There are a couple of things I want to get out of the way. Recently, Mr. Bill “QAnon” Suhayda descended from the mother ship (where he’s been busy deflecting Jewish space lasers and, with the My Pillow Guy, searching through cyberspace to find the missing Trump votes hijacked from Dominion voting machines) to cast some shade on what I and two other readers of The Voice have written. I’m not going to debate with Mr. Bill because it’s useless. His arguments are built on a faulty premise. Arguing against his arguments would be akin to arguing with a flat-earther. What’s the point? Addressing other items in Mr. Bill’s shade: Who were the members of Congress who voted unanimously to protect the environment, lower medical costs, and improve health services for veterans, and which party voted unanimously against all those things? November’s coming, dear readers.
Because I’ve touched on the veterans, here’s something that sticks in my craw, which is getting full of sticky things and you know how painful that can be. Why is it veterans are looked upon by much of Congress as an annoying loose nail that needs to be pounded back into place every so often? Politicians will praise the veterans (except for draft-dodger Donald Trump who called them “suckers” and didn’t want disabled vets in his July 4 parade because “they would look bad”) and shed a phony tear of thanks for their service. That’s where it ends. It’s only recently Vietnam vets suffering from the effects of thousands of tons of Agent Orange dumped on them have received any recognition, or government help.
Did you see where The Onion satirically predicted in a 2017 article, shortly after Trump’s inauguration, that classified documents containing information on our nuclear weapons and codes would end up stored at a Mar-a-Lago? What was once farce is now fact because those documents were actually discovered there by the F.B.I., along with dozens of McDonald’s collectible toys and some phony Matell bone spurs. I wonder what Trump planned to do with all that stuff (the nuclear documents, not the McD toys or bone spurs)? He’s been cozy with the Saudis on the golf course and has long played kissy face with Vladmir. And Trump’s been short of cash. Nuclear codes would bring a good buck at a Mar-a-Lago garage sale or posted on Ahmed’s List. Toss in Ivanka to seal the deal. Can you say “espionage?” Sure, I knew you could. Mr. Bill’s deity, No. 45, is goin’ down. Just one more thing to say to Trump: “As you sew, so shall you reap,” and “What goes around, comes around.” Okay, so it was two things.
Sad news about the passing of Olivia Newton-John. Based on the tributes to her, she was well-liked. The other day I was speaking with my friend Gail in Beverly Hills. She said Olivia was the nicest female she’d ever known. She met Olivia when Gail’s best friend, Michele, was marrying John Travolta’s brother. Olivia and her husband were staying at John’s home. They’d become friends with the Travolta family when she and John were filming Grease. Gail, Michele, and Olivia, spent time together sightseeing and shopping in Beverly Hills. In one jewelry store, Michele spotted a beautiful, expensive ring she loved. Olivia bought it for her. “Think of it as part of your wedding present,” she said.
Some years back at a party, I happened to be talking with Grease director Randal Kleiser and he, too, had nothing but praise for her. She will be missed by many, me included.