Today's news: Soothing the savage b(r)east

What is it with these guys? 

Today we learned that White House staff were soothing Trump's rages by playing show tunes he liked:

Trump’s handlers designated a White House official known as the “Music Man” to play him his favorite show tunes, including “Memory” from “Cats,” to pull him from the brink of rage, Grisham writes in her new memoir. @katierogers has the details. https://t.co/PQbuFMnFyB

— Peter Baker (@peterbakernyt) September 28, 2021

Between this and the Proud Boys being named after a song from Aladdin, musical theater is having a moment.

— Schooley (@Rschooley) September 28, 2021

This reminds me of one of the funniest revelations about Canada's own famously thin-skinned prime minister Stephen Harper -- this happened during the Prorogue crisis in 2008. 

During the past week, while the nation wondered if the government would fall, junior Conservative staffers were ordered to be outside 24 Sussex Dr. by 6:15 in the morning. Their job was to stand there in the dark with the temperature well below zero and wait for the PM to appear. Their instructions were to applaud, wave and sing O Canada loudly as the motorcade pulled out of the gates and drove Stephen Harper to work. 

 Mr. Harper, by all accounts, actually believed that the young people were there of their own accord and represented a groundswell of love and support for his actions. Staffers in the Prime Minister's Office know that he is easier to handle when being applauded and not questioned. This way, nobody has to suffer at the hands of the inconsolable bear. 

Its these guys, who boast about how tough they are, who are actually way too easy to manipulate once their staff figure out how to do it. 

The leaders with a little more humility are the ones more likely to recognize when they are being played, or pandered to.

And in other news, of course Covid continues to ravage Saskatchewan and Alberta.

People in Alberta and Saskatchewan are dying from COVID-19 at about quadruple the rate as people in the rest of Canada.

(Data source: https://t.co/YE16bv8AtH) pic.twitter.com/U7GRmbFkkT

— Robson Fletcher (@CBCFletch) September 27, 2021

Because people not being able to go to the hospital or having necessary surgeries cancelled because ICUs have collapsed doesn’t punish also the vaccinated? FFS. https://t.co/FeawkdL8FN

— Dale Smith (@journo_dale) September 27, 2021

And Saskatchewan's health minister seems to have disappeared:

Mr. Merriman will work from early in the morning until late in the evening," the spokesperson said. "He will make many calls and have many meetings." https://t.co/dNDB88hTM5

— Cal Deobald (@calmudge0n) September 29, 2021

But finally, here's some happy news:

During the darkest days of the pandemic @GurdeepPandher cheered us up with his inspiring positivity, and helped us to keep going. So he richly deserves that YouTube tribute, and the grateful thanks of all of us. Way to go Gurdeep!! https://t.co/HRvnGorwQT

— 🇨🇦 Simon 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 🌈🏂 (@montrealsimon) September 27, 2021