Donald Trump, the man without a party (Run, Donald, Run!) re-reconsiders, and a suggestion for running mate

By Pablo Fanque, National Affairs Editor
illustrations by Jack Brummet

First, The Donald tantalized us earlier this year, and his polling numbers went--briefly--through the roof.  Then he dropped out, but left the door open just a crack.  Over the last few months, many of the Republican Presidential wannabes have made the trek to his office (for what--money?  his blessing?).  The Washington Post had a great piece on their blog in early December titled "2012 Republican are kissing Donald Trump's ring.  But why?"

It seems that Donald Trump, like most of the rest of the American electorate, has found Republican Clown War sorely lacking in substance, in a viable candidate, a rational platform--lacking in just about everything.  Now, Trump has switched his political affiliation to "Independent," and is possibly considering running again.  At least that is what some staffers and a spokesperson say.  No word on how this would affect his reality show, which could be subject to equal time provisions from other candidates if he did decide to run. 

From today's Christian Science Monitor:

Given his not-too-shabby polling numbers, deep pockets, and new-found status as a registered independent, business mogul Donald Trump is in a decent position to launch a third-party run for president of the United States.

The snark on the street is that Mr. Trump, a temperamental fellow who has toggled his party affiliation before, dumped the Republican Party on Thursday in anger after only two in the large field of GOP presidential candidates agreed to attend a debate he was slated to moderate. Some Republican hopefuls had questioned whether it was ethical for Trump to host a debate while considering a potential presidential run himself.

A Trump spokesman, however, said his boss dropped out of the debate and changed his party affiliation "to preserve his right to run for president as an independent."

If you do run, Mr. Trump, may we suggest that you sign up your old friend, the Ex-Governor of Alaska, Sarah Palin, as your running mate?  With a double whammy like that, what could possibly go wrong?

Photo: source unknown

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Holiday decorations and Alien Lore

Thanks to our friend Teresa Thiessen for sending this along.  The photo somehow reminded her of ATIT.
"Appropriate holiday decor for the blog. :)".

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ATIT Reheated (from 2005): Remembering the 1980 NYC subway strike

By Jack Brummet, NYC Metro Editor

Contract talks broke off between New York transit and union negotiators last night [ed's note:  we published this in 2005]  without an agreement (just before the midnight strike deadline). 34,000 workers have gone on strike. Seven million people a day need to find another way to get around.

Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg announced a "comprehensive emergency plan" to help mitigate the effects of the strike with more ferry service, only car pools allowed into Manhattan, several major streets, including Fifth Avenue, clear of all traffic except buses and emergency vehicles. I believe taxis are also required to pool riders (as they did in 1980).










We lived in Manhattan during the 1980 strike. It started on April Fool's Day and lasted 12 days.

According to nycsubway.org, the absentee rate during the strike was around 15-20%. That may be true, but those of us who actually showed up for work didn't make it in until very late, and everyone left early. It was basically a circus atmosphere all over town. Employers were glad to have us show up for even a few hours a day. Even the most skinflint of employers (and that would include mine, Carl Fischer music publishers) paid people to share cabs in to work. The cab ride from the Upper West Side to the East Village took about two hours...barely faster than walking. It was a total zoo, with gridlock everywhere, and thousands of cops on traffic duty to contain the honking, chaos, and (literally) millions of pedestrians.


Heading to work on The Brooklyn Bridge

I don't remember road rage, or riots, or people being particularly angry. In fact, it was like anytime things went wrong: New Yorkers pulled together; they griped and kavetched, and they lived with it, and had a pretty good time doing it. I remember the endless commutes, schlepping back and forth from uptown to downstown. I remember sharing cab rides with Arthur Cohn (the cranky, funny composer and conductor known for his books on contemporary music, The Collector's 20th-Century Music in the Western Hemisphere and 20th-Century Music in Europe), Susan Lurie, a friend and excellent flautist, and at least one other person, possibly Pinky Rawsthorne. . .although if she was in the cab I think I would have remembered it, because there would have been a lot more laughter.

The New York Post Transit Survival

Guide - Click to enlarge

In 1980, the subways were dirty, dangerous, smelled, tended to catch on fire at times, had no air conditioning, and were covered with tags and graffiti. And boy, did we miss them. After returning home at night, you stayed in your neighborhood, or within walking distance anyhow. Somehow they settled it all in a couple of weeks. Good luck New York!

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Six years ago on ATIT: Poem - The World Seems Especially Calming And Verisimilitudinous Today

By Jack Brummet

Swim run fly crawl creep
The animals don't kill time
And time loves them back

Threading high fidelity cirrus
The sun unloads the last of its rays
And blesses the mountain palisade

So much depends upon
Keeping this up
(And a red wheel barrow).
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Charlie Chaplin's memorable speech from "The Great Dictator"

Seventy years ago,  Chalie Chaplin made this memorable speech in one of his best films—The Great Dictator.  What a fantastic performance, and what a touching speech!  It seems shockingly prescient, shining a light right here,  right now, on us and our Situation. Thanks to Tony Ravo for sharing this.  I haven't seen this movie for a few years, and it's good to remember.

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Ronald Reagan talks about the Democrats (Pre-politics of destruction in U.S.)

By Jack Brummet, Two-party system editor

This video clip of a good natured speech by President Ronald Reagan reminds me of the days before the politics of destruction took over.  It reminds me of Adlai Stevenson's famous quote about Republicans:  "I have been thinking that I would make a proposition to my Republican friends... that if they will stop telling lies about the Democrats, we will stop telling the truth about them.”

[Thanks to Guy Brummet for sending this along].

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The last U.S. crate shipped out of Iraq

Just in time for Christmas, the USA has now pulled out all of its troops from Iraq, ending the long war.  A photographer caught the last crate to be shipped out, back to the USA.

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Three-time Senate candidate Christine O'Donnell

Digital Art by Jack Brummet

I was inspired to revisit Candidate O'Donnell after her hilarious "endorsement" of Mitt Romney (see Christine O'Donnell endorses Mittens, pouring salt on his festering flip-flop wound).

click to enlarge

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Ten most memorable TV cameos on Zencollegelife.com

By Mona Goldwater, Television Editor

We like these guys.  Zencollegelife.com  recently published an article on the ten most memorable TV cameos.  Our only complaint is that they didn't include Richard Nixon's famous appearance on Laugh-in, where he famously uttered their catch phrase "Sock it to me."

Bob Dylan on Dharma and Greg:

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Faces No. 53

Drawing by Jack Brummet

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Alien Lore No. 217: The night UFOs buzzed the White House

By Jack Brummet,Extraterrestrial Affairs Editor

Not long after the events of Roswell, the Mount Rainier UFO sightings, and Socorro, UFOs made a showy presence for the leaders of the free world. In 1952, UFOs buzzed the White House, the Capitol building, and the Pentagon. Yes, these UFOs, presumably piloted by aliens, or Greys, seemed to be thumbing their noses (if they had noses) at the institutions we thought kept us safe.

Washington National Airport and Andrews Air Force Base picked up a number of UFOs on their radar screens on July 19, 1952. These sightings seemed to trigger a wave of sightings that no one has ever been able to explain.

At Washington National Airport, air traffic controller Ed Nugent [Ted's dad?] saw seven blips on his radar screen. No planes were supposed to be there. He brought in his boss and said jokingly, "Here's a fleet of flying saucers for you." In the tower's glass-enclosed top floor, another controller saw a strange blip streaking across his radar screen. It wasn't a bird. It wasn't a plane. What was it? He looked out the window and spotted a bright light hovering in the sky.

From the Washington Post, July 19, 1952: "Air Force spokesmen said yesterday only that an investigation was being made into the sighting of the objects on the radar screen in the CAA Air Route Traffic Control Center at Washington National Airport, and on two other radar screens.

"Methods of the investigations were classified as secret, a spokesman said. 'We have no evidence they are flying saucers; conversely we have no evidence they are not flying saucers. We don't know what they are,' the spokesman added. "

From the Washington Post, July 28, 1952:

"Military secrecy veils an investigation of the mysterious, glowing aerial objects that showed up on radar screens in the Washington area Saturday night for the second consecutive week.

"A jet pilot sent up by the Air Defense Command to investigate the objects reported he was unable to overtake the glowing lights moving near Andrews Air Force Base.

"The CAA reported reported the objects traveled at 'predominantly lower levels'--about 1700 feet. "

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Finger of the day

By Mona Goldwater, Hand Gestures Editor

shot in Kent, Washington, 12/17/2011

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