Michael Hobson Productions

Hello and thank you for joining me. I’m Michael G. Hobson and the title of this series is Hobson’s Choice.

According to the Oxford dictionary Hobson’s Choice is defined as “a choice of taking something offered or taking nothing.”

I hope to offer something. I believe there are issues today that, if ignored, will severely impact mankind in the coming decades. Now I am not affiliated with any news organization. This is strictly an effort on my behalf to offer insight on current events; it will be up to you to conclude at the end whether I have done so.

Today the G. in my name stands for General. Since this is the first of a series, it is meant to provide you with a general overview of my intentions.

First. Being a proponent of the continuation of the human species I believe Climate Change should be the most important issue of our time but there still are so many with authority who deny all the scientists and believe environmental protections are simply regulations that hinder ecomomic growth. Shame on you…thinking only of yourselves and not of your children, of your granchildren, or your descendents.

Screw ‘em, you are effectively saying to your descendents, I’m trying to make some money here.

Shame on you.

Your descendents will certainly be facing their own natural disasters—like Hurricane Harvey—only more often. Of course with the melting of the glaciers causing ocean levels to rise it may not be so far into the future where miles of coastline will be water and millions will be crowded into the center of the land watching the approaching waters like sailers on a sinking ship.

Sorry. That was grim. And it may not happen. Scientists can only predict natural occurences, like a solar eclipse, but they can’t actually make them happen.

Through the tragedy; the same tragedy that is claiming lives and threatening millions Trump views the Hurricane as a marketing tool thinking he can use the coverage to announce his pardoning of Sheriff Racist Cop. Through the tragedy however we are witnessing people helping people: I`m an optimist—despite so much information to the contrary I believe that the great majority of people in this world want to do the right thing—whether they are able to…well, that’s situational.

These are troubling times; and it`s crucial, I believe, that those whose instinct is to do the right thing need to do so…this is my contribution to the cause.

These are troubling times, the Mad Hatter is in the White House and A Flock of Seagulls control Congress. I love Jon Stewart`s description of Mitch McConnell…The Turtle. He talks like he`s mumbling to himself, and I still can’t fathom how Paul Ryan can stand and walk without benefit of a spine.

But with Hurricane Harvey hammering Texas, and now Louisiana, at some point in the Climate Change argument it has to be stated, shouted in fact, that this is not simply the actions of nature as much as it is a reaction to the increasing temperatures both on earth and in the water.

I appeal to the climate change deniers in power to stop looking at this issue like they would if they were looking through the peephole of a hotel room door. Peering, and then moving on. This issue needs your complete attention.

I’m not claiming that global warming created Harvey, or Sandy, or Katrina…but it is natural to assume that the waters would warm with the rise in air tempèrature. Global warming may not create these monsters but it feeds them; makes them bigger, stronger.

Katrina was considered a once in 500 year storm; Sandy was considered a once in 500 year storm and now Harvey is being considered a once in 500 year storm. Three storms, each of which is considered a once in a half

millenium event, have occurred in the past twelve years. Something`s happening here, and it needs our undivided attention.

Another grievance I have is with the citizens of the United States of America. How is it possible that The Mad Hatter is still in the Oval Office? And what’s worse, no matter how many times and by how many people he is told to stop talking Trump keeps talking. Surely he’s talked so much, to such an extent that enough evidence has been uncovered to get him out. The world cringes every time your president speaks…how does it feel, American citizen? I don’t have to worry that Trump supporters are watching this video—they have a hard enough time seeing through those Trump branded blindfolds that were given out to everyone who attended a Trump campaign rally, or a Trump presidential rally.

The world sees what’s happening. Trump wants to be like Putin. He wants Putin’s total control of a country. Russia is becoming less of a communist state and more of an authoratarian state. That’s what Trump wants—he’s an authoratarian wannabe. He loves putin because Putin’s a winner. Not to mention filthy rich.

But Trump just can’t come to grips with the fact that checks and balances are ingrained in the US government system, for good reason—as we see.

Those checks and balances don’t exist in Russia, and it is those checks and balances that continue to frustrate the wannabe authoratarian.

We’re fortunate here; in western civilization. Imagine a baby born in North Korea, groomed for a single purpose—to serve the Supreme Leader.

The opposition to Trump is far greater in numbers than those who support him and, for Republicans, to think that The Perfect Storm could happen twice, and they could win another election with him…Remember, in the movie like in real life, everyone died.

I believe there are aspects of socialism that are not only useful to a society, but wise. Why wouldn’t you create programs that care and protect your citizens? Is it worth the few extra bucks in your paycheck to not know if your

family will be protected? It continues to amaze me how a country as large and powerful; as strong as it is knowledgeable refuses to care for its citizens.

I believe in gun control and I believe in a government run health insurance—health insurance is not a privilege, it is a right. But the only way it can work for everyone is if everyone contributes. And gun control…well, that’s a whole other chapter.

I also believe in a managed immigration policy; I believe contact football causes brain damage in its players and I believe baseball is the greatest sport ever invented.

I also believe that as a Canadian it is incumbent on us to keep our eyes and ears open on our noisy neighbour to the south. The noise they create often causes temporary blindness in the eyes of the citizens in other countries and increased deafness in our ears.

How to explain Trump’s manner? He’s like heavy metal music—the same chords being played at a high decibel.

Oh, as an aside, since we were talking about Trump—I have a bone to pick with the 52% of American “white women” who voted for a proven misogynist rather than for the first woman, a white woman, for president? It boggles my mind to this day. Of course now that the anger and the confusion has…lessened—even with Trump in the White House I still sleep well—thankful for those checks and balances.

And how are those categories defined? How does a woman get placed in the white woman category? What if a voting age woman has a black mother and a white father…or vice versa…which line is she sent into? Is it like dual citizenship? Can she vote twice?

Another thing about Trump—because there are so many things…I remember the Richard Dreyfus character in Jaws, the oceanographer, describe a great white shark as an animal that eats, swims and makes little sharks…and that’s all it does. It’s like Trump. In Trump’s mind he swims to the money, eats the money and afterward makes little sharks. I have some bad news for you

Donald…You have only one shark as an offspring…and Ivanka is more mako than great white. Your two boys are chum.

Unprecedented seems to be the lead to any Trump word or any Trump action; but it shouldn’t be. Trump’s words and actions cannot be compared to those who preceded him into that office. This isn’t the same game that’s being played. This isn’t a Democrat vs.Republican baseball game. This is golf, it’s his course and there’s only one player.

Of course Trump supports white supremacy; he’s the most prominent member of the club. David Duke sings his praises. I believe that segragationism is intrinsic to his character, not only segregation by race but segregation by gender and mostly segregation by financial wealth. It was an instinct instilled in him by the man he both feared and admired most—his father, and though by now he has a sense that being a segregationist is not a popular stance to take, especially now that he’s president, like most things he says or does…he can’t help himself.

Thank goodness he’s busy being self-destructive.

I understand that politics rule…at least for now…c’mon Bob Mueller—the world turns its lonely eyes to you. SAD

And I understand that Congressional Republicans are going to have to shed their shiney southern boots, likes snakes shedding its skin, for that to happen. I have believed since the election that trump would have political cover as long as Mitch McConnell was willing to give cover. That cover may be thinning as we speak.

C’mon Mitch. I know you don’t like to walk around with it…preferring to keep your heart on the bedside table, in case you may need it at some point, but McCain showed plenty of heart with the thumbs down on killing more Americans—if there is any compassion, anything other than envy and hatred coursing through that body let me say, for the survival of perhaps billions of people may I say that this is the time to show it.

I know it’s hard. Everybody always makes fun of you. You’ve been the butt of jokes all your life. But now who’s laughing right Mitch. Look at you now.

So what if when you talk it looks and sounds like your mumbling to yourself, and yes I am certain you were hurt whenever Jon Stewart referred to you as Turtle. You know, if you had even a little sense of humour about yourself you might realize—it’s funny.

So what are you going to do Mitch? You have to know that if a politcal bomb explodes in the White House there’s will be plenty of shrapnel headed your way. I’m assumoing you kndew what was hapenning at the time…re Trump/Russia. I find it hard to believe the mpost powerful man in Congress wouldn’t have heard such a juicy piece of information. I think Ryan knew too. But don’t worry I don’t think you acted…no one would ever accuse either of you of being active. I laugh devery time Trump complains that the Democrats are obstructionists considering that was the position you made it your professional duty to a\occupy for eight years. Nice job by the way. You’ve gone from having a thoughtful, compassionate,analytical, well spoken, well-meaning and moral leader of the government to the Tasmanian devil…Sorry, I need to stay consistent…the Mad Hatter.

I remember a Republican president pressing Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev to “tear down this wall”. Now, the Republican president wants to build a wall.

He threatens other countries for little reason, criticizes other leaders whenever he chooses, withdraws from international agreements for selfish pruposes, wants the elimination of basic health care to satisfy his political agenda and he has proposed a tax budget that may only be one page long but by its efforts to cut the funding to almost every government agency in favour of giving it to the top one per cent this proposal is most assuredly one page too long.

I believe a good number of the people who voted for Trump now feel regret. They had hoped his many, many, many character flaws could be accepted and forgiven if he lived up to his promises and made their lives better, but seven months in it is only the die-hards who do not see that Trump’s promise is not to make their lives batter but to make Trump’s life better.

Another movie line I want to quote comes from Sean Connery in “The Hunt for Red October”. When describing a fellow Russian submarine commander Connery said, “there is no room in Tupelev’s heart for anyone other than Tupelov.”

Change Tupelev to Trump and…well…you see where I’m going.

I have proof. Here…is a picture, within reason, of a life size human heart. And here…is Trump’s heart. Funny thing is that he mostly uses it as a storage facility for Trump memorabilia. We know this because everything he owns is stamped.

I don’t understand why the investigations are taking so long. They must have tons of evidence by now. The man constantly contradicts himself…and it’s on video. Fake News.

In the years surrounding his Miss Universe Pageant Trump talked constantly about Russia. There is video evidence. He said that he had met and that he liked Putin; his sons—remember, chum…his sons bragged about the money that was pouring in from Russia. Imagine, a Trump bragging. As soon as businessman Trump became candidate Trump he denied having any business interrests in Russia and said not only had he never met he had never even talked to Putin.

Don’t believe me, he’s saying, believe me.

Who am I? I am a child of fake news.I have worked inside and around the fringes of the media for many of the years since I started as a newspaper reporter in1980. My mistake was not being able to accept the superficiality of certain aspects of journalism, feeling we were bastardizing the path setby the muckrakers who preceded me. I was young. I returned at different imes in the years that followed in different places.

I believe there is truth in journalism and though it is covered under many layers of opinion I still believe it exists.

And I believe that this…SHOW TRUMP’S SMALL HEART

Frightens me.Hell hath no fury like a bully scorned.

Till next time my friends, be well.