'TIS THE SEASON TO BE.....

      To be what, exactly? The season where we are to be jolly, merrily rolling along, overspending on nonsense that will shortly be stuffed in closets, to be donated or regifted a few months later. Part and parcel of the whole season, along with the intricate planning and logistics necessary to gather the clan. This year, though, is different. A space wanderer who left earth a year ago would not recognize the season here and would wonder what the hell happened.

What happened is that the chickens came home to roost or the wages of sin were fully repaid, or any other cliche or idiom that all state the same thing: We goofed - major. We are now reaping the crop of what we planted, and it ain't fun, is it? We pushed, shoved, encouraged, and developed a society where we forgot the others of the world. Smug and snug, or so we thought, in our own little pods, before the pods of today, we pushed away images of growing homeless encampments, including the growth of family population of said camps. We stepped over the increasing numbers, once again, of those sleeping on the sidewalks of our cities, in doorways and on subway grates. Oh, a time or two, or in a fixed routine with a "pet" beggar, we would throw in a few coins or bills into a cup, a hat, or an instrument case and marvel at the talent one finds in subway tunnels. And on we went with our lives.

But life tends to catch up. Nothing is for nothing and bills come due. We are now in  the bill paying phase of life and it is a struggle, not a pretty scenario. Frankly, I wonder if and when we can ever get out of this phase, how long it will go on and should we be lucky and talented and wise enough to rebalance, to fix and mend, to unite in  a search for a fair and equitable society - well, will we? Ever? Or have we totally lost our way, beyond all bread crumbs, GPS and Waze help, no British accented sexy voice to guide us home or to whatever destination we aim for.

The milk of human kindness. That is the ingredient we have shed along the way. We ignore the fact that some "improvements" crush the hopes of others. They trash the dreams of others. That need not be. For the sake of a few dollars or even millions, why do we cede to the corporations the right to amass revolting amounts of money, even as they lay off people? Why do we tell people to tighten their belts, to buck up, tough times are coming, are here already, even as there is overconsumption by others to the point of nausea? Why do we throw out such excess food while other families are staring into the windows, the hunger gnawing away at their insides, the hunger not only for food, but for a life, for a future for their kids, for a fair shot?

We have allowed elected officials to degenerate into a crowd of incompetent, selfish, corrupt individuals whose interest in governing grows only as it attaches to their bottom lines, be it in power or wealth. The people they represent are of concern during election and campaign season and then back in the closet of who cares they go, not even to be regifted! 

We have elected and then enabled a deranged man in the throes of growing dementia to rule the day, to drag along the moral weaklings of the GOP who to this day cannot find their spine, their balls, their moral point of gravity to call Joe Biden the President-elect. They allow the utter dangerous nonsense to go on, to challenge the foundations of our democratic society. All because they are afraid of that deranged man. Worse, they continue to give him credence and allow him airtime to spout his dangerous garbage.

Even as there are good people who struggle to care for others, for themselves, to keep a steady hand on reality, there are so many that fight against that. In one place they paste up stickers that they are all around, along with their swastika symbols. In another they leave nooses, drawn on walls, or hanging from a doorway. Or we hear about the brown criminals ruining our society. Well, do I have news for you! And no, it is not raining men - though we could use some real men right now! It is we, us, who are ruining our society, from top to bottom, from left to right.

So from a petty dictator in the Village, along with other petty people to madmen in office, brother! Do we have work to do. An editor of a useless piece of propaganda here in the Village styles herself as the lord of all that is printed. Never mind the motto of a free press, for she favors censorship, particularly censorship of anything that might smack of criticism of her Lord and Master, David Israel, even as he descends more and more into a paranoid state of secrecy and opaqueness of mind and action. And meanwhile, as nothing of opposition gets printed, letters to the editor thrown out, the Village descends into perilous times.

People who are encouraging reform, pushing for a better society, are demeaned, called names and one name in particular puzzles me. That is the term socialist, which  has come to be a pejorative one. People are 'accused' of being socialist. Well, okay, one can differ in thinking, but those who shout the loudest are the ones who benefit the most from that 'socialism'. Medicare. Social Security. SNAP. Agriculture subsidies. Federal education funds. Funding for infrastructure. All taken even as they shout socialist, with a venomous tone of accusation. They forget that it was the socialists of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, fighting and shouting in the streets, striking, even as the scabs and the cops beat on them, even then, they persisted and to them we owe the thanks for the better life that we have been lucky and blessed enough to have. Should we turn back the clock on all this because some call it tainted, 'socialist' - ooohhhh! Should we send the kids back to work for ten hours a day?

And now, we are in an era that is losing it all. We shoot missiles at other missiles, so other countries build better ones, even as people starve, lose jobs, fall ill and die. We marvel at the huge and many homes of the absurdly wealthy, the conspicuous consumption, even as too many in the world live on streets, shacks and shanties, tin sheds and cardboard boxes. We argue over trillions of dollars even as a few dollars would help so many back onto a ladder of life, of hope, of goodness and dreams. 

So 'tis the season to think, to evaluate, to come down strongly on the side of humanity. Let us give the gift of life to those who need it so. Let us remember the true values of Christmas, Chanukah, and Kwanza, a triumvirate of holidays with moral, ethical, and human rights underpinnings - if we continue to recognize those values.

There is always hope if we but look for it in the right places. Let us certainly give gifts, but make them gifts of purpose, of fun, and yet gifts of seriousness and commitment as well. That will indeed be a good season and despite that deranged man's rantings - A Happy Holiday Season to all - Christmas, Chanukah and Kwanza and any other seasonal holiday that I have missed or do not know of. We are all G-d's creatures and so our holidays remind us. Let us share those reminders, share in their values and spread the joy.

 

DOES IT? REALLY?

     What is it that really matters? Probably everything at one time or another, though much of the "mattering" is temporal, fleeting, though of critical importance at the time. Especially to the individual. An example of such would be the anxiety dialed up into the stratosphere when one has to take a major qualifying test. That anxiety begins to fade as soon as the last bubble or essay is finished. Done and over, cannot undo and it is out of one's sphere of worthy worrying over items.

  However, there are things and concepts worth worrying over. Such a concept is integrity. We are told by an embattled Republican that "Integrity does matter." And he stuck to his guns. Finally. A GOP member who decided that it was time to stand free and clear from the lies and madness of Trump. Hopefully, he will stand as an example of courage in a world gone insane, led by insanity rather than humanity, an era where the emperor did not even have to tell people he wore clothes. They imagined it all for themselves.

So Biden won, by the largest popular vote edge ever in our history, but then again, he did not win. Uh uh. Trump won by "a lot" in Trump's own words and deluded mind. That is bad enough, worse, even, when no one in that GOP party, inside that WH, had the integrity to say out loud the word - deranged, demented, insane, lack of reality. The choice was clear, but the choice was never made, as the staffers and Party members became part and parcel of the shame, of the horrifying scenario we presented to the world. Integrity was invisible.

Now we need the return of integrity to the nation. Enough of this nonsense. Two idiot women, of course with FOX ties, made this insane and inane statement.  "Voter fraud is: impersonating people at the polls, false registrations, duplicate voting, fraudulent use of absentee ballots, buying votes, illegal assistance at the polls, ineligible voting like illegal aliens voting, dead people voting, altering the vote count, ballot petition fraud. Those are some of the fraudulent activities,"  Every single one of these supposed pathways to fraud cannot take place and certainly while errors might happen, it is nigh unto impossible to do this on a mass scale and do so in such a restricted way as to cherry pick one candidate and not affect the down slate. It is just nonsense. 

Dangerous nonsense. Poisonous to our democracy, our trust in our supposed to be guiding principles, and just not able to be implemented. I worked polls and know that, know the safeguards, know the poll workers who come out, work hard, and aid in the  most basic of all rights- the right to vote in a free and clear election. The right to trust in that truth.

So enough with that. The votes were cast, the die was cast, and now we have enough problems in reality to deal with. Predictions are being made of 4,000 deaths a day and G-d alone knows the total bottom line by the time the vaccine is fully ready, distributed, and works with no serious side effects - like death! It also needs the trust of the people in this vaccine, despite all the lies of the prior President, all the filthy politics that went into this program along with all the neglect and incompetence. Trust. Integrity. So important and so noticeably absent these past four years.

So why the continued belief in the fake reality ginned up by the deluded and enabled man? Because people are lacking the courage and integrity to admit they made a mistake. They chose the wrong dude, fell for his tricks, became part of the unthinking mob, searching for an answer, an easy one, for targets to scapegoat - and now, to admit that failing  ...  well, that is hard to do. But it must be done if we are to return to being one nation, one America. Then, and only then, can we look towards victory in the war against the pandemic, victory and success in helping people now going hungry and homeless and hopeless and fixing our economy, reversing the damage done to us all in every which way by the prior administration. Integrity needs to rule.

We must not forget, however, the integrity that has gone missing in the local areas. Here in CV we are seeking integrity from UCO under every rock and clump of grass. We are finding very little, as integrity loses the daily battle there. What are they doing there? What decisions are they making that will screw us short and long term? Where does one go for information as we are blocked from UCO. Why are we not using Zoom? 

When and how are the elections to be held with David Israel and henchmen refusing to have assemblies and meetings, blaming it on COVID. Wrong, so wrong, especially when proper rules and spacing are so possible and the theater is now open!!. Yet the chief liar, the chief integrity-less one there, persists in office and the deluded keep voting him in, by smaller and smaller margins, but still there. Yet there is some hope, as more and more people are talking of his troubled behavior and statements but what about this year's election? Finally, the information is in that propaganda rag, the Reporter, and separated by ads. Brilliant!!

As far as we know right now, the only things going on in UCO are investigations, hanging out, eating lots of our paid for candy, idling and lolling around, the work falling on the few who value integrity, and of course, the barrier building of Fausto. Great, thanks for volunteering for that, but is that the best use of your time? Surely there are many here who can do that, the woodworking shop is now open and perhaps now is the time to open this Village again, open UCO, open elections, have some integrity in ongoing form and for the benefit of the Village.

 Infrastructure. The new Agreement? The schedule for opening the Village? Refunds of rent money for buildings we could not use - a la the Millennium Agreement? Crumbling roads and walkways and wasting of more money in piecemeal manner, done and brought to you by the very same people who screwed us the last paving job. Why, that would be David Israel! Who else? What is going on with the golf course property? What will be with the drainage should a development be built? What will be with the toxic dust? Where the hell is UCO and its officers?

Right now we have Ed Grossman fighting the good fight. Let us send in Olga Wolkenstein to work with him, as VP. She knows the agreements cold, knows what the Village needs, is a long time and experienced Village resident and member of UCO. Run for office. Run for Executive Board. Demand answers. Demand input. Demand accountability. Demand integrity. 

.

 

A FACT IS A FACT - EXCEPT WHEN IT'S NOT

      Put that thought in your pipe and smoke it! This is the mantra of today's political world. That goes along with the new reality of shouting out loud thoughts that should never even have been thought or voiced in one's own mind. The more insane, the better, according to the algorithms of the times. It is disconcerting, rude, offensive, disgusting, dangerous in its irritative tendencies and goals, and just plain wrong! But there ya' go and there we go, right down the tubes with no brakes, no end in sight as the haters, the bombastic mouths keep rumbling on.

Not satisfied with his disasters of the past four years, Trump is now the center of a discussion whether he can pardon himself for federal crimes- note that state and civil suits are exempt from that pardoning. "As has been stated by numerous legal scholars, I have the absolute right to PARDON myself," But can he? Can he be his own judge in a legal matter and manner? Does that not give forth the rank odor of guilt, the same as when someone takes the Fifth rather than testify in a witness chair?

 Now I know, and you know, and we all know, including the deniers, that he has crossed the line so many times, so egregiously, that there is no longer any clear demarcation of that line. Or to use his tired term, he has rounded that mysterious corner so frequently, that we wonder where that corner ever was and what exactly is its shape right now? Here is an example of the gone bad stew of Trump's, of the virus that has infected this country and that no vaccine known to man can ever cure. GOP Rep. Matt Gaetz,  said: "President Trump should pardon Flynn, the Thanksgiving turkey, and everyone from himself, to his admin, to Joe Exotic if he has to." The contempt for law and order reeks here. That virus of hatred, of insanity, of denial, denial, denial, of lies, of selfishness has grown exponentially during his time in office and the changes it has wrought in our America will resound through the decades to come, and not in any kind of positive manner, unless one appreciates fascistic tendencies. It simmers in  a gravy of acidic, harsh cynicism. The example above is primo in its ugliness.

Too many of us have chosen to ignore and forget American principles. Too many of us have forgotten where we came from, and though we might have been born here, our ancestors were not; they all came from somewhere else. Even the Native Americans came here over the Bering Strait when there was a land bridge. We all need to share this land, to share in its opportunities, its promises and dreams meant for all, not restricted by color, ethnicity, or now, even by religion and religious choices. The ugliness and the poison of the Trumpian and company stew is spilling over the top. We must mop it up, spill it out, down an endless drain, never to return. But will we?

With ever increasing doubt of that happening, we face a tremulous future. Families and the nation have been split by rancorous debate and differences in these campaigns and elections. We are not yet done, what with two examples of this acidic stew running for Senator in Georgia. Should they win, well, forget about much progress these next two years at least, as Biden will be stymied at every, shall we say, corner? He will have to use those Executive Orders used by Trump if he is to get anything done, to eject the bad ingredients of that ugly stew, to turn over the harms of the Trump years, turf them under, and grow a different crop, an American crop, replete with the savory taste, aroma, and nourishment that we prefer and so desperately need now.

321,000 . Dead. By mid- December. These are not numbers. Each digit represents a person. A father. A mother. A friend. A child. A sibling. A beloved relative. Gone. Many because of the lack of response, the denial of reality, as to the staying and killing power of this virus. And the lies continue. The vaccine will be shipped in a week, again, as we are "rounding a corner". That same damned corner or yet another non existent one? Which vaccine? What about the difficulties of distribution and viability? Who will be trusting of these vaccines when they do arrive? Are they effective in all demographic areas or do we need to use separate ones? The questions keep coming but the answers are seemingly still waiting, not quite ready for us.

We are now being told that the man will leave the WH, without a spectacle of being dragged out. Shame on that. I would have loved to have seen him demeaned, dragged out, cuffed and off to the hoosegow to pay for his crimes. I can dream. Yet I still have doubts remaining, for will he  actually leave, even as he promises, threatens, to keep  trying to overturn the election, that 80 million votes could never be true for Biden, that he, Trump, has actually won. I guess in his parallel dimension, he has won, the same way in which his Inauguration crowd was the biggest, where all problems were erased, where hatred prevails and fine people abound. Ptui!!!

No, a fact is a fact except when it is not. The ability to distinguish between those two states of being has grown dimmer, the differences blending in, disguised and hidden by the ever flowing stream of lies upon lies, of denials of reality, of the hypnotic effect this man had on people, a la Hitler, a la dictators throughout time. I am afraid that though we will hopefully rid ourselves of this man from the WH, his corrosive effect on the world and its future will remain for many, many decades, possibly never to be fixed. Hopefully, we will avoid the blood in the streets that has already begun to be spilled. Hopefully, we will remember that we are one people, no matter the differences, and it is time to emphasize the wonderful differences that enliven and enrich this country. That IS a fact. We need to hold that dear and close to our hearts, remember that as we Pledge.

AND AWAY YA' GO!! TO WHERE, EXACTLY?

      Oh, the papers are filled with glowing expectations and hopes for the future. They see the roadblocks being set up by the last frenetic efforts of a demented man to ruin it for all, but still, that small seed of hope begins to flower. Is this correct, a truly sensible and aware look and evaluation, or are we looking through artificially rose colored   glasses? Or is what we have here a desperate attempt to see the good, so tired, weary, are we all, brimming over with bad news, with fighting, bitterness and discord?

Heart rending pictures of lines of people waiting for food to celebrate a day of thanksgiving. Lines of people and cars waiting for testing. Lines and multitudes of people cramming the ERs, the ICUs, the COVID wards. Funeral homes, morgues and hospitals once again overrun with bodies, refrigerator trucks once more in gruesome demand.

More than 185,000 new cases yesterday. More than 2,200 new deaths yesterday and it would be more were the victims now heading deeply into younger age brackets. Death toll over 261,000 and the ceiling? Nowhere in sight as we now get challenges to the vaccine of AstroZeneca and the glow begins to dim. Those left? Grieving, aching, ill, hopeless, homeless and hungry. The aged are wondering why and how it is that they are ending their lives in such conditions - here, in America. The parents are wondering how they will feed their kids, cloth and house them, get them medical care and educate them, giving them hope for a better future. And the younger generation, looking for employment, looking for a  safe way to begin an adult life, marriage, a career- well, the looking is hard, and the prospects anemic.

 The question - here we go, but where are we going? Today, a day of thought and evaluation, a solemn day that should be filled with the laughter and tears of family reunions, of kids playing with cousins, of the old dads trying to recreate their days of athleticism, well, where is it? We have huddled travelers in airports, trying to avoid contact and shared air, worried about catching the virus, yet almost desperate to reach friends and family in an attempt to ground themselves in a frightening time, a time when the world is upside down, when the sureties of life become the vagaries of life, and lessons learned, life experiences, are almost useless in so many ways and situations.

Looking forward, we are being warned that the horrific is going to go postal, shall we say? We are to "look forward' to a Christmas surge. We are looking at more sick, more deaths, doubts on the rise about the efficacy of the vaccines, a synergy of flu and COVID, weaker people, drained by the cold, by the hunger, by the worries, by the hopelessness and the seeming non ending of this portion of life. The weariness is deep, all pervading.

Even as Biden looks and works toward fulfilling his promises, to bind the nation together, that man who claims to be better than Lincoln, abrades those wounds, still trying, insanely, to "turn the election around" because , he says, "We won, by a lot." This man and his crew of creeps and madmen are inciting treason, urging people to overthrow this government, to trash democracy, to spit on the Constitution, and all for their victory - which would have been a disaster beyond all redemption for us, for the country. We must continue to be watchful and aware. We must or else, well, let us not go there!

Let us be thankful that we are still free. Let us be thankful that there are still those who can contribute to feed the hungry, to serve in the kitchens and pantries, to help. Let us be thankful for our health, for the dedicated people who serve on the front line, who man the stores and delivery services. Let us be thankful that we now have a sane man to assume charge, take the reins and try with all his might, to fight the good fight, to turn around the evil and neglect, the ugliness of the past five years. Let us pledge to work with the man, to do our share in undoing the harm that has been inflicted on our country and its people, the madness of the last crazed efforts to complete the steps to the ruination of this country.

As bad as it is, as it has been, and as bad as it still will get before getting better, let us be thankful that we are, at least, at this point, at a point where hope begins and weariness and despair will give way to energy, ideas, and progress. We hope. We pray. We give thanks.

GOING HOME

      The CDC and every governmental organization possible have warned against travel on the holidays. The airports have been almost abandoned throughout the year. So why now are thousands, thousands, flying home against all medical advice and seeming saner decisions. 

Why? Because they are going home. No matter how long they have lived away, no matter the distance in years, or in life growth, one is always going home for the holidays. One is home  for the duration of the visit and even reverts to old behaviors and habits much of the time. That pull of going home never seems to abate.

However, going home is not always as easy as getting on a plane and hugging the family members awaiting you at the airport or standing at the doorway of your childhood home. There is a mental and emotional need that must be felt as well. That, my friends, is the going home feeling that I am frightened for, concerned about, wondering and musing if it will ever return to our country, to its population. Will the warmth of welcoming greetings ever resound again on the airways, in the printed lines, of the various media modes or will we have continued growth of anti-home feelings, "news" websites such as NewsMax, a horrifying development, an impediment to that going home feeling developing.

As the unhinged one, the deranged and demented One, keeps chugging along in his oh so damaged engine, wondering, indeed, if it can, if it is even capable of thinking "I can", the home feeling, the connection to it, is frayed even more. Thousands, no, millions, are still stuck in that alien place, that no man's land, where home has been placed beyond reach, due to their own rejection of it, and where there is no welcoming substitute on the other side of this cheerless, dismal, and hopeless place.

What is it that has so many still stubbornly, against their own good, clinging to the hate filled statements, the demented actions, the lying statements of Trump? What makes them reject the findings by educated, smart people,  even many Republican judges, and follow that dangerous clown? What makes them ignore the newly discovered spines of the GOP Congressmen and women who are slowly, slowly, emerging from their moral mouseholes to which they retreated lo these many a year - five, to be exact.

It is normal and sane to wish to have a safe place, a home, where one can always find acceptance, yet seemingly these stubbornly bewitched people want that feeling gone, feel validated by clinging to that harmful  attitude. Biden must help bring them back into the fold. We must remind all that opposition, discussion, is great, part of America and its fabric as a country, but anger and enmity among fellow Americans rather than comity, is a major no-no. It will be a long and difficult road to follow, or even reestablish, but there is a worthwhile symbolic pot of gold at the successful completion of its construction.

We must also remember that many others have felt unwelcome in this raw and ugly America of the past five years, the one that is threatening to continue on even after a defeat. I, for one, am one of those. For four years I have not recited the pledge, remaining standing, but silent. I have not sung the national anthem. Why? Because I felt my home had left me. My home had turned on me, turned into a frightening place where people who shouted hate slogans were deemed fine people, where lies were seen as truth, where fabrications grew daily in intensity and power. Where too many were dead and/or dying, physically, emotionally, due to the crazed and inimical actions of the dangerous Trump administration and the lack of action on too many fronts.

I, and many others, are now beginning to feel that pull of home once again. We can overlook the dying voices of hate, push back against them, and convince these self destructive others to join the return home, to feel the pull of America as she is supposed to be, as she will be once again, as sanity returns. As truth returns. As diversity and inclusiveness return and are valued. As America takes her place once more in the ranks of world nations.

Welcome home, Americans. Welcome home, America. Feel the fresh and revitalizing breezes. Begin to trust again as  we shut down destructive environmental actions, replace safety regulations, keep the natural beauty of our lands, care for those in need, erase the shameful giant lines of people needing food aid to celebrate a day of thanksgiving. That is just so wrong. Work together to reopen this country and the world, safely, in harmony, with as few deaths as possible, with cooperation and success working together to combat and defeat this pandemic, and prepare for, G-d forbid, any others coming down the pike.

We can do so much together, in comity, in positive steps and words, turning aside the acid that has burned its way through the American Dream. Welcome home, America, on the eve of Thanksgiving Day. Welcome home for a day of thanksgiving, a day of national thought, a day of celebration - and mourning of those who cannot share this day with us. Let us all be thankful that we have this new opportunity, this new chance to return home. To prevent more unnecessary deaths.

HAPPY  THANKSGIVING DAY, AMERICA.

SAFE TRAVELS, ONE AND ALL.

WELCOME HOME, ONE AND ALL.

A WALK IN THE PARK

     The American public has received a warning: the COVID-19 vaccine, whichever one it will be, will be no walk in the park. While one often hears talk that the flu vaccine made someone ill, (unproven), we are being told, warned, that the vaccine for this virus will indeed make one feel ill, be ill, with some of the very symptoms of the virus. No walk in the park indeed. Will these symptoms develop in intensity? What happened with those people who had symptoms who participated in  the trials? How severe was it? Did it develop into full blown virus infection and among which demographic? And still, we are being asked to trust this vaccine, this rushed effort with so much political baggage behind it?

The Pfizer CEO tells us he purposely did not take federal funding because he wished no political messiness or taints. Smart guy and personally I think I will trust that vaccine more than the others, but still, there is no walk in the park awaiting us, not with the vaccine, not with its distribution nor its consequences, nor with the infrastructure necessary, nor with the horrific numbers we are hit with every day to the point of numbness. When a person who states she is a registered nurse in a COVID unit is seen entering  a bar, well, think about that and what it could portend for her unfortunate patients.

Bumping up against 260,000 dead, over 2,000 a day, growing and growing, and multiply that for at   least another two, three months - and that is an optimistic timetable - meld in the numbers of infected, now over 12 million and growing apace, and those who will suffer long term effects, and well, the park is beginning to dry out and up, newspapers blowing along the edges of the roadways and benches looking worn and unkempt.

Fauci issued another warning as he pleads every day for behavior control, for common sense, for precautions. Yet we still have idiots among us who refuse to do so. The consequences are harsh - for them, their families, friends and for the rest of us. Every patient is another stress on the limited supplies, on the draining staying power of the first line responders, of the daily caregivers and hospital workers. Each one is a new weight on the already tattered social fabric of the country.

In fact, to be honest, this entire year, for all but a month or so, has been no walk in the park. We have faced unforeseen catastrophic problems, refused to recognize them, paid no heed, been bombarded with unprecedented deranged political behavior, and a general malaise or unwillingness or a meld of both, to face life head on. We walked right by the park and did not notice its deterioration. Nor, it seemed, did most people care, for they were in it up to their necks, in sludge ponds of conspiracy and accusations capable of rending the entire park moot. 

Finally, too little, too late, the obvious has been acknowledged, though the insane continue on with their futility of behavior, their startling lack of mental acuity and refusal to accept reality. Already behind in the desperate need and fight to right the wrongs of the Trump administration, even as that defunct regime continued on its mad path to ensure disaster beyond its waning days, perhaps we can begin to mend the wounds, heal the divides. But it will not be easy. No walk in the park here. None at all and in fact, so much of the park has been so damaged as to make it nigh unto impossible to repair, not with any kind of quick fix. And as for the problems of the judiciary, tainted and defamed and attacked by Trump et al, well, there are about forty years to go. Not a good recipe for improving or easing this walk in the park.

We all will have to work hard, develop patience, work on trust issues, be prepared for hardships on many fronts, but we can do it-if we so wish it, wish to recreate some kind of park that resembles what we used to have. The old normal is gone. We must accept that. We can rebuild if we wish to, if we cooperate, if we put our shoulders to it.

A good place to start is to give Biden and friends time to tackle the problems, time to plan, time to organize and time to plumb the depths of the disasters Trump left behind, on purpose, with malice aforethought. 

We can also work on local levels. This morning I read yet again that the Executive Board is canceled. Nothing since the last meeting in February, I believe. Why is that? Room C has plenty of room for a safe meeting and ZOOM is perfect. The theater is opening December 1 for movies, so why not there and hey, here is an idea - how about a Delegate Assembly meeting!!!!! The time is done. The time is over. This nonsense, this avoidance, this purposeful ignoring of the bylaws of the Village has to stop. David barely budges to move himself to meetings. What the hell is he doing besides eating his candy and wondering how behind he has fallen in the techie world? Perhaps what we need is another Fausto built shield isolating David from the rest of us so we can get going on rebuilding the beautiful park that was once the Village Eden.

The outcomes of hard work give us hope and energy. Let us get started on every level. And let me say Amen - time to feel that America can become America once more. Congratulations, President-elect Biden. Congratulations to all Americans. Congratulations to America. And indeed, may G-d bless us, one and all. 

POST ACUTE SYNDROME

      That is the name being given to those people suffering from long term effects of COVID-19. That makes it even more astounding as one ponders the fact that of all the people of the WH and its environs who were tested positive, designated as having the virus, all got well, all had supposedly minor or asymptomatic status. Such an astonishing statistic! So, why is that? Could it be that these people received Regeneron and all experimental medicinal aid, much more than the average Joe Schmo who lay there at home or in ICUs across the country, suffering, dying, alone? Just sayin'. Just askin'. A question for thought and what that tells us about the thinking of this swampy, elite, cold group of people?

But there is a far more serious post acute syndrome and today is the day to bring it up, to remind us all of what once was, what affected one small sixth grader, her classmates and indeed, an entire generation of  the young. Altruism, generosity, responsibility, patriotism and service to the nation and the world. This is what the young ears of the time heard, all emanating from the mouth and brain of JFK, a most charismatic figure and a genuine hero of WWII. I still treasure his autograph, his signature, in ink, on a letter to me along with a huge bundle of information, a letter which encouraged me to continue with my interest in the issues of the day, to serve with generosity, to love the country and the people. And all I was, was a sixth grader seeking some information as I was to represent him at our classroom debate during the election campaign season.

The personal attention, the charisma, the brilliant and inspiring words, and okay, it did not hurt that he was handsome! Even when his steps with clay feet at times emerged, his importance to us remained, bright, shiny and whole.

And then it happened, on an ordinary Friday in November, 1963, on an ordinary Presidential trip to Dallas, Texas. There, on that ordinary day, the axis of the world shifted, never to return to what it was. Oh, there was an attempt to harness good will and enthusiasm under Obama, a temporary uniting of the nation after 9/11, but that all disappeared into the maw of increased and encouraged hatred by people who should have known better, and indeed did know better, but liked their political edges and positions a whole lot more. Thus, screw the nation became the unspoken mantra.

We heard the term Camelot in reference to his short time in office. We quote him to this day. His grave in DC is visited by every class tour group and by foreign visitors from all over the world. He is, was, and always will be, a hero, an inspiration to all. To all who care, that is. To all who eschew the selfishness and partisanship of today's politicians, particularly the GOP. That group has certainly had huge gulps of the Trumpian juice, the one that curdles the  souls and hearts of those who partake of it.

Today, straight from the headlines, we hear embarrassing, travesty, scandal, over the top, crude, insane and deranged, and are told by a Michigan small person how one has to have "all the facts" before certifying. This straight from the mouth after speaking and pressured by Trump, a travesty in itself, a most undemocratic move by Trump, but then again, no shock there at all. The sad fact is that all the facts are in, all there, all in the open, no matter how many times a ridiculous recount is performed, for the numbers either do not change or change in statistical insignificance, unable to change results - Joe Biden won. Joe Biden is the President-elect and no, Trump did not win. If one were to see a photo of him as he was driven to his eternal golf games, even as the world's leaders were discussing a unified approach to the pandemic, that picture captured his insanity, a face that could give one nightmares, knowing he was a "leader".

We are all suffering post acute syndrome in our political life. I think the nation never recovered its innocence, its drive for perfection, for rapid improvement, certainly not to the degree that was then. When RFK followed, and was joined in death by the Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr., well, the tentpoles collapsed, the medicine stopped working, and the syndrome set in. And the country, its people, and the world were all the worse for it.

So yes, maybe in some important ways I am still that sixth grader, awed by that President, awed and flattered that I represented him and that he took the time to connect with an insignificant non-voter. Would that I could have voted. Would that we could have an election with another JFK. Instead we have a country ravaged by a madman, an evil person, yes, evil, and his enablers, all his cowards, sniveling and kowtowing all the while. And in opposition we have a gentle man, an elderly man, as is Trump, but with a functioning and sane brain, a man who wishes to reunite this country, to roll back the damage done by Trump - to the people, to the environment, to all that we hold dear, hold sacred, hold to be true values of America and Americans. And I hope and pray that within his heart, mind and soul, rest the memories and inspiration of JFK that he must have felt at that time.

It is that surviving idealism, that perhaps naivety, that hope, that remains within, that further aggravates the situation. How did we get here? How did the nation fall apart like this? How did we allow hatred to become the mantra, the guiding principle for so many? And how did we allow this sourness, this rottenness , to filter down to the local levels as well. 

Is there any politician out there who can claim clear recognition as a JFK follower? Is there anyone out there that can drive such good and unselfish motivations, inspire the kids rather than turn them off with nasty moves, with cynicism and greed?  Few and far between, if they can even be found.

That cynicism, that selfishness, that uncaring attitude, that demented desire to keep hold of the reins, and never mind the damage done to others, to the living space of so many people, well, all that is alive and well here within the Village, and concentrated so strongly in David Israel and his operational philosophy. What we need are ideals. What we need is to dredge up the remainders and reminders of JFK, of the leaders of the time, and do our jobs. Run for office. Demand answers. Ask the questions. Demand participation. Demand transparency. 

Demand that the finances of the Village are made known and clear, and explained, including why we are paying an enormous amount of resident funds for candy for the UCO office? Must we feed all the bad habits of this place? Can we find no other uses for our funds? Roads, painting, infrastructure, fencing and security, responsible government and fair elections, and the list is et alia!

So today, the anniversary of that terrible day, November 23, 1963, when the sky fell on us, remember just that bit of inspiration and idealism that remains within you. We were passed the torch - and we dropped it. Worse, we let it die until there are only small surviving embers, waiting to be reignited, before it is too late, even as the clock runs out on that opportunity. Remember his injunction to do for the nation, rather than demand what we want, seek all that we can get.

Let us shake ourselves, toss off this tragic parody of a government, totally unfit for America. Let us remember today and all that it meant to us. Remember that we can suffer from long term post acute syndrome, and will, from the Trumpian distortion of our country, from David's woeful tactics, but we can correct, we can improve, we can relight that torch. Remember. Hope again.

A PLETHORA INDEED!

     There are times when one can be embarrassed by a plethora of choices and wealth. Well, this is one of those times, when we here in the USA are indeed embarrassed by a plethora of..... What? Stupidity? Cupidity?  Insanity? Sheer madness? International conspiracies emanating from a dead Venezuelan aided by Communists and weird Germany stuff? Or is it even worse than that and we just refuse to recognize the strength and depth of the threat, laying it all off on lesser, though indeed major, thoughts?

From hair dye raining down a man's face as he insanely ranted and raved nonsense in a parking lot next to a sex shop (how appropriate is that!), to attempts to overthrow a country - yes, folks, right here in the real equivalent of River City -  our own government. Our country. Our Constitution.

People finally have come to agree with what I have long stated, that this man is an existential danger to this country. This man who shirks his duty, plays golf rather than attend a G20 meeting on the pandemic as it rages through the world, showing how little he cares for any, ought himself, is bound by no rules, no reality, only that reality which he creates within his own twisted and damaged mind. 

More and more I have seen the sobriquet of traitor attached to his name and about time. But the worst? The most self denying illusion that people have? This one: There is no legal path, despite all how he and his deluded followers twist and tweet themselves into knots to accomplish, to overthrow the election results. Saying over and over in a sulky tone, in his toddler tantrums, that "I won", accompanied by a sourpuss face, either smirking or bulldoggish, means and changes nothing. So we are safe, right? Wrong! 

Here is the clincher to the whole issue. Trump could care less about legal paths. He simply uses these so called paths as frivolous, timewasting and aggravating suits to disguise what is truly obvious. Legality be damned. With fanatic loyalists in crucial positions, what are the odds that legality is thrown by the wayside just prior to or at the same time, as the Inauguration, and the troops come marching down Pennsylvania Avenue or wherever they choose. No ticker tape parade down Broadway, but rather a parade of force. Yes, legal means mean nothing to a man who habitually crosses the legal lines, all the time, through all the years.

Think the armed forces will refuse that order? Possibly, but what about the crazed mobs chanting robotically - "Four more years!"? What about them? Riots, mob rules, blood in the streets. Dear G-d, but I hope I am wrong, that I have been continuing these sleepless nights for nothing,  but I already have heard these mobs referred to by respected analysts as Trump's army, waiting to wage their own war upon reality and legality, to support the very loss of what they claim to defend - a free country, a country where rights are respected and upheld. Well, that will slide nicely down the tube to hell, will it not?

 When and how can we break this dangerous derangement of masses of people? Is there even time to do this, and even should some sense prevail, is there any chance for unity to return to the United States? Doubt rains down upon that idea as plentifully as the melted hair dye ran down the face of an insane and tormented Giuliani, a shadow  of the hero he once was. 

Doubt grows as we see the cowardice of the GOP, as we are deafened by the thunderous silence from them over these dangerous antics, and now the few, finally emerging voices, still dull, and hypocritical as they can be, as they remove themselves from the past four years of silence re Trump and his twisted behaviors, demented and dangerous decisions. The past is with us, always, and the past will rebound upon these cowards, hopefully, not too late.

Perhaps there is hope. Biden is quietly  determined to keep on going, to ignore as much as he can and fight for the right way, the legal way. Trust must be revived in this country. Medical personnel, probably first in line for vaccines, are hesitant, for when so much distrust has been raised, how can we trust the results of tests? How much political garbage went into all this? So who will be shoved to the front of the line? Your guess is as good as mine! But we must all pull together, for the alternative is not really a good choice. Suddenly our plethora of roads become limited, with danger lurking at the wrongly chosen paths.

It will take hard work and dedication to turn this country around. Our enemies will play their advantages during this time. Our security is weaker than ever. Our lack of unity allows dangerous waters through the dikes of history as the Constitution is mocked by the appointments of unqualified, biased judges to ALL levels of the federal judiciary. Yes, it will take time, a long time, much heavy lifting, if we are to change the presently anticipated future. In fact, our very lives will depend upon all of us lifting together, winnowing the correct choices from the false plethora we seemingly have.

And just as a brief postscript for today, the same kind and level of hard work is necessary right here in the Village. Who knows how long David Israel and buddies will continue to deny proper UCO functioning, proper participation of and by the residents. Who knows what will happen this year at our election what with no publicity, no meetings, no presentations, no nominations from the floor -nothing, only the same old incompetence and danger of David Israel and his poor imitation of what we need to have here in the Village. A thought. Will we even be without UCO functioning as it should right through March, 2022, so as to enable David to remain in position, or ram through a shill for himself? Hmmmm.....

Time to try to get some sleep. Hope you all sleep better than I have been able to. Sometimes, I think, it is better to remain in ignorance and not think too much, but that ship has already sailed. Ah, to sleep, perchance to dream..."- of chocolate and ice cream, of books and theater, of justice and equality, of America.

 

FATHOMING

      I believe the first time I heard the word fathom was when I read Mark Twain's Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn. It referred to the depths of the Mississippi and the implied or understood safety of the riverboat as it proceeded on its varied routes and assignments. To fathom then eventually became a word with a secondary and then primary definition, one meaning understanding of something that occurred or was said or a result of something else.

To fathom today's political atmosphere is almost impossible. Biden stated that he cannot fathom the motivations behind Trump's behavior, accompanied by an extremely troubled and sad face. The irresponsibility of Trump is dangerous to democracy, to our reputation, and how can one begin to fathom the twisted motivations behind Trump and the GOP.

Ball-less and spineless, the GOP refuses to stand up for the American people. Ball-less and spineless, the GOP, from top to bottom, allow that deranged man and his deranged henchmen to bamboozle the American people into a dangerous corner, one where there is no exit out available. By questioning the results of this election to the point of absurdity, the same elections that gave them their own victories, by doing that, the GOP is undermining the basic foundational principle of this country. It almost makes no never mind if they even stop today, for the damage, the incitement of mistrust, distrust, all undermine the whole theory of democracy and its survivability in our crazy world.

To hear Giuliani rant for an hour and a half, rambling all over the place, it is hard to believe that he was even given time to be heard. I believe the man suffers from debilitating brain damage resulting from exposure to chemicals from 9/11. And yet, he and his mentally severely damaged partner in crime continue on, even as people cannot fathom his end goal.

Yet I find it simple, glaringly obvious, to fathom the end goal. He wishes to totally subvert democracy as it has lost its place in his life. That democracy would turf him out of office, an action deeply to be desired and legally must happen. However, a great big however, this man, this Deranged, Demented One, wishes to indulge his miserable, dangerous behavior, have the continued ability to play golf on our dime, pal up with his BFFs, damage this country to the extreme, all the while retaining the power of the office so as to further intimidate and destroy all in his path. Fathoming of him is tragic, but easy. The fathoming of the motivations of the GOP and the deluded masses - well, that is difficult. It is mass hysteria, a mass illusion, a falling under an evil spell, the same as the Hitlerian crowds did.

So fathom this my friends. If we do not stop being Pollyanna-like in our thinking, trusting to the law to defeat this blatant attempt at a coup, then we are lost. This man and his supporters have neither care nor concern at all for the law, for legality, for morality. Pshaw!!They will do what they must, be it raising issues of a "national conspiracy", or twisted people, of a Democratic hoax over an entire nation, or whatever suits him, legal or not - LEGAL OR NOT - to gain permanent , yes PERMANENT - control over the office of President and over the entire country, never ever to return to democracy. Instead he wishes to establish his own Trump dynasty and so egotistical are his offspring that they believe this can be, in reality. Trump has openly mused about this and what he muses, he chases in reality, and never mind the damage, the lack of sense, the inimical attacks on democracy, which he swore, took an oath, to protect. Bah! Humbug!

We need to take his attempts to suborn the illegal overturning and denial of certification seriously. We need to stop them in their tracks We need, in actuality and in all truth, to take this man down for he is truly not capable of remaining in office for one more minute. The damage he is doing is increasing exponentially and we must realize this and act on its truth.

At times we must turn to the darkest parts of our minds and heart to discern the truth, the ugliness of others and their actions and desires, their dastardly goals. Be it nationally, statewide or local, the motivations are the same and the fathoming the same as well. David Israel is as bad as Trump in his own limited way. He cannot call on a mythical conspiracy of national dimensions, but he can gin up a conspiracy to defeat him, remove him and his accomplices from office. But there is no conspiracy, only individuals who wish to safeguard this Village, to insure its continuity, keep it as a going concern for all of us living here.

Yes, fathoming the motivations of others, or realizing that there is no sane motivation there, but knowing the goals are evil, that is easy. The difficulty lies in us understanding that the unthinkable is actually quite thinkable! It can happen here, will happen here, if we are not alert to the threat, if we do not fathom the actuality of the dangers awaiting us.

Time for us to rise up, using their own terms right back at them. Time for us to demand that our sham representatives in DC act nobly, grow balls and spines, stop their sniveling behavior and concede, allow Biden todo his job, to insure our security as a nation, to try to save as many as he can from the virus. The vaccine will not be available for quite some months and then in limited quantities. The present administration has no clue whatsoever as to distributional difficulties, of viability of the vaccines as it is distributed to sites. Has David Israel reached out to anyone in government to offer cooperation of the Village as a whole in this project? Doubt it! Highly.

We are alone and if we do not act, be proactive, well, bend over and kiss that piece of anatomy goodbye; get it ready for a good swift kick in the pants as we reap the woes of our actions or lack thereof. Fathoming that is not difficult at all. Is it.

WHAT'S IN A QUARTER?

       According to the old refrain, a quarter held a promise of a shave and a haircut. Well, that has certainly not held to the fast and true, has it? Neither has, unfortunately, too much of what is going on in the world today. Primary proof of the pudding of the devaluation of the quarter? Well, it used to be that for the most part, at least in the beginning, that our best and brightest went into public service, became our political and national leaders. However, when that began to fade well, take a look around.

Today, we do not even have half wits running the show. It appears to be a fact that quarter brains are much more prevalent and there is even worse behind that. Seemingly the size of a politician's brain, the thinking and operational part, shrinks in direct relationship to ability to discern truths, distinguish that from lies, and proceed accordingly. 

Thus, what have we? We have Matt Goetz from my state of Florida who thinks that it is a marvelous idea to have Operation Warp Speed people count the votes in Georgia. Yup. I kid you not. Perhaps they have more fingers and toes to count on? And certainly, Pence, who is supposed to be Chairman though hardly ever bothering to show up for meetings, is thus in charge? Oh, yes, quarter brain is too high an estimate!

Need more examples of the quarter brains running the show? Graham, who made a 180 degree turn, from opponent to sickening lackey, of Trump, now is facing charges for interfering with officials of the recount in Georgia, his own GOP people. Could not happen to a more worthy fella! Then he is joined by the elder statesmen of the Senate and House as they face positive diagnoses of COVID and still they and their fellow quarter wits refuse to wear masks, as the governor of South Dakota fights restrictions even as her state of South Dakota is ravaged by the virus. Quarter brains? Nah! Think I was too generous here!

But these semi witless brains are allowing themselves to be used by people behind the curtain, people planning much more nefarious deeds. The question people keep asking today is if there is any legal way or path for Trump to remain in office. The very fact that they are asking this question is disturbing. Never before has this happened. Certainly not to the degree of bringing one flawed and frivolous lawsuit after another and being thrown out of the courtrooms by angry judges.

Personally, perhaps being paranoid, I believe there is far more to this than the rantings and ravings of a deranged man. There are too many extremists running around for my taste. There is too much interference from foreign countries, former enemies, remaining so, even as Trump buddied up to them. And here is where the danger is. Can there be a plan, or several plans, of illegal attempts, of plans to stage a coup, a military takeover of the country somewhere around Jan. 20, 2021? The chief people who could enable this are replacing people who would not sanction this. The replacements are all Fanatic Trump loyalists. So.......

I truly hope I am jumping the shark here, I really do, but all the insanity I wrote about has come  true. The situation is ripe for military use and we have seen an example of that already. It can be done. The question is, will it be done, will it be attempted and what would those soldiers do with those orders ?What would their officers do? And how would the people react. We already had blood in the streets, incipient strikes of the flint against stone, possibly sparking Civil War II. Are there any more sparks where that came from? You answer that. You know my answer.

There is even worse usage and representation of the term quarter. We have hit, surpassed, the awful record of over a quarter of a million deaths from COVID. We are now facing another quarter, or close to it, perhaps even more, prior to Inauguration, especially if Trump continues to care less re deaths of Americans, continues to praise that stupid woman who refuses to ascertain what is certified and true - Joseph Biden, Jr. is going to be the next President of the United States. All attempts to delay and deny, all attempts that cause more deaths, should result in charges against her and her boss, among the many charges for all the other wrongs already in his in basket!

While on the topic of quarter brains, we apparently have many residents in the UCO office, thinking they can pull the wool over the eyes of all the residents all the time. Now, two days after Nov. 17, David boasts of putting a Special Operations meeting on Live in Cyberspace! Whoopeee! That is called ZOOM. Yup. The man has discovered ZOOM albeit not in enough time to allow for participation and questions in real live time. So budget, spending, priorities, all else, ripped out of the residents' control and kept in his hot little hand, along with his lackeys. Sickening! Not even a quarter of the way on the path of right and correct. 

So, quarters indeed. I believe we need to upgrade all over this country, to at least the silver dollars of old, of people willing to put in the time to serve others, to work for country, for home, for the betterment of others. For life.

Quarters indeed. Silver dollars? Oh, yes. 

FULL CIRCLE

      The circle of life - or is it the circle of death? Whatever one wishes to call it, it is there. More and more residents of states that had escaped earlier pandemic surges, are now suffering, greatly, from increased numbers of infections and deaths. Their governors, who had previously kowtowed, much to their residents' misfortune, given in to Trump et al and their greatly flawed behavior and tantrums, are now instituting the same restrictions and mask laws that they had scorned before, all a Democratic hoax. How sad for all that the truth of it all, no hoax, and their false accusations, has returned full circle, biting them in their collective asses.

Forgive me if I take some joy in that, though I wish it had not come as a result of so many more casualties. Would that it had come about as a result of common sense, as a result of functioning brains, as a result of clear thinking and recognition of the true state of a greatly benighted and demented man they all followed slavishly.

But the numbers speak the truth and where these numbers will finally call a halt is in the air. Will the vaccines prove good for all? Will we have to experiment, have people die, until we do figure that out? How do we distribute? How do we establish priorities? How do we insure safe delivery what with the requirements for frigid temperatures, and short life spans of the doses? 

How do we do this all what with that man still blocking transitional talks and planning, too busy and/or uncaring to attend meetings re COVID, too busy with playing daily rounds of golf to tend to his much put upon flocks of remaining believers. I cannot understand how there remains any loyalty to this man who had only one goal in all this time - to improve his bottom line, playing golf and having the government pay for that at his clubs, to avoid prosecution, at least for a while, and show one and all who is the boss! How unfortunate for him that the truth prevails and consequences, however delayed, however much overlooked by Biden in the quest to reestablish national unity, however much of that, there are still bottom lines he must meet. I so cheerfully await that day! Mea culpa, but I am human and the damage he has done must be accounted for, paid for, a lesson taught and a lesson learned.

I believe, that given the chance, given a returned recognition and realization that so many have been under a dangerous delusion these past five years of campaign and ensuing madness, given the chance, Biden can be a great president. Not a noisy one, not a charismatic one, but a quietly efficient and thoughtful man who will not please all, particularly those with one major issue, but will smooth the troubled waters of the nation, clear the air, protect the land, attack COVID on all its fronts, reestablish connections to our allies, and just plain serve the people. Period. That is exactly what we need right now and hopefully, the people of the nation will follow, returning to sanity, ignoring the harsh and nasty calls of the extremists on all sides. We need calm now, so badly, so much.

And while we need calm, and constructive behavior, it is only as a result of determined efforts that we will reach that point. In the nation and here in CV. We must work together, demand together, see the right together, as we work to fix the ills of the Village, to remedy the crises waiting just offstage, and those present and active right now. We need to find that true leader, a president without an ego that demands all kowtow to him/her. 

We need someone who will recognize that the Village is the needy one right now and if we desert it, run away from our responsibilities, then we will be shooting ourselves and our heirs in their collective feet. David Israel is not the leader we need now. In fact, whatever good he might have done or might have meant, it is now all abrogated by the damage he has done and caused over the past few years and the damage he has caused us, by inappropriate actions and inaction, to suffer  in the future.

Time to roll with Biden. Time to learn the bitter lessons of the Trump years, how quickly people succumb to a Hitlerian personality, willing to lose touch with the truth. We need to move forward here in  the Village as well. We need to hear the truths spoken of by Ed Grossman. We need to vote Olga into office as VP, a willing and knowledgeable and devoted resident. We need to run for Executive Board in numbers that will ensure us a majority, a squelching of the dead from the neck up yesmen of David. We need new officers. We need to appoint a new editor to the Rag, once a proud piece of journalism known as the Reporter. We need it to speak out and truthfully, not be a shill for the David Israel faction. We need so much and must begin with running for office.

I have just read the book by John Connolly, The Dirty South, well written, a prequel to the Charlie Parker novels of Connolly. The lesson is there, the one we must learn. The past is with us. The past affects the future. There are no lines drawn under something and then forgotten about. The truth leaks, always, the consequences of misdeeds are there, always will show up and there is often little control as to when or how or where. The best thing to do? Do the right thing in the first place. So, too, must we.

 

NOT ANYMORE

      And there we have it - the sentence of the times. This is what Jake Tapper told Colbert, that he does not book those people anymore - the liars from the Trump campaign. And finally, we have the answer to much of the problem besieging us. Just do not give them airtime, any more than we would walk into an asylum and publicize the antics of the inmates as predictive and explainative of present and future situations.

 It is the simple rule that teachers and parents have known for generations: do not give bad behavior, silly antics, the attention grabbers, any attention and they will drop off. Then, one can proceed with sense and understanding to deal with the issues at hand. 

Simple, yet ever so hard for the media to understand these past four to five years. Understandably, it was difficult, as how does one ignore the antics of a toddler, a brat, living inside the hulking body of a supposed adult, a President of the United States at that, whose every action, every word, has consequences of enormous importance and influence. And so on went the mad antics and down went the country.

And then it got worse, for this same madman, the same crowd of shivering and whimpering sycophants surrounding him, went on a tear, rallying the worst of the nation and then, worse than that, drawing in desperate people looking for an answer, a scapegoat, for the horrors of a world turned upside down. So along with the racist groups of Proud Boys, QAnon, the OathKeepers, the Three Percenters, along with the chanting hatemongers, the deluded and encouraged people marched, praising the "fine people" who chanted "Jews will not replace us", whose behavior encouraged and allowed people to act on this chanted hatred and increased the hate crimes of 2019 to the highest level in a decade. Is it any wonder that the threats appeared to be echoing the rise of Hitlerian fascism, a most frightening thought and increasing reality.

Throughout his entire lifetime, Trump has used the accusations and shouts of rigging and fraud in every contest of his life, be it in bidding, or running for election. It mattered not, for the man, this demented man, could not, cannot, ever grasp the idea that he has lost, definitively so, and thus he creates his own maelstrom of temper tantrums worthy of the booby prize in life. But, this behavior is not funny as it drags along with it the confused and vulnerable people who follow him through fear, through desperation, through limited eyesight, through emphasis on one point to the exclusion of all others, and it just makes me see red - and not the red of those damned MAGA hats that are the newest forms of dunce caps!

Under this administration we have lost more Americans than ever before. We have thousands of cars lined up for Thanksgiving food, people who have never done this before, who used to contribute to this food distribution. We have a gloomy and despairing winter ahead, more deaths, more infections, more lockdowns, and yet another attack on the economy. Plans for distribution of vaccines, if found to be effective, are almost nonexistent, as nonexistent as cooperation on transition. Denying reality does not make Trump a winner nor does it negate the future - of millions more infected, hundreds of thousands more dead, a morbid economy, a devolving world, and governments which turn on their people.. And yet, the delusions that people allow themselves, persist, and we are the worse for it.

We are the worse for it on the national and local level. We have the same delusions, the same desperate power seekers hanging on to the inept, way past sell by date needing to be ousted local leaders. From David Israel here, to Goetz, to Rubio and Scott, to DeSantis, to Perdue and Loeffler, to Omar and Tlaib, all these leaders do is grow hate, grow ineptitude, grow uselessness, grow harm to the respective constituents. They need to be changed, to be retired, to be put out to pasture, where they can do no more harm.

The fight is not over, the struggle continues. It is a constant struggle and we must realize and behave accordingly. All it takes is inattention, growing, and growing, and the danger increases as the incompetents, the unqualified, the haters, take over the joint and then the swamp waters rise to cover us all with the sludge that these people create. Not a good life, not a good future. Anyone for new President for UCO? Enough of David. Enough of the weaklings who go along with him. Retain the best and chuck the rest. We can do it We must do it. Period.

DIGGING WELLS

     If you have never participated in the act of digging a well, seeking water, seeking a path to life, well, then, you need to reconsider your life and the efforts within it. You need to reconsider your goals. You need to reconsider your priorities and you need to reconsider the seriousness with which you approach life.

Last night, Tyler Perry accepted an award from People's Choice Award and during the acceptance speech he spoke of a conversation with an engineer re digging wells, the purpose of it, the efforts for it, the necessity of that digging all the time, every time. And he is so right.

Nothing good comes easy in life. Much never comes as the outcome of a first effort. But if it is important to us, if we have the stick to it trait so necessary for success in attaining goals, in climbing over and around obstacles, then, as Con Ed says, "Dig we must!" And dig we have done these past four years as we tried to dig a new well of democracy, a new well with the sustaining power of aiding in the cause - the pushback against growing threads and spools and skeins of fascism, racism, denial of democracy and reality that were growing apace in our country.

Some of those efforts, too many of them, were dry holes. It seemed we would never hit that water. It seemed as if democracy had run dry in this country and defeatism ran rampant through the anti Trumpian crowd. It seemed his dementia would never be apparent to the willfully blind and deaf,  accepted and even encouraged by those who benefited from it at a major cost to the country,  its its residents, and the future. 

However, there were enough well diggers around to keep the effort, the digging, ongoing, and on Election Day we won that hard fought dig at the difficult well site. The water began to appear, first as a slight glimmer and then, as it grew in depth and clarity we saw a new path to the future, a successful dig for a well indeed. But never doubt that we must keep our sleeves rolled up, our shovels at hand, our determination at a high point, if we are to defray the efforts of those troglodyte forces of a demented man and his enablers as they try to fill in that well and deny any other well sites.

The attempts to deny a reality as clear as day, the attempts to suborn treason from the hordes and yes, treason it is, as it is blatantly an attempt to overthrow the government, to foist a coup upon the nation and the world, upon the present and future, such as it would be. The digging is not yet over; there are attempts to cave it in, and we must be ever on our guard, on alert status, but then again, nothing good ever came through the easy paths, has it. The difficulty is well worth the positive results. And perhaps now we will have the ability to turn our attention to the criminally neglected fight against the virus by the Trump administration. Quite frankly, accessory both before and after the fact is the least of the crimes they are guilty of.

Nor is this digging of wells limited to the national level. Right here at the Village we must concentrate our efforts on new sites. Our wells have run dry. Our inspiration, our leads to new well sites, ready for digging, are limited and tamped down at every turn by our own Trumpian copy, David Israel and his henchmen, those who continue to allow him, to follow him, from well site to well site, drying out the life giving waters, all the better to keep the Village under his ruinous thumbs.

But we do have a chance. We have returning well diggers,  such as Ed Grossman , who has long maintained an ongoing dig and is now fighting to re-dig, reopen the wells, as he uncovers the wrongs of the David Israel administration, even as the spoilsports try to block him at every point.

We have returned veteran well digger, Olga Wolkenstein, running for VP, as she too does not give up and at great sacrifice to her life, is waving that shovel high in the air and then deep into the ground. The rotten earth of the present UCO officers must go, the good and hard working kept and the rest, trashed on the heap of the rest of the spoiled earth. Let the waters come through clear and blue. 

We need to add fresh shovel wielders, new faces, new residents, old veterans, all willing and able to improve our situation here. It is dire. Will we sell our souls again as we did in 2000? Will we allow WPRF to run rampant against us, the residents? Or will we demand and insist upon our rights, live a safe, financially feasible life? The choice is upon us. The well can either be uncovered or resealed. We know which is the better choice.

I call upon all here who recognize the truth to send in your biographies to the Reporter, that propaganda rag for the current administration. Do it now. Register to run for Executive Board. Register to run for office. Swamp them. Swamp the current inadequate UCO. Let us do right for ourselves and for the Village at large. It can be done. It must be done. Dig We Must!

 

MIDNIGHT IN GEORGIA AND ELSEWHERE

      Nice song, but not this time around. This time, the midnight hour will set the agenda for the next four years and so much more. In Georgia itself there is the runoff between two sets of contenders for 2 Senate seats. Both are written with the same faulty pen that wrote Trump and need to be defeated, especially as that will give the Democrats the Senate majority they so desperately need to undo the damage of Trump and all that he is planning in his "midnight" agenda. Then corrections can take place. Then, perhaps, we can move forward.

A reader has echoed the need for Trump to face the music, to be tried, convicted and imprisoned, where he can do no further harm. Trouble is, can he forgive himself, pardon himself, but then again, he cannot pardon state crimes, so there we go! But in the meanwhile there is a far more serious question, and that is - will America survive this period of time? Will we manage to "bind together " the wounds of the nation? Will we be able to tamp down the horrific use of violence, its encouragement and the existential threat it poses to the country. Grave doubt in this area.

Last night I watched videos of the demonstration in DC. I feared for the life of my country, for the lives of citizens who would be deemed undesirables - including me - and disappeared into the nacht und nebel of a new American Hitlerian era. The night and fog terror of dictatorial regimes continue to haunt the human race and its imposition here is not a difficult leap of imagination.

Watch the videos for yourself. See the uniformed groups marching in formation, clad in full battle gear. See their outstretched arms in imitation of Trump's always outstretched arm, and see the ugly faces twisted by hate. See them rapt, caught up in a nasty fairy tale, one where the ogre, the troll, wins the day and no fairy godmother around to spread some magic dust.

See the hypnotic state they fall into as they chant Stop the Steal", yet another rhyme meant to capture the attention and imprison the thought process of the chanters as they fall into a daze. Perfect Hitlerian tools of crowd controls and time for the deniers to admit this, to recognize it, to be afraid of what it means, and to oppose it, fight it with all our might. With all the passion we can generate, for this is the fight of our lives, the fight to keep the future for our kids, and frankly, to keep a somewhat safe place to call home for American Jewry.

And what future are we looking at? Well, the future that was seen at the demonstration, where the original people came loaded for bear, attitudes and equipment galore. We had a smaller contingent, about 300 or so, who spontaneously decided to come and protest, their right. And the sparks were lit and the future was clear. This is what will be and very soon - no, it is here already. It will be a conflagration to destroy this country. All positive values, all positive American traits, rights, history, will be consumed by the ugly flames, by the ugliness of the street fighting and worse, by the blood flowing in the streets. 

Will we once again be watching rivers flow red with the blood of Americans? Will we shatter the world with this outrageous consequence of Trumpism? Will it matter at all, as we all die off from the virus, the same one that Trump et al allowed to grow, develop and flourish - in perhaps their own little plot, if we are playing this vicious game - and thus allowed, no, begat the deaths of so many, the suffering of millions, the disaster to humanity that it is.

I have long warned, foretold, of this imminent fighting, this imminent Civil War II. I hoped I was over the top, but evidently I was not. The man lost. The man lost. Period. End of story. Instead we have the challenge, not to this election only, but to the entire concept and belief in democracy, even as all the experts refute these nonsensical and dangerous accusations. But once people get caught up in a trance, in something that is larger than themselves, they will raise those arms, salute the devil, and trash themselves and others. And it all rests on Trump. And it all rests with those who refuse to recognize his dementia or worse, see it clearly and knowingly take the country down this dangerous road, a highway to death and destruction, to a blackened future. To no future at all.

Possibly worse is that this tragic series of events is causing us to miss the local situations that besiege us. Here in CV we have a disaster well into its formation and life. We have a runaway administration which refuses to recognize its duty toward the residents, refuses to obey the bylaws of the Village, and drives us down at every turn. We have a Treasurer fighting against the tide, trying to straighten the mess out, denied and fought at every turn. We have an election coming up with no road in place for the announcement of candidates, the election process and all this is done on purpose.

For months already we have been denied the proper ability to participate in the running of the Village. Committee meetings, Board meetings, all have been canceled, restricted. No Assemblies wherein we are to vote on the budget, on proposals for the Village, and instead there is nothing. We live in a dangerous vacuum of knowledge, even as a life or death deadline is drawing ever closer, a new Agreement, and what is the news? Where are the solicitations from the people, who are the committee members and is there even a functioning one? So much, and yet so much more.

Yesterday, a wonderfully capable and devoted resident of CV announced a run for Vice President. Eminently qualified, a veteran of UCO and aware of its ugly games under the cracked stewardship of David Israel, Olga Wolkenstein can replace an outgoing VP and become the pin on the seat of that man, constantly goading, annoying, pushing, that dangerous David Israel who negates our promise, our continued existence in good shape, our very way of life.

As in the outside world, we here in our own little micro environment must choose. Either we take on responsibility, take on the truth, participate, establish truths, and reject dangerous chants and lies or we give up our future, our very lives even.

There is no easy way through life. It is not meant to be easy, for we are always responsible to prove ourselves worthy, to G-d or simply to a humanity depending upon decency. It does not matter why, only that we always strive to do the right thing, to point out the evil and condemn it, destroy it, negate it, as quickly as possible, here and at the nation at large.

People, we are at the midnight hour, all over this country and all over the world. It is a most frightening time. I still cannot sleep or beat back this anxiety as to what will be, will the unthinkable actually happen? You should be feeling the same, opening eyes one wishes to keep closed, but must not. Remember the warning - for evil to succeed all it takes is for good people to do nothing, to say nothing. The world has been there before. Must we repeat our errors and go there again? Midnight hour. Only YOU have the answer to the midnight hour.

"A LOT OF PEOPLE AREN'T HERE"

      And you can make book on that statement! In fact, it appears to be that many people have truly not been here oh, these last four years, shall we say? Okay, physically they might have been there, but mentally, equipped with functioning brain power, true eyesight and common sense, let alone with moral power, then uh uh, many people have not been here. What's more, there are people now leaving the drawing room, shall we say, as disaster approaches for their lord and master, the Demented ever so Intimidating One. Yes, verily, he will be gone, and very soon. And that will make even more people 'not be here' - such a lovely thought. Hang on to that.

Told that the 'wall' of insanity is breaking down, I continue to wonder if the greatest lack of action during this whole disgusting mess was the lack of purchase of thousands of steel poles, all the better to gain people's attention as they were smacked upside and downside their proverbial thick skulls. Perhaps that would have gained entry to totally blocked minds and allowed light and sense and truth in. Would that it had been so. Would that it will be so - right now, but optimism is in short supply around here lately.

Supposed adults are talking about a supposed adult, stating that he is depressed, needs coddling, needs to be humored. After all, it is only temporary, actually funny, one might say. Well, steel pole at the ready - no, it is not funny, it is not appropriate, and it is, in fact, shameful beyond all imagination. Coddle a grown man? A grown man who has not been presidential lo these many a year and now has openly displayed his dementia and people are coddling here, wasting court time, and worse, oh, so much worse, inducing otherwise sane and thinking people to believe in mythological misdeeds re a national election! 

But not only that, for  apparently the only fraud in the race was the presidential one, and only where Trump lost. Otherwise, particularly where Republicans triumphed, well, no fraud there. Amazing how so many people could take the time on jammed circuits of voters to be so very specific in misdeed. Apparently, insanity endows one with otherwise unknown powers of haste, of specificity and knowledge how all else is proceeding nationwide, hence, what must be done to insure that things break the 'right' way. What I would have given for that power instead of spending sleepless nights pacing the floor and chewing on fingernails while I waited, hoping that the American people would come to their senses. Even as I kept stealing peeks at my handy dandy steel pole.

So people laugh, people make excuses for a president who never was, who spends his days in insane tweets and spinning broken spider webs. But people do not, or refuse to, recognize that the danger this man has introduced into the very roots of democracy are toxic, explosive and dangerous beyond all conception. This farce has made us a laughing stock of the world and reduced our powers to convince other nations to do the right thing, well, whoosh! There they went, straight down the toilet. 

And there they found the remnants of the four year old pile of virtue and righteousness, of patriotism, of justice, of law and procedure - all that the GOP threw away and induced others to do the same. And for that, they substituted all the sludge of corruption, incompetence, greed, injustice, bribery, cronyism, nepotism and all else that smacks of evil. And the worst of it in my book, the growing power and presence of those toxic children, perhaps the descendants of children of the corn - Eric, Junior and Ivanka. Feh!! Ptui!! And that goes the same for Jared!

People, Biden won. All elections that Trump loses are not fraudulent, though he claims it to be so. America can be on the right track and should be right there if not for the blockade of Trump et al and the loss of sense and sanity among the many. The pandemic is worse than ever, and 300,000 dead will soon be reached at this rate and not stop there either. Over ten million infected and growing at over 67,000 a day. The economy unable to be resurrected as people are quarantined, or ill, or caring for loved ones down with it, or trying to recover from shattering grief in a world turned upside down, turned mad.

Imagine what an army of  newly knighted and sane citizens, armed with the steel poles of justice, patriotism, unity, humanity, and goodness, of welcome to new immigrants, of decency, of remembering the struggles of our forefathers, imagine what such an army can do. Grab yours and come along. We need all of us, no excuses and all returning to sanity will be welcomed right into the fold. No vengeful moronic plans and denial of reality here. Only a strong desire to right the world on its axis, save the globe from destruction, just do the right thing.

And a lot of people WILL be here. Steel poles and all. Sanity and all. Decency and all. Justice and all. As for his plans to return in 2024, by then his dementia will be apparent to the strongest of all the deniers, so let him prattle on, rattle on, tweet on. He is useless, meaningless and his powers must be controlled until Biden is sworn in. Perhaps then, maybe, we can hope, the legislatures will cease to be RED and BLUE, but will instead be RED, WHITE AND BLUE, together, as a nation, once more. Steel poles, Attention!  HUT! One, two, three, four. As simple as that.