CARPE DIEM

     Seize the day. Gather ye rosebuds while ye may. A bird in the hand. And the lists could go on for some time, with all the messages being this: take what you can get in the immediacy of the moment and worry about the future later. And that, ladies and gentlemen, is what we have in the passing of the tax changes.
     This is not a reform by any means other than reformatting advantages and disadvantages, cutting out any idea of fairness and allowing this to be a massive tax cut, though not the biggest one ever - sorry, Trump - but still and all, a massive one for uber wealthy and our own dear molester in chief stands to reap millions upon millions, just for him and his whole miserable family. Nor does it provide any real impetus to kickstart an economy which was already kickstarted by the Obama administration and has maintained its momentum right thru this year - a fact that Trump attributes to himself. Sorry, Donny, no way.
     What just took place was a travesty of democracy, of morality, of altruism, of anything good and what it was, was a huge grab for greed what with certain senators gaining financially, others not getting their desired additions or changes and truly, what fools they were. Why did they ever expect the Trump administration in all its facets, to tell the truth, to promise and keep it. For the "little guy" - no way, no how.
     We had a group of mostly men who were frantic to show the world they could do something and the end of the year was fast approaching. So they did something - and screwed the country. After one year of Donald I we now have a country that will be raped financially, morally, physically and any other way one could think of. 
     To add to the mix we have the increased hatred, the open nastiness of prejudice. Thousands of DACA kids are waiting. Our economy has suffered from their uncertainty and coming loss and will continue to suffer as Trump closes off our borders and prevents fresh minds, new thinking. America simply does not have all that she needs to keep this economy chugging along and it will slow down and go into panic mode, just as Britain is now, as workers are getting harder to find, crops are going unpicked, slots in businesses and technology are going begging and people simply do not want to come or are leaving and we will have that problem here - already do - but hey, no worry, for Trump gets all the visas he needs time after time for all his immigrant overseas workers for his temples to the wealthy.
     We are in a bad position and just wait till the truth about this tax bill is obvious even to the most benighted. Just wait till the budget deficit causes a huge shortfall in monies available for social safety net programs. Wait till Medicare recipients are denied meds and procedures and start dying. And wait till children start dying because there is no more CHIPS. Wait till people go hungry right here in America, but not to worry, for Ivanka will have her child care money and Mar a Lago will still serve exotic foods all to please the palates of the Trump class people. And remember, first comes the Wall, ICE, police enforcement, and military funding. First we will send our forces overseas to even more countries and then perhaps worry about our own. In cutting us off from the world we are actually harming our people, his own 'base'.
   Trump is a prime example of the evil thinking that can result from carpe diem thinking. We need to plan for the future and that future means a world that is intertwined, where nativism and populism disappear, where prejudice is recognized as ridiculous and dies away, where children do not go hungry and the elderly are not neglected or written off. It means a world where ethnic cleansing is a thing of the past.It means a world where we the people have retained our country's soul, that we have restored our true values to where they belong and turned away the negative aspects of the past, learned our lessons well. One can  hope, yes? One does not have to lose all hope and optimism as one ages. We the people can do this. If we wish to do so. If we work hard to take our country back.
     We the people    WE THE PEOPLE

CHOICES GOOD AND EVIL

     The world and its history, both in the mass and in the individual, are made of choices. The air is permeated with could have beens, should have beens, as the choices we made and make determine our timeline. When a bad choice is made one often says that we need to make it right, but that is not always possible.
     However, what we have come to think, in absolutes, is that one is either good or evil. No gray. No iffy issues, just either that or the other. And yet that is really not so. The slaveholder who did not beat his slaves - good or bad? The slaveholder who did beat his slaves but freed them upon his death. Good or bad? The vigilante who takes justice into his or her own hands,thus saving future victims, but defying the laws of society. Good or bad? The Mafia don who orders the deaths of traitors but gives a huge gift for the poor at his parish church. Good or bad?
     Literature, movies, poetry, essays and philosophy - all are concerned with these distinctions and choices. All wonder where the line is drawn, if it is drawn at all. The latest movie in the Star Wars series, The Last Jedi, is a great picture, exciting, challenging, and thoughtful as well. It poses the question of choices, of good and evil. It causes the viewer to wonder, during and well after the movie is over, about the answer to the question - is one either all good or all evil? Does the choice at one instant determine the definition of a person, cause that person to fall on either side of the line? Is an evil person without any redeeming benefits? Is a good person impervious to temptations of evil in thought and deed and does even the thought of doing evil, of giving in to evil, cause that person to lose the designation of the good?
    Why wonder about all these questions and determinations now? Simple. Because the USA is now caught in such a time. Never before, other than the Civil War, has there been such a dichotomy among its citizens. Never before have the lines been so clearly delineated. In my opinion, there is little among the Republican votes, other than the Republican Representatives that voted against the tax bill, that could mark any of them as good in this instance. I cannot believe, I do not see, any benefit in this tax bill for the average citizen. Yes, perhaps under its convoluted regulations there might be a slight decrease in taxes for 2018, but when one looks into the future, all benefits to the people are temporary, iffy, while those for the corporations and uber wealthy are permanent, engraved in stone!!
     Rubio can pat himself on the back for getting another $200 for child care for the needy, but big deal as along with that went the massive gift it is in its wording to the wealthy who do not need nor deserve it as well as his vote for this bill that will entangle future generations in a true evil mess.
    Our massive debt will increase by $1.5 trillion dollars. One might ask where are the Republicans who shouted so loudly about the debt before? Gone, blowin' in the wind, I guess, that evil wind that has settled down to a seemingly permanent place in the Congress. No promised post card tax filing as promised, but a new horror that will demand huge amounts of paper, huge confusion among amateurs and professionals and the IRS will never be able to function properly. Refunds will be delayed wholesale.
     Several Republicans in the House voted against opening reserve lands in Alaska for drilling and exploitation but then turned around and voted for this tax bill, this abomination, this evil thing, and in that tax bill was the permission to exploit the land, the pristine land.
     The evil that permeates the land, that results in people being dragged off the street minor or adult, citizen or not - lest you be brown! The evil that will result when we run out of money, when social programs, when safety nets are cut to the bone and people die and starve and freeze and ail and are denied an education and a chance to succeed in this world, when the world and our allies turn a cold shoulder to us for what we have done - this, my friends, this, is evil and there are no redeeming features or sparks of good.
    Those who voted for this are ecstatic, they won, they think, they roar, they pound the table. But what have they wrought???? The very vote, the reasons and the greed behind it, permeate the air of Congress. But we do have a chance to possibly, eventually, fix some of this evil. By one vote in Virginia a House overturned the Republican majority. With anger and upset, parents in Connecticut protested that their children were subjected to a surprise unannounced visit by Ivanka to their high school, not what they want their kids to hear. By the hundreds of thousands Americans have protested this tax bill and other infamies of this administration and one hopes that payback will be seen in 2018.
     Choices have been made. Some are irredeemable while others might be ameliorated, with difficulty and with time. But in the meanwhile the results of those choices will resound and people will be hurt, our nation will be hurt and so will the world. Good and evil are not archaic no longer relevant terms. In fact, they are among the most important topics of the day even as they permeate the very air we breathe.
     This is the time to choose. Are we going along with the corrupt, the expedient, the evil, or will we remember that we the people have the ultimate power and must guard it assiduously or we will lose it. That must not be. Choices. Make them the right ones. Choose to leave the evil out, behind us and make sure there are consequences for those who choose the evil. We the people must make the right choices.
We the people. WE THE PEOPLE.

STICK IT TO THE MAN

     The other day we saw a wonderful production of School of Rock. Simple, noisy, fun, a wonderful group of talented children, an audience filled with kids, a responsive audience and yet, a clear and simple message came through. I think  a whole bunch of us older citizens remembered the sentiment of a chief song and theme of the play - stick it to the man. We certainly did so in the 60's and we sure as hell need to do it now.
     I spent most of my working life enforcing rules, teaching kids why they were important, and yet also teaching and demonstrating why rules sometimes need to be broken if progress is to be made. The one rule to remember is that all rules are not necessarily the be all and end all of life and  behavior.
     There are times when the rules of society work against it. When the judiciary of Nazi Germany excused themselves by saying they were only obeying the law of the land, well, that was a non starter. Legal as contrasted to moral and so which is one supposed to choose. Are not rules that which make life certain, that ensures that we do not live in chaos? And yet, rules need to be changed and updated and it needs to be understood that rules often are made to benefit the upper classes, the super wealthy and stick it to the little guy. That is when the rules must be changed.
     In recent years we were lucky to have a Congress that passed regulatory rules and laws that protected the little guy. But this past year, when the molester in chief came into office, the rule is that there are no rules other than those that satisfy his every whim, that put the earth in danger, that aim to isolate our country from the world and then just watch the tanking of our economy as we become a Third World nation with little to attract fresh minds and ideas, blocking those who would come to enrich our society, stifle innovation and watch as the cogs of industry and society begin to creak to a slower speed and watch as the "man', that group of uber wealthy and those who suck up to them - watch as they prosper and the rest of us - just wait.
     So let us return to the stick it to the man theme. We need to empty that swamp of which molester in chief spoke. We need to ask ourselves why we allow some creeps to remain in office, the molester being one and why is Clarence Thomas still on the bench!!! We owe a national apology to Anita Hill do we not?
     It is time that we the people rise up and stick it to the man. Insist that our representatives do their jobs and if not - recall them, vote them out, barrage them with calls, clog their email, but make sure the sentiment gets through. Evidently the twinges of morality are fully overwhelmed by their greed and selfishness. Stick it to them by any means possible so that the "man" does not return to office.
     Right now we have a Congress of wimpy and self interested Republicans, selling their soul for a clause that will benefit them personally as well as the molester, selling their constituents down the river, sticking it to us by removing all protective regulations and safeguards and the molester, why he sits there like a Jabba the Hutt, watching his nefarious plans take root and grow, even as he lies thru his teeth.
     We the people must stop being the stuckees!! We need to be the stickers, stick it to the man, that inevitable part of any society which has grown stagnant in many ways, that has allowed the wrong people to rise to the top and rule. Their rules are corrupt in many cases so.....stick it to the man!!! Let them know we will no longer take it. We demand better. We demand more. And if nothing motivates you then what about this. Two prominent Republicans who warned about the damage that Trump would cause warned us that if not for our society here and the rules, the good rules that remain even as they are under attack, if not for that, Trump would be the dictator of the country and then, what? Starvation, stagnation, violence and death. Just look to the countries of the world where there are dictators. Then look at your children. And then ask yourself why we are not sticking it to the man.
    WE the people. WE THE PEOPLE.

THE TRUTH OF THE MATTER, LITTLE GUY...

     Where has truth gone? Where are the facts buried? Why do people believe in the lies they are told? Why has life been imitating the apocalyptic scenarios of literature where democracy, brotherhood, hope, optimism and all things positive are destroyed, trampled upon and all things negative are raised to the heights?
     I cannot answer these questions for I simply do not understand why people have allowed themselves to be fooled, to be cheated, as they still cheer for a lying molester with evil plans for the "little guy" he is supposedly championing and big plans to increase his bottom line as well as those of his fellow robber barons. We thought the era of robber barons long gone, did we not, reading of it in history class, but here it is again, bigger and worse than ever. And why have people been so eager to hand over the promise of America to people who simply hold it in contempt and destroy it.
     Yes, there are people who have been resisting, but does it not shock you when the term resistance is used here in our country. The resistance was a  term used in foreign countries who were under the thrall of an enemy nation, conquered, in a subordinate condition. But here there is no foreign nation, there is no conquering, only that which we have allowed within ourselves.
     The little guy? Well, let's see. The thousands of jobs in coal? 1,500 and the rest? Nowhere to be found in this "beautiful clean" fuel!
     A massive tax cut? Yup, if you are among the high wealthy people such as Trump whose children and grandchildren now stand to inherit $22 million tax free!!! Wow, the little guy indeed. And the tax cut that is supposedly on track for next year? Well, hold on to it tightly - if you even see it - for the following years take it away and nicely add to your tax burden. Yup, the little guy indeed.
    Okay, so let's turn to an important component of our lives - the internet, for good or bad. It has become integral to every aspect of life and yet, there is no more net neutrality, meaning the big companies are going to rake it in in fees, in 'blackmail' demands and as for us, why we will just be paying higher fees or having to do without. The wealthy - why never you mind, for with all their tax cuts and money this will be nothing to them. After all, they are the upper class and let us not forget that and our place in the new scheme of things. 
    Our very lives will be in danger in a real sense of the word as we lose all the protections and regulations that would have helped us clean the air, keep the environment clean and healthy, help us keep our country's history and natural beauty, keep watchdogs over the selfish huge industries, keep our food clean of chemicals, make sure our water was clean and on and on. But now? Now they are gone, lost in the mists of the selfishness, incompetency and cold hearted economic plans of Trump and his minions, the lack of morality in the politicians of Washington. Clean the swamp? This man has increased its size and murkiness and what is worse - is planning more and does it right in the open. And us - well, screw us is the term of the day.
     I could go on  what with the collusion with Russia and now secret planning with Communist China re Korea and war plans or the backstabbing of his trade plans and the future peril involved with these trade plans. The rise of open prejudice and hatred and the black future that portends. 
     I wrote yesterday of the responsibility of we, the people. That responsibility grows ever heavier upon the shoulders of those who know we must, we have, to resist or we are lost and the country is lost to our kids, lost to the control of the cruel, the uber wealthy, the uncaring, the selfish immoral ones. As for us, we will be choking away, scrambling for a piece of bread, a crust to feed our starving kids and if you think I am stretching the truth - just look at the once wealthy and functioning countries of South America and look at their starving people today - literally starving, at the hopelessness and at the growing violence. We are and should be better than that.
     WE THE PEOPLE.

AND IT GETS WORSE!

     Every time one thinks that it cannot get any worse, just continue on the same abominable level, well, one is proven wrong. The chutzpah (gall) of politicians is astounding. Their lack of moral structures, their lack of soul and care for others and their overwhelming greed is just overpowering. They cannot seem to hold on to a positive moral venture or action if their life depended on it.
     And why not!! The molester in chief in the White House certainly does not exactly set a good moral example, does he? His willingness and that of his campaign and political aides to sell the country down the river with collusion with Russia is yet another example of what one should not do, certainly if one is leader of a country.
     And then of course, we have that wonderful tax bill. First they had the nerve to call it reform!! That word usually has a good connotation, but this "reform" was an outright gift to the wealthy, to the Trumps themselves, the Kushners, and other real estate moguls, to the liquor companies and industry, to individual senators who sold their soul for provisions within the bill, as did Corker for the real estate provision or Portman for the liquor industry. The losers - the lower and middle classes, the elderly, those needing health coverage, children for their health and for the certainty of simply getting food, individual taxpayers in the near future - but who cares, right, for the Senators are approving a bill they have not read, do not care to, just as long as their little peccadillos are catered to and the hell with everyone else. Despite all predictions and warnings from governmental and private economists that this tax bill is bad, bad, bad, off they go to the races, Trump and the Republicans, filling and lining their pockets and to hell with the electorate, with the people.
     And as for the Dreamers? What should we now expect - wholesale roundups, screaming pictures of families torn apart, the horrible echoes of other ethnic cleansings around the world, for make no mistake about it - stripping the country of young and vibrant people of black and brown skins and Asian backgrounds is naught but ethnic cleansing under another name. But a name is a name is a name - and we all know that!
     But folks, there is much worse to come for our very freedom to think, to talk, to write, to use the words we choose is being taken away. Government documents are going to be whitewashed and I swear, this is like 1984 come to life. Look at these 'horrific' words and terms -The banned words and phrases included "vulnerable," "entitlement," "diversity," "transgender" "fetus," "science-based" and "evidence-based." -  and ask yourself, why can these words not be used? What is Trump and his minions trying to do? I will answer that - trying to start the beginnings or capitalize on what they have already done to set up a perpetual life presidency for the Trump family and to destroy democracy within our country. In fact, it will no longer be our country. And whose fault is that? OURS!! for we have let it go this far and it will go further unless we stand up to it and against it.
     There are none so blind as will not see. Selfishness and power hunger, thoughtlessness, crudeness, hatred of women, of all who are "others" - where does it end? The answer - it does not, for hatred always needs to be fed and will consume any and all who near it.
     And it gets worse - yes, it does and it will continue to do so unless we send strong messages that we, the people, will not stand for this, that we, the people, remember our Declaration of Independence and our Constitution and we, the people know right from wrong.
     We, the people. WE, THE PEOPLE.

WHAT HAS HAPPENED?

     In 1994 there was a firebombing of two train cars with horrific consequences. Several days ago there was an attempted suicide bombing in the subway. In 2001 there were three planes who flew into buildings and one into the ground. Now the downtown memorial is seen by an entire new generation as a nice place to eat lunch. Does anybody remember Sandy Hook or even Vegas? And will anybody remember the future ones to come, for come they will, or have we grown a protective coat of terror fatigue, of sympathy fatigue - that is, until and unless we are personally involved, G-d forbid.
    Those were local or national ones to name a few and let us remember that there were and are massacres taking place on a daily basis, sometimes hourly, overseas. Massacres in France. The "old" genocide against the Tutsi by the Hutu. The ongoing horror against the Rohingya, the denial of their existence!! The fatigue when another horrific event happens in Israel, another family slaughtered, another policeman slain, another kidnap attempt, another bomb on a bus or in a restaurant. We have all grown blasé, negligent and the world has suffered for it.
     Terrorists try to top their last attack and we, the rest of the world either pay it no attention or watch it on the news until we have terror fatigue and turn to YouTube or Netflix. So why is this happening and why is it important? Simple. It is our humanity that is at stake and almost to a one Americans now believe that our country is riven with distress and schisms, with opposition that is emanating from deep within the American psyche and some even wonder if there is an American psyche any more. That is how far apart we have become, how little we care about each other.
     What has happened? We have lost our way. A huge complex of people, organizations, businesses, educational institutions all cry out against the terrible tax plan which is almost upon us. Our hopes are pinned on counting the absences of individuals or on the very slim hope that several Republican senators will remember that they are there to serve the people of the country and not Trump, not themselves and their wallets, not their big donors, but the people!!!
     We have grown a layer of movers and shakers who only move as dictated by their baser instincts and are then shocked when it all comes out. We play innocent, unknowing, yet it comes out that so many knew and stood by and did nothing. Sound familiar? Standing by and doing nothing leads to the ignoring of an individual's responsibility towards society, fellow citizens of the country and the world, and an indifference to the horrors of people going way beyond the pale, way beyond the acceptable and excusable.
     We have deemed acceptable those who have hidden inside the woodwork and allow them now to expose their putrid and poisonous views to the world, march for them, allow them to run for office, to support slavery, for G-d's sake!!! We have a true creep as President, a man without morals, a man who makes sure he will benefit greatly from new regulations or lack thereof, a man who believes that the wealthy, the 1% deserve special treatment and the rest of society - tough! Take what you can get. And be grateful for it.
      Our officials have become corrupted. Right now there are investigations growing on a Federal level of local law enforcement and when one reads the stories, when one reads of the misdeeds of local sheriffs throughout the country, we wonder what has happened? Are we returned to the world of the frontier when one never knew if the one who wore the badge was truly a lawman or truly an outlaw?
     We care nothing for the health care of those who need help to afford it and that incudes most of society as the care is expensive. Should one have a chronic illness or two or three - well, forget it!! Buy the cemetery plot, for this administration has no care nor concern for you. Have children who need to be watched while the parents work? Well, the rich will get child care funds but as for those who need it - forget about it. Your babysitter or day care service simply does not rate against the nanny.
     We have a morally offensive molester at the helm, a man who cannot keep his own administration in working order, changes aides and Secretaries in a manic manner, is rude to former workers, practically tossed a woman out of the White House and yet there he remains, he of the admitted molestation, of misogyny, of fake pictures, of lies, lies and more lies, of incompetence and collusion with Russia - and even that was done clumsily!! 
     What has happened? You tell me and then tell me how we get out of this morass, how do we save ourselves? What has happened? We have gotten lost, have become Hansel and Gretel in the woods as the birds ate up the bread crumbs, erasing the past path as we have done, forgetting our heritage, forgetting that our heritage includes the new blood we have welcomed into our country, the sharing of cultures, the blending of cultures.
    What has happened? What has happened? Write while I might, I, too, am lost and unable to truly define what has happened, why it has happened and for how long, what is next. It is just that overpowering and moving now on and of its own volition. Either we stop that rolling snowball, filthy with the much and mire that now permeates American political and civil life or we write off America. What do you want? I know what I want.

BOOOOORING!!!!

     There used to be a news cycle of legislation, events around the world, current local and  national events, even sports and arts events. However, today there is generally only one major news cycle and that is of the latest insanities committed by that predator in the Oval Office. His constant misbehavior, totally opposed to the proper and expected behavior of his position rules the day - and night - and months - and year.
     The mystery at the center is just exactly how this man came to be in office. He represented the worst in us as a people and as a nation. He represented the dismissed, the unhappy, those searching for an answer, a cure to their problems that was certainly not to be found within Trump's mind, but his mouth appeared to be enough to cover over all the truth of the situation.
     His mouth. That big, constantly flapping mouth, replete with foul language, disgusting statements and a false appearance of sticking up for the little guy The truth of the matter is that he stuck it to the little guy and has only his own money and those of others like him in mind. And now we stand on the verge of a huge upheaval within American society. We stand on the edge of creating a true and almost unbreakable schism between the uber upper economic class and the rest of us, a schism so deep, so impenetrable that I worry for America itself.
     The stories that emanate from the White House, every damn day, the crudity of language and mouth, the nastiness, the absolute impossibility of this man to actually face and acknowledge the truth, and the dragging along of other like minded or deluded people - all are both frightening and boring at the same time. And that is the problem.
     People are getting used to this "new normal" , getting tired of the dastardly shenanigans this man and his minions pull, and are excusing his behavior. Sorry, a 71 year old person should know better and if he does not, then his aides should educate him and control him, but then again, why are we talking of controlling the President!!
     He cannot and/or will not accept any responsibility or causality when his wishes are thwarted. He blames others and sends off ridiculous and nasty tweets, the worst adolescent ever. He encourages hate mongers such as Roy Moore who went totally off the track yesterday in his statement and displayed all his hatred of others. He has started this 'fake news' idiocy that dictators all over the world have glommed onto and has thus endangered an honored profession, that of journalism, endangered those who practice it, endangered the presentation of all sides of an issue and the truth of many matters.
     And yes, this is majorly boring in the long run, but also extremely dangerous in both the long and the short run. This man and his followers need to be gone. They need to be reminded of public service, of the true principles of America, need to be deprived of their opportunities to spout hatred and encourage it all over the country. Perhaps the victory yesterday in Alabama is the beginning of a long trek back, but I am not celebrating yet , nor should any one. Only hard work and effort and time will tell if we can come back from the brink, but I must say that if this tax bill is passed, even as most of the country is opposed, then only the good Lord can predict the future. All I know is that it will be problematic, to say the least.

AND THE HOPE STILL REMAINS

   Going to sleep last nite brought back memories of the night of the presidential election. The shock that we all felt and the loss of hope - and its regeneration soon after with rising resistance to a man and his minions who wished only for a turn back of the clock to a time in history when the United States needed serious work.
     And the despair continued as the situation grew worse. We realized that we had a dangerous infant in the White House, one who could not control neither his appetite for fast food nor his appetite for grandiose statements, accusations, and public spats re twitter. It was a sick man installed there and yet we were stuck with him as he took apart a system of regulations and attitudes which protected us and our country, which looked toward the future rather than the past. We looked now into a future where the uber wealthy were given and granted privileges that would only increase their power and suddenly all the apocalyptic movies of schismed societies seemed frightfully almost soon to be upon us.
     In ugly situations we had the President and his minions accused of collusion with Russia and that investigation is still ongoing. We have, finally, a possibility of the truth of Trump's financial dealings, one way to get him gone. And we have the brave women who spoke up against him and his disgusting behavior with them, behavior that he himself admits to on a tape of Hollywood Access. Though he lies and twists and turns, denies all, the proof is there and there is NO reason for this man to be allowed to stay in office. He needs to be removed, either by resignation or impeachment and conviction, or by charges of criminal offense.
     And then yesterday we had a validation of sorts; Americans are not totally lost, There is a dim light glowing off in the distance. Though Moore refuses to concede, Jones had won the election. Enough people understood that to elect that pervert Moore, that pedophile, would be a sin against the ages. Yet there were so many who remained in his camp and how any person can look at a young girl, a niece, a sister, a daughter, a stranger and vote for a man who would molest them - it boggles the mind.
     We have made  a start. The margin for Republicans has shrunk. We must hope that more Republicans will remember their souls, will find a moral backbone, will put decency and honor over blind loyalty to a Party. Will Collins realize her error in voting for that tax debacle. Will McCain? Will Flake? Will any of the others who realize the danger inherent in the reigning Party?
     Yes, there is some hope. There is a glimmer of that hope, but it must be nurtured. It must be coaxed and guarded. It must be nourished. We have shown, via yesterday's vote, that good people remain, that voters can be stimulated to come out and vote, though still not enough. But the efforts will go on. They must, if we are to retain anything of our proud founding principles, our progress over the years, and our proud and rightful place among the nations of the world.

HELLO AMERICA, YOUR SOUL CALLING

      Today we are at a crossroads and the direction we choose will say much about where we are and where we are going in the future. True, it is only an election in one state, a benighted one at that, but it does represent America today. There is enough national attention and stress upon this election, enough knowledge out there to know that no matter how "Christian" one claims to be, no matter how old school one is said to be, no matter how much men are supposedly under attack- does not feel so good, does it - no matter what, people will have to choose - perversion or not, truth or not, true family values or twisted ones, disloyalty to one's oath and public service or  recognition and acceptance of duties and responsibilities.
     One man stands outside a rally for Moore, which should have been a non event, and plaintively asks whether he should call his daughter a pervert for being lesbian, even as he regretted his attitude towards her before she killed herself. Another man lies and has his minions swear to those very same lies as he denies his own words and deeds, as he remains the highest sexual pervert and predator who remains in office. Once again he lies that now he has "eyewitnesses" who will negate the testimony of those he molested but again, where are they, where is the investigation and research? Non existent, truly, as this man once again swears to lies and proofs which are never provided.
     Both parties will now have a crisis of faith from many of its adherents, but it seems that according to Moore, all Republicans want or need do is oppose any Democrat and vote for any Republican, no matter the morals or lack thereof, no matter the nastiness and the extremism, to support the prejudice and hatred, to vote for a man who supports slavery and thinks it was a wonderful family values time. Note that the Democrats are acknowledging openly the predators ad pressuring them into resignation and the Republicans? Protecting the predators!!!
     And the denigration and deterioration of America's soul continues with the dangerous actions re the tax proposal. Last minute handwritten additions, massive attacks on the deductions, on the financial stability of the lower and middle classes, massive benefits for the wealthy and especially the ultra wealthy and the real estate developers! Oh, no conflict of interest there, right??!!
     America has taken a badly misjudged wrong turn down the wrong road. It has lost its morals, lost its way, lost the true definition of G-d fearing, of family values, of independence and freedom, of common civility. We have allowed people such as Moore to run, along with his divisive philosophy, to say the least, as he rails against the "mixing" of cultures. He and his supporters make me sick to my stomach. They make me afraid.
     A court orders the acceptance of transgender to the armed forces, where they have long been active, serving, good soldiers, but now along come sexual pervert Trump and nope, no good any more. Along come other courts which refuse to support the rights of all people, no matter the sexual orientation they have. Why is this supposed to be right, to be proper, to be just? The answer is - it is manifestly not, but such is the perversion of America's soul that it actually is supported by some Americans who besmirch and belittle the name and soul of America.
     Americans have now lost much of the protection put in place for its health, for net neutrality and equality, for its benefit, for its environment, for its future as climate change is increasingly upon us and no matter how long one protest it or wears blinders, it is here! Make no mistake about it. Lies do not undo the truth. Conjuring up one's own alternate reality where truth is lies and honesty is dishonesty, where dishonor is honor, does not make it so.
  So today, Alabamians in particular and Americans in general - look to your, to our, soul. We need to make the right, the righteous choice. G-d forbid this man get elected, this man twice removed from office, this man who hates all that do not look like him, think like him, this man who wishes to turn our country into a land of King Donald and courtier of the court Moore.
     America, Americans - the choice is ours.
     This is your soul calling.....

AND BACK AGAIN

     Last nite was great. A mixed crowd, Jewish, non Jewish, Christians, observant and not so much, Hispanic, people of color and guess what? Not a fight in the nite and guess what again. We even had Democrats and Republicans and no one was accused of anything, no one mentioned Trump and all was laughter, love, music and food. Much food!!
     Is there a secret to harmonious social interaction? Not really, for it used to be like this all the time. America was a country which allowed for differences in political and went crazy every once in a while as in the Red Scare, but mostly it was okay to differ.  Now we have an animosity among and between people and do not tolerate the thoughts of others. It grows and comes to a head when the threat to our country, to our lives, the safety of the air and the water come to a fore and all sanity and civility fly out the window.
        Why is that, one might ask. The plain and simple answer is that some of the action is so egregiously wrong that one must speak up and then one is infuriated with the dense fog surrounding the minds of some people, good people. How could they deny the fact that Trump engaged in seriously wrong behavior, that his attitude towards women sucks to say the least, that he supports a bigoted and benighted candidate for Senator and how can one help the anger and frustration one  feels. 
     And yet the country continues, albeit in a crippled manner. What is encouraging is the fact that even in places where Trump won, the people are beginning to question the consequences. People are beginning to speak out and tell about the wrong and the neglect and we do have hope for the future.
      In any case, the afterglow of the celebration of the 50th anniversary has drained much of the negativity and the necessity to trash Trump today. So today I will bask in the reflected light of a beautiful nite and leave the horror till tomorrow.

WALTZING

     You might be wondering why this title? Is it somehow connected to the dance steps of Trump et al? Nope, for today I will ignore that man and his minions and write of beauty and joy and love - all that makes the world go round and defeat the hate and despair that otherwise might reign.
     Today, or more accurately, later on today, early evening, we and close to 100 others, friends and family who can be here in Florida with us, will be celebrating a moment in time - a 50th wedding anniversary. Standing together all those years ago I never imagined this day for 50 years!!!
     And yet, with thanks to G-d, we have reached this day, this time in our lives, not always on  a smooth road, but always we managed to get back on the proper path and raised a wonderful family, enjoy watching their own families grow up, and together we share Act III.
     So why waltzing? Well, the waltz is dignified, graceful, speaks of and to another time in life. It reminds me of my parents who waltzed beautifully, on the dance floor and off as they waltzed in love thru life, overcoming all that would upset their rhythm.
    Late to the thought, I tried to get us ready to waltz for the party. Ahem!! Best laid plans! But we will try and if we give a few people some laughs, well, laughter is the best medicine and we hope they will join us on the floor. And as we circle around with some lively Jewish music, may laughter and smiles be present for all.
     I will probably be a tad late in tomorrow's posting so please forgive me in advance if I am, but the feelings of happiness, of joy, of love that will run thru the day's events can never be replaced. The friends there to share with us, the glee as I look around at everybody all dressed up here in casual country  and think how wonderful we all look when we "clean up".
     I wish that we could all waltz thru life, step over the uneven sidewalks, waltz across and down the roads finding only smooth pavement ahead, no potholes, no sinkhole, no broken cement. It is joyful at times to waltz down side roads, small paths down which lay hidden and unexpected treasures and then back again to life and all that it hands us.
     So Happy Anniversary to all, be it the first or the 75th. Raise a glass to your loved one, your partner in and thru life, be it with soda, juice, champagne or water, for the sentiment is what counts. May you be as happy as we are, as glad to share our anniversary with friends and may all of us waltz as best we can, have the courage to laugh at ourselves, and always remain or get back in step. Maybe even discover new steps.

GOOSE AND GANDER

    It is a given, at least in theory, that in a democracy there is equality before the law, equal civil rights, equal consequences and equal no nos. In practice this has not always worked out that way, but always there has been a striving towards that goal. Lately, however, we have been inundated with and by examples of how this is to be thwarted and ignored. Goose and gander seem to be living in different lanes and that is manifestly not good for the country or the world in general.
     Of late there has been a massive uncovering of what was apparently an open secret in the world of politics, of business, of entertainment and even in religion. Power was the name of the game and sex, forced sex in all its forms, was the coin of the realm of the secret worlds.
     When uncovered, spoken about by brave women who had just about enough, the men were shamed and resigned. Secret payoffs including those with taxpayer money were disclosed. Men had to resign positions of power and the old adage of  "how the mighty have fallen" came into life.
     And yet the equality seemed to wane at a certain point. The Democratic Party took off after the offenders within their ranks. They demanded resignations, even from those in positions of power and influence. What was wrong was wrong and political consequences were not taken into account and trust me, the Democrats could not spare a single vote. But among the members of the Republican Party it was different. One was asked to resign yet another who had already paid off someone was allowed to stay and the waffling over Moore, a pedophile from  Alabama, is sinful and shameful. It is even more shameful when Moore states that America was great during the time of legal slavery!!!!!!!! The fact that the chief molester, the chief predator in the country, Trump, endorsed this guy was quite telling. 
     In truth, the very fact that Trump has remained in office is a huge stain on the soul of the Republicans. This man was caught on tape boasting of his adventures, his philosophy, his actions. Yet this man remains in office, a huge embarrassment to our country. Where is the equality before the law here? Where are the equal consequences? Missing in action evidently. Goose and gander seem to diverge here.
     Melania Trump wants to run away to a deserted tropical isle for Christmas but ahem, can you just see that narcissist doing that? Where will he get the fawning that he does get in Mar a Lago and in his other golf clubs? 
     In the meanwhile, the lies about the tax policy keep a comin' but at least Collins is waking up to the fact that the promises made to her may be gone with the wind. Why do people wake up so late, so very late, even as Trump now scrambles to provide welfare for his rich buddies in NY. And even here, I guess they have a right to protest a tax policy that seems designed to punish NY for its anti Trump stance. But surely they should have seen this coming. It was as clear as day.
     Just as clear is the fact that he is now down to 32% approval and even among the Republicans and his supposed base, the numbers have dropped. There is something very wrong with this man in every which way. His wife says she prefers love and kindness - hmmm. Not there, is it?
     And his late stuttering and slurring in his talk is quite a sign of something truly wrong in the brain. This is a man who poked fun at all his opponents, claiming they were physically weak and yet this man, 71 years of age, who out eats any and all in fast food restaurants, probably has the consequences inside his brain and mind. Yet, he does not get examined, nor does he open up his health and his tax records lest the truth come out. What is that  truth? Apparently we will never know about the taxes but he is supposedly getting an exam, overly late already, at Walter Reed sometime next year and the results will be opened to the public. And if you believe that, I have a bridge and a tunnel to sell you.
     The path to the future is clear. This man, this wrong man, is leading us down a dangerous path, replete with damage to the environment, contempt for the people of America, opposition to being part of any world coalition, and rife with selfishness, greed and plain evil doing. A new study says that more people have Alzheimer's or are at risk for it than ever thought before. It behooves us to check our leader for that. We already have had one who served with Alzheimer's and we do not need another. Let us find out the truth, demand the truth and NOW, not at a vague future time and act accordingly. No one is above the law and officeholders should be held to a moral standard and a mental standard. Certainly sanity and a functioning mind at the least. I fear that is not the truth now.
     Goose and gander. Equality. They need to go together or else we are turning our backs on our moral and legal values. Perhaps we can understand the taking of the knee in this situation. And as long as this man is president we will be opening the doors even wider to hatred and prejudice, to inequality and what? To the deportation of 800,000 Dreamers? Is that truly the America we want? I don't. 
     

INFAMY? INFAMY

     December 7th. A date we still remember though it seems to be fading as the years go by. But we need to remember that day when our country was attacked and quite frankly, we came near to losing who and what we were as a result. We lost not only much of our fleet of battleships, but we also lost our heads and minds as we chased decent and loyal citizens and residents, accusing them without proof of infamy, of treachery planned and our American values were lost.
     Lest one think that we have learned our lesson, I refer you to the third ban out of Trump's dictatorial and xenophobic mind and administration and I ask you - have we learned how to deal with infamy or are we still lost in hatred and mass accusations.
     I will make no bones about it. I am not particularly fond of Arabs or Moslems. I see many things wrong in the attitudes that are taught by many of their imams. I think the religion has been hijacked and certainly, as a Jew supporting Israel and the rights of the Jewish people to have one little Jewish state, I have qualms about them. But! A big but. The concern and worry over some does not mean the worry and hatred for all. I have long spoken about the ethnic cleansing of the Rohingya, a Moslem group facing death. Right is right and hatred is hatred, especially hatred of the mass group without distinction.
     That is what we now have coming out of the works of Trump's perverted and twisted mind and that of his administration. He has enabled haters, extremists, anti Semites, xenophobic critters to crawl out of the woodwork and sow more seeds of evil and disaster. This is infamy. No denying it.
     When we talk casually of nuclear war, or hear the majority of the country reject the President in strong terms, turning down invitations to visit him, when Lindsey Vonn, a gold medalist in skiing says she is skating for America, the country and not its president, and that she will refuse a White House visit should she win again - here again is infamy. Not her actions, but those of the administration that have led her and us to this point. Infamy indeed.
     While Pearl Harbor was ringed by fire and ash, by the deaths of thousands, today our infamy is not from without but from within. We have supposed patriots, or so they claim, who have allegedly sold our country downriver to Russia for financial gain and political advantage. We have a president whose financial dealings with Deutsche Bank are now under investigation and we now have the Republicans not supporting the investigation, not supporting wherever the truth will take us, but instead are trying to shut it down, shut down perfidy and wrong, ignore evil and immorality.
     We have more present day infamy with the filthy and horrific entitlement behavior of men towards those in their power, towards those they can threaten and intimidate. But no longer! Time magazine has recognized the courage it takes to finally speak out, speak up and we must recognize that there is something lacking in our gestalt in America today and for decades. We have let personal greed overcome and overtake the benefits for the whole, the goodness that America, the word and the state implied. We have gone wrong, and are just as much under bombardment in a different way as was Pearl Harbor so many years ago.
     We must ask ourselves if we are willing to allow this man and his henchmen to hijack us with deeds of infamy. So now we go to court to enforce bans of hatred. We use supposed law to justify rending families. And yet we do not ban Russians, those who allegedly colluded with the present administration from before election and afterwards, or do we now allow our enemies to be chosen by who will benefit us financially and who will not. Be sure that I have no wish to ban anyone other than the particular enemies we do have but it seems that we are careless with our branding today.
     It behooves us to think and choose carefully. It seems that we are our worst enemies. We refuse to recognize how our former allies - be it France or England or Australia, etc. - are now in the process of rejecting us and our warped actions and dealings, with our degenerated 'leader'.
    Infamy comes in different forms at different times. We need to recognize it in all its manifestations and be prepared to deal with it, acknowledge it and act accordingly but with attention to our American founding values. If not - we will have committed infamy and the question now is - will we recover? Yes, remember December 7, 1941, but also remember today and what has been happening. Infamy is as infamy does.

LIFE IN THE FAST LANE - OR NOT

     Every once in  awhile one dreams of a different life, of what could have been or might have been. I have wondered what it would have been like if we never had to worry about money, always had what was needed to help the kids, give as much charity as we wished - but that was never to be. But I am grateful, for we were always able to keep that roof overhead, food on the table and clothes on the back and as time went on, even add in a few trips, small, simple, but there and grant a few wishes.
     But what about the young couples today who now face a disastrous tax liability, whose deductions are slashed, destroyed, gone, even as the Fat Cats loll in even more obscene displays of wealth, build humongous homes while there are so many without a home. I remember when NYC was rife with homeless, sleeping on the benches of the transportation centers, on the sidewalks, in doorways and then for some years the problem eased somewhat but a few years ago there began a growth again, and one walked by as people slept on the sidewalks, surrounded by bags of belongings and signs asking not to be disturbed.         Even here, in West Palm, we began to see more homeless, more people pushing wagons loaded with bags, sitting by libraries, inside and out, and each time I see this I shudder. No place to lay one's head. No place to be alone. No place to do anything, be it take a drink of water or suffer thru a cold. This, to me, is awful.
     Even worse, I see no better future opening up. Corporations have been granted permission and  free rein to be even greedier than ever. Just what is it that makes men desire to build up money stores in some bank account, serving no one and no purpose other than to give them further bloated salaries and bonuses. Money for expansion, for raising the wages of the regular workers, for better benefits - uh uh, no way. Why?
     As for homeless, we are creating even more of a situation. We have ICE going after any and all illegal immigrants, be they violent criminals who rightfully should be deported or someone who did not notice that  a light was out on the car. Stopped, off they go, families torn asunder, children crying for parents, families left with big income holes and an inability to continue to pay rent or taxes and out they go, on the street. When nabbed and turned back over the border, they are often walked across the bridge and just left, no money, no clothes, no nothing and in Nuevo Laredo, a dangerous and violent place. The echoes and images of Jews thrown out into no man's land, left to die of hunger and thirst, of exposure, as no one seemed to want them, of the refugees of the world today, as they are forced out of countries and into others who are often just as poor and destitute and unable to absorb more needy people.
     And in the meanwhile, hope is dimming for a  better world in the near future. The United States is a long way down the road towards isolation, towards cutting off trade with others as it raises difficulties and hinders free trade. Its influence is waning as people have begun to write it off as just about a Third World country, what with the filth that has come out and the open selling of the country down the road as long as one got power and enriched one's bottom line. Indicted or arrested people are trying to weasel out with more lies, we find that now Pence has suspicion hanging over him - not really a surprise - huh! guess his wife let the boy play outside without supervision!
     There is no more truth in the halls of the country. The White House briefing is a joke, either useless or rife with lies. Trump lies and Sanders swears. The media and free press is attacked. The President is described in words that should never have been able to be attached to a supposed leader. Politicians sell their souls. Hypocrisy reigns. Our country's back yards of parks and monument areas are being decimated - I believe, illegally as well and everyday it seems as if a new court case is opened against the government. We have a Supreme Court now that will hark back to the Dark Ages and one wonders when it will all end and at the end what will be?
     What is life in the fast lane anyway? Certainly the news is coming so fast down the track that we are all living in a fast lane. I believe we would all prefer a lane where things go smoothly, where hope is generated, where one can win and achieve the better things in life, raise a family, enjoy life, without stepping over and on everyone else. 
     And folks, some of us are in Act III of life, but consider those who are in Act I and II. Do we not owe them some hope, some good future, some fast lane dreams? Do we not owe them the possibility of the American Dream where each generation improved over the previous one? Think about that and how we can revive that  dream.    

SIXTEEN TONS AND WHAT DO YA' GET?

     Sixteen tons of muck. Sixteen tons of filth and this is being conservative. We have descended so far down, so deep in the muck and mire of immorality that I wonder sometimes if we will ever find our way back.
     Yes, there has always been garbage going on in the political and entertainment worlds. People seem to not be able to control some of their baser instincts and even as the world liberalized a bit, there were those that took it as license to do whatever the hell they wanted to do and not worry about the consequences. Big people, little people, the stories just keep on coming out. Names and personalities that shock us. And some of the accused are wise enough and smart enough at this point to apologize, hoping that the apology will gain some sympathy for them, but there are others, led by the chief predator, Trump, who deny their own words and voice and just lie as a matter of course. Well, let us hope that they are hoist by their own petard, caught in their own lies, and face real damage in the courts of law. And I do not care who the accused is - position as President does not excuse prior immoral and illegal behavior and the offender needs to face his accusers and pay his debts. May that day come soon for you know who!
     But the point is, is that it seems that we have all sold our souls to the devil in return for what? For position? For power? For wealth? For the opportunity and the implied 'right' to pull out not a particularly pretty part of one's anatomy and rub it in public and think women or young boys will swoon at the sight and become willing sex slaves?
     I cannot wrap my head around this type of thinking, this willful blindness, this crude attempt to rule over all, to have no rules to follow other than where the baser desires seem to indicate. And the same people who offend in this area are the same people, in many cases, that scream the loudest in 'defense' of traditional values, shout how Christian value supporting they are, how family oriented they are, how strong and selfless they are in defending the honor of the country against the onslaughts of the gay community, of the transgender people, of any group of people whose ideas of sexual fantasy or rights differed from the 'traditional' one of simply imposing oneself on a person of the other gender - or not - as the case may be.
     This immorality, this sense of entitlement, floods into other areas as well. Agreements and implied agreements to support the wishes of their big honcho donors. Drooling at the thought of raping the environment, of soiling the pristine parts of our country, disregarding the native Americans and their sacred lands, the crass willingness to destroy our environment, to violate the laws of the world which now understands the necessity to work on change in deeds and attitudes. So we ignore the spills that contaminate the land and  sink into the water table of half the nation. We ignore it because the Fat Cats are making even more money even as they destroy the rest of the nation.
     And leading the charge against all that is decent and right - why, the Republican party. They now have changed their statements and publicly support the pervert Moore, both Trump and the RNC. What matters decency against the tides of maintaining numbers in the Senate? What matters morality against the ability to keep passing bills which destroy all but the 1%? What matters truth against the deep need to support the lies already told, and the future lies to keep power, power, and more power!!
     I am so tired of all this crap and yes, crap is what it is. We need to pick ourselves up and force our supposed representatives to step up to the plate of morality, of right and righteousness. We must throw in their faces the inherent wrong and evil in selling their votes for a supposed clause which will never remain because members of their own party will move against it. But sell their vote they did and put the American people in jeopardy is the what they did.
     And among all the lost virtues is the virtue of patriotism and loyalty to one's country. These people seem to have one loyalty - to themselves and their bottom line. So play golf, yes, but legislate fairly, an emphatic NO!! Be loyal to our welcoming of immigrants, including members and generations of their own families - Nope again! Sell the nation down the river to our enemies if one benefits financially from that sale - oh, yeah!! And yet they are the loudest to scream patriotism even as they sell our country out.
     I am so disgusted. I am so tired of trying to explain these behaviors to my grandchildren. I am growing more and more desperate in trying to figure out how to change this before we have gone beyond that which can be fixed. I am worried, no, frantic, at the thought of the future that awaits the world and in particular our country as I truly can envisage new Civil War, with people fighting in the streets, with blood running and a death toll that will be beyond believable, and a nation that will never recover.
     I know I am but one person sitting here in the early morning hours, unable to sleep, yes, because as I age sleep comes with more difficulty, but also because I worry; far more than the usual worry about family, I worry for my country. I worry for my world. I worry about what will be and though I, as one person, have not the ability to change the world, then perhaps even if just one person reads these postings and thinks of something to do, to stem the tide, then I have done my job. Now others need to do theirs.
     

AS THE STOMACH TURNS

     Anna, in the King and I, sings of how the people act like toads, with their cringing and crawling. Well, for us, today, here in America, I would use the term slugs, moral slugs. What else can we call those who follow the weasel McConnell as he says that all in the Senate wanted to pass this tax plan because it was good for them politically. Yup. There is the crux of the matter. The Republican Party has sold its collective soul to the devil, full speed ahead, never mind the people they are running over, destroying, as they rush to fulfill the wishes and bidding of an insane degenerating madman, as they lose all semblance of a moral spine.
     Now a lawyer for Trump, a personal lawyer, states that he wrote the tweet for Trump which stated that Trump had fired Flynn because he told the FBI a lie. Well, that was proof of obstruction of justice so what lawyer would do this??? Certainly not a competent one, but therein lies the question. Is this yet another one of Trump's minions who gets thrown under the bus, who throw themselves under the bus, all for Lord Donald?
     And the lies do not stop there as Nunes whines that the FBI is hiding things even as for the past few months the Committee has been reviewing, with the FBI, secret documents. So what the hell....... Lies, lies, all of you people are slugs! Feinstein says the case against Trump is being built and we can only hope, try to retain and restrain our roiling stomach under the deluge of nauseating news, hoping that Feinstein is correct.
     The most frightening stomach turning news we keep getting is the growing tension between us and North Korea. Now it is being suggested that families of soldiers and diplomats in South Korea leave the country. We are running drills there and in Hawaii. So tell me, where can one hide from nuclear war and nuclear winter and nuclear wasting of the world? Are we to become true slugs who live underground, raggedy, fighting for lives and crusts of breads with other survivor groups? What are we doing? I understand that it has become quite fashionable to become a "prepper", buy land in the mountains, in far off countries, to build up supplies but really? Truly? C'mon.
     In the meanwhile we have the nauseating stories from the new book re Trump about his binges and his fits. We read of his thwarting of the reins of Kelly as he 'sneaks' in his minions. We know his lies. We know of his sexual predator behavior. And yet - there he is, sitting in the Oval Office. Even his base has begun to realize the harm he is proposing to do to them. What will happen when with the new tax bill, people cannot pay their new assessments. Or they cannot afford the food for the table, they are too weak and tired to work, too cold because they cannot pay the fuel bill or the electric bill for the AC in the days of summer heat. Or when the disasters occur and FEMA has no money to help because the corporations are riding high on their reduced taxes, loopholes for their executives, and the social safety net develops huge and ever growing holes. Will we turn into a third world country where the few elite live high on the hog and the rest are in tatters, with children begging for a morsel of food, and mothers crying over their children, fathers frustrated at their inability to build a future - or even a present - for their family?
     What do we say when a twice removed from office person, known to be a pedophile chasing over young teen girls, is running for office and there are people who support him, claiming these values for Christianity, will protect them against the 'scourge' of LGBTQ  and McConnell, the moral slug now says that they will let the people of Alabama, those benighted people, choose. And you know what, so what? He will join the rest of the molesters whose stories are coming out.
     And every day the stories change and the stories grow. We hear of more dirt being uncovered in the FBI investigations. We hear of more weird behavior on the part of the President. We look into the future and see what? I see a country that is shrinking into itself. I see a country that has turned on its history. Where once we had pictures of old time crowds of immigrants at Ellis Island, where one we had recognition that immigrants were the lifeblood of the country, add- ing to its cultural mix, where once we had pride in that, now we have hatred. When people were trying to find a place of safety from Irma and the Department of Homeland Security said there was a truce on pickups of illegal immigrants, ICE said basically screw you and continued to arrest and raid. I see the mists of night fog and hear the shouts of "Raus, raus. Juden, schweinhunt" and the sounds of the popping of rifles. I see the degeneration of a country and the uncovering of the nastier parts of people.
     Yes, once there was a place known as Camelot, and once there was a place known as America, a place to fulfill dreams, to even dream for the first time of a better life for all. A place where justice reigned and progress was sought. Once there was such a place. Is it doomed to be forgotten in the mists of time? Who will make that decision? Or has it already been made for us.

SULPHUR OR SWEETNESS

     Imagine the scenario. We are looking at a scene of great bustle, a room filled with angels with rolled up sleeves carefully ladling out material from barrels placed in front of them, ensuring that every little soul that passes their station gets  a percentage of it. The scent of the room is floral, smelling of aromatic flowers and spices, replete with the gentleness of love, mercy and compassion.
     Those small white vaguely human looking shapes passing these angels are the souls of the soon to be born. They are given all that we need to make Earth a place of love and honor, of compassion and mercy, of gentleness, of peace, of concern for all humanity and not only for oneself.
     Yet underneath it all, every once in a while there is a nasty scent of sulfur wafting thru and under it all. Every once in a while once of those little white shapes wanders off following the sulfur and it ends in a nasty smelling room, reeking of evil, of darkness. Here the dark angel, a fallen angel, ladles wildly, angrily, as he tries to fill the soon to be born soul with all that is evil in the world.
     These souls in both rooms, both scenarios, are to compete on this earth for the souls that came before and after. Which will win? The gluttony, the evil, the greed, the envy, the war mongering, the increasing distance between haves and have nots or will it be the compassion, the safety nets that care for all, the love that will convince us to work for people and not for ourselves and only ourselves. Which will it be? Will these souls be strong enough to withstand the temptations of evil in all its forms? Will they be clever enough to discern those dark souls who wish to force harm upon the face of this earth or will they be fooled?
     It is always easier to see evil and fault in others. We can roll the names of foreign leaders who have crossed the lines, or just know they are there whether we know their specific names or not. Duterte. Mugabe. Terrorist leaders. Neo Nazis. Stalin and Lenin. Putin. The cartels. Trump et al. And yes, I purposely insert Trump there for I believe he is ultimately a spoiler, one who works only for himself, who cares nothing for others, only his bottom line and the reinforcement of his power. Two top aides of Trump are co writing a book called "Let Trump be Trump" and read that book, look at its excerpts and then wonder what it is that makes people feel it is okay to work for a madman, for a personification of evil, of greed, of envy, of dishonor and falsehood. It is because we lose sight of the real truth in the world but at least Comey has it straight now.
     “But justice roll down like waters and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream” Amos 5:24
     It is accompanied by a paraphrasing of a Buddhist line.
     
      "Three things cannot be long hidden: the sun; the moon; and the truth."
     People, we have to make a choice. We have to choose between a man and his minions who represent dishonor, falsehood, greed and gluttony, envy, war mongers and all the rest and between those who will serve society honorably, for the good of all. It will be a society where we do not honor those who chase after the disadvantaged, throwing them into the modern day equivalents of camps and cattle cars, rending asunder families, allowing disease, sickness, hunger and pain to grow within the ranks of our society.
     We have allowed these damaged souls to gain an upper hand at this point but we must, as the Bible says, "gird our loins" and be ready to fight the evil, to improve our world, to prove worthy of all that we were given and for all those to come after us. In the future, what will be our evaluation? What will be the sum of all that we leave behind?
     The souls of beauty and aromatic riffs or the scent of sulfur, of those who feel they can talk evil, be evil, act evil, and get away with it. The lives of those unable to fend for themselves are upon us. We cannot shirk that responsibility and if we try, well, woe upon us. Me? I am afraid for and of the future. And you?

AHHH, THE VAGARIES OF LIFE

     Oy! Ow! Creak. Whine. Crack. The back! My knee. Oof! Where the hell did I put those blasted keys? Did I already take that pill? And what about the book - seems familiar. Didn't I already read this?
      Sound familiar? Many of us are at the point where we can take the time we spent in getting to work and back home again, doing the job, squeezing in the tasks of home and family, take all that time and put it to a different use. But it seems that just at the time that we have that extra time that time starts to fly and before we are used to writing one month, it is already time to start writing the next year's date. 
     Where did it all go? And is it not amusing how our kids now throw at us what we threw at them. You have to check in, we said. You have to call. Let us know where you are and then we caution the grandkids to do the same. But now WE have to check in and if we are not where they expect us to be we now go into emergency procedure. They all call or text each other and then our phones go berserk. We get a lecture how we need to let someone know where we are at all times, and they forget that we are still the adults here, still the parents, but it is cute though. Very amusing.
     And just as we get this free time and begin to wonder with what to fill it, we begin to see the world around us and its vagaries. Suddenly the passions of youth return. Suddenly we become passionately interested once more in politics. We have the time to read and think and listen to the broadcasts and the ever incoming headlines on the phone screen. We remember the protests of yesteryear and our feet seem to ache to join in once more - though the body may not always be willing. We remember what we fought for as kids and then wonder what the hell happened and why we have to do this all over again. 
     So we look around and we see. We see a man masquerading as a president , all the while embarrassing other seniors, is immersed in madness to the nth degree, is shattering the alliances we have with other long time allies, threatens women, famous and not, is a consummate liar, and we feel the nausea rise within us.
     We rage at his attempted interference with legislative processes. We rage at the incompetence of Congress and their lack of courage, their selfishness, their lack of patriotism, their greed and we think again - better get out on those protest picket lines once more. Our job is not yet done, not yet over.
     So in the vagaries of life we find ourselves back at the beginning , albeit a tad changed, damaged, but still filled with righteous anger, dismay and yet, also with hope, that we can turn this around and make America what she always was - a leader of the world, a moral guide to other nations and a country which made mistakes but tried not to repeat them, to fix them instead, a nation which recognized that immigrants have built this land, infused our culture with the new and the old. We can but try. We must try.
     But in the meanwhile there goes that phone or whatever it truly is these days. I have apps on there I never heard of and the question is - who put them on there in  the first place?? Snapchat. Instagram. Twitter. I do not know how to use these things and truly, I use my phone to call and text - and yes, I text, though it took me some time to figure that out. Sending emails on the phone - learning. Picture taking - oy vey! And the size keeps growing. Where, oh where, did my old flip phone go? And call waiting on the phone - I always lose the first person!!
     Oh no!! Now it is playing some noisy music. How do I shut this off? It just got louder. Not good. Gotta call my techie. Ge!!!! Help!!! Ah, at least within the vagaries of life I do have my constant, Gerry. Gotta go. Pill time. Life. A joy and a responsibility. Let us go at it in the proper and beneficial way and have fun at the same time.