Difficult To Relax

“Dr. Strangelove Or: How I Learned To Stop Worrying And Love The Bomb”   —   movie review
Today’s review is for the 1964 “comedy “Dr. Strangelove” starring Peter Sellers, George C. Scott, Sterling Hayden and Slim Pickens.  This film is directed by Stanley Kubrick and is considered a classic as both a movie and as a comedic movie.  I think it is a “classic”, but I don’t find it particularly funny.  I guess there are a few amusing moments in the movie, but, I found them “almost smile” moments, not “Ha-ha” laugh out loud moments.
This movie was one of two movies to deal with worldwide nuclear war which came out within a twelve month period.  The other was “Failsafe” (which I reviewed here).  In this movie, an American Air Force general (named Jack D. Ripper [LoL!  I get it!] played by Hayden) goes crazy and orders the strategic bombers under his command to attack the U.S.S.R.  All but one of the planes is successfully re-called (or shot down), but with its radio damaged the single jet manages to initiate the end of the world.  This result is because the Soviets have determined they cannot compete with the United States and therefore (instead) developed a “weapon” which will blowup and spread poisonous nuclear fallout around the world destroying all life on the planet.  The fallout cloud is meant to be toxic for a minimum of 93 years.
One of the distinctive things in the movie is that Peter Sellers plays three different characters in the film: the President of the United States, a British Air Force officer assigned to the U.S. air base, and a “crazy” German (ex-Nazi) scientist who advises the Americans in the War Room.  Sellers was originally contracted to play four roles in this film, but he managed to get out of one of them (the bomber pilot) and the role was given to Slim Pickens.  It’s not uncommon for an actor to have multiple roles in a single film, but normally they are passed off as twins or generational relatives or clones.  As far as I know, until Eddie Murphy came along, this was a fairly unique niche which Sellers played in a number of films in his career.
So, if this is a comedy which isn’t funny (to me), is it any good?  Is it entertaining?  Is it worth worth watching?  Yes.  Yes.  And, yes!
As mentioned above, this movie is considered a true “Classic” and has been voted onto the National Film Registry in the Library of Congress.  It makes satirical comments about nuclear weapons, the Pentagon / National Defense, the President, Texan manliness, and the communist plot to neuter the American public via water fluoridation.  (Yes, we even had conspiracy theories in the movies way back then.)
The movie is pretty entertaining with particularly noteworthy performances by Sellers (in all three roles) and by George C. Scott as General Buck Turgidson.  It is easy to see how Scott went from this role to his Best Actor role as General Patton in 1970.
Final recommendation:  Highly!  Both “Dr. Strangelove” and “Failsafe” are anti-war movies.  The former is the mostly unfunny bookend to the tense drama of the latter.  But, both are very good to excellent movies which (I believe) not enough people are aware of, let alone have seen.  In this day and age, where we are just getting past our own “Nightmare In The Oval Office” (aka: #IncometentTrump) and we are almost 30 years from the collapse of the USSR, we (IMHO) have forgotten what horrors could happen if there is a “hot” war with either North Korea or with Iran.  A war may not result in the mutual destruction depicted in this movie, but the results would be frightening to imagine.
Art, just like history, can caution us about the path(s) to not follow if we are wise enough to remember it and to listen to their lessons.
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On This Day In:
2021	Why We Protect The First Amendment
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2020	#45: And State Prison Waits When You Leave Office
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2019	Looking For A Republican With A Profile In Courage
2018	Hammers, Bells And Songs
2017	My Friends
2016	In Need Of Some Work
2015	Elections Have Consequences
2014	An Ear Of Happy Accidents
2013	Powerful Substitute
2012	Heroes Restored
2011	As You Should

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Trump Reaffirms His Administration Is The Cause Of West Coast Wildfires

Way back in November 2018, #PresidentIdiot said the problem of California forest fires was caused by poor forest management and not by “Climate Change.”  He suggested raking 13 million acres of Federal land to prevent future fires.  Today (14 September 2020), #IncompetentTrump restated this opinion (if not his solution).
Let’s look at some of the “facts” about “forests” in Washington, Oregon and California (WA numbers are rounded, so they don’t add up to 100%):
Washington State is 53% forested.  Of that:
44% is Federal owned
36% is privately owned
14% is State and county owned
8% is Tribal
Oregon 49% forested.  Of that:
60% is Federal (Forest Service or Park Service)
3% is State and Local gov
35% is Private
2% is Tribal
California 33% forested.  Of that:
57% is Federal owned
40% is privately owned
3% is State owned
The President of the United States (that would be #IncompetentDonald), said TWO years ago, the problem of wildfires was caused by mismanagement.  Two years later, he’s still saying the same thing.  In two of the three states, the Federal government owns and is responsible for the majority of the “forested” land.  In the third state (Washington), the Federal government owns the largest percentage of forested land, but not the majority.
This means he admits for the last two years his administration has been knowingly mismanaging the forested land in these three states.  Since that date was almost two years into his presidency, that means he has been mismanaging the forests for almost four years.
Today, it appears the President has inadvertently told the truth:  he has mismanaged the National Forests for the whole of his Administration.
Now, this doesn’t mean I agree his mismanagement is the cause of the fires.  Only, that I agree he has mismanaged the Forest Service and the Bureau of Land Management (basically, the Department of the Interior).
Here’s three more bits of information I picked up while browsing around looking for information about “forest fires” vs “wildfires”.  They don’t have anything to do with President Trump:
“Forestland” is land that is capable of having at least 10% cover of trees.
—   Oregonloggers.org
“Forestland” means any woodland, brushland, timberland, grazing land or clearing that, during any time of the year, contains enough forest growth, slashing or vegetation to constitute, in the judgment of the forester, a fire hazard, regardless of how the land is zoned or taxed. As used in this subsection, “clearing” means any grassland, improved area, lake, meadow, mechanically or manually cleared area, road, rocky area, stream or other similar forestland opening that is surrounded by or contiguous to forestland and that has been included in areas classified as forestland under ORS 526.305
—   Oregon State law
Timberland is “forest land” that is producing, or is capable of producing, more than 20 cubic feet per acre per year of industrial wood crops under natural conditions, that is not withdrawn from timber utilization, and that is not associated with urban or rural development.
Forest land is land at least 10% stocked by forest trees of any size, or formerly having had such tree cover, and not currently developed for nonforest use. The minimum area for classification of forest land is one acre.
Reserved forest land is withdrawn from timber utilization through statute, administrative regulation, or designation.
—   Illinois Dept of Natural Resources and Environmental Sciences
[Of course the title to this post is a bit “tongue-in-cheek”…  The #LiarInChief would NEVER accept responsibility for anything the least bit negative.  He only takes credit when something “good” happens – irrespective of whether or not he had anything to do with it.   But hey, that’s OUR President for you!    —   kmab]
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On This Day In:
2021	Vote NO In The California Recall
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2020	The Importance You Can Have
	Slow Dancin’
	Trump Reaffirms His Administration Is The Cause Of West Coast Wildfires
2019	A Lifestyle
	Day 16: Cheat Day
2018	The Children Are Our Future
2017	And Three
2016	Nine Parts Mystery
2015	Little Or No Common Ground
2014	Just Between Me
2013	Beyond The Strings
2012	Saving The Union
2011	Still And Too Often

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He Says The Last Five Questions Are Really Hard

The image below is one “sample” copy / version of the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MOCA) “test” which President Trump claims his physicians recently asked him to take and which he claims they said he “Aced”.  The President also stated he felt the last five(5) questions were very difficult.  You be the judge…
MOCA-Test-English
Double-click on the image to see a larger version.
My opinion: if you find ANY part of this assessment difficult, you should not be President!
The assessment is meant to be a quick test of cognitive domains: attention and concentration, executive functions, memory, language, visuoconstructional skills, conceptual thinking, calculations, and orientation.  The measure can be used for, but is not limited to patients with stroke, early dementia, Alzheimer’s or concussive injury.  Please note:  the above sample is the “quick” version.  I understand their is another more extensive version of approximately thirty(30) questions which takes about 10 to 15 minutes to complete.  The White House did not state which version the President took, but they have not specifically denied he took this “quick” version.
I’d like to know why multiple physicians felt it was necessary for this President to take this assessment, when he actually took the assessment, and what was his actual score.  Just asking…
Just a small addendum:  You’ll note the assessment sample (above) has a score of thirty(30) points maximum.  It is not clear to me if there is some confusion between the above “sample” test maximum score and the “extensive” version.  I did a quick Google for the extensive version and it seems the on-line versions are only available for health professionals (which I am not).  Other than the requirement to wait five(5) minutes before the word recall portion, it doesn’t seem to me this assessment would take 10 to 15 minutes to complete.  And I’m not the stable genius which President Trump claims to be.
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On This Day In:
2019	Historic Contact
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2018	History Judges Incompetent Presidencies, Too
2017	Our Confident New President
2016	Ways
2015	Be Happy, Too
2014	At Least Smile
2013	Comfortably Bound
2012	Certainty
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2011	And In Every Level Of Media

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So Sad, Faux Crowd

Over the last weekend, #IncompetentTrump was in Tulsa, Oklahoma to hold his first political rally since the COVID-19 shutdown started in March…
What the Trump campaign wanted us to see…
What the “crowd” actually looked like…  (Hint:  less than 1/3 capacity occupied.)
A dejected #DonTheCon returning to the White House (flaccid tie and hat in hand)…
What I hope to say in January 2021…
Get that LOSER off my grass!!!
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On This Day In:
2019	And The Same For Blogs And Posts
2018	The End Of Asgard (For Now)
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2017	For Some
2016	Fragile And Explosive, Provocation And Privacy
2015	Bound Up
2014	Economic Engines
2013	Weren’t You Supposed To Be Reading?
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2012	Hangin’ With His P’s
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2011	Six Facets Of Good Leadership

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Or Frightens Us

A chief event of life is the day in which we have encountered a mind that startled us.
—    Ralph Waldo Emerson
[#45’s complete lack of intellectual curiosity and overall ignorance both startles and frightens me.    —    KMAB]
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On This Day In:
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2018	Sweep!!!
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2017	The Best?
2016	Timely Opinions On “The Donald”
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2015	First Things First
2014	Without The Other
2013	Earn This
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2012	Stumblin’ Along My Way
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2011	Simply Unpredictable

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#IncompetentTrump

And yet the President STILL has 93% approval by Republicans and 7% by Democrats!!!  And an average job approval of 49%!!   Who are these people???  He asked:  “What have you got to lose?”   Over 80,000 lives so far…  With no ending in sight.
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On This Day In:
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2018	Painted Into
2017	Prayers, Miracles And Lottery Tickets
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2016	Dignity And Grace
2015	Is It Warm Enough For You
2014	What The Right STILL Wants
2013	Embrace Serendipity
2012	Your Order, Please
2011	Well Enough Anyway

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I’m Tired Of “Winning”

Corona Virus Data as of 26 April 2020 (from Bing)
In 2016, candidate Trump said America was going to win so much some of us will get tired of it and beg him to:  “Please, stop all this winning.”
It turns out, America has almost one out of every three known cases of Corona Virus (COVID-19).  FAR more than any other country in the world.  America also has almost one out of every four deaths related to the Corona Virus.  Again, FAR more than any other country in the world.  We’re so far ahead that every other country could double there numbers and still not catch us.  How’s that for “winning” and being “in first place”?
#LyingDonald told us we only had 15 cases and soon that number would drop to zero (26 Feb 22020 press conference).  How’s that working out so far?
#IncompetentTrump told us by April the change of season and increased temperature would kill the virus.  (“There’s a theory that, in April, when it gets warm — historically, that has been able to kill the virus.  So we don’t know yet; we’re not sure yet. But that’s around the corner.”)  I think we’ve turned that corner…
COVID-19 Deaths in the U.S. thru 21 April 2020
The U.S. started April with just under 5,000 deaths from the virus.  We are now just over 55,000!  A ten-fold increase!
We don’t know if the anti-bodies from recovered folks protects them from future re-infection, if the anti-bodies last indefinitely or if they stop working after “some” period of time.  A vaccine is probably still a year (or more) away…  But #IdiotTrump wants to re-open the economy and get us all back to work.
Ok!!  He was right!!  I’ll say it:  Please Mr. President, can we stop all this winning?  Let some other country be first in getting the virus.  Let some other country be first in deaths from the virus.  Let some other country be the first to go back to work and have the first “second wave” of pandemic.
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On This Day In:
2019	Impeach #45 – (#TraitorInTheWhiteHouse)
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2018	No Pride There
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2017	At Least Twenty To Go
2016	A Sweet Smelling Blog Post
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2015	Getting The Story Right
2014	Like Shells On The Shore
2013	More And Why
2012	How To Gain Effective Fire
2011	Patriot Act

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Rising Danger

Stochastic Terrorism
n.  Acts of violence by random extremists, triggered by political demagoguery.
When President Trump tweeted a video of himself body-slamming the CNN logo in 2017, most ­people took it as a stupid joke.  For Cesar Sayoc, it may have been a call to arms:  Last October the avowed Trump fan allegedly mailed a pipe bomb to CNN headquarters.
No one told Sayoc to do it, but the fact that it happened was really no surprise.  In 2011, after the shooting of US representative Gabby Giffords, a Daily Kos blog warned of a new threat the writer called stochastic terrorism:  the use of mass media to incite attacks by random nut jobs — acts that are “statistically predictable but individually unpredictable.”  The writer had in mind right-wing radio and TV agitators, but in 2016, Rolling Stone accused then-candidate Trump of using the same playbook when he joked that “Second Amendment people” might “do” something if Hillary Clinton won the election.
Of course, Trump’s people later said he meant they might … “vote.”  That’s how it works:  Stochastic terrorism lets bullies operate in the open with full deniability, since the random element erases any provable causation.
Tellingly, the word stochastic comes from the Greek stochastikos, meaning “proceeding by guesswork” and “skillful in aiming.”  Both are apt here.  It takes a master demagogue to weaponize unstable individuals and aim them at political enemies.
—    Jonathon Keats
From his article:  “Jargon Watch: The Rising Danger of Stochastic Terrorism“
Appearing in:  Wired Magazine; dtd:  Feb. 2019
The article also appears online at:  https://www.wired.com/story/jargon-watch-rising-danger-stochastic-terrorism/
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On This Day In:
2019	Never Let ‘Em See You Sweat
2018	Just Two?
2017	Living Without Love
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2016	At This Moment
2015	Still Dreaming
2014	Good Wins
2013	Before
2012	Look To This Day
2011	One View Of Man

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Why #45 Is In The Dark

Whoever fixes his eyes upon himself gives no light.
—    St. Thomas Aquinas
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On This Day In:
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2020	Why #45 Is In The Dark
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2019	Tonight I Am All Blacks
	In All Its Messy Complexity
2018	Danger = Opportunity
2017	True And Great
	Sand At The Beach
2016	There Is A Difference Between Dangerous And Frightening
2015	Always A Goal
2014	Standing Strong
2013	Shaken And Stirred
	The Bird With The Broken Wing
2012	Friends In High Places
2011	Objective Independence

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#IncompetentTrump Administration Faces A Pandemic

If it can be destroyed by the truth, it deserves to be destroyed by the truth.
—    Carl Sagan
[We’ve already seen #LyingDonald get his personal doctor to write a bogus physical prior to the election.  We’ve already seen #LyingDonald get his White House physician to lie about his health, weight and diet.  Now we get to see if #LyingDonald can get the heads of the Center for Disease Control (CDC) and National Institutes of Health (NIH) to stand behind him and lie to the American public about a pandemic and national health emergency in the making.  Lying will not save lives.
I asked someone I know what his company is doing to prepare for a possible pandemic…  He replied they’ve adapted the GOP response to the epidemic of mass gun violence:  “thoughts and prayers” for those affected.  I’m sure it will be every bit as effective as putting Vice-President Pence in charge of the Federal Government’s response to the Corona Virus.    —    kmab]
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On This Day In:
2022	Putin Invades Ukraine To Recreate The Old Soviet Union
2021	Even If It’s A Nice View
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2020	First Steps – The (California) Primary Vote
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2019	Hearts Torn In Every Way
2018	Recently Seen On A T-shirt:
2017	Rhythmical Creation
2016	In The Beginning
2015	False Gods
2014	But Sometimes Careers Choose People
2013	Pretty Sure Of Uncertainty
2012	Face Reality
2011	Intelligent Luck

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Hoping For #46 In January 2021

The only thing we know about the future is that it will be different.
—    Peter Drucker
[I’ve been watching the impeachment “trial” of our President in the U.S. Senate.  As I anticipated, the “Fix” is in and #IncompetentTrump will not receive a “fair” trial, let alone be removed from office, because the Republicans are more interested in maintaining power than they are in protecting the Constitution (or the country).  It remains to be seen if there will be sufficient turnout in November to overcome the voter exclusion the Republicans will use to try to tip the election in their favor.  Here’s to hoping the future will be different.    —    kmab]
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On This Day In:
2022	By Any Other Name (Or Description)
2021	Democracy, Pandemic, Economy And Climate Change
	Heaven Is…
2020	Hoping For #46 In January 2021
2019	Interesting, But Not Fascinating
	But Try To Eat The Low-Hanging First
2018	Me, Too
2017	Apt Enough?
2016	Now Or Ever
	21, Pause, Restart
2015	I Am Shocked, Sir, Shocked…
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2014	Less Difficult
2013	The Spirit Of Liberty
2012	The Essential Freedom Of Aloneness
2011	A Problem Of Scale
	Fred Doesn’t Live Here Anymore
2010	Another Book, Another Jog…

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More Proof #45 Is Incompetent?

Nothing so conclusively proves a man’s ability to lead others as what he does from day to day to lead himself.
—    Thomas J. Watson
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On This Day In:
2021	Going Home
	In The Morning Hour
2020	Seeking Wisdom
	Relying On The Old Man
2019	More Proof #45 Is Incompetent?
2018	Every Time I Think I’m Falling
2017	Still Testing The Hypothesis
2016	Excessive Weakness In January
2015	That Burns
2014	Hey, I Resemble That Remark… (4!)
2013	Sit, Put, Until…
2012	Lessons For My Son
2011	Reaching The Right Audience
2010	Christmas Trees and Profession of Faith

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His Promises, OUR Hopes

Unless commitment is made, there are only promises and hopes…  but no plans.
—    Peter Drucker
[This sounds remarkably like #DonTheCon’s platform for the 2016 presidential campaign…  Promises…  Hopes…  But only his secret plans to “make America great again”; which he alone could make happen…  Yet, after three years in office, he still has not revealed a single plan.  Could it be he never had ANY secret plans???  To fix health care?  To get us out of wars in the Middle East?  To solve the Israel / Palestinian problem?  To lower crime or decrease gun violence?  To fix immigration?  Has Mexico paid one peso to build the wall?  To get better trade deals?  To disarm a nuclear capable North Korea?  Just asking…???  In #DumbDonald’s case, “commitment” hasn’t been the problem.  The problems have been his lack of ability, intelligence and integrity.  On second thought, no…  Even discounting those three obvious failings, he’s still a below average to absolute failure as a President.  Unfortunately for the country (and the world), he is just one of those pitiable individuals who history has tragically promoted FAR beyond his level of competency.   —    kmab]
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On This Day In:
2021	Become Daily
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2020	So, You Think You Know The Answer?
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2019	His Promises, OUR Hopes
2018	Where I Write
2017	At Last, An Honest Philosopher…
2016	Fake It ‘Til You Make It
2015	Hell Toupée
2014	Corrected And Amended
2013	Too Few
2012	Three Characters
2011	Universal Payment
2010	Privatizing the TSA?  (An old – and long – post, but still relevant!!)

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#45 Is The Inverse

Ability is of little account without opportunity.
―     Napoléon Bonaparte
[And, without a tremendous amount of luck, opportunity is of little account without ability.  This is the legacy and tragedy of the #IncompetentTrump Administration.  He is not even smart or competent enough to hire the best people and get out of their way.  Then, he could have taken all the credit – which he was intent on doing anyway.   —    kmab]
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On This Day In:
2021	Still Building
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2020	Books And Blogs
	You Don’t Know What I Got
2019	#45 Is The Inverse
2018	A Message To The White House Press Corps
2017	Eeny Meeny Miny Moe
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2016	Feeling Warm Yet?
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2015	Just Like All The Others
2014	In My Own Vanity
2013	Filled With Words
2012	Lectio Auget Existentiae Meae
2011	Lied Lately?
2010	Born To Work At Faux News
	Lost Again (Uh, Make That Still)
	Qui Genus Humanum Ingenio Superavit
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Even When We Have A Criminal / Dangerous / Incompetent President

For every minute you remain angry, you give up sixty seconds of peace of mind.
—    Ralph Waldo Emerson
[Whenever I feel like I’m obsessed with hoping #DonTheCon is forced to resign, I think of Senator Barry Goldwater’s quote:  “I would remind you that extremism in the defense of liberty is no vice.  And let me remind you also that moderation in the pursuit of justice is no virtue.”  While I would enjoy seeing #IncompetentTrump voted out of office, every additional day he is in Office is another day when America’s freedom and security —  and the security of our allies  —  is put at risk.   —    kmab]
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On This Day In:
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2020	Profit From Ongoing Disintegration
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2019	Even When We Have A Criminal / Dangerous / Incompetent President
2018	But It Keeps Trying
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2017	The Promise At Risk
2016	Or As Will Come In Time
2015	It Is Another Beautiful Day At The Red Pony Bar And Continual Soiree…
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2013	Currency And Transport
2012	Something Which Did Not Exist Before
2011	True Magic

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