by John Walters
The Vile And The Vials
Over the weekend the self-parody that is the Republican Party held its greatest mass gathering since the January 6 insurrection, CPAC. And let’s be clear, the people who attended CPAC have only one problem with the events of January 6: that it wasn’t successful. One gets the feeling that if the mongers of power had any idea how close the rabble came to overthrowing democracy with such a scattershot plan, they might have aided and abetted more beforehand.
And again, as a Notre Dame alum please let me reiterate how ashamed I am to share an alma mater with Matt Schlapp. Avowed white-haired white supremacist.
At CPAC you had a rendition of The Star-Spangled Banner that was more disrespectful than kneeling and you had Ted Cruz mocking his own trip to Cancun (as if he is in on the joke when Texans died due to governmental negligence) and you had Donald Trump repeating The Big Lie.
Meanwhile, now it’s Monday and we have the best news on the vaccines that we’ve had since the pandemic began, in terms of J&J’s vaccine being ready to go and the possibility that everyone who wants to be inoculated will be by early summer.
It’s Monday, March 1st. Or what was February 29 a year ago. When the first known U.S. casualty of the pandemic died. We’re at more than half a million deaths later. In one year. It’s funny (funny strange, Joe Pesci) that Donald Trump spoke at CPAC on the one-year anniversary of his infamous declaration that “the coronavirus will disappear, it’ll be like a miracle.”
An example of CPAC hypocrisy? Here’s right wing media pundit Pete Hegseth, talking about how “real Americans” (read: white ones) don’t get caught up in “esoteric” Ivy League stuff. You know what kind of people use the term esoteric? Ivy League types. Which Hegseth is: he has degrees from both Princeton and Harvard.
Smart guy. Smart enough to know how to manipulate an audience of racist buffoons. Hegseth, by the way, is on his third marriage (just like 46!) after an affair with a producer on his show led to a pregnancy and a baby (See! He DOES have family values; he didn’t force her to have an abortion).
Rest In Peace, Big Lou
Nose tackle Louis Nix was found dead over the weekend. Last December Nix had been shot during an attempted robbery and had survived. Not sure what transpired between then and the past week, when he went missing. The gregarious, always smiling big man played three seasons in the NFL. He was 29.
Nix made an impact on everyone he met. His smile lit up every room.
Breaking Up*
*The judges will not accept “High On Crack”
This weekend a piece of the Brunt Ice Shelf 20 times the size of Manhattan broke off from Antarctica. Irreconcilable differences or yet another harbinger of global warming? How many harbingers do we need, by the way?
Ted Talk
Not having Amazon Prime, I have yet to see Ted Lasso, but between Jason Sudeikis and all the solid buzz I ventured onto YouTube to see what I could see. Having found these two clips, I now see what all the hullaballoo is about. That’s “To Build A Home,” a 2007 song by The Cinematic Orchestra, that this YouTuber (Katie) used to for her wonderful edit of Season 1.* **
*Also, I’m told that F-bomb is the only time Ted swears in the entire first season, which gives it far more impact.
**I promise, If you watch the above clip once, you’ll watch it at least twice. You’ve been warned.
Can’t wait to see this series. This homemade trailer above gives me chills. Imagine what the series will do. Invite us over and I’ll bring the tea and finger sandwiches.
Also, Sudeikis won a Golden Globe last night for Best Actor in a Comedy (or Musical?) Series. Well deserved from the little we’ve seen.
The Banish Inquisition
“New Rules” has always been the strongest part of Bill Maher’ Real Time on HBO, particularly when he really cares about the topic. For the second week in a row (last week, “Not In It Together” ), he hits it out of the park and onto Lansdowne Street.
People DO have the right to be offensive. You have the right to be offended. You have the right to boycott their business if they are powerful people like the My Pillow guy. Or to no longer be their friend if that’s who they were to you. You DO NOT have the right to force them to lose their jobs for saying something with which you do not agree. It’s one thing if it’s sexual harassment or an actual illegal act. But for plain being a rube? Nope. Sorry.
My one-year Apple TV subscription came free with my new iPad. The silver lining was having a chance to binge-watch ‘Ted Lasso’ over a few quarantine evenings. Sudeikis is a surprisingly good front man to a strong supporting cast and script.
Where can I find the definition of a “real American”? Are they only found at diners? How come they never go to BBQ joints, gin mills or wine tasting rooms? How about kids soccer games or the finishing line of the local 5K? Whenever I hear the diner thing my brain translates it to “I’m a lazy reporter who has an idea and need to come up with data that sounds good but is unverifiable…..diner works.”
I think table stakes for being a real American are voting and paying taxes. Do both and you are in.
I have wondered lately why the government makes it so much easier to pay taxes than to vote. I heard of this group of people once who started a ruckus with “taxation without representation.”
Just a minor factual error …
“Not having Amazon Prime, I have yet to see Ted Lasso, but between Jason Sudeikis and all the solid buzz I ventured onto YouTube to see what I could see.”
Ted Lasso is on Apple TV+, not Amazon Prime. If you don’t have that either, yes, you may come on over and watch it. It’s an excellent watch.
I love Ted Lasso. In a year where getting to the end of Netflix was within reach, it has been the one show that has stuck with me/us.
As others have said, it’s on Apple TV which offers a free one week subscription. Otherwise next time you’re in St Paul, you are more than welcome.
Love this clip too… https://youtu.be/SU0CKzxuWOk