Norm Takes On the News
Someone Has to Do It
It has been a while since I’ve done a post with “Norm” in the title. So, with Norm Takes on the News, I am righting that wrong. As an added bonus, this title has a double meaning. Read one way, it could mean what follows are Norm’s “takes” on a few of the news items of the day. Or, it could mean, Norm “takes on” the news, as in Norm accepts the challenge of interpreting the news. See, what I mean? (Referring to myself in the third person is not something I usually do. Let’s just hope Norm doesn’t get used to it.)
Anyway, why don’t I just get on with it?
Headline:
“‘I'm in ruins,' Teary Mike Lindell Tells Judge in Smartmatic Sanctions Hearing”
https://www.yahoo.com/news/im-ruins-teary-mike-lindell-232755368.html?soc_src=social-sh&soc_trk=ma
Norm’s take:
Hahahahahahahaha!!! So, the MyPillow guy, rabid election denier Mike Lindell, says he can’t afford to pay his $56,369 fine for defaming Smartmatic, a voting software company he claimed rigged the 2020 Presidential Election. There was absolutely no evidence to support his bogus claims. Lindell apparently invented them in his atrophied, little pea-brain. Smartmatic sued him and won. Lindell has been trying to dodge paying ever since. The latest legal proceeding was to determine if he was in contempt of the court order to pay the judgment.
Lindell told the judge he couldn’t pay because he was “in ruins” financially. I hope that’s true. I hope the sonofabitch is in ruins. He deserves to be. And, he deserves to be in prison for trying to overthrow our democracy.
But, he’s not the only one. There are many others who should be in prison, too.
And, by the way, I can’t help but wonder if Lindell is really as poor as he says he is. Don’t rich folks keep large, untraceable amounts of cash in the Cayman Islands or in Swiss banks, just in case? Was he not smart enough to do that? H’mmm . . .
Headline:
“Senate Democrats Who Took Heat for Government Shutdown Vote Now Feel Vindicated”
Norm’s take:
This news story is about Senate Democrats, led by Senate Minority Leader, Chuck Schumer of New York, who helped the Republicans pass a government funding bill, which averted a government shutdown in March.
They took a lot of criticism at the time for rolling over and giving the Criminal-in-Chief even more power by capitulating to his demands for keeping the government open.
I was among those who were blasting Schumer and his cohorts for being lily-livered weaklings. (Actually, I’ve never used the word “lily-livered” in my entire life. Well, today’s the day. There’s a first time for everything, I guess.)
I wanted them to fight. I wanted them to let the Republicans shutdown the government. I figured Republicans and the Criminal-in-Chief would get blamed for the chaos that followed.
But just over a month later, the Criminal’s idiotic tariffs have tanked the stock market, his poll numbers on economic issues are way down, and there is a general unease over the direction of the country. And, in a big surprise, some supporters are beginning to blame the asshole in the White House.
The Democrats who were criticized for keeping the government open are now feeling vindicated. Maine Senator Angus King, an Independent who caucuses with the Dems, and is one of the non-Republicans who voted for the bill to keep the government open, said of that vote:
“We would have handed (the Criminal-in-Chief) a gift. Anything bad that happened to the economy would have been blamed on us.”
I don’t know, maybe that is true. Maybe the “Lily-livered Ten” did the right thing by giving this criminal administration enough rope to hang themselves.
This time.
At some point, though, opposing the fascists is going to require going on the offensive and taking the fight to them, instead of waiting for them to screw up.
Headline:
People Are Calling Out RFK Jr. For His "Vile" And "Disgusting" Comments About Children With Autism
https://www.yahoo.com/news/rfk-jr-most-recent-claiming-183417719.html?soc_src=social-sh&soc_trk=ma
Norm’s take:
This guy, this Robert F Kennedy, Jr, is . . . uh, I don’t even know what to say about him anymore. His latest bout of public ignorance was on display when he recently went off on children with autism, saying:
"And these are kids who will never pay taxes, they'll never hold a job, they'll never play baseball, they'll never write a poem. They'll never go out on a date. Many of them will never use a toilet unassisted. And we have to recognize, we are doing this to our children."
Christ, what is wrong with this fucking guy? Does it really need to be said that people with autism do, indeed, pay taxes, hold jobs, play ball, and write beautiful poetry? That they go out on dates, marry, and have families? And, I dare say they all can navigate the complexities of using the toilet without any assistance.
A New York Times story mentioned that "scientists have not ruled out the possibility that both genes and environmental factors could influence whether a child develops autism, but there is no evidence to suggest that autism can be avoided.” (my italics)
In other words, once again RFK Jr talked out of his ass on a subject he knew nothing about. What he said was ignorant and offensive. Is anyone surprised?
Headline:
US Will Abandon Ukraine Peace Efforts ‘within days’ If No Progress Made, Rubio Warns
https://www.cnn.com/2025/04/18/europe/rubio-russia-war-in-ukraine-us-talks-intl-hnk
Norm’s Take:
Well, well, well, so much for ending Putin’s war of aggression against Ukraine on Day One, if not before. The Lying Liar in the White House is now desperate for a way out his commitment to end this awful war. It kind of looks like he never even had a plan, doesn’t it?
Oh, wait, I forgot, the Orange Idiot did have a plan. It was for the Ukrainians to bow down and give Putin whatever he wants. Some plan. Could it be that during the campaign, he was simply spouting more of his nonsensical braggy bullshit that no one should ever take seriously? Uhhh . . . could be.
I know I have been harping on the Criminal’s commitment to end the war in Ukraine a lot. And, I’m going to keep on harping on it. He said he would end it immediately, and he didn’t. Even if by some miracle, he does play a part in eventually ending this war, he didn’t do what he said he would. As a result, Ukrainians have continued to die defending their country.
Headline:
From Blastoff To Backlash: Blue Origin’s All-Female Mission Under Fire
Norm’s Take:
You know, I can’t get too worked up about this one way or the other. On the one hand, I am all for women doing anything they want. Empowering women makes our society better in every way.
And, I have no problem with rich folks enjoying their wealth. Going for a joyride on a rocket is not something I could ever afford, but for anyone who can afford it, have at it, what do I care?
On the other hand, though, didn’t it seem as if these women were used as props in a splashy PR event for the benefit of Jeff Bezos and his rocket company?
To the women who rode the Jeff Bezos Express, I would say this:
Don’t call yourselves a “crew”, like you were operating a spaceship and conducting scientific experiments. Don’t refer to your form-fitting designer outfits as “spacesuits”. Don’t expect to receive the adulation of an adoring nation for going on a joyride. Don’t pretend this short excursion was groundbreaking or pioneering for the advancement and empowerment of women. Don’t think this was anything more than an attention-seeking photo op for everyone involved.
A lot of the flak directed at these women has been unfair. Riding on a rocket was cool for them individually, but of little importance to the rest of society. Perhaps they attracted so much criticism because they failed to realize that.
Thanks for reading Norm Takes On the News. Norm just might have to do it again sometime.
To my newsworthy subscribers, thank you for your support.
And, don’t be afraid to scroll to the bottom and hit that Like button! (But, only if you really mean it.)
Something to say about Norm Takes On the News? Well, then . . .
Norm,
I liked your double meaning in your title. It is very effective in getting your point across.
As for the news....
Mike Lindell is no better than any other Trump sycophant. He saw this as a business opportunity and he saw Trump get away with so much lying and making money off of it. The problem is, he doesn't have the cult following that Trump has. He is not immune to the liability verdict from him slandering Smartmatic. And like all other Trump toadies, he was left out to dry when consequences showed up. He gets what he gets. I hope he does go to jail. That is the only way these people will understand that they can't continue to get away with misinformation and lying to the public.
As for the Democrats voting to keep the government open, it was just a luck of fate that it worked out the way it did. As you said, this time.
RFK Jr. continues to be a dumpster fire. I heard on a video yesterday that they are going to put together a registry for all autistic people. This is a huge problem given who he has tapped for the job. From what I understand, he has appointed some guy, who also doesn't have a medical license, and who worked with his father who chemically castrated autistic patients for no reason. And, isn't this similar to what Hitler did, the registry? The parallels to Hitler just keep on coming. Fascism has made it to the White House.
The writing was on the wall for Ukraine when Trump was elected. All you have to do is see where Trump called Ukraine the aggressor when anybody with two brain cells could see that Russia invaded Ukraine.
And, last but not least, the women who went to space. I understand why you are neutral about this. But because I am an engineer, I see this as a slap in the face. The women who actually train to be astronauts had to go through a bunch of crap to even get in the NASA program. It's an insult to say that a bunch of pampered high profile women are symbols of women empowerment. As you said, it was nothing more than the equivalent of a space joyride photo op.
Have a good weekend!
Hi Norm,
I completely understand you not wanting to bash those women. That's where I come in 🙂
It's raining today where I live, so I probably won't get much gardening done. But I may go to Lowes to get my flower fix...it's an addiction. Also, I have two term papers due by next week. I'm trying to get a head start so I'm not scrambling to finish them next weekend.
Have a great weekend!