Hi everyone,

Welcome back!  How are you?  We had a big issue here yesterday:  It appears that the free weekly paper now comes out on Thursday instead of Wednesday, so there was no rock and roll crossword puzzle for BDH and Little Buddha to work on in the afternoon!  That was disappointing.  The guys handled it with their usual grace, but I felt bad.  Hopefully we'll be able to get the new issue today without any further complications.  First, let's check out the headlines.  There's a fresh pot of coffee on the counter, so grab yourself a nice medium DD, because it's time to clear out some Clutter.

Barack Obama dismantled Donald Trump and reminded everyone what an actual president sounds like during his Democratic National Convention speech last night.  One of the biggest strengths the Democrats have between now and November is that Obama can finally get off the sidelines and speak out clearly and forcefully like he did on Wednesday.  You know that's going to drive Donald Trump crazy.  (Oh wait, that already happened.)  Here's an excerpt of Obama's remarks:

"I have sat in the Oval Office with both of the men who are running for president. I never expected that my successor would embrace my vision or continue my policies. I did hope, for the sake of our country, that Donald Trump might show some interest in taking the job seriously; that he might come to feel the weight of the office and discover some reverence for the democracy that had been placed in his care," Obama said. "But he never did.

For close to four years now, he has shown no interest in putting in the work; no interest in finding common ground; no interest in using the awesome power of his office to help anyone but himself and his friends; no interest in treating the presidency as anything but one more reality show that he can use to get the attention he craves."

Look at the above.  It has complete, coherent, and reality-based sentences.  We'd almost forgotten what those sounded like coming from someone who worked in the Oval Office.  We're looking forward to hearing more from Obama in the weeks ahead.

Missed by decent Americans.  (pic via kpq.com)

Senator Kamala Harris formally accepted the Democratic vice presidential nomination last night, making her the first Black and South Asian woman in that position in our country's history.  She also took aim at Trump, criticizing him for his racist policies and mishandling of the coronavirus pandemic, among other things.  Harris promised to look out for the voiceless who have been left behind during this administration.

Senator Elizabeth Warren spoke last night to try to fire up progressive enthusiasm for the Biden/Harris ticket, (with the letters "BLM" spelled out in blocks behind her.)  She touted the variety of plans the potential new administration has in mind for the country, plans which were hers in the first place.  We still wish she was the one accepting the nomination tonight, but "Treasury Secretary Warren" has a nice ring to it.  If there is an administration change after November, it will be as important as ever for progressives to continue their advocacy efforts to move the White House more in their direction.  It can be done, but it will take work.

Meanwhile, Donald Trump still refuses to confirm that he will leave the White House if he loses in November.  That's as un-American as it gets.  Whatever our partisan differences, our leaders have always recognized the results of our democratic elections.  To ignore them is the act of a desperate wannabe-dictator.  If Joe Biden is elected president, we have confidence the Secret Service will drag Trump out of the White House, even if the Great Pumpkin is kicking and screaming along the way.  However, in order to make that happen, everyone needs to vote.

Over 173,000 Americans have died from the coronavirus, and Donald Trump's focus is on calling for a boycott of Goodyear for supposedly banning MAGA hats.  Pathetic.  Turns out, conservatives are huge fans of "cancel culture" when their feelings are hurt.  We're also not sure how attacking a company based in Ohio is a good move for a guy desperate to win re-election.  However, nothing comes before Trump's perpetual need to feel outraged and slighted.  It has to be exhausting to be that insecure.

Speaker Nancy Pelosi said Postmaster General Louis DeJoy told her he has no plans to roll back the changes that have already happened at the U.S. Postal Service.  That's unacceptable.  As a result, lawsuits by voting rights groups, civil rights groups, and various attorneys general against DeJoy are expected to move forward. 

There's expected to be a $600 million settlement to help the victims of the Flynt, Michgan, water crisis, assuming a federal judge approves the deal.  We don't know if that's the right amount or not, but people should be facing criminal charges here.  Government officials were negligent at every step of this emergency which caused suffering for thousands, but Attorney General Dana Nessel doesn't seem interested in prosecuting anyone.  It's a close cousin of white collar crime, and we know the United States doesn't take that seriously.

Savers have been punished for years with few worthwhile conservative income-producing vehicles to hold their money, and today's environment isn't helping, with interest rates so low.  That's frustrating, but it's also concerning, because it's sending some people into the stock market with money that maybe they really shouldn't be putting there.  That also increases risk by driving the market higher than is warranted by reality.  With economic uncertainty currently so high in this country, we're just asking for trouble here.

BlackBerry phones are apparently coming back in 2021!  We loved ours back in the day.  The only reason we switched was because the phone needed a new trackball, and they were no longer making them at that point.  There haven't been many details released about the new phones, but here's hoping this comeback works out.  It's always good to have options.

Of course, Apple is now a $2 trillion company, so we're not saying that they're staying up at night worrying about BlackBerry's return, but choices are helpful.

Hey, the Boston Red Sox beat the Philadelphia Phillies 6-3 last night to snap their nine-game losing streak and improve to 7-18 on the "season."  The Sox now start a series against the Baltimore Orioles tonight, with Nate Eovaldi looking to recover from his last rough outing.

Fox Sports announcer Thom Brennaman has been suspended after being caught saying a homophobic slur on TV during last night's Cincinnati Reds - Kansas City Royals game.   He apologized shortly afterwards, but it fell flat to these ears when he said, "That is not who I am, it never has been."  That's who you are when you say those words.  No one forced them to come out of Brennaman's mouth.  No specifics were released about the length of the suspension at this time, or whether or not it will also impact his football announcing duties for Fox.

Congratulations to Olivia Wilde, who will reportedly be directing a new movie for Sony featuring someone from the Marvel Universe.  It hasn't been confirmed yet, but Spider-woman appears to be the likely character.  Can't say we know that character well, but we're curious to see what Wilde comes up with for her.

Okay kids, that's going to do it for now.  Feeling a P!nk vibe at the moment, so here she is to close things out with, "Don't Let Me Get Me," for today's, "Song of the Day."

Thanks for stopping by, everyone.  It's always a treat to see you.  We don't want to be getting hopes up again, but BDH and Little Buddha say you're still welcome to come back later to help them with the rock and roll crossword puzzle later (assuming it does come out today, of course.)  Otherwise, be good, wear your masks, and we'll catch up with all of you again soon.  Until next time, that's today's Clearing out the Clutter, and we are outta here.