Weekend Onesie: The Big Disconnect

Weekend Onesie: The Big Disconnect

I have to say, you cannot imagine the difference in me, each day, Monday thru Thursday at 5:30 pm, as I prepare my evening meal.

You see, I've stopped watching the national news. I used to watch The NBC Nightly News with Lester Holt at 5:30 pm. I adored Mr. Holt. However, about a month and a half ago - February 8th, to be exact, well that was the straw that broke this camel's back. 

Wait... let me go back a bit. 

This all began back on June 8, 2021, when Lester Holt interviewed Kamala Harris. 

All through the orange ogre's reign of terror, I kept watching the news faithfully, though I couldn't quite understand why NBC News wasn't challenging the orange ogre's minions a bit more. NBC News pundits seemed to be treating the orange ogre's spawn and the garbage they were spewing with kid gloves. It upset me, but I chalked it up to NBC News taking the high road. These were people from the White House. They were to be treated with respect, no matter how outrageous the words that fell from their filthy, greedy, hateful mouths. NBC News was keeping their journalistic integrity intact. 

Why, even their coverage of the Jan 6th insurrection struck me as rather subdued.

Then Biden came into office and, of course, there was this huge mess to clean up. But NBC News seemed to change their tone quite a bit. Critical, would be putting it mildly. I had to keep checking to make sure Rupert Murdoch hadn't somehow gotten his bloody mitts on the network.

When Lester Holt interviewed Kamala Harris on June 8th, six months into the Biden presidency, I stood aghast. Mr. Holt was rude. Aggressively confrontational. He kept hammering away at her, asking why she hadn't physically visited the Mexican border recently. She kept trying to explain that she was working through diplomatic channels to see what could be done at the source of the refugee migration and that her physical presence on the border wouldn't be much more than a photo opportunity. In other words, she was doing her job instead of mindlessly creating soundbites and news footage. 

My mind clicked through the reasons for Mr. Holt's behavior. It couldn't be racism, so I landed on sexism and thought... shame on Mr. Holt. I thought quite a bit less of him.

I tweeted NBC News and Mr. Holt and put them on notice. (Because we can do that now.)

Fast forward to February 8th of this year - a year and a month into Biden's presidency - Lester Holt interviewed President Biden. He was rude. Dismissive. Confrontational. And... asking leading and misleading questions. This time? I was furious. The previous administration was served softball questions and only challenged in the meekest of terms. This assault on Biden was so apparent, even Biden called Mr. Holt out during the interview. This was yellow journalism in a hue deeper than I'd ever seen on NBC News.

And that was it. I was done. I tweeted NBC News and Lester Holt to let them know our relationship was over. And I haven't watched since. In fact, I even avoid the local news, if I can help it.

I immediately noticed that I was less likely to bark at The Ex. I had more patience with our dog, Hercules. House cleaning at The Boyfriends? I started to enjoy it. I felt lighter. I felt more focused. I felt more relaxed. 

Gone was the anxiety; the feeling that I was about to jump out of my skin. I now worry less. I don't react out of fear and calm myself with reason. I spend a lot more time in silence. 

I remember back in the days of the orange ogre, how the far right kept hammering away that there was something wrong with the media... and I would smirk and think, 'yeah, they're allowing that horrible man and his brood to destroy our country, unchecked.' The so-called 'lamestream' media rarely held their feet to the fire, rarely pointed out their fallacies, and never challenged them to answer a question they were clearly dodging. 

Well, now the shoe is on the other foot, and the shoe feels too tight, as if it shrunk somehow. You know, the way small town minds sometimes grow even smaller... and become petty. 

Pinch me.

We're just about to end the 1st quarter of the 2nd year of Biden's presidency and, going back to 2021, the term 'failed presidency' was coming out of the mouths of news pundits right and left - and not just the jokers who fill out suits on Fox News. 

So, I'm done with the network news media. There is something wrong there. 

They were deferential when a fascist, racist, sexist, would-be dictator was in office, for they feared they would be barred from covering the White House. And now that Biden is in the house? They're rude and confrontational. They don't celebrate wins - and there have been many. They don't acknowledge the mess that the orange ogre left in his wake - and it is, indeed, catastrophic in nature. Instead, they only seem to harp on those things that were going to be steep, uphill battles to begin with.

When it came to Covid-19 and each new variant, I recall members of the Biden administration being peppered with misleading questions from reporters who I used to trust... it went something like...

Reporter: "People are saying there aren't enough tests available. What is your administration doing about that?"

Official: "Well, as we just announced this morning, we've ordered millions of additional tests and will get them into the hands of people as soon as possible."

Reporter: "But why wasn't the Biden administration more proactive? Why aren't the tests already in the hands of the American people? Why are you so far behind the curve?"

Official: "Are you... are you asking me why I couldn't see into the future? I don't understand your question. I don't have a crystal ball..."

The Biden presidency entered the game in an atmosphere unlike any before it. The odds were so stacked against them getting anything done, thanks to the mess the previous administration had left and the general animosity running beneath the fabric of this nation. The Biden team was already down at the start of the game... and now the media seems to think it's their jobs to kick 'em and keep 'em there.

Well, I won't be party to it. 

See those blogs over on the right side of this blog post? 

Those are the people I now trust to distill the news and tell me the real story - the whole story. And they do. They find the good stuff, the terrible stuff... and tell it like it is. I trust them and their judgement way more than I do Mr. Holt and his ilk. 

Take the media's current slanted view on inflation: it's Biden's fault. Gas prices? Biden's fault. Food prices? Why isn't Biden doing something to help the American people?

Never mind that corporations are posting ridiculous, record-breaking profits DURING A PANDEMIC. The fleecing of America? Price gouging? Blatant capitalistic greed? Where are those stories? Why aren't we hearing about that?

Why?

Because NBC depends on those corporations, in fact, the whole media industry does, in order to make revenue. Any profit NBC gets to enjoy is dependent on those other corporations who are currently raking it in. Those corporations are the greedy hands which feed those we trust to bring us the news. 

Now, there used to be a great deal of integrity involved in the world of journalism, but apparently, and again - thank the orange ogre, the rules have changed. 

So, I am done with corporate-sponsored news outlets. They can't be trusted. They won't report something because it might upset a sponsor. They will go soft on those who go soft on big business, but then tear into and ridicule anyone who is interested in making progress, or taking care of people, or helping people in real ways - like establishing a living wage, creating universal healthcare, providing housing or going green. Or anyone interested in holding corporate America responsible for their many, many sins against humankind and this planet.

Why? Because pointing out all those terrible things are not in the best interests of the corporations who pay the news outlets' salaries.   

It's that simple folks. We've been duped. There is no such thing as journalistic integrity. It is dead.

And Lester Holt.... I'm looking at you, bud. You put the final nail in that coffin lid. 

Fuck you, Lester Holt.

Lester Holt Interviews Joe Biden

February 8, 2022

Lester Holt Interviews Kamala Harris

June 8, 2022

Wonderland Burlesque's Adore & Deplore Quiz III: On Topic

Wonderland Burlesque's

Adore & Deplore Quiz III: 

On Topic

For today's Adore & Deplore Quiz, we'll keep it quite simple. I will drop a topic and you supply something you currently adore and something you currently deplore. You can simply list an item or go ahead and feel free to explain your answers (you know I will.) (Roll eyes, here.)

Good news? We are only doing five topics - because you're offering up something you deplore and adore - you're still answering ten questions (my arbitrary number required for a quiz), and that is plenty. 

Those are the rules. It doesn't get much simpler... here we go!

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1/ Politics

Adore: Uncle Joe. 

I must say, I was not happy when Joe got the nomination. Given the times and what was at stake, there were better candidates (Elizabeth Warren comes to mind.) Throughout the campaign, I was concerned, because he seemed so feeble, so weak, so old. 

But Uncle Joe keeps proving himself. His was an impressive first 100 days, and he continues to make great strides. His handling of the Covid Vaccine roll-out alone wins him my loyalty. His style is very quiet. He is not one for big, showy, empty gestures. His speeches are a bit too self-referential for my taste (he's big on creating emotional connections to his past), but he is well-spoken and (*gasp*) very presidential.

I do not miss all the daily controversies; the name calling, the insidious tweets, and the dog whistles. Though I'm sure the news media does, because nothing sells like scandal. With Uncle Joe? What do they have to work with? A misbehaving dog is about as scandalous as it's gotten. 

Deplore: Supposed August Reinstatement

Boy, it's tough to narrow it down. There are a number of individuals on both sides of the aisle who need a good raking over the coals (Joe Manchin, MoscowMitch, Lily Lyndsey Grahamcrackers, Kevin 'I never met a statement I would not make if I thought it would benefit me' McCarthy), but I am going to go with the latest Q-Anon nonsense regarding the reinstatement of the orange ogre in August. 

WTF? 

Who comes up with this stuff? How much meth does one need to smoke in order to come up with a new Q-Anon theory? And I'd say it's all laughable, but it's not. Last time? People died. I know that the Repulsive-cans resent that we keep bringing it up, but the January 6th insurrection is something we need to thoroughly examine and do everything we can to prevent from happening again. The people involved in the Q-Anon movement? They are far too gullible and not bright enough to sort fact from fiction; they have proven this time and time again. To not intervene early in the process is tantamount to allowing an autistic child to bash their head into a cement wall repeatedly. It's high time we figure out how to put a helmet on these assholes, so they stop doing so much damage to our democracy.

2/ The News Media

Adore: Press Secretary Jen Psaki

Best show in town. Her press briefings serve up a near-daily beatdown of Fox News' insipid Peter Doocy, who continues to roll out a clown show every time he asks a supposedly baited question. Doocy's not clever and at this point it's a bit like watching a favorite cartoon where the villain hatches a plot to trip up the hero and the hero sidesteps the trap and every episode ends with the hero gently chiding the villain for being such a shithead. 

It simply demonstrates that the current administration is not giving the press corps the 'red meat' they have come to expect. Fox News has nothing to work with these days... and it is killing them. At this point? Their idea of what amounts to a scandal at the White House is embarrassing - for them. It's like Aunt Hilda coming to your house for Thanksgiving, searching for something to criticize and having to settle for, 'My napkin wasn't folded properly and the Jello was much too red.' 

Deplore: Lester Holt

I'm really angry with Lester Holt of NBC News. Typically, over the years, I have had nothing but respect for the man, but recently, during an interview with Vice President Kamala Harris while she was in Guatemala to address people coming from there to our southern border. She was at the source of the problem, determining why people were coming and what could be done to prevent them from leaving their own country - identifying that lack of jobs/income/opportunity was the number one reason. She spoke with the heads of major US corporations about possibly creating job opportunities for Guatemalans. 

But rather than acknowledge what she was doing (and she repeated what she was doing several times), Holt kept hammering away at the fact that she wasn't visiting the southern border. He was like a dog with a rancid bone. So the interview was Holt asking the same stupid question and Harris explaining what she was hoping to accomplish in Guatemala. 

Harris could go to the border, of course. But it would be an empty gesture - something that the previous administration was very good at - pointless photo ops. Instead, she was broadening her understanding and seeking solutions while trying out her diplomatic wings. 

The fact that Holt refused to listen to her was troublesome. Was it because she's a woman? Was he just trying serve up a hardball interview? Or was he really simply being an ass? It boggles the mind and I really would like him held accountable for it. 

While she kept her cool, one could see that Harris was flustered, in the sense that she could not understand why he kept hammering away at a visit to the US border. It felt like I was watching a parent patiently explain the same thing over and over again to a petulant child. Given that? I have nothing but respect for the lady... although I do wish she'd called him on it right there and then - but then, that would have created a news cycle and I know she was thinking she has better things to do. 

3/ Rich People

Adore: Taxing and Auditing Them

Oh, I want them to pay and pay big. I also want to see them punished, but, as history has proven, when you have that amount of cash and have managed to do so without pissing off other rich people, you get to pretty much skate. 

I do hope Uncle Joe goes for broke and goes after the rich, hitting them where they will never feel it - their pocket books. When you have billions of dollars what does a few million going to the government matter? But the Repulsive-cans seem to want to keep this issue alive in order to increase divisiveness. How they ever managed to convince the a-little-above-average Joes making 100K a year that this is an issue that affects them?  A mystery to me, but those bozos continue to stoke the fires of outrage every time the issue comes up. 

Thing is? If you make 100K in this country? You are NOT RICH. You are barely middle class. You are not the Walton Family. You are not Jeff Bezos, or Bill Gates, or any other fat, fat cat. You make 100K a year? You are a skinny, malnourished cat who is living beyond their means, helping the likes of Wells Fargo rake in uber profits. If you make 100K and support the Repulsive-cans?  You're a fucking idiot. YOU are a cuckold. You're their bitch, bitch. 

Deplore: Jeff Bezos 

I know, easy target. But it's not the means by which he made his fortune that I am complaining about. He exploits people and resources and I think that's some heavy karma to live with... but the Walton Family is even worse and they remain unscathed by their treachery, so... it's, unfortunately, a moot point.

No, my issue is how he spends it. Going up into space? What a tool. No wonder his ex-wife divorced his stupid, selfish, spoiled rich boy self. Jeff, you need to do better things with your money... like solve world hunger, you ignoramus. I mean how clueless do you have to be? But, perhaps, in order to acquire the amount of wealth he has, one has to sell their soul, behaving so ruthlessly that all compassion is sacrificed, leaving nothing but a black hole that can never be filled. Not with material things or experiences. 

What does a human being become once they become immune to life?

4/ The Great Outdoors

Adore: Weeding. 

I know, right? But I really get into it. It satisfies two components I personally need quenched in order to be happy. First, it's singular in focus and a simple task. You pull from the ground things that are not supposed to be there. You don't even have to be good at it or do it well. If you leave a root here and there? Who cares. You'll get it next weekend when you have to do it again. And secondly, it satisfies the completist in me; they all have to go. Every single one. Your goal? Wipe them out. 

It's a strange thing to make one happy and, I must say, initially, I was not thrilled with the idea of doing it at all... but it is outside. It is interacting with an aspect of nature. 

And it sure looks great when it's all done. 

Oh, my gardens? Hideous. Embarrassing. I don't have a green thumb or any idea what I am doing. I make the best of what is already there and add a few things here and there - none of it with any plan. And the soil I have to work with is so poor (weirdly sandy) that nothing flourishes. Still... I do it. 

Because for some reason? It makes me happy.

Deplore: People Who Litter. 

I won't call them 'litterbugs' because that's not fair to bugs, which are cute. And people who litter? So not cute. 

The other day, I was at the prairie and decided to walk down to the lake front - a place I generally avoid. All those kids. Smoking pot and drinking. Their terrible music. And nobody talks in a normal voice, they all try to talk over each other, so the din is excruciating. 

It was early and very few people were about. 

I could not get over all the trash. Personal-use tissues, bottles, cans; thrown in the bushes or left in clumps in the grass. Disgusting. My impulse was to grab a bag and start picking it up... but it's not mine to do. I take care of the prairie and that is enough. What's down there? That's on them. They have to live with it... the dirty hippies. Maybe, if it gets bad enough, they'll actually do something about it because... who wants to lie in the sun next to a bunch of used wet wipes? Ick. 

And another thing? People who feel the need to clean out their cars and simply throw their old bags of fast food waste in the street or in a parking lot. Who are these people? Who raised you? 

Thing is... you never see these people do it. All you see is what they leave behind. It's a little like tracking an animal by looking for their bodily waste. And I don't believe in hunting animals... but these people? I sure would like to track them down and hand them back all the crap they think someone else needs to deal with. 

Azz-wipes, indeed.

5/ Summer

Adore: The Heat!

Love it. I want to marry this weather. I don't even mind when it's that moist, humid kind of heat. As long as I have time to be out at the prairie wearing as little as possible (with drones and cops about one must wear something), I am in heaven. 

The sun does seem more intense, again, this year. Is that a real thing? Or simply because I'm older? 

That said, I already have a bitching tan. And, as I've gotten older, I realize the reason people like being tan is because it covers up so many of the signs of aging. Yes, we're fooling ourselves, of course... tanning, especially when not done properly, only ages our looks more, but... for the moment, it makes me happy - so its a trade off I'm willing to make. I mean, I'm looking older anyway, at least this way I get to have six months where looking in the mirror is a bit less of a horror show. 

Another thing? Less clothing. Love it. Yes, it makes you more aware of every pooch and sag, but... I do love not being all bound up in spandex-infused fabrics. The me I see? I can live with that.

Oh, and sweating. How sexy is that. I don't know when that became 'a thing' for me, but, hell, yes... I love to sweat a little and I love looking at a sweaty man... but only outdoors. Don't bring that inside. It's only sexy outside... or between the sheets.

Deplore: Fireworks and Gunfire

This is an issue year-round, here, in Murderapolis, but it seems worse each summer. 

First off - if you're not cocooning yourself in your house with central air... then you have windows open and/or are in your yard more. 

And, given that, one of these - fireworks and gunfire - would actually seem to be, for me, more egregious than the other. And, yes, I realize this is a rather odd, callous distinction to make... 

But gunfire is limited and effects only a few people. And it's not constant. I mean, here, in Murderapolis, we only kill a couple of people a week that way. Sometimes children, but then... if they're in the way... what do they expect. Right? 

And there's absolutely nothing we can do about gunfire. Gun control legislation? Are you nuts. Talk about political suicide. I mean, just think of all the hunters you'd deprive the pleasure of destroying a deer with an AK-47?  We all know Bambi deserves to be not only shot, but obliterated. How dare he make our eight year-old man/child self cry!

No, it's the nightly fireworks in highly-populated neighborhoods that I think is the bigger problem. First, there's the frequency. Then there's how long it goes on. My poor dog? He thinks we live in Afghanistan. Even with the house shut up tight, the air conditioner roaring, the television amped, he still spends the night under a table, cowering. 

I can't wrap my head around who are the bigger fools... the city council members who passed this ordinance allowing fireworks in the city of Murderapolis, or the idiots spending their time and money terrorizing small animals and their neighbors by using the streets of said city as a place to 'celebrate.'

They never clean up after themselves. The debris is always left as is. And there never seems to be an hour that is sacred... 2:00 am? Sure. Why not. And it's not like it happens for 15 minutes, or 30. No. We are treated to the noise of at lease an hours worth. 

That's quite an arsenal. And that's what we are dealing with here. Two different kinds of arsenal. Both sharing one distinctive facet. It's like the people of Whoville. Both, a means of letting the rest of us know...'we are here, we are here, we are here.' 

Until we are not. 

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That's all for now, kids.

Leave your answers in the comments section or post them on your site and share a link here. 

Thank you for reading. Enjoy!

Sweat - Inner Circle

Gonna Make You Sweat (Everybody Dance Now) - 

C+C Music Factory