About October Surprises: They All Have Murky Histories

My first question for readers today is, does anything surprise you about what's going on in this country nowadays?

My second question is, do you know what an October Surprise is in relation to politics? 

If not, an October Surprise is about a news event that may influence the outcome of an upcoming November election. Sometimes they are planned and sometimes they're spontaneous. Telling the difference keeps political pundits playing a partisan guessing game up to election day.

The forerunner of the October Surprise happened in mid-October of 1840, shortly before the 1840 presidential election when federal prosecutors announced plans to charge top Whig Party officials with "most stupendous and atrocious fraud" for paying Pennsylvanians to cross state lines and vote for Whig candidates in New York during the 1938 elections.

The Origin of the Term

During the 1980 presidential election, Republican challenger Ronald Reagan feared that a last-minute deal to release American hostages held in Iran might earn incumbent Jimmy Carter enough votes to win re-election.

William Casey, the manager of the Reagan campaign, was the first person to mention the idea of an "October Surprise" to the press by publicly claiming Carter was going to use the hostages to his advantage.

The only problem with that accusation was President Carter told the press that the hostages would not be released until after the election prior to the claim by Casey.

The truth didn't matter, however. Casey's ominous warnings of an October Surprise to the press was done for strategic reasons. It was intended to prepare the voters, so that if some good October news happened, the voters would look at the event as a political ploy by the Carter campaign.

Historians point out that Reagan's campaign more than likely made a deal with Iran whereby the Iranians would hold the hostages until after Reagan was elected and inaugurated.

Congress, like it often does elected not to take any action despite damning evidence presented in news stories by the New York Times, the Washington Post, and independent journalists.

The following decades experienced more October Surprises, and they all had one thing in common - they were murky in origin. 

So back to this October.

I have to wonder what could possibly qualify as a surprise in today's political climate?

Partisan bombshells explode daily with each side seeking an advantage going into November. You could safely argue that every day this month had a surprise - which in another age - would have simply been called chaos.

As it stands, despite stretching my brain to its outer limits, I cannot conceive of what would be big enough to be considered an October Surprise in 2022!

Americans Already Facing Harassment During Early Voting

Try to imagine what it would be like if you went to drop off your mail-in ballot at a designated drop box and masked armed men and women wearing militia gear stood a mere 75 feet away and began intimidating you with crazy questions and accusations.

You'd probably think you were in a south American country like Venezuela.

But it's already happening in Maricopa County, Arizona. The Department of Justice is investigating several cases of voter intimidation like the one described above.

It's not a mystery or a one-off event. Republicans in their lust for power are encouraging fully armed "monitors" to patrol drop boxes and polling stations across the country.

These so-called election guardians are full blown members of the Trump cult and are willing to do what it takes to see him assume power once again. 

I can't help wondering how local sheriffs are going to defuse the heavily armed watchers and protect voters' rights.

In Arizona the sheriff's department has responded by adding extra patrols to the voting areas. It's still a volatile situation with 15 days to go until November 8th.

I'm so disgusted that voting has now become another flashpoint between the two Americas where one side has gone bat shit crazy. You know which side I'm talking about.

Voter safety. 

Who ever dreamed that one of our basic freedoms - the right to vote - would become a such a point of contention in the 21st century?

Moving on.

There are dark ominous political clouds gathering across the nation as we draw near to the midterms. An early winter is showing itself in places like Great Falls, Montana with heavy snow fall and downed power lines.

It's our winter of discontent. We've survived many others. And here we are again. It's nothing new in this diverse nation.

For your own peace of mind ignore the polls and all the performance art playing out in politics. Their all a waste of your valuable time.

When all the votes are counted, we'll see what really happens and then we'll move on, one way or another.

As it stands, all of our freedoms must be rigorously defended if we are going to survive as a democratic republic.

People Are Signing Up for 'What Me Worry Party?' the Hot New Ticket in Politics

Like any political party, the "What Me Worry Party" has a leader.

His name is Alfred E. Neuman. You may know him from his long association with Mad Magazine where he made his first appearance in 1954 when the magazine's editor Harvey Kurtzman introduced the iconic character.

I should point out that the "What Me Worry Party" members believe Neuman is an immortal. (That's no crazier than Trump followers who think he's the son of God). 

Followers cite the fact that Neuman made his first debut in public in a late nineteenth-century advertisements for painless dentistry.

As Neuman followers know that's where the motto "What Me Worry?" first appeared next to a portrait of him with his distinct smiling face, parted red hair, gap-tooth smile, freckles, protruding nose and scrawny body.

Some people may even recall when Neuman appeared on a presidential campaign postcard with the cation "Sure I'm for Roosevelt" in the early 1930s.

That's not all of Neuman's political chops. He ran for president in 1964 with the motto "What - Me Worry? I'm Voting Mad." 

His likeness was often substituted for President George W. Bush. Neuman's smiling face appeared on posters as part of the protest that accompanied Bush's 2001 inauguration.

Here's some visual examples of how involved Neuman has been in politics over the decades.

Who can ever forget when Neuman endorsed and congratulated Richard Nixon? Or, when he congratulated President John F, Kennedy for his big win?

Neuman is still popular in politics and can tout his experience with the current administration.

Neuman's quick insights have earned him the respect of a loyal following who agree with his philosophy that it's all bullshit and there's no use worrying about the state of politics - because it's a mad house.

As it stands, let's face it, nothing is too crazy during this election cycle.

The Price of Power: Americans Turning on One Another Like Rabid Honey Badgers

Sometimes I find myself blinking in astonishment at the warlike rhetoric that is standard in politics today.

This isn't the America I grew up in. I didn't hate my neighbor. Politics followed certain patterns like if you were caught flat-out lying about something during your election campaign... that was the end of it. You were pushed aside and ignored by all.

How things have changed.

Today politics is more a blood sport than ever with calls to hang opponents and line them up in partisan firing squads.

Republicans openly run on lies about the 2020 election being stolen. To get behind Trump's Big Lie is a badge of honor among the candidates running for office in November.

If Republicans take back Congress, they're promising a purge like this nation has never seen before. Their only agenda will be revenge against those who have stood up for democracy and called out the GOPs lies these last two years.

This upcoming election is about getting power at any price for Trump minions. The remnants of the Republican party that once balked at backing candidates like Hershel Walker and Dr. Oz have openly admitted they don't care what their candidates did or said in the past they're holding their noses and backing them.

The lust for power is that bad in the once United States where values like truth, honor, and respect for other humans have been trampled on by Trump and his fascist followers.

There are no limits. MAGA minions are increasingly turning to violence to overthrow our government. Jan. 6 was just a rehearsal for 2024 if the Republicans lose the presidential race.

What about our cherished ideals and love of freedom? Are we going to lose our democratic government because of rabid Republicans who can only think about being in power for themselves and are treasonous cretins?

Political pundits have bandied around the thought we could have another Civil War. I've got news for everyone who isn't paying attention... we ARE in a Civil War right now!

Look around you. Look at the people in your community. Look at the endless flow of misinformation and lies on all of the media platforms. It's all warfare. 

There are threats against women's rights. Threats against minorities. Threats against Jews. Threats against the LGBTQ community. Threats against teachers and election workers. Books are being banned from libraries and schools by MAGA morons.

All of this is the price of seeking unadulterated power to benefit a special segment of our society.

As it stands, where are you in this maelstrom of madness? Are you a combatant or a refugee?

Write on! Today is the National Day on Writing

Today is actually an initiative of the National Council of Teachers of English - built on the premise that writing is critical to literacy but needs greater attention and celebration.

For the past 11 years, the group has seen thousands of people share their responses and engage in activities around the theme #WhyIWrite.

As a lifetime lover of writing, I can honestly say the benefits are numerous. In a time when a former president and TV host had to have his daily briefings illustrated to keep his attention because he didn't like to read and simply couldn't write a coherent sentence, there's never been a greater need to write.

There's still room for writers in our world. There will always be room. The need to document history and to communicate via the written word is woven into mankind's DNA.

We've always recognized the power of the written word going back to ancient cave walls scribbled with our ancestor's messengers on them.

I'm concerned that the power of the written word is being diluted these days as fewer good writers can be found. There are hacks everywhere, brutalizing the language and lying in all caps.

I am encouraged by my granddaughter (a sophomore in high school) who loves to write unlike her peers. Her imagination pours out in cleverly written stories and essays. I like to think I'm part of the reason she loves to write and share her work with others.

Students nationwide need a renaissance of writing skills inspired by good teachers who understand the importance of the written word.

Words from Great Writers

-- "You must stay drunk on writing so reality cannot destroy you." Ray Bradbury, Zen in the Art of Writing

--"The road to hell is paved with adverbs." Stephen King

-- "Don't tell me the moon is shining; show me the glint of light on broken glass." Anton Chekhov

"Start writing, no matter what. The water does not flow until the faucet is turned on." Louis L'Amour

As it stands, when writing becomes a lost art civilization will sink into an ignorant morass with no records to read about what happened.

An Upside-Down World Where Down is Up

You'd be wrong if you thought that sloths live in an upside-down world. They're world is right-side up to them and we're the confused ones.

Like the Republican party where GOP congressman today are trying to institute a bill - the so-called Children Sexualization Act - that will prevent liberals paying strippers to dance in front of our school children!

In the real world there's never been one case of schools or state governments funding strippers to do the hoochie-couchie for students from kindergarten thru high school. That ridiculous assertion doesn't bother the MAGA morons, however. They truly live in an upside-down world.

This crazed attempt won't go anywhere this time, the democrats still have the House and probably won't even allow it to come to the floor. But, if those same MAGA morons win back the House we can expect to see these kinds of bills introduced daily.

I think it's important to understand reality is no long a safety rail in our society where millions of Americans are doing mental handstands rather than be confronted with the truth and reality.

It's not easy standing your ground against so many lies, and so much hate and racism. Real conservative Republicans have found that out after rebuking Trump and his minions for their part in the Jan.6 insurrection. Their careers are over.

Back in the day native American's were quite liberal in some ways. For example, when it came to dealing with members who were off their rockers, they called them "Contraries" and gave them a space in their society.

Contraries walked backward, said no instead of yes (and vice versa) in reply to questions, frowned when they were happy, and basically did the opposite of everything.

Sound familiar?

The only problem with our modern-day contraries is they don't live peacefully with the rest of us. Instead, their goal is to turn us all upside-down and to turn America into an authoritarian utopia.

As it stands, people like you and me must maintain our balance in this topsy-turvy world we live in and be defenders of reality and truth.

American Psychiatric Association Announces New Litmus Test for Crazies

Let's face it. 

It's not easy to tell who's crazy by just looking at them.

Especially nowadays when people run around wearing political cosplay costumes.

The only way to fully determine if someone is short a couple of bottles of a six-pack is to ask them some basic questions. 

After seeking advice from the American Psychiatric Assocation they shared an updated litmus test that I'm passing on to you.

Some core questions to ask:

1. Who is the president of the United States?

This is one of the quickest and most reliable ways of knowing if a person is a dimwit.

2. Is Trump the son of God?

Be prepared to hear blasphemy if you ask this. It's a surefire way to judge just how crazy they are.

3. What year is it?

Sounds too easy, doesn't it? Well guess what? When they start talking about 2020 you caught them red-handed.

4. Should there be more gun safety laws?

Keep a good distance when you ask this question and wear a bullet-proof vest. A normal person wouldn't pull an AR-15 to answer.

5. Is the earth round?

I know. Too easy. Crazies always feel strongly about their flat earth beliefs.

6. Describe what the American flag looks like.

If there's one thing crazies love, it's desecrating the national flag. A crazy will display numerous examples of Trump's fat orange face surrounded in stars and stripes.

Once you've determined your talking with a crazy here's some suggestions:

** Run away as fast as you can!

** Don't stop running.

** Smile pleasantly and suddenly say "Squirrel!" When they look. Run.

** Offer them a cheeseburger or a chicken wing from KFC to go away.

** Back away slowly smiling stupidly (it soothes them) while determining where the quickest escape route is.

** Agree with everything they say and even drool a little to put them at ease.

As it stands, those savvy shrinks emphasized that humor was the best medicine and .... defense!

Things That Make no Sense, but We Still Have to Live with Them

The only things that make sense to me anymore are my pets. 

Their straightforward companions, loyal and they know how to have a good time. 

I roll my eyes in disgust when I hear about the stock market suddenly going boffo because corporations reported obscene profits which translates to growing inflation for the rest of the poor souls in the nation. 

How does anyone make sense of these contradictory sets of statistics that are only decipherable by cryptographers and bankers? 

Moving on.

Despite being legal (medical and recreational) in most states today, Marijuana is still rated as deadly as heroin and fentanyl by the federal government. It's classified as a Schedule 1 drug. The baddest of the bad.

Not only does it not make sense it's a stupid relic from the Demon Weed Days of Reefer Madness. A reminder of another madness that sent millions of Americans to jails for sparking up hooties and packing pipes with cannabis.

President Biden recently freed marijuana smokers (not dealers) who were locked up in prison with an executive action that could someday lead to complete normalization. Don't hold your breath, however.

Moving on.

It's doesn't make sense watching golf courses daily watering acres of land in California during an ongoing drought. 

Southern Californian residents are being paid to dig up their lawns in a desperate attempt to conserve the dwindling water supplies... but it's okay for golf courses to squander water!

Environmentally it makes no sense, but the rich and famous don't want to give up their entertainment (nor modify it) for the sake of others' lives.

Moving on.

The wild conspiracies that blanket our society daily don't have to make sense. They're about poisoning minds. People can't seem to stop their spread. The result is idiocracy reigns.

It'll never make sense to me why we can't just set all of our clocks at the same time and be done with it. I've heard all the feeble reasons why we can't and their too ridiculous to repeat here.

We could if Congress and the states got their shit together but that's as about as likely as Trump confessing to all of the lies he told while squatting in the White House like a bloated orange toad for four years. 

I'll never understand how millions of Americans have put the most corrupt president in our history onto a pedestal where he can do no wrong even as he dismantles our democracy in little ways daily. 

As it stands, one of the disappointments of growing older is the increasing amounts of things that make no sense in your world. Instead of revelations with age you find there's even more senseless things than ever before.

Midterms: Watching for an Impending Political Train Wreck

On a moonless night in America two trains are heading for a political collision... a red train and a blue train.

The American audience is watching for the possibility of impending disaster from their TV sets and computers with fear and loathing. The midterms are coming, and no one really knows what to expect. What to believe. Who to believe. Or cares.

I'm reminded of the old silent films and their cliff hanger endings that kept people coming back to theatres despite the poor economy. They couldn't wait to see what happened to their hero/heroine.

They wanted to see if the hero could untie the fair damsel in time before the train rolled over them both and turned them into pancakes.

The surreal political world we now live in doesn't have guardrails to protect the public. The free flow of disinformation and misinformation is threatening to derail democracy in the November midterms.

October 2022. The two trains chug on towards the same depot - the voting center. 

They carry with them passengers with two wildly different views for what America should look like in the future. 

Pundits try to predict which train is longer, but it's impossible to tell yet as they hurdle down the tracks during the moonless night toward election day.

Both trains fear being derailed before November 8. Many obstacles still remain for both before the race is over and they can discharge their passengers to cast their votes.

When the votes are counted and announced we'll discover which train - the red (Fascists) or blue (Democrats) -prevailed and what that means for America. Democracy or Fascism?  

As it stands, hopefully the good guys (that would be the democrats) prevail like in those old silent films I mentioned earlier. 

A Call to Today's Younger Generation for Help from an Old Hippie

I'm passing on a sacred mantel today to America's youth who are old enough to vote in the upcoming midterms.

This mantel was woven by young Americans in the 70s who united to protest against the war in Vietnam and on marijuana. We declared war on a criminally flawed administration.

We gathered in in streets of San Francisco, New York, Oakland, and Berkeley to protest an administration that we felt was morally corrupt. Many Americans mocked us and called us stupid hippies because we believed in peace, not war.

But we stood firm.

We weren't going to be bullied by the crooked regime that used all of its powers to hunt us down and jail us with fake charges and laws attempting to take away our freedoms. 

Fun fact: all hippies didn't have long hair.

Remember the Mayday Protest in 1971 when citizens used the nation's capital as the ground on which to stage their disapproval?

It was a glorious day. A riot of youth and flowers where thousands of hippies camped out in masses on the edges of downtown Washington on May 2, 1971.

They chose places that enabled them to spread out along the entrances to the city as quickly as possible the next day.

Traffic was stopped for a few hours.

Later former CIA director Richard Helms remarked that Mayday was "one of the things that was putting increasing pressure on the Nixon administration to try and find some way to get out of the war."

I recall the rallies (Hell No! We won't go!) and the long-haired young men and women with flowers in their hair who at the time didn't realize the important role they each played in American history.

They were doing what they believed was right. They fought for individual freedoms and equality among races.

I look in the mirror today and I still see that long-haired rebel that believes in personal freedoms. But that was over 50 years ago and I'm slowing down now. 

I cherish my right to vote more than ever even if I can't physically attend rallies. But I'm worried that there's just not enough of us old hippies to lead democrats to victory in November.

All the election pundits seem to agree that the democrats only chance of not losing their majority in Congress lies with YOUNG VOTERS. That's you. The silent one's who don't respond to polls.

We know women are motivated and will turn out in great numbers because of the abortion issue. I'm counting on that. Still, it's not enough.

Campaigning against the negative headlines of inflation is an uphill battle for democrats which is giving the MAGA morons an edge in the closing weeks.

So, I'm asking all of you young voters to take this mantel - with its glorious history of making change - and wrap it around you. Talk with each other. I know you face numerous challenges in today's society my generation never dreamed of.

But we must not let Trump and his corrupt minions running for office establish any more footholds in our democratic process. They've already done enough damage.

Wear your Tye-dyed t-shirts to the ballot boxes or if you're voting by mail spark a bowl after you send it! 

Don't forget, your hippie predecessors also fought so you could legally smoke weed. The good fight continues.

As it stands, America needs you now more than ever. Your vote counts. 

It's Came Like a Thief in the Night - What We Should Be Prepared For

Photo - "As a thief in the night (COVID-19) by Du Lac

On October 7 there were early signs a new U.S. COVID surge could be on its way, according to a recent report published by the Harvard T.H. Chan School of National Health.

Americans like me have been letting our guard down since the pandemic was officially declared under control. We quit washing hands frequently, muffling our sneezes and coughs with our elbows, and masking in big crowds and indoors. 

The result? Personally, my wife and I, are both fully vaccinated and boosted, but we caught COVID-19. It came like a thief in the night and before we knew it, we felt like we had the mother of all flu bugs. But then we tested ourselves and found the culprit. 

She's had COVID for seven days and is still struggling. I'm on my third day and desperately trying to rally my strength after losing ten pounds (FYI it's not a recommended way to lose weight). 

The kicker is my 94-year-old dad lives with us and has daily medical needs. He's not in the best of health (but is fully vaccinated and boosted). We also tested him, and he has COVID-19 too. 

Worse yet... the Oregon Department of Health says he's too old to get the new anti-viral treatment. WTF? I guess you get written off at a certain age in our society!

Meeting our daily challenges while sick as dogs that got ahold of some bad meat has been difficult... to say the very least.

We can't have friends or family in the house for fear they'll get infected. I worry about my dad. In my fevered mind it's like being on a death watch. 

Here's What's Happening Around the Country

There's been an uptick in COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations, according to NPR. Experts are scratching their bald heads (most are bald you know) and don't know if we should be worried about a winter surge in the country or not?

Here's a thought; if people get the new bivalent vaccine, it could keep the numbers down... the rest of the story is only 8 million Americans have gotten the new vaccine which leaves 200 million people at risk.

President Biden succumbed to politics when he declared the pandemic was over. It's just not true. Instead, he should have warned people to be vigilant, and go back to safe practices because there was a chance COVID could come back this winter.

I sincerely hope the Biden administration can look past the upcoming midterms and concentrate on things like having a secure supply chain of vaccine and ways to deliver it to the public when we need it the most.

As it stands, have you seen any warnings from the national health departments about the need to get vaccinated ASAP? That's what I thought. Neither have I.