Greetings! It’s merely 1,385 days until the next presidential election, according to TheRighting’s election ticker which is posted in the newsletter and on the top right side of our website…Trump 2.0 Day One was about as bad I expected.  As for the outrageous but predictable J6 pardons, the NY Times said it best, “(T)he mass pardon sends a message to the country and the world that violating the law in support of Mr. Trump and his movement will be rewarded…,” the Times editorial team wrote.  “It loudly proclaims, from the nation’s highest office, that the rioters did nothing wrong, that violence is a perfectly legitimate form of political expression and that no price need be paid by those who seek to disrupt a sacred constitutional transfer of power”.…Trump gave a joyless, low-energy inauguration speech. I don’t think he smiled once.  He’s really perfected his scowl…Hat’s off to Melania for wearing the weirdest outfit of the inauguration. What statement was she trying to make with her buttoned-up dark outfit and hat with such an extra-wide brim that it shrouded her eyes?  Her clothes and rigid body language suggested that she wanted distance from the proceeding and perhaps even Trump.  But the National Review complimented Melania’s fashion choices.  The headline said it all: Melania’s Revenge Hat…And the award for the most inappropriately dressed person at the inauguration goes to Jeff Bezos’ fiancé Lauren Sánchez who sported a revealing lingerie-like top.  However, the Washington Free Beacon praised Ms. Sanchez for her fashion choice at the inauguration ceremony.  She was described as “exuding female empowerment” and an “an icon of American fashion and the physical embodiment of national restoration under President Donald Trump.”  Sheesh. Gonna be a long four years…If you keep reading, I’ll keep Righting. Howard

Greetings fellow travelers.  What awaits us on the dark path we’re about to enter beginning at noon ET today?...President Reagan’s first inauguration was the coldest on record (7 degrees).  JFK’s inauguration exactly 64 years ago was a relatively balmy 22 degrees, although eight inches of fresh snow blanketed Washington that morning.  Kennedy – gotta love him – gave his 15-minute inauguration speech without a topcoat.  Check it out. It’s worth remembering that in his speech, Kennedy reminded Americans that “civility is not a sign of weakness.” Our incoming president and his administration should heed those words. Here’s the transcript…Outspoken right wing actor James Woods suggested in tweet last night that there may be an assassination attempt on Trump today.  “Is anybody besides me gravely concerned for President Trump’s and the First Lady’s safety during the inaugural walk,” he wrote.  “The insane left has tried everything to thwart the will of the people, and they will stop at nothing”…Book of the day: Philip Roth’s The Plot Against America, which followed the impact on one family after America elects a charismatic, isolationist president. It was also a great HBO miniseries. Songs of the day: CSN&Y’s Déjà Vu and Tom Petty’s It’s Good to Be King.  Movie of the day: Groundhog Day…Question of the day: When Trump is sworn in as the 47^th president today, will his hand be on his God Bless the USA Bibles that retail for prices ranging from $59.99 to $1,000? It may represent an irresistible marketing opportunity for him...If you keep reading, I’ll keep Righting. Howard