A Different Kind of Carnival Ride
Sometimes you have to step off to regain your balance
I still remember the first time I got sick on a carnival ride. I was about six years old at the time, and I went to the County Fair with an older friend of mine named Andy. He had been telling me about this amazing ride that was called “The Octopus.” From the intensity of his description, I just knew I had to ride on it.
We bought our tickets, waited in line, and when it was finally our turn to board, we walked onto the platform and one of the workers buckled us into our seats. Not long after we were buckled in, I could hear the motor rev up, and slowly our seat began to move.
We were lifted high into the air and began to go in a circular fashion. Not only were we going up and down and around, but the Octopus began going faster and faster. Up and down, around and around, and faster and faster.
In no time at all, I began to not feel so well. In each passing moment, I felt more and more like I might throw up. I began to breathe deeply to prevent embarrassing myself, and thankfully, before I vomited, the ride had come to a halt. When I disembarked the ride, I found a shady spot to sit down and recover.
I learned that I don’t do well when things move too fast and spin too much. In later years, I learned that I can manage riding on a large airplane, but a small plane will have the same effect on me as a carnival ride. When I was on my way to Fort Carson, Colorado, a short ride from Denver to Colorado Springs in a small aircraft had the same effect on me that the Octopus did a decade or so earlier.
I even got seasick on the short ride from Manhattan out to the Statue of Liberty.
The daily news and motion sickness redux
This past week, I was reminded of my difficulties associated with things moving too fast, spinning around, and going in what seems to be circles. Is it possible for a person to get motion sickness from watching the news? Maybe Robert Kennedy Jr. could look into that. At any rate, when I think of all the things that have transpired this week, I get nauseous.
Let’s take a look.
On Father’s Day, I saw on the news how a man named Vance Boelter murdered a Democratic member of the Minnesota House. Once it was reported that Governor Tim Walz had at one time appointed him to a workforce development committee, the right-wing noise machine went on full blast, saying he was a Democrat. Boelter is not a Democrat. He is a conservative Christian who supports Donald Trump.
The news made a big deal out of Karen Read being found not guilty. I don’t even know who she is or what she was on trial for.
On June 14th, Donald Trump finally got the parade he had been clamoring for to the tune of about $45 million. I saw some of the footage. That lone tank squeaking its way down Constitution Avenue said it all. I was also taken by surprise when I saw the soldiers just walking instead of marching. If we had done that when I was in the Army, there would have been hell to pay.
Maybe Trump could have given them marching lessons from his time in the military. Oh wait…
The sparse attendance was noticeable. One thing is for certain, though. No matter how small it was, Trump will say it was big. I think he learned that from Melania, if you get my drift.
Standing in contrast to that sad parade was the near ubiquitous No Kings protest that took place in cities across the country, and some even in other countries. It was refreshing to see some unity in opposition to Trump on such a large scale. I just hope all those people are registered to vote.
The best sign I saw read “The only person Trump hired who was qualified for their job was Stormy Daniels.”
In light of the failed parade, Trump quickly pivoted and introduced the new Trump Mobile phone. It’s gold and sells for $499. Trump says it’s made in America, but not too many people believe that. Maybe it is, but I think it is more likely made in China.
I was just wondering if Trump University students get a discount. Or maybe they get a free box of Trump Steaks.
This past week, Kristi Noem was hospitalized for an allergic reaction. My first reaction was that she got a little too close to the truth. Social media, of course, had a field day with this news. I saw posts online wondering if she was allergic to Botox, the truth, and a lot of other things. I still occasionally misspell her name as Krusty Gnome.
Juneteenth was yesterday. I went to a celebration that was a lot of fun. A brass band played. Vendors sold food. People danced and children played. As I watched the events, my mind turned to the topic of slavery, which Juneteenth celebrates the end of. I found myself wondering what new types of slavery we have now, and how enslaved so many of us are. But that is the stuff of another article. Let me just say this. While the old school chattel slavery is gone, other types are alive and well.
It might be worth mentioning that Donald Trump never mentioned Juneteenth, but he did make the comment that there are too many holidays. I wonder what prompted that remark.
There seems to be a war brewing between Iran and Israel. I guess leveling Gaza isn’t enough. Donald Trump said he would be assessing whether the United States military would get involved over the next two weeks. Given the performance at that sad parade, they might want to hold off on that.
Speaking of holding off on things, this week, Trump also instructed ICE to stop arresting people at hotels, farms, and restaurants. I found that interesting. Are those people somehow less illegal than other undocumented people? I would love to hear his explanation for that.
Scratch that. I don’t want to hear his voice on anything right now. I’m nauseous enough.
I have no idea what is going on with Sean Diddy and his legal troubles. I plan to keep it that way.
I read that on Wednesday, a SpaceX rocket blew up on the launch pad. I got a fiendish sense of delight seeing the footage. Personally, I think it was simply mirroring Elon Musk’s standing with the public. Honestly, who in their right mind would buy a Tesla now?
Man. I’m getting dizzy and nauseous just writing about all these events. I’m not sure if the nausea I am experiencing now is from the news moving too fast, changing too much, or if it is the predictable result of hearing Donald Trump’s awful voice a little too often.
Happy Summer Solstice.
What I found interesting was Trump saying he didn't know if he would join the war against Iran. To me that sounded like, 'help, I don't know what to do!'
Well, that was kind of refreshingly humorous. Hope you're feeling better. That just lifted some dark clouds over here.