sjwny

By SJWNY, a Trail Mix Contributor

Most people hear the Republican Nominee for President & ask, Why? I hear the same nut job & ask, Why …. Not…… compare his rhetoric to another famous Republican Politician with, uh, tax & media difficulties? Step right up, Spiro T. Agnew, the Veep of my childhood, the only Politician I have ever written to. (The auto-signed form letter I received will be treasured always.)

For ease of presentation, the Republican Nominee/Nut Job will have his actual quotes in boldface; the late, unlamented Spiro T. will growl at us in italics.

I think I am, actually humble. I think I’m much more humble than you would understand.

I apologize for lying to you. I promise I won’t deceive you except in matters of this sort.

From a moral standpoint, I believe in it. But you also have to get elected. And there’s no way a Republican is going to beat a Democrat when the Republican is saying, ‘We’re going to cut your Social Security’ and the Democrat is saying, ‘We’re going to keep it and give you more.’

I have often been accused of putting my foot in my mouth, but I will never put my hands in your pockets.

We won with poorly educated. I love the poorly educated.

An intellectual is a man who doesn’t know how to park a bike.

You know, it really doesn’t matter what (the media) write as long as you’ve got a young and beautiful piece of ass.

Some newspapers are fit only to line the bottom of bird cages.

Appreciate the congrats for being right on radical Islamic terrorism, I don’t want congrats, I want toughness & vigilance. We must be smart!

Confronted with the choice, the American people would choose the policeman’s truncheon over the anarchist’s bomb.

I think the only card she has is the woman’s card. She has got nothing else going. Frankly, if Hillary Clinton were a man, I don’t think she would get 5% of the vote. And the beautiful thing is women don’t like her, OK?

Three things have been difficult to tame: the oceans, fools and women. We may soon be able to tame the oceans; fools and women will take a little longer.

***

An aside: Reading a NYT article dated October 10, 1973 (the day Spiro T. resigned) there was a paragraph titled “Speculation About Successor.” It listed a group of men Richard Nixon might nominate as Agnew’s replacement. Two names listed? Attorney General Elliott Richardson & Deputy Attorney General William D. Ruckelshaus. The Saturday Night Massacre occurred October 20th.

Can’t make this stuff up.

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By SJWNY, a Trail Mix Contributor

No one will ever pass a Purity Test: for every one part angel you’ll find two parts a-hole in each of us. Especially in regards to Politicians …. but some are preferable over others.

The 2016 Presidential Election is shaping up to be a turning point in American history. Not only for the candidacy of Hillary Diane Rodham Clinton but for the choice by the voter of what America will become. It is no exaggeration to stress just how important every vote is this year.

Senator Sanders took a path of positivity with his endorsement of Secretary Clinton. The Democratic Party chose unity & inclusiveness over division & exclusiveness. The Republicans have a presumptive nominee whom they would like to leave by the side of the road.

There are a number of voters who do not like or trust Secretary Clinton. I understand. Whatever my misgivings, though, I know she is sane, intelligent & has a clue about most everything. I would not be worried if she answered “that call” at 3 am. I would if her Republican opponent did.

Please vote November 8th. Vote for down ticket races, vote for President – even if you have to hold your nose & swear while doing it. And vote for the Democratic Candidates. Because if you don’t, Donald J. Trump & the Republicans win.

So how will history remember you? I already know my verdict. And I’m OK with it.

By SJWNY, a Trail Mix Contributor

“Throughout my career, I’ve never been afraid to stand up for ordinary citizens whose voices are drowned out by special interests, big corporations, and powerful insiders,” Zephyr Teachout said in a statement. “I’m running for Congress to give people their voices back so together we can address the real concerns facing our communities.” – Times Union (Albany, NY) January 25, 2016.

Zephyr Teachout is running for Congress in the 19th District of New York, which encompasses part of the Hudson Valley. On Tuesday she won her Democratic Primary race. She is a Fordham Law Professor, an activist for social & economic change, a supporter of Occupy Wall Street. She ran in the 2014 NY Democratic Gubernatorial Primary, receiving a remarkable 34% of the vote against Andrew Cuomo. Her approach to issues is commonsense: for example, gun violence should be researched & addressed as a public health issue. She is fearless, intelligent, a person who looks at things and asks not why, but why not.

One August Sunday morning I read a tweet of hers mentioning she was riding a train to a meeting during her 2014 Primary run. “The Little Engine Who Could” I thought, going up against the thoroughly rotten Albany Machine. Teachout wasn’t afraid to take on anyone then & is exactly the type of public servant we need in government now. Good Luck, Ms. Teachout, on November 8th. Help make the Legislative Branch work again. For us.

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Note from Craig to Trail Mixers: I welcome your posts like this about key races we should be following and supporting. If Hillary is to win this thing, as it looks like she will, House and Senate campaigns like this are vital to her success as president.

By SJWNY, a Trail Mix Contributor

Enough with the idiots aka humans. You will never be able to legislate common sense, compassion, decency, let alone reasoned thought & compromise. Some people have it, lots more don’t. Blah blah blah blah blah ….. screw the Politicians. For now, anyway.

After one more mass murder, one more (plus) divisive, repugnant statement by the presumptive nominee of a once proud Political Party, I retreated to my garden. A little birdie told me to. He wasn’t the Bernie Birdie but a sweet little goldfinch who poked his head in through the window bars & gave me a look like Hey stupid! It’s beautiful out here! What are you doing in there?

I love the feel of the soil, the warmth of the sunshine, the sounds of the birds. I do two things well: baking & growing tomatoes. I have the knack where these are concerned. Each spring I plant tomato seeds indoors, heating mats under their roots, grow lights over their leaves. They are watered, fed, coddled. Memorial Day weekend they make the great move into a plot turned over with compost, green sand & fertilizer. And now they grow. Beautifully, silently, blossoms tempting the big fat bumblebees. All is well. The cycle of nature continues. A few moments of sanity & peace.

*The meaning of the title for this Post? Gardening is a great way to daydream. One day I thought about all the great theme songs TV shows used to have. If my life was a show, what theme would it be? For whatever reason, the theme from Room 222 kept bouncing around my noggin. I like it. I will always be a relic from the ’70s 😉

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By SJWNY, a Trail Mix Contributor

What if ….

A well-known cable giant wanted us to cast its next major event: a movie about the 2016 Presidential Election. Of course we won’t know the outcome until November, but we can get started on the “Primary” behind the scenes stuff now. Oh, & while we’re at it, we can choose the Director, the Screenwriter, the Costume Designer & a person to write the Musical Score. Why not?

Be creative; big names have drawing power but maybe there’s a lesser known but very talented person you’d like to give a career boost to. Uncover a few hidden gems. The power is in your hands, Trail Mix Moguls, & the budget is unlimited.

Alright Mr. DeMille, I’m ready for my close-up.

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