AN APPEAL FOR DECENCY AND CIVILITY

  Where have we gone and what have we done. From Jeff Flake yesterday to retired Justice Kennedy, voices are being raised in appeals for decency, for civility, for unity, for remembering that we are one country, not two enemies facing each other at a border somewhere.
     It is not even about Kavanaugh and whether he did or did not and whether he remembers or is outright lying. It is about his demeanor, his savage behavior, his so unlike Justice behavior that to vote yes for confirmation means actually a confirmation of hatred, for a splitting of the USA into at least two countries and who knows - perhaps and quite possibly war. I am not the only one saying this now and quite frankly it scares the bejesus out of me!
     Have you carefully parsed Kavanaugh's behavior? Have you done the same with Graham who looked absolutely demented in his rantings on Thursday and Friday. Have you looked at the others, Cronyn, Cruz, etc. Trump has decided that the Democrat Party - and yes, he took off the ic at the end for he had decided that is what HE wants! Never mind that they were chartered as the Democratic Party. Graham is ripping away, raving almost, accusing other Americans of destroying  the country because they do not confirm Kavanaugh. It does not matter what the crippled investigation shows for it is already a decided vote for the Senators. It is a complete shambles and worse for all of us.
     The rest of the government has followed suit with spokeswoman Conway swearing to the lies of Trump and bolstered by Sanders. We have lost the moral center of gravity - all of us and the Republicans are leading the way. No more is there talk even of bipartisanship. Nope, it is one or the other and that is it.
     We are throwing out veterans. We are moving thousands of kids around again, putting them in the soul deadening desert tent camp in southern Texas. No education. No love. No attention. No proper care or food. No psychological help in the separation that has dragged on forever it seems for these kids. Nope. It is a rousting in the middle of the night, onto a bus with a snack and on for hours to get where they are going.
     What has become of us. What!! What will become of us in the near future? Trump has restarted the Cold War 2.0 and this time around we have no allies for he has made enemies of them all. Our products are costing us more now due to the moronic tariffs imposed by that man. Our factories and workshops are rolling back workers and hours as they cannot afford to absorb the rising costs and keep people working. Our air, our waters, our lands are all becoming more and more filthy and ruined by that same man and his dangerous and greedy 1%ers. The religious right is going nuts on all of us and who knows what will be as they keep pushing to violate the rule of separation of church and state. And as for women- I shudder at the future in store for them should all these people triumph in their destruction and madness.
     Our national debt is now at a record high with less funding comeing as the tax break for the rich slows collections of monies. Our debt service is out of sight! 
     And no one sees this, or pretends not to see it. So we will raise bigots and conspiracy nuts to the bench. We will turn back the clock on everything positive that we have achieved. And we will destroy our country. We will destroy families. We will destroy friendships.
     Decency. Civility. Hope. A future. Please. Please. Heed what we have done and try to get decency back in the lexicon. Civility as well. Respect for others and their right to differ. No one is putting a knife in your back when there is a difference of opinions. But we have forgotten that.
     We need to examine where we are and remember our past and the hope of a future.
     Anybody out there as frightened as I am?

    Please note that there will not be a new posting Tuesday and the next new one will be Wednesday. Again, please take the time to read and reread  earlier postings. See the patterns we have seen growing in our country, in our ally. Think and vote.

AWWWW, HE'S IN LOVE!

      Out of the closet? That would be the best excuse for Trump's declaration of love for Kim Il-Jung, the North Korean dictator. There are some other reasons, possibly. One, the man is more and more insane with less and less control over his mouth, or two, the man is just continuing his rather treasonous remarks at the same time that he pacifies his partners in treason. First we had admiration of Putin, then Duterte, a few random dictators here and there and now, Kim. Awww, how sweet it is! Not!! Seems there is no scuzzy guy on this planet's surface that Trump does not admire! Such a great guy!
     His chosen pick for the Court is just another example of his warped sense of values. Watch SNL and see how they caught the true Kavanaugh. The sniffles. The sniffing. The incessant water drinking and do they make colorless beer? (LOL) His over the top ranting and raving, conspiracy statements, even bringing in the Clintons for heaven's sake! Maybe we should go back to the moment of his birth for perhaps the conspiracy began even then!
     There is no excuse for his behavior as a teen and college student, and yes, I believe Prof. Ford and if he cannot remember - which I do not believe - it is because he was blotto! And no, he did not explain 'skis' or Keg Club or answer any questions that drew blood and no, I do not believe that the yearbook would include his "ralphing" from 'spicy foods" - it was the beer, stupid!! The many beers!! And how do we know if he will come drunk to the bench for we are told over and over again that he likes beer. He really does and don't they all? He was disrespectful, disturbingly violent, annoying in his sniffling and drinking, abusive in behavior and in no way can he be considered to be of judicial temperament. If he were to admit and apologize it would go a long way, but his ranting and obvious wrong temperament for a judge are  too obvious at this point. Even the ABA and the Jesuit organization have disavowed him and asked for investigation. Even the ACLU has chimed in and they never do this with judges but this guy!
     And sorry, folks, read up on the investigation and it is a farce, set up for failure for justice. Shocking, huh? It is limited in scope, no Swetnick, and why not throw in false allegations as well even as true ones are banned and then, to insure a proper outcome, at least for Kavanaugh, the White House and that creep of a guy drew up a list of witnesses who can be interviewed. Nothing like an open investigation is there?
     This administration is disgusting and now the chief creep is off on yet another rabble rousing tour, calling the Democrats evil and mean. Guess he has not looked in the mirror lately. His focus on chief villain is now Feinstein for how lovely to have yet another woman to demean and abuse.
     Trump and Trumpians have allowed this country to fall by the wayside of the world. We are a laughingstock to the world, diplomats openly laugh at Trump's ridiculous false boasts and threats. Jeff Flake finally comes out and admits that this is tearing the country apart but he is actually a tad late, for we are already torn, perhaps past the time and place of being fixed - ever.
     We have lost our souls. We have lost our vision. We have become mean spirited and vicious, particularly the 'conservative' side. True conservatives such as Goldwater, true founders of the Republican Party such as Lincoln, are turning and rolling in their graves, distraught at what has happened. What do they think has occurred when high school students spell out the n word, openly, allowing the hatred to spill over and out? Why have these incidents been 'blossoming and blooming'? Because Trump and his followers allow this, enjoy this and it will never stop unless we do something!
     And do not think that we have stopped our war on children. A young Korean woman, adopted by her uncle, a biochemistry student in college, poised to graduate and contribute to her country, America, is now being told that she will be deported upon said graduation! Yup, true enough! So we throw out more kids, throw out foreign born servicemen and does anyone realize how many foreign born soldiers we had in our armies of various wars? 
     What is the matter with us that we allow this disgusting behavior, that we continue to harm our country by allowing these things to take place? And yes, there is hope, for there are many out there who are disgusted with that man and his followers, with his violations of the principles of America but I wonder. Is there still time? Will all come out to vote in November? Can we mend the breach of the country and its people? And most important of all - will it be peacefully or with violence and civil war. Will there be a legal transfer of power or will it be a forceful imposition by Trump and his authoritarian followers over the rest of the country? Will we remain America or will we be simply yet another dictator run country and the once upon a time Camelot and dream will be discarded in the streets? Our choice folks, our choice, but the timeframe is quickly narrowing. Very quickly.

MOUTHS ARE MOVING

     Sitting beside a lovely woman, both waiting for tests and our turns, she asked me if I knew when a politician was lying. I said it does not make a difference since most lie most of the time so I never believe them anyway. She remined me that if I just look and see if the mouth is moving - for then they are lying.
     What a sad commentary in our political disposition today. And she is 100% correct. With the entire country watching the hearings, glued to the radios, the tv, screens in bars and stations and stores, the politicians lied through their teeth and I mean the Republicans. They praised the affective behavior of Kavanaugh as he deflected, ignored, shouted, talked over, interrupted, and then cried crocodile tears to impress the Senators. I figure he must have had onions in that glass of water he was constantly drinking. What about the 'skis" - no answer. Why not the FBI- no answer. Why not wait and investigate - deflection and yelling. About drinking  - he asks the Senator about her drinking. There was not one true answer there and his girls that were treated seriously because they were from Catholic schools and so were they? Read the statements of the women from there as they break that wall of silence. Hear the truth!
     But no, the mouths are moving and even those with a tad of conscience, those who admit there is more doubt than certainty - voted to confirm this morning. The pressure now is on Collins and Murkowski, as well as Manchin and Heitkamp. Will consciences be raised or will politics asdn our ever increasing tenses situation of tribalism rear its ugly and evergrowing head?
      The mouths are moving, led by the biggest mouth mover of all - Trump! Yet another corrupt, perverted, dishonest pick for his administration and I fear for the women of the next generation or two for we will have allowed the clock to be turned backwards and restrictions reapplied. When it comes to women - they lose in the Senate. Hopefully there will be more women in the new one after the elections and hopefully they will be able to raise protective laws, push thru more sanity and truth but the damage will have been done for forty years or so what with two perverts on the Court - Thomas and  Kavanaugh and even as the people acknowledge that there was a travesty of justice with Hill, they do the same thing now with Ford, a brave woman indeed. Were she to have behaved as did Kavanaugh - whoa! The criticism would have been flying as the Republicans would have mouthed off. Those mouths again.
     I as afraid, so afraid, that this chasm is ever growing and soon there will be no way to fix the breach, to get across that abyss and try to return to a country and not a land of tribes. I worry that there will be actual war, civil war, for there is pressure building, with no outlet and little hope.
     We need to get our mouths moving, our people mouthing words, words of truth, words of compassion, words of decency, words that lend itself to brotherhood, unity, and not the other way around.
     Dear Lord in Heaven!! We are in a mess, are we not? No need to destroy us with water or fire or anything else, for we are doing a great job on ourselves all by ourselves. 
      We need to use mouths for love, for trust, for truth. Heaven help us if we cannot get that message through to where it needs to be.

APOLOGIES

     My bad, folks. Overslept, early morning bunch of med tests and gotta run! Quite frankly, I am also trying to make sense of what I know will happen today with a vote and I am just...…
     So please come back in a  few hours when I will have written something new for today.'     See ya' later.

A MOMENT OF JOY

     Of late, the world has been ugly. Garbage that had lain beneath the surface has come to the fore and it is not pretty. None of it. It speaks of a time when men had no respect for women and unfortunately that phrase still resounds today.  We hear the pathetic mewling of men caught - with their pants down - who resent that fact and who seemingly have chosen the man who trumps it all (sorry for the pun) as their champion who cries over the myriad accusations sent his way by his victims. It is ugly and shameful but at least there is progress, be it in the shame of the men, in the realization that they face the consequences, like it or  not, or that 1600 men can sign a page in the Times supporting Ford, or that - we hope - we have finally turned the page and have some Republican senators who will finally vote the right way, vote their conscience.
     But in the midst of all this tawdry business, for me at least, there was a moment of joy, a moment I have been seeking my whole thinking life, a debt owed to history, to my Bubby (grandmother), and a smack in the face to those who would rather this moment had never been, had never been possible.
     Last night, at 7:30 in the evening, a literal door was opened and there was an immediate connection. I - who never do this - reached out to an unknown woman, just as she reached out to me. Why? And why were tears running down this woman's face? Tears of sadness and joy at the same time.
     This woman was my cousin - my cousin!! From Bubby's side, from a family we thought had been long gone, lost to the depths of madness and barbarity of Hitler's insanity. We cried at the realization that her father and my grandmother did not have to feel alone with no one other than their immediate family but alone they did indeed feel as each searched for survivors and found none. This was in the days of no computers and the aftermath and chaos of war and the ironies of fate that had missed moments. But thanks to the computers and the enormous help of caring volunteers and the willingness of my newfound cousin to open herself up to yet one more moment of possible disappointment - we met! And this time was the charm.
     So for two hours we laughed, we teared up, I was profoundly affected when I was told that there was a cousin whom I had resembled. I imagined my Bubby up there now, looking down at this, looking at her great niece and granddaughter and saying the Shehechiyanu, a blessing that we had lived to this moment, thanking G-d for this, appreciating the moment, the importance of it, the meaning of it. 
     Throughout the centuries, enemies, over and over again, tried to wipe us out, burning, killing, drowning, torturing, forced conversions, exiles, pogroms, and the horrific deeds of the Holocaust, and today, trying to disguise the traditional venom of anti Semitism with calls of anti Zionism, the calls to not recognize the rights of the Jewish people to their ancient homeland, to a land at all.
     And yet, despite it all, we remain. We live. We breathe. And we search the world over to find our Shearit Haplitah, the remnants of the tragedies that were forced upon us over the centuries. And last nite I had my own reunion with someone I had never met, with someone who two months ago I never believed existed.
     The joy of last nite is a moment of sadly and badly needed joy, of success, of victory over the forces that would deny me and my people. It opened the door to meeting the rest of the family, to meeting the branch of the family that had gotten to Israel before the war, even as the hatred mounted, who were found by a moment of fate, to get the younger generations to close the ties, to move themselves into the web of family.
     I cannot begin to even try to explain the depths of the emotions which still are roiling my mind and my heart. I so wish I could have given this wish, this moment, to my Bubby, but will carry on in her place and for the moment, will revel in this joy and try to shut out the current ugliness in the world. It is said that we cannot choose our family, but thank you, Dear Lord, for giving me this choice to find the remnants of mine.

WAR DECLARED!!

         No, not against North Korea or Iran. Not today, in any case and in fact, Trump appears to just love that chubby little dude! Can't always understand fixations, can one?
       What Trump and his minions have done is declare war on all that is decent, on all that is - or was - America. All that she stood for and hoped to gift to the world, to her own citizens. The opening line of the poem by John Keats says it all about America in her true glory. "A thing of beauty is a joy forever". Once we were that thing of beauty, a country that moved forward, making mistakes, doing wrong at times, but always willing to go forward, to change, to improve. That is, until now, when war has been declared by the current administration and its leader, so help us, a leader who is now laughed at by the leaders of the world. America's beauty dims once again because of this man.
     We, officially, have declared a war on our enemies. Nope, not the traditional ones, but on allies and friends. But worse than that is that we have declared war, open warfare, against those who are most vulnerable. We have declared war on children, taking money from education funds, from cancer research and using it to build more prisons - and yes, they are prisons - for children. We take the child who has aged out of these child prisons and put them in handcuffs and take them off to real prisons, right along with the felons. Their crime? Being separated from their parents or being unaccompanied minors as they crossed the border in search of a better, safer life. The American Dream. 
     Yes, those dangerous children! Our security rattles in fear from and of them! And to that we add war on women. The ugliness of past and present attitudes of men in power towards and with women has come to the surface and the men do not like it. When it hits their nominee, we hear excuses of boys will be boys and just excuse it, if he did it and if he did, he was drunk, so there ya' go! Or the girl was drunk or should not have been there, so there ya' go again - just blame the victim. Works all the time!!
     Just insult the accusers, doubt them openly and forcefully and do not be afraid to voice your thoughts. One Senator on the Committee openly states that he just "knows" that the accuser is wrong and Kavanaugh is innocent. He just knows it. So there ya' go. The tactics of war.
     And we have the disadvantage of having four Mormon males on the Committee. The  Mormon Women for Ethical Government have asked these four to postpone the hearings and investigate but that is like trying to keep a snowman in one piece in the depths of hell. The Mormon religion has always had a problematic attitude towards women, treating them as chattel, as breeders, as tools to gain government money and even among today's Mormons, women are strictly limited and even their afterlife depends on the husband! Boo on that! And boo to any religion holder that uses it to perpetuate violence and discrimination.
     We have declared war on immigrants, on the poor, on the needy, on the ill. Now the Republicans say they are fighting for health care for the chronically ill, for previously disclosed conditions!! What a crock!! They were the ones who endangered it with their insane war against Affordable Care. Own it. Own what you have done, Republicans. Own it!
     We, as a a country, have allowed our government to declare war on truth, on decency, on justice. We have dredged up old canards and polished them up but filth and dirt remain filth and dirt. The Republican members of the Committee openly state how they doubt the accuser and in any case, he did it when he was 17 so there! Really? So bad behavior is excused for age? Really bad behavior? I am not saying he should be locked up at this point, but at the very least he should be open and honest as was Cory Booker, apologize and make his amends via proper actions, not continue his anti women practices. His behavior in high school and college indicate a major flaw in his character and certainly it does not behoove us to appoint a man of this caliber to a life time appointment where for the next 40 years he can make life miserable for all of us.
     We, our government, has declared war on all that is decent and right in our country. We have abdicated our position as leader and  role model to the world. We have pushed a false 'patriotism', for hatred and prejudice are not patriotism but rather just hatred and prejudice, the nastiness of the "America First' movement which seeks to disguise its awfulness with a fake curtain. But we need to look behind the curtain and see that the Wizard here is a farce, a dangerous impostor, and must be exposed to the world as such and not as the true representative of America, the thing of beauty.
     Keep in mind the words of another poet, Yeats, and his famous words.
     "Things fall apart. The center cannot hold. Mere anarchy is loosed upon the world."
     The world, and indeed, America, has had times of anarchy before, times of bloodshed, times of Country Firsters. We have seen the results and if one needs a reminder of the level to which the world can fall, read any book about civil wars, world wars and for a consequence try reading a powerful book called The Stone Crusher,  a story of love and friendship, of survival in the flames of hell. Then understand, then know, the anarchy that can be set loose upon the world when war is declared on the wrong things. When we allow it to be so.
     Will our center hold? Answer that. Please. And be truthful, not wishful. And then do what must be done - and get out there and vote, send letters, make demands. Else understand what and why that anarchy is loosed upon the world.

MONDAY AND TUESDAY

Please note that I will be away from the computer for two days but will be back on Wednesday morning with another blog posting. Please take the time to read postings you might have missed. Thank you.

ANNIVERSARIES

     Anniversaries are the days that mark one's life. They are the highlights, good or bad, that speak to someone, or several or many others and they are highly personal, even if shared.
     Do we choose these important days or are they thrust upon us? I believe it is both. As we look back upon life we remember days that meant something though we might not have realized it at the time. Perhaps it unknowingly led us down one choice rather than another, but those anniversaries are hard to pin down.
     The anniversaries of marriage, birth, highlights of a life - those we can remember - or face unpleasant moments if we forget them!! These dates are really great to use when trying to induce guilt in another in order to achieve some goal or another. For example, a guy should remember when he got married, but will he also remember the date of engagement? Will he remember the anniversary of the first date? The first time the two met? It is easy to keep pressing until the desired goal is reached - and then the laughter.
    But there are other anniversaries that are not so pleasant. 55 years later I can remember exactly what I was doing when I heard the news about JFK - and I thought the woman was nuts! This simply does not happen. Who would want to shoot my hero? Today, there is not the same shock nor the same respect and to be honest, not the same expectations or behavior from our present politicians. Especially you know who!
     Even the little ones from 9/11 can remember when they heard about buildings falling down, saw the different behavior of the adults in their lives, were banned from TV for a while, and for many, they can never forget the permanent hole left in their lives.
     I would bet that most people can remember exactly what they were doing when they heard the unbearable and the unbelievable - Trump was elected. The hows and the whys, the backwards electoral system, all did not matter for the damage was down. This is a date that people of the future can look back upon and  point to it as the first real indication and clarification that the United States was in freefall.
     Or, they can point to it as an aberration of the moment, a dangerous error in a country that had been moving forward, a victory of the benighted, but a victory that was cancelled out two years later. We hope!
     But what about anniversaries that tell of the souls of people, cause others to wonder if we indeed have advanced at all. Many of us can remember the awful Anita Hill hearings, the disgusting lack of manners of the Committee, the nastiness, the professed disbelief when they all knew the truth. Close to forty years ago and here we are at the same point, the difference being only the age at the moment of the offense and the name of the accused. But the expressed doubt. The practicing of Kavanaugh as to how to answer. The doubting Thomas questions by the committee as they prepare, the assumption by men as to how one should react when violated or when faced with attempted rape. It is nauseating to the extreme. I hope and pray that the hearings this time find the better side of Republicans and hope they remember that they also have daughters and granddaughters, wives and sisters and how would they feel were it that relative of theirs in the hot seat?
      I am hoping that these hearings will be the anniversary of good things, the time when the Senate turned itself around, when Republicans who are supposedly on the fence are pricked by the sharp edges, deep into their souls and know what they must do, never mind the politics of it all. Collins, Murkowski, Flake, Manchin, Heidtkamp, and the others who face a challenging election - vote your conscience and not your seat!
     In the meanwhile, even as we wait with bated breath for the hearings, Gerry and I will be celebrating our 51st anniversary and for the record, he remembers all the other anniversaries as well. So really, we are celebrating 56 years of knowing each other -me from 14 and Gerry from 16. The question remains though did we meet first in school in the yard, or did we meet or get introduced at a Friday night gathering? Does it make a difference in the light of the rest of our lives? No, but it makes a cute reason to argue and tease! And then to go on and remember all the rest of the highlights of our lives together, the good and the bad, the joyful and the sorrowful.
     51 years of marriage. Good achievement, but let me remind all of you out there - it takes a whole lot of growing up, of giving in or demanding when necessary. It takes love and affection. It takes liking, a very different emotion than love. And it takes tolerance. Of course, I had to be more tolerant (LOL) but such is life. It is a partnership that is rarely 50/50 for that is the behavior of an automaton. Most of the time it varies according to the issue but it is all worth it.
     So Happy Anniversary tomorrow to my partner in life, to my husband, to the love in and of my life. G-d willing we will have more good years to share together. To laugh with our kids and grandkids and maybe great grandkids???????
     Let us all pray for good anniversaries, ones that are meaningful and teach us that there is hope for better things to come.

AMERICA, REDEEM THYSELF

     I can remember watching the Anita Hill/Clarence Thomas hearings. I remember cringing at the disrespect, the contempt with which Anita Hill was treated, to which she was subjected. And I know the damage that this man has done in his term of office on the Supreme Court, a man who never says a word, asks a question, just consistently votes for the backwards, the harmful, the retrogressive. He and the Congress disgraced themselves.
     Now Congress has a chance to redeem itself, to allow America to redeem itself. These old hearings and the time or year of Ford's horrific experience all took place during a time of hedonism, of boys - and men - will be as they are, accepted and smiled at, never thinking of the harm and the crushing of the soul of the one who is truly the aggrieved victim.
     Trump, as usual, demands to know why she did not call the FBI 36 years ago when it happened. What an idiot!! This simply illustrates, or highlights, yet one more time that we see how much of a disgusting ass our so called president is. He is a true disgrace and he disgraces us all.
     Ford has every right to be afraid of her possible and even likely treatment at  hearing. If the men had their druthers it would take place in an inquisitor style, pushing and demanding and hectoring and showing absolute disbelief  or actually, knowing that they too could have been guilty of this. And yes, teenagers do dumb things, boys and girls alike, but no, attempted rape is not a 'dumb' thing. It is a stain on a character, a blot, that is indelible and certainly, this man who had papers about him hidden from view by the committee Republicans, who refused to answer how he would react to a Roe v. Wade issue, and many other critical and crucial areas, this man simply does not belong on the bench. Not again with another Thomas. Not again with a court that will take us back to the old and bad days of yore.
     Much of the polls are showing that the majority of Americans do not wish this man confirmed into office. They realize that it is time for America to redeem its soul. It is time for the two Republican women, Collins and Murkowski, remember that they too had terrible moments in their lives that remain quiet, sunk deeply into their hearts and the same for those wishy washy Democrat Senators who are afraid of their constituents. Be leaders, for Pete's sake!! 
     And why did she not call? At 15, to call the cops, not very warm and accepting were they, on a rich boy, for a 'boys will be boys' act? Oh no, Never. And never did I for many a year tell of my first harassment in a dark room and my running out, wondering what I had done wrong to be on the receiving end of this behavior. And no, nothing physical happened, but trust me, I was damaged for many a year and still cringe at the 14 year old I was then. And never did it ever cross my mind to report these boys who were four years older than I to the administration. Never! What would my parents have said? What would my circle of friends have said? Would I be the talk of the tables in the community? Nope, just stay quiet.
     And yet another incident on an almost empty train and that was scary, what could have been and then to see the behavior of some people who should have known better, to be the recipient of queasy touching every time I had to go to a particular place and note that I still will not say the name and it was only a few years ago that I told Gerry. My reaction at that time was to doubt myself. How could it be? The man was well known in the community, respected, yet I knew what was happening. So I took myself out of that particular picture and kept quiet. And no, you idiot Donald, I did not call the cops or the FBI or anyone else. It simply was not done!!
     So kudos to Professor Ford. Brava for her courage in speaking out, knowing what would happen. Shame on those creeps who threaten her and her family. Thanks to those who stand up for her, confirming the possibility, the aura of the times, the knowledge of those students of the time.
     And as for Congress, the Senators, America - time to redeem our souls. Time to make up for the wrong done to women over the years and years of torment, of aggravated assault not only by attacks, but by attitudes. Time for the Republicans to stop being partisan and simply be men and women of conscience and do the right thing. Finally! Enough already with this behavior and professed exaggerated disbelief that such a thing could happen and by such a 'noble' man. Stop already and do the right thing.

JUST THINKING

     This time of year, especially for those of the Jewish faith, encourages self examination, not of the body, but of the soul. What has been done right and what wrong, what needs to be changed, to be improved; in short, how to be a better person or the best one can be - should be.
     It is also a good idea for a nation to undergo a self examination and decide whether or not it is in a good place. Surprisingly, or maybe not so surprisingly, when both individual and state examine themselves, there is a confluence, a meshing of the two souls.
     We, both nation and individual, seem to have slid backwards in the area of prejudice and the open expression of it. Different is always a tad scary, be it people or experience or deed or action, but one finds that the better one knows or recognizes what is the 'different', there is less fear and more of a commonality. That is what we seem to have lost or foregone in today's America. And what is worse, is that we have allowed this differential finding to overwhelm many of us, much of the country.
     Why? Why is that happening? Because we have allowed our baser instincts to overwhelm us. We have allowed feelings that are wrong to suddenly be pronounced okay. And it does not stop with one group. Those who are erred against join the errant crowd in their own behavior at times, and while understandable, it is simply not a good situation for all of us. This all needs to change. And now.
     Why are we calling down the wrath of law enforcement on black candidates who are going door to door, with materials in hand?! Why? Why are we once again having a growth of vicious anti Semitism in this country? Why do we have a President who himself is a hater, a man of prejudice, a man who despises all, other than his own blood? Yes, things can rot from the bottom, but when involved with people, it often rots from the top. As in today's America where the wrong and the hateful are encouraged and are daring enough, enabled enough to come out of their filthy hidey-holes and air their nastiness, put it out there for all to see.
     And the filth, the poison, flows on with this man. And the fear it brings, it causes, is always growing. And the trouble it brings about seems to never end. The climate is not changing - it has changed already and our super monsters of Nature are upon us as proof. And yet, this man and his minions seek to remove the safeguards as in allowing methane, one of the worst gases around to be more freely allowed into the air, perfect to warm the air some more! Maybe we should look forward to more flooding or perhaps we should build pipelines from more likely to be flooded areas to those states and areas where there is a yearslong drought. Just as sensible as that dumb wall!!
     But have no fear, for Trump is here! He gave out several packages of hot dogs. Wow! He toured an area and then for days focused and obsessed on a yacht found in someone's yard. Who owns it? Has it been claimed? Who can get it? What is happening to it now? And his other obsession? The lake on yet another of his golf courses! The whole damn area is a lake but he wonders over and over about his own lake for he really is "fond" of it!
     We have well regarded politicians calling for his removal, to "get rid of him" - strong language indeed. It is phrased in terms of voting to do that, but how have we reached this point where we have allowed this man and his crooked election to get into and remain in office? How? I think that we have neglected our souls for too long and he is the result and it is heartening to see the regeneration of a base of people, of women, of thinking and caring people, who are getting out there, running for office, helping, protesting what needs to be protested, standing up for those who cannot.
     This man is now feeling dejected, rejected? Good! About time. Or actually, late, but better late than never is the old maxim and it fits here very well. We must not allow his crooked friends or associates to remain in office either and certainly not entertain the idea of more appointments of this nature, such as the bad, bad one of Kavanaugh, but watch the Republicans vote in, openly approve, of a man with a bad stain in his history, a man who has character flaws of such nature and size that he should not be allowed within any distance close to the Supreme Court.
     I recently read this in a book and found it extremely apropos of this topic and time.
       "Maybe all one can do is
          hope to end up with
            the right regrets."
                               Arthur Miller

Think about that when deciding upon your own self exam and prescription for the future.

DAY OF ATONEMENT

    There will not be a post Wednesday morning as it is Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement, the holiest day in the year for the Jewish faith. But I think that this world today must all atone for our careless and cruel deeds. There is a streak of nastiness that seems to be infecting the  world and too many of us have forgotten that we must be kind to others, to treat them as friends rather than enemies.
     Take the day to read blogs you might have missed and join us in examining our souls and in planning how we can improve this coming year.
     I wish you all a G'mar Tov, a good finish to these High Holy Days and a Shanah Tova and a good year, blessed with health and happiness.

WHAT THE HECK!?

     What the heck are we doing? We do one thing one day and another diametrically opposed the next. Do we have a clue as to what is truly going on or have we lost total control at this point and need a reboot - and soon, too.
     We have lost the true meaning and  actions of patriotism and patriotic public servants. Our politicians seem to have replaced it with their duties and loyalties to their partisan Parties, adhering strictly to partisan and party lines and storing their consciences somewhere else, deeply hidden from all, including themselves. And as for their levels of supposed maturity, anyone who has taught children will recognize the behavior. It is a thoughtless behavior based on the magic principle that if one denies the truth, why everyone will believe the lie and trouble will pass by the liar.
     This magic thinking is more appreciated in the three year old rather than the supposedly more mature people of Congress and the White House. And yet, they persist in this behavior. Worse, the men add to this nonsensical yet dangerous behavior the habit of men to deny what is right out there for all to see. The hand is in the cookie jar, the crumbs at the corner of the mouth, but they will deny raiding that jar. Why they do this is beyond me, but it is there.
     That is why I tend to believe the accuser of Kavanaugh. Many boys, men, tend to react immediately to thoughts and often exercise little, if any, control over their sexual behavior, particularly if they are drunk and especially if they come from privileged backgrounds. This is the gist of the #MeToo movement, with the truth coming out, the abuse of power by men and make no mistake about it, much of this behavior is about power, with the sex just a means of expressing it.
     The accuser has courage in coming out with her statement, amenable to going public when it all came out. The FBI investigation either did not go deep enough and many other allegedly gray areas of Kavanaugh were brushed over, or they simply did not care. The confirmation hearings were a cruel hoax on the American people and why we should accept anyone appointed by and bearing the stamp of approval of Trump is beyond me. But what the heck, we just bumble our way thru more dark nights and moments for this country.
     Told ya so is in order, unfortunately, for I had rather been wrong in my statements, yet all the pundits now are coming out with what I stated long go. Trump and minions are a danger to our democracy. Trump is eating away at the checks and balances system and gathering the reins of power in his hot little hands. He has cowed the Republican Congressmen of both Houses and forced them through the use of fear and authoritarian techniques to store their souls in mothballs.
     He has upended the global and national economies with his stunning tariffs and caused raised prices and costs to the American household and factories, as the price for raw materials shoots up. We have deserted our allies and watched as Trump bonded with the creeps of the world. We have watched as Trump and his cohorts have rolled back safeguard after safeguard and endangered our health, our livelihoods and our futures. We have stood by as the lunatic runs the asylum.
     So what the heck is going on? I hope, I pray, it is not the sound of bells tolling for us that I am hearing. I hope it is not more steps along the fatal path for democracy here in America. I would rather hear the sounds of families laughing as they are reunited with their children, that children and adults alike will not be declared non citizens because they are of Mexican background and used midwives for birth. I would love to hear the ringing tones of Emma Lazarus's poem on the Statue of Liberty as we welcome immigrants to our country and all they give us. I would hope that I hear the rolling back of tax cuts for the rich and the corporations and yes, the sound of clinics for women, for all, reopening. There is so much to redo, to recapture, to make our country what it is supposed to be. But what the heck? Are we going to take on that difficult task or are we going to sit back and say that "I can do nothing, for I am only one." One and one and one add up and we need all out there to express discontent to our representatives on all levels and for all to get out there and vote and make sure that all are entitled to vote rather than allowing these political crooks to block so many from the right to vote.
     What the heck. We have nothing to lose and all to gain.






     






     

AND ANOTHER....

     Say what you will, this administration is consistent. It is consistent in the lies it puts forth, in its egotism, in its remarkable incompetence, and in Trump's remarkable consistency in the worst picks ever to serve in his term of office.
     Name after name in his Cabinet or in other offices, including several Republicans in the Congress (and yes, Democrats too), are followed by their abuses of power and office. Money ill used, funds used for personal purposes, campaign funds misused, sexual advances and worse, and even simply poor or incompetent choices, and all remarkable for their harm to the people of the country.
     But the worst thing that Trump has done, and crows about, is the harm he is doing to the country for decades and decades to follow. Not just during the lifetime of these Justices, but in the years to follow as bad law will have to be fought through the courts even as the ignorant and backward thinking judges sit on the bench, from the lowest court to the highest.
     It is remarkable consistency in place as we see the Republicans ignore all the warning signs of a bad choice. All that matters to them is abiding by Trump's choice, ignoring the misdeeds or bad opinions, or lies and just getting him through. They use the same type of nasty techniques as they did with their rude treatment of Garland, who was a pretty good choice for Supreme Court and now push their bad choices through in  a rush.
     Finally, though, there might be a way out to avoid yet another creep on the bench. This is a guy who refuses to answer questions about key issues, who denies with his lying tongue that he has preconceived ideas about these issues, calls all questions about these issues as "hypothetical" and refuses to answer. Really? What nonsense. What dangerous nonsense.
      But here is the kicker, the coda to this atonal and dissonant concert. We already have one pervert on the bench, a backward thinking alleged sexual predator who never speaks up and is consistent with his harmful decisions. That is Clarence Thomas who should never have been appointed and yet the males of the Congress passed him through even as Anita Hill underwent terrible times during questioning. Now, she is believed. Now, she is vindicated, but he is still there and why he has not been removed or forced to resign is one of the several wonders of the world!!
     But what is worse is the attempt to foist yet another one on the people of this country. Not only is Kavanaugh backwards in his thinking, dangerous to the rights of women and others, but it turns out he is a alleged sexual predator as well, with the woman coming out into the open about it in an attempt to stop this train wreck from happening. Time after time it has been revealed how many documents that pointed out the problems with Kavanaugh were kept out of the hands of the Democrats as the Republicans rushed through to confirmation vote but suddenly we have a roadblock in place.
     Finally, the Democrats and several Republicans who have the courage of their convictions and please note how few they are, are demanding that hearings be opened again and questions asked and answers demanded. They want to hear the woman, an established professor and researcher, tell of the incident. The case or situation of yet another one, another mistake, another pervert, another misguided individual, another unqualified person, taking office during this administration must be stopped. Enough already, and this guy from FEMA who defends Trump re Puerto Rico now decides that post hurricane deaths like falling off ladders or drowning or spousal abuses or whatever, are truly not important statistically. What is with these people and what the hell is spousal abuse coming from? Is that yet another excuse for people to use in court. "Yes, Your Honor, I beat the crap out of my wife, but then again, it is under the stress of post hurricane syndrome so please excuse me." Is this dude for real or is this just another example of weird thinking by Trump's people and this is the one we now have to hope knows what to do and does it in this terrible time post Hurricane Florence and the aftermath.
     And another....and another.....and another.....until we, the people, are screwed royal and beyond repair. Please, please, get out there and vote in any primaries and then in November. Get the weaklings, the lackluster Republicans out of office and demand that the Democrats hold to moral standards and help the people rather than themselves. We must hold all politicians' feet to the flames if that is what it takes to remind all of them that they serve the people and not themselves! Rough times ahead. Tough times ahead. But we can do it if we really try. We must.

IT IS ALL IN THE NUMBERS

     Numbers. From the very first moment that we can count and understand the concept, numbers play a large part in our lives. We can count good things and bad, anticipations and dreads. Numbers can represent anything we want - or do not want. And this morning, the idea of numbers came into my head without any planning, so....here goes.
     From the very beginning, or for as long as I can remember, I have been taught that there is one G-d. That it takes two to fight. That there is a fifth wheel concept. That there were 12 tribes. That there were two tablets and not from Apple! And there are thirteen attributes of G-d, an important thing to remember during this time of year, certainly for those of the Jewish faith.
     But there are other numbers, ones of shame and disgrace, numbers that stand for harm and hatred, for irreparable damage. Those are the numbers with which we are currently deluged, numbers that are so shocking that in order to protect ourselves and our sanity, we have developed a numbness, a layer of protection for our minds.
     Thousands dead in the aftermath of a hurricane and the man claims victimhood because his lacks were a partial cause of these dreadful numbers. He counts only to one. Thousands, in the double digit thousands, of children are held in child incarceration centers, many with guards of hostile and arrogant attitudes who tease the children for crying and who outlaw the touching, the holding of one sibling by another - if  they were lucky enough to have a sibling incarcerated with them! America turned jailer of children! Numbers do not lie. And they continue to tell the truth as dozens upon dozens are sill incarcerated without parents, and the harm we have done to these kids, irreparable harm, is beyond counting, beyond  the reach of numbers.
     And numbers keep on truckin'. How many aides have quit or been fired or forced to resign. How many are under investigation or should be. How long do we ignore  these numbers and begin to remember that old adage - a person is known by the company he keeps. So when one is surrounded by creeps and crooks, by haters and anti Semites - including Junior! -  then do we not know the man?
When the man and his cohorts manage to suck the marrow from the bones of America, how do we count that?
     For the moment, we are overwhelmed by numbers and  the meaning of it all. Yet there is one number that just remains with us, must remain in our minds, for in that number we are all being judged, how did or do we react to it? The number? 5,000+. FIVE THOUSAND PLUS. That is the number of known lies that Trump has told within his term of office, G-d help us!! How do we continue to allow this liar to remain in office, to hold the strings of power and authority, to cause all of us irreparable harm? How? We punish our kids for telling one lie and yet this man lies through his teeth even while brushing them!!
5,000+ . A telling number indeed. What does it tell about us? I wonder - and I know it is nothing good.

SERIOUSLY?

     What the heck is going on here? Are we that determined to be deaf, dumb and blind and think that life will take care of the issues? Will we continue to think that we can tiptoe through the tulips without a care in the world, ignoring reality till doomsday?
     Apparently so, for the chief elephant in the room is that of an insane President, paranoid to the nth degree, ranting and raving about a deep and secretive state that is out to get him. So determined is this "state" that it actually bandies about a figure of close to 3,000 dead in Puerto Rico after Maria. Why so many? Well, partly the terrain and the difficulty of getting to the mountain communities and isolated dwellings, but putting that aside, what were the efforts to actually get to those places, to speed up the reinstating of electricity, of medical help, of food and water distribution? The answers are - too little and too late. Food and water were left sitting on runways, on docks, to rot. Electricity was supposed to be fixed by a teeny tiny company that had no workers and no experience for this. And as for medical help - sitting a big hospital ship at a dock where no one got to for help - well, screw that help! And this madman shouts how wonderful his efforts were, how great FEMA was. Seriously?
     Meanwhile, the chief criminal in  all this, Trump himself, who could care less as these were "brown" people, screams conspiracy even as he shouts how wonderful the response was and the idiots who refuse to see the truth cheer him on.
     Is it the air we breathe or the water we drink? Why do some persist in supporting a man who is taking away medical coverage from them, telling those with existing or chronic conditions to just die and go away, spending money, billions, on incarcerating children, and actually PAYING Mexico to ship people back to native countries. Never mind that we are shipping people back to dangerous situations. Never mind that we are abnegating our very founding principles. Hey, the only people who were native to this land and who fought in the American Revolution were the native Americans! All the rest came from elsewhere, or their parents or grandparents did - just like most of us!!
     In the meanwhile, the Republicans play dangerous games re judges and especially Kavanaugh. Actually, how can we trust any person who comes recommended by Trump? How? A creep recommends another creep, all the better to destroy us, my dear, and the Republicans of no backbone, of no balls, of no honesty, just go along, ignoring the truths that are jumping right into their laps, into their faces and all the time they are thinking only and always of POWER and its maintenance. They ignore the writing on the wall and dear Lord, what will be when hopefully the Democrats do a pretty damn good job at midterm elections and start asking the questions and demanding the answers that should have been forthcoming before?
     As for now? What will Senators like Collins or Murkowski do? What will Senators like Manchin or Heitkampt do? Will they be honest and of good character, or will they succumb to fear of loss of power and continue to sell our country down the river all so they can maintain a seat in the Capitol?!
     And meanwhile, seriously, why the hell is this man still in office? With any other president we would have been deep into investigations, charges, impeachments, resignations. whatever, to get this shame cleared and cleaned up, but with this guy and his shameful band of followers, well, here we sit with  a deteriorating country, a country on the way to truly deeply incised differences, so deep that we might not be able to heal them, and so deep that we allow incompetence and worse to run the country.
     And while Manafort and Cohen talk deals and cooperation, I think more info is needed, more things revealed and let us get this show on the road. The investigations can continue all the while, but the truth must be brought forth, as they say,  forthwith!! The good people resign or are forced out almost daily, these who see first hand the insanity of this man have usurped the Constitution and are running the country in a grab ass manner and we are sinking into an ever growing and dangerous swamp that Trump has caused to grow and has fertilized lo all these many a day.
     Seriously. What the hell are we waiting for? When will we see the Emperor is naked? I have been saying this for a couple of years already, as soon as he tossed his hat into the rink along with his evil minions who followed suit, or the weaklings who sold out. When? Seriously. Where are our eyes and ears and mouths and  brains? Seriously. Where the hell are they and where the hell are we all? Seriously.

THOSE WERE THE DAYS

     Today I received a notice that a person important in my life during my years of high school had passed away. She was one of the main secretaries of the school and we all know who runs the schools! Become a principal and you will see that truth first hand.
     I often volunteered in the office (good way to get late notes and other unfriendly notes out of one's file- remember, no computers back in the old days. All sweat equity in those days.
     I began to reminisce about those days and years and never would I have predicted what has come about, not for the world and not for me. Married young, Gerry and I basically became adults together and most of the time it was fun. There were times...…
Seriously though, think of the earnestness with which we voiced our thoughts, our hopes, our plans. We were going to change the world, weren't we and in some ways we did. We started an anti war movement. We brought riveting change to the political and musical world. We surprised our parents - and ourselves, when we realized that the old guy or gal looking back at us is now no longer the hotheaded optimist who had all the answers.
     And yet, were those times great or what? It was a world which had hope, even as we lived in a Cold War world. We had dreams, even as we were caught up in some nightmares. And we had hope, optimism, energy galore. We did not need to sleep. We had things to do, did we not and for sure, we knew better than our parents! 
     Those were the days, the days of yore, which have now become the days of the present. Our time to change the world is lessening but there is still time to return to those days. These turbulent days demand optimism, honesty and sheer naivety if we are to rearrange and fix our country and then the world. 
     I miss those days. High school. College. Our first apartment and furnishing it. The kids. Their schools. Our professional decisions and successes.
And defeats and disappointments too. But those days have led to today's days and they are just as good, just as powerful, just as hopeful. 
     So a bit battered and tempered by time we sing our old songs, seat dance to them when we sit in the theater and bless our stars and our hard work that we live where we do and where we still have hope to fix it all. Tikkun Olam - the fixing of the world, a duty that Jews must take on themselves.
     Those were the days - but so are these. It ain't over till you know who sings! And if she does, then let us oversing her, shout it out with joy and hope - and get to your polling place and vote for hope, real change, honesty, knowledge and sanity.

"LACK-WIT" "CLOD-BRAIN"

     Reading an excellent novel written about the time of the Black Plague, I came across these two terms, among others, at a time when the surviving serfs of England, mainly Saxons, found their voice, expressed their wish and desire for freedom, to educate themselves, to hope for a better life other than toiling for the benefit of a master who had life and death power over them. Those Norman invaders and despots who could not understand this, the inner and innate desires of a human being, and those serfs who were too afraid, too downtrodden to understand what it was that they were missing, were called the names of the title and how appropriate they were.
     And how they still are today, 700 years later, when the desires for freedom, for education, for a good life, especially for their children, are still paramount in most people's minds. However, there are those lack-wits, those clod-brains, who cannot figure that out and instead push the hatred, push the fear, push the control, and push the dishonesty and oppression. All these years later and here we are, stuck in the same ruts because there are lack-wits among us who simply cannot understand how wrong they are.
     Our leaders are mainly those who sold their souls for power and who engage in plots and plans to ensure their power and cut all rivals down. Other members of the governing body become deadly enemies rather than remaining countrymen, and here we have the plot ingredients for a modern day Shakespearian play.
     Worst of all is the clod-brain we have as the ultimate office holder, the elected ruler - and how did that happen! - who strives so hard to become the absolute ruler of the country, who drives his opponents into the ground as hard as he can, who lies in a constant flow of garbage out of his mouth and who has no morals at all. He tells people to deny abuse of others, particularly women. "Deny, Deny" he says and sees nothing wrong in it. The fires are burning and he is feeding into them, in a worse way than the proverbial Nero (who did not fiddle while Rome burned, by the way.)
     In the aftermath of the Flood, G-d promised man that He would never destroy the Earth. So people assumed they could do whatever they wanted as they had this promise from the Big Guy. They forgot that there was an implied corollary. That is - that mankind could do the job all by itself! And aren't we so proud of that right now as we await for the country to be battered by a huge monster of a hurricane, one of many that seem to be exploding in number round the world, among other natural disasters. Yet the lack-wits, the clod-brains of the world refuse to sees this or rather cannot see beyond their bank accounts to the truth of the matter.
     So we have a town, Elkhart, Ind. which is under great pressure now for the steel and aluminum it uses to build the RVs are rising in price due to the insane tariffs imposed by the lack-wit we have as a President, and the jerk keeps telling us how great a job he is doing! Wonder what the people will say when the layoffs begin as the prices rise and the demands lessen. Clod-brain!
      We have a nation which cannot talk with its own members. We openly revert to hatred and nastiness, threats and demands, with the idea of negotiation and compromise almost 'dirty' terms. We have a President so enmeshed in corruption and investigations that he cannot possibly get out from under and yet, here he is, still in office. What does that say about us, that we allow this? Are we the lack-wits? Are we the clod-brains?
     We have corrupt or inept and biased Federal judges confirmed due to the numbers in Congress. Our judicial system will be warped for decades to come. And as for our priorities, why the lack-wits with the nasty souls who work over in FEMA and other federal agencies, have seen fit to transfer millions, millions! of dollars from their budgetary funding over to ICE. Yes, 10 million from FEMA alone because obviously it is far better to create more child detention storage warehouses, than it is to help people in disasters. So a total of over 33 million has been transferred. Doesn't that make you feel warm and cozy!
     Folks, how much more do we need to read, to groan over, to laugh at with tears just a second away. We have a government of lethal lack-wits, of clod-brains whose thinking processes are warped or nonexistent and tinged quite thoroughly with hatred and nastiness and selfishness and any other negative term you wish to add.
      Ultimately, whose fault is it that we have descended to this point? Ours!! Yes, we have allowed the dedicated public servant to go the way of the model T .We think if we discuss the pathos of a TV show, cable or regular, that is a good substitute for a serious discussion re the status quo of the government or our country. It is not. We are the lack-wits who allowed this to happen. WE are the clod-brains who seemingly cannot or will not find a way out of this. We have lost our courage, tiptoe away from confrontation that must be, for this demented and enraged man who thinks it appropriate to treat a memorial ceremony in Pennsylvania for those who fought and were killed on 9/11 as a campaign stop and pump fists and make yet another of his ugly faces seemingly to be meant as a triumphal expression Uch!!!!!!!
     Could we all please grow up, wise up, think on a higher plane, demand better, and indeed, become the wise and informed citizens we are supposed to be? The alternative? Hate to go there, folks, but you can imagine with just a bit of thought. Not pretty, is it?

TWO DAYS

     For the next two days I will put away the concerns and worries of the secular world, hard as that might be, and concentrate on the inner world, the spiritual world, an examination of the soul and of deeds it can be a hard thing to do if done honestly, but that is the good thing abut its yearly return - one cannot get too much behind in self examination and hopefully repair!
     Please take the next two days to read posts that you might have missed, write a comment and return with me on Wednesday, September 12. And always, remember those who died on another Tuesday September 11, victims of a hatred that pervades this world.
     May we all know a better year and become better people. See you on the 12th.

PAX AMERICANA

     "One of the greatest experiments in human history, in political history, was that of the establishment of the United States of America. It set an example, became a role model, a leader of nations, a supporter of mankind and then lost it all and by the end of 2020 was lost. The gleam was gone; the dirt and the weakness, the hatred and the shambles of a once great country led to a period of time that was chaos and mayhem throughout the world. Its linchpin was gone.
     Over the years and decades to follow, this country became nothing more and nothing less than another Third World nation trying to keep democracy going, opposed by the authoritarian believers, ruled by business interests and the people suffered greatly, losing all support in times of need with food and health programs nearly non existent. Truly a sad state of affairs.
     The end began when politicians forgot their job and place in the life of the country. It became a strictly partisan affair, with Party taking prominence and priority over Country. It grew with a burgeoning state and siege of hatred, of prejudice, of anti union, of selfishness. Despite all the kind acts of so many, despite the vehement opposition to the President at that time, Trump, the evil side won out through a combination of apathy, hatred, division, and the use of power and fear. Bit by bit the founding principles of the country were obviated, tossed out, and the President became the sole ruler of the country. And ruler meant exactly that, as the judicial and executive branches became so only in name with no teeth. The country was lost. The centuries of success, of growth, of self improvement, of modeling for the world - all was gone, an example par excellence to others of what could happen to all. No one was exempt.
     The United States fell victim to the Cult of the Individual rather than maintaining its true patriotism. It shut itself off from the world, choking off new blood, ideas and workers even as the population fell and the economy fell into disrepair as crazy tariffs were imposed. The country found itself isolated among the nations of the world, alone, and unable to call upon anyone for help as the Dictator Trump established his own line of succession and elections were cancelled, promised, but no longer held.
     Pax Americana fell to the side . History took its toll on the American people and on the nations of the world. The divisiveness of Trump and Trumpian politics, the hatred it sucked nourishment from and encouraged the class warfare along with the false and lying promises all led to disaster and the recent attempts to revive that which once was the pride of the world."
     Is this what we are going to see in a future history textbook as the segregated children march off to school, hungry and cold, for their parents were paid miserably, if at all, and as rights no longer existed? Or will we stand up to what Trump has wrought, not allowing a demented and intellectually challenged man, along with his spineless backers to take down our country?
     VOTE, people, VOTE!!!!

NO, IT IS NOT

     The laptop was ornery yesterday and my live in techie had to fix it. Afterwards, while I was reading some articles, he popped his head in to ask, "Is it working?" My immediate response, obviously influenced by the articles and news, was a great big resounding, "No, it is not!"
      And that is the greatest and most serious reality we face today. It is an existential issue related to our immediate present and future and no, it is not my laptop. It is the very question as to whether or not we are actually still a democratic republic and will we remain that way, or have we already lost claim to a legal and legitimate democracy?
     Elected officials are to run the country assisted by capable appointees and career professionals. And obviously, the top elected official was to be the President, whose concern for the country, whose love for the country, whose sanity, wisdom, gestures, were all meant to convince people within and without the country that we are good. That we exist. That our founding principles are still there.
     Yet today that is not the case, tragically so. We have, literally, a case of the inmates running the asylum. The President is himself demented and has been called this by many of his former aides, so many, that it is impossible to look away. However, the most blatant violation he has done is the turning over of the running of the government to appointees, many who agree with his terrible policies and try to get them through even as they prevent this man from blowing it all up. This is a major NO - NO and cannot be allowed to continue and yet what are we to do?
     The Republican Party has lost its connection to anything but the retention of power. They speaketh with forked tongues as they offer some timid, very timid statements of criticism, yet back away as soon as push comes to shove. There are three Democratic Senators who are afraid to voice any opposition to Trump because their state voted for him so all the garbage gets thru due to numbers, as it works that way in the House as well. And Graham? He should be visited by the ghost of the man he praised at the man's funeral, as he turns away and does the exact opposite of what McCain would espouse. He should be haunted by him!
     And what about Collins and Murkowski, two Republicans who can and have voted apart from the Party but what will they do this time, with Kavanaugh, a lying immoral individual who fits right in with the current crowd! Abortion? The right for women to make their own decisions over their own bodies, to gain family planning advice, to have clinics where they can get help for women's health issues? All these will be ground under should Kavanaugh get affirmed and yet, the numbers say he will unless some Republicans and all Democrats vote conscience and not abnegation and fear and all that is negative within our government today.
     Democracy is on its deathbed today. We have allowed it to get to this horrible point. Trump tells his supporters it is their fault if he gets impeached, again denying responsibility for anything and encouraging other means of keeping him in power. He and those who abet him in his sham Presidency, yet very dangerous Presidency, are the major culprits here and we, the people, must do something. Anything! But the situation cannot remain status quo. Frankly, he needs to be impeached, a temporary President put in place, and all those who engaged in this sham of an administration, who have, yes, prevented worse things from happening, but who have twisted the rules and morals, all must go as well, from Pence to McConnell, Ryan, all who knew what was happening, yet kept their mouths shut! All to our detriment and the world's as well.
     This is a very dangerous time for America. Indeed, for the world. Chaos can easily become the status quo and evil strongmen can become the ipso facto ruler - yes, ruler - of America. Congress will become the imitator of the Russian Parliament, the Reichstag, and all other parliaments of the authoritarian countries.
      It is way above my pay grade as to figure out all the details. There have to be answers. There must be for the alternative is not to be contemplated. Never. Truly, the whole thing is not working today, is it and we must fix it. We must find our own live in techies who the capability to fix this governmental existential threat and NOW.

THE NEW YEAR

     No, I am not rushing the season. I am talking about the Jewish New Year which is not celebrated with drinks and merriment, but with prayer, atonement, devotion and hope. Often families get together for a festive meal after the prayers for the day and we remember what is important - family and love, rather than power and hate.
     It is both a time of solemnity and joy at the same time. We ask and pray that our faults, our errors over the past year be forgiven and that we be inscribed in the Book of Life. We ask for pardon from G-d and from those people we have wronged. Only they can do that.
     It is a time to think and rethink our lives. It is a time to calculate whether we have contributed to the world, to its good, or have we shirked our responsibilities and only added to the burden of Earth and its population?
     I hope that I have been forgiven by both G-d and those I have wronged. I hope that my blogs have contributed something to the world. I hope that the love I have for my family, for Gerry, my kids and their kids and my extended family add to the scales of goodness and hope.
     This year has been  a hard one. We celebrated our fiftieth anniversary  with a wonderful party full of friends and family just at the same time that I received a diagnosis of Parkinson's. A kiss and a slap. Which would be the stronger one in the following year and years that follow? But in the midst of the fear and trepidation, I have found new friends, supportive people who put aside their own pain to help others, young people who have taken it upon themselves to work with those who need their help and guidance. I have found laughter with them and hey, I got muscles!!!!!
      I am thankful to the Lord Above for all that He has given me, allowed me to enjoy, encouraged my growth. I am thankful for the kids and parents from my career who still maintain contact. My friends and family have given me sustenance for the soul and I so appreciate them.
     So next Monday and Tuesday, G-d willing, I will say my prayers, have a chat with G-d, and hope he sees it my way. I will forget the bad that remains outside of the synagogue, within the country and the world and add to my thoughts and prayers that these things be fixed with proper guidance. And I hope that I will have a Happy and Healthy New Year, a year with joy and love, and a year where we all try and succeed to better our living situations. 
    Shanah Tova Ticatevu Ve Taychatamu

   May you all have a good year and be written and sealed in the Book of Life.

















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NOT DANCING, BUT FEAR!

     I, and many others, who feel the same way, who have written and warned the same way, who have worried the same way, should be dancing in the streets as more and more proof comes out of the closet and smacks the country with it. The man is insane. Whatever the cause, be it innate nastiness, inborn egotism to the point of megalomania, his environment during childhood, or deterioration of his brain due to some form of dementia, whatever the reason, this man is endangering us all.
     He has the nastiness that many with dementia have. It actually might not be his fault, but that does not mean he should remain in office. His presence in that Oval Office is a danger to the world. Bob Woodward's book breaks the White House wide open, the second time he has done this in a truly massive way. Hopefully, the result will be the same and Trump will go. Where? Who the hell cares, just out of the public sector, out of the position where he can continue to force his idea of government upon us, where he can continue to endanger all that we hold dear, and the very existential situation of the world. 
      Trump himself admitted that his theory is that real power is in the use of Fear! That is what gives one control and look at what he has done. He has turned the Representatives and Senators of the Republican Party into mewling cowards, afraid to do anything out of line according to Trump doctrine, kneeling before him, sucking up to him and selling their souls and why? Because they are afraid of him. Simple enough. They wished to stay out of his mouth, his mind and his orb and in order to do that they have sold their souls.
      The anecdotes coming out of the White House are horrific to say the least. A man considered to be of fifth grade level intelligence and understanding as President and I doubt he can go as high as that grade! A man for whom his aides act in a protective manner, keeping his incompetence and madness, yes, his insanity, at bay by hiding papers, changing his focus, lecturing him and in all so many ways, hiding the truth from the people of the country. It is a wonder we have withstood this for almost two years, but the fabric of the country has been severely damaged and I wonder what the permanent effect will be when all is said and done. And I wonder again, will the people of the country be so afraid of a system wherein a dangerous demented person can attain the highest office in the land, and will that system fail us again? Does it need a major overhaul or will people, out of a need to feel safe, allow it to be changed so drastically that we become  a sister republic to the republics and countries around the world that have sham only elections and a strongman to run the country?
     Now we have this man , this insane creature, appointing those who will follow his crooked path through life, who will continue to destroy the land and the people, and has so infested and infected the judiciary that it too will be damaged for decades to come. His latest appointee or candidate is a man who has lied about so much, who turned away from a mourning Parkland father, who will protect the President in his rulings as a given, not as a question.
     Trump's entire plan of action is to do all he can to retain power and gain even more. It is to turn this country into a false democracy, a strongman country, a ruined country. His concern is himself - pure and simple and 100% of his daily machinations and insane tweets. He supports criminals as elected representatives of the people and why? Because they are of the same crooked and dishonest mindset as he is. We need to force his resignation as we did to Nixon and lay down the law to any successor.
     The country is unraveling. We are not dancing in the streets as more and more information becomes available. No, we are not dancing, but tiptoeing around in fear. What will be the match, the spark, the last straw before this country dissolves into civil war and perhaps an end to us once and for all. Fear is now ruling the roost and we must all step up to rebalance, rethink, reassign, and remake our country and government into what the Founding Fathers meant it to be.
     The clock is ticking.

EARS AND SOULS

     "Put your ear down close to your soul and listen hard."    Anne Sexton
     Everyone with a thinking working brain is trying to figure out how we got this country into such a mess. We call the President names that would have been unthinkable for other presidents, yet it seems as if they are not enough to truly express both our outrage and our fear. Yes, fear, for we no longer are sure of ourselves, who and what we are as people and as Americans. Do the terms we call the president actually also define us or does it define us in another way, asking how we allowed this disaster to happen, how we let this tragic figure of a man become our presumed leader.
     And no, it is not enough to say, "well, I did not vote for him." Perhaps you did and are ashamed of it. Or on the other hand, perhaps you did vote for him or you did not vote at all and thus you share primary guilt in this particularly American tragedy. So what happened?
     First of all, we have a ridiculous system of elections, an outmoded system that was meant for an elite group of people to decide for the people who would actually become President. It was feared that the masses would not be informed to the level they needed to be for this decision. Agreements were made to divide the power, so a state of 750,000 has as much say in the Senate as a state the size of New York or California. It is such that the loser of the popular vote actually became the President thru the Electoral College System. Bad going there. Time to change the system but why would there be reform when it benefits those in power, enabling them to retain power and impose their views, no mater how unpopular or dangerous, upon the people of this country, and indeed, by effect, upon the people of the world.
     Bad system indeed. So what to do? First, reread that quotation at the top of the page. That is what must be done first and foremost. I believe if we actually listened to our inner selves and questioned these inner thoughts with full heart and soul, we would realize the true right and wrong of things and be ashamed of those faulty and bad? evil? outmoded? thoughts that we were secretly harboring. Put our ears, our inner ears, the ears of our souls close to each other nd listen hard, very hard. And honestly. No more lying to oneself. No more trying to hide the error of judgement. No more of this abyss that is the growing division of the nation. If we do not heed the ears, the souls and the hearts, then we are doomed.
     Choices will have to be made. Listen to the words of the candidates. Hear who spouts words of hate. Who kneels before Trump? Who has changed views so as to get elected and how can this person be trusted? And while I am very leery of Republicans, especially the women for I have no understanding how a woman true to herself can vote for a party that has Trump the pervert, the morally dissolute individual as its head of party.
     But I am also leery of those newfangled ultra left wing candidates of the Democrats. We need to insure that they are honest, that they have no hidden faults in their past and watch the words of hatred that they spout and espouse. Extremism on either side is not good and while Barry Goldwater said that "Extremism in the defense of liberty is no vice" or something very similar, I believe that extremism of ANY kind is destructive. We must make that clear to all. We must make the ear to the soul hear the truth and understand the middle of the road virtues.
     I believe that I have had my ear to my soul for quite some time now and I hope I am on the right track, voting for and supporting those with whom I can place my hopes for the future, those who understand that they are to serve the people, and not the other way around. Can we  all say the same thing. Listen. Hard. Even if we think we are already doing so. It is easy to fool oneself if it makes life easier for us, even if only in the short run. But the future needs long term thinking. It truly does. Ears and souls. Ears and souls.

HAMMURABI

     Hammurabi decided to take a visit to the future, wanting to see the advancements made, the system of justice that would prevail. After all, had he not codified the laws for a just and proper society? The Code of Hammurabi was one of the biggest advancements for humanity so of course, the thinking was, that mankind would take further steps along this path.
     Well, so much for that hope and prediction. Granted, there were also rules about the sacrifice of children, especially the first born, but remember, this was pretty early on in the centuries! But what happened to the rules for justice, for a decent government, against corruption, for charity to the poor and needy? Seems to have gone the way of all living things if based on a visit to the Trumpian days of America.
     So Hammurabi was astounded at the amount of corruption in this modern day country. He perused its history and was confused as to how it now found itself in a situation diametrically opposed to all that it had stood for all these almost two and a  half centuries. Checking through the laws of the land via that newfangled gizmo called a computer and some strange thing called the internet, he saw that once there were laws protecting those who needed protection, laws to keep the country clean and productive, but these laws were being rescinded and there was no hope for the country from the judicial branch as its judges were being replaced with those of ignorance or contaminated ties to politics. The legislative branch was composed of some of the biggest cowards Hammurabi had ever seen and the executive branch was apparently the source of the fountains of evil spouting higher and higher in the country.
      People seem to have lost concern for others and even as they mourned the death of a giant of the generation, they allowed one from the garbage heap to rule it, even ignoring the steps this man and his minions took towards authoritarianism. People seemed to be more concerned with the results of games played by grownups wearing strange clothing than they were about their future. Strange indeed!
     Even more odd, the country was cutting off the supply of fresh people, new strength, new ideas, and the economy began to stagnate, to shrink, as the passes into the country began to be withheld. So hospitals were looking for doctors, hotels for staffers, farmers for workers and small businesses were going unwatched and kept closed as their owners were held over in foreign countries, yet it seemed that the organization called Trump had all the workers it needed for its hotels. Something going on here, not the justice that Hammurabi codified in his Code.
     Troubled by this version of a troubled future, Hammurabi wondered what was he to do? Could he fix this or was it up to the people of this future? He wondered at the holiday, Labor Day, which he assumed was meant to honor the laboring people of the country and their contributions to this country, yet was confused as he saw that more and more there were rulings against labor!! Strange country, this United States of America! Strange indeed.
     Hammurabi wondered if he were to add some rules, like no mixing of family and government, or no nepotism or cronyism or bribery allowed in the filling of positions so that one person held too many roles that even were conflicting with each other, if he did so, would it help to keep this country and its future on the better track?
     It was time to return to his time, puzzled, distraught even, for he knew not if he could fix these issues. He despaired for the fate of mankind. Surely, the people of the future had time to learn to behave better, to think better, to rule better. Surely? Well, his time was up here and he had to return. Maybe he would sacrifice a kid or two and the gods would answer his perplexed questions!
     So for us, readers, how many children are we sacrificing in the name of power, in the name of hatred, and how many more pictures of kids going hungry, crying for parents, wandering stunned and wounded in war torn and bombed out cities, how many more will it take till we remember who we are and what and how we are supposed to be, act and help and advance civilization, not encourage its retrogression? How many? How much longer? How many ill people, seniors or not, will it take to remind us that their deaths are upon us and our terrible,  now shredded health care system? How much more of our water and land and air will we pollute in the name of money?
     The answers to these questions, the answers that we should want, are slow in coming and fading in the distance. Hammurabi left his visit to the future with tears and regret. What will we leave in our futures, for the futures of our children?