By Bob Gaydos

Catching up with the good, the bad and the ugly a la Jimmy Cannon.

— Maybe it’s just me, but: It was about time the Supreme Court got one right and boy was it a big one. The unsigned ruling rejecting Trump‘s effort to stifle mail-in voting in the November midterm elections is a major victory for Democrats, the Constitution and common sense. Justice Alito’s long-winded dissent, an attempt to justify the unconstitutional effort by Trump to usurp control of voting from the states, was cosigned by Justice Thomas. Figures. They’ve reaped the most financial benefit from Trump being in the White House. But it also means that the three justices Trump appointed agreed with the ruling, making it a 7 to 2 defeat for Trump and victory for America. Justice Kavanaugh even signed a concurrence. Trump railed, “These aren’t the people I interviewed.“ Yes they are, but they’re also aware that a lifetime appointment allows them to sometimes vote their conscience instead of their political allegiance. With no positive issue to point at, making it difficult for people to vote was Republicans’ best weapon for November.

— Maybe it’s just me, but: You gotta love the Irish. Trump took two huge planeloads of staff, etc. and more aircraft to haul vehicles for his 26-car motorcade to go watch a golf tournament at his golf club in Ireland. It cost hundreds of millions. Bad decision. The entire country told him to buzz off because they’re not fond of pedophiles. The Prime Minister told him she wasn’t fond of so-called leaders that start unnecessary wars that create a world oil crisis while also killing innocent people. She also refused to sit too close to him. If he were a drinking man, he might’ve wanted to try some Guinness.

— Maybe it’s just me, but: With all the progress that Musk et al have made with robots and self-driving vehicles, how can we be sure that it was actually Mitch McConnell wheeling around the U.S. Capitol the other day? He might still be dead. That could be an AI robot sent to vote if needed by Republicans. Democrats should try to hack him.

— Maybe it’s just me, but: Bestiality? Kash Patel is messing around with bestiality? He’s changing FBI job qualifications so that, according to him, victims of bestiality would be eligible to apply for a job as an FBI agent. That’s what he said at a Senate hearing. I wonder, does he mean sheep or goats or donkeys or I don’t know, what other animals might be the usual “victims“ of bestiality? And what job might they perform as FBI agents? Patel incredibly said the people who participate in bestiality are actually the victims. Yeah, the senators couldn’t believe it either. The man is a constant embarrassment and insult to the bureau. Trump appointing him is no surprise. He’s a not-so-bright boot-licker happy to do the boss’s bidding, including investigating reporters and political opponents. The real sin is that Republican senators approved the appointment of this feckless YouTube podcaster and continue to support his ineptitude and extravagant spending (with our money) on his girlfriend. Pathetic.

By Bob Gaydos

Pi

   Serendipity, synchronicity, superstition, call it what you

will, if you’re looking to find meaning in numbers, mid-March is the place to go. From Friday the 13th to St. Patrick’s Day, the 17th, we’ve got a string of days that should set a numerologist’s head spinning.

    March 13 was a Friday. We apparently survived as a race, but the stock market sure took a hit. The connection of Friday and 13 as being bad luck has several origins. From the Bible, the 13th guest at the Last Supper, Judas, betrayed Jesus, who was crucified on a Friday. Another belief has King Philip IV of France ordering the mass arrest and torture of the Knights Templar on Friday, Oct. 13, 1307. The Norse have a tale of a 13th god showing up uninvited at a dinner and killing one of the other gods. 

    As I write this, it’s March 14, which is Pi Day. You’re supposed to be eating some kind of pie — pizza, apple, pumpkin — it apparently doesn’t matter. This is a geeky international celebration of the mathematical constant number Pi. You know the first three numbers — 3.14 — then it goes to infinity. It happens to be the ratio of a circle’s circumference to its diameter, which for some reason someone deemed worthy of a celebration. It’s also Albert Einstein’s birthday, which I do not think is a coincidence. Pizza it is.

  Of course, March 15 is the Ides of March, the date Roman Emperor Julius Caesar was stabbed to death by a group of unhappy senators led by Cassius and Brutus, who said they were saving the republic. The “beware” part came later from Shakespeare in his play about the ill-fated emperor. It remains a warning today for all wannabe emperors.

 March 16, or 3:16 as often quoted from the New Testament, is a chapter in which Jesus delivers a farewell to his followers on the eve of his crucifixion. He warns them of persecution to come following his death but promises arrival of a “Helper” and the ultimate punishment of the sinful if the believers stay the course.

  And, of course, March 17 is St. Patrick’s Day, the most famous national celebration, as the wearing of the green is now marked around the globe for the patron saint of Ireland, who was born an Englishman. He drove something out of Ireland, but history says it was sinners, not snakes. In any event, in addition to being a celebration of Irish heritage, after the bad news of the 13th, the mind-numbing math of the 14th, the ominous warning of the 15th and the admonition and quiet hope of the 16th, a parade, some music, corned beef and cabbage and lots of green beer might just be a great way for some folks to get over this confluence of significant numbers. Or just to ignore them completely.

   That’s it. History in the numbers. Coincidence or synchronicity? Make of it what you will. Any suggestion of any connection of these events to current persons and events is purely coincidental. See you on the 18th.

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Editor’s note: Inspiration for this column came from my friend, Ernie Miller, who for some reason noted the interesting congregation of dates. Further credit goes to my research assistant, Google AI.