Green Day's "American Idiot" Topping Charts in the UK for Trump's Visit

President Trump is set to visit the UK on Friday the 13th, and to say that the British are unhappy about it would be a massive understatement.

There's been a largely successful campaign on social media to get the 2004 Green Day song "American Idiot" to number 1 on the charts. The song has already hit number one on Google Play and Amazon, with their sights set on iTunes and all of the major streaming services. 

.@GreenDay's seminal 2004 track 'American Idiot' is storming the UK charts once again, ahead of @realDonaldTrump's debut visit. Brits, get streaming #MAIGA https://t.co/dLg5j3Y2DK pic.twitter.com/E54xHxYAuc

— TheIndustryObserver (@theindustry_o) July 10, 2018

The push has been supported by multiple members of the band (why wouldn't they want a 14 year old song charting again?), but not everyone is happy about the lack of support for the President.

Your point is moot. We are all well aware how weak, wobbly, tepid, and flatulent our government is. Brexit is indeed a disaster...pretty much the entire British intelligence voted against it but Hey, you lot know what it’s like to have a ridiculous result of a vote right? https://t.co/UXgYhLqx8h

— American Idiot For UK No.1 When Trump Visits (@TrumpIdiotNo1) July 10, 2018

How awesome is this? 😁

Keep it going my fellow Brits... we are closing in and we have until Thursday night pic.twitter.com/61jcSnECLf

— American Idiot For UK No.1 When Trump Visits (@TrumpIdiotNo1) July 10, 2018

While we've seen a lot of the pitfalls in the age of social media and can end up feeling more disconnected or even over-connected at times, it's actually pretty amazing to see how powerful it can be when used for something some might call "good."

Personally, I would consider it a "good cause" because it's a protest against political views expressed in an effective, non-violent way. Is it going to change anything in the Trump administration? Most likely not, but it's still a fun way to protest.

Ultimately, real change isn't going to happen in the US political system until more communication about issues, as opposed to partisanship, is the main priority. It shouldn't be about political parties and picking sides... Both the Democrats and Republicans are guilty of this and I don't think there's going to be an easy way to make that happen. We'll just have to see what the future holds and keep trying. 

The First Episode of Does Not Follow is Finally Up! Episode 1 - Huggy Cris

Huggy Cris and I dive into a bottle of vodka and talk about everything from stand up comedy to politics, as well as everything in between. He gets more articulate as the show goes on, but I do not! Check out the very first episode of the Does Not Follow Podcast!

"CHRISTMAS IS HERE" Donald Trump Bad Lip Reading

If this is your first day on the internet, then you probably haven't heard of the YouTube channel "Bad Lip Reading." In which case, it's your lucky day.

There's nothing more festive than this.

Girl goes too far trying to do an impression of President Donald Trump

Bret Weinstein from Evergreen State College Talks About Campus Controversy

I just got done watching Joe Rogan's podcast with Bret Weinstein, the professor from Evergreen State College in Olympia Washington. There's been a lot of controversy on campus over race related issues and Bret was accused of being racist because of a message he sent saying he didn't agree with a college mandated day where white people aren't allowed to show up.

Weinstein shares his side of the story with Rogan, which sounds very disturbing if true. The Evergreen State College is in my home state a few hours drive away... and I had never even heard of it until the news started reporting the protests and the videos were posted online. 

There's a whole lot more to the story than I can or want to summarize here, but if you want a quick background rundown of it check out Philip DeFranco's video where he recaps the events that lead to the problem. 

Check out the video below where Weinstein describes the events as they unfolded at the college. 

The Real Reasons Last Man Standing Was Canceled (Looper) & Random Thoughts

I have to be honest, I've never watched "Last Man Standing." I tried watching the first episode a couple of years ago, but it failed to keep my interest with the tired multi-camera, canned laughter format.

I know there's successful shows that still use the classic sitcom format, but I'm not watching any of them. The last traditional sitcom I watched on broadcast television was probably either Friends or Frasier, whichever ended later. I can't remember and I don't care to look it up.

I did watch a lot of "How I Met Your Mother," but only after it was on Netflix. I've seen a few episodes of "Big Bang Theory," but that was on an airplane. Anyways, my point is that I just can't watch those shows anymore. The canned laughter for lines that aren't even jokes.

Maybe it's not the format that's tired, but just the bad writing. I don't find any traditional sitcoms funny anymore. Now, single camera shows like Louie and Maron I found hilarious. However, the writing and characters were really funny.

I can still watch Seinfeld and laugh my balls off, even though I've seen all nine seasons many times. I went back and watched Cheers and Frasier from the beginning. Those shows have excellent premises, characters, and stellar writing. I don't even notice the laugh track because I'm ACTUALLY laughing all the way through it.

I suppose the other part is that I can't watch broadcast television anymore. I hate watching one show at a time and waiting a week for the next episode. I don't have the patience for that. I know I sound like a douche, but I enjoy watching multiple episodes of a show back to back. It's like watching a really long, interesting movie, and I don't forget what happened the previous week.

Even with streaming, I still couldn't make it through ten minutes of  "Last Man Standing." It's possible that I didn't give it long enough. It's been on for six years and clearly a lot of people like it. However, it's unlikely that I'll give it another chance. There's just too many good shows and movies to watch, with so little time to watch them.

I don't really care about the politics either. That may have been a factor in the motivation to cancel the series, but that doesn't determine whether or not I'll watch a show. Unless they're running for government office, I don't really care what side of the aisle an entertainer feels more comfortable.

I think political lines that we draw in this country are more arbitrary than legitimate. Most people think they need to align themselves with a party, but the parties are corrupt as an institution... The same as the politicians that constitute them.

The reality is too, that most people can fall on either side of the spectrum for different issues. For some reason people attack the left or the right with name calling and other bullshit, as though you have to be one or the other. It's not an either/or situation. The political parties have painted it that way. They've made teams and you have to sign up for one.

Both Democrats and Republicans are corrupt and political parties, and boast candidates that are full of shit.

The world is more gray area and chaos than it is order with nice clean lines and labels.

I kind of went all over the place with this one. Haha

Anyways, here's Looper's take on the real reasons "Last Man Standing" was canceled. They do a very thorough job of examining the situation (comedy).

John Oliver Tackles The Affordable Care Act, A.K.A. "Obamacare"

I find the debate over the Affordable Care Act, aka "Obamacare," fascinating. It's a program that has flaws and yet has provided healthcare to millions of Americans that didn't previously have any.

A lot of people want to have it flat out repealed, regardless if there is anything to replace it. However, it looks like Republicans are having a hard time figuring out what to do. I'm not a politician, and I'm not an expert in the field, so I couldn't tell you what the best option is.

I do feel like rich people repealing it just because they don't like it is a little like me telling an onion farmer to stop growing something that makes me cry when I cut it.

People on both sides of the political spectrum are speaking up and saying that they don't want it taken away without at least something to take its place. I think that's a good thing. I'd like to say that I don't have a dog in this fight, because I do.

Last year I had to pay, when I was supposed to get a decent return on my taxes. The first time I had to pay in more than what was withheld in my entire life. I've been working and paying taxes for around 21 years. The year prior I didn't have health insurance, and since it was a requirement, it not only took away my entire tax refund but forced me to pay in an additional $400.

That was a hard pill to swallow. My wife and I were going to use the money from our tax refund to take a vacation. We have been married four years and never got to have a honeymoon. That was going to be the honeymoon we had been waiting for. Unfortunately, it didn't work out that way and we both not only learned a valuable lesson... we were okay with it.

We accepted that because we knew it was part of a plan that had the greater good in mind. If we felt that way, why didn't we get health insurance sooner? Procrastination and stupidity. Hey, I'm human.

I'm not an extreme person politically, and I can see both sides of the donkey and elephant fight on a lot of issues. I understand the desires of the right for individual freedoms and the left's desire for social programs that help us take care of our own. For all of the fighting that goes on ideologically, I don't see why we can't find a balance somewhere in the middle.

I personally think that we can take care of people, our fellow citizens, and still maintain freedom. We have to be able to talk about it first, and the two party system that we have plays a part in preventing that from happening. We're pitting ourselves into categories that force us to diametrically oppose one another.

Left. Right. Red. Blue. Democrat. Republican.

I don't think there is a political spectrum as we have defined it for so long. You can believe in universal healthcare and be against gun control. You can believe in a free economy and be opposed to gender guidelines for bathrooms. You can be pro-choice and anti-immigration. You can be pro-immigration and against gay marriage. The list goes on and on.

I'm speaking in generalities, but my point is that there are a lot of issues and yet we try to define our beliefs by taking a "side." Then we have to "battle" the other side to get what we want, when I don't think that is the case.

We are all complex people with differing opinions on a range of topics, and I don't think the majority of us fall into just one bucket.

Maybe I'm just naive. As I said, I'm not a political expert but I feel like we can do a lot better as a people in this country if we could listen to each other and have real discussions instead of labeling everything bad that doesn't align with your assigned seat on the spectrum.

Let me clarify that I'm talking about both sides. I'm not a fan of Trump, because the man lies and he's been caught doing it more times than can be counted. I wasn't a fan of Hillary either, to be clear. I think they were two of the worst options to choose from for President in history.

I'm really just saying I hate labels. We're complicated beings with so much more than that to offer.

Anyways, I got way off topic. I'm a huge fan of John Oliver and his show "Last Week Tonight" is hilarious. This segment tackles "Obamacare" and I think it's worth a look.

Fox News Poll on How Well Trump is Doing

Welp, that about sums that up... Screenshot taken 2/24/17 10:19PM Pacific time. FYI.

How and Why Donald Trump Uses Twitter - Nerd Writer

This presidential election has been different than anything I've ever seen before. Granted, I'm only 36 so the first election I remember was Clinton versus Bush in '92.

We've seen a gradual change in how politicians communicate to their constituents, moving more and more to social media. Never more than this past year, where we saw Bernie Sanders make a run for the Democratic nomination with a movement created largely online.

Donald Trump's Twitter account has been fodder for late night hosts and comedians alike. However controversial the content, a significant number of people are drawn in by the things he says... whether online or while campaigning.

So what is it about the way he communicates through social media that makes him so different? NerdWriter examines.

Kimberly Guilfoyle says Clinton & Obama bait Trump into saying stupid things

I saw this trending on Facebook this morning and I had no choice but to laugh out loud. I'm not a Clinton fan, although I think she's a better option than Trump. Although that really isn't saying much.

...BUT REALLY? Even if there was some diabolical plan to bait Trump into saying xenophobic, racist, and generally bigoted things... so what? The fact that he's weak enough to be baited in the first place completely proves the point that he's not mentally or emotionally capable of being POTUS.

I hate political posts and people yammering on about donkeys versus elephants, but this election year has just been too crazy to avoid commenting.

Yikes.

Antonio Banderas bangs all of the chicks

Man, what a day! First Rob Kardashian deleted all of his photos from Instagram, and THEN there was something about a Pokemon character in Japan. It's all just TOO MUCH. Or was it Two Much? Nope, that was a movie from 1996 about how Antonio Banderas bangs all the chicks. ALL OF THEM.

Well, back in the 90's anyways. Probably not as much anymore. Only like half, most likely. His ability to bang all the chicks has a half-life of like 17.5 years. So by 2033 he'll only be banging a quarter of them. It's science.

There's also the DNC going on right now. I just got done watching Bernie Sanders, which was entirely depressing. It was a good speech, but all it really did was remind me of the hope I had for him early in the year.

Of course I never thought he would get this far, and being able to accomplish what he did... but the more he accomplished, the more hope I had. Only to be thoroughly disappointed.

I don't enjoy talking about politics because most discussions end up being like people who are choosing Coke or Pepsi. Both sides blindly say the other is crap for no real reason and after all the stress, you just end up with diabetes.

I think that's the lesson here. Politics is just like diabetes. Most people just ignore it and hope it goes away until it ends up killing you. The end.

George Bush dances during Dallas police memorial

There's been a lot of times where I've wondered what the hell George Bush was doing... Today was just a reminder of all of those times, and then some. Did George get drunk and forget this was a memorial?

Stupid comments on Facebook can be hilarious

This has been one wild year. It's been one of the craziest elections I've ever seen. Granted, I was born in 1980 so the first one I can actually remember was Clinton v Bush in 1992. Ross Perot was a character...

Even though I'm familiar with the insane things that people post on social media, I still find myself caught off guard from time to time, and this morning was no different.

I clicked on a trending topic about Ben Carson saying he wanted to discuss the 2nd Amendment. In one of the comment sections I found this:

Of course I blocked out the person's name. I'm not an animal. 

Now, I don't know about all of the other conspiracy theories this woman decries but what really stuck out to me was when she said that he wasn't "ever legally elected." People say crazy things all the time, I know, but this was something that got my brain going in circles. 

She REALLY believes that Obama somehow snuck into the White House and started running the country for the past eight years without being elected... Either time?! Why is she the only one who knows about this?!

Quick, we have to tell someone! 

Obama "has attack the flag!" Call the police!