The country is gearing up for two straight weeks of political conventions. The Republicans have invaded Cleveland, and Philadelphia is bracing for Democrats next week.

Meanwhile, more tragedies here and around the world. Following the killing of 5 Dallas police, protesters injured about 25 police in Minnesota and today 3 (or 4) police in Baton Rouge were killed. In Nice, France, an Islamic terrorist slaughtered close to a hundred with a truck, and a military coup (unsuccessful) in Turkey killed over 200.

I heard a TV reporter ask this question: Considering the events of the last week, which Presidential candidate would you want in charge? Well, if you like the way President Obama is handling the situations, you would prefer Clinton. On the other hand Trump will probably claim he wouldn’t have to deal with these kinds of tragedies because his policies will wipe out ISIS and other Islamic terrorists, and his unwavering support for police and law and order will put an end to the kind of anti-police protests and killings that have festered in the last few years.

A Baton Rouge police chief said “Not gun control, but changing what’s in men’s hearts,” is what is needed to stop the attacks on police.

You might think in light of recent events the protesters would have compassion and back off a bit in protesting during the Republican convention. No, the Black Lives Matter and a few others marched and blocked streets today. Unfortunately, many of these same rabble rousers will show up in Philadelphia to protest the Democrats. I heard there are 5000 police in Cleveland. Probably 4000 are there to protect protesters from other protesters. If these police maintain the peace, maybe they will all go to Philadelphia with the protesters.

Donald Trump picked Governor Mike Pence of Indiana as his Vice-President. Trump still has a bunch of prominent Republicans who are refusing to support him, including the Bush’s and Ohio Governor Kasich.

Hillary Clinton is still pondering her V-P selection. She appears to have total support of prominent Democrats and is going after Bernie Sanders’ socialist followers by promising them more free stuff.

Historic quotes by Will Rogers (on political conventions):

          “I am being paid to write something funny about this Republican Convention. That’s funny. All a fellow has to do to write something funny on a Republican Convention is just write what happened.” June, 1920

(1932 Republican Convention, June14): “The Republican convention ‘laid an egg’ here today. The house wasn’t near sold out. The loud-speaker system didn’t work and half of ‘em couldn’t hear the keynote speech. They got mad and got to leaving, but not as quick as those that was sitting near the front and could hear it.”

(The next day, June 15): The nominator “said that while our Savior had rescued the world in Biblical times from the Democrats, that Herbert Hoover was the modern Savior. In fact, he kinder gave the engineer the edge over the carpenter.”

(1932 Democrat Convention, June 26): “If this convention stopped right now two days before it starts, it’s been a better convention than the Republican one… The plan is to ‘stop’ Roosevelt, then everybody ‘stop’ each other. At a time when the Democrats should be ‘starting’, they are ‘stopping’.”

(The next day, June 27): “Why, there wasn’t an argument in a carload. Cheered everything; hissed nothing; why, it made me almost ashamed I was a Democrat. Here we have written about it, advertised it as a combat, a gigantic struggle of candidates, and conflicting platforms, and then everybody goes out kissing each other.”

(The next day, June 28): “Ah! They was Democrats today, and we was all proud of ‘em. They fought, they fit, they split, and adjourned in a dandy wave of Dissension.”