R.I.P. Doink the Clown

My brother informed me that Doink the Clown, a pro wrestler, has died.

I used to watch some wrestling back in the day, & I remember the iconic clown duo, Doink & Dink.

Terrifying, yet hilarious.

By some really strange coincidence, I've recently bookmarked a couple creepy clown animated GIFs that I came across & was going to post...
They definitely do not help my mild aversion to clowns.

So... I guess this is now a sort of a tribute to Doink???... RIP

And, of course, the craziest clown of them all:

Spooky

No, "Spooky" is not a description of the above picture I came across online - it is the name of the Halloween clown persona of "Willace", a Florida-based clown. This multi-tasking entertainer has a half dozen characters. I definitely have to give him credit for his diversity. Be sure to go to the "Fun & Games Page" to see the super-accurate drawing of Willace next to the Word Find.

"Willace the Clown" website

The description of the Spooky character reads:

"Spooky Does Halloween Parties, Children's Haunted houses.
He Face Paints Halloween Themes &
Does Halloween Theme Balloon Art.
Spooky Will Come to Visit your Children
with a Trick or treat bag with his supplies
to make your child's Halloween Happy & Safe."

The reassuring note after this description is a valiant attempt to separate himself from the legions of diabolical trauma-inducing clowns out there:

(Note: Spooky will not accept any jobs
that require scaring people!!
We do not like to leave mental Scars)

Like many people, I have a conflicting dual outlook on clowns.
• On one hand, it is nice that people want to entertain and make other people laugh. Trying to bring joy to the world is truly a noble effort.
• On the other hand, despite all attempts at keeping an open mind, the typical adult will find that picture kind of creepy. (Sorry Spooky.)

Unfortunately, John Wayne Gacy did for clowns what Hitler did for the square mustache.

There was just no way I couldn't post about this versatile clown/hobo/santa/comic doctor, especially after seeing the "Willace the Clown" thong on his Cafepress shop.

I simply can't imagine the special girl who would want "Willace" in her intimate area...

Go Willace!!!

Movie Review: "Joker"

 

Last night my wife and I watched "Joker" starring Joaquin Phoenix. She wanted to watch it, which is unusual because she's not really a fan of comic book movies. However, she likes psychological dramas, and "Joker" is very heavy on the psychology of this particular insane villain.

Although it is an origin story & there are tie-ins to Batman (mostly through the appearances of young Bruce Wayne & his father Thomas), it did not really feel like a movie about the comic book character Joker. The DC movies have not really followed a coherent universe like Marvel, and this just seems like a standalone movie that has nothing to do with Justice League or Batman movies. That being said, it was still a really good film and we both enjoyed it.

Admittedly, my favorite portrayal of The Joker is in the Arkham Asylum video games - in which Mark Hamill (Luke Skywalker) voices the Clown Prince of Crime. After the movie, when I told Loretta this, she was incredulous, "Luke Skywalker plays the Joker?!?!" When I showed her some clips from the games, she was like, "Yeah, that's pretty good." This to me is exactly what the Joker should be:

I just never like any of the renditions of The Joker in the movies. People rave about Jack Nicholson & Heath Ledger, but they were horrible. They basically played a smug, subdued creep with a weird mouth & a bum with makeup, respectively. I'm not even going to talk about Jared Leto's version in Suicide Squad. "Damaged"? More like just plain idiotic. Even Caesar Romero's 1960's campy portrayal was better than that.

I think Joaquin Phoenix got as close to the essence of the mind of the Joker as any actor. The one detail that seems to have been forgotten in other roles is the manic nature of the Joker, embodied in his crazed laugh. This movie put an interesting spin on that characteristic - with Arthur Fleck being affected by a "condition" of an uncontrollable laugh that is like a nervous tic.

The movie definitely wasn't funny in any regard, despite the main character being a clown. In fact, it was pretty disturbing, which is fitting considering this clown is a psychopath. It covered many social issues, such as the availability of mental health services, the exploitation of individuals by the media, and the class divide which drives so much suffering in our world. You can almost sympathize with Fleck as the cruelty of society and the horrors of life drive him further into madness.

I would definitely recommend this movie to anyone interested in comic book movies, or films dealing with psychology and social commentary. It effectively took a cartoonish villain and created a multi-dimensional character who can simultaneously elicit empathy, fear, and disgust.

• The Official Monkey Buddha Rating: 8/10

American Horror Story: Freak Show

I don't really watch TV anymore... The only programming I ever watched anyway was cable news, documentaries, & Comedy Central shows. Now, I don't even bother with TV news, and I only watch content from Comedy Central occasionally. My girlfriend & I both try to find more constructive uses of our time, so neither of us invest ourselves in full seasons of any TV series.

However, we decided to make an exception & watch "American Horror Story: Freak Show", because it appealed to our appreciation for the bizarre and weird. After months of intermittently watching an episode here & there, we finally watched the series finale last night. I enjoyed the series and think it's worth seeing, for all its grotesque craziness.

When I first started watching AHS: Freak Show, I immediately recognized the strong influence of the 1932 cult classic film, Tod Browning's "Freaks". It became one of my favorite movies in high school, after I bought a VHS tape from a video store that I worked at as a teenager. "Freaks" shocked audiences of the day with its casting of real circus freaks and sideshow acts, leading to it being banned from theaters.

 

Internet Archive:

Tod Browning's "Freaks"

As a kid who liked anything strange & out of the ordinary, "Freaks" was right up my alley. It was disturbing, yet thought-provoking and profound. It also gave deep insight into human nature and questioned the nature of our perception of "normal".

Tod Browning & the cast of "Freaks" (1932)

"AHS: Freak Show" is a modern day incarnation of the black & white film, in the form of a TV series. Most of the characters are direct adaptations of the real-life freaks that were cast in the original classic movie.

Many of the themes in the show are very similar to the movie. The feeling of rejection & being an outcast from society plays heavily in the show. A solution to this sense of rejection is the strength that can be found by "finding the others," as Terence McKenna used to say. By sticking together with other freaks, they could become a surrogate family for one another. This provides protection for one another through a communal existence, independent from the rest of society.

Another theme that I love in both the show & movie is the idea that the truly twisted and monstrous characters are actually the "normal" people, who are narcissists, sociopaths, and outright killers. The freaks just want to perform and live together in their traveling carnival, but the schemes of those outside their community constantly threaten their existence.

The owner of the freak show, Elsa Mars

The owner of the freak show is Elsa Mars (played by Jessica Lange), a German woman with dreams of becoming famous and moving to Hollywood. She loves her "monsters" as she calls them, but ultimately her narcissism is greater than her concern for the freaks. She has horrific demons from her past that come out as the series progresses, and this throws into doubt whether or not she can be considered a freak herself.

The utterly crazy Dandy Mott

 

One of my favorite non-freak characters is a rich, spoiled psychopathic man-child named Dandy Mott. He is a person that you love to hate, because he is such an evil & arrogant bastard. However, his craziness & complete disconnect from normal human behavior can be entertaining.

 Twisty the Clown

'The creepiest and most horrifying character was the Killer Clown who was featured prominently in the first several episodes. I personally find clowns to be have a slightly disconcerting quality anyway, but this clown was just plain terrifying. Unfortunately, his character didn't last throughout most of the series.

The leading "freak" characters of AHS: Freak Show

There are a lot of good characters in the show, including- Sarah Paulson as the 2-headed girl Dot & Bette, Kathy Bates as a bearded woman, and Neil Patrick Harris as the shell-shocked traveling salesman with his creepy murderous doll that speaks only to him.

Although the plot led to some shocking surprises and mind-bending circumstances, the acting and extraordinary characters are the show's strongest element.

I would recommend "American Horror Story: Freak Show" to anyone with an interest in the macabre, grotesque, or downright insane aspects of humanity. It makes you consider whether we are ALL freakish on some level.

Miracles

BoingBoing posted a recent video by Insane Clown Posse called "Miracles" that I found to be a paradoxical combination of awesome & horrible.

There some good things that can be said about the video, like it's approach of the world with child-like wonder & refusing to completely accept the conceptual constructs that society creates. Also, the visual effects are actually pretty cool.
However, the video is by the Insane Clown Posse... so it's horrible by default. The rapping is wacky, & grown men wearing makeup is still no cooler than when KISS did it.

I would say the whole thing is surreal, but we are now living in a post-surreal world where nothing is really all that bizarre anymore. Of course, the video has gone viral, with some of the lyrics resonating across the vast Internets.

Dare to ponder such philosophical musings as:

"F*cking magnets, how do they work?"

"There's magic everywhere in this bitch!"

"Miracles"

I wasn't even going to post about it, until I saw parodies of it on Cynical C that had me laughing my ass off.

The first one's a mashup of "Miracles" & a Glade Plug-in commercial.

The other one's a SNL skit that is the parody that had to be made:

The Mugshot

After 4 federal & state indictments, for almost 100 criminal charges (so far), Donald J. Trump has finally taken his greatest publicity photo yet - his booking mugshot at Fulton Co. jail in Georgia. This arrest was for the charges that he's facing there as Inmate #P01135809 - of racketeering & conspiracy to overthrow the election.

This will obviously go down in history as the most infamous mugshot ever (& maybe photo, in general). Like everything Trump does, it is the Biggest & Best Ever, but for all the wrong reasons. 

It's such a surreal situation- the former President of the United States being booked on charges to basically thwart the fundamental democratic process of free elections. He is a straight-up criminal thug whose activity is inexcusable when looked at objectively (an impossible feat for a true MAGA devotee).

This ridiculous mugshot is typical Trump, trying to control the media narrative for his benefit. You can tell he's trying to do the "tough & intimidating" look, but to any sane person it just comes off as silly & fake like everything else he does. One comment I saw online likened it to an Angry Bird that has morphed into an old man. 

Predictably, Trump supporters immediately embraced the normally-humiliating mugshot as a perverse badge of honor. In MAGA Bizarro-World, it's become a symbol of über-patriot Trump being unjustly persecuted by the corrupt system. In reality, it's the symbol of the justice system finally holding a corrupt, self-centered asshole in power accountable for his actions. 

The memes, merchandise, & fundraising began the micro-second the photo was shared online. Trump raised millions of dollars in the first day from absolute idiots willing to donate money to a "billionaire" for his criminal defense. Trump's own account posted this totally shitty graphic:

___________________

"NEVER SURRENDER!" 

- From a guy who has already SURRENDERED 4 TIMES to law enforcement.

The stupidity truly has no limit. The hypocrisy in this graphic alone should be enough to make your head spin, but there are actually people out there who are eating all his bullshit up. It's just baffling to me.

New York Magazine:
All the Mug Shots of Donald Trump and His Alleged Co-Conspirators

The really wild thing about this indictment is the 19 other co-defendants who are also being charged. It's a who's-who of MAGA scumbags- "America's {Disgraced} Mayor" Rudy Giuliani, Batshit Conspiracy Lawyers John Eastman & Sydney Powell, Trump's own Chief of Staff Mark Meadows, and so many people who willingly tried to break the law to subvert the election process... all for a con-man who has now hung them out to dry. It's sad & shameful that these people are now facing jail time for the likes of Donald Trump, but they deserve the consequences of their actions.

They all are entitled to their day in court & to maintain their innocence, but the evidence already is pretty damning. You just cannot put so much faith into 1 party, or 1 man, that you are willing to completely overturn the election process & the votes of American citizens. It's authoritarian bullshit that has no place in a democratic society. 

Of course, there are people who sincerely believe that Trump won the election, but that's just pure ignorance. Trump is not THAT popular, AT ALL. Trump supporters can't wrap their heads around the fact that the majority of the people preferred Biden. "...but, but there were NO Biden flags anywhere before the election!!!" Guess what? Normal people don't fly a flag outside their house with an old politician's head on Rocky Balboa's muscular body, like Trump supporters do.

Anyway, the one good thing to come out of this fucking mess is the endless memes. So, far the best one regarding all the co-conspirators shows them as the rogues gallery of Batman villains. My brother sent it to me before Trump got his mugshot. I said, "send them all to Arkham Asylum! Looks like they're waiting for Trump to be the Joker." Sure enough, the wonderful genius (@iamhappytoast) who created these images made Trump the Clown Prince of Crime. 

So, damn, what else is there to say? Shit's so crazy. All you can do is watch and wonder what comes next. I do think all right-minded people have the responsibility to speak out, & not accept the possibility of another administration that is as unrepentantly criminally-minded as Trump's. Extreme right-wing conservatives think that they have some kind of moral mandate over the rest of us, when the actual policies that their values reflect are usually downright horrible for the people and the country.

The MAGA mindset is really a cult-like phenomenon that has coalesced around the incarnate golden calf, Donald Trump. Anyone can see it, except for the people who have been propagandized into that mindset. It's scary how detached from reality certain people in that mindset can be, and it has proven to be a serious danger to the smooth functioning of our democracy. I am all for conservatism playing their part in politics, as well as skepticism of systems of control & the government. However, we can't just let a random band of crazy fuckers screw everything up because they want their guy to win.

Trump is a toxic influence that has infected politics in a way that is amazing and disgusting at the same time. His malignant narcissistic personality disorder has gone beyond him, & has led to a type of cultural mental illness that is demonstrably harmful to society, in all aspects. The only way for us as individuals to counteract this influence is to ridicule it, & call it out on it's own nonsense until it's marginalized. The way for society, as a whole, to counteract it is to do what is happening here; prosecute those who are acting on de-stabilizing our institutions and norms in a way that will cause harm to the country & it's democratic processes. Our relative freedom & rights as citizens depends on us not succumbing to authoritarian and fascist tendencies, like MAGA & Trump-worship.  

The very idea that Donald Trump can try to run for President after being indicted in several different jurisdictions is absolutely bonkers & totally unacceptable. It does not surprise me that the boot-licking sycophants of the Republican party would still back him as their candidate, but it's still pathetic.

It's a surreal & a scary time, when American democracy is being threatened by True Believers who cannot accept that maybe, just maybe, they are wrong or have been misinformed about many, many things. Hopefully, enough people can look past their own biases and media influences, to bring some normalcy to political discourse and policy. Trump & his fans ultimately need to be seen for what they are - an anomaly, & not the norm. This begins by society holding Trump accountable for his continual stream of misdeeds. This mugshot is symbolic of the idea that no one should be above the law, especially someone as destructive to society as Donald Trump.

Twisted Metal Atomic Clown

At first, I thought this was just a cool graphic, demonstrating superb visual irony. Then I found out that it's an awesome ad for a new Twisted Metal game for PS3. Clowns are scary by themselves, but combined with the insanity of nuclear weaponry this is as nightmarish as imagery can get.

Fake Science

On Neatorama I saw a link to a photo blog featuring posters that turn science upside-down.

Fake Science

In this age of wide-open transfer of ideas it's sometimes difficult for people to discern factual information from BS. A wise one knows that it's all BS.

I liked this one on the front page.
It's a subtle ode to the ridiculous video for the Insane Clown Posse song "Miracles":

It is right, in a way- magnetism & gravity are simply aspects of the same fractal continuum on different scales.
...or not.

Politics of the 2013 U.S. Shutdown

I still follow national politics very closely, but nowadays I don't write about it as much as I did during the Bush Dark Ages.

However, the ridiculous clown show surrounding the government shutdown, led by the Tea Party mutiny within the Republican-controlled House of Representatives, has literally forced my hand into typing a reaction.

NYT:

 Government Shuts Down in Budget Impasse

My news & perspective comes from a wide variety of sources: the Google News & Pulse News aggregators, TPM, Democracy Now!, CNN, Bartcop, Politico, BBC, Fox News, MSNBC, PBS, etc.
One of the problems with today's political climate is that many people only get their news & opinion from limited sources, usually just those that affirm their existing worldview.

As brain-dead as their commentary often is, I often visit FoxNation or other ultra-conservative media outlets, to get a handle on how people (whom I usually don't agree with) see things. Conversely, it's also easy to tell when someone starts sputtering talking points & bizarro facts straight from Fox News, when it's clear they don't understand the reality of the situation.

I've always been an Independent voter, but generally I think the Republican party is wrong on most policy positions. They're ideas are often short-sighted, usually benefiting a narrow set of interest groups. Through endless obstruction & political stunts like this shutdown, they've also shown they simply can't run the federal government effectively. Despite the myth of their superiority on fiscal matters, the modern GOP have a pretty poor record of racking up public debt & governing in a way that does not advance positive solutions for the country.

The staggering incompetence of the Bush administration screwed the country and the global economy over 8 years. Their "Shoot first, ask questions later" cowboy approach to foreign policy left our country mired in *un-funded* trillion-dollar military occupations, which we are still trying to fully extract ourselves from. On the domestic front, they tried their best to give away everything in the public domain to Wall Street - by further deregulating the markets, so people lost their savings to the Great Casino, & by attempting to privatize Social Security.

Since Barack Obama was elected, the stated goal of the political opposition has been to make this President fail, at any cost. (I'm old enough to remember when criticizing President Bush was akin to anti-Americanism & treason, in the eyes of his supporters.) The Republican leaders have been quite open about the fact that their main objective is to oppose ANY progress the President, Democrats, & the reasonable Republicans seek to make.

Anti-Government politicians are the ultimate hypocrites, & they're also the masters of self-fulfilling prophecy... Their constituents are convinced that government does more harm than good, so they vote in these buffoons to prove them right, by causing chaos once in office - eliminating public programs & making the political process dysfunctional.

In fact, many Republicans actually ran on the promise of shutting down the government, as if this was a badge of honor!

Because I'm interested in this political theater for some reason, I was flipping through the cable news channels late last night as the shutdown loomed. Rachel Maddow had a good piece on the overt nature of this destructive political goal, leading to it's culmination last night:

Visit NBCNews.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

For the 2 years when the Dems had control of Congress, after Obama was elected in '08, there was actually a fair amount of meaningful legislation passed.

Since John Boehner & the GOP have been running the House of Representatives, though, little of note has been advanced by them- except for 40+ failed attempts at repealing the Affordable Care Act, ACA, or "Obamacare".

Affordable Care Act:

About the Law

Thanks to the partisan gerrymandering of Congressional districts, Republican candidates in deep red areas have been forced to lurch farther & farther to the right... and, in many cases, lower & lower on the IQ scale. This has given rise to the completely anti-government "Tea Party" faction of Congress, which is responsible for the current state of affairs.

I have no love, or even trust, for the government by any means. However, I do understand that there are hundreds of thousands of public workers providing vital services every day. One of the benefits of being part of an organized society is a working government to keep things running smoothly.

The fringe element of the GOP has wildly miscalculated their strategy by willfully neglecting their basic duty to keep the government running, so the country can function. These ideological Reps. have no sense of responsibility or history, and they have completely ignored what happened last time their party, led by Newt Gingrich, tried to fold their arms & stomp their feet, at the expense of the nation:

Attempts to blame Obama or the Democrats for refusing to go to conference, or negotiate on terms, for a continuing resolution is bullshit. The Republicans in the House could agree to fund the government right now, by advancing the clean CR bill waiting for them. The merits & flaws of the Obamacare law can then be debated through normal procedure. It is a separate issue- one that should have no bearing, whatsoever, on whether government continues to function in a regular manner.

Despite claims by both sides, that it's their opponents who will not come to the negotiating table, it's now pretty obvious that the GOP have wanted to use this lack of a settled budget as leverage to hold the country hostage- in exchange for their demands for blocking the ACA from being implemented. The GOP is trying to twist the normal order of business, so they can hijack the legislative process.

The crazy thing is that the shut down doesn't even affect Obamacare, which is still funded! Also, the fact that millions of people are visiting the Healthcare.gov website, even causing system crashes, shows just how much people need health insurance.

The shut down is frankly a stupid strategy, & it's going to have serious consequences for the Republican party. Conservatives stuck in the Fox News/Right-Wing Radio alternate reality bubble seem to think they're doing the will of the people by shutting down the government. They are going to find out that not everyone is living in their distorted fantasy world, & the scrutiny of the real world is going to judge them harshly.

The often-used description of these conservative hard-liners as "tea-hadists" is completely justified. The Republican Tea party caucus is a small group of fanatics inflicting widespread, real damage on the general population, to force their ideological agenda.

To be clear, I don't think Obamacare, nor the President himself, are without their flaws. He has said himself that there's always room for improvement in the laws.

However, Pres. Obama consistently been the adult in the room, pushing to get important things done, in spite of an obstinate minority party. The petulant right-wingers would rather let the country fail, than allow Obama any perceived victories. He has still been able to advance certain policy goals- by outmaneuvering the Congressional Republicans, who cannot let their base see them doing anything but obstruct the evil Kenyan Socialist.

John Boehner has been pathetically ineffective as a House Speaker. Now he has been totally undermined by the self-serving weasels in his caucus, like Ted Cruz & Eric Cantor. You may not like Nancy Pelosi, but she would not have allowed this kind of subversion when she was Speaker.

Despite the right-wing rebellion in the House, thankfully there are still Republicans who haven't gone way off the deep end.

I don't often agree with the governor from my state, but Chris Christie (R-NJ) correctly calls the GOP shutdown strategy simply "irresponsible":

It's even more rare for me to agree with Rep. Pete King (R-NY), but even his crazy-ass recognized this is going to have a negative effect on his party & the country:

So, it's been almost 24hrs & the standoff is still going on. At some point, the House Republicans are going to have to realize this is a suicide mission & agree to stop this madness.

The irony of the whole situation is that the ACA is actually a relatively conservative health insurance system! It's a product of the Heritage Foundation & "Romneycare" the system implemented by the cyborg former gov. of Massachusetts, Mitt Romney. The insurance is still provided from private companies, & now there will be competitive markets for businesses to compete. These are originally conservative ideas.

The people who don't see the necessity of individual mandates, apparently don't understand the concept of "insurance". The purpose is to get the maximum number of people enrolled to create as large a funding pool as possible. It's not that hard to figure out. The idea that people should be left to fully pay their own health care costs is idiotic & selfish.

If dirty, hippy, socialist liberals (like me!) had our way, there would be a single-payer, or Medicare-for-all, system of nationalized health care. The private insurers would be outlawed entirely. Conservatives may gasp or grimace at that idea, but people's health care should not be administered by for-profit private corporations. Those profits are unnecessarily adding to the already exorbitant  health care costs in this country.

I'm always baffled by the argument that the government has no business being involved in health care. 

It's not specifically used as a basis for legal interpretations, but I'd say look no further than the Preamble of the U.S. Constitution. It clearly states the people's government is meant to "...promote the general Welfare". What could be more crucial to the general welfare of the citizens of a country than their health?!?!

One could also look to Article I, Section 8, Clause 1,  the Tax & Spending Clause:

The Congress shall have Power To lay and collect Taxes, Duties, Imposts and Excises, to pay the Debts and provide for the common Defence and general Welfare of the United States; but all Duties, Imposts and Excises shall be uniform throughout the United States;

If people could look past their ingrained aversion to all things government, they'd see that having & funding essential public services, including health care, are essential to improving the standards of living for everyone in society.

Sure there's always potential for abuse & corruption in the various gov't agencies & services, but that doesn't mean we should abandon the idea of a representative government that can work for its citizens. We need people in office who believe that the power of government can be effective, not people who think that government needs to be "drown in a bathtub".

We cannot even have these debates about social policy, until the Congress gets its act together & starts to operate in a normal way. This means the Congresspeople have to stop drinking whatever's making them lose their minds & move forward with the business of the nation.

The onus is on the House Republicans to simply agree to keeping the government running & it's employees working, with no legislative strings attached.

President A$$hole

Way back in the Bush years, I was still writing on this blog and posted a lot more political stuff than I do now. I don't feel the need to continually comment on the state of the current Presidential race, but it's such a bizarre & downright crazy situation that it's hard not to talk about.

Bernie Sanders has been my pick since the day that he got into the race. I have watched cable news and followed politics for many years. Bernie is one of the few politicians/talking heads who I thought was authentic, principled, and had a vision that resonated with the way that I would approach the big problems our country faces. I also saw that he was (as a democratic socialist progressive or "liberal") always willing to go on with Fox News or conservative radio hosts and really debate the issues and their merits.

So, I still think he would still be the best person for the seriousness & vision that a role like the Presidency of the US should require. I'm glad he's at least giving Hillary a run for her money, because she embodies the corrupt power structure of the political & financial establishment. I think Bernie Sanders is going to keep winning, & I hope the political movement he's led will continue even after the election is over. He is the only one who will at least attempt to initiate fundamental changes in our twisted web of national interests.

On the other side, the Republican field is like a train wreck smashed into a clown car. All the candidates are horrible in their own unique ways. However, their seemingly unstoppable frontrunner, Donald Trump, is simply a human phenomenon.

He is like a weird mix of a nightmare, a comedy, and a cheesy late-night infomercial. I saw this article by Rich Lowry &, for once, I agreed with him- Donald Trump is definitely the Billy Mays of The GOP!

Politico:

The Billy Mays of The GOP

When seeing his absurd press conference/product presentation after the recent primaries, I was just awestruck at the insanity of it all. The guy is touting "Trump Steaks", "Trump Water", "Trump Magazine", all of which are basically just products he supplies to his private clubs & resorts. It's all bullshit, but Trump is a media expert and knows the public will eat it up. Unfortunately, he leaves a bad taste in many people's mouths.

I thought the Dalai Lama had a wise analysis of the type of politics that Trump, especially, is bringing to the campaigns. 

Raw Story:

The Dalai Lama weighs in on Donald Trump: 

His personal attacks make him look ‘cheap’

"Cheap" describes Trump perfectly, despite his reported wealth. He's like a piece of gaudy expensive-looking costume jewelry, that is actually made of crappy materials and has no real value. Worst of all, when you actually wear the jewelry, it gives you a horrible rash.

Donald Trump is American Ego gone absolutely berserk. He only wants to help the country and its citizens in the sense that it's good for the Trump™ brand. I hope to God and any higher power that he doesn't get elected, but seeing him stomp across the political landscape and shattering the facade of our social norms is absolutely awesome to behold.

We'll see how everything turns out... but if Donald J. Trump ends up being elected President, this is how I envisioned it:

 President A$$hole

Months ago, I knew he was striking a nerve, so I was hoping for an election between him & Bernie. That would be the ultimate race between two iconoclast symbols of the opposite ends of American political values, known as right-wing (conservative) & left-wing (progressive). 

This is my completely un-biased look at the political divide:

 

The Political Spectrum 

by Paul Micarelli 

Jon Stewart Tells The Truth While Wearing Glasses

The news of Glenn Beck's departure from Fox News inspired The Daily Show team to produce this humorous homage.

The full episode is here:

The Daily Show:
April 07, 2011

The Daily Show - Intro - Jon Tells the Truth While Wearing Glasses
Tags: Daily Show Full Episodes,Political Humor & Satire Blog,The Daily Show on Facebook

This segment really channels the craziness - mocking Fox News, mixing up Mayan & Aztec history, slandering The Left, and conspiracies galore.

Professor Rodeo Clown deserves nothing less.

Fox & Friends Follies

One reason U.S. politics is in such a sad state right now is the news media specifically targeted to the lowest of the low-information voters.

My news sources are very diversified: • Google News • Pulse • Democracy Now! • Huffington Post • Talking Points Memo • BBC • Guardian • Politico & many, many more.

I never hesitate to express my disdain for Fox News, due to its habit for the blatant misrepresentation of facts & its warped, myopic worldview. It's news for easily agitated people who don't really understand the dynamics of the world around them.

The late Steve Jobs put it best, when talking to Rupert Murdoch about his channel:

"The axis today is not liberal and conservative, the axis is constructive-destructive, and you've cast your lot with the destructive people. Fox has become an incredibly destructive force in our society."

I'll watch Fox sometimes (...if I'm feeling masochistic), simply because I try to understand people who have different opinions, even if I think those opinions are idiotic.


It's shocking to me when I hear someone say they rely only on Fox News for all their info... it's a sad, scary little world to be stuck in, really. Although some of the straight news programs can be ok, most of the opinion shows are absolute brain garbage.

Out of all the right-wing lunatics, knuckleheads & ignoramuses who have graced that channel- Sean Hannity, Bill O'Reilly, Glenn Beck, Eric Bolling, Ann Coulter, Dick Morris, Sarah Palin, Karl Rove, Michelle Malkin, & unfortunately so many others, there is one special trio whose air-filled heads allow them to float above the rest.

Of course, I am talking to the daily clown show that airs each morning, called Fox & Friends, starring Steve Doocy, Gretchen Carlson, & Brian Kilmeade, some of the most clueless individuals I've ever seen on TV. You'd have to strap me down in a chair, like in A Clockwork Orange, to make me watch a full episode.

Most morning talk shows are bland & insufferable (for me anyway). However, F&F takes their inanity to dizzying heights that have become the object of endless mockery for The Daily Show, Stephen Colbert, & SNL.

I have compiled a list of greatest hits & spoofs for these 3 strange human beings, that I'm finally posting... Enjoy!

Wonkette:

Watch Fox & Friends Try to Roast Tiny Marshmallows With Their Hands

HufPo:

 'SNL' Spoofs 'Fox And Friends' Romney Coverage (VIDEO) 

Fox & Friends The Fail Compilation

 'SNL' Mocks 'Fox & Friends' And Republicans' Sandy Response 

With Louis C.K. (VIDEO)

Wonkette;

For Fox & Friends, It Was a Very Bad Year

GOP March Madness

Despite following political news closely, I haven't felt the need to comment alot on the presidential race lately. The GOP primaries have basically been a ridiculous mess.

I've been saying all along that Mitt Romney's going to be the nominee after the clown show is over. Having become the exclusive party of plutocrats, obviously the Republican with the most money will be the nominee... & Mitt's got plenty of $$$. However, I can't believe that he would ultimately pose a serious challenge to Obama unless something crazy happens before the election. For reasons that almost everyone on the Left AND the Right have already been pointing out, Romney is a horrible candidate. The average non-millionaire American would have to be a complete fool to want that robotic vulture capitalist running the country.

There's obviously plenty of things to criticize, but I think Obama's presidency has been generally good. He's an intelligent guy, & consistently shows clear understanding of the complexity of the many heady issues facing our country. After watching years of Dubya bullshit his way through his 8 disastrous years, it's a relief to think someone is dealing with things who isn't a total jackass.

Though I don't think the Republican party is going away anytime soon, it's leaders & spokespeople seem to be doing their very best to alienate as many voters as possible this election season.

On top of all the other nuttiness coming from that side of the aisle on both the state & national level, the House GOP just released their latest re-hash of their warped financial vision for America.

2013 House GOP Budget

As usual, they are fully prepared to slash the social safety net & let the corporate sharks in to prey on the population. Suprise!... they want to screw the disadvantaged- while awarding tax breaks for millionaires & multinational corporations. Who would've guessed?!?

Being "fiscally conservative" to these people means you want to save money for rich people & defense contractors by cutting services for the poor & sick. I fully agree many health & social programs need to be seriously reformed, but the right wingers are ready to just slash & burn.

I went back to an old post & found this pic from the last time Rep. Paul Ryan proposed his party's crappy ideas:

Always make sure to read the fine print...

Washington Post:

Wonkbook: Why the Republican budgets make the poor pay

HuffPo:

House GOP Budget: 

Paul Ryan Plan Adds Food Stamps, 

Welfare Cuts To Medicare-Slashing Plan  

Thinkprogress:

The 5 Worst Things About The House GOP’s Budget

"It's Your Nickel" by Wayne Howell

My friend Dan always shares cool tidbits with me, and I had to post this one here. He saw this awesome intaglio print at his doctor's office.

The picture is titled "It's Your Nickel" by Wayne Howell. It features a bizarre clown therapy session, with cuckoo clocks, balloons, and a mocking monkey.

After searching the web, I couldn't find a better image, so I'm just going to post this pic he sent me:

 click to enlarge

Game Review: "Batman-Arkham Asylum"

"Batman: Arkham Asylum"

When I was young, I used to collect many different comics- X-Men, Superman, Silver Surfer, Spider-man, etc. Even though Batman didn't have the awesome superpowers the other heroes had, his use of technology, trained skills & the dark mood of the comics has made him one of the timeless comic brands.

Compelling Batman graphic novels like "Killing Joke" & "Dark Knight Returns" changed my perceptions of comic book stories as a kid & of the Batman character specifically. Heroes weren't necessarily morally righteous 'good guys' with clear moral boundaries.

In the spirit of this more complex view of the world of superheroes, Batman: Arkham Asylum delivers an experience as close to being the Dark Knight as technically possible. It is simply an outstanding game that captures every aspect of the twisted world of Batman & his villains.

The game trailer gives a good visual summary of the game:

Batman: Arkham Asylum
Official Launch Trailer

I actually finished the game a few weeks ago, but I've been occasionally playing the dozen Challenge Mission levels that are unlocked. These are short levels where you either have to rack up points by beating up waves of enemies, or stealth missions where you have to defeat all the enemies & complete ambush objectives without being detected.

There are so many cool features in this game I don't even know where to start. The graphics are perfectly detailed & provide the dark mood you would expect to surround Batman while he's trapped in a old asylum full of evil lunatics.


The game fully covers all of Batman's abilities: physical superiority, intellectual detective work, & technological prowess. The way these are employed & work together really make you feel like a superhero- despite the very human vulnerability to gunfire that is ever present, which often forces you to stay in the shadows.

The most useful feature is Batman's 'Detective Vision' that allows you to basically switch on enhanced X-ray view of your surroundings. You can see the skeletal outlines of enemies through walls & obstacles, allowing you to create a preemptive strategy for how to take out enemies so you can proceed.


As you go through the game, you get all kinds of awesome gadgets. These are not only for offense, like different batarangs. There are also devices that allow you to reveal & explore parts of the extensive Arkham Island that were previously inaccessible.

Batman: Arkham Asylum
Gadgets

Being Batman himself is awesome, but the familiar villains encountered often steal the show & make this game the roller coaster experience that it is. The Joker is voiced by Mark Hamill, aka Luke Skywalker, like he is in the TV cartoons. This might seem a weird choice, but he is absolutely perfect.

The appearance of the game's many arch-villains are all actually perfect, in my opinion. The Joker though, is exactly how I would envision him, unlike the horrible 'disheveled hobo' appearance of Heath Ledger's Joker in "Batman: The Dark Knight" movie. Jack Nicholson & Heath Ledger's movie Joker characters both sucked.

Besides The Clown Prince of Evil, the other characters are also evil & deranged almost to the point of being intimidating. Fighting the enormous Bane, running frantically through the sewers to escape from Killer Croc, & trying to take out Ivy 's gigantic botanical assault are all crazy. There are also tons of references to other villains not shown, like The Penguin, hidden around the island. The villain that is a really surprising factor in the game, though, is The Scarecrow.

Scarecrow actually affects Batman's mind, leading to several separate hallucinatory segments that uncover hidden horrors from the haunting memories of Bruce Wayne/Batman. Scarecrow himself then appears in a purely psychological realm as a menacing giant scanning the evil dreamscape for you.

This game is so great on so many levels that I can't say enough to praise it. It has to played to be appreciated, although the video gives a sense of the experience. There is endless amount of satisfaction to be gained from taking out your enemies directly and by stealth, finding all of the Riddlers scattered clues, & exploring the richly detailed island w/ its famed asylum as you hunt down the Joker.

This game is a giant among ever-improving superhero games, while not being tied to an existing movie franchise. In that respect, it is allowed to stand on its own as a unique telling of the Batman legend.

• The Monkey Buddha's official rating: 9.0


Uh-oh, looks like Batman: Arkham Asylum 2 is already coming.

1st Trump & Biden Presidential Debate of 2020

"Will you shut up, man?"

Ugh, what an absolute shit-show. 

I've sat through some bad & really bad Presidential debates in my time, but this one doesn't even deserve the term "Presidential". I expected it to be really bad... and my expectations were still way too high! Just all-around fucking awful. 

 I'm not even going to show the video, because I don't want to be responsible for subjecting people to such a cultural travesty.

My wife & I watched the whole thing, pretty much disgusted & horrified that this is the state of American political discourse. She asked me if we were in the Twilight Zone, & I couldn't confidently answer in the negative.

Trump was what he always is - a complete moron, & an utter, insufferable, obnoxious A$$HOLE. The knuckleheads who already love him will think he dominated Biden with all the idiotic ranting and interruption, but to any reasonable person he comes off as a complete mental patient & a total jackass.

Biden was basically steamrolled by Trump's nonstop spew of bullshit & lies. He wasn't nearly as aggressive as he needed to be when faced with a shameless, unhinged narcissist. Biden landed a few frustrated jabs, and unfortunately the only effective counter was getting low with the name-calling and mockery - calling Trump a "clown","a fool", and "Putin's poodle". Trying to hold a rational debate with a deranged, compulsive liar is an almost impossible task.

This quote came to mind:

“Never play chess with a pigeon. The pigeon just knocks all the pieces over, shits all over the board, then struts around like it won.”.

I think Biden's best moments were when he directly appealed to us, the American people, & our families. Trump only spoke in terms of how good HE was doing at everything, as usual.  However, Biden just looked completely befuddled a lot of the time & stumbled over his words, as Trump just gish-galloped his way over the other people on the stage.

Which brings me to the 3rd person on the stage, moderator Chris Wallace. For a Fox News employee, Wallace is fairly objective. Unfortunately, he was horrible at moderating this debate and had little control over the Trump Bullshit Train. 

The one thing I've seen many people commenting & agreeing on is that (especially with someone like Trump) there needs to be moderator control over cutting the sound to the individual mics. When one person's time is up, CUT THE GODDAMN MIC. That's it. That would vastly improve these horrific displays, with people talking over each other and spending half the debate about respecting the rules & exhibiting self-control, something that The President of the United Fucking States seemingly can't comprehend.

Ok, I'm done. I've already wasted enough time talking about this nonsense. The fact that 30% of this country see the way Trump acts and thinks he's fit in any way to run anything, proves that our country is full of idiots. We have two 70+ year old white guys haplessly arguing on a stage about the most important issues facing our country, and there's barely any substantive information presented at all. It shows why our country is such a dumpster fire right now & why I don't even bother posting about politics much anymore. I hope other people are also fed up enough to stop this madness and work toward government that is functional again, for the well-being of this country and the people in it.