Anchor Struck

It’s raining on the farm. This is always welcome, but especially in July, our driest month and the midpoint of the campfire-prone- tourist season. I did a lot of outdoor work yesterday, so it’s an especially good day for a hot soak and maybe a small fire in the woodstove to chase the chill.

I’ve cut back on my consumption of news because Trump is such a downer that upon arising every morning I ask Jude “What did he fuck up so far today?” I know that bad weather was the main reason there were only a few thousand folks at his Fourth of July speech, but Aging Orange saw it as 150,000. That is three full Yankee Stadiums and change.

The semiquincentennial/sestercentennial/quarter-millenial behind him, Trump found the time to meddle in the World Cup by convincing the head of FIFA Gianni Infantino to reinstate U.S. star Folarin Balogun for a crucial game against Belgium. You’ll remember Infantino from giving Trump an ersatz peace prize when The Donnie was snubbed by the Nobel committee.

Belgium won 4-1, which is a blowout in soccer I’m told. Balogun didn’t score, so this particular Trump brouhaha subsided sooner than most. Had he been the hero, though, Trump would have had to face the irony of lauding a birthright citizen. Balogun’s Nigerian parents were visiting New York when his mother was quite pregnant with him. She was not allowed to fly home to London due to her being so due.

Having done all he could to mark the 250th and World Cup, Trump has turned his attention back to the war. The shaky cease-fire got shook up again real good and oil prices shot up again, so he went to a NATO confab to insult the other members and threaten to annex Greenland yet again. He’s hinting at a takeover of Kargh Island. If the U.S. starts a ground assault, the GOPers can kiss the Senate goodbye this fall.

I posted recently about Graham Platner, arguing for some slack about his past transgressions due to his PTSD from four combat tours. I still believe the hubbub about his tattoo is overblown, but the revival of the rape allegations certainly merits attention. I first thought that this could be the machinations of the GOP, but they would have waited until Platner couldn’t drop out of the race. The Dems have enough time to find a worthy opponent for the vulnerable Susan Collins. I’m betting it will be a non-penised person.

P.S. Unless Aging Orange vetoes it, the bipartisan affordable housing bill will become law tomorrow. It still baffles me why he won’t sign it and thus take credit for it. He’s slipping.