Biden Finally Cuts Our Losses in Afghanistan

By Karen

I support Joe Biden 100% in pulling out of Afghanistan now, and I’m glad he’s not apologizing for it. It’s been 20 years, and it’s hopeless. The only thing we actually managed to accomplish was a temporary reprieve for girls and women so they could get educated and hold jobs without being butchered for being female by twisted fundamentalist fanatics.

Even that small normalcy is probably dead now with the Taliban back in power.

It only took the Taliban 10 days to show us that all we thought we had “built” — a functioning government, a military 300,000 strong — were illusions.

Afghanistan is just as corrupt and chaotic as ever. Prolonging our presence a month, a year, a century won’t change that.

Afghanistan is a landlocked hellscape, suitable mostly for growing poppies for opium, of roughly 40 million inhabitants. 56% still live in poverty and fear, even though the U.S. has poured $2.6 trillion into defense and infrastructure.

Our two-decade occupation has been a clusterfuck. But rather than blaming Biden for it all, let’s refresh our memories that it was the brainchild of these three clowns…

Obama tried a troop surge, and then a draw-down after he killed Osama Bin Laden, who put the bull’s eye on Afghanistan in the first place by using it as al Qaeda’s base for planning 9/11.

As for Trump, investigations will probably reveal eventually that he saw an opportunity skim a cut of all that sweet U.S. aid for himself by “doing a deal.” So in 2019, he sent his stooge Mike Pompeo to work out the details with the Taliban.

In exchange for virtually nothing but the Taliban’s promise to be good, Trump freed 5,000 of their fighters, including their co-founder, Mullah Abdul-Ghani Baradar, who is Afghanistan’s new president this week. The chickenshit president we were propping up fled to the UAE as soon as he saw his army laying red carpet for the Taliban. Pompeo looks so pleased with his handiwork…

Trump’s deal included removing all American troops by [UPDATE: May 1, 2021. Biden delayed that to September 11, but then accelerated the pull-out to beat his new deadline]. The Taliban had only to mark the “Retake the Country” date on their calendars.

Biden accelerated the pull-out, apparently unaware that an Afghan military isn’t really a thing. Not only did Afghan soldiers not fight back, they handed the Taliban billions of dollars’ worth of the weapons and equipment we paid for.

Scenes of the scramble at the Kabul airport to evacuate U.S. citizens and Afghans who helped us have been sickening. Those people don’t have a single Afghan policeman or soldier to escort them and protect them. It’s entirely up to us to get them out of there. while the Taliban stands at the airport gates, whipping, beating, and shooting at them.

I blame our State Department and Immigration. They KNEW there would be a need for evacuation. For months, they could have been quietly running a clearance operation for evacuees. Instead, they’re gift-wrapping them in pointless red tape and handing them back to the Taliban for execution.

Our betrayal of those people who WERE brave enough to fight for their country is the shame the United States will never live down.

PS: Earlier this year, CBS launched a sitcom called The United States of Al, about an Afghan interpreter who comes to live with the Marine he helped. It’s been renewed for a second season, which starts in October. But right now, with interpreters being hunted and killed by the Taliban, making jokes about it feels like bad timing and terrible taste.

Diana Gets a Statue, and It’s Odd

By Karen

I always loved Princess Diana, even with all her flaws. We were brides two months apart in 1981, and she worked a lot harder and longer at her marriage than I ever did. I followed her ups and downs (and wardrobe and hairstyles) like any fangirl.

In 1997, I happened to be visiting Paris and passed right by the tunnel hours after she died there, and I still remember the news as one of the most shocking moments of my life.

On July 1, Diana’s 60^th birthday, a statue her sons commissioned was unveiled in the sunken garden of her home (where son William now lives and reputedly ejected Harry from), Kensington Palace in London…

They chose a lovely spot for it, said to be one of Diana’s favorites. But that’s the only nice thing I can say about it, classifying its flaws as the three C’s.

Color. It’s bronze and already looks like a rotting Civil War relic. What were they thinking? For Diana, it’s glistening white marble all the way.

Cleavage. WTF with the blouse halfway unbuttoned? And don’t even mention the silly WWF Wrestling belt, which wasn’t Diana’s look. (Adele the cat HATED those belts and never let Michelle Obama hear the end of it.)

Child. One has to wonder how much the boys kicked in for that extra kid who’s being ignored behind her. He’s all but invisible if you’re not at just the right angle…

In the end, it’s the thought that counts, so I guess they did do better than whoever carved that Melania statue in Slovenia…

For the unveiling, Prince Harry left his newborn daughter, Lilibet Diana Mountbatten-Windsor, so he could stew for five days in quarantine at Frogmore. Reports said he showed up at the ceremony 10 minutes beforehand and left 20 minutes afterward.

His public rationale for lamming it back to L.A. with almost no contact with his own family was the death of Meghan’s uncle Mike.

Mike Markle was Meghan’s father Thomas’ older brother. He died without meeting Harry or the two kids, so you know Meghan must be devastated by her loss and needs Harry by her side.

Meghan also hasn’t spoken to Thomas since 2018. He “royally” cheesed her off by having a heart attack and surgery days before her wedding so he couldn’t fly to London. Last month, he did this pathetic interview with 60 Minutes Australia and explained the family dynamics…

The Queen has apparently invited the Harry-Markles to her Platinum Jubilee next year, but it’s uncertain whether they’ll be treated as equal royals in the festivities, which you know Meghan will order Harry to demand.

In the meantime, the Palace isn’t releasing the results of their in-house investigation of Meghan’s alleged bullying of staff until next year. The delay implies to me that they’re finding Meghan did it and have opted not to add fuel to the fire she’s stoking.

But at least Meghan knows the Queen has the deets and could release them if Meghan is cooking up any other plans for defamatory self-promotion.

Biden’s Trip Makes Everyone Feel Better

By Karen

For starters, while Biden was in Europe, it was great that we saw no pictures of world leaders wrinkling their noses behind his back because he’d crapped his pants. Or of Biden throwing a fit at a state dinner because he wasn’t served burnt steak with ketchup. Or of Biden declaring war in a speech on some country whose leader took offense at Biden shoving him during a photo op.

No, Biden navigated the G7, tea with the Queen at Buckingham Palace, a NATO summit, and a side trip to Geneva to rendezvous with Putin without heaping any more humiliation on us.

Remember Trump’s big meeting with Putin back in 2018 in Helsinki? They talked for several hours alone about God-knows-what, and we still don’t know. But this is how Trump looked after their tête-à-tête…

The only thing missing from this photo is Trump’s studded dog collar and leash.

At their joint press conference later, Putin may have been shaking Trump’s hand, but he was mentally twisting Trump’s balls into a knot…

Photo: Chris McGrath/Getty Images

Fast-forward to two days ago when Putin faced off with President Biden. Instead of cowering under the threat of a pee-pee tape premier or massive debts to Russian oligarchs suddenly coming due, Biden showed up armed with Secretary of State Antony Blinken and plenty of other American witnesses to take notes…

Photo: Patrick Semansky/AP

The difference in Putin’s demeanor with Biden is stark. While Biden sat straight, looking confident and collected, Putin slouched like an insolent slob. He knew that even with all his manspreading, nobody was wondering who swung the biggest dick.

Speaking of dicks, Putin also for once didn’t try his signature passive-aggression of keeping Biden waiting, as he’s done with Obama and many others…

After the summit, Biden wisely skipped the joint press conference and denied Putin the opportunity to preen and pretend to be an equal. Instead, they met with reporters separately, and Putin seemed to deeply miss playing with his Trump puppet. He told a reporter…

“In life there is no happiness; only the specter of it. There is only a mirage on the horizon. So cherish that.”

Huh?

Before his face-off with Putin, Biden mended fences with our former allies so they could unclench their sphincters, relieved at not being forced to kowtow to another arrogantly American abject moron.

But the world still needs irrefutable proof that Trump was only an aberration. Biden needs to encourage all law enforcement agencies to start kicking ass and flush Trump’s treasonous scum out of our government at every level.

Attorney General Merrick Garland is clearly not up to the task. I KNEW Biden should have put Sally Yates over the Justice Department. By now, she’d have Trump neck-deep in federal indictments, instead of letting him wander freely around Manhattan like a dementia patient on a day trip, trying to remember why people are staring at him…

You still think Trump isn’t too far gone? Get a load of him calling in to Sean Hannity and admitting, very clearly, “We didn’t win.” (0:35)…

Last night 06/16/2021 on Fox News during Sean Hannity telephone interview with Trump, Trump fully admits he lost to Biden. How is this not major breaking news?! pic.twitter.com/95moeYzyYU

— TheRealJoeFelker (@unsung_son) June 17, 2021

Wish Prince Harry Would Stuff a Sock In It

By Karen

His mouth, I mean. I’ve been fuming over Republicans trying to block a January 6 commission because they’re scared shitless of exposing their role as insurrection mentors and enablers. But the other nasty story that keeps pinging my radar is Harry and his terrible, horrible, beastly, nightmarish, very bad childhood.

The bulk of this tale has come out since Harry went to his grandfather Prince Philip’s funeral. There, he had to face William and Charles after letting his wife Meghan call the Royal Family a pack of racists, to Oprah’s everlasting faux-shock, on national TV.

Harry’s lucky Aunt Princess Anne and Uncle Prince Edward just cut him dead, when they probably would have liked to drag him out behind the castle and beat the snot out of him.

On a side note, Harry just showed an equal lack of respect for his adopted country during his Armchair Expert podcast when he called our First Amendment “bonkers” (44:54). Now Fox and Trump’s cult are pissed at him, too.

He followed that up by taking more whacks at the Windsors on an Apple TV+ series he’s producing with Oprah called The Me You Can’t See. As her subject for one episode, he nailed Charles as a terrible father who believed his sons should grow up as miserable as he’d been as a child.

By the way, the Queen is Charles’ mother. She’s still alive, 95, and freshly widowed. But Harry didn’t think twice about outing her by inference as a negligent parent.

But I’m most intrigued by what he unwittingly reveals about Meghan. He compares Meghan to Diana’s Egyptian boyfriend, Dodi Fayed, taking it no deeper than race. I suspect their motivations in hooking up with a royal is the more apt parallel to draw.

For example, after less than a year in the “Firm,” pregnant (manipulative value), Meghan chose right before she and Harry had to appear in public at a glittery concert to tell him she was considering suicide and how she’d do it. Then she apparently cried quietly during the concert, lest his memory fade.

The upshot was that Harry gave up his life and bought Meghan a mansion among the rich and famous in Montecito, where she’d be comfortable.

Then he described being awakened one night by Meghan right before the big Oprah CBS interview. He thought she was crying softly into her pillow so as not to wake him. This time, although separated by a continent and an ocean, Meghan was distraught over the royals’ and media’s “smear campaign” against her.

I wouldn’t put it past Meghan to have waited until Harry fell asleep to play this scene for maximum impact. She was bent on using Oprah to exact revenge on her in-laws and had to ensure that Harry wouldn’t back out because his grandfather happened to be lying on his deathbed.

Now Harry says he’s going around “telling his story” to help others. Our hearts all go out to 12-year-old Harry over the tragic, senseless loss of his mother. But no matter how Harry spins it, we saw him grow up with palaces, privilege and a devoted older brother, and party his way through life until he joined the army. Now he’s revealing that he has no sense of history, and no respect for his grandmother, who has dutifully lived the role history thrust upon her.

Harry wants the wealth without the responsibilities. The fame without the exposure. Total privacy while baring all in every media outlet that will have him.

Harry keeps lobbing these “truth” grenades at his family like a passive-aggressive chickenshit, knowing they can’t wallow in the muck trying to defend themselves.

I hope Harry and Oprah are over-milking this mental health cow and soon have people saying, “Enough already. We get it. You had horrible childhoods. But you’re rich and famous now. Stop acting like a pair of greedy ingrates and go away.”

From the Notebook

By Karen

I’ve shifted to a Tuesday-Friday posting schedule due to my day job. Here are the bits I’ve been making note of…

Mask Update from Virginia: Today I went to the Post Office, Target, and Food Lion. The PO still had a door sign requiring masks, and everyone inside wore one. Target had removed its mask sign, but kept the social distancing sign. However, I didn’t see anyone maskless. At Food Lion, I forgot to look for the signs, but everyone was masked. I’m thrilled.

Medina Spirit Triple Screwed: The New York Racing Association suspended trainer Bob Baffert from its tracks, including Belmont, home of the third Triple Crown race June 5. So, Kentucky Derby winner Medina Spirit can’t compete, even if he wanted to win two out of three.

In any case, Medina will probably forfeit the Derby because Baffert let Medina receive a rash ointment containing the banned substance betamethasone. We await a second drug test to confirm the first failed test, but it’s using more of the same blood sample, so another positive seems certain.

Medina may have shot Baffert a “middle hoof up” in the Preakness. Medina led balls to the wall the whole race, only to fall a distant third to Rombauer and Midnight Bourbon in the final stretch.

So, a promising Triple Crown season will probably fizzle, with Medina Spirit a drug-convicted also-ran. Leave it to humans, right?

What’s No. 3 Worth Outside Horse Racing?: Demonic Dick Cheney’s daughter, Congresswoman Liz Cheney, a wisp of conscience that infuriates Republicans. First, she voted to impeach Trump (on 2nd try). Then she admitted he’s lying about the election being stolen, painting also as liars every Republican scumbag still spouting that bullshit. It was the first and only time I’ll probably ever agree with a Cheney.

So, Liz had to be punished. Through a weaselly, passive-aggressive secret vote, they stripped Liz of her No. 3 position in the House.

Did it ever matter? Did she get wear a special ring or something? I have no idea who No. 2 is. That position may not even need to exist because Kevin McCarthy reeks of No. 2 from constantly rolling in Trump’s crap.

Republicans Remember Insurrectionists as “Normal Tourists”: In real time, the world watched our Capitol swarmed by human Plague rats egged on by Trump to overthrow the presidential election. They smashed windows and doors, beat police, brandished weapons, smeared feces, ransacked offices and stole, and erected a gallows out front for the vice president.

We’ve been seeing video and hearing eyewitness accounts ever since about this nightmare that killed five people.

I’m waiting for Democrats to slam the lid on this garbage that it was a “normal tourist visit” NOW. Arrest the instigators who still sit fat and happy in Congress. Josh Hawley, Marjorie Taylor-Greene et al. need a little “me time” in jail to face the fact that that Trump’s out and so is gaslighting.

Israel – Hamas War: In its latest burst of impotent rage, Hamas started shooting rockets at Israel again, with predictable results: Israel’s Iron Dome is swatting the rockets away like flies, but in retaliation flattening huge swaths of what little they’ve allowed to remain of Palestinian territory.

In the U.S., it seems anything less than 100% unconditional support for everything Israel does is labeled anti-Semitism. But this has nothing to do with race or religion. It’s about oppression and human rights abuse.

Let me put it this way. Say your neighbor has a dog he encourages to poop all over your yard. This makes you angry and you feel he’s violating your land, so you start flinging the feces back over the fence into the dog-owner’s yard. One night, he responds by fire-bombing your house, destroying it and killing your whole family.

You can usually tell who’s “winning” a conflict by counting the casualties (as of this minute):

Palestinians: 212 dead (including 61 children, 35 women), 1,400+ wounded, 2,500 homeless.

Israelis: 12 dead (including 1 child).

Israel absolutely has the right defend itself from attack, but the disproportionate brutality is where I draw the line.

In a perfect world, Netanyahu and Trump would be sharing a prison cell for their lives of financial corruption and depraved indifference to human life, and we’d all be better off.

Just Once, Could a “Bombshell” Report NOT Conclude the Obvious?

By Karen

So last week, at a cost of ??? millions of taxpayer $$$, our intelligence agencies released a report that revealed…

Oh, wait, are you sitting down? Do you think your heart is strong enough to stand the shock? Well, OK, if you’re sure, here it is:

Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman approved (you may gasp here) the brutal murder, dismemberment and poofing (nary a fingernail has ever been found) of U.S. resident and Washington Post journalist Jamal Khashoggi because MBS was butt-hurt that Khashoggi was critical of his country.

Like every other crime during the Trump years, from Day One we knew exactly who had to be behind this. What pisses me off is I haven’t seen a word addressing why Trump and sonny-boy Jared Kushner continued to cozy up to MBS like their BFF.

Photo: EA Worldview

In particular, I want to know — to the PENNY — how much largesse in the aftermath of Khashoggi’s death MBS lavished on Kushner for his unwavering devotion.

As with everything else Trump has befouled, Biden must clean up this mess and hold MBS to account, for whatever that’s worth, because it’s all moot at this point.

Yet again, Trump and Kush face no penalty for abetting a murder because Trump made sure he left our federal justice system a smoldering ruin that lacks the manpower or will to go after him.

It makes me wish I lived in France. They just nailed their former president, Nicolas Sarkozy, and sentenced him to a year in prison, with two more years suspended.

What galls me is that the charges Sarkozy got convicted on sound like a typical day in the Oval Office for Trump. But since Trump and Bill Barr made our Justice Department an extension of their own criminality, Trump’s probably laughing his ass off that Sarkozy was dumb enough to get caught.

CATS WORKING PREDICTION TIME…

Congress is yakking about establishing a “9/11-style” commission to investigate the January 6 sacking of the Capitol. Naturally, Trump’s Treason Cult (a.k.a. Republicans) are clamoring to make it partisan, with an equal number of their ilk on board so they can sabotage it to a fare-thee-well.

Should that commission happen — and let’s face it, it will because it allows Congress kick that can into the gutter and keep traitors like Hawley and Cruz in their midst for another year or two — it should have NO politicians, just impartial, experienced investigators who will uncover nothing but the facts.

I know, what have I been smoking, right?

But I’m going to leap ahead and potentially save years and ??? millions of taxpayer $$$ by revealing what the 1/6/21 report will conclude, right here, right now. Ready?

Someone in the White House — on Trump’s direct order — commanded someone at the Pentagon to do NOTHING on January 6 and let the riot run its course. Trump was super-stoked because he’d been hyping on Twitter for weeks how “wild” that day was going to be. He’d even erected a tent on the White House grounds to host his pre-riot party.

Trump was jonesing to see how high his speech would jack his cult, and how far they’d go to show their fealty. Then he’d watch it all on TV live as it happened. The more people they murdered on camera, the better.

Photo: 4029tv.com

Having more police or the National Guard there would just ruin everything, and Trump refused to allow that to happen.

Getting Congress — and maybe even Mike Pence — whacked as Trump headed out the door would be the crowning glory of his presidency. If he couldn’t remain in power, at least he could have revenge.

That’s the bottom line. And we all know Trump will never be convicted or spend a moment in prison for inciting insurrection because he made treason fashionable and Congress is fine with that.

2020 Election: Happy and Ashamed

By Karen

Let’s establish this: This election is a protracted clusterfuck with no clear winner only because of Trump’s incompetence and interference.

Trump’s signature double hand-job gesture. He thinks it makes him look cool.

If Trump hadn’t welcomed untold illness and death from COVID, we wouldn’t have millions of mail-in ballots to count. And probably hundreds of thousands still lying around post offices that might have changed many down-ballot elections if they’d been delivered and counted.

I’ll start with the good news (any figures I cite are accurate as of this minute)…

My Congresswoman, Democrat Abigail Spanberger, narrowly beat by just over 1 point a Trump-wannabe punk named Nick Freitas. Also, Biden won my county by a hair, even though it’s always been red and went with Trump in 2016.

That makes me feel better about the people who live around me.

Statewide in Virginia, incumbent Democratic Senator Mark Warner beat his Republican challenger by about 11 points. Virginia itself went for Biden by about 9 points and gave him 13 electoral votes.

Now, the bigger picture…

With counting still in progress, Trump is already throwing around baseless and premature lawsuits like an ape flinging feces. Biden is within whiskers of the 270 damn Electoral College votes needed to win. He’s already ahead of Trump (at 68M) by nearly 4 MILLION votes (72M). Biden also set the all-time record of votes for ANY presidential election.

In 2016, Trump got 62M. That means he’s gained 6M in spite of four years of corrupting the government and killing hundreds of thousands of people.

Bottom line: Of the country’s 153M registered voters (as of 2018), about 41% went for Trump and 47% for Biden. The rest either sat it out, voted for some kook, or their ballots are still at the post office.

The total U.S. population is estimated at 331M. That means Trumpers comprise just 21% of us, but their despicable behavior makes us ALL look very, very bad.

I think Trump’s number should be around 17%. That’s his most hardcore crazies who would drink Kool-Aid with cyanide for him. (He may tell them to before January).

The United States will never live down that the election was this close. If I ever travel abroad again, I’ll never be able to admit being American without extreme embarrassment.

Politicians, including Biden, have been saying, “This is not who we are.”

Well, it turns out this is EXACTLY who too many of us are. Trumpers want…

• Destruction of the U.S. Postal Service.
• People unable to get medical care and forced into bankruptcy due to illness.
• Nepotism in the highest ranks; a “ruling family” that behaves like monarchs.
• Betrayal of our allies, with closer ties to brutal, corrupt dictators.
• Persecution of immigrants; caging children, sending asylum seekers back to near-certain death.
• Millions more sickened, potentially killed, by a raging, unchecked pandemic.
• Corrupt politicians robbing the government blind to enrich themselves.
• Environmental devastation; filthy air and water; more wildfire, floods, hurricanes.
• People working full-time yet living in poverty.
• Armed self-appointed “militias” roaming the streets to enforce their own notions of “law and order.”

I could go on and on.

It’s a relief that Biden probably will win, but it only sidelines Trump when he needs to be silenced. He’ll rant and tweet to his goons with guns whom he’s emboldened to keep threatening the rest of us.

If Republicans hold onto the Senate, Biden’s term could be Obama Redux. Thanks to the unfathomable Kentucky morons who must think a seventh term will be the charm and make Mitch McConnell give a tiny shit about them, he’ll still be able to block any progress we could make. He’ll be supported by Lindsey Graham and Susan Collins, the dirtbag and the ditz.

I’ve stopped watching “news” shows. I can’t hear another fucking word until all the results are final. I’d like to drive a stake through any pundit who opines about Trump running again in 2024. They also speculate Trump will start a propaganda network or take over Rush Limbaugh’s radio show when lung cancer finally finishes him.

If there’s any silver lining, it’s that if Biden does win, Trump’s humiliation will likely eat what’s left of his brain like battery acid. His father’s voice will echo…

“You were IN!. You could have been bigger than Putin or Kim for another four years. But you BLEW IT, just like the fortune I gave you. YOU’RE THE WORLD’S BIGGEST LOSER!”

When federal investigations into his corruption get underway and New York prosecutors move in, there will be no time to plan his next big business venture. The rest of Trump’s miserable life will be focused on not having his assets seized and staying out of prison.

But Trump may be beyond caring by the time his empire crumbles. He’s headed straight for a final physical breakdown. He’s on track to end his days a babbling, drooling invalid in a wheelchair in some nursing home his kids and Melania never visit.

Thoughts on the VP Debate

By Karen

Instead of composing a post on the VP debate last night, I’m sharing my raw notes, which I’ve cleaned up for clarity:

WTF with stage? They want everyone catching COVID? Chairs too close, Plexiglas too small. Unprotected moderator within spewing distance.

Pence is a bot. Defends Trump no matter what or how nonsensical. When asked to answer for Trump’s atrocities, deflects & projects.

Pence runs FAR over time to spout lies on COVID questions.

Harris finally warms up, but pulls a punch not asking Pence, “If your management of virus has been so great, why did Trump catch it?”

Pence to Harris on vaccine: “Stop playing politics with people’s lives.” Hypocrite!

Pence, asked about VP’s role, answers with more COVID BS, then veers into swine flu. Claims Obama left Trump a “depleted stockpile” (of what?).

Pence: “The American people have a right to know about the health and well-being of the president” & Trump’s doctors will “continue their transparency.” Translation: more lies coming.

Harris answers question about president’s health with Trump’s taxes. Not good.

Pence recites Fox fan fiction about Trump’s integrity.

On economic recovery, Pence recites a list of lies about Biden’s plans. When Harris alludes to Pence lying, he interrupts to debate that & persists until she finally shuts him down.

Pence: “President Trump and I have a plan to improve health care.” Response should be: Why has nobody ever seen it?

Instead of answering questions, both too intent on getting in rehearsed facts and digs, even if totally off-topic.

Pence claims under Trump we have the cleanest air and water ever. Gets no push-back.

Pence fixated on fracking and fossil fuels. Claims Biden will abolish both.

Harris says Trump took words “science” and “climate change” off the website. Fact. Pence just shakes his head.

Pence: “The climate is changing, we’ll follow the science,” then veers off into taxes. And again with the fucking fracking! Keeps harping on Green New Deal & invokes AOC. Dog whistle to the base.

Harris does a good job of speaking directly to voters.

Pence: “Biden has been a cheerleader for China over the past several decades.” Also says to Harris several times, like he’s so clever, “You’re entitled to your opinion, but not your own facts.”

Pence defends Trump’s USMCA (was NAFTA), but question was about China.

Pence blames China for COVID & repeats China travel ban AGAIN as Trump’s shining moment.

Harris: Obama-Biden had an office on pandemics & sent people to China, but Trump abolished all of it. Pence gives sad head shake, his go-to response to all facts.

Finally, Harris mentions Russia. Trump “embracing dictators” and “unilateral approach to foreign policy and isolationism.” Trump “doesn’t understand what it means to be honest.”

Can hear Pence’s every breath. COVID maybe?

Pence not interrupting as much as Trump, but he runs past his time a LOT & Mod lets him.

Harris says Trump called troops’ brain injuries “headaches.” Pence’s head tilts left with vaguely pained poker face. He’s feeling his ass getting handed to him.

Pence responds to “absurd slanders” against Trump with whopper: “President Trump not only respects, but reveres, all of those who serve in our armed forces, and any other suggestion is ridiculous.”

Mod reminds Pence his campaign agreed to debate rules, and that he’s taking more time than Harris.

Pence dodges every new question by babbling more on previous question. Will not, cannot, stay on topic because he’s got nothing.

Pence’s eyes are really red. He’s about to test positive.

Harris’ “happy warrior” demeanor amazing. She should have bitch-slapped that lying bastard senseless by now.

Pence brings up “separation of powers” on SCOTUS. Desperately insists Harris answer whether Dems will “pack the court,” as if the fucking Republicans haven’t already done that by STEALING two seats.

When they show Pence at just the right angle, he has bat ears.

Black speck on Pence’s hair? Was it there before? [Back up DVR] No. A fly!

Photo: Newsweek

Pence denies Trump refused to condemn white supremacists in first debate.

After several minutes, fly leaves. Bored? Can’t Pence feel it?

Pence invokes Trump’s Jewish grandkids as proof Trump condemns white supremacists. WTF?

Disappointed with Harris. She didn’t always answer questions & could have squashed Pence much more with direct, factual put-downs.

Pence devolved into Trump, lying, babbling, talking overtime, interrupting, trying to dominate.

Pence’s closing statement: “I believe in all my heart that President Donald Trump is going to be elected for 4 more years.” He knows they’re losing. More lies about Obama spying on Trump. Poor Trump, “No obstruction, no collusion, case closed.” They “tried” to impeach Trump “over a phone call.” Mail-in voter fraud. Accuses Biden of trying to “change the rules” of elections (projection). Assorted bat-shit nonsense.

Post-debate: Mother joins Pence on stage sans mask. They can share a ventilator.

BONUS: It didn’t seem possible, but Randy Rainbow has upped his game, teaming up with Patti LuPone on this amazing number from Gypsy that makes me giddy at the prospect…

DOUBLE BONUS: When Trump sprang himself from the hospital, The Lincoln Project turned his “Il Douchebag” balcony scene into “Covita”!…

Chapter 125: COVID Chronicles

By Karen

Day 190

Feeling in a Funk & Tony Gets Ready for His Close-up

Every Thursday, I’ve been wearing a hot-pink T-shirt to honor Adele because she died on a Thursday and her collar was pink and she looked fabulous in it.

This morning when I was putting on the T-shirt, I realized I had completely forgotten that September 12 marked the one-year anniversary of Adele’s death.

It just goes to show how meaningless time has become. Seasons, birthdays, holidays, anniversaries, what do they matter when you’re stuck alone in the house, trying not to get sick or die?

I hate waking up every morning. If the cats didn’t insist I do my thing and take care of them, I wouldn’t.

My biggest thrill this week was making a run to Food Lion to stock up on ice cream and chips. And the heat has let up, at least for now, so we’ve been able to open windows.

On the other hand, walking to the car I noticed that something has chewed away the bottom corner of my chimney, so a new maintenance project to deal with.

Every time I turn on the TV, the West Coast is in flames, with so much smoke it’s fuzzing up the sun and moon in Virginia. Fortunately, it’s high enough not to affect our air quality — yet.

Of course, here comes another hurricane. When we run out of alphabet to name them, they’re going to start using the Greek alphabet.

And as if caging kids weren’t depraved enough, some immigrant women Trump has trapped are having their reproductive organs pulled out without permission. You know this is just disgusting Republican perverts indulging themselves. If they were really going for population control, they’d do mass vasectomies.

With the never-ending senseless shootings, it’ like we’re in Ray Bradbury’s Farhenheit 451. Trump urges police to commit crimes rather than solve them. He’s got a flunky ordering the Post Office to dump mail, not deliver it. And if Trump ever picked up a book, no doubt he’d be having them all burned because they offend him.

(BTW, working on Bob Woodward’s book Rage now. Slow going, nothing really new so far.)

Speaking of Trump, he’s dumped so much verbal sewage on us, we should treat him like that tree falling in the woods. If we don’t listen, he doesn’t make a sound.

Not to forget the pandemic. Trump now admits he wants COVID to do its worst. I think he’s trying to break Hitler’s record. He calls it “herd mentality.” If it works, he’ll kill more than 6 million Americans.

The U.N. just released a special report on Venezuela’s president, Nicolas Maduro, detailing his “crimes against humanity.” According to the AP story…

“Under Article 7 of the U.N. treaty that established the International Criminal Court, a crime against humanity is defined as an act committed as part of a ‘widespread or systematic attack directed against any civilian population.’”

If that doesn’t describe Trump’s strategy with COVID, what does?

Nothing would do this country more good than at 12:01 on January 20, 2021, after Biden is sworn in, to see Trump shackled and frog-marched to a plane headed for the Hague where he will go on trial for American genocide.

Meanwhile, I hope the Nobel Committee has a good laugh over Trump’s nomination for the Peace Prize by some right-wing racist wacko politician from (I’m sorry to say) Norway. Trump’s competing against 317 other nominees, so there should be someone more deserving.

To end on a cheerier note, Tony’s photo-shoot for the RAL 2021 calendar is tomorrow. I have no idea how he’ll behave with two masked women chasing him around the house. His mysterious fascination with the bathtub continues…

Chapter 95: COVID Chronicles

By Karen

Day 112

Roc May Feel Guilty & EU Shunning Gets to Me

I call this Roc’s “Hall of Good Intentions.” For the past week, he’s been bringing presents to my bedroom that never quite make it all the way (of course, Tony was on hand to photo-bomb)…

Maybe Roc’s trying to make it up to me for his sleeping in the living room with Max as their contest to determine King of the Couch continues. Meanwhile, Tony has been coming to bed with me and seems to enjoy having me all to himself (I’ve been taking lots of pics of him because he’s currently helping a good cause and hopes to become a star, details coming soon)…

Last night for the first time, Tony cuddled in the crook of my arm, which meant I spent that time lying on my back, a position I can’t fall asleep in. But it seemed like an affection breakthrough, so I stayed put as long as Tony did.

In yesterday’s comments, talking about the EU ban on Americans, I mentioned to our Danish reader the song about Copenhagen that Danny Kaye sang in the movie Hans Christian Andersen…

I got teary-eyed watching it. Americans becoming unwelcome pariahs in much of the world, thanks to Trump fostering spread of COVID-19 here with unbridled glee and doing NOTHING to help the states contain it, makes me feel hopeless and almost worse than this fucking lockdown.

If you’ve never traveled outside the country, you don’t miss it. But after once having strolled around some of the most beautiful cities of Europe, finding yourself cut off from them because your country’s leader is a demented, murderous monster is crushing.

It brought to mind this song from the show, Do I Hear a Waltz?, which I believe to be an underrated musical. Richard Rodgers composed the music and produced it in 1965. It was originally intended to be a Rodgers and Hammerstein show, but Oscar Hammerstein died of cancer. One of his final wishes was to have a young composer he’d mentored, Stephen Sondheim, write the lyrics.

Neither Rodgers nor Sondheim thought the book, The Time of the Cuckoo by Arthur Laurents, made good material for a musical, and it ultimately ran for only 220 performances on Broadway.

You know the story if you ever saw the 1955 movie Summertime with Katharine Hepburn and Rossanno Brazzi. Hepburn plays a spinster secretary who, while on a once-in-a-lifetime vacation in Venice, meets and falls in love with a semi-married shopkeeper. Elizabeth Allen and Sergio Franchi had those roles on Broadway.

This song you’ve probably never heard, This Week Americans, is sung by the proprietress of the Venetian pensione where the spinster stays. Sondheim managed to work in just about every cultural stereotype you can think of, but it reflects how, once we dump Trump, I hope the world can think of Americans again…