The Kind-Hearted Smart Aleck

Boston Herald columnist Jaclyn Cashman recently wrote an article entitled, "Joe Biden's the real embarrassment, not America," and I'm here to tell her she's wrong, that she's the embarrassment, not Joe Biden. Cashman began her article by saying this: "Taking a page from Barack Obama's playbook, Joe Biden - ahead of his presidential announcement - goes to Europe and apologizes for America. Biden calls our country an 'embarrassment' for separating families at the border crossing. Never mind that the Obama administration, in which Biden served as vice president, also ramped up deportation - sending millions of illegal immigrants back where they came from. Biden is actively trying to rewrite his legacy on immigration." As well-renowned fact-checker FactCheck.org said with regard to the "apology-tour" claim conservatives like to use, "Although it has been a consistent applause line, the claim doesn't hold up when match...

I'd think most people, especially members of the media and Congress would be used to this by now. Here's how the process breaks down:  1) Donald Trump says or tweets something offensive. 2) Shock is displayed throughout Congress and the news media. 3) Trump's poll numbers drop amongst self-described conservatives and Republicans. 4) Trump's team then provides a ridiculous twist to the original quote or ridiculous rationale for said quote. 5) The story begins to fade. 6) Trump's numbers amongst the formerly disappointed conservatives and Republicans rise to their pre-story levels. 7) The cycle starts all over again. It was quite ironic for Donald Trump to refer to other countries as sh*tholes, because, as far as I can tell, there is no bigger sh*thole than the president's mouth. Crap spews out of there faster than an auctioneer can count to 1.  Sadly, nothing the president says surprises me anymore. Of course, having said that, ...

It's been a week and a half since we witnessed the Unite-the-Right rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, where a young counter-protester was killed, several others were injured, and President Donald Trump defended neo-Nazi, KKK, and white nationalist/supremacist supporters whom were at the march. Even after a week and a half, I still find myself to be speechless regarding the whole series of events, but will try to find a way to muster a few words regarding this tragedy. While 44th President Barack Obama instilled in me a sense of hope, of optimism for our future, I had to laugh when I overheard some suggesting he was proof that we were living in a post-racial/post-racist society. Yes, the election and re-election of Obama were significant milestones in our country's history, but even then, we can't be naive enough to say his presence in the Oval Office would completely do away with racism. It is my firm belief that, with each and every passing generation, we're becom...

If there's one thing people should take from the new healthcare proposal, now referred to as Trumpcare, it's that Donald Trump and the other leaders of the Republican Party don't care. While the Affordable Care Act, or Obamacare, is anything but a perfect law, it did help pave the way toward the lowest uninsured rate in this country's recorded history. Over 22 million who were uninsured prior to the ACA's implementation now have health insurance because of it. What is the CBO (Congressional Budget Office) projecting with regard to the American Health Care Act (Trumpcare)? Over 24 million losing healthcare. What's worse, even after Donald Trump claimed the CBO was biased prior to their reported analysis, the White House followed the CBO's projection by themselves predicting 26 million more would be uninsured following the implementation of the AHCA. Let's look at those numbers a bit more closely. Obamacare: +22 million insured Trumpcare: -24 million i...

I recently read an article by Steven Skeldon, entitled, "This Is Not My Republican Party," and felt the need to respond to it. The article starts with this: "An Open Letter to America My fellow Americans, As a Republican, I'm sorry. We have failed you, as a party, and as individuals. We didn't see this coming, and we absolutely should have. We should have been able to see what the instigators of frustration and outrage were fomenting within our base. We should have understood the implications of the last eight years, the rise of the Tea Party, and that its foundational frustration and obstinacy towards progress would lead to a monster of our own creation. We didn't, and now it's here. But please believe me when I tell you that it is not what we stand for as a party, no matter how it may seem on the surface. This is not what I was raised to be a part of, and it embarrasses me to see what our public face has become today." I'm sensing...

So, I was reading through some comments on a music messageboard and had to chuckle some. The conversation centered around the feeling of embarrassment when others became cognizant that they liked a particular musician or started singing the lyrics to one of their songs. My first thought when reading these comments was, "What is this, high school?" Granted, it appeared that most of these people were in their upper-teens to mid-20s, but still... Who really cares? I've never been a fan of boy-bands, country music, or most rap, but when I hear someone else listening to it, I don't think to myself, "How can they listen to that out in public like that? They should be so embarrassed! " As the saying goes, "To each their own." This is why I sometimes disregard reviews by music critics, because if a critic hates a certain musician or genre of music and is forced to review that particular band or genre, the chances run high that he or she won't care fo...

Most people I know, so long as they're not driving under the influence, are rather harmless when they drink. Yes, many will get to be a bit louder and perhaps more social with complete strangers. Some will garner something known as "liquid courage" and either sing karaoke or ask a person for their phone number. There are even others that will get quiet and have a goofy smile on their faces. Even though it's a depressant, alcohol does affect people's personalities differently. However, for as harmless as the before-mentioned alterations are to someone's personality, there are other people whom suffer far more detrimental and potentially dangerous effects. Unfortunately, it seems that more times than not, these individuals don't see how alcohol negatively affects them and continue drinking. When it comes to me drinking, I've been told I can get slightly more social and animated. However, there have been times when people have walked up to me and said, ...

Two months ago, it became legal for those with enhanced concealed-carry permits to bring guns onto college campuses in the state of Idaho. Well, earlier this week, the new law got off to a banging good start, as in front of 20 students in the Physical Science department, an Idaho State University professor's gun went off, shooting himself in the foot in the process. The injuries were said to be non-life threatening and it's uncertain at this time whether or not the professor will be charged with a misdemeanor for discharging a firearm within city limits. When asked about the situation, Idaho State University President Arthur Vailas said, "When they passed this law it was bound to happen. [The incident is] scary and embarrassing." While it doesn't appear as if the professor has made a statement regarding the matter yet, I can only imagine that when he does, he'll say this: "Never in my life did I think I'd be able to tell people that I shot myself ...

With it being April Fool's Day and all, I wonder what it is that makes so many people love pranks. I, myself, have never been a fan of them. Pranks involve taking somebody by surprise with a premeditated act that's often times recorded for the pranksters' own amusement. In many cases, the victims of the premeditated acts are complete strangers of the pranksters. These acts have led to embarrassment, injury, and even death. Yet, even with all the risks involved, many morning radio shows go the way of the adolescent in making prank phone calls, and there seems to be more prankster shows on television now than there are educational programs. With the growing number of "reality" shows and the like, I have a difficult time seeing this trend subsiding anytime in the near future, unfortunately. The thing I dislike most about pranks is the fact real living people are affected by them. This isn't like a TV sitcom or a stand-up comedy routine, where the show or ac...

I love when people resort to what they consumed the night before as an excuse. I sometimes think that's why people drink alcohol in the first place, because it automatically gives them an excuse to be stupid. It's even worse when people claim to not have remembered the prior evening's events. "Oh my gosh, I was like so wasted last night." "Yeah you were. I can't believe you..." "I did that? No way! I so don't remember!" "You don't? Oh my gosh! You..." Then come the details of things the person is too embarrassed to admit. Alcohol makes us numb, indifferent and we lack the connection of cause and effect when we're intoxicated. Our conscience isn't quite where it should be when we're inebriated. I mean, I admit, I've done dumb things while I've been drinking, but I remember everything I did, won't deny what I did and won't play the drunk-excuse card with anyone. It's a sad excuse...