My superpower is the ability to irritate most everyone on both sides of any given issue. Allow me to demonstrate.
Joe Biden is well on his way to making Donald Trump look like a freakin’ genius.
In just over eight months Biden has presided over a $1 a gallon increase in gasoline at the pumps, been damn near incoherent on the alarming uptick in COVID-19 infections, silent on the steep rise in crime, mute on the honest-to-gawd crisis on the border, ineffective in healing the growing racial divide, a catalyst in spurring inflation, and brought the job market to the edge of a cliff.
Oh, and lest we forget, he broke the one American principle I thought no president would ever — ever — break — he left Americans behind enemy lines in a time of war.
Now, before you jerk your knee out of joint to call me a Trump sycophant, you should know that I opposed Trump both times he ran. I found his conduct — beginning to end — unworthy of the presidency. What he did on Jan. 6 was particularly awful.
Truth is we needed a real leader post Trump. Instead we got Biden.
And thus ends the demonstration of my superpower. It’s a gift.
ON BEHALF OF MUSHROOMS EVERYWHERE
The County of Marin is spending $150k with an L.A. outfit called BiasSync. The company is testing county employees to measure how much unconscious bias they have against Blacks, women and LGBTQ+ people.
Funny thing, though. When reporter Richard Halstead of the Independent Journal asked to see the overall results of the test, the county not only said “no,” it said “gudgawd no!”
No one outside the county bureaucracy can see the results because “the results could be misinterpreted and used in a manner inconsistent with the benefits of the program and could chill participation moving forward.”
Think about that for a bit. The people who foot the bill for the study can’t see the results. Why? Well, maybe it’s because our county employees overwhelmingly hate Black People, disdain women and look down on LGBTQ+ folk.
Or, maybe it’s just the opposite.
Or, perhaps, somewhere in between.
We’ll never know, apparently, because the county’s ruling class think you, as a Marin County citizen, are too damn stupid to properly understand the nuances of the BiasSync work.
On behalf of mushrooms everywhere, here’s a tip of the hat to Richard Halstead. Keep asking those “good trouble” questions. Also, and this is just an idea, check and see who’s brother-in-law runs BiasSync.
WHAT I’M WATCHING
Season 11 of Vera is now out. If you like British mystery shows, check out Vera. It doesn’t get much better. I binged seasons 1 through 10. Had to wait for season 11 to start. It does not disappoint, pet.
ONE MORE THING
— I showed my Facebook page to my therapist. She now wants to talk to all of my friends.
— What did our grandparents do to kill boredom before the Internet? I asked my 12 aunts and uncles. They didn’t know either.
— If two vegans get into a fight, is it still a beef?
— I asked the beekeeper for a dozen bees. He gave me 13. I said, “Sir, you gave me an extra bee.” He said “That’s a freebie.”
— This picture made me smile.
I can’t believe it’s the middle of September. Time flies when you’re having fun. Thanks for reading Marin’s best and most interesting English speaking weekly newspaper that comes out on Wednesdays. Until next week, be kind, laugh a little and always question authority.
(Sherman Frederick is an award-winning journalist and publisher of Marin’s finest community newspapers. You can reach him by email at shermfrederick@gmail.com, or by phone at 415-408-1073.)
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