Public Comment

How CNN Can Improve the Biden-Trump Debate
The first presidential debate is looming on the calendar and steps have been taken to keep the confrontation from running amuck. CNN has wisely opted for an empty studio without raucous outbursts from an audience of rival political factions. Another preventative prep promised by CNN: muting microphones so neither candidate can try to shout down the other. 

I think the Mute Mike strategy is flawed—for two reasons. (1) Trump will claim it's a part of the ongoing witch-hunters' plan to silence him and (2) Trump can bellow so loudly he doesn't need a microphone to amplify his displeasures. 

So, here's an option. Instead of using silencers to control Trump's unhinged zingers, rants, and insults, how about if CNN includes a table of fact-checkers to flash a scoreboard warning whenever either candidate says something that is untrue. I'd love to watch Trump seethe helplessly as he is forced to watch his numbers mount on a CNN Lie Board. 

Publisher Leaves Subscribers Holding the Bag
A respected academic publisher recently mailed a quarterly journal inside a black plastic envelope. Printed on the envelope was an inscription that invited recipients to recycle the bag. Well, not "recycle" exactly. The bag lacked any official recyclable logos. Instead there was the image of a pair of scissors alongside instructions on how to "CUT. PULL. REUSE" the empty bag. For storing turnips from a backyard garden perhaps? 

So why not just admit that your unrecyclable plastic baggie is just another piece of long-lasting crud from the bowels of the Carbon/Oil Barons. And here's another suggestion: Next time, mail your journal in a fully recyclable paper envelope. 

Kimmel's Verses Versus Colbert's
Once again the Smithereens jury box has declared late-night host Jimmy Kimmel guilty of crafting the best "episode taglines" of the week—mostly directed at Donald Trump, the Ochre Ogre. Stephen Colbert's writers offered the following titles: His Holiness, Hey, Solsticer, Vice to Meet You
The best Kimmel's team could offer was: Trollier Than Thou. 

A few Trump-dumping late-night slights I'd like to see: His Hole-iness, Orange Appeal, Jail to the Chief, Best Celler. 

Bleach-Blonde Bad-Built Butch-Body Redux
Postscript: Jimmy Kimmel recently invited Congresswoman Jasmine Crockett on his show and offered some further descriptions of Marjorie Taylor Green that had that his team of writers had cooked up. They included:
Hoagie-Head Horse-Hair Hitler-Happy Hate-Hobbit,
Tank-Top Tramp-Stamp Traitor-Tot,
Q-Anon-Hot-Pocket Gazpacho-Goblin Guinea-Pig,
Tugboat-Torso Trump-Stump Two-Bit Tonya Harding,
Ding-Dong Dye-job Dipstick-in-Lipstick,
Hulk-Hogan-Headed Honey-Baked Ham-and-Legs. 

Fashion Plates
Personalized license plates spotted about town. (Notable note: Five of these plates were spotted on Teslas. I draw no conclusions.)
5 KATES
B NATRL
KUH 549
UHVROOM
WN BUGI
E2BIG
BS8VAGE
MZ DRAYA
CHCATS (Chicago Cats?)
BEANSNX (Bean Snacks?)
STY4CZD (Stay for CZD Auto Parts?) 

Bumpersnickers
2024 Vote, Any Sane Adult
Governing over Gaslighting
Do You Follow Jesus This Close?
Condoms Prevent Minivans
Weapons of Mass Deception
First in Prisons. 37^th in Healtcare
Take America Back. Demand a Refund
If you Don't Vote Don't Complain
It Takes a Village to Elect an Idiot
Don't Blame Me I Voted for Revparblems
In a Time of Universal Deceit Telling the Truth Is a Revolutionary Act 

24 Hour Peace Wave: No to Militarization
World BEYOND War recently invited the online community to explore "the work of great activists for peace from all over the world and talk with them" in real time, as part of the third annual 24-hour worldwide online video event called the Peace Wave. Times and locations of this globe-hopping broadcast — which moved around the entire planet in twelve two-hour installments were available by signing up at 24hourpeacewave.org. 

Once signed in, participants could tune in anggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggg out at any time during for a globe-roaming Zoom event featuring peace activists and activities from live around the world. Regional broadcasts included highlight videos of recent events followed by live discussions with the activists behind the actions. 

This Peace Wave coincided with the Pentagon's RIMPAC war rehearsals in the Pacific and prior to protests of NATO’s meeting in Washington in July. 

Peace Wave 2024 will be archived for online visits at World BEYOND War and at 24hourpeacewave.org. 

Here's a snippet from Peace Wave 2024: 

How Corporate Kooks Profit from Nukes
On June 16, the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN) released its latest annual report on the impact of spending on global nuclear arsenals. "Surge: Global Nuclear Weapons Spending 2023" exposes the massive increase in global nuclear weapons spending in 2023. In this ICAN video, Alicia Sanders-Zakre and Susi Snyder reveal the key findings of the report: who spent what, what does the money go to, who is profiting, and what we can do about it? 

How Bombmakers-and-Banks Profit from War
The diabolical links between the Military-Industrial-Complex are spelled out in the words of a new poster now circulating on the Web. It reads: 

The bankers want war
So they can lend $$ at interest to governments on both sides
Defense contractors want war
So they can sell their military products to governments on both sides
Governments want war
So the bankers and corporations keep them employed and in power
Wars are big business
They are manufactured by the elites, not by enemy rivals.