03/07/23 Goo-goo G’Joob! Little Donnie and the Retributions

Share on facebook
Share on google
Share on twitter
Share on linkedin

What if instead of “I am the Walrus,” The Beatles had sung “I am the Retribution”?

Just doesn’t have the same goo-goo g’joob, does it?

Or what if instead of “I am the way, the truth and the life,” J.C. had gone with, “I am the Retribution”?

The Retribution. For what? You lost an election.

“Retribution.”  “Eradication.” “Censure.” “Enemy.”

This is getting a little bellicose, doncha think?

I’m thinking this would be a pretty fun name for a garage/alt band. “Little Donnie and the Retribution.”  Three chords, tops.

You think that comparisons between what’s going on here now and what went on in 1930s Nazi Germany are over-the-top?  Really? Do you know that if I lived in Florida, I’d have to “register” Radically Rational with Ron DeSantis?

This is just too good. Fox “News” has based its empire on lies, and appealing to those who not only tolerate lies but demand them. That has never seemed to bother Fox. In fact, Fox has flouted it. But now Fox executives are freaking out because they got caught telling the truth. They were guilty of An Actual Act of Journalism. Fox, correctly, declared Biden the winner in Arizona before any other media outlet did.

Nice work.

Then the Fox Freak Out went into overdrive. “Oh, crap, we can’t be the ones to break the news to our sheep!” We’ll lose them to Newsmax! Whose fucking idea was it to tell the truth?”

It went this far on election night. Fox thought about “retracting” their truth, because truth is off-brand. They figured it might be better to just issue a retraction and take the heat than to stand by the facts.

“Mea Culpa. We’re sorry. We reported the truth. Hey, nobody’s perfect. Will you forgive us? We’ll never do it again.”

But Tucker Carlson is at it again. Yeah, I’m sure that if you pour over 40,000 hours of Capitol security video that was gifted to you by your executive producer, Kevin McCarthy, you can find some frames of momentary and isolated peacefulness

So that in any way negates or offsets the violent atrocities the rest of the video documents?

Tucker is like a three-year-old who pulls his blankie over his eyes and head and then declares, “You can’t see me!”

The hell we can’t.

Today’s Tuesday Term: Domestic terrorism. It’s what’s for dinner.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published.

Paul's Bio

I clearly have the attention span of your median fruit fly.Look! Airplane!

Sorry. I’m back.

It’s both a curse and a blessing. I’ve never bought this stuff about, “He who dies with the most toys wins.” But I do think that a wide range of life experiences helps us grow as people, and helps us better relate to other people. I’ve been fortunate. And I am beyond grateful.

I show up on time. I go like hell. I’m a good listener. I hold myself accountable. I own my mistakes. And I have a natural and an insatiable curiosity. I’m never afraid to say, “I don’t know,” when I don’t. But then I try to find out.

The flip side is I’m a lousy ballroom dancer and my clothes sometimes fit me funny.

Stuff matters to me. I care. But while I take that stuff seriously, I try hard to never take myself seriously. As a result, I have sometimes been told, “Paul, it’s hard to tell when you’re serious and when you’re just having some fun. Which is it? Serious or fun?”

My answer is “yes.” But I think that is a legitimate criticism. I promise I’m going to work on that.

This has been the quickest and strangest half-century I’ve ever experienced. During that period, I’ve been afforded amazing opportunities in news and sports journalism across all platforms. I have taught wonderful students at the high school and collegiate level. Always, I learned more from them than they did from me. I’ve been a high school administrator. I spent ten seasons as a high school varsity football coach. I’ve been an advertising executive. I’ve hosted nationally syndicated television entertainment shows. In maybe the biggest honor I ever received, I was selected by NASA to be “Chet The Astronaut” for the “Land The Shuttle” simulator at Space Center Houston. (All I can say there, is “Do as I say, not as I do.” I put that thing in the Everglades more often than not.) Most recently, I just wrapped up a decade as a television news director, during which time our teams distinguished themselves in holding the powerful accountable, achieving both critical and ratings success.

What does all that mean? It means I am profoundly grateful. It also means I’m ready for “next.” So here we are. Radically Rational. It’s an idea I woke up with in 2017. I scribbled “Radically Rational” on a piece of notebook paper and used a magnet to stick it on our refrigerator. I saw it every day, and it just would not leave me alone.

I am second in charge at Radically Rational, LLC. My wife, Jo (also known as BB), is the president. Clearly, I have failed in my attempt to sleep my way to the top of this organization.

I hope you will learn that I’m loyal as a Labrador. But I will admit that this doggie can bite every now and then. My promise to you? I will show up on time. I will go like hell. I will listen to you earnestly and attentively. I will hold myself accountable. I will never be the least bit hesitant to say, “I don’t know,” when I don’t.

But then I’ll try to find out. Let’s do it.