Random Thoughts: 200,000 Oklahomans Get Health Insurance

Tweets from July, 2020:

• 2020-07-01: 200,000 Oklahomans get health insurance...by ballot initiative. That means they overruled the Republican politicians who don't want the near-poor who can't afford health insurance to get it. Next, Oklahomans ought to elect representatives who share their values.
• 2020-07-01: Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick is the guy who said senior citizens would voluntarily lay down their lives to COVID-19 to prop up business profits. Patrick is a one-man death panel.
• 2020-07-01: One day closer to the election and there's no sign of a Trump pivot yet. Will he ride "White Power" all the way to November?
• 2020-07-01: Americans could learn from Bulgarians. "Russia Wants Bulgarians to Stop Painting Soviet Monuments To Look Like American Superheroes."

After the jump, more random thoughts.

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• 2020-07-02: Wishful thinking is a powerful motivator.
• 2020-07-03: Texas government is dysfunctional. Throw the bums out.
• 2020-07-03: Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga (2020): Musical comedy about Iceland's entry in European contest. More musical and better comedy please. Like a too long SNL sketch. Will Ferrell is miscast. Too old. The accents grate. The movie laughs at Iceland, not with it. C+
• 2020-07-03: Remember our history. You know, the facts, not the myths. @JohnCornyn, @AngieChenButton
• 2020-07-04: I'm old enough to remember when Americans still believed in germs.
• 2020-07-06: The Witch: Subversion (2018): Korean. Confusing title, great movie. Has feel of "Kill Bill" or "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon." Girl has magic inside, and maybe evil. What drives her? Survival, revenge, or love of family? Whatever, she's a girl to be reckoned with. B+
• 2020-07-06: Babylon Berlin - Season 2 (TV 2018): German. Berlin 1929 is even more gritty, decadent, corrupt. Socialists, Fascists, and criminals all vie to get a train full of gold. The convoluted plot lines in Season 1 all come together nicely, with lots of tension and exciting twists. B+
• 2020-07-06: The Politician - Season 2 (TV 2019): Now Payton Hobart is running for state senate, challenging longtime incumbent. You'd think the "thruple" he uncovers would dominate the election, but there's much more. Political satire with over-the-top, absurd elements and plot twists. B-
• 2020-07-07: What's up with our crooked state attorney general? Jim Schutze has the story: "State of Texas v. Ken Paxton, Straight Out of Dickens." My only disappointment? Nowhere does he mention my District 8 Senator Angela Paxton.
• 2020-07-07: Eric Trump has the strange ideas that ignoring coronavirus when deciding to reopen schools and that siphoning money from public schools are winning electoral strategies.
• 2020-07-08: There's always a tweet. This one from 2015.
• 2020-07-08: I got rid of a wasp nest on our patio this morning that has been bothering me. Then I looked around and found four more. Getting rid of all of them turned into a big deal. I should have approached it like Donald Trump. If I hadn't looked deeper, I would have had only one nest.
• 2020-07-09: Consumer protection. Under Trump, an oxymoron.
• 2020-07-09: The Senate protected Trump from conviction under impeachment. SCOTUS protected Trump from releasing his financial secrets until after the election. It's now entirely up to the voters to hold this man accountable for his crimes. We are on our own.
• 2020-07-09: "California couple charged with hate crime for allegedly vandalizing Black Lives Matter mural." President Trump condemns act, saying if we erase the mural, we risk forgetting that Black Lives Matter. (jk about that last part.)
• 2020-07-09: Always remember, Ted Cruz's comments make more sense if you understand he's running for President in 2024 and wants to lock up the Trump crazy train now.
• 2020-07-10: Trust Exercise: A coming-of-age tale of a volatile relationship, made more electric by a charismatic drama teacher. Then a shift in time and narrator throws everything into question. A brilliantly constructed story of the weaknesses of memory. B+
• 2020-07-11: Just got an email from Eric Trump: "Each day my father sees an updated donor list and EACH DAY he notices that you STILL haven't contributed." I guess I'm getting under his skin. ;-)
• 2020-07-11: Eric Trump also said, "My father really needs your support, which is why he asked me to reach out and offer you ONE MORE CHANCE to get on the right side of history with us." He also offered me a last chance to extend the warranty on my vehicle.
• 2020-07-11: Black Beans Matter! amiright, Ted Cruz? Black Lives? Meh.
• 2020-07-11: I agree Trump commutation of Roger Stone is historic corruption, but I remember George HW Bush pardoning Caspar Weinberger and five others convicted of crimes in the Iran-Contra scandal. Politicizing the power of the pardon is not new to Trump.
• 2020-07-11: What say you, @JohnCornyn?
• 2020-07-11: July 11th.
• 2020-07-12: On the other hand, plead guilty to lying to Congress to cover up a President's crimes, and you won't have to spend a night in jail.
• 2020-07-12: An election where the Poles are guaranteed to be right.
• 2020-07-12: Don't listen to advice about reopening schools safely from people who could only offer thoughts and prayers after school shootings.
• 2020-07-13: I, too, might have taken chloroquine when I was a tourist in southeast Asia in the late 1970s. I know I took antimalarial tablets and this was a common drug in use then. And I know I didn't contract COVID-19 there, either. Ipso facto, QED, stable genius is right.
• 2020-07-13: I have to admit. This Karen has a point. "The Texas Rangers' team name must go."
• 2020-07-14: The Old Guard (2020): Ancient gang of immortals, led by world-weary Charlize Theron, are hunted by evil Big Pharma CEO intent on learning their secret to immortality. Actually a better movie than that synopsis might suggest. How much of a burden would immortality be anyway? B-
• 2020-07-15: "Jaw-dropping' global crash in children being born." Hard as it is to conceive now, but something like "open borders" might be the way to achieve "America First" in 2050.
• 2020-07-15: .@GovStitt says he tested positive for COVID-19. Would you buy a used car from these guys?
• 2020-07-16: .@parscale's Death Star lasted, what, about six @Scaramucci's?
• 2020-07-16: Texas GOP is getting worried about losing votes for statewide offices, so some are suggesting adopting an electoral college system for the state. Gerrymandering is how the GOP can translate a popular vote defeat into an electoral college win.
• 2020-07-17: Once Upon a Time in the West (1968): Classic Western. Lots of desolate scenery, haunting music, stoic staring. Plot stripped down to essentials. Product of its times. Macho showdown between Hollywood tough guys, with an Italian femme fatale. Sexist with a touch of racism. B+
• 2020-07-18: I think we found the man to replace a lot of those Confederate generals on those pedestals.
• 2020-07-18: Do you want his suffering and sacrifice to mean something, Leader McConnell? Pass the Voting Rights Act that John Lewis championed and the House passed and is now languishing on your desk.
• 2020-07-18: Lying with statistics, master level. From Brian Kemp's Georgia.
• 2020-07-19: .@JohnCornyn posts a picture of peaceful protests in Russia, not being brutally suppressed. I'm not sure what his point is. That Russia is more tolerant of American 1st Amendment rights than his own federal secret police are in Portland, Oregon?
• 2020-07-20: Secret federal agents in camouflage are kidnapping people off the streets in Portland, Oregon. Where are the 2A fanboys who said this is exactly the kind of thing that the 2A was written for? Have they been bullshitting us all this time?
• 2020-07-20: "We are United in our effort to defeat the Invisible China Virus." United? You can't even finish one single sentence about this before you sow division by using a racist name for COVID-19. Or was "united against you" what you meant?
• 2020-07-20: Hey @RichardsonFOP, a word of advice: you ought to condemn FOP actions like this so your reputation isn't tarnished by association.
• 2020-07-21: Email to me from Donald Trump: "I'm disappointed to say that when I asked for your file, they told me you've NEVER contributed." I personally disappointed Donald Trump. He's usually such an upbeat person.
• 2020-07-22: Mucho Mucho Amor (2020): Documentary of Walter Mercado, a flamboyant TV astrologer/fortune teller/motivational speaker from Puerto Rico. Think Liberace. Or Tiny Tim. If you're a fan, you might love this; if you've never heard of him, you'll be shaking your head in wonder. C+
• 2020-07-22: Email from Donald Trump: "The Trump Donor Hall of Fame is very competitive and your offer is only available for the NEXT HOUR. After that, I'll be forced to reach out to the next Patriot." Only one Patriot per hour? Seems inefficient.
• 2020-07-22: I'm old enough to remember when Trump said this: "I don't need anybody's money. I'm using my own money." 06/15/15.
• 2020-07-23: The Notebook (2004): Old-fashioned melodrama, a sad tale of summer romance and missed opportunity. Can love conquer class difference and parental interference? Hits all the right notes. The second tragic tale is of trying to remember youth as Alzheimer's steals your memories. B-
• 2020-07-23: Received email from the Trump campaign with bold red warning: "HIGH SELL-OUT RISK." I thought that was a surprisingly accurate description of Trump coming from his own campaign. Reading on, I see he meant that he predicts his "limited-edition Freedom 2020 Hats" will sell out.
• 2020-07-23: Karen Bass for VP? The Democrats nominating a "Karen" would cause GOP heads to explode.
• 2020-07-24: "AOC's speech about Ted Yoho's 'apology' was a comeback for the ages." - The Washington Post. Watch it and ask, is it any wonder that women overwhelmingly say they'll vote for Biden?
• 2020-07-25: Trump sends fundraising email with the headline: "BREAKING: BIDEN CALLS TRUMP THE FIRST RACIST U.S. PRESIDENT." Most fact checks of this statement question Biden's use of "first." Trump has no problem with that. He denies there have been any racist presidents, including himself.
• 2020-07-25: Trump email: "Spots in the Trump Donor Hall of Fame don't come around very often, Mark." Judging by my spam folder, it looks like they come around at least once a day, sometimes more.
• 2020-07-26: I get six emails a day from Trump. Today's example: "This email is for PATRIOTS ONLY and is not intended to be shared." I find it an odd campaign strategy to tell recipients of a mass mailing not to share the candidate's good news. But then I find everything about Trump odd.
• 2020-07-26: I usually wait until Election Day to vote, just in case late-breaking news might influence my vote. This year no late-breaking news imaginable would change my vote. So, I'll be voting on the first day of early voting to ensure my vote will count even if I die before Nov 3.
• 2020-07-26: Today's Trump fundraising pitch: "TRUMP GOLD CARD DISCOUNT - WAS $35, NOW $25." How long before a clearance sale? "CAMPAIGN CLOSING: EVERYTHING MUST GO."
• 2020-07-28: Don't trust the polls showing a Biden lead. Very few boats have landlines. Almost all cell phones, which are hard to poll.
• 2020-07-28: Back off, all you haters. Maybe our children will be safe in schools. Maybe we should be listening to the demon sperm doctor for all of our medical advice.
• 2020-07-29: Wait! Has Louie Gohmert been having sex with demons?
• 2020-07-29: Wow! @AngieChenButton thinks Texas's response to COVID-19 and her "instrumental role" in it is something to be proud of.
• 2020-07-30: I wasn't old enough to vote against George Wallace in 1968. Voting against Donald Trump in 2020 is the next best thing.
• 2020-07-30: I hope this is a pledge by Trump not to contest the election results. Bush contested the 2000 election and it wasn't settled until December 12. Let's not have that injustice again. amiright, @realDonaldTrump?
• 2020-07-30: I just got a call from "Danielle" about my student loan that I requested information about. I suspect she might not be on the up and up.
• 2020-07-30: Anyone who thinks the GOP after Trump will regain its sanity, think who preceded Trump. The GOP did settle on the normal Mitt Romney in 2012, but not before whirlwind romances with Michele Bachmann, Rick Perry; Herman Cain, Newt Gingrich and Rick Santorum. Trump fits right in.
• 2020-07-31: Seberg (2020): Bio-pic of 1960s actress spied on by FBI to stop her from funding civil rights groups like Black Panthers. Out-of-control FBI; emotional breakdown of Seberg; too much story for 90 minutes. Pick one story. Show it, don't tell it. Good job by Kristen Stewart. C+
• 2020-07-31: Headline: "Calm returns to Portland protests as federal forces pull back." In other news, bear calms down after man quits poking him.