TODAY'S REPUBLICAN PARTY

 

Today’s Republican Party represents ONLY morons, racists, bigots, white supremacists, and extreme fundamentalist Christian fanatics.

Today’s Republican Party is truly the White Christian Nationalist Party.

Today’s Republican Party does not care one ounce about true conservative or “traditional” Republican political policies or beliefs.

Intelligent conservatives have absolutely no voice in American politics today since they have been totally abandoned by today’s Republican Party.

The greatest threat and danger to America, American freedom and democracy and the American people is today’s Republican Party.

It is vitally important that every American with a brain who actually cares anything about our country vote against EVERY Republican candidate for EVERY office in EVERY election at EVERY level.

The future of America truly depends on defeating today’s Republican Party!

TAFN

RELIGIOUS OBSERVATIONS

 

After a month’s hiatus BOBSERVATIONS returns with some religious observations – or rather Bobservations.
 
Many years ago, when visiting Mexico City, I took a local “Grey Line” bus tour of the city.  One of the stops was a prominent local Catholic church to view the splendor of the architecture and the sanctuary.  That day in the sanctuary parishioners were hard at work polishing the gold and silver in the statuary, artwork and fixtures.  Outside on the steps of the church poor individuals with a variety of illnesses and deformities were begging for coins.
 
While I acknowledge the good works, in terms of social welfare and charity, done by churches, church groups and religious individuals, I very seriously believe that in the history of mankind more evil than good has been done in the name of a god or God or religion – up to and including the damage done to American freedom, democracy and values today by the fake Christian so-called “Evangelicals” of the racist and repressive Religious Right.
 
Too many Americans who call themselves “Christian” today have no concept of, and do not believe or follow, the actual teachings of Christ.  They use and distort religion and the Bible to justify and legitimize their prejudices and bigotry.
 
TAFN

TODAY'S REPUBLICAN PARTY

Today’s Republican Party –

· Downplays and excuses an armed insurrection and assault on the US Capital.
 
· Promotes lies that undermine our democratic elections.
 
· Attempts to repress the free education of history, social studies and science.
 
· Attempts to repress voting by those who oppose its agenda.
 
· Promotes and attempts to legislate the erroneous racist and repressive beliefs of a specific religious sect.
 
· Refuses to take measures to stop constant mass shootings by properly administering and controlling gun ownership.
 
· Refuses to hold Republican office-holders and leaders accountable for crimes.

 
If you support today’s Republican Party you obviously support the above policies – and you are a threat and danger to America and American democracy.

TAFN

LOOKING BACK AND LOOKING FORWARD

 

As we approach the end of 2022, I acknowledge that there was much to celebrate this year. 

1. President Biden and the Democrats in Congress continued, and continues, to work to undo the damage done to America and the world by the Trump presidency and to deal with the problems facing our country today with competence, intelligence and integrity.

2. In November intelligence and patriotism won out over ignorance, bigotry and treason in my home state of Pennsylvania and elsewhere in the country.   

Unfortunately, the three absolute worst Republican Congresspersons - Taylor Greene, Boebert and Gaetz - won re-election.  Two complete morons and a suspected pedophile and sex trafficker.  This is a sad commentary on the state of ignorance, racism and bigotry in America today.

3. The Trump Organization was convicted of tax fraud.

4. The January 6^th Committee completed its extensive investigation of the insurrection, released its report, and recommended criminal charges be filed against Trump.

There is much work to be done in 2023.  We must continue to be vigilant and to oppose and denounce the Republican Party and vote against all Republican candidates for all offices at all levels.

As I have said before in various venues, although it is beginning to finally attempt to distance itself from Trump and his lies, by continuing to embrace the racist, bigoted and repressive agenda of the fake Christian “Evangelicals” of the Religious Right today’s Republican Party remains the greatest threat to America, American values and American freedom and democracy.  The once “Grand Old Party” has truly become the White Christian Nationalist Party.

By playing down and whitewashing the January 6^th insurrection and opposing the work and findings of the January 6^th Committee, not because it believes the attack or the reasons for it to be legitimate but because it does not want to lose the votes of Trump’s cult of ignorant racists and bigots, the Republican Party has proven that it has no conscience and puts the Party’s interests, and remaining in power, ahead of the Constitution, democracy and the country.

And let us hope that 2023 brings the indictment, prosecution, conviction, and imprisonment of Trump for his multitude of federal and state crimes.  It is vital for the future of our democracy that this corrupt, deplorable and despicable malignant narcissist be held accountable for his actions.

On a sad personal note, this year I mourned the passing of a long-time friend from grammar school, high school and college – Howard Levine.  We have been friends for almost 60 years - I believe we first met in the third grade.  In our high school and college days we were involved together in various political issues of the day – as leaders of the local Vote 18 campaign.  He is one of the small handful of friends from grammar school that I saw in person at least once a year every single year since we left school (at tax time).

TAFN

THE WORK OF CHRISTMAS

When the song of the angels is stilled,

When the star in the sky is gone,

When the kings and princes are home,

When the shepherds are back with their flock,

The work of Christmas begins:

To find the lost,

To heal the broken,

To feed the hungry,

To release the prisoner,

To rebuild the nations,

To bring peace among others,

To make music in the heart.

Howard Thurman

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Robert D Flach

WORKS FOR ME

 

How about a helpful household hint?

I am always seeing fancy looking organizers and containers for storing office, household, workshop and other supplies on home improvement shows and in the aisles at STAPLES.  It appears that some are rather expensive.  However, I get all my business and personal organizers absolutely free!

I have found that the various plastic containers that food and household products come in are perfect organizers for holding different sized paper and binder clips, various sizes of sticky pads and smaller lined paper pads, stamps, pens and pencils, erasers, nails, screws, and other supplies.

For one, there is the containers that many “tv dinners” come in (the aluminum ones are no good).  And the brown container that holds three crème-filled cupcakes or clear container that holds cookies in a package.  They provide multiple sections for organizing clips and binders.

The green or blue containers that hold the Swiffer wet pads, or the generic alternative, come in several sizes and have many uses in the kitchen, bedroom, and office.

The round plastic containers that contain potato or macaroni salad from the supermarket or “Blimpie” are also good for holding small supplies.

I even make use of the metal Altoids containers.

Not only am I saving money, but I am recycling as well!

TAFN

THE BAYONNE BLEEDER

 

I recently read that a “Statue of Chuck Wepner, ‘The Real Rocky,’ unveiled in Collins Park” in his hometown of Bayonne.

 

Yes. Wepner, aka "the Bayonne Bleeder", was, surprising to me, Sylvester Stallone's "inspiration" for the character of Rocky Balboa.

 

Wepner was a liquor salesman in Hudson County NJ. We could always tell when he was making a sales call at Kilbride’s Bar, next to our office on Sip Avenue off Journal Square in Jersey City. His station wagon was detailed with a small red line along each side that ended in a pair of boxing gloves. And I think he had a boxing-related vanity plate, thought I don’t recall what it was.

 

Wepner’s claim to fame was a title bout with Mohammed Ali back in 1975.

 

I remember the week-end before the fight with Ali. I was at Jimmy Byrnes’ Sea Girt Inn with friends from college with whom I shared a summer home in Belmar. Wepner was there and drunk, and got up on the stage between band sets and bragged about how he was going to beat Ali. As I recall his reference to Ali included racial slurs, including the notorious “n” word.

 

The night of the fight I watched along with friends at Narrowback’s Bar on the Boulevard in the Heights section of Jersey City.

 

Here is a story I heard shortly after the fight. It was so long ago I don’t remember the source -

 

Wepner bragged all week to everyone, including his wife, that he was going to beat Ali. As he left for the Richfield Coliseum on the morning of the fight, he told his wife - “Honey, tonight you’re going to be sleeping with the champ.”

 

After the fight was over, with a not surprising conclusion, as Wepner was sulking in his dressing room his wife came in and asked him -.

 

“Is Ali going to send a car for me, or should I meet him at the hotel?”

 

An aside to my long-time friend and client Aditi Kinkhabwala, reporter for the CBS Sports cable network and frequent co-host of  "We Need to Talk", this is my only sports story.

 

TAFN