#elliot kirschner

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Dr. Seuss Goes to Washington

Horton Hears a Boo!

Elliot Kirschner

Feb 24

Dear friends,

There are many reasons I’ve decided not to watch tomorrow’s State of the Union address. But it really boils down to I just don’t want to!

I thought I’d explain why by channeling one of my favorite writers from childhood. With apologies to the real genius of Dr. Seuss, here is my attempt to borrow a bit of his mischief and meter.

I do not plan to watch his speech.

I will keep my ears well out of reach.

I will not be blinded by orange hair.

My attention span will not be there.

I will not watch it in my house!

I will not watch it with my spouse!

I will not watch it with my kids!

I will not doomscroll online vids!

I will not watch him lie and lie.

I would rather eat

a cold French fry!

I will not give his hatred space.

I will not watch his cruel face.

I do not want to see or hear

His sycophants stomp and cheer!

I do not like his ire or rage,

That vapid bluster which defines our age.

We have seen his tired act before.

The sneer, the shrug, the rotten core.

Nothing he says will last or matters

Because his credibility is in tatters.

He will try to confuse us without shame

From the thousands of files that contain his name.

Because even though he likes to bellyache

The loser label he will never shake.

So my plans for tomorrow are up in the air.

If I stub my toe I do not care.

No pain could match what I would see

If I turned on the news on my TV.

Because here is the thing about his show.

It feeds on outrage.

It needs us to go.

It needs our clicks.

It needs our glare.

It needs us angry sitting there.

So let us deny him what he wants most,

The ratings numbers over which to boast.

Standing up may take some guts.

But that’s the only way to deflate a Narcissiputz.

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© 2026 Elliot Kirschner

[dreaminginthedeepsouth]

Ain't Gonna Study War No More

Smile For A Saturday (A Day Early)

Ain't Gonna Study War No MoreSmile For A Saturday (A Day Early)

Dan Rather

and

Elliot Kirschner

We were looking for a Smile for a Saturday this week that felt fitting in a time of such pain, sadness, and fear. When we came across what we felt was the perfect song, we felt you shouldn’t have to wait. So, with apologies to alliteration, here is a Smile for a Friday.

We are not sure if this will make you smile, or bring tears to your eyes, or maybe a bit of both. But it spoke to a spirit that we believe unites the vast majority of humankind around the world - a yearning for peace, a recognition of the common bonds of humanity, and an appreciation for the wonders of musical expression.

The song is “Down by the Riverside,” an old African American spiritual that also is called by the name we chose for the title of this newsletter: “Ain’t Gonna Study War No More.” It doesn’t take a PhD in psychology to figure out what was on our mind.

There is no shortage of wonderful performances of the song, and we decided to share a sampling below (including from Sister Rosetta Tharpe, who we profiled last week).

But for our featured performance we chose a particularly special medley. At the center of it all is the incomparable Grandpa Elliott, a famed street musician from New Orleans. He is joined by literally a global chorus of artists.

How fitting. How inspiring. How needed in these difficult days. Prayers for peace are universal, now and always. Down by the riverside.

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Just A Few Random Snippets

Just a few brief snippets today, ’cause I have the usual Monday chores to do, plus I need some time to work on the next part of my latest fiction series. Have you noticed that virtually nothing happens that Trump and his Republican cronies don’t immediately start pointing fingers of blame … naturally, in the direction of either former presidents Biden or Obama, else Democrats in general.  Take,…

Just A Few Random Snippets

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A SLAP IN THE FACE!!!

I had noticed something in the news a few days ago about Felon Trump installing some kind of commentary under the names of presidents in a row of portraits in the White House, but I didn’t pay attention to it at the time – one can only absorb so much of this barrage of news in the course of a day.  But then last night, as I was attempting to clean up my inbox which had 1,103 emails, I came across…

A SLAP IN THE FACE!!!

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Outrageous!!! Supreme Court Approves Racism! 🤬

So many things in yesterday’s news raised my hackles and brought on a loud grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrowl, but I think the most hackle-raising event was the Supreme Court’s ruling that racism is A-Okay now.  I was so enraged that I couldn’t begin to write a coherent post about it.  Fortunately, Elliot Kirschner had no such problem … while his rage matched my own, he was still able to put his words into a…

Outrageous!!! Supreme Court Approves Racism! 🤬

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Stupid Is As Stupid Does

I’ve long been a fan of Elliot Kirschner, ever since he and Dan Rather used to write a column together.  His post yesterday caught my eye, and the more I read, the more I thought he must’ve peeked inside my head to have seen exactly how I think, for he has expressed my own views, only much better than I could have … Trump Is An Idiot Let’s not mince words By Elliot Kirschner 07 April 2025 How…

Stupid Is As Stupid Does

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Tears Of Shame -- Yes, Again

There are many things that bother me deeply about this election, things that keep me awake at night, that raise my angst to unhealthy levels, but the worst thing about it all is … the intolerance and hatred that it has brought out among the people of this country.  Families have been torn apart, marriages destroyed, long-time friendships ended with a venomous spew.  These are relationships that,…

Tears Of Shame -- Yes, Again

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Values? Integrity? Courage?

Y’know, I’ve been giving a lot of thought to Jeff Bezos at The Washington Post and Patrick Soon-Shiong at The Los Angeles Times refusal to endorse Kamala Harris this year and it really bothers me.  I don’t want to “beat a dead horse,” but this is akin to a man refusing to help his child out of a puddle of mud because he doesn’t wish to get his shoes dirty.  Apparently I am not the only one it…

Values? Integrity? Courage?