PHONE HOME

     I think that one and all will never forget the plaintive voice of ET wanting to phone home. Alone in an alien world, surrounded by strange critters, he just wanted to go home. And thru it all, he and his supporters were chased by the bad guys of the government who seemed to have lost their, ironically, humanity.

      Today we are all ET. We are all trying to phone home, to find our home in the midst of what one person has called "the sunken place", a place of bad things, of denials of rights, of bias and hatred, of little or no hope. Thankfully, I believe that many and more every day are beginning to phone home, using different communication systems, but are indeed phoning home.

     Notice they are not phoning it in, an expression for laziness and non caring; they are instead phoning home, trying to locate the best route to getting there and refusing to give up. Yes, we the people are beginning to shout, to make themselves heard, to increase the static on those who oppose them, on those who approve the creeping autocracy of Trump and followers.

     So when an idiot writes that he is concerned about Larry Nassar who has had a tough day, well, Aly Raisman's mother gave it to him but good. Read Aly's victim impact speech and be proud of our younger generation and their strength in the face of adversity. Review the weekend events, those marches that have taken place and the events scheduled for today. Get a look at the numbers of women running for office. Just look at the growing activism of women, their insistence on being heard and no vulgar mouthed ET chasing government dolt is going to stop them. Hundreds of thousands in NY. Marches overseas. Marches in small towns and large cities. We the people - YES!!!
     So yes, we are phoning home and we are going to make sure that the aliens among us, the ones with orange hair and their backers, the ones who see green as the color of it all, the ones who could care less about doing their job of serving the people  - that all of these people get their dues!!
     Those who are confused and are phoning it in, well, they had better wake up. Since when does a party that controls all three branches of government whine when they cannot get their 'right' to destroy our country? When does Congress forget that executive and legislative are two separate branches and one does not worry what the President will do or sign. Just vote and give it to him - sign or not and let the blame rest where it will. Since when are people so afraid of a mentally deficient person , so much so, that they cower before him and his ever changing statements, conflicts and all.
     So choose - phone home or phone it in. Big difference and strangely enough it was an 'alien" who taught us that. Wonder what all the 'alien' Americans that Trump is so much in a hurry to throw away might teach us today. How might they help our country - their country.
     So phone home, people, phone home. Phone your reps and tell them to man or woman up. Tell them to vote for the people and not their pockets or from their fear. Phone your Democratic Party offices and help. Phone your Republican Party offices and ask what the hell happened to the party of Lincoln?
     WE the People are beginning to make ourselves heard. WE the People are phoning home. WE THE PEOPLE.
    PHONE HOME!!!!

AGENT OF CHAOS

     Wow!!!! That is not a term that the president should have as a sobriquet. Agent of chaos. Should it not be rather the agent of unity? The agent of compassion? The agent of humanity? The agent of universality? Yes, it should, but this man certainly is not to be fitted with any of those positive terms at all.
     Every day there is yet another blow to what should be. One can disagree with another's stance or beliefs, but in America, for the President to be an agent of not only chaos but of what would ensue is most problematic indeed. Personally, I would call the man the agent of overthrow, the agent of authoritarianism in our country, the agent who might actually destroy democracy within our country.
     He drives his administration with autocratic executive orders, thereby bypassing the machinery of checks and balances that has stood well for our country lo these many years. It disallows for self checks, for self corrections, for only he has made the rule. 
     And in so doing he has isolated and persecuted certain segments of our society. He has demonized them. He has threatened them. He has deemed them unworthy of protection and only worthy of expulsion. He has over many numerous choices chose those who are tainted before they even begin with him, people of hate, people who do not like any other than the white male who believes in the "proper" set of beliefs.
     Bannon. Gorka, running away from a weapons warrant in Hungary where he belonged to a racist political party. Miller. Incompetents like his press secretaries. People who mimic his every words and see truth where lies glow in the dark. And now we find out that the very person he appointed to liaise with NGOs, with community organizations, aid them, help them - this man has now been uncovered to be one of the many disgusting people Trump so dearly seems to love, David Duke included!! The 'fine people' from Charlottesville.
     So who is this man? Carl Higbie. A birther. An anti LGBT. A filthy mouthed racist. A misogynist. An advocate of 'Americans" to go shoot immigrants at the border. Supports the idea of removing voting rights from those getting governmental aid, thereby espousing the rich only vote theory. Thought we had given that up many, many moons ago. Well, he is now gone, resigned, but the fact of the matter is - how and why were these creeps appointed to these positions and why oh why can people not see the man Trump for the creep he is, for the supporter of hate that he is?
     Now that Trump has created chaos in DC, pitting the two parties against each other, he is going on golf vacation again to Mar a Lago. What he has left behind is a government facing shutdown. A whole slew of people who will be #$%*** out of luck for money as they are 'furloughed". And why this crisis? Because that creep has decided to push dissension rather than compromise. Because he changes his statements on policy quicker than the human eye. So what does he care if people will be living hand to mouth without that check coming in. What does he care about bills going unpaid. What does he care if the economy tanks, as it did yesterday. What does he care about the kids who will go without medical care as the CHIP program is dismissed. What does he care about the 800,000 Americans we are throwing out of the country and by the way, thinking ahead, what we are doing is creating literally millions of enemies to the country as  the bitterness mounts, as the separations mount and then someone will say WHY?
     Nope. All this man and his henchmen care about is trying to throw blame on the Democrats but the fact of the matter is that the blame rests squarely on the above creeps who care naught for us, the Americans they are supposed to serve.
     So go, Trump. Go play golf. Go ignore your country. I am sure you have a plan in mind to benefit your bottom line, for as your own son said two days ago, you only see green, no other color. I would amend that to include some colors you do openly detest but it is not worth it right now.
     So go, and perhaps someone will finally wake up and realize that you are not competent, sane enough to run this country, unless one wants to destroy it. 25th Amendment anyone? Resignation, anyone? Something, anyone?
   

DICKENSIAN TIMES?

     "It was the best of times, it was the worst of times." And so the first paragraph of Tale of Two Cities continued, one of the greatest novels of Charles Dickens. It was a time of contradictions, of hope and despair and so similar to the times and atmosphere of today.
     Obama has stated that the Trump presidency has created an "unusual time" and how right he is. But looking beneath those somewhat bland words, we see a time of fear, of division, of chasms so deep they could split a nation. We see a wholesale rejection of the truth as truth, as  an attack on journalists that is beyond the pale. We see a president who is most unpresidential, whose bizarre behavior, whose erratic and dangerously childish behavior gives sanction to the outrageous behavior of dictators around the world. 
     You know the saying 'I told you so'? It is most aggravating to hear it and at the same time a statement one wishes to remain unsaid and yet, I told you so!! I was told I was going to the extremes, worried about our survival as a democracy, yet go read the magnificent speech by Sen. Flake and hold your head up in pride for one Republican who has the courage to stand up and tell the truth. Yes, the emperor is naked even as the people shout about the beauty of his new clothes.
     The latest gimmick of Fake News Awards is put to shame under the umbrella of truth about journalists and their profession. The numbers of journalists killed and wounded as they perform their jobs, the number arrested, condemned throughout the world, with their jailers citing the same garbage of fake news that spews forth from the mouth of the Great Liar.
     Fake News is nothing but lies. It is the Newspeak of the day that allows a president to behave so shamelessly, still mouth off about the numbers at his Inauguration, about his statements, bizarre and hurtful, about his racist, biased, misogynistic remarks and behavior. And yet, his Republican controlled government cannot get their act together and I can only hope that is because at least under the skin enough of them are ashamed of themselves, of their Party. This is a shambles of a government, with a supposed leader at the head who interferes with investigations, who has called the shots on the statements of witnesses at Congressional probes of the campaign and the Russian interference and alleged collusion.
     There is just too much shouting here and too little truth. There is too much viciousness  as Border Police go chasing after illegal immigrants mostly at the lower end of the scale, those who man the counters at 7-11, or crew the construction jobs and climb on hot roofs and clear the mass of destruction left behind after the storms and fires, who pick the fruit and vegetables for our tables and just wait till the prices soar because there will be a scarcity of them with no workers to take them off the vine, the tree, the fields. And kudos to the Northern Californians who will use the recently passed sanctuary bill of theirs and refuse-REFUSE to work with ICE to chase these people down, with quotas of how many are to be 'captured'. What is the matter with these people!!! Can they not see the ugliness of doing their supposed job?
     And last nite I attended a packed show of the Mystics, a 50's group that continues to sing and harmonize and please audiences, that incorporates lots of audience singing into their program. And sing the audience certainly does, as they remember a simpler time, an easier time, a calmer time, a time when one could be proud of being American. Not a perfect time, but better than now for at least there was an American Dream still shining in truth and glory. And today? ?????????????
     I will reiterate. This man does have physical issues glossed over by the report and  his so called mental evaluation was from a simple test downloadable on line, nice and ready for pre study and so simple that it points out very little. "face, velvet, church, daisy, red" These are the words to remember. Memorize them and be found "okay". Not so, and certainly not so for a man who is supposed to be a leader of men. This man is a nothing who manages to be dangerous to the survival of the world, physically and morally.
     We the people have got to get up and do something. Pressure your reps. Get out there and march, protest. Get out there and work on campaigns for righteous Americans who value our history, our principles. But if we the people do not do this---well, ask yourself in what type of America will our kids and grandchildren be living?
      It is on us.
     WE THE PEOPLE

CHAOS!!!!!!!!

     We are at a point of no return. We have to decide if we are going to be a truly democratic nation, with all that it entails, or are we going to give up in the midst of chaos and turn our collective backs on history, past, present and future. Where are we going?
    The government has shut down before but never as scary as this time. There is such an animus between people, between individuals, that I despair at seeing these breaches healed. We have a Freedom Caucus- pardon the misnomer - who seem only ready to savage any and  all agreements that will keep the country up and running, any deal, bi partisan or not, that will show some compassion for the Americans we are planning to throw out of the country.
     And at the head of it all is a miserable human being, dare I use that term for him - who has only hate within his veins, who has brought out the worst of us ever since he threw his stupid hat into the ring. An agreement at 10 turns into disaster and denial at 12 garnished with foul language that displays a prejudice dating back to slavery and Jim Crow days. And then, as usual, the man denies the truth, lies through his teeth and finds moral cowards to back him up.
     The filth that spews from this man, the disgusting background of his lack of morals, his immoral behavior, from cheating contractors, declaring bankruptcy numerous times to avoid what is right, his payments to prostitutes on long lived relationships even as he was married once more to yet another foreigner and even had a new baby. See, I guess immigrants has a role to serve - at least for him. He spoke disgustingly about how to behave with women and how, in fact, he himself behaved and used more scatological language to make his point.
     Our government that has served us so well since inception way back, our government that worked with creaks and groans, yes, but worked enough to progress and even restore some humanity into our governmental programs, - this government is on its way out, Now yet another Federal Advisory Board has resigned en masse as they are ignored, in violation of the law, and Trump's creeps are ever freer to destroy our environment, our country, our rights, our people.
     But wait - the worst is yet to come. There are individuals, thank G-d, who have the spine, the knowledge of what is truly moral and right, who know the difference between legal and  moral, who defy federal law on the rapacious rending of families with this insane chasing and deporting. Every time I think of it I think of all the deportations throughout history, the expulsions of Jews, the herding of Armenians by Turkey, the Rwanda disaster, the Rohingya, and now the Department of Justice is threatening to arrest - yes, ARREST - those individuals of the sanctuary cities and states! What the hell are we????What have we become? Are we now one of the world's tinpot dictatorships, spouting how democratic we are even as we arrest and then what? Then what? Do we start going after our citizens, not officials, just human beings who disagree with the immoral, unjust policies and actions of the President and his henchmen?
     Will we have to satisfy our desire for news with the stories of the man's huge appetite for food, for double scoops where all else get one? Will we have a pronouncement that McDonald's is the official food service of the country? Will we continuously have to listen to lies re the man's supposed health and his denials of his mental and emotional deterioration?
    And will we have to adjust our ears and minds to the display of hatred, vicious prejudice once more, the new fashion of the day? So a well known DIY show allows its 'star' to talk of "Jew it down", a disgusting canard of the past?! Will we all be reassigned to "shithole" countries according to our presumed nationalities, with America being reserved for pure WASPs if there is such a thing anymore.
    We are a nation of Heinz ketchup people - 57 varieties and we should be proud of that. We have a wonderful and rich mix of cultures and we should be proud of that. We have a melding of minds, of great minds and we should be proud of that. We have a record of at least trying to do the right thing and when we have not, of trying to undo the harm, fix our mistakes, care for people.
    That is who we the people are and that man in the Oval Office who talks of big buttons and small hands and other parts of his anatomy, who behaves as an infant with his ridiculous names that he assigns to others, who has no loyalty to anyone other than himself and possibly Ivanka - he is most emphatically not my president and most emphatically does not speak for most of we the people. Time to roar that at him and the world - that is, if we exist in the near future.
     WE THE PEOPLE!!!!
   

DEMOCRACY AND DESPAIR

     America. The symbol of progressive thinking, of political openness, of democracy. An example to the world, a country whose treasured monument held up a lamp to guide the way in for new immigrants seeking a better world.
      Like Camelot, this dream of such a country, or a country that was trying to live up to this dream, this image, is in danger of fading into the past and emerging as yet another lying 'republic' or 'democratic' republic. Once nations begin inserting such words into their titles then one knows the end has come.
     I, nor many other people, brighter and more attuned to it all than I, are cringing at what we have become, how far down the road we have gone, almost to the point of no return. We are no longer easing down that road, but tumbling in haste, in viciousness, in nastiness, in greed, headlong into another country where principles are those of hatred and dictatorship, where journalists will be hounded, prosecuted and persecuted, where the voice of truth will be stomped upon, its voice box savagely cut.
     The NY Times has a program called the Truth wherein they speak of the power of truth, its voice. Well, when a President of the country speaks of the press as the 'enemy of the people", echoing one of the worst mass murderers, Stalin, then we are in trouble, our democracy is in trouble. If not for the press, from the trial of Peter Zenger till now, the needs of the people, the progress of our country would have been forestalled or indeed never have happened. The truth indeed.
     How can we have a logical and working government, democracy, when the truth shifts from day to day. It 'evolves' as the facts are painted as never having happened, never been said, and substituted 'facts' are inserted. What do we do when we are now being warned in strident and hoarse, concerned voices that our democracy is going down the tubes, losing its power, allowing the rest of the world to drop its reforms and shift back to repressive, hateful and hurtful governments.
     Why do we stand around and allow tragedies to take place now on a daily basis. We are deporting people who have lived here for years, brought here as children, grew up in our system, speak our language, were educated, are in positions which aid our society, productive jobs, are, for all intents and purposes Americans but our bigoted and hateful 'leader' shouts they must go, out, out, he shouts. When agreements are made he turns on that dime of his and changes the facts all over again. So yesterday we had the awful sight of a man of 39, grasping desperately his American born wife, his American born children, and after 30 years in this country, a tax paying member of society, a father, a husband, is being deported. To a country which he has not seen since he was 10.
     When and why have we allowed this awful and disgraceful motif to return to our country, When we have pushed it down, stomped on it, educated against it, enacted laws against it- why is it suddenly the trope of the day? Why have all the roaches crawled out of the woodwork and taken over the kitchen of our nation?
     Despair is in the air. A black president and now a racist one. A man who sits there with a tired who cares look on his face when prison reform is discussed. Why? Because he could care less about this, his mind being on his bottom line, on the fact that 64 organizations, trade groups, foreign countries and Republican groups have made dinners at his Trump hotel in DC. His bottom line is looking good there! Never mind the fact that he should have divested. Never mind the fact that he is suffering from dementia of one cause or another, that he is erratic to the nth degree, that he is attacking the underpinnings of our nation, going at it with a heavy hand and a huge ax.
     As democracy is attacked, despair grows. Yes, there are some people brave enough to speak out. There are people willing to stand and protest, but let us be honest, As this man and his cohorts change the rules, as they attack our judiciary and its independence, as they attack free press, as they mix religion with government - the despair grows and grows and grows.
     So what do we do? Well, we yell, we protest, we challenge, we sue, we refuse to obey these hatful and hate filled laws. We refuse to allow our Constitution to be ripped out from under us. And who is WE? It is we the people, not just the ever weakening voices of the well known, but also and in fact, mainly, it should be the voices of us, of we, the people. We the people. We who must admit that we are all smeared, tarred with this disgrace for either voting for this terrible person, or not voting, or still even following him as he wallows in a dark pool of slime. We the people must fight against him and his plans, the plans of the lowest dregs of our society and no, their money does not raise them to a higher plane. In fact, it often weighs them down.
     WE THE PEOPLE

PARALLEL WORLDS

     Shakespeare had it right. When the world of nature is going bonkers, look around and check the world of man. What is going on? When the comments are made in Julius Caesar about the weird events of Nature, the comets, the crazy storms, the explanation is given which states that this is a clue, a reflection, to the disorder, the unnatural events in the world of man. This motif runs throughout the plays of Shakespeare.
     Now skip thru the centuries and stop when the dial hits 2018. Take a look around. Look at the past few years, the past few decades. Compare the events of Nature with the events and deeds of man. A tad scary, I believe.
      When man no longer is careful with the resources of nature, when he believes that he can rampage thru it without a care, then we are looking at a world of nature that will backfire, and so we have it. Just look around and see us tear up the world, allow a Canadian company to ravage the lands of The Bears Ears Monument as Zinke drastically shrinks it. Watch how uranium threats to the nature and the people of the area grow and overwhelm us. Watch how we threaten the coastline of the country in the name of oil. Promises, promises that nothing will go wrong and uh, what was that about Deepwater Horizon and Exxon Valdez?
    The world of Man has lost its way, lost the directions and pathways to the right way of life, the thoughtful and kind way of life. We rip each other apart. We have plans for a last resort of war with Korea!!! Plans that just went thru an active assessment at that. Russia has nuclear drones in the ocean. We have revived hatreds of old that never really were lost, only buried. We have allowed them to bloom with their poisonous seeds and flowers.
     We have returned to the god of money as the head god, the one we worship, sacrifice to, obey above all others. No matter who or what is in the way, we rush forward. In this mad and insane rush to accumulate mega bucks, insane fortunes, we trample over others. We trample on the rules of Nature. We trample on the rules of Man.
     We have allowed insanity to take over and the world of Nature has responded. We have the mudslides of a back area of a Central American country, only this one happened in the wealthy enclave of Montecito in California. We have constant floods, storms of the century which are coming every year. We have induced earthquakes into otherwise safe and stable areas due to fracking. Our cities are flooding and the nations of the world are facing the same dilemmas that we are. Island nations are disappearing yet we just keep on going, oblivious to what is happening and then what? Will we choose one of the apocalyptic movies as our guide on survival in this new world that we create? Will it be Mad Max or Snowpiercer? 
     What are we doing? What have we done and what more are we planning. The parallel worlds are imploding. Look around and see the tired faces of mankind. Look at the bewilderment as disasters overtake them time and time again.
     As for myself, I am fatigued, physically, emotionally, mentally. What is the use of trying to think, of planning, of hoping when the world appears to be run by the lunatics, truly the time when the inmates are running the asylum. And the world of Nature confirms my feelings as Mother Nature grows ever more challenged and fatigued as she tries to hold it together.
     So who will win? Who will retain that much more energy and come up with either the solution or the truly damning end of the world? All I know is in my own parallel worlds I am tired, so very tired. What about you?

POTTY MOUTHS POTTY MINDS

     When our little ones first repeat some off color word they heard from us, we correct them, we tell them not a good word, find a better one, and we certainly hope that by the time they are adults they have found more mature and meaningful ways to express themselves. They have learned that a filter is necessary if we are to live in a civilized world. We hope.
     Yet when the President evidently has no filter, wants no filter and says whatever garbage is cluttering up his tiny and deranged mind, that is not good. He claims that he is a genius, a stable one at that, knows what he is doing. I beg to differ. How many more bankruptcies of his must be noted? How many times has he been sued for poor business dealings, for stiffing people? And how many times must we have to listen to pathetic excuses of human beings try to excuse the pathetic mouthings of this man. 
     Yes, it is funny when the word "shithole" is somehow displayed on his hotel and poop emojis are there as well. But why are we engaging in this schoolyard garbage? Why have we allowed all of us to sink to his level? 
     At present the United States is a laughingstock to the world. They believe that we have all swallowed the Kool - Aid, that Trump is the current Reverend Jones.  Ugh!! Unfortunately they are right to an extent for there are the haters, the worms crawling out of the woodwork, the slimy critters who exist in swamps of minds, all these twisted beings who love this man for his hatred allows them to come out into the light, the sunshine and thereby dim the prospects of all of us. Sickening and embarrassing.
     I believe that there are people out there who voted for Trump thinking, mistakenly, that it would be kind of a lesson to America if he were in office, a good practical joke. But it was not such a good idea as we see the consequences, as we realize that so many allowed their baser instincts to take over, to rule their minds. And now, they are ashamed at themselves, allowed themselves to be the fools and now, now what? Do we need a Pied Piper to lead the rats out of Hamlin or do we fear that the Piper is already leading the children out? Are we beyond the point of no return.
     Based on a show of last night, where Capitol Steps spent practically the entire time of their presentation poking fun at Trump and administration, with a few moments left over for Hillary and Congress, it seems that there are enough people out there who realize the truth. The audience roared, knowing the truth behind it all but now what do we do? 
     Do we allow this broken figure of a man whose mind has gone somewhere deep and dark, do we allow him to destroy us over the next three years? Or do we allow things to take their course and then....a coup? Rioting in the streets? A sanctioning of us by the nations of the world? A steady deterioration into a Third World country with our citizens being banned all over? Or do we separate into Bantustans, no longer the United States but the divided states, worse than the Civil War secessions.
     All I know is that I am sickened, disheartened, and almost hopeless. Yes, it seems that life goes on but will it continue to do so as the world, as the country, begins to feel the  accumulated consequences of this man's insane behavior and statements. As for hope from his party to realize what they have done - do not hold your breath. To excuse his words of hatred, to wimp out by saying they do not recall these words emanating from his mouth, to ask for 'clarification" - dear Lord in Heaven. Have we come to this? Shame on all of us that we have allowed this to happen, that we have accepted the fact that our government is a farce, our administration is both incompetent and dangerous as we stand by and make excuses why this or that cannot be done. We stand around with our thumb up a portion of our anatomy and do nothing, nothing!!!
     WE the people have allowed our country to sink to this level. WE have allowed the worst elements of our country, of our population to rise to the top, to make decisions. WE have allowed selfish Fat Cats who care for naught other than the bottom line to run and ruin us. To destroy the future of our children.
     WE must speak up. WE must make demands. WE must assume the responsibility for those who are charged with that duty and do not. fulfill it. WE must know that if we do not, we the people are doomed. Think about that.
     WE THE PEOPLE
     

HEART AND SOUL

     I remember how someone would always go up to the piano in camp, be joined by some random other, and then play Heart and Soul. It was like a camp ritual. Why? No clue, but we all remember it whenever we reminisce.
     But today's heart and soul is different. Frankly, I am so tired that I thought I would excuse myself today and write a bit later on, but after checking the news, here came the heart and soul. I wrote about the Beast yesterday and here it is back again chewing away at my heart and soul, at the heart and soul of all of us, as individuals, as people of a nation, of a world. And I am so tired of this, so tired of this man who opens his mouth and spews forth garbage, words of hate, lies and more lies. He is a never ending source of horror and I am so tired of him and all he means and represents. I am so tired of those Republicans who cannot even get themselves to state firmly and clearly that NO!!! it is not fitting and proper that a President of the United States of America call Haiti and African countries shithole countries and why should we allow the people in. We should take people from Norway better!!!!!
     And the soulless and spineless and heartless and cruel and cowardly Republicans cannot find it within themselves to condemn this remark!!! They want clarification!! I am so tired of this, so physically and emotionally tired of this and cannot understand why someone, anyone, in the powers that be does not find a pathway to chuck this guy out of office. His gross prejudice is disgusting to the nth degree and the next one who states that it is not proper to compare him to Hitler is an idiot!!
      He says Bannon betrayed him. Why? Because for once in his life he spoke the truth? He has backers like that piece of human filth, Arpaio, and all the enablers who refuse to admit their blindness when it came to voting and all those Republicans in Congress who have not a miniscule piece of honest soul and heart within them.
     Trump is stuck in  a mire he has created for himself  and blames it on everyone else. It is Hillary's fault or now  Obama's fault that he cancelled his London trip. Perhaps he can realize that no one wants him.
     And now he is trying to wiggle out of talking to Mueller. Bill Clinton had to and so does he. NO ONE is above the law. NO ONE. He must take responsibility for all the crap, all the collusion, all the intended or unintended treason. All the hatred he has spurred, all the prejudiced individuals who are creeping out of the wood work. He and us - we must all accept responsibility for this situation.
     I am tired. Physically, it was a very busy week and age is reminding me of just that. It has been an emotionally fraught week with roller coaster shocks and crazy rides. It has been tiring to realize that we are still stuck with that man and his haters and could it actually be not until 2018 elections that we can muzzle him?? Lord help us if it is so, but in any case, we, the people, must get out that vote. We must insist on no more gerrymandering by the Republicans. We must insist on honesty and acceptance of truth. We must do something - remembering - we are the authors of our own fate.
     WE THE PEOPLE

BEAUTY AND THE BEAST

     Aha!! Bet you think you know who I think the Beast is. but you are wrong. I KNOW who the Beast is but the one you think it is, is only a manifestation of that Beast. The actual Beast is the one that we have allowed to ravage our souls, contaminate our minds and skew our thinking. It is the Beast that has allowed us to turn our backs on our country, forget its roots, its meaning, its principles and turned us into ravening beasts chomping thru the countryside destroying all that we and our forefathers and mothers have built.
     The Beast? Hatred and selfishness. It causes us to forgo thinking in our plans. It encourages us to ignore realities that bother us and instead create new realities that actually do not exist. It allows us to invite a deranged person into public office, the highest office in the land. It has broken the back of our system of government, putting it into a dangerous situation and quite frankly, I believe the country is on a dangerous precipice and we have to choose if we are going to back away from this Beast, turn towards our fellow countrymen and other citizens of the world, or are we going to allow this Beast to continue its destructive journey thru our souls and finally cause us to fall off that precipice?
     Manifestations of that Beast? The actions of yesterday, with ICE raiding 7-11s all over the country, 'capturing' such dangerous people who worked the counters and the cleaning crews of the stores, threatening to punish the owners who hired them, threatening the cities who gave shelter and sanctuary to these immigrants, here to build a life for themselves and their families and willing to work low paying jobs, menial jobs, as a way to build that new life.
    Trump and ICE and the Republicans are crazy focused on blaming these 'terrible' people for unemployment. Meanwhile, they are the backbone of much of the construction industry, of agriculture, have built small businesses of their own, bought homes,raised American citizens who now stand before a Draconian choice - be separated from their parents or be sent to a country of poverty, of danger, a country which is foreign to them for these are American kids we are destroying with our actions with that Beast of hate egging us on.
     In many cases they are filling positions to which no 'American"  aspires. They have built a layer or strata of the economy that contributes. They are the immigrants who are the present day replications of our parents and grandparents and I could care less if one's ancestors came over on the Mayflower!! We are all immigrants, one and all, and we have allowed hatred to grow into that huge Beast destroying our country.
    This same Beast allows us to allow dangerously foolish statements from dangerously foolish people. Constantly saying he knows the answer, but he won't tell, not yet, is that oaf, Trump. He knows the answer to the opioid crisis, or so he says. But he also says he is not ready to tell us, so guess, I suppose. He knows the answer to the whole DACA mess he has singlehandedly created even as he bleeds crocodile tears for them and insists on Draconian measures to be installed all over the country. Now we have a system wherein if one has a Hispanic name, expect to be stopped and questioned at the border. You might be a 'bad hombre!!'
     Cruel people are found to fill these new border positions and how nasty and cruel so many are, willing to rip hearts apart with the rending of families, all claiming to be simply doing their jobs and are not responsible for any harm done to people. Well, we have all heard that before, many times, and believe me, it does not lead into positive things. But after all, this stable genius is actually a geni-ass!!
     And now the Beast is threatening our very foundations what with people now trying to either destroy our judicial branch or make it impotent, a tool of the Beast. We have threatened to overturn the First Amendment, shouting Fake News - which is not a reality, folks, it is a made up term from the Beast and representatives. We   threaten libel suits and I, for one, think that would be great for in those suits witnesses have to be called and truth needs to be stated. Perjury is not a good idea. But the Republicans, now the party of the Beast, will continue its ugly attempts to ignore the wrongdoing and only go after those who called attention to the wrongdoing. It is nauseating.
    So for time off from the Beast I spent a wonderful few hours listening to an 82 year old man on stage, still sing with full voice, able to make high notes and wow!!! he actually reached out to the audience, not a man known for his charisma, only his talent and his gentleness and his loyalty to his friends and long term employees.
The entire theater at Kravis, sold out, was filled with admirers, loyal fans, of this man and applauded wholeheartedly and gave him several standing ovations from individuals throughout as each song touched some in special ways. The entire theater rose to its feet in full throated roar at the end. And I thought to myself, what a beautiful way to live a life, making music, providing surety for others, his huge orchestra, to also live life making music. And so the Beast was kept at bay for a time. Thank you, Johnny Mathis, for so many years of music that touches the heart.
  

Beasts no more. Please! Let us search within an chase it and its henchmen out, clear and clean our souls and refresh our hearts lest all be lost before too long.

FOR REAL?

     Well, we are still in the land of the bizarre. People act in opposition to their own stated principles or to the manner in which they should comport themselves. I am not sure sometimes whether we are in the natural world of 2018 or in some mishmash of an Alice in Wonderland Newspeak land of 1984 and following the dictates of the traitor Arnold Benedict. Whatever it is, it is confusing and not very encouraging either.
     Every day things come out. Some appear to be not true but then the amazing true facts come out and here we are back in Bizzaro land. Here is one. Trump goes around shouting how he is planning to make America Great even as he takes away all that does make it great. Error 1. But wait, there's more. He who shouts and parades his so called patriotism in front of his deluded base is now exposed as willing to remove American troops from Europe all to please and delight Putin. Such patriotism we can do without.
     Another? He who is going to make us great by apparently killing us all or at least polluting the earth beyond redemption, now has new and even worse plans. Beyond despoiling the air, the land, the waters, the natural beauty of our land, he is now planning to loosen the controls and reasons to use nuclear weapons and is planning on developing low yield nuclear Trident missiles. Wow!! Such reassurance. Preppers - on your mark!!! 
     Okay, another puzzle. According to all public photos and discussions or meetings, all of his staffers, his administration members are all ready to bobble their heads and grin like the Cheshire Cat when asked how wonderful is their boss, how much they love him. It is sickening to see the toadying of these presumed to be independent adults. Yet there it is!!! And yet here is another side when we hear of the struggle of Trump to fill in the empty seats of his administration as he has bled people all year, destroyed people, and now more are planning to leave second year, not even staying for the 2018 elections which, will, with G-d willing, turn into a deep rejection of him and his. Despite apparently becoming bobbleheads around him, they do have a modicum of independent thinking and  survival instincts. What is frightening is that these people who are leaving or been asked to leave are not first rate in the first place!! Now what will we get? Scary!!!
     The Stable Genius Act - a proposition put forth by a Democrat in the House, named in "honor" of Trump's statement that he is just that, calling for a complete and transparent medical exam of a president or candidate, including mental status. Oh yes!!! What a wonderful thing that would be and no wonder someone does not want this. Guess who?
     In the meanwhile we must do what we can till he is gone from the picture. A judge has stopped the rescinding of the DACA program for the moment. His daughter is getting hell for her hypocritical statement. Jared is getting bombarded as well and perhaps we will make America great again when we rid ourselves of these incompetent and venial people. 
     And yet, there are those who still support him, believe him. An otherwise intelligent woman told me that Fire and Fury is all lies. I give up!!! Maybe when Mueller brings this Russian and other related investigations to a conclusion, people will hear and believe the truth. At worst, Trump is a traitor and deserves to be prosecuted for that. At best, he is a fool who allowed people to run him, to have him allow treasonous decisions, to make poor decisions for the future or lack thereof of our country, a person who decided he would enlarge and grow his bottom line while in the president's seat and sees only genius about that. He will be found guilty of overreaching his rights and obstruction of justice. But may it happen soon enough for in the meanwhile our country is losing its grip, on the way to becoming tribal and establishing its own Bantustans. Not good.
    So you know by now who has to shoulder this responsibility and see it all the way thru. Yup - you got it.
    WE THE PEOPLE

WHEN

     When. The word is echoing in my head, going round and round. When. When is this mess going to be resolved. And when it is resolved, if it is ever resolved, what will be the outcome? When will we know the truth based upon incontrovertible proof and then, when that time arrives, if it ever does, what will be the outcome?
    When is probably the most important four letter word in our vocabulary today. When will Trump et al answer questions with straight answers? When will the truth be disclosed re his business interests and their intermingling with his presidential side as the money mixes together? When will we see his tax reports? When will he get a full and transparent medical exam from head to toe and the head had better be opened carefully and truthfully.
     When will Trump begin telling the truth, beginning perhaps, with the full truth about how many hours he spends a day watching TV, responding to it, particularly as Fox gives him nonsense. When will he finally settle down to work as opposed to his constant and frenetic round of golf days, day after day, weekend after weekend and all at our expense!!
     When will Ivanka realize that she cannot speak up re sexual harassment and molestation with a  straight face and expect people to accept it. Not when her father is chief molester in office and there are suits against him. He is her father, yes, but truth is truth, and full disclosure is just that. When will this administration and family begin to realize that truth will out, no matter what, no matter how many lies are told, no matter how much truth is denied and no matter how many staged shows with all around him bobbing their heads up and down and grinning at this "like very smart" man in a game of monkey do as ordered!!
     When will the powers that be recognize the fact that the country cannot be run indefinitely in a chaotic atmosphere and manner. No, the excuse that it is "orchestrated" and actually genius, is not acceptable. In fact, when will the members of this administration do the right thing, the patriotic thing, the honest thing, and fess up to the truth about how our government is functioning or not.
     There are so many when questions to be answered and so many when questions that are being avoided. But we all know that one can run and hide only so long. Eventually one cannot keep up with the lies and the newspeak we have around here, denying the truth, the open truth, the actual actions, the true events - well, perhaps history will organize all this but the question is - can we survive until that "when" time comes around?
     Now here is a when question that needs to be answered after we all look deeply into our inner souls and fess up to the truth. No one is listening but our own selves so think about it. When the rumors and talk began after Oprah's beautiful and powerful speech, what did you think? Did you question the sanity of those who said she should run for office? Did you who voted for Trump then say she cannot do that because she has no experience in the political arena? Ahem, ahem!! Did any of you out there realize that she is truly the self made person, coming out of a troubled start to life and ending up where she is, among her accomplishments being the establishment and funding of a girls school in Africa? As for Trump's charity? Uh, thinking, thinking....Nope, his fake university which blood sucked the money from these defrauded students does not qualify and nor does the fact that the truth is that he got his start from daddy, had his nuts saved by daddy, and has gone bankrupt so any times, defrauded and not paid his contractors and we can go on and on.
     So why will those who voted for him rail against the thought of Oprah running? Well, look deep inside and see that though the balance sheet comes out on her side there is one thing that weighs against her in those deep and dark minds and that is the color of her skin and her gender. Admit it, folks. Now I am not saying she should run. I did not believe Trump should have run. But look deep inside folks, deep, deep.
     WE the people need to do a lot of soul searching, a whole bunch. We the people need to be honest and then and only then can we answer the when questions and answer with the proper responses. WE the people have much to do but if we do not, then who will?
    WE THE PEOPLE

TECTONIC SHIFTS

     Last nite Oprah Winfrey spoke of a tectonic shift, talking of the outing of the sexual harassment of women not only in Hollywood and the entertainment and news media but also in every field. The truth will be a powerful tool for the betterment and improvement of the world - and not only in this area but in all areas of the world. This message was carried through via the black dresses and gowns of the women and even the men, with their black tuxedos and many black shirts as well as wearing the pin stating #Timesup
     We are, at present, in the midst of the worst record for truth telling ever. Never before have we had a president who is so enmeshed in telling lies, in denying and avoiding the truth. Never before has a president been tracked for the enormous amount of lies he has told. Never before has a president said he is going to give out awards for Fake News, etc. It is just appalling.
     Never before have we had such planned interviews where the interviewee has been handed a strategy by the administration to lie, to focus attention on accusations of "fake News", to not answer the question asked but to instead, attack the interviewer. It got so bad yesterday, that finally Tapper lost patience and  closed out the interview and still, Miller refused to leave the studio until escorted out by security. 
     This is no way to run a country. This is no way to gain the confidence of the electorate nor that of the world. So  now we have the CDC planning a lecture on how to survive a nuclear attack, for Heaven's sake. Preppers are planning their strategies and shelters and the stocking of all sorts of supplies is ramping up. Trump and his childish counterpart trade threats and I do not know which one is the sicker one!!
     We find out that the 'games' of war that Russia played in September was indeed a rehearsal for a full scale attack on the West. I feel we are going backwards, right back into the heat of the Cold War, in its uncertainty, in its threats to life as we know it, in its unthinkable consequences.
     But people are waking up. People are finally realizing the danger that this man poses to us all. Farmers, who supported Trump, who put up big signs on the highways, now realize that whoa!!! his trade policies, his isolationism, are putting them at even greater risk of poor sales, of lower incomes and of higher taxes on that income, of high tariffs imposed on American produce due to Trump and his terrible policies.
     What is even more shocking, more concerning, is the total collapse of the Republican Party. They only seem to have woken up in dealing with the marijuana issue with Republicans whose state has more liberal policies suddenly screaming about the plans of Trump. Well, where the hell were they when he was perpetrating the rape of America? And suddenly they have become environmentalists when the permission to drill for oil on the coasts is being given. Suddenly this is the only violation of the environment that they speak of and why? Because their state's tourism trade and dollars will be threatened.
     Well, wake up, Republicans. Wake up. Trumpism is the destruction of all that we hold dear. I have been shouting this for months and months, pointing out the disasters he has perpetrated, the insulting behavior, the big and stupid mouth, his constant insults and the very real issue of his dementia and derangement. Now people are speaking up but where were they all these months? Where were they while our fabric as a nation was being destroyed, eaten away by Trumpism? And where were the moral ethics, the moral backbone of these Republicans? Where? Not anywhere to be seen, none at all, as they all caved and fawned over Trump, or gave in to fear of his mouth.
     So it is truly up to us, we the people of the country, to speak up, to demand that our representatives in politics learn or rather remember what their primary responsibility is - to run and administer government according to the Constitution, to watch and protect our free press, to better the lot of our citizens and to remember that we are all immigrants, be it of this time or two generations ago or five. It does not matter. We all came here with the intention of starting over, of having a hope for a better future for our children, to be able to worship as one believed, to have the ability to become educated, to better oneself.
     And if our representatives, including the President, cannot remember this, cannot put aside their selfish desires, their lack of moral spine, then out they must go. And who decides that - we the people.
     WE THE PEOPLE

A VERY STABLE GENIUS

     So sorry, folks. It took me that long to stop laughing after I read about Trump's reactions and denials about the Fire and Fury book. So he is "like, very smart" we are told. Just ask him. He went to very good schools he says. Yes, he did, but shall we talk of how he was accepted and why? Even if this man ever had brains at any one point they are for sure damaged and missing today.
     What is more, he does not like that it is okay in this country to say what you wish to say. Uh uh!! No way! But unfortunately for him there are libel laws and he seems to forget that libel has to be proven and well, I would almost welcome a libel suit for all the truth would have to come out, all the weasels of his administration would have to be witnesses to the truth and all those who has given sobriquets be it "sloppy Steve" or "little Marc Rubio" - all the filth, all the truth about the campaign, the lack of control in the White House, the truth about the damaged and deranged president, and probably more - his health, his taxes, his accumulation of funds during his Presidency - what a filthy mess would be opened up to the air.
     Someone on the official Army twitter site loved Mindy Kaling's post about Trump as she typed hahahahaha. Tsk, tsk. But this is supposed to be the Commander in Chief and an army must have confidence in its generals. So must a  nation. Just look around and think. Is that the situation right now? Nope. What this man needs, what this nation needs is for the exam on Jan. 12 to include a mental exam, oral or via physical tests and let us be rid of a man who has three years to go in a deteriorating mental status. 
     He is like Benjamin Buttons, going backwards in life. Only his body remains the same, big and bloated, topped by an orange mane, even as his mental stability winds down. One cannot have a leader constantly comparing various items in his possession or on his body by size. Personally I could care less about the size of his junk or his hands or the size of his not really there button!! All I care about is the diminishing size and productivity of his intellect - if ever he had it - and the danger he poses to us.
     His entire administration is in meltdown mode. Sessions, the weasel, is under attack by other weasels and never a more deserving man! The loudest shouters are those who wish to shut down the investigation into Russia, never mind the misdeeds, shall we call them, only stomp on those who opened the facts up to the open air, who could not stomach the treason, the collusion, the interference. Kill the messenger is what they wish to do and not the perpetrator!
     So here we are, enmeshed in some mess!!! We have had incapable presidents before - Wilson having his wife run the country after his stroke, Reagan who was already in the throes of Alzheimer's and the country ran on the basis of what Nancy's astrologer told her to do and now we have a bunch of loonies running around trying to keep the light of day from focusing on their wild boy, trying to be president en masse - and it ain't working!!!!
     Truly, we need to consult with Stan Lee and the Bizzaro world experts. But whatever we need to do must be done quickly before the entire world goes into meltdown, before we witness hundreds of thousands of people tossed out of the country and it begins with haven seeking Central Americans, continues with DACA and who knows. Once started, these things tend to snowball and suddenly YOU are in the headlights, staring like a deer in those headlights.
    We the people need to bring back America. We truly need to remove all the ugliness of Trump's calls and the truth about his slogan must come out. It is a slogan of hatred, of bias, of hurt, of violation of our founding principles, of everything that we have stood for over the centuries since our establishment. We the people must do that. Before it is too late and do not think that the worst cannot happen. It can, most definitely so. So speak up. Take actions. Be firm and demanding. Watch your rights.
    WE THE PEOPLE
     

LOSS ON A HUMAN SCALE

     Loss is part of life. Whether it begins with the loss of a favorite rattle or Heaven forbid, the loss of a beloved stuffed animal, loss is always there. Loss can come in tidal movements. The loss of hundreds of thousands during the past, throughout history. The current loss of thousands to ethnic cleansing and baseless hatred. The hard to accept fact that among those who are being targeted there are faults as well. Rohingya men often beat their wives. No one is perfect and blameless but humanity must be part of life as well.
     There is another kind of loss, a loss which is of a much smaller scale, a more human loss, and strangely enough, makes more of an impact than the loss of larger numbers of people. This loss is that of a beloved person suddenly being taken, removed from the fabric of the lives around him/her and without warning, often there is a rent in the fabric of life. Small, yet so large.
    Yesterday there was such a loss. Our mechutan, that is the father in law of one of our daughters, was taken from all of us in a sudden moment of loss. The breakfast that Bonnie was making for him would never be eaten. There would be no more hugs or teasing, no more shared laughter with him over our mutual granddaughter. His larger family, his circle of friends now had to deal with this loss.
     Marty fought off cancer for years. Not a large man, he had the heart of a giant and the courage as well as he fought and overcame. He took part in the Jewish aspects of life, its communal affairs, active in several synagogues,proud of his Sephardic heritage, worked for a Jewish organization and put off retirement for years because they said he was needed.
     He adored Bonnie, his wife, a relationship that was heartwarming. He cherished his son and Marty and his granddaughter and his daughter in law had this wonderful relationship complete with teasing and loving laughter and we became part of this circle, especially when we were in Chicago. Divorce of our children did not make a difference. How many drives from or to the airport were made. How many brunches did we have together and how often did we find that somehow there was a fifth along with us as there was Ayelet with all her grandparents. We were blessed that they were able to share in the celebration of our 50th with us.
     This loss will not change the world in general. It will not even make much of a splash in the world, just a small ripple, but when one looks closer, we see the giant ripple that it actually is leaving, causing, in this small corner of the universe.
     Marty was a good man. He leaves behind a bereft wife, a mourning son, a grieving granddaughter and daughter in law, family relatives, a circle of friends, shul members, running buddies, working colleagues - where does it end. But the good Lord decided it was time. So quickly, with mercy for Marty, He took him home, leaving a shocked circle of people behind him.
     You have earned your rest, your peace. So get to work up there and create the Heaven's first Starbuck and create those jogging trails. Say hi to my parents and yours as well. Together, watch over your loved ones. Be there to chide G-d when things in the world get too harsh.
     Enjoy the comfort and the peace, the warm feeling of being under the comforting and sheltering wings of heaven and the Lord. May He send comfort to all those who will miss you. Be at peace.

RATS AND SINKING SHIPS

     Are these the rats who followed the Pied Piper or the rats that flee ships and flooding sewers, looking for  another rat hole, another place wherein to hide and sneak out for food forays and biting people. Well, your choice but it seems that there are certainly rats fleeing the ship of state known as the Trump administration. About time!!!
     But let us look at some of the rats. Chief rat? Bannon, hands down. His involvement with a book by Michael Wolff just about set Trump off on another multi tweet tirade. The book itself is rife with falsehoods and literal trips of fantasies, but it does put forth some truths, some scary truths and it brings to the fore once more the question - is Trump suffering from some neurodegenerative disease?
     I have maintained for the longest time that this is so. I do not know enough to be able to state which one, but he is definitely in  trouble. He has displayed physical symptoms - note his clumsy and very odd holding of bottles of water, glasses of water. Note his mashing of words together and mispronouncing them. Even the excuse that he did so because he had a dry mouth is telling in that some of these neurodegenerative diseases have a very dry mouth as a symptom.
     I believe he has been under this stress for a loooong time. At this point he has moved beyond physical symptoms and state of interference into a state where he is showing signs of dementia. Now that is serious enough in the life of a standard person, but for the President of the United States to be mentally deficient, demented to some degree and getting worse, with no brakes, to be semi literate and need the TV to format his day - well, uh oh, my friends, uh oh.
     Even his behavior inside the White House is telling. He screams at one who picks up his shirt on the floor because  he "wants" it there. Teenager Donald? He wanted to lock his bedroom door, a major no- no but the Secret Service won out here  but yet another adolescent turn of behavior, this obsessive need to be by himself and in an adult - signs of something wrong, seriously and badly wrong. He obsesses and denies at the same time about the Russian probe and has OCD on Hillary and his campaign.
     And now we find out that last month - already and yet why so late - a group of lawmakers met with a Yale psychiatry professor to discuss Trump's fitness for office. Finally!!!!! He discussed signs, warned them that the man is going to unravel even more than he already has. We need to make our moves now and replace this man in his office. We cannot have a demented man holding the wheel of state.
     On January 12 Trump is scheduled to have a physical from a military officer. Not his quack who gave him a note last time. Hope this is a man of the military with honor who will not be bought nor pressured into a fake report. Wonder - and  hope - that psychiatric and mental stability tests are given as well. While there is no shame in being ill and indeed it demands sympathy, it does not mean that we are to keep him in office, literally as a threat to us and mankind in general.
      We need to stand up and deliver. We need to do this with courage. WE need to do this to save ourselves and the world. We the people once more have to press the rats to understand that their ship is sinking and it behooves them to flee or perhaps even hope a fairy godmother comes along and transforms them into humans once more with full rational capacities.
    We the people once more. We cannot run away from our responsibilities.
       WE THE PEOPLE
     
 

RIVULETS OF HATE

     It begins with words. Words of violence, of threat, of religious consequences threatened. It goes on to larger and more physical threats and there are consequences in real life. There are riots, ethnic cleansing, mass rape, the brutal killing of non combatants and the lies just multiply beyond words or counting.
     What makes my heart shiver in these times is the return of the most basic biases, ones that we hoped to have made progress on over the centuries. But no, it seems that these awful hatreds persist, getting new believers and practitioners and they bring along with them rising tides of inciting and horrific language. What is even worse, is that we see victims of these prejudices begin to practice their own and take it out on some other "enemy". It seems that this vicious cycle will just not end and when it seemingly dies down, well, all it does is go underground and remain there until the times and the hatred and the violence and the tribalism allow it to burst forth in all its ugly flowering. 
     So from the top down we have a dangerous degenerated and degenerate at the helm here in the country. Now he is engaging once more in dangerous repartee of awful taunts with anther degenerate, Kim Jong Un who threatened that he has a nuclear button on his desk. So Trump, the dangerous foolish adolescent, tweets back that he has one too and it is bigger! We are back in the schoolyard at recess time, only the consequences to the world are infinitely more destructive. And while some people will try to laugh this off, excuse it away, there are records and data that tell us that more people than ever are stocking up for the end of times, for nuclear war aftermath, for nature disasters. There appears to be a lack of hope among the people of our country and let us lay it where it belongs - right there on Trump's desk, he who has praised haters, who has allowed his biases to show thru, who has encouraged extreme haters to crawl out of the woodwork!
     Violent hatred is not unique to our country, although the theme of religious hatred seems to have caught on very well here. And what is even worse, is that the hatred emanates in large proportion from the same people who seem to have difficulty in being human and proper with women. The rivulets of hate crawl and seep deeply into the psyche and sometimes one does not realize just quite how deeply one is mired in the muck.
     Roy Moore on George Soros, a Holocaust survivor who has done very well in the economic sphere. He has given much to the world and while I do not always agree with some of his views and actions, he has the right to do so. Here are Moore's lovely words and if these words do not send a shiver of fright down your spine, well, go read history. "No matter how much money he's got, he's still going to the same place that people who don't recognize G-d and morality and accept his salvation are going. And that's not a good place." So the Inquisitions of the past, the pogroms of Europe over the centuries, the expulsions over the centuries, the riots and killing of Jews in Arab countries, the rising anti-Semitism of today, the canard of 'killing" Jesus, the vicious lies of blood rituals, of killing Christian children - all this, all this history, all this bloodshed now means nothing once more. Even the facts of history are being changed and on a new show Knightfall, suddenly the Templars are saviors of the Jewish people of Paris and France. Well, please note that the Crusades killed more Jewish people in Europe than they did the supposed "infidels". And by the way, having a Jewish lawyer does not cleanse one's soul!!
     The unceasing hatred affects all. In his insane obsession of beating consistently on his opponent, Trump tries to bury the fact that he and his colluded with Russia, a hostile nation, to the detriment of our country. It does not matter whether or not someone else committed a crime. It does not whitewash one's own misdeeds and particularly to scream and shout lies about others does not take away the stain of alleged treason and definite stupidity of Trump et al.
     And while a disgusting executioner has been arrested in Iraq, his insane hatred of those who do not practice religion the way he believes caused the horrific death of so many, particularly those he deemed unacceptable if he believed them to be gay men. And if one thinks that the insane hatred and statements about immigrants here are any different they are not. Words lead to actions and not good ones. Remember the saying, if one begins by burning books, one ends by burning people. So DACA is threatened and Trump waffles, talking of his hateful wall and how they need to be linked. His administration spends and breaks the budget and debt and now they are screaming that programs need to be cut so the deficit they caused is lessened and away will go the funds for those in need, for those who are not as privileged as the Fat Cats.
     What have we wrought here on G-d's planet? What have we done? Where have we gone wrong? Where have we allowed the flow of the rivulets of hatred and allowed these rivulets to grow into torrents of hate. How do we repair the damage we have done, repay those we have harmed and stop the future from dissolving into the violence of tribes, a return to a constant battle of survival and whose hatred is stronger, each side claiming the approval of their G-d, even if it is the same one on both sides!!!
    So who fixes this? G-d help me, but I do not even know. I guess it starts with the man in the mirror, does it not and then we need to gather more people to look into the mirror. We need to be strong and defy those who would snarl the world in this gross hatred, who love killing and maiming, who treasure hatred and hug it to their breast, who have no humanity, no matter how much they try to disguise that fact. 
     I guess it is we the people again, only this time it has to be we the people of the earth. Once more -   WE THE PEOPLE

COMIN' ON HOME

     Perhaps I am being a tad optimistic, but it appears that some "sins" have come home to roost and perhaps, just perhaps, we have a larger positive sign that there will be some good changes in 2018.
     Iowa people have begun to express dissatisfaction with their presumed leader. His nastiness, his darkness, his mannerisms and behavior all seem to be the driving force behind this change. That is great because this man appears to be impervious to the criticisms that rain down upon his head. He appears to be unable to change his behavior and so much the better for sane people and sanity in general.
     There is still a long way to go. When Republican Congressional people criticize Trump they must follow thru with action. They must stop voting as a robot, with no thoughts of their own and certainly no care nor concern in both the long and short of it. So when they all voted for the tax welfare for the rich program, well, their brain power seemed to have had a short and their power of thinking, of independence from the lockstep of the party, from misplaced fear of Trump ruled the roost.
     But what they have to deal with now is the disgust, the weariness of the people. It is the blackness that seems to be overtaking politics and political thought. It is the tribalism that is beginning to run rampant in a country which prided itself in its ability to meld, to mix, to come up with Americans and not members of singular and opposing tribes. When the people see what their votes have wrought, they begin to change their thinking and tired as they are of the nastiness, well, hopefully they will realize from whence the nastiness stems and who gave it a strong impetus to come out of the woodwork.
     It is especially when this nastiness is reflected not only in domestic arenas but also in international ones as well. North Korea. Pakistan. Russia. Turkey, the EU - allies and foes alike and we treat them all the same now - with arrogance, with disdain, and we cede our power and influence, our goals of keeping us safe, the world safe and we all lose. People do learn lessons.
     And while we gave some lovely presents to the uber wealthy and to business, we have laid down some nasty rules for regular people, for supposed tax cuts that will disappear over the next few years and meanwhile the business cuts stay there permanently. Wow!! Certainly a bit of screwing the people is it not!!!
     And Trump, the only President who has taken on the job to enrich himself, his bottom line, with his businesses, his defiance of the custom of releasing his tax forms, a lack of transparency, has impoverished the country even more on his myriad and seemingly endless golf trips where his name is printed in the papers, he parades among the wealthy as was the sickening portraits coming out of the New Year's Eve shindig at Mar a Lago, and the taxpayers have spent at least $43 million dollars to indulge his overwhelming need to golf - more than any other president in our history. He who complained of Obama and golf now has almost doubled the expenses of the taxpayer in the same amount of time. And since it does get a bit embarrassing for him at times all he shouts about is the need to muzzle the press, to destroy the "fake news" media, just about the best weapon we have to tamp down on his excesses.
     Even his own Senator Ben Sasse who voted with the rest of the sellouts has stated that it is not a good ides to threaten to muzzle the media, the press. The First Amendment is under attack, an American standard, a pillar of our society is under bombardment by the very man who should be defending it. The press , all media, is one way in which to disseminate information, true information, and to call truth a lie when it offends or opposes one's own plans, is not right nor moral.
     But again, there are glimmers of light. California has become a sanctuary state meaning people do not have to fear the local police doing the duties imposed on it by the federal government and the police do not have to enforce and take part in horrific roundups, in rending families apart, in pulling parents from children - in short, from being accomplices in a morally repugnant act. Again, law and justice, legal and moral are not always the same.
     So how do we change this? How do we insure that people do not turn away from politics in 2018, do not give up in weariness and think they can still live as a democracy even as that democracy undergoes drastic changes at the hand of its proposed demagogue. We need to print the truth. We need to report  the truth. We need to take Trump to account. We need to hold our supposed representatives in state capitals and in the nation's capital to a strict standard, to morality, to care for the people of America. We need to insure that our judges remain neutral and do not perpetuate their personal feelings on the electorate .We need to insure the rights of women to their own bodies no matter the cause or reason. We need to tamp down, to uproot this growing surge of hatred, of prejudice, of bias against any and all who are other than you.
     In short, we need to be Americans in the full sense of the word. We need to show the people of the world that we are here, we the people are still here and will remain here. And all those who have become Americans, be they from Russia or France or the Middle East, or South America or Eastern Europe or Canada - all will become Americans, have become Americans and we should welcome those who wish to be in and of society. Crooks - yes, they need to go, but that is for all 'bad guys', male white ones as well. No one is above the law - not even the President and we the people need to make sure that others realize this as well. The law can work for us if we work hard for it.
     WE the people need to do that. We the people have that responsibility.
     WE THE PEOPLE

ROUND AND ROUND AND WHERE IT STOPS?

     2018. Wow! I can remember when I was a kid in second grade wondering how old I would be in 2000 and could not fathom reaching that age, so old. Well,.....that age is not looking so old these days, but what is looking old is the same old same old that we are seeing in the world.
     The head of the UN sends out a red alert to the nations of the world, warning and pleading that things will only get worse if we do not work together, try to resolve the conflicts, show more concern for the people of the world but I believe that this landed on many deaf ears among the politicians and the haters of the world. And sure enough, Trump sends out a message of supposed good wishes to all, including his "enemies", "haters" and the "very dishonest Fake News media" Wow! Such good wishes - may the Lord keep them far away from us!!!
     Yoko Ono took out another full page ad in the Times saying war is no more if only we want that to happen and the women of the entertainment arena took out another full page ad in the same edition calling for solidarity for all women, for support of those sexually harassed women in industries and workplaces where the pay is low and the pressure is high to keep quiet or face losing a desperately needed job. Great - but - why should this be so necessary in the world we live in? Why are there still men who believe they are the cavemen of yore and women are there to serve them and their base needs.
     Two young women and the mother of one purposely go out to provoke two soldiers into hitting them, by kicking and smacking them and pushing into their faces. If this had happened to an American soldier there would have been calls to respond and react but here, because these two soldiers were Israeli and kids as well, who were trying to stop rocks and stones from being thrown at the cars of Israeli motorists and there have been numerous deaths and maimings from accidents caused by this - and the world reacts in its same old hate filled manner.
     Think I am stretching the truth and seeing bogeymen where there are none? Well, put this in your pipe and smoke it - Europeans are once again trying to ban kosher slaughter and kosher meat. So in countries like the Netherlands where 80% of its population were slaughtered themselves in WWII with much collusion, mind you, of the local population, well, here is a way to get rid of the surviving remnants of that murdered community, of those people who lived in the country for years, who contributed so much to the nations of the world. But nope, anti Semitism rears its ugly head under the guise of caring for animals. Truly!!!!
     And back here we supposedly "honor" our veterans, having them stand up, sending them on trips, but when they show up to the hospitals in bad shape they are sent away since there is a chance that since they are so ill they might have a crisis, might die and then the ranking of the hospital would be lower and so nope, no sick vets in the hospital. Let them die outside. This is what the push of our government has done. Think on that!
     At all the recent events I have attended there is an overpowering pall over the event, with the presenter or entertainer wishing all a better year, a year without fear, without anger, without divisiveness. The division in our nation is severe and dangerous and its leader and its main cause is the very one who is supposed to bring us all together. Topsy turvy world we are in.
     So we need to make our own resolutions. I have resolved to be more active than ever before in the election campaigns. I was active in the campaign of 2016 but G-d willing will do more this time around. All of us need to take personal responsibility to stand up for democracy, for true rights for all, for a throwing aside of the politics of hate, rejecting all of that and bringing ourselves forward to where we should be and stop all this return to the Dark Ages of hate and prejudice and nonsensical but dangerous claims and statements.
     It is up to the people. We the people. This year.
    WE THE PEOPLE