Marty Essen's Blog, page 258
January 11, 2019
Knocking Tucker Carlson down a notch
Today is day #5 of my
weeklong final push for “Time Is Irreverent” on Amazon before the February
release of the sequel, “Time Is Irreverent 2: Jesus Christ, Not Again!” At this
moment my novel is an Amazon #1 Best Seller in both the Political Humor and Parodies
categories.
For the third time this year
my book knocked the bigoted Fox News Host Tucker Carlson out of the #1 spot in
Political Humor. And I must say that after Carlson’s recent comments about immigrants
making America “dirtier and more divided,” knocking him down a peg today was
especially satisfying!
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Oh, no! Not another snake!
Marty’s photo of the day #2772: Because I have some followers who are not fond of snakes, I generally avoid posting such photos close together. Since I posted a snake photo earlier this week, when I came across this photo I took of an Amazon tree boa in Peru, I almost passed it by to save for another date. Then I decided, no, this photo is more art than snake. So if you’re one of those people with a learned fear of snakes, look away today. I’ll post something warm and fuzzy tomorrow.
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January 10, 2019
Elephants!
Marty’s photo of the day #2771: Today we go to Zimbabwe, for a shot I took of a mother elephant and her adorable baby.
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January 9, 2019
Close encounters of the duck kind
Marty’s photo of the day #2770: “Am I close enough for my portrait? I can move closer if you want.”
(Mallard duck, photographed in Italy.)
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January 8, 2019
Alligator vs Everglades Racer
Marty’s photo of the day #2769: I’ll let an excerpt from my second book, Endangered Edens: Exploring the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, Costa Rica, the Everglades, and Puerto Rico, explain this shot:
What’s that! My eyes widened.
An Everglades racer was slithering past my knee, heading for the alligator.
“This isn’t going to end well,” I said to myself. But soon the three-foot-long
snake was halfway across the alligator’s tail, where she paused to look around
before continuing on her way.
Although neither snake nor
alligator seemed concerned about each other, I had a dilemma. Do I hang out
with the gator or follow the snake? I carefully backed off and arced around the
bigger of the two reptiles.
Past experience has taught me
that snakes—especially small ones—don’t stick around when humans are present.
This Everglades racer, however, was locked in on a hunting expedition, and
seemingly nothing could distract her. Crawling on my hands and knees, I followed
the snake as she worked her way through the low-growing leafy plants alongside
the road. She was obviously on the trail of something, as she’d stop, flick out
her tongue to pick up the chemical scent of her prey, and adjust her path
accordingly. (Even though a snake can smell through its nostrils, its forked
tongue is more efficient, as it deposits information directly into the
Jacobson’s organ on the roof of its mouth.) Sometimes she’d even crawl in a
circle, but always she’d return to crawling in the direction she had started.
I’m usually tempted to catch
the snakes I find for a brief, up-close examination. This time, however, I was
content to merely observe. She was so focused on her task that not only did I
feel as if I was on the hunting expedition with her, but I could also take some
pretty cool photos at close-range.
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January 7, 2019
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez—making Republicans so, so afraid.
By making Democratic Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez their latest supervillain, the Republicans are unwittingly doing her a favor. She’s already more well-known than many who have served in congress for 30 or more years. I watched the Ocasio-Cortez interview on 60 Minutes last night, and she was poised and intelligent. She’s also on the correct side of the vast majority of issues.
This morning’s right-wing Mallard Fillmore comic strip shows just how low in the gutter Republicans will go to attack her. The comic’s text reads like this: “Mallard’s 2019 New-Years Prediction #9: Unclear of the concept, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez will ask to chair the House Un-American Activities Committee.”
Yes, Bruce Tinsley, the Republican Cult Cartoonist, just called Ocasio-Cortez “Un-American,” because he disagrees with her ideas (and she’s a bright, dark skinned woman, whose father is from the “communist country” of Puerto Rico).
Bruce Tinsley does a great job of representing today’s Republican Cult, using alternative facts to attack people he disagrees with. Once, after getting arrested twice in the same year for driving intoxicated, Tinsley even used his comic strip to attack the sentencing judge. What a great “American” he is!
So whether it’s Tinsley, Trump, or some other Republican cultist trying to get attention by attacking Congresswoman Ocasio-Cortez, they should be very afraid. By the time this is all over, she will have ripped off their tiny bigoted white balls and fed them to the rats.
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Duck vs Swan
Marty’s photo of the day #2768: I bet you’ve always wondered just how much bigger a swan is than a mallard duck. Now you know!
(Photographed in Italy)
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January 6, 2019
It Trump really a fascist?
Is
Donald Trump actually a fascist? Although I often criticize the incompetent
twit, I’ve tried to avoid exaggerating by blatantly calling him a fascist. Then
I saw this:
“The Democrats could solve
the Shutdown problem in a very short period of time. All they have to do is
approve REAL Border Security (including a Wall), something which everyone,
other than drug dealers, human traffickers and criminals, want very badly! This
would be so easy to do!”—Donald Trump tweet, January 5, 2019.
When the leader of a country
claims that those who don’t agree with him are drug dealers, human traffickers,
or criminals, aside from being redundant, that leader is, indeed, acting in a
fascist manner. Add to that the consistent racist component of Trump’s words
and actions, and there is little doubt—Trump is a fascist.
Regarding the photo: Martyman
has read Trump’s tweet, assumed the position, and defiantly declared, “I oppose
the Trump Wall. Come get me bastards!”
I’ll let you know when Trump’s
goons pick him up.
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Fall in British Columbia
Marty’s photo of the day #2767: Today we go with a scenic shot—fall in British Columbia.
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January 5, 2019
Everglades surprise
Marty’s photo of the day #2766: Here’s a photo I took in the Everglades. I was hiking alone, when I heard some shuffling to my right. I cautiously parted a line of bushes to peer over a swampy pond. I expected to find an alligator looking at me, but instead it was this juvenile little green heron. The heron was fishing in a small open area, and she flew back and forth, unaware that I was watching her. In fact, one time she even landed on a branch, less than two feet in front of my face. It was magical!
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