BEFORE I carry on with today's business, let me briefly address the orange, fetid-smelling elephant in the room created by the dozen or so emails on the subject that I found in my inbox this (Monday) morning.

Concerning the incident over the weekend involving the US presidential candidate who has been convicted on 36 felony fraud charges, has been found civilly liable for rape and defamation, and has vowed to impose authoritarian rule if elected, I am supposed to say something like 'political violence has no place in a democratic society' because that would be the civilized response. However, because that is absolutely the last thing one would hear from the targeted individual and his adherents if the shoe was on the other foot and someone had attempted to assassinate one of his many political opposites, whom he refers to as 'enemies,' expressing the civilized sentiment would certainly seem to be a waste of time. Thus, according to the principle that if one doesn't have something nice to say it is usually better to not say anything, I will make no further comment on the matter.