Nebraska Governor's Race!

 Its been a crazy year so far in the bottomless pit of America's race to the lowest common denominator. Let me inform you of whats going on right here in fly over country. Its goddamned nuts.

We currently have a Governor so utterly without a soul he refuses to take federal money for expanding Medicaid, federal money for rent relief, federal money to stop the spread of Covid, and when he wants something he just has his Daddy give him money to buy it.  Governor Pete Ricketts (Trust Fund Kid-Ne) of the Chicago Cubs Ricketts, runs this state and whether it be ballot initiatives to restore the death penalty, financing the campaigns of puppet state senators, stopping medical marijuana initiatives in courts and slow rolling casino gambling which was passed two years ago and now a voter ID law he craves to keep the blacks and browns from voting he just opens the Ricketts family checkbook and does what all billionaires do, they buy what they want .

He's term limited out this year (yes this state actually elected this prick twice) he must move out. Now since this state has what is called a Third District to counter the blue First and Second District no Democrat will probably ever be elected to state wide office again . The Third District is 90% Republicans and dammit they vote that way no matter what kind of drooling nut has the R next to their name. The First District of Lincoln and the Second District of Omaha vote Democratic most of the time but not in big enough numbers to counter the Soviet like voting patterns out in the Third. So whoever wins this Republican primary will probably win the Governorship. And man oh man are these three front runners  bottom of the barrel human beings.

First theres a pig farmer named Jim Pillen. His claim to fame is 44 years ago he fell on a fumble in a Nebraska Oklahoma game and wont let anybody forget it. Hey I was at that game with my Dad and I saw it happen and quite frankly Pillen just happened to be in the right place at the right time. Shit I can fall down too and nobody wants me as a leader. Pillen is running ads in which he proclaims his Christianity, his deep faith in God and how much he hates brown people, black people and gays and transgenders. In fact he refers to something called the "radical transgender agenda" whatever the fuck that is. He's just a horrible person and he's probably going to win because he refuses to debate and he has the dime store Lex Luthor, aka Pete Fucking Ricketts, endorsement. 

Then next comes one Charles W Herbster. This dude has lots and lots of money, lives in Kansas City and thinks he can bamboozle Nebraskans by wearing a cowboy hat and sucking the Former Guys ass. Herbster was at the Willard Hotel on 1/5/21 helping plan and finance what happened the next day. He is now denying it after initially saying yay for me.  Herbster tends to not pay his property taxes, well over 600 times in the last 25 years, and he really really hates the blacks and the browns. His ads are aimed directly at the racists who live here. Critical Race Theory seems to be Herbies go to talking point. He has attacked Pillen for simply being a Regent who actually voted to fund the University thus hes FOR CRT. He hates the browns and stands at the border with his Go Big Red Hat acting like the last line of defense against the de-whiting of his "beloved Nebraska" . Last time I looked we bordered Kansas. Herbster likes to put jackboot Sheriffs on his ads decrying "illegal drugs" coming into the state. Ya know like legal marijuana from Colorado. He also boasts not only of his loyalty to the Florida retiree but of the endorsement of fucking idiot and dead eyed Governor of South Dakota, Kristi Noem with whom he has a billboard featuring her and him standing there looking like the country club couple everyone hates with the catchphrase "Great Minds Think Alike".....God help us one and all.

Finally there's a dude named Brett Lindstrom.  Like Pillen,  Lindstrom played for the Huskers, rather sat the bench, never recovered a fumble and was completely forgettable. Lindstrom is a state Senator and generally gums up the system with his utter mediocrity. I watch the Nebraska Lege a lot and I had no idea this dullard was in it. Lindstrom started off trying to be the reasonable candidate but that doesn't fly with todays whacko GOP, So he started to go all 2nd amendmenty, all pro-lifey, and threw in a bonus issue supporting the Big Lie.  Lindstrom seems to be treading water because he went back to his reasonable persona by sticking his cute kids in the ads and making a lame attempt at Don Bacon like "humor". But deep down Lindstrom may be the worst of all 3. He seems sane, is younger than the others and trumpets his "new leadership" skills even though he espouses the same racist sexist homophobic bullshit. He's basically the Nebraska version of Josh Hawley. Ugh!

So we have a jackoff who fell on a fumble, and insurrectionist from Missouri and a vanilla guy with a pretty family and dark evil ideas.

We are fucked! 

Mean Girls!

 Do they have to make a stage musical of every movie that took in a hundred bucks? Apparently so.

Mean Girls, the musical based on Tina Fey's 2004 movie, came to town this week at the cramped Orpheum. Opening night was about 80% full, mostly us olds on one hand and then nobody in the middle and then teen aged girls in packs making up half the crowd. And man were they entertained.

If you've seen the movie you know the plot. A young l6 year old girl named Cady is brought back to America after growing up in Kenya with her biologist parents and placed in the local high school after being home schooled in Africa. She is befriended by a misfit girl named Janis and her "too gay tor function" compadre Damian. She meets the local "plastics", three girls too mean to function and is asked to go undercover to learn secrets about the Mean Girls. In the process she becomes the mean girl, betrays her original friends , loses a boyfriend and eventually finds herself again.

Some of the tunes were catchy. Some of the singers were good. Some of the actors were good. And the opposite was also true. I found this musical to be either really good, depending on who was on stage, or dull as hell when others were onstage. But then I am not really the demo for this when you think about it. I am an old white guy who likes stuff about adults. The rest of the crowd were young ladies out on the town determined to enjoy themselves and bully for them (did that bully thing prove I'm old?). There was knee slapping and howling going on behind us at jokes I found maybe smile inducing but not really all that funny. But again I am old and find Mrs Maisel hilarious because I get the 60's references and remember it fondly. Modern high school references don't hit home as they should as I realize now that high school sucks.

But yes the highlight was a great tap dancing sequence to the song Stop opening act 2. I guess that made it worth the trip. 

Mean Girls is ok. I didn't hate it but didn't love it. When the Broadway series was announced last year I felt this would be the weak link. Yep.

Fiddler On The Roof!

 The only time I'd seen Fiddler on the Roof was a local high school production and though it was enjoyable I couldn't really appreciate it well because it was high school.

The touring Broadway production rolled into town this week and we went not really expecting much. After all its almost 60 years old, it takes place in 1900 Russia, I've heard If I Were Rich Man a million times, I'm not Jewish, and our seats are cramped (see previous reviews).

With a stage that opens with a single chair sitting on it, out came Tevye in a modern winter jacket which he puts on the chair and reveals what we are about to see. Wow!

The story is classic. A poor milk farmer with a house full of women in 1900 Russia tries to just get by. Whether maneuvering thru the old world, the changing world, and his daughters getting all lovey dovey with tailors, commies and a thug rather than accept arranged marriages, Tevye learns how to cope before the inevitable expulsion of Jews from the town.  

Let me talk about the actor playing Tevye. I've seen a lot of great Broadway shows in my life, and a lot of great leads who dominate a show, but Israeli actor , Yehezkel Lazarov, may be the best I've ever seen. He is a wonder. A great driver of the story, he just makes you love him from the start. I was awed.

The rest of the cast is also fantastic. The story was captivating. The humor was spot on from start to finish. The set, especially the end with a barn that couldn't help remind you of a WWII death camp as the Jewish folk move on to various new lands and cities is simple yet complex.

If you get a chance, see it. If you're skeptical as we were, it delivers in a big way.

Mazeltov!

Gorsuch The Gross!

 Remember back when Moscow Mitch McConnell stole a Supreme Court seat by betting on the longshot sure loser named The Former Guy? When the Former Guy lied and cheated his way to the victory by getting 3 million less votes than the Email Lady, McConnell had his 20-1 shot come in. Merrick Garland was forgotten and up popped Neil Gorsuch, a kind of white Clarence Thomas filling a seat on the 10th Circuit Court in Denver.

When the Former Guy, after getting approval from the masters at the Federalist Society, nominated Gorsuch to the stolen seat. The Federalist Society is a kind of cauldron of evil that was formed to mulake sure Republican administrations didn't nominate any more David Souters or Earl Warrens or John Paul Stevens who wandered off the white supremacist plantation now and then and fucked up the descent into fascism we now face. So any judicial nominee must get the Seal of Approval from this band of boiler room Nazis.

Gorsuch was given the hearing before the Senate where Minnesota Senator Al Franken brought up the Case of the Frozen Truck Driver. A driver was hauling met across an Illinois when the -25 degree temps and an empty fuel tank forced the man to pull the truck over. Brakes froze, the heater quit working and the driver unhooked the trailer and drove away leaving the poor meat alone to save his own life. The meat got delivered after truck repairs but the company fired the driver for abandoning his meat. He sued and won his case but on appeal, Judge Neil Gorsuch sided with the company, basically saying the man should have died to protect corporate meat. The Corporation is the State and must be adhered to. Yep, Franken exposed Gorsuch for what he was, a corporate hack willing to risk lives to protect the bottom line. So yeah, Gorsuch is a jackoff. Thats a fact proven that day to any decent person.

Gorsuch got approved after McConnell blew up the filibuster (whaaaaaat?) to confirm his lackey ass. And thus a 50 year old man who rooted for Scrooge and Mister Potter is now on the Court for the rest of my natural life playing syndicate groupie for the business oligarchs.

But now, though Gorsuch's pro-megacorp decisions can be legitimately argued, his recent decision about real life, about everyday interaction between human beings is the most abhorrent thing he's ever done.

Most decent human beings will adhere to others problems, others health, others lifestyle, others beliefs to not offend. Being a kind person is not hard. We do it everyday. But oh no, Neil Gorsuch will NOT wear a mask to help protect his fellow justice, Sonya Sotemayor, who suffers from diabetes and would be at risk with a Covid diagnosis. Nope, and though he sits right next to her on the court bench, Gorsuch has gone all Ayn Rand on his fellow justice and will not wear a simple mask. For fucks sake, even Thomas, Beer Boy and Coathanger Barrett deferred to her health risks and wore a mask. But Gorsuch the folksy fascist who spun tales of walking to rodeos with his daughter apparently was too inconvenienced to put on a mask.

So the guy who caters to oligarchs and tyrants has entered a new zone. The Narcissist Zone. The Jerk Zone. The Putz Zone. The Self Indulgent Zone. The Me Zone. Sounds like the guy who nominated him. Unfortunately with lifetime terms, Gorsuch will not be the Former Guy soon.

Happy Insurrection Anniversary!

 

A year ago so many of us sat at home working when it happened. A gaggle of human thuggery on orders from a political thug, descended on the Capitol to try and stop a constitutional process for a peaceful transfer of power. These losers are who they have always been. Angry violent white men who quietly seethed for years over their failures, had finally found the guy who was going to speak for them . A racist liar con man who preys on mushy brains and the just plain dumb emerged in 2015. They could now crawl out from under the rock they had been hiding under. Yesterday was the 1 year anniversary of these human garbage and their gigantic latest failure. A few thoughts:

1) That guy above walking thru the Capitol Rotunda caring a treasonous flag of yet another failure. The Confederacy. The slavery enthusiasts who started an actual Civil War to maintain owning other human beings. That guy. Carrying the American swastika thru the heart of government . That son of a bitch should go away for fucking ever. Join the Aryan Nation in federal prison you fucking mook.

2) The Congressional so conspirators, the Greenes, the Boeberts , the Hawleys , the Brooks', the Gohmerts, the Gaetzs, the Cruz's , the Tubbervilles, the Jordans, the Stefaniks , the McCarthys should all be held accountable. The day every one of those traitorous twerps is booted and hopefully arrested will be a great day in American history. It cant come soon enough.

3) Tucker Carlson has crossed the line. His nightly defense of his white base of viewers is beyond reprehensible. His rewrite of history, his lies, his baseless nonsense of blaming government for attempting to overthrow itself is not only laughable its dangerous. Carlson caters to the same bunch of weaklings that The Former Guy does. Weak minded thoughtless assholes. But thats Fox. When you are the worst on a network that features a blonde Nazi and a flat headed carnival barker thats a major achievement. Where's Jon Stewart to wreck him like he did on Crossfire. 

4) I hope that America calms the fuck down, gets it shit together, and rejects this minority of loudmouth lunkheads led by a pathological pussy like The Former Guy. I dont care if the smart conservatives take back over, anything is an improvement over this  band of miserable bastards with low IQ's and asshole tendencies. The cowards who know better are especially egregious. Y'all know better, but you lack the guts to maintain your dignity in this trailer trash of a party. 

5) Ted Cruz. This werewolf wanker wants to be President? Holy shit Texas. This pathetic pimp first failed to defend his own wife and father against a scumbag screecher like The Former Guy. He fled to Cancun during a power outage in his home state. And now he cowered at the feet of Tucker Carlson begging this trust fund punk's forgiveness for calling a terrorist a terrorist. What wont this Texas twat do to debase himself? Good gawd if this Canadian creep gets anywhere near Oval we are fucked. 

Never again GOP America? Deal? Yeah I didnt think so. Fuck all of ya.

Garland's Gang!!

 Oh I know lots of folks wanted Merrick Garland to show up at his DOJ briefing today waving indictments over his head and guys in chains behind him, but  Merrick Garland was just being Merrick Garland. Just the facts ma'am. 

The day before the 1st anniversary of the attempted coup by a gang of white trash looking to do a Svengali's bidding in keeping HIM in power, Garland showed up to assure those of us not denying reality that steps are being taken to bring the hammer down on not only the grunts, but the planners and funders of that dark day. (Charles W Herbster, you listening? ) 

Garland visited numerous bullet points today. Not only is he after the traitors that so far have escaped justice (you listening Greene and Bobo?) but he's also touched on voters rights, carefully linking suppression of voters with the insurrection attempt and drawing a straight line from that to the various GOP attempts to make sure no more 81 million vote landslides occur. 

Garland is a methodical slow get your ducks in a row jurist. Remember that not one leak occurred when he sent Timothy McVeigh and Terry Nichols on their way to hell. Not one. 

So the briefing today reassured me that these turncoat fascist fuckers from T***P on down will be thoroughly investigated. It wasnt Al Pacino going crazy in And Justice For All like many want. Thats theater. What Garland offers is meticulous scrutiny leaving no stone unturned. Fine by me. I'm the inpatient type but today made me less anxious.

Lets go Merrick!

Dear Evan Hansen!

 

We dont get much live theater in these parts. Oh of course there's community theater which I find wonderful, there's high schoolers doing their best where one person seems to be the Tom Brady while the rest are Mike Glennons. Then there the traveling Broadway shows of which I never miss.

Dear Evan Hansen came thru town this week and I really looked forward to it. The Tony Award winner has been in my wish list for years and when it got cancelled last year I was bummed.

I knew virtually nothing about this musical and that was on purpose . I didnt see the movie which most people said was awful. I never listened to the soundtrack. I never heard any of the songs other than the ubiquitous Waving Through the Window which is a pleasant enough tune. I only knew it involved teen suicide and its affects on the people left behind.

Like the first time you see anything you know nothing about, it was a surprise. I assumed the anxious kid was going to kill himself. I assumed he would be bullied throughout. I assumed the burn out kid would be his nemesis. Well as it turns out the bully, Connor, kind of was. 

This play is about feelings, grief , more feelings and a lie that spirals out of control. Evan spends the play trying to avoid going down the drain of deceit. Every scene makes it worse. Evan, the medicated anxious loner, suddenly is thrust into the spotlight where he has fake friends, adoring fans, and is thought of as a hero when in fact hes just a liar. He gets a girlfriend based on the lies, he gets a new "family" due to his untruths and he ignores the only real friends and family he had. All the while you know this will not end well.

I am one who accepts fiction as fiction. Thus, as Evan dug himself deeper and deeper into his hell hole, I knew that something so popular as this play had to right the ship at some point. Did it? I think so thanks to Evans mother, the true hero of this story.

Dear Evan Hansen was pretty much all I thought it would be. As unpleasant as Evan was making it to watch, you knew the character was not what he had become. Its well worth the time and money to see.

PS: As much as I expected this play's story to turn around and make it right, Max was angry at the character being a "sociopath" during Act 1. He also thought it trivialized suicide. I am not that serious about a damned musical. But its a valid critique. 

So basically you will find Evan a lonely kid who rights his wrongs or you will think Evan is a complete narcissist without a care for others.