Tag: Weird Shit

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You’ve got to be kidding!

I swear, will Winter never end?

I woke up to a couple of inches of snow this morning. All I can think is, “it figures,” I had something that I needed to do today aside from shovel snow.

I knew when I put the snow shovel away earlier in the week, that I was probably doing bad juju, but come on it’s May!

You know, spring flowers… Come to think of it, the Apple tree was covered in new buds and the mountain lilacs were blooming as well. I have no idea what this is going to do to all those plants.

I’ll admit, it’s kinda pretty.

Even Jesse is over winter. I let him out this morning and he pranced around a little, then came back inside. He’s asleep on the couch now after talking to me about the snow outside. I assume he’s telling me that he’s done with it too. He’s been losing his winter coat so it might be that he’s just underdressed for the weather.

It looks like the sun is trying to poke through so I might not have to shovel, it’s 35° and rising. Perhaps I’ll sit here and appreciate the “Specialness” of this snow.

Looking at the temps for the last 8-10 hours I’m surprised it snowed at all, much less accumulated. I’d have thought this would be rain. I guess I’ll call it a magical storm and appreciate it for it’s uniqueness.

I’ll also be thankful that Jesse’s grooming appointment is next week. This is going to make a muddy mess.

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I think it’s only me…

I keep catching articles or snippets of news, and thinking that I’m losing what’s left of my mind.

What’s weird and making me think I’m losing my mind is that, apparently nobody else thinks anything is amiss. Meanwhile my head is exploding and all I can think to do is run screaming into the wilderness.

For example:

There was a shooting in Louisville KY at a bank. An NPR report says, it appears that the shooting started in a conference room. There’s a lot of the other usual “guns bad” rhetoric and there there’s the obligatory doctors comment. In other words, the report was really “Boilerplate”.

What caught my attention was that the reporter speaks of psychological issues and how perhaps red flag laws are necessary everywhere. Then the reporter introduces the Doctor to make comments as an Osteopathic physician.

That’s when my brain said, “WAIT Just A DANG MINUTE!!!”

What the hell?

My first thought based on the word Osteopathic was, “A bone specialist”. My second thought was, “Why is a bone specialist commenting on a clearly psychological issue?” My next thought was, “Clearly I’ve misremembered the definition, I should look it up.”

For context, here’s the way stuff like this is stored in my head.

For clarity, I’ll use a common word. We know that osteoporosis is degeneration of the bones often attributed to aging.

Osteo – Greek for bone.

Porosis –  a condition (as of a bone) characterized by porosity

So osteoporosis literally means porous bones.

The word Pathic – perceiving, suffering, or affected in a (specified) way.

(As an aside this one is odd because there was one dictionary that said this word was either a homosexual bottom, or a catamite. These are not the definitions I was taught and means that I must carefully evaluate context if I see this word in the “wild” so to speak.)

Therefore you would expect for an Osteopath to study bones and the conditions or diseases that affect them.

OR I suppose you could use the odd dictionary (American Heritage online, by the way) and you’d come up with someone who has sex with bones????

If that’s not weird enough… Hang on, because this is where things get really weird.

The American Osteopathic Association website says something a bit different when defining what a Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine is. The definition isn’t simple, it’s actually kind of a word salad and takes a whole lot more linguistic processing power to process than it should. A word that is a Title should be very clear in my opinion.

Here is the answer to What is a DO?

Short answer, these guys probably started out as Chiropractors and / or Massage Therapists. Both of which, have their place but neither of which I want doing a psychological assessment on me.

In either case, if the Osteopathic Doctor actually studied and was licensed to treat diseases of bones, OR if they’re Chiropractors & Massage Therapists, they’re not qualified to speak on issues of psychology.

Personally, I like the clarity of Cardiologist, Psychologist, Ophthalmologist, Endocrinologist, etc. See the pattern? You’re looking at compound words. The Ologist says study of, and the word preceding it, says what’s being studied.

I’m sorry it took such a long way to get around to the point.

The problem is that when you have some knowledge of what words mean, or worse yet, that so many of our common words have roots in ancient languages and their root meanings, prefixes, and suffixes, are rattling around in your head, it’s maddening.

If you’re at all like me, you find your brain being rebooted all the time because you take the word apart and know what something is. Or at least what it’s supposed to be.

Except NOW the word may, or may not, mean what you thought it did regardless of the common root word, or even the long accepted definition.

Which is why I keep thinking I’m losing my mind.

I have a fairly decent vocabulary, so when I’m listening to, or reading something, I’m getting meaning transferred to me by the specific words being used, and apply a certain level of precision based on the definitions stored in my head.

When those words suddenly lead me off into the weeds, off the rails, or down the rabbit hole, because contextually they don’t appear to have the meaning stored in my brain I start to ask questions.

One of those questions is; “Did I just have a stroke?”

Then I realize that in the case of the NPR piece, they wanted the gravitas of a “medical professional” making comments.

The best they could come up with was a Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine.

Either the reporter didn’t know what that meant or didn’t care, and assumed that the majority of the American public wouldn’t know or care that the “Doctor” speaking was completely outside their lane.

One of my very best friends is a real “Doctor”. He legitimately holds a Phd. while he is very intelligent, and can speak eloquently on 18th century English Literature, I wouldn’t want him performing heart surgery on me or anyone else.

However, my friend could as legitimately spoken about the shooter in Louisville as the Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine on NPR.

With my friend, at least you wouldn’t have to process through a word salad that Kamala Harris couldn’t get through, to find out he’s not really qualified to speak on matters of Psychology.

The problem is that when words don’t have precise meaning then the point, or message those words were trying to convey is muddy at best.

I suppose what caused me to write this insane rabbit hole is that I frequently wonder why it is that I don’t understand what people are saying. I hear or read the words but the meaning is unclear.

Right now, on my desk is a form that says, “In addition to completing form XXX-YYY, please also supply the following documents if the following box is checked.”

Okay, none of the boxes are checked. So I shouldn’t have to supply those documents.

Except that’s not the case. It turns out they do want one of the documents, and according to the person I spoke with, they always want that particular document.

The organization could save themselves a lot of phone calls and unnecessary mail by simply being clear. Either always check the box next to that document, OR reword the instructions.

When I spoke with the representative after submitting the form, and the organization bouncing it back twice, they treated me like a moron because I’d followed their instructions precisely.

I first started noticing this lack of clarity many years ago. I thought it was the world that was the problem. It was little things at first and I was convinced I was right…

Now I question my rightness because the rest of the world seems to be getting along just fine with blurry meaning, poorly written instructions, and misleading reports about the news of the day.

If the rest of the world sees no problem, then the problem must be mine alone.

I wonder, should I see a psychologist, psychiatrist, or would an osteopathic doctor due just as well. I’ve been described by some as bone headed…

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I ran across these two articles and thought I’d share.

Agree or not with the source website www.outspoken.com, the articles themselves have merit.

Both articles are in my mind, opinion pieces.

The first one is about a Michelangelo Signorile piece that appears in the Los Angeles Blade

After reading the Signorile piece which is also an opinion piece I can kinda see both sides. I’m not sure that Signorile is completely wrong, nor am I sure that the Outspoken piece is completely right. What I can say is that the Outspoken piece seems closer to my own opinion.

Signorile, seems very concerned that Tucker Carlson is adamantly opposed to the sexualization of children, a belief that I happen to share. Additionally, Signorille is upset that Tucker Carlson’s producer is a gay man.

That kind of blows the hell out of Tucker Carlson being a homophobe doesn’t it?

What Signorile seems to miss is that most gay people aren’t activists, and do believe that children should be children.

Signorille, accuses Tucker Carlson’s production guy of being a self loathing closet case. I think that’s out of line.

Most of the gay men I know, privately share concern about sexualization of children and what appears to be a transgender “fad”.

While they’re not opposed to adult transgender people choosing to undergo medical procedures to align their physical gender with their internal view of themselves. Those same men, don’t think it’s healthy or wise to begin transition of children who most likely don’t have the emotional or cognitive abilities to understand what exactly transitioning means.

That doesn’t mean they’re self loathing, closeted, or hateful. It means that they have questions and concerns. The Outspoken piece touches on a fundament truth. The LGBTQ+ community does not tolerate dissenting opinions. Signorille demonstrates this in his piece.

The lived experiences of the men I’ve spoken to is that they have all been shoved into a different metaphorical closet, not by people like Tucker Carlson, but by the LGBTQ+ community itself.

This is easily demonstrated by the fact that conversations about not sexualizing children, not allowing children to begin transitioning by administration of puberty blockers, and indeed that these men might on occasion watch Tucker Carlson or read Outspoken are only whispered about in private, among people that they trust.

This behavior isn’t because of Tucker Carlson, it’s because if it were to become known that these men had differing opinions, they’d be hounded by the rabid elements of the LGBTQ+ community who have become well known for Doxxing, and causing trouble, or destroying people they disagree with.

Granted, most of the men I’m speaking about don’t interact with the LGBTQ+ community, but they aren’t interested in making enemies of that community either. After all, these men have lives, homes, husbands, and in some cases families.

When you settle down and make a life, you take actions to protect that life. Angry blue haired, genderfuck drag activists, screaming from the sidewalk make the neighbors and HOA’s cranky.

In my case, after 34 years living with my partner, mostly in the same neighborhood, I’m just one of the guys. None of my very straight neighbors care that I sleep with another dude. I’ve got tools, knowhow, and willingness to lend a hand. Failing those useful attributes, I’ve got knowledge of how to use a shovel, a pair of hands, and a more or less strong back. Plus I like knocking back a beer with the guys after work from time to time.

In other words… I’m living my life exactly as I hoped and worked to live it. My rights are as secure as any of my neighbors. Nobody from the government is going to roll up and demand I surrender my house or possessions because I live with a man. Contrary to what the LGBTQ+ activists might choose to believe.

Which brings me to the second article, also from Outspoken and linked here. The title is, Biden’s diversity hires are not the role models we need

In this article, I find that I’m in complete agreement.

I’m in favor of letting your freak flag fly. But the freakier folks from the LGBTQ+ community get, the more I’m simply embarrassed.

When I think of the folks I grew up with and how they must look at these sterling examples of the LGBTQ+ community I’m mortified. There are places in the United States and perhaps the world where the only examples of the LGBTQ+ community are people like Biden’s diversity hires.

Gettyimages 1181909470 e1571862959659In the case of Buttigieg and Jean Pierre, at least they look like everyone else. But their record of achievements leaves something to be desired.

In the case of Buttigieg, his MIA act when the country was in a shipping crisis was not looked upon kindly. Yes, I know he has newborns, but there are simply times when you don’t leave your post.

Karine Jean Pierre Makes History at White House Press BriefingJean Pierre, is doing the best she can, of that I’m sure. Her problem is that she always seems unprepared. I’d imagine that her blood pressure is ringing the “DANGER WILL ROBINSON” bell every single day after Biden or Harris have spoken publicly. That she’s appearing unprepared is making the public wonder if LGBTQ+ people are competent especially considering that Buttigieg hadn’t been doing too much to get things moving seamlessly again.

BrintonThen we get to Sam Brinton. All I can say is what the fuck? I cringe everytime he/she/it/zem/zer, whatever the hell, shows up in the paper, or on TV.

Look, you can engage in gender fuck drag all you want to, you can dress up in puppy play outfits and put a dildo up your ass that looks like a dogs tail. I honestly don’t care. Hell, I’ve been to some wild assed parties too. The difference is, when the party was over for me, it was over.

All the crazy stuff was put in the toy chest for next time, and I returned to “The Real World” with a dirty smile on my face. Never in a million years would I expect to live my sexual escapades 24/7 in the public eye or at my place of business. None of the other people I’ve worked with put their personal life on display and I know that some of those straight people were into shit that’s as kinky as me. It’s just not done, It’s a distraction and not germane to conducting business. Personally, I found the plethora of dirty smiles on Monday mornings to be a lot more amusing.

Rachel levineLast on the hit parade is Rachel Levine. I can’t say anything more than Really? Come on man.

This is not to say that transgender folks should be discriminated against but you know what? FDR was mindful of public impression long before the internet and 24/7 news cycles.

He knew that how the public viewed him could make or break his ability to lead the nation. Which is why it was only very rarely that you saw him using crutches or a wheelchair.

Rachel Levine’s face is not one that inspires confidence. As a dude he’d have been marginal at best. As a woman, he/she is laughable. I honestly can’t think of a single thing Levine has said that has made it past my visual filters and into my memory. Biden would’ve  have been better off not filling the position at all, than putting Levine in.

My point is, when some people in our country see these “shining examples” from the LGBTQ+ community, they draw conclusions. Sometimes those conclusions are completely incorrect and engender fear.

When people are afraid, they do stupid and sometimes hurtful things.

I’d submit that the Biden administration has done more to endanger LGBTQ+ people than conservatives or even rabid religious types.

I suggest this, because instead of presenting LGBTQ+ people who look like the kind of folks mainstream America would encounter in their offices or on their work sites, the Biden administration looks like they sought out the most shocking and disturbing examples of LGBTQ+ and then shoved them down the American people’s throats.

Some opposition to “Drag Time Story Hour” might be due to Brinton and Levine.

I can say this, Biden’s picks don’t represent me, or most of my friends.

Oh, I have to go… The orgy is starting and I don’t want sloppy seconds!

Just kidding, I thought I’d have a little fun with it.

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I was updating my calendar today, when I remembered new gas car sales in California would be banned in 2035.

As a lark, I thought, “Well I should probably put that in the calendar.”

After pressing “save” I wondered two things.

1 Would I be around to give a crap?
2 What will the world look like then?

It’s possible I could still be around, It’s unlikely that I’ll give a crap about it. This is potentially a two fold issue. It’s likely that I’ll be in an old folks home griping about the consistency of my pudding. It’s also likely that I’ll not be in California. In either situation, I doubt I’ll give a crap.

That leaves the second question, what will the world look like in 2035? I’ll be somewhere in my mid 70’s. It’s possible that I might still have my mind in more or less working order. Being a male at that age would be a bit of a rarity in my family so I might be well on the way to checking out for the long dirt nap.

In the 1960’s there was an optimism about the new modern wonders of science and technology. I remember magazines telling us we’d all have flying cars in 20 years. I’m glad I didn’t hold my breath on that one. When I moved to Los Angeles in my 20s and saw how messed up the traffic was, I knew we weren’t going to have flying cars.

People were incapable of driving on a wide, well maintained road, without hitting each other. The thought of those same people flying overhead was truly terrifying. Flaming wrecks raining down on unsuspecting neighborhoods is not something I’d sign up for.

This observation was made well before the distractions of cell phones, and text messages. As those devices became more ubiquitous the accident rate went up, even though the average speeds on the freeways went down. Honestly, how can you have accidents on a roadway where everyone is creeping along at 20mph?

Barrel Racing

If the California freeways get much slower, horses will become the preferred method of travel again. At least then, people will be able to text and play games on their cellphones without worry. Horses aren’t likely to run into each other because they’re paying attention.

I suppose there would have to be horse sex insurance policies though. I’m not sure how copulation of your transportation would affect your morning commute. However, it might settle the question of just how many genders there are, an added bonus would be that nobody would have to be a biologist to get the picture.

Funny thing about it, is that might be the best case scenario.

The way things are going, I’m actually beginning to wonder if Mad Max, Escape from New York, The Omega Man, or Book of Eli, is a more likely scenario. It’s possible that gas powered vehicles and electric vehicles may end up being moot points.

If WWIII happens, humanity if it survives at all, might be knocked back to hunter gatherers sitting around a fire pit burning books that no-one remembers how to read or bits of furniture that nobody wants to carry around.

190620 Nuclear test iStock 936338912

We might not even need WWIII to get there.

It could all go the way of Atlas Shrugged. Inconvenient science and / or truths could simply be placed under some overarching government control and suppressed.

Why would people keep working, innovating, and making discoveries if they knew the government and over-regulation would create hurdles so high they personally couldn’t profit from their efforts?

In a way, I wonder if we’re not already on the leading edge of this sort of thing. We’ve heard of quiet quitting in businesses. Is it possible that all the people who are not participating in the workforce are engaging in some unseen herd mentality, a.k.a quiet quitting?

Why should people continue to seek employment in a system that keeps taxing income at ever increasing rates to fund wars, or government entities that they have no control over, and no say in? Why bother to open businesses or create something new, if the state or federal government is just going to take a substantial chunk because the government believes they’re entitled to it?

Isn’t this, at least in part, what happened in the old USSR?

I find the Atlas Shrugged scenario far more disturbing than WWIII. In a nuclear war, it would all be over pretty fast. In Atlas Shrugged it took along time to crush the human spirit into the dust. It was brutal, systematic, and normal.

Good ideas were nationalized, or legislated out of existence. The powerful people in control continued rearranging the deck chairs on The Titanic until everything completely broke down. They’d dis-incentivized knowledge to the point that even when the stole the patents on Reardon Steel, they had no-one who could take over the foundry, and no raw materials to use even if they’d had skilled people.

The politicians in the story, all believed they were doing the right thing. The believed they were the good guys right up to the end, and had no clue why everything broke. In should be noted that Hitler, Stalin, and Chairman Mao all thought they were the good guys… Just Sayin.

That to me is far more frightening.

In that scenario, there were still large populations in cities who were suddenly plunged into the dark. The story of the morning after would be very interesting. I’ll have to check if Ayn Rand wrote a follow on.

I see the morning after as a period of shock and confusion. Then when water stops running from the tap, sewage backs up, and enough people are hungry, looting starts. At first it will be all the bright shiny things that average people couldn’t afford. That would happen because they’d be hoping things would return to normal and all those luxuries would once again have value.

Lomaprietaquake

Then as hunger became more intense, practical things would be looted from grocery stores. When the stores were empty, the populations in the cities would turn on each other. As the resources dried up, the survivors would spread out. The most brutal of these would be on top as full anarchy and tribal warfare blossomed. After that, it’s anybody’s guess how society would change.

I suspect we all saw what it might look like when Seattle allowed the autonomous zone called CHOP, or CHAZ, (whatever,) to come into being.

There are those who flippantly say, “Well I’ll be fine, I’ve got food, I’ve got water,” them I ask, “how many bullets do you have and how good a shot are you?”

The implied question is, “how many people are you ready to kill?” This doesn’t even address the fact that bullets are a finite resource. When you run out, what do you do then?

This is why the Atlas Shrugged scenario is more scary to me personally.

It’s also why, if I were offered a way off this planet I’d take it in a heartbeat. I’d prefer to live out my days quietly even if it was among an alien race. I don’t want to watch or participate in my own species destroying itself.

Alliance carrier tereshkova class by euderion d9i88m2

In the second or two after I had these thoughts, I closed the calendar application.

Somewhere on a server 500 miles or so, away from me, a notation has been made that sale of new gas vehicles will be illegal in California in 2035. I’m curious if I or anyone will care when that notification pops up.

It’s possible we’ll all have far more immediate concerns on Jan 1, 2035. Alternatively, I could be dead by then and not care about it in the least.

Funny how I get sidetracked from the simplest of things. At least this time, I’d updated my calendar before I thought about the 2035 deadline.

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Funny, I don’t feel any better!

President Joe Biden gave a speech last night.

Normally, I dutifully ignore his speeches because they are often full of inaccuracies and hyperbole. This is true of most speeches any President, Premier, Prime Minister, Potentate, Dictator, or whatever may make.

I would have ignored the Biden Speech as well. Except that all the sudden my phone started buzzing with News Alerts. Those too I would have ignored, except for this image.

GettyImages 1242872745

Upon seeing this image, I pulled up the entire speech and sat through all 29 grueling minutes.

I was very annoyed at the fact that I had to keep adjusting the volume on the TV to hear him. One second, he’s whispering and the next he’s bellowing. (I feel really sorry for the sound crew. They must have been losing their minds too.)

On the one hand The President was saying some things I actually agree with. We should all be working together, political violence is wrong.

Okay, I thought, “I agree with you.”

Then The President veered into his MAGA, Semi-Fascist, rhetoric and he totally lost me.

The President wanted us to know that he doesn’t hate all Republicans. He came close to sounding like the racist who proudly tells someone he has Black Friends. The President wanted us to know he knows America’s heart. That didn’t quite ring true because he is clearly not listening to an increasing number of Americans of all stripes who say they think the country is heading in the wrong direction, (If polls are to be believed.)

I’m a visual kind of guy.

As The President and The First Lady walked out to the podium the lighting was a basic white reflecting off Independence Hall. Then as The President started talking the lighting changes to a somber angry red. This isn’t a color scheme that’s uplifting, it’s dark, brooding, and forbidding.

I found the whole image profoundly disturbing. Perhaps this is because in my visual memory are images of Adolf Hitler giving fiery speeches decrying the evil of the Juden against a background of Nazi flags.

Adolf Hitler speaking at the Lustgarten Berlin 1938

There was something really off about The President’s speech painting Independence Hall in that somber red flanked by Marines.

Perhaps it’s just that I’m old enough that we studied Hitler and Nazism in depth, in Social Studies. Let me say, Hitler was a fantastic orator. The cadence of the words in his speeches was mesmerizing even if you didn’t understand German.

Apologies for this image of Hitler’s back, there are very few surviving color images from that time. This one came to mind but the first one I thought of was him at a podium with the Nazi flag behind him. I can’t locate that image online right now.

The more The President spoke about the threats to Democracy and the danger of MAGA Republicans. The more I felt like I’d heard speeches like this before. Thankfully President Biden isn’t the orator that Hitler or other despots were.

But by the end of his speech I was profoundly uncomfortable. I didn’t sleep well last night at all.

I’m not a MAGA Republican. That being said, Hillary versus Trump was the first time I’d never cast a vote for President.

Two questionable choices isn’t a choice. Voting for bad or worse isn’t a viable option for the future of our nation.

In 2020, presented with Trump versus Biden. I voted for Trump. It was a simple choice because Biden was such a poor candidate, and Trump was the “Devil” we knew.

By that time, Trump had survived an impeachment, the Steele Dossier had been disproven, and claims of Russian Collusion were falling apart too. Trump is definitely not a saint, but by 2020 it had become fairly obvious that something more was afoot. The man called it as he saw it, sometimes he called it wrong but at least he spoke plainly. He didn’t take any bullshit.

By 2020 we’d seen the hypocrisy of many in Congress and the double standards were being exposed. The economy was running well, at least until COVID, yet even in the face of COVID, I think people were still pretty positive given the circumstances.

Does that make me a MAGA?

I don’t think so.

I am in favor of an America first agenda. I don’t think rabid nationalism is the solution, but I have no problem thinking of my nation first. I don’t see that as a crime, or particularly selfish. We shouldn’t be feeding our enemies when people in our own country are homeless and hungry.

I’ve always appreciated the wisdom of the airline flight safety briefing.

“In the event of cabin depressurization, secure your oxygen mask before helping others.”

That concept of securing my own well being so that I have the strength and capacity to help others is just plain common sense.

The more President Biden spoke, the more my mind played tricks on me. In my mind’s eye I saw the background of speech altering. By the time The President finished speaking…

Biden Speech Altered 1

This is what was in my mind’s eye. Perhaps that’s why I didn’t sleep well. I couldn’t shake the image.

The Marines standing in the background was completely un-necessary and I took it as an implied threat. Recently President Biden has said essentially, if you’re worried about giving up your AR-15s or other guns you shouldn’t because we have F-15s and your guns aren’t going to be much use against them.

He couched that in more florid terms but that’s what his statements have boiled down to in my head.

Marines standing behind The President comes across as a threat. Those Marines didn’t appear to be armed, they were too far from The President to afford much in the way of protection. The construction of the stage, walkway, and position of the podium itself precluded either of those Marines from taking action if The President was threatened.

They were Window Dressing.

The choice of location for this speech was also disturbing. Independence Hall, the place where our Founding Fathers debated and approved both, The Declaration of Independence and The Constitution is a place that has very special meaning.

President Biden has said publicly that The Constitution is not absolute. During his speech, he singled out a group of Americans that simply disagree with he and his party. Mind you this is a group of people exercising their First Amendment right to free speech and that includes their right to disagree.

Somehow, The President’s speech and his earlier comments about The Constitution made it seem like he was intentionally defiling Independence Hall.

I want to believe that wasn’t his intention. I want to believe that his handlers and “Show Runners” just didn’t think about it in that light.

Nonetheless, it still feels like somehow The President diminished the revered status of the site last night.

As a conservative leaning Libertarian this President concerns me greatly.

This speech left a very bad taste in my mouth and I suspect that it had the same effect on millions of other people who generally speaking, are middle of the road politically.

The President may have created more MAGA Semi-Fascists last night than he intimidated.