In defense of Dumbo

The beloved flying pachyderm, Dumbo, continues to be maligned by Uncle Ken's references to #45.  Except for his brief stint as a clown there is nothing in Dumbo's story to deserve any association with the buffoon in the White House and it can stop at any time as far as I'm concerned.  There are certainly more suitable nicknames available, aren't there?   Some childhood memories should not be sullied, and if I'm overly sensitive on this issue, I say "Hard cheese."  Here I stand.

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So, what should we call this guy, is there any single term we can all agree on?  I have the feeling that none of us like referring to him by name, as if doing so bestows undeserved respect.  It's tough to respect the office when the man holding it is held in such low regard.

There may some good policies on the agenda, but I remain skeptical.  The players involved are of such dubious character that I doubt their good intentions; a lot of foxes are infiltrating the henhouses.

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Efforts to retreat to a state of nationalistic isolation may backfire for the new regime.  After little more than two weeks there has been a lot of international pushback, with demonstrations in other countries opposing the new edicts on immigration.  I've never seen that before; there is a new world order that ridicules the sorry state of our nation.  Nothing good can come from a situation where the nations of the western world are galvanized against us, either out of disrespect or fear.  Forget good trade deals; we will be shunned.  I predict that the US tourism industry will take a big hit in 2017.

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The whole business of that immigration ban is beginning to strike me as a very badly handled publicity stunt, as if sweeping up everyone will prevent a few truly bad actors from entering this country.  If a nation or entity wants to sneak someone across the border it should be easy, regardless of any ban.  Documents can be forged, names can be changed, and unless everyone on the planet is fingerprinted and typed for DNA we will never be sure of the identity of anyone.  Besides, there are enough home-grown malcontents that can be enticed to commit acts of terrorism without anyone crossing any borders.  Encryption and burner cell phones are only a couple of the things that have popped out of Pandora's box and they can't be locked up again unless there is a firm commitment to a totalitarian police state.  I don't think we want that.

A different new thing, thanks to the proliferation of social media, is the rise of various rogue Twitter accounts which support some form of "resistance."  NASA, White House Staffers, and other federal agencies have such accounts, but they may not be real.  It's possible they are phony, to lure dissidents into some trap which will spring closed in due time.  A purge of federal employees may be part of the larger game plan; get more popcorn, the first act has just begun.

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Speaking of resistance, I read a while back that some folks were proposing a general strike, to be held 17 February, but the idea seems to have gotten very little traction; I've read nothing since.

Peaceful and non-violent demonstrations can be effective as a form of protest but I am leery.  Participation almost guarantees that you will be photographed by some flavor of authority, your identity will be tracked by that handy device in your pocket, and your name will be on a list, closely held by parties unknown for purposes unknown.  The line between common sense and paranoia is getting blurred but perhaps I am getting befuddled in my dotage.

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How do you guys feel about detention centers?  I found this tidbit, which seems to have escaped notice by most media outlets (from an executive order of 25 January):

Sec. 5.  Detention Facilities.  (a)  The Secretary shall take all appropriate action and allocate all legally available resources to immediately construct, operate, control, or establish contracts to construct, operate, or control facilities to detain aliens at or near the land border with Mexico.

Good times, huh?  I don't know if this was part of the same executive order that was blocked by the judge in Washington so I may have gotten worked up over nothing.

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Last night a meteor was seen streaking above Lake Michigan with an eerie green light.  Is this a harbinger of the meteor strike that was preferred to either of the presidential candidates last November?