POST #1,046: Random Observations

 

The following set of rambling observations are just the results of occasional comments made out in the Facebooksphere or notes scribbled in my notebook. Any resemblance to any persons, living or dead, is purely intentional. The photo at the top of the page was taken by my old pal, John Harragin ten years ago during the Wall Street Occupation. That was a lot of fun!

1. Where the heck is Matt Gaetz?

It appears that Matt has slithered into the shadows. One year ago the guy's hideous punim was everywhere. Today, he seems to have fallen off of the radar. He is wise to keep a low profile. When the word got out that he may be implicated in a scandal where minor girls were used in a sex trafficking scheme, it seemed very possible that his political career was about to blow up. It's a rare thing these days to see him as a talking head, waxing moronic on any conservative talking point on any given day. He is wise to keep a low profile.

2. GIULIANI UPDATE:

Andrew Giuliani is just one of many thousands of reasons why watching right-wing politicians in action is so much fun. The mystery is that he (along with his old man and Donald Trump) does not hail from Shit-For-Brains, Mississippi, he's from New York City - allegedly one of the most sophisticated cities on the planet! Why - it must be asked - does he say so many dumb things and take so many dumb positions? It is a question that I am incapable of answering. That being the case, it now appears that Andrew is preparing to run for governor of New York. The politics of our state tends to be somewhat boring in any year. That won't be the case when Andrew runs. I'm really looking forward to that campaign.

3. GOP Craziness:

It's sad and funny to see what has happened to the Republican Party in the last forty years. Sad because it was the one-time home of Abraham Lincoln, Theodore Roosevelt and Dwight D. Eisenhower. Funny because of their capability of providing political junkies such as I with infinite barrels of riotous, unintentional laughter. To watch a group of grown men and women desperately trying to cater to the most unstable and non-intelligent members of society is an amusing thing to behold. Think about this: The unfortunately-named senator from Louisiana, John Kennedy, is an Oxford-educated Rhodes Scholar! He can't be an idiot! But to hear him talk on any forum, you would think that the guy had the IQ of a rancid bag of moldy mangoes. That party has fallen about as far as it is possible to fall. Seriously.

4. Get The Vaccine:

Too many Americans are refusing to get the COVID-19 vaccination. The result of this refusal is a continued spike of deaths in (mostly) conservative states. The excuse used most often for not getting inoculated is that they don't know what's in the vaccine. A history lesson: Seventy years ago a polio epidemic was rampaging its way throughout the world. Many were killed by it and many more were paralyzed by it. One of its victims was the future president of the United States, Franklin Delano Roosevelt who was stricken one-hundred years ago in the summer of 1921 while on vacation in Maine. Then, nearly seventy years ago in July of 1952, a young Virologist named Jonah Salk discovered a vaccine that wiped the disease off the face of the earth. Americans were a lot smarter in 1952 than they are today. They had no idea what was in Dr. Salk's vaccine. They only knew that it worked. When was the last time you heard of someone being laid low by polio? Get the vaccine.

Tom Degan​

Goshen, NY

SUGGESTED VIEWING:

Here's a link to view my beloved and talented niece, Julia Degan, singing her heart out on Instagram:

ju 🐟 on Instagram: “I love this song so much!!! Billie's new album >>>> • • • • • @billieeilish @finneas #billieeilish #music #song #billiebossanova #producer”

Isn't she something? Her hair of floating sky is shimmering.

SUGGESTED READING:

For nearly forty years, Ken Burns has been producing documentaries on iconic people and eras in American history for the Public Broadcasting System. This week he has a five-part series on The Greatest.

Here is the eulogy I wrote for Muhammad Ali when he passed away five years ago:

"The Rant" by Tom Degan: Muhammad Ali 1942-2016

There will never be another like him. Stop waiting.