I made the mistake of tuning in to the final presidential debate last night.
I can tell you what I did not hear during the 45 minutes I watched. I did not hear the child-president once say anything to allay the fears of his fellow Americans.
I did not hear the toddler-in-chief accept responsibility for anything that happened on his watch over the past four years.
I did not hear the petulant one make any effort at consoling Americans who have lost their jobs, houses, health care or lives because of the stagnating economy or the ongoing pandemic. No consolation for those who will either.
I did not hear the belligerent faux billionaire explain anything to satisfaction.
“I’ve been tougher on Russia than anyone ever.”
“My taxes are still under audit.”
“No one has been better to Blacks than me.”
Same crappy one liners. Though he did have one new one he used while I was still listening (I started muting him - especially when he insisted on responding to every statement Joe Biden made - benign or otherwise - and the moderator could not keep him under control even though she supposedly could mute him.) The man who stands like he has a stick up his ass said, “I prepaid my taxes.”
I think I brayed like a donkey getting his dongle tickled for minutes.
Lincoln said in his second inaugural address to the nation, “with charity toward all with malice toward none.” In essence, he was saying that the ‘house divided during the Civil War would be brought back together upon the conclusion of the hostilities and all would be welcome.’
Joe Biden said last night that he would be the president of both the red states as well as the blue states, though, to be honest, most states are truly purple. In contrast, the man who whines too much found the opportunity to malign governors of states considered blue along with some of the cities that the Justice Department has designated anarchist jurisdictions.
In case you’ve forgotten, his son-in-law, who heads every task force imaginable and lied repeatedly on the forms for his security clearance, found solace in the fact that early in the pandemic it appeared blue states were going to take the brunt of the virus spreading like wildfire. The pandemic only started this year remember (I know! It feels much longer) and this looked like it would be a win for their reelection campaign.
You may think that the Joe Biden is a fool to think he can bring the country together but that is what being a statesmen looks like. (I feel the need to explain it because we see it so rarely these days.) The grinning groper of female genitalia plays to the crowd that wants to knock some heads and take some names and doesn’t give a shit that they just ruined the neighborhood barbecue. He’s all bluster, grievance and whatabout-isms.
I’m sorry I missed the Abraham Lincoln exchange. I read it went like this:
“I’m the least racist person in this room.” You can guess who said that.
The supposedly somnambulant challenger quipped, “Abraham Lincoln here is one of the most racist presidents we've had in modern history.” Boom lowered.
I would have loved to have seen the wanker-in-chief’s reaction but, by that time, I was singing my heart out to Cripple Creek while watching The Last Waltz wondering how in the hell I had avoided seeing the documentary of one of my favorites bands growing up - The Band. Especially since it included Muddy Waters, Bob Dylan, Joni Mitchell, Van Morrison, Emmylou Harris, Eric Clapton, Neil Young, Ringo Starr, Dr. John and Neil Diamond! for godssakes!
If you, too, thought it would not be interesting and are of a certain vintage, I recommend a watch. Did I mention Martin Scorsese directed?
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A different perspective on last night’s debate.
Trump is such a perfect embodiment of how nothing about this system is a meritocracy and is instead built upon elevating the most mediocre figures in our society based solely on their proximity to whiteness, maleness and wealth.
His ability to get through the final debate without wetting himself earns him praise while many more qualified people will work twice as hard and never have the access to power he's been granted by this society simply because they weren't born into his privileged status.
As much as people claim to support Trump because he sticks it to the elite, he's the most genuine embodiment of rich, white elitism and that's the true reason he's enjoyed as much support as he has. His presidency was always about reinforcing the rules of race, class & power.
The latitude he's been given to be a complete disaster, entirely incompetent and an ongoing threat to the safety and security of the country was always about him being a symbolic flex of rich, white male privilege, a comfort for anyone threatened by ideas of equality & justice. - Bree Newsome Bass @BreeNewsome
Also, my brother, Bill, sent along this video called The Uncalculated Risk - A Whitewater Safety Film produced in 1977. Five years after the movie with Burt Reynolds, Deliverance, kicked off the whitewater craze and a year before my company was founded.
The first speaker in the film, Payson Kennedy, is the founder of Nantahala Outdoor Center in Bryson City, North Carolina, one of the largest and most respected outdoor centers anywhere. I had the pleasure of meeting and boating with Payson during the years Orion participated in Project RAFT (Russians and Americans for Teamwork).
The river in the first few scenes looks to me like the Chattooga River - one of the first river corridors protected by the 1974 Wild & Scenic Rivers Act and the location for Deliverance. This film is still relevant after all of these years. Enjoy!
And, just for fun. Scenes from the movie Deliverance. Might not be suitable for work or children. I did not vet it.
“You don’t beat it. You don’t beat this river. . .” - Burt Reynolds