Are We Still Talking About This?

The Schloss-Blog today is revisiting some old topics and some themes that remain relevant in, let's say, new stuff, from Afghanistan to Mar-a-Lago to Red states where Delta could run wild.

The Delta variant of the coronavirus, that is.

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The first thing to fly out of this mosh pit of items I have has to be the damn coronavirus' Delta variant.

Did you know it now officially more than half of all new cases in the United States? Did you know, in some states, some hospitals are tapping out on ICU beds dedicated to the coronavirus? Did you know, most of those states are so-called Red states, run by a Republican governor and/or Republican-majority legislatures?

Mostly in the South.

Those Republican governors (we're looking at you, Greg Abbott), are going to get everyone sick or killed. Or, as Gov. Jim Justice (R-West Virginia) was quoted as saying in The Hill: "...those who are still unvaccinated against COVID-19 will be pushed to get the shot only by a 'catastrophe' in which 'an awful lot of people die.'” 

The coronavirus has already been a catastrophe. Now, it night be another one and make no mistake, in states like Mississippi (Red, Republican, Southern), which has the lowest vaccination in the country, the catastrophe is coming.

The legacy of Donald Trump.

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In case you missed it, Donald Trump is suing Twitter and Facebook, claiming they are discriminating against and censoring him.

He's even suing CEO's Jack Dorsey and Mark Zuckerberg, respectively, and YouTube as well.

Don't count on him winning. The social-media platforms have regularly won such suits brought against them in the past and Twitter defended its permanent ban of Trump on its platform because of the threat of more Jan. 6-like attacks.

Trump likes to sue people and entities he doesn't like. He usually doesn't follow the suits through to the end, using them as an intimidating bully pulpit instead, He has lost when they've gone the route. And when he did win, suing the NFL as part of the ownership group in the USFL's anti-trust suit, the USFL won.

And got a $1 in damages. Trebled, by law to $3.

Expect more from the suits just filed. Unless Trump himself is indicted on unrelated charges.

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The tax-evasion and fraud charges against Allen Weisselberg, the Trump Organization's chief financial officer, carry as much as a 15-year prison sentence.

Fifteen years.

Allen Weisselberg is 73. If convicted and if receiving the max sentence, he'd be close to 90 when he got out.

Do you think Weisselberg, who has said he'll never turn on Trump, is willing to serve prison time until he's almost 90?

I don't either. And if Trump were reelected (or reinstated?), he couldn't pardon Weisselberg or commute his sentence.

Michael Cohen, Trump's personal attorney and alleged "fixer," said he'd never turn on Trump either.

Until he did.

And here we are, still talking about Trump, taxes and fraud.

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There are nine (10) Senate seats where one party or the other is considered vulnerable in 2022 elections.

Seven of them are Republican.

Join me in praying that Democrats flip them and hold on to the ones they won in 2016 and 2020 special elections.

If Republicans get the Senate, we're f-cked.

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Quick takes:

The United States is pulling out of Afghanistan. Mission accomplished?

Teachers in 'Red' states could be in trouble, break the law, if they teach what is being called 'critical race theory,' or, succinctly, the truth about the history of racism The nation's largest teachers union says it will defend any teachers that do. What do you think - should it be taught?

I took a little heat over my comments about youthful Olivia Moultrie and Avery Zweig, 15 and 14, respectively, playing with the pros. I have no problem with them doing this. I have a problem if either becomes the next Jennifer Capriatti. Or Freddy Adu.

I'm sorry, but the officiating in the NBA playoffs, the NHL playoffs and the UEFA Euro 'futbol' tournament, respectively, has been Gawd awful.

Worse than that, we have to listen to those damn British play-by-play announcers say, "Italy are through" to the next round. No, the Italians are through. Italy are a country.

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Good night, Mrs. Calabash. Where have gone, Joe DiMaggio?

More Sunday night on my Radio Free Phoenix rock 'n' roll show.