By Bob Gaydos

The rare black squirrel.

The last time I saw a black squirrel (which is actually the first time I ever saw a black squirrel), was just about a year ago. Well, I just saw another one, this time much closer to home.

These are one-in-10,000 animals in their species and are regarded in many cultures as magic or wise, in others as an omen of trust, preparation and foresight.

All that collecting of nuts before the winter comes (as it does to the mid-Hudson area of New York), I’m guessing.

Combining the squirrel’s magical powers and nut-collecting nature, last fall I went looking to connect the magical dots and collect other nuts.

I found JD Vance. He was on TV bragging about how he and Trump had made up a story about Haitians in   Springfield, Ohio, stealing and eating their neighbors’ cats and dogs. Bragging.

The story naturally created an atmosphere of fear and tension in Springfield, with all kinds of accusations being tossed about, meetings canceled, bomb threats made to hospitals, schools, even City Hall.

Vance said they did it because people were ignoring the message Trump and Vance were offering as candidates for president and vice president of the United States. Basically, that immigrants were doing awful things here in America and had to be gotten rid of.

Apparently it worked. No dogs or cats were actually ever eaten in Springfield, Ohio, but Trump and Vance were elected and you know the rest.

And both are still nuts.

This past Saturday, when some 7 million Americans (or more) were peacefully gathering in the streets of towns and cities across the country, our dynamic leadership duo came up with a brilliant idea to have the US Navy fire live missiles from the Pacific Ocean over highways into California to land at Camp Pendleton, a Marine training base, supposedly to commemorate the 250th anniversary of the US Marines. Which, by the way, was not last Saturday.

Trump did not close any highways as a safety precaution for the firing of the missiles, which was actually a heavy-handed, obvious attempt to try to frighten any people planning to participate in No Kings demonstrations in California.

California Gov. Gavin Newsom, being of sound mind, shut down a 17-mile portion of the usually busy highway over which the missiles were scheduled to be fired.

The only ones who would be present on the highway in mid-afternoon (Pacific Time) with the missiles flying overhead would be Vance  and his motorcade, since he was to offer some words of congratulations to the Marines.

Well, as fate and black squirrels would have it, one of the live missiles exploded prematurely, raining down shrapnel on the vehicles in Vance’s motorcade. The California Highway Patrol reported that one of its vehicles was hit by the shrapnel.

I feel compelled to note that I saw the squirrel (a young one I think) on the East Coast at pretty much the same time the missiles were flying on the West Coast. I also have a witness who was with me in the car at the time.

The message here? Pay attention when you see a black squirrel to what else is going on around you.

Also, Donald Trump and JD Vance are frightened, soulless creatures who have no business being anywhere near the ultimate seat of power in this country and will do anything to remain there.

The peaceful No Kings Day gatherings demonstrated that more Americans are finally starting to connect the dots. Meanwhile, I’m going to keep my eye out for that black squirrel that moved into my neighborhood.

By Bob Gaydos

The rare black squirrel.

     I saw a black squirrel the other day. Black! Do you know how rare that is? One in 10,000. I had to check with the person driving to make sure I saw what I saw.

      “That was a black squirrel. Did you see that?”

      “Yes. A black squirrel. I never saw one.”

      “Me either.”

      And I’ve seen quite a few squirrels in 83 years.

       The black squirrel was sitting casually on the side of Black Rock Road in Pine Bush, a hamlet in slightly upstate New York better known for sightings of unidentified flying objects than appearances of unlikely furry objects.

        So I figured it had to be an omen. What does Google say?

       — “A spirit animal, the black squirrel represents adaptability and the ability to thrive in various environments and situations.”

       —  “They are portrayed as being of royal blood and are regarded as the wisest and noblest type of squirrel. In Celtic folklore, black squirrels were associated with magic, occult knowledge, and the otherworld.“

       In various cultures they are regarded as a symbol of good luck, good fortune, trust, preparation and foresight. Undoubtedly because of all that gathering of nuts before the frost.

     Taking all this into account and looking to connect the dots, I went looking for nuts in the rest of the world.

     J.D. Vance made it easy. At pretty much the same time as I was marveling at the black squirrel, the Republican Party’s candidate for vice president was talking to Dana Bash on CNN. He was talking about other animals. The senator from Ohio was in the midst of acknowledging that he knew the stories about Haitian immigrants in Springfield, Ohio, stealing neighbors’ cats and dogs and eating them were false, but he kept repeating them anyway, for political reasons.

     “The American media totally ignored this stuff (Republican campaign claims) until Donald Trump and I started talking about cat memes,” Vance said. “If I have to create stories so that the American media actually pays attention to the suffering of the American people, then that’s what I’m going to do, Dana, because you guys are completely letting Kamala Harris coast.”

      Bash pointed out Vance’s stunning admission: “You just said this is a story that you created.”

      “Yes!” Vance said.

      And he was proud of it. 

      Think about it. A United States senator admits spreading false racist, anti-immigrant stories about one of the communities he represents and having no qualms about the consequences. And there were plenty.

     Bomb threats were made against hospitals and City Hall. Schools, too. They were closed. Meetings were canceled. More threats were made. Police were on alert. Springfield was under siege. The MAGA world jumped at the bone Vance and Trump threw them. And kept throwing, despite statements from Springfield’s mayor (a Republican) and police chief that the stories were false. No evidence. All a mistake. Please stop.

  But the lies continued. Given the atmosphere of fear and violence casually and consistently promoted by Trump and Vance, lives were put in genuine danger in Springfield. Merely to gain attention so that Vance could spread other lies.

       This shameless behavior should not be allowed to stand. Ever. There has to be some consequence for political candidates knowingly creating a dangerous situation for selfish political reasons. Certainly for a sitting senator to do so.

     Some public official, in Ohio or in Washington, D.C., needs to find some law that says this is not allowed. Surely the Senate must have some basic rules of engagement that prohibit trying to gain votes by knowingly putting the lives of people in danger through reckless lying. If not, it needs to get some.

       And in the meantime, surely this heartless disregard for basic human decency by Vance and Trump and the pure hubris of Vance in publicly flaunting it, should finally convince enough clear-thinking Americans that these two soulless men belong nowhere near the White House.

    This is ultimately up to us. Let this finally be that magical, unexpected but well-deserved moment of good fortune for America. Connect the dots. Collect the nuts. 

       I’m not wasting this black squirrel, people.

rjgaydos@gmail.com