The Ipinions Journal

ANTHONY L. HALL takes aim at the global events of 2016 with a unique and refreshing perspective. Here are some topics in this twelfth volume of his writings:

Hillary Calling Half of Trump's Supporters a "Basket of Deplorables"

"Hillary was only half right ... But the most troubling thing is not how deplorable they are; it's how willing they are to elect an even more deplorable man as president of the United Sates. The latter is what I find incomprehensible ... unforgivable."

Brexit

"The irony seems lost on both sides in this Brexit debate that Britain poses a far greater threat to the EU if it remains. After all, Britain planted the seeds of disintegration years ago, when it began negotiating all kinds of 'opt-outs' from EU legislation and treaties."

Brazilians Protesting Cost of Rio Olympics

"Brazilians need only point to the poisoned chalice Athens 2004 turned out to be for the Greeks. After all, the debt hangover from those Games not only triggered the EU financial crisis of 2010, but austerity measures to service that debt have many once-proud, middle-class Greeks now living like favela-dwelling Brazilians."

Report on College Coaches Raking in Millions

"These salaries only validate my longstanding contention that college coaches are using the free labor of student-athletes to live like plantation owners. The only precedent for this is the Founding Fathers, many of whom were in fact plantation owners, preaching about all men being created equal while owning slaves."

VP-Elect Pence Hailing Trump for Accusing the FBI of Corruption

"Nothing could be more foreboding than the willingness of no less an establishmentarian than Pence sacrificing democratic institutions and political norms at the altar of Trump's ego, affecting that constipated countenance of sincerity as he does so."

J.K. Rowling merchandising Harry Potter like Mickey Mouse

"I admired her because she helped millions of kids discover the love of reading. But my admiration waned when she started exploiting that love like a drug dealer exploiting a junkie's addiction."