Trump Spin CNN Style

Not So Fast CNN

I like CNN. They can be very annoying sometimes the way they interrupt guests, especially Republicans, when they start to give an answer the host does not like, but overall I prefer the network over others.

However for almost 2 years now every show on CNN has devoted inordinate amounts of time to blasting Trump's wall position and policies. There is no crisis. There is no invasion. A wall won't work. Drugs and bad guys come through the gates. Yada, yada. I agree with it all.

All of a sudden Kuomo is in Texas and the network is blasting both sides for doing nothing about this horrible crisis! Granted the immediate problem of overcrowding is real, but it sure is a 180 degree about face. Remember The White House was lying about hoards of people coming! Looks like they were not.

Then it could be CNN is learning from DJT. Is it a heartfelt distraction from the fact that 2 years of going on about Mueller's report and how bad it could be, has so far been a bust? This is like the polling people in a certain recent election. Like it or not there are a lot of CNN journalists and program hosts who have egg on their faces.

Maybe a rage about poor immigrants blaming both sides will wipe some of it off.

Fess up guys. He got away with the invasion hue and cry AND the Russian "thing". You always want HIM to say he was wrong and now it is your turn. It will look far better on you.

The Brewster

The Real Judgement Day

I Was Just Thinking … Because I Still Can

This past weekend I attended and briefly spoke as did several others at the memorial service or life celebration of a very long time friend. I have had the following thoughts before.

When something like this transpires - there is usually some kind of notification sent to others. It contains details of any ceremony, viewing, or celebration of a life on this planet and it is an implied invitation. To make it less awkward there is seldom an RSVP requested.

That having been said we all then have a simple binary decision to make - will I attend or not? For many it is very easy to rationalize a note and flowers - something else on; illness; just too far to go; work; don't really know them; etc.

So it is very impressive when someone draws a huge number of attendees at such a ceremony, whatever its nature. What a wonderful statement when the room is overflowing. I say again - anyone can decide not to come. Social Media friends are not reality but this is.

To me the resulting headcount is the true test of your success in this world - how many other people you touched in a positive way. I don't happen to believe in the divine version - it has never been verified. But THIS I can see with my own eyes. Here everyone gets to be a judge for just one moment.

Will my life or yours fill a room when the time comes?

My friend touched a lot of people - and they came. I will miss him and so will all of those other attendees.

The Brewster

Huffman and Loughlin Scandal Tip of the Iceberg

Doctor of Philanthropy

For anyone who missed it there is a current scandal in America about rich people buying entrance to high profile schools for their kids.

I have coined a new phrase : Doctor of Philanthropy! Is this the other PhD we never hear about? It is said that if you have money you can pretty well buy anything. Surely this is just another example. Several questions are raised here.

Would you do the same for your kid if you could - if you thought that you would never be caught? I suspect there will be many silent affirmatives being mumbled upon reading this. To me the biggest sin of all is that you would really not be doing your child any favour. You WOULD be teaching them your own underhanded methods but that is hardly a virtue. Let us not forget that those who accepted the money for their own greedy purposes share the level of depravity of the "donors". No, they are worse - they could have reported it.

Are those who make huge donations and scholarships to elite schools any more noble? Even if the funds were put to a good use it still depends on whether unqualified children - academically or athletically - gained entrance when it was not deserved.

Is this just one of the more base characteristics of our often lauded North American life style? The fact is this type of thing goes on everywhere and always has. It happens in democracies; dictatorships (often to save your life); corporations; and yes, religious hierarchies. I wonder how many heads were saved back in the days of Henry VIII via financial donations?

Is this sour grapes on my part and many others? Probably but if I had the millions I still think I would make sure they earned whatever they got through hard work and study.

Does hard earned money verses that gained in a slightly easier fashion affect your core values? People like Warren Buffet and Bill Gates built empires, wealth, jobs, and something of true value. Warren built opportunities and Bill built products. Would they do this for their kids? On the other hand those who receive millions for their "celebrity" status or athletic ability in many cases have only attained wealth for themselves. When they are gone, they might leave memories and adoration but do they give back to the society that made them rich? Some do - the late Arnold Palmer comes to mind. I doubt he would be facing charges like those currently in the media.

I don't have an answer to any of this. Welcome to Democracy where you can buy your kid a future and I can rant like this! Only in America? I doubt it.

The Brewster

Hats off to New Zealand and Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern

We need more like her.

Hats off to the Prime Minister of New Zealand for the mature and sober manner in which she has handled this horrible incident.

A small country living in relative peace and obscurity and she has given her peer world leaders a lesson in what Premiers, Presidents, and Prime Ministers are expected to do - what we elected them to do - LEAD!

I hope she can follow through on the gun legislation because I can think of another leader and country that badly needs more examples to follow.

This tragic event demonstrates once again that more women on the world stage would be an asset - not a liability! Male egos have messed up this planet long enough.


The Brewster

Too many Party Candidates for President

Me Too for President

Let me get this out first. Yes it is great that in a democracy you can, I can, they can all run for political office - President no less. For sure it is better than one party / one candidate systems.

But in 2015-16 and in the lead up to 2020 it's like there is another and very different Me Too movement going on. Everybody wants to be President. It's like a gumball machine - drop in a coin and out pops a different surprise. Here you just have to turn on the TV and up pops another candidate.

Maybe it is time to put a limit on candidacy for the top job. Cap it. Once the number is reached - let's take 10 as an example (still probably too high) - then you are too late to declare. There should be a meaningful non-returnable fee to submit so that only serious candidates step up. Only if one drops out can another join the race to fill the void. Both parties - and any new ones - should have to abide by this. Then debates and sorting out the weak from the strong could start earlier. Unfortunately it won't stop the horrible behavior.

The US elections are starting to look more like The Gong Show than a serious run at being a great nation's leader.

What do you think?


The Brewster

Make The Presidency Great Again?

Do the Democratic Candidates for President have Too Many Feet?

In the next election the shoe will be on the other foot for both parties. Will we see a Democratic turkey shoot as we did with the Republicans or will the blue party remain true blue and respectable? I suspect if nothing else there are already too many feet in the race and some will be trampled. At least we can hope that the burials will be decent.

Once all these nice clean Democratic candidates are in full Gallup watch out. The gloves will be off and there will be blood spilled. The only question is whether the killings will be honourable or down and dirty just like the Republicans in 2016 - mow down the competition any way you can.

Let me say again that I hope one of the Dems will adapt my slogan of "Make the Presidency Great Again". It is a sure winner.

Personally I think that Joe Biden will beat all others and Trump . He runs the danger now of being seen as not being capable of making a tough decision. Just say "YES" Joe. You will trounce The Donald in any debate.

Get the lead out. Get the finger out. Just get out and get going! The only body part of yours anyone wants to see stuck anywhere is your foot up you-know-who's butt.

We will all help you extract it for another kick if necessary.

The Brewster

Marcella Zoia chair throwing in Toronto

Throw the BOOK at her - see how she likes it!

As reported and broadcast in Toronto media, one Marcella Zoia is accused of throwing a chair and possibly other articles from an upper floor balcony of a building in Toronto. The objects crashed in front of the building entrance and could have blown onto an adjacent major expressway. Mercifully no one was hurt. Video exists that appears to show her in the act of doing this.

Surely there should be no more mercy in this entire incident. Despite claims that she feels badly about what she did, pictures of her appear to belie that. Since she has such a propensity for tossing objects, the justice system should toss the book at her.

This individual rejected any regard for human life or serious injury in another reckless attempt to gain notoriety on social media. She seems to have succeeded. Bad enough when the population at large makes certain people famous and wealthy simply because they performed intimate sex acts on video but this goes way beyond that.

In both cases we should not reward individuals apparently void of any other talent or means of contributing something useful to society. If there had been any victims here, they most likely would have died or had the normal life they had been enjoying tragically altered. Now this person's life should be altered for her.

The perpetrator is reported to be 19 - old enough to know better and to pay the consequences. A now famous Donald Trump chant aimed at Hillary Clinton comes to mind. It applies here.

She needs time - lots of it - to reconsider her life and it should be without any direct contact to the outside world - definitely no camera. Let her sit on a broken chair.

The Brewster

Something(s) to Think About

I am no Will Rogers or Mark Twain but I gave it My Best

Brewster Babble: 

1. I had life by the tail. Then I lifted it and had my first look at reality.
2. If God really wanted us to reform our ways we would all have a reset button instead of a belly button.
3. With my luck every time I extend the glass to decide if it is half empty or half full I can't find my glasses.
4. Life is just a bowl of cherries until you eat the last one. Then it's just the pits.
5. My wife said she wanted foreplay, so I invited over two of her friends and now she is pissed at me.
6. I got one of those four hour Viagra erections but my partner says I paid three hours and fifty-seven seconds too much.
7. Surely one of the worst human defects is when a person's brain is in their ass and all their crap comes out of their mouth. Think of anyone in particular?
8. Fortune favours the bold - and their mistresses!
9. If birds of a feather do stick together does that make them racists?
10. If it ain't broke, don't fix it. Good Advice, but I'm broke and you can fix me anytime you want.
11. Abstinence makes the heart grow fonder - and hornier!
12. I am trying to be less critical of others and it really is helping me realize how stupid some people are.
13. People who live in White Houses should not throw Tweets
14. My partner asked if her dress made her look fat. I asked if I could blame my beer gut on my pants. Now she won't speak to me. Women!
15. The early bird gets the first position at the Costco gas pumps.
16. Old saying updated: Take your eyeglasses off first then give your head a shake!
17. Why would I want a tat? Mother Nature already creates a new marking somewhere on my body every day and it's totally free.
18. People who live in White Houses should not throw Tweets.
19. I wish the person who said "A picture is worth a thousand words" could have seen the smart phone. Now it's thousands of pictures and sadly, no words.
20. God helps those who help themselves. Even DJT? Now I know why I am not particularly religious.

Government Shutdowns

If It's Broken, Fix It!

Surely with America's recent government shutdown everyone would agree that such an event should not be allowed to happen. Do whatever is necessary to insure that this fiasco can not be repeated. It should be a part of the platform of any new candidates to make this change.

We know what happens when Americans even discuss changes to gun ownership rights. But who will object to this? Surely no political system should result in such a stalemate.

I understand that the root of the problem is simply that the government operates only with funds provided in an approved budget, which must be passed by Congress and the Senate. No budget approval means no funds to spend.

In Canada where I live there is no real parallel. The majority party in the House of Commons forms the government and as such can pretty much approve any budget it wants. When parliament is not sitting - like the period in between elections when it has been dissolved, the existing Governor General can actually approve something called Special Warrants which permit essential spending to carry on.

A similar position should be created in America whereby one person has the power to approve an agreed upon list of expenditures - essential services - and he or she is duty bound to approve them. Alternatively simply eliminate human involvement and list essential services which must always be funded and paid regardless of individual party views. In other words preserve the status quo until a new budget is approved.

Any other suggestions?


The Brewster

Donald Trump and Ann Coulter

Ann Who?

Ok I actually have heard of Ann Coulter. No loss if I had not but she makes enough noise every now and then that I have.

Normally I would not venture into the following but hey, when you are talking about Donald and Ann there are no rules. Protocol gets as shut down as the federal government. If you are in the arena with two vipers you had better have at least a vile of venom and a squirt gun on your person. So just to annoy her and her followers and regrettably probably a lot of other women, if she put on a few more pounds she could be an attractive woman. It's just that mouth! I would have respected her more if she wore bunny ears and a tail and hung out at Heff's mansion. There! I am sure she will love that.

I am as anti-Trump as most people but I at least commend him in a twisted sort of way for re-opening the government so all of those innocent workers can be paid. It is probably the most humble thing he has ever done but at least it was a good decision - finally. America deserves at least one from him. (You are after all POTUS!)

The last person on earth he should listen to however is this Ann Coulter. At least the Donald ran and won The Presidency no less. What has she ever accomplished? She mouths off, tries to flog her books, and tweets. That should make her a Tweep but I can only grant 80% - a Twit. I guess that's a failed Tweep. She is more of a Howard Stern wanna be than anything else. And that ain't much.

Stick a brick in it Ann - preferably one from The Wall.

The Brewster