smack-dab | The Direction of Intention

It’s Basic [David’s blog on saturday morning smack-dab]

Posted on March 15, 2025 by davidrobinsoncreative

Basic = Fundamental. Essential. Rudimentary. Elemental. What you see is what you get.

What we are seeing in this administration and what we are getting is pretty much what we expected: Corruption. Greed. Incompetence. It’s basic. There is no mystery – at least to those of us who read Project 2025 and were not intellectually-blunted or morally misguided by the fox or any other Rupert Murdoch fantasy rag*.

It’s basic: a reality tv star is…well, made-up for tv. A character. Not real. A contrivance for entertainment. A fiction. And so an empty suit made for tv now sits behind the resolute desk and plays the role of president for ratings but has no idea what it means to run a nation. He certainly knows how to bilk people. He has a proven track record of running organizations into the ground. He is famously unplugged from verifiable truth. A lifelong bully. Is it any wonder the markets are tanking and our allies are holding their noses and walking away?

It’s basic. Predictable. Obvious. We gave an oligarch and a made-for-tv-flimflam-man the keys to the White House so should not be surprised by the rapid pilfering.

Basically, the title of Bret Stephens opinion piece in the NY Times says it all: Democracy Dies in Dumbness.

*“Many of Murdoch’s papers and television channels have been accused of biased and misleading coverage to support his business interests…” [the understatement of the century]~ Wikipedia

read Kerri’s blogpost about BASIC

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Filed under: smack-dab | Tagged: artistry, basics, Bret Stephens, corruption, david robinson, davidrobinsoncreative.com, democracy, Democracy Dies in Dumbness, elemental, fundamental, greed, incompetence, Kerri Sherwood, kerri sherwood itunes, kerrianddavid.com, kerrisherwood.com, reality tv, story, studio melange, the melange | 1 Comment »

Talk About It [David’s blog on saturday morning smack-dab]

Posted on March 8, 2025 by davidrobinsoncreative

In our blue bubble it is a five alarm fire and it’s all we talk about. The methodical destruction of democracy.

In the red bubble…well, given their discourse there’s nothing unusual happening. The dismantling of democracy is what they voted for. Their conversation runs the gamut from cute kittens to insta-pot recipes to hyper-patriotic remembrances. Anything but…

I’ve found in almost every case that if I try to discuss the disjoint in our bubble reality, I’m met by the red-voters with the phrase, “We don’t talk about it.” Pulling status…as if ignorance (ignoring reality) is the entrance fee to the maga-country club. Republican constituents mimicking their representatives in the House and the Senate: hear-no-evil, see-no-evil…speak-no-truth.

But what about this? It’s one example of a multitude: the first amendment protects our right to assemble and express our views through protest. The tyrant-wannabe recently posted that protesters on college campuses will be expelled or arrested and that federal funding will be withheld from universities that allow “illegal” protests [for grins, the source of my link is fox news]. And then, completely unclear on the concept (the Constitution), he thanked the people of the nation for our “attention to this matter”.

There is so much that we need to talk about.

read Kerri’s blog about MALARKEY

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Filed under: smack-dab | Tagged: artistry, assemble, david robinson, davidrobinsoncreative.com, democracy, disjoint, First Amendment, info bubbles, Kerri Sherwood, kerri sherwood itunes, kerrianddavid.com, kerrisherwood.com, reality, story, studio melange, the melange, we | 3 Comments »

Second As Farce [David’s blog on saturday morning smack-dab]

Posted on March 1, 2025 by davidrobinsoncreative

My friend Roger once said that the real problem pathological liars face is that they can never keep track of their lies so they must continually heap lie onto lie onto lie until their narrative is a tumorous absurdity. The same rule applies to the enablers of liars. They, too, must heap justification upon justification until their justifications are preposterous. Ridiculous. Harebrained.

And, so, here we are. Tumorous absurdity propped up by preposterous, ridiculous, harebrained justifications.

With a pathological liar-in-chief and his party of dancing-bear-enablers, the story gets more and more barmy. A rapist leading the charge to eliminate abuse. An oligarch profiting mightily from the government he proclaims to be cleansing of fraud. Republicans, in the name of cutting waste, race to run up the national debt to provide tax cuts for billionaires.

It leaves me wondering how much balderdash a maga-mouth can swallow, how much rubbish a fox-infused brain can justify before it (they) wake up – you know, become “woke” – to the fact that America is not being made great, it’s being plundered. When do the sheep realize that they are being fleeced?

Karl Marx called it: “History repeats itself, first as tragedy, second as farce”.

read Kerri’s blogpost about WASTE, ABUSE, FRAUD

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Filed under: smack-dab | Tagged: absurdity, abuse, artistry, david robinson, davidrobinsoncreative.com, enabling, farce, fraud, irony, Karl Marx, Kerri Sherwood, kerri sherwood itunes, kerrianddavid.com, kerrisherwood.com, liar, plunder, story, studio melange, the melange, tragedy, waste | Leave a comment »

Consistent [David’s blog on saturday morning smack-dab]

Posted on February 22, 2025 by davidrobinsoncreative

Every day – every single day – I read in the news, from the mouth of some republican, two words of justification for the systematic destruction of our democracy: in the name of “transparency and accountability”. All the while the Government Accountability Office (GAO) is shuttered, the Inspectors General are fired. An opaque curtain is thrown over the workings of the DOGE.

I have a suggestion for the new Republican motto: Do-as-I-say, not-as-I-do. Of course, if there was nothing to hide, if they were honest, they’d work their agenda through Congress rather than govern by cloak and dagger.

Yesterday we went to the polls to vote for the state Superintendent of Public Instruction. The republican candidate, someone with low-bar-no-bar qualifications, said that she intended to bring to the office “transparency and accountability.” I rolled my eyes. At least they are consistent in their prevarication*.

It brought to mind a twist on something Quinn used to say, “If someone has to tell you that they are accountable, they probably aren’t.”

*Prevarication is the act of avoiding the truth, especially in a sneaky way. It can also mean being vague or evasive.

Read Kerri’s blogpost about TRANSPARENCY AND ACCOUNTABILITY

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Filed under: smack-dab | Tagged: accountable, artistry, david robinson, davidrobinsoncreative.com, democracy, GAO, honesty, justification, Kerri Sherwood, kerri sherwood itunes, kerrianddavid.com, kerrisherwood.com, lies, prevarication, republican, story, studio melange, the melange, transparent | Leave a comment »

Brimming [David’s blog on saturday morning smack-dab]

Posted on February 15, 2025 by davidrobinsoncreative

I’m writing a few days ahead because we have a week of travel. As you read this we will be on a flight home, full of stories, new memories, refreshed spirits brimming with gratitude.

Just as we are excited about the adventure ahead we know there will be a moment in our travels when our focus shifts and we will turn our attention toward home. It’s one of the great gifts of travel: renewed appreciation for the known, coming home with new eyes that see the sweet comfort of routine. No doubt, the gratitude we are feeling at this very moment runs through the great gift of new experiences, brimming with utter appreciation for stepping back onto our well-worn path.

read Kerri’s blogpost about NEW EYES

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Filed under: smack-dab | Tagged: appreciation, artistry, comfort, david robinson, davidrobinsoncreative.com, focus, Gratitude, home, Kerri Sherwood, kerri sherwood itunes, kerrianddavid.com, kerrisherwood.com, renewal, routine, story, studio melange, the melange, travel, travels | 1 Comment »

Dedicate Quiet [David’s blog on saturday morning smack-dab]

Posted on February 8, 2025 by davidrobinsoncreative

It’s like taking a drink of water from a fire hose. And that’s their control-strategy. Gish gallop. Muzzle velocity. Insanity inundation.

When faced with a fire hose of malice, the best defense is a suggestion from Master Marsh: turn off all the devices for a day. Take a break. There’s plenty of generosity and beauty all around and it’s readily available when not being drowned out. Talk about that. Take a drink from the welcome spring of acts-of-kindness. Warm your heart with friendship. Laugh. Rejuvenate your spirit in dedicated quiet. Rest.

The ugliness will still be there tomorrow.

read Kerri’s blogpost about REST

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Filed under: smack-dab | Tagged: artistry, control strategy, david robinson, davidrobinsoncreative.com, friendship, generosity, Gish Gallop, hope, Kerri Sherwood, kerri sherwood itunes, kerrianddavid.com, kerrisherwood.com, kindness, laugh, malice, quiet, rejuvenation, rest, sanity, story, studio melange, the melange, ugliness | 1 Comment »

DEI is U.S. [David’s blog on saturday morning smack-dab]

Posted on February 1, 2025 by davidrobinsoncreative

“…Hitler then promulgated a special decree titled “Destructive Measures on Reich Territory.” Otherwise remembered as the “Scorched Earth Decree” or “Nero Decree,” for the brutal Roman Emperor Nero (ruled 54-68 C.E.), the order mandated the destruction of Germany’s infrastructure.” Sealing The Third Reich’s Downfall: Adolf HItler’s “Nero Decree”

Of course, at the very heart of the U.S. American experiment is diversity. We have many catch phrases celebrating our common bond: A nation of immigrants. When I was young we were taught that our nation was a melting pot. More recently we celebrate our multiculturalism. In any case, the very center of our ideal is printed on our currency: out of many, one. E Pluribus Unum. In fact, it is our nation’s official motto.

In the past few weeks, with an all-out assault on DEI, Critical Race Theory, LGBTQ rights, restrictions of conversations about race and gender in classrooms, demonization of immigrants, the free press…we are witness to the current Republican administration’s version of a Nero Decree. An all-out-assault on our infrastructure. A scorched earth policy meant to pull down our democracy and replace it with an ugly White Christian Nationalism, the exact opposite of our founders’ intention. A flip of our national motto.

How far into the current Nero Decree do we need to go before our elected leaders remember their oath is to The Constitution and not to their party or the whim of an authoritarian? At what point will they recall the the purpose and absolute necessity of checks-and-balances? How much more indecency will we witness before they act or before we-the-people wake up and remember that the power is with the people? People of many races, genders, ethnicities…a richly diverse, formidable people when united.

(Bonus: A cautionary phrase from the National Center for Constitutional Studies: “Toynbee observed that 19 of the world’s 21 significant civilizations disappeared from the face of the earth – not from assault by outside forces, but from deterioration within the society.”)

read Kerri’s blogpost about DEI

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Filed under: smack-dab | Tagged: artistry, Critical Race Theory, david robinson, davidrobinsoncreative.com, DEI, difference, Diversity, e pluribus unum, ethnicity, gender, immigration, Kerri Sherwood, kerri sherwood itunes, kerrianddavid.com, kerrisherwood.com, Nero Decree, race, story, studio melange, The Constitution of The United States, the melange | 1 Comment »

Serve Chicken [David’s blog on saturday morning smack-dab]

Posted on January 25, 2025 by davidrobinsoncreative

“As wealth moved upward, lawmakers chipped away at the postwar government that defended democracy. And now, since the inauguration of President Donald Trump on Monday, the dismantling of that system is happening all at once.” ~ Historian Heather Cox Richardson, Letters From an American January 24, 2025

All this week, in honor of the nation’s Republicans, we served chicken to our guests. But not just any chicken, we offered rubber chicken as sustenance.* The kind of chicken used in jokes. The kind without bones, particularly spines. I’d suggest a change in the Republican Party mascot since a chicken would seem more appropriate than an Elephant, but I just read that both mascots were the invention of cartoonist, Thomas Nast. It’s from his name that we have the word “nasty”.* Get this:

“It’s a little weird that both of the major American political parties have embraced their mascots so enthusiastically, considering how poorly the two animals come across in Nast’s original cartoons: how stupid, how pliable, how easily confused.” ~ Jackson Arn, Artsy, Why Democrats are Donkeys and Republicans are Elephants (republished by CNN)

Stupid. Pliable. Easily confused.

Appropriate. And utterly exhausting.

*I lied. “Nasty” doesn’t come from “Nast.” I lied again. We didn’t serve rubber chicken. But, in this brave new world, my newly found dedication to lying-about-everything makes me not only eligible but very attractive for high public office.

read Kerri’s blogpost about EXHAUSTING

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Filed under: smack-dab | Tagged: artistry, cartoons, chicken, david robinson, davidrobinsoncreative.com, easily confused, Heather Cox Richardson, Kerri Sherwood, kerri sherwood itunes, kerrianddavid.com, kerrisherwood.com, mascots, pliable, republicans, spineless, story, studio melange, stupid, the melange, Thomas Nast | 2 Comments »

The Medicine We Seek [David’s blog on saturday morning smack-dab]

Posted on January 18, 2025 by davidrobinsoncreative

In the story of The Crescent Moon Bear, a young wife endures several trials on a journey to find medicine that might cure her ailing husband. In the end, the trials are the medicine. The trials teach her the path of healing. As we near the day of national disgrace, the inauguration of a despot, the Crescent Moon Bear story has been walking with me. Perhaps the trials we are about to face will be the medicine. Perhaps they will teach us or show us the path to heal what ails this nation.

This is what the story has already taught me: the young wife would not have kept walking, she would not have endured the hardship of her journey, had she not carried in her heart a greater purpose. A reason to endure. The healing of her beloved.

No one endures hardship without a heart-full of service to something greater than comfort, something more potent than personal gain. The red-hat-mob and oligarchs will learn this soon enough. Gluttony is vapid purpose, a flavorless reason for being.

Kerri just read to me a post by John Pavlovitz. The necessity of acknowledging – and being honest – about the dark despair we feel in this moment of national shame. I was struck by the common theme expressed in the many, many comments: people feeling alone, isolated in their disbelief and grief.

It occurred to me that those of us, discouraged by the election of hatred, fearful of what’s coming, will soon need to find one another in order to embark on a journey to discover a cure for the corrosive poison now coursing through the nation’s body. We need not walk this path alone. Our shared grief is a sure sign of our unity, our capacity to meet the coming trials with a greater – shared – sense of purpose.

Our hearts hurt. They should hurt. The despair we feel is natural, necessary, a compass to guide us as we embark together on this odyssey. We will, in our journey, if we come together and walk united, learn that we are the medicine we seek.

read Kerri’s blogpost about JUST KEEP WALKING

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Filed under: smack-dab | Tagged: artistry, david robinson, davidrobinsoncreative.com, inauguration, Kerri Sherwood, kerri sherwood itunes, kerrianddavid.com, kerrisherwood.com, medicine, purpose, shared purpose, smack-dab, story, studio melange, The Crescent Moon Bear, the melange, together, togetherness, trials, unity | 2 Comments »

Stay Clear of the Avalanche [David’s blog on saturday morning smack-dab]

Posted on January 11, 2025 by davidrobinsoncreative

It’s a strategy. “During a typical Gish gallop, the galloper confronts an opponent with a rapid series of specious arguments, half-truths, misrepresentations and outright lies making it impossible for the opponent to refute all of them…” ~Gish Gallop: Wikipedia

We have, of course, unbelievably, elected for the second time, a champion galloper. A liar extraordinaire. The Gishiest of gallopers.

It’s a strategy. Chaos is a distraction. When it’s impossible to cut through the daily avalanche of hooey, be certain that what’s happening behind the crap-curtain is ill-intended, deliberate and self-serving.

As Heather Cox Richardson suggests, the only thing to be done is not get caught in the avalanche. Stand back and look for patterns. In this case, we have a lifetime of pattern available for study, easy to see. A career criminal. A bankrupt soul. A parasite in a baggy blue suit.

And so, we canter the other way, just far enough to stay clear of the avalanche – and do as journalist Mehdi Asan suggests to counter the Gish galloper: Call it out. “…do not be fooled by the flood of nonsense you have just heard.”

read Kerri’s blogpost about THE GISH GALLOP