Author Archives: Steve Mays
We don’t argue with Alzheimer’s patients
Several years ago I started wearing a little button that read NO POLITICS, NO RELIGION. I consider myself a spiritual person but have no use for organized religion. And, in my experience, there was no such thing as a “religious discussion.” This is just an opportunity for the Believer to persuade you to become a Believer, too. I know you mean well, but no thanks.
Political “discussions” are equally bogus. A pointless exercise in which one person tries to convince the other person they are “wrong.” Ever heard of that happening? Neither have I.
As Trumpism has infected our country, I’ve struggled with how to feel about acquaintances who worship the man. Should I “unfriend” them? Pretend I don’t find their positions offensive? Feels intellectually dishonest. This morning I think I’ve found a way I can live with.
My late father spent the last few years of his life in a nursing home, suffering from Alzheimer’s Disease. As the disease progressed he became belligerent and — on a couple of occasions — violent. Punched his roommate who had to be moved to a different room.
Anyone who’s been through this experience knows you don’t have a discussion with your loved one. Like Elvis, your loved one has left the building.
The next time someone I know starts with the crazy Trump shit I’ll remind myself they can’t help it. You don’t “get over” Alzheimer’s Disease and you don’t get over Trumpism.
I salute President Biden’s pledge to be a president for all Americans, whether they voted for him or not. But it will be palliative care. We’ll never be “one nation” if, in fact, we ever were. But an effective, caring government can take care of everyone.
The tofu of cursing
“They weren’t loud people and didn’t even sound all that angry, really. This was just the way they spoke, the verbal equivalent of their everyday china. Among company, the wife might remark that she felt a slight chill, but here that translated to “I am fucking freezing.”
“Me too,” her husband said. “It’s cold as shit in here.” Shit is the tofu of cursing and can be molded to whichever condition the speaker desires. Hot as shit. Windy as shit.”
— The Best of Me (David Sedaris)
Fearless or foolish?
The photo below was taken this morning at the Coffee Zone in Jefferson City, MO. My favorite pre-Covid hangout. Zero masks. Our county has 5,426 confirmed cases. 88+ on Friday. 38 deaths so far and an infection rate of 7%.
Gonna miss Rudy
Your money or your life!
St. Louis Post-Dispatch: “The Missouri Senate has postponed a special legislative session focused on limiting COVID-19-related lawsuits after a COVID-19 outbreak within its ranks.”
Lots of COVID denial in Missouri even as our cases soar. No mask mandate for us, thank you very much. So the classic Jack Benny bit seems apropos.
COVID-19: “Wear a mask or I’ll infect you and make you really sick or kill you! What’s it going to be?!”
MISSOURI LEGISLATOR: (long pause) “I’m thinking! I’m thinking!”
Carl Hiaasen (Skinny Dip)
“Tool stood six three and weighed 280 pounds and owned a head like a cinder block. His upper body was matted so heavily with hair that he perspired copiously, even in cold weather, and found it uncomfortable to wear a shirt. Nearly a year had passed since Tool had been shot in broad daylight by a poacher who had mistaken him for a bear. No entry wound had been visible, as the slug had uncannily tunneled into the seam of Tool’s formidable buttocks. Because bleeding was minimal, he elected to forgo medical treatment—a decision that would come back to haunt him.”
— Skinny Dip (Carl Hiaasen)
The speech we’ll never hear
Ted Cruz virus guarantee
I was really hoping my Trumpster friends were right about this. Alas. Two weeks after the election, 256,000 cases in U.S.
Proud Boys initiation ritual
This is why you don’t have to be afraid of the Proud Boys. Not nearly as bad as the Boy Scouts’ initiation.
This CNN piece provides some insight into the Proud Boys:
“They’re men who’ve never had wingmen before,” he says. “They’re afraid to say what’s on their mind for fear of getting into a fight. But if they have that guy or that group behind them, they’re more bold in saying what they think, because they think someone has their back. … The Proud Boys are the vehicle that attracts those people and accepts them in.”