The Disunited States of Reality TV

               Sunt aliquid Manes: letum non omnis finit
                     luridaque . . . effugit umbra rogos. - Sextus Propertius

Many of our friends – our allies – seem to believe it will all be over November 8. The victors will claim their rightful – righteous – spoils. The beaten will dig their holes and crawl into them; they will spend a considerable time licking their

Yes, that'll work.

wounds. Something like peace will reign – as if a season of Survivor had come to an end.

We confidently predict that will not be the case. And all the nasty, ad hominem attacks the righteous have visited and continue to visit upon the wicked will return to haunt them. The mockery will not be forgotten. It never is. Consult your own experience; righteous or wicked, being mocked the hardest thing to let go of.

We predict that our pleading with all to be kind, to love mercy and walk humbly, will not be heeded; more likely it will be hissed at from every side. We know we are crying, “Peace, peace!” where there is none.

So, we can most confidently predict that there will be none. It was bad enough when we were – who coined this phrase? – “the world’s largest banana republic.”* But it is much worse now we have become the Disunited States of Reality TV.

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  * "The shadows remain. Death does not end all;
               a pale ghost slips out of the ashes."  
** No offense to banana republics intended.

Tonight's debate

Tonight’s debate. You don’t need to watch it. Here’s all you need to know in less than one minute. A multi-media presentation! (“Kaf-kaf,” Major Hoople might say.*)

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*

Listening to Paul Ryan

That’s the Paul Ryan,

     who said the first of this week that he would no longer either campaign with or even defend Donald Trump;

     who averred that the election season taken “some dark — sometimes very dark — turns,” but enough about that;

     who wants instead to talk about conservative values: tax breaks for the rich, health insurance for the rich, more guns on the street, more coal in the hopper, fewer people at the polls - in short a brighter tomorrow, for the rich.

Bader Ginsburg, O'Reilly to take show on the road.

The Supreme Court justice and Fox commentator agree that San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick's decision to protest the national anthem is “dumb.”

The Notorious RBG & Billo
on stage in Dubuque.*

Ginbsburg: “I think it's really dumb . . . . dumb and disrespectful. . . . I think it's a terrible thing to do, but I wouldn't lock a person up for doing it. . . . If they want to be stupid, there's no law that should be preventive. If they want to be arrogant, there's no law that prevents them from that. What I would do is strongly take issue with the point of view that they are expressing when they do that.”

     O’Reilly: “I’ve been giving . . . Kaepernick a hard time, because I really don’t think he knows what he’s talking about on politics.” The commentator has invited Kaepernick to appear on “The Factor,” but he doesn’t expect him to show up, because “then he’d be confronted by facts.” Of course, “Mr. Kaepernick is entitled to his opinion, but if you don’t know what you’re talking about, it might be wise to say nothing.”

     
 Unless your name is O’Reilly . . . or Bader Ginsburg.
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 * Photo by FutureFlickers

Trumpencestiltskin

Fake pastel, fake acrylic, real bullshit on fake canvas.