Author Archives: oddmanout215

Donald Trump as Johnny Friendly


You can tell a lot about a president’s background just by his style of speech. Woodrow Wilson spoke like a cold-hearted preacher, FDR like an easy-going aristocrat, Harry Truman like a no-nonsense dry goods merchant, Ronald Reagan like a too-wholesome … Continue reading

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New opiates for the masses needed


Yesterday, I googled a piece of old news and ran it past my friend Swamp Rabbit. The gist of the article was that many Democrats and independents who voted for Obama in 2012 didn’t vote at all in 2016 and … Continue reading

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Enough about Naipaul the man — read his books


The world is what it is; men who are nothing, who allow themselves to become nothing, have no place in it. — V.S. Naipaul, A Bend In the River (1979) Pardon me for breathing! And make no mistake — the … Continue reading

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Mama whale’s message to the media


From NPR: After carrying her deceased baby for at least 17 days and 1,000 miles, an orca mother has shown signs of returning to normal. She was seen Saturday with fellow members of her pod, chasing a school of salmon. … Continue reading

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At Musikfest, waiting for something to happen


The crowd, suddenly there where there was nothing before, is a mysterious and universal phenomenon. A few people may have been standing together – five, ten or twelve, not more; nothing has been announced, nothing is expected. Suddenly everywhere is … Continue reading

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From ostrich jacket to jailhouse jumpsuit


This is what happens when you have all the money in the world but no heart or imagination: Paul Manafort — President Trump’s former campaign chairman who’s currently on trial in Virginia on charges of money laundering, tax evasion and … Continue reading

Posted in mainstream media, New York Times | Tagged , , , , , | 2 Comments

John ‘Bomb Iran’ Bolton may yet get his wish


I spoke to the president over the last several days, and President Trump told me that if Iran does anything at all to the negative, they will pay a price like few countries have ever paid before. — National security … Continue reading

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When will Trump’s minions stop applauding?


Last week Swamp Rabbit and I watched House Republicans grill FBI agent Peter Strzok and wondered if they really believed Strzok was part of of an FBI conspiracy to link Donald Trump to Russian interference with the 2016 election, even … Continue reading

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A white haven for the blues


So I was upstate again last weekend, speeding home from a sales job, when a road sign on the highway caught my eye: WHITE HAVEN 4 MILES. “Perfect,” I said to Swamp Rabbit, my sales partner. “White Haven is a … Continue reading

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Fourth of July in Pennsyltucky


I’m still tired from working July 4th with Swamp Rabbit at a folk fest in upstate PA. Not a good event for sales, too rural and rightwing, and way too hot. I pitched a lot of German Americans with pot … Continue reading

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