But...We Already Had the Picture

After embarrassing the Senate Majority, Mitch McConnell, and exposing Rand Paul and Mike Lee for hypocritical sacks of shit they are, the effort to replenish the Zadroga Act, that funds the healthcare for all 9/11 responders who have been subjected to nearly unbelievable catastrophic health concerns as a result of their selfless sacrifice on America's Darkest Day, was passed by both houses of Congress earlier this week and will be signed by Mr. Much-Ado About-Nothing-Unless-It's-About-Himself, The Undefeated Champion of Self-Aggrandizement, Pantload45, this coming Monday. 

This is the photo seen 'round the world, deservedly. 

The image reminded me of something I wrote so long ago, Trump was still on his second wife and third bankruptcy, back when we didn't have a Fake President so we didn't have Fake News. At the time I called it:

Art Imitates Life

The memorial services for Walter Cronkite had just concluded when the next reminder that we're not in Kansas anymore showed up. Huffington Post reported the current issue of Time Magazine (I was only vaguely aware that magazines were actually still printed; how quaint), based on a survey of some nine thousand folks, has concluded Jon Stewart is the most-trusted newscaster in America.

As a child, I have memories of David Frost with something called "That Was the Week That Was" an import from the BBC that survived the trans-oceanic passage rather well. And we all remember Dennis Miller and others on Weekend Update on Saturday Night Live (I'll skip the 'back when it was funny' gratuitous shot since it's on way past my bedtime now and I have no idea if it ever was funny). 

My point is there's always been a tradition of these types of send-ups as entertainment and parody can be liberating and rebellious all at the same time.

It wasn’t coincidental that one of the first things Hitler and the Nazis did after seizing power was to eliminate Fasching or Karneval observances from everyday German life. If there was one thing the gang who couldn't shoot straight knew it was that they didn't need or want anyone poking fun at them. Trump semi-carries that tradition forward by no longer attending the White House Correspondents' Association Annual Dinner because while Cadet Bone Spurs is very good at dishing it out, he can't take it. 

But in a country that televises poker tournaments and spelling bees on an All-Sports Network, and covered the death of Michael Jackson like it was the passing of Mary and Joseph's other Son, naming Stewart the most trusted newscaster in America is still quite a leap. 

Hand on my heart, I didn't think it would be Bill O'Reilly or Glenn Beck, but it says a lot about us, and maybe more than we can stand, that we'd choose Stewart. I'll just put it down to 'convergence' and grow more uneasy that the line between surreal and cereal narrows more by the day.

-bill kenny