What the F***, Did I hear that right?!

 In the latter half of the semi-less-disastrous Presidential Debate on October 22nd, Former VP Joe Biden made a statement about 545 migrant children left at the border and no one having any idea where their parents are. Are they in the US? Have they been deported? Where are the parents of these 545 children?

I am not sure I heard 'president' Trump correctly. But I heard his reply as: "Good".

GOOD?! He thinks it's GOOD that 545 children are now lingering in detention centres because the government separated them from their parents and NOW NO ONE KNOWS WHERE THE PARENTS ARE?!  How is that GOOD?!

I know what Trump's supporters are going to say:

He didn't say that. And if he did, he didn't mean that. And if he did, you didn't understand it. And if you did, it's not a big deal. And if it is, others have said worse!

I mean for a President (or rather 'president') who is so against immigration, he seems totally fine that 545 children who HAVE parents (that no one can find) now linger in government-run detention centres, and will likely wind up in American foster homes where the State pays the foster carers a measly amount of money to attend to the needs of children. 

These children, who technically are now here illegally, will wind up in a system having arrived here illegally, therefore having no standing in the US, and will wind up with families who aren't their own, because THE GODDAMNED GOVERNMENT DOESN'T KNOW WHERE THE FUCK THEIR PARENTS ARE!

And Trump's response was... 

"Good"

I've listened to the audio again and again. People have said he said "go ahead" to the moderator, Kristen Welker, who had indicated she was ready to move on to another topic. And maybe he said "good" to that as opposed to "go ahead".

Or maybe it's a type of auditory pareidolia and I'm hearing "good" instead of "go ahead". I mean, it wouldn't be the first time. After all, there's a line in the chorus of "The Way I Are" by Timbaland that I swear said, "I don't need the cheese on the car keys" (It's Gs or the car keys). And I could have sworn "Heathens" by TwentyOne Pilots said "All my friends are here so take it slow" (It's all my friends are heathens, take it slow - which should have been a clue considering the name of the damned song is HEATHENS) 

Or, maybe he did say "good" to 545 kids being parentless at the border.  Nothing about this president surprises me anymore.   

Because 2020 isn't bad enough, WTF, Virginia!?

 So far in 2020 we've had:

- WW3 threatened

- Australia caught on fire and burned for - a long time

- A global pandemic that has literally brought the world to a screeching halt - except the US who is pretending the virus doesn't exist, despite the president having caught the illness. From which he learned absolutely nothing. 

- Firenadoes

- A 2500-year-old sarcophagus was opened in Egypt. Because ancient curses sound about right for 2020. 

and now?

Poisonous Hairy Freaking Caterpillars

Because of course, we do. 

These caterpillars are apparently found mostly in Virginia, where forestry officials are telling people to stay away from these caterpillars. The caterpillars have venom sacs at the base of their hairs, and that makes the hairs poisonous.  They eat oak and elm leaves and can often be found in parks and near structures.  They also look a little bit like a toupee.  

If you do get stung, you might feel a burning sensation at the site of the sting. And then you'll feel localized symptoms (like red marks near the sting) and fever, headache, vomiting, nausea and low blood pressure. From a freaking caterpillar! 

They're only about 1.2 to 1.4 inches long, hairy (obviously), and can be found in Florida, Virginia, Arkansas, and Texas.  Because of course. I mean, why not? The south hasn't had enough problems with Covid-19 why not throw in a poisonous caterpillar and, I think a tropical storm also heading towards the Gulf Coast? 

Yeah. 2020 has just been great.

What the Actual F***, Trump et al?!

 Look, I really don't want to make my blog so Trump-centric, and I really hope after November 3, that'll be the last of it. I'm still searching for WTF news from anywhere else. I'll find it.

But for now, it looks like Trump is set to dominate all the news, especially in the "WTF" zone. 

So, Karma finally came for the president and he contracted Covid-19. Then, although he claimed he was perfectly fine, he wound up in Walter Reed Hospital - where he was taken by Marine One, the Presidential Helicopter.  

Then, he was treated (on the taxpayer's dime, I'd like to point out. For someone so opposed to Universal Healthcare, he seems to enjoy being the recipient of socialized, taxpayer-funded medicine) with medications that are typically given to those with severe symptoms and severe infection.

But he's totally healthy!

Even the words coming out of his own mouth contradicts every word coming out of his mouth. First he says he's fine, then he says doctors were concerned, then mentions no breathing problems, then says he has had some problems breathing. 

And then, after three whole days in the hospital, he decides he's well enough to go back to the White House, which, I mean, he has a whole damn hospital there anyway, so he's going back to another hospital essentially. And let's just forget about his stupid publicity stunt drive-by outside Walter Reed. 

But Trump couldn't just go back to the White House, isolate and recuperate, now could he? First, he had to put as many people at risk as possible by filming his triumphant return at least twice.  Then stand up on the Roosevelt Balcony clearly gasping for air. 

Don't worry, though. The president, who has access to the best medicine and best doctors possible, all on your dime, says Covid-19 isn't anything to worry about. He's fiiiine.  He feels great. Like he's 20 years younger.  That can't possibly be the dexamethasone he's on talking. I mean, I know people who have been on steroids for illnesses.  They feel awesome. Until they don't. 

Shit, when I was asthmatic, my rescue inhaler made me feel fantastic.  And when I get an inhaler for chest colds (because that's when my asthma sort of makes a comeback) those inhalers make me feel, maybe not immortal, but pretty damned great. 

Then yesterday he agreed to submit to a "live, televised medical assessment". Which was neither live, nor an actual medical assessment. He was "interviewed" by a doctor from Fox News, who already has downplayed the pandemic.  It was also pre-recorded, so any coughing could be easily edited out (I haven't watched the whole thing yet, so I'm not sure if the editing was as butchered as his message from Walter Reed).  The "assessment" was not live with Tucker Carlson - who even Fox News says is not a reliable source of information - imagine your own network saying you're not a reliable source of THE NEWS.

During the interview (NOT a true medical evaluation), he was asked how he felt and admitted to feeling weak. But then says he thinks he might be immune even though he has not stated when his last negative Covid test was. 

The information - or lack thereof - coming out of the White House is on par for this administration, but with three weeks to go until the election, wouldn't the health of the president be something that should be paramount to be truthful about? 

And since Trump's positive test, there have been more than 30 staffers in the White House who have tested positive for the Coronavirus.  Chris Christie, former governor of New Jersey, is still hospitalized with the virus. Stephen Miller, also recently tested positive. 

Yet the Trump Administration and the Trump Campaign are continuing to hold superspreader events throughout the US. Trump himself is planning to travel to Florida to hold an in-person large event. And we know how his supporters feel about wearing masks and social distancing.  Florida has already been a hot spot for the virus. Looks like they'd better hunker down for a second (or would this be a third or fourth) wave of infection, especially since the governor doesn't think it needs to be mitigated in any way. 

The sad thing is, the more he denies the science and the more he downplays the virulence and deadliness of this virus, the more citizens will die from it. The US has just under 5% of the world's population.  But they currently make up over 20% of the deaths from Covid-19. 

But the president doesn't think it's an issue unless TWO MILLION die.  Because that's what the projection was if the US did ABSOLUTELY NOTHING. Rather than the almost nothing that they actually did. 

Please, for the love of all that is good, vote this guy out!

What the F*** Did I Watch?

 Tuesday night was the first presidential debate between former VP Joe Biden and incumbent angry Orange Donald Trump. 

It was, in a word or two, a shit show. 

There was no clear winner of the debate. Trump lost the debate, to be sure, but not because Biden out-debated him but simply because from the get-go, Trump threw a tantrum. He bullied his opponent, he spoke over Biden and over the moderator - Chris Wallace from Fox News. He broke every rule agreed upon for this debate. He basically played a game of “I can yell louder than you”. 

That’s not to say Joe Biden won the debate. He fell for Trump’s tactics a few times, tried to speak over him and avoided a question about whether he would pack the Supreme Court.  Although in my opinion, that’s hardly relevant at this point.  Trump HAS packed the Court.  If Biden wins, he’d only be attempting to balance the court, and yes, probably more in favour of the Democrats, but let’s be real, the Republicans did the same thing. 

Trump was asked specifically to condemn white supremacy and failed to do so.  Whether he’s on record having done so in the past, this was the time to do it again  instead, he told the Proud Boys, recognized as a white nationalist group, to “Stand Down and Stand By”.  They have already taken this as a rallying cry.  

Politics are messy. But to quote CNN’s Jake Tapper, the debate was “a shit show inside a dumpster fire inside a train wreck.”  There was no clear winner.  Just two men in their 70s, slinging mud.  

The only saving grace for me was that I watched a live stream that kept buffering because my internet connection was slow. It gave my brain a few minutes to relax.