Caption Saturday.

I need a caption for this picture.

Example: Have you thought of changing your style a little bit? I mean you have been rocking this look since 1865.

*Credit: screen shot WWBT 12 and thinkprogress.com

Open thread Friday.

Tonight's question is this:

Do you believe that the protests and unrest in California recently will help or hurt Donald trump?

Wall- to- wall.

        I am trying to help out the television networks and all the cable news outlets, so I figured that I would just lay out a script for them with this blog post for their use over the next few months.   

They can put it on all of their newsroom teleprompters for their hosts and pundits and just save themselves a lot of trouble.

Here you go folks:

Trump,trump,trump,trump,trump,trump,trump,trump,trump,trump,trum,trump,trump,trump,trump,trump,trump,
Trump,trump,trump,trump,trump,trump,trump,trump,trump,trump,trum,trump,trump,trump,trump,trump,trump,
Trump,trump,trump,trump,trump,trump,trump,trump,trump,trump,trum,trump,trump,trump,trump,trump,trump,
Trump,trump,trump,trump,trump,trump,trump,trump,trump,trump,trum,trump,trump,trump,trump,trump,trump,
Trump,trump,trump,trump,trump,trump,trump,trump,trump,trump,trum,trump,trump,trump,trump,trump,trump,
Trump,trump,trump,trump,trump,trump,trump,trump,trump,trump,trum,trump,trump,trump,trump,trump,trump,
Trump,trump,trump,trump,trump,trump,trump,trump,trump,trump,trum,trump,trump,trump,trump,trump,trump,
Trump,trump,trump,trump,trump,trump,trump,trump,trump,trump,trum,trump,trump,trump,trump,trump,trump,
Trump,trump,trump,trump,trump,trump,trump,trump,trump,trump,trum,trump,trump,trump,trump,trump,trump,
Trump,trump,trump,trump,trump,trump,trump,trump,trump,trump,trum,trump,trump,trump,trump,trump,trump,
Trump,trump,trump,trump,trump,trump,trump,trump,trump,trump,trum,trump,trump,trump,trump,trump,trump,
Trump,trump,trump,trump,trump,trump,trump,trump,trump,trump,trum,trump,trump,trump,trump,trump,trump,
Trump,trump,trump,trump,trump,trump,trump,trump,trump,trump,trum,trump,trump,trump,trump,trump,trump,
Trump,trump,trump,trump,trump,trump,trump,trump,trump,trump,trum,trump,trump,trump,trump,trump,trump,
Trump.

You are welcome.

*Pic from huffingtonpost.com

I do not wish I was in Dixie. Not now.

Don't you just love some of my white friends in the South?

Now comes the following from the great state of Alabama:

"Alabama is currently celebrating Confederate Heritage Month with a state-wide holiday and a series of public events aimed at remembering and honoring those who fought on the side of southern, slave-owning states during the Civil War. At one such event this week, organized by the Ladies’ Memorial Association, Alabama’s Secretary of State John Merrill lamented recent calls to remove Confederate symbols from government buildings.

“The next question that has to be asked is so what’s the next thing you are going to do,” he asked, “are you going to take a bulldozer to the monument and forget what people fought for to preserve a way of life that makes us special and unique?”

Civil rights groups, including the Southern Poverty Law Center, slammed the remark as “shameful.” But in a follow-up conversation with ThinkProgress, Merrill explained that the “way of life” he celebrates is based on Confederate soldiers’ independent spirit, not their advocacy for slavery.

When we have things happen in our state, we don’t rely on the federal government to come take care of us,” he said. “We take care of ourselves. For example, after the tornadoes in 2011, or after the massive flooding we had. That’s who we are. That’s who these people were. I’m proud of that.”
Alabama, however, is the ninth most reliant on federal aid out of the 50 states, taking far more in aid than the state pays back in taxes. As for the 2011 tornado damage Merrill mentioned, an auditor recently found that the state improperly received about $1.2 million in federal aid that it now must pay back. Antebellum Alabama’s “self-reliance,” meanwhile, depended from its founding on the unpaid labor of hundreds of thousands of slaves.

Merrill explained to ThinkProgress that he wanted to participate in a “celebration of the heritage of the south” because he believes young people need to “to be respectful of those historical traits we hold dear.” Those traits, he emphasized, are “not related to race, divisiveness, or a heritage of fighting.” Rather, they are “pride in our work and in our communities.”

He repeatedly assured ThinkProgress that he personally has no racial biases, noting that he owns a signed photo of Alabama civil rights icon John Lewis, and touting the diversity in his agency.
“We’ve got two African Americans that work in the lobby area of our office here,” he said. “None of them are working here because they’re black, but because they’re highly-qualified, trained professionals. I judge people by the content of their character, not the color of their skin.” [Source]

Wait....let me stop this right here. Did he really say  "We've got two African Americans that work in the lobby"? What do they do? Give directions to the offices? As the old church folks like to say: "Jesus take the wheel."

Think about that for a minute. One of the states in this great union is celebrating Confederate Heritage Month. Imagine if you will a Nazi History Month being celebrated in Germany. That is a fitting analogy to what is being done in Alabama.

Look, we get it, this is America, and you rejects from the 19th Century should be free to let your flag fly on your own personal property and for whatever protest you want to launch. But when you declare such a month as an official month of a state that has a huge population of African Americans ---many of whom had ancestors who were slaves--- it sends a chilling and shameful message.

Finally, did you hear the one about the GOP fundraiser who was busted for allegedly running a meth lab out of her home?

I am serious. You can't make this stuff up.

"A fundraiser for Arizona Republican Senator John McCain was arrested along with her boyfriend Tuesday in a major drug sting.

Emily Pitha, who also worked for former Arizona Republican Senator Jon Kyl, is accused of running a meth lab and a drug shipping operation out of her Phoenix home. Police were tipped off when a package containing a large quantity of ecstasy was shipped to her home from the Netherlands. Pitha and her boyfriend were arrested after he signed for the package." [Source]

If I were Emily I would have saved all that meth for the  republican convention in Cleveland.
Just a hunch, but I suspect that they will be wanting a lot of drugs to get through all the festivities.


*Pic from onlineathens.com

Hillary vs. Donald.

Tonight is election night here in Philly, and as I stated in previous posts, it seems that we are heading for a showdown between the orange one and Hillary in November.

With all due respect to the political Batman and Robin, all the partnering and scheming in the world will not stop trump's big mo.

Sorry folks, there are just too many clueless people in America. Every angry white man in America will be pulling the lever for trump, and those who are not already registered are breaking their necks to get on the voter rolls.

The two leading candidates are already looking around for a running mate.

Hillary is thinking male Latino, and trump is thinking, woman. Any woman.   

Finally, speaking of elections, shout out to the governor of Virginia for restoring the voting rights of over 200,000 felons.

"Gov. Terry McAuliffe will allow more than 200,000 ex-cons in Virginia to register to vote in the upcoming presidential election, one of the biggest actions taken by a state to instantly restore voting rights.

The change applies to all felons who have completed their sentences and been released from supervised probation or parole. The Democratic governor’s decision particularly affects black residents of Virginia: 1 in 4 African Americans in the state has been permanently banned from voting because of laws restricting the rights of those with convictions.

“Once you have served your time and you’ve finished up your supervised parole. . .I want you back as a full citizen of the commonwealth,” McAuliffe said. “I want you to have a job. I want you paying taxes, and you can’t be a second-class citizen.” [Source]

That's a beautiful thing. True democracy in action.

Contrast that to the federal Judge in North Carolina who upheld the voting rules laws in that state which makes it harder for citizens to vote. 

"The opinion, by Judge Thomas D. Schroeder of Federal District Court in Winston-Salem, upheld the repeal of a provision that allowed people to register and vote on the same day. It also upheld a seven-day reduction in the early-voting period; the end of preregistration, which allowed some people to sign up before their 18th birthdays; and the repeal of a provision that allowed for the counting of ballots cast outside voters’ home precinct.

 

It also left intact North Carolina’s voter identification requirement, which legislators softened last year to permit residents to cast ballots, even if they lack the required documentation, if they submit affidavits.

 

The ruling could have significant repercussions in North Carolina, a state that Barack Obama barely won in 2008, and that the Republican Mitt Romney barely won four years later.

 

The United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit, which sits in Richmond, Va., will be the first to consider an appeal, which the law’s opponents said they would pursue." [Source]

 

Stay vigilant and engaged people. There are a lot of things going on in this country which you need to be know about. 

 

I am watching Donald trump's victory speech now, and he is telling his supporters that he will bring back jobs and make America great again, and blah blah blah.

 

 Hillary's speech will be next.

 

Buckle up people.  

 

*Pic from abcnews.go.com  

 

 

 

It's never too late to have "the talk".

 *A few years ago, before I got  married and settled in, I was driving a little sports car in a small town on the Main Line (Philly's equivalent to Beverly Hills), when a local police cruiser came out of nowhere with its lights flashing behind me.

Even back then, before the focus on racial profiling, I knew that I had been pulled over a time or two for no other reason than DWB. So I pulled over, got my papers in order, and politely asked the officer what I did wrong.

He was very polite as well. And after going over my papers, making eye contact, and exchanging a few words, he told me that I was driving rather "aggressively" and to be more careful down the road.

Of course I knew why I was really stopped; knew that he was lying, but I sucked it up and kept it popping.

That little anecdote is a perfect segue into the following story:

"FORT PIERCE, Fla. (AP) — Twelve people have said they witnessed a local police department's fatal shooting of a black motorist over the weekend, but none has stepped forward to say what they saw, a Florida sheriff investigating the death said Monday.

St. Lucie County Sheriff Ken Mascara said he and his detectives passed out cards, but no one has called.

"We need our community's help," Mascara said. "We aren't interested in rumors or gossip; we are looking to find the truth."

Fort Pierce Police Chief Diane Hobley-Burney asked the sheriff's office to conduct the investigation into Saturday night's shooting of 21-year-old Demarcus Semer so that it would be impartial, Mascara said.

The sheriff said Semer had just begun work at a tech company after working as a bank teller, had no criminal record and was "well-respected in the community." Semer also played quarterback and receiver at Fort Pierce Central High in 2012 and 2013.

Mascara did not identify or reveal the races of the two officers, but described them as well-respected veterans. He said they would be interviewed by Wednesday. He said the officers were not wearing body cameras and their cars were not equipped with dashboard cameras.

The confrontation began after an officer tried to pull Semer over for a traffic violation and he wouldn't stop until a second officer arrived, Mascara said. While stopped and talking to the officers, Semer began pulling away, clipping one officer in the leg and dragging the other in the car window, he said.

Semer eventually pulled over again, got out of the car and tried to flee, at which point both officers opened fire, Mascara said. Semer died at the scene. The sheriff said he didn't know why Semer would have tried to flee. He said no weapons or drugs were found on him, but investigators are getting a search warrant to inspect the car, hoping that will provide some explanation for Semer's behavior. Autopsy results are also pending, he said.

Mascara said his detectives will conduct a fair, open and thorough investigation. He said the results will be turned over to local prosecutors, who will decide whether to bring charges against the officers to a grand jury.

Josh Shaffer, the Fort Pierce Central football coach, was quoted by Treasure Coast Newspapers as saying Semer was "a brilliant young man who was so personable."

"He was a real leader who could make a connection with about anyone," Shaffer said. "He cares about everyone."

Semer's grandfather, Elijah Smith, of Fort Pierce, was quoted by the newspaper as saying that Semer had been with a group of friends practicing rap music before the shooting.
"He was a nice, good young man," Smith said." [Source]

No one knows exactly what happened to Demarcus Semer in Ft Pierce, Florida Saturday night. And as was the case with another Florida teen in the news recently, only his killers are alive to tell their side of the story.

Stories like this is why, in spite of my background (no criminal record, officer of the court, active member of my community), I was probably just as scared and as apprehensive as Demarcus Semer was Saturday night. But I was lucky, I knew the rules a little better than he did. I knew about "the talk". 

If you don't know what the talk is and you are raising an African American male, you might want to learn about it really fast. It might save you a lot of grief down the road.

*Pic from washingtonmonthly.com

Change and fear in America.

Not everyone is thrilled that America is trying to embrace her diverse makeup, and that she is finally trying to recognize the diverse cultures that contributed to making this country what it is.

The latest controversy (shouldn't even have been one) over placing a woman of color on the twenty dollar bill, is a perfect example of that.

Predictably, the person most likely to win the republican nomination is against it, and the leader for the democratic nomination thinks that it is a wonderful thing.

"Donald Trump’s take on the decision to put Harriet Tubman on the front of the $20 bill as “pure political correctness” is symbolic of a style of politics he’s displayed throughout this campaign: at times wary of changes to long-standing American customs and institutions and showing a willingness to take controversial stands on issues that affect women and minorities.

“I think Harriet Tubman is fantastic,” Trump said in an interview on NBC’s Today Show on Thursday. “I would love to — I would love to leave Andrew Jackson and see if we can maybe come up with another denomination. Maybe we do the $2 bill or we do another bill.”

His remarks illustrate the divide between the political approach of Trump and the man he could succeed, Barack Obama.

The decision by the Obama administration to honor Tubman was a celebration of a historic figure admired by Americans of all political beliefs. But it was also a clear political act.

“This whole thing is symbolic politics,” said Andra Gillespie, an associate professor of political science at Emory University. “Putting women on currency is not going to change the gender pay gap and not going to change the fact that the pay gap is worse for black women and women of color.”

 

Obama and his administration have put the inclusion and promotion of women, people who are gay and transgender, African-Americans, and Latinos at the center of their political agenda, seeking to make up for past discrimination and promote diversity of gender, race and sexual identity whenever possible. Obama has appointed the first Latino Supreme Court justice, first two black U.S. attorney generals, the first openly transgender White House staffer making his administration one of the most demographically diverse in history.

Replacing Andrew Jackson — who forced tens of thousands of Native Americans to relocate from the South to Oklahoma in what is known as the “Trail of Tears”— with Tubman was a natural step for Obama’s team.

“The decision to put Tubman on the twenty is a powerful sign of Americans’ changing relationship with their own history. At the same time, it’s also the gesture of liberals who have been fairly impotent lately in their efforts to correct the deep socioeconomic sources of racial inequality,” said Molly Worthen, a history professor at the University of North Carolina who has written extensively about how views of identity shape each party.

The decision split conservatives along predictable lines.

 a central theme of his presidential campaign and last year created a task force to deal with tensions between minorities in his state and the police, applauded the honoring of Tubman.
In contrast, Ben Carson, several Fox News personalities and Trump said that the decision was the latest example of an administration bent on what conservatives cast as “politically correct” moves. They praised Jackson, who was one of the key figures in the founding of what is the modern Democratic Party.

 

While Trump complimented Tubman, he said he didn’t agree with replacing Jackson on the denomination.

He added, “I don’t like seeing it. Yes, I think it’s pure political correctness. Been on the bill [Jackson] for many, many years. And, you know, really represented somebody that really was very important to this country. I would love to see another denomination, and that could take place. I think — I think it would be more appropriate.”

Trump has made comments suggesting that the Mexican government is intentionally sending criminals across the border, Muslims should be barred from entering the United States and that the U.S. needs to build a large border wall to keep out Mexican immigrants.

The comments about the replacement of Tubman with Jackson, like those other controversial Trump stances, have clear racial implications, Gillespie said. The issue also highlights that the real estate mogul has campaigned as something of a traditionalist, willing to defend people and customs that other Americans want to alter radically.

“Donald Trump knows that when he makes certain types of comments that he is going to tap into certain types of resentment in the American economy… jobs disappearing and a certain trepidation about the country changing demographically,” Gillespie said. “Those are sentiments he’s tapped into to cultivate his base of support in this primary season.”

Trump complained of the push by the NFL to make changes to the rules that might reduce concussions, telling a crowd in January, “football has become soft like our country has become soft.”Early this month, campaigning in Pennsylvania, Trump called for the return of a statute honoring the late Joe Paterno, the Penn State football coach who was fired by the university amid allegations he had covered up allegations against assistant coach Jerry Sandusky, who molested young boys while he worked at the university. Trump has repeatedly praised police officers and suggested that the Black Lives Matter movement is overly critical of them.

 

And throughout his run, Trump has argued he will not conform to “political correctness,” which to the real estate mogul seems to link issues from football to Tubman.

“The real rise of the phrase [political correctness] can be traced to the early 1990’s, when people started to use it to critique or just lament the policing of ideas that are out of step with the hegemony of liberalism in American society, post civil rights and post women’s liberation. In doing so they also effectively signaled themselves as ‘free thinking,” said Carole Bell, a professor of communication at Northeastern University in Boston.

But in case of some conservatives backing Trump, Bell argued, “it’s an expression of the racial resentment that political scientists have long known were animating much of our political discourse around identity. But it’s masked as a concern for free speech.”

Greta Van Susteren, a Fox News host, said this week the Obama administration was in effect the offender, not conservatives, arguing the Obama administration, in replacing Jackson with Tubman instead of leaving his face in place and putting her on another bill, was “gratuitously stirring up the nation.”

On gay rights, Trump has been more open to following the liberal drift in American culture.
He has not railed against same-sex marriage, as other Republicans have, and said in the “Today” interview that North Carolina should have not passed a law regulating which bathrooms transgender Americans use.

Obama, in contrast, has suggested that if he had a son, he would be reluctant see him play football, and has defended Black Lives Matter activists.

Hillary Clinton, in a tweet, wrote, “A woman, a leader, and a freedom fighter. I can’t think of a better choice for the $20 bill than Harriet Tubman.”

Politically, Trump’s remarks suggest he will continue to appeal to voters, particularly whites, who feel left out of Obama’s vision of America, Gillespie said adding that he will have to pivot for the general election.

Trump’s approach may be resonating.

A recent Pew Research Center poll found that 46 percent of Republicans said the country’s increased diversity makes the U.S. a “better place,” compared to 13 percent said who that diversity makes it a “worse place,” and 39 percent who said “no difference.” The majority of Americans (59 percent) indicated “better place.”

In the poll, Trump supporters, compared to those backing the other four presidential candidates, were the least likely to say “better” (39 percent) and most likely to say “worse” (17 percent).

Ultimately, the rhetoric over placing Tubman on the $20 is about a different kind of political currency, one of identity, political experts say.

“That’s going to symbolize for them a kind of change they are not necessarily comfortable with,” Gillespie said. " [Source]

They are not comfortable with it, and thus we get phrases like "Make America great again."

To them, recognizing the contributions of other people besides white men to our country's history is weakening the fabric of something great.  

Of course we know now that it will not, and that they, of course, will know in time, that nothing could be further from the truth.  I will bet you five Tubmans on that.






     

CAPTION SATURDAY.

I need a caption for this pic.

Example: No son, this is not your new karate teacher.

*Pic from time.com

A trump break.

There has been a lot of coverage about the tragic passing of Prince this past news cycle. As a result, and thankfully, the wall to wall coverage of our national elections has taken a back seat.  I am devastated by losing such a musical genius, but I am glad for a break from these cable news stations and their trump love-fests for just a little bit.

Anyway, another story that was pushed to number two this past news cycle was the execution style murders of eight people (EIGHT!) in Ohio. That figure equals the amount of people murdered in quite a few countries all over the world in an entire year.  One woman was shot execution style with her six month child under her arms. *shaking head*

"Eight family members found dead in a rural southern Ohio community were shot in the head 'execution style,' most while they slept, authorities said Friday.

Officers are searching for the killer or killers, who are probably armed and a danger to surviving family members, Pike County Sheriff Charles Reader said.

"We have a specific family that's been targeted but I don't think there's been a threat to any other members of the community," he said. "I've given the family precautionary measures to make. They know we're available."

 

Investigators discovered seven adults and a 16-year-old dead at four crime scenes, Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine said. The victims included a mother slain while her 4-day-old child lay beside her, he said.

 

That child, along with a 6-month-old and a 3-year-old, survived the killings, Reader said.

 

He didn't name a suspect or give a motive, but said all victims are members of the Rhoden family.

"We're advising family members to be very careful and take particular caution," DeWine said. "This is a matter of public safety, especially for the Rhoden family." [Source]

 

"Especially for the Rhoden family? Isn't it  a little late for them? My lord, this country needs help.

 

Finally, some folks in the majority population still can't understand why we have to stress the fact that Black Lives Matter to anyone who will listen. 

 

Take, for instance, the story in Florida, where we thought that the police involved were heroes because we thought at the time that the had saved the lives of thee black girls.

 

Well as it turns out, not so fast.

 

"Flak over three teens’ deaths in a cemetery pond following a car theft chase prompted a Florida sheriff to release more dashcam footage of the incident Friday.

 

Family members of Dominique Battle, 16, Ashaunti Butler, 15, and Laniya Miller, 15, are questioning the Pinellas County Sheriff’s account of why deputies did not jump into the St. Petersburg pond to save them around 4 a.m. March 31, ABC News reported.

 

“In my opinion, this has been a rush to judgment,” said a lawyer for the families, William Anderson. “In my opinion, this has been a smear campaign.”

 

Pinellas Sheriff Bob Gualtieri has said the mud was too thick to get to the gold Honda Accord in the 15-foot deep pond after the teens stole it, led deputies on a chase and crashed into the water. The sheriff’s office released a video Friday showing three deputies with parts of their uniform off returning to their cars after wading into the mud off Gandy Blvd.

 

Unfortunately, some people are irresponsibly and falsely posting on Facebook that deputies did not attempt to rescue the three girls who tragically drowned while fleeing from the police in a stolen car a few weeks ago,” the sheriff’s office said in a statement.

 

“The sheriff stated at the time that deputies removed their gun belts and clothes and tried to enter the water to rescue the girls, but the conditions in the water prevented them from doing so. This is exactly what happened, and we stand by that.”

Yet the release of other video from the crash scene Monday and audio earlier in the month provoked questions. The deputies could be heard in the video footage discussing whether they heard the three teens screaming." [Source]

*Pic from twitter.

 

 

 

1958-2016

I thought the day that music died was May 11, 1981, but today it seemed like it died all over again.

My ten favorite songs by Prince:

1.  I Wanna Be Your Lover.

2.  Little Red Corvette.

3.  Soft & Wet.

4. Darling Nikki.

5. Let's Go Crazy.

6. Pop Life.

7. I Would Die 4 U.

8.  I Could Never Take The Place Of Your Man.

9. 1999.

10.  Controversy.

RIP Purple one.

"Don't mess with Texas."

Think about this for a minute: Some members of the Texas republican party have tabled a resolution to vote on whether Texas should secede from the United States at their upcoming state convention.

I know. Sounds crazy, right? But this is where we are now as a country.

I could write a voluminous post about this, but I am just going to cut and paste from the comments section from TPM to make my point..

"bkmn
       
Please do and don't let the door hit you in the ass on the way out. Ever since Texas has become a state that takes more federal money than they pay in under Rick Perry, I see no need to keep them in the union. They won't like the closure of all those military bases either.

arc_​of_​the_​universe
       
I'm for Texas rejoining Mexico.

fargo​116
       
Can the rest of the states pass a resolution saying "Good riddance."

dommyluc

Yes, please secede. Give up your military bases, U.S. government services, Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid (hey, all residents of Texas will be foreigners - we don't have to pay them shit), etc. Try signing a treaty with any nation when you can be blockaded by the U.S. Navy. Yes, please go totally John Galt and pay for your own shit, and see how happy your Teabagger residents are when they finally realize that Baby Jesus ain't gonna pay to pave their roads and their goddamned cable bills. And have fun protecting yourself from Mexico. Can't wait to see the fence you build to protect yourselves when YOU have to pay for it. I would love to see Mexico reclaim its former territory, while Washington, D.C. rocks with laughter. Se habla espanol, motherfuckers?
If they do debate secession, I personally think they should be banned from participating in the 2016 election. That is a treasonous act, plain and simple. Secession is sedition.

wagonmound        

    

What can I say. Texas + Republicans = Assholes.

cwazycajun                  

I wish they wouldn't do that to me..getting my hopes up like that.... only to dash them .. \

frankly_my_dear           

                       

Let them go. Then we can build a wall around the place. I'm sure the citizens of New Mexico would build their part for free. Among the benefits of letting Texas secede is that the Dallas Cowboys will never play in another Super Bowl. They probably won't anyway, but it never hurts to make sure.

swirlystar      

                        

Ok, but I'll miss Austin...

sysprog      

                         

Perfect, just fking perfect. GO! Run! Do NOT come back when you don't get all 'your free stuff' that you blame on those pesky liberals. GO!" [Source]

Ok, so not everyone loves Texas, but jokes aside, isn't it dangerous that members of a major political party are even considering breaking up the union?  These are the same types of people who have no problem with Donald trump being our president. The same Donald trump who pushed the narrative that the twice elected president by the majority of the people was not even born here.

Just wait until the look at the twenty dollar bill and see a black woman

If Texas does end up seceding, maybe they will elect Donald trump to be their next president. That is, of course, if he isn't elected to be the president of the rest of the 49 states.

*Pic from chron.com



 

 

 

               

      

"Empire state of mind."

*"New York, concrete jungle where dreams are made of
There's nothin' you can't do
Now you're in New York
These streets will make you feel brand new
The lights will inspire you
Let's hear it for New York, New York,
New York.."

Yeah, let's hear it for New York. TonightIt's their turn to vote for presidential candidates. Three of the candidates, like Jay Z, are going to claim that they rep New York, but I don't know about that.

Bernie was born and raised there, but he got out as soon as he could, Hillary moved there to get elected, and Donald is from...well, another planet.  

Speaking of Donald, he might have some problems. I am not talking about him mistaking the heroes  who work at 7eleven for the heroes who worked after 9/11. I am talking about him claiming to be down there and knowing some of the people who were killed.

"Donald Trump has a 9/11 problem — and it’s not that he called it “7/11” on the eve of the New York primary.

 

At a rally in Buffalo, N.Y., Monday, the Republican frontrunner referred to the wrong date while recalling the 2001 terror attacks — a flub that was soon trending online. But it was a story about his own experience at Ground Zero that is drawing scrutiny.

 

“Everyone who helped clear the rubble — and I was there, and I watched, and I helped a little bit — but I want to tell you: Those people were amazing,” Trump said. “Clearing the rubble. Trying to find additional lives. You didn’t know what was going to come down on all of us — and they handled it.”

 

The real estate mogul’s anecdote was meant to illustrate his “New York values” — a phrase that has become a conservative flashpoint in Trump’s battle with Texas Sen. Ted Cruz in the race for the GOP nomination.

 

But his assertion that he helped clear rubble in the search for 9/11 survivors is fraught with questions.

 

“Did he mean he picked up a few chunks of concrete?” Philip Bump writes in the Washington Post. “Sent staff to assist? It’s not clear.”

 

It’s clear that Trump was at or near Ground Zero in the days following the attacks.

New York Newsday spotted Trump there on Sept. 13, according to this excerpt cited in Bump’s report:

The workers are so worn out that they barely glance at the sight of Donald Trump, every hair in place and impeccably dressed in a black suit, pressed white shirt and red tie, walking into the plaza with his cellular phone to his ear. “No, no. The building’s gone,” he says into the phone.

The same day, standing three blocks from Ground Zero, Trump gave an interview to a German television reporter who asked the real estate mogul whether he would be involved in the reconstruction efforts.

 

“Well, I have a lot of men down here right now,” Trump replied. “We have over 100 and we have about 125 coming. So we’ll have a couple of hundred people down here.”' [Story]

 

You gotta love Donald. All  this and the people of New York will  still give him a great majority of the votes tonight. 

 

"8 million stories, out there in the naked
City it's a pity, half of y'all won't make it.."

 

Those 8 million stories could all be negative ones about Donald and he would still make it.

 

Let's hear it once again for New York. It's been that type of political season.

 

*Pic from interactive. nydailynews.com