Quick Hits

 As I close out my 50’s this week (yes, 60 is a big number), here are a few random thoughts and observations in a wild week --- and it’s only Thursday.

·        Leana Wen, director of Planned Parenthood is out after eight months, prompting a twitterstorm of comments about terminating her before full term.  Ironically, she was allegedly terminated for advocating the expansion of health services at the organization.   But the board decided that it needs to be singularly focused on abortion.  The NRA likewise has had leadership problems because it, too, is trying to expand into other pet right wing causes instead of sticking to its primary purpose—defending the Second Amendment.   The difference between the two is that the NRA never denied that it was primarily in the Second Amendment business.

·        Continuing with irony, on this 50^th anniversary of the moon landing, arguably one of the greatest and sole achievements of government in the last century, the new vision of these Democrats is providing free health care for the entire Western hemisphere and giving them all the keys to our house.

·        Also in the irony category, Mike Collins visited the launch pad of Apollo 11 for the 50^th anniversary.  Neil Armstrong passed away seven years ago and Buzz Aldrin canceled. So, just as he was alone 50 years ago while Armstrong and Aldrin walked on the moon, so again was Collins for the 50^th anniversary.

·        And in yet another stroke of irony, House Speaker Pelosi was temporarily relieved of her duties for violating house rules by calling Donald Trump a “racist.”

·        In a poll, 87% of Jews in the U.K. believe that Jeremy Corbyn and the Labor Party are anti-Semitic, which is, as one commentator noted, “is quite an accomplishment for Corbyn, since it is impossible to get 87% of Jews to agree on anything.”

·        After all the hoopla over the Mueller investigation and hush money payments, a judge ended the investigation into the hush money payments.  Put a pin in it.

·        Closer to home, several acquaintances agreed that the most durable and least likely leaders to be deposed over the next five years are Vladimir Putin of Russia, Xi Jinping of China, Kim Jong Un of North Korea and Michael Madigan of Illinois.

·        Also close to home, Chicago mayor Lori Lightfoot approached Illinois governor J.B. Pritzker about having the state take over the city pensions (which are 23% funded).  Pritzker declined (for now) but look to that issue to be raised again.  A consolidation would make it easier to go hat in hand to the feds for a bailout.  You can almost hear the rhetoric, “You did it for Wall Street.  How about us?”

·        And finally, Chance the Snapper, the alligator captured in Chicago’s Humboldt Park, is moving to a sanctuary in Florida.  He also sees the writing on the wall.

·        Lastly, after the Nike decision to go woke on the Betsy Ross flag, I combed my wardrobe and found one nice Nike golf shirt.  Thanks to Amazon, I was able to order a Betsy Ross flag patch and fix the shirt (see above), sewing the patch over the Nike swoosh.  Never let a good golf shirt go to waste.