2024 Election (& American Democracy?) Post-Mortem

President A$$hole - I still can't believe this graphic that I made way back in 2016 came true...
back when it was just a political fever dream, too fucking absurd to possibly be real.

It's been about a month since the 2024 U.S. Election, & I've taken some time to step away from posting on this blog, as well as from social media. I haven't been online much recently anyway, as I try to be fully present in the off-line (aka. "real") world with my wife and two little children when I am not working. 

After Trump was declared the winner of the election, I've had no desire to go on my social media feed to see the gloating of the slavish MAGA devotees, nor the lamenting of all the sane people who realize what a total disaster this is gonna be, yet again. It was bad enough seeing the dialogue in online comment sections - especially the dumbass Trumpers ecstatic over choosing the most corrupt, sleazy, & ego-maniacal fool imaginable to lead the country. Thinking Donald Trump is anything but a criminal buffoon, forget being worthy of the Presidency, is the weirdest shit ever.

However... here we are!!! At this point, there's been little to no public accusations of any low-key election shenanigans by Team Trump, which wouldn't surprise me (because every Trump accusation is usually a confession). In any case, the fact that the race was close at all just shows how heavily propagandized the population truly is. From the manipulative social media algorithms, to the right wing radio shows, to the Fox News 24/7 outrage machine with it's brain-scrambling influence on the public... we are seeing just how little factual information & critical thinking is directing public opinion. By constantly normalizing Trump's insanity and gross antics, even the "mainstream media" gave Trump power. He has become basically a God-tier malignant narcissist, demanding the attention of every human consciousness on the planet.

So how did we get here??? Kamala Harris was a decent enough candidate- a smart, accomplished politician with a history in law enforcement. She seemed friendly and charismatic enough, and ran circles around Trump in their only debate, baiting his fragile ego effortlessly throughout. Of course, red hats parroted their side's media talking heads, who complained about stupid shit like her laugh or claimed she had no experience, despite her long history as a public servant. They did everything to discredit her & amplify her flaws through their powerful echo chamber... all while cheering on a completely irredeemable scumbag like Trump.

I think the problem clearly started with Joe Biden deciding to run again for another term, & NOT stepping aside to allow the Democratic party to hold a primary. Although Joe Biden has been a very effective President who scored some major accomplishments, his stubborn clinging to the office royally screwed the Democratic party, and ultimately the country (& the world). Biden's debate with Trump was an absolute fucking debacle, & cemented in many people's minds that Biden was not fit to lead. Unfortunately, Trump getting rhetorically gutted by Harris in their debate did not have the same effect on the Golden Turd. In the public's mind, if Biden has been this bad & Kamala has helped cover for him, then why should we trust her either? However, all of Trump's horrible qualities & behaviors were continually just given a pass. As political commentator Van Jones stated, "He gets to be lawless, she has to be flawless." It was just frustrating as hell to watch unfold throughout the campaign. As it became clear that many were buying into Trump's authoritarian bullshit, I thought this meme summed up the feeling toward the end pretty well:

So, the Trump campaign is now transitioning into another Presidential term, with the Republicans in control of the government, even if by razor-thin margins in Congress. I have been watching everything unfold over the last month, and it has been as much of a Trumpian shit-show as anyone with a cluster of functioning brain cells could have predicted.

Trump is assembling a real-life "Legion of Doom" for his cabinet, made up of only the most loyal & unqualified swamp creatures, whose only goal is to destroy the Federal Government. The primary qualification is fealty to TRUMP, not the Constitution or the American people. This in and of itself is an obscene way to go about choosing government officials. Beyond being willing to unflinchingly kiss Trump's ass, the other main requirement seems to be to hate or be totally unfit to lead the department you will be in charge of.

These sycophantic candidates, even Trump really, are just puppets for the monied interests behind the scenes.  They want to decimate all public services & assets, in order for private companies to swoop in and feast on the remains- to the detriment of the American population, at large:

• Matt Gaetz, the real-life Butthead, as Attorney General??? What??? This was absolute madness, & a bridge too far, so he got kicked to the curb. However, it showed just what a psycho circus we are in for...

• Pete Hegseth for Defense Secretary??? A service member with no strategic military experience or management on the monstrous scale of The Pentagon... Oh, and he's a misogynist alcoholic who you didn't vet for disqualifying info? Great idea, to pick a guy you see on Fox News to be in charge of our entire military.

• RFK for Health Secretary? I agree with his general outlook that we need to find natural paths to healthiness, but this is another pick that is just wacky.

• Tulsi Gabbard to lead our intelligence agencies? A lot of literal red flags there.

• Linda McMahon as Secretary of Ed?? Are we really gonna have a WWE executive running Public Education?

• Kash Patel, FBI Director??? A man with an actual enemies list, whose blind devotion to his leader would lead him to attempt to use federal law enforcement as a personal Trump police force???

• & on & on & on...

* Of course the billion-dollar elephant in the room is the wannabe Shadow President, Elon Musk. The richest man in the world basically bought his way into direct control of the federal government. He and fellow super-wealthy, super-douchey Vivek Ramaswamy are tasked with heading a fucking meme agency, "DOGE," to recommend slashing away at the government- which is good in theory, but starting of course with the services that the most vulnerable in our society rely on; Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, etc. .It's just open corruption, and it's amazing to see how brazen it all is. The Right, which endlessly cries about the shadowy influence of wealthy Democratic donors, such as their eternal boogieman George Soros, suddenly is totally ok with a billionaire, having vested interests in government contracts, being the main public consultant for the incoming President... because it's their guy. The hypocrisy is astounding. 

It doesn't matter what his supporters (or anyone else) think anyway. Trump won, & he's only going to do whatever benefits "Trump World" now. Thank God we have a semi-functioning Congress (at the moment) to put a stop to some of these completely insane picks. As Donald sits like Jabba the Hutt at Mar-a-lago waiting for the lineup of shameless cronies willing to do his bidding... there's every indication, just from this nomination process, that this Trump administration is going to be pretty fucked up. He's going to do everything to concentrate all the power & wealth into the hands of himself & his personal interests. The only thing we can hope is that his extreme foolishness, intellectual laziness, & sheer incompetence continue to damper his craziest & most destructive efforts.

Is he really going to crush the American economy with reckless tariffs? Is he really going to sell off federal land & national assets to the highest bidder? Is he really going after political enemies & critics? You bet your ass he's gonna try. I'm thinking, "Should I not even write anything critical of this jackass anymore?" I mean, I have kids now. I'm not trying to fucking disappear into a Trump Re-Education Facility™!

Maybe there is some silver lining, in that this sort of cultural experience is necessary to help mankind move on from the more primal, selfish level of consciousness that Donald Trump & MAGA embody. Even if that is a more positive cosmic outlook on the situation, it's still going to generally suck for awhile. I hope I'm wrong, but I'm not counting on it.

Fascist to the Core

In Trump We Trust
by The Monkey Buddha

In about a week, The United States of America faces it's ultimate test of our collective sanity, to date - The 2024 Presidential Election. Does the country elect an accomplished, competent career law enforcement officer & politician with a generally positive vision for the country in Kamala Harris... or do we re-elect a demented career con-man & criminal sociopath in Donald Trump, whose narcissistic desire for authoritarianism threatens the very existence of democracy?

In the past week, the widespread acceptance of calling this fascist fuck "a fascist" has finally taken hold of the national discourse. VP Harris herself has publicly agreed that the label fits his dictatorial tendencies. This recognition is mostly due to an interview with his longest-serving former chief of staff, retired Marine general John Kelly.

 CNN:
Trump’s Former Chief of Staff says
he fits ‘Fascist’ Definition and Prefers ‘Dictator Approach’ 

If you look at the actual definition of fascism, then yes, Donald Trump literally embodies it. From his bro-mances with murderous dictators, to calling top Democrats & anyone who opposes him "the enemy within", to his eagerness to use the military against non-combatant citizens, to his egotistical desire for the ostentatious trappings of power - Trump is a fascist, like a trout is a fish, by every meaning of the word.

Fascism is a far-right, authoritarian, and ultra-nationalist political ideology and movement, characterized by a dictatorial leader, centralized autocracy, militarism, forcible suppression of opposition, belief in a natural social hierarchy, subordination of individual interests for the perceived good of the nation or race, and strong regimentation of society and the economy.

However, Gen. Kelly is not, by any means, the only one who has called out Trump's ignorant & malevolent fascist nature. There Some quotes:

"The general definition of fascist” & “certainly prefers the dictator approach to government”.
-John Kelly: former general & Trump's chief of staff: 

 “FASCIST TO THE CORE” & was doing “great and irreparable harm”
-Mark Milley: retired US army general, served as the chairman of the joint chiefs of staff under Trump & Biden.

“Anyone who puts themselves over the constitution should never be president of the United States, and anyone who asks someone else to put them over the constitution should never be president again.”
-Mike Pence- Trump's own VP, who was almost killed by Trump's insurrectionist mob on January 6th

Besides describing Trumps' fascist tendencies, other former staff have commented on his absolutely buffoonish ignorance:

"A moron" ...& a bit more generously, "His understanding of global events [and] his understanding of US history was really limited."
-Rex Tillerson, Trump's secretary of state

I think Michael Cohen, Trump's former attorney & "fixer" had the most delightfully simple, yet holistic take on Trump's personality:
“A cheat, a liar, a fraud, a bully, a racist, a predator and a conman.”

 Donald Trump is a truly despicable person, & is a cartoonishly gross amalgam of humanity's worst traits.

Anyone with any insight at all & an understanding of history can recognize what a unique danger Trump's idiocy & authoritarianism is to American institutions, as well as to the well-being of humanity, in general. He truly brings out the worst in the vocal minority of people who follow the obnoxious asshole.

In a redux of the infamous 1939 Nazi rally that was also held there, the MAGA faithful gathered tonight in Madison Square Garden in New York City, for a large gathering of racists, weirdos, & fools. There is no nice way to describe anyone who would go to such a grotesque event, revering one of the most revolting public figures imaginable.

AP:
Trump's Madison Square Garden Event Features Crude and Racist Insults

Although most people think that Trump is a horrible person, the sway he holds on his faithful admirers is truly mind-boggling. The dangers that his malicious charisma present to society have always been apparent to the clear-eyed among us. I've been defining as Trump a fascist for awhile now. Right after he was elected in 2016, I made this visual analysis of the authoritarian penchant for black, white, & red:

The Fascist Color Palette
by The Monkey Buddha

Hopefully my fellow U.S. citizens can keep this fascist creep away from The Presidency in November... & ever again. There's no way in hell that Trump is winning the popular vote (even though the polls have somehow had this race tied the whole time), but everyone already knows there is MAGA electoral fuckery afoot. Even if he does clearly lose again, Trump will obviously just claim everything is "rigged" yet again. I mean, he's already admitted that's his game plan!

 

So, this is definitely a crazy time here in America, & the rest of the world is watching us as if we are outta our goddamn minds (& rightfully so). Hopefully we can boot this physically, mentally, & morally decrepit man & his ideology into the garbage bin of history in a few days, even though his toxic influence will continue to stain our national identity for the foreseeable future.

Poconos 2024 - Flea Market Finds

 I previously posted about my family's annual trip to a lake house in the Poconos, which was my 1 year old daughter's first vacation trip.

Poconos 2024

We have a tradition of going to the huge Blue Ridge Flea Market on the Sunday after we get there, searching for deals & "prize finds". I love the sheer variety of things to see, including the craziest & weirdest shit imaginable. Here are some of my favorite from this visit:

 

 

This was my son Paulie's flea market haul- Star Wars figures, a large speeder bike that his aunt & cousins bought him, a Spider-Man motorcycle, & a toy sniper set 😅 :

Kamala Harris DNC Acceptance Speech 2024

So, I've never really heard Kamala Harris speak at length, besides congressional hearings & clips from the recent campaign speeches, but WOW. Her address was absolute . 

 

I've watched A LOT of political speeches over the years, & have become kind of jaded with the whole process. She is an amazing public speaker and is clearly a serious, empathetic, & intelligent person. You can't fake that, like Trump fakes every aspect of his being. He just sounds like an absolute fool compared to her. She rhetorically demolished the crooked, orange-faced clown. If he had any shame, he would just call it quits after that, but everyone knows he has no shame at all. He is also desperate to further the grift, & avoid criminal prosecution.

 

Even though I'm pretty cynical, I think that it does matter for the well-being of society who is in leadership positions. The question is- who would be a more competent & effective head of government out of 2 choices, and I'm thinking it might be the person who is NOT an idiotic, ego-maniacal asshole.

 

 

 

Poconos 2024

 Micarelli Family Nature Photo
Paul, Neonna, Paulie, Loretta

This summer, we had our annual family vacation in the Poconos, Pa. We have been going there to one lake house or another for many, many years. As a kid, it was my parents, my brothers, sister, & me going on vacation asva family. As we got older, spouses & kids have also joined in the week of vacation relaxation. My son Paulie has been there once before, and this was my 1 yr. old daughter Neonna's first big trip. 

It's a whole new dimension now, going on family trips as a dad. It is such an amazing and utterly exhausting experience. Despite Loretta & I never feeling like we are able to truly relax & unwind, it is still a lot of fun. It's great to see my kids playing with their cousins, and everyone still enjoying time together. This year was special because Neonna had just begun to walk! She was taking a few steps in the week before we left, & she really starting getting around while up in the mountains. My son also first started walking during a week in the Poconos, so I was joking that "it must be the high altitude!"

Anyway, we spend a few days hanging out by the lake, boating, swimming, and sitting by campfires. We took Paulie & Neonna's first real hike, seen above. It's nice to be in nature and forget about responsibilities (besides the kids) for a bit. I'm glad we are exposing my kids to the beauty of the natural world & giving them that appreciation. Here's the photo album from the trip, & I'll post some below:

Micarelli Pocono Vacation 2024

 

 

 

 

 

Neonna Loretta Micarelli's 1st Birthday!

 

My daughter Neonna Loretta Micarelli turned one year old, and we had a wonderful party with many family & friends to celebrate the milestone.

Photo Album:
Neonna Loretta Micarelli 1st Birthday

Neonna is my perfect little pumpkin! She is an absolute joy from the time she wakes up in the morning, with a big grin on her face. 😄  Her presence is a blessing, bringing a smiles to the faces of everyone she meets. She is already funny and cracks me up, without being able to talk. She is active and strong, like her big brother Paul Giuseppe. Loretta & I just look at her sweet face and cannot believe it. We are so happy to celebrate such a beautiful, wonderful spirit this & every day!

 

Unfortunately, on her birthday our usually happy & smiley little angel was not feeling well... teething & nap-deprived, in the brutal heat. The poor baby was miserable, would not sleep, & did not want to be put down. She still had a very special day, with many family & friends coming out to celebrate her first year of life. 

 

Paul (me) with Neonna, Paulie, & Loretta

 

As the day went on, she started feeling better, & I took her over to the kiddie pool and sprinkled her with water to cool her off. She finally started walking around and smiling again. Neonna has recently begun to walk, so she was getting around the party on her own two feet. Paulie was still relying on a walker on his 1st birthday (even if he did literally burn holes in his little Converse All Stars from scooting around on a concrete patio).

Although it was stressing us out not knowing how sick she was (because a baby can't tell you anything), parenting is always stressful. We were just deeply grateful that we were able to celebrate her turning one & to have her in our lives. I always knew I wanted to be a father, but it is completely overwhelming to really consider the awesome responsibility of raising a child. My wife and I started our family later in life, so we have the maturity to appreciate the wonder of manifesting a new human life into the world.

Neonna is such a pure & beautiful little soul. I hope & dream that she has a blessed life, full of happiness and fulfillment. I hope I'm around long enough to watch her & Paulie grow through the important stages of their lives and continue to enjoy their presence every day.

WEIRD

 

WEIRD
by The Monkey Buddha
w/ Stable Diffusion

I made this graphic in the same spirit as Shepard Fairey's Obama "HOPE" image- but twisted and unsettling- like Donald Trump's entire persona. If you stare at it long enough, you are guaranteed to lose your sanity. I thought of it while seeing online comments on the current "WEIRD" meme about Trump & the MAGA faithful. 

The idea behind the viral nature of the label is that nobody has really called out Trump & Co.'s bizarre-ness, which has been obvious to most people all along. However, Trump & his followers have tried to gaslight everyone into believing that they are the "normal" way of being, when they are, in fact, the ones out of step with the consensus reality of the majority of people. Being "weird" is not a bad thing in itself (As an artist & designer, I've embodied weirdness a lot in my life), but when the illusion of normality is used to subjugate others, it is a negative quality. The reality is that Trump is a conman, a serial liar, an asshole abusive narcissist, and yes, ...totally fucking WEIRD. The fact that other people are still supporting him politically & defending his insanity, however, is even WEIRDER. If it weren't for his wealthy background & notoriety, people would think this guy is just a strange but idiotic, nonsense-spewing jerk. 

Joe Biden was an effective President, but like I've posted before, his debate performance & public showing was a total disaster. Now that he has done the amazingly selfless thing & removed himself from the race, Kamala Harris has bust out of the gate and come out swinging, seriously bringing the fight to Trump & his campaign/legal fund. Now that Trump is the old & weak one, the flimsy public facade of Trump's normalcy is falling away. Everyone is seeing quite clearly how weird & totally unfit Trump and his people are for positions of power. 

Just today, Trump told the audience of the National Association of Black Journalists that "I have been the best president for the Black population since Abraham Lincoln." & regarding Kamala Harris, "Is she Indian or black? ...but she obviously doesn't because she was Indian all the way, and then all of a sudden she made a turn, and she went -- she became a Black person." 

The fucking balls on the stupid sonuvabitch, I'll give him that... Absolute pure madness.

So, instead of trying to inspire people, this is meant to freak people out about the weirdness of Donald Trump's candidacy, & frankly his whole existence. 

______________________________

Since I made this graphic, the man who started the “MAGA is Weird” meme, Tim Walz, has been named the candidate for Vice-President. It’s an interesting phenomenon because the label frames Trump & his most faithful followers in a way that is difficult to argue against without sounding, well… weird.

Why? Because Trump & his people who have taken over the Republican party ARE totally weird. They always have been, but now the facade is falling away. The majority of Americans are seeing just how unfit such an ignorant, petty, narcissistic man is to lead really anything at all, no less the entire country, with all its complexities & nuance.

Being “weird” wouldn’t be a bad thing in itself- as an artist & designer, I've embodied weirdness a lot in my life! Trump’s brand of weirdness is dangerous, though, because he doesn’t care about anyone or anything in society, other than what directly benefits him. It takes superhuman levels of bending reality in your mind to imagine Trump & Co. as “normal” by any definition.

Any 1 or 2 of his most disturbingly weird qualities would have been enough to completely sink a candidate in the past. Donald Trump is a maelstrom of constant weird bullshit, but somehow people have bought into his twisted image & admired it. It’s all so WEIRD.

• Slathering on orange clown makeup, & styling your hair in the most ridiculous way possible - WEIRD.

• Cheating on your wife who just gave birth to your infant son, by paying a porn star for sex - WEIRD (& scummy).

• Hugging American flags & dead supporters’ work gear - WEIRD.

• Publicly expressing, on multiple occasions, your sexual interest in your own daughter - WEIRD.

• Hanging with Jeffery Epstein - WEIRD.

• Acting like you’re the face of “Law & Order,” when you’ve been indicted & convicted of numerous crimes WEIRD.

• Rage-posting ALL CAPS jingoistic word salads in the early hours of the morning - WEIRD.

• Shamelessly pandering to Christians, when you embody the 7 deadly sins, check all the boxes for the anti-Christ, and constantly break the 10 Commandments - WEIRD.

• Can’t laugh or relate to good-natured humor - WEIRD.

• Unable to operate outside a ‘zero-sum-game’ mentality. Everything is either “the best” or “terrible”, everyone is either “nasty” or wonderful,” depending on how they cater to your ego - WEIRD.

• Willing to tear down American democracy & institutions for your own personal benefit - WEIRD.

• Don’t give one single damn about lying continuously, even about things that can easily be fact-checked - WEIRD.


The list could go on, & on, & on…


Are Kamala Harris & Tim Walz (and really everyone) weird in their own ways? Sure, but when you don’t reek of insecurity from rampant egotism, you can have a laugh about it instead of trying to deny it. 

 Share it far & wide - spread the weirdness!!!

Jonald J.R. Trumbiden

After my last post lamenting the absurdity of the 2024 Presidential Debate, the craziness continues to unfold... an attempted assassination of Trump, Biden getting COVID again, the unhinged RNC convention where people are wearing bandages on their ear like Dear Leader (or is it "Ear Leader"?)... the shitshow continues!

The Official Monkey Buddha solution to all this political madness is simple-
Take the best of both political worlds, and meld Joseph R. Biden & Donald J. Trump into a single entity. Ladies & gentleman, with the help of A.I. imaging, I present to you:

Jonald J.R. Trumbiden

American Shitshow: 2024 Election Edition

Due to the general craziness of my home life with a toddler & infant in the mix, I haven't posted in awhile. After the sad, sorry spectacle that was the first Biden / Trump Presidential Debate of 2024, my younger self would have posted about that immediately. Like so many people, my wife & I watched in shock about how absolutely befuddled the President of the United States looked. We know Biden's pretty old & as my wife says, "He should be home, being a Pop-Pop." Once the debate started, though, we were like... holy shit, dude. Over the past weeks, I've been kind of absorbing the craziness of it, & observing the fallout. I've always commented about politics here, so I felt like I had to write about this.

It was definitely painful to watch, especially as one of the many who see Donald Trump as an existential (yes, exi-fucking-stential) threat to democracy & its institutions, not just in America, but around the globe. Despite the direct threat to law, order, & common decency that he represents, Trump is still just a buffoon, an egotistical moron with the wits and taste of a donkey. Any competent political opponent should make a complete mockery of such a foolish, boorish man. It's really not difficult to expose his obvious and constant lies, or call him out on his insufferable bullshit.

The fact that not as much attention was given to Trump being a shamelessly lying maniac with stupid, insane statements shows two things:

1) Everyone is so used to Trump constantly being a shamelessly lying maniac with stupid, insane statements that it's just like, "Oh, there he goes again!"

2) Biden was so unbelievably bad & clearly impaired, that nothing like it has been seen in all of televised politics.

What a fucking train-wreck. It would have probably just been sad if it was a semi-competent candidate debating Biden, but with Trump's lunacy it became absolutely surreal. Biden was completely helpless to counter any of the nonsense that should have been easily dispelled. The optics were just brutal - Grandpa Joe standing there mouth agape, forgetting anything even resembling a train of thought. 

People around this country and around the world were horrified to see that the last line of defense against an immoral, criminal, fascist fuck at the head of the most powerful nation on Earth is a mentally declining slightly-more-elderly man who could not even put a convincing thought together (forget making compelling policy arguments). It was a complete shitshow, and the aftermath has been just as nuts.

Biden & the DNC, have potentially royally screwed this country if Trump pulls off a victory by them not preparing another candidate to replace Biden after one term (as he promised). Although Kamala Harris is really the only person who could replace him and keep the campaign funds & infrastructure, America is still full of racists and misogynists who would never vote for a female President with dark complexion.

So we are less than half a year away from the General Election, and we are in the political equivalent of the twilight zone. Trump even being in the running to be President again is a complete & utter travesty. He is fraud and perversion personified. 

Meanwhile, the man who is supposed to be the Leader of the Free World is  calling President Zelenski of Ukraine fucking "PUTIN", and his own Vice-President "TRUMP"... & this is after he is supposed to convince us that he is still fit to lead. Joe is rocketing past Justice Ginsberg & Senator Feinstein in letting hubris & self-assured arrogance tarnish their legacy. By clinging to their positions in government, they've caused serious damage to the institutions they claimed to be serving.

It's embarrassing that our entrenched, rotting 2-party system has thrust these choices on us, out of millions of capable citizens. Let's be clear - I will vote for Joe Biden's re-animated corpse before I vote for Donald Trump. I think Biden's administration has done positive things for the country and I admire his tenacity, but it is clear that he's not cognitively & functionally up to the tremendous task of leading the country. 

We, as a society, cannot let a vulgarian such as Trump gain positions of power again, without severe detriment to our system of government. The question at this stage of the game is how is he stopped, without creating an even riskier scenario if Biden steps aside? I don't know, but I do know that if the Trump Family, Steve Bannons, Stephen Millers, and Heritage Foundation zealots get in control of things again, it's gonna be a bad time. We are in an amazing era, where technology and knowledge are opening up unbelievable possibilities... and these assholes want to take us back to the feudal ages.

 Let's hope that the bizarre crap-shoot of life somehow averts the national & global disaster that a second Trump administration would bring. It's definitely a worrisome set of circumstances, and it shows just how totally wacked-out American politics is, in general. I guess, like always... we just have to sit back and experience the puppet show.

Clematis Vine Flowering Cycle

My wife & I have a trellis in front of a cinder block wall shed, and several years ago I began trying to get clematis vines to grow on it.

We also planted a rose bush, so now it is a colorful Spring display of pinks & purples. 

Nature Photography
by Paul Micarelli

 

I love just looking at the infinite details of these beautiful plants. It's a wonderful feeling to take a deep breath, be present, & truly smell the roses.

 

This year I took some photos of the clematis flowers at different stages of blossoming. 

 It is kind of freaky about halfway through- the flower resembles a strange alien creature as it opens...

 

 

Springtime Bees

 One of the awesome signs of Spring is the bees buzzing around the flowering plants & collecting pollen. 

 We have a lot of plants & flowers at our house, so there are bees everywhere. Here are some pics I took of honeybees & bumblebees getting that sweet, sweet pollen.

Trump's Asshole Mouth

Trump's Asshole Mouth

To commemorate Donald J. Trump's first day in court as a criminal defendant, I created this classy new Trump meme!!! It has been widely commented that Trump's mouth looks like a butthole (everybody's saying it). When he puckers his lips while excreting his verbal bullshit, it's both an uncanny & revolting resemblance.  

Trump has come oh so far since I mockingly made a graphic way back in 2011 imagining Trump as "President A$$hole", thinking it was a completely absurd possibility. 

 The Monkey Buddha Archives:
Trumping Birther Madness

Not only has he (unbelievably) been President, but was impeached twice & after leaving office has faced almost 100 felony charges from different jurisdictions. He's defrauded countless people & organizations, and tells numerous verifiable lies in almost every conversation he has. He tried to instigate a hostile takeover of our democratically-elected government, & install a plutocratic autocracy. The guy is a true fucking scumbag, regardless of the admiration he receives from self-proclaimed MAGA "patriots". 

Trump's Asshole Mouth is the prime expression of his vulgarity- spewing the aforementioned lies, juvenile bully behavior, name-calling, and just generally stupid discourse. 

Today is the continuation of his existing legal clusterfuck, but it is also the beginning of the "criminal defendant" stage of Trump's court battles. We'll see how fast Trump's Asshole Mouth gets him in real trouble.

Techno Viking A.I. Goblin

 

Artificial Intelligence is doing something that was definitely NOT what most people would have thought the machines would be capable of - simulating & re-creating (at least visually) what people experience in psychedelic states. 

This trippy application of computer software gained prominence with the "Deep Dream" programs about 10 years ago. It generated hallucinogenic animations in which barely-recognizable imagery would cycle as weird textural features.

The Monkey Buddha Archives:
Deep Dream Images

Now, A.I. programs are just outputting the craziest, most mind-boggling imagery & video. We are breaking through to a singularity-type situation of infinite amounts of novel imagery, generated continuously. One thing I've been thinking about lately is how fusion power is developing in tandem with A.I.. Perhaps we will need a new power source to accommodate the massive amounts of clean energy that will be needed for emerging technologies in computing. It's fascinating how these interconnected innovations are evolving simultaneously.

I've posted about the possible outcomes of this paradigm-shattering technology, but I am just left in awe thinking about the implications. I don't even pretend to understand the coding & technology to produce this kind of software. It's basically Enochian magic, as far as I know. The biological human brain & society eventually won't be able to keep up with the madness that's about to ensue.

Check out this amazing A.I. alien goblin remix of the old "Techno Viking" video that had me dying:

When you partied a little bit too hard
and transcended into another dimension

The Prophecy of the Trump Bible™ is Fulfilled!

WHAT...THE...FUCK?!? HAHAHA The Absurdity-Meter has officially gone thermonuclear, & obliterated all sense of irony. After seeing something about it online & thinking "Holy Shit, you've gotta be kidding me", I was going to post about this, before even watching the video... but after actually sitting through it... just WOW. 

 

Through divine inspiration, I created a satirical ad for a Trump Bible in 2020. I know he's a total scumbag & there is no bottom to his barrel of bullshit, but I thought the idea of Donald Trump selling Bibles was way too ridiculous even for him. I was clearly wrong (but also right!). 

I am truly surprised that he didn't have the gold TRUMP logo imprinted on these Bibles, which is the most shocking thing about this pathetic display.

At this point, one has to ask... Is there any more hypocritical and foolish human being than a Christian Trump supporter? The word "gullible" doesn't begin to address the cognitive dissonance needed to believe anything Donald Trump says about religion and spirituality. To listen to this crass advertisement for the Holy Bible by the most corrupt, dishonest, and immoral politician to ever grace the American political landscape & NOT immediately think "This guy is clearly the Anti-Christ archetype we've been warned about," is pure goddamn stupidity on a level that is difficult for a rational mind to truly comprehend. 

I Spy A.I. Lies

I continue to be astounded at the developments in the field of artificial intelligence. It's partly amusing & partly horrific to see these insanely powerful tools developing so rapidly that the human race doesn't really know how to handle it.

The most disturbing aspect of A.I. (so far) is the ability to deceive people. We can no longer trust what we see or hear in digital or print media to represent objective reality. As a graphic designer, I've always been able to easily spot "Photoshopped" or digitally-altered images. Now, with more advanced A.I. renderings being so realistic, I don't trust anything I see anymore.

However, I can still often tell when images are produced by A.I. programs. Unfortunately, the general public is not as discerning as I may be. It's easy to see how people could get fooled by the amazing technologies out there, if they are used for deceptive purposes.

One recent example that has already achieved "meme" status is a Willy Wonka-themed event in Scotland that had families so upset that the cops were called. The organizer/promoter used A.I. generated imagery to evoke a magical "Wonka Wonderland" that definitely did not properly represent the lame reality of the actual event.

Parents lured to immersive Willy Wonka experience by AI ads show up to near-empty warehouse with no candy

The most iconic image to come out of the situation is the viscerally real "Sad Oompa Loompa Lady," who looks like she's cookin' up some Wonka Meth:

 

Another recent eaxmple of using A.I. technology, this time for for audio fakery, is the Joe Biden robo-call that used an A.I. generated simulation of Biden's voice to mislead Democratic primary voters:

Magician says political consultant hired him to create AI Biden robocall ahead of New Hampshire primary

We are in for a very wild ride into the future, as the implications of A.I being used for nefarious purposes becomes clear:

• Is that the actual voice of a politician, using a racial slur? 

• Did that celebrity really get caught in a compromising sexual situation? 

• Have we come into contact with extraterrestrial beings in the real world?

• Are soldiers of a particular nation truly committing war crimes?

We are already at the point where we will not be able to believe anything we see online. If we don't experience it directly with our own biological sensory organs, it could be a very convincing A.I. lie.

This is one of the aspects of artificial intelligence that people are totally not prepared to deal with... It will be interesting to see how we as a global society address these challenges and deceptions that we all will inevitably face.

The Insane Horror of War

Although I'm fortunate to have never been in an active war zone, I've seen many, many horrific images of war. I don't want to shy away from those realities because it is necessary to really understand the many (sometimes disturbing) facets of human nature & our existence.

The video of the screenshot above really hit me hard, because it instantly reminded me of my 3-year old son (one of the 2 reasons I haven't been posting here as often). However, instead of his brown eyes being filled with the joy & playfulness that a child should be experiencing, this poor boy's eyes are filled with traumatic, debilitating fear. It's a sickening & disheartening scene, and reveals the unfathomable insanity & horror of war. 

The YouTube video is labeled as a Palestinian child, who was showing signs of shock, being comforted by a doctor after an Israeli attack in Rafah in southern Gaza. This took place not long after the ruthless Oct. 7 attacks on Israel by Hamas. I have been wanting to write this post for awhile now, with this boy's terrified face haunting my mind.

I've always been generally anti-war particularly when it comes to wars of aggression, but having become a father has taken my disgust for humanity's brutality to new depths. Seeing what happens in wartime to innocent people, and especially children like this, is just gut-wrenching to the point of despair.

What in the hell are we doing to each other, our fellow human beings on this Earth?? ...and for what?!?

As I get older while now being a dad, the more I grow in pure wonder & amazement at this world we inhabit, while simultaneously being completely fed up by the fucking stupidity of people. War is one of those things that makes me realize we're still just idiotic apes bashing in each other's skulls, 2001: A Space Odyssey-style.

The Israeli/Palestinian situation has been fucked up for so long, that it's seems like a conflict with no end and no solution. I'm not going to rehash the recent history of the region, but I will say that it's a cycle of violence that will self-propagate indefinitely... unless some triumph of human spirit and resolve can work toward a better path for all the peoples involved.

It is an unbelievably tough situation- you can't let murderous terrorists invade towns full of innocent people and wreak havoc, but... goddamn, retaliating by bombing out whole civilian population centers & infrastructure is a sure way to continue the hatred & resentment in future generations. Fighting terrorism by terrorizing innocent people is such an obvious hypocrisy, but psychos can still justify it by dehumanizing people they deem as The Other", instead of seeing them as fellow humans and living, feeling, thinking beings.

I'm old enough to remember the days of Ariel Sharon while Dubya was President & the atrocities of that time. I cynically knew that this horrible event would be used as a pretext to eliminate the Palestinian presence altogether. As I've watched the catastrophic aftermath unfold with the rest of the world over the past several months, it has turned out to be true:

Netanyahu’s apparent rejection of a post-war Palestinian state
adds to tensions with Biden administration

Of course, there are elements on all sides who want the conflicts throughout the world to continue, for various perverse reasons- war profiteering, consolidation of power, & what seems to be a driving force for so much of the bullshit... nationalistic / religious ideology.

People are so childish when it comes to nationality and religion, everyone thinking that their thinking is the only way to think... but they're really not thinking at all. That's the most depressing thing about the Middle Eastern conflict- Jews and Muslims hate each other because they believe a bunch of old stories & laws that are kinda the same, but different enough to get all tribal about it. Everyone believes that their religious ideas are correct. It's all mental constructs that people have mistaken for external reality. Then, you also have certain Christians basing their loyalties in this battle on their own beliefs about Jesus magically re-appearing. It's all so ridiculous, but countless people are murdering other people over it.

This, of course, is not a new phenomenon, nor is it only a feature of the Abrahamic religions. People have been murdering and brutalizing each other en masse all over the world, forever. This is something I always emphasize to those who lament at the current state of affairs. I've been listening to the awesome podcast, "Fall of Civilizations" during my commute to work, and it's a stark reminder about how fucking violent humans, & the societies they create, have always been.

There's so much fighting and hatred over imaginary lines in the desert sand, & whose self-righteous ideas about the world and the Infinite God are the best... it's all just insane, horrible shit. There is no foreseeable end to all the war & fighting in the world. That is the unfortunate, but inescapable fact. So, we just have to try to be a light in the realm of influence we have, to try to make the world a slightly better place.