¿Tienes tú vergüenza de tu presidente?

I was doing my Spanish lesson via Skype with the young man in Guatemala, Manolo Castillo.  He is not big on talking politics which is fine by me.  I need a break from being so angry about our current political situation.   However, tonight he was telling me about a story he had read about DJT and he asked me “¿Tienes tú vergüenza de tu presidente?”  Are you not ashamed/embarrassed of your president.  All I could say was, “Claro que sí, mucho.”  Of course, a lot.’

The whole damn world knows he is a nut case except for the rednecks in the red states of this fine country.

OpEd piece NYT – Why Trump Reigns as King Cyrus

This is one of the scariest things I have read in a while.

I’ve long wondered about Gospodin Trump’s attraction to “Christians”.  To me he is the antithesis of all things Christian, he is the antithesis of all things democratic, he is the antithesis of all things moral…

Yet I know many folks who identify as Evangelical Christians and they will be quick to tell you the Gospodin Trump is a vehicle of change sent by God.  That is typically the point where I excuse myself to go puke in the bathroom.  While not a believer myself I do try to be sensitive to the religiosity of others, but their fanaticism about Gospodin Trump really makes wonder if this is deserved.

A quote from the article :

“This isn’t the religious right we thought we knew. The Christian nationalist movement today is authoritarian, paranoid and patriarchal at its core. They aren’t fighting a culture war. They’re making a direct attack on democracy itself.

The article entire can be found here:  Why Trump Reigns as King Cyrus

Donald eres un pendejo

So I have been taking Spanish lessons via Italki using Skye for a while now. The other evening I was working with a young man from Guatemala.  The subject of the dysfunctional man now pretending to be POTUS came up.  He was telling me there is a very popular t-shirt in his country (and as it turns out through out the Latino world) that reads “Donald eres un pendejo“.

Just in case you are not up on your Mexican obscenities, pendejo is asshole.

Plus I would assume it is disrespectful to use the personal you when addressing a man of the supposed stature of Gospodin Trump.

Apparently the whole world, except redneck America, hates Donald Trump…go figure.

Ooops…Wrong Digit

As I have mentioned before I have a “Not My President” bumper sticker on my pickup.  When first on I was getting flipped off regularly.  Now… not so much.  Although yesterday a fellow in an older pickup in the fast lane paced me for so long in rush hour that he had traffic backed way up in that lane.  I am sure he wanted me to look over so he could flip me off.  I never gave him the pleasure.

More than once I have had a person pull up next to me, honk and then flip me off.  Today I am driving home in rush hour traffic when a car pulls alongside and honks.  I just knew I was getting flipped off so I automagically started erecting my middle digit to respond.  Much to my surprise he was giving me the thumbs up.  I hastily retracted my middle finger and tried to pretend I had been doing something else with it.

Maybe the tide is turning.

Step on THE Scale, Sir

I recently had some minor outpatient surgery.  I am in the prep room beforehand, and the nurse is taking my vitals.  She asked, “How tall are you?”

I responded, “Six feet, two inches.”

She then tells me to step outside the room and step on the scale.

I quipped, “Could I just not tell you my weight like Trump?”

This particular nurse either did not have a sense of humor (although I thought I was outrageously funny), or she was a Trumpster.  She said, “Please step on the scale, sir.”

Ironically the scale registered exactly 239 pounds.

The nurse did not quite see the irony, either. Oh well.

Now That Is Different

The picture attached is a picture of the back window of my pickup truck. I’ve had it on there since Inauguration Day. Initially I was being flipped off regularly. I have not been done so for several months now.

I am leaving work from downtown St. Louis, and I realize I need gas.  I swing off I-64 to a QT close to downtown.  This is a particularly busy QT.  I get out of my truck, swipe my credit card and start gassing up.  I notice a car pull into the pump behind me and someone get out.  I am not paying that much attention to them.

I’m watching the numbers spin dollars out of my checking account when I hear, “Now that is different.”

I look up and at the back of my pickup is a middle aged black man with graying hair.  I look at him quizzically.  He points to my bumper stickers and says, “Now that is different, a black man who supports Trump, and a white man who does not.”

I look at him, and agree that yes that is very different, and we give each other a fist bump.

I want to ask him why, but did not really want to get into a political discussion at the gas pumps in downtown St. Louis.  Plus I’m not sure any answer would have made sense to me.  It is very perplexing as, IMHO, Trump is a huge racist.

Rev. Joe’s Random Thought #3,265

yeah I know you did not ask!

What strange times we live in.  Here I am rooting for the porn star Stormy Daniels @StormyDaniels over the so called President of the United States Gospodin Trump @realDonaldTrump I so hopes she takes him down. I so hope she demonstrates beyond any doubt what the whole world already knows.  That he is awful human being who should be in prison. #WorstPresidentEver