As mentioned previously, I did not watch the Republican convention.  It was widely known that the Party was intent upon rebranding the brash, petulant, infantile Trump, as a stolid law n’ order leader, — “just the man that we need.” 

I can’t stomach the lies.   A lesson of life, learned by dint of experience, is everyone discloses one way or another, the truth about themselves through their behavior.  The behavior of the President has been misogynistic, racist, and imperious for the last four years.  That’s who he is, — never mind the BS and glitz that he or his Party serves up for our consumption.  If you haven’t noticed, then it is a cinch that events in your past cause you to believe, “he is really a good man.”

The Republican convention transported me back in memory to a time that has passed, when the county fair featured burlesque shows along the midway.  (Las Vegas comes to Durham, N. C) I was thirteen, and hormones were raging.  Nothing could have been more tantalizing than hearing the Barker feature the line up of seductively clad women, standing in a line on the stage front.  My imagination raced like a team of galloping horses, unleashed from my very ordinary life.  What wonderful sights were in store for anyone who laid down his money for admission? 

The Republican nominating convention was nothing more than a tawdry, burlesque show.  Is there a chance that Trump is a good man?  None at all.

While walking along 3rd street in Geneva I noticed these signs prominently displayed in a empty lot.  The message conveys the challenge which history has determined we must answer in this time that we live.  Does a Black life matter?  Are all individuals worthy of respect, equal treatment in a more just society?  Another picture depicts the two signs which we have displayed in our front yard.

The outcome of the November 3rd election will determine the type of society a majority of Americans desire to make home.

Finally, a splendid rock tune written by Dennis DeYoung.  The song speaks for itself.

The Grand Illusion

By Styx

Welcome to the Grand illusion
Come on in and see what’s happening
Pay the price, get your tickets for the show
The stage is set, the band starts playing
Suddenly your heart is pounding
Wishing secretly you were a star.

But don’t be fooled by the radio
The TV or the magazines
They show you photographs of how your life should be
But they’re just someone else’s fantasy
So if you think your life is complete confusion
Because you never win the game
Just remember that it’s a Grand illusion
And deep inside we’re all the same.
We’re all the same…

So if you think your life is complete confusion
Because your neighbors got it made
Just remember that it’s a Grand illusion
And deep inside we’re all the same.
We’re all the same…

America spells competition, join us in our blind ambition
Get yourself a brand new motor car
Someday soon we’ll stop to ponder what on Earth’s this spell we’re under
We made the grade and still we wonder who the hell we are

Lyrics by Dennis DeYoung

The Grand Illusion is the seventh studio album by Styx, released in 1977. It became the band’s first Triple Platinum album, and spawned the Top 10 hit “Come Sail Away” and the Top 30 hit “Fooling Yourself”.