HUNGRY GERALD

The idiot neo-fascist in The White House thinks he looks like the fictional Lone Ranger when he wears a disease-preventing mask. Of course, the Ranger wore his minimal mask over his eyes — a useless device during the pandemic, and questionable as an effective disguise. Typical of Trump that he’s concerned about his personal appearance rather than the health of Americans. Egocentricity verging on madness. Anyway, it made HG think back 80 years. Home from school, HG had a snack and listened to radio serials before joining HG’s friends in street games. The Lone Ranger and his companion, Tonto, were favorites (BSK recalled that actors Clayton Moore and Jay Silverheels portrayed these western heroes). Other favorite serials were “Jack Armstrong, The All-American Boy” and “Renfrew of the Mounties” (Renfrew was the beginning of HG’s love for Canada). Best of all radio personalities was “Uncle Don”, a precursor of “Mr. Rogers” of TV. HG recalls the song young HG sang with Uncle Don: “Hippity gitz hotsah rimboree sibonyeh skippity,high low dee, honeykodoke and nalacazon, sing this song with Uncle Don. We’ll buy stamps and war bonds too; to Uncle Sam we’ll be true blue; We’ll show Hitler we’re no saps; Stamp on him and lick those Japs.” World War Two patriôtism with a touch of ethnic slurs.