Soccer and Graham Cracker!!

 While Trump was desecrating the United States on its 250th birthday by speaking in front of Mount Rushmore calling people commies and sticking to the same old garbage speech, I was getting heat stroke at a Kansas City Royals game. Not fun. Neither for that matter was fun. Trump made the heads on Mount Rushmore sick, and the heat made me sick. Happy 250th America. It was fun.

The World Cup has been, as usual, a thrilling event. I love the World Cup. It's the once every two-year World War 3 in which nobody dies, Americans suddenly become soccer "experts" and the corruption of FIFA is front and center. This year's Cup is in North America, of course, and the invasion of black and brown people must drive the Racist in Chief crazy. The Cup has had some upsets, and the Americans moved to the round of 16 which of course made the casual soccer fan all excited because oh I don't know, because we never make it that far cuz quite frankly, we are fair to middlin at the worlds sport. And the team proved it once again by getting blown out by Belgium, ending the fever dream. It's fine, but the Soccer Expert in Chief decided to get into the middle of a red card controversy by calling FIFAs Thief in Chief and demanding the red card be revoked so American citizen and anchor baby Falorin Balogun (born in Brooklyn to non-citizens). FIFA, the corrupt clan that gave Trump the FIFA peace prize (LOL), did what he wanted. The precedent was dangerous that a politician got into the middle of a sports decision. But as stated, the Belgians waffled the USA by destroying them. And as predicted by anyone with a working mind, the MAGATS immediately began to call for the denaturalization of Balogun soon after the game because he didn't score 5 goals by himself or perhaps because MAGATS are racists. Oh well, America, it's not our sport. Our team is Nebraska football. Beats up inferior competition, then when faced with a rated team loses 62-3 (the soccer equivalent of 4-1). We dont suck, we're just fair to middlin.

Graham Platner. This guy is a piece of work. Nominated by Maine Democrats to run against the feckless Susan Collins, Platner was always sketchy on a personal basis. The oyster farmer has a checkered past. There were allegations of domestic violence, alleged sexual assaults, a Nazi tattoo he got in the military, and a stint working for Blackwater in Iraq where some of his Reddit posts were sus. He bragged about killing civilians, used slurs, and whether true or not is certainly troubling. So, at best he's a progressive who likes to brag about shit he didn't do and is an abuser and at worst he's a fucking rapist and war criminal. Neither is acceptable by the way. He needs to go NOW.

That being said the Republican reaction is laughable. As they clutch their pearls and faint onto JD Vance's couch (ewww) expressing their outrage they really are clueless cowards. The fact they support a guy who also may be a rapist and is certainly a war criminal (200 dead Iranian children say so). Yet we have the typical Republican blowhards, Brandion Gill the gay Superman , Peter Ricketts the trust fund baby, Foghorn Kennedy the blowhard, expressing shock and faux outrage that Maine Democrats would nominate this guy. Oh fuck off. He will be gotten rid of by Maine Democrats soon enough and a new candidate can fuck everything up for the clueless Democrats. Gotten rid of by Democrats.

Good thing Platner is a Democrat cuz he will be dealt with and never see the inside of political office. 

If he was a Republican woman beater, alleged rapist and war criminal they'd nominate him for President.

The Constitution Cannot Be Undone With A Signature!

 Those 3 chucklefucks. Gorsuch, the folksy fascist, Thomas, the owning the libs and taking bribes guy, and Alito, the professional Catholic with the whacko spouse all think that if Donald Trump puts his EKG signature on an Executive Order outlawing a Constitutional amendment, hey its ok with us. THREE of nine and probably a 4th in the drunken frat boy Kavanaugh if pushed think a signature of a President (or most likely one particular President) on an EO can do away with the constitution. Think of that type of insanity. These three would have been great on the German high court in 1936. The total lack of loyalty to the country by these three hacks for fascism is upsetting. It's also downright dangerous. 

Alito for all practical purposes is a religious fascist first and an American justice second if not out of the Top Ten. Thomas has spent 35 years on the bench wreaking havoc upon the nation because he is a petty little man pissed at his sexual harassing being made pubic public back in 92. Thomas owns the libs. That's his entire mission. Oh, that AND making himself rich thanks to Harlan Crowe, the Nazi memorabilia collector. Gorsuch is a bit of a contradiction in terms. He's right he's wrong he's wrong again. He has a soft spot for indigenous people's rights but not one iota of a soft spot for those same people and everybody else's rights. He's the guy at the party who charms with his down-to-earth stories that mask his real self. The folksy fascist. 

These 3 are WRONG constantly. And I should know having my law degree from Hudson University in New York City. The fucking Constitution cannot be voided by a thug like Trump. Unless you ask those three twats.

Weird Al!!

 About 35 minutes into the Weird Al Bigger and Weirder Concert a commotion broke out on the floor and people ran away. Was it part of the show? Well, no because as Eat It continued uninterrupted, I saw fists flying and then a couple of burly security guards were dragging, and I mean dragging a guy out of the arena when his pants fell down. They stopped to pull his pants up and if a grown ass man doesn't want to cooperate in pulling his pants up its gonna take a bit of time. Jesus this was more entertaining than the show. Eventually they dragged the guy the rest of the way followed by his shamed kids. Anyway, the point is I did NOT have a brawl at a Weird Al Yankovic show on the old bingo card.

Weird Al is a national treasure and if that makes me a weirdo or a nerd well so be it. The funny thing is I really have no idea about his music. I only know him for the last 40 years going on talk shows and holding his own with anyone. He's a funny, shameless comedian and I love that about him. 

His tour came to town last night and the boy and I went. Both of us, cynical eye rolling types, got into it even as the opener, Puddles Pity Party. Puddles is a giant clown with a baritone voice singing all sorts of tunes and seeking "help" from the crowd and has a Kevin Costner fetish. It was a cool 30 minutes.

Then came Weird Al Yankovic. All the hits were there's complete with frequent costume changes and all sorts of different music. His band is killer. The Nirvana parody, complete with the sweater, the janitor and the cheerleaders, sounded so much like Nirvana I wondered, uhhhh could you tour as a Nirvana tribute band?

In between songs were "interviews" Weird Al had with celebrities galore. It's been done thousands of times but Weird Al asking Madonna what the hell was she looking at as she constantly rolled her eyes. Trust me, it was funny, Paul McCartney told him no to Al staying at his house. It was as funny as the show itself.

Weird Al is a guilty pleasure. But even more so after actually witnessing great parodies, great music, funny skits, fake interviews and a brawl in the expensive seats. What more can a rational human being ask for? 

Oh, I don't know maybe a car crashing into a traffic light box just as people were exiting the arena. I mean how much more fun can I have?

Thoughts!

Look, on the shores of The Grift Pond, there are people putting their hands into the scummy green water and being arrested by "undercover" thugs for vandalism. Yeah, there's not a jury on earth that would convict people of "vandalism" (except maybe in Texas) but Jeanine Pirro, the failure of a wine box DA, will certainly try to please her master, who sits in his room thinking up conspiracies to keep him from King status. It's pathetic. Nobody is vandalizing that stinkin pond except the incompetent cronies that Trump hires to do "projects" as payment for past bribes  contributions to Trump's favorite charity. Himself. 

The SAVE Act, a truly hideous bill that's only purpose is to suppress the vote of women, minorities, immigrants and Democrats to save the Orange King's crooked ass. Voter ID, ok fine you win. Even though we prove our identity when we register to vote, showing a driver's license or whatever at the polls is unnecessary but is not a hill to die on. Enough right? Ohhhhh nooooo, not to Trump and his liars in the Senate. Liars like Mike Lee and Pete Ricketts and Joni Ernst continually crow about "rigged" elections (didnt they all win?). They all know it's bullshit but party over country of course. This SAVE act also forces you to provide a birth certificate on top of the ID. I mean come on. Where the fuck is YOUR birth certificate? Do you know? And what about women born Jane Smith and now are Jane Johnson? Sorry maam, this doesn't match your ID. Go away. Kill that 19th Amendment, kill that naturalized citizen right and only let white men vote. Mail in voting? Oh, the thing Trump himself does? It's banned. That's the goal and we all know it. Suppressed voting in blue states. But not only that, the SAVE act, for some reason, contains anti-transgender parts. No men in women's sports (there are none) and no transgender treatment for minors (there isnt any). What in the UFC fuck is that all about? What does that have to do with voting? Fuck this administration with a fork.

Trump doesn't have the votes for the SAVE act, thus he ran off with his pet bat, Stephen Miller, to meet with Senate Republicans, as cowardly a group as exists. Allegedly it turned into a clusterfuck of yelling and screaming and threats. But afterwards, the Felon in Chief, still didn't have the votes to pass his only white people vote bill. I'm sure the vampire bat is coming up with schemes to fuck the country as we speak.

The peace deal with Iran. In other words, the surrender of America to the mullahs. Trump is a terrible deal maker. Despite his bullshit book with I admit is a great title, The Art of the Steal Deal, Trump couldn't negotiate the end of a one-man parade. He's too lazy. He has no attention span. Plus, he's stupid. Iran gets everything it wants plus an ungodly amount of money to "rebuild" what Trump destroyed with his war he started. Gas prices are out of control, and the midterms are coming up. Trump is so dumb he started this war which blew up in his orange face and now faces blowback not only from the world but by Americans. 30% approval. Jesus H Christ, only the insane back this guy now (my theory has always been 25% of people are insane and can never be brought onboard). The only people who back this scumbag now are paid to do so, are deathly afraid of him and his goons, racists who yearn for an all-white country, or just plain stupid. See, 30%. 

Finally, Mamdani, the Mayor of New York. A Democratic socialist endorsed 8 progressives for various offices in New York. They all won their primaries. 8 for 8. Trump is so envious. Thus, he went right to the "Communist" card thus proving he and his 30% don't know shit about anything. Democratic socialism is just that. It's like democracy and socialism, ya know, like fixing roads and having cops and fire fighters and Social Security and Medicare and a safety net for the growing poor and their kids. We already have that but the real problem is a good curve ball. They don't like the "democracy" part. in fact, the countries these economic illiterates always put forward, Cuba, Venezuela, and the like are actually just what the Trumpers want. Authoritarianism in the name of freedom. They don't want Denmark or Sweden or Germany because of that whole "democracy" thing. They want thugs like Orban and Trump to rule with an iron fist, moving tax money to their buddies and themselves. Mamdani not only faces rants from Trump but from so called "moderate" Democrats who have no real interest in doing anything that jeopardizes their power. Power is a helluva drug, and mainstream Democrats want to keep it. Mamdani, that young whippersnapper, is upsetting the power brokers. Good!

Look the bottom line is any government that contains octogenarians and mental octogenarians is a dying government. But they aren't going to give it up until the voters decide to neuter these ancients. The boomers won't do it. Their own fading dominance is at stake. Gen X won't do it. They are in their money-making years and nothing comes between them and their careers. So, it is up to millennials and Gen Z. Vote you lazy clowns. you HAVE the power to change it all. Getting rid of anyone over 70 is up to you. If you stay home this boomer bunch of jokers will stay in power and nothing changes. You will still owe thousands in loans, never buy a house, never have kids cuz you can't afford them and stagnate in a society run by your senile grandparents. You like that? Christ, I'm a boomer and I hate them politically. Get rid of them, kiddos.

Wicked!

 Wicked began its new tour in Omaha, of all places, and if you've seen it before it is a whole new experience. This was my third time seeing it. The first time I was enthralled, found it fascinating and loved every second. However, the second time I saw it, I was soured. Act 1 was great buy Act 2 seemed to be a walk through, phoning it in so to speak, thus it kind of lost its appeal to me. Then came the movies, which were good, again Act 1 great, Act 2 not so great. I wasn't sure about this third time.

You knew it was gonna be a lot of acrobatics and high flying when before it started, you saw stagehands climbing a ladder to the top of the stage to do their thing. And then it starts with a bubble coming down that contains Ga-Linda, the self-centered egomaniac of the show. She is there to tell the story of how this happened and away we go.

Claudia Bennett makes her national debut as Glinda. A recent grad of USC, she takes her cue from Kristin Chenowith and Ariana Grande in her narcissism. She's got a great voice and a presence that made you believe she was a grizzled vet of theater touring. She plays the role perfectly as she moves from total self-absorption to opposition to The Wizard, a total fascist by the way.

When Elphaba, played by a big voiced Aline Mayagotia, appears onstage for the first time, the crowd reacts with applause and enthusiasm. And then, Ephaba takes control of the play. She is green, she is outspoken, she is tough and she has taken her being bullied into a rage against authority. When she arrives at Shiz University, she is there to watch out for her wheelchair bound sister, Nessarose. When Elphaba and Glinda are assigned as roommates the transformation begins. Doctor Dillamond is a professor, a goat, who is eventually taken away as the Wizard starts a animals should be seen and not heard campaign. The Doc says if animals are put in cages and forbidden to speak, they forget how to talk. Elphaba is pissed and becomes the opposition to the Wizard. Glinda is a coward, refusing to back her friend's activism. 

Ok Ok this play is a metaphor for fascism. Written way before Trump came along, it is a warning to anyone who sees it that authoritarians earn power thru indifference by the residents. Glinda is the epitome' of this unwillingness to speak out, protect her own power while allowing others to be oppressed. Animals and green witches first then Glinda herself.

The Wizard of Oz story is flipped on its head here. What you saw every year on TV was a lie. The Wizard was the villain; Glinda was the chickenshit. The Tin Man was created as a punishment for Boq, a munchkin who had the audacity to fall for Glinda. The Scarecrow was created as punishment for Fiyero, who had the audacity to support Elphaba's resistance. The Lion was an animal staying under the radar and speaking freely. And the Wicked Witch of the West was the revolutionary fighting for freedom. Wow, what a new way to look at it.

The songs are great. Of course, you get Popular and the end of Act 1, the showstopping Defying Gravity. But this particular cast keeps the energy alive. Act 2 was just as captivating as Act 1. The songs were wonderful, the acting was incredible and it works. Maybe it's simply a new cast, a new energy and a new vibe that makes it work. Perhaps the last time I saw it the cast was tired and done. Hey it happens. How can it not?

Anyway, this musical continues thru July 5th here in Omaha. It's worth a see. 

Savannah Bananas!

Normally Memorial Stadium in Lincoln is fill of red clad crazies watching the Nebraska Cornhuskers lose a game they should have won, but last night there was a baseball field there and the barnstorming Savannah Bananas came into town and sold the place out. 85,000 people showed up to watch the crazy brand of baseball played by these talented athletes. No bunting, no walks without a throw around, if a fan catches a foul ball the batter is out (it happened twice) and the fans get to challenge a play once during the game. Theres a guy on stilts who batted and whiffed. They have catches behind the back, back flips amid the fielding of grounders and fly balls, lots and lots of current music I had no idea what it was, an attention deficit reaction that results in an overwhelming sense of overload, and a left field fence 197 feet (Polo Grounds like) from home. Lots of home runs were hit into the leftfield stands including the walk off homer by the Washington Generals of Banana Ball, the Firefighters to win the game.

Look, being a fanatical baseball fan like me can trigger emotions when somebody plays this kind of baseball. But it's fun. For about an hour. After that initial hour, it became tedious. The trick plays became routine, the whole walk thing with all 9 players having to touch the ball leaving the runner able to go as far as he wants. That rule is not exciting because nobody ever gets past first base. The special guests were Eric Crouch, Heisman winner, and Tom Osborne, the HOF coach, who got a huge reaction and Go Big Red chants. It's based on baseball, but it is definitely not baseball. It's a state fair midway of child pleasing activity that quite frankly probably bores adults. Now if you have a kid and you take them, enjoy watching them have fun. They sing along to the music us olds have no clue to. They screech, they holler, they eat horrible stuff and they seem more aware than adults. It's fun for them thus it's fun for their parents. We went with our kid, who is in his 20's, so he's an adult and thus, he became bored also. 

I'm not saying I didn't have fun, I did. That it's a baseball Harlem Globetrotters is not a bad thing. But it's for children and introducing them to the sport is a good thing. I had a similar experience as a kid watching a clown show called the 1964 Chicago Cubs. It hooked me on the sport, the stadiums, the green grass, the strategy and the home runs at Wrigley. Kidding of course. The Bananas do what they do and it's entertaining. Would I go again? Not a chance. 

I will leave the hard-to-get tickets to somebody with young children.

The Firefighters won 3-2. If that matters.

A real game is much more entertaining. To me anyway.

60 Minutes & Pride Month!!

 60 Minutes has been gutted once and for all as Bari Weiss and this Nick Bilton guy fall all over themselves to please the authoritarian asshole. Just in the last few weeks, Weiss and Bilton have 86'd Celia Vega, Sharon Alfonsi and two 60 Minutes staffers for doing their jobs. Reporting on scandals and wars and power grabs and frauds, in other words Trump, Weiss has probably gotten a list of "miscreants" directly from the White House to deep six. Alfonsi was the reporter whose Cecot prison story was delayed because Weiss felt that the story about an El Salvadoran shithole prison, where Trump's goons were sending so called "illegals", including Americans of good standing, gay hairdressers and fathers of children needed some bullshit both sides response from the White House. Alfonsi resisted, publicly, and was then sent packing. At the same time, Vega was let go a year short of her contract expiration and two staffers were also let go. Now that is bad enough.

Scott Pelley, veteran 60 Minutes correspondent, a man with no fucks left to give and a lot of fuck you money, let the 60 Minutes killers have it. Pelley stood up for Alfonsi, Vega and the rest. Pelley, again a veteran reporter and 60 Minutes legend, wouldn't take the let's meet in private later bullshit from typical middle managers to take the pressure off themselves. Pelley continued, refused to accept the corporate horseshit, and pressed on. Weiss and Bilton ran away, plotted, and fired Pelley the next day "for cause". Good luck on that lawsuit you fucking Maga lumps. CBS is now Fox Lite. The Tiffany network of Murrow, Cronkite, Rather, Paley and other greats is dead. It's now just another suck up bottom-line oriented parrot of one Donald Trump. Your turn, Bill Whittaker, Leslie Stahl, and Jon Werthheim. Stay or tell them to fuck off. You all have fuck you money. Use it, it's the American dream to tell your boss to GFY cuz you have enough money to survive without them. 

This is Tennessee twat, Andy Ogles, with his Pride Month "wisdom". This seems to be the trend in Hillbilly America, aka red states, of declaring June to be Happy Nuclear Family and Have More White Babies Month instead of Pride Month. We here in Hillbillyaska, aka Nebraska, have a philandering drunken Governor who does anything he's told by former Governor and current Senator Pete Ricketts (Trust Fund Baby-Ne) and declared here in Nebraska to be Happy We Hate Homos Month.

Pillen is a disaster here. He turned a budget surplus into a $600 million deficit. He gave a no bid contract to a female "acquaintance" he "travels" with for $2.5 million. He accepted Trumps order to open "Cornhusker Clink" by closing down a work release minimum security prison and installing a facility to be used for the undocumented. He's often in public in what appears to be an altered state. I personally witnessed him slurring and stumbling over a swearing in ceremony for Nebraska National Guard recruits. Not sure it even was legal with his stumblebum oath.

But Pillen, like most "Christian" fanatics, hates the gays, wants Nebraskans to pray for rain, signs all sorts of anti-trans bills, tries hard and fails to eliminate our Blue Dot, and is obsessed with bathrooms and who uses them. Pillen is running for re-election and will be pushed by Democrat Lynn Walz. However, I am not confident this human lush will lose. The rural voters of our infamous Third District, a vast open wasteland of cows, dying towns and professional Republicans, always just marks in the person with the R next to their name cuz grandpappy voted R and Daddy voted R and by gawd I vote R, it's a family must. Vote against your interests cuz the libtards might say "woke" or something.

It's Pride Month, and all your political denial of that is irrelevant. Enjoy haters, and just hope nobody checks y9our hard drives.