I feel good today.

So time for levity with some of my favorite people I don't know!

I'm sure Steve Harvey is somewhere feeling vindicated tonight.

I don't watch the Oscars that often, if for no other reason than I don't end up seeing many of the nominated films before the show and I don't want any spoilers.  For some reason I felt compelled to watch tonight, even after only having seen a handful of the movies.  I tuned in about twenty minutes late as I was still commuting home from work, but what I did see, I thought it was pretty good.  It wasn't the best, but it had some moments that I laughed at, and I enjoyed all the honesty, sincerity, love, and respect.  Some bits carried on a touch too long (the bus tourist thing didn't fly quite like I think they though it would).   Kimmel isn't my favorite comedian, but I like him more and more as I pay more attention to him; he has certainly come a long way from The Man Show and being Ben Stein's dopey sidekick.

Did I not say sometime last month that Viola Davis could do no wrong and they should just hand her the Oscar then?  If you didn't see Fences, she really gave an outstanding performance and was immediately deserving to win tonight!  And what a speech!

I thought the political statements were all well done also.  Nothing over the top; just honest, level-headed, direct statements from people who have just as much right to protest and offer opinions as any of us.  Kudos to all.

But all the glitz and celebrity and parachuting snacks were instantly forgotten in the confusion of the last ten minutes with the wrong envelopes going out that caused the wrong Best Picture winner to be announced.  I have never seen chaos quite like that before.  I knew something was up when I saw Stage Manager guy bumbling around through the La La Land team.  Then nobody knew what to say, what to think, or where to go for a few minutes.  It was almost comical if so many people didn't just go through a flurry of 180-degree emotions so quickly.  In any case, let the memes fly!

So a big congratulations to all the winners, a huge apology from me that I haven't seen most of your films despite my best intentions (no award for that), and Steve Harvey, here's to ya - you're free!

You didn't think I'd let this one go??

Could there be a bigger baby in the history of world leadership??  Now he is skipping the White House Correspondents' Association Dinner because he thinks the press is picking on him.  This whole "The press is my enemy" bit is so tired and ridiculous.  I can't believe I'm agreeing with Howard Stern about anything, but he said it about three weeks ago:

"[H]e wants to be liked, he wants to be loved . . . He wants people to cheer for him . . . [H]e loves the press."

It shouldn't, but it continues to boggle my mind that this person truly believes that his ego is bigger than the country.  You know, I really hate to say these words, but somehow I think it's appropriate here for our Man-Child in Chief:

       

I live in a fascist country.

I suspect most of you reading live in the same one.

I found this gem tonight.  It is a similar list to one which has made its rounds over the interwebs lately, but I found this format intriguing:

                                 

I'm not sure when this was made, but the way I see it, we can now X off the last two boxes as he has now called for us to have MORE nuclear weapons despite a claim he would like to see no one have any; and the latest stunt in excluding several major reputable news outlets from a press briefing while allowing drivel like Breitbart.

So if these are the defining factors of fascism, then we did it!  We are a fully-fascist nation! Congratulations 'Murica!!  U.S.A.!  U.S.A.!  I am so proud of us!

Oh yeah, one more thing:



#resist

DeVos is not Umbridge.

I am deep into reading Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix with my son.  We just finished the chapter "Detention With Delores" wherein (SPOILER ALERT!) Umbridge forces Harry to "do lines" as his punishment, but not by traditional writing; rather she has a razor-sharp quill that magically cuts into the user's hand causing the poor soul to write in his own blood.  In this case, the writing disappears at the end of every sentence and Harry is forced to write over and over again until his hand is raw and bleeding. This goes on for hours over four nights until the words are physically cut into Harry's hand.

Delores Umbridge is that one teacher we all had growing up who had her own methods of teaching and discipline that every student feared and hated.  These teachers may not be pure evil, but we certainly thought they were at the time.

As we have been reading, I have been reminded of several memes of this kind that popped up when Betsy DeVos was selected and eventually (inexplicably) approved for Secretary of Education.

                 

I don't think this is an accurate comparison.  First, Umbridge's deplorable acts of discipline were NOT backed by Voldemort; she works for the Ministry of Magic, not the Dark Lord.  Second, while it's true neither Umbridge nor DeVos have any clue about education or teaching, Umbridge is at least smart and knows exactly what she's doing and for whom; DeVos is just an incompetent idiot.  It's almost too bad for 45 that Harry Potter is just a work of fiction; Umbridge may have been an even better fit for him for this position.  Then we'd have had this:

I am commenting on headlines today.

Yes, not a smart thing to do, and kind of hypocritical of me.  The thing is, after everything else 45 has done so far, I believe the headlines.  I don't think anything surprises me anymore - disgusts, yes; surprises, not so much.

So let's see, what have I glossed today?

• He is moving forward on his plans to kill public arts funding (which will save 0.0625% of the federal budget I believe I read from another headline).  Ironically this comes up at the beginning of member pledge drives.
• He is taking away protections from transgender students.
• His team was authorized to send out a second biased poll about the big, bad mainstream media because too many Democrats spoiled the first one.  I filled out this one.  I reluctantly had to supply my email to submit; I'm surprised my junk folder wasn't instantly inundated with pro-Trump spam . . . I'm sure it will show up soon.
• He is giving out lip-service condemning the rise of anti-Semitism in the country.
• There is a report that his entire staff spends a concerted amount of time and effort keeping the overgrown man-child happy.

I just have no words anymore.  Liberals had better show up in droves for midterm elections next year so we can take back Congress and get impeachment proceedings moving (I still don't believe enough Republicans will break party ranks to get rid of him sooner).  Once he is removed, we'll have Pence to deal with.  He is not much better - some say he's worse - but at least he has shown a tiny touch of humanity by telling the hecklers and the cast when he saw Hamilton that he wasn't offended they spoke their minds and reiterated an intention to work for everyone (that part hasn't happened yet, Mikey), and then a report today that he denounced vandalism in a Jewish cemetery.  And then there will only be two years of that, because I don't think Pence really wants to be President either.

Dear God, what have we come to??!! #resist

Sometimes our citizens make me proud, and many of our elected officials make me vomit.

I almost had nothing again tonight; an average, quiet day at work that lead into an uneventful evening (aside from the winter finale of Agents of SHIELD - damn it! - which I may touch on another time), but then I ran into this gem.

Now many of you will cry "biased source" and "fake news," and you may be right to do so.  Occupy Democrats is far from the most neutral source (the name, duh!).  But I site it today because of the videos this article includes.  The fact that so many constituents from both parties showed up to rail out against their Republican representatives in Washington to make their voices heard is a wonderful thing!  Also, the proof that so many of these representatives are cowards and avoid and/or ignore their constituents, WHO ARE THE PEOPLE THAT ELECTED THEM, makes me livid!  

So many career politicians have completely forgotten that our founders intended for us to govern ourselves. The patriots fought for independence so we would be free from a tyrannical king, not to just get away from one so we could appoint another.  Many of today's elected officials can't get past their own bank accounts to remember we send them to Washington or to the seats of local government or wherever to speak for US, not for themselves and their parties.  Their own ambitions and egos take over and the rest of us are summarily forgotten.  The fact that the over-ripe prune known as Mitch McConnell has the audacity to say "when you win the election you get to make policy. Winners make policy and the losers go home" (which was sourced by the AP, not just the Occupy article) just proves that he and so many politicians like him have forgotten their roles.  You get to "make policy" based on what WE tell you to make!  "Losers" don't "go home;" you all work together for the common good of the country.  Maybe you all need a little re-education; try this and then DO YOUR JOBS!