Russians Admit Meddling in US Elections

News we’ve heard vague rumors of recently seem to be turning out to be true.  The FBI and all of the US intelligence agencies say Russia has admitted meddling in the 2016 elections and they have just as cinnister plans to meddle in the 2018 congressional races.  They have plans to influence social media and otherwise campaign interference in 21 states.  A caller on the Norman Goldman show says he saw a map of affected states in last September’s Washington Post and that one of the states was California, though they wouldn’t have a chance here.  I am assuming the Russians want to help the Republicans because they have such a high regard for President Trump.  Trump never says anything against Putin.  They changed the Republican Convention platform two years ago on the matter of aggression in Ukraine so as to not offend the Soviets.  I can call them Soviets if I want to.  Trump of course no matter the overwhelming evidence keeps talking about “fake news”.   I would assume the CIA and our other intelligence agencies have a plan to thwart these sympathizers of Putin.  We can’t allow another election to be sabotaged.  We just need to watch the social media very closely for signs of involvement.

Today is Valentine’s Day and it’s also the first day of Lent.  This is the first time this has occurred they tell us since 1945.  However Easter fell on April Fool’s Day in 1956.  I remember because when I was a little kid at the Westchester house me and Nana were looking out the back window watching it just pouring down rain all day and Nana sings “It Ain’t Gona Rain No More, No More”.   We should pray for some of that rain this year.  Some would say the rock compilation issued today is kind of sleazy for Valentine’s Day and definitely too sleazy for Lent.  It is hoped that “giving up something for Lent” doesn’t interfere with Valentine’s Day festivities.  Some give up alcohol, others give up meat.  Just as long as you don’t give up sex.  It struck me that the economic cycle of 2007 and 2008 is starting to repeat itself.  We are falling into the mental trap of people telling us we can pull cash equity out of our houses.  We are also being told that interest rates are on their way up and if you’re going to buy a house you better buy one now before the rates get any higher.  This is the exact same thing that happened ten years ago.  Now we are told prices are so high that more people are just renting.  As to the matter of Joel Olsteen’s statement the other day about “If you don’t look for opportunities, opportunity will come looking for you” we have tomorrow’s appointment for a dental cleaning, which appeared out of the blue.  Most normal people have to wait two weeks for a dental appointment.  Not me.  The thing cleared with Federico and whoever else is driving me to the appointment.

SPRING TRAINING

Kid Charlemeign  (Steely Dan)

The Hunter Gets Captured by the Prey (Blondie)

Everybody Wants Some (Van Halen)

Dun Ringal (Live Jethro Tull)

Heroes (David Bowie)

Witchhunt (Rush)

Les Boys (Dire Straits)

Hey Bulldog (Beatles)

Freeform Guitar (Chicago Transit Authority)

Cagey Cretins (Blue Oyster Cult)

Living After Midnight (Judas Priest)

Police Truck (Dead Kennedy’s)

Ride the Lightning (Metallica)

The Severed Garden (Jim Morrison)

The front title photo is the start of a drag race at twilight.  There are six cars in a row with their headlights on.  The one closest to the camera is a Ford Galaxy.  These are cars from the late fifties and early sixties, many with fins.  There’s a guy on a platform who is lit up waving a green flag.   On the back are title listings and commentary about Russian hacking of US elections, which seems more widespread than any of us imagined.  The open out photo is of Rob Porter dragging his second wife dripping wet out of the shower grabbing her by the neck.  For you directional people she is being dragged from right to left.  Brian Jones is said to have substantially contributed input to this compilation.  It’s definitely a longer album than our last one.  Of course this represents soul-growth over the last 45 years of her life when she was a “walk-in” at age thirteen.  We end on kind of a downer-death note.  But isn’t that what ash Wednesday is all about.  According to Catholic tradition Jesus spent forty days in the desert in preparation for his death in Jerusalem.  Jim Morrison did not contribute to this album.

I prepared the room for Nora’s arrival around nine and I did have another cup of instant coffee then put the jar in the drawer.  Briefly I had Bill Handel on till Nora’s arrival.  I smoked a few cigarettes and then walked on down to the front to look at the lunch and dinner menus.  I didn’t change either of them.  They were just starting up the Catholic service around nine thirty.  There were people asking whether people wanted to get ashes for Ash Wednesday.  I didn’t feel holy enough to do that.  I went to the back again and then returned here.  Nora kept the thick red bedspread on, which I’m glad about.  Melody came in and of course Bill’s bed hasn’t been slept in in a week.  If you ask me why his bed is different, I really have no idea at this point.  It used to have something to do with scabies.  Melody asked how long I expect Bill to be gone and I said “It could be weeks at Harbor Villa”.   Bill needs a lot of medical tests in preparation for three different operations, the most important of which is his cateract surgery, which has been post-poned for months.  Of course Mom is faring even worse.  I didn’t mention the stage four metastatic breast cancer she has, which is responsible for a lot of her symptons.  

On the ABC and other news recently we’ve heard that the FBI has contradicted President Trump’s chronology of events leading to Rob Porter’s firing.  You suspect that Shawn Hannity likes to reverse the order of a lot of events when he’s not making up lies entirely.  Some chronologies are a little hard to swallow like stories about how people got rich starting an instant success business.  “Did it really happen that way?” you wonder.  On Days of our Lives you now can call it murder incorporated.  There’s an unsolved murder from a few months ago.  They are investigating a murder from a couple of weeks ago and still have half a dozen suspects in that one.  And you have John Black on a triple murder spree the past few days.  I guess if that’s the way they want to tell it, that’s the way it is.  Nobody but me seriously questions the chronology of the start-up of the Christian Church.  I guess I’m outvoted.  But I would remind you that even if every word in the New Testament is true, that doesn’t in any way affect left wing Churches who support democrats verses right wing Trumpsters who are willing to sacrifice morality in the interest of political expediency.  I don’t know for sure just how the Koch Brothers or whoever were able to convince the Republican Party to except Trump whole, flaws and all without contesting any of it.  I just hope that Special Prosecutor Muller hands down indictments soon.