Blog Number 36
Humor
Hello everyone, hope you are all doing great. It has been a relaxing Saturday and I love that. I spent a large part of the day trying to set up my Facebook Plog. If all goes well I will be able to publish my posts on wix and on social media. It’s a little scary but I am thinking there are plenty of angry women who will relate to what I am saying and join in. (Fingers Crossed emogi)
I caught a rerun of Saturday Night Live from May of this year. They were dealing with the leaked SCOTUS Dobbs opinion. The News desk had a skit that I really enjoyed. They were in the midst of many sarcastic barbs when they brought out a guest. It was none other than Amy Cunty Barrett. Actress Kate McKinnon played Barrett superbly. She had an insane smile on her face the entire time she was talking. She spouted simplistic ways to deal with unwanted pregnancy. Her mantra was “do your nine and drop”. When she said drop she meant to drop your infant off at some public place like a fire or police station. She was disgusting. But SNL got so many digs in on the SCOTUS it was worth it just to watch the skit. Wow. I can only imagine how the Justices feel about this type of entertainment at their expense. I looked it up and they have already parodied Ginni and Clancy Thomas. I am now motivated to go back and watch some of those.
Speaking of humor, I have seen other comics weighing in on the Government and our dwindling rights. Trevor Noah always gives good laughs when he give us his observations in his monologues. It seems like just about everyone has been sitting back, listening to the news and finding their individual voices. Even those who have not recently been very public are opening up. Chelsea Handler and Jon Stewart were in the news again over the weekend. I hadn’t seen either of them in a little while. Handler is a straight faced but biting comic who often uses satire to make her points. She kind of dialogues her comedy in ridiculous stories that she tells so well. Just when you think that she is just talking she makes things funny as hell. She is one of those people that you never know if she is serious or not. She has a TikTok video where she implores listeners to get out and Vote Blue. She makes a direct appeal and I like it.
Jon Stewart on the other hand uses a different approach. He is so angry about the way that the Senate threw US Veterans under the bus. He took his place among the protestors who march daily on Capitol Hill for one bill or another. When he had the microphone he really let loose. He was screaming, cursing, and calling people “motherfuckers”. We are used to seeing him in a suit, and very polished and sarcastic. On this day he had a scruffy beard and wore a sweaty T-shirt. He said that The Senators were in the air conditioner voting NO while the Veterans were outside sweating and fighting for their rights and lives. What he said was literally true. He used his platform and notoriety to draw attention to the topic. This bill was called the PACT Act and it passed on June 16, 2022. The bill would have made it much easier for Veterans to prove that their illnesses were caused by the burn pits they encountered while serving. Then they could be approved for Veterans benefits without the massive lengthy and bureaucratic fight. The Veterans Administration process is very onerous to allow Veterans to be declared eligible for VA benefits. The vote was 55-42 against passage of the Pact Act. The House approved the bill 342-88. Evidently the bill underwent some tweaking to the degree that those who previously loved it now hated it.
After the vote there was fist bumping 👊 by a clunky Ted Cruz and other Senators right on the Senate floor 👊. The failure of the bill is being blamed on “spending” issues but I heard it had something to do with a Joe Manchin last minute approval of another bill. So politics as usual is a filthy game. A few of the NO voters are as follows: Rob Portman OH, Tim Scott SC, Mitt Romney UT, Rand Paul KY, Bitch McConnell KY, Josh Hawley MO, Ted Cruz TX, Joni Ernst IA, Marsha Blackburn TN, John Neely Kennedy LA and Tom Cotton AR. A Ragtag bunch if I ever saw one. Chuck Schumer changed his vote to no so he can be in a position to debate it at a later time.
Anyway, Humor is so needed to deal with difficult times. I appreciate the efforts that professional funny people are making. Our situation is dreary, so a laugh is better than a cry. Even I dont stay mad all the time, but I will be mad long enough to get to the polls and VOTE, VOTE, VOTE! I can not be counted on to forget when I am wronged and to look the other way. The sharpest part of my mind stores everything until it is needed. So let's not forget to laugh.
RECLAIM!