THE DARK AND THE LIGHT

     Never before have we lived through such times. Yes, there have been times of crisis, some pretty bad. The country rocked back in shock with Nixon, older times had the corruption of the Harding administration or the incompetence of that of Grant as President. But never before, certainly not in modern times, have we had such a crisis. And worst of all is the fact that the taint and darkness of it all strikes from top to bottom.
     Actually, worst of all is the fact that we are finding out how much dirt and darkness have been hidden, willfully hidden beneath the surface. We find out the depths of the hypocrisy and cynicism as people in authority forgot their responsibilities to those in their charge or their duties and others were just after the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow and G-d help anyone who got in their way. And all thought they would never be found out and yet here it is, all the filth coming to the surface but, a great big but - how to deal with it.
     The sports federation, USA Gymnastics, expressed horror and shock at the disclosures of the molestation of so many young girls and women. Oh dear , oh dear as they acted as if they had never known and yet we now find out that they not only knew, but worked desperately not to protect these kids but worked oh so hard to - keep it quiet!!!!! The hypocrisy. The lack of caring as these girls and young women were molested, affected for life, trust betrayed, evil alive!
     We have the shouts, the frenzied charges of the alt right, particularly those in the world of media. How they ranted and raved against policies of Obama or threw charges at the environmental and business regulations that protected the country and consumers and wow, who'd a thunk, huh that such darlings as Sean Hannity would be proven to have benefitted from the very same policies he insulted, made money off the woes of so many during the real estate crisis and even now has a huge real estate empire, including slum properties. Huh! Just like his buddy, Trump and Kushner, who mistreated tenants and/or workers.
     We have Secretaries of the departments that run the country, that should be serving the people and instead we have a bunch of characters who think they are the reincarnation of Saudi princes who have a non ending spout of money pouring out just for them. The open greed, the secret greed, and the nonchalance about it, the 'who me' attitude that they oh so innocently display as if they never would have known that what they were doing was so, so very wrong, so very immoral.
     And of course we have the wonderful leader of it all, Trump, who gives the okay to do all this, to live the wrong way, to ignore their duties, to turn their responsibilities upside down, to ignore conflict of interests and in fact, it seems as if the more there are of those, the better one's chances of getting affirmed!!! And now a question remains to be answered - how much did the rank and file of our representatives on the Hill know about the truth and if so, if they actually knew then why did they allow this, vote to confirm, shout, cynically and dishonestly, their oh so justified rants at the Democrats? It boggles the mind.
     But they knew that THIS president would allow it all and in fact approved of this behavior as he was the paradigm of it. He has made the act of hatred, crude statements and dishonesty out to be the right thing to do. He has brought the level of government down to the level of rewiring adolescents who tweet their lives and brains away, ignorant or uncaring of the mess they leave behind and the disaster they are making of the future.
     And the crap just pours down as lesser levels spout the same stuff and the same behavior. Brian Mast in his tailored short pants sends out emails that purport to show how people oriented he is and yet he consistently states that he is a Trump man all the way. His votes prove that. We have the politicians who still kowtow to the NRA though at least there is some light there. We have bribery scandal, misdeeds in the Sheriff's Office and in police departments around the country. We have citizens who feel disenfranchised and others feel disillusioned and even hopeless.
     And it gets no better here in CVWPB. We have a supposed leader who is cynical, unbalanced as he waltzes through the workday singing Gilbert and Sullivan songs out loud, constantly voices insults and crude nicknames - hey, just like you know who - and whose business workings are veiled in silence and denial. Oh, so you think there is something wrong with a multi million dollar one page contract or one which does not have liability clauses or managers of projects? Silly you.There is always a catchup for him and his. When there are issues, such as with this ABC installation, it seems to wait to be caught out, for someone to take notice and then, and only then, is action taken. The status of our reserves? Who knows? How is it being spent down? Who knows? How will we pay for needed big capital expenditures? Who knows? Just make sure the snacks are in place and ignore the growing buzz of dissatisfaction, of growing apathy as people feel that we have to let nature take its course if we are to get anywhere, to rumblings of rebellion and to growing inertia as if to say  nothing can be done.
     The world outside is breaking into a tribal mentality, the country is doing the same thing and we are apparently not immune to it either. We are now composed of not so much CV residents, but of CV residents who belong to this group or that and who see the Village thru the prism of their tribe. It is nasty. It is counter productive and it is wrong. If it keeps up then it will prove to be the undoing of our wonderful home.
     So where is the light in all this? Simple. It is in the innate goodness of people. It is in the hopes and dreams and actions of the young. It is in the revived efforts and interests of the old and in the powerful growth of women in and on the playing field. It is in the push for voter registration. It is in the determination of state's attorneys general to use the courts to fight the darkness that is Trump and his cohorts. It is in  the simple goodness of life, in the smile of a friend, in the hug of a child, in the enjoyment of a show, or a good read and certainly in the victories we can achieve over the forces of the dark.
     What we must do is hang in there and strive, always strive for the better part of us. It is the only way.

ZECHARIAH SAYS

     You rub your forehead or pull at your beard. Who the hell is Zechariah? Where is his name in all this mess - no, - in all these messes we are dealing with? Well, one has to go far, far back to find this Zechariah, way back to the times of a man who spoke words of wisdom - and too bad no one listened, not then and not now.
     He was a prophet, with his own book and in the pages of his book there is a telling statement. 
     "These are the things that you shall do. Speak the truth to one another, render in your gates judgements that are true and make for peace."
     Simple, yet it seems that we are never able to reach that point in our lives, either individual or societal. What would our present situation be like if we spoke the truth, if we did not play these ridiculous and dangerous games wherein we competed to see who comes out on top. Certainly it is not humanity. Even the good guys tell lies, certainly do not render true and just judgements and as for peace, well, just take a look around and list the conflicts around the world.
     Albert Einstein said once that one had to learn the rules of the game and then play to win. A tad cynical, yes, thinking that we can reduce humanity and its survival to a crude game, but there it is. So how do we play this game and is it worth it if we lose our souls in the moves of the game?
     These are questions that I can answer only for myself. If in fighting the good fight we lose the fight for our souls, then what have we won? Nothing, for we are then corrupt ourselves, and in fighting for that better country or status of life for all we simply lose our way and forget our original goals, or sell out for a piece of it. Cynical? Maybe. Pessimistic? Maybe. But what else have we learned from all this current mess?
     We have learned to thumb our phones, to click the computer links, to scan the papers, to laugh and cry at the same time and perhaps give up just a bit more every day. How much more filth can we tolerate? How many more lies will we uncover. No, he does not have business with the government but oh, yes, now we remember. Or no, there were no extramarital affairs - I just paid her money because I liked her or other nonsense, all that speak to the severe decline in our morals, in the nerve of our supposed leaders, in the contempt that they have for the electorate, thinking that no one will ever uncover the truth and even if so, no one will care.
     Zechariah says. He says the truth. That is what he says. A five letter word, not four, and yet we treat the truth as if it were somehow tainted and only the foolish of the Don Quixotes among us speak the truth, honor the truth. Is that the point we have reached? Are we at the time when the voices of yet other Biblical characters ring through. 
     "They said to one another, behold here cometh the dreamer, let us slay him and we shall see what will become of his dreams." (Genesis 37:19 - 20)
     At present we are seeing some glimpses of hope but I wonder, I really do. Remember the power of our anger, of the demands of our generation. We stood in the streets and gave out flowers or hit back. Oh, we were going to change the world and yes, we did, in a way, by actually bringing that war to a close and by riding on buses in the south but then we lost our way, descended into drugs, into nonsense and then into greed. We lost ourselves, spoke not truth nor just judgements.
      So our hopes that are pinned on these bright high schoolers today, the ones who say they will not stand still to be killed nor allow others to do so. These kids that know that more than violence, the quiet speaking of the truth, the registrations to vote, vote, vote - this is what will bring about a change. We will get rid of the dinosaurs, of the petrified wood that our former high charging representatives once were, and we will once and for all surge for equality and justice and truth and honor and hope and peace.
     And if one needs inspiration, if one needs to seek for aid and comfort, for a vision of what can be and should be, then read one of the best and most powerful speeches ever spoken, The  Mountaintop speech spoken by Martin Luther King, Jr. only a day or so before his death by violence. Hear his words and then wonder.
     "The nation is sick. Trouble is in the land. Confusion all around.... (but) only when it is dark enough can you see the stars.....Something is happening in our world...... And let us move on in these powerful days, these days of challenge to make America what it ought to be.....to make America a better nation."
     "He's allowed me to go up to the mountains. And I've looked over. I've seen the promised land....we as a people, will get to the promised land."
     Read the entire speech. Hear and read the speech in its entirety. Remember the words of Zechariah. Then take accounting of one's own life and of the life of our nation. We need to make a choice. Do we stay in the bogs and mud of the marshes or do we choose the high road, the roads of Zechariah and the words of King? Do we slay the dreamer or do we work hard to attain the dream? Think hard on this, very hard.

WHAT TO SAY, WHAT TO THINK

   

    I sit down every morning, usually at ridiculously early hours of the morning, (thank you, insomnia!), and write something. Sometimes it is a summary mixed with my thoughts. Sometimes it is simply a thought piece on a more personal level. Sometimes it is on a national or international aspect of life and other times it is more local, usually another piece criticizing the deeply misguided and poor leadership of David Israel. But today is different.

     No international. No national. Nope, not even David Israel. It is just that the world seems to have disintegrated so much that today is a down day. When people discuss the finale of Scandal more than the real scandal in Washington - well, that says something, does it not? When people scream diametrically opposed statements about the same thing - why have we reached this point and why have we allowed it.

     When we have people threatening to 'lock' up others because they say something that displeases, then we have truly reached a bad and dangerous point. Ten years ago would a sitting President have ever said that? Five years ago? 200 years ago? And what about the future?

     I think we have all lost sight of the value of taking a stand, a righteous stand, a stand where we place people or ideals above us. We need to stand for something. We cannot just go thru life moaning and whining. We must know that there are higher callings, a better way to live.

     We also must know that there are those who have paid the ultimate price either by their own death or by the death of others. I believe that we, our country, the USA, is now sacrificing our young, throwing them into the maw of enemies that will never stop, who profess ideologies, but act as thieves, crooks, murderers, kidnappers and just all over nasty and cruel people. Military defeat means nothing for there are always the deluded and the forced who will give up their lives to take others down with them. What is another way? Sorry, way above my pay grade. Need more facts, more input, and that input must come from the disengaged, meaning those who do not have a finger in the pie on a personal basis.

     And then I think of the country of my heart, Israel. I think of how I felt when Gerry and I stepped off the stairs of the plane and actually stood on the land of Israel. How we felt when reciting a prayer commemorating the destruction of the Temples while sitting on the ancient tiles and ground at the Kotel, the Western Wall. How we felt to see the kids running around free, unafraid, proud to be Israeli. How beautiful it was to meet and begin long relationships with family members , people who were of the surviving remnants, people who defied the British and came over, saving their lives, out of the murderous hands of the Nazis. And now I think of the sacrifices that have been made in the name of the survival of this Jewish state.

     Are there issues? Yes. Are there questions which seem to have no answers? Yes. Can I have difficulty understanding the attitude of some towards Israel, their at times statements and thoughts that revert back to medieval times? Yes. Can I wish for someone to come along and solve it all? Yes. But who? When? How? Will people even be willing to listen? 

      And I read and listen to the videos and articles that talked and spoke in recent days of the sacrifices that Israelis have made. I heard the voice of a mother mourning the death of her kidnapped son, how life seems to have stopped, how she is still watching for him to come through the door. I hear the words of an 18 year old girl who lost her father to terror and who is first now beginning to understand who this man who died at age 29 was and how he is and always will be her Abba, her father. I watched the entire video and the tears came and the words in my heart were anguished.

     Golda Meir said that peace will come when the Arabs love their children more than they hate us. Has the State of Israel not been perfect? Of course, but think of double standards and think of the times when Israel has done or said something and the world, including the ridiculous UN, shouted to the heavens, but then turned around and did the same thing and then justified their actions or just ignored criticism.
     So what is the answer to the world? For the world? In Biblical times it seemed that there were times that a 'voice was heard from the heavens'. Would that we would hear it again. Would that the whole world would hear it. We can but dream, can we not. 

FROM DARKNESS TO LIGHT

    Almost immediately after Passover, a holiday celebrating our exodus from slavery and the start of the journey back to our homeland, Israel and the Jewish nation around the world, begin a series of commemorations, ones that turn from joy to tears and from tears to joy.
     First comes Holocaust Remembrance Day, a day wherein the murdered and butchered Jews of Europe and North Africa are remembered, mourned, spoken of with love and sorrow. It is a day when the children and grandchildren of survivors can proudly stand and say "we are here", alive and well, and we have our own nation once again. Tears and joy mixed together.
     Quickly, Yom Hazikaron arrives. This is a memorial day unlike what we celebrate here in America. While here there are ceremonies, much of the day is spoken of as a day of sales, the beginning of summer. In Israel, it is a day of complete and total mourning. From the night before one is immersed in a nation bleeding from the loss of so many of its citizens, men, women, children, lost through battle, through terror, through massacres, even in their own ancestral lands.
     Tuesday night was filled with a sounding of the siren and the TV began its portrayals of the mourned, the stories of the heroes, the reminders that the land and the state of Israel exist because and through the sacrifices of these kedoshim, these holy ones. One watches, glued to the TV or the radio and its sad music, and stays there, as if glued, until there are no more tears left to cry.
    At 11 AM there is a siren and an entire nation comes to a standstill, from the pedestrian to the cars, to the truckers, to the stall owners at the open market, to people in their own homes. The day continues in this mood until late afternoon begins a change.
     The music gradually eases in key from minor to major. There begins a realization that though many have tried, WE ARE HERE. We are alive in our own state. A Jewish state among the nations of the world. It is a state as are other nations, making both right and wrong decisions, yet is always under attack, by word and action, yet takes upon itself a duty to the world in its destruction of Iranian and Syrian nuclear and chemical weapons.
     It is a nation which has taken in literally millions of refugees. Lost remnants of Jews, of all ethnicities and colors, truly a melting pot. The descendants of Anusim, the Jews of Spain, the descendants of wandering tribes from Biblical times, from times of exile - from the four corners of the earth - no longer to be beaten, tormented, hated, slaughtered, but to be citizens of Israel.
     I am the same age as Israel and am enjoying the special celebrations of the day. The largest extravaganza will be here this year, performing all over, including many places within the South Florida area. Fairs, games, concerts, laughter, dancing, singing and over and above all - pride and love.
     And for the rest of the world who take Israel for granted - do not, for we do not. It is a young state as ages go and it is a state still with growing pains. It has its own internal battles to fight, our own enemies and divisions within, but make no mistake about it - Am Yisroel Chai - the nation of Israel lives - and will continue to do so, for while we argue, while we struggle to find the absolute best way to answer and undo Gordian knots of concern - even as we do this, we all know that we are one, that this state of Israel is ours and to be cherished, valued, and protected all the time.
     I am a proud American - well, used to be prouder -  but when I fly over the coastline of Israel, when I walk the streets of Jerusalem or the beaches of the coast, beneath the remnants of Roman aqueducts, or talk with the teens who are defending their nation, well, there is a pride here that is beyond words. It is a pride that overwhelms. And it is a pride which still swells the heart every time I sing the national anthem, the Hatikvah, the Hope. After thousands of years, to be a free nation in our own land, a hope that lasted through the pogroms, through the forced conversions, through the burnings in England, in Spain and Portugal, through the chasing of Jews by the Inquisition even into the New World, through the decimations of ancient Judea and to the modern day Nazis and their cursed followers even today - we are here.
     Happy Birthday, Israel. We sing and dance along with you today and for all days.

SHOULD WE?

       Diane, a major character in The Good Fight, a spin off from the hit show The Good Wife, has been having a tough time this year. She is almost crazed by the outcome of the presidential election and the constant Trump noise on and in the media. It is only when she lets loose in a meeting that she feels better - and then states that she has a gun in her desk drawer, afraid of the times, afraid of a crazy someone out killing lawyers.

     I know the feeling. Trust me on that!! It is truly difficult to turn on the news stations or shows and not find half of it Trump related and mostly bad news at that!!! Are we supposed to laugh at his antics, which are not really antics as he is supposed to be the pacesetter of the world in his role as President of the United States of America. It is with that recognition of fact that the question is asked - Should we or should we not? Should we be afraid, very afraid, or should we look past the demented and obsessed behavior and rants and hope that our country, our government, is strong enough to withstand his attacks on our democracy and of the safety of the world?

     Syria. North Korea. Russia. Iran. WAR. That is my fear, a great big one. Will he go pushing buttons and giving orders without Congressional approval or will he be ruled by some sanity, some people who will finally stand up and say this Emperor is naked, butt naked, and he needs to be taken out, off the parade route and a substitute placed in his stead. Now mind you, that substitute is Pence, a pretty dismal replacement, but at least he is somewhat sane. He cannot talk to a woman alone in a room without his wife's permission or presence - can you just see this with Merkel or May - but I do not believe he will get us enmeshed in WWIII, in nuclear oblivion, or the Syrianization of the world, leaving a bombed out carrier of rubble, spinning thru space with a humanoid race on its surface who have been reduced to the Stone Age!! Sound far fetched? But those are the structures such that nightmares are built on.  

     Trying to find other news, news that will cheer one up is difficult. We lost a stalwart figure on the American scene yesterday, Barbara Bush, an exemplar of loyalty and decency. May she rest in peace.We also had a nightmare take place in reality, life imitating art, the movies of epic disasters.

     How many times have we seen the scene in the movies. A bullet goes off in  a plane and a window is hit. Or something smashes into it from the outside. And then the action that has lived in my nightmares forever. A person is sucked out the window. I am afraid of heights and the thought of this just turns me petrified. And look what happened yesterday on Southwest, an airline I fly often enough. The woman killed was a good person,  led a good life, served her community, raised a family and look how she died. Hanging half out the window, cut by the broken glass, squeezed by the pressure into a space smaller than her body and only the heroics of other passengers prevented her being totally sucked thru!! Should we be afraid? Glad I have no flights till June and hopefully this picture of reality will be diminished by other things. May she rest in peace as well.

     So, should we be afraid, very much so, just a bit, or not at all? You make your choice as I have made mine. Additional factors? Well, Nikki Haley says she is not confused re her statements in the UN and I believe her, so what gives? Another Trumpian moment? Senators come out of a briefing on Syria policy and walk out with trepidation? OY!! Pompeo was in North Korea having a secret meeting with them? Trump in charge? Double oy! Oh yes, a moment of security - Sean Hannity coaching the President in late night conversations. Well, isn't that giving one a feeling of security and warmth? Well, folks - be afraid!

     

THE FILTH BENEATH

     It is true that people value their privacy and use the statement 'none of your business' to avoid answering questions and much of the time the attitude is proper, for people need not know everything about someone's personal life. Where the buck stops and where that sentence carries no weight is when the 'business' is tainted. Plain, simple, and when a public figure refuses to answer questions, when that same public figure is trembling at the thought of his dealings being exposed, well, we got troubles, right here in the Potomac city and evidently elsewhere as well.
     When one becomes a public figure all bets are off. Transparency is the only way to go for secrecy only provokes more curiosity, more suspicion. While we may not have any right to ask about Barron Trump, a child of 12, or even demand answers as to why Melania's clothing bills could support a small country, for that is truly private and as long as she pays the bills or Donald does, no harm, no foul - just a lack of sense.
     But when that curiosity leads to the uncovering of a dump beneath the oh so pretty lawn, then uh oh, that smell, that filth then overcomes all. Why is Trump so adamant about his tax returns? Why does he have a person whom he calls his own fixer, a la Ray Donovan, a man who does much to fix his clients problems? The reek grows ever deeper in its stench when it is revealed that there are ties between Sean Hannity and Cohen the lawyer and Trump and it stinks!!! 
     Trump rants against the media and yet here is a true bad, bad connection. And why is everyone so afraid of what the records reveal? It only raises the level of suspicion and the level of concern. Just what do we have here in the WH? Do we have a major crook? Do we have a business idiot, a personal moral failure whose misdeeds and errors in these fields constantly get him in trouble? Is that why he needs a 'fixer'?
     The growing garage dump beneath the lawns of Mar a Lago and Bedminster and even the WH is shocking to us and the world. It is shocking that we have allowed the master of this dump to climb so high on its rolling hills of trash. That, my friends, is on us. And it is on us to push the investigation, to allow nothing to lock it, to dig into those reeking and  stinking hills of trash, to dig beneath the fancy cars and the big mouths and dig out the filth beneath.
     This attitude of 'I can do anything I want and then call foul if someone demands the details' has affected much of the world. Dictators in Europe, especially Eastern Europe, are beginning to take over. The garbage, the bloody garbage, of their past is being dug up, given fresh breath and new life and why? Well, one reason is that they see the USA going the same way and certainly not objecting. And business is going the same way in nasty actions as well.
     Oh, they push ads on us, send us emails, inundate us with paeans of glory over how much they care for us, their customers, the people they claim to serve and yet, with this administration in charge, these same companies are cheering on the dismantling of all the regulations that have been put in place to protect the people. Banking rules. Environmental rules. Legal rights to sue a business in court. Economic protections for the workers and consumers. Proper and proportional taxes. Proper and safe work rules and spaces.
     And most of us go blithely tripping down the primrose lane, so satisfied that we have found bargains, that we know how to shop Amazon for the cheaper price, yet beneath that sense of accomplishment, that oh so kind to consumers with their lower prices, there is that filth beneath again.  In fact, some of it goes back to times when workers had no rights, when they were locked into their place of work, when they were treated as wage slaves. So ask Amazon why in some of their warehouse centers their workers are peeing in a bottle at their station in order to fulfill ridiculous quotas, afraid of losing their jobs? Wage slaves, no basic human rights. Are we willing to have this happen so we can shave a dollar here and a dollar there?
     We need to dig deep, to go thru the trash, to look beneath the pretty but shallow outside coverings and find the truth beneath, the truth that tells us that we must ever remain watchful, for if we do not, we will lose it all. That is on us.

DREAMS

     Life can be tough at times. Things seem to hit the fan all at the same time and one gets beaten down by the realities of life. It is easy to fall into a well of depression and despair, but then, somehow, so many manage to pull themselves out by the simple power of dreams, of dreaming what could be, what one wishes it to be, what accomplishment one dreams of reaching. That dream can inspire one to climb out of that well and live and breathe again.
     In our world of today it seems that dreams can be far and few in between. Are there any left? In fact, is there room for anyone to dream at all what with the horrors of chemical warfare, horrendous massacres, cruelty rife throughout the world and the dashing of human rights, of humanity's best traits? The answer is yes, hard as it might seem. The trick? Pick a dream which dares and challenges. Pick a dream that is seemingly impossible and then get others to join you, dream with you and then.....
     Believe it or not, in this seemingly miserable world of ours we have had dreams and achievement. Take the dream of the 15 year old autistic boy who dared to dream of building the world's largest model in Lego of the Titanic. Despite naysayers, he found yes sayers among his family and friends and even strangers and he did it!! And he is now changed by the accomplishment of this dream. It can be done.
     Closer to home. We have had massacres of our young, of music lovers, of churchgoers, of dancers in a club for no one appears to be safe. Yet the young among us said they too had a dream, a dream that the NRA would not have its way unopposed. That they would fight them, march against guns and assault rifles and so they did. They marched - throughout the world, throughout the nation. And in the upcoming primary campaigns it seems as if the NRA has lost some of its clout. About time this dream had some reality.
     MLK had a dream too. We had appeared to be on the road, the slow road, but still, and then along came the hate filled campaign of Trump where there were "fine people" in the ranks of the haters who shouted anti Semitic and anti black and anti immigrant epithets and threats. This is a dream we must return to, must advance towards reality. It is not only 'their' rights but also ours, yours and mine, for once fascism and bigotry get their way it is hard to dream once more.
     One of the touching moments, no - two touching moments took place last night and no, not talking about Comey. Talking about the awards show where it was opened with a lovely tribute to the victims of the Las Vegas killer. In fact, many of these same performers were actually there or near there for the big event. But what awed me, what showed me the power of dreaming, was the moment that Carrie Underwood appeared on stage and sang from the depths of her soul, sang 'Cry Pretty', a song of despair, of survival and of strength. She dreamed to return to the stage after her disaster and so she did! Dreams!!
     And as for me, well, I too have a dream, many dreams, actually. Can I attain it? I hope. It will be a  difficult road, one of both that same despair, strength, and perseverance. A road and a dream wherein many have joined with me to get me there. My dream? Simple. To have the strength, the courage, the power to look beyond the advancements of Parkinson's, to help raise money for research, to participate in studies and to keep at a difficult regimen of strenuous exercise and plenty of it. And where will this dream take me? What is the end of my dream? A simple one. To have more years with Gerry, to live to see my grandchildren grow up, get married, show off their grandmother as she walks down the aisle, and even, dare I dream that far, to hold their child in my arms. Simple dreams. Nothing like winning the lottery - though that would be fine too! Nothing complicated. Simple - yet so difficult.
     Here are the words of the Titanic builder's mom. Read them and cherish them.
      ""Dreams keep us going. That is something nobody can take away from us. It's something good to have when you are feeling a little bit stuck or sad. You can always dream."
     Dream we must for that is a necessity of life.
     Dream we must for a future.
     Dream we must for that is road to achievement and progress.   So dream on and on and on.

THE HUMAN COST

     There is often a break in  the connections in our mind, the ones that connect decisions to actions and consequences. It is a learning process, particularly in the toddler and the teen years, but it is a process which goes on throughout our lives.
     I know that for much of the middle part of my life, the part where I was raising the kids, building a home and family, working on a career, blending these together, sharing family times, and even possibly, glory be! finding time to actually read a book - I was clearly not in tune so much with the politics of the day. Yes, I voted and yes, I had opinions, but the politics did not consume us all nor did we carry around phones which beeped us any time there was a news break.
     Now, when one has more time to think, to evaluate, to mull and muse, one begins to realize the human cost of all these somewhat abstract decisions. And that cost is great indeed. Raise tariffs and supposedly protect the homeland. Uh huh. Not really, for here is the human cost. There are reciprocal actions and there are consequences. So when you next buy a six pack of soda cans, do not faint at the increase. The same goes for cars, for any product, including foil and especially pharmaceutical packaging. And do not forget the increased costs to the industries that need this aluminum for the completion of their own products and the fact that some products now will not be bought by other countries, and our farmers will have major issues exporting their wheat and soybeans, etc. Here we go again with unemployment and costs and inflation. The human cost is always there.
     But the worst human cost arises when we do not stop and think before acting. Yes, it felt good to do something about the use of chemical weapons in Syria, but now what? There are still loads of it around, it can happen again and what about Russia and its use of chemicals to kill those they do not like. Just put some on a doorknob to a home, evidently and wait for the effect. Do we have a plan that encompasses this all? Do we have a plan that will lead to a solution? Saying "mission accomplished" is not the answer. George W. Bush said that and look where we are today - still mired in the same area with thousands dead and wounded and more to come. Answers anyone?
     We also are not thinking when we endorse or allow the chasing down of immigrants as if they are wild animals, deeply intent on ruining our lives, stealing any and all jobs, the worst of all criminals, the terror of the country. Now read that again and see the nasty stupidity of it all. See the nasty hatreds perpetuated in this behavior. Yes, there needs to be a system, but yes, there also must be a decent way to deal with the failure of the system for nothing works all the time. To think so is to engage in wishful and unrealistic thinking.
     So Pennsylvania, Delaware and West Virginia have the highest rate of conformance to the ICE madness. Philadelphia, ironically the cradle of our own democracy, a country which was built on immigration, has the highest rate!
     And what are we gathering in to deportation centers? Who are we shackling together in long lines? What are we doing to their loved ones? What, in fact, are we doing to the psyche of this country, to its very fabric? The human cost.
     That cost takes away people who have built productive lives here, working hard, creating a business, raising families with American spouses and children, doing jobs that no one else seem to want to do, the "dirty" jobs of agriculture and construction, of manning the counters of stores where they work for minimum wage - or less. What are we doing? Have you stopped to think about this?
     I now have nightmares about being chased down, about having to have papers to prove who I am, whether I am a citizen. I hear the voices of Nazis, of fascist representatives, of dictatorial supposed leaders. I hear the cries of people in cruel and inhumane deportation camps. I hear the cries of children ripped from their parents, from their very arms. The human cost.
     And if one thinks that there is no cost to oneself, that one is not affected by this, well, think again. It eats away at the soul. It eats away at our very being, our very image of ourselves.
     So for sure, let us punish those who would use chemical weapons and gas on both civilians and soldiers. For sure let us fix the immigration mess, finding a better way to incorporate the vigor, the labor, the children, the families, the businesses of these immigrants and for sure, let us then concentrate on ridding ourselves of the criminals, the truly criminals, not the ones driving without a license because they cannot get one. And do not forget our own home bred criminals, for criminality is not a racial thing.
     Fifty years ago Martin Luther King had a dream, but that dream was not new then nor is it new or achieved to this day. It is a yearning of mankind to be able to live in peace, with family and friends, with human cost taken into account and cut to the bone. I fear the future if the human cost is ignored.
     

WHITHER THE WAY?

     Some people get clear instructions. Follow the yellow brick road. Pass three lights and take a right. Or, if in Israel, one gets one of two - straight ahead and/or half a kilometer.
      But there are times in life when decision making, choosing a path, is not so easy and is, in fact, confusing to the nth degree. So what does one do at that point?
      Well, one can delay the choice, the decision. But that is only temporary. Or one can close one's eyes and stick a pin in  something. Or one can sit down and think, list pros and cons, and know that one will never know what would have been if.... But once that decision is made, what a relief. One can almost hear the "plop, plop, fizz, fizz" of it all.
     We here in America are at that time and we must make a choice. Are we going to be stubborn and defend a mistaken result of erroneous votes and an anachronistic Electoral College or are we going to take the difficult but better road of correction, of fixing the yawing of the ship of state?
     I, for one, am embarrassed at the face we Americans are now showing to the world. We , in contrast to many banana republics, to besieged republics in Africa, have refused to remove our corrupt and immoral head of state whereas these others have done so. So why is that? Why are we hanging in there with this bizarre image of a president? Why indeed.
     Every day we get worse news coming down the track. There is now a wondering what will be the tweet of the day. We are hearing that the WH is in a state of chaos - duh! We are hearing that Trump is angry and ranting, on the edge. Well, in my opinion, he has long ago fallen off that edge!
     What we must do is act. Instead, the pundits are now openly discussing the possible firing of Rosenstein and then what? Why do we do this? Why do we almost legitimize this possible action instead of condemning it outright and saying 'you had better not". Where are the morals, the backbones, the balls of these Republican Congressmen and Senators? So many are just walking away from it all, walking into lucrative positions on boards of companies they helped, or law firms or wherever, but they are leaving the country in the midst of a storm as they back away from the fray. Now do not get me wrong - good riddance to them and their backwards and cowardly voting and behavior, but why are they doing this? Why are they so afraid to stand up to this creep? Are they so afraid they will find themselves in a National Enquirer story. So what? No one believes them anyway unless the reader is himself needing of mental help!
     I just do not get it. I just don't. Bonnie Tyler sang of needing a hero. Well, seems they are in short supply on the ground. But all we really need are good people, not even heroes. All we need are people to choose the correct path, not the easier one, not the one that leads to personal benefits, but the one that serves the country, the one that will cut through the crust of corruption that is now smothering DC.
     I am well into the path of despair but do hope that I see some glimmerings yet remaining. But unless we all clap to confirm that they indeed do exist, a la Tinkerbell, then woe upon us. Woe upon us as we sink into the morass of a dictatorship. Woe upon us as we lose our history and allow our democracy to become a dead part of history. Woe upon us should we choose the evil over good and make no mistake about this - it is a choice of good over evil. Period!! Make the right choice.

WILL WE EVER LEARN?

     Man is supposed to have a brain. We are supposed to be able to learn from our errors and proceed in a forward manner. Yet how many times have we retreated from progress, even run backwards rather than face the truth? So here are three examples of where we are making these same retreating steps, apparently having learned nothing, nothing at all from the past! They are in order of importance according to my impressions.
    First, if anyone drove along the perimeter road yesterday afternoon and evening, there it was. A huge display of ABC incompetence and Comcast to the rescue. KNOWING where the line was for cable, the incompetents of ABC cut it anyway and there went the Internet for a large area with buildings from Somerset and Wellington involved. Oh, yay! This is the great service we are getting from this abominable contract and major misdeed. Told ya so. Warned us all so! And yet, hey, here is our future with this company. Thank you, David!
     And yet an even more important step back to the crude days of dictators but wait! We never had dictators here. In fact, our heroic presidents warned us about that, from Washington to Lincoln and in between and beyond. Our government today in DC has turned into an evil and corrupt crust of selfish and nasty and incompetent people. It is led by a man who is allegedly a criminal, a selfish and degenerate man who thinks only of himself. He is reportedly the angriest he has ever been, shouting on Twitter in his dumb capitals, hinting at more chaos, threatening a nuclear armed power and making threats that will only serve to downgrade the safety of the world and the planet itself.
     And how did we allow this? By thinking he was a joke. By thinking that he would somehow morph into a politician with our best interests at heart. That he would forget his piggish behavior. That his hatred and innate prejudice would be hidden away while he was president but hello! Take a look what we have! Now how do we get the hell out of this mess?
     And finally, we have the serious issue that ties directly into Trump and the ideas of Trumpism and the display of hatred and bias and huge regrowth or outing of semi hidden anti Semitism. Today is Holocaust Remembrance Day, a day in Israel where life comes to a halt with sirens. Where the TV is filled with stories of sacrifice, of death, of more danger faced by the Jewish people and there is not a tear left by end of day.
     Abraham Foxman, a survivor himself, wrote eloquently how Trumpism has allowed this revival, has made it okay to hate, to threaten, to shout and in countries all over the world and he mentioned, many more than a few, this virulent ancient hatred has gone viral and gone murderous what with people being shot, old women being beaten to death, children frightened and here, in America, for the first time I am frightened, not so much for me but for my children and grandchildren, for all the people, for again, ad infinitum ad nauseum - hatred has no barriers and no end. It eats its own body up from within until there is nothing and no one left. 
     After the Red Army liberated the ghetto in what is now called Vilnius in 1944, Shub returned to find all its Jews killed by Nazi SS troops. Among the bodies strewn on the street was that of his father. A blood-soaked note in his hand, written in Yiddish, said, "If anyone sees my son, tell him to take revenge."
     Are we at this point? Again? Must we ever go backwards? Must we ever be entangled in incompetence, in corruption, in hatred, in bloodshed, in thoughts and moments and deeds of revenge as last minute acts of survival? 
      For Israel, this has been a rally cry but also a reminder - we are and will be, always, the epitome of the fighting Jewish warriors of the Bible, of soldiers fighting in the armies of the world, in defending ourselves and others against hatred and destruction.
        In Genesis G-d tells Cain that the blood of his brother cries out from the ground and we hear this reminder throughout the Bible, the calling of the blood of the killed, the murdered, the burned, the tortured, the drowned, the choked, the buried alive, the gassed, the shot and the horrors can go on - but time will tell.
     Why can we not take steps forward, permanent steps, honor each other and enough with the selfishness and greed of so many of our supposed leaders and their followers. Enough!!!

ABC AND A 1,2,3

     Remember the phrase that told us how easy something would be - as easy as ABC or 1,2,3. Well, we have our own ABC issue here in the Village and it is not as easy as that or as 1,2,3. For months, no, for years, the Village told David Israel that we did not want the Atlantic Broadband Company to insert itself into the Village. We were better off with the number one or two company in the field, Comcast, which had definitely improved its services over the recent years. But nope, this man was obsessed with getting his way, getting broadband in here with ABC, just as obsessed as he was several years before with the DSL company that had installed its operation in Boca CV and what a mess there was and the contract had to be broken. But the man raved and raved about it until he was shut down with the proof of reality.
    So next we were afflicted with his desire to bring in a company which was truly untested, a small company in the field which had major service issues and yet, David demanded that we bring them in. Through vote after vote he was told this and yet the man continued with his obsession knowing that he would wear away at everyone and wait until the delegates and their numbers at attendance were his way. And so he did. And so we were promised pie in the sky and what we are getting is mud on the ground!!
     Directional boring. He raved about it. Small holes in the ground in order to then bore underneath and install the cables or whatever. Well, anyone notice the huge piles of dirt in long lines along the Village roads. Anyone notice how the filling in of these trenches leave dead grass and in this drought we are having, last nite's storm notwithstanding, the grass does not grow back so quickly, if at all. So far this 'directional' boring, this 'minor' trenching has broken wires and pipes and conduits and what not. But dig we must as we see guys knee deep in trenches. Wonder if someone worked for Con Ed in NYC with all this digging.
    So, on we go with this purported ABC ease of ABC company. First we suddenly sprouted gray piping or whatever it is. Then I noticed that the tops were open to the air - the dirt, the bugs, the water, the whatever. So I made mention in my blog and lo and behold suddenly there was tape and capping of these pipes. Wonder why it had to wait. Wonder why the great know it all, David, did not catch this - or does he even care now that he has gotten his way and inserted us into another multi million dollar boondoggle.
     And lookee now. We are sprouting tall and ugly bright orange piping of some sort and for some purpose and then what? What happens to these ugly things? Are they reburied? Do they stick up for all time and eternity? Do they get to run along the ground surface, yet another ugly thing along with our crappy and deteriorating roads?     And what is this I am reading? Now it seems that this supposedly advanced system will need a box with an antenna to receive signals. Huh? Why? Thought this was a fiber optic system and we were done with these things but guess not and then I was told that the signal would be sent from where the company operates so Miami? And does that come along with all the Spanish programming that we do not need here in the Village?!
     And so what now? Suddenly we now have a 'box' that can be damaged in major storms and hurricanes and we double that with a possibility to do the same if it hits Miami, even if not here. What a boondoggle. What a disaster in the making. And this is before we even know how the programming and the transmission works. This is before they are done with this and then do the individual units and then what? Do we have pretty colors to choose from as the wires are wrapped around our woodwork and door jambs? How are we supposed to trust that this company can and will fulfill its pledge of snaking the wires? They obviously have a different definition now of directional boring than before so how do we trust them?
     And of course - how did we allow David Israel to do this to us once again. This man is a megalomaniac in his behavior and demands and here we go again. Will this be ready by Comcast contract ending? What will Comcast charge those who wish to remain with them? What will happen when people return next season and have to wait months to get their cable? Will we have a mob of pitchfork and remote carrying people charge at UCO and demand that David finally come out of his office and answer to the charges?
     It seems that we here in CVWPB are afflicted with two demented and selfish leaders- Trump and David Israel. One went into a rant Monday evening that has people scratching away and wondering when we are going to go into constitutional crisis and what will happen then. The tempers are at a dangerous high so what will be? Only G-d knows and I am not even sure about that!! And here? Will we remain meek and subservient to David's whims and  desires? Do we need to get forensic accounting into here, forensic lawyers to track down the deal and its incompetence, its lies, or are we simply going to sit here and wait till death do us part?
     Your call, folks, your call. But this man has now sent out new letters of get thee gone from my UCO and sent off many good people into exile from UCO and then he will whine that we need volunteers and Lanny will write another foolish piece on David's blog and honest responses will be disallowed. 
     What a mess, here and nationally. Wonder how long we will be able to escape the mess by finding some Netflix show? Wonder if we will only get some old reruns on the below par service we might get with ABC. Nope, ABC and 1,2,3, this is not.

MY APOLOGIES

     My apologies. I am truly sorry....well, maybe not so sorry, but I must be excused as I laugh with glee, a malicious glee, true, but perhaps things are beginning to turn around and perhaps this is the beginning of the end. Perhaps when this is all over we can return to our roots. We can have sanity in the government. We can eliminate the deep crust of corruption that now coats the administration. Perhaps we can look forward to the reinstatement of the safety regulations, cancel all the threats of cutting SNAP and other safety net programs. Perhaps we can get on with life and talk of other things, other than Trump.
     Sorry, but when my phone buzzed with the message that Trump's lawyer's office had been raided, I laughed. Yes, finally, hopefully, the balloons have all begun to burst and maybe the slogan that Trump used the whole time - "lock her up" will return to its originator with full interest. Lock him up!!!! Him and his crooked lawyer and all his co-conspirators in a corrupt government, in  a selfish and thoughtless government.
     And instead of sending troops at a huge cost to supposedly clear grass, fly drones, and do other scut work as the nation under Trump continues to chase immigrants, to toss them back as if they were fish in the sea, to besiege and capture them, to tear families apart - well, perhaps we can think of other duties for our National Guardsmen such as preparing for a real war, or helping in national emergencies and here's an idea - sending them to Puerto Rico which is still in crisis and could use the expertise of the National Guard desperately.
     So sorry for my mean giggle, but I and many others are entitled to this. About time. A man who sits and watches TV, who depends on Fox News to give him his agenda and information, warped and twisted as it is, a man who talks in capitals, a man who insults as easily as he breathes - time for this man to go! Time for charges to be brought. Time for truth to come out. Time to get someone who will dig us out of the morass he has gotten us into, be it Syria or Niger or Afghanistan, or Iran or Mexico or besmirching the land, coarsening the meaning of being American and the country of the United States of America.
     Time to take pride in ourselves once again. Time for us to stand up for the right and not for Trump's bottom line nor any of his appointees. Time to restore the judiciary to its proper role in our government. Time to remember that we must help those in need. Time to fight the rise of hatred that is poisoning the very air we breathe. Lots of work to do but first - lock him up!!!! Oh, yes!!!

ARE WE STILL WACO?

     Just finished watching the miniseries about Waco, where the federal government as represented by the FBI and the ATF just about went berserk. They lied, they swore about those lies, they could care less about the original purpose - to address the issue of underage brides - and became so overwhelmed with proving their point, their might, that they destroyed the very people they supposedly were "rescuing" - including 25 children whom they literally killed, gassed and smoked and broiled them to death with the insane maneuvers, the obsessed maneuvers, in order to show they were boss!!
     There is no doubt that many of these so called messiahs or religious leaders have succumbed to the siren call of polygamy, denied followers that 'privilege', or demanded almost slave labor from followers, but it seemed here that in Waco there was abstinence except for David Koresh though the followers went willingly along with it.
     What was clear is that there was no violence and no coercion. What was clear was that there was no battle scene of mad amounts of bullets being fired from within the building. What was true is that the federal forces used tanks, used psy-ops, used tear gas on women and children in a cold manner, allowed the building to go up in flames, but ....they won!! Evidently might makes right still and forever.
     I thought we had moved on from such tactics, learning from the time and time again that these tactics resulted in death to the besieged. Essentially, these actions were war crimes, crimes against humanity and very hard to watch and compare with memories of the lies that were told then. Wrongdoers who defied the federal orders, it seems, were demonized, blamed for everything from bad timing of rain to a persistent itch! It seems that we need to have a villain. It seems that we need to have a something to focus on, to turn our minds away from the awful things going on. So we had Waco or Ruby Ridge or just pick one of the many incidents, but I truly thought we were beyond this tactic of scapegoating. As a Jew, as one who loves the subject of history, I know that my people have been used as scapegoats so many times before and to my horror, I am seeing these signs again, here and in Europe, but here in the USA there is yet another major group of scapegoats - the DACA kids, the Dreamers, the immigrants - are being blamed for all the woes of our country. Poor economy. Job problems. Bad trade balances. Crimes. And crimes. And crimes.
So let's get rid of them, let's raid them, round them up like cattle, besiege them in places of sanctuary, go to war with states who refuse to join in this witch hunt, and now bring on the federal troops!!!! Dear Lord in Heaven! Are we back to Waco? Are we going to kill kids to prove our point, for even if the point were correct - which it is not, in this case - we do not kill the baby to solve the problem. WE do not throw away all that we are supposed to stand for.
     We are meant for better things, for better exemplars to the world. WE are not meant to follow a madman, a hater, a degenerate who uses 280 words at a  time to further his hatred and his insanity. And worse - he has followers who go along with it. You see, the hatred is never far beneath the skin, is it?
     Are we still in Waco? Will we now bring on the tanks, the tear gas, the bullets, the psy-ops, the horrors of Waco and address them to the DACA dreamers, those kids who ARE Americans, who can dream the same dream our parents and grandparents or whomever had when they came and remember - I bet there were oh so many who jumped ship or overstayed or whatever - so should we have the federal government dig into that? Do we follow a Biblical statement that G-d will address the sins of the fathers on the children, even unto the fourth generation?
     Where have we gone? Why have we strayed? Why do we allow hate filled people to drag us back to a time I thought we had long ago left behind? Why do we revert to the worst within us? Why are we doing this? Why? Waco redux is not far behind - and you ask and answer the question - honestly - why?

THE TRUTH OF IT ALL

     "Truth. Justice. The American way."
     Remember that? The slogan for Superman and for so many of us as we grew up, indicating where and for what we should aim. And maybe we were naïve. Maybe we were living in a pie in the sky world and did not truly understand the world of the adult, but many of us carried these ideals into adulthood and many of us served the public, took part in organizations for those who needed help, and did not only think of what the trough could hold for us.
     So what happened? Why suddenly have we become a nation that has reverted to ideas and behavior of the past, of selfishness, of prejudice, of the acceptance of all of that, of the forgetting of the reasons one becomes a public servant. Yes, it is a job, but yes, it is also considered public service - not private service. Unfortunately for us all, we now have a set of people in DC who seem to feel that "emptying the swamp" means getting rid of experienced people, the kernel of public servants who see to it that the country runs and either not replace them, or do so with selfish creeps who are so self impressed that they need their own retinue of security people, of flags, of cars, of fancy planes, of obscenely overpaid friends, of special "bargains", of incompetence, irrationality, selfishness, greed, hatred, and total lack of forethought and consequences. Other than that, they are just fine!!!!
     So where did we all go wrong? Where did we lose the right path and when did the American Way become nasty and selfish? When did truth and justice become nonentities, so much so that they are looked upon with a jaundiced eye and a palate which has no taste for it at all.
      I truly cannot answer the question. All I know is that I see a bunch of old fools there who have lost their way, lost their substance and think only of remaining in office. There are no spines among them and then, of course, we have the doctrinaire younger set who know nothing other than greed, excess partisanship and sheer hubris. This is not a government. Not for America. Never.
     The cherry on top? The fact that these people are worshipping and bowing down before a madman, a vicious, nasty and hateful man with no morals, with no soul, with no heart. What will history say about this all as it gets evaluated? I shudder to think of the words and the anger and the contempt for us all for allowing this. I only hope that this is not the fall, the decline, the end of us all. I truly hope that this man gets stopped before he truly brings down the best democracy that history has wrought.
     The truth of it all? Bad, bad news.

ARE WE TRULY GOING THERE?

     Whither we go? We are at the fork in the road and the choice must be made. It might be a hard road that must be chosen, but good things do not come for free. The apparently easy road is the dark one, the one which says, "leave me alone" and thinks that one can just go on as before. It presumably refutes the truth that democracy must be fought for, guarded and demands must be met. That is the correct road, but do we truly understand that we are at this critical moment.
       The spineless wienies  of the Republican Party have turned on their roots, spurned Lincoln and his ideals and instead gone over to the dark side, to the side of pigs at the trough, glutting themselves on the money of the taxpayers and wiping their mouths with the remnants of the Declaration and the Constitution. In their trashing ride thru life they are stomping over the very members of society who need help, over those who are supposed to be the bulwark of society, the middle class, and instead promote a return to the feudal society and its unfair and harsh ways.
     Their leader is a liar, a demented and angry man who cares not a whit for others. He is definitely mindful of Hitler, a mad genius, an evil genius, whose path to his own destruction ran through genocide until his own hubris led him to ignore the advice of his own generals and  he lost the war. But until that time was a terrible time and we cannot afford that again.
       The lies of Trump are coming back to bite him in his ever so generous rear, but is it enough, soon enough. I think we need to move it along, now, for the impetus and the momentum is there as people who so erroneously supported him are finally shaking their heads and seeing the awful reality of what they have done.
       We are not building a wall at present, contrary to his lies, but we are planning to send thousands of National Guards to the border, to mass there, to capture and detain those trying for a new life, those kids who have come along on their own, the remnants of the American dream, the American ideal lying in shattered shards as we encourage our kids to beat others, to lose their humanity, or to go AWOL as they refuse these orders. In the meanwhile, our troops will not be properly trained for real battles and their funds will be wasted. What the hell are we doing??????
        I read three statements yesterday that say it all . One is from a candidate for governor who stated that we are presently in a war for the soul of America against a President without a soul. How sadly true. One said that we are "witnessing an all out attack on the core values of democracy....A war on truth, facts, and reason." The third was tweeted by a newcomer to Twitter and carried a message of hope, or a plea for it anyway. On the anniversary of MLK's assassination, we are asked to share our dreams and spread love and hope.
     Would that we all hear these statements and requests. Would that we all turn back to the proper path, back to respect for others, that we finally and for always spurn this madman in the White House and take him down thru the pathway that our laws provide. We must return to our America, our country, and not the country of hatred and prejudice, where people are randomly shot, where dangerous anti Semites have the gall and the voters!! to run for public office, where we forget who we are. This cannot be. This must not be.

OW INDEED!

     Not quite sue what hurts me most right now. Took a misstep yesterday that has my left side in knots, screeching with every move - or rather every attempt to move. Thank heavens that I have recently learned how to fall better and how to get up properly. Does not take away the hurt, the 'owie' of it all, but it does help and I know it could have been worse. Well, at least I finished with Disney before the fall.
     And speaking of Disney,  whether you like the place or not, you must, must, go to Animal Kingdom and see Pandora. OMG! The imagination and the magic of it all!! Ever been on Soaring in Epcot; well, this is the same idea but like a model T is compared to a Tesla!! Wow, wow, wow! Words, pictures, nothing will do but physical presence and experience. No 'ow' here. For sure.
     But there is an 'ow' present in our world of policies and beliefs. In fact, it is more than that. It is a true present and clear danger to our country, to the democracy in which we live, to our very structure. For a President who is already known for his fascist tendencies and dictatorial ideas and wishes, who admires the worst of the worst of the world's nasty leaders - for that man to say that "we have horrible, horrible, very bad laws here  .....and we are going to be doing something, something military..." my heart is pierced. Yes, there have been cases where National Guard troops have been dispatched but not for a similar reason,  but this man wants to dispatch the regular Army! Posse commitatus!!! The regular army is not allowed to be dispersed, boots on the ground, within the country, barring, I guess, some drastic emergency. Like maybe our own version of Godzilla!! (Our Godzilla is in fact the very man sitting in the White House, when he is not out there playing golf!) There is none at the present moment, despite all his posturing. I cannot believe his so called base, the extreme end of it, will approve as they are always screaming about the black helicopters and troops that are waiting to take over. But on this man rants and as his advisers and aides get more extreme as the others quit, as the sanity quotient is falling day by day - no, hour by hour - the 'owie' of it all is overwhelming. If anyone out there thinks that this man would stop with some border work, wow, do you have another think coming. The civil war that I have long feared would break out, if not immediately, then soon enough.
     This man is now a subject of investigation, the step before the final act - being accused and hopefully brought to trial and being impeached, convicted and gone!! Please!! Our country depends on that series of events, unless it comes to the worst and he has to be removed by force and by a decision of Congress - if they can ever find their backbone!!
     Look at the danger signs. If you have recently watched a news show you might have seen the anchor robotically reading how they "pledge" to fight for fair news, to guard against 'fake news" yet that is what they were NOT doing. In fact, they were told to read this, the exact words, all over the country!!! All by a pro Trump media giant. 1984 anyone? Scared yet? Well, how abut this? There is an entire website devoted to trying to defame that wonderful young man, David Hogg, calling him an actor, the whole Parkland a fake put on and I just vomit when I read this.
     But there is hope. In Wisconsin a liberal judge won. In Texas there is a well funded opponent to Ted Cruz. Trump's approval rating continues to suck, as they say in the vernacular, and as the elections in November draw nigh, we can see a glimmer of hope, a hope that perhaps we can actually turn Congress towards the direction of sanity, of humanity, of democracy. And then, and then, and then...... dare we hope that he will either resign or be consigned to an institution for the demented, the dangerously demented? No 'ow' there!! Just us saving our country.

IT IS WHAT IT IS

     A sentence of both despair and hope. A sentence of acceptance and defiance. How is this?
     Sometimes there are conditions which must be accepted as they are and then strategy planned and executed. A disease or syndrome. A bodily fact. A situation at work. A national disaster.
      But does that mean that we accept these situations and just go on without a statement or action or determination to change that it is what it is? Most emphatically no, never, in fact, for that presumes surrender to situations that should never have been.
     So personally, I am working hard to deal with my situation. It helps, but does not take away the facts that one day I will lose the battle. So, it is what it is, but for a while, anyway, I do not accept this and do not go down in defeat right from the very beginning.
     As for our CV living circumstances, there are things that seemingly are permanently etched upon the surface, but truly, this is not 100% so. Commenting, not letting an issue go, demanding information and justification, watching what goes on, speaking up - all tactics at work. I have seen this work quite recently when comments I made brought about a response, several in fact, some verbal with information and some in actuality with pipes being plugged and plans being made. Is it enough? Most definitely not and will never be until David Israel and all those who go along with him are gone from UCO. But it is a start.
     Most recently, his stooge, Lanny Howe, wrote how volunteers are so desperately needed. Yes, they are. But, a typical David blog thing took place. A long time volunteer for the Investigations Committee wrote how he/she had been removed due to political reasons, meaning an opposition to David and some of his plans. So why volunteer? A waste of time and a need to walk on tippy toes thru broken glass? Why? There is no recognition of anything unless you are a David Israel sycophant. But here is the most telling thing about it all - the comment was immediately removed from the blog lest the truth as it is come out!!!! But make no mistake about it, this is not a leave it alone situation.
     And what about the country and the world? We all feel we are little people, of no consequence in the larger picture. But that is not so. Look what those kids have done and swear to continue. Look what the women have done with the march and the continued working of protest and defiance. Unfortunately, look what has happened to the country what with the rise of hate, the oppositional defiance of men who refuse to admit that they had behaved like pigs and refuse to either change their behavior or stop admiring that caveman behavior.
     People do not like change. For sure. I get all bent out of shape when I walk into a store, heading for what I need and find that these items have been moved. I hate that  and hate the search party that then ensues!! But serious change is not so easily done. 
     We now have raiding parties. Raiding parties!!! Nazis in America and they are us!! So wrong from so many points of view. Humanitarian. Economic as now those who screamed against immigrants will pay thru the nose for purchase of items, like fruit, that will be scarcer because there is no one to pick. Inhumanity as we tear apart families, as we introduce a higher level of dread into the hearts of these people. And why? For daring to dream, the same way our ancestors did!!
     We have a growing rift between state governments and federal government. Suits and fights. Major points of difference. Actions taken by the federal government that would harm people, yet the people fight back. The new ridiculous increase in entrance fees to the national parks had to be rolled back. Just one example.
     And for those who screamed protectionism - well looka here what you have done - to us and yourselves. I care not a whit what harm you have done to yourselves but what about the rest of us. Agricultural products now under severe tariffs from China. Products here, made with steel and aluminum, will skyrocket, plants will close, workers out of jobs, money tighten and here we go right into another huge recession or even Depression. Been there, done that before - have we not?
     This can go on and on, unfortunately, what with the situation we now have with crooked and selfish people in office, with dirty secrets galore, with lack of transparency, with little care for the little people, with people watching their retirement funds go down the tube! It is what it is? Yes, indeed so. But - we can make it not so. All with effort and care and concern and determination. 
     As the old line went - yes, we can, yes, we  can. Let us all remember the line from The Little Engine That Could - yes I can becomes yes, WE can. Choo choo.
   

     

THE MOUSE HOUSE

     Ah, the mouse house. That special place where magic truly occurs and multiple times daily! Where even the cranky kids and grouchy adults seem to disappear and long lines on hot days are accepted as the norm, so why fight it. It is a place where the heaviest decision is where to go first and who is the fastest runner to go get fast passes for the group and for which ride. Politics? Huh? What is that?
     But on lines, waiting with other families from all over the country and the world, sometimes with the oddest people, without discussing politics, without the trigger words that set off arguments, one does get a take on the temperament of the world. And guess what? Despite all the shouting and the posturing, despite all the demands, the nasty words and faces, much of what we all want is the same. We want good times for our families, money to send the kids to college or for training for other jobs. We want peace, freedom to live our daily lives. We want the politicians to stop their blustering and do the right thing, however many times it is demanded of them.
     And is that not what we all want, whether we are lucky enough to get to visit the various mouse houses or not? Yes, the magic is catching and I suspect that all those who try to look oh so cool and blasé, who deny the magic of the house, who claim to dislike it, are bluffing for some reason. It is the magic that we need to import into our daily lives and yet we refuse to accept that.
     So on we continue with the nastiness of the outside world. On we continue with the immorality of so many of our leaders. On we continue with the marches against violence and unfortunately they arouse truly vicious opponents and aren't they the big brave adults when they call these survivors, these hopes for the future, all sort of nasty names. Wow, it makes one so under impressed!! And we get the huge and growing divisiveness that is afflicting our country.
     We must hold onto the magic for what that magic is really is the magic of America and its position as an ideal above all. Yes, there are rusty spots in that ideal, bald places on the lawn, but it is an ideal still filled with hope - until the 
Scrooges come along and want to deny it to all other than themselves, their families and those who are just like them. It is the country of the apocalypse but in real life. This is what we must fight against. And those two kids at the Seattle Mariner game who sang the anthem yet took a knee at the same time tell me that the magic of the mouse house does still have power outside its Florida and California and Paris and Tokyo and wherever they all are.
     So off I go to gather up the family and the food and the hopes and expectations of the family, armed with decisions already made as to where we go, who gets the fast passes and making sure that we use the ones we already have. I love these problems and I love the looks on the faces of us all as we look around and wonder what we will see today at the new Pandora place in Animal Kingdom. Ahh, I love the mouse house!