Happy Thanksgiving!

I started this tradition several years ago, when the blog was Al Qaeda in Albuquerque.

Here it goes again:

Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday.
It's secular - religious overtones are secondary.
It's American - the rest of world goes on happily without us.

Most of all, for me the basic premise - giving thanks - is a good thing.
Yes, I am thankful for my family, for my undeserved good-fortune in life, for friends.

Food, friends, family: what could be better?

And I continue to be thankful!

Weak Trump: alliterative

Just for fun:

Adjectives: Pudgy, perverse, paltry, pandering, pusillanimous, paranoid, peevish, pitiful, pithless, pernicious, predatory, petty, puny pugnacious, pretentious, pompous.

Nouns: prick, pest.

Our very weak, slack-jawed, overweight President

Free advice for pundits, both Democrats and Trump-questioning Republicans (free, and worth every penny!)

Call Trump weak. Frequently and often. You might spice it up with other weak-related adjectives: slack-jawed, paunchy, thin-skinned, pathetic, bullying, pasty, thin-haired, out-of-shape, McDonald's-eating, craven, kowtowing, genuflecting, bowing, obsequious, toadying, sycophantic, brown-nosing...

Hey, you guys are the wordsmiths - use your imagination!

The point twofold:

First, simply get under Trump's skin by TELLING THE TRUTH about him.

Second, make him RESPOND to your insults. This has the positive benefit of keeping him from doing anything really seriously horrible.

He really doesn't like being called "weak."
Yes, you may suffer his Twitter attacks, but again - better this than he takes any serious policy action!

Trump/Putin... an imagined discourse

What went on in Trump/Putin tete-a-tete? Who knows. Here is my imagined discourse:

Putin: You asked us to hack into your opponent’s computers. We did so. If we were to admit this fact you would be in a world of hurt.

Maybe you should make nice with us… hmm?

How many of your campaign staff were on our payroll? Do you know?

Just asking. Maybe none… but can you be sure?
Again, maybe you ought to make nice with us… hmmm?

Trump: [silence]

This says nothing about the hundreds of millions of dollars Russia has loaned to Trump enterprises, or Eric Trump meeting with Russian surrogates to get dirt on Hillary. Nope, Putin has nothing on Trump in the way of blackmail. Trump is an honest fellow, only looking to Make America Great. We should be grateful to him

Peace in Our Time

My Thanksgiving tradition

Tomorrow is Thanksgiving in America.

As stated many times previously, it's my favorite holiday:
More-or-less secular.
Lots of good food.
Time for family and friends.

... and, yes: It is good to give thanks!
I continue to be thankful for my undeserved good fortune in life,

for my wonderful wife, Melissa,
for my now-very-large extended family - including both Sype and Axelrod branches!
for my friends, new and old.

Just last night I had a long telephone conversation with former colleague - 'tis fun to catch up.

So, YES: Let us give thanks tomorrow for blessings, great and small!

Melissa gets an award! Way cool!!!

Kenneth L. Hale Award: Melissa Axelrod (University of New Mexico)
Citation:
The Linguistic Society of America is pleased to present the Kenneth L. Hale Award for 2017 to Professor and Regents' Lecturer Melissa Axelrod of the University of New Mexico in recognition of her contributions to both the field of linguistics and to the speakers of Koyukon, Dene, Tanoan, and Ixil. Her career is an example of how, with deep dedication, abundant goodwill, and keen insight, it is possible to succeed on both sides of the putative divide between academia and community. Working with elders and preschoolers, teachers and farmers, political leaders and genocide survivors, she has engaged in projects that are both practical and innovative - from authoring dictionaries, grammatical descriptions, and research articles, to training several generations of linguists to follow her example in the very best traditions of fieldwork (including several PhD students who are themselves members of Native American communities). In short, Professor Melissa Axelrod embodies the very spirit of the Kenneth L. Hale Award. She is an inspiration to students, colleagues, and collaborators alike.

It's over for me

Trump's wall

Donald Trump, Phoenix, AZ, 30 August 2016:

We will build a great wall along the southern border... On day one, we will begin working on intangible, physical, tall, power, beautiful southern border wall...

Let's take a look at some other walls designed to keep folks out.

Hadrian's Wall was a defensive fortification in the Roman province of Britannia, begun in 122 AD in the reign of the emperor Hadrian. It ran from the banks of the River Tyne near the North Sea to the Solway Firth on the Irish Sea, and was the northern limit of the Roman Empire. ...

The limites of Rome were never expected to stop tribes from migrating or armies from invading, and while a frontier protected by a palisade or stone wall would help curb cattle-raiders and the incursions of other small groups, the economic viability of constructing and keeping guarded a wall 72 miles (116 km) long along a sparsely populated border to stop small-scale raiding is dubious.

Didn't work all that well.
But wait!

Great Wall of China is a series of fortifications made of stone, brick, tamped earth, wood, and other materials, generally built along an east-to-west line across the historical northern borders of China to protect the Chinese states and empires against the raids and invasions of the various nomadic groups of the Eurasian Steppe.

Just a reminder: When Marco Polo visited China, the guy in charge was Kublai Khan - a Mongol... one of the folks the Great Wall was designed to keep out.

... and here's my favorite:

The Maginot Line was a line of concrete fortifications, obstacles and weapon installations that France constructed on the French side of its borders with Switzerland, Germany and Luxembourg during the 1930s.

For what it's worth: the Maginot Line worked like a charm - no one ever got through it... The Wehrmacht just went around!

There is no such thing as an impenetrable border... but it costs a LOT of $$$ to try to build one.
... And what's the point?

Marketing

I've been making ice cream for close to 45 years.
Back in the day the freezer was a hand-cranked device.
I now use electric motor...
But that's not what this post is about.
It's about marketing.

When I started making ice cream, one used ice and rock salt.
You bought a product called "rock salt" at the local market.

About five years ago this got re-branded. It's now called "ice cream salt".
... and it costs about $0.50 more per box.
I have to congratulate the marketing genius who figured out we'd pay more for "ice cream salt".

I'm back... sort of

We recently returned from 4-week vacation in Europe: 1 week in Spain (Granada & Barcelona), 3 weeks in UK - London, Harrogate, Edinburgh, with some side trips.

I tried to post from UK on Melissa's Mac, but was denied access.
Now I don't remember what I had to say.

Tom Lehrer once commented:

Political satire became obsolete when Henry Kissinger was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.

I feel the same regarding Trump's candidacy.

Okay, now I really do get to gloat!

Posted 16 March:

The GOP 'establishment' are delusional
... I don't know what the rules are, but I assume that if a candidate shows up with the requisite majority of delegates - 1237 is the magic number - then that candidate WILL be the GOP's 2016 Presidential nominee.

I've seen nothing to suggest that Mr. Trump will not arrive at the Convention with at least that total.

... and tonight?

It's official: Trump is Republican nominee

Okay, now I really do get to gloat!

Posted 16 March:

The GOP 'establishment' are delusional
... I don't know what the rules are, but I assume that if a candidate shows up with the requisite majority of delegates - 1237 is the magic number - then that candidate WILL be the GOP's 2016 Presidential nominee.

I've seen nothing to suggest that Mr. Trump will not arrive at the Convention with at least that total.

... and tonight?

It's official: Trump is Republican nominee

"Cogito ergo sum"

"I think, therefore I am."
Why not...

I fart, therefore I am.
or
I belch, therefore I am.
or
I piss, therefore I am.
or
I shit, therefore I am.

Just asking.

What to say?

Others have said wiser things than I can.
Senseless violence... leaves me speechless.

Please - can we have a civilized conversation?
Please.

Headlines I hate

Trump Could Trigger The Longest Recession Since The Great Depression, Report Says

This is just poor journalism.

Fictional examples:

Trump could be best ruler in the history of the world

Moon could harbor alien invaders

Kraft American Cheese could cause dementia

All of 'em are true.
None of 'em is informative.

"could" - a lazy, wishy-washy verb... just bad journalism... and bad writing.

Trump's gibberish: he doesn't understand his own positions

Mr. Donald Trump celebrated the Brexit vote by claiming this would mean more tourists for Britain and his luxury golf resort in Scotland.
This may be true... BUT...

One of Trump's signature campaign issues is America's trade deficit.
Does he not realize that the collapse of the British Pound and the Euro will only INCREASE that deficit???

Yep - folks like me will be spending cheap vacations in Europe and the UK - spending American $$$ overseas.
Meanwhile Brits and Europeans will be staying home - NOT spending money in the U.S.

The same logic applies to goods & services: it'll be cheap for the U.S. to buy stuff from UK & Europe.
It'll be expensive for UK & Europe to "Buy American".
Result? Trade deficit soars.
Mr. Trump, do you understand economics?

Do you understand ANYTHING?

Not that it matters, but let's pretend it does

Donald Trump Questions Whether Hillary Clinton And Obama Are Actually Christians

On the other hand...

The Senators and Representatives before mentioned, and the Members of the several State Legislatures, and all executive and judicial Officers, both of the United States and of the several States, shall be bound by Oath or Affirmation, to support this Constitution; but no religious Test shall ever be required as a Qualification to any Office or public Trust under the United States.
[U.S. Constitution, Article VI.]

Note: The oath of office requires that the President "be bound by Oath or Affirmation to support this Constitution."
Mr. Trump is not the first candidate who does NOT understand this, nor the first to NOT know exactly what is IN the Constitution he may someday swear to uphold.

[p.s. I believe 'twas when he briefly trailed Dr. Carson in the polls that Mr. Trump decided to question Dr. Carson's Seventh-Day Adventist faith. ... seemed to work then, maybe he thinks it'll work again. ... He's a very STUPID man!]

The Trump Horror

A modest proposal

Mr. Donald Trump has called for a "temporary" ban on Muslim immigration to this country... and possibly surveillance of mosques.
I do not think he goes far enough.
Given that the Orlando shooter was born on Long Island to Afghan parents, it's clear that simply banning new Muslim immigrants is pointless.
We need to identify ALL Muslim immigrants to this country for the past 100 years... and their children, and their grandchildren... and DEPORT them all.
NOW!

For that matter, the deadliest pre-9/11 terror attack on the U.S. - the bombing of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City in 1995 - was carried out by Timothy McVeigh, the son of Irish-American parents.
The Irish have been thorns in our sides for generations.
Time to round 'em up and deport 'em all!

Sacco & Vanzetti: Italian anarchists.
I'm pretty sure the Ellis Island archives will have records of all the Italian immigrants - most of them anarchists or Mafia members - readily available.
We should deport 'em all.
TODAY!

... and we've been in bloody wars with GERMANY twice in the past 100 years!
... AND they sent saboteurs to our country!
Germans? - OUT! NOW!!!

Please, Mr. Trump - LISTEN TO ME!