The Thurber Brigade

The Story of Easter: A Thurber Brigade Rerun

noreply@blogger.com (Jay Williams) — Thu, 02 Apr 2026 16:21:00 +0000

Around 300 CE the Cardinal ran up to the Pope while in the most agitated state. The Pope held up his hand in a calming manner to placate the worried man.

“Calm thyself Cardinal.”

“We have a crisis your excellency!” the Cardinal exclaimed.

“What crisis?”

“The people are dancing around naked and drinking heavily all in the name of Eostre!”

“Well, we can’t have that. I have a plan though. Go gather the people around and I will make a declaration.”

So, the Cardinal rushed off and after getting the people clothed and somewhat sober, convinced them to go and hear what the Pope wanted to tell them.

“People there is a new holiday you should celebrate. It is one that commemorates the death and resurrection of Jesus. This holiday will be heretofore known as Easter!” the Pope exclaimed.

The people mumbled amongst themselves and looked questioningly at the Pope. “Easter?” That sounds suspiciously like our favorite time of the year when we celebrate Eostre,” one man said.

“Um, no, no, it’s not related to Eostre at all,” the Pope assured him.

Monty Python would celebrate Eostre

“It seems strange to celebrate someone’s death,” another peasant said to the Pope. “I mean, it sounds rather bloody from the description your priests have told us in the past.”

“Yeah, and that story they tell about Jesus sure sounds a lot like the story of Inanna and Horus,” another person shouted. “I mean, they were killed, went to the underworld and came back.”

“No, no, those stories are just myths. This story of Jesus is real. You can trust me,” the Pope said as convincingly as he could.

“We like Eostre though,” several others chimed in. “We get to dance and drink, we paint eggs and carry around rabbits to celebrate the new spring and virility.”

“Well, you can still have eggs and rabbits,” the Pope said.

“Can we dance and drink too?” a man at the back asked.

“Of course you can, although I think it best to keep your clothes on,” the Pope answered.

The people furrowed their brows and wrinkled their noses. “We’re not sure about this holiday.”

“Oh, you’ll love it,” the Pope assured them. “You’ll have a great time.”

So the people decided to celebrate both holidays. After all, the more holidays the better. However, slowly but surely the Pope and his successors convinced them to just celebrate Easter. With time, he also got the people to calm down more and celebrate with less enthusiasm.

The church kept the eggs and rabbits, but got the people to dispense with the dancing and drinking. A small group of pagans didn’t like this turn of events and vowed to one day return the holiday to its more spirited nature.

Slowly but surely the old Eostre followers have been stressing the eggs and rabbits. So today you can actually find people telling stories of big rabbits hiding chocolate eggs. They sneakily got the church to offer sunrise services which celebrate an old solar celebration. Also, the pagans convinced the Pope to base the time of Easter on the phases of the moon. They haven’t been able to bring back the wild dancing, but have had more luck with the drinking aspect with their Easter sales at liquor stores.

So whether you follow celebrations of Horus, Inanna, Eostre/Ostara or Easter we at The Thurber Brigade wish you a pleasant holiday.

Ahhh, James Thurber

We at The Thurber Brigade apologize if this story sounds a little like our annual Christmas story. We can't help that a certain religion co-opted several Pagan celebrations to try and win over the people. We also apologize to the serious religious types for making fun of the Pope, religion, myths, etc. We don't regret it, nor doubt the above story has some basis in reality, but we apologize as we want you to continue to enjoy whatever holiday you celebrate. Cheers.

We're Going Backwards

noreply@blogger.com (Jay Williams) — Wed, 01 Apr 2026 02:03:00 +0000

Late on Friday nights when I’m safely home (admittedly after a few beers) I like to play music videos on the DVD player. Often they're 80s videos, some are hard rock, i.e. AC/DC (which annoys the neighbors because you have to play those loud), or sometimes just a few “chill music” vids because I need to calm down.

However, one of my favorites is Lionel Richie's “All Night Long.” Invariably though this depresses me. It reminds me how we are going backwards nowadays.

The song is about how you can be so strongly moved by something (music) that you just have to keep going. Party all night long. The dancers wear very colorful outfits, surely meant to make a subtle point, and are multi-racial. The dancing includes a wide range of styles with various mixtures of couples.

This was back in the 80s where it was slowly becoming common and acceptable to see a black man dance with a white woman, a white man tango with an Asian female, two males breakdancing together. It made it seem like things were progressing to where we could all live together in harmony.

Then Trump came along and infested the White House.

Although we knew there were a lot of racists in our country, they at least had become reticent to express it in public. Unlike the old days where Jim Crow was normalized, racism had become a social deviation, something kept quietly amongst a person's cohort or family. Not something you could bring out in public without facing public derision.

Trump enabled racists. Emboldened them. He has tried to make it acceptable in polite society, and criticized those who challenge him as weak-wristed Libtards or overly PC elites.

Thanks to him, we see an increase in right-wing, racist organizations, demonstrators who are unafraid of public shame chanting abusive, racist slogans and public displays of offensive comments to anyone who looks foreign or of a different race than Anglo-Saxon whites. Even the Republican Party seems to have embraced the Trump vitriol and become largely the party of white males.

Although we've had problems with police interactions with civilians, as I noted in my blogs “Tips for Tourists” and “Police reform Part I & II” I don't think we've seen this level of police violence toward minorities since before the 70s. It's as if they are acting as Trump's agents of violence that he often spews at his pep, excuse me, "campaign" rallies.

I long for the days when we could dance the night away regardless of our race, religion, political affiliation or whatever.

Sure, the video is a make-believe world, but it was a world where people lived together peacefully, where differences were immaterial, where people could dance together in harmony. A world we need to find again.

Ahh, James Thurber

Okay, yes, this is a rerun from August 2019. However, racism, misogyny and hatred of others has gotten worse. It's because the guy in the White House (I don't like to use his name) has made it all acceptable. He's made it so that people who would have been ashamed to express or act in such a manner find it okay to come out of hiding. In the 80s it seemed like we were making so much progress and now it's like we're set back decades. So it is worth sounding the alarm again if it might help slow down this devolution. Make America tolerant again.

The Theory of Relationship Relativity-redux

noreply@blogger.com (Jay Williams) — Sat, 28 Feb 2026 22:07:00 +0000

After years of devoted research, I’ve made a shocking discovery about relationships. Love is a mathematical formula.

Sure, this flies in the face of thousands of romantics from the past. Shakespeare would reject the theory outright. Burns would chase me through the streets with a red rose (and a stick). And I wouldn’t be at all surprised if Dr. Ruth put out a contract on me. But it’s true.

I finally came to this conclusion after closely looking at the relationships of movie stars. After all, aren’t they the modern paradigm of love? Gossip magazines spend thousands of dollars to snap wedding pictures of Posh Spice and her soccer man. Everyone at work gathers around the coffee pot to discuss Madonna’s latest flame. So they are perfect laboratory love rats, no offense to any rats out there.

The formula is this:

LOVE= amount of time with a person x the qualities you like about the person

÷ those pet peeves that drive you crazy

Let me give you an example. Mr. Smith has loved his high school sweetheart for 10 years. Ms. Brown served on the student council and lead the cheers at football games and looks incredible in a tight Angora sweater. However, she snaps her chewing gum, hates to cook, cleans her house once every decade and wears perfume from K-Mart.

For the most part, the qualities and pet peeves are fairly even. However, because of the length of time they have been dating, they will enter relationship heaven.

Example B. Gail has dated Roger for close to a year now. He works for the Shark, Curmudgeon and Bitter law firm as a junior partner, often gets confused for Brad Pitt and owns stock in IBM, Exxon and Ben & Jerry’s. However, she’s recently learned that his favorite pastime is nude, Jell-O wrestling, munches on a whole onion (uncooked) at lunch and still thinks that “Porky’s” is the best movie ever produced. This relationship will be joining the Titanic in no time at all. Because the time factor is so short, and the nasty quirks are slightly stronger than the qualities, they don’t stand a chance.

How did this formula come about with the help of movie stars? Well, look at the examples. Bogart and Bacall spent a lot of time together on the sets of several movies. A lot of close time together. They both were beautiful, charming and provocative people. Negative qualities were slight and undiscovered. Their relationship was so mathematically predictable, even a French Lit major could solve the equation.

This formula gets repeated over and over with modern stars with incredible frequency. Almost every week you can read in one of the paragons of journalistic reportage, like The Enquirer, about two hot stars falling into a relationship after spending many arduous months together on a film. The time factor is so strong they can’t resist each other.

Of course, these relationships also never work out. And it’s mathematical. After a year of marriage/shacking up, the negative qualities start to appear and grow. Soon they quickly outweigh time and positive qualities. A break-up follows to the delight of readers everywhere. This wouldn’t happen with Mr. Smith and Ms. Brown because the time factor has become so large the pet peeves could never overcome it. There could almost be an argument made that to save the relationship, for the first few years you should try to avoid learning anything bad about your mate. Build up that quality time so that the math works out.

As with all math formulas there will be countless tests to validate it. So go ahead and test it to your heart’s (and relationship’s) content. Plug in your parents. Try out your sister and that stupid Marine she met at Mardi Gras. And dare you? Sure, be brave. Plug your own relationship into the formula.

The numbers don’t lie.

Ahh, James Thurber

Dementia Don

noreply@blogger.com (Jay Williams) — Fri, 30 Jan 2026 14:54:00 +0000

"If Biden did that, the news media would be screaming 24/7 that he is too old and should be removed from office."

How often do you hear that phrase when someone talks about the antics of Dementia Don? It's daily.

It could be after you hear about him standing up at a meeting with oil CEOs and going to the window to look out and comment about his ballroom.

It could be after he falls asleep during a live press conference, or at a cabinet meeting, or at a large gathering. He does it a lot.

And his speeches sure haven't improved. He's even more scatological and incoherent as usual. One second he'll be talking about how Biden is why the world is upside down and next he'll launch into how mirrors are in the wrong place everywhere.

Because of his huge ankle swelling he can no longer walk in a straight line. At least, that's a forgiving explanation of his ambling walk. If it was Biden the MSM would say it was because he's so old he is one step away from a wheelchair.

He's also been caught on film cussing at protestors or even giving the finger to someone who rubbed him the wrong way. Just like a cranky, dementia addled old man would behave--not a president.

The only recourse is he should be thrown out of office using the 25th Amendment. A legal way to remove a president who is incapable of leading a country due to physical or mental incapacity.

Sadly, this won't happen because he's put in his cabinet people who, besides being unqualified, are loyal to him, not to the well being of this country. They would rather see the country spiral into chaos than do anything to upset Dear Leader.

So we're stuck with him. Personally, I'm hoping for a stroke.

The Thurber Brigade's Annual Story of Christmas

noreply@blogger.com (Jay Williams) — Fri, 19 Dec 2025 18:17:00 +0000

A bright star shone above the Earth and three wise men followed it to their destination. They came a long way because of the knowledge they had of the events.

They came to meet the Pope, probably around 400 C.E.

“The pagans are enjoying Saturnalia way too much” the wise men told the Pope. “They’re dancing, singing, giving gifts to friends, burning trees. It’s woefully unbecoming a modern society and a threat to entice our followers to imbibe in the joyful celebration.”

“You are right,” the Pope agreed. “We must do something to ensure that we can maintain our control.”

Pope vs. Pagan Headgear

Therefore, the Pope and his followers came up with a plan.

They began to promote a celebration of Christ (Christ-Mass) during the same time as Saturnalia. When asked why have a celebration, they explained that it was to celebrate Christ’s birth.

The pagans were skeptical at first. “Didn’t you say Christ was born in the spring? Around March?” one asked. “I heard the Pope say he was born in August,” another chimed in helpfully.

The Pope said he had made a mistake, due to the change in the calendar system to the more modern Julian one. Christ was indeed born in December, the Pope assured everyone.

The pagans still didn’t like it.

Join the "Vikings" (on History Channel) as they light the Yule Log

“Saturnalia is fun. We get gifts, we have this cool tree, there’s dancing and singing,” they said.

“You can still do that,” the Pope professed. “It’s a birthday party after all, isn’t it?”

So the pagans began to celebrate both holidays, but as more and more were convinced to switch over to Christianity, Saturnalia fell out of favor. However, those pagans who still celebrated their cherished Saturnalia swore they’d take it back.

It took longer than they expected, but slowly and surely, the pagans have regained control of their celebration.

The pagans made their biggest push in the 1950s and 60s by adding massive parades and celebrations to the winter festival. They also brought in more symbols from other pagans’ beliefs, such as a rotund, bearded man giving gifts, and instead of burning logs as in the days of yore, they added colorful lights to the trees they dance around.

Through the 70s and 80s they advocated for more consumerism via bigger and better gifts. Spellbinding advertisements for big, shiny cars and glittery jewels predominate the airwaves. “Buy more! It will prove your love,” they proclaim.

So today the pagans have taken back the holiday—but have cleverly decided to keep it under the title “Christmas.”

The celebration keeps getting expanded too, now beginning on the Friday after Thanksgiving (Pagan Black Friday) and continuing through New Year's. There are competitions to have the biggest tree and brightest light displays. Children are taught that the best gifts are the most expensive and the ones hardest to acquire. In addition, of course, there are large gatherings to sing and perform in celebration of the holiday.

It has been a subtle takeover by the pagans, but they have finally reclaimed what was theirs. So far, the Pope has not responded.

The Thurber Brigade wishes everyone a Happy Holiday—no matter which one you celebrate!

Yes, yes, it's another rerun from the Thurber Brigade. Admit it though, you are already watching a ton of reruns, from "Miracle on 34th Street" to "It's a Wonderful Life" so why not one more? Besides, The Brigade is busy buying presents and celebrating all the holidays that enjoy drinking and so hasn't had time to come up with some snarky blog about relationships. We promise that after the New Year (and after all the football games) we'll get back on track. Until then, enjoy the holidays and your friends.

1776!

noreply@blogger.com (Jay Williams) — Sat, 01 Nov 2025 01:32:00 +0000

The Republicans are letting Trump do whatever he wants, whether it's not using money allocated by Congress or ignoring the Constitution. This sort of makes sense because conservatives have never really been big advocates of democracy. I blogged about this before, so it seems like a good time to rerun it.

Face it, a lot of what NeoCons do and say just doesn't make sense. You know, things like supporting TFG even though the only conservative thing about him is his unbridled quest for more money for himself. Their complaints about border security even though when they controlled all the levers of government they didn’t do anything to resolve the issue. Their mantra of family values even though countless NeoCon pols get caught abusing women and children.

The most baffling to me, admittedly a person who loves reading and studying history, is their vocal embrace of the Revolutionary War motifs.

It began with the Tea Party and their tri-corner hats, even though they were protesting basically paying less for insurance (affordable care act). Now they even shout out “1776” at their rallies, even though they are protesting an elected officeholder not a king.

The thing they don't seem to understand is that the Revolutionary War was a conflict brought about by liberals who had the radical idea that man should decide who was ruler, not some god-ordained king.

Conservatives, Torries in England parlance, were opposed to the war and longed to remain loyal to the king. They were against democracy.

Thomas Fleming pointed this out in his book “Liberty: The American Revolution.” “The conservatives wanted to form a union between England and America, but the “firebrands” (those for independence) narrowly won a vote tabling the idea and even with conservatives upset, the idea was eventually expunged from the notes about the meeting of the Continental Congress.”

He further elaborated: “…Convened a meeting of the extralegal Virginia assembly, the conservative majority eagerly endorsed a resolution for a “speedy return of those halcyon days when we lived a free and happy people.” Patrick Henry reposted by resolving that “this colony be immediately put into a state of defense.” The conservatives all but denounced the idea. Henry replied with sentiments that his first biographer converted into immortal phrases: “Gentlemen may cry peace, peace—but there is no peace…I know not what course others may take, but as for me, give me liberty or give me death!””

The NeoCons today still have their old desires for a king. That's why they had an insurrection on January 6, 2020 in an attempt to overthrow the government, renounce a fair election and install The Orange One as their king. In effect, their rally was an anti-1776 affair.

Despite not believing in the principles that formed the basis for our country’s founding, things like equality and justice for all, they embrace terms like freedom and patriotism. They’ll ban books in one moment, then name some group they’ve formed with “Liberty” in the title.

However, they are not patriots. They are nationalists. In other words, they like the accouterments of America but don’t like the ideals. They’ll put an American flag on their pickup truck which they will then use to try to break up a rally for civil rights. They’ll chant “USA, USA!” while breaking windows in the US Capitol.

Their rallies with tons of American and Trump flags don’t resemble the rallies of our Founding Fathers. They look more like the Nazi rallies in the 1930s or the rallies of the Chinese Communist Party today. They all stir nationalistic pride, but not patriotism.

I guess we shouldn’t be surprised by this behavior though. After all, NeoCons just don’t get history (nor math, science, etc.). They don’t want kids to know about slavery because it might hurt their feelings. Don’t let the kids know that Native Americans were slaughtered and forced off their land because it could lower their self-esteem. They don’t want children to see a drag queen reading books because it might turn those children gay.

So, the NeoCons need to put away their tri-cornered hats. They need to stash those Revolutionary inspired flags that say “don’t tread on me.” Most of all, they need to stop chanting “1776!” and instead be more honest and shout “Long live the King!”

Ahh, James Thurber

Post Toastee

noreply@blogger.com (Jay Williams) — Tue, 30 Sep 2025 17:13:00 +0000

Back in 1976, a great guitarist named Tommy Bolin wrote a song called "Post Toastee." Basically, it was a warning to the world not to follow the path of a number of his friends and contemporaries who died of drug overdoses. He was very concerned it would happen to him and sadly, that came true.

This blog isn't about that though. It's really a call for everyone to go ahead and post everything to Facebook even though there are many people who disparage those who put pictures of their dinner on their Facebook page.

In other words, don't be afraid to post that picture of the odd shaped toast you had at a diner.

Your friends may say derogatory things about your posts under their breath, or behind your back, but do it anyway.

I have written a number of books (five published) and countless short stories that appeared in various magazines, but I admit, I will never be a famous celebrity or star.

So although I may have sold several hundred of those books, no one will write a best-selling memoir about me. Nope, not going to be on the NYTimes list any time soon.

So what you post on Facebook, Instagram or any other website is your memoir.

They say that things you post on the internet are forever.

So all those locations you posted from, all those meals you took a picture of and posted all those pictures of you and your cat/dog/family will become the chapters of your memoir.

All of this is why you should not hesitate to make that post. Post daily, post everything you like or are interested in, post that group photo, post that shot you got of a parade you went downtown to watch.

Post away. (oh, and don't go Post Toastee. We don't want to read about that post).

Ahhh, James Thurber

Release the Epstein Files

noreply@blogger.com (Jay Williams) — Sun, 31 Aug 2025 15:49:00 +0000

The Orange Blob (I resist using his name) who sits in the White House is a sexual predator and a pedophile. I say that blatantly because there are countless brave women who have come forward and stated that. Most have been paid off so that they won't go to court against him. At least one did take him to court and now he has a huge bill to pay because of it.

That he hasn't had criminal charges against him testifies to how corrupt and biased our judicial system is today. It clearly favors the rich and those with some semblance of power. If someone like me or Joe the Plumber were to have done the deeds of his Orange Largeness, we'd be sitting in prison for the rest of our lives.

So although I can't do anything about the Man with Orange Makeup, I can at least blog about his malfeasance. So below are just a few of the thousands of memes created by other outraged souls who feel helpless against a system that lets this happen.

Feel free to share these extensively.

What? You think that is overdoing it? Maybe you are not taking this issue seriously enough. Release the files!

Ah, James Thurber

Summer Vacation

noreply@blogger.com (Jay Williams) — Mon, 28 Jul 2025 03:03:00 +0000

Hey, it's hot in Texas. We at The Thurber Brigade decided to head somewhere cooler. We'll be back next month with another biting satire, clever essay, or post about this and that. Maybe.

I Meme It

noreply@blogger.com (Jay Williams) — Mon, 30 Jun 2025 16:16:00 +0000

Over the years I've created some memes in order to comment on various issues of the day. So I thought I'd show them off in one place. Sadly, they are still relevant today because the GOP just won't give up on a bad ideas.

I created this one to mock the GOPpers who are so anti-abortion that they don't believe there should even be exceptions if a child is raped and becomes pregnant.

This one came about after a protest in Baltimore where the cops arrested protestors, yet police let the heavily armed right-wing protestors in Oregon go free.

Had to do this because The Orange One kept saying the 2020 election was stolen, even though no one ever could produce evidence; and in 2016 he said his campaign had no Russian influence, even though the evidence was clear.

This was meant to remind farmers why they really shouldn't vote for the Orange Blob. They did anyway.

Created this because MTG actually claimed that Italian satellites had a hand in the election.

For some reason, the non-working class GOPpers keep wanting to raise the retirement age.

I kept getting irritated because TFG kept bragging about how great his economy was doing. His economy actually didn't do much at all during his time in office. He did get a boost early on from the booming economy Obama made.

Yeah, the parent's rights movement said they had a right to keep their kids from learning different things that might open their minds. This was a reminder that parents back in the day absolutely didn't want their children sitting next to any black kids.

The courts decide that even though The Fat Guy was impeached and started an insurrection, he could go ahead and stay on the ballot in 2024. Stupid courts.

Okay, I'm not entirely sure I created this, but I think I did it after some people protested the removal of traitor statues in various cities. Truthfully, the US made a big mistake by going easy on the traitors and so it led to many of them being venerated. After the Civil War, the generals and politicians should have been executed, and trials held for other ranking soldiers.

Texas, and several other southern states, kept trying to pass bills that would require people who looked like immigrants (basically, anyone not white) to show papers proving they weren't here illegally.

Did this one after yet another mass shooting. Think this was one in Oregon.

Okay, okay, this wasn't one of my political memes, it was one I did for my hilarious, satirical book SEX and the AMERICAN MALE. You really should buy it. It's great.

The Big Bro

noreply@blogger.com (Jay Williams) — Fri, 23 May 2025 02:08:00 +0000

As children we played games and even as adults we had late night Risk battles into the wee hours. We were terrors for our parents when riding in the back seat on long trips, and as adults we attracted attention with our bickering during travels abroad or in the US. We had loud, sometimes angry, arguments over politics, but just as often together yelled our support for the Longhorn and Detroit teams at countless athletic event

We were competitive, rowdy, boisterous, stubborn and cantankerous. We were also loving, friendly, talkative and caring.

We were brothers.

Rest in peace Mark Williams, 1951-2025.

Attorney at Law; Houston, TX
JD: University of Texas at Austin
BA: University of Texas at El Paso

Born on November 15, 1951 in Newton, Kansas, United States
Passed away on May 9, 2025 in Austin, United States

The Story of Easter: A Thurber Brigade Rerun

noreply@blogger.com (Jay Williams) — Mon, 14 Apr 2025 16:16:00 +0000

Around 300 CE the Cardinal ran up to the Pope while in the most agitated state. The Pope held up his hand in a calming manner to placate the worried man.

“Calm thyself Cardinal.”

“We have a crisis your excellency!” the Cardinal exclaimed.

“What crisis?”

“The people are dancing around naked and drinking heavily all in the name of Eostre!”

“Well, we can’t have that. I have a plan though. Go gather the people around and I will make a declaration.”

So, the Cardinal rushed off and after getting the people clothed and somewhat sober, convinced them to go and hear what the Pope wanted to tell them.

“People there is a new holiday you should celebrate. It is one that commemorates the death and resurrection of Jesus. This holiday will be heretofore known as Easter!” the Pope exclaimed.

The people mumbled amongst themselves and looked questioningly at the Pope. “Easter?” That sounds suspiciously like our favorite time of the year when we celebrate Eostre,” one man said.

“Um, no, no, it’s not related to Eostre at all,” the Pope assured him.

Monty Python would celebrate Eostre

“It seems strange to celebrate someone’s death,” another peasant said to the Pope. “I mean, it sounds rather bloody from the description your priests have told us in the past.”

“Yeah, and that story they tell about Jesus sure sounds a lot like the story of Inanna and Horus,” anther person shouted. “I mean, they were killed, went to the underworld and came back.”

“No, no, those stories are just myths. This story of Jesus is real. You can trust me,” the Pope said as convincingly as he could.

“We like Eostre though,” several others chimed in. “We get to dance and drink, we paint eggs and carry around rabbits to celebrate the new spring and virility.”

“Well, you can still have eggs and rabbits,” the Pope said.

“Can we dance and drink too?” a man at the back asked.

“Of course you can, although I think it best to keep your clothes on,” the Pope answered.

The people furrowed their brows and wrinkled their noses. “We’re not sure about this holiday.”

“Oh, you’ll love it,” the Pope assured them. “You’ll have a great time.”

So whether you follow celebrations of Horus, Inanna, Eostre/Ostara or Easter we at The Thurber Brigade wish you a pleasant holiday.

Ahhh, James Thurber

The Nightmare is Just Beginning

noreply@blogger.com (Jay Williams) — Mon, 31 Mar 2025 16:18:00 +0000

I am still depressed about how 1/3 of the U.S. put a failed businessman in office who is determined to destroy our country.

So I couldn't concentrate to write the blog I planned (maybe about men, women and furniture). To cheer me up I'm instead posting some unflattering memes of the Orange One.

Hope this cheers you up too.

Whew. I feel a little better. Hope you do too. Check back next month and if I'm less distressed I'll have a real blog to post.


That's Rebel Scum to you Orange cultists

Signs, Signs...Can't you read the signs?

noreply@blogger.com (Jay Williams) — Fri, 28 Feb 2025 14:27:00 +0000

South by Southwest (SxSW) has got to be one of my favorite events here in Austin. Thousands of bands at dozens of venues along with 100,000 of your closest friends. What's not to like. So at the most recent version I was hanging out at B.D. Riley's when a typical occurrence happened in the on going War Between Men and Women (ahem, note the name of this blog).

I was standing at the back of the open area in front of the stage, the usual location for me. It gives me a good view of the band and is usually not that crowded so I don't have to worry about a random elbow.

The next thing I know a cute female strolls up and stands next to me. Mind you, there are better viewing spots available. So this seemed a little odd. Was she like me and just wanted to avoid the mad pushing near the stage? Or was she sending me a sign? I looked at her and she casually ran her hand through her hair.

Ah, surely this was a sign that she was interested. Of course, right as I was about to cast out a line, her boyfriend walked up with a drink. Typical.

You see, women are notorious for sending out false signs, and just as notorious for wondering why we guys never can get their signals.

A few years ago there was a report about how men are worse at recognizing signs then women. I think this is because we've been bombarded by so many fake ones, that we no longer can distinguish a valid one from a fake.

For example, in the scene mentioned above I told how the female ran her hand through her hair.

According to some "experts" on visual cues, this is a sign that a female is attracted to you. But time after time we guys discover this is seldom the case. It's more likely a female purposely misleading a male, or else she's oblivious to the message she is sending.

Also, the sign of moving close to someone is way too confusing. Sure, it's a little obvious when the place is nearly empty, but it's much more bewildering when there's a crowd. I remember numerous times when a female would stand near me and even move with me when the crowd shifted.

But on almost every occasion, after throwing a line, she would move away hurriedly. Oh, it could have been a lousy line, but it happens too often to be anything more than women sending mixed messages.

In the past I was crazy about hitting the nightclubs to hit the floor (dance) with whatever female was in the same mood. However, I've all but given that up due to one night at the old Continental Club . Not the current hip one, the previous one when it was darker and cooler. Anyway, on that night I asked 10 different females to dance.

Not a one would join me. Most gave the signal that they wanted to dance. You know, like tapping their toes to the tune, dancing in place just off the floor. You've seen them.

But they were false signs. Ever since that day I laugh when I hear the Cindy Lauper song, "Girls just want to have fun." Yeah, right. That is why all those females acted like I was asking for a deep commitment, or maybe thought I was the Boston Strangler. It probably wouldn't have bothered me so much if they hadn't been sending those false signs.

The fake sign that bothers me the most though, is the one where you think the woman is ready to do the horizontal dance.

For example, your date suddenly starts to exude compassion. She rubs your arm, squeezes your hand gently kisses you on the cheek or runs her hand through your hair. Well, in my case it usually is rub my head. But you've seen those signs. So when you slowly begin to unbutton her blouse and she grabs your hand to stop you, you know that once again you were the victim of the female mixed message sign.

So we guys will undoubtedly keep trying to decipher the signals we're getting. After all, our brains are constantly thinking of sex (not every seven seconds, but a lot) so we have to keep trying. But understand that if we sometimes act crazy, it's largely because we've been driven there by females planting those deceptive signs in the road to relationships.

Even I can get this sign

Yes, it's another Thurber Brigade rerun. I had different topic to write, but didn't have the motivation for the moment as I'm still reeling from the disasterous change in the White House (I'll blog about it later I'm sure). This 2013 blog seemed relevant to me though because recently, yet again, I attempted to chat up a woman, but clearly misread the sign. She had flashed at me several of the signs I mention above, but when I took the step to talk to her, she acted like I had broken into her house, ate her pet goldfish, drank all her beer and trashed her living room while watching porn on the TV. Okay, she just turned a cold shoulder but it seemed like that. So I decided to resurrect this blog about women, who won't make first contact themselves, but who don't always let us guys know if they are interested. Next time I promise to write something more original. Maybe.

We're Going Backwards: A trumpian rerun

noreply@blogger.com (Jay Williams) — Thu, 30 Jan 2025 17:29:00 +0000

(With the new Orange regime taking power, it seemed appropriate to rerun a blog that showed how his previous reign of terror was taking us backward.)

Ahhh, James Thurber.

During the Orange One's (I hate using his name) first reign of terror, racism and hatred became more common. However, it was subtle. People still worried that if they openly expressed racist views/ideas, they'd be ostracized. As his time in office continued, it slowly became more overt, largely because people looked at him as a role model. Now, there is no restraint at all. Racism and hatred toward those who might be different is all out in the open. Because he got reelected despite his obvious flaws, people believe there will be no personal harm to them. As he dismantles any vestiges of diversity and inclusion, it will become worse. That's why it's important for those of us who see racism as evil, to not remain quiet. We need to push it back into the closet where it belongs (I think it's impossible to get rid of it completely). So this is one of my ways to try to claw society back to morality. I will continue to use my blogs and social media posts to sound the alarm. Join me.

The Thurber Brigade's Annual Story of Christmas

noreply@blogger.com (Jay Williams) — Thu, 19 Dec 2024 17:44:00 +0000

A bright star shone above the Earth and three wise men followed it to their destination. They came a long way because of the knowledge they had of the events.

They came to meet the Pope, probably around 400 C.E.

“You are right,” the Pope agreed. “We must do something to ensure that we can maintain our control.”

Pope vs. Pagan Headgear

Therefore, the Pope and his followers came up with a plan.

They began to promote a celebration of Christ (Christ-Mass) during the same time as Saturnalia. When asked why have a celebration, they explained that it was to celebrate Christ’s birth.

The pagans were skeptical at first. “Didn’t you say Christ was born in the spring? Around March?” one asked. “I heard the Pope say he was born in August,” another chimed in helpfully.

The Pope said he had made a mistake, due to the change in the calendar system to the more modern Julian one. Christ was indeed born in December, the Pope assured everyone.

The pagans still didn’t like it.

Join the "Vikings" (on History Channel) as they light the Yule Log

“Saturnalia is fun. We get gifts, we have this cool tree, there’s dancing and singing,” they said.

“You can still do that,” the Pope professed. “It’s a birthday party after all, isn’t it?”

It took longer than they expected, but slowly and surely, the pagans have regained control of their celebration.

So today the pagans have taken back the holiday—but have cleverly decided to keep it under the title “Christmas.”

It has been a subtle takeover by the pagans, but they have finally reclaimed what was theirs. So far, the Pope has not responded.

The Thurber Brigade wishes everyone a Happy Holiday—no matter which one you celebrate!

The Radical (a rerun of sorts)

noreply@blogger.com (Jay Williams) — Fri, 29 Nov 2024 14:41:00 +0000

It looks like we're stuck with another four years of, well, I don't want to say his name so I'll just stick to calling him The Orange Blob. Some Progressives swear they're going to leave the country. However, a large number of us plan to stay and fight. I've been what right-wingers call a Radical for some time (I actually consider myself a moderate). Although I've been on picket lines and various protest rallies through the years, nowadays I mainly just write letters to editors or blog. So with the next fight about to begin, I thought I'd rerun a blog from seven years ago about how I became "Radical." Sort of a statement to let the MAGAts know that "we Radicals ain't going nowhere."

Although today it seems rather odd given that I consider myself a Progressive, as a youth one of my heroes was John Wayne. Everyone knows his politics leaned to the right. However, looking at some of his movies from a political aspect, he starred in numerous ones that espoused Liberal issues.

For example, one of my favorites is “The Sons of Katie Elder.” Oh sure, on the surface it may seem to be the story of wayward boys returning home to pay respects to their departed mother, but if you look a little deeper, you'll find progressive themes. Basically, these rough boys stand up against an unjust system and fight a ruthless corporation who is backed by local law enforcement. In other words, the little guy against a plutocracy.

I know, you missed that too. I didn't really grasp this message until I aged a bit (hey, don’t say grew old). As a kid, I just saw it as standing up to injustice no matter the odds.

So the seeds of my radicalization (the view of my conservative friends on anyone who doesn't hold their views) had begun. Yes, standing up for the little guy against injustice, instead of just concerning yourself with what benefits you, is radical here in the U.S. You are a bleeding heart Liberal.

Well, those seeds that had been planted began to blossom while in college. Nope, not over the Vietnam War. It began with tennis. Women's tennis. Yes, true to The Thurber Brigade theme, it turns out women made me that raging, radical Liberal.

In my sophomore year at Texas Tech (eventually got my degree from the University of Texas; another story), my friends and I went out to play tennis at the spanking new student tennis courts. However, they had been taken over by the women’s tennis team for some match against another school. I should point out that at this time the men’s team had some really nice courts they used exclusively, while the women’s courts were, well, they were crappier than something you’d find in a public park.

For some reason, the men’s team was unwilling to share their nice courts. The women’s team, not wishing to irritate them or the athletic department (controlled by men), decided to instead make a move on the common students—who probably had even less power or voice with those in charge. Historical note: Title IX had only recently kicked in (1972) and women’s sports across the US were very slowly getting their due. Very, very slowly.

Outraged at this, I did the only thing voiceless and powerless people have done for years: I wrote a letter to the editor of the school newspaper. Although I’m sure it was an explosive and moving letter, the only part I remember is that I used the phrase “the students get screwed again.” Probably the only reason I remember that phrase is because I heard some “suits” repeat it as they walked out of the rowdy hearing that resulted from said letter.

That’s right, my first attempt at social justice somehow touched a nerve across campus. Soon other angry letters flooded the paper, and with some threatening to organize a protest rally the administration decided the way to calm things would be to have an open discussion between students, the women’s team and the administration.

My friends and I joined the packed house and even got to sit at the front table opposite the suits. Because the student courts were paid for by a special fee assigned to us, we believed we had the upper-hand and we attempted to stress that although we supported the women’s team and thought they were treated unfairly, it wasn’t right to be equally unfair to us. We also, numerous times, asked why the men and women teams couldn’t share the men’s team courts.

To this day I proudly declare to everyone that we had an impact. The women’s team only played on the student courts one more time after that, supposedly because they didn’t have enough time to reschedule. However, I wouldn’t be surprised if the administration had begun to feel pressure because of Title IX and relented to have the men and women’s teams share until something new could be built for the women.

So my radicalization had begun. I would fight for justice and the little guy thereafter. As mentioned in a previous blog, I worked for enlisted people’s rights while in the Army, I took part in several civil rights demonstrations and well, let’s just say I fought for issues in which John Wayne would not show up for the rallies. You know, radical Liberal ideas like clean air and water, fair pay, feed the poor, etc.

Now before you say it also began my opposition to women, let me point out that half of the crowd supporting my friends and I were women. Plus, I have—and always will—support women’s rights, from equal pay to their right to choose what happens to their bodies. However, I’m also willing to make fun of them and say sarcastic things about their habits. Yes, the Brigade marches on.

James Thurber!

The Thurber Brigade does not believe that having Progressive ideals makes a person radical. However, thanks to Fox News relentless war on Liberals many people now believe that standing for clean air and water, equal rights, fair pay, well, anything not approved by the Neocon pundits is just short of being card-carrying Communists. However, if standing up for the welfare of others throws us into that crowd, then we're proud to be radical.

Trump is a Clown

noreply@blogger.com (Jay Williams) — Thu, 31 Oct 2024 14:39:00 +0000

The Thurber Brigade has written numerous blogs about how terrible the Orange One is as a person, a businessman and a politician. They include how he is insane, a bad businessman, is a Republican in name only (RINO), is just bad, is unpopular, well, the list goes on (including a long list of why not to vote for him).

What I take most from these past years of exposure to this guy who wears more makeup than Dolly Parton, is that he’s a clown. He really does some goofy, stupid things. So here are a few memes to laugh at and share that express his clownness.

Yes, he really did look at an eclipse without protection.

He is so insanely jealous of Kamala Harris that she lives in his brain, causing him to do odd stunts like act like he was working at a McDonald's.

The Orange Blob would do a better job as a clown in a circus than a businessman as he's even owned a casino that went bankrupt.

During one rowdy demonstration by protestors, he ran to the presidential bunker to hide. Then, so embarrassed, he tried to prove he was tough by tear gassing other demonstrators to clear them out so he could go to a church and hold up a Bible.

Promising to drain the swamp, he filled it instead with greedy, white men who wanted to make profit of their government jobs. He put family members in important positions in his administration. He even overrode FBI security checks to give many who worked for him positions of power. Basically, he ran an expensive (to taxpayers) circus.

Definitely losing his mind, he rants uncontrollably at his pep rallies, that he uses to feed his ego, but probably don't do much for his reelection.

He's going to lose the popular vote once again this election. With luck, he will also lose the electoral college (an antiquated and anti-democratic mistake from our past). We can only hope that we will finally see the last of this clown.

Ahhh, James Thurber

The Thurber Brigade has been blogging about this clown far more than it wants to. We can't stand by and let him get away with his goofy behavior though, and so felt an obligation to, well, make fun of him. We at The Brigade hope he will shortly disappear from public—or if we're really lucky, he'll end up sitting in jail. We're ready to get back to blogging about important things like women's fashion compared to men's or how to throw a good pickup line. Maybe soon.

Dump Trump—A Thurber Brigade Rerun

noreply@blogger.com (Jay Williams) — Mon, 30 Sep 2024 15:46:00 +0000

(This blog first ran on October 30, 2020. Yes, right before the election that kicked the Orange One from the White House. We at the Thurber Brigade believe it is important to remind everyone why we do not want that Orange Blob back in Washington. So read over this list and then be sure and vote for Kamala Harris in November.)

From the opening bell, the tRump administration has been a disaster. From sketchy inaugural donations and lying about crowd size, to today's COVID mishandling and endangering democracy by throwing shade on elections The Orange One's (my preferred reference) time in office has damaged this country.

So to help jog people's memory, here's a short list of things he's done that the MAJORITY of Americans will find distasteful/illegal/evil/unAmerican.

THE LIST

• Claimed millions voted illegally
• Put children in cages
• Refused to release tax returns
• Denigrated Gold Star family
• Calls free press “enemy of the people”
• Has lied over 15,000+ times

• Gave security clearance to Ivanka and Jared over intelligence objections
• Denigrated John McCain for being a POW
• Thinks of veterans as suckers and losers
• Skipped Normandy ceremony as he didn't want to ruin his hair in the rain

• Politicized masks and other possible ways to mitigate spread of COVID
• Banned Muslims from entering country unless they are from a country he does business with
• Called Nazis very fine people
• Insults allies
• Praises dictators
• Ignored intelligence reports about Russian bounties on US troops
• Called African nations “shithole countries”
• Belittles US generals and believes he knows more then them
• Stole money from his charity and is banned

from having any new ones
• Foreign governments stay in his hotels to curry favors
• Forces government employees to stay in his properties while traveling
• Played golf more than any prez after stating he wouldn't have time to play
• Government must foot bill for his golf excursions which means we have paid his company over 200 times his salary
• Promoted snake oil cures for COVID

• Donates his salary as a tax dodge because he makes so much off golf trips.
• paid off porn star to remain quiet about sexual affair
• Had sexual affair while wife was pregnant with son
• Promised to build wall along border has only completed three miles of new fence and Mexico will not pay for it
• During campaign his operatives had numerous meeting with Russian agents in order to gain an advantage

• Obstructed investigation into his Russian connections
• Attempted to bribe Ukrainian president for help with his election
• Asked China to help him win re-election
• Impeached for Ukrainian scheme and his obstruction of subsequent investigation
• Has nearly daily Twitter

tantrums
• Attacks private citizens on Twitter
• Hurls childish nicknames at those he perceives as foes
• Removed clean water and air regulations
• Promised to get drug prices lowered, instead they went up
• Drain the swamp? He added more swamp creatures
• Knocked out the teeth of the EPA
• Kicked Dept. of Interior in the

balls
• Dumbed down the Department of Education
• Suspected of being Russian asset
• Supports white supremacy groups
• Validates racism
• Inherited a good economy, destroyed it
• Highest trade deficit in years
• Started tariff war with China, lost
• Ignored scientists on COVID

• Due to tariff war had highest number of small farm bankruptcies since depression

• Utilized secret police against citizens

• Didn’t replenish national supplies of PPE and other medical equipment

• Promoted budget that would diminish Social Security and Medicare

• Federal government seized PPE from states who imported it for their state’s use

• Owes millions of dollars, possibly to foreign interests that could compromise US security

• Tax cuts for rich, peanuts for others

• No definitive foreign policy

• To help his business interests, caved to Turkey and betrayed our Kurdish allies

• He has become a laughing stock of other world leaders

• Favorability of US in the world has gone down except in dictatorship countries

• Largest civil unrest in nation since Vietnam years

This is not an all-inclusive list, there are tons of regulations meant to protect us he has overridden, countless people he has insulted, untold number

of norms he has violated and more. At least this is a starting point though of why you should not vote to give him four more years. If he is reelected it will be an incomprehensible disaster for this country. So read over this short list one more time and go vote for ~~Joe Biden~~ KAMALA HARRIS. Return this country to decency and prominence. Vote The Orange One out.

Ah, James Thurber

The Thurber Brigade apologizes for this rerun and for once again getting off the path of making light of the interaction between men and women. This election may be the most important one in our lifetime and so we cannot remain silent about the awful actions of TFG. The Brigade will get back to its usual snarky self next time. Maybe.

Ultimate RINO

noreply@blogger.com (Jay Williams) — Fri, 30 Aug 2024 15:57:00 +0000

There’s a meme floating around the internet since about 2015 in which Donald Trump says that if he were to run for office, he’d do it as a Republican because they’re so stupid.

Well, he never really said that. He may have thought it, but it never said it publicly.

However, he often seems to act that way. He keeps changing parties. Trump registered as a Republican in 1987; a member of the Independence Party, the New York state affiliate of the Reform Party, in 1999; a Democrat in 2001; a Republican in 2009; unaffiliated in 2011; and a Republican in 2012.

He must be doing it as a business strategy. Whichever will serve him best at the time, that’s the party he’ll switch to.

His ideas about why he changes seems to change just as often.

In 2004, he confessed to Wolf Blitzer: "It just seems that the economy does better under the Democrats than the Republicans. Now, it shouldn't be that way. But if you go back, I mean it just seems that the economy does better under the Democrats....But certainly we had some very good economies under Democrats, as well as Republicans. But we've had some pretty bad disasters under the Republicans."

However, in 2015 he had other thoughts. “I am a conservative person. I am by nature a conservative person. I never looked at putting a label on myself, I wasn’t in politics. But if you look at my general attitudes in life I would certainly have the more conservative label put on me."

Republicans have often wondered about whether he was a real Republican too. “He was a Democrat longer than he was a Republican. He's given more money to Democrats than he has to Republicans," Jeb Bush said.

Face it, when you think about the history of the Republican party, Trump is nothing like their leaders of the past. In your mind can you lump him in with Lincoln, Teddy, Ike, Reagan or even Bush I & II?

Of course not. If he adheres to any of the tenets of the party, it’s only to further some interest of his. Except for his hardcore base of zealots, everyone knows that everything he does is purely for him.

I’m bring this all up because just like the majority of his former cabinet members, hundreds of people who have served in Republican administrations in the past and the majority of military leaders who have had to follow his orders have stated publicly, you are not giving up your affiliation with the GOP if you don’t vote for him.

"Let me be clear to my Republican friends at home: If you vote for Kamala Harris in 2024 you’re not a Democrat, you’re a patriot,” former Georgia Lt. Gov. Geoff Duncan (R) said.

Trump is the ultimate RINO—Republican in name only. So be patriotic and put country before party. Vote for Kamala Harris for president.

Ahhh, James Thurber

We here at The Thurber Brigade once again apologize for yet another side step away from the “War Between Men and Women” (relationships) in order to blog about The Orange One. Sure, we’ve blogged about how he’s insane, how he is bad and how he is really unpopular. But with the election drawing so near we believe we need to keep pounding home how this person should never be in the White House again. We promise to get back to the straight and narrow real soon. Maybe. Oh, look, football season is about to begin!

Vacation Time!

noreply@blogger.com (Jay Williams) — Sun, 28 Jul 2024 03:17:00 +0000

Hey, it's summer and it's hot here in Texas so The Brigade has taken some time off. Okay, okay, it's probably just that The Brigade is a bit lazy. We'll get back into the swing of things real soon. Maybe (football season is about to begin after all).

Ahhh, James Thurber

Trump is Bad

noreply@blogger.com (Jay Williams) — Fri, 28 Jun 2024 14:03:00 +0000

George Thorogood has a song “Bad to the Bone.” It’s an expression that connotes that the person is tough or rebellious in an edgy way. Donald Trump is not that. Some people refer to another person who is good at something as “bad ass.” Nope, not Donald Trump either.

Trump is just bad, i.e. not good. He’s bad at business, bad at human relations, bad at empathy, bad at diplomacy, bad at governing, bad at dealing with difficult situation, well, bad at everything. Some people even say he smells bad, but I won’t go into that.

In the past, I blogged about how he is insane and how he is unpopular. So, with the election drawing near, I thought it might be a good time to remind people about just how bad he is so they have an easy reference when making such an important decision in November.

Trump is bad at business. To call him a businessman almost seems like a lie. He has filed for bankruptcy six times (including three casinos!):

1991: Trump’s Taj Mahal
1992: First of two Atlantic City casinos owned by Donald Trump.
1992: Second of two Atlantic City casinos owned by Donald Trump.
1992: Trump’s Plaza Hotel in New York City
2004: Trump’s Hotels and Casinos Resorts
2009: Trump’s Entertainment Resorts

Trump is bad at telling the truth. The Washington Post claims he had over 30,000 lies during his time in office.

Trump is bad for the environment.

Trump is bad at upholding the law.

Laws Trump is suspected to have violated

Trump is bad with governing and diplomacy.

Trump is bad with disasters, such as COVID

Trump is bad even according to those who worked for him.

Trump is bad with approval ratings.

There are so many areas that he is bad at/in that it makes you wonder if there is anything he is good at. Well, he is good at garnering massive hate, dividing a nation and lowering expectations for an elected leader. That's too bad.

Ahh, James Thurber

The Visitor

noreply@blogger.com (Jay Williams) — Thu, 30 May 2024 18:04:00 +0000

Years ago, when I was a young lad, I'd typically go out to night clubs and bars four to five times a week. It was part of my routine. Get home from work, eat supper, clean up a bit, write a few hours, then head to Sixth Street (the main entertainment area in Austin) or some other nearby hot spot.

The Continental Club

I wasn't exactly rich, so I'd usually try to convince the guy at the door to let me in without paying a cover because it was late. I was actually pretty successful, partly because most of them knew I was a regular. If I couldn't get in, well, I'd try someplace else because I realized that going out so much could really deplete my funds.

Stevie Ray Vaughn at ACL

They were great times as I heard a lot of really good bands. Many of these were on the way up. Stevie Ray Vaughan, The Fabulous Thunderbirds, etc. often played the small clubs I hit. Some gained momentum here in Austin, the Reivers, Soul Hat, Glass Eye, etc. but never quite made the arena level that they aspired to. I still loved them and often bought their CDs that they'd sell at the back of the club.

Antone's (on the Drag)

So I've blogged about the scene and music, but this is about The Visitor.

Every now and then I'd have a visitor I knew quite well come into town to see me. Often these visits were unannounced. At best, he’d give me a few days notice and would give me a percentage of the chance he'd actually make it.

"There's an 80% chance I'm coming over.”

Although he wasn't as close as my in town friends, nor as wild/fun, it was still pleasant to see him. After all, I'd known him longer than just about everyone else. We had a history you might say.

Let me also mention that I had roommates. Yep, even after I got out of college. I mean, isn't that the best way to save money if you aren’t rolling in the dough? That's why I never said I was poor, as I could split the bills and so afford luxury items like beer. It wasn't until much later that I could afford to live on my own.

Texas Chili Parlor

Anyway, so The Visitor would come over, often on Friday, and me and the roomies would try to get him to go out with us. After some cajoling he'd often relent. I remember hitting The Chili Parlor and Lance and I would enjoy several Magnums (rum and Coke) while he just slowly drank a beer. As we got more enebreated we started to suggest he flash his credit card to impress some nearby females. He was a lawyer and had more bucks than us, so we kept telling him to try and lure them in with his prestige. Guess he wasn’t as “loose” as we were and passed.

Liberty Lunch (drummer is on the bar)

I remember one time I tried to get him to go with me to see The Replacements at Liberty Lunch. Boy, he fought that but finally relented. Once there, he had a great time. He really got into the band, the atmosphere, the cute women.

As the years went by though it got more and more difficult to get him to go out.

“Oh, I think I'll stay here and read the paper and watch the news.”

Jay watching TV the right way

So I gave up. It had become as difficult as trying to pull a tooth and didn’t seem worth my effort to try and entertain him. Of course, I also didn’t think it would be right for me to just abandon him, so as much as I wanted to go hit the night spots, I stayed home. I’d watch TV.

The odd thing is that nowadays he says I watch a lot of TV. This sort of bothers me because I really don’t. If you didn’t count the news or sports I’d only watch about an hour a day.

It’s perception. He only sees me hanging around the house and watching TV. So maybe he’s right. Plus, now that I’m retired, I tend not to go out at night. I do often go out during the day though. Stop at a brew pub or brewery tap room and grab a beer. I’m not sure I have the patience I did in my youth, so going to see some band who shows up an hour late just isn’t my scene anymore.

So, when the Visitor comes around these days, I just hang around with him. Now he might be right about the TV watching. Oh, well, I still have some good memories from the days gone by.

The Visitor and Jay (a few years ago)

He is Really NOT Popular

noreply@blogger.com (Jay Williams) — Tue, 30 Apr 2024 15:31:00 +0000

Trump has never won an election.

This is not a lie nor misinformation. He lost both presidential elections by a lot of votes. By over three million to Clinton, by over seven million to Biden. He did win the electoral college vote. However, the electoral college is not an election.

The electoral college was a compromise by the Founding Fathers to placate the slave holders so that they’d agree to the Constitution. It would give states electors based on population and states could count slaves as 3/5 of a person. Okay, it was also for taxation and legislative representation policies, but you get the drift.

He lost those elections because he is not popular. He has never been popular and so The Thurber Brigade thought now would be a good time to remind people about how unpopular he is. This was inspired because there recently was an article stating that Biden is unpopular, but that article seemed to avoid mentioning how much Trump is despised.

I don’t know of any presidents who have had protests against them in other countries except Trump.

He was hated in France.

Germany despised him.

In England, they really despised him, with some of the largest protests the country has seen in decades.

They so disliked him they created floats and a gigantic Trump balloon to deride him.

Even little Belgium was not a fan.

However, those were nothing compared to the protests here in the U.S.

Millions came out to participate in the Women’s March across the country. “Welcome to your first day, we will not go away!” they chanted in Washington.

There were marches against his refusal to release his taxes.

Of course, there were marches against him for all sorts of other reasons.

There was a George Floyd protest outside the White House that so scared Trump, that he ran and hid in the bunker. The only president to ever seek refuge there.

So don't fret when you see the polls that show The Orange One in the lead or tied with Biden. As we near the election, people will begin to remember how bad he was, how incoherent he was and especially, how unpopular he IS. It's our job to make sure they do remember.

The Story of Easter: A Thurber Brigade Rerun

noreply@blogger.com (Jay Williams) — Wed, 27 Mar 2024 14:36:00 +0000

Around 300 CE the Cardinal ran up to the Pope while in the most agitated state. The Pope held up his hand in a calming manner to placate the worried man.

“Calm thyself Cardinal.”

“We have a crisis your excellency!” the Cardinal exclaimed.

“What crisis?”

“The people are dancing around naked and drinking heavily all in the name of Eostre!”

“Well, we can’t have that. I have a plan though. Go gather the people around and I will make a declaration.”

So, the Cardinal rushed off and after getting the people clothed and somewhat sober, convinced them to go and hear what the Pope wanted to tell them.

“People there is a new holiday you should celebrate. It is one that commemorates the death and resurrection of Jesus. This holiday will be heretofore known as Easter!” the Pope exclaimed.

The people mumbled amongst themselves and looked questioningly at the Pope. “Easter?” That sounds suspiciously like our favorite time of the year when we celebrate Eostre,” one man said.

“Um, no, no, it’s not related to Eostre at all,” the Pope assured him.

Monty Python would celebrate Eostre

“It seems strange to celebrate someone’s death,” another peasant said to the Pope. “I mean, it sounds rather bloody from the description your priests have told us in the past.”

“Yeah, and that story they tell about Jesus sure sounds a lot like the story of Inanna and Horus,” anther person shouted. “I mean, they were killed, went to the underworld and came back.”

“No, no, those stories are just myths. This story of Jesus is real. You can trust me,” the Pope said as convincingly as he could.

“We like Eostre though,” several others chimed in. “We get to dance and drink, we paint eggs and carry around rabbits to celebrate the new spring and virility.”

“Well, you can still have eggs and rabbits,” the Pope said.

“Can we dance and drink too?” a man at the back asked.

“Of course you can, although I think it best to keep your clothes on,” the Pope answered.

The people furrowed their brows and wrinkled their noses. “We’re not sure about this holiday.”

“Oh, you’ll love it,” the Pope assured them. “You’ll have a great time.”

So whether you follow celebrations of Horus, Inanna, Eostre/Ostara or Easter we at The Thurber Brigade wish you a pleasant holiday.

Ahhh, James Thurber