Signs & Portents

The bombing in Ankara is dreadful, and will lead to dreadful consequences. The way the Israeli/Palestinian conflict is playing out is dreadful, per usual, and will lead — per usual — to dreadful consequences. Putin buttressing Assad is pretty bad and will lead among other things to ISIS expanding. (Nobody likes ISIS, which doesn't stop it from expanding. ISIS thrives on being hated; some people are drawn to that kind of shit).

The American government — the oldest continuous government I know of — can't seem to scratch its Constitutional itches the way it used to. It's not disintegrating but rattling like an old car with a really bad cough.

Every single Republican candidate for president is either intellectually impaired or convincingly pretending to be. The leading democratic candidate doesn't seem to know where she stands from one day to the next. (She reminds me of the citizens of Nineveh, described in the Book of Jonah as not "knowing their right hands from their left". Forget Benghazi. Is Hillary from Nineveh? When is that going to come out?)

Violence begets violence, as in every day some high school kid thinks nothing could be better than to take out frustrations or get even with the aid of automatic weapons.

The signs and portents suck, most all of 'em.

Anybody got a really good joke?

I used to get good ones from my primary care physician during yearly checkups. He saves his best for distracting you while you're getting your prostate palpated (though lately he's said some people like it and want more fingers. Can you imagine?)

In any case, I fear he's now retired. No more good ones from him.

Here's an old one:

This guy is going for his checkup and wants to know if he has a shot at living until he's 85.

The doctor says first I need to ask some questions.

— Do you smoke?

— No.

— Eat a lot of red meat?

— No.

— Drink a lot?

— Nope.

— Have a lot of unprotected sex?

— I should be so lucky.

OK One more question: Why do you want to live until you're 85?

Now then, the bombing in Istanbul is dreadful, and will lead to dreadful consequences. . .