Donald Trump Insults Honored Veterans...Yes, Yet Again

What would our news cycle be these days without some kind of breaking news about yet one more idiotic and cringe-worthy thing that the man who tens of millions of Americans supported for the Oval Office said or did.

Indeed, Trump has done it again. But this one is a biggie. Indeed, this might be enough even to get some of his loyal supporters to question him, at least a little bit, if they do not automatically dismiss it as "fake news."

According to reports, in questioning why he would need to visit a cemetery filled with American war dead from World War I, Trump asked:

“Why should I go to that cemetery? It’s filled with losers.” 

He also reportedly claimed that they were "suckers" for getting killed in the first place.

This from the man who used bone spurs as the excuse to keep him out of the Vietnam War, after receiving an elite military education. 

Of course, this would not be the first time that the draft dodger in the White House has insulted military veterans, including decorated war heroes. There were those infamous attacks on Gold Star families back in 2016, after all. And he had a notorious feud with former Senator John McCain, going so far as to claim that McCain was no war hero because, in Trump's books, heroes do not get caught and become prisoners or war. Trump even continued to disparage McCain after his death, which showed a level of classlessness that was shocking even by Trump's incredibly low standards.

Those were hardly moments that illustrated how distinguished and respectful Trump is towards people in general, and towards those who sacrificed for their country in particular.

This story would be very comparable to the whole John McCain thing. In fact, this story seems unbelievable, and it would be shocking on some level if it were true. Except, of course, that this man has consistently conducted himself in a manner that is unbefitting of a grown up, and of someone who has any kind of levels of respect towards anyone else. But with Trump, somehow, it seems to fit right into what we know about him and how he acts. 

It may or may not be true. Even this seems quite crass for Trump. But again, such is the nature of this pathetic man, and these sorry times, that this story is not easily dismissed as an exaggeration or just "fake news." 

Yes, I know that I have said this before, but it fits: what sad, depressing times we live in.

This is the link to the story where I got the quote used above, as well as much of the information used in this particular blog entry:

Trump called American war dead in French cemetery 'losers:' report BY J. EDWARD MORENO - 09/03/20:

https://thehill.com/homenews/administration/515062-trump-called-american-war-dead-in-french-cemetery-losers-report?fbclid=IwAR36yp8STysePN6ucc0QTab6zrrIjQrsuROij0KPRYeqUE3UT1jhUjB5vqM&fbclid=IwAR38vqflBsy0p0U4f1vvL_30JB1SS0HYhe4o-aFiiLoHN8DoRjCxVm593lM

A Recent Accidental Fall Leads to a Medical Follow-Up

So everyone knows that I really like to take pictures of scenic areas and such, right?

Well, on Tuesday, as my son and I were visiting a lighthouse, we went down by the rocks under the cliffs, and I took some fairly nice pictures. Unfortunately, my feet (particularly my left foot) got a bit wet, making the sole slippery. 

And, well, surely by now if you are reading this, you guessed: I fell. It was weird, because it happened so damn quickly, that I never even felt myself slipping. One second, it seemed I was standing, trying to step carefully onto the rock. The next moment, I was lying on the rock on my left side. Luckily, the rock was there to break my fall, or I might still be falling.

One positive: it quickly allowed me to forget the nagging back pains that had been troubling me beforehand. The bad news? Well, it did not knock any sense into my head, which was desperately needed. 

Some women came up and asked if I was okay, and I said that I was, mostly from embarrassment.

Then, however, I tried to get up. When I applied pressure to my left arm, it clearly dawned on me that what I had said to those women, that essentially everything was fine, might have been a lie, unbeknownst to me when I said it. My left shoulder hurt. Really hurt. So did my elbow, to a lesser extent. And there was some milder pain felt in my hip and my left hand. But the biggest pain by far was in my shoulder, which I could barely move.

I wrote about it a little bit more in detail in a blog entry yet to be published, which will be published soon enough. Probably tomorrow, actually.

But today, I went to the doctor's, on the advice of my brother and my girlfriend. There was a regular doctor's visit, and then there was a visit to the radiology office to get X-Rays. It appears that I sustained a torn rotator cuff. 

Initially, I could barely even move my left arm on it's own. And I just could not move my arm at all without some measure of discomfort, even serious discomfort. 

Over the past few days, however, that has calmed down. Right now, I can lift my arm up without too much of a problem, and without much pain. My elbow, which was bothering me a bit after the fall, especially while driving, seems largely to have become almost a non-factor. But my shoulder still pains me, especially when I move my arm backwards, like when I reach for the seatbelt, or try to open or close the car door. My arm would literally shake with effort just at pushing the door open or pulling it closed, so I have been doing it with my right, instead.

Slowly but surely, it is getting back to normal. The pain is not nearly as intense, and I feel actually a bit proud of myself for having taken care of this fairly quickly, before it grew worse. That is something that, admittedly, has not always been the case, such as with my left wrist injury many years ago, which I foolishly kept to myself, and which altered almost everything about how I do things with my hands and arms. Prior to the age of 12, I was a southpaw, and my left was my strong arm, the one that I not only write with, but threw a football with, say, both for strength and for aim. Now, I mostly only can still write with my left, and it feels almost like I had lost feeling with my left hand after that.

Ironically, this happened on my left side again. Prior to this, it was my right shoulder that seemed like the bad one. Hopefully, that will not change, and this will not be too serious. But time will tell in that regard, and at least this time, I actually am seeking professional medical advice. 

Will try to keep everyone posted. 

Our Visit to Bar Harbor - August 31, 2020

We visited many places in Maine during our trip. Indeed, given the time constraints, we saw more of Maine than I thought may be possible. In just about two days, we saw some lighthouses, Acadia National Park, Stephen King's house in Bangor (barely, because it was night time), and some of the Maine White Mountains, as well as the wilderness, the woods and lakes and streams and rivers, that Maine is famous for.

But perhaps my favorite place to visit was the most famous one in Maine, most likely: Bar Harbor. The only other site that might be comparably famous in Maine might be Mount Katahdin, and that is a big "if." 

My family and I had visited this town back in 1989. And I remember enjoying it, and feeling that it had a certain charm to it.

However, I do not remember it being quite as stunningly beautiful as it proved to be during this more recent visit.

At the time, I remember it mostly as part of a bigger trip that we took to Canada, to Montréal and Québec City, specifically. We would again take a similar trip two years later, in 1991. Only that one, if memory serves correctly, was not as focused on New England. In fact I do not think that we even went through New England in 1991.

But I do remember feeling thrilled with going through New England in 1989. I got a magazine there, the NFL Prolog, and it had a picture of Joe Montana on the cover. This was just months after the 49ers had just barely beaten the Bengals in Super Bowl XXIII. I still have that magazine, and it still reminds me of Bar Harbor.

Frankly, I only have sketchy memories from that visit. I remember the coast, and Acadia National Park, to some extent. Also, I remember the downtown of Bar Harbor seeming to have charm. But that was about it.

So I had an idea of what to expect. Truth be told, though, I was rather struck by how stunningly beautiful this place was. Far more than I remembered, obviously, which surprised me. I would have expected to remember someplace that was quite this special. This is where old, New England village charm with a charming inlet meets the spectacular natural appeal of mountains and wilderness, and where all of that meets the grandeur of the Atlantic Ocean.

It really is that spectacular and memorable!

Indeed, it had been a long time since my prior visit to Bar Harbor, which I visited (briefly) in 2004, and again, I believe, in 2006, during the off-season. Again, though, I do not remember it being quite this amazing of a place.

Hard to imagine that it will be too long before our next visit. Both my son and I really appreciated and enjoyed many things that we saw in Maine during this trip. And for me, perhaps the very best place was Bar Harbor.

Below are some pictures to remember this trip by:

Today is My Son's First Day in High School

Yes,  today,  my son started his first day of high school.

I took this picture last evening,  just after dropping him off and just before leaving,  knowing that I would not likely get to see him today.

Frankly, it hardly seems like all that long ago that my then wife and I were discussing trying to get him in preschool. Then, of course, came kindergarten, and the really big next step to first grade.

Two years ago, another big step, when he went to middle school, or junior high school, as it is sometimes known.


Now, it is outright high school that he is attending. Hell, when I got pulled over in Main during our recent trip, the cop had assumed we were up there to drop my son off at some local college, it seemed. When I told him that my son was only 14, he burst out laughing.

Earlier today, someone on Facebook looked at this same picture and asked when he had become a man.

It is stunning to me that this little boy is now in high school, and being mistaken for a young man.

But it is a real privilege to watch him grow like this, and I am so proud of him. I congratulate him on yet another big step in his life!

2020 is the Year of Maine's Bicentennial

I did not know this ahead of time, but this year wound up being the bicentennial of Maine.

When did I find out?

Well, that would have been just after we entered Maine, and got out of the car and walked up to the tourist office, which was open, despite the Covid-19 crisis. 

Interesting.

So I walked in, and looked around. Asked the woman behind the counter about it, and she said that yes indeed, this was the bicentennial year for the statehood of Maine. Technically, this took place on March 15, 1820, and there were major celebrations scheduled in March. Those, however, had been cancelled, obviously, for the coronavirus crisis.

Still, it was interesting to note that this was such a significant year for our visit.

The last time that my son and I had been to Maine had been in 2014, as part of a trip across New England and the Maritime provinces, ending in Québec for the final week. That had also been with my brother, and it was a memorable trip.

Had it been that long ago since the last trip to Maine? 

Yes it had, even though I always love visiting this state, which is 85 percent wilderness. That fact alone makes Maine stand out, especially since it is on the east coast.

We just got back from our brief trip to Maine, which we visited basically for just a couple of days. But as usual, we enjoyed the beauty and the peace and quiet.

Over the course of the next few days, I will be posting quite a bit about this trip. But for now, here are pictures of the sign commemorating the bicentennial event.

Maine State House in Augusta

The Maine State House Dome in Augusta

Unfortunately, despite wanting to take a more extensive visit of Augusta, the state capital of Maine, we did not get to actually visit the city much.

Still, we did get these night shots of the State Capitol Building at night, when the dome was still lit up. It was probably around 11pm on Monday evening when we took these, and everything in the city looked and felt empty.

But the statehouse is an attractive landmark, and seems to compliment the small city of Augusta quite well. These are not professional grade pictures or anything, but they give you an idea of how nice this building is after dark, when all lit up.

We had a great visit to Maine, however, and I was glad also to at least get these night shots of probably the most famous landmark in Augusta. 

Trump Claims That God Released Coronavirus To Test His Own Greatness

Earlier this month, Trump raised some eyebrows again with yet another comment that betrayed his legendary levels of narcissism.

He claimed that the coronavirus pandemic was God testing him to rebuild what he claimed was the "greatest economy in the history of the world."

In other words, Covid-19 was, according to Trump, God's way of testing his greatness.

Just for reference, the coronavirus was first discovered in China, and spread globally. To date, over 835,000 people around the glove have died. The United States has far and away the most confirmed cases of coronavirus, with well over six million, as well as the most deaths from it, with over 184,000 to date, by far. All of this, according to our elected president, just to test his on greatness.

Trump himself undermined the seriousness of the coronavirus initially, and then seemed to only provide mixed messages. He claimed that it would not be allowed to become a problem in America, and claimed when there were 15 confirmed cases that the number would soon go down to zero, before quickly hastening to add that this proved how great a job he and his administration were doing.

Then, of course, the numbers just kept rising and rising. I already mentioned how many confirmed cases and deaths are in the country. But the shutdown tanked the economy, and the United States soon began to show serious cracks before the entire world with it's dysfunctional and incoherent national response - or lack thereof - to the pandemic.

Trump could have acted sooner, but he waited to take the coronavirus seriously. Of course, it also did not help that he had eliminated the White House pandemic response team two years earlier, which obviously was criticized at the time, and which looked like a horrendous, even disastrous decision by now. The problem grew out of control, and he only seemed to recognize how bad things were getting when the economy tanked. That was when he finally took action, because this man only measures himself by how the stock market is doing. Indeed, the stock market had enjoyed record numbers, but it collapsed quickly. Tens of millions of Americans lost their jobs, and many of those lost their health insurance along with it. We have record numbers of people today unemployed.

Yet Trump is boasting about the economy again, despite how many record numbers of people in the country are suffering. Recently, he rhetorically asked God a question about how he is doing:

"Did I do a great job, God? I'm the only one that could do it."

Such an unbelievable MAGAlomaniac! This guy's narcissism literally knows no bounds.

And the saddest part, really, is not him. It is the tens of millions of Americans who support this and no matter how obviously ridiculous he gets. After all, Trump is just one man, and if it were just him, he could easily be ignored and/or dismissed. But people put him in a position of unbelievable power and responsibility, and he has obviously taken it to his head, trying to grab ever more power, and regularly going over the top by a mile with his favorite pastime of feeding his own apparently bottomless well of an ego.

Sad, even tragic times that this country is going through.

Trump relates conversation with God about his 'great job' on the economy: 'I'm the only one that could do it' by Alex Woodward, August 18, 2020:

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-election/trump-god-religion-economy-minnesota-mankato-speech-today-jobs-a9675111.html


Video link:
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