Lois Lane Vs. Superman

Today, Lois Lane Vs. Superman!

art by Curt Swan and Neal Adams 

The big thing for Lois in the more innocent days of the Mort Weisenger era of the Superman family of books was her unrequited love for the Man of Steel.  Lois loved Superman and Superman loved her but as long as she was a mere mortal woman and Superman was super, that love could never be. 

Near the end of the 1960s and the formative years of the women's lib movement, women began to look beyond their relationship with men to define who they were. And Lois Lane matched that progression of thinking.  

The storyline that began in Lois Lane#80 and continued in issue #81 was a fairly epic event, covering 45 pages.  Yes, it does end with Lois realizing she still loves Superman so we're back to the status quo but it is a relatively remarkable journey of self discovery for Lois to reach that conclusion. 

art by Dick Giordano

In this issue, Lois is captured and given an "emotional lobotomy" so she will no longer love Superman.

Lois could be a handful, even for a Man of Steel. Sometimes Superman needs help....

art by Dick Giordano

...such as from the Justice League? 

So that is that for Lois Lane Vs. Superman! What is the challenge for the next Lois Lane Versus? 

Would you believe...death itself?   

Lois Lane Vs. Superman's Mom?!?

Hello! Welcome to I'm So Glad My Suffering Amuses You! I'm so glad you're here because I'm not. 

In the past, I looked ahead to the future which is now the present and realized, I'm not going to have time to blog. So me in the past (which as I type this is the present) have prepared a series of posts to appear in the future which as you read this is now the present and after you read this, all this will be in the past and you'll wonder why you bothered.

Let me try again. 

Hello! Welcome to I'm So Glad My Suffering Amuses You! Today, we present another installment of our special series of posts, Lois Lane Versus. 

Today, Lois Lane Vs. Superman's Mom. 

No, not Martha Kent but his birth mother on Krypton, Lara Lor-Van.  

art by Kurt Schaffenberger

Superman and characters with Double L names is a ridiculously recurring trope.  

In "Lois Lane's Romance with Jor-El", Lois travels across space and back in time to prevent Krypton from exploding and becomes Lara’s rival for Jor-El’s affections.

Because... comics.  

Notice the banner that proclaims this story is "Real! Not Imaginary!"  So writer Otto Binder did NOT make this up!  

I would be remiss if I did not address that blurb in the lower right corner.  In "Superman and Batman's Joke on Lois Lane",  Superman and Batman trick Lois into thinking that Bruce Wayne is Superman. She sets out to get to know Bruce better and nearly marries him until Superman shows up at the wedding and she calls it off.

And get a load of the lead story in this issue. "Lois Lane's Super-Perfect Crime" tells the story of how visitors from space make Lois invulnerable to all harm, but Superman still says he has no plans to marry. Lois then disguises herself as Lana and kills Superman so that Lana will be convicted, but fortunately it's all a hallucination brought on by the aliens' formula.

By the way, each of these epic tales is 8 pages long. 

Tomorrow, Lois Lane Versus... something else. 

Lois Lane Vs. Wonder Woman

Hi there and welcome to I'm So Glad My Suffering Amuses You and our inexplicable series of special posts whilst I am off being too busy for my blog, Lois Lane Versus.

Today's installment, Lois Lane Vs. Wonder Woman!   

art by Curt Swan and Neal Adams  

You might think, "Gee, Dave-El! That does not look like Wonder Woman! Where's the eagle breast plate? Where are the star spangled panties?"  

This was from a period of time in the late 1960s/early 1970s when DC decided to make Wonder Woman more relevant by taking away her powers and her costume. Yes, a bunch of men thought the best way to empower Diana Prince was to take away her powers.  

Still, Diana was still capable of flipping Lois Lane over her head. 

Speaking of Lois, you might be wondering why is is she dressed like that. Seriously, the mini-dress and the mini-skirt were really big in the late 1960s/early 1970s. Yes, women really dressed like that.

That elderly aunt, the one in her 80s. Back when she was 25, she likely wore a dress with a hemline several feet above her knees. And that was to church! 

Ditto also for the flared cuffs on Diana's pants. 

Yes, those pants really existed. Yes, it was a strange, strange time.   

So that's that for today's installment, Lois Lane Vs. Wonder Woman!  What will be Lois' next challenge? Find out tomorrow.  

Lois Lane vs. Clark Kent

Hi there! Welcome to I'm So Glad My Suffering Amuses You.


Welcome to another installment of Lois Lane Versus.


I'm off doing stuff that's keeping me away from this blog. To keep you entertained, we're exploring a series of posts based on Superman's Girl Friend Lois Lane as Lois face her own challenges.


Today, Lois Lane Versus Clark Kent!   


Even as far back as Action Comics#1, Lois and Clark were rivals to be the best reporter to get the best Superman stories. Lois was working at a significant disadvantage 
against the constant sexism directed at her as a woman in a male dominated profession.


Oh and Clark Kent is Superman. That too. 


For this particular issue, well, there is a lot to unpack with this cover. 

Back in the 1960s and particularly at DC and especially in the Mort Weisenger edited Superman titles, it was no uncommon to see an awful lot of exposition in one word balloon.  


Why is Lois so big? Clark Kent made her a giant. (Excuse me, she's a woman so "giantess".)


How did he do that? Red kryptonite which only works on Kryptonians usually so hey, Lois is from Krypton now? 


Apparently Clark has a habit of pestering Lois and she's had enough of it so off to the Phantom Zone.




Forever!!!


That'll teach you to pester somebody. 


You may wonder what's up with the title box that this is an "imaginary tale".  


Aren't all comic book stories imaginary?


Under Mort Weisenger, the Superman titles would explore stories that did not take place in what we would call regular continuity. These stories were not "canon".  Superman dies and Supergirl takes his place.  Superman and Lois get married. Superman gets split into to two people and marries Lois AND Lana. Stuff like that. 


So what is Lois up against next time? We'll find out tomorrow in another installment of Lois Lane Versus.  

Lois Lane Vs. The Sun

Hi there! Welcome to I'm So Glad My Suffering Amuses You.

Welcome to another installment of Lois Lane Versus. While I'm off doing stuff that challenges me to keep making postrs to this blog, we're looking at various issues of Superman's Girl Friend Lois Lane as Lois face her own challenges.

Today, Lois Lane Versus the Sun!     

art by Dick Giordano

Back in the 1960s Superman's Girl Friend Lois Lane focused mostly on Lois' antics trying to get Superman to marry her or expose his secret identity or get caught up in some foolish mix up changing her shape, size or giving her super powers or something equally silly.

By the 1970s, Lois evolved a bit. Yes, she was still getting in trouble but usually in pursuit of a story and not in pursuit of the Man of Steel. The upshot was a number of covers of Lois in peril as a result of her reporter's curiosity.

Like this one where she's been turned into snow. 

Another influence on Lois's direction was a loosening up of the Comics Code Authority that had restricted among other things having women in jeopardy and elements of horror. Here we have a snow man shaped like the devil while Lois is forced to endure the slow drip-drip of her inevitable demise as she melts under the unceasing glare of the sun.  Some scary stuff going on here. 

Anyway, Lois Lane Vs. the Sun does not end with the demise of the Daily Planet's favorite investigative reporter.

But what will tomorrow bring? Who or what will Lois Lane Versus... in our next installment?   

Lois Lane Vs. Lana Lang

Hi there! Welcome to I'm So Glad My Suffering Amuses You.

Today kicks off a series of posts called Lois Lane Versus. We take a look at various issues of Superman's Girl Friend Lois Lane as she takes on various challenges.

Why? It's my blog, that's why.

Today, we start our series with Lois's chief rival for Superman's affection, Lana Lang.  

art by Curt Swan and Stan Kaye 

Lana Lang was originally created to be the Lois Lane to Superboy. Much like Lois, Lana had no time or patience for meek, mild mannered student Clark Kent of Smallville other than to prove he was Superboy who she was, of course, madly in love with.

Meek, mild mannered student Clark Kent of Smallville grew up to become meek, mild mannered reporter Clark Kent of Metropolis but he couldn't escape his childhood completely as Lana followed in his footsteps to Metropolis where Lana became a rival for Lois Lane in pursuit of Superman's affections.  

art by Curt Swan and George Klein

Lana's unrequited romance of her youth was a constant thorn in Lois' side, enough so that she even got her hands on some time travel to nip that romance in the bud.

art by Kurt Shaffenberger

More modern takes on the Lois - Lana relationship have been on more friendly terms. But back in the 1960's, Lois had no more hated rival that the redhead from Superman's youth, Lana Lang. 

What's a Lois Lane Vs. Lana Lang post without this cover: 

 John Byrne doing a pretty good Kurt Shaffenberger impression.   
___________________________

 
Tomorrow on Lois Lane Versus.

What will our intrepid reporter with the Daily Planet be up against next time? 


Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom

We went to see Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom  and let me settle something up front: Bryce Dallas Howard does wear high heels. 

For a couple of scenes. Then she does switch to a sensible pair of boots.  

That out of the way, Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom is a lot of good dumb fun as dinosaurs romp, stomp and eat people. Don't let that last part bother you too much. Most of the people who get killed by dinos were either too stupid to live or real evil bastards. 

Chris Pratt is back as Owen, dino wrangler extraordinaire, exuding that easygoing Chris Pratt charm he's become famous for. Bryce Dallas Howard, without the unnecessary distraction of her footwear, is strong and empathetic as Claire, evolved from high powered business person to political activist seeking to save the dinosaurs.  

And from Jurassic Park, Jeff Goldblum returns as Dr. Ian Malcolm to speak to a Congressional committee to testify that dinosaurs are dangerous.  If anyone was looking for old school Goldblum to team up with new kids Pratt & Howard will be disappointed.  Goldblum's scenes look like they were shot for a "making of" special and not the movie itself. Still, it was cool to see Goldblum's Ian Malcolm stammering his way around apocalyptic warnings of doom once more.   

The movie as a whole is exciting and fun. It does end on a game changing note that really fundamentally shifts the whole human - dinosaur dynamic.  

And there is a post credit sequence that we missed. Is everybody doing this now?   

Doctor Who: The Dalek Planet - Episode Four

DISCLAIMER: I'm doing this for fun, not profit. This is not officially sanctioned by the BBC and the producers of Doctor Who. 

In case you're wondering, this storyline takes place between Episode 4 ("Knock Knock") and Episode 5 ("Oxygen") of Series 10. 

To catch up, click here for Episode One and click here for Episode Two and click here for Episode Three.    


 ____________________________________

The Dalek Planet

by David Long 

Episode Four

SCENE OPENS
A darkened corridor, in the style of the chamber we were just in.  We see the Doctor and Bill carefully making their way. The Doctor's sonic sun glassesbeeps. Our view shifts to the readout that indicates a point of focus on the wall. Our view shifts back to the Doctor and Bill.   

The Doctor: Found it! 

Bill; Found what? 

The Doctor: A way in.  

The Doctor's sun glasses make a trilling noise as a hatch opens. Light streams through the opening along with a nauseating mist. 

Bill: Oh my God! That smell! I... I can't breathe....

The Doctor: Stay back, Bill! 

Bill: What are you doing?

The Doctor: I need to go in. I need to see! 

The Doctor ducks down and enters through the opening.  

SCENE CHANGE
The Doctor enters through the wall unto a gangway.  He looks down. 

The Doctor: Oh my giddy aunt.   

Our view pans down from the Doctor's perch as we see a very expansive view, like being a mile in the sky over a city. Bit instead of a city, the entire view below is filled with a writhing, pulsating creature with tentacles.  The air is filled with the dull roar of groaning. Then the creature speaks.

Creature: HEL. LO. DOC. TOR.  

And we cut back to the Doctor, looking horrified.


The Doctor taps furiously on the side of his sonic sunglasses.

The Doctor: C’mon! C’mon! Talk to me!

Cut to the Doctor’s perspective as images and data scroll past his field of vision.

The Doctor: Who are you? What are you?

Planet creature: I. AM. DA. LEK. 

The Doctor pulls out his sonic screwdriver and scans the planet sized organism below.

The Doctor: You might think so. Davros might think so.

Bill enters, coughing and gagging.

Bill: It stinks so bad but I had to see what….OH MY GOD!!!!!

The Doctor: Steady on, Bill! Steady!

Bill: What…. What…. What is that thing?

The Doctor: It is the living core of the Dalek Planet. Whatever else it is…

Planet creature: I. AM. DA. LEK. 

The Doctor: It is not Dalek.

The Doctor begins working with a roll of chain on a cinch, securing one end around his waist.

Bill (coughing): Doctor? What… are you doing?

The Doctor: I need a closer look.

Bill: Why?

Planet creature: I. AM. DA. LEK. 

The Doctor: It’s not Dalek.

Bill: This seems dangerous.

The Doctor: Don’t be daft, Bill. It doesn’t seem dangerous at all.

The Doctor lifts himself to the top of the guardrail on the gangway.

The Doctor: It IS dangerous. Watch the chain cinch, eh, Bill? That’s my girl. 

Bill: But why?

The Doctor: Because I need to know. 

The Doctor looks down at the creature below as he taps the side of his sonic sunglasses.

The Doctor: I have to know. Well, best be off.

The Doctor clutches the chain as he steps off the guardrail and begins to descend towards the creature.

Bill (to herself): Be careful, you daft old man. 

The Doctor holds on to the chain as he draws lower to the creature with a wet, grey semi-translucent skin that throbs and pulses with a strange pinkish glow. 

The Doctor: Who are you? 

Planet creature: I. AM. DA. LEK. 

The Doctor (sighs): Let’s try a different tact. Who WERE you? 

Planet creature: I. HURT.

The Doctor: You… hurt.

Planet creature: WORLD. ON. MY. BACK. PAIN. IN. MY. SKIN.

The Doctor: You were a… space whale, transporting a world.   

Planet creature: WORLD. ON. MY. BACK. PAIN. IN. MY. SKIN.

The Doctor: I’ve encountered something like this before. The people of this world were not kind. They hurt you?  

Planet creature: CAST. WORLD. OFF. 

The Doctor:  You destroyed the world on your back.    

Planet creature: CAST. WORLD. OFF.  NO. MORE. PAIN. IN. SKIN.

The Doctor: And now?

Planet creature: I. AM. DA. LEK.

The Doctor: How?

Planet creature: MIND. MET. MIND.

The Doctor: You made mental contact. With Davros?

Planet creature: BUILD. NEW. WORLD.

The Doctor: He built a Dalek battle tank for a planet sized being. Hmmm. I have to admit I am impressed. So there’s a new world on your back.

Planet creature: NEW. WORLD. TO. SERVE. THIS. ONE. 

The Doctor: A new world not for you to carry but to serve you.  How?

Planet creature: STOP. ALL. WHO. CAUSE. PAIN.

The Doctor: And those would be?

Planet creature: ALL.

The Doctor: Everyone? 

Planet creature: ALL.

The Doctor: No exceptions.

Planet creature: ALL.

The Doctor: There are those who do not cause pain. There are those who are… kind.  

Planet creature: THIS. IS. NOT. KNOWN. ALL. KNOWN. BY. THIS. ONE. CAUSE. PAIN.

The Doctor: I’m sorry that the people on that world hurt you but….

Planet creature: ALL. CAUSE. PAIN. ALL. MUST. BE. STOPPED.

The Doctor: I cannot allow that. 

Planet creature: I. AM. DA. LEK.

The Doctor: No, you’re….

Suddenly sparks of electricity began arcing over the surface of the creature’s wet, grey semi-translucent skin. These sparks catch the Doctor, framing his black clad form in a blue white glow of electrical fire. The Doctor spasms on the end of the chain as he screams in pain.

The Doctor: ARRRRGHHH!!!!

From way up high on the gangway, Bill’s eyes grow wide with horror.

Bill: DOCTOR!!!!!

Bill spins around and begins to furiously turn the cinch to pull the Doctor up from the electrical storm at the surface of the creature’s skin. 

Bill: Hold on, Doctor!  HOLD ON! 

The Doctor is pulled up from the creature. 

Planet creature: I. AM. DA. LEK. ALL. WHO. CAUSE. PAIN. WILL. DIE. ALL. WHO. LIVE. WILL. DIE.

Bill strains to work the cinch but she successfully pulls the Doctor up to the gangway as he shakily tumbles over the guardrail into Bill’s arms. 

Bill: Doctor!

The Doctor (gasping): I’m fine. I’m fine. I’m…

The Doctor slumps against Bill.

The Doctor: OK, not fine. Just need a moment. Maybe a spot of tea would be nice? 

Bill: Sorry, no tea. What do we need to do?

The Doctor: I’m thinking….

The Doctor looks down at the planet creature where the electrical activity is growing brighter and more intense. 

Bill: We get the hell out of here?

The Doctor: I like that plan. Let’s go with that one.

The Doctor and Bill scramble through the hatch back out to the hallway. 

Bill: Whew! You know, you said that thing wasn’t really a Dalek….

The Doctor: No but…. It’s learning. 

Suddenly the hallway shakes violently with an epic booming sound. We hear the planet creature bellowing as Bill and the Doctor cover their ears.

Planet creature: EX!

Sound EFX: BOOM!

Hallway shakes. 

Planet creature: TER!

Sound EFX: BOOM!

Hallway shakes. 

Planet creature: MI!

Sound EFX: BOOM!

Hallway shakes. 

Planet creature: NATE!

Sound EFX: BOOM!

Bill: Doctor! We need to get out of here NOW!

The Doctor: Couldn’t agree more!

The Doctor retrieve his sonic screwdriver, holding up as signals.

The Doctor: C’mon, Nardole!

As the artificial world continues to boom and shake, over the cacophony, we hear a familiar wheezing sound.

VWORP!

VWORP!

VWORP!

The TARDIS appears.

Nardole opens the doors.

Bill: Oh thank God! It’s Nardole!

Nardole: Hey, you two! Stop lollygagging about!

The Doctor: You took your bloody time to get here!

Scene change: TARDIS interior

The Doctor: Where is she?

Nardole: Back in the vault, where she belongs.

The Doctor: The vault? The one Davros destroyed? That vault?

Nardole: I took her back to before the vault was destroyed.

The Doctor: You what? She’s in the vault with herself?

Nardole: Don’t be silly. I put her in the vault before we put her in the vault.

The Doctor: The vault was operational for about 30 minutes before we put her in the vault.

Nardole: So when this gets sorted out, we’ll fix the vault. Then, before those 30 minutes are up, we’ll take her out of the vault before we put her in the vault, then we put her back in after we fix it.

The Doctor: I should fire you!

Nardole: You’d have to pay me first in order to fire me. 

Bill: I want to interject, if I may, that I have no idea what either of you are talking about.

The Doctor: Good! Because the vault and the person in it are off limits. 

Bill: So what about the Dalek Planet?

The Doctor: Good point. Nardole?

Nardole: I stopped Davros from harvesting our guest’s regeneration energy.

The Doctor: Well, there’s that then.

Bill: Doctor, that creature seems pretty powerful already. Why does Davros need all this extra energy?

The Doctor: Having a world ride on your back is one thing. To control that world and use its power as an weapon of destruction requires a level of energy beyond that of even a space whale.

Bill: You said that before… a space whale?

The Doctor: Yes.

Bill: It’s a whale.

The Doctor: Yes.

Bill: But in space.

The Doctor: Yes. Well, it’s a bit of a euphemism, applied to any large scale organic that can traverse the voids of space.

Nardole: I saw a space whale once. It was… very nice.

The Doctor: I’ve encountered a couple myself. Very powerful creatures but usually docile, even benevolent.  This one, sadly, had any docility or benevolence tortured out of it. 

Nardole: So how did it get inside of a planet sized Dalek battle tank?

The Doctor: It’s mind made contact with Davros somehow. I’m sure Davros saw an opportunity to create a maximum expression of a Dalek.

Bill: The other Daleks didn’t seem to care for it. 

Nardole: So what are we going to do now?

The Doctor: The worst thing I can think of.

The Doctor pulls down the control lever as the central column whirls to life.

The Doctor: I’m going to give Davros exactly what he wants.

-----To Be Continued-------

The Dalek Planet.... UNLEASHED!

A million, billion Daleks... UNLEASHED!

And the Doctor... is not worried? 

To be concluded in Episode Five of...

The Dalek Planet!

Random Blogging

Hi there!

 

Time for...

RANDOM BLOGGING!!!

RANDOM BLOGGING!!!

RANDOM BLOGGING!!!

RANDOM BLOGGING!!!

RANDOM BLOGGING!!!

 

So Li’l Donnie Trump reversed course on separating children from immigrant families? So whoop-de-fucking do for Trump “solving” a problem he and his administration created. And word is that things may not be all that solved. What about kids already separated from families? Who knows?

 

Melania Trump  went on a trip to go see the kids down at the southern border, an act of kindness and compassion completely undermined by her wearing a coat with a slogan on the back: “I don’t really care. Do you?” Can you imagine if Michelle Obama had worn a coat in any capacity with  “I don’t really care. Do you?” emblazoned on the back? Fox News would be losing its collective shit.

 

You know what? Fuck politics! Let’s talk pop culture for a bit.

 

Saw the finale for season 3 of Supergirl this past Monday. I still like Supergirl but dang the show makes it difficult sometimes with some disjointed storytelling choices. For example, Kara’s discovery that her mother and other Kryptonians are still alive lacks emotional impact.  Also the whole deal with James Olsen being Guardian. There’s no build up that National City even knows who Olsen’s armored alter ego is or that the citizens of National City actually gives any fucks about the guy. So Olsen’s out of nowhere agonizing over his identity being outed or not lacks impact since there’s been zero effort on screen before hand to suggest Guardian is even significant to National City. What with the finale showing James Olsen, acting CEo of CatCo, has  been spending his nights as an armored vigilante should be sufficient cause for Cat Grant to come back. And we have sorely missed Ms. Grant’s presence. 

 

In my ongoing efforts to watch more TV, I recently finished my re-watch of Episodes and I’m almost done with the 2^nd season of Santa Clarita Diet which continues to amuses me as much as it disgusts me.  My daughter Randie and I are continuing to make our way through Brooklyn Nine Nine. 

What do I want to watch next? I’m thinking I want to jump into Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt. I’m kind of interested in Glorious Ladies Of Wrestling (GLOW). 

 

In comics, Brian Michael Bendis is proving to be quite adept at Superman so far. I’m enjoying the Man of Steel mini-series so far.

Also, I’m excited by the news from DC to produce giant sized comics for distribution through Wal-Mart. Anything to put comics in front of people who may not make it into a comic book shop, I’m in favor of. Some of the material to be presented in these titles, I already have but I may buy some issues just to support this initiative. $5 for 100 pages of comics is not a bad deal.  

 

There was an announcement that producer Alex Kurtzman would be taking over Star Trek Discovery and would be overseeing additional Star Trek TV projects include a  post Next Generation project with Patrick Stewart attached. That project interests me beyond just Next Gen nostalgia but the idea of Star Trek doing something it hasn’t done for a long time: move forward. Since Voyager, Star Trek has just been looking backward. Revisiting the original series in an alternate time line in the current movie series. On television, Star Trek has looked back before the original series with Enterprise and Discovery.  If we can get a post Next Gen series, we can start looking towards new frontiers of the future instead of mining Trek’s history for yet another prequel series.  I would definitely be on board for that.

 

OK, I should touch base on Doctor Who. I STILL DON’T KNOW ANYTHING!!! C’mon, Chibnall! Give us something! A crumb! A speck! Pleeeeeeeaase!!!!!!

Tomorrow on the blog, look for Episode Four of my Doctor Who fan fiction, The Dalek Planet.

 

Next week. I’m going to be really super busy and not in a position to post to the blog. So  have arranged for a series of posts to keep you company called Lois Lane Versus. It will be a series of posts as we watch the intrepid investigative reporter for the Daly Planet take on Lana Lang, the sun, racism and death itself. 

 

Until next time, remember to be good to one another. 

 

 

One Less Republican

Veteran GOP strategist Steve Schmidt renounced his Republican Party membership. The following is taken from a series of tweets that Schmidt posted.

 

29 years and nine months ago I registered to vote and became a member of The Republican Party which was founded in 1854 to oppose slavery and stand for the dignity of human life. Today I renounce my membership in the Republican Party. It is fully the party of Trump.

 

It is corrupt, indecent and immoral. With the exception of a few Governors like Baker, Hogan and Kasich it is filled with feckless cowards who disgrace and dishonor the legacies of the party’s greatest leaders. This child separation policy is connected to the worst abuses of humanity in our history. It is connected by the same evil that separated families during slavery and dislocated tribes and broke up Native American families. It is immoral and must be repudiated. Our country is in trouble. Our politics are badly broken.

 

The first step to a season of renewal in our land is the absolute and utter repudiation of Trump and his vile enablers in the 2018 election by electing Democratic majorities. I do not say this as an advocate of a progressive agenda. I say it as someone who retains belief in DEMOCRACY and decency.

 

On Ronald Reagan’s grave are these words. “ I know in my heart that man is good. That what is right will always eventually triumph and there is purpose and worth to each and every life.” He would be ashamed of McConnell and Ryan and all the rest while this corrupt government establishes internment camps for babies. Everyone of these complicit leaders will carry this shame through history. There legacies will be ones of well earned ignominy. They have disgraced their country and brought dishonor to the Party of Lincoln.

 

I have spent much of my life working in GOP politics. I have always believed that both parties were two of the most important institutions to the advancement of human freedom and dignity in the history of the world. Today the GOP has become a danger to our democracy and values.

 

This Independent voter will be aligned with the only party left in America that stands for what is right and decent and remains fidelitous to our Republic, objective truth, the rule of law and our Allies. That party is the Democratic Party.

 

— Steve Schmidt (@SteveSchmidtSES) June 20, 2018

 

Schmidt served as an adviser in the George W. Bush White House. Last July, Schmidt  said Trump had the “impulse control of a little child.”  

 

Immigrant Song

Trump: The Democrats made us do it.

Stephen Miller: It's our policy to do it.


Sec. Nielsen: We're not doing it.


— Bill Kristol (@BillKristol) June 17, 2018 


To get a handle on what Li’l Donie Trump is up to regards to immigration, we need to go back to the beginning, to the summer of 2015 when Trump descended an escalator to announce he was running for President. 







Oh, how we laughed. And laughed. And laughed. And laughed. And laughed.



OK, it’s not so goddam funny now, is it?

Anyway, Trump’s big selling point was we needed to build a wall to keep out a wave of rapists and murderers surging across our southern border. It was a blatant appeal to fear that Trump has never, ever waivered from and why should he? Yes, there a gazillion studies and facts that show Trump is wrong but when it comes to Trump and his followers, who the fuck cares. To them, it certainly seems plausible that entire hordes of rapists and murderers are just pouring over the border from Mexico.  

Anyway, Li’l Donnie’s flailing away at that particular dead horse for three fucking years now and he won’t let up. Why? Because it works for him.  

Despite the facts to the contrary. 

Despite consistently declining numbers of illegal immigrants.


Despite a negligible link between illegal immigrants and violent crime.  

Trump pulled out of the Paris climate accord despite facts to the contrary. 

Trump violated the Iran nuclear despite facts to the contrary. 

Trump has refuted Russian interference in our elections despite facts to the contrary. 

Why the fuck should Trump change now on the golden goose of a cause that propelled him this far? 

It also worth remembering that Trump isn’t just down on illegal immigration. 

He wants to curtail legal immigration. He wants to limit entry into the United States for anybody that doesn’t look like his base supporters.  

As I’ve noted in this space, everything Trump does is done with an eye on the base. And that base of non college educated whites look at immigrants, even legal ones, as competition for their jobs. They see the world where their concerns are marginalized in deference to immigrants and minorities. This was a world view that Democrats just could not wrap their hands around back in 2016.  “We’re Democrats! We love everybody!” But those voters who form the base of Trump’s support could care less about “everybody”, seeing life as a zero-sum game; attention and sympathy for minorities and immigrants meant none for them.


Donald Trump is a fucking moron but he knows an untapped market when he sees one and has stayed on message for three years appealing to that market, even if doing so flies in the face of facts.


So what if the numbers do not support the epic droves of illegals pouring over the border with Mexico? The non college educated racist white guy notices there are more brown faces around than there used to be and this non college educated racist white guy feels life isn’t as good for him as it used to be. Putting two and two together, the non college educated racist white guy know who is responsible for life not being as good for him as it used to be.  So Li’l Donnie ranting double time to push back on the entry of as many brown faces as possible, legal or otherwise, this makes the non college educated racist white guy think somebody’s looking out for him.  

Which brings us to the current state of things at the US/Mexican border. 

A few months ago, Trump ordered the deployment of the National Guard to refortify the border to stop the flood of illegals crossing the border. So far, the National Guard is basically cooling its heels doing minor chores because the Border Patrol pretty much has things well in hand as there is no flood of illegals*.


*Apparently there has been an increase in border crossings
 by a factor of 3 since this time last year. The editorial staff at I'm So Glad My Suffering Amuses You apologizes for the error.


But Trump insists there is. Remember Trump is talking to the people who voted for him who are also convinced, evidence to the contrary be damned, that there’s a flood of illegals just overrunning the border.  


And now the latest actions taken by Trump and his team of sycophants, separating kids from parents as they cross the border. 


Children forcibly separated from parents is a policy that has earned nearly universal rebuke from across the political spectrum.  Trump, like all cowards and bullies, immediately deflects responsibility, blaming the practice of such separations on laws passed by Democrats. This is, of course, a lie. Others in the administration have made it clear this is a matter of policy, of zero tolerance of breaking immigration law.  There is no actual law that requires or mandates the separation of children from families. 


Jeff Sessions, Attorney General and part time garden gnome, has made it explicitly clear: illegally entering the United States is a crime and anyone committing a crime is subject to the penalties of committing that crime. Then Jeff trots out the Bible to justify his actions.  And Sarah Sanders, Press Secretary and Satan’s succubus, has also hidden behind a Biblical defense of this policy.


So how is this playing with Trump’s base? While even a non college educated racist white guy might think it’s a shame to pull a child from their mother, he’s also thinking, at least Trump is doing something. It doesn’t have to be right or good, just do something. 


What is happening with families at the border is anathema to our values as a nation. It is an affront to morality and decency.  But Trump doesn’t care. He’s doing something. That’s all that matters to his supporters, to his enablers and to Trump himself.