Maybe Having Political 'Cage Fights' is the Answer

There's MMA cage fights.

There's WWE cage fights.

Both are entertaining.

Seeing two billionaires fight in a cage match could be entertaining - ala Elon Musk vs Mark Zuckerberg. 

The two social media CEOs are really just trying to drum up business for their sites with a pathetic attempt at being tough guys.

Musk is known for his shit-talking on Twitter. He does however have some jiu jitsu training (probably kicking a dummy or one of his employees around) and Zukerberg has no problem talking smack.

It's just too bad they didn't follow through and really clobber one another. Everyone (but their avid supporters) knew it was a lot of hot air from two loons looking for attention.

Better yet.

Let's have political cage wrestling events between politicians.

I was kind of excited when Sen. Markwayne Mullin challenged Sean O'Brian, the general president of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, to a cage fight recently. Loved the concept, but of course neither went near a cage.

Here's the cage matches I want to see:

Heavyweight category

Trump vs Chris Christie. While Trump has some world wrestling experience (fake of course) Christie is showing spunk and talking some trash to the former president and most corrupt man in US history. 

Light Heavyweight category

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and California Gov. Gavin Newsom. The two adversaries represent the opposite ends of our culture wars. It should be entertaining for a few minutes or until Newsom gives DeSantis a bloody nose upon which time DeSantis will stop fighting and start crying.

Middleweight category

Hakeem Jeffries, the democratic minority leader in the House vs Kevin (The Rabbit) McCarthy, the House Speaker. Jeffries is expected to run down his fleeing opponent and pin him to the ground.

And.

House GOP member Lauren Boebert, vs House member Marjorie Taylor Greene. This cage match will be a barn burner for sure! It's the only female fight on the card, and the rivals are from the same party. It'll be billed as "Two Bad-Assed Bitches."

Lightweight category

House GOP member Andy Biggs vs Democrat Ted Lieu. Odds makers are betting Biggs runs out of gas after flapping his gums constantly and Lieu gets plenty of straight shots at his mug.

As it stands, as you can see the possibilities are endless. Maybe we could get something done since MAGA cult minions won't compromise. 

When You're Not Crazy Enough: MTG's Ouster is Alarming

When the House Freedom Caucus kicked Marjorie Taylor Greene out of their group I was surprised.

Then concerned.

What did that mean? She wasn't crazy enough to swim in their swamp. 

Apparently, her Jewish Space Lasers story has been trumped by even crazier stories and stances by her fellow crazy caucus members.

Plus, they don't like her. She's actually embarrassed the loonies one too many times. That isn't an easy thing to do with their shameless membership. 

I'm sure it didn't endear her to the members she was verbally attacking (I'm thinking about Lauren Boebert recently).

Despite being one of Trump's biggest supporters she was unceremoniously booted from the most extreme group in Congress.

Now what is she going to do in order to get attention? As a lone wolf Greene is going to have to come up with more spectacular and dramatic conspiracies if she wants back in the fold someday.

Meanwhile she has to depend on her feral instincts and repugnant personality to woo extremists while building her creds as a stupid woman with a cause.

I expect to see some fireworks in the House between her and the crazy caucus in the weeks ahead.

"Mirror, mirror on the wall... who will be the craziest of them all?"

As it stands, I guess we'll find out soon enough.

It's Called the Summertime Blues

"Yeah, sometimes I wonder what I'm going do

'Cause there ain't no cure for the summertime blues

No, there ain't no cure for the summertime blues"

- Alan Jackson

Summer is not everyone's favorite time of the year. This may come as a shock to some, because summer is so closely associated with vacations and holidays.

My feelings about summer have morphed from absolute delight (getting out of school being the main reason), to now where I don't have too much fun in the sun. 

My shriveled skin at 73 years-old burns like parchment paper if I'm outside for more than a few minutes. 

During my middle age it was all about taking our three sons to outside excursions during the summer. We even went to Death Valley one year. Talk about hot. My wife and I were always well-tanned from the sun's rays back in those days.

Summers are hotter than ever thanks to climate change. July 3rd was the hottest day ever recorded for the whole planet according to weather gurus.

That alone gives me the summertime blues.

Shirley and I make sure to go in our pool (for a few minutes) every day. It's one way of chasing the blues away.

As a deadly heat wave continues to ravage the country, new evidence suggests the human body may stop functioning optimally when outside temperatures climb to 104 to 122 degrees Fahrenheit. 

States like Texas have had temps over 119 degrees recently. A man died from hiking in the heat in Death Valley, California when it reached 122 degrees.

That's enough to give anybody the summertime blues.

As it stands, stay as cool as possible in this extreme heat, especially if you're an old coot like me!

Fire Starters Rhetoric Heats Up During This Summer of Our Discontent

When the summer reaches its zenith bad tempers are quickly ignited. 

I've watched this phenomenon over the decades with growing concern.

I clearly recall the Watts riots back in 1965 when protestors tore apart the Watts neighborhood and its surrounding areas of Los Angeles in civil unrest.  When the fires were put out and the rioting ceased after six days 34 people were dead.

That was a big deal back then. So many died in six days that Americans were shocked.

In today's world of daily mass murders, 34 deaths in six days barely registers against a weekend in major cities that routinely have a slaughter count above that.

So, what does all this have to do with heated rhetoric?

In one word, MAGA.

The lies and baseless accusations that are now dividing and angering people are so prevalent that fire starters in the MAGA GOP have become a direct threat to the country's national security.

It's a fact these hot summer days are often accompanied by bad tempers and outbursts of violence. We all get that.

But the violent rhetoric this summer is increasing daily as MAGA minions go all out defending Trump from the numerous felonies he's already been charged with and the ones that are coming soon.

Talk of another civil war is a common threat among MAGA minions hugging their AR-15s. They're actively defaming President Biden and his son Hunter with outright lies, hoping that someone will get mad enough to take a shot at one or both of them. Sound extreme? It is, but that's where these cult members are going.

As it stands, as Dale Carnegie once said, "Pay less attention to what men say. Just watch what they do."

Longing for the Day That No One Talks About Trump

I know it's just a dream.

But how nice it would be not to hear about traitor Trump for a day.

Imagine the airways free of his mind-numbing corruption and calls to violence. No public threats to the government and people who just want peace.

Some civility would return without Trump's toxic input in social media for a day. Conspiracies would take a major blow without Don the Grifter pushing a constant flood of lies.

The communities that Trump is busy attacking will get a rest from his fascist rhetoric. The LGBTQ citizens would have a day of relief from the hate that Trump spawns among his cult.

Hate would go on holiday that magic day.

But my dream doesn't stop there. I look forward to Trump being incarcerated for the rest of his life for the crimes he committed against American democracy.

I look forward to justice and a return of some sanity in politics.

I look forward to Trump just being a shameful bookmark in our history, where his name is properly reviled.

As it stands, more than anything I hope our democracy withstands the curse of Trump.

This Year's 4th of July is Dedicated to AR-15s

Patriotism infused with violence this 4th of July saw five men die after being shot with an AR-15 while Americans across the country gleefully let off massive amounts of fireworks.

In Republican circles the AR-15 is a symbol of patriotism and lawmakers wear them pinned on their clothing to show support for the deadliest gun on the streets today. The choice of mass murderers.

Today during a 4th of July celebration in Ft. Worth, Texas, during a neighbor gathering three people were killed and eight others wounded. Guess what the killer used? That's right. An AR-15. And the day is not over.

As we celebrate the country's 247th birthday there are questions about how many more the nation will celebrate in its current form?

I foresee the country continuing to drift apart into two irreconcilable blocs of red and blue states trying to occupy the same geographic space. 

The two are existing in two worlds. The blue one's support reality and the truth, while the red ones live in an alternate world where Trump is king and lies are badges of honor.

The split between the two grows wider daily as the basic rules of life between red and blue states on everything from the availability of abortion to guns is contested.

Trump's cult has culled out reason and compromise in Congress and state Houses and Senates. Threats of political violence is one of the hallmarks of Trump supporters.

To be sure, the ideal of a national unity while celebrating the 4th of July has always been overstated. Since the first 4th of July celebration the country has been riven by sectional, racial, class and gender conflicts.

As it stands, the 4th of July's I remember growing up in the 1950s seemed to be a unifying factor partly because we had so many WW II veterans and organizations throughout the land. 

It's an Odd, Odd World

Today I'm stepping away from the mundane.

The boring. 

The normal. 

The run-of-the-mill stuff.

Are you game?

Then let's take a dive into the diversity of the odd world around us.

The racing world of competitive runners has a stunning new record that most people will not want to break.

- A French firefighter set a Guinness World Record for running a distance of 893 feet after being set on fire. Jonathan Vero donned a protective suit and broke the record for the longest distance full body run without oxygen. No thanks.

- There's something odd going on in a Kansas neighborhood that stopped getting mail for two months.

Why? The U.S. Postal Service said there was a vicious dog patrolling the neighborhood and they weren't going to risk the mail carrier's lives until the matter was resolved.

Sounds reasonable I suppose but there's more to the story. 

The people in that neighborhood said their unaware of any such dog roaming their streets. So, naturally they raised a ruckus about the situation. 

This week their regular mail delivery is resuming, and the Postal Service said the situation has been resolved. That's great, right? One question still remains... was there really a vicious dog in the first place? No explanation followed.

- Police at a Pennsylvania university are warning students and nearby residents to beware of an "aggressive cow" that has made repeated visits to the campus.

I realize it sounds odd, but did anyone think about why the cow was going on campus? Could be the cow had a thirst for knowledge. Just saying.

- Something about running again but this time with style... a Spanish man set a new record for running a 100-meter sprint while wearing high heels. 

Christian Roberto Lopez Rodriguez put on 2.76-inch stiletto heels and ran the 100 meters in 12.82 seconds.

However fantastic, his odd footwear is still not going to make it to the Olympics. I can't imagine running three feet in those torture devices! Kudos to your determination Mr. Rodiguez!

- I just can't leave yet without one more tail tale of a cow acting odd. A Nebraska women's pet cow set a Guinness World Record by performing 10 tricks in one minute. Now that's a tricky bovine!

As it stands, I hope you enjoyed this little tour as much as I enjoyed sharing it with you.

I Think Actor Michael Imperioli is on to Something with His Message to the Supreme Court

Kudos to one of my favorite actors, Michael Imperioli, for his response to the Supreme Court's recent discriminatory ruling.

The right-wing Supremes (more like stooges) ruled in favor of a Christian web designer who refuses to create websites for same-sex weddings.

Imperioli's snarky reply to the homophobic decision wasn't only clever... he laid out a path for us all to ban MAGA minions from our businesses and entertainment.

He tweeted...

"I've decided to forbid bigots and homophobes from watching The Sopranos, The White Lotus, Goodfellas or any other movie or tv show I've been in.

And...

"Thank you, Supreme Court, for allowing me to discriminate and exclude those who I don't agree with and am opposed to. USA! USA!"

To the majority of Americans, the ruling was a devastating blow to LGBTQ protections, which have been bolstered by landmark decisions at the nation's highest court.

Expressing his anger with the ruling Imperioli said, "Hate and ignorance is not a legitimate point of view."

I totally agree.

Once again, I find myself in agreement with the majority of Americans who don't want to watch a segment of our society disenfranchised by a sick minority of extremists in positions of power. 

As it stands, I've said it numerous times, and I'll say it again; the only way to turn back this toxic Republican party is through the ballot box.

The Proof is Out There... Maybe

Have you noticed that there's been a lot of stories about UFOs and extraterrestrial encounters lately?

I started to pay attention a couple of weeks ago when residents in a Las Vegas neighborhood claimed that there were 10-foot-tall green aliens in their backyard. 

The Las Vegas police looked into it but couldn't find any evidence. No surprise that a week later the family that claimed to have seen the tall strangers from outer space were exposed pulling a prank.

Then I found more stories about alien encounters and UFO sightings.

* An Algorithm Has Detected 8 Mysterious Signals That Possibly Came from Aliens

* Researchers find "Unusual" Interstellar Debris Thought to be from Aliens

* US Officials Tight-Lipped About Alleged UFO Program

* UFO Sightings Are Up, But No Proof of Aliens yet, Pentagon Official Says

* Is NYC The New Rosell? UFO Sightings This Year Include a Crash

* 'UFO' in Michigan's Bad Axe Involved in 'Dogfight' with Jets Claim isn't Proven

* The Pentagon Releases Shocking New Video of UFO

*UFO Reports by US Troops Skyrocket to Over 500

There are more stories out there every day. Maybe this is the Summer of Alien Encounters.

As it stands, I have this fantasy that aliens will abduct Donald Trump, take him home, and make him their pet.