tl;dr!? Even as I write this, another news cycle news peak blows by. This is a long reflection. Read it.
Or not.
Boogie Shoes
As I wrote typed this morning, K.C. & The Sunshine Band’s song Boogie Shoes came on on the radio! And I thought back to middle school and 1975 when KC & The Sunshine Band were the new thing and then I thought back to 1995 when I saw K.C. & The Sunshine Band in-person and they weren’t so new but the night was young and they played at a large party with a small party feel and my Boogie Shoes were so happy! The horns were killer!
Spelling Bee
The New York Times has a daily feature called ‘Spelling Bee’ where given 7 letters (a standard Scrabble rack), you make as many words out of the letters as possible. Letters can be used more than once. A specific letter is highlighted and must be used in every word formed. A word using ALL the letters is a panagram! And as you make more words, you achieve new levels like ‘nice’, ‘amazing’, ‘genius’.
It’s addictive. The fun of constructing a panagram (they promise there is at least one each day), the reassurance that indeed, I am amazing, and the days when the letters rearrange themselves into more words and I’m a freakin’ genius! Thank you very much.
Yesterday the letters: AWKRDLY resolved into the panagram AWKWARDLY immediately. AWKWARD, AWARD, WARD followed. Like I said, it’s addictive.
And then as the day wore on, the New York Times discovered that the whistle-blower is a CIA official assigned to the White House and whoa! What are you doing New York Times? Irresponsible much? Publishing that sort of information puts the whistle-blower at risk. (See also, Valerie Plame.)
AWKWARD.
By the end of the day, The Washington Post offered a one-day special $30/year subscription rate and the wait time for canceling a subscription to the Times was 130 New York minutes.
1984: Doublespeak & News Peak
April 14, 2017 – The news of the day was such that it felt like we hit a new peak in the number, speed, and weightiness of news stories. Back then, in 2017, the old days, we didn’t realize we were still in the baby stages of doublespeak and the lying down of untruths on the regular when it was reported that the Trump Regime had dropped a Mother of All Bombs on ISIS in Syria and at that time it just seemed like too-much-how-much-more-of-this can we take?
And I made the observation that the mainstream media is not so much a news reporter as a news manufacturer.
And so yesterday, September 26, 2019, on a day when there was so much happening — release of whistle-blowers report, impeachment proceedings initiated, hand-wringing, doublespeak and public ignorance and hubris on full display everywhere, the New York Times, the paper of record, decided to manufacture their own news. After they demonstrated they’re in-the-know and still relevant by blowing their own whistle on the anonymity of the whistle-blower’s, readers complained, and the Times manufactured an article titled “Why the Times Published Details of the Whistle-Blower’s Identity.” Subtext: This is why we can’t be trusted either.
For me, their reasoning is trash. It was not for them to decide whether the whistle-blower is credible or not. This is not a prank. This is not a crank call. These are not the notes and ramblings of some keyboard warrior. This is someone who has pursued presenting the truth through given channels, has the full attention of the Regime, the DOJ, the House, and Adam Schiff. It is for us to decide from all that whether the whistle-blower is credible. Even as you tell me I’m a genius at the Spelling Bee you discount my ability to think critically. Shame.on.you.
And the reason I give for the Times error in judgment? Just like the current resident of the White House, they use intel or intelligence for the purpose of taunting their competition in spite of any danger to ANONYMOUS. The New York Times blows their own horn, proves how smart they are and they may be a killer. They make bad choices.
Point Meet Counter-point
Dysfunction at the New York Times continued. Today “Why the Trump Impeachment Inquiry Is the Only Option,” editorial opinion meet “Yes, Trump is Guilty, But Impeachment is a Mistake” editorial opinion by David Brooks.
Both sides much? Maybe now isn’t the time to publish David Brooks’ dissent. Maybe wait until tomorrow. Maybe wait until a few more days of hearings have passed.
Maybe not ever even? My DRAFT folder is full of thoughts and prayers that will never see the light of day PUBLISH button.
New York Times make better choices. It’s okay to not.
News Peak
Where are we at with Brett Kavanaugh? That was so last week.
He must be pretty fired up for the impeachment hearings and current news peak because it takes the spotlight off him. But lest we forget, he should also be impeached.
And has anyone checked on Ashley? Asking for … Ashley.
Election insecurity
Wednesday, September 25, 2019 — only 404 days until the 2020 presidential election.
Error 404 – page not found
Even as we hope not, let us work for free and fair elections.
Capital PUNISHMENT
See what I did there? I capitalized PUNISHMENT. But my ability to use CAPS LOCK ON is barely humor and definitely not the story.
On July 25, 2019, the Department of Justice announced “Federal government to resume capital punishment after nearly two decade lapse.” Meanwhile tRump pronounces, yes, he makes pronounciations — his pronunciation is garbly and he makes statements like the dictator he aspires to be, anyways, tRump pronounces “you know what we used to do in the old days when we were smart with spies and treason, right?”
Execution. I believe it is no coincidence that tRump has multiple times made reference to the punishment of his political opponents and “spies” with execution as the government resumes capital punishment.
The President is a clear and present danger.
I. Spies
Speaking of DRAFT text which will never make the light of day, here is a photograph of some of mine that was written so last week when we first heard about the Ukraine call whistleblower:
So I was taken aback this week when I heard tRump stating a whistle-blower is close to a spy! Me too? Gone is the reassurance from the New York Times Spelling Bee that I am ‘amazing’ and ‘genius.’ Do they even know what ‘nice’ is? Am I picking up on tRump’s train of thought? He’s been there too long.
II. Spies
Try to remember back to September, well it’s still September. Remember back to September 10, 2019? Reports were published that a spy was recalled from Russia in 2017 after Loose Lips tRump met with Putin. The Washington Post, in keeping with scooping the competition, reported that Oleg Smolenkov was a spy living an hour out of Washington. Oleg Smolenkov and his family had gone missing whilst on vacation in Montenegro in 2017. Uncharacteristically, the Smolenkovs had relocated to the Washington D.C. area instead of Podunk and had not changed their name to Smith.
Well, hi-dee-ho! After the “ex-Russian official thought to have spied for the U.S. was hiding in plain sight” was found and his location published, he left with his family in a hurry leaving two black cane corsos to guard the residence.
A black cane corso? Russian mob much? International espionage? Leave the dogs, take the cannoli. Save yer selves ‘cause “responsible journalism” is an oxymoron and Putin is looking for you.
The offer of a $30/subscription to The Washington Post after reading The New York Times flimsy posturing fell flat with me too yesterday. Given sensitive personal information they should not publish, they couldn’t help themselves and published anyway. Not entirely sure they were the first but using their platform to amplify? Shame. Rhymes with Plame.
The Golden Girls, Episode #168, 1992.
I received a handwritten card from FAL yesterday. It’s always a delight! Excerpt:
To cheer up Rose, Dorothy & Blanche give her a dog, Jake. As it turns out Jake can find anything. Sophia says, “so find a viable Democrat for president.”
Dorthy has auditioned for “Jeopardy” and dreams she is on the show and loses to Rose. She complains to Alex Trebek and Merv Griffin. She tells Merv “you are the most beloved man in America, you are bright, you are charming, you are the anti-Trump.”
My question, Why weren’t we paying attention then? Now we are all in jeopardy.
I wish you all a FAL who sends you notes through the USPS while we still can.
K.C. & The Sunshine Band
If you’ve read this far, perhaps get out your dancing shoes and enjoy K.C. & The Sunshine Band on American Bandstand singing Boogie Shoes:
Or not.
Peace.
Oh so true the news is not created but manufactured. Brilliant. True. Sad.
Yes! And it makes it difficult to read because we need to be up on news and events. So many articles in formerly reputable publications – the NYTimes, the WaPo – are formulated as click-bait. Makes me ill.