-What’s with the exodus from Congress, which now includes Kevin McCarthy? Seems like people are trying to get the hell out of Dodge. Is there something developing that we as a country should know about? Are people seeing writing on some wall that bodes ill for our near future? What is going on?

-On a related note, there are obviously going to be opportunities to get involved in politics at the Congressional level. Who will emerge? How much money does a person need anymore to run a competitive race?

-Today is December 7, which might seem like the perfect day for some trigger-happy idiot somewhere in the world to do something stupid and try to start something. You know– because it’s the 82nd anniversary of when Japan started something.

-Even if some of the rhetoric surrounding a Trump second term is of the pants-on-fire variety, it will behoove the nation to seriously ponder another 4 years of a person who has no sense for what it means to be a good POTUS, who doesn’t care about the country, who only wants to exact revenge and prove to himself that he’s still a “winner.” Of course, millions of people will still vote for him, just to piss off Democrats. The thing is, they may or may not realize that this time around, once he’s in, he may do whatever it takes to stay there until he dies.

-Notice I didn’t mention the four indictments and ninety-one counts? I’m still not confident that any of that is going to matter, which is insanity times infinity. He should be on the sidelines already, impeached or jailed, somehow on the outside looking in. Or the inside looking out. Through bars on a window.

Indignance and horror are voiced: too many innocent people are dying in Gaza.

Life there is not life at all. It is the most basic of survival scenarios, where nothing is working and little is available in the way of relief. Eighty percent of the population is misplaced, away from home. Food and water and medical care are next to non-existent for many; fear and anger are vying for the prevailing emotion, and people are resigning themselves to the possibility that they may not live much longer.

WHAT THE HELL?!

If Hamas’ goal was to turn the world against Israel, confident of the excessive response it would mount, they might be achieving that goal. It’s ironic and not a little maddening, though—that a barbaric attack on civilians and any Israeli that moved on October 7 has mushroomed into and is somewhat overshadowed by an Israeli response that’s fomenting impatience and anti-Israeli sentiment.

All war all the time, and all is fair. Is this the best we can do?

Who are the ones who aren’t being heard, and what do they want people to hear? Because apparently these are the ones who are soothed by the Trumpian Siren song, who still adore the Orange Jesus and still believe he can address their… plight?

What do they need—a job, food, shelter, clothing, health care, a good education? Or is it more a country full of people who look like them, who think like them; a country where black and brown and Asian and Jewish need not apply, a country focused on limits and quotas, that has no use for science, and believes in nothing and no one besides God and guns?

The latest great news is that young people are stocking up on survival supplies ahead of the 2024 election because they fear this country is unraveling, society is unraveling. Who’s telling them this? They’re disenchanted, disillusioned, maybe frightened for no good reason, or at least the wrong reasons.

I don’t know if these are young people who have bought the phlegm being smeared online and in chat rooms and on OAN and Newsmax and Fox, or if they’re looking around and actually not liking what they’re seeing.

Is it because they’ve bought the sensational garbage about Democrats being evil socialists and the main cause of all the bad things going on in the country? This is madness.

We don’t need to be here in this somewhat fabricated predicament where such stark lines are being drawn, where people are getting upset over perceived slights and ineptitude, expressing misplaced outrage and disillusionment. Things don’t need to be as bad as these young people apparently think they are. It’s a self-fulfilling prophecy, to some degree, stoked by rags like the New York Post and other “news” outlets with a Murdochian slant.

Besides, people of a certain age—late teens, early twenties—get their boxers in a bunch fairly easily. They’re naïve, idealistic, starry-eyed, ready to react, ready to buy into anything that either angers or inspires.

Is there yet a place for people with even temperaments, quiet yet firm voices, a healthy dose of can-do and relentless optimism? And a heart for inclusion, for getting along?

Rare birds, I know. But we need them now.

“A master of divisive politics…” What a tribute! What a claim to fame for the man who so adores the sound of his own voice.

Such was one descriptor of Donald Trump in a CNN report on possible reasons why he has once again taken up the mantle of repealing the Affordable Care Act.

Trump himself is of course beholden to the MAGA base—that assemblage of leftovers and holdouts from a time before the scales fell, when Trump was a novelty act and actually gave right-leaning folks a reason to hope.

Anymore, the base is comprised of the hardcore Doomsdayers and Christian conservatives who are also known to be suspicious of immigrants and people of any color but white. Trump’s anti-Obama fixation once again bubbles to the surface and manifests itself in a nod to this base, along with some boiler plate boasting about a better health plan that remains nebulous and most likely a figment of his imagination.

He’s just never liked Barack Obama, and still has designs on ruining 44’s legacy.

A master of divisive politics. Trump most likely considers this a compliment. Hopefully he’s one of a dying breed who thinks this way. When you have to resort to being a master of divisive politics, maybe it says something less than complimentary about the product you’re trying to sell. Maybe sowing division is as close as he’ll ever get to selling anything, besides hotels and golf courses.

Talk about a legacy! Two thumbs up, Donald, you’ve outdone yourself.

Alabama makes it to the final four in the NCAAF playoff scheme. Now I know why people hated the Patriots.

Who has more pull—Nick Saban or Mike Norvell?

There has to be a place for what to some may seem an unworkable juggling of disparate opinions, namely criticizing Hamas for its premeditated, evil, and animalistic behavior on October 7, and Israel for its scorched earth response. How can this not be a logical take on what’s going on?

It can’t be all or nothing for one side or the other. Well, it can be, but that’s not helpful.

Hamas’ mission is to rid the Middle East of Jews. This is heartless and untenable. Israel’s mission is to rid the region of Hamas, a terrorist organization, which in Israel’s mind is the point of the Gaza invasion but which also, to much of the rest of the world, is looking more and more like indiscriminate, ruthless murder of innocents, of people caught in the middle.

The anti-Semitic rhetoric is predictable. It’s always been here, idling just below the surface. It doesn’t need much of a reason to rear its ugly head. What’s different, perhaps, is that those who are protesting on behalf of the myriad Palestinian civilians whose lives have been upended or just plain ended are not necessarily voicing anti-Semitism. They’re simply reacting to a situation that warrants humanitarian attention, calling for what amounts to a difficult decision by Israel to dial things back, to reassess battle plans and strategy, stop the daily assaults on people who already have very little to cling to in the way of relief and hope.

I don’t know. It’s just difficult at times to listen to Netanyahu and others without wanting to tell them to shut up. It’s frustrating to keep being told that we’re not seeing what we’re seeing, regardless of the perceived righteousness of the Israeli cause, or the suffering of residents of Gaza.

Not every dissenting or pro-Palestinian opinion is evidence of anti-Semitism.

Enough of the tough talk. The tired, “never back down” idiocy.

The world has had enough of aggression, is worn out by leaders who don’t know how to lead, who have visions of theocracy, who misinterpret and conveniently expend only enough energy for a cursory reading of ancient holy books, who only see dollar signs and self-enrichment and consolidation of power, who don’t know how to address challenges and issues with any sense of maturity or patience or real thoughtfulness.

The recurring themes seem to be aggression, violence, threat, machismo, force, then retribution. An endless cycle of “national interests” and “only I am right,” then the attendant unquenchable desire to avenge the inevitable fallout from such hubris and overreach.

Will we, collectively, as the human race, ever just stop and ask if there’s a better way? It seems infuriatingly obvious, at this point, that we shouldn’t hold our breath for such a development.

George Santos is expelled. Some are concerned that he was banished without a trial, before his day in court and a decision on guilt or innocence. But he was a hindrance, an embarrassment, a black eye that had to be dealt with, somehow. And sooner than later.

A farce, as one paper put it.

Finding a new candidate for his district should be a raucous affair. How could governance be treated with such an abandonment of good judgment? What the hell did we just witness? How did he manage to win in the first place? What does this say about the electorate? Because it seems many got duped.

I guess it’s not the first time this dynamic has loomed large, though. It happened in 2016, too, and we’re still paying for that one.

So, municipal water companies are getting hacked. And it may be Iran who’s behind this? What about Russia?

If everything is computerized, if all our critical infrastructure is vulnerable, then of course it’s past time we bolster these systems, focus funds and personnel in their direction, bring people up to speed on the technology, employ hackers of our own for defensive purposes and to stay at least one step ahead, keep the assaults on vital systems at bay.

If this is the world we’re living in, let’s stop acting like it isn’t, and prioritize funding for places that will keep the water flowing and the lights on.

It’s not like we haven’t been able to see this coming!

Does anyone else cringe a bit when the topic of point spreads comes up in reference to a college– or pro– football game? It taints the proceedings, in my mind, opens the door on shady dealings, and the possibility of thrown contests.

There’s too much at stake anymore to think that the cloud of wagering doesn’t hang over just about any sporting event, particularly big NCAAF playoff games. It just leaves a bad taste, and potential asterisks.