"HE'LL BE FINE"

   The truth, though, is definitely otherwise. He, meaning Trump, will not be fine. Nor will we; nor will the entire country and world at large. There is a point beyond which there is no going back, certainly not without terrible cost and consequences. Be assured that I am not talking about money in terms of cost. Rather, I am referring to the cost in blood, in lives taken and/or ruined, beyond repair, beyond redemption. A country gone to hell in a handbasket of our own foolish making.

I wonder, I truly do, about the contents of the water and air we breathe and ingest in this country. More so, apparently, in some areas than others, but still, sometimes it seems the only explanation re the mass movement of off thinkers, of mistaken thinkers refusing to admit their error, brain dead others, and downright mean, nasty individuals who find themselves only among other losers, such as Proud Boys - manifestly not, nothing within them to be proud of - or Oath Keepers, of the same ilk. 

Moreso, what other kind of explanation could explain the rise in so obviously unqualified candidates running on GOP ticket. Some are just plain old stooges, running where there is nobody else, or in an area where there is no competition, particularly in the sparsely populated states. However, how do we explain the candidates such as Mastriano or Walker where there is competition? Has the GOP totally gone off the tracks or are they resigned, taking the path down to total reformatting, an end to the Republican Party as we once knew it. My lord, but they are either nuts, filled with hatred that knows no bounds, intellectually greatly challenged or some such combination of factors. I can find no other sensible definition of the fall of a once mighty, proud, truly patriotic political party, whose modern presentation spits in the face of some of the greatest people in American history.

Walker, questioned as to his rather obvious mental deficiencies, rants on forever re bikes, maintaining that his is "not bent". Humph to that! As for Mastriano, well, it is up to his state to reject this man who wears a Confederate uniform, a symbol of hate, a sign of bigotry and a desire to return to a time we have romanticized, falsely, stupidly, dangerously, 'forgetting' the 'other' truth -the bloodshed, the families split apart, the degradation of humans via slavery - both owners and slaves. 

That word alone sends bad, bad chills down my back. And should do the same to you. And most certainly, think not that slavery is gone, a tale of old, nothing new. Wrong, so wrong. Slavery exists, under open usage to false representations, not to forget the slavery of the concentration camps, where the slaves were openly worked to death, beaten to death, starved, shot, tortured - free reign as the government was the chief instigator of it all. And the world, including the USA, stood still for it. As it continues to stand still re the slavery (forced labor) of the Uighurs in China, prisoners of the Russian gulag, or simply members of the 'wrong' religion or sect of it.

No, Trump will not be fine. Nor will the country. Nor will the world. Not unless we all stand up for what is right, not what we wish nor what is our present reality. That reality is a mean, nasty one, based on the worst traits of humanity. It is a world of bullying, rampant among adults even as we try to weed it out amongst the kids. Hypocrisy at its worst! As we mourn the loss of a once proud national ethos, attempts to correct our errors, to acknowledge our deficits, there are those who are frustrated at those same moral deficits within the GOP. 

Some will not vote if Trump runs again. The mere thought of that criminal running for President, along with acolytes twisted with the same deficits as Trump's, along with those who will go along with all that is wrong, the easier path, the more profitable path, well, my blood boils and my soul shakes. How could this be? How could we have allowed our country, our nation, imperfect, but eager to fix these imperfections, even if imperfectly so, how could we have allowed this degradation of pride, of truth, of honesty, of a patriotism that blares its falsehood. More important, why? Why the hell!!!!

“If these radical, vicious, racist prosecutors do anything wrong or illegal, I hope we are going to have in this country the biggest protests we have ever had in Washington, D.C.; in New York; in Atlanta; and elsewhere,” Mr. Trump said in January at a rally, “because our country and our elections are corrupt.”

These are not the words of a true leader, one who values his nation, who wants the best for it.

Nor are these, a very thinly veiled threat.

“People are so angry at what is taking place,” Mr. Trump told Fox News. “Whatever we can do to help because the temperature has to be brought down in the country. If it isn’t, terrible things are going to happen."

 Graham made a similar threat, stating there "will be riots" if Trump is arrested. Shame on him, and shame on a nation that would support this venom and invective.

As one person put it, to correct the mess of ours, “Unfortunately, ... “in this country, it’s looking like it might be a long road.”   

People, time to stand up and be counted among the if not, righteous, at least better for us than the perverted present GOP. That misnomer should be removed now, for it shames the true GOP, what once was and what should be again.

" ...evidence that the former president took steps to conceal his illegal possession of classified documents. In doing so, the filing said, Trump defied a grand jury subpoena and "likely" attempted to obstruct the DoJ investigation."

This is not a true leader. Not a true President of this country, sworn to defend it from enemies within and without. If he were true to his oath, he would have removed himself - now. Then. Ever and always.

You know that proverbial rope, at the end of which, in moments of great frustration, we state that we are at the "end of the rope", hanging at its end? Well, remember it well, for I see it swinging there, blowin' in the wind, in a tragic cycle which bodes no good for anyone. No one. No one at all.

I WANT MY BA-BA!

 Seriously, what the hell are we working with or dealing with? Shocking and obvious is the lack of brains and thinking power at the highest ranks of government, both former and unfortunately those who remain in seats of power despite reprehensible behavior and words, despite their most clear abuse of right and privilege, even as they turn against this country in a most unfortunate and dangerous turn of events. What have we allowed, enabled, much to our detriment?

The crude boor who used to occupy, shamefully, the highest seat of power is an overgrown toddler, seeking to test the limits of his power over those who live in the same house. They have taken away his ba-ba, limited access to his 'passy', and refused to continue to indulge his worst tantrums. In typical selfish toddler behavior, he threatens to bring down the house on those who refuse him. Either do what I want, or I will make you pay is the mantra heard spewing out of his mouth and the mouths of his co-conspirators and enablers. 

 The latest indignity laid down in front of us is the blustery threat, though all too real - and well he knows it - to destroy all unless his possessions are returned. Posthaste. His most prized possession is not Mar a Lago, but the Oval Office, or rather the Residence within where he can safely throw his tantrums and inflict torment on all unfortunate enough to be caught up in his shenanigans and dangerous machinations. That would be the entire nation. 

He unbelievably demands "reinstatement as the rightful President" or a new election - STAT! ASAP! And if not, well, check back on the lovely clearly implied threat found within his missive to Garland and/or the words of Lindsay Graham who, enmeshed in his deeds and efforts to overturn the Georgia election results, has also turned to ridiculous claims of immunity or else- and here comes the violence threats again. Sickening, pathetic, yet dangerous. Joining in the lovely parade of 'statesmen' caught in a web of their own making, hoist by their own petard, are Ron Johnson and Jim Jordan, along with McCarthy, should be there McConnell, Perry, Cruz, Rubio, that fascist De Santis, Abbott and myriad numbers of others. 

They and their fellow travelers should be called the RAD - Republicans Against Democracy Party rather than the GOP. Republicans, or should we say RINO Republicans as they do not come anywhere near the traditional dignity and respectability, viability, possible, viewpoints and platforms of the true GOP. They are the fakes. They have usurped this party and sent it headlong into shame. They are the dangerous ones who pose a danger to our democracy, eating away at it from within. Most dangerous for those - us - being eaten alive even as some actually applaud it, even as the sound of the teeth, the rending of the fabric of the nation, grows ever louder, ever nearer. More difficult to overcome. Harder to bring back democracy, to eliminate the possibility of such a drastic turn of events and people again.

The man is a crazed, demented bull in that proverbial china shop, breaking all things to his left, his right, behind and in front of him, no control, no safety valve, no shutoff button. The time has come for the nation and its representatives in the form of Garland and the Justice Department to put an end to the constant intrusion of delaying tactics, suborned biased judges who have no connection to the case at all, other than being appointed by Trump.

We all must take a deep breath, prepare ourselves for a rough year or two, even fraught with threats and possibilities, perhaps probabilities, of violence, and then rejoice as the man dons an orange jumpsuit, dyed especially to match his complexion.

Enough already. We are allowing him to make a farce of justice, to make a joke of the Constitution, to defy the principles of the Declaration. Most dangerous, is the split in the firmament of our nation, 'united' draining fast even as divided, angry chasms form, apparently bottomless and impossible to be bridged.

Give the infant his ba-ba wrapped in a receipt from the prison canteen, have done with him. Let us get on with the much needed, desperately needed, most difficult work of a successful reconstruction, a reuniting of this country, convincing all that despite all that has gone on before, we remain one. We are the United States of America. Once we were, or came ever closer to it, and we can do and be that again.

G-d Bless America. From Sea to Shining Sea.

 

LALALALALALALA

  Nope, not a typo, nor a sign of waning sanity. What it is, is a visual representation of the physical act of placing hands over ears and making noises to block out the words of another, the descriptions of things we would rather ignore than acknowledge and deal with, in a reality-based manner. This is truly not such a mature manner in which to confront troubling issues, is it? Even so this has been the ongoing theory of crisis management over the past decade, more so with Trump on the loose. Sense and nonsense have become terribly interchangeable, unrecognize a such and the damage is ongoing and multiplying. With no end in sight.

America has lost its collective mind. The statements that issue forth from supposed leaders, so obviously not, grow more and more absurd, theater of the absurd in reality. In reality, not a very good reality. From worries about the Queen across the pond, to discussions of the might be power of a former president, to games of deadly chicken, and representatives of the nation most definitely not, well, lalalalala.

I believe my point of relief this morning was reading of the return of cargo pants to the fashionably accepted world. Oh, yes, pockets! Most designers think women do not need, nor deserve, pockets, forcing them to take along a travelling purse in the form of a man and his pockets or shlep a heavy bag causing numerous issues with backs and shoulders and spines, never mind the inconvenience of it all. I intend to hunt down a pair, comfortable, moderate, plain old comfortable.

But while we are celebrating the return of some sense to fashion, what do we do with the existential issues, far weightier than what we will wear for the next few seasons - as if I gave a damn as to that answer! What do we do, what plan do we have in place to deal with issues become so egregious in manner and presentation that they pose a true existential risk to our future, to the future of the nation and the world as we know it, or perhaps as we wish it to be. Ahhh, the benefits of wishful thinking.

I wonder if we recognize the truth any longer. Hogan makes the so underwhelming acknowledgement that there is "no question" that there are "some signs" of authoritarianism in the GOP. Well, hallelujah and amen to that. Many a day late and many dollars short, but there it is, perhaps the first open acknowledgement of a truth that has been visible for quite some time to those who recognize the bare state of the self-proclaimed emperor and his sycophantic retinue. What we will do with this acknowledgement, where it will take us - somewhere or nowhere - only time will tell.

However, the elephant in the room, that big old trumpeting pink and gray elephant, bears down on us, even as we ignore it. It refuses to be consigned to an enforced silence, waving his trunk around and tossing his ears and head, until we do pay attention to the truth. Moreover, that we do something positive, constructive, reformative, rejuvenating with that truth. Will we get the message? Will we understand the necessity for the proper response, for urgent reality checks? Only the good Lord knows for sure. Not even sure of that.

Senses have gone numb, rusty with disuse. GOP members refuse to back away from the toxic traitor to the nation, even as the truth is revealed in all its ugliness and betrayal of trust, violations of sacred oaths. They question redaction of information that would place people in jeopardy for their lives or damage the balance of the world as the powers that be hold each other in check, unbalanced as that might be, via actual, unpublicized knowledge of nefarious plans afoot and the thwarting of the worst and most dangerous of them. At least there are some remaining grains of intelligence among the guardians of our nation. We must pin our diminishing hopes on them.

So, you ask, why do we care about a queen across the sea? Because of what she represents, the hopes of a nation under siege, a gallant, brave, leader, of the sort we rarely even get a glimpse of any longer. It will mean a huge sea-change for England and the world, for a country that will retain its balance, never retuning fully after two disastrous wars which drained its population and finances, or go to the extremes and once again, a pitched battle between constitutional monarchists and Cromwellites. Further destabilizing an already way off balance world - and that includes us, on this side of that ever-smaller pond.

Are we ever going to hitch up our collective pants, cargo or not, and reformat this massively ill formatted world or are we going to continue on this destructive, declasse one we have apparently chosen right now? Why do we accept, even some cheer on, the crude behavior of self-appointed, self-serving 'leaders'? In reaction to the revelations of the sins of his father, in resentment re the redactions, Junior posts a picture of his grossly overweight, sloppy father, a black redaction symbol over Senior's genital areas, along with a comment of "Redact this!" Yuck! How do I get that image out of mind?! Is this the sad level of future America?

Think I will return to a few more lalalallas and then head out on a search for the new cargo pants. But first, perhaps a bit more sleep, "perchance to dream" of a country, a world, once more in a steadier balance, where public service attracts the best of us, not the least of us. A world where hope reigns, where life is better for all, where progress is valued over regression and suppression.

Folks, down with the hands, lower the voices, and let us get back to work on a path of sanity, of positivity, where the songs that ring through the air are replete with words of sense, of goodness, of idealism, of rose-colored glasses and glasses half full, not half empty. Can we, please? For the sake of us all?

YES, IT CAN HAPPEN HERE; IN FACT, IT ALREADY HAS

 First, the apology for tardiness. Went to sleep late, caught up in the latest jigsaw puzzle so.... Warning for those interested in these devilish things - they are addictive, massively so. In any case, now for the meat of today's blog, a much more serious, for real topic that has eluded many, or turned away from in an understandable denial of its ugliness and truth and the foreboding omen it portends for the future.

For decades, centuries even, America has had the inclination to hide its eternal antisemitism. Oh, we all knew it was there, but if one kept silent about it, similar to the way the word cancer was never spoken aloud, it would really not be there. Toddler behavior, closing one's eyes - and mind - thus making something disappear at will. Well, sorry, folks, this is not going away. In fact, it has grown rampantly over the past decade and more, to the point of violence. To the point where people have hidden their Jewish themed jewelry, taken to wearing baseball hats instead of the Kippah, the traditional head covering of observant Jews, and there is fear now at every Jewish institution and gathering. Lessons of security, of how to fight against an invasion, an armed terrorist and I wonder, who is kidding whom here.

How does one fight or prepare to defend oneself when jumped suddenly on the street, or a victim of a drive by shooting, anonymous in perpetrator, or the huge amount of garbage, dangerous, vile, that is rife throughout social media, with new sites appearing daily, sometimes hourly, boasting of their hatred and their plans. It is no longer hidden, as these vicious critters march openly, in uniforms, in public shouting of operations and plans, in their arrogance. It is defiant, open, ugly and quite frankly, frightening, so very much so at its growth and deep roots within the American community.

You will say but Jews have done well here, have found refuge here; yes, but it all comes at a cost. For too many years, Jews have taken to the idea that to hide one's identity, to change names to less "Jewish' ones, to ignore the historical truth of our survival against all odds, to deny the links in our historical 'chains', - that is the way to go, they feel. I understand that urge, that inclination to hunker down, but it does not work. History has taught us so, terribly so in its eternal ugly truth.

America is no different. It can happen here, and in fact, as the title states, is already happening. The insidious creep of policies of anti-rights for all who are different, the growing ugliness of the extreme white Christian nationalist movement; unfortunately, are doing quite well, damn them! The growing desire to silence all that one opposes, to deny reality, to deny existence, to deny peoplehood of those who walk a slightly different path through life is alive, thriving, glorying in their newfound acceptance and even respectability. State after state has been invaded by these dangerous termites, eating away at what makes America, America. Think not? Read on.

Yesterday I read one of the most dangerous news stories ever, at least for me and for all Americans, if only they will see the truth, take off their blinders and know what we all face, as Americans of all stripes and colors. Florida has an open fascist as its governor who delights in terminating all rights he does not like. Women? Feh. No right to control their own bodies, make their own decisions. Nope, for if they do, away they go. Murderers! Gay, lesbian, non-binary, transgender - well, you can join his trash heap and the people he has consigned to it. Doing quite well, thank you, he says, smug smile and all.

Here is the scary fact. Teachers have been placed in job shaky worlds. Say something wrong and off you go; this as the teacher shortage has grown by leaps and bounds. A student raises a question re oppression, re slavery, and whether it was right or wrong, morally speaking, and shhhhh, no talking about that. Stinks of 'woke' theory. No can do. Talk of the Constitution and the rights it gives to all - another no-no, unless phrased properly with nothing falling upon those who would deny those rights. In fact, they have, historically and right now, our present day. It has not gone away. Not at all.

Have teachers refused to follow these directives? Nope. They say, almost to a one, that they will have to compromise, walk gingerly through this new minefield, accommodate, they say. Echoes of history. How easy it is now to get this accommodation. How easy it was for teachers of Nazi Germany, of fascist Italy, to accommodate the constant flow of antisemitic rules. Fire the Jewish worker. Take away Jewish owned businesses and stores. Segregate the Jewish child at the back of the room, shame them. Force them into separate classes and then separate schools and then no school at all. And then no life at all. All allowable, made possible by the accommodating, getting used to, these new rules. 

After all, it is the law. Right? We are, most of us, law abiding, probably teachers more so, as rules are important in the classroom and life itself. They teach kids to think, teach them truths, about the difference between legality and morality and the historical crisis and clash between the two. They thrill to see their 'kids' grow in understanding, in independent thought, in patriotism and love and hope for a country fair to all. But now? Verboten!! Now, they accommodate.

How easy it is to accommodate. How easy it is to go along. How easy it is to look away, to do as ordered. Ugly echoes resound through the air, of tragedies past, present, all the while sending unfortunate hints of the future. 

Unless we refuse to accommodate.

Unless we understand the different burdens and difficult choices between legality and morality.

Unless we grow to understand the historical imperative, in its ugly truth, as well as in its beauty when done right.

Before our photographs and videos become the same haunting memento mori of those monumentally soul searing ones of the Jews of Europe and North Africa between 1933-1945 - and the sentiment and deeds remain. Healthy as all, right there in the same world and in our country, my America, though there are too many who would deny that.

Accommodation is not an option.

Never! 

Never Again.

Not here.

Not in America.

But is that the truth?

Are you sure?

Are you really. definitely sure?

FINALLY

 Or should it really have a question mark after it? Will we ever be done with this whole mess, with the shame of centuries, with the glaring exposition of America's devolvement? Can it, in fact, ever be fully resolved and what will it mean for the future; what precedents does it set, good and bad? Can we hold strong, finally pull together as a nation should the worst -or actually, the best - occur and Trump finally pay the myriad dues he owes to the nation, at least in the form of prison, no country club, please. Additionally, a massive fine such that will truly hurt the family quite a bit in the pocket, possibly avoiding future damage of and by the Trump family as each poisonous offspring has to 'wrassle' with a new normal. And if they are provably complicit in his evil shenanigans, which they certainly were, then the price must be paid by them as well, in terms of jail time and personal fines.

The nonsensical plaint that we are hearing, being threatened with, actually, that to try and convict this man and his co-conspirators, is dangerous for the country, that it will release a huge toxic cloud over us, with fighting in the streets, bloodshed, possibly a final split in the nation, irrevocable, permanent. What nonsense. Bah, humbug! 

We already have had fighting in the streets. We already have had bloodshed, unto and including murder, by the insurrectionists. We have had violent offshoots of these horrific extreme right wingers, but it will not, must not, stop us from doing the right thing. Those who decide to continue their rebellion, their treason, well, their fate awaits them. We MUST, absolutely must, do what is necessary to maintain the integrity of this nation, its role in the world, its standards, its historical responsibility to its residents, even to the world. 

To excuse a person from crimes committed sets a bad example for future criminal politicians and civil workers. No, working for the government should never be accompanied by a get out of jail card. This is not a game of Monopoly. This is real life. Actions have consequences. Do the crime, do the time. A mantra we must observe, apply in ALL circumstances. If not, well, we are truly and forever lost. 

Government positions will be sold and bought, criminals will run this nation, along with the ones already in place, and do not forget the sexual perverts in place already. They will have carte blanche to do whatever their twisted hearts and misshapen souls desire. WE, the little folks, it is a major 'screw you' to us.

No one, absolutely no one, is above the law, not in a democracy, true to its mandates. Yes, there are times with mitigating circumstances, but wanting to hold position to satisfy one's bloated ego does not count. Greed, in asserting that all he touches, all he wants, are "MINE!", not acceptable.

 Open, blatant, contemptuous behavior in anyone cannot be tolerated; most certainly not in the very one who is supposed to, sworn to, defend this nation from enemies within and without. What a crock, when the 'defender' is the very enemy within! What a crock indeed, when he is the one wielding the scissors, the evil, wicked blades shredding this nation's fabric, aided by his twisted acolytes, hanging around for the crumbs he sheds, like the shark and its attendant school of fish hanging around for his leftovers.

We are not to be parasites. We are not to be disrespected, made null and void, invisible in the setting of standards, in building a better, ever evolving society. We cannot allow that. We cannot tolerate that. We have already crossed so many Rubicons that I have lost count. Unsealing affidavits! Unheard of in these cases, yet here we are. A traitor President!!?? Enablers, a huge crowd of them? Hordes of mob crazed people desperate to do something to better their grievances, real and imagined, good and bad, not acceptable. Not compatible with a true democracy where violence is not the answer.

I wish this were gone from our national screens, from the constant acidic eating away at our unity, at the worsening situation in the world because, due to, the machinations, the incompetence, the sheer perversion of that former, never should have been, president who turned the proper world upside down without a plan to recorrect. No one desires this gone more than I, well, ok, probably him as well, but then again...

Biden said it correctly after a heckler, roundly and soundly booed by the audience, claimed again, forever, the lies of the stolen election. Biden shut him down, urged the people to let him go, out the door, and then said, 

"Folks, ignorance knows no boundaries, but we never gave up,” Mr. Biden said to applause. “We never gave in, and we’re delivering for the American people.”

Yes, despite the twistings and turnings of the GOP, the Democratic party have served the nation, getting legislation passed to help the little guys. Think what could be, what should be, if the liars, the criminals, the twisted of the GOP were gone, the party once again, yes, different than the Democratic Party in some issues, but always, forever, pro the people, pro America, able to stand on the steps of that besieged Capitol and sing, together, in full throated voice and emotion - G-d Bless America".

If only.

If finally.

AND I WONDER AND I WONDER AND I WONDER

  To wonder can be a beautiful state of mind. To wonder at the glory of a sunset, to stand in awe before the immense power of rushing waters, of a field of wildflowers, to 'hear' the silence in a huge expanse of land, well, that is a positive state of wonder. A state of wonder which enriches and reminds people of the glories of the universe reminding us that we need to take care of that universe, to allow others to see it generations down the line. There is wonder at every stage of life, from the beauty of watching an infant discover his hands, or a toddler taking that wobbly first step. There is wonder at the vigor and vitality of those at the other end of life, as they share their wisdom and their follies, trying to pass on a lifetime of knowledge. 

However, there is that other side of wonder. That is the wonder of despair. The wonder of why and how terrible things are allowed to happen when it was and is in our power to prevent it. We can wonder about the negligence of man towards the earth. We can wonder at the corruption of people, of the greed and negative postures and traits of too many, especially including those who find themselves in places of power, where they forget their humanity.

Today I wonder at the willful blindness, the voluntary cooperation of so many, particularly of the GOP, especially its leadership, who allowed a madman to run this nation, to take it down paths of darkness. Worse, they denied it all, even as they knew the truth. They allowed fear of a man who could and should have been faced down. A President manifestly unqualified to have that role, to continue in place. Even as they knew his crimes. Even as they knew his madness, his lust for power, his self-indulgent greed to have all, to own all, to command all. Even as the lawyers and staff discussed deposing him, invoking the 25th Amendment. Even as the lawyers flagrantly crossed the line, allowing, even urging violations of the law, both legal and ethical. I wonder - what the hell happened to Americans? Where have all the good people gone?

Peter, Paul, and Mary sang a song of quiet despair, "Where Have All the Flowers Gone", sadness and hopelessness the undertone, as the cycle of life - or death - seemed unconquerable, to remain in place, no matter what. The cycle was never to be broken, at least at the rate we were going.

For years now, I, and others, were lonely voices in the wind, calling out Trump and his evil confederates, pleading with people to see the truth, to avoid the extremes of behavior and thought to which he encouraged them. Even as his egregious sins and traitorous deeds became glaringly clear, right there in front of our very noses, people refused to see the truth, to acknowledge the inevitable end awaiting us at the dead end of the path he was taking, dragging us to lower depths of evil, cruelty, and disloyalty to our nation. 

He invoked hatred as a basis of thought and deed. He encouraged the acidic division of a once united nation, even as it struggled to achieve the most, to correct past errors and false theories of thought. He encouraged the growth of a violent racial, religious bias, where people felt free to indulge their worst thoughts via horrific deeds. And yet, the horrified wonder continues -why were people unable and/or unwilling to see the truth, to acknowledge the emperor's blatant nakedness so obvious, so dangerous, so cruel, so evil.

The latest crisis is the confidential, secret papers of the country, papers which put us in existential danger as a country, and places people who do their job, who fulfill their responsibilities, in danger as well. Yet, the soul stunning wonder continues apace as there remain those, too many, who continue to defend his dastardly misbehavior, to deny the truth, even as the papers stuffed into boxes are carried out, even as anecdotes of his constant reprise - "They are mine!" ring in the air. 

And I wonder. And I despair. And I wonder again, what the hell happened to us? What did we allow, through omission or commission to take place in this once beloved nation of ours. I wondered how, when, and why, this country chose to slide down that slippery slope to fascism, to autocracy, in a nation which once was the leading defender and paradigm of democracy, of respect for all, of a constant attempt to do better, to be better, to fail and try again.

I wonder how I am to pledge allegiance to a flag which was used to beat others, to attempt a coup, to violently betray this nation and its people, as the crazed mob, the horde, ran at the Capitol, bloodshed on their minds, treason in their hearts. A most fear inducing video of it, in warp speed, is available online. Watch it. Feel the horror, to the very marrow of your every bone in your body, how close we came to losing it all. Understand the effect it would have had on your life and the lives of your loved ones. Not good, not good at all.

Most of all, I wonder re the future of this nation. Are we going to be able, to be capable of repairing the horrific rents in the fabric of our national soul? Can we climb that steep slope back to the right and proper? Do we want to? Do we have that will as a once more United States of America to achieve that goal, to fight for it, to firmly avow its truth? Its necessity?

Do we return to a nation where no one is above the law? Where cronyism, downright flagrant violation of the letter and the spirit of our most important and sacred founding documents are strongly rejected? Do we put an end to this dragging on of a battle in a war we are losing, do what we must, and not hide anymore from that truth, from that necessary justice and retribution for crimes against this nation. Truly understand the clear and present danger these people, led and cowed by Trump, clearly traitors to our nation, represented and indeed continue to do so. Unless and until we close the books on this aberrational phase of our history, lock it up so that it can never, ever return. To a time, a nation, where no one will ever have to say this again:

 “I had a top secret clearance. I was an Army officer. If I had done what he did, I would’ve been in jail, 100%. No questions asked." 

Where we will no longer hear that the threat to our survival is not from without, but shockingly, from within. From the very last place we would ever expect.

 "You can't trust this president to do the right thing. Not for one minute, not for one election, not for the sake of our country. You just can't. He will not change and you know it."

Where I take heart and inspiration from these words of Adam Schiff.

"There are a great many people who do feel overwhelmed and who are at the point of despair. But the American people do not have the luxury of despair right now. We have a unique responsibility in this moment to defend democracy when it's at its greatest peril. This is truly a history-making moment."

Where wonder will take on the positive and joyful aspects again and the wonder of horror and disbelief will fade into oblivion. 

I wonder and wonder and wonder. Will it ever?

NO SENSE? NONSENSE? SAME DIFFERENCE?

  I can see it in the future - should we make it to that point - a group of scholars of history discussing the weird turn America took in the teens and twenties of the 21st century. They are in the process of writing the definitive and detailed history of the times, trying to reach a satisfactory and agreed upon analysis with very clearly delineated steps of devolvement of the country and its close, too close, to a miraculous recovery just in time to halt the slide into autocracy even as the danger of retrogression continued for many years.

Questioning the actual intellectual ability of people of those times, they simply could not understand the arc of the thinking, the astonishing acceptance of so much anti-American actions taken by her own legislators and justices. On every level. Amazed and horrified at the possibility that it could ever happen again, there was a deep feeling, an urgency, to deep dive the times, to understand the danger it posed then and if there is any carryover into their times. They compared the danger posed to the life of a virus, long thought defeated, yet suddenly springs to life once again, due to sloppy habits and over confidence.

How and why did such blatant irregular misdeeds come into acceptance? Why did the people of the nation turn against each other? So viciously, bloodthirsty. Was it the polluted water and air, the chemicals and contamination, the deleterious effects on the thinking capacities of the people. How could this be prevented from any future existence? How did one protect the country from itself? Existential questions and risk. Aberrational thinking beyond the ken of sane rational thought and thinkers.

The first conclusion they arrived at was that the ideas of truth, of honesty and honor, were totally trashed. In place, instead, were installed the vices of greed, of seeking for power, of disregard for others, for spitting on the history and moral ethos of the country. Loyalty to country was jeered at, seen only as a useful misused political tool. America lost its "Americaness", lost direction as a nation, and simply adopted the tribal way of life, with competition even unto death.

Ironically, the very triumph of the GOP tribe, along with its affiliates, Proud Boys, Oath Keepers and such, forced a growing recognition of the dangerous situation of the country, the very real probability that unless there were drastic steps taken, the country would be lost. No more America. No more United States of America; instead, there arose several smaller, quarrelsome nation states. The mighty country, the leader of the West, was gone and in its place was a vastly underwhelming group of infant states posing only peril to the entire world.

The leaders of the West rolled up their sleeves and actually worked together, in tandem, with those of America who wished to see a return to the past and a path to the future. Bit by bit, individual by individual, the rot was weeded out. Funds were dispersed to new political parties calling for a reuniting of the country, a return to the United States of America. Strict laws were advocated dealing with governmental officials who in thought and deed opposed this reunification, this return to democracy as opposed to a faulty dangerous dynasty where there had never been one before. Alarms and alerts were set in place. After a long, difficult slog through the morass left behind by the Trump dynasty, its greedy denizens, its overwhelming philosophy of lies, of opposition to truth and honesty, of responsibility to the people rather than to themselves, finally there was new light entering the world.

Ironically, the death knoll for the country in 2024 was, as the hundredth anniversary approached, rejected, with the overwhelming approval of the oppressed erstwhile Americans. Eager to return to a historical truth, a global necessity and historical imperative, the United States of America was reconstructed anew. With safeguards in place. Most important of all was the banning of any and all Trump descendants unless their loyalty to country over self was clear and distinct. Harsh but necessary, as the country could not survive a second such period of history, of a rending of the country to such a degree. 

Nervous, yet satisfied with their final version and text recounting, explaining, this aberrational period in the history of the United States of America, the committee closed its session. A final ending and an explanation of those dangerous times. The safeguards necessary for a secure country, a solid future, in the place where it belonged, as a leader of the West, a leader and protector of democracy, were set in place so as to avoid a recurrence.

Is this the future we want to see happen, to allow to happen, or worse, even encourage to happen? Is this what we wish to leave as our legacy? Do we wish to go down in history as the biggest threat ever to a positive world? Opposed to or apathetic about the idea, practice, and survival of democracy, and the best future for humanity that could ever be imagined, engendered, for all time?

Certainly not. Not if we think straight. Not if we wish to do, and will do, the right thing and reject Trumpism, and all denizens and proponents of the dystopian Trumpian world. We must. Now, I believe, is our final chance to avoid such a miserable future for our kids, for us, for humanity. It is that simple. It is that clear. It is that dangerous.

Time to pick a side. Time to choose. Time to take the responsibility upon ourselves, and either the credit or the blame. 

IT.  IS.  TIME.

"WILL FILE"

  The complete sentence went "The United States will file a response." Referring to the time delaying tactic of Trump demanding a "special master" to peruse all documents seized from Trump and his property at Mar-a Lago, with his appointed judge to name the "neutral" (cough, cough) "master", the response was that the United States will file as to this request. A time delaying desperate attempt to slow down the massive rolling snowball of indictable legal charges against him, this has got to be recognized as the fakery that it is, as an attempt to avoid just retribution and consequences of his actions and inactions as well.

However, if we take the entire situation and look at it as a whole, the true meaning of that phrase is there in front of us. The United States indeed must file a response. The filing will be in the results of the primaries and more important, most important, will be the results of the national elections. How will the United States indeed respond?

There are two clear choices, though many apparently are too blind to know that. To understand that if we file the wrong response, this can be one of the last, or actually THE last free election of these here "united states". A tragedy for us and the world in general, one that will change history for the massive worst and probably ensure the demise of humankind, the disappearance of humanity, certainly life as we know, from the face of this earth of ours. In fact, with climate change deniers in power, we will have ensnared ourselves in a net of forthcoming tragic and increasing runs of "natural" events that have been caused by our mistakes, by our abuse of our shared abode, the planet Earth, our arrogance and selfishness.

Perhaps as we are inundated by rampant tragedies, we will lose sight of the fact that this was and is, a tragedy of our own making; caused by our faulty response to the challenges we are facing. Our response has been twisted as we refused to see the truth, to recognize danger when right there, in one's face. 

Biden had it right when he spoke to the "spearing, spraying, brutalizing" mob crazed, hyped up crowd of insurrectionists who sought the end of democracy, in the name of, for the man, Trump. This man has totally, quite possibly forever, destroyed the directional movement of America. It has been thrown off course, destroyed, actually, perhaps forever, by this fascist and his eager, deluded, followers, many competing as to who is the most fanatical fascist, the heir to the throne. Good luck in fighting those two sons of his who vie in their lies as they champion their alleged criminal father. Like father like son(s).

However, as we battle these challenges, perhaps we do not realize the crux of the matter. WE, this country of ours, has lost its moral underpinnings, thrown off restraint of power seeking, corrupt individuals, and instead have rewarded their extremism and total disregard for the wishes of the majority of Americans who have unfortunately   remained too quiet, too passive, too unaware of the existential and immediate, perhaps forever peril facing them.

We have speared our own selves, brutalized our own selves. WE have torn up the heart of this democracy, this system in a continual struggle to improve. We have accepted bizarre misinterpretations of the Constitution, abrogated the Declaration of Independence as we have more and more, stripped rights from the people, minorities, women, children, as the fascists among us appear to have the overpowering hand to impose a "nationalistic" Christianity that is most definitely not in any way shape manner or form, the true version of Christianity. What have we done? What have we allowed?

No longer is it 'look what G-d hath wrought' for now it is, 'look what man hath wrought'. 

We have thrown away much, too much, of America, trashed the sacrifices and dreams of too many. The question before us now is whether or not we will rise to the challenge, give the best, most meaningful, historically imperative, response.

The choice is clear. The consequences are clear.

It is upon us. Now. Immediately.  

Let us hope, prove, that we can measure up, screw our courage indeed, 'to the sticking point', be true to mankind - and ourselves.

And our kids.

It is the only path to choose, the last chance we have to read directions properly.

Let us all do the right thing.

May G-d bless America.

POTPOURRI

  Potpourri is a mixture of things, the items being consistent in purpose, related to each other. Mostly, it refers to mixtures of items which perfume the air, releasing pleasant aromas. Personally, I like potpourri with a eucalyptus scent. Would that we could make a human potpourri that would blend the contributions of the contents and allow us some release and relief from the conflicting 'aroma' producers of the day. From the decade! In fact, I believe that is what America should be, with no group losing its own aroma, even as it blends harmoniously with other contributory scents.

Unfortunately, it appears that we will have to wait and wade through yet more years until we can find the proper potpourri mix. Sigh. Sigh again. 

For the past week or so and continuing, I have been on a sort of vacation as family members have been coming and going. Our time and attention have been on plans, on hugs and kisses from those obliging grandchildren, and preparing for the next batch! This vacation demands great stamina, and we will take our respite after the last batch is gone - or so we thought until we read the latest hurricane watch report and saw, yes, oh no, a yellow 'x', traveling in our direction. It has been so pleasant so far. I guess into each life some rain must fall, true, but must it be in the form of a hurricane? Why not a good old thunderstorm, dumping lots of rain and going away without destroying property and lives.

Worse than that, we are still being told that there are 14-21 storms this season, so what now? One right on the heels of its predecessor?! Oy!!

Mother Nature seems to be playing dangerous games of chicken with us, or is it actually the other way? We challenged it, we ignored the signs, we disregarded the increasing numbers of super storms, droughts, and forest fires. We are now in a position where not only are we emulating Third World countries with our overtaxed and challenged political system, the challenge to our democracy, but we are now going to further borrow from the tragic lives of so many in these poorer, mismanaged countries. We have borrowed their tribalism and now we are going to borrow their lack of enough water, a pure, consistent flow of water. Imagine if the majority of the southwest and California, along with Mexico are out of water. Nothing coming through those pipes. The faucets are useless. Imagine the tactical issues now facing us. How can we provide enough water for the population affected - for drinking, for cleaning, for life itself? I have no answer, but I am sure as shootin' hopin' that someone up there in the rarefied atmosphere of government does have an answer, or at least a hint of one. However, my doubts are stronger than my hopes. Unfortunately. And we had better hurry!

The intrusion of reality into a pleasant vacation world where I had little or no time to peruse daily headlines, let alone read an article thoroughly, the need to think about it, and then commence the further acidic destruction of yet even more ideals, hopes and dreams. Vacations are nice and will resume in a few hours when the next batch arrives. However, this morning's perusal of events is a reminder that real life goes on; we cannot be on vacation forever, or even for too long a time. Particularly in volatile times, which we most assuredly have right now.

So, dead bodies showing up beneath dried up riverbeds and lakes. Dinosaur prints ditto. A heretofore unknown five-mile-wide undersea crater, courtesy of a meteor strike and what, are we all to be down the drain over there? Who knows what awaits us. Treasure ships heretofore undiscovered? Perhaps our own developing treasure of ideas to improve the mess we have made of it all? Never say die is our only path to hope right now.

In addition, we must not forget the political mess we have created for ourselves, the one which disallows for democracy, which twists relations with other countries into multiple Gordian knots. The frightening words out of analysts' mouths and the willfully blind eyes and ears, unthinking minds, of those who still, STILL! refuse to say, to state that there was absolutely no fraud in 2020 and Biden is the legitimate President. Still!!! For how long must this continue? For how long must we tolerate it. One analyst stated that "the Constitution is hanging by a thread" - and caused by his own GOP. We need to reinforce that thread. Personally, and many agree, the best way to fix and affirm that thread, its eternal power, is to indict and convict and imprison Trump. Let him glory in yet another moment of publicity and then shut the door on him and his, for no longer can we tolerate such cupidity and incompetence, such flagrant plans to destroy our democracy and turn our government into an autocratic dynasty.

 No, vacations are great, and looking forward to picking up the next crew for yet another few days. But, like it or not, life and reality do play a role in our lives, and we cannot ignore that fact or ignore it at or own peril.

We're on vacation - for a little while!

Happy thoughts again for today and a few days more. Then - the hurricane watch - both real and possible, in the weather and the world.

WHAT IF MICHAEL COLLINS HAD LIVED?

  Interesting question. Who is the person in the title? He is a figure of history, most important in the seemingly eternal division of Ireland and the IRA. He signed a treaty with England to begin a new state, ending the bloodshed. Unfortunately, the IRA split into two factions and warred with their own. Michael Collins died at the age of 31 and the bloodshed continued for decades. Ergo - the question. What if he had lived? I ask does it matter, for he died, his personal charisma and influence died with him, and there is no use sending good minutes and possibilities down the track to the dump, wasting energy on what if and what if not.

It seems to me that is precisely what we have done this past decade. Ever since the poisonous character and true bent of Trump and acolytes came upon the scene, we have wasted precious, fleeting time on those perennials what if and what if not. Who cares. The deeds were done, the destruction ensued, the dangerous path to autocracy was begun, serenaded by their own perverted version of a broken, crooked, lying yellow brick road. We should have learned our lesson from a perusal of past events, but we did not, discounting them, disregarding their import. We could not distinguish between scholarship and understanding, recognition of directional arrows versus fake 'historical' conclusions meant to destroy all that was progress and instead meant a return to dark times.    

The question posed thus is how do we know when to study history and when to move on. Simply answered, it is when there are positive results awaiting rather than wishful wistful time wasting, ersatz thinking. It is a clear, very distinct path, often overlooked by those who wish it to remain in hiding and by those who refuse to believe the worst can happen again. As a result - a Dark Ages for that beleaguered nation. Getting out requires strong efforts, meaningful ones that ask not what if, but suggest 'we must'. Hesitancy must be left by the wayside and brave, frank words must be spoken.

Michael Collins died; 31 years old. His what if remains unknown and frankly, unimportant. There was reality, facts, to deal with, to contend with, far more important than words that have no backing or positive force behind them. Interpretations are not facts, are easily disputable, hence often time wasting precisely when time is of the utmost. Sadly, we are coming off such a Dark Ages period, slow to recover sensibility, and are suffering the consequences ensuing from our lack of purpose, focus and truth. Truth.

Truth. Why did it take so long for a responsible media to callout, sing out the truth of Trump. He was never of true caliber for presidential qualification. His truth was that he was a poison, arising from false thinking, from what if thinking, rather than reality-based thoughts and plans. That required courage, clear vision and an understanding of the truth of reality rather than the overwhelming response we had; a plethora of what if he had not been elected, what if Clinton had won, what if, what if, what if. For naught.

We refused to see what was there in plain sight, preferring to seek that little bird of hope whose trilling was sadly so muted as to disappear totally.

The media failed us, by omission and commission. Now, they trumpet justifications, blaring announcements of more indictments of history, call upon the people to act, but they already have. Those of the deluded segment rebelled, posed an insurrectionary threat to this democracy of ours. We, the other segment, have been late to the plate, not always swinging straight and true, full force, often popping off fouls rather than hits. Time to end the slump, for our very existence is at stake.

Others have said it better than I. A retiring from journalism writer used these words. Read them. Internalize them for they represent the truth, the reality now and what awaits us in the future. The choice is ours. The fuel is ours. No more wasteful what if, but rather a what we must accept as truth and necessity and act accordingly.

 Democracy is at stake in the midterms. The media must convey that.

“How do you cover a candidate who is effectively anti-democratic? How do you cover a candidate who is running both against whoever the Democratic candidate is but also running against the very democratic system that makes all of this possible?”

Journalists simply can’t allow themselves to be megaphones or stenographers. They have to be dedicated truth-tellers, using clear language, plenty of context and thoughtful framing to get that truth across.

If Trump runs, he will be running “against the very democratic system that makes this all possible.” And he’s bringing the vast bulk of the Republican Party along with him.

We simply have to get it right."

There are those who will favor that broken brick road and those are the ones we must face down, overturn, repair the harm they have inflicted upon this nation, the rights they have endangered, even curtailed and abrogated, the threat to democracy they truly are, the rot within that must be removed and replaced with solid foundations and bracings. Hard work, often unpleasant, but there it is.

As the writer wrote - We simply have to get it right.

The words of Mike Pence, when questioned as to his possible removal of papers, answered - "No, not to my knowledge," he said"  

That is garbage. One must know what is going on in one's office; that is the responsibility one assumes when occupying an office. Failure to do so means tragedy for us.

We can and must do better. There is only an ugly alternative boding ill for us and the world in general, including the planet known as Earth, home.

SINGULARITIES

  Defined as "the state, fact, quality or condition of being singular". In other words, something that is one of its kind, something so large, so monumental that at times we do not even notice its occurrence, or read the telltale signs too little, too late. Think of the many uses and applications of this term in our times, so many apt moments that we have begun to ignore them, their meanings and foretelling, and continue on our not so merry way. However, ignoring them does not make these singularities go away. Actually, by ignoring them, the warning signals, the blaring alarms, we only encourage more, and suddenly the singularity is no more, for all has changed. Most often, not for the better.

Take an application in the weather. It used to be that calling an event a "100-year rain, or storm" was unique, singular. Now, we have a more common usage of 500-year weather events, with worse predicted. How did we arrive at such a dire state of affairs? We simply denied the evidence before our eyes. We overuse water sources; now we face almost a Biblical drought in this country. Singularity no longer. The same goes for hurricanes, and as I sit here in hurricane risky territory, I worry, truly, yet we earned this state of affairs, the one which turned the singularities of a truly humongous hurricane into more frequent 'major" ones. Not good. Not good at all.

In many ways this country, until quite recently a singularity, a paradigm for a working, prosperous, respectful democracy, has now devolved in the midst of our tragic slide into autocracy. Just another Third World country, awash in its own inefficiencies, the blatant pursuit of wealth and power by conflicting tribes, and an impossibility or even a desire, to reach some kind of stasis and then work backwards to a better time, and then go forward again. That will not happen, any time soon if indeed ever. No more a singularity, rather a nation to be pitied, even mocked, as the arrogance and selfishness of supposed leaders trashed the idea of public service, of altruism. Changed was JFK's famous statement - "Ask not what your country can do for you; ask what you can do for your country" - changed to the polar opposite. The country became the source of power as the manifestly, grossly unqualified and corrupt took over.

McConnell now mourns the "quality" of GOP Senate candidates. They might have won the primary, but when up against a rather saner candidate of the Democratic Party, their weakness, their incompetence, their lack of morals, are exposed to the bright light of our hotter than ever sun and air. What he does not admit, nor accept responsibility for, is his role in parleying it all to this state of being. His roosters have come home to roost; evidently, he does not appreciate their crowing. Too bad.

Worse, worst, actually, is when a singularity of mammoth proportion is in fact recognized as such, acknowledged as such yet even then there are those who insist on denying it, on homogenizing it, on invalidating it, trivializing its very singularity. When called out upon statements of denial, they proffer an 'apology', but the bell has been rung, the bigots satisfied, the proof before their eyes, validated, they feel, and there is nothing good that comes out of the whole mess. What indeed happens is that future events, even more acidic, more vicious, bloodier, will take place, encouraged by those who refuse to accept the lessons of history.

Abbas, way beyond his sell by date, demeaned the horrors of the Holocaust, a meticulously planned murder aiming at the extinction of the Jewish people, quite nearly succeeding, murdering, butchering over 6 million, including over a million and a half children. The world stood silent, even cheering by the wayside, complicit in much of the guilt if not so much by commission, then by omission. And Silence, a silence that threatened to deafen the world. He compared it to the battles of Israelis and Palestinians. Blatantly not the same, Does not even come close, not on either side. Forced to apologize, which counts for naught, it was not published in Arabic. Says something, does it not. When murderous cretins call for yet another such Holocaust - the blame goes back to the denial of the singularity of that horror. This is what is meant by something so humongous that we almost let that recognition and acknowledgement slip by. Much to our detriment.

There is yet another huge singularity, a slew of them, all connected within our nation. That is the entire political and judicial mess, the mammoth singularity we are living in and through. I wonder how many people truly understand the meaning, the effect, the peril contained within. But that is for another day, another blog.

IGUANA ISLAND

 Nope, you guessed wrong. I am not referring to a building surrounded, under siege, by those huge iguanas. Nope. this is an island, off the coast of Nicaragua, below the hurricane belt, 3 beds, two baths, private island, lovely veranda, and views all your own and simply stunning. The price for heaven on earth -$475,000, less than a similar home, on a small lot, right here in Florida. Best of all, no plague of weirdos, such as Trump, or DeSantis, or Scott, or Rubio, just you and your guests. the only concern is whether to remain in the bathing suit all day just in case you wish to swim in the waters around you or whether you should schedule a boat pickup or delivery from Bluefields, 45 minutes away. Ahhhh, life in the slow lane.

Tempting, oh so tempting. There is cell and internet plus tv right there on the island, but how much easier it is to simply shut out the world, make believe you are the sole settlers on a deep space planet, and enjoy the peace, the break from the ills and woes of the world. Great, but always remember, reality sets in. Supplies need to be boated in. No man is an island, so the poem states, and even on an island, that is oh, so true.

Even the most talented at closing off life from that of the world, creating one's own manufactured reality, these artificial worlds must, of necessity, be punctured, wounds that pierce deeply into make believe, wishful thinking and avoidance. There are always connections that cannot be severed, for life tells us that man needs company, a social life of sorts. Aid in times of need, a person with whom to share laughs and tears. 

We have somehow forgotten how to create our own islands where we live yet incorporate the outside world within it. We have lost sight of the necessary factor of sharing, of commonality, and are sliding, hell bent, no brakes working at all, into a world full of hostility. Not only among nations at large, as the growing union of Russia and China against the West grows, but also within nations, as people forget their shared destiny and heritage as members of that nation, and begin to pull away, to divide, if not to conquer, then to hurt, to limit, to indulge in nasty dreams and plans. Seclusion as the rule and guiding principle of the day. 

Nothing can stop this devolvement unless we actually believe in the necessity of its destruction, stopping it in its tracks. Believing, knowing for sure, down to the last cell in your body, that to accept this philosophy is to accept the end of the world as we know it, and the end of its very physicality as we ignore danger signs now screaming out to be noticed and addressed. An apocalypse to the nth degree, far worse than any movie portrayal, and the real, too late regret and ruing of our shortsightedness, our own stupidity. Just desserts, folks, and here they come, right down that iconic mountain. With as many great white horses as one can see.

Other than running to Iguana Island, a temporary fix, unless one is truly capable and prepared to be and live as a survivor par excellence, fully off the grid and self-supporting with all the necessities of life, what else can we do? Not very easy to do think and do on that proverbial island. 

There is an answer, a signpost to sanity, to survival. The question remains, though, as to whether the people are ready to accept what must be done. They must turn off the voices in their heads, remove the silver foil hats they have donned to block the transmissions of sanity sent out by those who see, know, and support the truth. They must abandon, posthaste their hate filed negative emissions, and allow in the words, thoughts, deeds, that make us one - a humankind that depends upon each other, a world that is so interwoven, with myriads of connections, large and small, giant and miniscule.

In fact, so meshed together are we, that enemies must talk to enable life necessities to pass through ports and reach the places where life itself hangs in the balance. No islands here. Not on this world. Denying reality to the extent that we can survive, disguise the danger by allowing proxy wars to which we commit only things, weapons of devastating capabilities, is to land in a reality of extremis. Not good, folks, to say the least. 

We must throw out those who would hatemonger all day long and into the night as well. To threaten, to say, in so many words, that 'we' will gain control and go after you. Just you wait, we are told, and there is no 'enry 'iggins around to catch the flak. No, we cannot sing our way through this crisis. Instead, we must not only sing, but dance as well, incorporate every sane molecule, every working brain, every good intention that we can find. It will take a massive change in our current way of thinking, our us vs. them mode, especially when the 'them' is our own countrymen and women. We have indeed met the enemy and he is indeed us.

I do not know exactly when or what pushed us over the edge of the cliff, onto a path of insanity and destruction, a path which valued hatred and invective, revenge and threats. Trump e al certainly had and still has much of the blame. But WE allowed this. WE bought into its hate filled childish behavior in an adult world. This could only lead to tragedy, to tragedies large and small. And so it has happened. So it has engulfed us.

I am as guilty as everyone else in the growth of my hatred for those who would see me gone. Who would see the end of the world as long as they were in power, even as it imploded. Even as it crushed us all. A pyric victory much to be avoided. I must confess that I despair of those who remain loyal to a most disloyal man and his tribe of incompetent, endangering fools, his sixteenth ranked lawyers, his devotion to spurning the law, even as they shout 'law and order' when convenient for them.

 I wonder, in horrified awe how thinking people willfully remain in the dark, foolishly, dangerously, denying the evidence before their eyes, evidence which can lead to only one sane conclusion. I ask, I plead, I beg of you all - return to sanity. Acknowledge the lawless and selfish road we have traveled, its roadway raised to heights of destructive power by Trump et all. Lowered to the depths of depravity. A depravity which enabled us, encouraged us, to debase ourselves. Spurn it!

On J6, the Secret Service, corrupted, as were many other institutions of government due to the infusion of Trumpian people and thinking, sent a message warning of life danger to Pelosi and others - at 5:55 PM, well after the danger had become obvious, very much so both physically and vocally. Knowledge which they had at the very minimum, two days before.

We cannot allow this anymore. We cannot send out message too late to be of use. We must do better, we can, but we must disengage the wrong parts of our brains, restart the proper engines, harness our good sides and remake our world. There is a small window of time in which to make good things happen, where there is a possibility of a timely change, to literally save the world. 

It is upon us to hear the warnings, take it to heart, stop worshipping the false golden calf of our times and fix the world. Tikkun Olam. The world to 'disappear'? This one:

 "...the chaos, the alienation of allies, the breaking of laws and norms, the flirtations with dictators, the comprehensive loss of America’s moral leadership, and so on, ad infinitum..."

No more. We cannot absorb any more. 

THE LADY IS A CHAMP!

 Liz Cheney is a classy person. She holds her temper, speaks calmly, and her speeches are replete with beautiful comments re our system of government, re paying honor to those who fought so that we could retain and enjoy it, and the responsibilities upon us to ensure that this "wonderful experiment" remain in viable, true to mission condition. Gotta' love her. Find her concession speech in the primary and honor her, respect her, and wish that there were far more like her, in deep contrast to others in the GOP such as Mast and Scott, unfortunately both from Florida.

Both of the above have no place in government. Scott is the wealthiest dude in the House and is so far removed from we 'little' people that he does not even breathe the same air!! Mast has been a fake from the beginning. When he enters a room with his special suits, designed to show off his prosthesis, taking advantage of the honorable wound he received, he demeans them and all other wounded veterans. We have had so many over the decades, the centuries and not a single one, in the past or present, in the House and Senate, flaunt their wounds. It is ugly and turns many people off. Hopefully, we can eliminate both their presences in DC via the election. How they pale in comparison to Cheney.

It is time for all of us to step up to the plate and become members of a classy society, one which talks, rather than fights. One that compromises, rather than descends into steep, bitter partisanship. It is, plain and simple, Time. To. Grow. Up.

Time to be honest - a quality seemingly absent in the above mentioned GOP aficionados as they "forgot" to register their individual stock activities. Hmm. Sniff, sniff. Smell something rotten here? Their excuse of "it fell through the cracks" is lame. Could you forget a trade worth tens of thousands and have it slip through those apparently chasm sized cracks? Nope, not me. Apparently, these self-proclaimed speakers for the people are not worried, but as for me, I know where every dollar I have is, where it is going, and where it went, particularly in the miserable economy that Trump ripped out of a functioning one left to him by Obama. Only another Democrat was able to pull us out, despite all the oh so charming nasty tactics, unthinking, aimed only at disruption, behavior of GOP in both Houses.

Threats real and implied. Behavior inimical to the survival of this nation as a democracy, with an open push and recommendation for autocracy. An electorate asleep at the wheel, or worse, awake, and still going down that life killing path. An open consortium of members of government who are not loyal to the government, but rather only to themselves, as they serve their master, in misplaced loyalty and with fear. Where an ex-president is debated as to being a flight risk!! A traitor as president!! Read that ten times and then see if your hair has not turned white or fallen out. Close your mouth, agape at such a situation and realize that it is here. right now. And will continue, G-d forbid, unless WE act.

Trump has his end of days plans. Dumb, maybe, not well thought out, but there it is, plain as the nose on your face. His dumb plans seem to be working, too well, quite uncomfortable when we peruse them, his words, his deeds, and where he is right now. He is in a place from which he can inflict the death blow, the one that kills it all.

Only WE can stop it. Dead in its tracks. Oppose him and his acolytes, his cringing, kowtowing coterie of creeps now looking for ways to justify what they did and did not do, or throwing it all to the winds and buying it all, upping the ante, betting it all on the belief that Trump, and his perverted views will get the upper hand. G-d forbid!!

Class. Honesty. Proper representation. True service to constituents. Honor. Honor. That is what we need. That is what we are in such short supply that I wonder if we can ever truly refill, gas up thoroughly, and find the better road on which to travel.

We had better. The alternative is ugly. We do not want to finish the path we are on, for the end result, the dead end is exactly that.

KNOCK, KNOCK

  The traditional answer to the phrase of the title is: "who's there?" Apparently, we have answers at two ends, totally opposite of each other. Either no one is there, or too many are there. What we discover, in our puzzlement at the non-traditional answer, is mind blowing. Yet is it really. In this time of outrageous unthinkable, unimaginable doings, is there any answer that should or would shock us? In my humble opinion, the fact that we are not shocked is shocking in itself. The fact that this is ongoing for so long is the shock, for it tells us that the USA is no longer what it was, that we cannot trust in traditional roles, that justice, the laws of society are being violated, perverted, with utter chutzpah, by the very people charged with enforcing the rules and proper demeanor of society. And does anyone give it a hoot?

Compare the nation's outrage when the 18 minute gap was uncovered and the whole mess of Watergate. The offense there does not even come close, not even in the same room, with the horrendous misbehavior and yes, criminal deeds perpetrated by a past President most egregiously unqualified, dangerous to the country we have ever had.

Where is the outrage from the nation? Where is the outrage of his party, whose reputation is sullied beyond belief; where are those who should be standing up for the country, doing what is right, rather than watching their coattails and who is trying to catch them. Where are they? Why have they disappeared? Why are they defending treason, defending a violation of the Espionage Act - by Trump, an elected office seeker who has refused to give it up, admit defeat?

If we mind our p's and q's here, we might, just might, have the ability to ensure that the well- deserved 'rewards' are bequeathed upon Trump. We must make no mistake about it, how we go about doing it. Trump is a dangerous fiend chasing after power, after safety. He is running as he has never run before, from the ever so real chances of prison - in a federal prison, sentenced harshly for all he has done, wanted to do, and the harm, possibly irreparable, he has inflicted upon this nation and the world in general. 

He ignored the critical problems we faced, from security to existence, in an unfair society and an existentially endangered planet, and committed fraud and alleged criminal actions in defense of these evil actions and refuses to admit guilt. Instead, he defends all this horror with a vitriolic spewing of lies after lies after more lies, contradictory, nonsense, dignified by nothing. It is the pathetic mewling of a coward caught with his hands, feet, entire body, in that cookie jar he maintained he owned.

Far, far worse is the threat he is to the very safety of the entire nation. He thinks himself above the law for he knows the power he has to rile this nation to violence, to prod them into forgetting who we are, who they are, to ignore the fact that we are to be ONE, a nation united, for division weakens us, endangers us, places our survival as an intact nation in great jeopardy, an extremely questionable future.

He sends out this barely disguised threat, ostensibly reaching out to Garland, offering his "help" in calming the flames he has lit. What a crock! Read the words and then read between the lines. Understand the danger he is, the conflagration threat right there, match at hand to light the flames, to engulf this nation and soak the land with the blood of its people.

“People are so angry at what is taking place,” “Whatever we can do to help— because the temperature has to be brought down in the country. If it isn’t, terrible things are going to happen.”

There is no help offered here. Only a threat. Implied and very much real. Knowing what he did on J6, he believes he can do even more, perhaps permanently, successfully, in accordance with his twisted, perverted, mind and soul. Heart, he has none for he could care less about the people who stand in harm's way, in fact, the only assurance he can promise. 'Better lay off me, or I will unleash the flames of hell upon you' is the true message he is sending - and his thin disguise hides nothing at all.

He threatens law enforcement, followed by physical attacks on the FBI, he has found even more lawyers willing to violate their oaths, violate the laws of this nation, ask others to commit crimes, to take one for that man who cares nothing for them. That indeed is mind blowing, yet ever so real. Read the warnings on the situation. Remember - DeSantis, Blackburn, Greene, Hawley, McCarthy, Rubio, Graham, etc. et al, maintain their defense of this criminal, this traitor, even as they trash talk the true heroes of the police who battled the rebels at the Capitol, who maintain their positions, those like Cheney, Thompson, Kinzinger, who stand up for what is right. Despite the threats made to them.

"It's shocking that so many would excuse literally anything to protect Trump,..."

"...my observations on this is that he is makes those statements because he knows the effect they will have, right?"  "He had a distinctive experience on January 6th. That crowd that came and unleashed a violent attack on the Capitol did so, according to many of them who have testified, because they thought that's what he asked them to do."

"He knows that that community of very aggrieved, politically extreme people are listening to everything he says and doesn't say," "And they react in ways they think he wants them to act. I think that's why he's making the statements he is now."

'Nuff' said. The path, the choice, is clear.

 Knock, knock. 

Who's there?

It had better be us, rather than 'them', the adherents and defenders of a most unamerican President, ex, that is. If only he would remember that.

WHO? WE? YES, WE ARE...COULD BE

  Who is the we and what exactly are 'we'? We are the bystanders. We are the enablers. We are the instigators. We are those who stand aside and allow it to happen. We are the bystanders who have learned the lessons of history and reacted. We are the combination of all categories, and all share the blame, the guilt, the praise, whatever is deserved, according to our just desserts. We are the villains and the heroes. We can be whatever, whomever, we wish to be, rise or fall by our own inclinations.

A well-known experienced figure says the conditions helpful to the growth of autocracies, to the death of democracies, are present, in the here and now USA. Whoever thought this could be - here. But we are seeing this right now, right here in this country, once a standard for successful, if stumbling democracy.

"We are." And he is so right, so disturbingly correct, even as there are those who cheer on this miserable development, or those turning a blind eye to it all, dismissing it in the throes of heavy decisions such as what restaurant, what clothes to wear, and other such life altering situations. We gasp in horror as we read, hear and see, the latest 'disturbance', a most inadequate term to describe present conditions in this nation. 

Disturbance is inadequate as a descriptive term when reporting on yet another shooting 'incident', so common now that we just about give it a tsk, tsk, how awful evaluation, and continue on. The sale is limited in time so we must hurry. The other stuff, nah, won't happen here, to me, as the next bullet goes whizzing by. Like it or not, we must recognize that life has changed, drastically, in an existential manner, and we must make decisions, now, and decide where we want to go, where we will allow things to go and understand that it is within our power to make that choice and to enforce it. Or oppose it. Simple, clear.

It is not so much the individual person who has to assume the blame? the credit? for whatever is transpiring these days. Yes, Trump and his ilk should be anathema in our society. The question of guilt, of complicity, of doing the nasty, is ignored. It is the child's plaint we hear now - 'He made me do it. And anyway, what about - (fill in the blanks) ----. They did (fill in the blanks) -----. So we allow the focus to shift, the emphasis to shift, and the original wrongdoings are buried under the chaff of crap words, garbage accusations, poisonous invective, and incitements to violence, and the deluded, those wishing it all away, give in to baser emotions and urges and join the mob growing so frighteningly quick and massive, right outside our doors.

You see, the threat to this country, despite all the shouting and finger pointing, the ranting and the raving, the manufactured xenophobia, is not from without, from immigrants wishing only to share in what we have - or once had - a way of life conducive to hope, a better future for kids, a life without fear of being shot, starved, homeless, hopeless and hapless. No, these are good future citizens. Our threat comes from within. From our supposed leaders, so frighteningly modeling themselves after Hitler and company. After any fascist definition of government and life. 

So Gosar rages against the FBI. Rubio, the moron, calls them Marxist. Did he ever pay attention in class!? Trump spews out lies so fast that he trips on his own words. He lies and the people swear. The GOP rushes to defend him, the man clearly guilty of espionage. Deserving full consequence to the extent that the law provides. So richly deserving and yet, the GOP ignores his obvious guilt, the crimes he has allegedly committed, the civil penalties which surround him and his future. No, they scream about warrants, encourage violence, threats, and action, against law enforcement personnel. They try to shift focus back on to Hillary. What the hell!!And so, in the past few days alone, we have had several attacks and violent protests at and near FBI offices. These are the ones who shout law and order, just not when it comes to them!

People, the choice is ours. Too many have chosen the wrong way, taken the paths that violate our future, our democracy, our very survival. They have chosen Trump devotees, widening the doorway, opening more, breaking the glass, and in they come, the hordes of unthinking mob crazed horde, caught up like children in the violence of the moment, not realizing, not caring, or perhaps even anticipating the changes that have been made already, and those coming, in a hurry, down the line, right at us.

Am I worried? For sure. Am I frightened? Very much so. Am I despairing? Yes, though there is still room for hope. If we stand tall, do the right thing, prepare for tough times, even possibly, (probably), violence, know why and for what we are fighting, then that little bird of hope can continue to trill, growing stronger even as we grow stronger. 

We need to follow the people of courage, the people who know the right thing to do, and do it, disregarding threats to their own lives and careers. We need to discount and even shame, in public, those like the ranking GOP member of a House committee who when pushed to answer a simple question, looked shamefaced and answered "no". Asked was this: would you take home documents? Pause. "No." End of story. Or should be.

We could be. We should be. Are we?