Melodramatic title, right, yet quite a true one. We are now fighting a battle, a war, over and for the soul of America. What kind of country are we? Are we going to remain true to the foundation principles of this country or are we going to turn on them, take up the realpolitik of the world today and to hell with everything else. Are we going to let hope, optimism and careful planning and hard work guide our way or are we going to turn to the fear and hate mongers who will upset the applecart that is America?
From the outset this country was different. This country was a conglomeration of immigrants - English, French, Poles, Germans, Scots, Irish, Eastern Europeans, Dutch, Jews, religious refugees, and not to forget the native Americans who themselves came here from somewhere else and the freedmen and the slaves and the indentured servants. It was a country of poor and middle class and rich and the ability to rise in one's fortunes and to look forward to a better life for one's children. We tried to hold to the high road, but unfortunately at times, too many times, fell into the use of the low road, but somehow managed to find our way back up.
We are now in danger of riding along that low road in a more permanent manner. Are we going to maintain our principles, as difficult as it might be, particularly in such a fractious time, or are we going to let the politics of fear and hate turn us into a nation that falls at the feet of a demagogue in the false hope that he will "save" us all, make all things better and never mind the rights so beautifully expressed in our Declaration of Independence and Constitution with its amendments.
I have long ago called this debate. I used the term Manchurian candidate before the NY Times. I have called the politics of the Trump campaign exactly what they are and warned of the threat of demagoguery should we go his way - G-d forbid! Never before have we had a candidate who so clearly invites an unfriendly nation into our business, our private business of elections. Never before have we had a candidate who so openly admires the worst people of our times - Putin, Kim Jong-Il, Saddam Hussein. Going along with this man who promises that he alone can make all the wrong go right again is to follow the path of Germany and Italy when they chose to follow their politicians called Hitler and Mussolini.
It is the curse of our time that we have so much violence, so many petty tyrants all over the world. It often seems that the world is in a conflagration of war and there seems to be no end to it. As often as we say there will now be peace somewhere or work out a truce, it is no sooner spoken then broken. Countries are fractured - including ours - but at least we have not yet turned to war in the streets though at times we have come closer than we would like to think. Should we go the way of Trump I believe we will fail, a mighty failure and the best experiment of history will go down the tubes as we accept the leadership or stewardship of an impetuous, rash, unqualified and off the track head of government.
What we need today is one who will support our history, support our principles even though there are many that are still challenged. They are still the best in the land and we must not let them go. We must not let those who would take power frighten us into signing over our rights. We must not let them frighten us with stories about the horrors of the world about to implode upon us. Yes, there are crazy terrorists, Islamic and right wingers too, but there have been terrorists of whatever name one wishes to call them throughout history. The term assassins came from way back in the fog of history. They are not new. Assassins tried to kill rulers of the world long before today and took innocents along with them in the efforts.
Yes, today there seem to be even bigger bombs and more killers, but with concerted effort these too will disappear, if not totally, at least into a dark and deep place until they deem it the right time once more to crawl out of hell and inflict it upon innocents once more. I guess it is a somewhat dark view of history and its repetitions but we do not seem to learn and we make the same mistakes over and over again. We must stop that. We must say that enough is enough and we need to return to our principles, to redeem our souls, and the soul of America. We must stand again as the leader of the Free World, stand as a Beacon of Hope to the rest of the world, be a good and steady friend to our allies and a stern enemy who stands by its words and values to those who oppose us and all we stand for. Do not forsake these principles. Do as the poem states, "Do not go gently into that good night." We must fight the night of demagogues, of hate, of oppression. We must continue to strive to do the right thing and when mistakes happen, we must pick ourselves up, dust ourselves off and try once more.
We need to remember that nothing happens by itself. It happens because we turn lazy, or turn a blind eye to something because it is easier that way, or we take what appears to be the easy way out never looking down the road at what will ensue. And we forget that this poisoned atmosphere does not start or happen out of nothing but begins down at the roots, in the local elections. When we allow a dictator, minor though he might be, to take over our lives in the micro world, it becomes easier to allow that to happen in the macro world. Lord knows we have had enough books, fiction and non fiction, that have warned us about this, about the gradual deterioration of society, of the violation of rights. The dictator of a small town called CVWPB is symptomatic of a dictator in a larger arena. It happens because we allow it. Yes, we allow it by not doing enough and as the conditions of living get only worse, we still cling to the hope that this demagogue will fix it all. The answer is that this is fallacious thinking. We must turn back to the values of the soul that make up this country, return to the efforts that made and make it great and never despair at the struggles and obstacles in the road.
We are not Russia who won a valiant achievement when the USSR collapsed and the country blossomed, with new ideas, better working conditions, hopes and dreams. But the country also allowed some of the worst elements of society to take over and hence the Russian mafia and corruption and hence the return to people like Putin. This must be avoided here, must not even be a whiff of this behavior and thinking.
So for our souls and the soul of our country - look around, think, evaluate, understand history and then step forward and do something. Oppose the dictator. Oppose those who would impose a dictatorship upon us. Take back our country. Take back our Village from those who would allow it to deteriorate under a storm of blatant lies. The mats of algae, for example, are not grass cuttings! The mats of algae have grown, exponentially. Never mind waiting for a wind storm to break them up. Moving them around does not make them go away or dissolve into dust. When one pushed the food around a plate it does not disappear, does it? Neither does the algae! How about raking them up with some machinery or with some guys in a boat filling the tubs with them until the waterways are clear. How about whatever - just do something!! Ignoring things only makes them worse. We have seen that first hand. Right here. Just look out your window or take a walk or come look at the Wellington lake behind the cul de sac. Yuk!! Nor do we want someone who continually pushes for a Broadband that will make it easier to hack us - just as has been done to the DNC and the Democratic Party. I do not like these echoes. Do you?
And for all that is right with the world, with our country, remember who and what we are and stand for. We are the United States of America, the leader of the free world and we deserve a leader who remembers that. Would that we had a perfect leader to be, but then again no one is perfect, no country is perfect but we can strive towards that goal. Search your souls, do not give in to the hate and the fear. That is not what you and I are about, not what our country is about.
Sunday, July 31, 2016
Saturday, July 30, 2016
MARCEL MARCEAU
"Born to a Jewish family in Strasbourg , France in 1923, young Marcel Mangel discovered Charlie Chaplin at age five and became an avid fan. He entertained his friends with Chaplin imitations, and dreamed of starring in silent movies.
>
> When Marcel was 16, the Nazis marched into France , and the Jews of Strasbourg - near the German border - had to flee for their lives. Marcel changed his last name to Marceau to avoid being identified as Jewish, and joined the French resistance movement.
>
> Masquerading as a boy scout, Marcel evacuated a Jewish orphanage in eastern France . He told the children he was taking them on a vacation in the Alps, and led them to safety in Switzerland . Marcel made the perilous journey three times, saving hundreds of Jewish orphans. He was able to avoid detection by entertaining the children with silent pantomime.
>
> Documentary filmmaker Phillipe Mora, whose father fought alongside Marcel in the French resistance, said, ''Marceau started miming to keep children quiet as they were escaping. It had nothing to do with show business. He was miming for his life.’'
>
> Marcel’s father perished at Auschwitz . Marcel later said, “The people who came back from the camps were never able to talk about it. My name is Mangel. I am Jewish. Perhaps that, unconsciously, contributed towards my choice of silence.”
>
> While fighting with the French resistance, Marcel ran into a unit of German soldiers. Thinking fast, he mimicked the advance of a large French force, and the German soldiers retreated.
>
> Word spread throughout the Allied forces of Marcel’s remarkable talent as a mime. In his first major performance, Marcel entertained 3,000 US troops after the liberation of Paris in August 1944. Later in life, he expressed great pride that his first review was in the US Army newspaper, Stars and Stripes.
>
> In 1947, Marcel created his beloved character Bip, a childlike everyman with a stovepipe hat and a red carnation. For the next six decades, Marcel was the world’s foremost master of the art of silence. Pop star Michael Jackson credited Marcel with inspiring his famous moonwalk.
>
> In 2001, Marcel was awarded the Wallenberg Medal for his acts of courage during the Holocaust. When the award was announced, people speculated on whether Marcel would give an acceptance speech. He replied, “Never get a mime talking, because he won’t stop.”
>
> Until his death at age 84, Marcel performed 300 times a year and taught 4 hours a day at his pantomime school in Paris . He died on Yom Kippur, 2007.
>
> For risking his life to save orphans, and entertaining generations of fans without uttering a word, we honor Marcel Marceau as this week’s Thursday Hero at Accidental Talmudist"
> CONTRIBUTED BY BETTIE BLECKMAN
>
> When Marcel was 16, the Nazis marched into France , and the Jews of Strasbourg - near the German border - had to flee for their lives. Marcel changed his last name to Marceau to avoid being identified as Jewish, and joined the French resistance movement.
>
> Masquerading as a boy scout, Marcel evacuated a Jewish orphanage in eastern France . He told the children he was taking them on a vacation in the Alps, and led them to safety in Switzerland . Marcel made the perilous journey three times, saving hundreds of Jewish orphans. He was able to avoid detection by entertaining the children with silent pantomime.
>
> Documentary filmmaker Phillipe Mora, whose father fought alongside Marcel in the French resistance, said, ''Marceau started miming to keep children quiet as they were escaping. It had nothing to do with show business. He was miming for his life.’'
>
> Marcel’s father perished at Auschwitz . Marcel later said, “The people who came back from the camps were never able to talk about it. My name is Mangel. I am Jewish. Perhaps that, unconsciously, contributed towards my choice of silence.”
>
> While fighting with the French resistance, Marcel ran into a unit of German soldiers. Thinking fast, he mimicked the advance of a large French force, and the German soldiers retreated.
>
> Word spread throughout the Allied forces of Marcel’s remarkable talent as a mime. In his first major performance, Marcel entertained 3,000 US troops after the liberation of Paris in August 1944. Later in life, he expressed great pride that his first review was in the US Army newspaper, Stars and Stripes.
>
> In 1947, Marcel created his beloved character Bip, a childlike everyman with a stovepipe hat and a red carnation. For the next six decades, Marcel was the world’s foremost master of the art of silence. Pop star Michael Jackson credited Marcel with inspiring his famous moonwalk.
>
> In 2001, Marcel was awarded the Wallenberg Medal for his acts of courage during the Holocaust. When the award was announced, people speculated on whether Marcel would give an acceptance speech. He replied, “Never get a mime talking, because he won’t stop.”
>
> Until his death at age 84, Marcel performed 300 times a year and taught 4 hours a day at his pantomime school in Paris . He died on Yom Kippur, 2007.
>
> For risking his life to save orphans, and entertaining generations of fans without uttering a word, we honor Marcel Marceau as this week’s Thursday Hero at Accidental Talmudist"
> CONTRIBUTED BY BETTIE BLECKMAN
SOCIAL SECURITY FROM STEW RICHLAND
The Lock Box is Open and they Will Take It
How politicians view our Social Security system!
Stew Richland
Just opened the UCO Reporter and glanced through the political ads, commercials and columns. In Bobbi Levin’s column “Now You see it! she laments the fact that the current Social Security Cost of Living increase will quickly get lost before any of the recipients get a chance to spend it. More importantly, will the system survive the greedy fingers of the politicians who make it a habit of raiding the fund when they want to fund some of their pet projects.
One of the first reform acts that was put in place as the result of the collapse of our economy in 1929 was the Social Security Act. This act provided for unemployed, aged dependent and handicapped. Financed by FICA taxes paid by employee, matched by employer and Federal government.
Good idea at the time. Retirement age for SS payout would be 65. You could tap into the fund at age 62 but would get a lesser amount. The premise of the plan was based on the statistics that the average American mortality rate would be 75 with women living a bit longer. No one figured on the advances of medical science and thus our elderly population began to expand. As a result of this miscalculation, the system had to pay out more money to more people over a longer period of time. However, as long as our population was expanding, the people paying into the system would certainly be able to keep the pot full of cash.
Time and greed changed the equation. Politicians of both parties looked at the Social Security fund the way a kid licks his lips when entering a candy shop. Money, Money and more Money to fuel pet projects. Thus the reserves to fund the retirement of thousands began to fly out a so called locked box. Each political party offered solutions to this problem. There is no question that politics has insinuated itself in this equation. The Social Security issue has gone through many transformations. The first phase lasted from the early years of the program until the beginning of the 1990s, and featured a consensus about the program’s legitimacy. Benefits increased incrementally during this period, mostly propelled by robust economic growth after WWII as well as the dominance of center-right Republicans and center-left Democrats on Capital Hill. Any disputes between conservatives and liberals revolved around the degree and speed of benefits expansion.
A letter written by Dwight Eisenhower in 1956 to his brother sums up the feeling about Social Security during this era. “Should any political party attempt to abolish Social Security, unemployment insurance, and eliminate labor laws and farm programs, you would not hear of that party again in our political history. There is a tiny splinter group, of course, that believes you can do these things.” Eisenhower mentions H.L.Hunt and other billionaires and business men who were small in number and were quite stupid about Social Security issues.
In the 1970s and 80s our economy suffered from high unemployment and inflation especially during the term of Jimmy Carter. Conservative critics gained an audience forcefully raising alarms about the system’s future soundness with the aging of the population. Some conservative think tanks along with financial services groups proposed the case for privatizing, or at least partially privatizing, Social Security. “Privatizing” essentially means transforming Social Security into a private pension plan reminiscent of a 401(k), where savers direct all or part of their Social Security contributions into their own accounts and are responsible for investing the money.“Wall Street saw privatization as a golden egg,”
The second phase of the Social Security problem began in the mid-1990s when Newt Gingrich was Speaker of the House of Representatives. During President Clinton’s and George W. Bush’s tenure, the push for privatization and cutting benefits moved from the fringes into the mainstream. Clinton flirted with partial privatization and Bush spent considerable political capital in 2005 pushing his own partial privatization plan. President Bush’s efforts failed mainly because most people did not believe that the Social Security system was in trouble. Conservatives has continued to support some sort of privatization plan. Paul Ryan, the current House Speaker, supports privatization and one staple of modern conservative commentary has been that the swelling ranks of boomers is pushing the U.S. toward an inevitable fiscal crisis unless benefits are cut.
Possible phase three has arrived. During the Republican debate in Miami that night, CNN’s Jake Tapper asked (March 10, 2016) “What you candidates intend to do to keep Social Security going for future generations?” Sen. Marco Rubio focused on raising the retirement age; Sen. Ted Cruz and Gov. John Kasich mentioned private accounts. This was the standard rhetoric of phase two Social Security conservatism. Then, Donald Trump weighed in, saying “and it’s my absolute intention to leave Social Security the way it is. Not increase the age and to leave it as is.” Trump has the support of the “Tea Party and seniors” on this issue. According to a recent Pew Survey: , 73% of Trump supporters were against reducing Social Security benefits. Similarly, 66% of Cruz supporters and 62% of Kasich supporters felt that way as did 72% of Sanders supporters and 71% of Clinton supporters.
Bobbi Levin is correct in stating that Republicans wanted to raise the retirement age to become eligible for Social Security. This was a very good idea. Our work force was expanding and more and more people were paying into the system and, over time, Americans would accept this change in the Social Security program. So far, this has not happened. My research has not provided any evidence that the Republicans ever proposed cutting Social Security payments.
With the rise of Donald Trump, and the aging of the Baby Boomers along with wage stagnation of those closing in on retirement that the politics of the Social Security system is taking a different course.
When voters were asked about the long-term future of Social Security, 71% of registered voters recently surveyed by the Pew Research Center said that benefits shouldn’t be reduced in any way. And this has become a bipartisan sentiment. Clear majorities of Democrats (72%) and Republicans (68%) opposed Social Security benefit cuts, according to the Pew study published in March of 2016.
If Social Security is in trouble what are some of the suggestions in fixing the problem. There’s solid support for raising or even eliminating the cap on earnings that are subject to the payroll tax (now $118,500), something both Democratic candidates said they favored in the debates they had last year. A poll by the National Academy of Social Insurance found that 71% of Republicans and 92% of Democrats agreed that top earners should pay more into Social Security.
There is no question that extreme right wing thinkers will oppose any large-scale government programs. Tea Party conservatives strongly believe they have “earned” their Social Security benefits through years of hard work, Many Tea Party conservatives would support new revenues rather than having their benefits cut. Sanders has called for, among other things, raising the minimum benefit and an across-the-board increase for most recipients. Clinton’s approach is more targeted, aimed largely at boosting benefits for widows and those who’ve taken time out of the paid labor force to raise a child or care for aging parents. Sanders says he will raise the cap for those who will pay into the program to $250,000. Clinton supports this view but as yet, has not provided any figures. It seems that many Republicans will go along with some cap increase and begin to back off their desire to have benefits begin at 68 or 70. More importantly, “the enthusiasm for raising the retirement age will fade with disturbing evidence that life expectancy is declining among lower income, less educated middle-aged, whites in the U.S.” according to a recent analysis made by Forbes Business. I think that the Republicans will attempt to keep the status quo and step away from increasing benefit cuts and privatization. Hillary Clinton will probably ask for an increase on the cap for those who fall under the $118,500 cap.
The big problem is the fact that so many Americans are unemployed and that they are not contributing to the Social Security tax fund. Job creation and expanding the economy is the real key to providing the funds necessary to keep the Social Security system functioning. As Trump stated in an interview, cracking down on waste and corruption will really help. Finally, the Social System cash box must be closed to the grubby fingers of the politicians of both parties. I think that Donald Trump would be a better protector of the SS system than the Democrats.
Please feel free to respond to my comments at phyllisrichland.blogspot.com or on the forum that you find it posted.
Much of the research that went into this article is found with the Google search engine, Forbes magazine and sites that provide analysis on the history of the Social Security system. Authors Note: Since my last two articles that were written for publication in the UCO Reporter were deemed inappropriate, I will now use other forums that welcome controversial opinions to present my side of current issues.
PUBLIC SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENT FROM BETTIE BLECKMAN
Regarding "Taxi Service" provided by Village Resident's......
Please be advised unless the individuals are registered with the County and are properly insured, I would be hesitant to use their service, for should an accident occur, what type of coverage would you have?
Secondly, With regards to any Appointee to The Executive Board, strongly suggest one investigate their prior involvement in the Community, such as committee's, etc., they have served on....There have been some individuals who agreed to serve on Committee's, however, never appeared nor informed any member they would not be in attendance, on one or more occasion I had one individual, who had initially agreed to serve on a particular committee, however never appeared at any of the several meetings held. We need committed individuals, not ones that will only attend when an issue , (usually brought up by the President, who of course has the ability to appoint anyone he chooses to support his actions) so once more Think carefully, before you cast your Associations' vote.
Thank you one & all...
Bettie Lee Bleckman
Friday, July 29, 2016
YESTERDAY A PRESIDENT SPOKE
Though I fell asleep and had to be awakened several times, I did listen to it this morning and as the title states, a president spoke. Last nite Hillary Clinton raised the bar and met that bar and trumped it ((sorry for the pun). She did not speak as a beggar eager for a crumb handout, but as a sure and confident woman, one who reminds people that there is a saying, "It is not nice to fool with Mother Nature." Nope, not nice and not wise either.
She hit all the marks she needed to and stood there with pride and ease. And yes, she has her fault lines but tell me who does not and a choice must be made. People often rise to the challenge and this woman has certainly done so. Trump, on the other hand, has fallen into the level of the tweets, not exactly presidential behavior.
She stands as a beacon of hope for women, for anyone who has been denied proper recognition for whatever reason. Perhaps with the elevation of a woman to the Presidency there will be less of the Fox News type of issues, less harassment of women and in fact, men as well. There will be a definite stress on the welfare of the children and yes, they are our future and our raison d'etre, for indeed, for whom do we toil if not for them?
"... it is the fate of American democracy in question in 2016, Clinton argued, faced with the prospect of a strongman "demagogue" who seeks to "restore order" through unspecified executive powers."
This statement, to me, is the heart of the problem. Will we have a president or will we have a dictator and indeed, I have often stated my fear of what would be with Trump in office and certainly with his admiration of Putin and his political behavior and the whole shady or more issue of Russia and the hack of the DNC, we cannot afford that man in office. In fact, he sets a truly bad example for other would be demagogues and for proof - hey, just look over here in the Village. What do you think we have going on here?!
It is not a good sign or omen for the future when people try to convince other people that only they can enforce law and order. The question then should be and how exactly do you plan to do that without trampling on my rights, on my soul? The world is already a twisted place. For example, it is not a good thing that a university in Hildesheim, Germany has brought up the blood libel against Jews. Yes, today, in this day and age, again!
“Our sons are plundered of their organs"
How many more times will we have to hear this and if we had a Trump in office, I am afraid that it would be many more times. No, we need a decent and humane person in office, one who knows that we must crack all ceilings that bring down any group of people unfairly, with discrimination and murder and mayhem the end result.
The people of the United States have a choice, a fork in the road ahead of them. Will we go with the demagogue, the one who spews hate, the one with no control who will have his finger on the nuclear button, or will we go with the one who has a sure and steady hand, who has the experience and who knows how to put people in their place without yelling, "You're fired" in a public forum.
Will we go with one who can tell the truth or one who lies, who exaggerates, who ignores the facts. Trump supposedly claims he is for the underclass, the workers who are struggling, out of jobs, whose factories have been closed but excuse me? Who bought foreign made goods for his hotels and casinos? Who fired people and who had to lay off thousands as his enterprises went bust? And who truly knows the poor? The one who was born with a gold spoon, never mind silver, the one whose Daddy's money bailed him out often enough, or the one who was poor, whose mother worked as a maid, who came from behind and indeed raised herself up?
And no, again, she is not an angel and in fact I would doubt if there were any politician who was! That ain't the name of the game unfortunately but she is the way to go in this election and looking at last nite - I believe she will rise to the challenge and hopefully pull the country out of its morass. "Together we are stronger" she said and I believe that. Would that it were practiced elsewhere in the country as well.
For whatever it means, this blogger endorses
Hillary Clinton for president of the United States
and does so with pride as an American, as a
woman and as a Jew.
She hit all the marks she needed to and stood there with pride and ease. And yes, she has her fault lines but tell me who does not and a choice must be made. People often rise to the challenge and this woman has certainly done so. Trump, on the other hand, has fallen into the level of the tweets, not exactly presidential behavior.
She stands as a beacon of hope for women, for anyone who has been denied proper recognition for whatever reason. Perhaps with the elevation of a woman to the Presidency there will be less of the Fox News type of issues, less harassment of women and in fact, men as well. There will be a definite stress on the welfare of the children and yes, they are our future and our raison d'etre, for indeed, for whom do we toil if not for them?
"... it is the fate of American democracy in question in 2016, Clinton argued, faced with the prospect of a strongman "demagogue" who seeks to "restore order" through unspecified executive powers."
This statement, to me, is the heart of the problem. Will we have a president or will we have a dictator and indeed, I have often stated my fear of what would be with Trump in office and certainly with his admiration of Putin and his political behavior and the whole shady or more issue of Russia and the hack of the DNC, we cannot afford that man in office. In fact, he sets a truly bad example for other would be demagogues and for proof - hey, just look over here in the Village. What do you think we have going on here?!
It is not a good sign or omen for the future when people try to convince other people that only they can enforce law and order. The question then should be and how exactly do you plan to do that without trampling on my rights, on my soul? The world is already a twisted place. For example, it is not a good thing that a university in Hildesheim, Germany has brought up the blood libel against Jews. Yes, today, in this day and age, again!
“Our sons are plundered of their organs"
How many more times will we have to hear this and if we had a Trump in office, I am afraid that it would be many more times. No, we need a decent and humane person in office, one who knows that we must crack all ceilings that bring down any group of people unfairly, with discrimination and murder and mayhem the end result.
The people of the United States have a choice, a fork in the road ahead of them. Will we go with the demagogue, the one who spews hate, the one with no control who will have his finger on the nuclear button, or will we go with the one who has a sure and steady hand, who has the experience and who knows how to put people in their place without yelling, "You're fired" in a public forum.
Will we go with one who can tell the truth or one who lies, who exaggerates, who ignores the facts. Trump supposedly claims he is for the underclass, the workers who are struggling, out of jobs, whose factories have been closed but excuse me? Who bought foreign made goods for his hotels and casinos? Who fired people and who had to lay off thousands as his enterprises went bust? And who truly knows the poor? The one who was born with a gold spoon, never mind silver, the one whose Daddy's money bailed him out often enough, or the one who was poor, whose mother worked as a maid, who came from behind and indeed raised herself up?
And no, again, she is not an angel and in fact I would doubt if there were any politician who was! That ain't the name of the game unfortunately but she is the way to go in this election and looking at last nite - I believe she will rise to the challenge and hopefully pull the country out of its morass. "Together we are stronger" she said and I believe that. Would that it were practiced elsewhere in the country as well.
For whatever it means, this blogger endorses
Hillary Clinton for president of the United States
and does so with pride as an American, as a
woman and as a Jew.
Thursday, July 28, 2016
ITS BEEN A DAY AND IT AIN'T OVER YET!!
I don't know but there must be a better way for this world to operate. It was a day of what the hey! and for Heaven's sake and what is the matter with them!
So we get to the airport, JFK, and JetBlue's system, its who the hell thought of this new system, is in place. First you have to get to the other end of the terminal - that is if you safely make it there and get out without getting hit by a car - and watch out for the new construction across the street for which they have closed a badly needed lane. Then you have to find a kiosk that is open for there is no more central check in place. So seek a kiosk and hope the person there finishes up quickly.
See what the prompts are and the best is yet to come. You print out your luggage tape and have to figure it out as to how to put it on so that it is correct, right side out and you have the receipt for the luggage in your hand. Have fun! I finally found a rare specimen - a JetBlue employee, told him I was a dumb old lady and needed help. I was not the only one, let me tell you and old was not the common factor either.
Next step - get you and your luggage past all the people and find a line in front of a luggage station and then weigh it and watch them heave it up and away - that is if the carousel is working - which it was not and then stand there waiting for there was no way I was leaving those bags as orphans. Then uh oh - off they went in the opposite direction. Now what? So I did the best I could and sent Gerry to ask where those bags of mine were going and why the opposite direction. We were assured that at some point they all get there so now at least I had something to occupy my mind during the flight.
But wait, there's more. Not done yet. Now you literally have to fight your way back to the other side of the terminal to get on the security line and watch out! Here come the determined people with luggage, carts, trailers, carriages, overweight backpacks and they could care less as they smack you in their need to get there!! Finally made it through and at least the TSA line was easy. The other security line - wonder if they made their planes?
And if you are waiting for a wheelchair - well, good luck to you. We could not figure it out so bad feet and all we had to get all the way to the end of the new extension, you know, the one which ends in Jersey and just wait till I get the feedback request. Hah!
So we pull away even a bit early and then.... a half hour just sitting there. Finally! Uh oh, what was that? oh no - oh yes. Four people are squooshed into the row behind me, the little boy is sneezing away - no covering up the mouth either and the little girl sits on either parent's lap and kicks away and away and away and for musical accompaniment she screams in a high pitched voice the entire time. Could not read, could not sleep, could not think and could not even fret over the location of my luggage. Not even a toy for the kid to be distracted with. What the hell! Homicidal thoughts, I can tell you!
Finally we land and are told the luggage will be at carousel 2 but what is this? The airport is undergoing yet another renovation and there seems to be no carousel 2. We check in the JetBlue office and are told to try carousel 4 or 5. So definite they are. We locate it, and wait and wait and wait and finally and look - here comes one. Yay! And we wait and wait and the people are disappearing and finally - the other appears.
To the car and home and the beginning of the next crazy part of the day - unpacking, shopping, library, post office, finding time to eat a bit and the eyes are closing. And I truly wish to hear the speech tonite, a historical moment.
And speaking of politics, what gives here? We have a major party presidential candidate who invites the enemy to intrude into our government, play a role in the elections and dearie me, remember how they screamed when Netanyahu came to make a speech - no hacking? This dude is a traitor as far as I am concerned, a quisling if one must put another name to it, for how could anyone now possibly trust this guy and today he says he was just joking? Pretty poor sense of humor and I do not believe him.
Then we have a black Congressman from Georgia, I believe, who decided that it was quite the politic thing to do to compare Israelis to termites. Oh yes, that just about made my day, I can tell you and his apology - well, he can take it and put it....well you know. This from a man who should know better about dehumanizing people. Prejudice is prejudice and it matters not whether it goes in this direction or that. Wrong is wrong and mouths need to be careful, particularly elected and governmental figures.
And of course I love it when both candidates find time to boast how they are grandparents of Jewish grandchildren. It is special, I must admit, but so are grandparents of any and all varieties, but okay, maybe.....LOL. And good old Bernie, he who could never come up with a bill for his years in office, only coming up with high flyin' and falutin' ideas with no specifics behind it, now thinks he definitely will be the man behind the throne. Sorry, Bernie, Bill is there before you. And lucky that I believe that Hillary is her own person and thank G-d for that and speaking of Bill and Hillary, what gives with his speech about her. Was sexualizing the future president the proper way to go or is this man's brain permanently trapped within his pants? Well, the First Gentleman will have to find something to keep himself busy and hopefully far away from the White House.
And closer to home OMG!!! My poor lake. Four days away and it is totally rimmed all along the shore with yards of algae and the outgoing canal is dead, toyt, a wasteland of algae. Where is the promise to fix this, to do something? Perhaps I can find a lawyer, or an environmental group who will sue for neglect and loss of property value and health impairment and anything else we can think of. I want my lake cleaned of this goop and gunk! It is awful, beyond belief and looks like a third world lake or a lake from a superfund cleanup site and not what belongs here in the Village. Need to do a bit of shouting here, methinks. Maybe a lot more than a bit.
Any way, back to work, back to finding a time for some rest and then back at it again. Oy!!
So we get to the airport, JFK, and JetBlue's system, its who the hell thought of this new system, is in place. First you have to get to the other end of the terminal - that is if you safely make it there and get out without getting hit by a car - and watch out for the new construction across the street for which they have closed a badly needed lane. Then you have to find a kiosk that is open for there is no more central check in place. So seek a kiosk and hope the person there finishes up quickly.
See what the prompts are and the best is yet to come. You print out your luggage tape and have to figure it out as to how to put it on so that it is correct, right side out and you have the receipt for the luggage in your hand. Have fun! I finally found a rare specimen - a JetBlue employee, told him I was a dumb old lady and needed help. I was not the only one, let me tell you and old was not the common factor either.
Next step - get you and your luggage past all the people and find a line in front of a luggage station and then weigh it and watch them heave it up and away - that is if the carousel is working - which it was not and then stand there waiting for there was no way I was leaving those bags as orphans. Then uh oh - off they went in the opposite direction. Now what? So I did the best I could and sent Gerry to ask where those bags of mine were going and why the opposite direction. We were assured that at some point they all get there so now at least I had something to occupy my mind during the flight.
But wait, there's more. Not done yet. Now you literally have to fight your way back to the other side of the terminal to get on the security line and watch out! Here come the determined people with luggage, carts, trailers, carriages, overweight backpacks and they could care less as they smack you in their need to get there!! Finally made it through and at least the TSA line was easy. The other security line - wonder if they made their planes?
And if you are waiting for a wheelchair - well, good luck to you. We could not figure it out so bad feet and all we had to get all the way to the end of the new extension, you know, the one which ends in Jersey and just wait till I get the feedback request. Hah!
So we pull away even a bit early and then.... a half hour just sitting there. Finally! Uh oh, what was that? oh no - oh yes. Four people are squooshed into the row behind me, the little boy is sneezing away - no covering up the mouth either and the little girl sits on either parent's lap and kicks away and away and away and for musical accompaniment she screams in a high pitched voice the entire time. Could not read, could not sleep, could not think and could not even fret over the location of my luggage. Not even a toy for the kid to be distracted with. What the hell! Homicidal thoughts, I can tell you!
Finally we land and are told the luggage will be at carousel 2 but what is this? The airport is undergoing yet another renovation and there seems to be no carousel 2. We check in the JetBlue office and are told to try carousel 4 or 5. So definite they are. We locate it, and wait and wait and wait and finally and look - here comes one. Yay! And we wait and wait and the people are disappearing and finally - the other appears.
To the car and home and the beginning of the next crazy part of the day - unpacking, shopping, library, post office, finding time to eat a bit and the eyes are closing. And I truly wish to hear the speech tonite, a historical moment.
And speaking of politics, what gives here? We have a major party presidential candidate who invites the enemy to intrude into our government, play a role in the elections and dearie me, remember how they screamed when Netanyahu came to make a speech - no hacking? This dude is a traitor as far as I am concerned, a quisling if one must put another name to it, for how could anyone now possibly trust this guy and today he says he was just joking? Pretty poor sense of humor and I do not believe him.
Then we have a black Congressman from Georgia, I believe, who decided that it was quite the politic thing to do to compare Israelis to termites. Oh yes, that just about made my day, I can tell you and his apology - well, he can take it and put it....well you know. This from a man who should know better about dehumanizing people. Prejudice is prejudice and it matters not whether it goes in this direction or that. Wrong is wrong and mouths need to be careful, particularly elected and governmental figures.
And of course I love it when both candidates find time to boast how they are grandparents of Jewish grandchildren. It is special, I must admit, but so are grandparents of any and all varieties, but okay, maybe.....LOL. And good old Bernie, he who could never come up with a bill for his years in office, only coming up with high flyin' and falutin' ideas with no specifics behind it, now thinks he definitely will be the man behind the throne. Sorry, Bernie, Bill is there before you. And lucky that I believe that Hillary is her own person and thank G-d for that and speaking of Bill and Hillary, what gives with his speech about her. Was sexualizing the future president the proper way to go or is this man's brain permanently trapped within his pants? Well, the First Gentleman will have to find something to keep himself busy and hopefully far away from the White House.
And closer to home OMG!!! My poor lake. Four days away and it is totally rimmed all along the shore with yards of algae and the outgoing canal is dead, toyt, a wasteland of algae. Where is the promise to fix this, to do something? Perhaps I can find a lawyer, or an environmental group who will sue for neglect and loss of property value and health impairment and anything else we can think of. I want my lake cleaned of this goop and gunk! It is awful, beyond belief and looks like a third world lake or a lake from a superfund cleanup site and not what belongs here in the Village. Need to do a bit of shouting here, methinks. Maybe a lot more than a bit.
Any way, back to work, back to finding a time for some rest and then back at it again. Oy!!
SLIGHT DELAY
Sorry for the delay but please check back later in the day, during the afternoon and hopefully I will have posted. Today is a travel day so cannot post normal blog as yet. Hope to share one with you all later today. Thanks for your patience.
Wednesday, July 27, 2016
THE TRUTH, THE WHOLE TRUTH AND NOTHING BUT THE TRUTH
The conventions are a time for truth. Granted, there are exaggerations and statements that could have been omitted, yet it still tells the truth. They speak of the disunity amongst Americans, yet also of the unity, of the ability of opponents to join together for a greater cause. They speak of a greater America as the glass ceiling for women has received another huge crack as Hillary Clinton becomes the first woman nominated to run for President from a major party and hopefully, the first woman President of the United States of America and how good does that feel to hear it, to see it in print and to be able to say it come November! Is she perfect? No, but then again, no one is but at this point her assets outweigh any debits and she is infinitely a better choice than the other candidate or any spoiler people out there.
Should we insist on a higher standard of truth for the government and its officials? Hundred percent, but then again, it is the nature of the beast to know that there are things that we do not reveal in the name of security and we must learn to be able to distinguish that which is okay to talk about and that which is not. We need to teach our politicians that we will hold them to a higher standard and enforce that standard. We need to reteach the value of public service and honor and truth to our young, to our new and old politicians and remind them they are public servants, not public masters or drains on that public. We and all of us need to remember that truth will out and the consequences of avoiding truth will double at that point.
In a blog I read yesterday and cannot find again! the author wrote of the necessity of standing up to wrongdoing, to incompetence and not saying that someone else will do it. We, you and I, must stand up for ourselves and say I am the someone who will do it. And that perhaps lends at least a partial explanation of why I write, why I talk of change and topics that appeal to me and why I speak of the necessity of change in Century Village in West Palm Beach and with its current administration. I love my home here. I love the people, the new and old friends, the comradery, the shows, the pools, the whole gestalt - and yet, there are things that must be changed.
CV, whatever and whichever, for one hears complaints about all and their administrations at various times and again, it is the nature of the beast for homeowners of an association to find the wrong and forget the good. But when an administration becomes entrenched in its position, when it feels that its goal is not for the betterment of the Village but instead for the betterment of their own positions and power retention and this harms the Village, when the elected official becomes a dictator and violates rules and indeed, civil rights, when the infrastructure begins to suffer - then there is no choice but to stand up with others who are, who see the truth and say - we are the someone who will stand up and do something.
Right now we have several main concerns ranging from new and updated Village by laws, preparation for a renewal of a major contract with the Levys and their company - for which we are woefully late in preparing for - and the renewal and fixing of outdated and worn out infrastructure. One of the biggest items on the table of concern is the waterways and their state of health. To put it simply, they are not in good health as is to be found in the waterways of Florida. It is a difficult problem, not to be solved overnite or even in a year, but one must start someplace and in fact, more care should have been taken before we signed a contract to bring in water from the County. That water is recycled, cleansed to a certain point and able to be used for irrigation BUT is rife with nitrogen and phosphates and minerals all of which are awful for the state of health of the water and great for algae. With some little bit of forethought this might have been anticipated and avoided. At worst we might have had low waters, but in Florida the waters come most every year and nature would have done its duty but nope - as usual - the administration did not think ahead and they claim it took ten years to get here but that is not an answer, for the question is why did they wait once it was quite noticeable to all but the blind and those without sense of smell that the waterways were corroding before our very eyes and noses.
So I and others began to raise the roof over our waterways, to point out the accumulating algae, the gunk that was gathering in the lake beds, in the canals, the reek of sour water and stagnant water in the outlying canals. At first we were ignored, called various names but even the blind began to see and so now we have some minor and insufficient bandaids but it ain't workin'!!! More, much more is needed and we demand that the more be done and will not be quiet until it is.
I now look out of my Florida room and see my beautiful lake rimmed with algae, the outgoing canal clogged with it and what is being done? Nothing, a great big zero. Supposedly something was to have been done but never took place. It seems that things that are connected to me take a bit of extra time, such as the bus stop that took three years and a new CAM to finally get paved and safe for the riders. Life is not always fair and that is okay, but c'mon, what is the point of all that we are doing - the benefit of the Village - and yet some people cannot see past their seat of power, their ability to instigate nastiness, block freedom of speech, of assembly, call out governmental agencies on the people and use armed guards to intimidate.
So yesterday we were thrown a bone, a report that presumably was meant to confuse the average reader with all its small type numbers and data but if one looked at the language part of it, this is what was seen, again and again: a paragraph re its badly contaminated water and a recommendation which does not vary within the report.
1.Watershed Management
2. Continued Assessments
Wow!!! What a whole lotta' nuthin'!! Define the term for people, tell what has been done, give concrete suggestions as to the management and what good are the assessments without practicalities? And no, hearing for so long that some aerators or bubblers have been put in some of the water - mainly the Clubhouse lake - is not enough. Clean the waters up. Pull the algae out for as long as that works. Include other lakes as most people do not live around the Clubhouse lake!! If this company has not really brought improvements then get another and another until the answer is found. Do some out of the box thinking. Practice inclusion with the residents of the Village rather than sticking to the same coterie of suckups and fawners of the "great One".
The truth is out there. So are the answers. It just takes some more effort, knowledge and acknowledgement that there are no easy answers so we must seek for truth in this matter and come clean.
Truth. It is out there. It might mean some bad stuff will come out but it also means that we now have a way to a solution. Perhaps it will need a lot more time or more funds, or a combination but it can work. If only. If only people realize that others will see through selfishness and step up to the plate. Truth. It's a good thing so why run away from it?
And here is the sad truth about one of my opponents whose initials come after P and before D. Here are the intelligent comments:
- 7/24 Shaddup! signed Anonymous
- 7/25 SHADDUP signed Anonymous!
- 7/27 SHADUUP ALREADY! signed silly yenta
These are his general signing names as he is a coward as well as a potty mouth. These comments are as important as more salt in the sea, making no difference but this is just a sample of his lack of intelligence. And still have not heard again from the other one yet, she who advises me to move out and also signs anonymous but their language is clear and repetitive. Such is the cross I bear....sigh.
Should we insist on a higher standard of truth for the government and its officials? Hundred percent, but then again, it is the nature of the beast to know that there are things that we do not reveal in the name of security and we must learn to be able to distinguish that which is okay to talk about and that which is not. We need to teach our politicians that we will hold them to a higher standard and enforce that standard. We need to reteach the value of public service and honor and truth to our young, to our new and old politicians and remind them they are public servants, not public masters or drains on that public. We and all of us need to remember that truth will out and the consequences of avoiding truth will double at that point.
In a blog I read yesterday and cannot find again! the author wrote of the necessity of standing up to wrongdoing, to incompetence and not saying that someone else will do it. We, you and I, must stand up for ourselves and say I am the someone who will do it. And that perhaps lends at least a partial explanation of why I write, why I talk of change and topics that appeal to me and why I speak of the necessity of change in Century Village in West Palm Beach and with its current administration. I love my home here. I love the people, the new and old friends, the comradery, the shows, the pools, the whole gestalt - and yet, there are things that must be changed.
CV, whatever and whichever, for one hears complaints about all and their administrations at various times and again, it is the nature of the beast for homeowners of an association to find the wrong and forget the good. But when an administration becomes entrenched in its position, when it feels that its goal is not for the betterment of the Village but instead for the betterment of their own positions and power retention and this harms the Village, when the elected official becomes a dictator and violates rules and indeed, civil rights, when the infrastructure begins to suffer - then there is no choice but to stand up with others who are, who see the truth and say - we are the someone who will stand up and do something.
Right now we have several main concerns ranging from new and updated Village by laws, preparation for a renewal of a major contract with the Levys and their company - for which we are woefully late in preparing for - and the renewal and fixing of outdated and worn out infrastructure. One of the biggest items on the table of concern is the waterways and their state of health. To put it simply, they are not in good health as is to be found in the waterways of Florida. It is a difficult problem, not to be solved overnite or even in a year, but one must start someplace and in fact, more care should have been taken before we signed a contract to bring in water from the County. That water is recycled, cleansed to a certain point and able to be used for irrigation BUT is rife with nitrogen and phosphates and minerals all of which are awful for the state of health of the water and great for algae. With some little bit of forethought this might have been anticipated and avoided. At worst we might have had low waters, but in Florida the waters come most every year and nature would have done its duty but nope - as usual - the administration did not think ahead and they claim it took ten years to get here but that is not an answer, for the question is why did they wait once it was quite noticeable to all but the blind and those without sense of smell that the waterways were corroding before our very eyes and noses.
So I and others began to raise the roof over our waterways, to point out the accumulating algae, the gunk that was gathering in the lake beds, in the canals, the reek of sour water and stagnant water in the outlying canals. At first we were ignored, called various names but even the blind began to see and so now we have some minor and insufficient bandaids but it ain't workin'!!! More, much more is needed and we demand that the more be done and will not be quiet until it is.
I now look out of my Florida room and see my beautiful lake rimmed with algae, the outgoing canal clogged with it and what is being done? Nothing, a great big zero. Supposedly something was to have been done but never took place. It seems that things that are connected to me take a bit of extra time, such as the bus stop that took three years and a new CAM to finally get paved and safe for the riders. Life is not always fair and that is okay, but c'mon, what is the point of all that we are doing - the benefit of the Village - and yet some people cannot see past their seat of power, their ability to instigate nastiness, block freedom of speech, of assembly, call out governmental agencies on the people and use armed guards to intimidate.
So yesterday we were thrown a bone, a report that presumably was meant to confuse the average reader with all its small type numbers and data but if one looked at the language part of it, this is what was seen, again and again: a paragraph re its badly contaminated water and a recommendation which does not vary within the report.
1.Watershed Management
2. Continued Assessments
Wow!!! What a whole lotta' nuthin'!! Define the term for people, tell what has been done, give concrete suggestions as to the management and what good are the assessments without practicalities? And no, hearing for so long that some aerators or bubblers have been put in some of the water - mainly the Clubhouse lake - is not enough. Clean the waters up. Pull the algae out for as long as that works. Include other lakes as most people do not live around the Clubhouse lake!! If this company has not really brought improvements then get another and another until the answer is found. Do some out of the box thinking. Practice inclusion with the residents of the Village rather than sticking to the same coterie of suckups and fawners of the "great One".
The truth is out there. So are the answers. It just takes some more effort, knowledge and acknowledgement that there are no easy answers so we must seek for truth in this matter and come clean.
Truth. It is out there. It might mean some bad stuff will come out but it also means that we now have a way to a solution. Perhaps it will need a lot more time or more funds, or a combination but it can work. If only. If only people realize that others will see through selfishness and step up to the plate. Truth. It's a good thing so why run away from it?
And here is the sad truth about one of my opponents whose initials come after P and before D. Here are the intelligent comments:
- 7/24 Shaddup! signed Anonymous
- 7/25 SHADDUP signed Anonymous!
- 7/27 SHADUUP ALREADY! signed silly yenta
These are his general signing names as he is a coward as well as a potty mouth. These comments are as important as more salt in the sea, making no difference but this is just a sample of his lack of intelligence. And still have not heard again from the other one yet, she who advises me to move out and also signs anonymous but their language is clear and repetitive. Such is the cross I bear....sigh.
Tuesday, July 26, 2016
WHAT'S THE MATTER WITH ADULTS TODAY?
We are always complaining about the kids today and yet, just look around at the behavior of adults who supposedly know better and then answer the title question.
We have Trump and company who behave in a most awful behavior, rife with racist, misogynistic and plain old nasty comments and then we have the adults of the DNC who evidently have not yet learned a lesson from all the hacking of government websites. They just went ahead and wrote stuff to each other in their emails and there ya' go - hacked by Russians and over to Trump the went. So Debbie Wasserman Shultz has to resign, throw herself on the sword to save her party and campaign 2016.
I am constantly reminding my grandchildren and other young people that we were lucky for when we goofed up as kids we knew that time would erase much but today, nothing doing, for it seems all gets recorded for posterity or should I use the word in perpetuity? It is difficult to outrun a stupid piece of behavior today and then there go the adults putting down opinions and plans they were better off keeping quiet or simply exchange verbal remarks or use burner phones or whatever!
And for sure, Hillary Clinton did not need more comments about emails! But we need to look past all this tempest in a teapot for if one thought that politicians have no opinions, if you thought that all is done perfectly, then we need to sit down. People are people. They commit errors some more important than others, they have favorites and so it has been since time immemorial. That does not make it right, but I can reassure you that should the emails of Sanders be hacked there would be issues too.
But what we have now is a bunch of non thinking supposed adults who are thinking with I do not know what but certainly not their brains. The DNC needs to present a core of unity to the public, to the American voters. It needs to insure that whatever quarrels there are internally are solved internally and understand that the main goal is to prevent the tragedy that would be a Trump victory. Believe it or not, we need to elect Clinton for various reasons, not the least of which is that she is a woman and it is time, far past time, that the United States of America have a woman as head of government. From England to India to Pakistan to Israel and more, Women have headed the government but not here. It is time we send a message to both the older and the younger generation that we have succeeded, that we have fought the battles and the war and there is an end in sight, an end that will not allow an Ailes or a Cosby to inflict themselves on others.
It is time that we put the end dot on the issue of women's reproductive rights, on their free choice about any decision in their life. Clinton is a women who has worked hard for women whether they know that or appreciate that or not. Their health, their rights, their economic viability, legal equality - all have been part and parcel of her political and career paths. She has the experience and the desire to improve the economic situation for all Americans and without ripping apart the democratic and capitalistic systems we have, just to readjust them.
The Sanders people have to get off their high horse and stop chanting. Not to vote for Hillary is a vote for Trump and how will they like the reeducation camps of Trump once he and his Russian buddy get in power? And what is the big surprise anyway with the DNC not particularly in his favor - he is not even a registered Democrat!! Loyalty is repaid is it not, if it is deserved.
Hillary Clinton may not be the most charismatic personality out there but I do believe she cares about people. I do not agree with her 100% or indeed anywhere within shouting distance of that number but I do believe that she is the best choice we have now. She has the experience. She knows how to be tough and how to deal with international personalities. She has both the domestic and foreign affairs experience. We have much to lose should we lose and much to gain with her election.
So adults, learn to shut the fingers down on emails. Learn to be very careful with what is said. Speak carefully for somewhere out there Big Brother IS listening! And all of us, think very carefully of the choices and the alternatives. The USA can go down a very wrong path should she lose. It just cannot be! Read the past few blogs and understand what is wrong with Trump and then read this one again and then understand my points.
and best line of the night - "Bernie or bust people - you are being ridiculous." Time to get real.
We have Trump and company who behave in a most awful behavior, rife with racist, misogynistic and plain old nasty comments and then we have the adults of the DNC who evidently have not yet learned a lesson from all the hacking of government websites. They just went ahead and wrote stuff to each other in their emails and there ya' go - hacked by Russians and over to Trump the went. So Debbie Wasserman Shultz has to resign, throw herself on the sword to save her party and campaign 2016.
I am constantly reminding my grandchildren and other young people that we were lucky for when we goofed up as kids we knew that time would erase much but today, nothing doing, for it seems all gets recorded for posterity or should I use the word in perpetuity? It is difficult to outrun a stupid piece of behavior today and then there go the adults putting down opinions and plans they were better off keeping quiet or simply exchange verbal remarks or use burner phones or whatever!
And for sure, Hillary Clinton did not need more comments about emails! But we need to look past all this tempest in a teapot for if one thought that politicians have no opinions, if you thought that all is done perfectly, then we need to sit down. People are people. They commit errors some more important than others, they have favorites and so it has been since time immemorial. That does not make it right, but I can reassure you that should the emails of Sanders be hacked there would be issues too.
But what we have now is a bunch of non thinking supposed adults who are thinking with I do not know what but certainly not their brains. The DNC needs to present a core of unity to the public, to the American voters. It needs to insure that whatever quarrels there are internally are solved internally and understand that the main goal is to prevent the tragedy that would be a Trump victory. Believe it or not, we need to elect Clinton for various reasons, not the least of which is that she is a woman and it is time, far past time, that the United States of America have a woman as head of government. From England to India to Pakistan to Israel and more, Women have headed the government but not here. It is time we send a message to both the older and the younger generation that we have succeeded, that we have fought the battles and the war and there is an end in sight, an end that will not allow an Ailes or a Cosby to inflict themselves on others.
It is time that we put the end dot on the issue of women's reproductive rights, on their free choice about any decision in their life. Clinton is a women who has worked hard for women whether they know that or appreciate that or not. Their health, their rights, their economic viability, legal equality - all have been part and parcel of her political and career paths. She has the experience and the desire to improve the economic situation for all Americans and without ripping apart the democratic and capitalistic systems we have, just to readjust them.
The Sanders people have to get off their high horse and stop chanting. Not to vote for Hillary is a vote for Trump and how will they like the reeducation camps of Trump once he and his Russian buddy get in power? And what is the big surprise anyway with the DNC not particularly in his favor - he is not even a registered Democrat!! Loyalty is repaid is it not, if it is deserved.
Hillary Clinton may not be the most charismatic personality out there but I do believe she cares about people. I do not agree with her 100% or indeed anywhere within shouting distance of that number but I do believe that she is the best choice we have now. She has the experience. She knows how to be tough and how to deal with international personalities. She has both the domestic and foreign affairs experience. We have much to lose should we lose and much to gain with her election.
So adults, learn to shut the fingers down on emails. Learn to be very careful with what is said. Speak carefully for somewhere out there Big Brother IS listening! And all of us, think very carefully of the choices and the alternatives. The USA can go down a very wrong path should she lose. It just cannot be! Read the past few blogs and understand what is wrong with Trump and then read this one again and then understand my points.
and best line of the night - "Bernie or bust people - you are being ridiculous." Time to get real.
Monday, July 25, 2016
OMG!!! OUR OWN MANCHURIAN CANDIDATE?
A few days ago I was talking about the candidates and I said that Trump reminded me of the Manchurian Candidate. For those who do not remember, he was the snake in the grass, the brainwashed prisoner of war that the North Koreans I believe sent to eventually assassinate a VIP. I said he is like a person under the control of someone and certainly his behavior and his statements are suspect.
Well......today's news certainly did the trick on that. We find out that the DNC's emails were hacked and by whom? The Russians!!! And who benefitted from that? Why none other than Trump!!! Anybody smell something fishy here?Guess it is okay to use Assange's WikiLeaks when the shoe is on the other foot! And the big deal? Apparently the DNC Chairman was opposed to Sanders stating that he was never a Democrat so the backing should be hesitant or held off. So what is wrong with that?
What was wrong is the reaction of WikiLeaks to its critics as WikiLeaks then brought in a whole bunch of allegations against Jews in the Democratic Party and then realized what they had done and took them off several hours later. So the Russians broke in, the Russians helped release them and there was a clear streak in there of anti Semitism and of course we would never suspect the Russians of being anti Semitic would we now?
And this is the tweet that Michael Flynn who had been under consideration as a running mate to Trump had to say to the DNC."Not anymore, Jews. Not anymore." 'Nuff said?
And our Manchurian Candidate? Where was he in all this? I guess all his advisers who worked for so many Russian companies and allies, who secured money for Trump for his Trump businesses all made sure he kept his mouth shut. And let us not forget his attitude towards defending our NATO allies of the three Baltic Republics should Russian troops invade as they did in Crimea - unless they paid up every last penny. Lovely friend to have isn't he?
Russia and Putin seemed to have developed a beautiful love affair with Trump and who knows but that they will be asked to roll in wherever they wish should the horror happen and Trump get elected to office. Where will they be invited? Only the Shadow knows - and Trump the Manchurian Candidate and Putin and the little Russian gnomes who have worked so nicely with Trump. This man is not to be trusted. Who knows what is going on under all that gelled hair? Perhaps the fumes have corroded his mind beyond all hope of repair, but he certainly should not recuperate in the Oval Office! This is the man, Putin, who caused a 10 year old in the Ukraine in Donetsk to write: "I want a candy, to have a shower, to listen to my CDs and see some happiness in my mother's eyes, but those men don't want it and don't understand it. These militants will never understand what we have experienced, losing everything. They have thrown away my happiness, my childhood, my hopes and broken our dreams and our souls." And this is the person that Trump admires, the person who invades a country on his whim, his selfish desire to add to his empire? We cannot have that! Never!
"L'etat cest moi" said Louis XIV. I am the state. This is what every dictator has said throughout history, from the ancient kings to those of the past few centuries. Their swelled heads controlled their deeds and thoughts and we, the people, suffered. Send this Manchurian Candidate back to his reality shows. He has reached his glass ceiling, the Peter Principle has come into play and he needs to be sent home with his Russian babushka caring for him, but certainly he does not belong in the White House, not him and not Putin either!!
Hey, Gracie, look at this - a gift for you - no mention of you know who though he certainly belongs here within the roles of dictators and violators of civil rights.
Well......today's news certainly did the trick on that. We find out that the DNC's emails were hacked and by whom? The Russians!!! And who benefitted from that? Why none other than Trump!!! Anybody smell something fishy here?Guess it is okay to use Assange's WikiLeaks when the shoe is on the other foot! And the big deal? Apparently the DNC Chairman was opposed to Sanders stating that he was never a Democrat so the backing should be hesitant or held off. So what is wrong with that?
What was wrong is the reaction of WikiLeaks to its critics as WikiLeaks then brought in a whole bunch of allegations against Jews in the Democratic Party and then realized what they had done and took them off several hours later. So the Russians broke in, the Russians helped release them and there was a clear streak in there of anti Semitism and of course we would never suspect the Russians of being anti Semitic would we now?
And this is the tweet that Michael Flynn who had been under consideration as a running mate to Trump had to say to the DNC."Not anymore, Jews. Not anymore." 'Nuff said?
And our Manchurian Candidate? Where was he in all this? I guess all his advisers who worked for so many Russian companies and allies, who secured money for Trump for his Trump businesses all made sure he kept his mouth shut. And let us not forget his attitude towards defending our NATO allies of the three Baltic Republics should Russian troops invade as they did in Crimea - unless they paid up every last penny. Lovely friend to have isn't he?
Russia and Putin seemed to have developed a beautiful love affair with Trump and who knows but that they will be asked to roll in wherever they wish should the horror happen and Trump get elected to office. Where will they be invited? Only the Shadow knows - and Trump the Manchurian Candidate and Putin and the little Russian gnomes who have worked so nicely with Trump. This man is not to be trusted. Who knows what is going on under all that gelled hair? Perhaps the fumes have corroded his mind beyond all hope of repair, but he certainly should not recuperate in the Oval Office! This is the man, Putin, who caused a 10 year old in the Ukraine in Donetsk to write: "I want a candy, to have a shower, to listen to my CDs and see some happiness in my mother's eyes, but those men don't want it and don't understand it. These militants will never understand what we have experienced, losing everything. They have thrown away my happiness, my childhood, my hopes and broken our dreams and our souls." And this is the person that Trump admires, the person who invades a country on his whim, his selfish desire to add to his empire? We cannot have that! Never!
"L'etat cest moi" said Louis XIV. I am the state. This is what every dictator has said throughout history, from the ancient kings to those of the past few centuries. Their swelled heads controlled their deeds and thoughts and we, the people, suffered. Send this Manchurian Candidate back to his reality shows. He has reached his glass ceiling, the Peter Principle has come into play and he needs to be sent home with his Russian babushka caring for him, but certainly he does not belong in the White House, not him and not Putin either!!
Hey, Gracie, look at this - a gift for you - no mention of you know who though he certainly belongs here within the roles of dictators and violators of civil rights.
Sunday, July 24, 2016
RED FLAGS FLYING
The red flags at a beach tell us to stay out of the water as too dangerous for swimming or anything else. Does anyone not see the red flags that fly every time that Trump opens his mouth? And yet as rhetorical as that question is, there are, it seems, people out there who do not see what is there in front of their eyes.
"Blessed is the one who does not walk in step with the wicked." (Psalms 1:1)
There is a tendency these days to overlook faults in our ostensible leaders, to see them as either all good or all evil. I do not understand why that is. Yes, I support Hillary Clinton for President for many reasons, but I do not look away from her dents and dings. Certainly I would rather have not had an email issue, overblown as it is, but there it is. It exists, but when one delves into the issue there is much that is exaggerated and overblown, particularly by her opponents.
On the other hand, when I think of that verse from Psalms and think of Trump, the connection is frightening. Even if the man had some good intentions, to possibly mean that he wishes to keep the citizenry of America safe, his road to that safety is not one to drive down. Indeed, it is a wicked one.
"I alone can do it." "I will be your voice." Well, in America we do not do things alone. That is the world of the dictator and the inflated sense of one's own importance. That is the arrogant assumption that he can speak for the many, he and he alone. Well, the man must think again for surely the path that a good society clings to is that of cooperation and unity, freely speaking opinions in a civilized manner with no threats or selfish assumption of the cape of a leader.
"But just remember this. Our Constitution is great. But it doesn't necessarily give us the right to commit suicide, okay? Now we have a religious, you know, everybody wants to be protected. And that's great. And that's the wonderful part of the Constitution. I view it differently."
No, I did not go nuts. These are the words of he who would be President, that would be our leader and if anyone can make sense of this, or can feel confident of this man speaking for us, representing us, either here in the States or internationally among the nations of the world, then please, I beg of you, explain to me how that is possible and what the heck that paragraph just said.
A character in a book I read yesterday said, " Appreciation has the power to transform the mundane into something beautiful." I do not see the appreciation of the mundane in his world. Rather it is a world of superlatives, exaggerations, nonsensical statements and scary ones. It is a world of poor role models, for no, dictators are not admirable even if the trains run on time and inevitably those trains will roll to a stop. Ostensibly there was a loosening of the reins in China and yet look what has happened - corruption, imprisonments and more dictatorial behavior. The truth will out. The Putin era in Russia is not a good one, ruled as it is by a demagogue, a man who has brought corruption and fear to a rare form. The Turkey of Erdogan is undergoing a frightening transformation. And the world stands still, if not in step with the wicked, then perhaps just a step or two behind. It seems we feel we can only critique our allies, our true allies, and we let the rest of the world do what they would. This is the world of the dictator, the world that admires them. This is the world of Trump and when he promises to take care of things, to bring about law and order, we should all shudder and question whose law and order and how will it be enforced?
All leaders should answer to those they ostensibly lead. It is when they assume a mantle of arrogance and feel that they are exempt from responsibility, exempt from answering questions, exempt from justifying their actions, exempt from obeying the rules and laws of their political arena - it is then when we have great big problems. Thank the Lord above that we have not yet had that here in America, the closest being George III and you know what happened in that case! But we must be ever vigilant to avoid its peril and right now we are edging right up to the line that must not be crossed.
For four days in July we had rule by riot, rule by demand, rule by emotion. We had an "America First" revival and a David Duke who feels he is empowered by Trump and his vision and announces his candidacy for Senator from Louisiana. Shudder!!!And this was all headed and 'inspired' by one who did the following:
Allowed the convention to descend into riot and fear,
Appealed to panic, to hatred to build a basis of support - and thank the dictators of history for that 'inspiration'.
Had the world ignore his multiple bankruptcies,
His obscenity of a 'university" that fed on its poor victims;
Who took his money while ignoring the bills and payment due of the small people, the workers who did his building;
And what I found most offensive, used some of the poorest speakers ever to represent him and his views, and preyed on a poor mother who lost her grown child and who has told Trump to stop this,
Who allowed his supporters to shout for the EXECUTION no less of his opponent, for her hanging, her electrocution and at the very least, her imprisonment.
This is not acceptable.
Is this sane and balanced?
Is this the leader that we want and hope for?
and where does it end? It makes the 'lies" that Hilary is accused of look like nursery tales, and of total unimportance. No one is perfect and no leader, not here nor in the international arena is perfect and we tend to either pick on these faults till we make them bleed or we ignore them and put the leader on a pedestal. Neither path is right and we must learn to weigh and value.
Another character in a book said this wise statement. "The question all Americans must ask themselves lingers painfully. How does a war like this ever end."
Yes, we are at war. We have the War on Terrorism And who knows the truth of all that. All I know is that we have seemingly no united plan to combat this in a victorious manner nor have we truly defined terrorism and its sources. We have not yet learned that being PC is not the way to win a war. We have not yet learned that saying something does not make it so. The statement of the Pharaohs of old - "as it is written so it shall be done" does not quite work anymore. All of Trump's overblown statements that he, and he alone, can bring this to an end are full of hot air and dangerous red flags. But we must start somewhere. We must begin. We must winnow through the wheat and the chaff of those who would be our leaders and folks, that means locally and internationally and if someone can define the difference between the characteristics of Trump, his failures, his lies about them, his nastiness and use of vile emotions, his lack of details to fill out his wild statements, his arrogance, his megalomania, his lack of ability to speak intelligently amongst the public - define the difference, if indeed there is any, between him and his ilk and the dictator we have here in CV - David Israel - who just gets worse by the day, more autocratic and less democratic by every statement made - if you can do this - please do so, for I am in as much despair at the possibility of Trump as I am at the reality of David Israel and his dictates. And someone please tell me why there is a person listed on the Executive Board who had not yet been confirmed by the DA as there has been no quorum to do so. The Village continues to rot, to sink into a morass of all that is wrong, and all he does is make threats and plan poorly, if at all, for the realities that face us in the very soon to be upon us present and future.
Political arenas tend to mirror each other. We need to break some mirrors, do we not? Legally, please. Let us make war on those who would deny us all our liberty and our rights. Let us make war on those who would deliver us into a world that is not of our desire. Someone out there, start thinking of who we really need as our president - in the USA and here, in the Village. As the Brady Bunch used to sing - "When its time to change its time to rearrange....". The time has come.
"Blessed is the one who does not walk in step with the wicked." (Psalms 1:1)
There is a tendency these days to overlook faults in our ostensible leaders, to see them as either all good or all evil. I do not understand why that is. Yes, I support Hillary Clinton for President for many reasons, but I do not look away from her dents and dings. Certainly I would rather have not had an email issue, overblown as it is, but there it is. It exists, but when one delves into the issue there is much that is exaggerated and overblown, particularly by her opponents.
On the other hand, when I think of that verse from Psalms and think of Trump, the connection is frightening. Even if the man had some good intentions, to possibly mean that he wishes to keep the citizenry of America safe, his road to that safety is not one to drive down. Indeed, it is a wicked one.
"I alone can do it." "I will be your voice." Well, in America we do not do things alone. That is the world of the dictator and the inflated sense of one's own importance. That is the arrogant assumption that he can speak for the many, he and he alone. Well, the man must think again for surely the path that a good society clings to is that of cooperation and unity, freely speaking opinions in a civilized manner with no threats or selfish assumption of the cape of a leader.
"But just remember this. Our Constitution is great. But it doesn't necessarily give us the right to commit suicide, okay? Now we have a religious, you know, everybody wants to be protected. And that's great. And that's the wonderful part of the Constitution. I view it differently."
No, I did not go nuts. These are the words of he who would be President, that would be our leader and if anyone can make sense of this, or can feel confident of this man speaking for us, representing us, either here in the States or internationally among the nations of the world, then please, I beg of you, explain to me how that is possible and what the heck that paragraph just said.
A character in a book I read yesterday said, " Appreciation has the power to transform the mundane into something beautiful." I do not see the appreciation of the mundane in his world. Rather it is a world of superlatives, exaggerations, nonsensical statements and scary ones. It is a world of poor role models, for no, dictators are not admirable even if the trains run on time and inevitably those trains will roll to a stop. Ostensibly there was a loosening of the reins in China and yet look what has happened - corruption, imprisonments and more dictatorial behavior. The truth will out. The Putin era in Russia is not a good one, ruled as it is by a demagogue, a man who has brought corruption and fear to a rare form. The Turkey of Erdogan is undergoing a frightening transformation. And the world stands still, if not in step with the wicked, then perhaps just a step or two behind. It seems we feel we can only critique our allies, our true allies, and we let the rest of the world do what they would. This is the world of the dictator, the world that admires them. This is the world of Trump and when he promises to take care of things, to bring about law and order, we should all shudder and question whose law and order and how will it be enforced?
All leaders should answer to those they ostensibly lead. It is when they assume a mantle of arrogance and feel that they are exempt from responsibility, exempt from answering questions, exempt from justifying their actions, exempt from obeying the rules and laws of their political arena - it is then when we have great big problems. Thank the Lord above that we have not yet had that here in America, the closest being George III and you know what happened in that case! But we must be ever vigilant to avoid its peril and right now we are edging right up to the line that must not be crossed.
For four days in July we had rule by riot, rule by demand, rule by emotion. We had an "America First" revival and a David Duke who feels he is empowered by Trump and his vision and announces his candidacy for Senator from Louisiana. Shudder!!!And this was all headed and 'inspired' by one who did the following:
Allowed the convention to descend into riot and fear,
Appealed to panic, to hatred to build a basis of support - and thank the dictators of history for that 'inspiration'.
Had the world ignore his multiple bankruptcies,
His obscenity of a 'university" that fed on its poor victims;
Who took his money while ignoring the bills and payment due of the small people, the workers who did his building;
And what I found most offensive, used some of the poorest speakers ever to represent him and his views, and preyed on a poor mother who lost her grown child and who has told Trump to stop this,
Who allowed his supporters to shout for the EXECUTION no less of his opponent, for her hanging, her electrocution and at the very least, her imprisonment.
This is not acceptable.
Is this sane and balanced?
Is this the leader that we want and hope for?
and where does it end? It makes the 'lies" that Hilary is accused of look like nursery tales, and of total unimportance. No one is perfect and no leader, not here nor in the international arena is perfect and we tend to either pick on these faults till we make them bleed or we ignore them and put the leader on a pedestal. Neither path is right and we must learn to weigh and value.
Another character in a book said this wise statement. "The question all Americans must ask themselves lingers painfully. How does a war like this ever end."
Yes, we are at war. We have the War on Terrorism And who knows the truth of all that. All I know is that we have seemingly no united plan to combat this in a victorious manner nor have we truly defined terrorism and its sources. We have not yet learned that being PC is not the way to win a war. We have not yet learned that saying something does not make it so. The statement of the Pharaohs of old - "as it is written so it shall be done" does not quite work anymore. All of Trump's overblown statements that he, and he alone, can bring this to an end are full of hot air and dangerous red flags. But we must start somewhere. We must begin. We must winnow through the wheat and the chaff of those who would be our leaders and folks, that means locally and internationally and if someone can define the difference between the characteristics of Trump, his failures, his lies about them, his nastiness and use of vile emotions, his lack of details to fill out his wild statements, his arrogance, his megalomania, his lack of ability to speak intelligently amongst the public - define the difference, if indeed there is any, between him and his ilk and the dictator we have here in CV - David Israel - who just gets worse by the day, more autocratic and less democratic by every statement made - if you can do this - please do so, for I am in as much despair at the possibility of Trump as I am at the reality of David Israel and his dictates. And someone please tell me why there is a person listed on the Executive Board who had not yet been confirmed by the DA as there has been no quorum to do so. The Village continues to rot, to sink into a morass of all that is wrong, and all he does is make threats and plan poorly, if at all, for the realities that face us in the very soon to be upon us present and future.
Political arenas tend to mirror each other. We need to break some mirrors, do we not? Legally, please. Let us make war on those who would deny us all our liberty and our rights. Let us make war on those who would deliver us into a world that is not of our desire. Someone out there, start thinking of who we really need as our president - in the USA and here, in the Village. As the Brady Bunch used to sing - "When its time to change its time to rearrange....". The time has come.
Friday, July 22, 2016
STEER CAREFULLY - ROUGH WATERS AHEAD
“It is better to teach good than to condemn evil.”
So said the philosopher Baruch Spinoza and thousands read this as they walked past a memorial site for a 16 year old girl killed as she supported a gay parade in Jerusalem last year, though she was not gay. Think about what it means and the difficulty in implementing that philosophy.
"The hardest thing in the world isn't to refrain from committing an evil, it's to stand up and stop one." So stated a character in a book.
When one puts these two statements together, we get both sides of a coin, a coin that will be ever more rare if a tragedy took place and Trump were elected into office. Just read his speech in the papers if you missed it yesterday. The shudders should shake you into next week!
America will be a country of 'law and order" once more. We will have "Americanism". We will break the promises we made with NATO allies. We will have "America First'. Trump will wave his magic wand and all will be better, a strange fairy godfather indeed. Huge statements. Childcare for all - and how to pay and how to institute? All that law and order - define please, details please. And precisely how will we pay for huge sweeping statements what with huge promised tax cuts? I wonder why it seems such a hard concept for people to understand that if one expects the government to have the money for defense, for Social Security, for roads, etc. and not the least, social welfare programs, like feeding hungry families, then taxes must be paid. I hate doing taxes, always afraid I am doing it wrong somehow, but it is a necessary fact of life. Making a statement does not make it so nor does it make it possible without the dull old boring details!
America will be great again? It still is, even if changed and G-d knows that I have pointed out areas I am troubled by, but there are still so many good things in life and in America. How about what I have seen this week, when there was not one day when a good friend was left alone in a hospital bed, in pain and worry over the future. What about the people who stop to help another in distress, who volunteer, who donate, who protest injustice? Are we to consider as "good" only those who want no government regulations? Are we to return to those days? Is that what made America "great"?
Teach good. A beautiful idea. Teach the truth. Teach the positive. Act for the good and do good. And stand up to evil, to the lies which at times seem to overwhelm the world. Run through the speech of Trump and frighteningly you will find all the remarks and attitudes, promises and values of a dictator. Just check and compare with the demagogues of history and the similarities will be clear. Shudder and shake at the thought of a country whose chief value will be 'law and order' for that term can and has been so manipulated and twisted throughout history that we should automatically shun that term unless it is the title of a TV show!! Iran pushed law and order. So does Saudi Arabia and Turkey now. Want to live there? Russia is pushing it too so wanna' join Trump's admired figure, Putin? I do not.
Throughout his speech and the speech of others throughout the Convention there have been red lines, lines that displayed infection of the Party, a Party that has lost its way, that refuses to admit that the Emperor is naked. It will allow the haters, the bigots, to take over a party that was formed in the forge of history, at a time when America was divided against itself, when a man could own another and it and its leaders stood up and said no! Was it perfect? No, for man is not perfect, but it was a party of the people and now? Where has it gone? To the fatcats? To the billionaire who has 3500 suits against him? To a man who lied about his finances, his businesses, who picks his wives for the eye candy they are to him and others? Is this what we want to present to the world, quite worried and bewildered at what has gone wrong in America, with Americans?
And yet there is hope. Twice a week now I have gone out with youngsters, into the heat, armed with a desire to get people to vote and we do not ask what party they wish to join. That is their choice - any or none, but just take up the privilege and responsibility of voting. These kids are determined to make the world a better place and do it by helping, by getting involved, by teaching good and by standing up to and against hatred and indifference. Me? I stand there and admire them and sweat bullets in the heat of the sun but am so proud of them and the bright future they represent and am proud of myself as well for taking part in this.
He believes that "I alone" can make all things right and that is exactly the problem. "I alone" can do nothing. It takes a village, so they say, and it takes a country to make things better. To allow a man such as this to rise to the top is a violation of the natural order where cream is supposed to rise to the top, not the lees and dregs.
And yes, I will agree, Hillary Clinton is not perfect and has her flaws. She has made mistakes, some more serious than others. But she has spent a lifetime trying to work for the public, for the country, involved herself in the hard work and commitment necessary. Where was Trump all those years? Using Papa's money to keep his toes and other parts out of the fire? Getting married - again? Firing people? Combing his hair? What and where has he done for the people? For the country? And enough already with Hillary getting the blame for a wandering husband. That was his problem, his lack of honesty and trust, not hers and how she chose to deal with him was her business and if not in her shoes then one has no right to judge, only think, wonder why and go on to other topics. Judgementalism has no place here unless one is in the same spot. And by the way, some of our most admired Presidents of the past also had wandering parts and eyes and hands.
But this lack of honesty, of a pervading sense of evil appears to be rampant throughout the world and it obscures the good that is also present in the world. Yet I can understand the despair as we watch crazy things happen - but we need to remember as well that there have been times when it seemed as if assassins ruled the world and self interest was the ruling principle. There is truly no one time in history that encompassed all that was good and right. Even the golden era of Rome, when Rome basically ruled the world - ask those who were conquered if they were all so thrilled and accepting.
The way of the world is not smooth but yes, we can ask where are the heroes. Bonnie Tyler sang, "I need a hero" and we can echo her thoughts. Trump is not that hero and Hillary? Not a hero, but one who tries, who strives, who has made something of herself after a difficult early life and no one has given it to her on a silver platter or even one of copper. She represents much of the good of the American dream and some of its lacks - so she is human, as were all our presidents. A vote for her is a vote for sanity, for democracy, for a future where one can dream and one can succeed, where color and race and religion and ethnicity make no never mind in any important way. Where the ideals that were the basis of our country are still alive, Where "when in the course of human events" spirit is alive and well.
And locally as well, do we want a Trump, the liar, the self engrossed, the dictator and demagogue, the breaker of rules if it benefits him or do we want one who knows that law and order comes with a sense of commonality as well, of working with people, of telling the truth, of not using threats to coerce people, but rather co-opting them with goodness and inclusion.
Think about all this and then think again. Stop listening to the shouts and the lies and go to the heart of the matter. Who better represents a good future for us and the world, a future where we are free and yes, there will be bad things as well, but I have not yet noticed any dictator having a country where there are no bad things happening and indeed, it is often the opposite! Choose carefully and where the wrong person is in office - time to go, bid them adieu, ciao, dosvadanya - but bid them a firm goodbye.
So said the philosopher Baruch Spinoza and thousands read this as they walked past a memorial site for a 16 year old girl killed as she supported a gay parade in Jerusalem last year, though she was not gay. Think about what it means and the difficulty in implementing that philosophy.
"The hardest thing in the world isn't to refrain from committing an evil, it's to stand up and stop one." So stated a character in a book.
When one puts these two statements together, we get both sides of a coin, a coin that will be ever more rare if a tragedy took place and Trump were elected into office. Just read his speech in the papers if you missed it yesterday. The shudders should shake you into next week!
America will be a country of 'law and order" once more. We will have "Americanism". We will break the promises we made with NATO allies. We will have "America First'. Trump will wave his magic wand and all will be better, a strange fairy godfather indeed. Huge statements. Childcare for all - and how to pay and how to institute? All that law and order - define please, details please. And precisely how will we pay for huge sweeping statements what with huge promised tax cuts? I wonder why it seems such a hard concept for people to understand that if one expects the government to have the money for defense, for Social Security, for roads, etc. and not the least, social welfare programs, like feeding hungry families, then taxes must be paid. I hate doing taxes, always afraid I am doing it wrong somehow, but it is a necessary fact of life. Making a statement does not make it so nor does it make it possible without the dull old boring details!
America will be great again? It still is, even if changed and G-d knows that I have pointed out areas I am troubled by, but there are still so many good things in life and in America. How about what I have seen this week, when there was not one day when a good friend was left alone in a hospital bed, in pain and worry over the future. What about the people who stop to help another in distress, who volunteer, who donate, who protest injustice? Are we to consider as "good" only those who want no government regulations? Are we to return to those days? Is that what made America "great"?
Teach good. A beautiful idea. Teach the truth. Teach the positive. Act for the good and do good. And stand up to evil, to the lies which at times seem to overwhelm the world. Run through the speech of Trump and frighteningly you will find all the remarks and attitudes, promises and values of a dictator. Just check and compare with the demagogues of history and the similarities will be clear. Shudder and shake at the thought of a country whose chief value will be 'law and order' for that term can and has been so manipulated and twisted throughout history that we should automatically shun that term unless it is the title of a TV show!! Iran pushed law and order. So does Saudi Arabia and Turkey now. Want to live there? Russia is pushing it too so wanna' join Trump's admired figure, Putin? I do not.
Throughout his speech and the speech of others throughout the Convention there have been red lines, lines that displayed infection of the Party, a Party that has lost its way, that refuses to admit that the Emperor is naked. It will allow the haters, the bigots, to take over a party that was formed in the forge of history, at a time when America was divided against itself, when a man could own another and it and its leaders stood up and said no! Was it perfect? No, for man is not perfect, but it was a party of the people and now? Where has it gone? To the fatcats? To the billionaire who has 3500 suits against him? To a man who lied about his finances, his businesses, who picks his wives for the eye candy they are to him and others? Is this what we want to present to the world, quite worried and bewildered at what has gone wrong in America, with Americans?
And yet there is hope. Twice a week now I have gone out with youngsters, into the heat, armed with a desire to get people to vote and we do not ask what party they wish to join. That is their choice - any or none, but just take up the privilege and responsibility of voting. These kids are determined to make the world a better place and do it by helping, by getting involved, by teaching good and by standing up to and against hatred and indifference. Me? I stand there and admire them and sweat bullets in the heat of the sun but am so proud of them and the bright future they represent and am proud of myself as well for taking part in this.
He believes that "I alone" can make all things right and that is exactly the problem. "I alone" can do nothing. It takes a village, so they say, and it takes a country to make things better. To allow a man such as this to rise to the top is a violation of the natural order where cream is supposed to rise to the top, not the lees and dregs.
And yes, I will agree, Hillary Clinton is not perfect and has her flaws. She has made mistakes, some more serious than others. But she has spent a lifetime trying to work for the public, for the country, involved herself in the hard work and commitment necessary. Where was Trump all those years? Using Papa's money to keep his toes and other parts out of the fire? Getting married - again? Firing people? Combing his hair? What and where has he done for the people? For the country? And enough already with Hillary getting the blame for a wandering husband. That was his problem, his lack of honesty and trust, not hers and how she chose to deal with him was her business and if not in her shoes then one has no right to judge, only think, wonder why and go on to other topics. Judgementalism has no place here unless one is in the same spot. And by the way, some of our most admired Presidents of the past also had wandering parts and eyes and hands.
But this lack of honesty, of a pervading sense of evil appears to be rampant throughout the world and it obscures the good that is also present in the world. Yet I can understand the despair as we watch crazy things happen - but we need to remember as well that there have been times when it seemed as if assassins ruled the world and self interest was the ruling principle. There is truly no one time in history that encompassed all that was good and right. Even the golden era of Rome, when Rome basically ruled the world - ask those who were conquered if they were all so thrilled and accepting.
The way of the world is not smooth but yes, we can ask where are the heroes. Bonnie Tyler sang, "I need a hero" and we can echo her thoughts. Trump is not that hero and Hillary? Not a hero, but one who tries, who strives, who has made something of herself after a difficult early life and no one has given it to her on a silver platter or even one of copper. She represents much of the good of the American dream and some of its lacks - so she is human, as were all our presidents. A vote for her is a vote for sanity, for democracy, for a future where one can dream and one can succeed, where color and race and religion and ethnicity make no never mind in any important way. Where the ideals that were the basis of our country are still alive, Where "when in the course of human events" spirit is alive and well.
And locally as well, do we want a Trump, the liar, the self engrossed, the dictator and demagogue, the breaker of rules if it benefits him or do we want one who knows that law and order comes with a sense of commonality as well, of working with people, of telling the truth, of not using threats to coerce people, but rather co-opting them with goodness and inclusion.
Think about all this and then think again. Stop listening to the shouts and the lies and go to the heart of the matter. Who better represents a good future for us and the world, a future where we are free and yes, there will be bad things as well, but I have not yet noticed any dictator having a country where there are no bad things happening and indeed, it is often the opposite! Choose carefully and where the wrong person is in office - time to go, bid them adieu, ciao, dosvadanya - but bid them a firm goodbye.
Thursday, July 21, 2016
IS THIS FOR REAL?
I dare not believe what I see, read and hear, yet what else can I do? It is frightening, horrifyingly so. What, you ask? Listen up and then tell me what can we do, what must we do to stop this trend in its tracks.
Signs, aerial signs, that read " Hillary for Prison". Souvenirs that mock body parts of Hillary Clinton. A speaker ludicrously linking her with Lucifer - and the speaker ran in the primaries too! A public and raucous call for Hillary Clinton's execution, firing squad, hanging, electric chair - he is not particular! From a rumored VP candidate. And the roars of approval that greeted these statements and items. The necessity of escorting the wife of Ted Cruz off the floor due to fears for her safety as her husband refused to endorse Trump - and good for him. I am not a Cruz fan but he stood up like a man and did not sell his soul as many other Republicans are doing in the name of the Party. Shudder!!!!
The violent hatred that pervades this convention, the misogynistic and racial statements that are being bruited about, the barely tamped down violence and its raging potential for an horrific outcome - what is this? What is going on here? Does this represent the true feelings and emotions of the electorate of the USA? If so, where are we headed and the thoughts of that heading are not appetizing in the least. Do these delegates truly represent the average person, the average registered Republican, the path of the future of America?
I can just see us five months after a Trump victory and the civil rights of the Constitution have already begin to fade under trumped - oops, no pun intended - up calls for added security and we go down the same awful path of Third World banana republics and even supposed allies. Just look at what Erdogan has done in Turkey now, over 50,000 people arrested and/or dismissed, thousands dead, purged after the coup, and now Turkey is in a three month state of emergency and I believe that three months will extend ad infinitum. Dictators do not give up power; they seek it, they crave it and I believe that Trump falls into that category with his irregular behavior just one characteristic trait of the worst dictators of history. And just look at the rise of the far right parties in European countries - be they eastern Europe or western. Scary thoughts as the shadows and the reek of WWII era rises to the top.
And unfortunately he has followers throughout the country, people who have fallen for him, who see a future for themselves in his world, in his country and that includes our own governor, Scott, and what a waste he is in office, nothing positive coming out of his term in office at all.
And do not think that this stops at the state level. Palm Beach commissioners and pols seem to be arrested and charged on a routine basis. Their relationships with developers stinks to the high heavens and the few voices there calling out the truth are few and far between.
And then of course, we have our own homegrown would be dictator who seems to be adding to his demented grabs at power on a daily basis. His exaggerated sense of who he is, is ruinous to and for us. Within the Village he has long made it policy to repress free speech, repress freedom of assembly, disregard the truth, the rules and laws of our administration, and he has turned UCO into a joke , a shell of what it was to be - an organization that negotiated FIVE items for the Village and serve as a place of advice and knowledge about those five areas for those who needed it. That is all and yet today, we have a UCO that rules the roost, that picks and chooses what it will take responsibility for and what it will ignore. Motel associations serve the purpose of UCO so it is allowed. Advice to struggling associations does not serve its purpose so it does not help unless shamed into it and then only for a moment. Outside agencies are used to cudgel the opposition - though it does not work - and we even had armed guards foisted upon us and paid for with OUR money!! We have the scaly arms of UCO and its head, David Israel, reaching outside the Village and doing power grabs out there as well. The followers of David Israel are often those filled with the same venom and violence that is seen in the convention and their mouths are as foul as are our present day canals and lakes!!
Now we have a David Israel who had gone a thousand steps farther in his quest to deny rights. He has reached out to the owner of the medical building and threatened him and the tenants within if they allowed a meeting inside their quarters and certainly that meeting was to have no mention of David Israel or at least anything negative about him. Now I ask, can there be any other type of mention about him?! But in any case, where does he come off trying to control and censor the speech within a meeting NOT even inside a UCO facility and remember, still within the USA. Now there are to be no future meetings allowed at all in that building. As far as I am concerned, that place is anathema and while I have used CSI before and will continue to do so should a need arise, I will not enter the building nor patronize the drugstore within nor any doctor within. I am sorry for any innocent that suffers but a line has to be drawn and people need to stand up to reason and for their rights.
But there is worse to come. Our right to speak to anyone we wish, the right to call people in to the Village was utterly and totally violated yesterday as two people were not allowed in, their place of business called and threatened should they enter into the Village and speak at the meeting answering questions re self wiring for WI Fi for associations. See, David Israel is running scared, there are people who have had enough of him and his ugly behavior, so his behavior and actions grow ever uglier, ever more anti American values, ever more reminiscent of the worst dictators of history, those who too were afflicted with megalomania and paranoia.
Well, David Israel, here is a message from a well known group with a well known theme. Put it in your pipe and smoke it, ponder about it.
"We will, we will, rock you!!!!!!!
Signs, aerial signs, that read " Hillary for Prison". Souvenirs that mock body parts of Hillary Clinton. A speaker ludicrously linking her with Lucifer - and the speaker ran in the primaries too! A public and raucous call for Hillary Clinton's execution, firing squad, hanging, electric chair - he is not particular! From a rumored VP candidate. And the roars of approval that greeted these statements and items. The necessity of escorting the wife of Ted Cruz off the floor due to fears for her safety as her husband refused to endorse Trump - and good for him. I am not a Cruz fan but he stood up like a man and did not sell his soul as many other Republicans are doing in the name of the Party. Shudder!!!!
The violent hatred that pervades this convention, the misogynistic and racial statements that are being bruited about, the barely tamped down violence and its raging potential for an horrific outcome - what is this? What is going on here? Does this represent the true feelings and emotions of the electorate of the USA? If so, where are we headed and the thoughts of that heading are not appetizing in the least. Do these delegates truly represent the average person, the average registered Republican, the path of the future of America?
I can just see us five months after a Trump victory and the civil rights of the Constitution have already begin to fade under trumped - oops, no pun intended - up calls for added security and we go down the same awful path of Third World banana republics and even supposed allies. Just look at what Erdogan has done in Turkey now, over 50,000 people arrested and/or dismissed, thousands dead, purged after the coup, and now Turkey is in a three month state of emergency and I believe that three months will extend ad infinitum. Dictators do not give up power; they seek it, they crave it and I believe that Trump falls into that category with his irregular behavior just one characteristic trait of the worst dictators of history. And just look at the rise of the far right parties in European countries - be they eastern Europe or western. Scary thoughts as the shadows and the reek of WWII era rises to the top.
And unfortunately he has followers throughout the country, people who have fallen for him, who see a future for themselves in his world, in his country and that includes our own governor, Scott, and what a waste he is in office, nothing positive coming out of his term in office at all.
And do not think that this stops at the state level. Palm Beach commissioners and pols seem to be arrested and charged on a routine basis. Their relationships with developers stinks to the high heavens and the few voices there calling out the truth are few and far between.
And then of course, we have our own homegrown would be dictator who seems to be adding to his demented grabs at power on a daily basis. His exaggerated sense of who he is, is ruinous to and for us. Within the Village he has long made it policy to repress free speech, repress freedom of assembly, disregard the truth, the rules and laws of our administration, and he has turned UCO into a joke , a shell of what it was to be - an organization that negotiated FIVE items for the Village and serve as a place of advice and knowledge about those five areas for those who needed it. That is all and yet today, we have a UCO that rules the roost, that picks and chooses what it will take responsibility for and what it will ignore. Motel associations serve the purpose of UCO so it is allowed. Advice to struggling associations does not serve its purpose so it does not help unless shamed into it and then only for a moment. Outside agencies are used to cudgel the opposition - though it does not work - and we even had armed guards foisted upon us and paid for with OUR money!! We have the scaly arms of UCO and its head, David Israel, reaching outside the Village and doing power grabs out there as well. The followers of David Israel are often those filled with the same venom and violence that is seen in the convention and their mouths are as foul as are our present day canals and lakes!!
Now we have a David Israel who had gone a thousand steps farther in his quest to deny rights. He has reached out to the owner of the medical building and threatened him and the tenants within if they allowed a meeting inside their quarters and certainly that meeting was to have no mention of David Israel or at least anything negative about him. Now I ask, can there be any other type of mention about him?! But in any case, where does he come off trying to control and censor the speech within a meeting NOT even inside a UCO facility and remember, still within the USA. Now there are to be no future meetings allowed at all in that building. As far as I am concerned, that place is anathema and while I have used CSI before and will continue to do so should a need arise, I will not enter the building nor patronize the drugstore within nor any doctor within. I am sorry for any innocent that suffers but a line has to be drawn and people need to stand up to reason and for their rights.
But there is worse to come. Our right to speak to anyone we wish, the right to call people in to the Village was utterly and totally violated yesterday as two people were not allowed in, their place of business called and threatened should they enter into the Village and speak at the meeting answering questions re self wiring for WI Fi for associations. See, David Israel is running scared, there are people who have had enough of him and his ugly behavior, so his behavior and actions grow ever uglier, ever more anti American values, ever more reminiscent of the worst dictators of history, those who too were afflicted with megalomania and paranoia.
Well, David Israel, here is a message from a well known group with a well known theme. Put it in your pipe and smoke it, ponder about it.
"We will, we will, rock you!!!!!!!
Wednesday, July 20, 2016
POLITICS, POLITICIANS, BEHAVIOR AND TRUTH
"the activities associated with the governance of a country or other area, especially the debate or conflict among individuals or parties having or hoping to achieve power:"
That is the definition of the noun politics and its root word is "pol" or people, the source a mix of Middle English, Old French and Latin touched by Greek. Thus it really is a word of the people but unfortunately, the verb politics has become quite tainted by its practitioners. One can see that all over the world, here in the USA and closer to home, right here in Florida, Palm Beach County and good old CVWPB.
A politician is one who is supposed to remain true to the origin of the word and thus serve the people. Well, what a distance has grown between the definition and the ideal vs. the actual and the practiced. Politicians all over the world are seen as crooked, venial, out for themselves and the charges range from the ridiculous barber of Hollande to the charges of murder raised against many leaders, particularly in Africa and Asia. And yet, these truly evil politicians charged with murder have their enthusiastic followers so the question is why?
The answer goes back to the bread and circus of Rome. People can be fobbed off and convinced they are better off with the status quo simply by being fed and by being entertained, particularly if the entertainment shows them that there are people lower than them, worse off than them and so the awful situation continues until some brave soul stands up and shows them all the nakedness of the Emperor - but then it starts al over again.
Here in the USA it used to be that the politician was a fatcat who served his moneyed masters, smoked cigars in a smoked filled backroom somewhere, but inside, he really had a heart of gold and when some poor pitiful situation came to light in his district, his heart burst asunder and he took up the cudgel and made the situation right for that person and life went on. So it was said.
Well, unfortunately we have seen the situation get worse all over, politics has become a profession for the nasty, for the selfish, for the greedy and for the power hungry. Right and justice and common sense, serving of the people, seeking the best and fairest way - all gone for the most part and we are left with a truly bad situation. So here in Palm Beach County we have commissions who keep voting for development, over development, releasing the builders from fees and taxes (wonder why) so that our taxes increase, Florida and the Feds play game with the Everglades and we are left with green and congested waterways and the corruption and selfishness does not stop at our gates. Nope, not at all.
Even as we sit and watch the Republican Convention with mouths agape, in awe at the stupidity and the shock of it all, we need to turn our attention to the situation here in CV. Here we have our own fatcat sitting in his own backroom, not smoking but playing with his favorite toy - the computer - and thinking up new ways and manners in which and with which to retain his power and suppress opposition. Truly, he has long lost the ideal of serving the people, if ever it was there in the first place, and we now have a President of our political entity who has made his contempt for the residents quite clear and his grasping of power as his main goal, his wishes being the guiding "light' (spare us) and the rest of the electorate can go to hell.
Political signs and shows of support both within and without the Village for others were attacked by David Israel. If he could have his own prison here I swear I and many others would be locked up, our mouths sealed, for we speak the truth, the truth that he cannot abide. So we all know about the signs being taken down even not on UCO property. We know of his turning to government entities to try to crush his opponents. We know of his nasty mouth at the DAs and committee meetings. We know of his supposed attempts to use his computer to seek out harm for other people - not sure I really believe that, just a rumor hyped up to scare off his opponents as allegedly people have stated that they were told he can find their bank accounts, charge cards, etc. and he could wreak hell on them. Lovely person, wouldn't you say?!
So there he sits in his hermit like back room away from the people he is supposed to serve, and now he reaches out again. We have asked too many questions, shone the light on the dark corners of his plans and he cannot have this, no, not at all. So he tells the residents of the Medical Building that they had better not rent out the room there if there is going to be any David Israel bashing!! or else they will feel the consequences. Really!! No joke, folks, we have our own Putin here, our own Fascist Ruler in the making and most of the making is right there. Next thing you know we will all have to submit to body searches and raids on our homes from the Security company, all under his aegis. Nothing will be too extreme, all in the name of maintaining power. Remember, we were threatened with the PBSO and had armed guards brought in to the DA.
People, we live in America, the greatest country in the world, warts and all and here we are living with a monster who believes that the Constitution of that country stops at the gates of the Village, that we are not entitled to any of the rights inherent in being an American. So no more meetings at the CSI room, for the spy Joy Vestal reported to David Israel, her master, her lord and liege, that there was too much negativity re David Israel so BAM!! went the door. However, the best moment of the meeting was when a Villager reported that she never knew when there were meetings and Joy said well, they are on the blog and in The Reporter. The person responded she does not go on the blog and she does not read the paper! Joy could not believe that, so it was repeated and then someone else added on - and neither does anyone else!! Precious moments indeed!
So people, we cannot do much about the corruption and veniality of the international world other than making it clear to our elected officials, that we truly wish they would do their jobs. We cannot even do much more here in the country unless we stand up and elect people who are good, who truly wish to serve the people and not build up their financial worth or plan for a job when they leave office. We need to elect people who care for the American values, who take pride in the various races and ethnicities and backgrounds that make up the citizenry of our country, that make it great. It is a Heinz 57 Variety that works when we make it work, when we work at just that, but the current crop of hate mongers, those who use race as a tool of incitement - and that goes for both sides of the issue - those who shout down Obamacare, those who refuse to take up the appointment of a good man to the Supreme Court because they are going to make a point, oh yes they are!, those who wish to take away the rights of a woman to control her own body, those who want power for the sake of power, whose interests are truly vested only for themselves - these are the people we must turn out of office, who we need to shout down and shut off - nationally, statewide, locally and right here in the Village.
I know I will get nasty comments, probably from the usual suspects and should they be truly extreme perhaps I will share them on line along with the name of the one who sent it. Or perhaps not as they are truly ugly at times. But in any case, I am an American and I know my rights of free speech and no, David Israel, there is no one to threaten that you will kick them out or if I do not get muzzled. Tough bugs, baby.
The lies that roll out of his mouth, be it about the Atlantic Broadband or anything else, the contracts signed without our approval - CSI, for example? How and what are they getting paid and who authorized it? Where is that money coming from and do not try to say they are so altruistic that they are doing this pro bono! The contempt that he expresses towards the people. The violation of rules of assembly. It is just exhausting to keep naming them all. So instead.....
POWER TO THE PEOPLE.
NO MORE LIES.
NO MORE OPPRESSION.
TRUTH AND TRANSPARENCY.
That is the definition of the noun politics and its root word is "pol" or people, the source a mix of Middle English, Old French and Latin touched by Greek. Thus it really is a word of the people but unfortunately, the verb politics has become quite tainted by its practitioners. One can see that all over the world, here in the USA and closer to home, right here in Florida, Palm Beach County and good old CVWPB.
A politician is one who is supposed to remain true to the origin of the word and thus serve the people. Well, what a distance has grown between the definition and the ideal vs. the actual and the practiced. Politicians all over the world are seen as crooked, venial, out for themselves and the charges range from the ridiculous barber of Hollande to the charges of murder raised against many leaders, particularly in Africa and Asia. And yet, these truly evil politicians charged with murder have their enthusiastic followers so the question is why?
The answer goes back to the bread and circus of Rome. People can be fobbed off and convinced they are better off with the status quo simply by being fed and by being entertained, particularly if the entertainment shows them that there are people lower than them, worse off than them and so the awful situation continues until some brave soul stands up and shows them all the nakedness of the Emperor - but then it starts al over again.
Here in the USA it used to be that the politician was a fatcat who served his moneyed masters, smoked cigars in a smoked filled backroom somewhere, but inside, he really had a heart of gold and when some poor pitiful situation came to light in his district, his heart burst asunder and he took up the cudgel and made the situation right for that person and life went on. So it was said.
Well, unfortunately we have seen the situation get worse all over, politics has become a profession for the nasty, for the selfish, for the greedy and for the power hungry. Right and justice and common sense, serving of the people, seeking the best and fairest way - all gone for the most part and we are left with a truly bad situation. So here in Palm Beach County we have commissions who keep voting for development, over development, releasing the builders from fees and taxes (wonder why) so that our taxes increase, Florida and the Feds play game with the Everglades and we are left with green and congested waterways and the corruption and selfishness does not stop at our gates. Nope, not at all.
Even as we sit and watch the Republican Convention with mouths agape, in awe at the stupidity and the shock of it all, we need to turn our attention to the situation here in CV. Here we have our own fatcat sitting in his own backroom, not smoking but playing with his favorite toy - the computer - and thinking up new ways and manners in which and with which to retain his power and suppress opposition. Truly, he has long lost the ideal of serving the people, if ever it was there in the first place, and we now have a President of our political entity who has made his contempt for the residents quite clear and his grasping of power as his main goal, his wishes being the guiding "light' (spare us) and the rest of the electorate can go to hell.
Political signs and shows of support both within and without the Village for others were attacked by David Israel. If he could have his own prison here I swear I and many others would be locked up, our mouths sealed, for we speak the truth, the truth that he cannot abide. So we all know about the signs being taken down even not on UCO property. We know of his turning to government entities to try to crush his opponents. We know of his nasty mouth at the DAs and committee meetings. We know of his supposed attempts to use his computer to seek out harm for other people - not sure I really believe that, just a rumor hyped up to scare off his opponents as allegedly people have stated that they were told he can find their bank accounts, charge cards, etc. and he could wreak hell on them. Lovely person, wouldn't you say?!
So there he sits in his hermit like back room away from the people he is supposed to serve, and now he reaches out again. We have asked too many questions, shone the light on the dark corners of his plans and he cannot have this, no, not at all. So he tells the residents of the Medical Building that they had better not rent out the room there if there is going to be any David Israel bashing!! or else they will feel the consequences. Really!! No joke, folks, we have our own Putin here, our own Fascist Ruler in the making and most of the making is right there. Next thing you know we will all have to submit to body searches and raids on our homes from the Security company, all under his aegis. Nothing will be too extreme, all in the name of maintaining power. Remember, we were threatened with the PBSO and had armed guards brought in to the DA.
People, we live in America, the greatest country in the world, warts and all and here we are living with a monster who believes that the Constitution of that country stops at the gates of the Village, that we are not entitled to any of the rights inherent in being an American. So no more meetings at the CSI room, for the spy Joy Vestal reported to David Israel, her master, her lord and liege, that there was too much negativity re David Israel so BAM!! went the door. However, the best moment of the meeting was when a Villager reported that she never knew when there were meetings and Joy said well, they are on the blog and in The Reporter. The person responded she does not go on the blog and she does not read the paper! Joy could not believe that, so it was repeated and then someone else added on - and neither does anyone else!! Precious moments indeed!
So people, we cannot do much about the corruption and veniality of the international world other than making it clear to our elected officials, that we truly wish they would do their jobs. We cannot even do much more here in the country unless we stand up and elect people who are good, who truly wish to serve the people and not build up their financial worth or plan for a job when they leave office. We need to elect people who care for the American values, who take pride in the various races and ethnicities and backgrounds that make up the citizenry of our country, that make it great. It is a Heinz 57 Variety that works when we make it work, when we work at just that, but the current crop of hate mongers, those who use race as a tool of incitement - and that goes for both sides of the issue - those who shout down Obamacare, those who refuse to take up the appointment of a good man to the Supreme Court because they are going to make a point, oh yes they are!, those who wish to take away the rights of a woman to control her own body, those who want power for the sake of power, whose interests are truly vested only for themselves - these are the people we must turn out of office, who we need to shout down and shut off - nationally, statewide, locally and right here in the Village.
I know I will get nasty comments, probably from the usual suspects and should they be truly extreme perhaps I will share them on line along with the name of the one who sent it. Or perhaps not as they are truly ugly at times. But in any case, I am an American and I know my rights of free speech and no, David Israel, there is no one to threaten that you will kick them out or if I do not get muzzled. Tough bugs, baby.
The lies that roll out of his mouth, be it about the Atlantic Broadband or anything else, the contracts signed without our approval - CSI, for example? How and what are they getting paid and who authorized it? Where is that money coming from and do not try to say they are so altruistic that they are doing this pro bono! The contempt that he expresses towards the people. The violation of rules of assembly. It is just exhausting to keep naming them all. So instead.....
POWER TO THE PEOPLE.
NO MORE LIES.
NO MORE OPPRESSION.
TRUTH AND TRANSPARENCY.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)