Tag Archives: 2016 Presidential Race

Fact Checking The Presidential Debate ► Another Aunty Em Editorial

I’ve been reading a lot lately about the combined topics of Donald Trump’s lies and whether the debate moderators will fact check this crazy MoFo.

It might surprise people to learn that I am totally against a Debate Moderator holding a candidate to the facts. That’s the job of the other candidate.

The moderator’s job is to introduce the candidates, spell out the agreed upon debate rules, see to it that the participants keep to the those rules, and then get the fuck out of the way. [Although, just to be evil, I’d give the moderator a microphone kill switch if anyone goes over their allotted time.]

There will be plenty of time to fact check both of these candidates.

Of course, knowing the media like I do, Hillary Clinton will probaly be fact checked harder than Donald Trump, even though an article published yesterday claimed Donald Trump Lied 87 Times Last Week — Or Once Every 3 Minutes, 15 Seconds.

As we have seen during this election cycle, it doesn’t really matter how many lies Donald Trump tells. He is running neck and neck in the polls with Hillary Clinton despite being a bigger liar than Richard Nixon and Roger Ailes put together.

Which is why Donald Trump has to be crushed. Not just beaten, but beaten badly. Beaten so badly that this kind of racist, xenophobic, misogynistic psychopath with a total lack of empathy and compassion for any basic, human emotions will never get this close to the White House ever again.

And then Trump must be ridiculed as a loser and hounded to the ends of the earth, as his business empire inevitably falls apart under the weight of lawsuits, terrible business decisions, and the total collapse of the Trump brand. Here are my early contributions:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Palin Family’s Greatest [Literal] Hits ► Throwback Thursday

Remember this trio of tweets and posters to promote a book?

Sensing her ongoing total irrelevance, Alaskan grifter Sarah Palin latched onto the +Donald J. Trump gravy train-wreck this week. With predictable and HIGH-LARRY-US results, it didn’t go well.

As much fun as we on the Left are having — make no mistake: the return of the Palin Word Salad is comedy gold — we should never forget what a vile creature she really is, along with the family she rode in on.

Remember: It would be BLOOD LIBEL if you were
to even suggest that Sarah Palin was using gun sight
logos on this poster to suggest 2nd Amendment
solutions, especially after Gabby Giffords, one of
those in the sights, was shot in the parking lot of
an Arizona supermarket in an assassination attempt
that left 6 dead and 13 injured 5 years ago this month.

On Tuesday, as whispers of Palin’s potential Trump endorsement were starting to blow up the internet, two other stories were bubbling under news cycles’ Hit Parade.

The first was that her abstinence-avert daughter Bristol, taking precious time away from diapering her 2nd baby born out of wedlock, defended Mama Grizzly from an accurate attack from the Ted Cruz camp over her Trump endorsement.

Then came the not-as-surprising-as-you-might-think reports that Palin’s eldest son Track — left home alone — had been arrested the night before for [alleged] beating up his girlfriend and then threatening to shoot himself.

According to the police report:

She and her boyfriend of one year, Track Palin, left a different residence together and were arguing the whole way home. Once they got to his home they argued in the car, then in the driveway . They were screaming and he was calling her names. [Redacted] told Palin that she had called the cops even though she had not, in attempt to calm him down and to scare him away from “touching her”. Palin approached [Redacted] and struck her on the left side of her head near her eye with a closed fist. [Redacted] got on the ground in a fetal position because she didn’t know what else he would do. Palin then kicked [redacted] on the right knee. [Redacted]’s phone was sitting on the ground in front of her. Palin took her phone and threw it across the driveway. She retrieved the phone and went inside the house. Palin was already inside and holding onto a gun, yelling “do you think I’m a pussy?” and “do you think I won’t do it?” [Redacted] stated Palin “cocked the gun” and was holding the rifle out next to him with the his right hand near the trigger and his left hand near the barrel, with the barrel just away from his face pointed to the side. [Redacted] was concerned that he would shoot himself and ran outside and around the house. She didn’t see where Palin went, so she went inside and up the stairs, where she hid under a bed. Shortly after, she heard Palin walking around inside looking for her. Palin left after not locating her.

However, the news that Track [allegedly] beat up his girlfriend didn’t hit the TRENDING lists until after Sarah Palin’s loony toon speech in Trumpville, USA.

That news revived earlier stories about the Punch Drunk Palins. In 2014 the whole famn damily got into a donnybrook with some of their neighbours. Then, as now, the police were called. Combining several written reports, my editors at PoliticusUSA wrote in 2014:

Our friend Gryphen at The Immoral Minority has the details,

According to the grapevine Track had some altercation
with a person who may or may not have once dated one of the Palin girls.
That led to some pushing and shoving, which escalated somehow to the
family being asked to leave the premises.

However before that could happen a certain former abstinence
spokesperson unleashed a flurry of blows at some as of yet identified
individual before being pulled off by by another partygoer, after which
Todd apparently puffed up his chest and made some threatening remarks.
(The “C’ word may have been uttered at one point.)

In the end the cops were called, order was restored, and the Mama Grizzly made sure the whole thing got swept under the rug.

Blogger Amanda Coyne added some more color to the picture,

The owner of the house gets involved, and he probably wished he
hadn’t. At this point, he’s up against nearly the whole Palin tribe:
Palin women screaming. Palin men thumping their chests. Word is that
Bristol has a particularly strong right hook, which she employed
repeatedly, and it’s something to hear when Sarah screams, “Don’t you
know who I am!”

And it was particularly wonderful when someone in
the crowd screamed back, “This isn’t some damned Hillbilly reality
show!” No, it’s what happens when the former First Family of Alaska
comes knocking.

Wonkette confirmed with the PoPo that the brawl really happened.

My fascination with the Palin Family is nothing new. Read:

 More Proof the Palin Family
Are Liars and Grifters

As the news of Track’s latest arrest became too big to ignore, mother Sarah Palin went into hiding to formulate a response. She skipped Trump’s first event yesterday, with everyone wondering, “Where’s Sarah?” When she emerged she came up with this Laff Riot:

According to PoliticusUSA, there are 2 competing stories about why Track Palin served in the military in the first place, which, incidentally, was during George W. Bush’s incumbency:

Barack Obama didn’t send Track Palin to the Middle East. Depending on
whether or not one believes the Palin family version of the story Track
Palin was either forced by his parents to enlist after getting
arrested, or he volunteered to go. Either way, the responsibility for
Track Palin’s arrest belongs solely to the man himself.

I do not wish to make fun of anyone who has PTSD. I’ve seen its
effects first hand. If Track has PTSD, I hope he is able to get
the help he needs. [On a tangential note: I hope somone is smart enough
to take away his guns.]

Having typed that, if Sarah Palin says Track has PTSD it needs to be checked with a higher authority because: 1). Palin’s relationship with the truth has been bitterly strained over the last decade, or so, and; 2). There is no one she wouldn’t betray — including using her son and a medical diagnosis — to score points with the “Right wingin’, bitter clingin’, proud clingers of our guns, our god, and our religions, and our Constitution.”

For further proof there’s no one she wouldn’t throw under the wheels of a campaign bus: Despite the fact that:

  • John McCain elevated Sarah Palin to national recognition when he tapped her to be his Veep, and;
  • +Donald J. Trump famously attacked John MCain as a loser who was captured and the compassionate billionaire doesn’t like people who were captured.

Sarah Palin betrayed previous BFF Ted Cruz, Conservatives, religious fundamentalists and Tea Party-types in order to Scream Stump for Trump.

I rest my case. Now watch this bucket of crazy, which MoJo introduces with the headline:

Here Is a Video of Sarah Palin Interviewing Donald Trump. It Is Bonkers under the funny URL
http://www.motherjones.com/contributor/2015/08/starts-chanting-kiss-kiss-kiss-kiss-kiss-kiss-kiss-kiss-stops-chanting:

Kicking 2015 to the Curb ► The Ultimate Throwback Thursday

As we all look forward to a New Year, some highlights before all the sand runs out of this one:

THE JOHNNY DOLLAR WARS

Maybe I was just asking for trouble, but I began 2015 by . . .

While I thought these crazy cyber-bullies were finally vanquished, just recently “Angie Simmoril” — who hides behind a wall of complete anonymity — popped up again to promise big doings on the Aurelius Project for the beginning of 2016. While I had almost forgotten The Flying Monkey Squad existed, this is simply more proof that an obsessed crazy person never really goes away — unless they die, which is really what I thought had happened with Grayhammy.

Watch this space.

COCONUT GROVE PLAYHOUSE & PARKING LOTS

I wrote so many stories about Coconut Grove this year, but most of them were about the Coconut Grove Playhouse and its surrounding parking lots. That meant I spent a lot of time in parking lots this year, and the year before, while I did research in the field, as it were:

When I agreed to drive a car at this year’s King Mango Strut, little
did I know it would be the one with Ken Russell doing yo-yo tricks

MIAMI DISTRICT 2 POLITICS

My campaign to SAVE THE E.W.F. STIRRUP HOUSE not only led to all those stories on the Coconut Grove Playhouse — which is catercorner to it — but also got me deeper then ever into District 2 politics. That led to a series of stories about [allegedly] corrupt Miami Commissioner Marc D. Sarnoff, which naturally led to that time When Miami Commissioner Marc D. Sarnoff Lied To My Face.

When the term-limited Sarnoff put up his wife Teresa to run in his place for District 2 Commissioner, I started following the election closely. My first foray in covering the candidates didn’t go so well. Jammed For Time tells the story of getting thrown out of the Grace Solaris campaign kickoff. That didn’t auger well for the rest of the Commissioner race. As far as I knew the rest of the field would treat me similarly. Luckily, none of them did. All were gracious about answering questions and posing for pictures. That provided a number of stories, the best of which are:

Interview With District 2’s Ken Russell

During the race several of the candidates agreed to talk to me, allowed me to accompany them on door knocks, let me sit in on private meetings and phone calls, and gave me some very interesting inside skinny on the donation process. All of this was done on an OFF THE RECORD basis, to be embargoed until after the election. I’m still processing my notes and recordings to see what kind of story I can get out of it.
To be continued.

PRESIDENTIAL POLITICS

As much of a political junkie as I am, I’ve been mainlining what’s been going on in the presidential race. While I’ve not written specifically about Donald J. Trump, I have created a number of memes currently whizzing around the innertubes. Collect ’em all. Trade ’em with your friends.

However, I have covered the joke that is some of the rest of the current GOP field, and some previous races:

PASTORAL LETTERS

Late last year I reconnected with my childhood friend Kenneth John Wilson. Ken, who is an evangelical pastor in Ann Arbor, Michigan, has written a very important book on LGBT acceptance in the church. I started following his extraordinary story and began a series of Pastoral Letters to him. Occasionally he replies, but I am writing then more to understand my mind than his.

I’ve started another Pastoral Letter, but it will be a while before I get all my thoughts in order.

FALSETTO VOICE:

I began my research into Coconut Grove years ago at the E.W.F. Stirrup House. While there’s not been that much to write about on that issue over the last year — because almost nothing has changed — that doesn’t mean I’ve forgotten all about Gino Falsetto, the rapacious developer who got his grimy hands on the historic structure:

I’m also prepping a new story on the E.W.F. Stirrup House.  It’s almost half written. Stay tuned. Watch this space. Coming to a browser near you.

This year I also bonded with Fox’s Campaign Carl Cameron

THE FOX “NEWS” CHANNEL

My fascination/revulsion with the Fox “News” Channel continues, which is how I picked up Johnny Dollar as an enemy in the first place. No matter. For the last year I’ve written a Friday Fox Follies for PoliticusUSA website, continued to run Fox Follies and Fallacies, over at the facebookery. However . . .

. . . sums up my attitude whenever I encounter a Fox “News” spouting parrot.

ROAD TRIPS:

This year I took 2 marathon road trips, both more than 3,000 miles from door to door. These are just some of the posts these road trips generated:

TWO NEW SERIES:

Before the road trips I stopped aggregating the Headlines Du Jour. It took several hours 3 days a week and it was a trap, without any achival value. When I got back from the road trips I began two brand new series. Launching Throwback Thursday with The Westerfield Journals was one and Monday Musical Appreciation the other. I’m quite proud of both of these series. In both these series I am highlight some of the lesser-known history-makers.

NAME DROPPING

One of the things I’ve been accused of over the years is name-dropping. I plead guilty and throw myself on the mercy of the internet. What’s the penalty? Izzit just a fine or jail time?

No matter. Exhibit A and B as evidence against me this year:

Those are just some of the highlights from the last year. No one knows what 2016 will hold for the Not Now Silly Newsroom, but I’ll be writing it from Toronto. More specifically, Kensington Market. It felt so good in September, I’m going to do it all over again. To that end, I’ve launched a Go Fund Me to help defray my moving expenses. It’s amazing how much stuff I’ve accumulated in the last decade. Help me get back to Toronto:

 

Headlines Du Jour ► Thursday, July 9, 2015

Hello, Headliners. Today’s birthday belongs to Root Boy Slim. Here are some other Headlines Du Jour of yesteryear:

Here is today’s Headlines Du Jour:

RACE FOR THE WHITE HOUSE:

SO GLAD WE’RE LIVING IN A POST-RACIAL SOCIETY:

TODAY IN CLIMATE CHANGE:

FREE THE WEED!!!

ANTI-SOCIAL MEDIA:

HACK ATTACKS:

OUR FUTURE ROBOT OVERLORDS:

IN INNER SPACE:

For the first time, filmmakers capture
plankton feasting on polystyrene.

IN OUTER SPACE:

VIDEOS DU JOUR:

Headlines Du Jour is a leisure-time activity of Not Now Silly, home of the
Steam-Powered Word-0-Matic, and your rest stop on the Information
Highway. Use our valuable bandwidth to post your news comments in
today’s open thread.

Headlines Du Jour ► Sunday, July 5, 2015

Hello, Headliners! Today’s birthday belongs to Robbie Robertson of The Hawks and, later, The Band. Here are some other Headlines Du Jour of yesteryear:

Here is today’s Headlines Du Jour:

RACE FOR THE WHITE HOUSE:

DUMP TRUMP LUMPS:

SO GLAD WE’RE LIVING IN A POST-RACIAL SOCIETY:

GIMME THAT OLD TIME RELIGION:

FREE THE WEED!!!

ANTI-SOCIAL MEDIA:

HACK ATTACKS:

OUR FUTURE ROBOT OVERLORDS:

FOX “NEWS” IN THE NEWS AGAIN:

IN INNER SPACE:

IN OUTER SPACE:

VIDEOS DU JOUR:

Headlines Du Jour is a leisure-time activity of Not Now Silly, home of the
Steam-Powered Word-0-Matic, and your rest stop on the Information
Highway. Use our valuable bandwidth to post your news comments in
today’s open thread.

Headlines Du Jour ► Thursday, July 2, 2015

Hey there, Headliners! Today’s birthday belongs to keyboard player, Roy Bittan, of Bruce Springsteen‘s E Street Band. Here are some other Headlines Du Jour of yesteryear:

Here is today’s Headlines Du Jour:

RACE FOR THE WHITE HOUSE:

Chris Christie is the GOP’s most emotional
candidate, but will the show get old?

DUMP TRUMP JUMPS:

SO GLAD WE’RE LIVING IN A POST-RACIAL SOCIETY:

LGBT NEWS:

MORE OF THAT REPUBLICAN OUTREACH:

ANOTHER SHOOTOUT AT THE OK CORRAL:

GIMME THAT OLD TIME RELIGION:

FREE THE WEED!!!

ANTI-SOCIAL MEDIA:

HACK ATTACKS:

OUR FUTURE ROBOT OVERLORDS:

FOX “NEWS” IN THE NEWS AGAIN:

IN INNER SPACE:

IN OUTER SPACE:

VIDEO DU JOUR:

Headlines Du Jour is a leisure-time activity of Not Now Silly, home of the
Steam-Powered Word-0-Matic, and your rest stop on the Information
Highway. Use our valuable bandwidth to post your news comments in
today’s open thread.

Headlines Du Jour ► Tuesday, June 30, 2015

Hey there, Headliners! After a short absence we are back. Today’s birthday belongs to Lena Horne. Here are some other Headlines Du Jour of yesteryear:

Here is today’s Headlines Du Jour:

RACE FOR THE WHITE HOUSE:

SO GLAD WE’RE LIVING IN A POST-RACIAL SOCIETY:

LGBT NEWS:

SCOTUS WATCH:

TODAY IN CLIMATE CHANGE:

GIMME THAT OLD TIME RELIGION:

FREE THE WEED!!!

ANTI-SOCIAL MEDIA:

HACK ATTACKS:

FOX “NEWS” IN THE NEWS AGAIN:

IN INNER SPACE:

IN OUTER SPACE:

VIDEOS DU JOUR:

Headlines Du Jour is a leisure-time activity of Not Now Silly, home of the
Steam-Powered Word-0-Matic, and your rest stop on the Information
Highway. Use our valuable bandwidth to post your news comments in
today’s open thread.

Headlines Du Jour ► Sunday, June 21, 2015

Hey there, Headliners! Today’s birthday belongs to composer Lalo Schifrin, who wrote a number of movie and tee vee theme songs. Here are some other Headlines Du Jour of yesteryear:

Here is today’s Headlines Du Jour:

MOTHER EMANUEL CHURCH:

RACE FOR THE WHITE HOUSE:

LGBT NEWS:

SO GLAD WE’RE LIVING IN A POST-RACIAL SOCIETY:

MORE OF THAT REPUBLICAN OUTREACH:

ANOTHER SHOOTOUT AT THE OK CORRAL:

FREE THE WEED!!!

ANTI-SOCIAL MEDIA:

HACK ATTACKS:

OUR FUTURE ROBOT OVERLORDS:

ANOTHER EXCITING EPISODE OF COPS GONE WILD:

FOX “NEWS” IN THE NEWS AGAIN:

IN INNER SPACE:

IN OUTER SPACE:

VIDEOS DU JOUR:

Headlines Du Jour is a leisure-time activity of Not Now Silly, home of the
Steam-Powered Word-0-Matic, and your rest stop on the Information
Highway. Use our valuable bandwidth to post your news comments in
today’s open thread.

Headlines Du Jour ► Tuesday, June 16, 2015

Morgan State students arrested for protests at the
segregated Northwood Theater, Baltimore, Maryland

Hello, Headline Hunters. Today’s birthday belongs to Femi Kuti. Here are some other Headlines Du Jour of yesteryear:

Here is today’s Headlines Du Jour:

RACE FOR THE WHITE HOUSE:

He may be the frontrunner on paper,
but his campaign has fallen apart. In his
official launch, he tried to turn the tide.

SO GLAD WE’RE LIVING IN A POST-RACIAL SOCIETY:

TODAY IN CLIMATE CHANGE:

GIMME THAT OLD TIME RELIGION:

MORE OF THAT REPUBLICAN OUTREACH:

ANOTHER SHOOTOUT AT THE OK CORRAL:

FREE THE WEED!!!

ANTI-SOCIAL MEDIA:

HACK ATTACKS:

FOX “NEWS” IN THE NEWS AGAIN:

IN INNER SPACE:

IN OUTER SPACE:

VIDEO DU JOUR:

Headlines Du Jour is a leisure-time activity of Not Now Silly, home of the
Steam-Powered Word-0-Matic, and your rest stop on the Information
Highway. Use our valuable bandwidth to post your news comments in
today’s open thread.

Headlines Du Jour ► Sunday, June 14, 2015

Hello, Headliners! Today’s birthday boy is folksinger and actor Burl Ives. Here are some other Headlines Du Jour of yesteryear:

Here is today’s Headlines Du Jour:

RACE FOR THE WHITE HOUSE:

LGBT NEWS:

Hayward: LGBT senior citizens to get long-overdue prom

SO GLAD WE’RE LIVING IN A POST-RACIAL SOCIETY:

SCOTUS WATCH:

TODAY IN CLIMATE CHANGE:

GIMME THAT OLD TIME RELIGION:

MORE OF THAT REPUBLICAN OUTREACH:

ANOTHER SHOOTOUT AT THE OK CORRAL:

FREE THE WEED!!!

ANTI-SOCIAL MEDIA:

OUR FUTURE ROBOT OVERLORDS:

Researchers Develop Artificial Legs That Mimic Real Ones

ANOTHER EXCITING EPISODE OF COPS GONE WILD:

ANOTHER EXCITING EPISODE OF CORPORATIONS GONE WILD:

FOX “NEWS” IN THE NEWS AGAIN:

IN INNER SPACE:

IN OUTER SPACE:

VIDEOS DU JOUR:

Headlines Du Jour is a leisure-time activity of Not Now Silly, home of the
Steam-Powered Word-0-Matic, and your rest stop on the Information
Highway. Use our valuable bandwidth to post your news comments in
today’s open thread.