Note to readers: Since starting this newsletter, I’ve been posting rather frequently, because I want to give all my new subscribers an idea of what they’ve signed up for (although my last several entries have tended to be political rather than the personal and autobiographical material I plan to also provide; I’ve yet to post any of my favorite dog stories, for example, or any of my favorite jokes, although, I assure you, they’ll be coming).
My intent is to settle into a pattern of posting once or twice a week. I truly hope subscribers will enjoy my style of writing and will be eager to see my latest post regardless of topic.
This one, originally published by AmericanThinker.com, goes back to 2020, back when the Biden/Harris ticket was mere conjecture. I’ve added, in brackets, an updated comment or two and a video link for those who may not remember the details of what I wrote about.
Part of my style of writing is to often include historical and background notes; I figure that most of my readers are younger than me (it often seems as if everybody is younger than me!) and simply haven’t lived through the times I’ve lived through, and so some of my allusions (such as pop culture references) may not be clear; also, history seems rarely taught nor studied these days, and is subject to deliberate revisionism and spin.
So, here we go, from July 30, 2020:
Adam Schiff Loses His Title, and other thoughts
This week I watched the inquisition of Attorney General William Barr. OK, I guess that, in fairness, it wasn't really an inquisition, at least not in the sense of the Spanish Inquisition, in that the Democrats didn't employ the tactic of actually torturing Barr in order to make him confess beforehand.
Anyway, my main takeaway from the proceedings reminded me of those occasions in the world of sports when a long-held title is wrested away from the title-holder. And it's clear to me that Adam Schiff can no longer claim the title of Nastiest, Most Annoying Smug Little Prick in Congress. The undisputed holder of that title is now Rep. Jerrold "'Nadless" Nadler. Although I suppose one might dispute whether "little" has any place there, because 'Nadless has the size and rotundity (not to mention the gaseosity) of a beachball (but of course absent any smidgeon of the amusement usually associated with a beachball).
[AG Barr had appeared before an openly hostile House Judiciary Committee, whose members took issue with his testimony that violent rioters and anarchists had hijacked the protests over George Floyd’s death and that the “Russiagate” scandal was “bogus.” Committee Chairman Nadler opened the hearing by accusing Barr of having “aided and abetted the worst failings” of Pres. Trump.]
On another note, this week brought widespread speculation that Joseph Biden was about to announce that his choice for running-mate would be Kamala Harris. Should this be the case, we might look forward to a campaign slogan based on those candidates' nicknames. And while it might not have quite the resonance of "Tippecanoe and Tyler, Too!" (although it's interesting to note that William Henry Harrison -- to whom "Tippecanoe" referred -- died a mere 30 days into his presidency, a record Joe Biden just might break!) or "Grits and Fritz," or even "I Like Ike,” I think that "Plugs and Kneepads" does have a certain ring to it.
[“Plugs,” Rush Limbaugh’s nickname for Joe Biden, alludes to Biden’s hair implants. And “Kneepads” alludes to the services allegedly performed by Harris for California State Assemblyman and mayor of San Francisco Willie Brown when she was his protégé.]
And, on yet another note, this week had me wishing, just for a moment, that we lived under Hammurabi's Code. That way, the next anarchist caught aiming a laser at a cop's eyes would be dealt with by having his own eye plucked out, to be surgically implanted in one of the law officers reported to have been blinded by this particularly cowardly weaponization of a high-tech gadget.
[During the “mostly peaceful” protests in Portland, Oregon, numerous cops and federal officers suffered days of blindness (at first feared to be permanent) after being targeted by high-powered lasers wielded by Antifa activists. It is Hammurabi’s Code whence originated the expression “An eye for an eye.”]
And, from last week: Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez was in high dudgeon, accusing Rep. Ted Yoho of targeting her with an epithet so vulgar that even I won't quote it here.
[If you don’t remember this episode, or the precise vulgar epithet, you can watch this video. You may not be able to stand to watch the entire 9:39 minutes of Ocasio-Cortez’s “Boo-Hoo, I’m a victim, and this victimizes all women” performance, but not to worry: the “money quote” comes at about 1:18.]
By no means do I condone Rep. Yoho’s boorish and ungentlemanly remark. Still, when I heard the term he allegedly uttered referring to her, I'll bet I'm not the only one who thought, "Well, if the shoe fits...!”