Saturday Miscellany

First, for reasons that I strain to understand, no one of our crack political journalists has bothered to mention one simple fact about Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.

This fact-- in the midst of a highly contentious divorce negotiation, his first wife Mary Richardson Kennedy hanged herself in a barn. Some journalists insist that Kennedy did everything in his power to save her from her demons. Others have been less charitable. They believe that he drove her to it.

I wrote about this on my blog in May of 2012. There I quoted the New York Post report:

Mary Richardson Kennedy was deep in credit-card debt and getting hammered in divorce court when she hanged herself in a barn on her Westchester estate, friends and documents revealed yesterday.

Robert Francis Kennedy Jr. slapped the mother of his four children with several restraining orders, trying to get full custody of the kids — all while he publicly replaced her with his actress girlfriend, Cheryl Hines.

And debt collectors were breathing down her neck.

American Express filed a civil suit against Mary in Westchester on April 16, an astounding revelation for someone whose husband has access to the Kennedy trust fund.

As I said, it is very strange that no one has mentioned Mary Richardson Kennedy, R.I.P. Is our memory that short?

Second, a 37 year old woman went to a Vancouver, Canada seeking treatment for her suicidal thoughts. Since this is Canada and since Canada has universal health care, she could not get an appointment with a psychiatrist for several months.

Attempting to be helpful, a clinician suggested that she could solve her problem by committing suicide, with the able assistance of the government.

So,national health care in action, and apparently having found a surefire way to economize.

Third, A supermarket in Austria had to shut down. Apparently, someone discovered a Brazilian Wandering Spider among the bananas. What makes this spider special is a simple fact-- if said spider bites a male being, the venom might cause him to suffer from a permanent erection. 

Naturally, scientists are now studying the venom to see whether they can derive a substance that can improve Viagra and Cialis.

Fourth, meanwhile, the director of the FBI told Congress that the bureau had not singled out what it calls radical Catholics for special persecution. Apparently, he was lying.

And yet, discrimination against Roman Catholics and other people of faith continues. Consider the case of Catherine and Michael Burke. They wanted to foster a child, but their application was rejected. The reason-- they refused to accept LGBTQ orthodoxy about transgenderism and would not commit to accepting a child who chose to change sexes.

Fifth, the Daily Mail suggests that the Disney Company has learned nothing from the Bud Light fiasco. They are now using a transgender influencer to sell Minnie Mouse products:

'They learned nothing from Bud Light': Disney sparks outrage as it partners with trans TikTok influencer Seann Altman who is seen dressing in Minnie Mouse-themed red frock, yellow heels and bow to promote girls clothing.

That's right. Your daughter can learn how to dress up by following the lead of a transgender influencer. It surpasses understanding.

Sixth, speaking of crazy. In Australia a woman noticed that a neighbor’s child had head lice. She informed the child's mother, who responded that she could not to kill the head lice. You see, she was a vegan and she believed that vegans never kill living things.

You cannot make it up.

Seventh, over in once-Great Britain, the police arrested an autistic girl for the crime of-- calling a police woman a lesbian. Apparently, the statement was considered to be abusive.

Eighth, in the matter of Taylor Swift, a cultural phenomenon that surpasses my ability to understand, one Kara Kennedy writes this in The Daily Mail. Kennedy is the demographic for a good Swiftie; I am obviously not:

But when it comes to Swift, I have never understood it. And as her fandom grows ever more deranged, as the media flocks to her side en masse, publishing breathless op-eds about how she is single handedly fending off the US recession with a tour that is predicted to fetch a record-busting $1.4 billion, or how her massing fans have caused literal ‘earthquakes’ at stadium venues (fact check: these tremors are a common occurrence with big stadium tours and sports games), I can’t help but think that this deification of Taylor Swift is neither healthy – nor deserved.

Ninth, meanwhile, back in Australia, someone did a serious scientific study about the dangers of texting while walking. Apparently, if you indulge this habit of trying to do two things at once, you greatly increase your chances of walking into traffic, being hit by a car or being run down by a bicycle. 

Consider it today’s trigger warning.