Category: From The Editor

Talk To Me Internet: Joe Arpaio, Hope Hicks & #Writing A Short Story & #Lyrics

by Shelton Bumgarner
@bumgarls

I am feeling creatively restless, so I’m going to try to do some creative things today and tomorrow. But we’ll see. Anything could happen, I guess.

Talk To Me Internet: #Trump #DPRK #Charlottesville

by Sheltonn Bumgarner
@bumgarls

If it weren’t for the fact that I have to go to work today, would be heading to Charlottesville which is just up the road from here in Richmond. But, alas, I have to work, so I’m stuck doing a Talk To Me Internet about what’s going down. I have a feeling that there could be real violence today in Charlottesville as people in the greater Virginia area learn of the right-wing nutjob protest there.

Meanwhile, while I’m nervous, I’m not really all that concerned — yet — about Trump and the DPRK. Right now it’s all talk. But we’ll see as the month progresses what happens.

Will Gen. Kelly Become Trump’s ‘Regent?’

by Shelton Bumgarner
@bumgarls

The question right now at the forefront of my mind is are we entering a significant new phase in the Trump Administration where its malevolence is no longer tempered by incompetence. Is it possible that by naming Gen. John Kelly as Chief of Staff, Donald Trump will right the ship of state by effectively naming Gen. Kelly the “regent” for the mad king?

This is one of those things that we just won’t know the answer to until Gen. Kelly actually stars the job. It could go either way. Either this fish will continue to rot from its head, or Kelly will crackdown on all the craziness and things will start to get done. I worry that by “start to get done” that will mean “America becomes a fascist state as Trump’s vision becomes reality.”

The really weird thing about Trump’s Administration so far it simply can’t seem to stay focused on what made it so popular with the base in the first place. I mean, if Trump had some focus and really, really pushed for a wall in conjunction with mass amnesty for the 20 million illegal aliens who are already here, then such a massive public works effort is something I might ironically be willing to get behind. Though were all the workers to do such a job would come from remains a mystery.

I do think there is a decent chance that Gen. Kelly could “fix” the Trump Administration to such an extent that though it will continue to be loathsome, at least the trains will run on time. We may all look back on his appointment as the moment when everything turned around for Trump. His administration got focus, and all was well again in realm.

One unnerving thing is this could all be a set up. Maybe Trump knows something we don’t know? Maybe we’re headed toward a major war with North Korea and Trump wants a general effectively in charge by his side to make sure that war is managed properly? Regardless, we’re entering a potentially much more dangerous stage of the Trump Administration for no other reason than they can now actually implement their odious vision for America.

Stay tuned.

Talk To Me Internet: Yet More Mulling Covfefe Magazine’s Progress #Zine #RVA

by Shelton Bumgarner
@bumgarls

Here is me talking about the state of the zine I’m working on, Cofefe Magazine. It’s interesting and worth your time, at least in my opinion.

Apocalypse 9/11 Redux: The Moment War Starts In Korea, Everything Changes

by Shelton Bumgarner
@bumgarls

For those of us who were alive and politically active on that Tuesday, Sept. 11, 2001, we remember what was going on when we opened our eyes that morning before the towers were struck. The Bush Administration was coasting on fumes as was the economy. It seemed as though we were about to enter a recession and Bush would get blamed for it.

Then everything changed.

We woke up eight years later and realized we had been in a waking dream, a nightmare we couldn’t escape.

Now, about 20 years later, we find ourselves on the cusp of a horrific war with the DPRK (North Korea.) Estimates are that 500,000 people would die the first month of such a war and who know how many could die if the war became protracted. And that’s working on the assumption that WMD aren’t used at some point. The DPRK has made it clear that they don’t even consider chemical and biological weapons WMD in the first place, so if they felt cornered they probably would use both gratuitously not just on South Korea but on Japan as well.

What makes all of this really scary is the United States has an unhinged president looking for an opportunity to fire Bob Muller, who may finally get to Trump’s tax returns. So, given how batshit insane the political calculus of the Trump Administration is, it wouldn’t take a lot to think they wouldn’t blink an eye at a cost of life and property needed to have the cover to fire Mueller and assure not only keeping Congress Republican, but come within shouting distance of winning re-election in 2020.

But, really, who knows.

It could go either way. But Trump’s behavior is sufficiently unhinged that it’s enough worry about. It’s enough to think seriously about a monumental wag the dog situation that would be a tragedy of unprecedented levels.

Talk To Me Internet: Mulling The State Of Covfefe Magazine #Zine #RVA #AmWriting

by Shelton Bumgarner
@bumgarls

Here I continue to talk about the state of Covfefe Magazine. Things continue to go fairly well. They could be better, but I guess they’re as well as to be expected given the circumstances.

Working On A Print Zine For #RVA

By Shelton Bumgarner
@bumgarls

I love zines. I love to write and a I love to take pictures — and I can layout a print publication fairly well — so it seems I have all the ingredients needed to pull off a zine that is decent. It isn’t going to happen anytime soon — probably will be a few months from now at best — but I think the finished product will be pretty cool.

I just need to be patient.

It will be interesting to see how everything does — or doesn’t — fall into place.

Talk To Me Internet: My Trip To #Brooklyn #NYC

by Shelton Bumgarner
@bumgarls

I went to NYC recently. Here’s my report.

We Have To Take Trump’s CNN GIF Tweet Seriously

by Shelton Bumgarner
@bumgarls

I am hearing some people say that Trump’s faux GIF of him beating up the CNN logo in a WWE match is something silly that we shouldn’t take seriously. I totally disagree. The point is that he’s the President of the United States and he’s signaling to his mouth breathing supporters that he not-so-tacitly advocates violence towards the press.

It is probably only a matter of time before something tragic happens to a news organization because of Trump’s anti-press Tweeting. Something really tragic and memorable may happen that we will all — including even Trump, maybe — may regret. I feel as though we’re hurdling towards something that in hindsight will seem very obvious.

We have to take this tweeting by the president seriously. There have to be, at last, consquences. Someone, somewhere, needs to stand up to the president in a meaningful manner. We are slip-sliding towards a classic fascist situation that may be difficult to snap out of.

Remember, the fascists of the 1930s did not start off by being the evil, sinister people that we think of them as now. They started off as a joke. They were comical and entertaining to the masses. It wasn’t until later that things grew dark. So, we need to collectively stand up NOW, while we still can.

This is something of a joke now, but it won’t be a joke when real lives are in danger — or worse.

Talk To Me Internet: Daydreaming About Living In #NYC

By Shelton Bumgarner
@bumgarls

This is a really long, really good edition of Talk To Me Internet. This is probably the longest one I’ve ever done. I talk a lot about wanting to live in NYC in this one. I think it’s worth watching most, if not all of. The wide-range of topics I cover are pretty interesting, at least to me.