ICK
Why do I continue to be horrified by this man?
I make it a habit to ignore stupidity, ignorance, and downright nastiness so hopefully I can be forgiven for just finding out today that the president (lower case intended) has planned a UFC event at the White House for his 80th birthday and the 250th birth of this country (which hopefully will survive under the “leadership” of someone who hosts an UFC event at the White House).
For those unfamiliar with UFC*, as I was, it is a mixed martial arts form of brutality with no protective gear worn with the exception of a cup for men and a mouthguard.
It could be argued that this is more protective gear than that which is available to those of us who have to tolerate this president. I do think we could benefit from his use of a mouth guard, as such a device may restrict clear communication. That, combined with the already questionable communication of the president, may result in a final determination — even by the faithful — that the man makes.no.sense. Nah. I’m dreaming.
Perhaps it is just what the faithful want — the horrible beating that the underdog takes until he (or she) calls it quits or the ref suspects that death is imminent. I am as horrified by the audience of such events as I am by the event itself.
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Oh, and the event itself is held in a structure called a “cage,” specifically referred to as the “claw” by the UFC president. This structure, keeping in taste with other changes the president has made to the White House, is being built on the South Lawn of the White House. (Despite trump’s wishes, the structure will be taken down after the event).
Look, if UFC is your thing, perhaps you can agree with me that it is not appropriate for a 250th anniversary of our country, one that its leader and his merry cohorts claim is family-friendly. Would you take your child to such an event? Because if you do, you can see it for free from the Ellipse, where you can hopefully view part of the South Lawn despite the security measures that will be put in place. Oh, and those security measures? The ones put in place in the days leading up to the event, as well as during the event itself? Those are handled by the Secret Service and Homeland Security. Happy Birthday, US citizens. Your tax dollars are taking another hit.
The TKO Holding Group, the parent company of UFC, is footing the bill of over $60 million in production costs for this tasteless celebration. Don’t get excited. You know the president has some skin in the game, and yep, he purchased roughly $50,000 of TKO’s stock after the event was planned, a sum that is actually smaller than his notoriously illegal habit of pocketing whatever money he can grab. But don’t be relieved too soon: sponsorships include crypto.com, which, surprise, surprise, trump is heavily invested in. Reuters reports that of the four main crypto projects trump has his chubby little orange fingers into, “the Trump family has made $2.3 billion from crypto with little-to-no downside risk, while other investors have lost $2.3 billion, including paper losses, as of the end of April.” (https://tinyurl.com/ymzyub3t)
So who is invited? Of the 4300 seats on the South Lawn,, just over 25% are reserved for active members of the military — I am guessing in dress military uniform for optics. The rest of the people are VIP guests, although “guest” is an odd term for an invitee who may have to pay up to $1.5 million for the um, privilege (choke) of attending, according to the BBC. Hmmm. I wonder where that money will go. . .
With every move he makes, I keep thinking I have seen trump at his most disgusting. Silly me.
In fact, why did I even bother writing this? Well, writing is therapeutic for me, and I found myself gasping for air. I’m a tiny bit better now, thanks for asking.
*Ultimate Fighting Championship, an American Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) Company.
