caroljane

Bill, am I deafer than I thought? I can't hear the audio except as an indistinct murmur., lower than other audios played here. Maybe I just need earphones.

lol so did I. Remember Anthony Scaramucchi? I thought parody died with him!

At least he is wearing clothes for once.

Final hashtag is the FairFowl Coalition, they don't write so good.

Thank God someone is getting the word out! Those sick, cowardly anti-winged-lifers of the AO are the source of that filthy lying smear on Tsar President Trump, that he left the lights on in Trump Tower all night just so the birds would fly into it! He would never call our noble fellow species "filthy Mother#!!*s", it is the AO who are the filthy etcetera. Talk about a false flag flying aloft! #justice for thomas #team pigeon#bwaakbwaak bok

You know perfectly well he has been an MP for 10 (ten) years, Leader of the Opposition for three, as well as PM for three. What are you doing, auditioning for Trump Surrogate North or for Ezra Levant's personal assistant?

Marc, I live in Canada too, and the words ring as hollow to me as a death-knell. (Peter's words, not Neil Diamond's.) You live in Canada, but you don't seem to like it here. If you are being held hostage,you can smuggle through your whereabouts and we will try to rescue you. Politely, Carol

To that I can reply with a whole heart, Amen, Brother

The last instance I heard of advancing a political agenda by dancing on the graves of the dead children, was Alex Jones who got a lot of mileage out of insulting them and their parents by pretending they weren't even dead -- somehow, it was the left who were at fault. He had to recant because he's getting sued, but that likely won't be a problem. The Texas judges are friendly to his views.

Of course I am not that utopian; as I said above, it is known that where there are fewer guns among the population, legal and illegal, there are fewer gunshot deaths. It is about harm reduction. Or saving lives that would otherwise be lost, to be starry-eyed about it.

Michael, I was being disingenuous, for once trying to find a lightness in this horribly heavy subject. Not too successfully, I guess.

Consider the poor one-legged guy "defending" himself against his able-bodied girlfriend, who is hiding from him in a bathroom. Overwhelmingly, statistically, it is people you know who will shoot you, either accidentally or on purpose, in gang hate or ruined disappointed love and rage. Your belief that it is "likely" for US society to break down may be likely but is unprovable ; I personally have more faith in your fellow Americans that you do. But your belief, and other rationalizations like that one, are beliefs strong enough to die for, as we have seen. Or rather, to sacrifice your youngest and most vulnerable citizens for, while the safe old armed men chase phantom pedophile rings as far more dangerous than real murderers..

.... Exactly! We wouldn't need the zone designation if there weren't any guns to be free of! By George, I think you've got it! Happily, Carol

I suppose I am pretty mean. I feel mean knowing that these so-easy-to-spot-in-hindsight shooters will just keep killing and shooting, and shooting and killing, because they will always be able to easily get hold of those first guns, the only ones they need. Much as I respect retired NYPD officers, fatalism and turning schools into civil war zones seems a sad remedy. many, many unbalanced people are thwarted in violent intentions, homicidal or suicidal, by being balked in their preferred means (usually firearms). Suicide barriers on bridges, for example, actually do reduce suicides. Strict civilian gun control does reduce gunshot deaths and injuries, statistically speaking, in the countries where it exists. But America being Exceptional, led by your brave draft-dodger president, you know your way is better, and your youngest generation is there to prove it for you. This is how to do it! Spy on the kids and get the government involved, what a foolproof idea!

And further to your musings, Peter. Ho-hum, another school shooting, If it should be your own grandchildren dead, I must suppose you would be comforted by the fact that they died as patriots for the 2nd Amendment, and have watered the Tree of Liberty to the glory of your family Should President Trump get involved? No worries, he already is - he made major speeches recently in support of the NRA, which might have heartened the shooter to his task.

Yes, I did see "Victoria" . a n excellent and historically truthful drama. The marriage between Vic and her consort was quite as passionate and compatible as shown .. The only detail to my mind is, though the court painters tried their hardest, Victoria was nowhere near as beautiful as Emily Blunt. But I don't think Albert cared much. You are right abut minority governments also, which have worked well for us here., but the US system seems to be winner take all. and the role of the minority is just to impede whatever they can.

No. it is Obama's fault, as I have previously posted! Does no one understand what it is these days to be Hawaiian? Wrathfully , the goddess Pere

Since I think of the Deep State simply as a metaphor for present reality, and not some voodoo curse, I can't respond to your delusions there. But until I have asked such Americans as I can the most important question, I will ask you also: I assume you feel freer, safer, etc. And are you also , or your business, better off financially than you were last year

Very wise choice Peter. Pomp-avoidance is an inherent American virtue, except if it refers in short to pompadour, especially in orange shades, which must be rejoiced in wherever they are found, as they are homages to the Ideal, Plato, from cave

Dear Diary, Telling Cousin Bea that her date would be Drake, and not that BBC person, was the last happy moment I have had, once we explained who Drake was and his excellent Commonwealth biracial grooves. Soon we were all in media lockdown (not that is any different from ordinary life if you ask me, and hoorah for it). Something has gone haywire with poor Meghan's papa (and he does not look terribly fit in photos) and Harry has gone out and engaged another paparazzi in a fistfight (he won, of course, although the paparazzo was actually photographing Princess Michael and Lady Gabriella Windsor with their consent) -- luckily he is a freelancer from Russia and does not speak English. On that note, that Seaman person and the interpreter we flew in to interpret the Myanmari witness to his crime, and the Myanmari witness himself, are all refusing to go home, or be extradited, until after the wedding, and the American says if his wife cannot go to the wedding it will be an international crime. Although none of these detainees have any internet access here, apparently their supporters abroad just make up whatever they want. Already someone has "tweeted" Seaman subjected to mind control and brainwashing in British prison". But the warder swears up and down he only asked the prisoner if he wanted one or two sugars in his tea. Apparently "tea" is a code word to people like Seaman --I do hope there are not many. Ich dien, William

"Everybody?" I assume you mean all Americans, and that is a bit of a stretch. The 51% of them who did not vote for him in 1916 , sorry I mean 2016 (some of you did not seem to notice the difference) -- they may have all been converted by their wonderfully improved lives, and won over by his admirably honest character. Or they enjoy the game of trying to figure out what he does is "theater" (i.e. lying) ., or just amusing himself at the expense of the losers he is mad at at the moment . I find the ongoing, futile, desperate rage at a defeated enemy in a presidential election, really unprecedented. Your forebears were better people than you, in some respects, and you should think about why, and what your resurgent greatness will mean now, for your nation and the citizens who embody its values.

In continuation to the last, the Canadians have arrived, at the same time as Sir Elton to practise for his performance; and it turns out Sir E's husband David is an old friend of the Mulroneys! So I did not hesitate to mention Cousin Bea's problem to them. I thought B might carry through on her threat to go home with her mother after the wedding, so as to not see her sister, she said, "doting on a man whose own grandmother told the press he wasn't very bright!" "Well," I retorted, "Our own grandmother has said that of us enough times. I notice you did not ask to be escorted by a neuroscientist to Papa's party. And before you start, it is not my fault he would not invite your mother. You know he never invites her anywhere." "I will go to the party to represent her. I am not afraid of Uncle Charles, the rotten bully he is being! Even if I have to play gooseberry to Eug., or worse, go with Father!" "Now see here, Beatrice," I cried. I could not think of anything to follow up with, so it is a good thing the door opened and Meghan and the Mulroneys entered with Sir E. "Well, your Royal Highness, how would you like to meet a fine Canadian musician who's single and world-famous?" beamed the OBE. "I have worked with him and will vouch that he will behave like a perfect gentleman with you, as well as being a very "hip" date!" "Oh!!" shrieked Beatrice, "Ohh, no, could it be--Justin Bieber?!!! Ohhh..."

Damn right! And they don't need to be able to play chess or be all that smart to do their duty either, like some smearers sneer -- #team pigeon#justice for thomas#love to mothers of all species

There is a lot of talk going around about these suddenly resurrected ornithology references - "Operation Mockingbird" may be mocking new birds these days! #Justice for Thomas#turkeys, pardon us!