What a great title for a really bad horror flick. But these are real — although they haven’t actually eaten anything . . . yet . . . as far as anyone knows.

Here’s a sample of what’s been washing up on the beaches of Newfoundland (the white-ish stuff to the left) since around early September:

One resident described them as doughy — “like someone had tried to bake bread and done a lousy job” — even smelling somewhat like vegetable oil. [Jessica Murphy, BBC News, October 12, 2024.]

According to Globe and Mail, a spokesperson for Environment and Climate Change Canada has said that it was not a petroleum hydrocarbon, petroleum lubricant, biofuel, or biodiesel substance. And a marine ecologist for Fisheries and Oceans Canada has said that it is not a sea sponge and contained no biological material. [BBC News, op.cit.]

But an inquiry to officials in Ottawa has had no response. [Id.]

A local environmentalist, a Mr. Tobin, discovered the blobs last month while walking along the beach, and initially thought they looked like styrofoam. He has since seen “hundreds and hundreds of globs – big globs, little globs,” most around six inches in diameter. When he reported them to the Canadian Coast Guard, he was told that styrofoam had been ruled out. But, added Mr. Tobin, “Somebody or somebodies know where this came from and how it got there. And knows damn well it’s not supposed to be here.” [Id.]

I wonder how long it will take for the rumors to start. You know , . . “Did you see the strange lights in the sky last night?”

Or: “All my electronics went haywire at the same time this morning.”

Or my favorite: “I swear, my little boy’s new friend looks just like E.T.”

It never fails to bring out the UFOlogists and conspiracy theorists . . . especially when the government won’t comment.

Just sayin’ . . .

Brendochka
10/12/24

For one thing, the world continues to spin without your help, which is actually somewhat disappointing. And for another, you miss a lot. Which is why I’ve become so fearful of being too far from either my phone or my iPad. It’s all news, all the time.

I’m back now, after the Yom Kippur holiday. It’s already evening, so I can’t go in-depth on every item. But I thought I’d just give you an idea of some of the activity that took place when I wasn’t paying attention.

First, of course, there’s Russia, right up front as always. It seems that Vladimir Putin took a little trip to Turkmenistan, where he met with . . . wait, that can’t be right. But it is. He met in Ashgabat, Turkmenistan, on the sidelines of an international forum that both were attending, with the President of Iran, Masoud Pezeshkian, to discuss “the situation in the Middle East,” according to Russian state media. [Associated Press, October 11, 2024.]

Taken in conjunction with this past week’s warning from Ken McCallum, head of Britain’s MI5, of the rise in attempted assassinations, sabotage, and other crimes on UK soil by both Russia and Iran . . . well, to say that this does not bode well for the UK — or for Western Europe as a whole — would be a gross understatement at best. So we’ll have to hold onto this item for further follow-up and comment.

*. *. *

And speaking of attempted assassinations, Donald Trump has understandably become more than a little nervous following his two recent experiences — so much so that his campaign has increased its requests for added security, including transport by military aircraft with deterrent systems to protect against surface-to-air missiles, as well as additional on-the-ground protection. Because he’s not just worried about America’s lunatic fringe. Apparently, Iran is out to get him too.

And President Biden has said Trump’s requests should be granted, “as long as he doesn’t ask for F-15s.” [Kristen Holmes, Holmes Lybrand and Kaitlan Collins, CNN, October 11, 2024.] I assume that wasn’t a joke.

I certainly don’t begrudge either candidate all the security they need; but I do have just one question, and it’s a fairly obvious one: I want to know who’s supposed to foot the bill for the planes and the anti-SAMs. Considering the paltry 2.5% Social Security increase that’s just been announced for next year, it had better not be coming out of taxpayer money.

And I actually do have a second question. If Trump is granted use of military aircraft for the remainder of his campaign, and he’s due to speak in, say, Springfield, Ohio . . . is there going to be a place to land and take off again, without endangering the few remaining household pets that haven’t been eaten by the Haitian residents? Has anyone even thought about that, other than President Biden when he ruled out the use of the F-15s?

*. *. *

Moving on: Elon Musk has unveiled yet another product he hopes will make him even richer: his robotaxi, named the Cybercab. I know these are supposed to be the wave of the future, but personally, you won’t find me volunteering for the test run of the prototype — or ever riding in anything without a steering wheel or pedals. And especially if it comes from Tesla.

Seriously . . . shouldn’t they iron the kinks out of their electric cars before they foist these new death machines on the public?

And as for the aesthetic, the car in the picture looks like one of my son’s Hot Wheels from many decades ago. I have serious reservations about your design team, Elon. Where’s the imagination? The creativity?

By the way, has anyone asked Musk why there’s no “X” anywhere in the name of his magnificent machine? Just wondering, as it’s something we’ve all come to Xpect.

*. *. *

I did find one lovely piece of news, and that was the awarding of this year’s Nobel Peace Prize to Nihon Hidankyo, an organization comprised of survivors of the 1945 nuclear bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Japan, by the United States.

The award was given to Nihon Hidankyo “for its efforts to achieve a world free of nuclear weapons and for demonstrating through witness testimony that nuclear weapons must never be used again.” [Eleanor Beardsley, NPR News, October 11, 2024.]

I can’t think of a more worthy recipient. And I couldn’t ask for a happier sight than the reaction of Toshiyuki Mimaki, Co-Chairman of Nihon Hidankyo, when he heard that they had received the award.

Congratulations on an honor well earned!

*. *. *

There’s more from today’s news, but I’ve come to realize that my readers can only take so much gloom and doom at one time. And since verbal diarrhea was one of the personal imperfections for which I attempted to atone earlier in the day, I really should call it quits now.

But you know I’ll be back with more, because I’m always

Just sayin’ . . .

Brendochka
10/12/24

Better known as Yom Kippur, it begins at sundown this evening (6:56 p.m. Eastern time), and ends at sundown on Saturday. I shall therefore be taking tomorrow off to . . . well, to atone for whatever I should have known better than to do in the past year.

To my Jewish friends, G’mar chativa tova — may you be sealed in the Book of Life. And here’s wishing you an easy fast.

And to my non-Jewish friends, you might want to try it; it’s very good for the soul. But no pressure.

I will be back with you tomorrow night, God willing.

TTFN,
Brendochka
10/11/24

We each grieve in our own way. Some weep and moan and tear their clothes. Others retreat into some inner place and keep silent. Still others celebrate the life of the deceased with a party. In New Orleans, a loud, jazz-fueled parade is de rigueur.

And Lisa Marie Presley — daughter of Elvis and Priscilla — found her own way of handling her grief in 2020 when her son, Benjamin Keough, died of a shotgun wound at age 27.

She packed him in dry ice and kept him at home for a couple of months until she felt ready to let him go.

Wow! Except for the turquoise hair, he’s lookin’ seriously like his ol’ granddaddy there!

But back to his poor, bereaved momma. Prior to her own death, less than three years after her son’s, Lisa Marie had begun writing her memoirs. She never finished, but did leave behind some recorded notes from which her daughter (and Benjamin’s sister), Riley Keough, was able to finish the book, titled “From Here to the Great Unknown.” And thus, we have the tale of the first eight weeks of young Ben Ben’s afterlife.

Riley tell us that “It was really important for my mom to have ample time to say goodbye to him, the same way she’d done with her dad. And I would go and sit in there with him.” [Lisa Respers France, CNN, October 8, 2024.]

WHAT??!!! They did that to Elvis too? I did not know that. Maybe it was publicized at the time and I just missed it, but . . . well . . . WOW!

Anyway, Lisa Marie kept Ben Ben, as she called him, in “a separate casitas bedroom.” As she explained,

“There is no law in the state of California to bury someone immediately. I found a very empathetic funeral home owner. I told her that having my dad in the house after he died was incredibly helpful because I could go and spend time with him and talk to him. She [the funeral director] said, ‘We’ll bring Ben Ben to you. You can have him there.’” [Id.]

She went on to explain that the designated casitas room had to be kept at 55 degrees, presumably to keep the dry ice from evaporating, and that she felt “fortunate that there was a way that I could still parent him, delay it a bit longer so that I could become okay with laying him to rest.” [Id.]

I don’t know what to say about the “parenting” thing. In fact, I don’t know what to say about any of this.

*. *. *

Well, yes . . . actually, I do.

It’s not my purpose to judge anyone else’s decisions, and certainly not their way of handling difficult situations. If it helped Lisa Marie through what must have been a dreadful first stage of grief, then I’m glad — for her — that she was able to do it.

But on my part . . . well, I’ve buried both my mother and my sister. And the thought of having either of them lying around in a spare room, packed in dry ice, for two months . . . well, I’m sorry, but that’s just a little too Addams Family for me.

Just sayin’ . . .

Brendochka
10/11/24

And here he is again — Hungary’s answer to Benedict Arnold, Guy Fawkes, and Vidkun Quisling — the one and only Viktor Orban. The man who would sell Ukraine to Russia; ease visa restrictions for Russians and Belarusians, giving them access to Europe’s open-border Schengen zone; and cozy up to China’s Xi Jinping and his so-called Belt and Road Initiative.

In July, as Hungary assumed the six-month rotating presidency of the European Union Council, he undertook his own personal, unauthorized “shuttle diplomacy” program, visiting both Vladimir Putin and Xi Jinping, offering his alleged expertise to solve the problem of Russia’s ongoing war of attrition against Ukraine . . . as though it were merely an argument between two farmers over the grazing rights for their cows. As is tragically obvious three months later, he didn’t get very far; the war goes on.

But he doesn’t give up easily. In a speech to the European Parliament on Wednesday, despite meeting with protest over his authoritarian rule in Hungary and his friendly relationship with Russian President Vladimir Putin, he had this to say:

“The European Union needs to change, and I would like to convince you about that today. Our union needs to change, and the presidency wants to be the catalyst for this change.” [DW, October 9, 2024.] He said that the escalating conflict in the Middle East would prompt a “migration crisis” that might cause the Schengen open border system to “fall apart.” [Id.]

But wait a minute. Is this the same man who wants to let all the Russians and Belarusians into Hungary, thence to roam freely through virtually all of Western Europe? . . .

His comments, happily, did not go unchallenged.

Terry Reintke, co-leader of the Green bloc, told Orban: “You are not welcome here, this is the house of European democracy.” [Id.]

And Manfred Weber, leader of the conservative European People’s Party, was dismayed that Orban had not uttered a “single sentence” in regard to Ukraine’s continuing battle against the Russian invasion. With reference to Orban’s trip to Moscow in July, he bluntly stated the truth: “Your trip was never a peace mission. It was a big propaganda show for the autocrats.” [Id.]

And then Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission, had her say, first taking aim at Hungary’s failure to to join its EU partners in helping Ukraine; and at its strengthening ties with Moscow and Beijing:

“The world has witnessed the atrocities of Russia’s war. And yet, there are still some who blame this war not on the invader but the invaded.

“There are still some who blame this war not on [Russian President Vladimir] Putin’s lust for power but on Ukraine’s thirst for freedom. So I want to ask them, would they ever blame the Hungarians for the Soviet invasion in 1956?” [Lili Bayer, Reuters, October 9, 2024.]

Bull’s-eye!

Orban could only respond that he was “surprised” by her speech, and he rejected any comparison between Hungary’s failed 1956 uprising against Soviet rule and Ukraine’s current fight in defense of its territory. He then reiterated his call for a ceasefire in Ukraine. [Id.]

But von der Leyen wasn’t finished with him:

“How can it be that the Hungarian government invites Russian nationals into our union without additional security checks? This makes the new Hungarian visa scheme a security risk not only for Hungary, but for all member states.

“How can it be that the Hungarian government would allow Chinese police to operate within its territory? This is not defending Europe’s sovereignty, this is a backdoor for foreign interference.” [Id.]

*. *. *

For the Prime Minister of a country that is a full-fledged member of both the European Union and NATO, Orban’s stance is nothing short of a betrayal of the principles of both organizations — not to mention, of Hungary itself. But he is, at least until the next election, still the head of his government.

And that makes him dangerous.

Just sayin’ . . .

Brendochka
10/11/24

Phonetically, I presume, which would be “Финстра.” Got that?

It’s important, because that is most likely the way it was written on the family’s immigration documents when they recently filed formal applications for temporary resident status — the first step toward their ultimate goal of Russian citizenship.

Yes, you read that correctly. On his YouTube channel, Arend Feenstra recently announced the big news . . . and even took his viewers with the family on their big adventure to complete the mountain of requisite paper work that will enable them to attain temporary resident status. In a few months, they expect the applications — all ten of them — will be granted, and that several months after that they will file for permanent resident status.

Next step (after about three years, he thinks): Russian citizenship.

Well, that nails it: The Feenstras have gone over the edge, around the bend, and down the rabbit hole. They have been captured by Putin’s Propaganda Pixies, and are now beyond salvation. What most people thought would be a short-lived nightmare followed by a quick return trip to Canada has turned into a lifelong commitment . . . all captured by some handy, unidentified cameraman, in Arend Feenstra’s own words.

Well, the words came from his mouth. But they clearly did not originate with him. Not when he spouted lines like “A massive thank you to our President Putin” for making their move to Russia possible. And, “Thank you to our wonderful President Putin” for changing the language requirements, thus making it possible for the Feenstras to apply for resident status. And how grateful they are to be able to build a future in their new home.

Excuse me, please, while I vomit.

Okay, that’s better. Now . . .

Look at the entire picture: The sudden acquisition of the farmland; the materials to build a big new house; the sudden change of language requirements; transportation for ten people whenever they need it; the warm reception and available interpreter at Immigration; the YouTube channel that won’t be shut down as long as the praise of “our wonderful President Putin,” the smiles of the happy wife and children, and the homage to the glories of Russia keep coming.

It’s all just too convenient.

The Feenstras have left behind the freedom of Canada, where they actually owned their farm and their home, and where they had the absolute right to criticize the “wokeness” they hate so much. And they’ve traded it all for a piece of land they will never be able to sell because they will never truly own it; the right to produce YouTube programs so long as they say only what it politically approved; and a future for their children under an oppressive, murderous, totalitarian regime that will control every move and every word of their lives . . . unless a revolution, “velvet” or otherwise, alters the course of history.

But they’ll thrive, just as long as they toe the line.

I hope they’re happy now. Really.

Just sayin’ . . .

Brendochka
10/10/24

We’ve all heard stories about someone’s electric meter going berserk and generating a bill for tens of thousands of dollars of usage for a single month. And then trying to deal with the power company’s computerized system to fix the problem.

It’s the best argument I can think of against setting up automatic payments from your bank account. Because even though it’s so obviously a system error, it can be totally frustrating, and even frightening, when you are hit in the gut by the Cyberbully!!!

Well, then — if you think that was hideous — just imagine being in London and being told by your weather app that you’re in the path of a monster hurricane about to bring winds of 13,508 miles per hour.

Or in Sydney, Australia, where the temperature is about to demolish all previous records — not to mention incinerating everything and everyone in sight — by topping off at 378 degrees Celsius (that’s 712 degrees Fahrenheit, for all my fellow Americans).

Say goodbye, everyone.

Sound like something from the latest horror movie? Or are you one of those people who believe everything you see online, and would you assume it really was the Apocalypse coming to carry you and everyone else away?

Actually, it happened this morning on BBC News, and it was that bane of 21st-Century existence: a computer glitch. All over the world, people were being told their weather had gone nuts, leaving them to assume they were either going to be fried, or blown to the Land of Oz. What a pleasant wake-up call.

It didn’t take long for the BBC to pinpoint the problem, which was apparently “a data issue with a third-party supplier.” At about 1:30 p.m. London time, they were apologizing and “working hard to fix the problem.” [Andre Rhoden-Paul, BBC News, October 10, 2024.]

Well now, there’s a classic piece of British understatement. I imagine they were actually falling all over themselves to get it fixed. But I’ve always loved the ingrained stoicism of our U.K. friends.

Carry on, ladies and gents. You’ve dealt with much worse. Remember the Blitz?

Just sayin’ . . .

Brendochka
10/10/24

I haven’t been in London in more than 30 years, and when I was there, the streets were anything but mean. Aside from its historic beauty, my initial impression of London — in fact, of the U.K. in general — was that it was so “civilized.” My friends and I had no hesitation in visiting any neighborhood, or staying out late at night and walking back to our hotel. Aside from the “normal” amount of crime to be found in any major city in the world, London felt safe to me.

The world has changed since then, as we all know too well. Terrorism — of both the international and domestic varieties — is on everyone’s mind, all of the time. Islamist threats abound. But there is now another, equally prevalent danger being experienced, according to Ken McCallum, head of Britain’s MI5 . . . and that comes with the compliments of none other than Vladimir Putin and Russia’s military intelligence organization: the GRU, or Main Intelligence Directorate.

Since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February of 2022, more than 750 Russian diplomats have been expelled from Europe, “the great majority of them” spies, McCallum said. This obviously has affected Russia’s ability to conduct — let’s call it what it is — their spying activities. They have tried using proxies, such as criminals and private operatives; but they lacked the same level of professionalism, and were more easily detected. [Frank Gardner and Suzanne Leigh, BBC News, October 8, 2024.]

So now the Kremlin has resorted, in Mr. McCallum’s words, to generating “sustained mayhem on British and European streets,” including GRU-generated “arson, sabotage and more dangerous actions conducted with increasing recklessness” [Id.]

This, combined with other threats such as the 20 interrupted plots backed by Iran since 2022, has meant that MI5 has “one hell of a job on its hands,” McCallum said.

At a briefing at MI5’s counter-terrorism operations center in London, McCallum said that the first 20 years of his career there were “crammed full of terrorist threats. We now face those alongside state-backed assassination and sabotage plots, against the backdrop of a major European land war.” [Id.]

He added that, because of the UK’s leading role in supporting Ukraine, “we loom large in the fevered imagination of Putin’s regime,” and that further acts of aggression on UK soil are to be expected. [Id.]

*. *. *

The world certainly has changed in the past 30 years, and — for the most part — not for the better, at least not in a geopolitical sense. I will always be grateful that I was able to see as much of it as I did, when I did.

Because I sure as hell wouldn’t be doing any of the same things today.

Just sayin’ . . .

Brendochka
10/10/24

It might have been opening night of a fantastic Broadway show. Or the Prince and Princess of Wales’ motorcade driving by. Or an especially showy display of the Aurora Borealis. You know — something you’re kicking yourself for having missed because it would have been so memorable.

Well, today I’m regretting not having been on that Qantas flight from Sydney to Tokyo last week . . . the one that experienced a technical issue with the inflight entertainment system.

No, it wasn’t that the passengers couldn’t watch any movie at all. On the contrary, they couldn’t turn the damned thing off. And somehow, what was showing was the wrong movie — a particularly spicy R-rated one, reportedly titled “Daddio.” A 2023 film starring Dakota Johnson and Sean Penn, it had earned its rating “for language throughout, sexual material and brief graphic nudity.” [Karla Cripps, CNN, October 8, 2024.]

Now, I have no problem with any of that as long as there’s also an interesting story line. But some people might; and those people — the ones on this particular Qantas flight — apparently made it clear that they would have appreciated the ability to turn the $^%#@&*^# thing off.

And that wasn’t even the biggest problem. There were children on the flight. Which led me to fantasize about being on that plane, perhaps with my daughter when she was six or eight years old and just smart enough to ask all the wrong questions at all the right times (or vice-versa). And I believe it would have played out very much like an episode of Everybody Loves Raymond, with the part of Raymond’s meddling mother, Marie, being represented here by the Nosy Older Butt-insky (hereinafter, the NOB) in the seat on the other side of my daughter.

Something like this:

Me (Trying to distract daughter): “Let’s not watch a movie now. Let’s play one of the games we brought.”

Daughter: “Why? I thought you wanted to watch a movie.”

M: “Well, I did, but I don’t like the one they’re showing, and you wouldn’t either.”

D: “How come? What’s it about?”

M: “Oh, just about a lady talking to a taxi driver.”

D: “That sounds boring. What do they talk about?”

M: “I really don’t know. But you’re right, it does sound boring. So what game . . .”

D: “But if you don’t know what they’re talking about, how do you know it’s boring?”

M: “Well, um . . .”

NOB (Butting in): “It’s a nasty movie, sweetheart.”

D (Turning toward NOB): “Nasty? How do you know? Did you see it before?”

M: (Shooting evil glance at NOB) “She means she heard about it, and the two people get angry with each other.”

NOB: “No, that’s not what I meant at all. I meant they talk about nasty things, like s-e-x.”

D: “I can spell, you know. I’m eight. That spells ‘sex’ . . . but I don’t know what it means.”

M: “Well, you’re not old enough for this movie.”

D: “But yesterday you told me I was getting very grownup. Didn’t you mean it?”

NOB: “Of course, she did, dear. But your mother is right. S-e-x talk is nasty.”

D: “Why? What’s nasty about sex? And why do you keep spelling it?”

M (To NOB): “Excuse me, but how is this any of your business?”

NOB: “I’m only trying to help, dear.”

M: “Yeah, right. Just let me deal with my own daughter, please.”

NOB: “Well, I never!”

M: “Yeah, that’s probably part of your problem! And sex is not nasty!”

D: “Mommy, you’re shouting at the nice lady.”

M: “Well, she’s not that nice. So let’s ignore her, throw this sweater over the TV screen, and you plug in your earphones and listen to the music on your iPod. Okay?”

D: “But you said too much of that would ruin my hearing.”

M: “And right now, that would probably be a good thing. So just do it!”

M (Ringing call bell): “Miss, are there two other available seats? Any two?”

D (Being re-seated): “So why did she say sex was nasty, Mommy? Mommy? Mommy?!!”

M: “Oh, look — they’ve fixed the movie. We can watch now.”

D: “But this is a little kids’ movie. I’d rather watch the one about s-e-x.”

M (Ringing call bell again): “Miss, could I have a refill on the wine, please? And keep it coming, if you wouldn’t mind.”

*. *. *

I miss traveling; I really do. I miss seeing exotic places, meeting new people, trying different cuisines, learning bits and pieces of other languages.

But boy, I do not miss the hassle of getting there!

Just sayin’ . . .

Brendochka
10/10/24

Remember the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020? Of course, you do — that was a time not easily forgotten. And do you remember the shortage in the U.S. (and elsewhere) of test kits, when the manufacturers couldn’t keep up with the demand?

And I’m reasonably certain you also remember Donald Trump pooh-poohing the entire spread of the virus — the one that took some 350,000 lives in the United States that year alone — as no big deal, easily cured by injecting your body with a few doses of antiseptic.

Well, let’s give the old boy the benefit of the doubt, and assume he was simply trying — in his own, inimitable, really stupid way — to prevent a nationwide panic. (And in the process kill off a few more people who might have bought into that antiseptic thing.)

Or maybe . . . unbelievably . . . he really believed his own hype, and had convinced himself that there was nothing to worry about.

Then why . . . in either of those cases . . . why in the name of all that’s holy did he send those scarce COVID test kits to — of all the people in the world — Vladimir Putin??!!!

Or so says Bob Woodward in his forthcoming book, War, as first reported on Tuesday by both CNN and The Washington Post — and now by practically everyone.

Putin’s germaphobia is no secret; and during the height of the COVID pandemic, pictures of him seated alone at one end of an impossibly long table — as far away from other humans as possible while still in the same room — filled the news media. So it stands to reason that he would be thrilled to receive whatever supplies — diagnostic, preventive, curative — he could get his grubby little hands on. But he didn’t ask for them. Not from Trump, at any rate.

No, these were a gift from Donnie to his good friend Vlad for the latter’s personal use, unsolicited but accepted with appreciation. And it was Putin’s choice to keep it secret, so that the American people wouldn’t be angry with Trump. Or so the story goes.

*. *. *

And now we have the classic “he said / he said” situation. Because Trump, as expected, denies that it ever happened.

“That’s false,” he said about Woodward’s report. “He’s a storyteller. A bad one. And he’s lost his marbles.” [Jonathan Karl, Kelsey Walsh, Soo Rin Kim and Lalee Ibssa, ABC News, October 8, 2024.]

But you see, the thing is . . . the Kremlin has confirmed that Trump did indeed send Putin COVID-19 testing equipment during the height of the pandemic. [Ivana Saric, Axios, October 9, 2024.]

And — oh, goody! he’s back! — Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov, in a written statement to Bloomberg, said that “we also sent equipment at the beginning of the pandemic.” [Id.]

Now add to this the further allegation in Woodward’s book that Trump has had “as many as seven” telephone calls with Putin since leaving office. Holy crap! He thinks he’s still president!

That particular detail is denied by both Trump and Peskov, who — according to the Russian state news agency TASS — said simply that it’s “not true.” [Id.]

Of course — and I’m sorry to have to say this, Dima — you know we can’t always take 100% of what you say as gospel. I mean, look at who you work for.

Meanwhile, Trump’s campaign spokesman Steven Cheung, categorically denying Woodward’s allegations, offered this:

“None of these made-up stories by Bob Woodward are true and are the work of a truly demented and deranged man who suffers from a debilitating case of Trump Derangement Syndrome.” [Id.]

Wow! So The Donald now has an actual disease named after him. And it describes him perfectly. Cool.

*. *. *

Now enter President Biden and Vice President Harris. During a speech in Pennsylvania on Tuesday, Biden — in addressing this specific question — asked, “What the hell’s wrong with this guy? Did you ever … see … a president who’s been so unethical as this president has been?” [Id.]

Vice-President (and presidential candidate) Kamala Harris also had a few words to offer during an appearance on Stephen Colbert’s The Late Show on Tuesday:

“I ask everyone here and everyone who is watching: Do you remember what those days were like? You remember how many people did not have tests and were trying to scramble to get them? . . . And this man is giving COVID test kits to Vladimir Putin? Think about what this means on top of him sending love letters to Kim Jong Un. . . . He thinks, well, that’s his friend. What about the American people? They should be your first friend.” [Id.]

And speaking about Trump generally, and his open admiration for dictators and authoritarians, she said, “He gets played by these guys. He admires so-called strongmen, and he gets played because they flatter him or offer him favor.” [Id.]

*. *. *

So — after all of the mishegas — what it boils down to is this: Whom do you believe? Noted, respected, award-winning, Watergate-breaking journalist Bob Woodward? Or lying, cheating, delusional, Putin-admiring, convicted felon Donald Trump?

Hmm . . . let’s see now . . .

Just sayin’ . . .

Brendochka
10/9/24