UNITED STATES: Washington DC – The Trump Show

After months upon months of hearing about the damage reaped upon the world stage by our aggressively incompetent president, I find myself in the city where the most repugnant and consequential reality TV show is being produced. This repellent production is shouldered at the expense of taxpayers and has caused immeasurable damage to our democracy. As this brooding reprobate attempts to rewrite history and reality itself, the trust of our allies is being eroded while our enemies are emboldened. Seventy five years of NATO is under threat and the Middle East destabilized once again because of the bilious bastard in the White House as his virulent neo-fascist, pseudo-populism spreads far and wide.

Thankfully, a perfect storm of Ukraine, Syria, and endless emoluments violations are bringing this presidency to a tipping point. Exhausted Republicans weary of defending the indefensible, are jumping ship, and cracks are beginning to form within the ranks. Hopefully, this clown show will end up being canceled due to poor ratings.

Climate denial is the crime this Bozo will be most remembered for since his inaction will contribute to immeasurable suffering in the coming decades. Not only he failed to respond, but he has made matters worse through his aggressive climate denial, support of Big Oil, and the relaxing of restrictions for drilling and encroachment onto public lands. He and his other dinosaur pals in DC continue to peddle their influence for Jurassic & Cretaceous fuel corporations, as they encourage civilization to go the way of the giant reptiles. At a time when we needed a “man on the moon” moment in response to Global Warming, we got “Space Force” instead.

These times remind me of the end of the movie “Planet of the Apes” when Charleton Heston is on his knees on a beach where he finds the Statue of Liberty mostly buried. “YOU MANIACS!, he cries out, in response to mankind squandering its existence. I felt just like that as I went diving around the world in 2018. Half of the Great Barrier Reef is dead, and its foremost expert has been known to say that the rest of it will be gone in ten years. I visited a number of former diving paradises (Fiji, Bonaire, The Maldives) last year only to find reef systems that were mostly dead or dying.

This brings me to the optimistic part of this rant. The younger generation is waking up to the fact that their futures have been sold off by a bunch of greedy oligarchs, politicians, and corporations. Our visit to DC begins shortly at Fire Drill Fridays, a weekly rally and civil disobedience held on the grounds of the Capitol building. Donald Trump is the poster boy for Global Warming because greed is the driving force of climate change, and he is the ultimate embodiment of greed, the likes of which you have never seen, emphasis his.

DULLES AIRPORT – WASHINGTON DC – OUR NATIONS CAPITOL

What a disgrace this airport is! There were double the amount of people backed up out of the picture. Essentially, they thought it would be a good idea to have 3-4 immigration officers to service 2,000 weary travelers. I waited longer to get into my own country than I spent entering other countries for the previous nine months consecutively. Two hours, it took for them to figure out that they needed some assistance which is the time I wasted getting through the debacle. When it was finally my turn, I got some smarmy guy who started giving me the tenth degree about where I’d been. He cut me off at country number ten and sent me on my way.

DC METRO – The airport may suck, but I found the subway compelling, clean, well-organized, and pleasant to use. In fact, on the whole, Washington is a damn nice city. People have been friendly, there are green zones throughout, and the food is eclectic.

COFFERED CEILINGS – A NICE CLASSIC TOUCH

FIRE DRILL FRIDAYS – Jane Fonda is fired up about climate change, and has moved to DC to prove it. Fifty years after the Vietnam War protests she’s back engaging in civil disobedience to wake up the general population. Every Friday you will see her on this spot, hosting speakers and speaking out about Global Warming and the need for a Green New Deal. After the rallies, she plans to block traffic and get arrested.

The upsetting part of the experience is that there were fewer people in attendance than the line for customs at the airport. It seems like Extinction Rebellion is better organized.

SAM WATERSTON GIVES JANE A HUG

REGRETTABLY SMALL TURNOUT – BUT MORE THAN ENOUGH TO FILL UP A BUNCH OF JAIL CELLS

GREEN NEW DEAL NOW

THIS NATIVE AMERICAN WAS DEMONSTRATING AGAINST THE DAKOTA PIPELINE. SINCE THEN THERE HAVE BEEN TWO MAJOR SPILLS ON THAT SITE. THE MOST RECENT TOTALLED OUT AT 383,000 GALLONS OF OIL.

NO MORE BUSINESS AS USUAL

This young lady was admitted to her college of choice but opted to put it on hold for the sake of pursuing climate activism instead.

This oscar-winning actress is giving her time and dedication to help preserve the planet for the younger generation. Unfortunately, another glitch was that the PA system malfunctioned and she was forced to use a bullhorn.

This old bugger will be taking the dirt nap in 20 years or so, but it’s the younger generations that matter now. He’s still trying to find a viable means of making a contribution by supporting the organizations committed to curtailing global warming.

#WE LEAVE WHEN TRUMP LEAVES

SMITHSONIAN AERONAUTICS MUSEUM

SPIRIT OF ST. LOUIS

LUNAR MODULE

MERCURY – FRIENDSHIP 7

By orbiting the Earth on February 20, 1962, John Glenn showed that the United States could compete with the Soviet Union in the Cold War space race.

APOLLO – SOYUZ  CREWS – Tom Stafford and Alexei Leonov – Commanders

APOLLO-SOYUZ SPACECRAFTS – DOCKING POSITION

EXPERIMENTAL SPACECRAFT

Simulation of Orville Wright piloting the first successful aircraft.

FIRST SUCCESSFUL FLIGHT MADE WITH THIS AIRCRAFT

ORVILLE’S POCKET WATCH

NEIL ARMSTRONG’S APOLLO 11 SPACE SUIT

ADAMS-MORGAN NEIGHBORHOOD