Standing in the lonely light of a silver moon with the unexpected destination of my home.

  It never fails. I spend yesterday bragging about easily the nonsense is moving from my brain to the screen and, blap, it squeezes itself off. Typical. I guess part of the problem arises from the simple fact that the shit continuing to go down in Washington is filling my head.

 Which shouldn't be surprising because there is some wacky shit going down there, man. The House is meeting to see about impeaching Trump again, this time for inciting the wilding that went on last Wednesday. So, because the goddamn Capitol chambers were breached by a passel of rabid dingbats and I have no doubt they'd of pulled some horrid shit had they been able to chase down a Congress critter, they put up metal detectors.

 Of course, Republicans squawked. Around 10 or so set off the detectors and refused to have the wand used on them, some jerk just walked around it, and that goofball from Colorado Lauren Boebert just kicked up a massive fuss, claiming she had a permit when she didn't. Were it me, I'd just assume that not only were they all armed but that they're connected in some form or fashion to the folks who pulled that siege Wednesday. Indeed, Mo Brooks and Paul Gosar have direct involvement, apparently, and someone led a group of them through congress on a reconnoiter.

 And it accomplished nothing and will continue to accomplish nothing. Nothing concrete, anyway, I would not be surprised if more blood got spilled before this time next Wednesday. Mostly because it's blatantly obvious these goons don't have a single clue. They keep nailing folks for obviously illegal actions last Wednesday and almost to a man they've said "they didn't mean it because they didn't know" what they were doing was bad.

 How dumb do you have to be to think that will fly and how dumb do you think everyone else is? It's privilege and arrogance, and I don't mean White Privilege (though I'm sure that factors in). Americans seem to truly believe that if they don't think, they can't be held responsible for their actions. We believe that life has a Narrative like the tv shows and movies we watch and that we're the heroes of that Narrative, so everything should turn out okay whatever we do just like it does in the movies. And if we're ignorant about the actual laws and rules of the games we're playing, well, hell that never stopped Bruce Willis in Die Hard or Stallone in Cobra or what have you.

 So it's less something that's happening now because of recent events, but it's something deep and rotten in our culture and national psyche. I don't know if it's a particularly American thing, I just look at it filtered through the American lens that's because this is all I know. I mean, I've been to Canada and Amsterdam and Venice, and they're nice, but those experiences do not measure up to the rest of the 45 years on the planet.

 This means something is Wrong, but we knew that. We're a country founded on slave-owning patricians, breaking every treaty we had with the Native Tribes while we tried to exterminate them like coyotes, a place that didn't give women the vote until 1918 and even then it wasn't all women. And on and on, it's just now here lately we've been putting the effort into living up to the ideals we've always claimed we've had. And that's not even getting into foreign policy because, whoo boy, y'all think that's a new thing? Look up the Monroe Doctrine, neighbors, we've been dicks about that for quite a while.

 You know, in a horrible, twisted way the week's events and the possible nightmares to come are a perfect cap to the 2020 Election and maybe the four years of the Trump Era. Hell, it might be a perfect closer for the first 20 years of the Post-American Century, when Truth burns like alcohol on an open wound. The past year especially has exposed the cracks in the foundations of this country.

 The idea that Capitalism, at least how it's approached, is not only insufficient but it's actively harmful to a large segment of the population. Religion is empty, fame is a drug more dangerous than anything you could smoke, and the government is run by buffoons because that's the way we like it, buddy. You disagree, be prepared to catch bullets because our right to shoot you outweighs your right to not get shot. It's in the Constitution.

 I've been quiet on Twitter and doing my best to avoid the news beyond writing The News, and I wish I could make myself take a break from all of it. I know I can't, though, not completely. This isn't a noble thing nor is it an addiction, it just is. Talking with the Psyche Doc yesterday, we both noted how staying stoned all the time was an attempt to block out the entire world, being fine with blocking out the good if the bad was as well. There's something to that and more than one of my fellow riders was of the opinion I indulged in too much of the good smoke.

 Maybe, but damn, it'd be nice to have some now just to take the edge off. Okay for that.

Waiting on the tables, waiting for the tables to turn.

  It's Tuesday, the Earth rolls on, and I'm listening to Cajun music by Bonsoir Catin. It features the youngest daughter of Cajun fiddler legend Dewey Balfa, Christine. It's more traditional than anything else and it's pretty good if you like that sort of thing, which I do. I would like to find someone I haven't heard that does Cajun music less traditional style, a la some of Jo-El Sonnier's records. The Lost Bayou Ramblers are pretty good but they're getting a little too artsy for my tastes.

 And so much for all that. In case you missed it, electors from all 50 states and the District of Columbia cast their votes yesterday. Despite talk of some "faithless elector" shenanigans swinging in to save Trump, it went the way the election did. Joe Biden won 306 to 232, an ass kicking by any other consideration.

 Of course, the silly bastard's still crying about fraud and his Faithful are misunderstanding the Twelfth Amendment to the point where now they're hitching their wagon to "alternative electors" putting Trump in for another term. In a word, no. In three words, ain't gonna happen.

 I know I keep saying I'll quit writing about this, but it keeps getting wilder and deeper. I don't know if comparisons to flat Earthers or people who think professional wrestling is real and the moon landing isn't really fully encapsulate the level of reality-denying done by the Base. And for Donald Trump, of all people. That must've been one hell of a TV show.

 It's being said Trump lost due to COVID-19, but I don't think that's so. I think the election would've been tight even without him blundering the pandemic response as bad as he did. People hated this guy, that's what his flock refuses to understand. Early voting would've still happened and I give it even odds Joe Biden would've beaten him either way.

 However, his response to COVID-19 could've won him the election. Had he handled it properly, not just encouraging people to wear masks and social distance or working with Congress to provide some sort of meaningful stimulus packages along with renter's guarantees. That would've been fine, but what's really screwed us all over is how vehemently he argued it wasn't that big a deal or that all the worrying was just another attempt by the Democrats, Deep State, and the rest of the world to make him look bad.

 Seriously, had he taken it seriously and worked as he did, he would've won handily. But if Trump could be something other than a small-minded, petty boob, he wouldn't be where he is today. That's why his flock loves him so. They see in him an excuse to be mean, petty, stupid, and cruel because it means their dicks aren't as small as they fear.

 And so much for all of that. I don't know what else there is to talk about. I stayed up way, way too late last night playing XCOM 2 so I've been dragging all day. I'm thinking I might call it an early night tonight, get some reading in, and shut it down early. Yeah, that sounds good.

Now I can see I've been away too long.

 Man, Charley Pride died today. He was 86 and died from complications for COVID-19. So that's another one lost to a virus that conservatives are still calling a "hoax" or a "plan." Rotten bastards. Eighty-six is a respectable age, particularly for a country singer, and Charley was one of the best. I would've loved to hear a no-holds-bar interview or read a book about his experiences in country music and Nashville. Being one of the first Black superstars - and the only Black singer of any significance since DeFord Bailey since the '30s - is something else.

 For me, one of country music's biggest shames, maybe the biggest, is the racism inherent in it. The fans would eventually give in like they did with Charley, but they're never cool about it. The business end almost refuses to believe that a black person could even like country music, much less want to sing it. I hope this comes out properly, but I've exposed a lot of black people of all ages to country music and never once have they come away without digging at least one song.

 I didn't care for the tune so much but I'm glad Lil Nas X had such a hit with "Old Town Road." No doubt due to his initial popularity with Hootie & The Blowfish, Darius Rucker's consider a country music mainstay. That's good. It's different now and there are a lot more folks sneaking around the bottom of the mainstream and Americana charts, but I can't think of any. That's on me, though, but that's how it should be. Thanks, Charley. You were the greatest.

 Well. Moving on, let's lay down some links to this week's News. It was a pretty good week overall, but there was a lot of good news going down. Monday we touched on the thuggery Florida governor Ron DeSanti launched against whistleblower Rebekah Jones. Again, for all the hooting and hollering conservatives do about "tyrannical government" and "free speech," they're pretty damn silent on this issue.

 Wednesday we looked at that goofy as affidavit slimeball Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton launched to get the U.S. Supreme Court to overturn voting results in four states that weren't Texas. Over two-thirds of House Republicans signed on and 18 attorney generals from Trump-supporting states signed on, even though it was poorly argued and completely nonsensical. Naturally, as we saw Friday, the Court slapped it down, pretty much killing any chance Trump had of peacefully staying in power.

 And that should be that. Of course, the yay-hoos - made up of Alex Jones, the Proud Boys, and other groups of dingbats who're pissed off at reality - are having a "stop the steal" march in Washington, D.C. For the most part, they're being roundly and rightly mocked, but there is an air of unease. Jones, for example, is calling for President-Elect Joe Biden to be removed "one way or another." He's a clown but a lot of deluded assholes take him more seriously than anyone should.

 Still, we live in a world where someone shooting someone else because that person's cell phone went off in a theater is seen as perfectly logical. We live in a culture where people still think a kid who shot up a black church after praying with them is seen as understandable. We live in a culture where folks think a teenager going to another town to "protect" someone else's business and his wind up shooting three people is considered admirable.

 Don't get it twisted, The MAGA faithful are willing to do just about anything for Trump and all the results of the last month haven't made a dent. If someone disagrees with him or doesn't do automatically becomes part of the "Deep State" and in on the worldwide conspiracy to be mean to Trump. Even the three Supreme Court justices that he appointed are the Enemy.

 Will they be violent? I wouldn't be surprised. Highland Park, Kyle Rittenhouse, the Proud Boys, the El Paso shooting, and the pipe-bomb guy show they have plenty of folks who don't have a problem with spilling a little blood in the name of their New Messiah. I'm not saying they will, I'm just saying watch yourself, friends and neighbors.

 They consider you the Enemy. They see themselves as Warriors of God. They see Trump - Donald Trump, of all people - as worth killing you over. Don't trust in them just flapping their gums and swinging their dicks. Some of them are serious and the rest will be fine with it. Believe that.

You may change you're mind 'cause the weeds are high where corn don't grow.

 Before we get too deep into it, I want to PR something from the WordPress site. If you haven't heard, data scientist Rebekah Jones had her home invaded by agents of Florida's law officials, had her family held at gunpoint, and saw her phone, computer, and data confiscated. Jones won praise for setting up the Sunshine State's COVID-19 database earlier in the year but was fired in May because she wouldn't juke the stats, and this was revenge by Gov. Ron DeSantis.

 Since her firing, she's been maintaining a couple of websites documenting and analyzing the information about the pandemic across the nation and specifically for public schools. The state of Florida claims she hacked their database based on an email sent that told them to "do their jobs before another 17,000 people die." Jones maintains she doesn't even know how to do that.

 This is important stuff, y'all. From what all I can tell, the law dogs executed the warrant properly, though one wonders why they thought a data scientist was that dangerous. But, hey, cops are the craziest peoples. Regardless, if you're the type to rage about censorship and government oversight, here you go. This is the real deal. Getting banned by Twitter or a governor saying you should wear a mask and maybe skip church decidedly ain't.

 Speaking of bullshit people worry about rather than something actually important, the U.S. Supreme Court rejected an attempt by the GOP to overturn the Pennsylvania election results. This was spearheaded by Rep. Mike Kelly of the Keystone state but the Court basically said it ain't happening. They didn't say why, they just refused to hear the case which had already been rejected by the Pennsylvania Supreme Court.

 Some said it was ill-conceived and many pointed out that Kelly waiting until literally the last minute to file with the U.S. Supreme Court did him no favors. So that joins the plethora of legal attempts by people loyal to Trump to deny the reality of the situation but has failed miserably. The current hotness comes from Texas Attorney General and overall embarrassment Ken Paxton. He's filed a suit saying Wisconsin, Georgia, Pennsylvania, & Michigan all changed their election process illegally and that hurts Texas. Somehow. Throwing more fuel to the whole "Trump was robbed" fire even though everyone involved says there is absolutely no evidence whatsoever of fraud, the general consensus is the rotten scumbag is full of shit as a Christmas goose.

 Of course, none of the officials' claims, court failures, or indeed lack of solid evidence outside their drunken uncle's Facebook page is making a dent in the Faithful. Even sentient spoiled lump of SPAM Ted Cruz is getting kudos for being so brave as to offer his skills as a lawyer to argue the case that won't go before the Supreme Court. And, yes, the Trumpists are already claiming the majority conservative Supreme Court, which has three justices appointed by Trump, is corrupted and in on the Big Steal.

 And that's where the world is today. I should've saved all this for tomorrow's News, but what the hell, eh? Like my therapist said today, between the Jones business, the ongoing meltdown of Conservative America learning they are, in fact, the baddies, and the implications of the House of Representatives passing the MORE Act, I've got plenty to write about for quite a while one way or another.

 I think that's good. As a programming note, I've got some Actual Paying Work to get done Thursday. So unless a wild hair gets me, the Gibberish will be shorter than normal. For all that means, anyway. In the meantime, XCOM beckons.

Faded love, faded memories, how they linger in my mind.

  It's Saturday and the Alabama-LSU game is in high gear. Right now it's the end of the first quarter and the Crimson Tide is stomping the Tigers from Baton Rouge 21-0. Of course, there are three whole quarters to go. My alma matta Florida took out the loathed Volunteers of Tennessee 31-19. If all goes well, this could set up an Alabama-Florida battle for the SEC title. That would, of course, be a game that would have no losers and no winners, but it'd be a good game nonetheless.

 Okay, then. Enough sports. That's not why you come here. I don't know why you come here, but here we are. I've been getting a good number of hits lately, both here and over at The News, more so than the average one would see from webcrawlers and bots. So that's nice, much obliged. And that's as good as anything for a segue.

 I did a deep dive Friday on the MORE Act, which was passed early yesterday afternoon. The full story is at the link, but in a nutshell, it would remove marijuana from the list of Schedule One drugs and be the first step towards decriminalization and perhaps legalization. If we're lucky, it'll also be the first step towards expunging the records of non-violent drug offenders and operations to communities that have suffered the worst from the ill-conceived Drug War of the last half-century. It's good stuff, read it.

 Monday and Wednesday were fairly coming. More stuff on Trump's ongoing temper tantrum at the curb-stomping he got from the election and the delusions of the cult followers that are accomplishing nothing more than lining his pockets, the poor saps. There's some stuff on just how screwed we are from going into Winter with COVID-19 barely slowed down because we as a culture are too damn selfish and stupid. And finally a little bit on Neena Tearden, cabinet nominations in general, and why most of the garment rendering from the soi-disant left is ill-conceived and just another excuse for them to not actually have to do anything substantial. Also good stuff.

 Oh my. Just a few minutes into the second quarter and LSU has snagged two touchdowns, bringing the score up to 28-14. 'Bama better watch out, as it doesn't pay well to underestimate the Tigers here lately. It'd be a helluva thing if 3-4 LSU handed the Tide their first conference loss in this of all games. And though I spent nearly a decade in New Orleans, I feel no loyalty to LSU like I feel nothing for Georgia. Football is an emotional thing, don't let anyone tell you otherwise.

 Okay, so what else? I don't know. I think I'm shaking off the blues I've had all week though I'm still doing more sleeping than is probably healthy. Regardless - or perhaps due to - that disconnect from the rest of the world continues. I couldn't tell you why even if I cared, but I don't so that doesn't really help, does it? Blogger, journalist, and all-around gadfly Glenn Greenwald's getting a lot of flack on Twitter lately, there's something.

 It is understandable, really, as he's gone further and further from the modicum of gravitas he built up from his blogging days and solid investigative journalism work by being Tucker Carlson's most recent "even" leftist and being complicit in the burning of Reality Winner. For what it's worth, I'm rather neutral on him. I read his blog a good bit during the Iraq War after he decided it was "bad," but lost all use for him when he started caping for Ron Paul. I don't give a damn what he says, his actions prove the lie to every line of bullshit the Distinguished Asshole from Texas ever laid out.

 Greenwald approaches journalism like the lawyer he is. He assumes the worst and then looks for evidence to back him up. That in and of itself isn't necessarily bad, but it seems he has a problem letting go when his initial assumptions prove misguided or flat-out wrong. His continued parroting of right-wing talking points about the Mueller Report proves that. In any event, he's a fine example of one of my axiomatic positions on journalists of all stripes: the facts and the story matters, the person who wrote it doesn't.

 Finally, in never-ending election news, Trump held one of his rallies down in Valdosta, GA, ostensively to support the sleazy Kelly Loeffler and the criminal David Perdue. However, to the surprise of absolutely no one, he's made it all about himself and how everyone is mean to him and how all his followers are victims and whah whah whah. There was even a "Fight For Trump" chant that drowned out the two Senators during their speech, which makes the idea that Georgia Republicans will boycott the election to "teach" the GOP a lesson, which would cause the two crooks' loss.

 Wouldn't that be just the perfect capper to the Trump Years?

I've got nothing. Just listen to more Cannonball Adderley, is all.

  I've been putting this off all day, but it's 11 p.m. Country Standard Time and I don't want to break my streak. I'm just really not in the mood. Nothing particular is wrong, really. Stress, I guess, but it's not stress affecting me directly. I am stressed out about the fact Trump isn't conceding and more stressed about his cult being less inclined to accept reality. I really don't think he's doing anything but fundraising, but the Base is taking on a more fanatical air.

 I guess it's second-hand stress. My brother's stressed mainly because his wife is stressed. A cousin's stressed. A cousin of Momma's who's always been a favorite is terribly stressed. There's nothing I can do about any of it, and that always drives me up the wall. A friend passed away earlier in the week and I find myself dealing with that weird feeling of not-quite-guilt I sometimes feel about my monk-like lifestyle. Just a weird week.

 Anyhow, that's a good enough segue into links for this week's News. A good week, if everything was a bit short. I just made wordcount Monday and Friday, but Wednesday had a little more meat to it. To be fair, there really wasn't much news this week beyond Trump's ongoing nonsense and his worshiper's increased fervor. Sure, there was an assassination of an Iranian scientist that's worrisome, COVID-19 continues to gallop out of control, and general shit-assery Trump's trying to pull on his way out, but that's still all connected to this total goofiness. It's been a tedious week, man.

 I don't know what else, really. Been sleeping a lot because I'm tired of the world and I don't have access to good weed. I don't see much reason to stay awake. I'm still working on Brain Greene's A Hidden Reality and enjoying it, and I've been playing a good bit of Phantom Reality and Pillars of Eternity II over the week. But I have nothing new to say about any of that.

 I've been watching a number of absolute stinkers on Tubi.com. I'll pick one and just let the algorithm pick whatever comes next. None of them actually stand out for any reason. They're just bad, bad, bad. I really don't care to watch "bad movies" to laugh at them, a la MST3K. It's fun enough with someone else but not really by yourself. I can't even remember any of the titles apart from Evil Bong, and that's just because they nailed some stoner stereotypes. They were very broad stereotypes to be sure, but they were funny enough in a "fart joke" level of humor.

 I've got 10 minutes and a little over 440 words. I don't know if I'm going to make it, but I'm not too bummed about it one way or another. I did take out 10 minutes to fill out a job application for a resume writer. Probably what I'll do is post this and come back to do the minimum amount of editing I do. But, hey, that's 500 so I believe I'll shut it down. Maybe if something comes to me I'll come back, but I think this is the way things are going to be for a couple of days.

 It is what it is, I guess.

Hold my own on the dark side of this town.

 It's the 21st day of the... you know what? I'm not doing that joke. It's done. It's over. Trump lost. Joe Biden's the 46th President of the United States of America. It's a done deal, all that's left is the details.

 Emily Murphy of the GSA finally signed off and Trump threw her under the bus. Pennsylvania and Michigan are officially in Biden's pocket, which puts him over the 270 electoral vote line and, more importantly, eliminates any other path Trump might have. Even if somehow Georgia flips back red, which is looking doubtful, he's still the loser in this race. Deal with it.

 Indeed. Matter of fact, David Perdue and Kelly Loeffler, when they're not getting caught with more insider trading, are saying a planned recount might do them more damage than good. Ain't that a helluva note? Trump's shenanigans could actually cost the GOP power when the 2021 session rolls around.

 It's amazing to watch all this. One understands why the Trump people are having such a hard time dealing. For one, Trump "never loses," and up until now, he was in a position to make that as much a reality as it needed to be. When you spend your whole life making sure everyone around is dependent on how well you think they kiss your ass, it skewers your priorities. That's why he does the Twitter tantrum at least once a week. Being president is the first time anyone has told him "no, asshole" and he had to pay attention.

 The other reason is the Trump Administration put so much effort into rigging the game in their favor - even considering the edge the Electoral College gives conservatives - and they can't believe they lost, much less got blown out of the water. From Louis DeJoy's bullshit with the Post Office to shuttering polling stations in predominately minority precincts, making it as hard to vote as possible, Trump spent more energy trying to cheat than he did try to convince folks to vote for him. And he still lost by almost six million votes and what he called in 2016 an electoral landslide.

 And I understand why Congressional Republicans are still fighting fate. They threw their hat in with him and no the Base would skin them alive if they dropped him. A lot of people like bringing up tweets from 2016 by Lindsay Graham or Jenna Ellis trashing Trump, but most Republicans are craven jackanapes who would deep-fry their own grandmas for a few more votes.

 You'll notice how quickly they joined the MAGA faithful once it became apparent he would be the 45th president. You'll see how Trumpism has become de rigueur for the Republican Party, that being a mean, petty son of a bitch is how you win. That weird Nazi fanboy in North Carolina or that unhinged Q lady from Georgia. That's the New Normal for the Grand Ol' Party, folks. When you ride with pigs, don't complain when your shoes get covered in shit.

 Which brings us around to the Point. That is, the heart and soul of the GOP, the Base. Talk all you want about party bosses and backroom dealers, a political party lives and dies by its voters, and nowhere is that more obvious than in the Republican Party. From the Moral Majority to the Freedom & Liberty Warhawks to the Tea Party right down to the MAGA Faithful, the Republican voter has the party leadership by the short and curlies, at least on a national level.

 And y'all, them folks are full-gone looney. I'm not talking mentally ill or even "crazy." That sort of ableist bullshit doesn't fly here. Nor do I think they're "brainwashed" by conservative media. That's one of those words when used by the average slob pretty much tells you that the conversation can be ended there and nothing of value will be lost. That takes away agency, makes them innocent victims in some dark, twisted scheme by shadowy figures.

 No, sir. The world does not work that way. We need to face the fact that's been screaming in our face for the last four years, at least. They choose to think this way. They choose to believe it's impossible Joe Biden got more votes than their new Savior. It must be some chicanery or foul plot to steal away the People's Voice, and anyone who disagrees with them, well... they must be in on it. Even if they're Republican politicians or conservative judges appointed by Republicans, they're all a part of the Deep State.

 These people believe this like some people believe Jesus died for their sins or that the Saints will make it to the Super Bowl this year. And there's nothing wrong with belief. It's a fine thing that gives many people comfort in a cold, cruel, uncaring universe when they don't have the consolation of philosophy. I'm not a man of faith - any kind of faith - but I can't throw stones at people who need it.

 That being said, if you have faith in goofy shit or faith in logical impossibilities or faith in things that are only possible in poorly written spy novels, well sir, I have the right to stay as far from your wacky ass as I feel necessary. I'm serious, go to Twitter, and read what these people are saying.

 They cannot believe Trump lost. They can't believe that many people voted, much less voted against him. They fully believe, however, that he and his crew of thick-skulled, thin-witted dingbats that call themselves lawyers have some super-secret, sure-fire plan they're going to whip on us any day now. Seriously, I've seen people say they're going to name their kid after that Powell woman after she got kicked to the curb.

 But they're not crazy, no. They're not mentally ill, no. They're definitely not brainwashed, put that right out of your mind. Like flat-earthers, anti-vaxxers, moon-landing hoaxers, and aliens-built-the-pyramid goobs, this is what they really, truly think. That is what we need to take seriously. The why? Well, that really doesn't matter, does it? They say they're never going to accept Trump lost or that Joe Biden won or - and this is what really hurts - most of the country doesn't want their worldview deciding things. Does that matter?

 No, it really doesn't. If "reasonable conservatives" want to work on the why, they're free to waste their time. The rest of us got shit to do and there's no reason to spend any energy trying to convince someone the Earth isn't flat and there's no conspiracy making people think so.

 Bank on it, bubba.

I've got nothing here.

  We're on the 18th day of the 2020 Presidential Election and I am tired. Tired of that nonsense, tired of all the pain in the world, tired of the world in general, just basically flat-out tired. I had one of those days where after letting Otis out for his morning ablutions and then both of us called it a day. We really didn't stir until about 3 p.m. and to be quite honest, I may go right back to bed once I hit word count. First, though, the News.

 I'm going to start with Friday. One of the reasons I'm disinclined to deal with the world is I heard yesterday that one of my oldest friends, someone I've known for almost as long as I've been alive, passed away earlier this week due to congestive heart failure. I wrote what I thought and felt about it there and I'm really not inclined to rehash any of it. All I will say, friends and neighbors, tell the people who are important to you they are every chance they get.

 The rest of the week was fairly normal, concentrating on the never-ending stomping of Trump's attempts to use the courts to overturn the election. Over and over again, whether it's Monday's revelation of Lindsay Graham's attempt to influence the Georgia election or Wednesday's revelation that the people trying to get ground in Michigan got it confused with Minnesota, it's been fairly laughable.

 It keeps going, too. The attempt to stir up stuff in Pennsylvania has been dismissed with prejudice, which means in legal turns don't bring this shit up anymore. He's still trying shit in Michigan but he dodged the G-20 teleconference on COVID-19 vaccine preparation to golf and bitch about getting beat. And while this is going on, El Paso has the National Guard coming in to help because their morgues are too full of people who died from the virus.

 But I'm not in the mood to talk about that no more than I'm in the mood to talk about the election. My friend's passing depresses me, sure, but it also reminds me that I haven't made a single attempt to reach out to anyone I knew before I left home for college over 25 years ago. I still don't want to, for whatever that's worth, but I sometimes wonder if I should. I don't really know if I have anything to say to them since our lives have been so different. Most of them got married (a couple of times) and had kids, plus the normal dopey shit adults deal with. I've spent the last 25 years either being suicidally depressed or having a good time blowing my mind however possible.

 It's as likely as not I'm just feeling guilty and sad for my friend's family. He's got a Momma and a brother. They're good people, too. I don't know if he ever married. Anyhow.

 I don't have really anything else, I guess. I dipped back into Pillars of Eternity 2, spending some time on the DLC's. I'm almost to the end of the game. There are three DLC's and three choices to follow at the end, so I think that's what I'll do to finish it.

 And that's word count, buddy. Let's hope we get some good news, in re the election. We could all use a break.

I was made to play the part.

 We're on the sixteenth (16) day of the 2020 Presidential Election. Though he has yet to accept the reality of the situation, Trump's chances are drifting further away and Joe Biden's victory becomes more solid. They recently finished up a count in Georgia, confirming his victory. After the election commission declined to challenge the Michigan vote based on a pair of GOP members' blatantly racist attempts to toss out votes from the predominately African American Detroit while ignoring more suspicious if predominately White communities, those same weasels said they wanted a do-over. It was past due, so nothing can come of it, but an interesting wrinkle is Trump himself took an active role in getting them to monkey with the count.

 And depending on how it's approached, that might be illegal. Much like how Senator Lindsey Graham's attempts to influence Georgia's count in his master's favor might be illegal, at that level it all depends on how bad they fumbled it and just who they've pissed off along the way. In any event, the Trump gang have withdrawn their lawsuit, saying it's served its purpose of, and I quote, "to stop the election in Wayne County from being prematurely certified before residents can be assured that every legal vote has been counted and every illegal vote has not been counted." In other words, they wanted to slow down the inevitable since the game was over Tuesday night, and that's supposed to be a victory. Otherwise, they're like 2-27 when it comes to lawsuits trying to change what can't be changed.

 So much for all of that. As I've noted a number of times, I am sick to death of writing about the election, just as I'm sick to death of writing about whatever soft-headed bullshit Trump and his goons pull next. Either as president or trying to be president again, I am tired of that fool's very existence. Don't get it twisted, I wish him no special or particular harm. I just long for the day when I don't have to worry about the bastard anymore. He's a cheap punk and we're not only a poorer nation for his presidency and the viler aspects of the American Psyche it encouraged, we're a poorer culture just because a half-wit greedhead like that can become president.

 Donald Trump is an example of the American Dream being a dead and lifeless thing. He didn't kill it, but if there was actually anything to it, he would've never become a celebrity much less President and Most Powerful Man in the World. That's just all there is to it.

 Okay, then, let's move on. I have some Actual Paying Work to do tonight. It's a different beast than the usual post for a law firm to snag Google hits. Not much different, mind you, and it's more a question of for whom it's written rather than the subject matter. Either way, it's not interesting to get too deep into. Which as much as anything brings me to my next stroke.

 I often wonder just how much I should share here. Politics, naturally, and pop culture recommendations/considerations, of course. However, I find myself reticent to get too deep into my own brain here. If we met in public and became friends, you'd shortly know just about everything I tell anyone, from my closest friend to my therapist. I'm that sort of cat, I wear myself completely on my sleeve, and what I wouldn't tell you I don't tell anyone.

 My past because, quite frankly, I don't find it all that interesting. I had a good time as much as possible and when I wasn't was when things got ugly. I don't really like talking about friends and family, past or present. I have nothing but love for everyone who rides the highways with me and I've forgiven everyone I thought wronged me, whether they did or it was just my take on things.

 I really don't care to talk about my romantic history because, not to put too fine a point on it, I really can't figure it out. It's the same stroke; when I had fun it was great, when I didn't it wasn't. I'm not good at relationships or intimacy, stayed faithful if boring. I've had way more "meaningless" sexual encounters than actual relationships and I regret none of them. I don't think many women who were part of the process regretted it much, either. No one holds it against me, at least.

 The only problem, if it is indeed a problem, is it sometimes bothers me at just how inept at it. My brother celebrated his eighth anniversary earlier this week. My cousin recently hit her twenty-fifth. Some of my closest friends have recently clocked ten years together. My parents were together 44 years before my father died.

 I don't understand any of it. My last girlfriend is a wonderful human being and was in love with me. I was not in love with her, or at least I don't think. She's still one of my Better Angels and is better off with her current fella. Most of the ones before her I haven't talked to in at least five years. No real reason, just when it's over I think it's over.

 There's no regret or wistfulness at losing their affection, either. If they never think of me, fine. Indeed, the one woman I actually burned for and wanted body and soul... well, let's just say I could've had a one-night stand if I wanted. She was right there and ready to go, believe you me. But that one time it wasn't enough to have sex and go on with life. She still drifts across my mind, but I'm so glad I'm not the man in her life now, some fifteen years later.

 At the time, passion clouded my thinking and desire destroyed reason. When it fell through because she chose someone else - someone she told me regularly treated her shitty but she "couldn't have two men in her heart" - I was miserable for six weeks or maybe three months. I couldn't understand why she didn't choose me when I told her I would give her anything I could and, at the time, I meant it. I would have given her the whole world. At the time.

 Nowadays, I'm happy she's happy with her life, and she is, just as I'm extremely happy I'm not the father of her children or even who she sees when she first wakes in the morning. Was it love? I still don't know and that bothers me. I know I've never felt like that for anyone since, even for women who wanted that from me and I couldn't give it. That question bothers me, but not because I wish things were different. I just don't like not knowing something and I guess that's something I'll never figure out.

 Well, neighbors, that's enough of that nonsense. Back to politics, country music, and video games, I say. We're having fun and, in any event, it's like that old New Orleans saying.

 It is what it is.

I can't come up with anything and I haven't figured out how to write out guitar hooks.

  We're on Day 14 of the 2020 United States Presidential Election. The needle really hasn't moved, except the Michigan GOP is actively trying to disenfranchise African American votes in Detroit, and Rudy Giuliani's attempts at arguing Trump's claims in court are, in a word, comical. Someone else compared it to a Lionel Hutz bit from The Simpsons. To me, it looks like just what it is: a not-particularly-good lawyer trying to turn bullshit into buttermilk when he hasn't worked a case in court in almost 40 years.

 Anyhow. It's been twenty minutes since I wrote the above paragraph. I just don't have much going on tonight, I guess. We'll run for word count, but I surely don't know what I'll fill this space with.

 I'm still working on the Brian Greene book. Those things are pretty meaty. Even dumbed down to a layman's level, physics and cosmology books are always heavy, even when the writing is sharp. Greene usually is, but still. It's heavy subjects that require heavy thinking, and I usually wind up reading some Hunter Thompson to calm down.

 Trump fired his cybersecurity guy Chris Krebs because the man debunked one of the Boss' many, many false claims concerning his crushing defeat in the election two weeks ago. But so much for all that. I am still sick to the teeth of writing about the goddamn election and that cheap bastard's refusal to accept reality or, for that matter, the brainless chumps that believe every hint of bullshit like it was Gospel.

 I'm going to indulge in a little loose thinking, so feel free to skip the next couple of paragraphs. A lot is been made of the fecklessness of the Democratic Party the last couple of days. And feckless they are, let's make no bones about it. There's some talk about who Biden will appoint to his cabinet and, as equally galling to some, who he will not appoint. Put it this way, he doesn't need to screw around too much with the makeup of the Senate right now.

 One thing sticking in the leftist/liberal craw is the intimation that the Biden Administration might not pursue legal action against the Trump Administration once the former gets settled in the White House. Now, I admit, I'm not keeping too close attention on this particular stroke, so I'm not sure there actually is anything they can nail him on. The New York attorney general has first dibs on his orange hide and there's nothing the White House can do about that.

 However, while we again do not dispute the basic gormlessness of the Democrats these days, one does wonder if they're not doing the best they can under the circumstances. One thing most people forget is they have to cover a lot of ground, from far-leftist loons like me to Republicans genuinely embarrassed about being lumped in with pea-brained fascists and everything in between, plus the big money men.

 Furthermore, and I know people will dispute this because it's easier than thinking, I think the Trump Years have taught us the Big-Time Media is easier on the Republican Party. How long did it take them to say the president is a liar? How many puff pieces have we seen trying to figure out why Trump supporters worship him when it can be easily explained as "Americans love authoritarian assholes?" They've not changed in five years, what's so hard about this? They abandoned George W. Bush because he refused to be quite that awful and Sarah Palin when she couldn't keep the grift going, is it so surprising they'd go for a celebrity who's pretended to be a business shark?

 It wasn't all that different during the Bush Administration, really. It plays into familiar narratives and that's always easier than thinking. We pretend affordable healthcare and guaranteed wages are some sort of socialist pipe dream while we also pretend "pro-life" actually is or that morality is only white, Christian, and financially successful regardless of how it got there. So, they're up against a lot. That's not suggesting they're above criticism or, indeed, current criticism should let up. One of the reasons the GOP is so successful despite being a black hole of politics is their message of greed and exclusion doesn't require much work.

 I don't know what else. I've been listening to a lot of Taj Mahal lately. For the longest time, I never really ventured outside his earlier records but I've come around. A lot of Cannonball Adderly, too. It's great stuff to fall asleep to, for whatever it's worth. I've been finding really low-quality horror movies on Tubi or ShoutFactoryTV diverting as well. Just awful shit, but hey, they're free. Can't beat that with a stick.

 I guess that's plenty for today. As always, if something comes to mind I'll come back around. Otherwise, catch y'all at the News tomorrow.

Tell me again, but I don't think you'll convince me.

  Well, hellfire. I laid down for a quick nap after supper and damn near slept the night way. It's almost 10:30 p.m. Hillbilly Standard Time and I haven't written anything. I don't really want to write anything, but c'est la vie. At least we can eat with links to this week's News.

 A good week as it turns out. Monday was a look into all the screwy stuff going on in the Trump Administration, noting, in particular, the firing of Secretary of Defense Mark Esper and the shenanigans of GS Emily Murphy. Because the former got more interesting by Wednesday, we explored the wholesale packing of the Pentagon with Trump localists. Friday we came back home and looked at just how badly the Trump Administration and Gov. Tate Reeves have muffed the whole COVID-19 thing for Mississippi. Five days hand-running of more than 1,000 coronavirus cases in a 24-hour period.

 The whole time, Trump's crushing defeat got more and more evident and the record-tying Hurricane Eta kicked the shit out of Central America. Today we find ourselves looking down the barrel of another hurricane, the twentieth this season. And, of course, Trump's victory in this, the eleventh day of the 2020 Presidential Election, becomes more and more a dream as President Pissybritches loses more and more court cases trying to deny reality. He's something 1-20 now, and that one covered less than a thousand votes.

 Today finds the Proud Boys marching on Washington, D.C., in support of the giant whiner they've decided is the New Messiah. There have apparently been a couple of crashes between those dopes and Antifa and/or BLM counterprotesters, but far as I can tell, nothing serious. The D.C. fuzz got involved to protect the MAGAts before things got too serious and the president's egging them on to engage in more violence, because of course.

 That sort of sums up my feelings towards the Proud Boys, for what it's worth. I know I should take them more seriously as a bunch of xenophobic racist, sexist homophobes, but despite being a cis straight white guy, and thus not someone they'd challenge. But they're ridiculous goofballs without the System protecting them. Sure, they're a danger because they tend to be heavily armed and they're the biggest argument for severe gun control, but without the backing of the cops, they'd fold like a cheap suit.

 There's a video of a tussle between the groups going around on Twitter that's been selectively edited so as to stir up the Base and the President is encouraging it. Indeed, he's encouraging actual police violence on people who disagree with him politically. And I've now officially written more about the Proud Boys than I have ever wanted to. They are bad people and wouldn't be shit if they didn't have the cops to protect them.

 Y'all, politically charged scuffles are nothing new and they're not going away, particularly when conservatives' idea of "building bridges" is total capitulation. I've said it before, but this country does not have a problem with thuggish authoritarianism. Indeed, we sort of dig having a group of people to kick the shit out of when they point out the Powers That Be aren't playing by the rules they set out.

 It's kind of why I don't put much truck in this whole "Trump's encouraging creeping fascism" because this country has always been just this side of totalitarianism for anyone who doesn't fit in. The idea, of course, is personal freedom, but the truth is the cops will kick the living shit out of you if the government wants your land. Just for one example. Maybe it's getting worse or maybe middle-class white folks are becoming hipper and/or catching some of the shit rain on themselves.

 Okay, so I've gone around a bit. It's 11:30 p.m. and I have word count. I guess I should go ahead and post this, but I really don't want to end on such a sour, downer note. I'm still not seeing much support for Trump outside his cult. They're furious at Fox News. Normal people are sick of the shit from both Trump and Fox. So that's there then.

My sins have overtaken me.

  We are in week two of the 2020 Presidential Election. It seems most of the votes have been counted and verified, and Joe Biden leads 290 to Trump's 214. He's also up by four to five million in the popular vote. Trump, most of the GOP, and the Base, however, insist that every weird conspiracy theory and silly misunderstanding of how presidential elections work is so real and Trump totally won, you guys.

 But this was to be expected, really, or should have been. If anyone thought they wouldn't do just this regardless of how the vote turned out has not been paying attention to anything. Trump could've lost the entire country apart from the Deep South, Montana and Idaho with a popular vote lead of a solid million and they'd still cry about voter fraud.

 This is an aspect of the GOP that Trump brought into sharp relief, the idea that whoever whines the loudest is the most right. To date, the only evidence of any sort of chicanery was the revelation that the Erie, PA, mail service worker that told cheap punk James O'Keefe's laughably named "Project Veritas" that his claims of vote tamperings were lies. He admitted that his signed affidavit was nothing but bullshit once federal investigators interviewed him.

 And that's where I stand on all of this, from Hunter Biden's laptop to any claims of voter chicanery. If it's coming from Republicans, it's all bullshit. It's up to them to prove to me otherwise. That's pretty much where I stood beforehand, but this is a fine example of why. Sort of like when I consider white people being racist, they're actually being racist and I'll apologize if I'm wrong. I rarely am, though. I've been taking notes for a long time.

 So much for all of that. I have no doubt Trump will never concede, and I for one hope he doesn't. I want to see him pulled out of the White House, screaming and crying, like William Macy at the end of Fargo. I am rarely this vociferous, much less this vindictive, about politicians, much less presidents. I'll make an exception here, though. Just like I would love to have seen that shoe connect with George W. Bush's head, I will get a massive chubby if Trump is reduced to a blubbering, squealing, snot-nosed mess by people who no longer have to say "yes, sir" to him. Again, though, the Base will see him as the Alpha Male, but what the hell. They're beyond redemption and should be treated as such.

 Now, moving on. I'm almost finished with the fourth book of the "Reality Bleed" series. I made a mistake when I mentioned these books earlier, neglecting co-author Justin M. Woodward along with J.Z. Foster. My mistake. Anyhow, I'm still enjoying it and still interested in seeing where it goes. It moves at a fast clip, though most of the books are less than 200 words. I don't have a problem with this. The plot stays lean and uncluttered without all the unnecessary fluffery that slows down most serial books. There's been a couple of auxiliary short stories to expand the world. It works.

 Unfortunately, I made a mistake and didn't check to see if the other issue with book serials, and that is the revelation that it isn't finished. Dammit. It's just halfway done. The fifth book comes at the end of the month and the series is planned until next August. That's a bone of contention for me. I want to finish the goddamn story once I start. This dates back to Timothy Zahn's first Star Wars books, the Thrawn Trilogy. I knocked out the first two in less than a week and then had to wait almost a year before the third and final book hit paperback. No offence, Mr. Zahn, but there's no reason a Star Wars serial should be a twenty-dollar hardback book.

  Anyhow. That's enough for now. I mentioned in this weekend's News that there might be changes since Trump won't be around to kick around in two months' time. Or it may not, since the GOP doesn't seem to show any signs of not being complete dirt.

I love being a free man.

 Google Chrome is acting screwy again. It's not wanting to load anything but the home page. Nothing times out, it just doesn't load. Microsoft Edge works as does iTunes so it's not a connectivity issue. Matter of fact, this just happens with my tower. My laptop's Chrome is running fine. It did this the other day and only kicked back into gear after putting to sleep and waking up the computer. Weird. I need to get this thing looked at.

 Anyhow. Pennsylvania got through counting all their votes and the state goes to Joe Biden, which means he is the 46th President of the United States of America. Or is projected to be so, anyway. Like we discussed yesterday, there's something called "faithless electors" to contend with but I doubt they'll matter much. Regardless, it doesn't become official until the electors cast their votes and that doesn't go down until December 15.

 Of course, Trump is still pitching his fits and promising to fight it out on the hill that he was robbed all summer. However, the general consensus apart from the hardcore faithful is "sit down and shut up, you had your shot and muffed it." There's a lot of celebrations going on across the country and a lot of Very Serious People admonishing liberals and leftists. Reach out and try to build bridges, they say. Listen to the Trumpers who's been saying "fuck your feelings, America hater" for the last four years and try to understand where they're coming from. Sure.

 Before we get too much further, let's put out this week's News links. Of course, a lot about Tuesday's election this week. Monday was the lead-in and Wednesday was the fallout. Friday was a look at how interesting and unique this year's race was rolling out. From a purely observer's standpoint, as someone who just gets off on how the Game is played, it was entertaining as hell. As someone who has to live in this country and deal with its fellow citizens, it was nerve wracking as a son of a bitch.

 And to paraphrase a Twitter acquaintance, I'm not going to feel completely at ease until Biden is sworn in and Trump is running from the Southern District of the State Court of New York. Now Chrome is working. Weird. Momma just got back with supper from Peppertown Restaurant and I've completely lost my train of thought on this. To sum up, I reckon, unless something weird happens, Joe Biden is our next President and Trump will spend the next two months being as big a pain in the ass as he can be, partly to stay out of jail, partly out of an attempt to scuttle the Democrats, and partly because he's a dick.

 Moving on, I started and finished a rather neat science fiction book by one J.Z. Foster titled Hell On Mars. In a nutshell, the near-future of an alternate universe where the Cold War took a different turn and hasn't ended sees mankind is exploring the solar system among heating international tensions. On Mars, a former Nazi rocket scientist inadvertently opens a door to another dimension and Lovecraftian nasties come through as they are wont to do. A maintenance crew is sent to figure out why the Martian space station is gone black and shit goes south, as one would expect.

 As I've often stated, I'm a sucker for a good Lovecraftian horror set up especially if ol' Henry Phillip has nothing to do with it. It's not a revelation that his prose is almost unreadable purple, his racism, sexism and xenophobia leeks into his stories far too easily. One gets tired of reading how a bourgeoisie white dude from the early 20th century is scared of white people having sex with black people.

 Mixing Lovecraft and space travel seems like a perfect fit. So much of space is unknown and even if there are no gibbering extra-dimensional horrors from the dawn of time, we're still an insignificant part of a much, much greater whole. Movies like Event Horizon are great but not too give too much away, it's still too centred around human conceptions of reality, especially Western conceptions. One of the great strengths of Lovecraft's universe is that humanity is not important at all in the grand scheme of things if we make any noise at all.

 It's a quick, fun little read and a completely believable representation of a very pedestrian support crew being thrown knee-deep into the heaviest of shit. It is part of a series, though, and one never likes that. This was a quick read and did just what a book serial is supposed to do - that is, leave jonesing for the next book - but there are eight books in the series. The last time I dug into one of those it got so tedious I can't remember anything but the barest details. So, we'll see.

 Speaking of Lovecraftian horrors, thanks to the beautiful people at Humble Bundle, I've been messing around with the most recent Lovecraft-inspired game, Call of Cthulhu by Focus Home Interactive. So far, good enough if nothing particularly interesting or unique. Grizzled private dick with a troubled past gets hired for a mysterious case and has to go to Innsmouth, Lovecraft's Deep One-controlled crumbling fishing town. It looks nice and has some good atmosphere, but it doesn't bring much to the table that Call Of Cthulhu: Dark Corners Of The Earth did in 2006. A little less buggy, a bit sharper designed, but nothing really new so far. Granted, the Innsmouth Deep Ones business is probably my least favorite part of the Cthulhu Mythos and I can't for the life of me understand why it turns so many folks on.

 And that's enough for now. It's been a long week and I, for one, am glad it's over. From what I'm seeing on the internet, a collective sigh of exhausted relief is going on around the country.

Election night hangover

 I’m going to kvetch and get it out of my system.

 The ballots aren’t all counted. Trump is declaring victory and insisting the count is stopped, but anyone who’s surprised by that hasn’t been paying attention the last four years. Biden has a slight lead in the electoral count, but as of right now, 71 votes are still up in the air. Pennsylvania seems to be the keystone and there have been shenanigans going on there all day. Some hinky shit has been going on in Georgia, which is also up in the air.

 Voting is stopped for the evening and will continue in the morning. Trump is going to try to stop it and Biden says he’s going to fight it. The impression I’m getting through Twitter is that a lot of folks in conservative media are of the opinion Trump went too far with this. I’m not sanguine, but the week will be one.

 Now, the reason I said that was to get it out of the way. If you've read this blog or my stuff over at The News at the WordPress site - or even the stuff at the Tumblr site - it'll come as no revelation that I don't have much for Trump, his cabinet, the GOP in general, and the entire conservative infrastructure, from the talking heads and media bloviators to the bagmen and movers behind the scene. I don't pretend to be unbiased or bipartisan in my loathing for them. I sincerely believe that the ills and evils in American society derive directly from the blackened heart of American Conservativism.

 I rarely discuss the Democratic Party because, frankly, they're rarely all that interesting. Whether it's old-timers or even the firebrand young guns in the Squad, most of their legislation is what they've been doing for as long as I've been paying attention to politics, just shit to keep the ship of state afloat without the plebes going after them with ropes and sharpened farm implements. You rarely see them doing things like taking away affordable health insurance or constitutionally define marriage to exclude gay people.

 It may take them forever to actually recognize the validity of gay marriage, but they'll get around to it when we make enough noise. LBJ didn't pass the Civil Rights Acts out of the goodness of his cholesterol-sodden heart, he did it because shit had gotten so fierce that there would be blood in the streets had he not. We're near that with the issue of police brutality and that's going to turn real ugly real soon unless something is done.

 But I'm getting off-topic. My problem right now is soi-disant leftists, socialists, communists, and basically anyone on the left side of the political spectrum who're taking tonight to point how ineffective the mainstream party is and how much better the leftists, socialists, communists, yadda yadda would do if they were given the reigns. And that's the problem.

 I voted for Ralph Nader in 2000. I wasn't crazy about Al Gore or Bill Clinton, for that matter, and living in Georgia, I figured the state would go for George W. Bush. I figured, hey, let's try to make things where a third party could get a little play. It came close and despite it all, I figured either Nader or the Green Party would do something with that passion and support.

 But they didn't. If drifted away like a fart in the wind and Bush readjusted the precedent. Kerry was a lightweight and Obama really, really didn't shake the tree that much. So when Bernie Sanders came along in 2016 and re-lit a bunch of fires, the soi-disant left had another chance to do something with that passion and energy even though they didn't get the nomination of the party they claimed were as bad as the Republicans.

 And we got Joe Biden, who's fairly pedestrian and dull at best. Why? Because the Sanders people didn't even bother to try to expand their base beyond what they already had in hand when they actively didn't try to push away anyone who didn't give a knee. And even after Biden won the nomination and Sanders came into work with him, they really didn't do anything with the passion and energy but piss and moan they're not getting the wheel.

 Okay, I'm tired, so let's wrap this up. "Matt," I hear you say, "you criticize conservatives of all stripes and the soi-disant left. Where do you stand?" I don't know if I can give you a name, per se, but one of the reasons I appreciate anarchism as a political philosophy is I really don't have to align myself with one political ideology or another. Don't get it twisted, I am far, far to the left. Whatever the question or stance, I take the left of it.

 Defund and rebuild the police. Decriminalize all drugs. Deform and rebuild the prison system, making private prisons illegal. Tax the living shit out of anyone who pulls down more than six figures a year for whatever reason they make it, especially unearned income. Slash military funding and use that money for infrastructure, nationalized health care, universal basic income, and housing for everyone that wants it.

 Hierarchy of any kind is suspect and there is no reason to believe that communism would be any better (or worse) for human happiness than capitalism. Authority demands respect and respect must be earned. There is no viable argument that a person must submit to someone in authority, be they a cop or your boss, just because that's "how it's done." Life shouldn't be too expensive for anyone to enjoy.

 One of the biggest failures of COVID-19 is we're a culture that allows people who are multi-billionaires to get richer doing absolutely nothing and they give absolutely nothing back than the crumbs they were giving in the first place. The richest 10 people in America made over $10 trillion off investments and the stock market during the first six months of the pandemic while 30-plus million lost their jobs.

 This is different from politics. Politics, the man said, is the art of controlling your environment. It's also been compared to sausage in that you really don't want to see how it's put together. Whatever the Trump and Biden people do throughout the week, however the Democrats and Republicans react to how the Senate and House shake out, all that's politics. Just like they need to give up waiting on a Savior, people need to wrap their heads around the simple fact that even in the state the size of Mississippi - a little over two million people - you're not to satisfy everyone much less get everyone in lockstep.

 Anyhow. I'm wandering again and my head's starting to hurt. Might have to break into that Klonopin before the week's out. I'll say it again, this is no longer my world. I'm 45, unmarried with no kids. I doubt I'll ever change that and really, really don't want to. I've got maybe 30 years on this planet before my body gives out. I have land and guns, own my house and unless something drastic happens, I'm debt-free. I leave nothing behind me but this land. So I'm just going to keep enjoying myself and trying to make people's days a little more pleasant than it might have been.

 If this culture is what y'all want for your future and the future of your offspring, go nuts. I'm out in the boonies and medical marijuana has passed in Mississippi. Otherwise, I'm just here taking notes.

If you live on the road, there's a new highway code.

  Well, today's the day. It's go time. If you haven't voted yet, you've still got a couple of hours, depending on where you live. It's 5:30 p.m. Country Standard Time here at Enon Holler World Headquarters and the reports from the local precinct tell of an excellent turnout. When I voted around 2:30 p.m., I was the 100th voter out of something like 215 registered. Usually we don't cross the hundred mark until after everyone gets off work.

 Now, of course, this probably means a lot of Trump votes coming out of Southwest Itawamba County, but I don't think that's surprising no one. Between here and Peppertown, there may be a dozen Trump signs but I haven't seen any for Biden. We do have some heavy things on the ballot this time around apart from the very contentious Presidential election. Mike Espy is getting a rematch against Cindy Hyde-Smith, and that has certainly stirred up a lot of folks. They're either fine with Hyde-Smith being nothing more than a boot-licking Trump rubber stamp with no soul or they're not.

 We've also got some heavy ballot measures, three as a matter of fact. One is finalizing the newly chosen Mississippi State flag, replacing the one from 1889 that was designed to give the finger to African Americans. Another one was to change the way the governor is elected, which was set up as another finger to newly christened black voters. I'm sort of shocked at how many folks didn't know the latter was necessary, that a candidate had to win on votes and counties, but it really hasn't been an issue in over 20 years.

 Finally, we're voting on whether or not to allow medical marijuana in the state of Mississippi. Sort of. You have to vote yes or no for the whole thing in general, and then there are two initiatives to choose from. Initiative 65 is actually designed to be effecting and help folks while 65A is designed to, at best, make sure the state legislature profits from the initiative if not outright scuttle it.

 I don't know how anything will work out nor will I make any projections. I am not confident in how anything will end nor am I confident either the Trump people (and their lickspittles in the Senate or on the Supreme Court) or the Mississippi state legislature will play fair. Anyone who still gives the Republican Party or conservatives, in general, the benefit of the doubt has no one to blame but themselves.

 In any event, I haven't decided how I'm going to spend the rest of the evening. I may play some games, I may do some reading, or I may do some writing. Sort of depends on what sort of headache Otis insists on being. Either way, I'm going to try to avoid election news as much as possible because I do not need that kind of stress.

 We've had a remarkable turnout all over the country, not just here in Cardsville. Long lines in other Mississippi towns and in polling places across the country despite an extremely healthy turnout for early voting. If nothing else, hopefully people will get how important turnout is. I firmly believe if voting turnout had been this strong for the last couple of decades, well, we wouldn't be dealing with a petulant third-rate game show host-slash-cult leader for the biggest marks on the planet in the White House.

 And most reports say voting has gone rather smoothly despite big fears on both sides. Republicans are, of course, pushing false information about voter shenanigans, but official sources say all is cool. They need something to whine about to be happy anyway, so that's nice for them. Some places are extending hours because of hiccups here and there, and everyone should realize that if they are in line when the polls close, they're still allowed to cast a ballot.

 Supper's about done. So unless something interesting pops up, we'll leave this here. I'll check back in tomorrow. Everyone cross your fingers.

I ain't good lookin', baby, but I'm some woman's sweet angel child.

  Three more days. It's 6:30 p.m. Country Standard Time here at Enon Holler World Headquarters, and in less than 75 hours all the mess will be over. More likely than not, though, a whole new mess will kick into gear. Before we get started with anything, though, let's bring y'all up to date with this week's News.

  It was a pretty good week overall, three short entries that get the job done, and don't waste your time. We touch on Amy Coney-Barrett's appointment to the Supreme Court Monday and the preparation for Hurricane Zeta Wednesday. Friday looked at the result of said hurricane and some other odds and ends.

 We also saw the slow crumbling of the Hunter Biden laptop story through the week, from a weak piece of bullshit to begin the week to Tucker Carlson himself saying it's not worth the effort for the end. It was interesting to watch it in real-time. Never really holding up for anyone except for those who really wanted it to, it nevertheless failed to catch on with a political media that not only loves bullshit scandals but was thirsty for an election horse race. Nobody wanted to touch it, and once The Wall Street Journal and Fox News turned it down, it was pretty much done. It didn't help that apparently the source for the claims, Rudy Giuliani, actively worked against giving out more info or access to the laptops he claims were slam dunks.

 I hate to play into the delusions of the Trump Base, but I do think The Powers That Be has had it with Trump shitting the bed so thoroughly and aren't inclined to put their thumb on the scale for him. That doesn't mean they're rooting for Joe Biden - doesn't mean they aren't either, I just don't know - and at the risk of going full looney conspiracy theory, I do think there are enough people with enough swing to nudge it one way or another. If that makes sense, and it probably doesn't. I'll get it into some other time. It isn't quite the "five men in the back room with the big cigars" but it's close. Anyhow.

 Hey, it's Halloween. We've probably got all the trick-or-treaters we'll see this year, meaning my cousin's kids and their neighbor. That's fine. I've never been crazy about Halloween as an adult and even less so since I quit drinking. Oddly enough, the last two towns I lived in - Athens, GA, and New Orleans - were big Halloween towns. Even so, the entertainment I got from walking around and seeing people in their costumes wore thin as I got older.

 I've been reading Edward M. Erdelac's Merkabah Rider: High Planes Drifter this week and thoroughly enjoying it. Long story short, it's a collection of novels about a drifter in the West dealing with supernatural horrors but with the gimmick of Judaic mysticism. It's the first in a series of four collections telling an overall story, and I'll probably pick up the other books. I've written a little more in my own Weird Westerns. Another set of character sketches instead of an actual story. I have a plot forming but it's pretty thin.

 I've always had a fascination with religious mysticism. Though I'm no expert, it's always been interesting that Judaism is more accepting of its more esoteric aspects than the other Abrahamic religion. I have no idea why. Christianity has actively tried to suppress its mystic side, though I think Islam is cooler with Sufism. Eastern religions are a whole different kettle of fish, particularly Taoism. Granted, most of what I know about Taoist mysticism comes from the Mr. Vampire movies, but there you go.

 Finally, two excellent CreativeForge Games titles, Hard West and Phantom Doctrine are on sale at Steam this weekend. The former for $1.99 and the latter for $7.99. Both are XCOM-style turn-based strategies, but Hard West has a Weird Western shtick while Phantom Doctrine takes an approach that resembles Len Deighton-style '80s spy thrillers. The TBS aspect of the latter takes a back seat to the spy stuff, so you'll spend more time gathering evidence and making connections, but it's still a blast. I really dig both of them, though the XCOM games are still superior. However, you can't go wrong at those prices, so dig 'em.

 Support indie gaming, enjoy your Halloween and relax this weekend. Monday and Tuesday are going to be a mess.

Call it what you want to. I call it quits.

  Seven more days. One more week. Things are heating up. The laptop story seems to have evaporated like a fart in the breeze and now Trump is threatening to withhold COVID-19 aid to states that don't for him. Brett "Kegger" Kavanaugh wrote on a ruling basically saying if, given the chance, he's giving the election to Trump. Amy Coney-Barrett... just Amy Coney-Barrett. Interesting times, they say.

 But you know what? I am not inclined to write about politics or the election here today. I figure the next seven days of News is going to be a booger, so let's have some fun.

 I do want to mention that the Gulf Coast is looking at yet another hurricane, this one called Zeta. Once this makes landfall, we'll tie 2005 for most hurricanes hitting dirt in a year. And the season still has another month to go. The entire New Orleans metro area is under watch, but this one seems to be heading towards the Mississippi coast. It's projected to hit some Wednesday afternoon or evening, so if you're in the path batten down the hatches and don't screw around.

 And as much as I hate to bring it up, I need to mention two more police-related killings that really didn't seem necessary. One was of Wallace Walter Jr. in Philadelphia yesterday. From all reports, Walter had "mental issues" according to his father and his mother was trying to defuse the situation. He did have a knife and police shot him full of at least 10 holes. It was not necessary.

 Another shooting in Waukegan, Illinois, last Tuesday left one dead and one survivor accusing the police of actively letting someone bleed out on the street. This one is a bit more confusing. Police rolled up on Marcellis Stinette and Tafara Williams. A chase and shooting followed though it isn't clear why, and the police unloaded on the couple. Williams claims she heard Stinette still breathing when the cops put a blanket over him and they wanted both to bleed out in the street. The cops are saying she fled from a traffic cop and her people are saying that isn't so. The cop who did the killing did so because he feared for his safety and was later fired. No gun was found.

 Just putting it out there. Neither seems to be as cut-and-dried as Botham Jean or Breonna Taylor but both seem like they could've been resolved without anyone being shot. I'll say it again, white folks who are fine with this going down are basically saying their fine with living in a country where authority can do this to anyone with impunity. And it's true, they're really fine with it, even if they or their loved ones are caught in the crossfire. Authoritarian regimes don't exist without at least a portion of the population willing to have a society that keeps its thumb on its citizens.

 Whoops! Is this fun? Hell, I don't know, it's just what's coming out. What else can we do? Nothing really spectacular has grabbed me lately. I think I've about got Momma sold on Initiative 65, which would legalize medical marijuana in Mississippi. At the very least, she won't vote for the GOP legislature's clumsy attempt to crater it, Initiative 65A. So, baby steps. We've already discussed how we're going to handle me smoking it, so I think that's a good sign.

 That's pretty much word count and I don't know if I have anything else. Perhaps I'll come back to it later in the evening. Otherwise, watch the winds, kids.

Border to border and ocean to ocean, I still look for her everyplace.

 I really need to write these when they come. I was full of piss & vinegar about a subject yesterday morning and equally full about an entirely different one last night. Now, I can't remember the former and have gone back to "that's why you ignore them" on the former. I mean, Blogger allows you to schedule posts and keep some in the draft section. Ah, well.

 While everything was of modest length and nothing was too in-depth, the News was pretty good this week, I think. Three days of pretty decent old-school blogging on the news of the time. Monday was a look into how the Mississippi government's ignoring of the COVID issue is biting us in the ass this week and Wednesday was how the federal government continues to bumble along. We gave the final presidential debate a quick look Friday, plus a little on how Trump really, really needs to stop bringing up China. Like I said, nothing special but well done all around.

 I was busy on Tumblr this week, writing a lot of posts for my Jukebox In The Mind series. That's what I'm calling it, by the way. I wrote about AC\DC, Curtis Mayfield and The Impressions, Waylon Jennings, Tommy Cash, and finally a little bit on how the Kipsigis people of Kenya thought Jimmie Rodgers sounded like a man-antelope hybrid. I thought it was kind of neat and writing about music is always fun, as is writing about the ties that bind humanity that we may not see. When I can write about both, boy, that is killer diller.

 Anyhow, the thing I got wound up about yesterday that I can remember is this latest round of dumbassery with The New York Times. Long story short, a reporter named Elaina Plott wrote a story about how white suburbanites around Atlanta were still in the Trump congregation despite the rest of Georgia leaning towards Joe Biden. Okay, fair enough, but nothing worth a story in the Times. If anyone's spent any time in some of the suburbs around Atlanta this comes as no shock at all. That's Trump's base, right there.

 The problem, though, was her two sources were supposedly average white folks from the Atlanta suburbs and turned out to be hip-deep in GOP national politics. One was a former state Republican strategist and the other was the son of Trump's ambassador to Luxembourg. Even worse, this wasn't the first time that Plott had used dubious sources for a fluff piece on the Trump Administration nor the first time those two folks were used as sources claimed to be "jes' plain folk." Salena Zito has made a career out of doing just this.

 Anyhow, she gets called out, the Times does a half-ass explanation, she gives a half-ass apology, and so-called "professional journalists" who bring down big money writing dull stories about the story they want American politics to go on a crusade to defend her honor against us filthy plebes who dared criticize of one of theirs. That was last night's political Twitter.

 It's almost comical how predictable this sort of thing is. You can set your watch to something like this every time the consumers criticize the big-time media. And they don't seem to get how bad it makes them look. Even worse, Plott describes herself as a "recovering (Ann) Coulter fangirl" from high school and since she's in her late 20s, that means she was a fan of Coulter after that nasty thing said we need to forcible convert the Muslim world to Christianity. And this was at least a good decade after anyone with a functioning soul acknowledged Ann Coulter's role as a public asshole.

 So, that happened, and once again, the big-time press defended someone who carries water for a guy who calls them "the enemy of the people." He stirs up his faithful to hate them like the press is the devil, and there have already been threats against the media for being mean to Trump. What's worse is how hard the rest of the big-time press gets severely knotted up when they get the least bit of criticism or appropriation. Every time.

 You won't find a bigger defender of journalism than me, but things like this happen and it's understandable why people rail against the "mainstream media." It's a fine example of why local journalism and alternative publications should be supported and the first go-to for your news. Don't follow The Washington Post or CNN for what goes on in Portland when the Rose City has several fine local news sources and The Portland Mercury is a great example of a community-focused alt-weekly.

 As always, all of my journalism experience is with local papers and alt-weeklies, so grain of salt. It's a drag, though, that good sources on Washington, D.C., politics are thin on the ground. Not sources that reporter on the news about American politics, we've got plenty of those. But straight news reporting that doesn't eventually get sucked into the Mainstream Morass.

 But little will be done about it at a level that could actually fix anything and we'll probably play the whole passion play all over again sooner than later. So I wonder if it's worth getting too bent out of shape over. In any event, I finished Jennifer Government last night and I recommend it. I don't want to give anything away, so all I'll say is everyone who thinks they've got what will keep everyone else under their thumb really needs to study up on their chaos theory when setting up "the perfect society."

 You can't predict people. They will always surprise you, sometimes painfully. And that's all I have to say about that.

What a faithful memory. Never lets me down.

  It never fails. We're done with supper and Otis is having his evening fit. I wish I could figure out what's causing this and what I could do to stop it. It's stressful as hell on me, I can only imagine what's going through his little skull. Momma thinks he's doing the doggy version of sundowning. Maybe he is, I don't know.

 Ah, well. We've got the third and final presidential debate tonight and the big questions are "how often will Trump try to bring up Biden's son" and "how long before Trump pitches a fit and walks out." He did the latter in an interview with 60 Minutes' Leslie Stahl. It opened with him begging for easy questions and ended with him stalking out in a massive pout. There will be a mute button tonight, so I bet the whole shebang doesn't last 20 minutes.

 Of course, the Base is seeing this as another example of 11th-dimensional chess by their Savior in his never-ending crusade of owning the libs. They're also getting gooey over some former work buddy of the Younger Biden's and some of the weirdest pictures of paperwork that shows either someone getting blessed or how the timelines just don't match up. And Trump's eldest failson is trying to wrap a pedo sex ring in there somehow.

 I do wonder, though, if all of the initial claims - that Hunter somehow got money illegally from China and cut his old man in on it - will anyone really care? One of the things the newest revelation "shows" is that this all went down after Biden was out of office. Regardless, the whole deal isn't getting much traction outside of Trump loyalists and a mess of voting's been done. It's hard to judge outside my bubble, but I'm thinking everyone has about had it with Trump, his administration, and his rotten kids. Everyone who doesn't already think he's the new Jesus, naturally.

 I'm going to throw this out. Biden wins and somehow there's something to this laptop business. He resigns and Kamala Harris becomes president. Wouldn't that be a helluva note? It makes as much sense as anything else that's happened this year.

 So, anyhow. Enough of all that. I am done with this election even if I'm terrified of the outcome. I'm ready for it to end but I have no doubt the GOP will do their damnedest to shaft the democratic process so rich old men will get just that much richer. But I'm tired of talking about it, especially since I'll probably have to write about the ding-dong debates tomorrow.

 I've been reading Jennifer Government by Max Barry. I bought it years ago - initially mistaking it for Charlie Stross' Jennifer Morgue - but just now got around to reading it. I'm about halfway through and, so far, I'm digging it. In a nutshell, in the near future, everything is run by corporations. In fact, whoever you work for is your identity. If you worked for Wal-Mart, your last name would be "Wal-Mart." Furthermore, two megacorporations are constantly at war, and the government's collapsed to the point where all it does is punish people who break the rules. However, they have neither the funding nor the chops to do much of anything. The police are a private company and their biggest competitor is the NRA, which has a private army.

 It's all pretty good, and for whatever it's worth, it's somewhat how I see society working out if we don't manage to spoil the planet to the point of being uninhabitable. Transmetropolitan and Neuromancer sort of swing along the same lines. It's interesting that most of your classic science fiction saw some sort of repressive government and totally missed the ascendency of the corporation. So did Marx, kind of.

 I've got nothing terribly interesting to add, so I think I'll get on. I've been dipping back into Freelancer, Elite: Dangerous, and Tachyon: The Fringe. I don't know if that means anything but they're fun.

It's a rough and rocky road, and it's hard, hard, hard.

  I've got some Actual Paying Work to get done tonight and, frankly, I'm not particularly in the mood for this. The world is a mess and it's wearing me out. How y'all who are actually engaged and have some skin in the game get through the day without throwing a screaming na-na, I don't know.

 The second debate, a town hall format, was supposed to go down tonight, but that ain't happening. As we all know, Trump got sick and Joe Biden wasn't down with the idea of being in the same room as that guy, yadda yadda yadda. So the end result is each of them is doing their own town hall on different networks. The upshot is, of course, I'm not watching either.

 Not to put too fine a point on things, I really doubt there's much movement left in the needle. People may not admit who they'll vote for once they get in the booth, but they already know. Rudy Giuliani's attempt to smear Hunter Biden yesterday seems to have evaporated like a fart in a hurricane. Wingnuts won't let it go, of course, even if it contradicts itself. I imagine we'll be hearing about this for at least the next year if Biden wins.

 Speaking of wingnuts, Trump made a comment at one of his rallies about the execution of that anti-fascist activist in Portland who shot and killed someone connected to the Patriot Prayer bunch. The President of the United States of America said, in essence, the U.S. Marshalls didn't want to do anything but kill the guy right off, so they did. That of course isn't the issue at hand. We all know Trump's a violent, mean-spirited slug.

 But I guess I really shouldn't be shocked that his rally crowd applauded and wingnuts on Twitter were almost universally cool with it. It's just another example of how the Right is down with the idea of an authoritative government stomping down on the proper people, be they from the federal government or local police. If it happens to them or one of their loved ones, well, they probably deserved it and still have no issue with the state of things.

 I've come to the point where fears of the country slipping into fascism really don't move me anymore. The more I study history - and the older, more cynical I get - the more I'm convinced we've been dancing on the edge of fascism from the get-go. We were fine with wiping out the Native tribes and cheating them every chance we got. We were fine with enslaving Black people and then keep our foot on their necks once they were freed. We had to force corporations and bosses to treat their employees like human beings rather than replaceable, expendable cuts into their profits.

 In the early 20th century, when the Great Depression was kicking into gear, we came very close to socialism before Franklin Roosevelt "saved capitalism" with the New Deal. We also came damn close to outright fascism to deal with problems, particularly the Silver Shirts. Amusingly enough, they fell to pieces after police began to arrest anyone connected with them after Pearl Harbor.

 We've never really evolved, not really. Northerners had to see Bull Connor turn a firehose on children before they decided the South was out of line. Up until the '70s Native children were taken from their parents and tribes, and forced to assimilate sometimes at danger to their own health. We see nothing at all with a society where not only cops can kill people with impunity but also one that encourages people to spend a life in debt, working a job they hate and no guarantee they'll be taken care of if they get sick.

 Whatever fascism is in the 21st century, we've never been that far from it. What we're experiencing now is part of Trump's presidency encouraging others to rip off their mask but it's mainly using the internet allowing people to be awful without consequence. And that's what they are: awful.

 Well, that's not fair. We're awful. We really are. We try to pretend it's some other aspect of us, but it's us. We let it happen. We could stop it if we wanted to, really, but we don't. Not really.

 I guess that's enough. Like I said, I've got Actual Paying Work to do and need a nap before I get into it. We'll see how it goes but I imagine tomorrow's News will be a wrap-up of an incredibly silly week.