American life: Thoughts at 2 a.m.

Or what we call Brain Farts

The Impeachment Process:  Don’t fool yourself into thinking what has been unfolding in Washington, D.C. is what the impeachment process was supposed to be about according to our Founding Fathers. What is taking place is just a game, more like a chess match between two political parties that have grown to hate each other so much they refuse to give a shit about the process.

The only question that remains is how can each party use impeachment as a tool to gain more seats in congress and get their candidate elected to the White House? Americans have been in three camps at pretty steady numbers since Trump took office. You blindly support him and ignore any broken promises or personal flaws he has; you hate the man with such passion you are determined to vote for anyone who runs against him; or you are sick and tired of both parties acting like caged gorillas flinging their feces at each other.

Anyone beside me craving a banana?

Mitch McConnell and Nancy Pelosi: Trump is the distraction these two rely on to do their dirty work. Both have a duty to their party first and foremost and in both cases this means maintaining the power their party holds in their respective branches of congress. They do not care what positions they have taken in the past on issues, it’s all about what is in front of them.

Both are drunk on their power as much as Trump is drunk on himself. McConnell could care less if Trump is impeached or voted out. As long as the GOP keeps control of the Senate in November, he will have succeeded at his job. If you think I am wrong, just examine how he has flip-flopped on matters when he controlled the Senate when Obama was president.

Until a democrat is back in the White House, Pelosi is all the left has to block, slow, and stymie the right. In other words, her job is to maintain a democrat majority of the House in November. To that end, both seem likely to succeed no matter who is elected president.

Hillary: She just can’t stand being out of the limelight and feels the need to speak out. Maybe she is right when she says no one in the Democratic Party likes Bernie Sanders the person (I would disagree if you look at who is supporters are). Saying so is nothing more than sour grapes. She blames Bernie and his bunch for her loss in 2016 because too many stayed home and did not vote for her. She can’t wrap her head around the fact that there were plenty of folks in 2020, me being one, who did not vote for her because they despised her as much as they despised Trump.

Some of those voters chose Trump over her. Some, like me, left their presidential box blank and chose to vote on the other offices and issues. Will enough voters who took a chance on Trump change their vote this year to oust him?  Will people like me who chose neither major candidate vote for the Democrats’ candidate this year no matter who he or she is because they have had enough of Trump? All I know is most, not all, of the remaining Democrat candidates will get my vote.

Megan and Harry: For the life of me, I do not understand the fascination of the royal family of Britain. The damage done to Diana and Sarah were not enough for people to learn their lesson to just let folks be. I also do not understand why anyone would want to marry into that clan. I don’t care how much wealth they have or how much taxpayer money they receive to do pretty much nothing more than make public appearances, it’s not worth it.

The Super Bowl: For a change, the average fan has two very likable and deserving teams squaring off. I admit to being a lifelong fan of the 49ers, but even I have to claim if there is a coach deserving of a Super Bowl title to add to his already great resume, it is Andy Reid. If both teams play up to their best level, it should be a classic and perhaps the first of more Super Bowl trips for both teams. I can offer up many reasons why either team will win and won’t attempt to pick a winner. All I know is when the game is over, we are likely to be talking about the officiating based on what has transpired this year.

What’s the solution?  Well, it isn’t the eye in the sky solution many would like. Mine involves doing away will all instant replay, even for TV viewers, and let humans decide the outcome knowing not only players from both sides will make errors during the game, officials will too.

Snubs: Sorry, I don’t believe in them when it comes to the Oscars. Wasn’t it a few years ago when they expanded the number of people nominated for awards so there would not be deserving actors and actresses left out of nominations?  Did it work? Apparently not. People still feel snubbed. It’s not like Hollywood is churning out better films than they used to. Most seem like nothing more than recycled stories with a new spin, new cast, or new marketing campaign that in the end makes viewers wish they stayed home. Okay, maybe it is just me who feels this way.

Then there is the Hall of Fame voting each year in baseball and football. A good career is not the same as a great one. Derek Jeter was deserving of entry in baseball’s hall. However, Larry Walker was not. So he hit a lot of home runs in the thin air of Colorado. He was nowhere close to being a transcendent player who changed the game. As for those not voted in, take the voters message and get over it.

More on Hall of Fame Voting: Here is a simple solution to voting in people to each of sports halls. When a player retires, vote on whether or not he should go in knowing if he does not get voted in on the first ballot, his name does not go back on for another five years.  If after falling short three times, that player remains off of all future ballots.

At the same time, open up the number of people voted in to the halls to an unlimited number, or at least a reasonable number such as ten to fifteen, instead of annually limited numbers. Some years there are more deserving players than others and they should not be eliminated simply because there is a cap on how many can be voted in. A player’s career was either good enough for the hall or it wasn’t. The idea of withholding a vote because you do not think he is worthy of first time admittance is stupid.

I would also change who votes for hall members on a regular basis. Each year, twenty percent of the hall voters should be shown the door and replaced by new members who serve a five-year term. This helps decrease voter bias. A hall of fame should recognize greatness in the sport. Too often, players end up there who are more deserving of being on an all good team and not an all-time great.

Lying is All He Knows:  The list of lies told by President Trump just keeps growing. All presidents do what they can to put a positive spin on things, but this guy has no regard for the truth. Worse, his supporters just don’t care whether he is honest or not. They like what he says when he makes up stuff about Democrats, the FBI, impeachment, other nations, trade, and most anything else.

According to Dr. Trump, U.S. military personnel suffered nothing more than some headaches after Iran’s January 8th missile attack. He and his team of liars probably figured that would be enough to calm people down and let the story die out as his impeachment trial started. As of today, it is reported 34 U.S. military personnel have suffered traumatic brain injuries and not headaches from the attack.

There’s no telling what lies he will tell to explain his misdiagnosis, but one thing is certain, the 34 with traumatic brain injuries are still infinitely more qualified to serve as president than the mental midget who sits in the Oval Office today.

Tulsi Sues Hillary: Articles abound wondering why Tulsi Gabbard is suing Hillary Clinton for $50 million dollars after Hillary claimed Tulsi was a Russian asset as part of their desire to influence November’s election results. Poor Tulsi feels she has been wronged and wants money. Her only wrong is when she opens her mouth and tries to convince voters she is qualified to be the next president. She isn’t, but she is in need of cash and let’s face it, $50 million dollars would bring her campaign war chest up to about $50 million dollars. Is it possible to be a has been before ever being relevant?

Isn’t it Midnight? The doomsday clock was recently moved another 20 seconds closer to midnight, placing it a mere 100 seconds from, well, doom.  I am not exactly certain how scientists determine doom, but I think it involves looking at numbers, comparing them to past numbers, then predicting them to future numbers, before throwing a dart at a random number to see what time it  is.

One hundred seconds is just enough time for Trump to fire off 38 tweets claiming the news of doom as fake news and reminding us just how great we are after three years in office.  It’s enough time for evangelicals to send out a wave of thoughts and prayers for the rest of us going to hell and about the same amount of time for replay officials to realize they made a mistake and to put more time on the doomsday clock.

There are places in the world where doom already exists. Doomsday does not arrive when our western, Christian, and capitalistic way of life is no longer in existence. Try telling a starving family in Somalia doom has yet to arrive. Try telling the surviving family members of a mass shooting doom is not here. Try telling the hundreds of endangered species that time is not up or the burning rain forests. Try telling the average Joe who has not found a job in ten years that comes close to paying what he earned before the banks made off with his wealth, work, and dignity doom is not here.

Mostly, try telling a celebrity who gets slammed for her red carpet outfit it isn’t the end of the world.

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Editor’s Note: Below are Claudia Gestro’s reports from Miami, FL, site of Super Bowl LIV.

Top photo of the Vince Lombardi Trophy and helmets from the two teams in Super Bowl LIV
by Claudia Gestro