obama's standing in the world?

Edward Snowden has decided that he and he alone knows what is best for this country and he has decided that spying is bad.

We do  not know the long term or total damage to American foreign policy. And, it will be many years before we know the full impact of Edward Snowden's actions
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Trying To Make a Town All White

This is 2013 right?  And, people still think like this.

Paul Craig Cobb would like to turn a small town in North Dakota into and all white enclave.  Supporters of Mr. Cobb have been buying up tracks of land in the town and apparently are going to try to force the town to proclaim itself White only.

Of course, the courts, the state and federal government will not allow it but that does not seem to matter to the folks involved.  I'm sure they are hoping for a violent confrontation.

"In an interview with The New York Times, Cobb said he hoped his plans in Leith would "excite" white people and "give them confidence because we're being  deracinated  in our own country."

I wonder how many people of color actually live in Leith, North Dakota? 

 But, I suppose that is not really the point here is it? 

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Gov. Corbett's Pandering Cost Taxpayers....A Lot

Attention taxpayers of Pennsylvania the worst Governor in the long history of this Commonwealth Tom Corbett is spending $400 an hour for the lead attorney & $325 an hour for each of his many associates to defend discrimination.


Yes, the pandering to the extreme right that Corbett is so clumsy at is costing those of us fortunate to live in King Charles's gift to William Penn is going to cost us a lot of money.

I wonder how many teachers could have been re-hired?

Could a bridge have been fixed?

How many potholes on route 78 could have been filled?

Any of the Democrats are better than Tom Corbett.

We can do better Pennsylvania!

***** Note to WETM - Pennsylvania is not a Northwestern state.  #justsayin

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The Future of Bethlehem Concerns 80 Year old Couple

At this years Bethlehem's Memorial Day parade and remembrance ceremony City Councilman Bob Donchez the winner of the Democratic Primary for Mayor was a no show.  I don't know of any politician who misses a Memorial Day event but Bob Donchez did.

Just this past Monday I attended Bethlehem's Labor Day parade, twice.  It is so small that I was able to walk a few blocks and catch it again. Bethlehem Mayor & County Executive candidate John Callahan was there front and center, most of the City Council members and Democratic candidates for City and County Council were marching along side the party's biggest ally, organized labor.  Even a Superior Court Judge, a Palmer Township supervisor, and someone who ran for City Council in Allentown were there. 

But, I did not see Democratic nominee for Mayor Bob Donchez in the parade.  I sent a text message to someone who was walking with the elected officials to confirm that I did not see Mr. Donchez and it was confirmed; he was not there.  

I do not know why Bob Donchez chose not to attend these two events.  I can't read his mind nor can I look into his heart to figure out why the next Mayor of Bethlehem would choose not to honor this nation's war dead nor why would the Democratic nominee for Mayor of Bethlehem choose not to support the Steelworker's union during their annual parade.

Were the parade routes too long?  Did he have some other pressing family issue to attend to?  Did he forget that these holidays were significant to large sections of the public?  Does he think because he has a clear path to the Office of Mayor he did not have be among the people?  Was he so embarrassed by his primary campaign that he could not face the public without the protection of the rules of decorum of a council meeting?

Or, does he just not care?

I have no idea really.

Is this what we have to look forward to for the next four years?   An absent Mayor.

My 80 year old parents can't believe this vibrant and exciting city is about to turnover it's leadership from John Callahan to Bob Donchez.  Even they are worried about the city not moving forward.

I wish the voters of Bethlehem had somewhere else to turn 

Typical Republicans

This did not take long, two GOP Congressmen from South Carolina accuse the President of using Syria to hide/mask/cover up other things.  You know those "scandals" that are not scandals Benghazi, IRS and Obamcare.  Not sure when Obamacare became a scandal but then these are Republicans after all.

One of these pillars of Congress is Joe "You Lie" Wilson.


It's the same old song from the same old pathetic Republicans

Many of the same people who whined and complained about the President not including Congress in his Syria decision making are now complaining that he is including Congress.  None louder that the dumbest member of the Senate; Rand Paul.  His complaint is that by coming to Congress for a vote the President is reducing the role of Congress.



This may even surpass Sarah Palin and her stunning fits of brilliance.

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Tom Corbett- Polls agree..nobody likes you

New poll numbers are out or PA. Governor Tom Corbett and they are horrible (for him).

Pennsylvania is a cranky state and we are really hard on our Governors.  The first two years are just a horror and then we tend to soften and get used to them during the second two years. Since we started allowing our Governors to run for re-election in the 1970's every Governor has been re-elected. We put them through tough re-election races but the always win.  After that test we continue to support them for another two years and the we turn on them faster than Sean Hannity has turned on reason.

An interesting side note - no Lt. Governor has ever succeeded the Governor into office.  The Commonwealth has flipped parties for the Governor every 8 years.

In this poll only 38% of Republicans think the Governor deserves re-election which is stunning.  But, most PA Republicans are not tea baggers,  but some are so the very moderate Corbett has had to play to that wing of the party and no one really trusts him because we all know that is not him.

Many of us believe that when Corbett was Attorney General he refused to prosecute Jerry Sandusky because he thought it would hurt his chances for election to the Governorship because it would have pissed off Penn State fans. The when the shit hit the fan he jumps in and tries to control the situation and forces the firing of Joe Paterno.  The Governor is an automatic trustee of Penn State and he attended his first meeting during the crisis and in fact he is the first Governor to attend a trustee meeting ever.  He attended the meeting because he wanted to prove he was in control. His poll numbers were already bad but L'Affair Nittany Lion showed Corbett as a craven opportunist.

I had lunch with the Governor a few months ago........................................

Actually I attended Chamber of Commerce day at the capitol a few months ago and he was the luncheon speaker.

I think I was the only Democrat in the room and all the folks I was eating with dared me to ask a really tough question with a liberal bias during question and answer time.  Then we found out all questions needed to be submitted in advance and the host would pick which questions to ask.

It is tradition when a Governor enters a room to speak everyone stands up and applauds. And, because I am  who I am I was one of the first people standing up.

He is the Governor and he deserves the respect.

Then, came his speech.

He whined, bitched and complained about everything and took no responsibility for anything.  His failures were blamed on Barack Obama, the teachers, Ed Rendell, the teachers, the legislature, the teachers, me, the state store system, the courts, the teachers...

 Everyone and everything was to blame for his failed administration but him. I looked around at my Republican friends and they were in pain about how bad this speech was.  Here was a Republican Governor talking to an audience of Chamber of Commerce members, the perfect audience and half way through his whine they were tuned out and turned off.

The Governor answered a few questions, selected by the head of the PA Chamber, and I can assure you they were tough and provocative questions.  "Why do you think the teachers hate our children so much?"  "What can we do about ending all taxation for anyone who works hard for a living?"  OK those were not real questions but they were close.  The Governor's answers were as uninspiring as his speech.

Mercifully it ended,  When the Governor is done speaking and he leaves the room it is tradition to stand and applause.  I started to stand up (because I am that guy) and NO ONE else did.  His speech was so bad and his answers to the soft ball questions were so weak that a crowd of Chamber members could not even see fit to honor him with standing applause.

This should have been his crowd.
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Charitable Gay Porn, Oprah's Oscar, Maureen Dowd & More

Remember a few months ago when Little Ricky Santorum announced he was going to head a movie studio?  This week I read a story that a new gay porn studio will use some of it's profits to support LGBT charities.  I got all excited I thought maybe Ricky has moved on from his hot Man on Dog fetish to a more main stream boring old hot guy on guy action.  But, alas my hopes were dashed.
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Maryland Delegate Don Dwyer must really hate  marriage equality because he is busted again for a DUI - You may remember the first time he was busted he blamed The Gays getting married.  He is a drunk he needs help and hopefully he has hit bottom.  If not, put the drunk bigot away for awhile.
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A case is made for Oprah Winfrey winning an Oscar .  Just imagine how superior and sanctimonious her acceptance speech will be!  It's not that I disagree with Oprah's point of view it is the fact that she has made millions and billions of dollars exploiting peoples weaknesses that I find objectionable.
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Maureen Dowd sits down for a conversation with the NYC Mayoral candidate Bill de Blasio & his more interesting wife but spends much of the column discuss the other leading candidate Christine Quinn.  It's an interesting column (of course).

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I'll be escorting my friend and Mayor (& Candidate for County Executive)  John Callahan  around a huge Clambake sponsored by Nazareth-Bath Chamber of Commerce  Slate Belt Chamber of Commerce  and Lehigh Valley Elite Networking Group.  I've been attending this event for a few years and this year a record breaking 235 people will be attending.  I wonder if it's because Mayor Callahan said he was attending.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------   Google Glass  launch date has been pushed back to 2014
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Jazz legend & NPR host  Marian McPartland has died
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Is it me or is this kinda weird and almost creepy?  The Lehigh Valley Iron Pigs hold a contest and the winner gets their funeral paid for.  I guess you have to try everything you can to get bodies in the seats but a Win A Funeral Contest just seems a tad odd to me.  I could be wrong.

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The Week in Hate

According to a FOX news superstar The President & Oprah  are trying to start a race war.  I'm not sure I have the energy to comment on this.  As you know I have no love for Oprah Winfrey (I once said there was no difference between her and Jerry Springer) but really...Oprah Winfrey is not about to start a race war and Barack Obama has shown no evidence that he wants to start one either.  This is so silly I can hardly believe I am writing this much about it.

Facts and reality never really mattered to the people on Fox News

 Is this the airbrushed face of a race warrior?

It is really bad to like The Gays  if you are a Republican in Alabama - The President of the College Republicans about to get booted because she "liked" the Supreme Court decision overturning DOMA.  Alabama is the past, present and future of the Republican party and that my friends is a good thing if you are Democrat running for President.

A gay marine who lost his leg  in service to his nation in the Iraq war is booed at a public forum. When will people who claim to be Christians actually act Christ like?

Arizona (the other Texas) Congressman Bob Thorpe posts Racist  tweets but of course he is not a racist and apologizes to anyone who may have been offended and then he neatly folds his white hood and puts in a special place for another day.

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Not Hopeful About Sochi

I have tried to write and re-write a blog post about the Olympics and each time it seems too over the top.

But, I do fear for the future of the Olympics if the IOC does not get control of this situation and assure the world that their gay sons and daughters are going to be safe if they participate in the games.

What if the rich people of the world choose to not buy tickets to the games because they do not want a backlash back home?  Or, they really care about LBGT issues.

What will that impact of a failed games be on the health and welfare of gay people in Russia?  Will gay folks be blamed for the failed Olympics or will the Putin Posse realize the error of their ways and try to reform Russian culture?

My glass is so half empty on this I can't even imagine a good outcome.

This link will take you to what inspired this post.

Wing Nut News From.......Texas and Jesse Jackson Jr.

Extremist Congressman Steve Stockman offers a job to the Obama mask wearing rodeo clown.  He saw nothing disrespectful about what happened in Missouri and people need to have a sense of humor.

Steve Stockman is unfit to sit in the United States Congress because he is in this order a;

1. Tea Party Patriot
2. Texan
3. Conservative
4. Republican 
5. American

But, even Stockman's awful behavior does not compare to the shear lunacy of the former Texas GOP Chair she predicts immigration reform will lead to the end times she also claims that the government will begin to brand us with ID numbers.

Of course, she has never really shown us the words in the Senate's immigration reform bill that say this....because she can't. She just made this bullshit up on the spot because she knows she can't win the argument with the facts so she has to stir up the people who pay attention to the things she says.

She is clearly a clever fool because she knows there are thousands of people out there who will believe her.  But who are the people who believe in what she says and why do they fall for such nonsense? I know that she is talking bullshit and I think that she knows she is talking bullshit but she does it because it makes her famous and raises money to line her pockets.

And in other politicians who have made fools of themselves news:

Jesse Jackson Jr  is sentenced to 2.5 years in prison followed by 3 years probation.  What a shame he could have gone very far in politics.  It's a shame what greed and a sense of privilege will do to a person.

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Bethlehem No Longer has a Race For Mayor

And, then there was one.

Bethlehem now has a one person race for Mayor.  Independent Bob Sigmon has withdrawn from the race citing health concerns.  It is now too late for someone to get ballot access as an independent.  I can't imagine a scenario where Councilman Donchez is not elected Mayor.

http://www.lehighvalleylive.com/bethlehem/index.ssf/2013/08/bethlehem_independent_candidat.html

Hopefully Mayor Callahan will work extra hard over the next few months to set things in motion that will keep the city moving forward for the next 4 years.

Jim Gregory is apparently still planning to launch a write in campaign.  I am not going to comment on Jim's attempt out of respect for almost 30 years of friendship.