WHAT I SAID!

      Boy, do things happen, even when they should not. Not quite sure what I watched last night, did my share of  shouting at the screen or looking in sheer puzzlement and confusion at my husband, who shared the same look. I also had both admiration and frustration as I watched Biden deal with an unleashed lunatic, a shouting, ranting, schoolyard bully with no better words in his mouth than name calling and blatant lies.

First, we had a calm, though annoyed, Biden, who waited calmly and even with a smile, for Trump to finish his most current rant. Then he finally had enough and told him to just shut up. Ooooh! Really! I could think of many other more forceful and to the point things that Biden could have said, but he is a gentleman, and a gentle man. He spoke to the people of America, rather than to the asylum's latest escapee. It was like Arkham Manor came to life on stage. What a mess. Where was Batman when Gotham was so desperately in need of him?

 Probably, he was hiding out of sheer embarrassment. As Biden said, "This is so unpresidential." It so was not. It was a disaster for the American people as they watched their President, the man who swore an oath to protect the Constitution, try to rip it, shred it, nullify it, with his callous and dangerous words. He sent shivers down the spines of the collective world as he refused, categorically refused, to accept that the election would be fair, and any damage done to that would and could be laid at his door. He has undermined, purposely, willfully, with great calculation, the election process, laying the claim early that if he wins, well, what a marvelous election, but should he lose - well, gird your loins my friend, biblical style, because blood in the streets is not unlikely at all.

Biden agreed to recognize the results, to wait patiently for the results without referring to warlike terms. Trump, on the other hand, called for his bullies to enter the polls and watch. Watch! And what then? Act, if they do not like what they see? Act how? Like the bully soldier puppets of third world countries?  For like it or not, that is what we are becoming, quickly, oh, so quickly. Trump's display last night was a typical rant and rave of would be Hitler wannabes and by the way, what the hell was that hairdo about? He looked even more insane than ever when paired with his crazed face, his petulant gestures and his constant me, me, me interruptions.

His ignorance came through loud and clear. One cannot be a poll watcher until application, review, and training, with specific assignments. They are not allowed to interfere with the voting process, only with specific voters if there is a valid reason. I suspect that validity has long ago walked out the door, frightened off by this madman and his henchmen.

Biden came out great as far as I am concerned. I do wish he had spoken in loud tones over Trump's constant hectoring postures and voice, but Biden is a pro, knows how to control himself, despite obvious cause, obvious anger. This is the man we want negotiating with the rest of the world, a man we want to lead us back into the light, out of the darkness of Trumpian times, the hopelessness it has engendered.

Jagged. Shitstorm. Bizarre. All these have been used to describe the debate and its significance. However, for many people watching, especially those historically more sensitive to the stink of prejudice and racial violence, his statement that the Proud Boys should "Stand back. Stand by."  - well, I just about ran to check the validity of my passport. Refusing to condemn his and yes, they are his, violent crusaders of evil, to refuse their support - that is what he said. So, stand by - for what and for when? 

If you are satisfied to live with that threat, or perhaps even like that thought, then there is nothing, no help for you, until you come to your senses. Biden refused violent people and violence. But all this stems from Trump, for all this ugliness, this jaggedness, arose strictly out in the open during his time in office and with his encouragement. No, there are not "fine people on both sides". There is nothing fine in a person who shouts bloody racial epithets and comes loaded for bear to a peaceful protest by those who think otherwise.

People, the time has come. Personally, I believe we should just cancel the other two debates as there is no chance of a normal one, not with Trump. Allow the VP debate as Harris will hand Pence his head as he attempts to cover for Trump and his murderous, yes, murderous, errors and even deliberately taken wrong paths.

Stand by - to defend our nation. Stand by to be aware and proactive as Trump attempts to interfere with the election process. Stand by to save this country as Trump attempts to turn it into his own private fiefdom.  VOTE VOTE VOTE

THINGS HAPPEN

      .... for a reason. People, when confronted with confusing or troubling events, often think that to say that "there's always a reason" is the best thing to say. It is just that we do not understand the why, it seems and so we are to take some nebulous amount of comfort from those meaningless and even hurtful words. Words can be as soft as a down pillow or as harsh and ungiving as a stone wall.

Where do these words come from? They come from us. They come from the people we supposedly copy or trust or admire or hate. Their words and ours that follow are of dire importance. Unfortunately we forget that and the result: shoot one's mouth off, ergo, something happens. It is a version of the butterfly effect wherein one small inconsequential action on one side of the globe leads to ever growing consequences and finally - disaster.

"Fiction isn't just what you find in books. It's the lies we tell ourselves. They can be sturdy lies we use as scaffolding, lies with an abrasive edge to scour our consciences clean, lies that settle over things we'd rather not see.... There are many other permutations, but whatever form they take, these are lies that we love and loathe. The only way to avoid creating your own fiction is not to think at all."   (Character in novel To Tell You the Truth)

So things do happen for a reason and those reasons for all those happenings often originate in our own minds, mouths and tongues and in our acceptance of them as gospel, refusing to think or evaluate for ourselves. Hence, the confused and confusing situation in which we are presently living. One question arises time and time again. What is the truth and how are we to separate it from all the conditions and feelings and motives that surround that hard to find truth. And once found, how do we incorporate it within our bruised and battered brains and souls? How do we avoid the fiction we create by believing those lies? More important even, especially when the fiction of lies has been flowing in such huge amounts and producing dangerous currents, is how do we reverse the situation, recognize the fiction perpetuated on us and which we so willingly began to believe and spread as etched in stone?

Today, 36 days or so prior to Election Day, a day on which we truly will be judging ourselves, picking our destiny, rejecting or accepting of the fiction we now live in, it is time to sit down and think. Think with an open mind. Think without self pride and protection that will force you to defend your poor choices up till now. Think as a whole, rather than on one tiny part of life. Think and evaluate the core values of this country. Think how we have always held to them even as we made gross decisions, terrible decisions, turned false to those beliefs.

 Yet there were those and are still those, who keep a steady hand on the wheel, waiting for the storm of fiction, of the bad and dangerous fiction, to abate and then step in to turn our country, our America, back on track. Honor, honesty, acceptance, leadership, truth, empathy and caring for the weak and helpless - that is what we are, who we are, and the current toxic fiction we have created - well, it needs to go. Now. This minute, for the hands of the clock for USA Doomsday are hitting the midnight hour. After us, thus follows the world, and that's all the fiction that counts, no erasures any more. All the red lines will have been crossed and that fiction will be the last one we ever do. Things happen.

What is the dangerous fiction we have allowed to take over our lives? What is the dangerous fiction we have swallowed whole, accepting the lies, the coverups, the next lies that refute the first lies, the complete and total abdication to corruption and greed, to crass behavior and a lack of empathy to such a degree that is found only in sociopaths, along with their ability to mesmerize their audiences into believing their fiction, their harmful, dangerous, existence threatening fiction.

For four years we have been swallowed whole by the fiction of Trump and henchmen. We have allowed the erasure of goodness from our nation. We have allowed that fiction to convince us that the morally challenged GOP is really simply admiring the clothes of that truly naked emperor. We have convinced ourselves that it is okay, in this fiction, to hate others, to scream and shout words of hate and to act upon that hate. We have allowed this country to forsake its responsibilities to the world, to its needy, to its struggling middle class. This fiction has catered strictly to the upper, upper wealthy and no amount of lies can cover that over. 

This Trump fiction has finally been truly punctured. After all these years, finally, his returns are open and hello, America!!! This man is a total and complete fraud. He is basically broke or will be in the very near future. He is corrupt and dangerously cynical and noncaring, derisive of his duty towards his country, contemptuous of the truth. He has lied, blatantly so. Even now, he denies the truth and when pushed to the wall, says it is okay, his right to avoid taxes, his right to shirk all that is right in his skewed, nasty fiction.

Worst of all is the fact that his fiction has swallowed ours whole. He has driven nails between the generations, between members of families, driven away the very idea, the very gestalt that is America. Can we defy his fiction? We had better if we want  a viable future for our kids and grandkids, for the world.

            " 'Tis a fearful thing

              to love what death can touch."

       Yehuda Halevi, 12th century Jewish physician, poet and philosopher.

I love America. Period. It is not perfect and at times lives in a fiction that is all wrong. Then we recognize that and redo it. That time is here and now. That time is more urgent than ever.

For the sake of all you love, do not allow it to die, for America to crumble into dust, with only faint echoes to be found in space and in the dirt of its crumbled civilization. Think and reject that which is wrong and then go vote. VOTE.

    

     

WHY IS THE SKY BLUE?

      We all were there. Anyone in close contact with little kids who are first meeting the world at large, knows those questions. Why is the sky blue? Is the ocean also blue? Do they meet? Do they share the blue? Can I have a cookie? Why not? Where are we going? When will we get there? Are we there yet? Now? Now? I have to go to the bathroom - now! Really bad? Oops. Too late.

There are no answers that would stop the barrage of questions and generally, that cookie would be given, if only for a bit of peace and quiet. But I wonder now what kind of cookie we are going to be offered as we ask questions, repeated questions, substantial questions, existential questions, and not only do we not get a cookie in any form, but we are told how badly life will change. "Are we there yet?" we ask. "Almost", is the answer given. Are we too late here as well?

Why have we allowed this?

Why are there gatherings ever larger in scope and numbers by far right wing haters?

Why do we allow a definitively damaged man to overturn all that this country once was?

Why do we allow that same man to threaten to overturn election results, refuse to leave the WH and transition peacefully?

Why has this man politicized every single government branch and organ - and gotten away with it?

Why has Congress confirmed each and every corrupt and venial, unqualified candidate?

Why have we ceded the Supreme Court to him?

Why has he not had his tax records opened?

Why is he not in prison for his sexual attacks? 

Why is he not a registered sex offender?

Why are we allowing such delays?

Why do the children of this man, filled with the same hate towards all, the same conceits, think they are the anointed successors of their father?

Why do we allow them to think that way?

Why do we allow the corruption, the nepotism, the cronyism, the joined complexes to rule the day?

Why do we allow politics to interfere with science, be it re hurricanes or vaccines?

Why do we shrug off the numbers, those horrible numbers, ever growing - over 7 million infected   and 205,000 dead!

Why have we grown so blase, so heartless and yes, even vicious?

Why have we had rumbles in the streets and are they the preludes to the oncoming inevitable Civil War II?

Why do we allow a bully, a tyrant, to run the government, paralyzing and coopting morally valueless Senators and other members of the GOP?

Why have we all lost our way, fallen off the track through the swamp of DC, going down for the last time?

Why is Joe Biden, according to Trump, both the dumbest man and the best debater at the same time? A tad nervous there, Donny boy!? Cake and eating it too?

Why is this our President?  "an ill-formed man who lacks basic self-control and shows no semblance of inner character."  Or this -   "...who knows. He's sort of like Goebbels. You say the lie long enough, keep repeating it, repeating it, repeating it, it becomes common knowledge," 

Why do we tolerate the abrogation of every  norm, principle, tradition and law of our country, making a farce, a dangerous farce of it all?

Why have we become a third world country, the butt of every joke of the world?

Why are we allowing our citizens to die from hunger, malnutrition and untreated health issues?

Are we there yet? Dear G-d, but I hope not. I hope we have a chance at this election. I hope we come to our senses before voting. I hope that people switch their brains back to the ON position.

Why have you not yet voted if your state allows it? Get thee to those polls, mail in the ballot, stand in line - whatever, whichever, works for you, but VOTE!! Literally, the entire world is depending on you to save it. VOTE!!

Are we there yet? Are we? Are we?  Are we?

WE'LL SEE

     Those are the words right out of the ass's mouth. We'll see, he says, when asked about the acceptance of the presidential election. We'll see, what he means, is that we will see if we are to remain America as such, or if we are to enter the next era, where the USA, a la Rome and other great empires, fall back into the dust as they retreat into darkness, tyranny, political corruption and all sorts of trickery and ruses. And all the while we are supposed to trust the words that emanate from the mouths of those corrupt, morally vacant Republicans who say that they will accept the results, accept if the Supreme Court hands the office over to Biden. They say that even as they push through the most hurried nomination and confirmation process ever, a cruel joke, a nasty hoax pulled on the American people. Even as they sow huge fields of doubt and suspicion upon a safe method of voting. This is the belt and suspenders theory of GOP government. Cheat and lie, accuse and lie some more, then put on the suspenders by packing the court with dangerously biased, bigoted, incompetent and dangerous 'judges'.

Do not know much about Gorsuch, other than he has shown some moxie via his voting. But look at the rest of the Republican appointees, right back to Clarence Thomas who should have been forced to resign when there was conclusive proof that he did indeed sexually harass his victim, even as Trump should have been declared useless and violator par excellence with all his sexual suits, but nope, there he remains as President. We have Kavanaugh and my nausea roils me once again as I think how we went wrong here, how politics slammed decency and honor into the mat and refused to tap out.

And I wonder about his new pick. The lead choice is quite controversial, belonging to a fringe sect of Christians which refers to women as "handmaiden" and there it is! My gorge rises and out spews all the nauseating factors and facts of Trump et al. Give him what he wants, continue to be pathetic moral weaklings, and we will have a dead country. We will see? Yes, we unfortunately will, and getting America back? Be real. Get real. We will have lost our battle with history. We will live on in shame as the generation that lost America. We'll see, won't we?

The intrusion of politics into religion and vice versa. The intrusion of politics into health care. As far as that goes, even as he takes apart our health safety net, as leaky as it was, Trump now thinks we elderly people are so "wonderful" that he can bribe us, get our votes, for a $200 'gift card' for drugs. I do not know about the rest of you, but that ain't cutting it with me. I am not a cheap date. I am not something to be 'drug' out of the closet, forced to make my 'x' on the spot, and put back into the closet, to rot and wither away, denied all care, denied all hope.

Oh, yes, he tells us, we are "rounding the corner", referring to the virus battle. Well, no, we are not, unless referring to the corner around which there is the heightened fear of virus plus flu. Just think how we all hate the mask, breathing behind it, hearing weird voices emanating from blocked mouths. Now think of the stuffed noses, the scratchy throats, the thirst of hurting throats, the aches, and just where will those masks go under difficult situations, even as our health system, private, personal, and institutional, collapses under the strain and masks go flowing past into the sewers. Not a pretty picture, not a good corner!

Nor does this stop with Trump and his malignant crew. The very idea, the nerve, to strip America of its democratic rights and rites is overwhelming in its growth. Even as Trump pushes the envelope nationally, here in CV we get yet another cancelation of the Executive Board. No interference for David Israel. Oh, no, he needs to keep his bully pulpit. He needs to hide his incompetence, his deteriorating state of mind and mode and mood. Where does this all end? I am afraid that we will indeed see - and shrink in horror at the sight.

People, we all have to get out there and vote. We need to vote for a future of light, of hope, not of darkness and oppression. That is what will be should Trump win - HORROR!!! Honor the memory of a great woman, Ruth Bader Ginsburg. Honor the sentiment expressed by those mourning her as the hypocrite and his amoral wife, showed up- the nerve - and the chant rose into the air: "Vote him out!" "Honor her last wish". Indeed.

Vote, however it works for you. But vote. I really do not wish to see what he thinks we should - and truly, deny it all you want, neither do you. Time is running out, in the country, in localities and here in CV where nearly a year has gone by with no UCO meetings for delegates, for officers of the Board and just plain old residents with concerns. Not a good place to be and not a good future if we do not challenge and defeat this. VOTE!! Indeed!

  

STRUGGLES, JOYS, THE LIFE OF A MARRIAGE

    Almost forgot what today was in the midst of the business of life. Should we go to the kids for the holidays? Should we order an expensive item on line or find an alternative? Should we invest in repurchasing the saws and nail guns we used to have but gave away? And oops, today is September 24, 53 years after we officially committed ourselves both religiously and civilly, to a union, to a determination to live together, to build together, to spend our lives together. But please note yet again: still no proposal. Hmmpf! 

 Looking back, there were highlights of joy and happiness and moments of deep despair. Those were the moments that definitely tried our souls and the depths of our commitments to each other, to what we had built over the years, to the level of strength we had, to overcome, to solve, to hope, to trust in the depths of our beliefs, to rebuild. I believe it was those moments that truly cemented the marriage, filled in any possible cracks, far more than the moments of joy, for who crumbles under those? 

 As I look back at the 53 years, at the five years even before that, I marvel and wonder, I thank G-d for the opportunity we had and continue to have,  G-d willing, to build together, to continue to grow together, to find new joys, new areas of togetherness, to be able to indulge the whims of the other and find that we can actually share them as well.

The joys and love of marriage evolve over the years. No longer the giddiness of first love, it has been tempered by time. It is more meaningful, deeper than the flowers on dates of first courtship, even the sweet gestures of waiting for me Friday afternoon and carrying my books home. It is more than the silly gifts I used to bestow on him with gleeful laughter. The willingness, the ability, the not turning away from the trials of life, of being patient and helpful as life chimes in with not such good news. It is a stronger, and yes, even a sweeter, kind of love, one based on life, on truth, on strengths, on the vagaries of that life together, as we weathered moments of happiness and joy and came through the moments of despair and trial, bruised and battered, tested, but better than before.

We accomplished much. No, not the accomplishment of huge amounts of money, or even little heaps of money, but we have much more than that in our bank accounts. These accounts give us interest, unlike the accounts of today! They are the savings of a lifetime. They are our children. They are our grandchildren. They are our friends. They are the good things we have accomplished in life, the help we gave to others, knowingly and unknowingly. They are the help we were given in our times of need. 

They are the pride and good memories we have of our teaching careers, the friends we have made from that life, and hopefully, the good we did during those years. They are the knowledge that our names, for the most part, I guess, I hope, are good, always having been taught as kids, living as adults, that the crown of a good reputation is above all.

We look back and are proud of what we have done. We bless the hard work and love of our parents. We look forward, G-d willing, to more years together, to building more, to enjoying our dividends, knowing that our kids have absorbed what we tried so hard to give them, are loving siblings and we know that we can rest easy, knowing they are there for each other. We see the blossoming of our grandkids as they evolve from the adorable little cuties, to still and even more adorable and beloved responsible kids, teens, and young adults, choosing carefully, evaluating carefully, as they make their own ways through life. We know they love us unconditionally, even as we do the same, and oh, the joy, of ganging up on the middle generation!! And we are happy.

 Notice that the piece has changed from I to We in the course of its composition. That is the same transition that has taken place over the years, so much so, so strongly, so deeply entrenched, that it is hard to even think of ourselves as separate beings. So much the WE are we. Of course, there are the remaining few imperfections that I am still working on, all to perfect the We -ness that we have, but then again, a woman's work is never done! Right, ladies?

And so WE hope for as many more good years that the Lord sees fit to give us. We like our We being. We even love our new found love of woodwork, of building new, of refurbishing the old and damaged, and creating new beauty. We know, not just hope, that that beauty of creation, of always building upon the old to new heights and depths will continue to insure that the We remains through all time.

Happy Anniversary, Gerry. We made it through the years, as Kenny Rogers sang, and We are all the better for it.  Love ya ' and still awaiting for you know what!!! Are you wondering what the answer might be?  Ahhh, the suspense....

REPUBLICAN GOLD? ZOMBIES AND MORE!

       As I returned home from a truly beautiful week with my kids, I wondered at what would be in the coming days. What would be in the coming months is another story, a story of existence and survival, a life changing world and a world possibly changed beyond recognition and possibility of survival. I wonder at the crassness of the GOP as it celebrates the death of a giant, seeing it as an opportunity to truly change the world in a mightily negative and permanent manner. Gold in the death of one who epitomized the promise  and dreams of America. One who epitomized the everlasting struggle of women to obtain their rightful share in and of society. Gold in the opportunity so ghoulishly based on a tragic death, so strongly fought against, mourned by millions, by those who know what America was meant to be, what she is and what could be a disastrous future.

     In the meanwhile, as the Republicans do their perverted and heartless war dance, America mourns its new numbers. Trump says he has done a wonderful job of fighting the pandemic. Excuse me? In what universe? In what dimension? Pence calls it a "heartbreaking moment" but oh, well, "it could be worse!!' Tell that to the one whose loved one died and became the first to die over 200,000 prior victims. Tell that to the 6.8 million infected. Tell the thousands and thousands who are finding out that the effects linger for months, debilitating, life changing, a life now rent with fear and pain. A life where the betrayal of the government, of its perverted leader, Trump, et al, has failed them, to the tune of death and destruction. Imagine the thinking that inspired that sentence. The Holocaust killed off more than 6 million Jews as well as millions of Roms, homosexuals, Jehovah's Witnesses, political opponents, but oh well, could have been worse. Could have been the other five million Jews around the world!! So be grateful!!!???

We are told now of zombie storms, coming back to life to wreak more havoc upon people. We then think of zombie humans who without voodoo, come back to a sputtering life in order to rain hurt down upon the earth. They wish to open a gold and copper mine in a pristine area of Alaska, a truly dirty operation, even as they boast of their lines of influence and contact to politicians who will vote on this. More slime!!

We hear of stories that boggle your mind, at the twisted minds that think of these things and the benighted minds that actually believe these lies. Fauci Arrested screamed the headline - but no he wasn't. A fake perpetrated yet anew on the American people, pushing this nonsense of a COVID hoax. Wonder when all those dead victims will arise as zombies for the GOP, Hoping that would be never!!

Even as so many of the country speak out against Trump and his twisted views, Jimmy Kimmel says, “If you don’t register, you can’t vote,” .We are in danger. “It’s hard to believe that we are only 42 days away from Donald Trump refusing to accept the results of the election,”  Think how that sentence should boggle your mind! We are in danger of losing ourselves and our precious rights as Americans. Even as there is a growing concern of vote deprivation and suppression, as record numbers call for voter registration information and help, as disparate figures join together to raise funds for felons who did their time, to pay off debts and thus enable them to vote, we are reminded of that  impending danger, a sword of Damocles hanging over our heads, held up by a fraying cord even as the GOP saw away at it. 

Meanwhile people hold to their oblivion as it serves them well. The ultra conservative religious groups see heaven on earth as new religious rules are imposed on the people of America, despite their own individual beliefs. They regale themselves in songs of greed and joy as they bypass all safety rules and regulations, and the poison of politics inflames the land, killing it. They forget that we are judged, at one time or another, for we have to pay our dues. They are needful of a reminder of that with words from their own books. Here is the Romans 1:29 version of the Genesis warning. "They have become filled with every kind of wickedness, evil, greed, and depravity. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, and malice."

So as Trump parades his First Family across the stage, in his never ending attempt to establish his dynasty, people, be aware, very much aware, be alert and be afraid. This kind of 'gold' we do not need. This ghoulish joy at the death of a wonderful person is just so wrong! This kind of zombie story we do not need. Not to worry anyway, for the Walking Dead versions are returning. Be satisfied with that and oppose the real life introduction of a zombie democracy here in America.

And while we are on the subject, we have big troubles here in the Village. It appears that at least some of those stories and rumors about the growing senility and questionable decisions and behavior of and  by David Israel have their kernel of truth. We now seem to have Bob Rivera, the Recording Secretary, assuming the role of the president. All issues should be sent to him, apparently, and he will assign it to the appropriate committee!! Really, Bob, c'mon, I think you are a  good person and care for the Village, but you are not the President and if he cannot or will not perform his assigned duties and fulfill his responsibilities, then he must go, one way or another. One other senile president is enough, don't you think?!

What is needed is the full resumption of meetings as there is plenty of room with social distancing and masks. David is the one holding up these sessions and the true and open UCO that we need. Get real and get honest with yourself and with us. There is nothing in the way of that other than the stubborn denial of reality, the alleged growing dementia of David, and the impossible to understand support of his backers, perhaps reveling in new assumptions of power? I cannot explain nor understand this any more than I can understand or tolerate the support of an evil man such as Trump. Same difference, truly.

Think about your little note there on a blog that is useless, for it posts nothing other than some blurry videos of useless meetings, denied to the residents, pushes opaque government and administration, and leaves us in a sad and bad situation, no planning, no honesty, nothing good. Bob, what is needed is an emergency meeting to replace David and have another election so that we might have a true leader here in the Village who can shepherd our way through a new agreement before we run out of time by MAY to agree to one. We need a thinking and coherent person at the helm who can see clearly what awaits us in the future, what steps to take, who will consult with other CV residents, who will do the right thing or at least try to. What we do not need, though meant in a good way, I assume, is a Recording Secretary exceeding the job qualifications and job description, in lieu of a useless President, detrimental to us all.

People, we need to pull our pants up, tie our laces, put on our thinking hats and get out there and do the right thing. Demand your rights. Demand honesty. Demand transparency. And VOTE! VOTE!! 

BABY STEPS, FAIRY TALES, FRUSTRATION AND MORE

      We are told that there is no fairy tale ending to the virus situation, no happily ever after. That would be okay if, a great big if, there were no ogre hanging around, refusing to admit wrongdoings and pushing the world into an ever more seemingly permanent one of ugliness and anger.

 Grown ups do not expect fairy tale endings, certainly not in any realistic approach to life or an understanding of it. However, what we have now is a world of frustration, of anger, of a lack of understanding - not of people, not of oneself, not of the necessities of life and the realization that political leadership of this country, indeed of the world, is not a laughing matter, but an existential matter. And we are losing the battles and the wars in this arena.

Ironically, we do not even recognize - or at least deny recognition - of the truth of our words, even as we say and hear them. Many of us sit there and gape at the screen, at the interview, or stare at the words we just read, unbelieving, struck dumb, and angry, so angry. Angry at how we are losing not just a race or two, but losing the world, losing our country, losing our future.

.... by saying, “If you’re a dictator and you put people around you who tell you how great you are and what you want to hear, and I think they’re telling him, ‘Hey, you’re on top, you’re doing great.’”

Those were the words of H. R. McMaster as he chatted with Colbert. His foot was consistently being stuffed into his mouth by his own words. I cannot but believe that he knew exactly what he was saying, what was being maintained sotto voce, but did not have the moral equipment to stand up and shout to the skies about the dangerous creep, the buffoonish not such a buffoon, sitting there in the WH or traveling in luxury, draining the funds of the taxpayers, and all the while, stabbing American democracy and the American people in the back as they stupidly, dangerously, and unthinkingly back a person and his henchmen who will take away the liberty they so shout to the skies, even as he is more than on the beginning of a path most dangerous to us. 

The CDC has lost all credibility as two factions duke it out - one the scientists and the other the pathetic shills of Trump. In the meantime, we are left trying to figure out the new rules of survival. As for the vaccine, the supposed panacea, the happy ever aftering solution, well, forget it. Who can trust it now? Who knows what safety rules have been skipped, deliberately so, all in the rush to get it there before Nov. 3, all in the rush to avoid all scientific rules and regulations. Who will suffer? We, the people, even as we become a spectacle to the world, a twisted and bizarre remnant of a once great country, now a banana republic, subject to the whims and words of China, of Russia, of Xi, and Putin, and Orban and anyone who feels like chiming in with their own two cents, dangerous or inane or both at the same time!!

We eschew tradition and the rules and foundations of our own country. We tout 'historical precedent', even as we slam down the truthsayers who remind us of the hypocrisy going on. Trump dares to impugn the last words of an icon, even in death breaking a glass ceiling, the first woman to lie in state in the Capitol. "Maybe she did and maybe she didn't." And then claims the Democratic leadership put that statement out. Never mind her granddaughter, never mind the woman herself, just lie and lie and lie! And there will always be dangerous morons who believe and parrot.

Was he there? That he dare say that  and that there are believers of that rampantly evil statement - he is running yet another cavalcade of murderous cars right through the fabric of our nation. This, as he calls some of the largest cities of the country  “anarchist jurisdictions”    and threatens all sorts of punishments, as he destroys voting rights, claims 'naked ballots' - no privacy sleeve - need to be invalidated, thus insuring his winning of states such as Pennsylvania! He will stop at nothing, even as those responsible for the Mueller investigation now admit there was a whole lot more there and they should have done better - but there was fear in the air!

All the while, this man, this dangerous man, shouts that he is angry - at his own Republicans, claiming they need to do more to support him, even if it means buying into his egregious lies. The nerve! The danger! Even as their hypocrisy overflows the Potomac Basin, flooding the country with toxins that are  homicidal to our future as a democracy. Even as they line up like good little boys and girls to vote for another backwards and benighted Justice, dooming us for the next two generations at the very least, and most probably dooming it forever. So vast and deep is the harm that a packed Conservative bench will be.

Be afraid, folks, very much afraid. We are not in the midst of a good fairy tale. No woodsman to the rescue, no prince turned frog turned prince again, riding to the rescue. No time for baby steps or looking to others to solve the problem, make it go away even as you play around and refuse to pay attention. As a kid, I stood and shouted, "The whole world is watching" and I do the same now, only with more despair and understanding of the dangers we are facing. And with less hope that there is time and momentum to fix the problems.

Please, people. Heed the cry of so many and get out there and vote, even as it is getting ever more difficult to do so, as they try to rip that right away from all of us. VOTE. VOTE. Take your neighbor to the polls, help those who need help, do whatever is necessary so that we might have a better future, and if not us, at least the kids will. At least the world will have a better shot at surviving.

Just get out there and vote, especially now if your state has mailed the ballots out and/or early voting has begun. VOTE. VOTE.

WORDS WORDS WORDS WORD?

      Words cannot convey the emotions. They cannot convey the horrific possibilities that await us. Words cannot but express a fraction of the roiling emotions of so many at the passing of such an icon. It will be many a year until we have an equal, or one who approaches equality, and if Trump and the rest of the troglodytes have their way, there will never be such an individual. Why? Because that man and his demented, spineless, valueless cohorts will confirm an appointment of one of too many backwards thinking people to try, mind you, to try, to replace RBG. Impossible! Truly so.

     Meanwhile, here we are in a battle of words with an existential ending awaiting us. Either we wait and do the right thing, or we totally stomp upon America and its citizens. The GOP, Trump and McConnell, in particular, have thrown aside all formats, all even hints, of following rules and traditions, have climbed to the highest rung, or should it be the lowest rung, of hypocrisy, stepping all over their own behavior and tripping on  their forked tongues, as they rush to nominate a candidate, confirm, and change this country for the next 50 years and beyond. Never mind, they say, about Garland. Never mind, they say, about Kavanaugh. Never mind the overwhelming loss of decency, of 'Americaness' that their behavior means.

     We will turn into a tyrannically run country. We have one such tyrant, Orban, endorsing Trump! Wait a minute! Endorsing Trump? Once again, we have fallen to the rank of those tiny little countries at the beck and call, the toy, of other nations. We, America, have 'achieved' that embarrassing station in life. And make no mistake about it, for if we continue on this path, woe upon us. Words? There are none strong enough to express what that means.

     Need to see dancing in the streets? Do not even bother to turn on the TV. Just look outside your window and see the crude and thoughtless supporters of Trump shouting, "Fill that seat", with voluminous glee. with malicious joy, as they contemplate and react to the death of a tiny giant, an icon to and of the world, to thinking people here in America, and particularly to women. 

     The role she played in our lives, in bettering this country, in being a role model for the people of this nation - just watch the growing and spontaneous crowds that gathered at the steps to the Supreme Court. There was no dancing, no chanting, only sorrow and recognition of the huge loss we have suffered. And it truly is a blow to us and our hopes of turning back the tides of destruction we have welcomed in with the advent of Trump.

     How does one compare these two. Trump was dancing on her grave as he reveled in the chant. It did not happen fast enough for him! RBG expressed herself with dignity, all the time. Trump states that he does not trust the results of the election - that is if he loses, but should he manipulate it enough, as in via the USPS, then oh, sure, it is fine. The mere thought that he will fight an election - whoa! Dramatic and dangerous. Placing yet another puppet of his, another backwards individual who remains in the Middle Ages, on the Court, insuring an approval for him.  The recognizing of the danger to all of us, for no one is immune in a dictatorship, well, what words can I use to express the sorrow, the risk, the peril to us all.

     All this while we continue to lose people to the scythe of the virus. Still, people were calling it a hoax, resisting safety efforts, - until suddenly no longer a hoax, but a slayer of their loved ones, who fell before this enemy in droves. No longer a political hoax, but too late for these people to have realized and accepted it. So now they mourn their dead ones and the toll rises over 200,000 with more to follow. In March, Trump's empty yet dangerous words played it all down, saying nah, it would never even reach 100,000 - as we stand to pass double that today.

     Folks. I have no more words today. I have no words to express my grief at the passing of RBG. I have not enough words of power and strength to express my fears for this country, for the world, and yes, selfishly, if you will, for my family, for my own little personal world.

      Only one word might pull this out from the approaching fires. VOTE!!!! FOR G-D'S SAKE, FOR OUR SAKE, FOR THE SAKE OF YOUR CHILDREN, FOR THE FUTURE - VOTE!!!!

SOLEMNITY IN OUR TIMES

      Tonight we begin Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year, a time of atonement, of introspection, and a time for deep wishes for changes, positive ones, ones that benefit all, rather than a few individuals. We ask forgiveness from those we have offended, or might have offended. We usually spend hours in the synagogues, but this year prayers as a group have been truncated in order to limit time together and increased danger of COVID, with the rest of the prayers being prayed at home. And that haunting sound of the shofar will be heard on Sunday with a unique and heartwarming innovation. In many places all over the world and in America, there will be shofar blowing in various spots, enabling the homebound to hear it.

Generally, we wish each other happiness, peace, prosperity, joy and good health, but this year we need to wish our country, so ill, so battered by forces within and without, several deeply felt and needed wishes as well.

We wish all to have peace, to know that they can live their lives without fear of war, displacement, or starvation as people caused or Nature caused disasters arise. In fact, we wish for a definite ceasing of these disasters. And of course, we need to accept upon our shoulders our own participation in these causes. Food for deep thought - honest, too.

We wish for health for all. The current plague has disturbed the rhythm of the world and we wonder if we will ever get it back. Personally, I think not, for we are entering a growing phase in world history, where plagues are more likely to occur, for mutations to defeat prior successes in combating illness, and we will see a return of prior diseases once thought to be defeated, to have been conquered. Why?

Because we have lost trust in our governments. Thus, we wish for trusted and competent governments. For a government where all is not subsumed to and by politics. Where sanity prevails, along with understanding and compassion. We wish all to have governments in their countries that respect the rights of all, the exercise of all rights, even if unpleasant, without the dangers of being beaten up, arrested by secretive forces. Ramping up, now, Barr, that corrupt individual, has fallen into the ways of tyranny and is threatening to arrest protesters for sedition, being a danger to the country. Really? I can think of a whole lot of other people, mostly situated in DC who are the definition of sedition and treason, of danger to the country. Go, arrest them, and include yourself as well.

We wish for prosperity, one that will benefit all, not just those of the already top percentage points of wealth, but all, including the little guys and gals doing the tough jobs, carrying the daily lives of so many on their backs. If worth would be truly valued, then nurses, teachers, compassionate people in caring professions, orderlies and whomever else fits the description would be far wealthier. Skip the tax cuts for the wealthy, fix the infrastructure of the country. Fix the cracks that are roiling society, cracks going ever deeper under the ugly rule and behavior of a man who instigated and developed these cracks, working hard to deepen and widen them, pushing for ugliness that should never be. 

We, as a country, as a government, have lost credence and trust, belief in our goodness, as the world watches us as we treat children like trash, as we perform horrific sterilizations on unknowing women, as we ignore the dangers we place people in with our lunatic rolling back of safety regulations. We insanely return to the ignorance of the Middle Ages, turning our backs to science and instead go to quacks for their 'scientific' opinions.

We wish for leaders who have working brains. We wish for the hyper exaggerations to stop. Lockdown is not slavery! What the hell is the matter with Barr. Perhaps it is the water in the WH and the Capitol? All seem to have turned to lunacy, to absolute, dangerously ignorant, provocative statements, precluding any possibility of a nation healing and reuniting itself, for all of us to become Americans once more, not Democrats or Republicans. And while on the topic of GOP, we wish them a complete and total healing from their emasculation, their loss of morality and all moral values, their loss of compassion for others, their tragic and complete loss of spine, and of their ability to be firm in defense of their country, rather than in defense of a deeply compromised individual whose only desires and ambitions are to takeover the nation, establish his family dynasty, and become Ruler For Life - in his own words.

And we wish for joy for all. Is that possible? Yes, if all the above wishes come true and sanity and American values return to our shores. If the muck of the ever growing swamp of DC is cleaned up. If we return to a government not wrecked by nepotism, cronyism, old boy networks, and greed and corruption. 

In closing in my last posting of this Jewish calendar year, I truly wish for only the best for country, nation, world and all those living on this little orb in space. I wish for a return to our senses, for abysses formed to be filled in, sealed, for love to prevail, for honesty, transparency and morality to return to our governments. For the politicians to realize that their time has come, nationally, locally, and here in CV.

I will return to posting on Monday, and perhaps during days of prayers and introspection, of knowledge that we ALL have to do better, perhaps as Jews and non Jews, as all the peoples of the world come to their senses, we can have that better world and hope for the future.

That and those are my wishes for the New Year to all. Shanah Tova. a good and sweet year to come.

TEN VERSUS SEVEN

     According to the Bible it took seven days for Creation of the world, including a day of rest from all labor. Not a bad deal, definitely brought in on time. On the other hand, we have a set of ten days in which the fate of the world was perhaps set, etched in stone? Maybe. Only time will tell, but waiting for time's decision will make us too late for the party. 

          There were ten days in January when the most ignorant and incompetent, as well as corrupt, President in our history, had the future of our land and that of the world as well, right in  his tight fist and his little, battered mind. Strong and immediate action could have set a good pace to conquering the virus and cutting the numbers, those awful numbers here in the USA and round the world. But he sat. And sat. And sat. Doing nothing, which was the worst of all and here we are now, with countries shutting down again in desperation as their citizenry is falling again, as their economies are hit and hit again. Much of this tragedy could have been avoided if he had spoken up instead of ignoring it, defying science and qualified scientists who warned him, tried to explain to this thick headed individual what was the truth - but no dice. And here we are.

          And where are we? We are now in a dark land where science has been termed the new witchcraft, to be denied, ignored and indicted for the woes of the world. Science and its facts, climate change, the roaring fires of the West Coast and the smoke seen round the world - just go rake some leaves and ignore the coughing, the pain in your lungs, the difficulty in catching a deep breath, the destruction of all that you once owned, the ruination of town after town, of so many acres and acres, adding even more to the disaster's toll on us. But never mind that, for this just happened, so, in fact, let us take advantage of this and blame it all on antifas.

     Evidence? None, of course, but since when does this administration and its shills ever need evidence to support their fantastical accusations of plots and cabals? Great idea! Maye we can wish those hurricanes across the sky and have them dump their disastrous amounts of water on the fires. That would do it. Now, what esoteric black magic can we find. Let's go find some disqualified laughingstock of the world of scientists and let's boast of our wisest and brilliant moves. If it won't work, why. not to worry, Trump will just open his stupid mouth again and the nation's attention will roll over on cue. 

 If all this fails, not to worry, for the inciters of all this will stand there amazed. How did it happen, they will ask. Avoiding the mirror of truth they will ignore the obvious and blame all else.              

   No living happily ever after at the end of this dark fairy tale. The evil spirits and creatures of the world will have won. Can we turn this around before we have crossed the line of no return? Honestly, I think we already have, so deep and wide is the evidence and the events, but perhaps we can ameliorate it to a survivable degree. But we need leadership. We need people to think, of ideas, of solutions, and not new names to call people a la the schoolyard.

   The only way to do that is to VOTE. VOTE for the solutions rather than for those who amplify them. VOTE for those who think of others, rather than only of their power and funds. It will be more difficult to vote this year for a lack of poll workers due to fears of COVID. One will have to travel more. So prepare for that, organize for that, get your mail in ballot and bring it in or mailout early as possible. NO difficulties - just check the boxes that stand for sanity and hope and get it back there. VOTE for a future.

   

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"THINGS WERE GOING SO WELL"

      - until they weren't! And if my aunt had .....well. we all know how that one goes, do we not? Need more to clarify? Ok, and if wishes were horses..... See, wishes and lies and false speech ala Trumpian style, do not make something that is not nor ever was, into something that existed, other than in someone's twisted and deluded mind.
     Need more? Not a problem. Not at all, unfortunately. So..."We're going to be okay and it's going away without the vaccine." Uh huh. And all cows are born with two heads! Same difference, folks, lies out of thin air and the tragedy? People believe these outrageous statements, ignoring the very facts, the very reality that has hit us all so hard. You are still unconvinced, still hanging onto the self boasts of his, the moronic and dangerous statements that fly out of his forked tongue mouth? Here goes again.
     "Sure, with time it will go away." Away where? Into the bodies and the brains of those who do not wear masks, do not social distance, or the bodies and brains of those poor innocents who obey the safety precautions but are caught and hurt, perhaps even killed - yes, killed - by the criminal - yes, criminal - behavior of those who could give a damn, following the broken mind of a man who speaks of "herd mentality" rather than herd immunity. Such is the state of his mind, and the minds of so many of his supporters. Such is their complicity in manslaughter as so many fall under the scythe of their ignorance. The individual stops thinking, stops having any independent thoughts, refuses to do just that tad of research to find the truth. That, my friends, is a herd mentality, and that, combined with a myth of herd immunity, one that will take even more hundreds of thousands of lives, infect millions, yes, millions, more, well, sign up at the door of the closest GOP office near you and perhaps you might get a full dose of that herd mentality!
     According to the Demented One, the dangerous one, he "up played" the virus and his response, in direct contradiction of his own words, on tape, that he down played it. Well, so what do you believe? Hard to follow, you say? No, it is not. Just follow the bouncing ball over the figures, the ones that state we have over 6.5 million infected, 195,000 dead, growing apace, doing oh so very well, thank you, says Trump and his liar appointees, and hey, what a triumph! We will be the leaders once more as we cross over borders of numbers that were and are still unthinkable, unacceptable, yet there it is. Things were going so well, right - until they were not. 
     Oh, and must not forget the truism of his that kids do not get it, but if they do, they do not die. Go tell that to the parents of the almost 400,000 kids who were infected and the over 121 kids who died - and do not forget the growing numbers as schools are reopened to in person learning, greatly urged on by Trump ad his quacks. who accuse others of plots and all sorts of fantastical behavior. Watch those numbers as they rise each and every day. So, guess things are going so very well there, are they not!!
     We come across as deluded, as hopeless, as helpless, as not knowing what to do, as the leaders of Europe and the world were during their Middle Ages time of plagues. We are reaching out to levels that are what. going to rival those of the huge 1918-19 Spanish flu epidemic? Such achievement! Going great! And not to forget to add to the pot the oncoming flu season, and always  a fight to get people to take the damned shot!! Think these itty bitty critters care a whit about your political benighted beliefs. Think they are 'Trump scared' of approaching you, either of these critter families? Well, guess again. Come up with the correct and life saving answer. Not that hard. Not really.
    We are told to think what was and what needs to be in the future. Well, that is exactly correct - what was, before 2016, was a country that had made great progress in revitalizing a 2008 shocked economy. It was working on medical care for all, for safety net programs, for environmental protection and for what happens when those safety regulations are voided - look up fires- California, Oregon, Washington, or check Flint, Michigan, for water issues or increased earth tremors in fracking territory. The list of possibilities are endless, unfortunately, and of course, do not forget our rising seas, our flooding rivers, our drought parched territories and just think a tad, ruminate somewhat, and I am positive so many other areas of concern will arise. And no, raking leaves in forests will not do the trick! We had a country paying attention to historical errors, working on it, welcoming new immigrants, not sterilizing women or throwing kids to the wolves, so to speak. Yes, and what is, well, it is exactly what it is - to our ever growing shame.
     This man, the ostensible president of ALL Americans, concedes that he just cannot tolerate  Democratic members or affiliates, feels they are just too foreign for him, not really sure if they come under the heading of Americans. When asked about that, reminded that he was the president of ALL Americans, read his response, oh so telling. And people,  understand, that once a group, any group, is singled out for negative attention, well, the rest will follow. Brown people, Black people, White people who simply do not get that man and his followers, Jews, political opponents - oh, Democrats? All follow and fall into the hell of a despotic country, with all the trimmings of tyranny. Think not, well, think again, look around at the world today. Just do not look Mother Nature or Father G-d in the eye, for mind me, they are MAD, oh so ANGRY at us!
     Back at the ranch, about being president to all, well, hoist by his own petard, here are his very words in answer to the posed question and reminder. Democrat-run states are the ones that are doing badly, George," Trump said. "Look, I'm the president of everybody but -- I don't want to say it -- the Democrat-run cities. It is what it is."
     And oh yes, from the horse's mouth, or the ass's, for that matter - it is what it is, a portent of a miserable future and a very poor present, to say the least.
    I could go on all day without running out of the perils of Donald, the Pauline of today, the one who persists in bringing on his own dangers and existential threats, telling huge whoppers, and blaming all others for the inevitable and tragic failures that result. 
    And oh, no! Just read the sun is starting  a new solar cycle with oh such goodies awaiting us. Oy vey!
     Go vote! Help the country. Help the world. Help yourself. Help your loved ones. Go Vote!!

WHO EXACTLY IS TALKING NOW?

          Were an alien to land on this planet now, he would shortly flee back home with a warning to his superiors: Do not go there. Their Lord is angry and the people are disturbed. It is a most dangerous place to be; to go is out of the question.
       Can you actually wonder why this scenario might have taken place? A landing on the West Coast in any of the three states there - California Oregon, and Washington - would present a hellfire of raging, wild, out of control fires that seem to have originated from the fires of Hell. They burn up people, animals, houses and towns alike, no differential in sight. No fire is even a tiny bit under control and one wonders how much longer these heroic firefighters can last, for even heroes are human, even heroes lose the fight with physical limitations. The smoke has even reached the East Coast - go to Virginia to see it yourself.
     The locusts are eating the crops of an already endangered area of East Africa, worsening the hunger crisis there, while drought and flooding are ruining the crops all over the globe. The pandemic, despite all the so called advances of civilization, is killing the people of this globe, this orb in space, and makes no distinction among people, for all are liable and susceptible. Stars, athletes, essential workers, kids, and average adults - all fall prey to this, with no end in sight. One trial has now been stopped as there was a critical side effect revealed. Haste makes waste, anyone? A vaccine before Election Day? You would have to be nuts to take it. Beware: Danger Ahead on that choice. Politics does not good medicine and vaccines make!!
     The rules of society have broken down. There is no more talk, for no one is willing to listen, all too busy shooting their mouths off to stop and listen, to stop and think. It does not matter which country one picks - stick a pin in an atlas and there ya' go! Riots, incited violence, arms in the streets, civilians whaling away at each other, countrymen dividing into angry tribes. Need an example of this? Go stream all the episodes of The 100, especially the first seasons and see what happens when people go berserk, forget their shared humanity and go off the charts in their behavior.
     America, the land of the free and the brave, well, it does not exist any longer. The freedom is hinged to one's politics, particularly if one respects the need for society to help the needy, to seek to improve life for all, to seek equity, medical care, decency and humanity. Brave indeed are those who stand out there and protest.
     And the law is no help here as it has been perverted by the powers that be. Government departments turn corroded to their very foundations, and the President here and elsewhere use them as personal adjuncts of their own. Illegal appointments, greed and corruption, and sleaze rules the day. Even the illegitimate President dares to say this once again: "Fifty-two days from now we're going to win Nevada, and we're going to win four more years in the White House," Trump said to the mostly maskless crowd. "And then after that, we'll negotiate, right? Because we're probably—based on the way we were treated—we are probably entitled to another four after that." 
     One can watch a video to check it out. Frightened yet? You should be, for this is the signaled end of American democracy, of America, of The United States of America, as we know it, or rather, knew it. The man and his cohorts are serious, so wake up, Now!

        So where do we go now? I am afraid there is no more room for us to maneuver, for doom is apparently upon us. Today's title asks who exactly is talking now. Who is the one, who are the ones, speaking for and to humanity? Check the Bible, in the portion of Noah's story. Check Romans I, as it is retold. The land has filled with greed, with robbery, with bad behavior of all types. People are caring nothing for others, out only for themselves. And the Lord grew angry.
      And the Lord is angry right now. His angels are pushing Him once again to do something, to start anew, for His Creations have wasted this opportunity. Worse, they have smeared it with shame. Hence, my friends, locusts, plague, drought, floods and seven things, five named, out there in the Atlantic even as on the other side of the globe, Japan was inundated as well as Korea. No one is immune; we are all on the same small globe hurtling through space, no escape, no differential.
     Worst of all, we are emulating the worst of human behavior. We are slaughtering the weaker, starving those already starving, allowing those ill to die, alone and in pain, hopeless and helpless. We throw almost 9,000 children over the border, alone, no parents, no relatives, right into the maelstrom of the plague in Mexico, medical and social. We are sterilizing Mexican women and other illegal immigrants, no permission asked, no information given out. Echoes of the Holocaust. Echoes of the awful genetic superiority theory. What are we doing? What have we done? And what will we continue to do - until the end?
    People, who is talking now, who is speaking through our mouths? Look around, take account. The Lord is Angry. Real Angry! We need to shut our mouths, stop what we are doing and heed these warnings. Yes, we have ruined the environment all by ourselves. We have caused climate change even as people still deny, even as we have had the hottest summer ever, even as it snowed in Denver in between 90 degree days. We are lost and need some signposts to find our way back. Is it too late? Has G-d taken us at our words, as our behavior indicates, that we could care about what we have done to His earth? Only G-d knows, folk, and we can only but surmise and read the events and their message to us. I could care less by what name you call G-d. Just listen up and get better. Now!!

SO, SECOND CHANCES.........

     To continue with the thoughts of yesterday. As I wrote the posting yesterday, I was working it out at the same time. These are  thoughts which require more thinking. Would we recognize second chances? Would we know what to do? Would we waste them, toss them down the drain or would we all become selfish and grab what we can during those moments?
     I do not know the answers to these questions. They reside within the mind and heart of others. One cannot truly and surely predict the actions of another, only postulate based on other factors. Sometimes we are pleasantly surprised and at other times, well, we look at each other with mouths agape at the results. Who'd a thunk! is the name of that expression.
     Today, in these times, we, the nation as a whole, is being given a second chance. The question here is whether we will reach out and grab it, or will we turn away in mixed emotions. Many of us have great fears as to the future. Will people understand the perils we are facing and these are not the perils of Pauline, to be solved on a weekly basis. These are existential perils, some of which appear to be hidden below ground, the massive berg body of danger.
     Biden spoke at his nomination acceptance that the character of the nation, of the American people, is on the ballot. We are being asked to choose between light and dark, between hope and disaster, a nation divided against itself. We already know that does not work out well, costing too much in blood and darkness, but have we learned from history, have we learned to grab this second chance we are being offered?
     Many of us have turned inwards, We do not want to hear anymore of the politics of the nation. It is too hard, too cutting, too filled with despair. We are reaching inward and outward on a personal basis, looking for our personal second chances and that is a good thing. It staves off disaster and a depth of darkness that would be impossible to overcome. It allows for creative expressions to arise where before there were none. It allows for an individual to reach out to family and friends, to new ways of thinking, a return to sanity and community awareness.
     This, in turn, will hopefully make us understand that the cusp we are on, right now, as a nation,  is not a second chance, but a last one. As the West Coast burns, as people go missing or are incinerated in the fires from Hell, we are approaching a point of no return. Funds have been slashed from environmental programs. Big business and bottom lines of corporations have been treated as sanctified, even as the lives of people have been discounted. As the uber wealthy feast and banquet, the rest of America goes hungry, food insufficient, insecure, children looking at the loaf of bread with hungry eyes and growling stomachs, while parents hang their heads in despair.
     These people do not see second chances around them. They are too busy trying to survive, and we have failed them, failed as a nation in its duties towards its citizens and residents. We have failed to avoid the darkness. We have failed to find the switches for the light to shine again, for the sun to break through the clouds of smoke and ash, for greenery to take over the now dry and lifeless areas of America once more. To truly live by the ethos of America, the words on the Statue that welcomed so many, to honor the Declaration and the Constitution, to be American in the best sense of the word.
    Today, the illegitimate president is busy erasing a future, any second chance we might have. He has brought us down to the level of some piddling third ranked nation, with Russia and China interfering in our most sacred rite of voting, arguing over which person should be elected, and we need to hang our heads in shame - and raise our voice in anger that we have come to this. Ignorant truth denying people who claim to be scientists, even as they deny the truths of science, incompetent and greedy, thieving individuals appointed to positions that enable their power grabs and theft. And a president who cannot find his ass with both hands in bright light - yet has managed to take us along with him in his demented plunge into darkness.
    We do have a second chance, or rather a last chance. As much as many of us have taken the opportunity to grab that personal second chance, we now need to reach out further, to grab the last chance of our nation. No, Biden is not perfect. No one ever said he was or is. But he is manifestly not Trump. That alone is the weight on the choice. Not Trump. Not the path of destruction, but the difficult path of reconstruction, of reunifying the nation, of detoxing the poison in  the veins and arteries of our nation. Difficult task, and I am not even sure if we are on time to do that. But we must try. We must not shun and waste this opportunity for if we do, there will be no others. No second chances for anyone. Not even America, for she will be no more. Not in her true essence. What to do? VOTE!! Vote for hope. Vote for a future. Vote for light rather than darkness. Vote for a new age of Renaissance rather than another Dark Ages. VOTE!!

STOCHASTICITY

     Yup, that was a new one for me too. It has to do with randomness and how we often recognize it after it happened, and often see whatever we are looking back at, as a miracle. For example, a baseball landing exactly between two outfielders, neither able to reach it on time, a runner scores and the game is lost or won, depending upon the team. One knew the ball would go somewhere when hit, but exactly just where was random, a miracle at that needed moment and event. That is the randomness that occurs along with certainty. We are sure the ball will land somewhere - certainty - but exactly where - stochasticity.
     My new piece of knowledge came while reading a marvelous book, The Falling Woman, by Richard Farrell. The story is fascinating, a woman falling from the sky, as the airplane in which she was seated blew up. Randomness as to her survival, or a miracle? Whatever it was, whatever people read into it, claiming miracles due to her, or those who screamed fraud, it offered her a second chance.
      But what do we do with second chances? She was already dying from pancreatic cancer, so why did she live? Why was she 'chosen' - or was she? The seats were chosen randomly by the passengers, so, a miracle she chose that one or a random choice due to a whim or what was available? The answers depend upon the vision, the view, of the reader, or thinker.
     As she lands, her own thinking is that "somehow, by some trick of fate or some quirk of physics, I survived." Miracle? Randomness? Did it really matter? Then came the hard part. What does one do with this 'miracle', this second chance? Does one do the expected? In a discussion between two of the main characters, one states that it is all "about getting to the bottom of things, figuring out what happened..... a commitment". But the question and answer still awaiting us are forcing the characters to rethink much of their beliefs, the remnants of their former lives, their former principles and tenets by which they lived.
     Not everyone gets a chance, even if just prior to dying, to rethink and re-opt their choices of principles of life. Do they have to please all, immerse themselves so deeply that they lose themselves? Or is it permissible to take into account the wishes and needs of themselves, even if contrary to standard thinking, even if it will hurt others who might or might not ever come to understand these decisions? Does society rule always or do the immediate and eternal needs of the person take precedence. Note, that this does not allow for criminal behavior, only a different 'view' of life, one that can sometimes only be seen clearly after an act of 'stochasticity', forced into that crux of a moment, that choice for a lifetime, however long it might be, or whatever the consequences.
     This story hit me right in the gut. Well written and well worth reading, caught up in the contents immediately, on page one, it is worthwhile for that alone. However, considering the times we live in, will continue to live in for the foreseeable future, the novel goes deeper than that. The author pushes the reader, using his words, the momentum of the plot, forces one to think about her/his own life. Has one lived a worthwhile life? Would she, should she, have done differently and if so, can she do it now? 
     What was her view of life and was she true to it or did she lose her way? Can one return to that lost path, live how one believes is the right way for oneself, deal with the hurt and anger to all sides that might occur? Is that the right thing to do? The wrong thing? Does it change according to the randomness of the event? How does one choose, rate the necessity, the importance of a final decision? Does one remain true to oneself or not? Finally, has one lived a worthwhile life, leaving a legacy, does something good in life and is there still a chance, even when dying, or even when seemingly locked into a hard place where life and former choices and thinking have placed the person? Does one need to fall out of a plane or an equivalent to re-view the world, and review one's own life?
     Being in a situation where we are warned that age and underlying conditions make one more vulnerable to the virus, to survival, this book, its thought provoking content, spoke to me. All die, a part of the life cycle of all living things - and even inanimate things - in a way. We need to know that and all our frantic efforts to postpone that moment, not thinking it through to the end as to what will that life be, what will we gain - or lose- and what will be the effect upon our loved ones, well, perhaps we need to redo this part of our thinking. 
      Perhaps we need to think about doing something worthwhile with the time we have left. Perhaps we need to think about our view of life and how it has changed, for better or worse, over our lifetime. Perhaps we need to open ourselves up to new thinking, to trust, to friendship, to taking a chance on new paths, to being true to ourselves. It is a second chance and one need not fall out of that sky or have another stunning moment of randomness to hit them on the head for this thinking to occur, for life to change for the better -at least for that person. And remember, the change is one that is presumed to be a positive one, one that will lead to a satisfactory conclusion at some point. One that will fulfill the words of Shakespeare, "To thine own self be true."
     I have made my peace with the approach of the end of a phase of life. I have acknowledged that there are conditions that will probably set that stage into play sooner, rather than later. I have rethought much of life, am satisfied that I did what was right for me and for my family, been, for the most part, a contributor rather than a taker. I have enjoyed my career, loving each glorious moment of teaching, when the joy of learning and understanding lit up the faces of students, and the learning that I received from them as well. My children and grandchildren are beginning to make their way into the world as principled and caring contributing members of society, Thus, my views has changed somewhat, more outspoken about society and its needs, more forthright with my words, and know that when this door closes, there will be a legacy, a positive one.
    I believe that this novel should be read by all, thought abut and spoken about. It is that good.
     Enjoy  life, understand the randomness, know the importance of it, and be thankful for learning a new word!! Always time to learn new things. That is what makes life both interesting and expansive.
Second chances can be made by oneself so do you want one? Make one. Take a chance on yourself.

NEED TO HUNKER DOWN

     So tells us Dr. Fauci, as we approach the fall and winter seasons. It will get worse, he predicts, as we move on especially as we move more indoors, with signs flashing 'danger', even as people do not listen. i.e. college students partying away despite all that has happened and continues to happen. 
     Or the idiot simpletons who endanger themselves and others with their moronic political approach to mask wearing and social distancing. Why not send them to Sturgis victims of their own folly as they now suffer from growing rates of the virus. We are till getting more than 36,000 new cases a day, almost 192,000 dead, over 6.3 million infected, and growing, on target for 410,000 by Jan., but there ya' go! Mask? Nah, not for me, as the idiots say.
     Better we should use the heroic words of the heroes of Flight 93, who used the words "Let's roll!" to become the heroes of the day, examples for decades to come. We need to use their words as inspiration for us to roll as well. There are so many needs for us to meet and all the while under this man, Trump, we are wasting time, and worse, endangering our world even more, every day, every hour.
     Pelosi says that "Mother Earth is angry" as she talks of the massive and awful fires of the West Coast. Well, people, look around and then wonder, perhaps Father G-d is also angry with us. The earth once again has filled with greed, chaos, robbery, rampant crime, and other such 'wonderful' achievements. We have lost most sense of honor and honesty. We have turned from traditional positive values to no values at all other than the bottom line and  'stuff', things that are of no use as we flee the man made disasters upon us.
     What to do? What can be done? Well, folks, today is 9/11, a day that America and the world were challenged and they stood up to it. The nation united as almost never before. We heard the nations of the world give forth in banner headlines with statements of unity and  sympathy. The GOP and the Democrats hugged each other at the Capitol, but today, well, today, that is unimaginable. Today, there would have been immediate blame laying rather than unity. That is America today. That is not the America of the "let's roll" heroes of Shanksville, Pa. We ought to be ashamed of ourselves.
     And blow me down, but Trump is actually right in a statement he told a rally of non mask wearing fools. "This is not a crowd of a person who comes in second place,"  Oh, how right he is. Second place? Nope. Last place. That is where he is always and forever. Last in decency. Last in humanity. Last in intellectual ability. Last in honor and honesty. Last in any value to our nation and first in being the worst President ever, the one who has endangered our very foundation, our ethos, our very being. 
     Even on this sacred day he chose to lie, to promote himself, as he called stations to offer his oh so important take on the tragedy. What was so wrong? The stock market closed! And the lies, that he saw things that the angle of his windows did not allow for. Or that he saw thousands of Muslims dancing on rooftops in Jersey. What a crock! Never was, other than in his own already deluded, hallucination ridden mind.
     Today is a day of reflection, of thought, of an attempt to understand the importance of America. What does it mean to the world? Where have we failed, and in so many areas? What do we need to do to fix the situation? We need to also roll, roll onto the right paths, return to our heritage, shore up the weak and uneven spots, always working to improve, towards an ideal of perfection. 
     We need to take care of our needy, to erase food insufficiency from the land. We need to offer quality education to all children and set up programs for adults needing training for a new job world, include, rather than exclude, and for sure, open our borders in a fair and controlled humane manner, allow in the new and fresh minds we need to move onward. Often the new immigrants are the ones with the pride of country, the eagerness to pay back that we so desperately are short of.
     We are America. WE are Americans. On the census there is a question one does not have to answer, which asks what you are, where you came from, dividing the world into regions. I answered simply - American. That is what I am and what we all are, including you!. No matter where our ancestors originated, no matter if one is first or fourth generation - we are all Americans. We so desperately need to remember that, to include that feeling of unity, of oneness in our nation.
     So let's roll today, all of us. Let us think on our past, on that day of tragedy and heroism, a day of loss, yet enriched by the heroic behavior of so many at all three sites. Let us look for the positive to be gained, leaving the ugliness behind.
      Let's roll on the path towards fixing this world of ours. Early vote, mail in, take the ballot to the office, vote in person, no matter the difficulty there might be. Exercise the right and the responsibility of a citizen of this country. Vote that man into last place, he and his ilk, back to last place which is where they belong, and always have been. Hunker down for the virus, but step up and stand out for America.
      VOTE. Have faith in our country. Let us all get it back on track, the American track, the proud track, the one that will save us all with the combined efforts of all - all Americans. And the rest of the world as well, as they see us return to tradition, to progress, to a partnership with them, for we all live on the same floating orb.
                   VOTE!

FOILED AGAIN - DANGNABBIT!!

     Nerts! Today I thought I would write a light and fluffy piece about life in semi quarantine, but foiled again. That man in DC apparently has nothing better to do than talk his stupid mouth off and dig the hole he is in even deeper than ever. Truly, when Mattis said that he is beyond stupid to "felony stupid" he hit it right on target.
     Worse than that is the judgement that is more and more prevalent, that Trump is guilty of reckless endangerment. He has recklessly, carelessly and purposely placed Americans in danger of and for their lives, done so knowingly, with an attitude of he knows best and to hell with the rest. The arrogance alone is enough to knock one's socks off, but the consequences are more than just open mouthed astonishment. 
     The numbers speak for themselves. No, wrong. They do not speak, but rather shout to us, screaming, that we had better come to our senses before it is too late - if it is not already so. Months ago we cringed at the thought that we could have as much as 200,000 dead by end of year. We are now on target for 410,000 dead by end year, and trust me, that number is on the low side. Nor does it take into account the millions - millions - to reach double digits - who are infected and the lingering consequences to them, to the nation, to our economy. As far as I, and many others are concerned, much of this can be laid directly at the front door of the WH.
     There is no more Great White Father, that supposedly paternally caring figure in DC who would take care of Native Americans. There is no more father figure in that building on Pennsylvania Avenue. Nor is that man my papa and neither is he yours. I know my Pops had my best interests at heart, would never ever do ought to harm me, nor tell me a lie that would possibly cause injury or death to me or anyone in the family. That is a Papa, but that man, oh, no, he is not. Yet he has the audacity to arrogantly admit to Woodward that he is a "cheerleader" for this country and he doesn't want people to panic. 
     Who the hell is he to decide where the truth ends and where the lies begin. I believe that to Trump, there is no dividing line, the only item of importance being whether it is good for him, good for his re-election and maintenance of power even beyond that. The arrogance, the nerve, the incompetence, the missed opportunities, the disasters not avoided or nearly head on, the errors of Kushner, the moral vacuum and weakness of the aides - all this a telling shame upon us here in this country. That we allowed such a man to be president. That we allowed the Republican Senators to vote to acquit with all that was there, all that was hidden though all knew it was there anyway - the GOP should hang their heads in deep and abiding shame as a beginning of a task that might never be finished. Who knows if we will ever return to any semblance of what we were and what we should be?
     As you sit in front of your computer screen, or peer at your phone, ask yourself if you will believe this man when he tells you that he has a vaccine for you. A modern day snake oil salesman. Here in our front yard as well as in the backyard. And yet he has the arrogance to decide that nothing will stand in the way of his return to office. Deaths? Pfft! Sickness? Pfft. Weaklings! Dementia apace? Who knows or even cares! Felony stupidity - all that and more, all for the price of one vote! Will you vote by taking the vaccine he is pushing, which health officials deny, or will you swallow the Kool-Aid and go down as  a modern day Jones victim, that Jim Jones being one Donald Trump, the bane of our existence and survival as the United States of America.
     Bad things happen when a tyrant is allowed to remain in office. Bad things happen when people listen to lies and ignore their common sense. Bad things happen when incompetence and dementia rule the day, when the supposed leader is damaged beyond repair, well into overtime in office or never should have been there in the first place. And I must add to that that it does not make a difference whether one is at a local or lower than federal level of government, for all must work and mesh together as best we can. Right now we do not - not on the federal level, not on many state levels, and not on local levels in many towns and villages including right here in good old CV.
     Let us not join that man and his acolytes and fellow reckless endangerers of life. Let us vote for one who has empathy and understanding, who knows that truth is of utmost importance, that it will all come out anyway, so just stick to it!!
      Folks, we all have to do our duty and take advantage of our valued privilege and right to vote. The outcome is on our shoulders. We need to do better than we are doing now. We must do better. We need to work together if we are to succeed.
      "Donald Trump is the first president in my lifetime who does not try to unite the American people — does not even pretend to try. Instead, he tries to divide us," Mattis added. "We are witnessing the consequences of three years of this deliberate effort. We are witnessing the consequences of three years without mature leadership."

People, read that again and again. Think about it. Then VOTE. Once!