Friday, January 29, 2021

The Friday Link for 1/29/21

Sorry for the light week.  I had multiple board meetings this week so I kept busy.  Plus I went to the Zoo and an art museum.  Priorities!

For tonight's Friday link, let me start with Caitlin Doughty.  She has an enjoyable little You Tube channel called 'Ask A Mortician,' where she talks about corpses and death.  Actually her videos are quite enjoyable, entertaining and informative.

But her latest video is different.  Caitlin is an actual mortician and this latest video is a plea for the officials of Los Angeles and California to do something about the massive death crisis they have on their hands as the Corona Virus has ravaged the state over the last two months. This is an emotional call for help, which addresses a lot of problems.  Trump was horrible at dealing with the pandemic, but there are plenty of other politicians from both sides of the aisle who need to step up.

And by the way, Caitlin has some damn good ideas which should be instituted well beyond California. 

Two more things. First, watch Caitlin's other videos. They are enjoyable...and a little creepy. And 2) Thank God Tim Walz is the man in Charge in Minnesota!  

The other clip tonight is from The Daily Show and it is a sensational montage of the Fox News' MASSIVE hypocrisy on media bias!


Have a great weekend everyone.

Stay Healthy and Stay Safe! 




Friday, January 22, 2021

The Friday Link for 1/22/21

Howdy all!  For today's Friday Link I want to revisit the music of the Inauguration.

I know Trump fans will immediately turn away, but I want to make a plea.  These songs are ours as a nation, not belonging to any political party or movement.  I've heard these songs plenty of times at concerts where opinions I don't agree with were the focus.  It doesn't mean I stormed out. 

These songs were preformed beautifully.  Please give them a chance.

Lady Gaga was absolutely perfect singing the Star Spangled Banner. Seriously, she's the best pop vocalist of her generation, hands down!  And when she turned to the flag at the line "was still there," after terrorists stormed the same Capitol only two weeks earlier, that was powerful.


Jennifer Lopez was amazing too. This Land is Your Land is as relevant and poignant today as it was when Woody Guthrie wrote it 80 years ago.


And the final main act at the Inauguration itself was Garth Brooks, who seemed to fan boy after he got done singing and had to shake hands with every major political leader on the stage that day. 


And of course I can't overlook Katy Perry's Fireworks at the end.  I liked how the Inauguration seemed far more relatable and viewer friendly than in years past, due to the limitations with the pandemic.  Because of the set up, this performance was wonderfully staged.  And the fireworks! WOW! 


We, as a country, clean up nice.  Have a great weekend everyone.

Stay safe, and stay healthy!





Tuesday, January 19, 2021

Outtakes 2020

I want to encourage everyone to get my calendar!  No joke!  I actually do have a calendar, which has been published in conjunction with AM 950 Radio.  You can get the calendar by making a one time donation to AM 950 for $50, or become a recurring monthly member for $25 per month.  Not only do you get the calendar, but you also help sponsor AM 950 radio, the only Progressive radio station in the Twin Cities.  Thanks!

Here's the link: https://www.am950radio.com/featured_events/am950-membership-special-holiday-offer/

To whet your appetite, here is the best photo featured in the calendar.  It's the cover shot and also the main picture for September, taken on the Tracy Avenue Bridge over 9 Mile Creek in Edina. 


I wanted to post the best pictures we didn't include in the calendar for 2020, for what ever reason. First up are four images I took on January 1, 2020, at the Minneapolis Institute of Arts. We didn't use these images due to concerns about copyrights.  The funny thing is looking back at these four images, part of a total of 8 pictures I took at MIA that day, it's almost like the art pieces were trying to give me a warning about what 2020 was about to deliver.





Little did I know the art was actually a scream for help for the year.  Even though 2020 delivered an insane amount of God awfulness, it did get me into the parks with my kids, giving me the chance to get better at photography and editing.

Although I wasn't able to visit the fantastic art museums on Minneapolis/St. Paul this year, I did get some time around art.  There are a few sensational sculpture gardens around which were nice to visit, but my two favorite art photos for the year were 1) the graffiti on the side of the building right on the Mississippi River in North Minneapolis. 


WOW! 2) was the Christmas window at the Kate Spade store in the Mall of America. 


The aftermath of the George Floyd uprising also demanded I, like many others, become witness.  It should be remembered almost everyone who has been arrested for the uprising was with far right racist groups, most of whom were not from Minneapolis/St. Paul.





Another interesting shot was from over by the old portion of Fort Snelling, fight next to the airport. 


I caught that one just right.  Most of the rest of the best photos not in the calendar were nature photos.  I love taking pictures of flowers.  All of these images were taken at various locations around the metro. 








I took this next image on the Iron Range, and I love it.  It is not out of focus, but it looks like it is.  I think that's why I decided not to include it in the calendar. 


I had a lot of good lake shots, but after including numerous others in the calendar, this was the first one I cut. That's Sand Lake in northern Minnesota.


I had a lot of great trail shots I didn't use.






I loved this headshot of one of the scarecrows from the Arboretum's annual Autumn display. 


And speaking of head shots, this is the one I used in the calendar itself.


And this is the one I didn't use, because I actually took it in January before the shutdowns and nastiness.  I felt it would not be right for the calendar. 


Finally, here is the best photo I took last year.  This was my son's final game playing baseball.  I loved watching him play.  He was really a great player.  He'd always shoot me a side eye whenever he did something good on the field.  Baseball brought my son and I together, and hence it was sad to see it end.  For his final evening, the sunset put on a show.


I think the reason I didn't include this was because it was a personal image.  I'm very proud of it for a lot of reasons.  I hope you enjoy.

Thanks for looking, and I will try to take more great photos for 2021.



Sunday, January 17, 2021

The Cost of War

Word War II started for the United States on December 7th, 1941, a date that will live in infamy.  The war effort encompassed the globe, with the bulk of US forces fighting in the Western European and Pacific Theaters.  In Europe, the hard fought northern Africa and Italian campaigns would be a precursor for Operation Overlord, the Normandy Invasion.  Through hard fought battle after hard fought battle, the US forces, along with the rest of the allies, brought Germany to its knees on May 8th, 1945.  The war was over for Europe.

The Pacific campaign was insanity.  Capturing islands the Japanese had secured and heavily fortified was a long and arduous task, but one the US and her allies managed to pull off.  Midway, Guadalcanal, Tarawa, the Philippines, Iwo Jima; every island was a challenge, every island was a battle. The decision was made to drop the two atomic bombs instead of attempting what would've been a drawn out land invasion of Japan.  Faced with the potential annihilation of their country, the Japanese surrendered on August 15th, 1945.

The US was at war with the Axis Powers for a total of 1347 days. The total US casualty count for WWII is listed as 405,399.

Today, January 17th, 2021, the number of US citizens who have died from Corona Virus has surpassed the total death count of WWII.  The number as I type (from Worldometer.com's tracking site) is 407,202.

The first US case of CoronaVirus was reported on January 20th, 2020, at a hospital in Washington state, meaning we've surpassed the total losses from WWII in only 363 days.

I remember when COVID-19 first got to the US and a conservative woman I'm friends with decided to lie.  "This is no more serious than the seasonal flu!"  It was such a tepid lie.  She, along with most Trump supporters, knew Trump was never going to be up to the challenge of a major pandemic, so they started screaming how 'it was no big deal' in an effort to win over expectations.  They knew Corona Virus would be bad, so they lied hoping some miracle would prevent them from having to admit they were wrong.  Seasonal flu kills around 30,000 people annually in the US, but my friend and the rest of the Trump fans changed their tactic when the death numbers contradicted their initial bellowing.  When the death count crossed 50,000, the lie changed to 'Corona Virus is NOW a myth, not really dangerous, not really deadly.'

It isn't a myth, and their intentional ignorance will forever be tied to the failure of Trump's response.

Trump has been a disaster with Corona Virus, even suggesting ingesting bleach as a method for treating the disease.  The United States is HANDS DOWN the worst place on the planet for the virus, primarily due to intentional stupidity.

To be fair, our healthcare system was glaringly ill prepared. Abused by greed, we no longer had a health care system focused on healing the sick, but rather one based on maximizing profits.  It was grossly inadequate when this crisis began, and still today seems more held together by the brave medical professionals who have to work under money driven corporate overlords.  Bubble gum and prayers...

The only two massive death events in US history WORSE than COVID-19 are the Civil War (620,000 dead) and the 1918 Flu Outbreak (which ALSO was not just the seasonal flu. 675,000 dead).  Due to Trump ceasing to care at all about the crisis after he lost the election, and due to the Trump Administration lying about the amount of vaccine we had as a nation in reserve, there's a legit chance we could surpass one or both of those death counts.

Because of stupidity.

In most towns in America, both big and small, there are Veteran's memorials.  Most towns I know have both a WWI and a WWII memorial; hallowed ground to be solemnly revered.  As a Veteran myself, I always get a touch emotional when I see those memorials.  Now I'm forced to ask if we'll have to build new statues in every community, a new reminder of the great Corona Virus losses we've endured.

I'm sure most Trump supporters will begin to take Corona Virus seriously...on January 21st, just like reigning in deficits and limiting executive power.  They'll convince themselves of a brand new lie.  'Not a single person died of COVID-19 under Trump's watch, but as soon as Joe Biden took command, 407,202 people died immediately.  HOW DARE HE FAIL US!'  Trust me, they'll convince themselves Trump wasn't responsible.

One of the saddest parts of this crisis is how many of the last survivors of WWII have been taken by the virus.  The last veterans, both of combat and from the home front, are now in their 90's.  The Greatest Generation sure as heck didn't deserve to be treated like this in the end.  Nor did the Baby Boomers.  All age groups have lost people to COVID-19, and regardless of age, these are human beings we are losing!  Conservatives react to the elderly passing like a TV show getting cancelled. "They were old and past their prime anyway."  The elderly of this country don't deserve the be put on a Viking boat, set it ablaze and pushed it out into the lake just because dismissing their existence makes for better talking points for Trump.

Republicans like to remind everyone of the major sacrifices made by the men and women who died in WWII, but are not willing to make minor sacrifices to save more people from dying from CoronaVirus today!  It's a shame the same people who've claim to respect for the elderly have shown us how little they ever cared.

The cost of war is always great, especially when it's a war we could've won months ago.





Friday, January 15, 2021

The Friday Link for 1/15/21

What a freaking surreal time in America.

Trump's going to go down as the President who tried to overthrow the government to stay in power. A bunch of his followers took time off of work, traveled to Washington DC, (after being encouraged and cheered on by Trump) they stormed the Capitol, broke into the Capitol, killed one police officer, injured dozens more police officers, threaten to kill Vice President Pence, Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi and numerous other Senators and Representatives, vandalized one of Americas most historic buildings (and the seat of one of it's branches of power), attempted to overthrow Democracy itself, took video and photos of themselves doing it (!), BRAGGED ABOUT IT ON SOCIAL MEDIA (!!!), and then they all thought they would just go back home and back to work like they hadn't crossed the line to outright terrorist traitors.  Not only is this an example of the obscene white privilege which exists in America, but it shows you these people, not being the smartest folks, hadn't really thought this through.

Four videos tonight for some perspective on the last week and a half.  First off, the leader the Republicans don't deserve; Arnold Schwarzenegger taking these terrorist fools to task and labeling them correctly! 

Next up, one of the bravest pieces of journalism I've EVER seen.  Jordan Klepper was there, at the rally to do one of his Daily Show bits when things turned. 

Also from The Daily Show, they did an on point collage of the people who are really responsible for what happened on January 6th.  These are the people who poured gasoline on the fire.  These are the people who kept throwing the rocks at the beehive.  All of these people should be condemned as the anti-American enablers they truly are! 

Finally, thanks to Randy Rainbow.  I agree with you. You shouldn't go to the same musical well too often, but this is so freaking perfect. Thank you for making me laugh during an unGodly insane time.


This weekend, the terrorists are threatening violence.  Be careful.  Be safe. 

Down with Traitors! God Bless the United States of America! 





Saturday, January 9, 2021

The Undeniable Gasp

Do you remember what it felt like when the second plane hit the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001?  For most of us there was a gasp, a moment where there was a realization this wasn't just some tragic accident, that something far darker was transpiring.  I'll never forget the continual feeling of dread throughout the morning, as we heard multiple planes had been hijacked, that the Pentagon had been hit, that another plane was down in Pennsylvania.

This week we had another gasp.  We need to come to grips with what exactly happened in Washington DC on Wednesday.  It'd be easy to dismiss it as riled up Trump supporters losing control and storming the Capitol, but as more and more evidence comes to light, it's becoming clear there was a sinister agenda in place.  The time and date were chosen specifically.  People were headed for specific areas of the Capitol, looking for specific people.  The type of people leading the coup, what gear they had with them, and what was being said points more than just an angry mob.

There were two different groups of MAGA terrorists storming the Capitol, the unruly mob and the individuals with an agenda.  The unruly mob was just that, unruly, unaware they were a weapon being used as cover to get more nefarious elements into position to attempt far more damage.  

Let's look at the evidence, starting with what some of these Terrorists brought to DC:

  • Working Pipe bombs, some of which were placed at the RNC and DNC headquarters.
  • Molotov cocktails 
  • Guns
  • Plastic handcuffs for holding hostages 
  • Maps of the layout of the Capitol, the Capitol building, and the tunnels underneath.
  • Military tactical gear including bullet proof vests
There are also unconfirmed reports of at least one other vehicle found near the rally site with additional guns and bombs inside.  CLEARLY there was more than just an unpredictable riot going on.  The clear intent, just from what they brought with them, was to take hostages, cutting off escape routes, or tracking Congressional staff down in the escape tunnels underneath the Capitol.

What specifically was targeted in the Capitol is another sign something far more dangerous was going on.  The terrorists were specifically looking for the House and Senate floors.  The traitor Ashli Babbitt was shot and killed as she tried to climb through a window into the lobby outside of the US House, as frantic security and staff were trying to evacuate everyone out of the House Chamber.  They also attacked the Senate, seeming to specifically target the Senators and the Electoral College votes themselves, which had been smartly spirited away.  They were looking for Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi's office specifically.  Where that might not be too surprising for an unruly right wing mob (considering how vilified she has been for decades) the intent to get into her office, the third most powerful person in the US Government, points to a larger plan.

And we need to discuss who was in the crowd.  The unruly mob was a hodgepodge of fantasy dwelling far right terrorists, but mixed in were quite a few military veterans, police and fire officials from across the country.  During the coverage, there seemed to be two distinct groups of coup attempters; the fools who weren't even trying to hide their faces, and others completely decked out in tactical gear, hiding their faces and identities.  These secret terrorists seem to be the ones who were moving with a specific agenda.

On top of that A DOZEN GOP ELETED OFFICIALS were taking part in the rally/coup attempt, at various levels of participation, from only being at the rally, to actually storming the Capitol itself (!!!).  You also had numerous politicians who had encouraged participation in the DC rally/soon to be incursion.  In many states there were local rallies held with angry Trumpers, many of which featured official members of the individual state's Republican parties, many of them calling for violence and threats (this happened in St. Paul too, with numerous MNGOP politicians taking part).  If this was a foreign country, and we had learned 12 members of a specific political party were involved in a coup attempt, along with hundreds more taking part in other rallies at the same time across the country, we'd insist the political party was a major part of the overthrow attempt.  National Republican officials having not immediately expelled every one of the 12 traitors is another sign of possible party tolerance for these actions.

And listen to what was said!  MAGA Terrorists were screaming "Hang Mike Pence," the Vice President!  This points further to a much darker agenda to the rally. 

When you factor all the evidence from what we saw in the videos originating from the terrorist mob, this was a coup attempt.

(And the second plane hits...)

Let's step back and look for more evidence (both pro and con) to clarify if this was indeed an attempted overthrow of the US Government. 

Trump at a debate this Fall told extremist supporters to "stand back and stand by," implying he might have had something in the works.  Since the election, the Right, both from the GOP itself and from the far right groups which intermingle and intertwine with the Republican Party, have been pushing the lie that massive voter fraud cost Trump the election.  It didn't, and most of them know it.  They only wanted to placate their base so they pushed 'the election was stolen' to validate their base's desired narrative.  They kept pouring gasoline on the fire, they kept throwing rocks at the beehive, whipping the Trump supporters into a frenzy.  They started to build false hope within their followers; 'even though the states and courts had failed them, the Congress, led by Trump's buddy Mike Pence, would cast aside the legal ballots and install Trump in the White House for another term.'

The White House's legal scholars scoured over the laws and realized Mike Pence could do nothing of the sort.  Congressional GOP'ers could file a formal complaint over an individual state on January 6th, but their objection would get voted down soundly in both the US House and Senate. At no point could Pence himself cast aside a state's selected electors and overrule the will of the American voters.

The people behind this overthrow attempt focused on January 6th.  Not only would the House and Senate be in session, but Vice President Pence would have to be at the US Capitol too, along with the official Electoral College votes.  A decision was made to hold a rally in Washington DC...on a Wednesday...in the morning (?)...in January...  The selection of the time and place for this Trump rally is pretty much an admission something was up.  You have multiple members of the Republican Party urging people to go to DC on a Wednesday morning, even offering people transportation too and from the rally.

Mike Pence was not willing to do what Trump wanted.  During the morning of January 6th, Trump turned on Pence, lashing out at him on Twitter and at the rally itself.  During the rally, as the crowd was getting more riled up, the clear message was to point towards the Capitol and scream "ALL THOSE PEOPLE ARE STOPPING TRUMP FROM WINNING!"  Trump called for a march on the Capitol, pointed the angry mob in the right direction, and let them go! 

This unruly mob was perfect for sneaking a more organized group into the Capitol, one armed with tactical gear, handcuffs, weapons and maps, with a specific agenda to capture Mike Pence, Speaker Nancy Pelosi, the Electoral Votes and maybe certain members of Congress.  If you successfully capture these people, you then put a gun to their head and say "either you appoint Trump as the next President or we'll execute you!"  Start with Pence, if he doesn't do it, then you go to the 3rd in command Pelosi.  Even if you failed to capture any high level hostages, you could capture and destroy the state's Electoral College Votes.  At the very least, you could stop the mandatory counting of the Electoral College votes until after the legally mandated day of January 6th, hoping the courts would negate the election for failing to comply with established law. 

In planning for this, security forces would be an issue, especially if they looked like they did when people protested this last summer.  There seems to have been an intentional decrease in security for a rally of this size, with (intentional or unintentional) confusion by the leadership of the Capitol police.  Trump refused to call out the National Guard.  It was only when Pence called them up himself did order at the Capitol get restored.  

Then comes the reality.  This was Trump's last stand.  The voters voted him out, the state Republicans failed to overturn their individual state results, the courts were not about to throw out the votes without evidence, the party over country Republicans in the House and Senate were outnumbered and unlikely to win on the procedural votes, and finally Trump's number 2, Pence, had betrayed him with his unwillingness to make up rules and laws to overthrow the will of the people.  

THIS was Trump's last chance to stay in power.  The scariest part is how far they got, but they wouldn't have succeeded regardless.  If they would've taken hostages, the military would have lit them up, with most of those MAGA terrorists being taken out in body bags. 

We need to know who was behind this, not just the rally, but the clear attempt to infiltrate Congress and overthrow the election.  We need to find out if this plan originated in the Oval Office itself.  It's not only possible, but it's likely Trump attempted an overthrow of the US government to stay in power.

The undeniable gasp.

Arrest the traitors! Save the Nation! God Bless the United States of America! 


Friday, January 8, 2021

The Friday Link for 1/8/21

 Hi all!

This has been a bit of a touch and go week.  The good news is I have started a new radio show, moving my current radio gig from 3 PM, to 4-6 PM.  I'm now doing two hours and it was feeling pretty good by the end of the week.  I had to re-learn my pacing.

The other bit of good news is I'm now a published photographer.  I KNOW!  I have a calendar out and you can get one by becoming a member of my radio station.  Go to www.am950radio.com and click on the membership tab to find out how you can get the calendar.  You can have a little bit of me all year long!

On the downside, there was a credible attempt to overthrow the government by Donald Trump and his Terrorist followers. 

...(SIGH)...

Tonight, I want to post the compilation video The Daily Show made of their corespondent Jordan Klepper going to all the Trump rallies.  I rewatched this on Thursday and I have to admit my perspective of these clowns has changed dramatically.  Don't get me wrong; it's still enjoyable to see these idiots get shown up by the comedic mastery of Klepper, but now I have to ask how many of these people actually just stormed the US Capitol building and tried to overthrow the government.  

It's a little bit like watching a true crime documentary about a mass killing.  You know the people are going to do something horrible, but they seem relatively normal before they stormed the House and Senate, at least as normal as these brainwashed loon balls can look. 


Arrest the Traitors to the country.  Down with the #MAGATerrorists!

Long live the United States of America!   





Friday, January 1, 2021

The Friday Link for 1/1/21

Happy New Year Everyone! 

Another short and sweet post as I'm getting ready for my Doctor Who New Year's watching, something which has become a regular tradition over the last few years. To be honest, it's a bit of brilliant counter programming to football by the BBC.

Speaking of Doctor Who, some Doctor love for tonight's Friday Link.  First up the best episode (in my opinion) since the relaunch is the episode Blink, from the 10th Doctor's run.  Not only does it feature one of the best doctors in David Tennant, not only does it feature future Oscar contending actress Carey Mulligan, and not only does in introduce one of the best villains ever in the Weeping Angles, but this clip is one of the best bits they EVER did on the show.  A conversation, via DVD eater eggs, between two people 40 years apart. 


Also tonight, let's get you the Honest Trailers for both the classic and new versions of the series: 




Finally, I like Jodie Whittaker's version of the Doctor.  I'm looking forward to the New Year's special.  Here's the teaser trailer for you.  Captain Jack and the Daleks are back too! 


Have a great weekend everyone, and HAPPY 2021!!!