Category: More Topics

Trump Derangement Syndrome

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Trump Derangement Syndrome

D. S. Mitchell

The first place I ever saw the term ‘Trump Derangement Syndrome’ was in a December 2016 LA Times Op Ed, written by Justin Raimondo, the editorial director of Antiwar.com. Justin Raimondo, a Republican, is a self described “conservative-paleo-libertarian” whatever that is supposed to mean. Wikipedia calls it a philosophy that is “in opposition to social progressivism”. I give you this little tidbit to allow you to appropriately weigh his comments.

In his Op Ed, Raimondo states the Trump Derangement Syndrome disorder developes in stages. I will briefly outline those stages of development as Raimondo describes them:

In the early stages of his described ‘disease,’ the victims “lose all sense of proportion.” In Trump’s case, “every tweet arouses a firestorm” of reaction.

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Trump Pushing U.S. Toward Authoritarianism

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Trump Pushing U.S. Toward Authoritarianism

D. S. Mitchell

I was having coffee with a friend the other day and I was chattering about Calamity Politics, my beloved progressive political blog, telling her about a new line of ‘Resistance’ apparel, and some great “Resist’ and ‘Persist’ jewelry created by an Astoria, Oregon artist. I was adding both the apparel and the jewelry to the Calamity Politics. com site.

Out of the blue, she reached out putting her hand on my arm, and said with a crinkled brow, “Aren’t you worried?”

“What? Worried about what?” I said sensing real concern in her voice.

“I don’t know, I’m worried that Trump or his crew might try to strong arm you, or sue you; anything to shut you up.”

“Well, I appreciate your concern,” I said with a barely concealed smirk.

“I can see that you think I’ve slipped the tracks,” she said looking into her espresso cup.

“I’m pretty sure I’m safe from lawsuit,” I said watching her face closely, “Or what? Assault? Blackmail? A Twitter attack?”

“I don’t know, I’ve read some scary stuff about Trump’s mob connections. New York construction means mob entanglements. Plus, he was in the those Atlantic City, New Jersey casinos. Mobsters and thugs love construction, trucking, drugs, prostitution and gambling.”

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50 Trump Adjectives

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50 Trump Adjectives

D. S. Mitchell

Calamity Politics is happy to announce that I, Editor-in-Chief, the only Editor-in-Fact, am going to devote the entire first political blog post of the day to a really nasty game.

The ‘game’ will not distract from my usual in-depth political coverage; that will come later. LOL. My regular readers know that the ‘in-depth’ description is probably a bit misleading.

I’m decently polite and tend to shyness. Rarely do I attack. But today, as I was driving back home from the Acupuncturist this morning, I started thinking about Donald J.Trump, 45th President of the United States, con-man, self-promoter and started tossing adjectives around in my head as I made the drive from Cannon Beach to Surf Pines.

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Butterflies and Memories

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Butterflies and Memories

D. S. Mitchell

A Public Warning

Back in 2016 more than 26,000 psychiatrists, psychologists and social workers issued a warning to the people of the United States. These mental health professionals were warning the public that, in their collective opinion, Donald Trump had a serious mental illness. They further requested the Congress remove him from office, based on Article 4 of the 25th Amendment to the United States Constitution.

Damn Scary

OMG. Pretty, damn scary stuff, if you ask me. I’ve followed politics all my life, and the only other time I have heard people question a U.S. president’s mental health was during the late stages of the Richard Nixon’s tenure.  At that time stories of Nixon’s nightly drinking and paranoia was fodder for a frenzied media.

Sharing Something Beautiful

With all that said, you might think today I would stoke up the fires on that story, but because I’m in charge here, I am going to discuss a lovely short essay, by Jennifer S. Kushnier. I originally saw it printed in one of those little books you see at Hallmark card stores. You know, the kind. They are usually really small and have lots of cool art, quotes, short stories or essays.

Anyway, this little essay by Ms. Kushnier  reminded me of my childhood. When I was a kid, even in city neighborhoods there were plenty of vacant lots, some were quite big, really open undeveloped fields where beautiful things happened. Thank you Jennifer, your piece was lovely and charming.

Butterflies by Jennifer S. Kushnier

Jennifer began her essay with the lines, “All kinds of wildflowers prospered there, from ivory Queen Anne’s lace and purple Clover, to yellow Buttercups and Black-eyed Susan’s, to burnt orange Indian Paintbrushes and those light-blue flowers that seem to be so rare these days. To this field came dozens of butterflies.”

Island Life

That little essay takes me to another time, a distant point in my childhood. When I too was very young. At that time my family lived on a dairy farm on a picturesque island. Sauvie’s Island is an amazing piece of land caught between the Willamette River and the Columbia River in NW Oregon, about 20 miles west of Portland, Oregon. Most of the island is a huge wildlife refuge with a few farms, even today, in this busy industrialized time.

Protect What We Love

I can remember when the birds would take to the air, a sunny day went black. Today, on this protected island the sky will never be so full of birds that the sky is black with their bounty. How long before the Monarch’s will be gone forever, and the Wood Duck a mere memory? I think it is imperative that we challenge the Trump Administration at every turn as they push their fossil fuel agenda. It is dangerous for the environment. A threat to wildlife, a risk to our water supply. The gutting of the EPA could potentially poison everything we know and love. If you love the sight of a Monarch butterfly in flight, if you love the sound of a woodpecker, if you love the beauty of a Wood Duck floating on a pond, if you love the sight of an Eagle on the wing, you are not alone. Please, stand up, speak out, and stop the threat to all the wild places by the fossil fuel pushing madman.

Thank you Jennifer S. Kushnier. I have tried to find you but I have not seen anything else you have written, but this little piece was just perfect.

40 Reasons To Smile

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40 Reasons To Smile

D. S. Mitchell

Relish Routine

Here at Calamity Politics, a Monday is pretty much the same as a Wednesday, or a Sunday.  I’m not complaining. In fact, I relish it. I am an individual that loves routine. Up at 5:00, in the pool @5:45, walk the dog at 7:30, coffee @8:30. @9:00 I start to read the Washington Post, or the N.Y. Times, checking to see what’s breaking in the political news orbit. You get the idea, I love routine.

What Makes Me Smile

But, at least once a week, I need to consciously think about how blessed I am, and all the things that make me happy, and never fail to bring a smile to my face.  Here’s 40 Things To Make You Smile Today:

  •  Painting old wood furniture
  •  Danish Brie and California Chardonnay
  •  New shoes
  •  Nap time
  •  Planetarium
  •  Palladian style windows
  •  Flower baskets
  •  Irish tweeds
  •  My dog, Lily
  •  Whales and elephants
  •  Finding a box of old black and white photos
  •  Taking a Community College class
  •  Towel warmers
  •   Reading my daily horoscope
  •   Bobble-Head toys in the back window of a car
  •   Frost crystals
  •   Street musicians
  •   ‘Lauren’, perfume
  •   Glass bowl filled with sun bleached shells
  •   A three-day week-end
  •   My iPhone
  •   Antique mirrors
  •   Orchids
  •   Travel magazines
  •   Roller coasters
  •   Drawstring sweat pants
  •   Little boxes of Sunshine raisins
  •   Hummingbirds
  •   Listening to Patsy Cline
  •   Indian Madras
  •   Holding a baby in my arms
  •   Sharing a banana split with a calorie counting friend
  •   A child’s handmade card
  •   Author book signings
  •   Reading scandal magazines at the checkout stand
  •   Having help with a big job
  •   My kitchen junk drawer
  •   Wrist corsage
  •  Pagodas in the mist
  •  Fog horns in the night

I’m about to go fly a kite. It is just about a perfect day for kite flying, clear sky, great breeze and a lonely beach. Have a great week, and remember we always have time, to smile.

Join the Resistance

 

55 Things To Smile About

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55 Things To Smile About

D. S. Mitchell

Neighborly Invitation

It’s Easter Sunday. So far, very quiet around here. My neighbor stopped by and invited me to come over for fresh caught BBQ’d Halibut steaks. I’m vegetarian, so not too excited about the prospect. After she invited me, she laughed and said, “I always forget you only eat plants. Come over anyway, I think we can find something for you to eat!”

“It’s okay, I feel like writing,” I volunteered, declining the invitation to mercury poisoning. Only, joking. I don’t want to be sued for causing a down turn in the fishing industry.

Activism

It’s Easter, so I think I will up the ante on my regular Sunday posting of Reasons to Smile. Sometimes, as I write my posts for Calamity Politics, I feel frustrated, and wonder if all my angst will translate into political benefit for a Progressive/Liberal agenda. As a political activist, I hope that my topics are interesting and are helpful in developing voter awareness, citizen participation, and policy implementation. I am confident that with a revved up base, it is possible to move the government to blue. In other wards, I am hoping that my little political blog will help shape a few ideas.

A Hardening Line

The U.S. political world has become radicalized. Right, versus Left. Left, versus right. There has ceased to be a middle ground. I am part of that division between policy systems. I have always considered myself a moderate with liberal leanings. Under the new nomenclature I have been forced severely to the left, mainly because the right has moved so far right, that I have no other choice. The severity of the right push, has caused a hardening of my ideology, and that of many other citizens, as well.

Trump Derangement Syndrome

Fareed Zakaria, warned viewers this morning to avoid developing, “Trump Derangement Syndrome.” I think he made an interesting point, and I will actually address “Trump Derangement Syndrome” in another blog post. Until then, here are

55 Things To Smile About:

1.) Muscle cars 2.) Identical twins 3.) Beach fires 4.) Secret language of kids 5.) The NBA 6.) House boating, Lake Shasta 7.) Digging Night Crawlers 8.) Easter egg hunts 9.) Bird houses 10.) Shelling peanuts 11.) Mom’s Lemon Meringue pie 12.) A quiet corner 13.) Pendleton plaid 14.) Short people 15.) Homemade onion rings 16.) Eric Clapton 17.) Glass blowing 18.) Auctions 19.) Gift cards 20.) Death Valley in the Spring 21.) Qi (Chi) 22.) Kids in sandboxes 23.) Frosty windows 24.) Steens Mountain 25.) Stereo earphones 26.) Off-season rates 27.) Soap bubbles 28.) Wind-up toys 29.) Roller rinks 30.) Bread pudding 31.) An extra sharp pencil 32.) Full length mirror 33.) Daffy Duck 34.) Aria’s parrot, Sky 35.) The Simpson’s 36.) Ice sculptures 37.) Astronomy 38.) Costco samples 39.) The World Series 40.) Fisherman’s Wharf, Monterey, Ca 41.) Clearance sales 42.) Gummy bears 43.) Cummerbunds 44.) Country Stores 45.) Confetti 46.) Chandeliers 47.) Montana 48.) Food trucks 49.) Short skis 50.) Funny T-shirt comments 51.) Primroses 52.) Prom dresses 53.) Thrift stores 54.) Waterfront houses 55.) Bubble gum

Okay, friends keep smiling, I need to open the door again to let Lily in.

Join the Resistance

30 Things To Make You Smile

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30 Things To Make You Smile

D. S. Mitchell

Thank you, for visiting Calamity Politics, where we normally feed our reader’s the unadulterated red meat of liberal political news. But today, I am having one of my, “not today,” moments.

Ha, ha. I changed my usual Sunday offering of “25 Things To Smile About” to “30 Things To Smile About” for this Sunday only. So, many awful things have happened this week that I thought we could all use an extra couple of reasons to smile. Happy political blogging. Thanks again, for visiting Calamity Politics, we hope you find topics of interest and enough Trump jokes to keep you laughing all week-end.

1.) Parades
2.) Cannon Beach, Seaside, and Astoria, Oregon
3.) Fresh baked Molasses cookies
4.) Music boxes
5.) Being on time.
6.) Deep sea fishing
7.) Introverts Anonymous

8.) Old time rock ‘n roll
9.) Big trees
10.) Being appreciated
11.) Hand embroidered 501’s
12.) Penguins, walking
13.) Herb gardens
14.) Chess

15.) Having my taxes finished by April 15th
16.) Double Caramel Mocha espresso
17.) Canoes
18.) David Bowie
19.) The journey
20.) Oven fries
21.) Summer Solstice
22.) A plan
23.) The beach, after Memorial Day
24.) Rock walls
25.) Tile roofs
26.) High School
27.) Portland’s Old Town
28.) Food, Views and Piano at The Bridgewater Bistro, Astoria, Oregon

29.) Plate of chips & dip
30.) The quiet, before the storm

That’s it.

Enjoy the rest of your week-end.

Join the Resistance

Dar

25 Smile Makers

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25 Smile Makers

D. S. Mitchell

I’m Calamity and I am Calamity News and Politics. Calamity Politics is a progressive political blog that addresses the daily news headlines and political events. During the week I try to stay on task and comment and analyze the events I see.  But today is Sunday, and it’s the day I take to reflect on all my blessings. I also like to find no less than 25 things that are worth smiling about. Here we go.

1.) Naming a star after a friend 2.) Watching a dragonfly float on the breeze
3.) Tending my inner child 4.) Stepping into the warmth of a therapy pool
5.) Days at the lake house 6.) Old Faithful Geyser 7.) Postcards 8.) Flowers on the table 9.) Beach side cabins 10.) Orchid filled greenhouses 11.) Shelves of home canned veggies 11.) A new bike 12.) Old friends 13.) Black T and jeans
14.) The rolling wheat fields of Eastern Oregon 15.) The smell of Jasmine
16.) Standing up for myself in an uncomfortable situation 17.) Tootsie Roll Pops
18.) The majesty of space and time 19.) Burned toast with chunks of unmelted butter 20.) Weathered barns on country roads 21.) Rugged coastal cliffs
22.) Elephants 23.) March Madness 24.) Saving a house from demolition
25.) Flower laden window boxes

Here’s More

Well that was fun, and just because I have time here’s ten more things to smile about: 26.) My pocket copy of the U.S. Constitution 27.) Chilled shrimp salad
28.) Sun burned noses 29.) Freshly waxed hardwood floors 30.) French doors
31.) Time to play 32.) The smell of fresh-cut grass 33.) Ivy climbing brick walls
34.) White gym shorts 35.) Fern gardens, among ancient pines

I’m sure the upcoming days will cause many hours of frustration, but just remember, you decide how you are going to feel, react and take part in life. We must always make time to smile. Or, better yet, just laugh.

Join the Resistance

JARED KUSHNER EGO

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Jared Kushner Ego

D. S. Mitchell

A Changed Perception

In 2002, Elizabeth Spiers became the founding editor of Gawker.  Next Spiers became Editor in Chief of the N.Y. Observer, working for Jared Kushner, for 18 months, until 2012 when she resigned.  She is now a contributor to the Washington Post.  She tells us in a front page story for the Post that when she went to work for Kushner she believed he was interested in developing the newspaper and expanding it.  However, after less than two years Spiers, changed her view of Kushner’s mission and quit.

Past Experience

Kushner and associates tout his extensive business knowledge and experience.  He worked for his families real estate business.  No matter how big it was, it was not the size of the Pentagon, or the State Department. Spiers and I, both doubt that any skills Kushner learned in private business are transferable to public service. Jared Kushner ran a firm he inherited. That in itself is not necessarily an uncommon situation. However, the New York City commercial real estate realm is both “dynastic and insular” and in no way appears to build skills that are easily carried to government service.

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QUOTES ON COURAGE

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Quotes On Courage

D. S. Mitchell

As part of my job at Calamity Politics I get to do research. Research can be lots of fun. This week, I decided to look up courage. I am beginning to believe that we are going to need strength and courage to see this political battle to it’s satisfactory progressive conclusion.

People say some pretty inspiring things.  Here’s a brief collection of some pretty smart comments by some pretty smart people.

1,) “Courage leads starward, fear toward death,” Seneca

2.)”Courage is what it takes to stand up and speak; courage is also what it takes to sit down and listen,” Winston Churchill

3.)”Courage conquers all things,”  Ovid

4.) “The strongest, most generous and proudest of all virtues is courage,” Michel De Montaigne

I’m inspired. How about you? If you are even a little inspired, do something to fight this administration. Be brave. Be courageous. Write a letter, make a phone call, march in that anti-Trump protest.

Join the Resistance

Dar