"RASCALLITY

 I love reading or hearing of new words or variations of words. Keeps your brain working, it is fun - and gives you yet another word to forget! Here is another one I read at midnight tonite. Rascallity. Or, as spelled today - rascality. 

Here are some definitions for it.

" mischievous or dishonest behavior or activity".

"reckless or malicious behavior that causes discomfort or annoyance in others. devilment, mischief, mischief-making, roguery, shenanigan, roguishness, devilry, deviltry,"

"the character or behavior of a rascal."

"rabble."

By now you should have sensed where we are going with these definitions. No matter how one spells it.  John Adams, our First VP, under Washington and his successor, spelled it as presented in the title and who am I to argue with such a distinguished man.

So, dear readers, what is the point of this posting? First, to have a tad of fun with a new word and then, to understand that the rascallity Adams wrote of or referred to is neither gone nor forgotten. In fact, it is alive, and, unfortunately well in our current day America. Would that it was not. Heed the warnings given by men of honor as to its import to our country.

"George Washington thought that partisanship would end America; Thomas Jefferson believed the end would come from sectional divisions and conflict over slavery; Alexander Hamilton, a weak federal government; and John Adams, the lack of virtue among the citizens. (“There is so much Rascallity, so much Venality and Corruption, so much Avarice and Ambition, such a Rage for Profit and Commerce,” Adams wrote.)"

Hint, hint? There is, in fact and deed, much evidence of the unfortunate streak of rascallity present in the America of today, too much so. We respect the prescience of our Founding Fathers as they warned the new country, the United States of America, as to what could break this country apart. Almost 250 years ago, and how correct they remain today!!! 

Certainly, a hell of a lot better and brighter and patriotic and caring than so many of our pols today, especially from within the GOP, the Republican Party, the present day one that has Lincon crying and fussing within his grave, mourning the devolution of a once freedom, rights respecting, forward looking political party. Today, the members of this Party, 21% of them, continue to maintain that the election was 'stolen' and Biden is not the legitimate President. Oy!!! For how long are we supposed to live with this nonsense, as dangerous as it is ridiculous!

Marjorie Taylor Greene wants to divorce America, have it turn into city-states, weak and irrelevant in the world of today and certainly of the future. A Red country. A Blue country. A Purple country! What crap! What dangerous crap spewing forth from the mouth of an open Fascist. This woman obviously never heard of the adage that a wise person keeps his mouth closed and thinks long and hard before opening it. Would that she would internalize and incorporate that maxim into her daily life. Certainly, our definitions of rascallity apply to her along with her buddies of the heart and corrupted soul - Gosar, Cruz, Perry, Jordan, in fact all of the traitors and conspirators to this country even as they sit in supposed  stewardship and guardianship of it and its safety. Liars, one and all. Along with that disgraced and disgraceful former President, the shame of America -Trump.

Voices are being raised all over the country, the world at large, as to when will the cohorts of treason be punished, brought to the bar to pay for their treason. I wonder the same. I cannot understand what we gain by only punishing the little people. Yes, they were awful, emulating the hand to hand fighting of ancient warfare, of spear and shield and stomping, even killing, their fellow countrymen and women. 

However, it means nothing, nothing at all, if we do not bring down the entire weight of the law upon those 'rascallious' rapscallion leaders. What the hell is Garland waiting for? No one is going to make it easy, confess all the names and eagerly provide a paper trail of proof, not now nor in the future. Yet in their very words they expose themselves, using words and sentences which imply the truth of what they prefer to bury deep. 

How could they expect this? How? Why? Because their moral flies are definitely open, and their guilt is clear. What will the exposure of some misdeeds mean anyway, they ask? Are they for real or do they think we are so stupid as to allow the planners to get away with it, even repeat it - and this time succeed? Marc Antony knew he had to turn the people against the leaders of the opposing factor, not only on the dupes who went along with them. And he did so quite well, did he not? Even got Cleopatra in the bargain! Does Melania count, especially with her newly exposed self-pride, her arrogance, as she sells digital images of her eyes for crypto currency only!!! Lots of it. I kid you not.

A pro Trump lawyer talks of planning meetings that took place on his 'plantation'. Were there slaves as well??? The Supreme Court Justice Amy Coney Barrett speaks of adoption rather than abortion,  forcing women to carry the unwanted pregnancy to term! What the hell!!!! This is the typical 'non - partisanship' we can expect from that Court, much,  much, to our detriment as a country of decency, justice and respect for human rights. Rascallity indeed. Rascals by the dozens.

"the American Dark Ages.

Isn’t that what our nation has been stewing in these past few years — a medieval pottage of religious extremism, anti-science sneering, conspiracy theories and ill-conceived, ragtag, spear-and-pole crusades? Heck, we even have a plague."

 Eerie, is it not? 

We must fight against this, create our own new Renaissance, and turn away all those who would  see this country destroyed rather than return it to a time of sanity, of forward thinking, of real leaders, loyal to this country. Those leaders would look beyond themselves, beyond maintenance of their wealth and power, instead place the country and its residents first. They would spurn the cult politics that has shamefully and dangerously emerged today.

"He continues to be the leader of an organization that uses violence or the threat of violence to disrupt democratic processes. That is terrorism,”  what sort of connects everything is violence and the threat of violence that now animates so much of our political discourse coming from Republican leadership, from right-wing media ..    it’s that acceptance of violence, the threat of violence, as part of a political agenda that I think I underestimated on Jan. 6."

Folks, a fun word or not, rascallity has become the go to word for the behavior of the GOP and too many of its "up and coming" leaders. These Fascistas, "America First" adherents are open about their perverted beliefs and desired actions. We must be as obvious and open as they are. We must support Democracy. We must support the ideas of the Founding Fathers, feet of clay or not. It is our only road out of this mess. Punish the guilty, all the guilty, wipe the slate clean and let us start all over again or at least from a point of sanity and continue on. We must, else all is lost.

Letters to the Editor: Are we going to punish Trump for trying to overturn an election or what?

Letters to the Editor: Are we going to punish Trump for trying to overturn an election or what?

WELL, HERE GOES

  ...what exactly completes that title? Oh, lots of things but one is particularly close to us, here in the Village. This posting may rub some the wrong way, but as far as I know it is still a "free country", no one is "the boss of me", and my thoughts are my thoughts, eligible for publication on this blog. So, here goes.

First, let me make it very, very clear, as clear as glass, that there is no element here of anti - Semitism. I am a member of the Jewish people, proud, observant, and a supporter of live and let live. However, when plans are made that will affect the entire Village, negatively, I believe, then I must speak up. Allowing the request of Khal Chassidim to go ahead and change the entire appearance and layout of 2.3 acres, in the heart of the Village, well,  time to have my say.

Since the beginning of CVWPB there have been no houses of worship on the grounds. The Conservative Synagogue is technically off CV boundaries and in addition, has made itself a vital part of the Village, including the most recent use as an area for COVID vaccinations. There is an Orthodox synagogue across Haverhill, not within the Village grounds. There are also parcels close to the Village which are available for purchase. In addition, there is a synagogue of Chassidim on the grounds of Congregation Aitz Chaim. Hence, there is no need for a synagogue on a large acreage area within the Village even as it sets a bad precedent as well. Are we now to see various religions and sects of religious groups also purchase buildings to set up houses of worship within the Village? How many? How large? What regulations? The questions and concerns go on and on and as far as I am concerned, there is no positive aspect here.

Here is the request that has been made to the Zoning Commission.

"ZONING COMMISSION TO CONSIDER CV MEDICAL CENTER CHANGE OF USE TO "PLACE OF WORSHIP" 

"to reduce the required amount of parking; reduction in the required width for a Type 2 Incompatibility Buffer spaces and, elimination of a required Compatibility Buffer

to modify the Conditions of Approval to add a Place of Worship Use and to reconfigure the approved Final Site Plan."

The date to go and voice your opinions, for or anti this request is January 12.

Warning bells, alarms, should be going off in your head. Think of this.

A changed building, perhaps larger than what is there. Reduction in parking places in a vital area of the Village, particularly for those going to the much needed and patronized Walgreens and to the shows in the Clubhouse. Where will these parking places, already inadequate to meet the needs of the Village be made up? The answer is ...wait for it ... NOWHERE. Now picture the consequences, the fights, the accidents, the loss of prime space that while technically not owned by the Village, cooperated with the Village in many areas.

The excuse that the patrons of this synagogue do not drive cars on the Sabbath is quite incomplete and shading the answer. There are six other days of the week during which the patrons will most certainly be driving cars. Imagine the congestion, the possibilities of accidents, even deaths at times of convergence with Clubhouse events or even in daily driving needs. And where will the overflow of those cars go? Across the road to the large area of guest spots, into other association areas nearby? Think of it. Think of the mess, the dangers this all poses.

There are rumors that there will be a pool installed. Who will regulate this? Where will it be? What about the effects of this construction on nearby associations, already facing physical and structural issues due to aging, neglect and quite frankly, too many doing renovations without  thought to the damage to the structural integrity of these buildings. Will there suddenly be a huge wall around the premises in order to meet the needs of modesty demanded by the patrons of this new pool?Will there be new sinkholes caused by this construction? Such deep and obvious changes in the heart of the village, at a most important and already risky intersection... asking for trouble, major trouble.

What does the last phrase mean anyway? Changes to the Final Site Plan? What changes? How many? Of what affect and effect on the Village? How are these 'allowed' changes to be monitored? Is there a limit to these changes? How major? How moderate? Who determines that limit and the designations?

Why should anyone consider this new possible behemoth of a building and change to the Village be allowed. Why are we to allow, to think, that such a foreign entity should be allowed? Why do we think that to begin a chain of equivalent changes to the Village, to its integrity as a whole, should be allowed, should be considered a positive thing for the residents? Finally, who will monitor the possible inflow of many strangers into the Village to attend services there? And where the hell will they park!!!

This is setting a bad precedent for the Village and a sad message to our future. We need to remain a unified entity with no huge changes to the gestalt of the Village. We already have enough problems, food for thought for another day, but why allow this? The building is bought, the Khal is the owner of record, but we can forestall, deny, any changes that are certainly not good for the Village, its residents, its future, its atmosphere, anything you can possibly think of. Where is the good and the positive in this? Beats me!

SORRY, SORRY, SORRY

 My bad, but the most unusual happened. We saw Forbidden Broadway at the Kravis Center last night, came home late and a miracle happened. I actually slept through the night and woke up late - that is, late for me! Hurrah!! But now to the blog of the day, late, but present. Thank you for waiting.

Yesterday, while reading various materials, I came across several timely and meaningful quotes.  

    "Like a bird that wanders from its nest

     Is a man who wanders from his place."

Proverbs 27:8

 There is no doubt that mankind has wandered far from its traditional values and roles. We have  forgotten our stewardship of the Earth for future generations, forgotten that we are all alike, more so than not, the differences superficial. Yet oh so bloody for us. We have forgotten the factors of unity in our return to tribal living, violent, greedy, and in all cases detrimental to the well-being and even survival of all. 

We have wandered from our traditional place indeed and look at the results. Look at the anomie. Look at the hatred. Look at the reversal of sanity, of purpose. And here, in America, when some notorious legislators, fascists one and all, state openly that they are far more interested in recognition rather than legislation, when the Supreme Court is described as a group of hacks, well, certainly we have lost our place, lost our bookmark in the history, purpose and meaning of mankind. Lost indeed. Lost in fact. Lost forever?

What we need to remember is the inspiration of Walt Whitman, a man who values tradition and nature.

"I am larger, better than I thought,

  I did not know I held so much goodness."

Yes, mankind does contain within it the impetus to do good, to be good, for the earth and all that lives upon it. There are those who do good for others, who 'pay it forward', those who can be enticed through example to put aside differences and join together in and for a more harmonious world. Difficult, perhaps a bit pollyannish, but the possibilities are there and certainly better than the odds we have set for ourselves at present. What have we got to lose?

Are we not tired of all the dirt and filth too many of us wallow in, unbeneficial to all? Are we not tired of reliving horrific moments of history, proving that some of us are indeed dense, perhaps purposely so? In fact, like spewing hate, like reiterating canards, like to contemplate being free to indulge their worst impulses and darkest desires. Examples? Aplenty!

"The BBC policy was talk about anything but Jews,”. “And now, in our lifetime, this particular year, we find the BBC going in the same direction as the old BBC.

Along with the BBC, the others on the list included social media giants, Germany, the Council on American-Islamic Relations, the University of Southern California, Jewish Voice for Peace, “Covid’s latest deviant strains,” and Unilever, which owns Ben & Jerry’s."

Not changed at all, even now misrepresenting,  purposely misstating that a plea, in Hebrew, from a man besieged by harassers, to help him, was an anti Moslem slur. And they knew the truth and the dishonesty of it all. They said it was an anti Moslem slur - all the while they knew the truth!!! And do not deny it. Is it any different from the BBC of old? I think not, not at all. These lies, these hate filled canards only lead to more bloodshed, a lessening of hope for mankind. For humanity, as man has definitely failed.

But we must not write off humanity as of yet. There are moments of goodness, of pride, of righteousness. There is always that hope that remains within us, as stated by one of my favorite poets, Emily Dickinson.

      "Hope" is the thing with feathers - 

            That perches in the soul - "

 Let us look deep within our soul, deep within our hearts, deep within all that makes us humans, worthy of stewardship of this Earth of ours, of the living upon it, be it animal, plants or humans. To value what we have been given, rather than to abuse it.

An uphill battle at present, but we are not done yet. I hope. I do so hope.

Welcome to the future, the future of our choice. Scary to contemplate. Indeed.

SNAP! SNAP!!! SNAP!!!

  Do you hear those snaps, growing in volume, growing in pace? Do you see the growing holes, the fraying of threads of sanity? Do you wonder, stare at the ceiling at night, afraid, to the very core of body and soul, frantic, almost, at the thought of the future and what it portends? Do you take stock of your friends and notice a pattern? That pattern mimics the national pattern, with changing social  mixtures; those of one opinion on one side, with those of another in a separate grouping. Once, differing opinions did not determine friendship nor have exclusionary codicils, but today, today is different. Along with that difference goes the increased volume of SNAP!! Bad juju, folks. Manifestly so.

We, as a nation, are increasingly forgetting the importance of rules, of behavior, of inclusion of others in the determinants and guidelines of the behavior of all. Today, one is almost a sap for thinking that the welfare of others should influence one's own behavior. Suddenly it is okay to run people down. Suddenly it is okay to indulge your impatience at an impediment to your journey in a car so, okay, let's go up on the sidewalk and oops! Six kids down and out for the count, two permanently, four severely injured. The car and driver? Oh, Hell, off they went on their not so merry way. What else do we expect any longer?  

We can expect nothing less than this egregious behavior; in fact, we can expect even worse. What can one say to refute that? Nothing, really. A nation that indulged its own rotting connection to sanity, as demonstrated every single day, well, how do we reattach those snapped tethers to reality and sanity? Is that even a realistic possibility any more in the increased dissonance and roar of the mobs? Yes, mobs, for 'crowds' no longer holds the truth in these gatherings any longer. These gatherings of the deluded are now rabid.

Witness the crazed behavior of traitors on Jan. 6 as they climb over people, stand on them, whack in frenzied motion at the Capitol Police who are defending the country, the legality and integrity of its elected government, defending, ironically, traitors within that very building, traitors who colluded in this attempted coup. They were people, thinking beings no longer, morphing into a herd of unthinking, unreasonable buffalo, following the broken leaders of choice, insanely chanting USA USA, erecting nooses, threatening death to those they opposed. After all this, after the exposes via cameras and phones, we still have a Fascist, Paul Gosar, who backs a crazed candidate as a true America First person. Well, Heil Hitler to you too!!

Nor is the world at large immune from this epidemic of snapping tethers. Russia threatens its neighbors in Putin's mad campaign to reconstruct the Russian Empire. Then they deny it, for these days open lies are considered valid policies.  China is insisting on its own attempt to reconstruct their own remake of a huge Chinese Empire, buying all to grab a place under their umbrella. Their own citizens? Seemingly not their job! 

Please do not forget the scapegoat of the world - Israel. The leader in the campaign against COVID, it is not even mentioned in a list of nations, ranking them in their vaccinations campaign! Ahem?!  Even as Israel contemplates with horror the growing odds of a crazed war, carried out under the auspices of Iran, Russia, hiding out there in the wings, as they face enemies on all sides armed with almost  200,000 missiles. Yet they were successful.   But never mind, back to the future that mirrors a catastrophic past.

This insane behavior, these misguided priorities, are both symptoms and outcomes of the insanity plaguing the world. Worse, those who indulge themselves in anti-social behavior, plead excuses ranging from the sublime to the ridiculous. Alien germs. Deep State. A hoax. A genocidal campaign to kill all GOP and right wingers. And of course, the winner: it is "the illegals" who brought this in and who are spreading it, not the unvaccinated. Of course not! What were we thinking!

 Perhaps we have all lost our respective minds!

In the meantime, SNAP! SNAP! SNAP! go the tethers to and of reality. When will the final one fail? Not far away, folks. All we need is for the GOP crazies to win in 2022 and we need not wait for 2024. Nope, for these fascistic critters who gain office will finish the job - no voting rights. No impartial Electors or election supervisors. Made up numbers of votes. Why not? And not to forget that most important mantra of our homegrown fascists: America must resume, return to its roots - with a dominant white, male, Christian, property owning elite and all the rest relearning their "place".

What a world. Even Brazil, under a lunatic Bolsonaro who claims the vaccine can turn one into bearded ladies and crocodiles, has vaccinated more of their population than we have. There is something very wrong in the world today. The whole world sees our struggles and wonders if it will happen to them. They wonder who will lead the world on the right path. Certainly not a crazed, unbalanced, broken America. Most definitely not. How the Hell has it reached this point?

As for me, and many others, we lay awake at night, wondering what will happen should this country totally lose its collective mind? Will we have our own 'disappearing' squads, our own "hit" squads taking out the 'enemies' of the state? Will we have our own desaparecidos and their anguished mothers, marching, crying, in public squares? Snap, snap. 

Am I over the top? Years ago, I warned of these outcomes, of the turn of the GOP to the dangerously deluded, of the dangers of Trump and his posse, of what was happening and will happen to this country unless we quickly learned to fly straight. Will we turn into a miserable  equivalent to a Third World nation? Lordy, but I hope not. Do I know not? No way. We are that deep into a perilous reality - or rather a denial of that unfortunate reality.

Snap.  Snap.   Snap!  All done.

CHOICES

  Dear G-d in Heaven!!! I have never been so frightened in my life. I have read intensively and watched videos of Jan. 6 but never before have I seen this. NEVER. This was not a riot. This as an outright rebellion, and I hate to tell you, but just watch these maddened critters, for human they are not, trying to kill the heroes of the day - the Capitol Police who defended the Capitol and the people within - including the traitors who instigated and colluded with this coup attempt and know, just know, to your very last atom that you - YOU - would be dead or imprisoned within minutes of this government if it had come into power. Watch that damned moment in history. Watch how close we came to losing it all and how close we remain. These people should all be shot for treason. Along with their leader, Trump. Choices? What I wrote about before I added this heading - bah! Humbug! Way too mild. Watch this: 

 multi-camera synchronixed biews of the battle for the wst terrace :TUNNEL" entrance US Capitol 1/6 - Bing video.

 Type it in and prepare to be horrified, frightened and ready to run - but where? We cannot run. We must not run. We must make the right choice and NOW! It is almost too late. Type that info in and watch. And fear. No choice.

Kamala Harris, the VP, has been busy both here and on the international scene, but has done it quietly, so much so, that at times she is almost invisible. That is a shame, as she is one highly capable woman and sorely needed these days and, in the years to come. Certainly, if we are to maintain this country as a democracy, succeed in pushing back against those who would see it turn into a theocracy? An authoritarian government? A collection of small, weak, countries comprised of cities and states who clump together? The choices here are clear. What is not clear is what choices will actually be made and which choices will remain to us.

The VP says, in connection to the imbroglio re the vaccinations, that every individual has the ability - and the responsibility - to make a choice. Obviously, the better choice would be to take the vaccine and save oneself and those around that same individual. We all know that to regret not being vaccinated, having bought into the crap being spewed out daily by the Trump camp, when at death's door, when the family of that dying person has also been placed in a situation of peril, well, too little too late, is it not? And that is on those who refuse to vaccinate despite all proof to the contrary. It is their responsibility to choose and bear the consequences, whatever they might be. Harsh, but there it is.

The question now arises about choice in other areas. Does the individual also have a responsibility there to make a choice? Is a choice even possible under certain circumstances and situations, making the individual and choices almost irrelevant? Now that is an ugly picture to look at, yet that ugly picture is inching ever closer and closer to reality here in America and in fact, all over the world. Even if one can conduct a successful campaign to make those choices more relevant, it is an uphill battle, not always successful, nor always in a timely manner. Again, harsh, but there it is. The truth.

Repression and oppression seem to be the growing choices of many who cannot see that proverbial forest for the trees, who refuse to accept the proof before their eyes, the closing of all exit ramps on our ever-growing road trip into dangerous grounds and philosophies that have no business EVER of being part of the American gestalt, yet here they are. Growing daily despite all the attacks against that evil, strangling growth. Choices. Are there?

"...intensely unappealing and uninteresting. .. combines in his person corruption, ineptitude, and banality. He is perpetually aggrieved, obsessed with trolling the left, a crude one-dimensional figure who has done a remarkably good job of keeping from public view any redeeming qualities he might have...displayed seething, nearly pathological resentments, playground insults, and a pulsating sense of aggrieved victimhood and persecution..."

 Now, who might that be? Certainly, most unappetizing and manifestly unfit to be a leader. This is the one who seemingly is the future, the present as well, of the crazed segment of the GOP and the deluded in this country. It does not bode well for us and for choices, the responsibility, the smarts, to make the correct choices. So, that description, those sentiments, all "coming from the elitist, extravagantly rich son of a former president." Junior, that is. Ugh! Our choices are coming down to that. Sanity or madness? Democracy or elitism? Republic versus fascistic autocracy? The cult worship of an individual versus the valuing of the people? The choices seem clear to me, but how many others in this increasingly darkening, confusing time are making the wrong choices or letting others make the choices for them?? Is it not time that we move on from this poisonous family, their slogan which echoes the slogan of the American Nazi party in pre-WWII days? They refuse to go, do they not, this venomous family, so let us make sure that we oust them ourselves. 

 We need to defuse them, to turn away from the hate they engender and symbolize, the hate they would see embraced by the American people. to the detriment of all other than themselves.

 If we do not make this a clear choice of rejection, then this hate will be the reason for the downfall of our democracy and a very ugly future for us all. Our growing hatred for each other, our growing determination to relegate too many to the category of "other", hence not worthy of anything; our growing battlefield on the floor of free, untainted elections, the understanding that we are reaching the point where it matters not who votes, but rather  who counts the votes becomes the deciding factor. The choices we have made have brought us so low, developed so many cracks in the firmament of our democracy that repair is growing nigh onto impossible. We have lost sight of that critical underlying principle of democracy: no one is above the law. No one can have that expectation, for otherwise, we are doomed. 

Find the newly released video of three hours of pitched battle in tunnels beneath the Capitol. It is horrendous. Watch crazed insurrectionists literally climb on and over people in their frenzied madness and determination to overthrow this government of ours and beat the crap out of those defending it. It should shock you from head to toe and perhaps, perhaps, those individuals who maintain that all is right with this country will think again. They must. We must. The choice is ours. Pray that we do not fail in making that choice. Pray hard. Very hard. And let the blame, the responsibility for this fall upon the one who deserves it, who planned it all, aided and abetted by his treasonous posse.

Our choice to make. Our future to throw away. The future of our kids to throw away. Our country to throw away. Our history to distort and damage. Our prestige and responsibility to be tossed on the garbage heap of mankind's history upon this planet. So make the right choice. Pray hard that others do the same. Pray very hard. And choose.

JEW!

  Is Representative Josh Gottheimer correct?

"... as we were going into the bakery someone from the crowd derisively screamed ‘Jew.”  ... members of the Working Families Party disrupt the event by screaming ‘Jew’ at me. What has our country come to?”

Is this true in fact and deed? Have we, this country, fallen into the same cesspool of anti Semitism that has seemingly engulfed Europe, never mind the Middle East and Asia where it has been endemic! Never mind the islands of the Caribbean and other places of disasters despite Israel always the 'firstest and mostest' there. It seems that humanity chooses to be tainted by this horrific trope for all eternity. 

However, despite incidents of anti Semitism here, our Founder, Washington, wrote a letter to the Jewish community of Newport insisting on their welcome and equality within this new country. Hayim Solomon funded the revolution much to his own financial detriment. Despite quotas, Jews were able to advance in all areas of life, be it medicine, scholarship, business, in all areas of life. We won Nobel prizes for America, top Math awards, and broke so many lines of restriction, be it here in Florida or Madison Avenue or any other deluded areas who thought that America would stand for this. Not in the long run. We had found a home. 

We were safe, as safe as a Jew could be in a land not our traditional homeland. Even when that county became a reality, the world rejected and continues to reject it, judges it by a double standard, insisting that a land founded by Jews, a Jewish state, could not possibly be accepted within the international family of nations. No, for in their hate filled, hateful, twisted, biased minds, the Wandering Jew had to wander for all eternity.

America was good for us. It was called by Jews in bloody Europe the "Goldeneh Medinah" - the Golden Land, where opportunity and safety, a future, a safe family, education, were all within the realm of possibility. Even as waves of hatred, of virulent antisemitism swept Europe, especially from the time of the Dreyfus scandal and continuing through bloody pogroms in Russia and eastern European countries, the slaughter of the Holocaust, even as British ships fired upon refugee ships and worse, sent them back to the places of slaughter they had just survived, despite some slurs, life was good here for us. We returned the loyalty by contributing, taking on roles of importance and benefit to this country. We became philanthropists, donors for hospitals, organizations, universities, spearheaded the civil rights movement and more.

In those same countries of Europe anti-Semitism is rearing its ugly head once again. A Jew in France is forgetting the past, and like members of the Jewish Police in the ghettoes, or members of the Judenrat who aided the Nazis in roundups, perhaps he feels he will be immune to the fate of the rest of his nation, his people. It will not be so. We learned that through a bloody lesson indeed. But we thought that here, in America, the Golden Land, we were safe, Americans, one and all, proud of our country, fighting its wars, developing its future. Now, now we are finding a different reality.

Now we have open Fascists within the national political and governmental entities. Now, we have a deranged woman, a member of Congress, shouting "... that is exactly why I came to Congress. To work to see America restored to the Christian principles that have given rise to the greatest nation the world has ever known. Merry Christmas."

"Let us celebrate the true reason for the season, the birth of our Lord, Jesus Christ!" 

(Just as an aside, remember, Jesus was born, lived, and died, as a Jew.)

If the hairs on your neck and arms are not raised, if goosebumps are not appearing on your body, then you need to pay attention to what is happening outside your limited world, your bubble you thought so safe within the borders of this blessed country.      How many more times must we hear those shouts, those statements that always led to pogroms and bloodshed, to rape and death, to violence beyond all imagination, enough to awaken protest voices all the way over here in America, our safe land. Safe no more? Or has that become a statement. Safe no more. No longer in doubt. No longer a question. Now, a reality.

Jews throughout the ages have become ultra - sensitized to prejudice. They know that one hatred is never enough. Always, the hate, the blame, the dissatisfaction, the outlets of rage, devolve upon the Jewish people. Always and forever. Is America to be no different? We begin to doubt as the haters, the shouters, the defenders of a "Christian" nation gain power and raise their voices.

Old hatreds remain, viable, growing, refreshed by people not worthy of their positions and places within this nation. The Dreyfus scandal once again is relevant in France as it is here, right now. Will the Jewish people have a spokesman as powerful in voice as Emile Zola? Will the haters be defeated, at least for a time? As a Jewish woman, I am fearful. As a mother of Jewish children, a grandmother of Jewish grandchildren, I worry. And I worry for the other children, non-Jews, who will fall under the wild, uncontrollable wielders of the hammers of hate. No one benefits in a world such as that. No one succeeds, for all live in doubt and fear. There is no progress, for hatred is a backwards movement.

As an American, I hope that my country will do what is right. I hope. I hope. I hope. I hope. I hope. I hope.  I pray.

ON MARCH, EN GARDE

America is definitely on a march, feet stomping, walking in exaggerated lockstep, though questions remain. Where is the endpoint, the destination of this march? What is its purpose? Can that purpose be achieved? Do we actually approve of the end goal? In any case, what do we do with our opinions re this march? Or, should we do nothing?

Frankly, anyone who has paid a modicum of attention to the events of the past decade has to have a clue as to the stakes of this march and its success or failure. Full disclosure: it had better fail or we are lost as a country. Citizenship will most definitely not contain within it the guarantee of "inalienable" rights that we now have.   

It is frightening to contemplate the huge, raging waves of destruction rolling over our newly alienized country. One analyst calls us a "fractured" nation. Correct, for those initial cracks in the firmament of our nation are now fully developed  fractures; repairing them iffy, at the very least.

2017 presented us with the first major demonstration of our fracturing - Charlottesville. It was "...a preview of the America that we would become: a country in which violently racist sloganeering freely mixes with absurd, carnival antics; a culture in which constitutional principles are treated as cudgels with which to crush political opponents; a society in which gun-toting extremists parade openly in the streets in search of enemies to strike, and then claim self-defense if anyone is injured; and an online ecosphere in which virtual hate escalates before spilling over into real-world terror."    It was a " fracturing of a common set of truths ... (the first open, bloody battle between) Christian racial populism from liberal democracy."

It left many of us breathless as we peered, hesitatingly, fearfully, into a future devoid of hope, devoid of the gestalt of America, replaced by a new entity - AmeriKa. 

There is only one way in which we can salvage the remnant of our past and go on to a better future. Answer the following with a definite truth and act upon it. “Did Donald Trump, through action or inaction  corruptly seek to obstruct or impede Congress’ official proceeding to count electoral votes?”  

Charge him with his financial violations and those of his businesses. Present him to the world as the naked emperor, not clad in new clothing but rather just a common criminal, exposed to the world in all his 'inglory'! 

We in America, in fact, all over the world, have forgotten that actions demand consequences, and they demand them promptly. Waiting for "your father'" to come home and the like is useless, impotent, even counterproductive. It is crucial that reactions must be timely, making it not tomorrow that we act, or many tomorrows, but almost yesterday that we do so. It is that imperative if we are to survive as America. The longer we delay, the farther apart the crime and the consequences are, the less impact it will have, the connection will dim, and the lies will fester, rotting the truths from below, making us unsteady, unsure of how to walk on as a nation, how to counter the vibrations of those marchers, ever oncoming. Ever challenging.

We cannot allow the foxes who have raided our henhouse and coops to flourish and make the rules. That is national suicide! We need to shred the false claim of executive privilege by Trump and open his filth to the glare of sunlight. Crime and treason flourish in the darkness of evil. We must stop that empowering darkness in its tracks. We must turn back those marchers, teach them how to be 'American' once again. We must banish the 'tribal' segmentation of this country.

Most important, if we allow the GOP, our new national Fascist Party to gain control of all our legislative bodies, from cities and states to national level we are lost. Totally. Completely. Unless we do that which must be done as we fight for the life of America, of the United States of America. If we do not act, and promptly, America will not survive as a democracy.

That is the simple truth of it all. The kernel within all the bombast.

Do we want to survive, to keep America a democracy, a leader, or are we content, or stupid and reckless, unthinking enough, to allow that tragedy, the destruction of the USA, to take place?

I hope not. For all our sakes.

HERE COMES THE SUN

  So we hope anyway. Or should we better prepare for an equivalent to the life destroying asteroid of the dinosaur era? That 'asteroid', this time around, might very well be man-made. Here comes the sun. Every day. When that sun is no longer guaranteed to appear everyday over the east, to glide around the world, life died. Extinction of life.

Today there is talk of yet another extinction of life, only this time man would own a large share in its own destruction. The question before us now is whether or not we will allow life giving, life assuring sunlight, or shall we retreat into an ever growing, ever intensifying darkness? Examine human behavior over the centuries; then decide for yourself as to the answer to that question.

There is so much darkness encroaching on the sunlit world. One particular area of darkness appears to be eternal and frankly, I am tired of it. I hate it. I wonder why it never ends. I wonder why the victims of this darkness are blamed for it. Blaming the victim. An excuse for wrongdoing, yet leaky as an old rowboat.

Anti-Semitism. A scourge of mankind. A horror which never ends. Are there sound, justifying reasons? The answer to that is a resounding no, but that 'no' falls upon too many deaf ears, unwilling to let go of tragic, barbaric thinking. Today it is fashionable to engage in thinly disguised anti-Semitic rhetoric using Israel as an excuse. Drawing a line under anti-Zionism when in actuality, it is plain old murderous anti Semitism. The same that was found in the bloody pogroms of Europe and Asia, found in the murder of six million plus Jews under Hitler - with the acquiescence of too many- found in the attacks on Jewish institutions, killings in a synagogue in Squirrel Hill, Pittsburgh, and the same desecration of Torahs, only this time in a frat house! It is the same darkness from time immemorial.

Dara Horn, the noted author, says that there is “a profound Jewish historical illness,” a compulsion among our people to hold ourselves responsible for the aggression against us. " No more, no longer. Even as there is a new sanctioned trend at American colleges and universities called Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) offices which finds its life blood in a passionate campaign of hatred against Jews, using any and all excuses to justify their abhorrent behavior. Going as far as claiming they are neutral, opposed to anti - Semitism. What a crock! What a dangerous crock! What a truth denying crock of manure! Their tweets and postings, etc. are proof of the pudding as they violate the very purpose of their offices, as they cross the line, defying

  "... the definition of antisemitism endorsed by governmental bodies around the world, including the European Parliament, the U.S. State Department and the U.S. Department of Education's Office of Civil Rights, criticism of Israel constitutes antisemitism when it argues that Zionism is racism, applies a double standard in judging Israel, compares Israeli policy to that of Nazis and holds Jews collectively responsible for Israeli actions. 

No longer. An Arab member of Knesset just made a most important statement. And about time. 

“Israel was born as a Jewish state. And that was the decision of the Jewish people, to establish a Jewish state. The question is not, What is the identity of the state? That’s how the state was born, and so it will remain ... This is the reality."  

 Would that the rest of the world, including Jews themselves, would accept that truth, the truth of Jewish ties to its homeland, the RIGHT to a homeland, from time immemorial. 

We will not accept this anti-Semitic behavior any longer. We will not accept that we are the cause of our own victimhood, nor allow ourselves to be judged and condemned by haters of the world, by troglodytes, touting double standards and plain old unvarnished vicious hatred and bloodlust. No more. No more.

The answer is to hide no longer. Not to remove kippot or Jewish necklaces or menorahs, or Shabbat candles, or take the mezuzah off the door jambs. No. Most manifestly no. We will force the sunlight to expose this vile segment of society wherever they are, wherever they hide. The sun will shine. It will come. We will see to it. We will, "... we must become Proud Jews Walking. Not angry Jews. Not fearful Jews. Not silent Jews. Not self-blaming Jews. But proud Jews.

... The essence of a proud Jew is to not be afraid to express one’s Jewish identity, to connect to one’s Jewish heritage and proudly observe Jewish traditions.

The sun will not come out tomorrow but will instead shine from today on. 

No More will we accept this hatred. No more will we allow others to determine our fate. NO MORE.

whereinthehellisware or WHEREINTHEHELLISWARE?

 Either way, the import of the sentence, or question, is clear. Or is it? What is ware? For that matter, what is where? Where is where and is it the same as Ware? Where, in fact, does where disappear and become 'there'? Are the two the same or does changing from where to there or here to there change the meaning of these words? Does it change our orientation, or does it not matter at all? Confused yet?

Ware actually is a quaint former mill town, typical of old New England, situated outside of Springfield, Massachusetts. For two wonderful summers we were on education staff at a camp just outside of Ware and as loyal citizens of camp, we bought and wore that t-shirt proudly. 

See, we knew where Ware was, we knew where where was. We knew when where turned into there and how to distinguish between the two. We knew where we were in terms of literal and figurative terms. We knew, or were willing, to go from here to there if that proved to be an improvement, for us, to us, for others, for the population of the camp as a whole and/or for oneself. 'Where' was clearly defined as was 'there' and 'here'.

Somehow things changed. We now live in a time when language is no longer clear and where and there are confused and confusing. There, for example, was where extremists occupied a place on the political spectrum, a place manifestly to be avoided. However, 'there' has disappeared from the lexicon unless we accept that 'here', a former location of sanity, has now become that strange, alien place we once called and recognized, and avoided, as 'there'. This was not a positive change.

Are you confused even more? Seeking some kind of handle to understand the definitions and parameters of here and there, how we can return from our present here to there, once our pleasant and beneficial here? Do not feel too bad, think yourself deficient at some level, for in fact, the majority, or at least a very vocal minority, are equally as confused, mistaking their new 'here' as a good place to be. Exactly when we should be turning that present 'here' into 'there', that place or state of being to be avoided.

So, where are we? Whereinthehellisware? The sad truth is that we truly do not know anymore, have misread the old paper maps, are confused by misdirections of self-declared 'waze' people, and are increasingly finding ourselves in what can possibly, once unthinkable, turn into the fog of the 'nacht und nebel' phenomenon, trait, of authoritarian countries. That is certainly WHERE we do not wish to find ourselves, that should never become our HERE. Always remain a THERE.

And there you have it. Uh oh. There? Again? Where is that there? For that matter, what is 'it'? What do we have and how do we have 'it'? Is it definable? Understandable? Desirable? Can this mysterious and vague 'it' be quantifiable? How are we to indeed be able to distinguish one 'it' from another? What happens if we cannot do so? Do we lose 'it'? What is the result of losing 'it'?

This is precisely our new state of being, our new here. It is a place of everchanging definitions, of shifting 'heres' and 'theres', never becoming clear as to whether 'it' is indeed at our location or has it shifted, turning our 'here' into a 'there' and we need to move? Or do we stay? If we have lost our souls, our minds, in this nebulous world, then how do we find or create new ways, new desirable 'heres', 'wheres' and 'theres', a new 'it', all of which will provide us with a much better platform on which to stand and balance. A situation manifestly to be desired.

Back to the title. Perhaps instead of 

'whereinthehellisware?' we need to change that t-shirt logo to this:

'whereinthehellisamerica?' Where indeed.

Where. In. The. Hell. Is. America? 

CONFRONTING A PLETHORA

  Plethora is defined as " a large or excessive amount of something" and in medicine, plethora is "having an excess of body fluids in particular, blood." Uh huh. So apt a term for describing what is happening in this country. In fact, we are besieged by plethoras, most boding no good at all.

 It is incumbent upon us to do something, anything, to stop all these plethoras in their tracks, for if not, trust me, a plethora of personal liberty and an adherence to the civil rights of ALL - yes, you too who continues to believe in the Big Lie_ will not be the issue. A plethora of repression, of oppression is more likely. And yes, I am not speaking of some Third World country undergoing its umpteenth governmental replacement, mainly via violence. I am referring to the heretofore once upon a time example par excellence of a democracy moving forward, albeit too slowly at times. Now, well, now it is solidly embedded in a path towards hell on earth. Oh, the name? The United States of America, a most blatant misnomer of our times.

What the heck has happened to us? What has happened to our courage, our commitment to rights, to the right thing to do, to honor, to loyalty, to actually serving the people, rather than themselves. Neither an idiot nor a buffoon, I know there were always those in and around governmental personnel with the goal of enriching themselves. But today it has gone too far. 

Today, particularly in the GOP, more of them are actively and/or passively supporting treason, outright traitors, enmeshed so deep into the odorific slime of Trump and Trumpism, that they - and most probably we - will never be able to get out. Certainly not without major damage to political honesty, to confidence in it, to a sense of assurance that our country is safe, looks after its citizens, and most important, is united to protect the integrity of the body politic. 

Today, it is quite apparent that the plethora we have is that of the medical application - too much fluid, particularly blood.  There will indeed be more, lots more, unless we act, unless we wake up to the fact that there have been crimes here, crimes that cry out for recognition and deserved consequences. Crimes that already have left stains of blood, of citizen against citizen spilling of blood. Be it around the country, in cars, with bullets, or in our capital, at the Capitol, as we watched brave policemen give their lives to protect the country. As we watched, horrified, at the violence, at a coup- a coup - in our country.

 Worse than that, we have now uncovered what any intelligent, honest person knew. That the supposed President of this country had turned traitor, conspired with other politicos, creeps one and all, to overthrow the government of the country, to impose authoritarian rule upon us, to cast out all that made us who we are, who we are supposed to be. Our past, present and future all trashed at one and the same time. Or so they hoped.

And so it will be, like it or not, unless we immediately act upon the knowledge we have accumulated. Personally, I could care less about what charge is used to imprison that master criminal, Trump, be it via his financial crimes, or his treasonous behavior. Just get him gone. As for the rest of the traitors, who either knowingly or via duping, took part in Jan. 6, well, throw the book at them as well. That is the only way to repel the thousands who are armed to the teeth, who speak of armed rebellion, the soldiers who have been misled into thinking that their loyalty is to the traitors rather than to the country. 

Awful to contemplate. Awful to understand that this is the closest we have come to civil war, since the Civil War. Even the secessionists accepted the election of Lincoln as legitimate. They just could not tolerate it, so they picked up their marbles and ran home, and the rest is history. A history we absolutely need to heed and take a lesson. Here are a few statements that should make it clear how crumbly is the cliff's edge upon which we stand.

“In short: We are chilled to our bones at the thought of a coup succeeding next time."

What I'm not open to is getting nothing", (Precisely what is happening.)

“Because things have gotten so far off track, true American patriots may have to resort to violence in order to save our country.” (Patriots?!!!!!)

" ... a new report from the House Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Crisis. Trump’s administration, unlike Biden’s, deliberately sabotaged the nation’s response to the pandemic."

“January 6th was without precedent,” ... “Our Constitution, the structure of our institutions and the rule of law, which are at the heart of what makes America great, are at stake.” 

"Growing concerns about misinformation, emotional manipulation and psychological harm." (A charge against Facebook, so why not against Trump who did the same, most egregiously, with malice aforethought!)

"And what you would find is that the United States, a democracy founded more than two centuries ago, has entered very dangerous territory.”

Is our peril understood now? In fact, if anything, I have understated the danger that awaits, eager to implode and explode upon us. All of us. No matter what side we support, for there should be no side when it comes to defense of this country. Yet, there it is. Our future awaits.

Unless we wake up. Unless we oust all those traitors round the country. Unless we make sure that the armed forces remain loyal to country. Unless we make people understand that this is the reality, no wiggle room any longer. Reality, truth and consequences must be faced, understood and acted upon. Else, we are lost. The blame on us.

People, I can go back years even as to the warning re Civil War in this country. Unfortunately, this warning has grown in intensity. Had to. I so hoped I was wrong. I continue to do so. However, the truth, the ugly truth is that everyone else has now come around to the same realization. Too little, too late? I hope not. I will not get any satisfaction of saying "Told ya' so" in this case. Most definitely not. We must help ourselves. That is the only way.

UNMOORED

  That is a word used to describe the current state, increasing almost daily, of the former president, Trump. Increasingly agitated, worried, he rants and raves, sends out his ridiculously capitalized harangues to various people and grows increasingly frustrated over his lack of power to stop the Jan. 6 Committee dead in its tracks. Well, Hallelujah and Amen to that. About time.

Be that as it may, there are other 'unmoorings' these days. Joe Manchin has completely lost sight of the big picture and, perhaps, in silence and the privacy of his own home, is imagining himself as the newly, self-appointed shepherd of this country. He has grown an ego that is competitive in size with that of Trump's and believes he can run and rule this country via his neither Democratic nor Republican personas. He, now, singlehandedly, is ruining, blocking, the path to salvation of this country. Personally, I believe he had better check his own moorings, for his ship that appears so well equipped for the political seas of this country can quickly develop major leaks and go down with the tide. Taking the Captain along with it? Only time will tell, but we have seen great examples these days of how people are finding themselves adrift, no power, no sails, no motors, nothing to keep them safe in a world gone frequently unmoored itself.

There is more, unfortunately, to the story of 'unmoorings' around the country. We are increasingly hearing of inane, yet dangerous, steps that should be taken to 'overcome' the inequities of the past. Apparently, these inequities can be atoned for only via new inequities visited upon others. Tit for tat philosophy, a continuation of the schoolyard behavior of people today.  Ridiculous, yet in the frenetic bizarre temperament of the world today, nothing appears out of bounds. Nothing at all.

Here is the latest one I read about. The contents of this article were absurd, yet posed, simultaneously, a substantial impediment to any further progress and, in fact, could lead to a country caught in the throes of dangerous ideas and actions. How can it be that the inequities of others, of the past need to be visited upon others? Yet that is the gist of a school newspaper on the Oberlin campus. 

 The writer suggested that too many 'Whites' were attending campus concerts, infringing on the rights of Black people to attend, even those concerts that somehow had a special 'attraction' for Black people. Not my words, folks, but there they are. The 'cure' to this 'concertgate' is thus: 'Whites" should not buy tickets or be limited in purchase. Furthermore, at these concerts or any event, if a Black person enters and takes a seat in the rear, for that is open, or wishes to sit there, that person needs to be given the seat of a White person sitting closer to the front! Apologetically proper in the act. I kid you not.

What the heck is this? A reverse "Negroes to the back of the bus" policy? These outlandish suggestions further exacerbate the situation and allow leeway for bigots to gain adherents and converts to their own perverted causes. What is the matter with us today? Have we all become unmoored from reality? Have we all lost the moorings that connect us to sanity, to positive steps, to mutual benefits? 

Are we all to apologize for the complexion of our skins and if it comes to that, well, let's get real. White. Black. Brown. Shades of these colors. Do we now institute a list of "purity' according to shading? How does that differ in any way, shape, manner or form from the philosophies of fascism? Why is it even acceptable to publish this blueprint for further flames of racism? As for me, personally, and for all Jews, there are many bigots in this world who consider Jews to be residents of the same world as the "mud people". But what about the Jews of varying ethnicities, for we come in all colors, do we not? Absurdity, yet there it is. 

I will not apologize for being born a Jew. I will not apologize for having a skin tone closer to white than another color, though actually, the only truly 'white' people are albinos! No one need apologize for being born any color, or shade. We are not 'colors' but are people, individuals, good, bad and indifferent. We need to be proud of our heritage though not discriminatory to others. Are parts of that heritage not so praiseworthy, then act accordingly. Improve on that, but do not take it out on others. Simple as that.

Remember the song "I Need a Hero"?

I need a hero
I'm holding out for a hero 'til the end of the night
He's gotta be strong
And he's gotta be fast
And he's gotta be fresh from the fight

We need to be our own heroes.

We can be those heroes. But no one is a hero on the backs of others. No one. To suggest otherwise is to join the camp of the unmoored and the ignorant, the vendors of hate and chaos.

That is not who we are. That is not who we are to be. Let us all be our own heroes, setting examples of a properly moored society, of a population that is harmonious, rather than fractured, adrift on a sea of hate and blood. That blood, by the way, for the ignorant to know, is all red. Period.

BLURRY BORDERS

 We all have dreams that take us out of reality into a world of fantasy. From the minds of people, great and small, fantasy has often been overtaken by reality as we advance in thoughts, deeds, accomplishments, and the daring to take on the "what ifs' and make them the leading question - What if....? and work from there. Trips to the moon, curing the problem faced by Charly in Flowers for Algernon, space travel - all were fantasy morphed into fiction morphed into reality and ongoing from there. All good, mostly, but at times, there is an evil turn of fantasy; we must be aware, proactive, if we are to avoid Faustian turns of fantasy into real life.

Authors, readers, moviegoers, we all love to read or watch catastrophic movies. In the main, the evil is defeated, evildoers receive their just dues, and balance is restored. Unfortunately, today and the tomorrows to come speak of fantasy taking a turn for the worse. We are staring it in the face and yet, we seem to be mired in a swamp of inertia, inability or denial - or any combination thereof. The days of reckoning are no longer to come but have already arrived. We are seriously lagging and lacking in recognizing reality and on we go and on we go and on we go - to where? Nowhere, perhaps?

Monster tsunamis. Nature gone berserk. Fires that roar out of control. Attacks by crazed people. Humans unrecognizable in new behavior and even Zombies. Okay, right now that is over the top, I know, but are we not behaving as Zombies, consuming others, rabid in our desire to have it all? Think about it. Have these things already taken place, getting worse in intensity and frequency, with more to come.? Are we to wait till nations are underwater or the land is denuded of sustainable support for life? It appears that our efforts now are perhaps too little too late. Mad Max world a reality? Who the hell knows, and yet...?

The world of man, the political structure of life within that world, has long been fertile ground for political fantasy movies. The White House attacked; governments overthrown. The President and Congressional leaders hunted down. The 'trusted" leaders of America revealing themselves as traitors. Huh! Good fiction, Makes for a good read and an exciting movie and aren't we lucky that it will never happen here. Yup. Never. Riiiight!

"Representative Jim Jordan is "a traitor" based off of a text message he sent to former President Donald Trump's then-Chief of Staff Mark Meadows about rejecting Electoral College votes on January 6."

"Ali Alexander, the conservative activist behind the "Stop the Steal" movement, recently told congressional investigators that he had communicated with several House Republican lawmakers ahead of the Jan. 6 rally and Capitol riot, along with at least one member of the Trump family's inner circle."

"...historically unprecedented and desperate efforts by Donald Trump in the final weeks of his presidency to reverse an election ...  proposals allowing state officials to thwart legitimate election outcomes –" 

 "nearly one in five Republicans still believe it is "likely" former President Donald Trump will be reinstated as president by the end of the year, "

"...they and other former senior military officials are concerned about the possibility that another contested election might lead to a breakdown in the military. The former officers warned that troops might actually choose to follow their personal politics over their loyalty to the country in such a scenario".

"Citing the Jan. 6 U.S. Capitol riot, the generals wrote, “We are chilled to our bones at the thought of a coup succeeding next time.”

"There is only one truth: the truth of the party. And the party is Donald Trump."

 All these and more are from articles of mainstream media. All are cause for concern. This is not a movie. This is not a drill. People, people like you and me, or even perhaps, you, are planning the takedown of this country's legitimate government and imposing another upon the nation. Goodbye, America. Hello ...what? Democracy certainly hangs in the balance. Anyone who does not see this, well, perhaps a pair of mental spectacles might help. 

We have gone from bad to worse over this past half  decade, ever edging closer to turning this country upside down. Fantasy? No; this is real. This is not a case of M&Ms tied to a rocket, with a horrified question as they face reality: "This is real?" For us, yes, it is real. To real for my liking. Too frightening to contemplate and yet we must. This fantasy into reality needs to be stopped in its tracks lest it be a case of too late, see ya' next century. Perhaps. Maybe. Heck, Earth might not even be here then. So, as Alfred E. Newman used to say, "What, me worry?"

Yes, please - we must all worry. It is imperative that we put aside petty differences, pay attention to the truth, regain our sanity and balance and be Americans, one and all. Is that now a fantasy become reality? Lordy, but I hope not, I pray not.

WAVES AND MORE

  There are waves in the world. Waves of weather conditions. Waves of joy and sadness. Waves of terror and waves of repetitive nature. There are waves of hello and waves of goodbye. There are waves of fashion. Which wave one chooses says much, but there are also waves that wrap themselves around any and all in its path. Irregardless of their personal wishes. Are there ways to avoid these waves? Sometimes yes; other times no. Can we make changes in the progress or impact of these waves? All depends. At times, the waves have grown so strong that they can wipe out all in its path, disregarding the laws of Nature and the laws of mankind. 

The history of the world is replete with political waves. They appear to sweep around the globe, gather strength, wreak havoc. Then via natural processes supplemented by violence, this wave is replaced by another. Is the replacement wave good? Bad? Indifferent? Short or long term? That is often decided by the actions of people, whether they accept and support that new wave or not.

Today, having grown with a tremendously huge, ugly speed, a wave with frightening echoes has great potential to reprise an era wherein a world was caught between democracy and rights of people and those that would deny that right. Though lines were blurred - as, for example, the Soviet Union allied with the Western powers, the point was clear. You are either with or agin'. Today, right here in America, the foremost proponent of democracy, for individual rights, for personal liberty, we are under attack by a wave that should frighten the dickens out of you.

The House Freedom Caucus. America First. Proud Boys. Extremes moving into the mainstream.  Several other names, all thinly disguising their true colors. The end of democracy. The end of liberalism, of progress, of hope for the future, and loyalty to our past and our national ethos. The same old, same old which portends great danger to us all if we do not quickly react, become proactive, and call a spade a spade. The truth behind it? All these groups and their sibling groups are barely veiled disguised fascistic in nature, in outlook, in plans. 

Paul Gosar. Scott Perry. Mark Meadows. Mel Brooks. Louis Gohmert. Jim Jordan. Andy Biggs. Jr. and Eric. Mike Lindell. Clark. McConnell. Stephanie Grisham. Greene. Bohbert. We can list ad infinitum ad nauseam, but the conclusion, the facts remain, despite Trump's philosophy of forget, discard, discount what you see, what you think you know. It is different. These people are members of the government or influencers in the government. They used their power to subvert this country, to stage a coup, to enable the Great Liar to push his fascistic ambitions upon us - and worse, continue the fight. Till today. And tomorrow. And tomorrow.

This is a wave of world changing, destructive  capacity. It is a wave that should send shivers down your spine directly into your heart. Think you will be immune? Think you are white, male, thus, free from any danger? Think again. Think again and again, for the truth is that no one is immune to the injustices of a fascistic regime. No one. Even those at the top of the garbage heap walk on unsteady ground. 

We need to see beyond the misnomers of these groups, the descendants of the America First adherents of WWII times, those who would deny the beauty of America, its acceptance of all who wish to work, live in peace, build a life and future for their families. They tar all "others' with vile lies, insults and demand they be fixed in position as lesser beings, not worthy of the same rights as the rest of society. 

The most frightening thing about this whole wave is the easy acceptance it has found in the minds and hearts of once upon a time intelligent people who could discern the truth, separate the facts from the fiction, and understand what can be read between the lines, the import of the words. They bought into the blatant lies. Now, perhaps ashamed of their gullibility, they continue to back Trump and his nefarious, dangerous co-conspirators, for that is what it was - a conspiracy - lest people think the less of them, lest they be shamed in public, tarred with the brush of traitors and fools. Well, this would not be the case. America has a forgiving heart, accepts apologies, and does not generally impose harsh punishments for political crimes or mistakes. However, even as we forgive the 'trespasses' of deluded Trump adherents, we do need to come down hard, fiercely so, upon these traitors. Only that will prevent future waves of fascism right here in our country.

Accept the truth. Accept the reality. Hear the words entering your ears, the words you read. Trump is a traitor. So are the group of Congressmen who supported him, who knew of Jan. 6 and allegedly took part in its planning. Traitors, one and all, including the Trump children and all the enablers who knew what was going on, knew the ultimate plans, and continued to either do nothing to stop it, or worse, continue to aid and abet. no regrets, no repentance. Still beating that same horse and I am not sure at all that they are beating a dead horse.

 The wave of reeking odor wafting from that dead horse beats the smell of Hamlet's rat in Denmark!

We are in the midst of a most dangerous wave, if not to ourselves, then certainly for the next generations, perhaps never to return to our America. WE need to change that possibility, that ugly picture. It is upon us. No one else.

THE. TIME. IS. NOW.

YES! THE MOVIES!

  Good morning, America! Time to wake up and return to life, to make logical decisions, to prioritize properly and understand the complexities of life that we face today. But there is more to do than that and it will help place things in a more understood and understandable light.

How do we do that? How do we squeeze understanding out of chaos? How do we live life in a forever changed world without sacrificing lives? Truthfully, the answer is that there is no statement anywhere, where we are promised a trouble-free life. There is no codicil on any contract, which guarantees a life without risk. How could there be? Simply crossing the street, making a decision to turn right or left, answering a phone, texting a foolish message, and the list goes on. Everyday situations are important, more so, when we realize that as individual pages add up to a book, so do repetitive behaviors, giving us information, guidance and thought - if only we paid attention. 

Too many of us have become accustomed to a life where excuses are always available. A kid misbehaves in school, as kids do. We overreact, churning life as we seek to 'understand' why. Why? Because that is what kids do. Worst of all, is that this seeking of excuses, this denial of reality, of mis-ranking priorities, continues even as the misbehaviors edge toward criminal activity, and finally cross the line. We begin to lose focus, lose the forest, as we zero in on a tree or two. We lose direction. We lose comprehension of time and space, of balance. We find ourselves spinning out of control, whirling in the opposite direction of the planet. 

So why the title? What's movies got to do with misdirection, with excuse making, with losing sight and comprehension of the importance of trees adding up to create a forest? Take the movie we saw yesterday - West Side Story, remade version. It was basically the same story as the original movie, keeping the thread intact, the thread that ties it all the way back to the beginning of time. Forever, there have been feuds between competing groups. Forever is the time in which we will have to deal with this, with the utter stupidity of lack of comprehension, being blind to that historical thread.

Take that afore said movie. The subtle changes were at times not so subtle. Oh, and let me warn you, bring a box of tissues. You will need it. The changes are appropriate to our time, indeed to all times, through generations, for though the names and places have changed, the essence is the same. Tragically so. Until we feel that deep in our bodies and souls, we are condemning ourselves to tragedy. 

When Rita Moreno, as Valentina, sings the song Somewhere, it is overwhelming in its power. It has the same impact as Anne Heche's version of I Had a Dream in Les Miz. It turned everything on its head. Valentina sang it, influenced by her own tragic life. It was the same old, same old. Mankind, in its blindness, finds itself fighting over the trash left to them by those in power. There appears to be no end to the despair.  Will there ever be a place for us?  Will there? The hope remains, weakened, but still there: "somewhere, somehow, someday".

The more things change, the more things remain the same. Sadly, oh so sadly, tragically, so. Will mankind ever, ever, learn? 

Another tragic truth understood via this version is that the lovers, while important, are not as important as the other message, why Shakespeare wrote his masterful piece, Romeo and Juliet, why it appeals to people through the ages.

Mankind, and I stress the man part of the word, continues to pound chests, shout challenging words, refuse to tamp down the temperature. Inevitably, they find themselves pounding away on each other, to the point of death. When it is too late, there comes a glimmering of understanding of what they have done, but some results are immutable. Death is death, to people or to society. Deadly battles, bloody fields, the poppies of Flanders Field, so many killed, maimed, wounded in body and soul. 

For what? For what! As usual there is the collateral damage of this man-kind behavior. The women, the children, are left to suffer, to bear the consequences, to pay the price. West Side Story, Romeo and Juliet, and all the versions before and since, convey the same message - if only it were caught! The Duke of Verona says, " a pox on both your houses." The lovers are not truly the issue, merely the plaything of the stubbornness of mankind: the insane, dangerous, ever-present hatred between groups that lead to a fractured society and a hit to its future.

Go to the movies. Watch a movie in its entirety, rather than stop for drinks, for bathroom, for phone, for texting, for whatever. Immerse yourself in the magic of the movies, open your hearts and heads, allow the true purpose of that movie to flow through you, to you, from that giant screen. There is much to be said for the gestalt of 'going' to the movies. We do 'go', hopefully gaining insight, feeling the impact meant for you, the viewers.

Go to the movies. It is clean, safe, and fun.

Go. Cry. Laugh. Do both at one and the same time.

Let us learn from our mistakes, the same ones we insist on making, time and time again. 

Someday. Somehow. Somewhere.