Fresh back from some beach and city time overseas I must agree, be on vacation. Let it all go, watch the real REAL downfall with more ease. F him and his toadies. Sunrises and sunsets all around 🌅
Good on you, Greg Olear! I so enjoyed the beginnings of this post and the end. Hopefully, one day soon you won't feel the need to talk about the middle anymore.
Being a Marylander, I was shocked when first I learned New Jersey had their own OC! But live and let live is what I always say. From the looks of it, I think I'd prefer NJ's beauty to MD's...just sayin'
Ha! Remember Guv Cody's travel and tourism campaign?It was right after the McGreevey scandal in 2004 and I think they were looking for a distraction. There was a contest for state residents to come up with the slogan to replace Guv Fiorello's "NJ and you. Perfect together. "
Ones I remember:
"Come for the pollution, stay for the corruption."
"We could have you killed."
"NJ! River views of places you'd really rather be!"
"You can enter for free, but you gotta pay to leave."
And Cody's favorite, as I recall: "You gotta problem wi' dat?"
It’s far from lame threatening witnesses and law enforcement.
“That Trump will be tried for his coup attempt is not a violation of his rights. It is a fulfillment of his rights. It is the grace of the American republic. In other systems, when your coup attempt fails, what follows is not a trial.” - Timothy Snyder
I have to believe, the Ignorance that exists in this country will eventually cast the whole idiotic volume of the Trump story into the trash where he and it belongs.
You’ve cleverly crafted a narrative for all of us Greg! Enjoy and embrace the beautiful moments on this carousel, the ride is short, but the music of the journey lasts forever... enjoy your family holiday!!
Wow, what an image. I was just describing these times as a movie that Marlene Dietrich was in (Sternberg) who did extremely lit closeups of her…she was on a swing making circle after circle, her face always in that extreme closeup looking like an angel or something…. Carousel like nightmare and of course…. That image just informed the whole life of the movie. The music of the journey.
I have to say I love all of your Sunday pieces. You are one of the few (possibly the only) public observer of politics and culture who provides fresh insight, perspective and literary insights in addition to being an outstanding writer. While I don't always agree with your political opinions, I keep my subscription because you truly add value in a media landscape rife with copies and pastes.
Which leads to my second comment. My feeling about DOJ handling of all matters Trump was first and foremost I trusted Joe Biden and his pick Merrick Garland. Biden grasps that white terrorism poses the greatest threat to democracy and that Trump and the Republican Party are white terrorists. He of course cannot say that in so many words. But he chose a man with historic experience with white terrorism whose prosecution of McVeigh resulted in conviction. I am probably one of the few "liberals" who was not concerned about DOJ "not" indicting Trump for 2 reasons. First, I'm not a legal expert and I've spent too much energy already giving energy to opinions on social media about other things I can't control or really understand. (Example - I didn't like the way Tim Ryan conducted his Senate campaign but I didn't say anything at the time because well he was the candidate, it was his energy, etc. Now I'm more vocal about it in public but my opinion is not helpful). I'm still working on discerning "is expressing my opinion really helpful" but sometimes I just can't help myself (this applies to media criticism). Second, while Donald Trump is a horrible man who has (allegedly per the law) committed horrible crimes and who deserves to stand trial and who I hope is found guilty. At the same time I don't believe he is the "cause" of our malaise, which began when the slaves were brought here in 1619. He did not commit his alleged crimes in a vacuum. We can't just say, "Whew" and wipe our brows if and when he is convicted. Our bigger task is to challenge the energies that allowed him to succeed.
I like the way you think. Kathleen. Our problems came over on the Mayflower and every ship thereafter and no one wanted to deal with issues that, let’s be honest, were not problems then. The Enlightenment(we got “woke”)gave us our founding documents and our Republic(if we can keep it). Our history is littered with screw-ups and side trips but the best of us keep trying to do better. That’s why I’m sticking with the good guys and gals in our currently elected government and pray they prevail. 🤞🤞🤞
Thanks, Kathleen, for the kind words and the insightful comment. Alas, it is in our nation's DNA to turn the page and never learn from our mistakes. I hope this proves he exception. If we don't go back and redress the original sins, we will continue on the road to perdition.
Amen! Our denial about racism reminds me of The Fall Of The House Of Usher. My American Lit professor Father Ayo (Holy Cross father who also happened to be a poet from New Jersey!) explained to us that the male character was denying his own feminine side when he locked his sister up and it was that denial that caused the fall. That concept was new to me and I was so excited by his insight! This was 1970 at a Catholic university in Portland, Oregon to provide context for his comment. I thought you'd appreciate a literary "take" on denial. Poe was a genius.
Miss the South Jersey shore. Cape May and The Point is our place. Know Ocean City well and Wildwood too. Miss Philly. Seven years in New Orleans. Louisiana, another country. A good place for a 4 fay stay but to reside? No!
Lovely picture and story about your beloved mother-in-law. Our favorite beach is Lake Tahoe at Kings Beach. We have stayed at the same place for over 30 years, our daughters experienced so much fun there. This week, my oldest and I are flying to Palm Springs for her 40th birthday. We shall be sweating as the weather will be in the 100’s but it still will be a blast. A much needed respite from the political goings-on.
The walls are closing in on Trump and his political allies. Jack Smith is not our savior but he may damn well become our hero if he and his brilliant team get convictions. Then he and DOJ can go after Congress members. Why, we may all end up finally smiling!
Spent some glorious summertime 'down the shore' myself some decades ago, thanks for the reminder. Agree 100% we should reclaim our leisure from the egomaniac criminal former president. Gotta trust the process, cliché as it is
I watched Jack Smith’s brief but emotional speech, read the charging document and decided Trump was in good hands. So I’m not going to worry about the trial prep, will let Jack Smith handle it. Gonna relax, breathe, enjoy life. But I will watch the trial if we’re allowed inside because I watched Watergate live and, well, this is no Watergate.
Unless I've missed it, I have noticed that no one has really appended any of the charges against Trump and his cohort with the -gate suffix; i.e. Docugate, Seditiongate, LiarLiarPantsOnFiregate. All of the "alleged" charges we've seen are far worse than Watergate could ever hope to have been. "A break-in of the Democratic National Commitee and then a cover-up going as high as the president?" How cute.
You should recall that the Watergate break-in was at the tail of a long list of GOP sabotage and ratfucking that was the progenitor is these latter day crimes. The Canuck letter was a means of embarrassing the leading Democratic contender - the sabotage was about getting rid of the best competitor for the Democrats and narrowing the field to those that Nixon thought he could beat. There was hundreds of thousands of dollars in the Mitchell slush fund to do all this with recruited lawyers (like Donald Segretti) and ex-CIA and dark soldiers. Roger Stone is the link to those actions, but the legacy is clear; political scheming and crimes on one scale, with dark money to fund it all...and all through AG Mitchell at DoJ.
So, when the GOP screams about politicizing the DoJ and FBI and LE, don't forget, Republicans were the ones doing it first in the modern era: 60 years of ratfucking and political scams. And most of the ratfuckers got away then except for the top guys.
I watched it too, eventually, and he was great. I love that he goes to the arraignments and glowers at Trump like Clint Eastwood. Trump must be starting to worry just a bit, one imagines...
I also have fond memories of OC but on a different level. A work colleague and great friend owned a two floor house on the beach. Every year he hosted a Super Bowl party. Twenty or so of us filled every nook and cranny of the house, bringing together friends from all over the US with me traveling from London UK where I was living and working and another coming from Qatar. Arriving on the Wednesday before the big game, it took seconds for things to pick up from where they ended a year before. Over the twenty-three years conversations went from children in grammar school to high school and finally pix of grandchildren. While a dry town, booze was aplenty, I think we kept afloat during the winter months the liquor shop just over the causeway bridge. The checkout lady at the Acme got to greeting us with a yearly "back again". The waitress at the airfield diner always asked upon our arrival, "was wondering if you fellas were back this year".
Sadly those parties are in the past as the ravages of aging have taken their toll. Cancer, heart attacks and such would be the prevailing conversation these days. Perhaps current ailments reflect those good Ole days. Nevertheless, would not trade that comradary for maybe better health. Personally I believe those good Ole days allowed us to get to today.
Thanks for reminding me of OC, great memories help stem the MAGA tide of despair.
Oh, that sounds like so much fun! Rented houses with buddies is just the best. So what if the game is bad? Although lately the games have been good. Thanks for sharing!
I'm sure that in a previous life I must have been a native of the Eastern seaboard because I'm as nostalgic of your post this Sunday, of the beach and the sea, even though I've never been there. I've been to the Pacific in Southern California, but never to the east coast. The Pacific, as far as I can surmise, is a far different animal from the Atlantic, but for some reason I'm still drawn to the east more than I am back to the Pacific. Glad you're having a good week!
I also find Trump to be fading into obscurity for me. He has virtually NO chance of being re-elected, provided we all vote as we did in 2020 and '22. He has managed to be EVERYWHERE these past several years, and when mentioned, one is accused of suffering from TDS (Trump Derangement Syndrome). Of course, I have, many times, pointed out that it's likely we would have forgotten him far sooner if he'd ever shut his mouth and fade gracefully into obscurity like previous presidents. George W paints weirdly artistic paintings, Obama went off jet-skiing and then started work on his Library, which at this point looks like it will never really open, Bill Clinton wrote a few books, then got together with a famous author to write a work of fiction while also continuing to contribute to the Clinton Foundation, Jimmy Carter built houses, for gods' sake! Trump? Bitch and moan and whine about the "stolen" 2020 election, and continue his Lie, Cheat, and Steal Tour. Graceful exit is not in his vocabulary. So now, with Jack Smith at the helm, a graceless exit is in the offing. Sad!
I too pegged you as an East Coast guy. So I suspect you're right. And yeah, Trump's post presidency is a complete shitshow. But it's what he's always done. I hope the judge shuts him down.
Do ‘t take anything for granted. More than a few states have been busy with voter suppression and letting state legislatures and AG’s exert power over voting results.
Never, ever take anything for granted, especially if Trump is convicted of anything before the election. THAT will be the time when Dems are going to have to be convinced that it is STILL very important to vote. The Founders, in their "great wisdom" never imagined a felon as president, but Trumpsters are raring to see it!
Thanks for pointing out the importance of reclaiming our leisure time. Probably around early 2017 I posted on Facebook that I, for one, would like to go back to the good old days; and said that by that I meant, like, two years prior, when one could go for months without hearing the name Donald Trump. But I was referring mostly to the ubiquitous news coverage. That he had a strategy for making a permanent residence in my head wasn’t quite as obvious then, and needed to be pointed out now! Here’s to enjoying life again! The good old (new, really) days are coming back!
Not where I live, and as I was reading this, an idiot came on tv and said, “I don’t care if they indict him a thousand times.” Idiots abound and they vote
As a huge Big Lebowski fan and not a fucking amateur, I feel obligated to let you know that a 25th anniversary reissue of the classic on 4K & Blu-ray was released just this past week. You can get the "Universal Essentials Collection" or a steelbook, or both, like I did! And, as always, "Shut the fuck up, Donny!"
Fresh back from some beach and city time overseas I must agree, be on vacation. Let it all go, watch the real REAL downfall with more ease. F him and his toadies. Sunrises and sunsets all around 🌅
Sidenote: has Trump ever been to a beach? Other than maybe Coney Island when he was a kid?
Good on you, Greg Olear! I so enjoyed the beginnings of this post and the end. Hopefully, one day soon you won't feel the need to talk about the middle anymore.
Being a Marylander, I was shocked when first I learned New Jersey had their own OC! But live and let live is what I always say. From the looks of it, I think I'd prefer NJ's beauty to MD's...just sayin'
Thanks, Lynell. Yes, that would be nice!
I never thought I would feel homesick for NJ, but that photo brought back so many good memories of happy times with my son at the shore.
NJ is somehow a place you can simultaneously feel homesick for and also be glad you left.
Ha! Remember Guv Cody's travel and tourism campaign?It was right after the McGreevey scandal in 2004 and I think they were looking for a distraction. There was a contest for state residents to come up with the slogan to replace Guv Fiorello's "NJ and you. Perfect together. "
Ones I remember:
"Come for the pollution, stay for the corruption."
"We could have you killed."
"NJ! River views of places you'd really rather be!"
"You can enter for free, but you gotta pay to leave."
And Cody's favorite, as I recall: "You gotta problem wi' dat?"
😳 that is just fvking accurate
Loved today’s installment for a sunny HV morning -- Two cups, ☕️☕️. Even tRump can’t ruin a great story, and Aimee... ☕️ ‘Til Tuesday!
Thanks, Steven!
“If you go after me, I’m coming after you!”
@realDonaldTrump 🥷🏻#TrumpCrimeFamily #Lock’emUp!
Even as a threat, it's pretty lame...
It’s far from lame threatening witnesses and law enforcement.
“That Trump will be tried for his coup attempt is not a violation of his rights. It is a fulfillment of his rights. It is the grace of the American republic. In other systems, when your coup attempt fails, what follows is not a trial.” - Timothy Snyder
It’s what his cult will love and wish they could say to all Dems
I have to believe, the Ignorance that exists in this country will eventually cast the whole idiotic volume of the Trump story into the trash where he and it belongs.
You’ve cleverly crafted a narrative for all of us Greg! Enjoy and embrace the beautiful moments on this carousel, the ride is short, but the music of the journey lasts forever... enjoy your family holiday!!
Thanks, Patrick. Beautifully put!
Wow, what an image. I was just describing these times as a movie that Marlene Dietrich was in (Sternberg) who did extremely lit closeups of her…she was on a swing making circle after circle, her face always in that extreme closeup looking like an angel or something…. Carousel like nightmare and of course…. That image just informed the whole life of the movie. The music of the journey.
I have to say I love all of your Sunday pieces. You are one of the few (possibly the only) public observer of politics and culture who provides fresh insight, perspective and literary insights in addition to being an outstanding writer. While I don't always agree with your political opinions, I keep my subscription because you truly add value in a media landscape rife with copies and pastes.
Which leads to my second comment. My feeling about DOJ handling of all matters Trump was first and foremost I trusted Joe Biden and his pick Merrick Garland. Biden grasps that white terrorism poses the greatest threat to democracy and that Trump and the Republican Party are white terrorists. He of course cannot say that in so many words. But he chose a man with historic experience with white terrorism whose prosecution of McVeigh resulted in conviction. I am probably one of the few "liberals" who was not concerned about DOJ "not" indicting Trump for 2 reasons. First, I'm not a legal expert and I've spent too much energy already giving energy to opinions on social media about other things I can't control or really understand. (Example - I didn't like the way Tim Ryan conducted his Senate campaign but I didn't say anything at the time because well he was the candidate, it was his energy, etc. Now I'm more vocal about it in public but my opinion is not helpful). I'm still working on discerning "is expressing my opinion really helpful" but sometimes I just can't help myself (this applies to media criticism). Second, while Donald Trump is a horrible man who has (allegedly per the law) committed horrible crimes and who deserves to stand trial and who I hope is found guilty. At the same time I don't believe he is the "cause" of our malaise, which began when the slaves were brought here in 1619. He did not commit his alleged crimes in a vacuum. We can't just say, "Whew" and wipe our brows if and when he is convicted. Our bigger task is to challenge the energies that allowed him to succeed.
I like the way you think. Kathleen. Our problems came over on the Mayflower and every ship thereafter and no one wanted to deal with issues that, let’s be honest, were not problems then. The Enlightenment(we got “woke”)gave us our founding documents and our Republic(if we can keep it). Our history is littered with screw-ups and side trips but the best of us keep trying to do better. That’s why I’m sticking with the good guys and gals in our currently elected government and pray they prevail. 🤞🤞🤞
Thank you. Beautifully stated.
Thank you.
Amen!!!
Until we acknowledge and appreciate the value of diversity in these states, United we will never be.
Manifest Destiny
Thanks, Kathleen, for the kind words and the insightful comment. Alas, it is in our nation's DNA to turn the page and never learn from our mistakes. I hope this proves he exception. If we don't go back and redress the original sins, we will continue on the road to perdition.
Amen! Our denial about racism reminds me of The Fall Of The House Of Usher. My American Lit professor Father Ayo (Holy Cross father who also happened to be a poet from New Jersey!) explained to us that the male character was denying his own feminine side when he locked his sister up and it was that denial that caused the fall. That concept was new to me and I was so excited by his insight! This was 1970 at a Catholic university in Portland, Oregon to provide context for his comment. I thought you'd appreciate a literary "take" on denial. Poe was a genius.
Miss the South Jersey shore. Cape May and The Point is our place. Know Ocean City well and Wildwood too. Miss Philly. Seven years in New Orleans. Louisiana, another country. A good place for a 4 fay stay but to reside? No!
I do love NOLA, though...
Lovely picture and story about your beloved mother-in-law. Our favorite beach is Lake Tahoe at Kings Beach. We have stayed at the same place for over 30 years, our daughters experienced so much fun there. This week, my oldest and I are flying to Palm Springs for her 40th birthday. We shall be sweating as the weather will be in the 100’s but it still will be a blast. A much needed respite from the political goings-on.
The walls are closing in on Trump and his political allies. Jack Smith is not our savior but he may damn well become our hero if he and his brilliant team get convictions. Then he and DOJ can go after Congress members. Why, we may all end up finally smiling!
Thanks, Marlene. I love how you phrased it about Smith: not a savior, maybe a hero. Perfect.
Ah yes the power of WATER.
Spent some glorious summertime 'down the shore' myself some decades ago, thanks for the reminder. Agree 100% we should reclaim our leisure from the egomaniac criminal former president. Gotta trust the process, cliché as it is
As the Sixers shirts on the Boardwalk remind us: Trust the Process.
I watched Jack Smith’s brief but emotional speech, read the charging document and decided Trump was in good hands. So I’m not going to worry about the trial prep, will let Jack Smith handle it. Gonna relax, breathe, enjoy life. But I will watch the trial if we’re allowed inside because I watched Watergate live and, well, this is no Watergate.
Unless I've missed it, I have noticed that no one has really appended any of the charges against Trump and his cohort with the -gate suffix; i.e. Docugate, Seditiongate, LiarLiarPantsOnFiregate. All of the "alleged" charges we've seen are far worse than Watergate could ever hope to have been. "A break-in of the Democratic National Commitee and then a cover-up going as high as the president?" How cute.
You should recall that the Watergate break-in was at the tail of a long list of GOP sabotage and ratfucking that was the progenitor is these latter day crimes. The Canuck letter was a means of embarrassing the leading Democratic contender - the sabotage was about getting rid of the best competitor for the Democrats and narrowing the field to those that Nixon thought he could beat. There was hundreds of thousands of dollars in the Mitchell slush fund to do all this with recruited lawyers (like Donald Segretti) and ex-CIA and dark soldiers. Roger Stone is the link to those actions, but the legacy is clear; political scheming and crimes on one scale, with dark money to fund it all...and all through AG Mitchell at DoJ.
So, when the GOP screams about politicizing the DoJ and FBI and LE, don't forget, Republicans were the ones doing it first in the modern era: 60 years of ratfucking and political scams. And most of the ratfuckers got away then except for the top guys.
Looking forward to Roger Stone’s day of comeuppance.
Boy, me too. It probably won't cover all the actions by the sneaky bastard, but getting him put away would definitely help...and make me feel better.
Same.
Yes, thanks for pointing this out, Billy.
Thank you for mentioning Donald Segretti, too bad he is mostly forgotten. He could share a cell with Roger Stone
I so want this Nixon-tattooed political demon to face the music for the 2nd time! No more pardons for him ever!
This is not a gate, it's a freakin' PORTAL.
I watched it too, eventually, and he was great. I love that he goes to the arraignments and glowers at Trump like Clint Eastwood. Trump must be starting to worry just a bit, one imagines...
Greg
I also have fond memories of OC but on a different level. A work colleague and great friend owned a two floor house on the beach. Every year he hosted a Super Bowl party. Twenty or so of us filled every nook and cranny of the house, bringing together friends from all over the US with me traveling from London UK where I was living and working and another coming from Qatar. Arriving on the Wednesday before the big game, it took seconds for things to pick up from where they ended a year before. Over the twenty-three years conversations went from children in grammar school to high school and finally pix of grandchildren. While a dry town, booze was aplenty, I think we kept afloat during the winter months the liquor shop just over the causeway bridge. The checkout lady at the Acme got to greeting us with a yearly "back again". The waitress at the airfield diner always asked upon our arrival, "was wondering if you fellas were back this year".
Sadly those parties are in the past as the ravages of aging have taken their toll. Cancer, heart attacks and such would be the prevailing conversation these days. Perhaps current ailments reflect those good Ole days. Nevertheless, would not trade that comradary for maybe better health. Personally I believe those good Ole days allowed us to get to today.
Thanks for reminding me of OC, great memories help stem the MAGA tide of despair.
Oh, that sounds like so much fun! Rented houses with buddies is just the best. So what if the game is bad? Although lately the games have been good. Thanks for sharing!
I'm sure that in a previous life I must have been a native of the Eastern seaboard because I'm as nostalgic of your post this Sunday, of the beach and the sea, even though I've never been there. I've been to the Pacific in Southern California, but never to the east coast. The Pacific, as far as I can surmise, is a far different animal from the Atlantic, but for some reason I'm still drawn to the east more than I am back to the Pacific. Glad you're having a good week!
I also find Trump to be fading into obscurity for me. He has virtually NO chance of being re-elected, provided we all vote as we did in 2020 and '22. He has managed to be EVERYWHERE these past several years, and when mentioned, one is accused of suffering from TDS (Trump Derangement Syndrome). Of course, I have, many times, pointed out that it's likely we would have forgotten him far sooner if he'd ever shut his mouth and fade gracefully into obscurity like previous presidents. George W paints weirdly artistic paintings, Obama went off jet-skiing and then started work on his Library, which at this point looks like it will never really open, Bill Clinton wrote a few books, then got together with a famous author to write a work of fiction while also continuing to contribute to the Clinton Foundation, Jimmy Carter built houses, for gods' sake! Trump? Bitch and moan and whine about the "stolen" 2020 election, and continue his Lie, Cheat, and Steal Tour. Graceful exit is not in his vocabulary. So now, with Jack Smith at the helm, a graceless exit is in the offing. Sad!
I too pegged you as an East Coast guy. So I suspect you're right. And yeah, Trump's post presidency is a complete shitshow. But it's what he's always done. I hope the judge shuts him down.
Do ‘t take anything for granted. More than a few states have been busy with voter suppression and letting state legislatures and AG’s exert power over voting results.
Never, ever take anything for granted, especially if Trump is convicted of anything before the election. THAT will be the time when Dems are going to have to be convinced that it is STILL very important to vote. The Founders, in their "great wisdom" never imagined a felon as president, but Trumpsters are raring to see it!
Thanks for pointing out the importance of reclaiming our leisure time. Probably around early 2017 I posted on Facebook that I, for one, would like to go back to the good old days; and said that by that I meant, like, two years prior, when one could go for months without hearing the name Donald Trump. But I was referring mostly to the ubiquitous news coverage. That he had a strategy for making a permanent residence in my head wasn’t quite as obvious then, and needed to be pointed out now! Here’s to enjoying life again! The good old (new, really) days are coming back!
Thanks, Earl. Yes, Trump's greatest fear is to be irrelevant. And that's what he is become.
Not where I live, and as I was reading this, an idiot came on tv and said, “I don’t care if they indict him a thousand times.” Idiots abound and they vote
I hate it when that happens.
As a huge Big Lebowski fan and not a fucking amateur, I feel obligated to let you know that a 25th anniversary reissue of the classic on 4K & Blu-ray was released just this past week. You can get the "Universal Essentials Collection" or a steelbook, or both, like I did! And, as always, "Shut the fuck up, Donny!"
The line my wife and I always quote, when the context is there, is: "I'm staying. I'm FINISHING my coffee."
Her life is in your hands, Dude.
I love this Twitter page: @Big_Lebowskript
It's a line and picture from the movie every day. Chronologically. Maybe you've seen it. I retweet it every day. No bush league psych-out stuff.