Patting Myself on the Back.

In light of today's NYT article regarding the circumstances surrounding Rod Rosenstein and the firing of James Comey, I feel that my 5 Thoughts post on the matter was spot-on and is still relevant.

Also, I really need to improve my writing style. Ugh.

General Observations About Pain

Pain blocks itchiness. Also, allergies are a pain in the head.

"Wait, did you mean, 'pain in the ass'?"

No. I friggin mean pain in my face -- from the nasal congestion after sneezing a dozen times.

"Oh."

Yeah.

But on the bright side -- you know there's always a bright side -- pain is a reminder that I'm alive. As the old M.A.S.H. song goes, "suicide is painless", so clearly, I'm alive and able to see the birds, the rainbows, the...

Ah...ah...achoo!

Fuck pain. Where's that ibuprofen?

Today's Thought, June 24, 2018

"The Emperor Has No Clothes!"

I've come upon an epiphany of sorts, thinking about the value of authenticity and what is real. It wasn't until a little kid correctly pointed out that the Emperor's finest silk threads woven intricately was nothing more than air, that the villagers understood the comedy of what had transpired.

As such, and since no one appears willing to go toe to toe with Donald to drag him through the mud, there is an alternative method to destroying him: Physically point at his visage and start laughing at him when he says something stupid or otherwise lies. When he responds with an insult, point again and laugh harder!

Being ridiculed -- especially in the form of being laughed at -- prevents you from having to drag yourself into the mud that Donald lives in, but it is also especially painful for the ego to sustain on a regular basis. It is humiliating to endure, and when everyone else follows the lead and starts laughing, the chorus of laughter directed at Donald would be unbearable.

He is so sensitive to matters of his looks, wealth, and intelligence, it should be extremely easy to humiliate him.

Or not. Some people enjoy watching the Republic collapse, I suppose.

Today's Thought, June 19, 2018

"Help me!"

I sometimes wonder if most things Donald does is really just a quiet scream for help to save him from his ego being crushed -- the implicit calls of a narcissist?

His current rant blaming Democrats for child separations at the border can, in a sense, be understood as a plea for Democrats to save his ego by explicitly banning child separations. From the start of his administration, his call to the Mexican President was a plea for Pieto to save him from embarrassment over the wall.

He didn't understand healthcare policy so his claims of how great his plans were, were actually a call to Republicans to draw up a plan to match his rhetoric. Same goes for Afghanistan, North Korea, global trade, etc.

Those tariffs could actually be his way of pleading with other nations to look the other way to give him foreign policy wins he needs, right before he quietly drops the tariffs and let things resettle back to where they were before.

Absent the response he was looking for, his ego is left with no other choice than to escalate and push through -- until someone saves him, that is.

Republicanism, Explained

72 years ago a prescient (and very talented) Irving Berlin wrote, "Anything You Can Do". Today, it perfectly describes the Republican Party's dogma, and specifically, Donald:

Anything you can do,

I can do better

I can do anything

Better than you.

No, you can't.

Yes, I can. No, you can't.

Yes, I can. No, you can't.

Yes, I can,

Yes, I can!

Anything you can be

I can be greater.

Sooner or later,

I'm greater than you.

No, you're not. Yes, I am.

No, you're not. Yes, I am.

No, you're NOT!. Yes, I am.

Yes, I am!

Anything you can buy

I can buy cheaper.

I can buy anything

Cheaper than you.

Fifty cents?

Forty cents! Thirty cents?

Twenty cents! No, you can't!

Yes, I can,

Yes, I can!

Oh, the vanity and egotism! By any measure, Donald just screwed the pooch and underwhelmed in Singapore in his dealing with NK.

US - DPRK Outcome

The following statement from the U.S. was released:

In the agreed statement, we and the DPRK also said that as part of the final resolution of the nuclear issue we are prepared to establish diplomatic representation in each other's capitals and to reduce barriers to trade and investment, as a move toward full normalization.

Representation would initially take the form of liaison offices. This will be closely linked to overall progress on the nuclear issue. 

On north-south relations, the DPRK stated that it remains prepared to implement the North-South joint declaration on the denuclearization of the Korean peninsula. We told the DPRK representative that the U.S. is prepared to provide the the DPRK with assurances against the threat or use of nuclear weapons against it by the U.S.

The date of this statement's release was August 13, 1994.*

I tricked you, my dear reader, to help you understand that today's joint statement from Kim Jong-Un and Donald amounted to a reiteration of what President Clinton and Kim Jong-Il produced some 24 years ago.

This should concern you a great deal.

Only an inept, gullible team like Donald's administration would have basically reproduced the Clinton-era agreement and added honorifics throughout in order to appease Kim Jong-Un. Donald's cordial treatment with direct talks between two leaders is just fodder for North Korea.




* -- Refers to the US-DPRK 4-part agreement that was summarized and sent to US diplomats around the world.