Victory is ours, sayeth the slow spokes

BY JOE GENCO

A Short Take on Today’s News:

• Victory is ours, sayeth the Slow Spokes! Elves unite! We will rule the world! Thanks Mark Mitri for leading with love. The world needs more Slow Spokes. Love more. Judge less. Come ride with Slow Roll next year and in Tonawanda. More yellow shirts make the world a better place.
• Federal campaign finance violations have a 5-year statute of limitations. Does that supersede the notion a sitting President cannot be indicted? I think so.
• Rep. Nancy Pelosi has secured the votes needed to be Speaker when the new Congress is sworn in in 2019. She agreed to term limits for speakers: 3, 2-year terms and a 4th with a supermajority. Sounds good, now apply the first part to all Representatives.
• WNY Weather: Sameness but turning a bit warmer, 5 (41) with scattered snow today. A bit warmer Friday, 7 (44) with more rain and a bit of snow.
• Prime Minister Theresa May survived a no-confidence vote in Britain’s parliament. Her job is safe. For now.
• Former Trump fixer Michael Cohen was sentenced to 3 years in jail for campaign finance violations and lying to Congress, in other words, Wednesday in the time of Trump.
• Under President Trump, the US debt grew the size of the Brazil economy in just 2 years. That is a huge amount. We need a conservative Republican as President to reign in spending and respect our Constitution and rights. I don’t say it often enough. Thank you for liking, sharing and commenting upon Short Take. Whether you lurk and never like, or share every day, I appreciate that you embrace me. We should all lead with love and be a catalyst for more civil dialogue. It improves our world when we listen to, and respect, those whose opinions differ.
• Sen. Heidi Heitkamp, a North Dakota Senator who served a single term, bid farewell. She lost her seat when Republicans suppressed the First Nation Vote, but it didn’t make it into mainstream media reports of her farewell speech. Native Votes Count! I call bullshit.
• $7 million in drugs were confiscated from a truck crossing the Rio Grande from Mexico. It’s how most drugs enter the United States. More Border Patrol would help increase confiscations. That is more important than any memorial wall a hate yam can build.
• The chasm between a hero and a coward. Contrasting the Patriotism, honor, and service of Robert Mueller with that of Donald Trump. When my ankle hurts, I do CrossFit anyway. Fuck your bone spurs, pussy.
• Another day, another frontpage Fox story on Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. This time there were two to choose from. I chose one about a spat with conservative provocateur and former MLB pitcher Curt Schilling. If Fox promotes her, I will. Fun to see it has helped the news channel finally get over Hillary. I am sure Ocasio-Cortez appreciates the publicity.
• Americans lacking health insurance have increased to 500,000 in the time of Trump. That number declined steadily under the Affordable Care Act but those times are over. Uninsured Americans dropped from 44 million in 2013 to 27 million in 2016. Maybe this is what it means to “Make America White Again.”
• Abalone is a delicacy I have never tasted. Recreational diving has been suspended for 2 more years. A few years ago, we spoke with abalone divers in Mendocino County, carrying ling cod they speared. “See any sharks down there?” I asked. “We can’t tell anyone that or we would not be allowed to fish here anymore.”
• Boyd Curiosity: Not every language has a written form. Of the 3,000 languages spoken, only 150 can write. (of course, Boyd wrote that in 1986. Things have changed.)
• The Raiders have no place to play next season.
• Boyd Curiosity: What were Pablo Picasso’s dying words? “Drink to me.” (Sir Paul wrote a song about it.)
• The Tre White Goalie Academy of Louisiana (at Buffalo) is growing.
• Sizing up the Bills/Jets debacle in an All-22 sort of way.
• It’s time to move on from LeSean McCoy. The Bills need to get younger and faster. There is no need for tying up that much salary on a running back who is on the downside.
• Check out the video buried in this article about razzle-dazzle Rasmus. Crazy. Reminds me of Brian Leetch.