What the Hell Is Going On In North Carolina?

If you are a regular reader of I’m So Glad My Suffering Amuses You, well, to paraphrase Buzz Lightyear, "You are a sad, strange person and you have my pity."   

You may have notice I've been trying to avoid politics on this blog.  But with political shenanigans going on in my state, I thought I better pay attention.

In North Carolina’s 9th Congressional District, circumstances around the election betweeh Republican Mark Harris and Democrat Dan McCready have been caught up in no small amount of drama surrounding potential fuckery around absentee ballots.  

Three people who have come forward to say they were hired to collect absentee ballots which is a no-no, a violation of state law. These people who collected the absentee ballots were hired by McCrae Dowless, a campaign operative for Markj Harris. Dowless has a felony record and has been convicted of perjury and financial fraud.

Bladen County has a large black population and saw 40 percent of absentee ballots not returned.

Robeson Count is 38 percent Native American and 62 percent of absentee votes weren’t mailed in.

The entire district’s non-return rate is 24 percent.

So where did all those ballots in Bladen and Robeson go?  

That is a good question and Don McCready would like some answers, please. 

McCready had previously conceded the race but has withdrawn that his concession on Thursday as these new details have come to light.  

In a video posted on Twitter, McCready had this to say:  “Last week we began to learn about shameful criminal activity, bankrolled by my opponent, to take away North Carolinians very rights to vote. I didn’t serve overseas in the Marine Corps just to come back home and watch politicians and career criminals attack our democracy.”

McCready called on Harris to “tell us exactly what he knew and when he knew it.”

Meanwhile, Mark Harris ain't sayin' nothing.  

The irony of all this should not be lost on anyone. It's the Republican Party that has made the most out of alleged and egregious widespread voter fraud, from Donald Trump on down. Which is why they are big on pushing for voter ID and other measures to keep this widespread epidemic of voter impropriety from happening. 

Despite, of course, the overwhelming lack of evidence that such irregularities are actually occurring.  

In fact the Republican dominated North Carolina legislature is hard at work right now codifying into law another pass at a voter ID law to nip in the bud this voter fraud that isn't happening.  

Now it's a Republican candidate for Congress potentially caught with their hand in the election cookie jar.  

And don't even get me started on the shit going down in Wisconsin. <Sigh>   Click here for more on that.   

The Greatest Showman

Last weekend, we gathered in the Fortress of Ineptitude to watch The Greatest Showman.  When The Greatest Showman came out last year, my daughter Randie really wanted to see it. 

I really did not.

The story of The Greatest Showman is based on the early life of P. T. Barnum, the “Barnum” in the Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Circus. Barnum made his mark as a purveyor of odd and unusual entertainment and exhibits: little people, tattooed men, bearded ladies, that sort of thing. Barnum took advantage of the misfortunes of others to promote himself and by all accounts, he did not treat those persons in his employ well. 

The Greatest Showman was a whitewash of Barnum’s exploitation and quite frankly, I did not want to see a musical about that. 

Randie heard songs and saw clips online and thought it sounded and looked awesome and on that basis, not on the record of history, wanted to see The Greatest Showman.

Anyway, we had a free HBO weekend; on their bill for that weekend was The Greatest Showman.  So I DVR’d it and we finally watched the damn thing.

Well, the songs are great.

The performances of the songs are great.

The choreography of the performances of the songs is great.

The parts of the movie where music is happening are almost magical.

Too bad it’s all not in service to a stronger story. 

The Greatest Showman starts off with a young Barnum, poor urchin who is summarily orphaned and lives a hard life on the streets.

Barnum is smitten with a young lady named Charity who is part of a wealthy, high society family. Barnum goes off to help build a railroad and when he comes back to New York, he’s got a few dollars in his pockets and looks like Hugh Jackman. He asks to marry Charity who has grown up to look like Michelle Williams. They get married, have a couple of daughters and live in a tenement. Charity may be cut off from the wealth and privilege of upper class society but she loves her man and loves her kids and even though they’re poor, they are also very attractive people. Charity thinks life is good.

P. T. Barnum wants more. 

Out of work, Barnum cons his way into getting a bank loan using the deeds he “borrowed” from his previous job to several merchant ships. The ships are real; they are also at the bottom of the South China Sea which is a problem for another day. 

In the meantime, Barnum opens a museum filled with wax figures of the gruesome and the macabre.

Ticket sales are tepid at best.

One of the daughters suggests adding something living to the museum.  So Barnum gets an idea.

Over the course of the movie so far, Barnum has had chance encounters with some people who look different, a dwarf, a woman with a beard. He decides to seek out these people and others like them to be part of his show.

If they’re already being mocked, abused and laughed at, they may as well be paid for it. 

Barnum and his gang of freaks put on a show with acrobatics, exotic animals and broad comedy. One theater reviewer decries the show as a “circus”.

In response, Barnum changes the name of the show to Barnum’s Circus!

Ticket sales take off and Barnum is a success. 

The freaks in his employ? I guess they’re doing OK. The Greatest Showman  does not offer a lot in terms of what’s going on with those guys. Well, the movie is not called The Greatest Showman And His Uncanny Family Of Freaks. 

No, the focus stays on the titular showman. For Barnum, success is not enough. He’s outselling every venue in the city but the reviews in the papers continue to diminish his success. The wealthy upper class echelons of New York high society regard Barnum with disdain and contempt, a common huckster interloper in their midst.  

P. T. Barnum wants respect.

So he chats up Robert Carlyle played by Zac Efron. 

(I was sitting on the sofa watching this movie and wondering, “Do I know this guy?” I pulled out my phone to do a quick Wiki on the cast of The Greatest Showman. Hey, that’s Troy Bolton from High School Musical!)  

Carlyle has the opposite problem of Barnum: he’s putting on plays that the critics love but are hardly pulling big bucks at the box office. Barnum figures with his showmanship and Carlyle’s upper crust connections, they might have something going on here. After a lot of drinks, songs and choreography, Carlyle signs on for 10% of the box office. 

Carlyle scores Barnum’s troupe a most impressive gig: a trip to London to meet Queen Victoria. Seems her majesty has heard of this odd little show in America and would like to see what all the fuss is about.

While in London, Barnum meets Jenny Lind, a classical singer from Sweden who has taken Europe by storm. Before he hears her even sing one note, Barnum moves in for the hustle, sweet talking Miss Lind into crossing the pond and wowing America!

Barnum sees Jenny Lind as his ticket to respectability.

She is also the beginning of his downfall. 

Obsessed with getting Miss Lind in front of the American public, Barnum turns his attentions away from his wife, his children and his performing freaks at the circus. He shuts his troupe out of an upscale meet ‘n’ greet when Lind comes to America.

The troupe, being shunned by Barnum, launch into a defiant anthem of “This Is Me” which is the big kick ass show stopping performance of the movie.

Barnum’s dismissive attitude towards the people who brought him this far isn’t the troupe’s only problem.  There is a continual presence of protestors outside the circus, raging against the presence of freaks in their neighborhood. 

Zendaya as Anne 

All of this is a bit much for Troy Bolton… I mean, Carlyle to handle. And in the meantime, he is just freaking head over heels in freaking love with Anne, a beautiful acrobat whose brown skin next to the very white Carlyle leads to some considerable racism and angst. 

Meanwhile, Barnum is following Jenny Lind across America, dazzled  by the reflecting glow of her talent, beauty and respectability. 

Jenny in turn seems dazzled by P. T. Barnum because he's frickin' Hugh Jackman. She makes a move on Barnum who remembers, "Wait! I have a wife and kids!" And he rushes back to New York just in time to find Barnum's Circus is on fire.

Seems the protesters escalated their hate game and well, things get real bad real quick. Troy Bolton...I mean, Carflyle gets trapped in the fire but Wolverine...excuse me, Barnum saves him just in time. 

Oh, while Barnum was out of town, the bank foreclosed on his house. Charity and the kids are moving out. 

And Jenny, upset that Barnum wouldn't take a tumble in the hay with her has quit the tour so there's no money from that anymore. 

P. T. Barnum has lost everything. 

But the gang of freaks and outcasts aren't giving up on him because they are a family now and...

Wait! When did that happen? When did this collection of oddball loners decide that this was a family? 

I mean, good for them but when did that happen? 

Thankfully, Carlyle manages his money better than Barnum and has put aside enough of his 10 percent to help launch the show again. 

But they don't have enough for a building but who needs a building when you can pitch a big ass tent on the edge of town by the docks. 

And thus the show goes on.

OK, I'll give The Greatest Showman this much. It's pretty to look at, the music is wonderful and there are some amazing sequences such as the "This Is Me" anthem and the romantic as all get out scene with Anne and Carlyle in the ring and on the trapeze. 

But as a coherent and engaging story, The Greatest Showman is lacking to me. When I was snarking off about how Barnum's circus freaks are suddenly thinking of themselves as a family, the moment does not feel earned because the story of them getting to that point is not told.  Other than "This Is Me", we get little of their collective spirit and resolve and the story of their coming together is a story I would rather see.  

Click here for the This Is Me clip on You Tube.   

Day of Mourning: George Herbert Walker Bush

Today is the official day of mourning for George Herbert Walker Bush, 41^st President of the United States of America. 

Since word of his passing this weekend, there have been many glowing tributes and accolades to this man. I would say nearly all are deserved.

I say “nearly” because there holes one can poke through the legacy of George H. W. Bush.  His life was one of constant service towards others but he was a man capable of acting for his own self interests.

"Acting for his own self interests" is not, to my line of thinking, necessarily a bad thing. If "acting for his own self interests" was the mantra of his life, well, such a person would be a selfish bastard. But even for a person who seeks to serve others, to help others, if one does not at least on occasion "act for his own self interests", that person may lack the power and influence to be an effective advocate for those that person wishes to serve and to help. 

For example, Bush pulled back from his positions on economics and abortion to accept being Vice President on the ticket with Ronald Reagan in 1980. His campaign stooped to base appeals to racism and nationalism to undermine his Democratic opponent for President in 1988.  

Are these the actions of a good man? Arguably, no. Sacrificing principle for self interest is not the hallmark of one might think of as a good man.  

But do these actions and others over Bush's political career make him a bad man? They certainly paint him as an imperfect man.  

No, George H. W. Bush did not live a perfect life. But I think despite any missteps or misgivings, on balance, he lived a good life.

His dedication to public service was evident when he was a young man, serving as a Navy pilot in World War II. He was shot down in the Pacific, nearly sacrificing his life in service to his country.

Bush knew sacrifice and tragedy first hand, witnessing the death of a 3year old daughter from leukemia.

Bush was loyal and dedicated to his wife Barbara as well as to their children. 

As President, he worked with Democrats on clean-air legislation as well as the Americans with Disabilities Act. 

While President, Bush was frequently mocked on Saturday Night Live by Dana Carvey. Bush responded with a gracious sense of humor, once appearing in a taped segment on SNL and even inviting Carvey to visit him at the White House. 

On the left, Dana Carvey as "George Bush"
On the right, Carvey & Bush goofing around a bit

After his time in office, Bush dedicated considerable time and resources towards disaster relief, often working in tandem with Bill Clinton, a former rival who defeated Bush in 1992. 

A copy of the letter George Bush left for Bill Clinton.  

There are historians who regard Bush’s time in office as Vice President and later as President as a series of miss opportunities to rise above personal political ambition. And perhaps there is validity to that assessment.

But in every person’s life, we say and do things that are good and not so good. There is no mortal human who ever strode upon this Earth with no marks on the bad side of our scorecard. But who are we on balance? Do the bad things out number the good?

Bush made his mistakes but also did good things in life. He enjoyed the benefits of a man of wealth and privilege but he gave over his life to public service and he knew sacrifice and he knew loss.  

I think over the course of his life, on balance, George Herbert Walker Bush was a good man.

May God rest his soul. 

If I had functioning tear ducts, this would make me cry.  

The BBQ Is Good and Jesus Is Lord

Saturday, my wife Andrea, my daughter Randie and I took leave of the Fortress of Ineptitude to attend a performance of the Messiah by Fredric Handel. The Messiah is Handel’s most famous composition which includes the epic Hallelujah Chorus. 

The performance was held at a lovely theater on the campus of High Point University. One of the singers is a young student we have befriended from our church so this was our good deed for the day (the week?) to show our support.

Besides, the admission was free.

And it wasn’t the whole Messiah. It was a cut down version lasting a bit more than an hour which is about all my butt and my knees can stand.

Before we took in Handel’s epic celebration of all things Jesus, we had dinner a nice little BBQ place a few miles away from the university. There is a rule of thumb about BBQ places in the south: the better dressed the pig is on the sign out front, the better the BBQ inside. The pig out front apparently shops at Jos. A. Banks and the BBQ inside was quite delicious.

The BBQ is good and also, Jesus is Lord.

Right there in bright red friendly letters at the bottom of the menu: “Jesus Is Lord”.

The waitress who took our order was wearing a black polo shirt with the restaurant’s logo and beneath it, the message “Jesus Is Lord”. 

Everyone who worked at the restaurant was wearing the same polo shirt with the same message, “Jesus Is Lord”. 

Welcome to life in the southern United States.

I can’t help but think if a local restaurant opened up with the help wearing shirts that proclaimed, “Allah Is Great”, people would lose their shit. “Oh no! Sharia law! Muslim extremism! Save us, Trump! Save us!” 

Of course, we just sit there and smile, surrounded by a litany of “Jesus Is Lord”. Why, yes, we will have dessert. Randie had peach cobbler while Andrea and I had banana pudding.

It was very good banana pudding, almost as good as what my dad used to make. He made a pretty damn fine banana pudding. 

We live in a country and in a time where Christians feel they are under attack, as if there is this constant assault to perpetrate some kind of Christian genocide right here in America.

We also live in a country and in a time where a BBQ restaurant with a well dressed pig out front, really good BBQ inside along with a pretty damn fine banana pudding can slap “Jesus Is Lord” on every available surface and stay in business. This particular business has been here a long time and is very popular; there was a fair amount of customers that night. 

Later we took our leave to go to a public university to attend a performance of a musical composition with the theme of “Jesus Is Lord”. 

Pretty fly for a white guy in a a country and in a time where Christians feel they are under attack.   

Doctor Who Is NEW!: It Takes You Away

This week on Doctor Who, the TARDIS materializes in Norway where the trees are tall, the fjords are beautiful (thank you, Slartibartfast) and there's a cabin in the woods where a young blind girl is alone and under siege by some unknown monster. 

But things are not what they seem.

We'll find out more after the break.

There will be spoilers. 

It Takes You Away 

by Ed Hime 

The Doctor, Graham, Yaz and Ryan meet Hanne, a young blind girl who has been through some stuff lately. Her mother recently dead, her father gone for several days and there's a monster lurking in the woods.  The Doctor resolves to help her and the team (Gang? Fam?) gets to work.  Ryan and Graham find a mirror that does not have their reflection in it. (Ryan asks, "We would know if we were vampires, right?") The Doctor reveals the mirror is a portal to... somewhere else. 

The somewhere else is a dimly lit cave with killer moths inhabited by a nasty alien piece of work named Ribbons.  Ribbons is dangerous and untrustyworthy and those are his good qualities but don't get too attach to this guy; he gets shredded by the killer moths.  Meanwhile, the Doctor, Yaz and Graham find another portal that exits into a cabin that almost but not quite looks like the one they left.  Here they find Erik keeping house with his dead wife, Tina.  And they've been joined by another recent arrival.  

Graham's dead wife, Grace.  

Uh oh. 

While Graham is having his heart torn open, the Doctor is laying down a serious exposition drop on Yaz about what is going on.  If Yaz is confused, so am I. But here goes: the 1st portal hooks up to an Anti-Zone which serves as a buffer between the universe we know and a threat to the universe. The 2nd portal opens up to that threat, a Solitract, a living sentient universe that cannot exist with our universe.  This Solitract is seeking to bring people from the real universe with the lure of being reunited with their deceased loved ones. 

The problem is the Solitract is not stable and will destroy itself along with the Anti-Zone and along with that, our universe. Making matters worse is all the people from the real world now in the Solitract universe.  They need to go home.  

The Doctor is not able to active the portal from the Solitract to the Anti-Zone and then back to the real universe. The Solitract can send them back as they reject the reality of this existence.  

Graham is reluctant to lose Grace again but realizes this Grace is not real as she is unconcerned about Ryan's safety. Eventually, only the Doctor and Erik are left with the simulation of Tina. Erik doesn't want to go but the Doctor points out to the Solitract that she with her years of life experience would be a better companion that dull, boring Erik. The Solitract sends Erik back. 

This leaves the Doctor alone in a void with the Solitract who is speaking with grace's voice and has taken the form of a frog because Grace liked frogs and this pleases the Solitract. 

But the sentient universe is still not stable, threatening the life of the Doctor and still posing a hazard to the real world.  The Doctor promises she is the Solitract's friend but if she isn't sent back to the real world, everything will die. The Solitract acquiesces as the Doctor blows this sentient universe a kiss good-bye.

The Doctor returns to the Anti-Zone where she gets everyone back to safety to the real universe, sealing off the portal forever.   

A few things of note: 

The Doctor having a heart to heart chat with a frog on the fundamental nature of loneliness and the multiverse is really weird and I enjoyed it.  I know some fans may decry the lost opportunity to have the Solitract appeal to the Doctor by taking the form of a lost loved one, River Song for example, but man, I digged the talking frog.  

Graham carries a sandwich when they leave the TARDIS because he's learned that stopping for lunch on a Doctor adventure is not always a priority or a possibility.  

Ryan's issues with his father color his thinking with Hanne's tale of her vanished father. Ryan suggests he's just run off. It was a bit harsh to say that to Hanne but turns out he was right. 

Ryan finally calls Graham "grand dad".   Awwwwwwww!  

Yaz suggests the Doctor try "reversing the polarity or something". The Doctor smiles and replies, "You're speaking my language."  

Over all, It Takes You Away has an effectively moody atmosphere with a strange, quirky mystery at its core. I think the scenes in the Anti-Zone were a distraction and I would have preferred more time in the Solitract universe with scenes of danger there instead of the Doctor just telling us about the danger.

And i think there was too much "telling".  After the Doctor's exposition dump to Yaz about the Solitract, she adds, "Aren't you scared? I know I am." Well, I for one wasn't scared because I was not immediately clear on what the Doctor described.  

Still, It Takes You Away has more good than bad working for it with some good moments of drama and humor as well as character development.  

In the News: Bush and Alaska

Big breaking news over the the last day or so. 

The death of former US President George Herbert Walker Bush marks an end of an era.  Bush was a politician who truly believed in public service and lived his life accordingly.  He transcended political ideology and sought to do what was right for the American people as a whole, not just those in his party or his base.   

I will elucidate more on my thoughts on Bush's legacy in a future post. 

For now, I offer my prayers to the Bush family in their time of loss. 

Meanwhile, Alaska is struck by and also avoids tragedy.

A 7.0 magnitude earthquake hit Alaska on Friday. Roads and buildings were damaged but there were no reports of death or serious injury. 

The earthquake originated 25 miles below the Earth's surface which contributed to the relatively minor impacts of the quake. Also significant efforts in quake proofing of structures after the 9.2 quake in 1964 also helped.   

Make no mistake: the earthquake that hit Alaska on Friday was a big one. A combination of luck and planning kept the effects from being worse.  

________________________________________

Upcoming on the blog: 

Tomorrow's post will be on tonight's Doctor Who episode. 

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

Far Side Saturday #2

Hi there! 

It's another Far Side Saturday here on the old blog thing. 

Today: ALIENS!