pianogonzology

Thursday, June 7, 2018

Issue . . .

. . . of tremendous gravity . . .

. . . a non-political organization pulling a political stunt and a president who is preoccupied with professional athletes and a song . . .

(https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/nfl/2018/06/05/man-kneels-national-anthem-donald-trump-white-house-nfl/674505002/)
". . . Instead of welcoming the Philadelphia Eagles to the White House on Tuesday, President Trump held an event to "celebrate America" and play the national anthem. . . a man in a light-blue shirt is kneeling as the United States Marine Band plays The Star-Spangled Banner. The man. . . applauds and stands as the song ends. . . The playing of the national anthem was followed by brief remarks from Trump, who spoke for about three minutes about the importance of standing for the national anthem. Trump did not mention the Eagles or the NFL in his remarks, but he said the event was “even bigger than we had anticipated.” . . . "

(https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/nfl/eagles/2018/06/05/eagles-nfl-white-house-donald-trump-sarah-sanders-national-anthem/673900002/)
". . . White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders ripped the Philadelphia Eagles in a news conference Tuesday afternoon, accusing the organization of pulling "a political stunt" that she said resulted in the cancellation of a Super Bowl celebration on the South Lawn. . . Sanders claimed that the Eagles tried to reschedule the event to a time when President Donald Trump would be out of the country and later offered to send "only a tiny handful of representatives" to Tuesday's celebration, reiterating claims that she had provided in a written statement earlier in the day. She also blamed the Eagles for the last-minute change and defended the president, who routinely has criticized the NFL. . ."

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Wednesday, June 6, 2018

Just Plain . . .

. . . funny

(from http://www.edrants.com/in-defense-of-chrissie-hynde-why-npr-needs-to-change-and-why-david-greene-is-a-sexist-fool/, an NPR interview by David Greene with Chrissie Hyde)
". . . Greene: People certainly thought in its day [sic] as being very different and really emboldening women.
Hynde: Okay, well I’m not here to embolden anyone.
From here, the NPR producer cuts away in aloof and hilarious fashion to a lengthy clip of “Brass in Pocket” to pad out time, leaving the listener wondering what embarrassing (and possibly more interesting) bits were left on the cutting room floor. . . If Greene had truly been interested in Hynde, he might have described her in less innocuous and truer terms. Moreover, Greene can’t even deign to praise the Pretenders. Instead, he gushes over the Rolling Stones rather than the band that Hynde has been a member of:
Greene: And the Rolling Stones. They came — I mean, I, I loved reading about how you sort of took some of the staging off to take it with you, almost as a souvenir.
Hynde: Yeah. Do you want me to repeat the story?
Greene: I’d love you to.
Hynde: Is that the question?
Greene: No. I’d love you to.
Hynde: Can I just not repeat the stories that I’ve already said in the book? Can we talk about things outside of that? Is that possible? I don’t want to do a book reading, as it were. . ."

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Tuesday, June 5, 2018

For The . . .

. . . record

(https://www.factcheck.org/2009/03/social-security-for-illegal-immigrants/)
". . . illegal immigrants are broadly disqualified from collecting benefits from government programs, according to U.S. Code, with only limited exceptions. Those exceptions are:
Emergency medical care (which includes emergency labor and delivery)
Emergency disaster relief that is provided for the short term and is not a cash payment
Limited immunizations and testing, and treatment of symptoms of communicable diseases
Certain community programs, such as soup kitchens or crisis counseling, as specified by the Attorney General
Limited housing or community development assistance to those already receiving it in 1996
These are the only circumstances under which illegal immigrants can lawfully receive government assistance. Notably absent from this list is any type of Social Security benefits. To repeat: Illegal immigrants cannot legally receive Social Security benefits, and Congress isn’t about to vote on legislation that would change that.
Of course, some immigrants who are here without legal permission do end up receiving Social Security and other benefits, through bureaucratic mistakes or through deliberate fraud. . ."

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Monday, June 4, 2018

Toddler. . .

(from https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/donald-trump/trump-meets-families-affected-texas-shooting-mother-calls-him-toddler-n879156)

". . . Rhonda Hart, whose 14-year-old daughter, Kimberly Vaughan, was killed at the (Santa Fe, TX) school, told The Associated Press that Trump repeatedly used the word 'wacky' to describe the shooter and the trench coat he wore. She said she told Trump, "Maybe if everyone had access to mental health care, we wouldn't be in the situation.". . . Hart, an Army veteran, said she also suggested employing veterans as sentinels in schools. She said Trump responded, "And arm them?" She replied, "No," but said Trump "kept mentioning" arming classroom teachers. "It was like talking to a toddler," Hart said. . . Rhonda Hart, whose 14-year-old daughter, Kimberly Vaughan, was killed at the school, told The Associated Press that Trump repeatedly used the word 'wacky' to describe the shooter and the trench coat he wore. She said she told Trump, "Maybe if everyone had access to mental health care, we wouldn't be in the situation.". . . Hart, an Army veteran, said she also suggested employing veterans as sentinels in schools. She said Trump responded, "And arm them?" She replied, "No," but said Trump "kept mentioning" arming classroom teachers. "It was like talking to a toddler," Hart said. . ."

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Sunday, June 3, 2018

Good . . .

It's not polite to toot your own
But truth, at times, be told
An honesty about yourself
Won't be misunderstood
If you've worked hard
For all you have
And tried to help out others
When day is done
Don't be ashamed
To enjoy what you've discovered

The Good
©2018 Raymond M. Jozwiak

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Saturday, June 2, 2018

More . . .

(From https://www.nbcchicago.com/news/politics/Trump-Phony-Sources-Vets-Border-Stats-483841531.html)
TRUMP, on a possible summit with North Korea: "The Failing @nytimes quotes 'a senior White House official,' who doesn't exist, as saying 'even if the meeting were reinstated, holding it on June 12 would be impossible, given the lack of time and the amount of planning needed.' WRONG AGAIN! Use real people, not phony sources." — tweet Saturday.
THE FACTS: Actually, the source does exist. The White House official addressed a group of reporters as part of a background briefing arranged by the White House press office. . . While Trump has criticized the use of unidentified sources and labeled information related by anonymous officials "fake news," his White House regularly arranges briefings with officials who demand anonymity before relaying information. An Associated Press reporter in attendance at last week's briefing questioned why it was not on the record — meaning that the official's name could be used. The official said Trump had been talking publicly that day and so the briefing was intended to provide "background context."

TRUMP: "This whole Russia Probe is Rigged. Just an excuse as to why the Dems and Crooked Hillary lost the Election and States that haven't been lost in decades. 13 Angry Democrats, and all Dems if you include the people who worked for Obama for 8 years. #SPYGATE & CONFLICTS OF INTEREST!" — tweet Saturday.
THE FACTS: Trump's suggestion that the investigations into Russia meddling are "phony" and have yielded nothing is incorrect. So far, four Trump associates have been charged in Mueller's investigation, of whom three have pleaded guilty to lying to the authorities. Among them are Michael Flynn, former White House national security adviser, and Rick Gates, a former Trump campaign aide. Overall, 19 people, including 13 Russians, have been charged. (in response to additional Tweets) He refers to Mueller's team as "13 angry Democrats," but Mueller is a Republican and some others on his team owe their jobs largely to Republican presidents. Mueller did not work for President Barack Obama for eight years, as Trump states, but was FBI chief for less than six years under Obama, leaving in September 2013. He was nominated to be FBI director by Republican President George W. Bush in 2001.

TRUMP: "We've done a lot of work on the wall. We're doing a lot of work on security, generally speaking, security and border — border security. The border's down over 40 percent, and don't forget, we have a great economy, probably the best economy the country's ever had. So people come across, but we're going to get the rest." — interview broadcast Thursday with "Fox & Friends."
THE FACTS: Illegal crossings actually are up 20 percent since he became president, according to the yardstick he uses to measure them — the number of Border Patrol arrests. There is no precise measure of illegal crossings because some people don't get caught. The Trump administration uses arrests as the best gauge of whether crossings are going up or down. The Obama administration did likewise.

TRUMP: "This week, we passed a new landmark legislation to give more choice and better care to our great veterans. We're going to take care of our veterans. We're doing a great job with them. We are taking care, finally after decades, we're taking care of our veterans." — speech Friday.
THE FACTS: Congress passed a wide-ranging plan last week to expand private care for veterans as an alternative to the Veterans Affairs health system, but it'll take at least a year to implement and its actual scope in expanding choice to veterans will depend on the next VA secretary, who has yet to be confirmed. A successful expansion of private care will also depend on an overhaul of electronic health records at VA to allow for a seamless sharing of records with private physicians. That overhaul will take at least 10 years to be fully complete. The legislation would also expand a VA caregivers program to cover families of veterans of all eras, not just the families of veterans who were seriously injured in the line of duty since Sept. 11, 2001. Implementation of that program won't begin until after the VA secretary can provide assurances to Congress that the department's IT systems can handle a surge in new applicants. A phased rollout of benefits won't be fully finished until more than two years afterward.

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Friday, June 1, 2018

Nothing . . .

. . . offered. . .

I guess I'm just tired
And I'm not ashamed to say
I haven't been lazy
Always worked hard for my pay

So my case, it was made
With the best of intent
With time still to spare
On mere help was I bent

I was honest I was open
Told the truth loud and clear
I sincerely would dedicate
My efforts though not near

But dismay was I feeling
From reaction received
Thought myself to be generous
Left the meeting displeased

The result did not sit well
Not completely unexpected
I'm no prize package maybe
Nothing offered, nor accepted

For Now
©2018 Raymond M. Jozwiak

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