Bizarre behavior. MAGA hypocrites. Michele Alexander. Jon Stewart. Prez Obama. Denzel Washington. Attention: white people.

Jun 22, 2020

LETTY COTTIN POGREBIN NEWSLETTER #79 JUNE 22, 2020

If you have time for only a few items, watch the MAGA rally (below). To recover from that lunacy, look at Denzel Washington's wonderful commencement address. And end with "White Person: Educate Yourself"

BIZARRE BEHAVIOR

* Watch this MAGA rally. You won't believe what comes out of their mouths. "They don't even try to hide the racism," notes Jordan Klepper of The Daily Show about the inane comments and stunning hypocrisies his interviews reveal. And we're supposed to "understand" these people!?!?

* Presidential fitness. This video offers past evidence that he's unfit for office. Lately, he's shown new physical symptoms: using two hands to lift a glass to his lips at West Point, unsteadiness walking down a ramp, inability to pronounce MacArthur, or to stay still during a ceremony at Arlington Cemetery. If Trump has Parkinson's or some other impairment we have a right to know BEFORE Election Day. For now, let's bone up on the 25th Amendment.

* The next time he tries to minimize the pandemic, send the Denier-in-Chief this visual.
* Trump faced a sea of empty blue seats in red-state America.

"More than a million rally requests for tickets. We expect at least 100,000,and we've set up a huge outdoor area for the overflow. The interior hold 19,000. I'll speak at both sites.
Trump, CNN, June 20, '20
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"6,200 were admitted to the auditorium." Tulsa, Oklahoma Fire Marshall
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"Not true! There were more than 12,000 inside. 'Black Lives Matter' protesting thugs blocked the entrances and the
Media exaggerated about the virus dangers is why we didn't fill up the interior." Trump spokesperson, CNN, June 21,'20
When only 15 ticket holders showed up in the reserved outside area, this site was cancelled.
Tulsa rally summarized here in 4 minutes.  Among other mind-bending things he said: "When you do testing you're going to find more people... so I said to my people, Slow the testing down." He called Covid-19 "Kung Flu." He cited John Hope Franklin. (The great U.S. historian, African-American author of" From Slavery to Freedom," & son of Buck Franklin who defended black survivors of the 1921 Tulsa race riot, Franklin must be spinning in his grave.)

WHITE PERSON: EDUCATE THYSELF
* Black people are tired of trying to explain racism, says DeNeen L. Brown, above
* Why did Trump pick Tulsa? Is it another of his dog whistles?  John Young revisits what our textbooks never taught us, including the massacre of African-Americans in Tulsa in June, 1921.
*  "Codeswitch,"  a podcast about race, hosted by journalists of color.
* Michelle Alexander says this may be our last chance to save American democracy.

* Ava DuVernay (@ava) Tweeted: Kentucky has used Covid-19 as an excuse to slash polling places for Tuesday’s vital primary to defeat #MitchMcConnell. There were 3500+ [polling places]. Now, there are 200.Jefferson County, where half the Black voters are, will have 1 polling place for 610,000+ voters.

* The Kentucky race to beat McConnell (above, left) is getting complicated. Running in the Democratic primary on Tues. are Amy McGrath and Charles Booker (above)

*The Anti-racist Starter Pack: includes 40 TV Series, Documentaries, Movies, TED Talks, and Books. Also see "40 Ways for White Women to Fight Racism.

WORTH READING
* Jon Stewart is not just witty & humble in this NYT mag interview, he's strategic & brilliant

* The Supreme Court's decision on LGBTQ employment rights was great. "But, but, but," says the WashPost, "Even as the courts catch up with public opinion, President Trump has continued an assault on protections for transgender Americans." Details here.

AMUSING. UPLIFTING. ENDEARING
* Colbert puts Obama through a tough job interview in 2016. A reminder of what grace and elegance look like in a president.

* Last week I posted this adorable picture of Chris Kyle sitting on a small chair in his daughter Ava's toy kitchen. Since people tell me the link to his review of her restaurant didn't work, I'm reprinting it below the photo.
"Restaurant review by christophe_kyle

So I tried to support another Black Owned Business for lunch today. It’s called Ava’s Kitchen, just opened end of April. It’s a very clean establishment, but whewww let me tell you about this owner.

First off, I asked why there are balloons on my chair, and it’s not my birthday? She talm’bout, mind yah business; those are Mommy’s.

I been waiting on my order to get done for 45 minutes, and I’m the only customer here. She was making good progress at first, then she stopped for 20 minutes to go watch Paw Patrol.

Overall the customer service could be better, but the cook is a cutie; so I’ll give her another chance. Let’s not give up on Black businesses so fast after one mistake. 💕
I posted this Scottish family's video of "Mommy's and Daddy's Restaurant" a few months ago If you didn't click on it then, don't miss it now.
*You'll feel better about the world after watching this excerpt from Denzel Washington's 2011 commencement speech at U of Penn (with movie clips of his starring roles) .

* A man learns what his father, Roddie Edmonds, did during the war and never bragged about . Watch to the end. It will restore your faith in human decency.

*Ditto for Patrick Hutchinson, a black Briton and BLM supporter who saved a white BLM opponent from an angry mob
*Music to soothe the suffering soul. Judy Collins and the Global Choir sing "Amazing Grace."

* Rhiannon Giddens, with Yo-Yo Ma on cello, sings "Build A House" for June Teenth.

SHE'S A GREAT ACTOR BUT A POOR FEMINIST SPOKESWOMAN
* Cate Blanchett's NYTimes op-ed misrepresented & trivialized issues affecting women. So I wrote a Letter to the Editor ( scroll down on that link to "Feminists vs. Anti-Feminists.")

TODAY'S LAST LAUGHS
* Thanks to cartoonist Mort Gerberg for contributing drawings above.
* After the AMA issued guidelines for state and local governments to reopen, an unknown source published this behind-the-scenes report on the views of various medical specialists:

The Allergists were in favor of scratching it, but the Dermatologists advised not to make any rash moves. The Gastroenterologists had sort of a gut feeling about it, but the Neurologists thought the Administration had a lot of nerve. Meanwhile, Obstetricians felt certain everyone was laboring under a misconception, while the Ophthalmologists considered the idea shortsighted.

Pathologists yelled, “Over my dead body!” while the Pediatricians said, “Oh, grow up!” The Psychiatrists thought the whole idea was madness. The Radiologists could see right through it. The Surgeons washed their hands off the whole thing and the Internists claimed it would be a bitter pill to swallow.
The Plastic Surgeons opined that this proposal would “put a whole new face on the matter.” The Podiatrists thought it was a step forward, but the Urologists were pissed off at the idea. Anesthesiologists thought the entire concept was a gas, and the lofty Cardiologists didn’t have the heart to say no.
In the end, the Proctologists won out, leaving the decision up to the assholes in Washington.
STAY SAFE. STAY STRONG. WEAR A MASK AND JOIN A DEMONSTRATION
-- Letty
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