Why Him? (Not the movie)

Okay. So my mind is mingled with many issues right now. First, I’m moved by the story about the man who told Ivanka Trump her father was ruining the country and then was removed from the flight along with his husband and child. There’s the short version. Let’s being: Since when would a Trump be caught dead traveling on a commercial airline, and in coach no less! Feels to me that she was baiting people into a confrontation just so it could get the kind of press it has been getting. In this instance I side with the hero who had the guts to speak his mind and shame on the airline for backing Ivanka. Her father is ruining this country. Hell, her whole damn family is chipping away at the U.S. My big issue here is the amount of threats of physical violence this man and his family have received. He  simply spoke his opinion. He didn’t threaten her or anything. Just stated his opinion, which according to the Constitution is his right. You can disagree with him, but to hurl threats of violence seems like a disproportionate response. It’s disturbing to me how so many Trump supporters are so quick to such anger. Of course, I would also say suck it up. You bitches have been ragging on Obama and his family for 8 years. Now it’s your turn. How dare anyone on the Right say anything about this incident. The insults I’ve heard thrown at the Obamas pale in comparison to what poor little Ivanka went through. I guess it’s different when it’s your guy in the White House right? When you disrespect Obama, it’s okay, but God forbid you speak against Trump. Screw Trump and his whole brood. They are the worst family since the Mansons. Hey! There’s an idea. Charlie in 2020, right? The fact of the  matter is you cannot expect after 8 years of degrading our president that we’re going to just embrace Trump and treat him with any kind of respect, and for you to whine like children when he or his ‘family’ are confronted in public just shows how pitiful you are. The classic ‘you can dish it out, but you can’t take it’ comes to mind. That’s just too bad. Get used to it for the next 4 years. (And if you think Trump is going to be a 2 termer, you really are an idiot.)

Now, what else? Oh. Right. The Right urging us to get behind Trump and support ‘our’ President. Just like they supported Obama? It’s amazing how the Republicans don’t see how their actions can affect how they are treated. They think they can treat everyone like dirt and still expect to be treated like royalty. We should respect him because he won the election? Because the people voted for him? No. He won in part from interference from Russia (17 Intelligence agencies confirming this is good enough for me) He also won because he mobilized the disenfranchised of this country who have felt left behind. He appealed to their fears and hatred and it lit a fire in them. They saw him as their hero. He would save them from, uh, something. Not sure what, but Trump is going to save them, or at least he promised he would. So far, he hasn’t held up his end of the bargain. That swamp is getting bigger and deadlier by the day. Where’s that wall? When do all the Muslims get taken away? When is any of that going to happen? Never. That’s when! Never! He  is going to use his position to fill his pockets every chance he gets at the cost of this country. His bff Putin is going to hold his hand all along the way too. Trump took the White House because he sold them what they wanted, but they should have looked in the package first. I think another element was simply because most Repubs are just dumb. I mean, they are. They’re leaders tell them to vote for someone and they show up in force, no questions asked and vote. Democrats are a little too smart for their own good because you tell them who to vote for and they think it over. Over-think it, in fact. Another aspect is, and this is also just a theory, that most voters don’t like smart candidates. They resent them, or envy them; not sure. It just seems the candidates who get the furthest are the ones who pander to the lowest common denominator. The ones who think and explain and give sound reasoning for their decisions are attacked and demonized. I think it’s time the people put on their ‘big boy’ pants and accept that most of us don’t know everything and that there are people out there who have experience and knowledge about things we know nothing about. I don’t know jack squat about foreign policy, I admit that and I would gladly allow better minds than mine take the wheel. To be blinded by your own pride because of your own anger over your limitations is pointless. Now Trump is in charge and he’s pissing off China, buddying up with Russia and is so in love with himself he can’t see what he’s really doing because of all the folks insulating him from the truth.

Also, why are the other Repubs afraid of him? No Republicans on Capitol Hill have the guts to slap that orange baby like he  needs to be. They seem to fear his supporters lashing out at them if they speak against the Donald. Do they fear physical attacks or are they just afraid of nasty letters and tweets? If that’s the case, I’d tell them to grow the fuck up. Absorbing the hate of those who disagree with you is part of your job, which you get paid insanely well for btw. Just ask Obama. He and his family have spent 8 scandal free years in the White House, yet for some reason I don’t think any Presidential family has endured more scorn than they have. (He saved the economy, got Bin Laden, insured America and they say the country is in shambles. Now we get to hear about how Trump has inherited a financial disaster from Obama, yet in the same breath they try to take the credit for the improved economy.)

Bottom line here is Karma is a bitch, Repubs and you’re fools if you expect to receive anything more than the exact same treatment you gave to Obama during his administration. All the obstructions, all the backstabbing and jabs. All of that will be coming home to roost for you. Stop acting like you’re surprised or that you don’t deserve it. Did you really think 8  years of acting as you have would hold no consequences? I know. You ‘know’ that you’re right and because of that we need to bow down and obey, right? No. It doesn’t work like that. It never has, it never will, and so far you haven’t been right. About anything. I realize the Democrats are no angels, but at least when they fight they try to fight for others. You only ever fight for yourselves. I’ll close this rant with one quick little history lesson. 1928. Republican President, Senate and House. 1929 Great Depression. Repeat again with George W Bush. Great Recession. Now we have Trump and a Right controlled House and Congress. What financial catastrophe is coming? It’s only a matter of waiting now.

La La Land

I know it’s been a while since I’ve reviewed a movie, but after seeing La La Land, I decided it was time to return.

I have  been looking forward to this film since I first saw the trailer several months ago and last night I finally saw it. The movie, which seems to be a love letter to Hollywood and classic musicals, revolves around Mia and Sebastian. Mia is a struggling actress working for her big break and Sebastian is an equally struggling musician who seeks to open his own club. They seem to keep running into each other and finally realize their feelings for each other. It seems to be going perfect until Sebastian, upon the urging of Mia, sets out to do what he must to make his dream of owning his own club a reality. It soon seems that their dreams and the currents of life are drawing them apart.

The music and dance sequences throughout the film maintain a dream-like atmosphere and  makes you wish that kind of magic and wonder could be found more readily in the real world. The music itself is memorable and almost addictive. The tunes will linger in your mind long after the final credits.

As I watched the film, it felt like someone had scooped out some idealized version of Hollywood that has only lived in my head and splashed it up on the screen. The struggles of Mia and Sebastian echoed in my soul and I don’t think I have ever  been so invested in an on-screen love story. Ryan Gosling is just about the most perfect leading man to come along in a long time and Emma Stone shines as the strong yet vulnerable ingenue. There’s a haunting beauty to the whole film and it seems to try to recapture some spark of life that many natives to Los Angeles seem to have lost, or simply ignore. This film is a reawakening with vibrant colors, beautiful music and a story that will make you laugh and cry in equal measure.

I enjoyed this movie and I can’t wait until it comes out on Blu Ray so that I can own it. This movie should be made the official film of Los Angeles. That’s all I’m saying.

Audience: The audience was good as gold in this one. Not a mutter or flash of a cell phone for the entire movie. Will wonders never cease?

NC GOP Revolt(ing)

So, McCRory finally conceded his defeat, but now the Repubs are pulling another shenanigan. Trying to strip incoming Governor Cooper of nearly all his power so they can retain control. They say they’re doing it because the legislature is closer to the people than the Governor, yet this argument wasn’t made when McCrory was in office. I think the party has finally and completely gone over the deep end. They, the party that constantly sings about how they love America and all that jazz, are now making one of the boldest moves to completely upend democracy. The people don’t want HB2 and they don’t want McCrory. They voted him out and voted Cooper in. Put on the big boy pants and suck it up. It’s amazing to me every time they lose, instead of examining their positions on the issues, they instead try to change the system to suit their interests. They need to be stopped because if this gambit succeeds, it will set a dangerous precedent for the entire country. The chain of command must be respected and if other states see that they can literally take away the power from the elected officials and take the reigns of power away by force, it will spell the end of America as we know it.

When did the Republican party become such a bunch of whiny little children? Always throwing these hissy fits each time they lose. It’s sickening and we  have to put our collective foot down and demand an end to this childish behavior. They system only works when we all play by the same rules, but somehow Republicans have gotten it into their heads that there’s a different set of rules for them. Which of course there aren’t. If I could address them directly I would tell them the reason they keep losing is because their policies are out of touch with the real world. They keep choosing to stay on the opposite side of progress. They preach this false morality they expect the world to live by, yet they themselves don’t.

Trump seems to have ushered in a new era of corruption. Maybe that’s why they defend him so much. As long as he’s on top, they think they can get away with anything. I don’t know what kind of world they are looking to live in, but I can’t imagine that it will be all that great, based on the issues they fight for. I see for them a world where all minorities are subjugated, the environment is expendable, and all the wealthy live in a beautiful Utopian city while the rest of the country struggles as they serve their rich masters. How that is a sustainable future, I have no idea. They want to rule us rather than legislate. We are not here to serve them, but rather they are here to work for us. No matter the title, from the bottom of the barrel to the top of the ladder, they are and always will be civil servants. It’s time they started acting like it.

Stupid Lists

I recently found a post of a top ten list that listed all the ways people waste their money and offered solutions. On the list of money-wasters was concessions at the movies. It even addressed the fact that the concession stand is the primary income of the theater but still suggested sneaking food in to save $$$. First off, no. No. Speaking as a movie buff and someone who actually enjoys the theater experience, I hate seeing people sneak food in. If you come to an establishment, it’s only right that you at least try to support the business. If everyone started smuggling food in, it wouldn’t be long until the theaters would start losing money and would have to close. The truth about a capitalist system is you have to put into it if you want to get something out of it. Sneaking food into a theater is wrong. Yes, it’s overpriced, but everything is these days and that’s how this crazy world works. You pay, they make a profit and stay in business and you can continue enjoying the services provided. You try and cut corners like sneaking food in, the business suffers and they close. Now no one gets to go to the  movies. Thanks a lot, douche-rag. Besides, if the cost of a soda and popcorn at the theater is going to break the bank, maybe you shouldn’t be going to the movies in the first place. Of course this list also includes cable as another money-waster, so this list really puts you in a bind.

Here’s a tip on how to really save money. Don’t go anywhere, do anything or eat. Ever. You’ll save thousands.