Wednesday Potpourri

First, Karine Jean-Pierre might count as the most incompetent press secretary on record, but at least she’s entertaining. Two days ago she was trying to pronounce the names of Hawaii’s two senators. She got both of them wrong. Better yet, she misgendered one of them.

The New York Post has the story:

Jean-Pierre mispronounced the names of Sen. Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii) and Sen. Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii). The press secretary did not remember that Hirono, the first female senator from the Aloha State, is actually a woman.

“Senator Harino [sic], who I said the president spoke to just last night, he thanked the president for the immediate support of federal agencies have delivered for residents of Hawaii and so does, has, so has Senator Shorts, Sharts — Schatz.”

Second, to top it off, and to close out her bad week, KJP forgot herself and forgot who she was. She tweeted this:

When I ran for President, I made a promise that I would leave no part of the country behind.

We are dealing with the most incompetent administration in American history. If you needed the Lahaina fires to persuade you, you have not been paying attention.

Third, to address a subject that no one talks about, rates of erectile dysfunction in America have nearly doubled in recent years, to around 30 million cases.

Of course, we have lots of explanations, beginning with the fact that men in certain states are more likely to talk about their problems, etc.

Anyway, this is determined by the number of prescriptions for Viagra.

The interesting and puzzling part is that the increase is being led by progressive men in blue states. Men in red states are not signing up for more Viagra. 

Again, we have no idea about what is causing this softening, and we certainly do not want to blame ideology or even feminism, but, it is surely interesting.

Fourth, speaking of sex, we have just learned that Barack Obama, when he was a young man, wrote to a girlfriend that he fantasizes about making love to men every day. This would make him America’s first gay president. 

Obama also qualified that he limited his homosexual activities to his imagination, and never acted on them. Does anyone really believe that?

Fifth, in the free speech wars, we have the case of one Marlene Barbera. Suffering from breast cancer, she was scheduled for surgery. 

But then, she managed to comment on a transgender flag hanging in the waiting room of the Richmond Family Medical Clinic, and the outraged clinical staff canceled her surgery.

Here is the report:

Marlene didn’t march up to the front desk and make a fuss about the flag to the staff. She didn’t take a picture and write up a social media post about it. Instead, she wrote a private message to her doctor through her MyChart portal that shared her feelings about the banner.

Still, she was punished, as the clinic refuse to provide her with proper medical care. I had been under the impression that clinics and hospitals do not have the right to deprive patients of medical care, but I guess that certain thought crimes are the exception that proves the rule.

Sixth, meanwhile back in Afghanistan, the Taliban government has eradicated the opium poppy crop. This does not make America, which occupied the country for two decades, look very efficient or very serious.

Seventh, when it comes to the glory of science the satirical Babylon Bee is on the case. If  you had doubted for an instant how much science has contributed to our civilization, the Bee has the answer:

Before science, the world was filled with primitive savages who thought there were only two genders. It was a dark, oppressive time when unaffirmed trans people were committing suicide by the thousands — but so secretly that there was never any record of it. Then, once science had been invented, experiments using advanced ideologies demonstrated conclusively that men could get pregnant, and that women could experience both the pain of childbirth and testicle injuries. It was a time of enlightenment, inclusion, and profitability at children's sex surgery centers. But it was also a time of deep confusion due to widespread bigotry, biology textbooks, and so-called "common sense." That's why we wrote this book — not just to clear away your confusion (Chapter 1), but to shame you into compliance (the rest of it). Preorder it now for less than you'd spend in tips at your local drag queen story hour.

Eighth, on a more personal note, I am currently finishing a new book, called: “Can’t We All Just Get Along?” As you can tell from the title, it is timely and topical. Now I am looking for a literary agent or a publisher or both. If you have any suggestions or recommendations, please write to me via my personal email: StuartSchneiderman@gmail.com.