IF IT AIN'T BROKE.....

 ... don't fix it.... but it is broke. Our system has failed in so many ways that it is difficult even to list the top ten issues. In fact, very few systems of ours are working without major problems and perhaps it is only the inertia of the system that keeps it going, moving along of its own weight. Maybe. Perhaps. Be sure that I am referring to systems all over the world, America being no different than other countries.

There is something very wrong with a world that has so many living in abject, extreme poverty, forced to live with starvation a definite threat, with no shelter nor hope for the future. There is something wrong with a system that fights and kills, yes, kills, in the name of 'life', to prevent choice for women, but when the child is born there is no system in place to see to its welfare, to help the mother. No, this child is doomed before it is even born. And as for birth control, well, forget that, as that system seems to be moving backwards in too many places. There is definitely something very wrong, so wrong, here.

There is something very broken about a world that goes about destroying its own abode. Yes, the Earth, the globe upon which we all live, and Mars helicopter or not, there are no spaceship arks to take the population away to rescue planets - and even if so, what would stop us from destroying that one also? Just give humanity a few years and they manage to taint it all. Pressure to make money, billions of it, for corporations that are not living beings. Excess money for the fatcats who live on the energy of others. Money that goes into sinfully ridiculous doings like renting a house in the Hamptons for the summer for $2 million dollars when anyone can think of better and more permanent uses for that money. Excesses will come back to bite us in the rear, a big and nasty bite too!

We are in the midst of a runaway slaughter train, what with mass killings almost indifferent in reaction, an almost daily occurrence, dismissing it with a tsk, tsk, and the brutality of too many law enforcement personnel whose corruption and lack of humanity subsumes the good guys of law enforcement. At this time, when gun ownership is proliferating at a huge rate, with too many guns in possession of felons or people apt to misuse them, we refuse to attend to the problem, to fix the system. Nope, the NRA, now in bankruptcy court, is initiating a $2 million campaign against gun control. All the better to reduce population growth, I guess!!!

Our Earth is visibly deteriorating, clearly seen from space. Our cities are overcrowded and our social safety net is falling apart, the holes growing larger and larger. Prejudice and hatred seem to be making a nasty return, a growth industry one might say, even to the point of having young children picking on a biracial child. Where do we think this hatred and dastardly deeds arise? Look to the parents. If the bigotry expressed there is so virulent then what hope do we have for the future?

We have reached such a bad time here in America that one can almost be excused for thinking we have gone back in history. Our political parties are feuding to the point of imbecility. Dangerous as well. Partisanship has taken over, thus making Murkowski's vote so outstanding. "I am going to give the benefit of the doubt to a woman who I believe has demonstrated throughout her professional career to be deeply, deeply committed to matters of justice."

Wait, wait. So you're saying that you voted for someone on their resume and qualifications."    Would that she were consistent in doing that. Perhaps we could have avoided some truly bad steps here in this country. Perhaps she could have proven to be a leader for the good within our creaky, breaking system. Perhaps.

Perhaps it would have meshed well with President Bush's statements condemning his own GOP party. Perhaps then the Green Party, fascistic in outlook, would not be a growing and realistic possibility in Germany, the epitome of evil returning to a place where it grew well, nourished by hatred and indifference to the violent outcomes of that hatred. Or for that matter, the growing dictatorships and influences of the extreme right all over the world. And that includes the USA. The chanting alone of those mobs shakes one to the core.

Every once in a while there is a sign of hope, a bipartisan effort, but too little and hopefully not too late. Always, at vote time there appears to be huge and overwhelming recidivism, as members return to this paralytic partisanship.

Yes, our system is broken or reaching breaking points. We must fix it or face the consequences. How we do that is up to us. I hope and pray that we have not yet reached the point of no return and turn to an even worse system. That danger, that possibility, is there, always and forever. We need to understand that and do something right for a change.

THE WOMEN, AS USUAL

  If only the women ruled the world. If only they did not have to fight men for survival, for recognition of their humanity, then what a world we would have. But men appear to be determined to continue their dangerous and violent behavior, hence the world today. It seems that the women are the pawns eternally, paying the debts of men.

Today, the women of Afghanistan are worried and rightfully so. For so many years they suffered under the Taliban, denied education, denied the ability to work - and survive, were restricted to home and enshrouded in clothing that denied their humanity. They were the coin of repaying debts, were forced to marry whomever they were told to, be it an old man or their rapist, were slaughtered in "honor" killings, and lived in despair.

Yet in these very deep and dark depths of despair, of persecution, women, brave women, ran secret schools, mothers sent daughters to them, and today there are women in government and huge numbers in higher education, even as persecution in Taliban villages continued and even in other places. And we are abandoning them to their horrific fate, to public lashings, to stoning, to a status the equivalent to a goat, and perhaps less than that.

We are doing nothing to insure that their progress and advancement will continue. We are doing nothing to require women's rights as an immutable part of this peace to be. One woman had it pegged just right. She said that women have always been the victims of men's wars and now they will be the victims of men's peace as well. That is such a sad and despairing statement of reality.

The entire world suffers when half its population is undervalued and mistreated. Think not that Western countries are any better. No, there are no public whippings but how many are the recipient of unwanted attentions, of sexual assaults, of unfair practices in business and in life, and only recently, really, were they granted the right to get loans in their own names! Glass ceilings remain, right here at home, from overlooking to inequity in salary.

The world will not be what it should be unless the abilities of all are valued. It take a Maxine Waters or a Val Deming to shut up the blowhards like Jim Jordan. It takes a Pelosi to withstand the verbal abuse, the existential threat to her life. It takes a Jill Biden to stick to her position and remain at work, and get recognized for her own achievements. It take a Kamala Harris to break new barriers. And it takes all the women of the world who withstand daily abuse, overwork, demands on their souls to keep the homes and countries running on an even keel.

Yes, it was just Women's History Month, but we need to be past these almost empty gestures and grow up already. Men, you have met your match in the person of modern day women. Heed their words, their courage, their determination. You have no choice and it is for the betterment of all.

EXITS

  Today, upon entering a venue of some sort, be it movie theater - and long may these stay open - or stadium or lecture hall, one looks for the nearest exit, planning a route out, informing the person with you as to these plans. The next step is to survey the audience for characters that raise your hackles, and you plan again. Uncomfortable, sad, even tragic, for what it says about the state of the world, but reality is what it is.

The question is, how many of us really do understand the concept of reality and adapt our behavior and thoughts to it. So many of us have constructed our own individual la-la lands and refuse to recognize that alterations and rehabs are necessary. Leaks from a roof must be attended to, foundation cracks must be addressed, and the same with society. That is our home and we must make sure that it remains viable and stable.

We have fallen down on that task, failing abysmally. Society is so rife with cracks, fractures in its very foundation, that one wonders if there is any hope. Hypocrisy and 'outrage' rule the day. Talk to an intelligent young adult and you will hear the cynicism our behavior has engendered in them. Yet these are the people who have a great burden: either they attempt and succeed in rehabbing this society of ours or the new society will take its place and we are lost. We will have failed to find the nearest exit, failed to plot our escape route, and certainly failed in our evaluation of the attendees in the society with us, misreading them and the danger they pose. 

Yet more shootings over the weekend and this is the comment we get from a supposed to be responsible leader from our politicos. "Evil exists in this world. HB 1927 gives law-abiding citizens the ability to fight back, to protect themselves and their families w/out being restricted by the govt," ... "God bless and comfort those killed and affected by the shooting in Austin today. It's time for us to fight back."  It is in support of a bill that loosens even more the restrictions on obtaining guns, and pushes the argument that gun owners should fight back - more shootings, more death, an ever growing rancid and hate filled bloody concept.

Yet there is no blowback from the GOP about this comment, just as they defended Trump's incitement on Jan. 6 and ignored the obvious and ever growing heap of proof of the prep work that went into it. No, for they have found their new Public Enemy #1 - Maxine Waters - a feisty woman courageous enough to state the truth that everyone knows yet are afraid to voice and the reality of what will happen should one verdict or another be given in the Chauvin trial. Her remarks “I hope that we’re going to get a verdict that says guilty guilty guilty,” she said ... “And if we don’t, we cannot go away.”  - are atta Wcked by that "white lamb" Cruz, Mephistopheles of our time. She added -   “We’ve got to stay on the street. And we’ve got to get more active, we’ve got to get more confrontational. We’ve got to make sure that they know that we mean business.”  What that means is to continue to protest, but those with violence in their heart will put a different spin on it, projecting their own views upon and over hers.

So the question is this. Do we have an exit strategy? Do we know the nearest exit or substitutes for it? Do we have several routes planned and have we kept our companions informed. Have we spoken plainly? Have we attempted to avoid violence and riots and pandemonium or have we ceded all to the  cracks of society, and to the dangerous ones who fear only justice, compassion, equality, honesty, and safety?

The answer is awaiting finality. We have to choose. WE have to opt for sanity or hatred. WE have to choose between a future for our kids or a Mad Max society. Will we choose correctly? ........

KNUCKLEHEADS?

  John Boehner, who himself must share in the road leading up to the insurrection of Jan. 6, has now called the America First Caucus "idiotic" and its adherents, "Knuckleheads". But that is wrong, in so many ways, dangerous ways. Playing down a dangerous trend, a movement based on hate and incitement to violence, is simply opening the door to an existential danger. How many dictators throughout history have been called clowns and worse, yet the danger they did to humankind is beyond description in so many ways.

Hitler was called a clown. Nero was a target of epithets and insults, and Mussolini was poked fun at for his grandiose military costumes. Trump was laughed at even as his following, a dangerous, wildly skewed demographic, grew and finally erupted at the Capitol. I wonder how many people out there realize how close this government came to being overthrown, how near to death by violence and lynching, the leaders of the body politic were. Those who knew - denied, denied, denied, made little of it, trying to hide facts behind the ever growing storm of Big Lies.

One would think that the nation had enough, that a close call with death, literal and figurative, would have set the stage for some sanity, some reality, to clear the fog in so many heads, but it did not. In fact, in my opinion, we are now at a more dangerous point for now we have the official beginnings and openly expressed desires to found a 'caucus' of supposed leaders that is based purely on hate, purely on the same fascistic foundations of Hitler and the Nazi party. While suggestions of death and labor camps have not yet been made openly, the quarters of migrants, the hatred expressed towards them, the ugliness of attitudes towards anyone other than Anglo-Saxon white, well, it does not bode well for the rest of us. If you deny it, well, it is not only your neck at stake but also mine and the people I love along with anyone who opposes such virulent hatred.

No, these are not knuckleheads or idiotic. They are dangerously shrewd mentally damaged souls and minds who are too close to the seat and reins of power in this country. Those who laughed at Hitler spent their last days in a concentration camp or prison prior to horrific deaths. Those who laugh at Putin find themselves in a revived gulag. And here? I shudder to think of  the possibilities. And mind you, they are not out there, for they have been expressed already.

Trump is a dangerous joke, for we laugh, but he remains in the public eye, damaging all even as he plays his eternal golf game. Taylor-Greene is a fascist, a hater, a hatemonger and needs to be out, expelled from Congress and banned from all legal political bodies. No, it is not Maxine Waters inciting violence, but rather the Trumpians and worse who are the culprits here.

Even more dangerous, for they have no clue as to the real danger of their enabling of the haters, of their falling in line with dangerous people as they struggle to maintain their power, trading partisanship for patriotism, are the people like McConnell, or those like Murkowski or even Kinzinger, who speak out, but so often, too often, vote the straight party line. Words not followed and buoyed by acts will not do the trick.

Today, we are the knuckleheads for denying reality, for dismissing the true danger to our nation's soul. A woman wrote of a purple blister on her finger, a sign of a developing sepsis, which caused removal of fingertips and feet. Well, we already have too many purple blisters on our nation's body, signaling an all too well developed sepsis of the nation's soul.

Soon there will be no medicine strong enough to cure this sepsis, certainly not without violence and bloodshed. Perhaps that stage has already begun and I am closing my eyes to that truth. Maybe. I don't know what to think what with all the shootings, the growing danger of the white supremacists, the explosive anger of so many groups who have been targets of virulent hatred.

All I do know, with every bone in my body, is that at the very least, we are on the cusp of a life change within this nation. Either we go one way or the other, for there appears to be no middle road viable at this point. Too bad, for extremism at either end is not good, to say the least.

Wonder what history books or discs or whatever will be used in the future, will say about this time period. Guess it will depend on who is on top. We had better be, not the not so inaptly named 'knuckleheads".

ALEINU

 

 On us. The burden, the responsibility is upon our shoulders.

The Aleinu project is named after a prayer in the daily morning services that praises G-d and His creations. It is a recognition of His glory and might and a presentation of a deep faith. As part of this project, the participants were asked to develop a reason, a purpose, a project that might benefit others as well as themselves.

This is all part of a simple but powerful Jewish precept - Tikkun Olam - the fixing of the world. Whether it be distributing foods or joining Habitat for Humanity, there are many worthy and simple ways in which to better this world. The main idea is to understand and accept the individual responsibility. It is on us, each and every one of us.

As one ages one tends to look back at a life mostly lived already and wonder if indeed there is any legacy left, any display of the fulfillment of Tikkun Olam, leaving a good mark upon this world, be it in big or small deeds. One especially looks at the children and grandchildren. Who are they and what have they done or are planning to do with their lives. Are they grubbing for fame and money or are they doing good, helping others. taking upon themselves the burden of trust and faith and contributing to this world?

Read what follows and if you can, follow through, but the most important thing here to me is that yes, I have a legacy, the best one that can be left. There are two generations following who understand their responsibilities and mean to follow through on them. This is from one granddaughter and it brought tears to my eyes. I do not always understand why things happen. I often wonder and question why I have PD, for though one can fight off or slow down its harmful effects on the body, the knowledge that it will get worse is always there. One wonders why G-d has 'chosen' yourself to pick upon! 

Yet, when I look back at my life since confirmation or what I have known for quite some time, I realize that I have been blessed. There are now special people in my life who were not there before. Friendships have deepened with many and there has been an outreach from unexpected places and people. I have learned to express heretofore unknown interests and skills and am still flabbergasted by that. And I have seen beautiful caring and love from my kids and the grandchildren as the older ones have, one by one, come down to help, especially after two bad falls. Yes, despite it all, I am blessed.

Aleinu - on us and always will be. Just a bit of contribution of time and effort, of behavior, can go a long way. Whether one is Jewish or not, whether one is young or old, the idea of this project comes through, the effort to improve oneself and influence others is clear. Please read the following, even if only to make me even prouder of this young lady and her cousins as each and every one of them  is involved in projects that help others or, in the case of the youngest, in a beautiful love of Nature.

Hi everyone! Shavua Tov!

I noticed that at the end of davening, I was always in a rush to get to the next place and to finish in a hurry. My aleinu was very rushed, and most of the time I was saying aleinu while walking out the door to get on with my day. For a while I've wanted to do something but I didn't exactly know what. A few years ago, my grandmother was diagnosed with Parkinson's Disease. As the years go by, she has less control over her body and her movements, and there is no cure. As a zchus, (plea), for her refuah, (healing), I started standing still during aleinu. I made cards that you could keep in your siddur and it would mean the world for me if you all could take part in this. I'm attaching a link to a google form. All you have to do is fill in your name and address and how many cards you would like to order and I'll send them to you over the next few weeks. You can order as many as you'd like. I'm also attaching a photo that could be passed around in chats along with the form to get as many people involved as we can. Please share this with friends and family and hopefully with Hashem's help, we can make a huge difference!!! Thank you all and tizku l'mitzvot!!!!! (Be worthy of doing good deeds.)

Here is something of what the submission would look like, with  a space for your answers.

Aleinu Project

* Required

Name *

Your answer

Full Address *

# Street Name, City State ZIP

Your answer

Amount of cards *

Your answer

Tizku L'mitzvos!

https://na01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fforms.gle%2Fe2M2PzzzqmMUhyQX8&data=04%7C01%7C%7C5bab039bd73f469c8db908d902412615%7C84df9e7fe9f640afb435aaaaaaaaaaaa%7C1%7C0%7C637543301096619034%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C1000&sdata=WPVF7eKZ2dZgFJiHd7jgTwKLaUl3sJF6BRZFg3acUvM%3D&reserved=0

"LO SI"

  Not in English, this is the title of a nominated song for an Oscar. Listening to it even in Spanish for a non speaker of that language, it is quite clear that this plaintive song has an important message for the listener. The singer is reassuring her beloved that even if no one sees or hears or pays attention to him, she does. She sees. She hears. And in this world where so many of us feel invisible, this is an important promise.

In this  crowded world of ours, speeding by us at a crazy pace, it is easy to feel abandoned, not important to the scheme of things and no one will miss you should you simply disappear. You are of no import. But along comes the singer to reassure you. You do count. You are seen. You are heard. You are of value.

This is the exact opposite of the message that we are getting from the GOP as they endeavor to continue to pass restrictive voting rights bills throughout the country. Or rather non voting rights. Evidently, unless one is a Republican, one is not to be seen or heard, but rather to be deprived of a vital right. But these disenfranchised people are indeed heard and seen and valued. There are people out there who care and who are waging the good fight for them.

But how do we overcome a world where important bills, where the basis of democracy, is tampered with daily? Three months after the insurrection at the Capitol we are still partisan based fighting over what to do, over the causes, the whys and the hows, the answers to vital questions of responsibility and even more importance, of prevention and deterrence of future attacks. We have rabid GOP Senators who are far more concerned with shooting off their dangerous mouths than with the safety of this nation, with the understanding of the horrid meaning of January 6. So much so do they do this, that one is no longer shocked by the outrageous behavior and statements of Hawley, a troublemaker of the first order, or Jim Jordan whose rudeness and misbehavior were so blatant and long lasting that he had to be told by the Chair to shut his mouth!

Schumer talks of "gotcha" amendments that are attached to the Voting Rights Bill. Imagine it! Ever closer to two centuries after the end of the Civil War, we are still fighting it. Who is eligible to vote? Is it to be restricted due to color, place of habitation, hours of work, ease of access to ballots, or should it be made simpler for all? Do we allow the inclusion of "gotcha" amendments that are tacked on, really a version of extortion, as they are forced yes votes in non sequitur attachments to an important bill, too important to be lost due to these other amendments attached to it. The sane know the answer. The others do not. They do not want their "others" to be seen or heard and certainly wish to mute their input and influence in the body politic.

What does this restricted vision and hearing do? It allows for yet more gun violence, as there is  another mass shooting, this time in Indianapolis. It allows for crude and obvious wrongdoing among politicians and big business. It allows for creeps to stage an insurrection against the government, to riot, to threaten to hang those whom they oppose, just like any two bit country. It encourages the growth and strength of prejudice and hatred, the maintenance of misogyny, the corruption of society in so many ways.

We must all embrace the message of this song. We must reassure, in words and actions, that all are seen and heard. All are cared for. We mean to make our society stay on the right path, to check itself, to reassure that errors made were just that -  errors, not on purpose attacks on civilized society. We must be better than we are right now. We must stop our backsliding that is so prevalent today. We must hear and see the truth, the victims and the perpetrators and we must act.

                     "Lo si"

STILL STANDING!

 What's still standing? Lots of things. The Great Pyramid. The Washington Monument. Your childhood home. The old school. The Western Wall. The old geezer who was at least 100 when you were a kid and here he still is! The Capitol! Hopefully, the laws and foundations of a just and compassionate society. We hope. We pray. We try hard.

 However, right now I am referring to something totally different, something personal that does reflect back on the past year and what we have all been living through. So here it is: the legs of the table that we have built from scratch, other than chopping down the tree and milling it into planks and pieces,  well, they are still standing this morning!

 You have no idea what went into that statement. Piece by piece, the planning, the staining, the fitting so it should be as perfect as two very amateur people could do, the finding and sizing of legs and the positioning - oh, the positioning! The CRACK!! as they fell down yet again and doing it all over again. Our determination was fierce.

 So how did we ever get to this point, that in April of 2021, two city raised people would ever get it into their minds that they could build a table, a small one - but still, a table, though we have yet to put a piece of paper on it! Our confidence is strong, our will greater than some inanimate beautiful wood. So, back to the third month or so of the lockdown. 

We were okay, reading, watching shows, talking with friends, but at some point we said we need to do something different, something to change the pace up a bit, a challenge, but an achievable one. Hence, the first shadowbox. And the next. And the next. And the next. until we were out of items to place in the boxes themselves. So....what now?

 On to bigger challenges. We began refurbishing, diving headlong into the esoteric and beautiful world of woods, domestic and exotic. For those who still look at trees and see only their exteriors, there is a whole world awaiting you, secret worlds of colors and patterns, of glorious and inspiring works of Nature. 

 On to the next step. We bought, found, end tables, side tables, seeking only certain types, experimented with various woods, loved the beauty of old fence and barn woods, and our refurbished tables and projects went out all over this country. The shipping!! Oy!!! But what a feeling of satisfaction, of pride. I, who had not a whiff of an artistic sense of creation, me, who still draws stick figures, created new representations of beauty, renewed the life of old furniture and even had requests. Wow! 

 Fast forward a few months and one can see the glimmer of a strange thought. Why not build a table from scratch? No, not a dining room table, not there yet - if ever- but  a small one, just right beside a chair or bed, or as an accent piece. Nothing too bold, just a simple table. Lord, what fools these mortals be! No such thing as simple to beginners.

 More strange, possibly deranged, thoughts invaded my mind even as my hands were busy with the wood and layout for this table. What about some freestyle creative piece, work done to express whatever, on a blank large piece of wood as a background. I saw such pieces on line and actually had done similar, but on the tops and sides of tables. And ladders and stepladders, on revitalized nail kegs now cane stands. I even made my own recycling holding crates and love them! So, like Dora - we can do it! Yes, we can.

Well, the large piece of wood and some other items were bought yesterday. The table? Well, this morning the legs were still standing!! Yay!! Now to firmly and permanently attach them, brace them, and then try out the table. Oy! The suspense is killing me. But there they are - the legs, standing upright, waiting to carry their share of the load. 

 Lessons to be learned. One - never too old to learn new tricks, to take on new challenges. Two - always look for a way to improve a situation. Three - if my table legs are still standing, then so are we. This country has stronger legs than my table. We are still standing despite the attempts and events of the past five years and ongoing to break us. 

My table is still standing, My legs are standing. The country is still standing, battered, but proud, determined to remain so, take on all challenges, and come through the other side still standing.

THE TRUTH IS.......WELL, WHAT IS IT?

 Truth is the real deal. It is the reality, the facts as they occurred in real time, with no embellishment, opinion or interpretation. Yet is that not done all the time, why ''his-story' is just that -a story told by the victor, by the element uppermost in society? Is that not why textbooks vary in presenting the "truth" and the "facts", depending upon the country, the state and the times? Thus how do we know that what we are getting is the truth, the one that is supposedly sworn to in court, and then so obviously and often abrogated.

The past five years of national life have been a challenge to the truth. Political machines often send out their own versions of the truth, as they see it, or want it, and a person must choose. But what if what is put out there is never the truth, or perhaps a tiny grain around which is built a whole loaf of falsehood? The truth is, that this is often a difficulty that is not truly overcome and from that comes the erroneous and infamous decisions in the history of the world.

This tendency to lie, or at the very least to obfuscate the truth, has not trickled, but poured down the tiers of society, with truth being run ragged. Indeed, it is one of the endangered species on this planet! It behooves us to develop methods of protection for truth, the idea and value of it.

So Georgia legislators of the GOP ilk lie about their anti voting rights bill as being one that insures voting rights and truth. UCO here, in the person of David Israel and cohorts deny the interest of the residents here for the sake of seven people who did not show up. Lack of announcement, over a year of cancelations, and yet 107 showed up, hungry for information and they were rudely shut down and chastised on Israel's blog as being uninterested. I rather think the truth is that David Israel was not interested in relating the truths of the past year and why? Lest he be censored? Lest we hear how he has neglected our needs, our contract needs, the Millennium Agreement or its replacement, and on and on. Truth? Not here.

How about the truth in society that prejudice is endemic and epidemic in it. One group hates the other, prejudice is a common factor to all, and the song which iterates how groups of people hate each other in a long, self defeating and depressing train of hate tells it all. This hatred is with us since the dawn of mankind. It leads to war, to poverty, to loss of benefits and progress, to inequality, to disaster for poor families, to oppression. To murder and genocide - nothing good. Yet the truth is, that no one group is free from prejudice No one group has all the right on its side, being totally free of any guilt or complicity in this matter. Anti Asian. Anti Black. Anti Brown. Anti White. Anti Jewish. Anti Catholic. Anti Shia. Anti Rohingya. Anti Armenians. Anti Kurds. Anti Democrats. Should I keep going? 

And in all these anti categories is the kernel - that truth is rejected and blame assigned to all else rather than to where it belongs. We do not want to claim ownership of it even as we lie through our teeth. Even as we go to extremes. For example, take the anti police feeling today. True, they have often proceeded unchecked, shot or harassed innocent people, but there are times that police must exercise force. That is a part of their job in serving and protecting. What we need is a change in society that endeavors to eliminate the causes of the violence, the necessity and appropriateness of proper force, the explosion of gun ownership by so many, too many, who should not have possession of weapons. Much to do and so little time or effort given to it.

Who does the choosing of the truth of society? We do. It is what we allow, what we want, what we call for. "Around here it is not a matter of finding the truth but of deciding which lie you live with better."

(Flannery O' Connor, The Habit of Being: Letters)

Not good, folks, not good.

"A VERY DANGEROUS TIME"

  Yet more garbage going out in the news, from local stupidities to national ones. Florida is continuing to raise an ugly profile as it adds a $9.7 million dollar home purchase by Junior. Oh, yuck! Yet another Trump. Yet another liar who claims to fight for the underdog even as he buys a home that has its own gate, its own large pool and over an acre of 'backyard'. It could accommodate the dwellings of many of his supporters within this house! Maybe he will invite them over for tea.

So Florida gains yet another black mark in its political column. Trump. Trump Jr. Kushner. Goetz. DeSantis. Scott. Rubio. Mast. Not a one of these names is a true champion of the people, and have voted consistently to support Trumpian policies, bought into the election debacle, and refused to impeach a corrupt and treasonous Trump. Patriots? Not really!

Local politicians sell out the people of Florida as they approve an overabundance of building. Developments cover what was once farms, losing a traditional feature of Florida. Trees are cut down to be replaced by heat generating concrete. Office 'condominiums' are being built at an incredible rate even as the ones already built are not nearly at capacity. Once bucolic roads are being enlarged as grassy areas are drastically narrowed. Wonder why? So do I.

Yet even more local wrong doings. The same dude that so earnestly wrote about coming to delegate assemblies has canceled his own committee meeting. Again, a cancelation. Does this garbage ever end? What next? Cancellation of UCO for good, or an honest presentation of it as a dictatorship with the rest of its apparatus declared null and void? It already is just about at that status so no shock there! None at all.

Then of course we have the "replacement theory" controversy. Tucker Carlson used it on his show in a discussion with a guest and in a monologue. The theory, supported and promulgated by white supremacists, chanted in Charlottesville, states that white people will be replaced by people not white - including Jews and all immigrants. It is one of the most vile racist statements and policies ever, chanted and pushed by creeps, by Hitler, by the old Czars by any  and all anti Semites who are right out there in their miserable convictions. For time immemorial!

Spoken right there on the air, Carlson and Murdoch deny it, deny its import, its ugliness and say it really is a "voting rights issue". Of course it is that for that ugliness is a natural extension of that prejudice and the fear of these bigots that their votes will be replaced by those of non whites and accuse "Jews" of instigating this program. Wow!! Jews are such a teeny tiny minority of the world's population yet apparently have superpowers. We cannot even agree amongst ourselves on what synagogue to attend, or even to bother, what prayer book to use, what to say about Israel, yet we apparently all agree on world takeover! What crap!! What dangerous garbage spewing out of the mouths of human garbage.

So yes, Mr. Gingrich, this is indeed a "very dangerous time for the country". But look back and check it out and see who has brought us to this point and who continues on this path. Let us all look back and forward and within ourselves and truly be honest in our evaluation, in our recognition of the individual responsibility we all share in allowing this poisonous theory, these corrupt practices, these corrupted and corruptible, power hungry politicians to flourish.

Danger ahead indeed.

CREEPING ROT

  This morning I read one of the most blatant hypocritical statements ever. A plea was made on David's personal site masquerading as the official Village site, to please come to the next scheduled Delegate Assembly, make a quorum and have a meeting. David then adds his two cents and says it was well said - which it was, but if only that were the whole story.

The comment, the plea for all to attend the next scheduled meeting was almost as good as spitting into the wind. It will be in May, a time when quorums are notoriously difficult to achieve as many people leave for more northern homes. In addition, after more than a year without scheduled Assemblies and other committee meetings being constantly canceled, people did not even know there was a meeting scheduled and thus, did not show up. Nor will they show up in May as they will either not be here, or not know there is a meeting, or will simply blow it off as useless, as the rest of UCO has been for us over the past year especially.

There were 107 people there. These were people hungry, desperate even, for information about just what UCO has done or not done over the past year. What about our financial standing? What about the Millennium  renewal? What are future plans? And on and on. Meetings that did not meet quorums have been held before, simply to pass over information. Now, when there has been a severe drought in information re UCO and CV, the dictator promptly cancels and dismisses, not allowing anyone to speak or raise an issue. 

Anyone smell the rat, the bad odor here? There is too much that appears to be rotten with UCO now, after a too long usurpation of the role of president by David Israel. Perhaps he might have been productive in his first years, though in a most abrasive and rude manner, but he quickly deteriorated into a petty dictator, driving our finances, with the help of enablers. Ed Black who is nowhere to be found now after a disagreement with David. Now passed Joy Vestal, Bob Marshal. And just go down the list of the retreads of the committees, who supported him no matter what he proposed, no matter what concerns were raised.

Now we have had a year of blackout, no information coming through, no details re our finances, no information at all about the new contract with Benenson, deep pocket issues for long terms, a basic survival ingredient in the lives of CV residents. It is time for David to go. Preferably he should be removed from office, but if it cannot be achieved now, particularly during the more vacant seasons of the year here, then he MUST be opposed during the next election. Perhaps, to be merciful, judging on his appearance - or lack of appearances at meetings - and his behavior, he is too ill to function properly and does not cogitate as he should. So mercifully, for all concerned, he needs to retire. Give him a dinner, a plaque and let us get this show back on the road in a proper lane at the proper speed, with the proper information coming through. While we are at it, let us return to term limits. Inertia is no excuse for what we have allowed.

Think about this. Think how we have been our own worst enemy at times. Think how this new world of ours demands fresh and knowledgeable leaders, ones who can think outside the box, who are more up to date on the new information that bombards us every day. A person who knows how to delegate, to unite, to meld, into a friendlier community. That is most emphatically not David, certainly not at this point. Creeping rot can and must be stopped before it is too late and totally overwhelms us.

JUST GETTING STARTED

 Actually, the full statement was spoken and published this way: "WE are just getting started!" This, coming out of the mouth of one of the most bigoted and hate mongering Representative ever, Greene, should frighten the dickens out of you. Unfortunately, they, these lowlife people who donate to her hate filled campaign, who buy into her horrid philosophy, are more than just getting started. They are well on their way, raising funds, supporting a dangerous credo. Make no mistake about it - it is dangerous for one and all, not only a select few, for hatred consumes all in its path.

Fully supportive of such philosophy is Trump who was in full attack dog mode when he spoke last night at Mar a Lago to many Republican Senators and to select donors. Hatred and sleaze know no economic boundaries, finding a place in the hearts of dastardly people of all economic levels.

McConnell was called a "dumb son of a bitch", his wife insulted, and yet he keeps on his same obstructive path. Senators and donors cheered at the hatred, the filth, the enmity, the polar opposite statements from what America is, boding no good for us - for all of us. Anyone who opposed Trump in his madness was a target, as he boasted of a "won" election, as he told one and all that he threw away the prepared speech, instead, delivering yet another rant, another poison filled bag of hot air.

This is what is called "The Republican Party's best messenger!" No one stood up and objected. No one of the RNC spoke out. Instead, there were cheers. Every hate mongering dictator of history was there in spirit in that moment. Every one of them could declare victory as so many supposed Americans were willing to sell out their country, to put money and power over all, to support prejudice and evil over equality, justice and humanity.

It is not the immigrants who have trashed this country. It is not the undocumented worker getting paid in the dark for fixing one's roof or renovating a house who have torn this country apart. It is not the refugee from hate and danger, or the desperate parent's love for a child that is destroying the fabric of our nation. No, it is the cop who still maintains that ugly attitude at a false or even real traffic stop and those who support that. It is the bad apple who ruins the entire barrel, the ugliness spreading, as it always does.

The message that these messengers of Mar a Lago send us is one that espouses hatred, backward movement, a deep desire to overthrow the legitimate government of this nation. It was not the left which raided and attacked the Capitol. It was not anti-fa who were determined to hang Pelosi and others and built a noose for just that purpose. It was not a protest or even a riot; it was an insurrection and this is the message that Trump and Greene and McCarthy and Rubio and DeSantis and Noem bring to us. Were it up to them more Americans would die from the virus, more Americans would live in poverty and hopelessness, more children would be ripped from parents, lost in a system or dumped over a border without care or concern. More American families would be homeless, food insecure, with no education for their hungry children. 

That, my friends, is the message of Trump. Is that the message of the GOP? That is up to them, but as of now, it appears that is the truth. The deranged hate filled man is still apparently their chosen leader, and they still bow down to his every demented and dangerous demand and statement. They buy into it all.

The election of Biden was a start. The election of other Democrats aided that start. The election of extremist leftists is a setback, but better than an extremist right winger. Biden must be careful in his  dealings with the Palestinians, avoid falling into the trap of blaming Israel for the ills and woes of a corrupt Palestinian Authority, for their leaders who live in luxury on funds meant to improve their economy or use these funds to pay jailed terrorists, murderers, a salary!

No, nothing is perfect and that is okay as long as we strive to always improve, always better the situation. Hatred and bigotry are bad no matter who is spouting these ugly words, Democrat or Republican, left or right. For sure, though, the words of Greene, the rantings of Trump cannot be, must not be, the message of America to the world. 

Certainly it is not mine. Each of us must look deep into our own souls and hearts and see where the truth lies. Difficult, but necessary if we are to keep the message alive, the one that is stated in the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, in the Amendments, in the social safety net, in all that is right and hopeful.

 

"IT'S BECAUSE OF YOU!'

 That is a powerful statement and is often heard during one's lifetime. This particular time it was shouted by a usually calm Congressman at his Republican colleagues as an evacuation was in progress during the Jan. 6 rebellion. One can argue all day long and well into the next day as to the verity of this statement, but what it implies is important for us to understand.

We, society today, appear to have forgotten the concept of individual responsibility. We take comfort and aid, encouragement, from the words of others, from mob gatherings, and excuse our behavior with the accusation or excuse of being overwhelmed by the force of others or losing control in the moment, whatever excuse works. We excuse our behavior and words with the pitiful excuse that "everyone does it or is doing it", totally absolving ourselves of any and all individual responsibility. We wimp out.

I heard another phrase yesterday which makes a powerful statement and requires us to understand where we are today in our social behavior, what we have forgotten, what we need to stress. Whether it be gun control, where Biden has said that it is "just a start", or Republican dominated state legislatures passing retro restrictive voting laws, or DeSantis pushing against any and all safety regulations, it is the 'we' and the 'I' that is responsible, for without the individuals supporting these things, it would never happen. At times that is good and at other times not so good!

When an individual makes poor choices, comes to a bad decision, that individual is responsible for what follows, whether it is legally so or not. That is what we have so conveniently forgotten. Never mind the 'law'. There are times when the law is immoral, legal or not. An individual has to take a stand such as during the time of slavery here or the Holocaust in Europe or the return of Jim Crow laws here.

Escobar, from Texas, stated that we need a "compassionate system that does justice to our values". That must come from individuals who will push for that, taking individual responsibility for improving society, not laying the blame for society's ills on 'them' or 'they'. When Cruz or Hawley try to block every single appointment of Biden's simply to strangle the transfer of power, maintaining the outrageous statements of election results being doubtful, that is the individual going wrong, going amiss, and bollixing society at the same time, with purposeful and malicious intent. Thus, "it is because of you" would be an apt statement here.

As with most things in life, there are two sides here. "It is because of you" can be praise given to a deserving person or it can be an accusation of guilt and responsibility. Which one it will be is up to the individual. We must acknowledge, like it or not, that our actions are ours and not the fault of others. True, they might be influenced by others, but the final act is ours, and ours alone.

"It is because of you". Powerful. Praise or indictment. Our choice, the individual's choice, and no 'herd immunity' here. If enough individuals say stop, or refuse to join the mob, the mob will dissolve. Simple and clear as can be. Difficult at times, but it is the individual who stood up for the right or, conversely, the individual who chose poorly, that led to changes in society. Each individual must choose.

    "It is because of you."

LET MY PEOPLE GO

 The phrase seems appropriate as we just finished celebrating Passover, a holiday meant to celebrate the freedom of the Israelites from bondage in Egypt. If you are confused, it is not about slavery here, nor about the growing anti Semitism and the desire to have done with it already. Enough!

Nope, this has to do with the American people and the political world we live in. For five years we lived under a demented man, a fractured mind which found favor with too many gullible souls, hating souls, and people looking for answers - in the wrong places. After his loss in the elections we hoped that he would go quietly into the permanent make believe world of Mar a Lago. But that did not happen.

Today we are still being bombarded with his outlandish, yet dangerous, activities. He sits behind a copy of the desk from the Oval Office, displays items as if he were still president - which he continues to maintain that he is - and takes photos as if he were entertaining visitors to the White House. Including creeps such as Stephen Miller.

We could live with his shenanigans if, if, that was all they were. They are not. Two dangerous organizations were announced yesterday and the stink level of approaching Fascism in America rose to a much greater level. Pence launched Advancing American Freedom and Miller and Trump announced America First Legal, where the dregs of the legal society will endeavor to defy all attempts to grow the economy, to repair the holes in the social safety nets that were ripped open by Trump, McConnell and others, and otherwise do as much damage as they can to Biden's plans.

The names themselves are indicative of the repressive philosophy of them and the dangerous political stands they take. Once again we are to be bombarded with this garbage. Once again we will have the media paying attention, giving time over to Trump and his stooges, when what should be done is to ignore it. If one ignores a bully, he goes away.

Time to let the American people go. Time to let the peoples of the world heal from the crazed five years and for the world to be free of this damaging and hate filled philosophy. Time to allow Biden to ramp up his anti gun program. Time to remember that we must keep our natural wonders and lands safe from destructive development. Time to get a serious program going in the countries of Central America which are delivering most of the children of desperate parents to America. These children, many of them, are facing death in their homelands and the parents have established their own versions of the Kindertransports in order to try to give their kids a shot at a future.

Let my people go. Let America heal from the wounds inflicted upon it by Trump. Let the American people learn to live with each other, to tolerate each other, to learn new habits and thoughts, to realize the danger we were in on Jan. 6, the collusion of so many in the attempted coup, the overthrow of the legitimate government of the country. I shudder at the thought at how many governmental figures joined in and as the rats of the rebels begin to turn on each other, hold your breath!

How about we talk how the new stimulus checks are being used to purchase items long delayed, yet needed, injecting fuel into the economy? How about stores and businesses re-opening and jobs and hiring taking place. How about the fact that doctors are once again seeing people in person, not telehealth and chairs are being replaced?

Trump and all other alleged wanna be fascists, let my people go!!!.

 

 

FROG'S LEGS?

   Gotta love it. While Meghan McCain was ranting on with the party line re the MLB game supposed to be held in Atlanta and now pulled from there, Whoopi Goldberg shuffled papers, muttered a "they do know that" when McCain spoke how both parties need to live with each other, and then added  "for frog's legs''. And that was it. That shut down McCain's rant mid stream and she could not seem to find her way back to mid rant where she had left off.

Actually, there was nothing to get back to, merely more hot air that seems to be percolating nicely in GOP members. Wish I could ignore the noise of the GOP. I wish I could ignore the issues that are seriously inimical to the GOP which maintains its unexplainable loyalty to that demented man now ensconced in Mar a Lago, plotting away, with the aid of wonderful character models such as Stephen Miller and Matt Goetz. For frog's legs!!

Instead of aiming to a higher base, a more humane base, the GOP seems determined to attract the lower elements of society, those of any economic class who wish to continue hate rants, who buy into the election lies, dismiss Jan. 6 as either never happened or a left wing affair! These people are the ones who backed  a backwards voting restriction law which even forbids giving food and water to people waiting on l  o  n  g  lines in Georgian heat. For frog's legs!!!

Better than a mouthful of epithets and for sure we know that Whoopi could deliver that, no problem. But the whole rant of McCain, the entire GOP stance on everything nowadays, deserves a nonsensical verbal response, almost as good as "Twas brillig" in Through the Looking Glass". 

The only problem is that the GOP is pushing to destroy all elements of progress from Biden, keep us in the dark as under Trump, continue his destructive posturing regarding the virus, economic truths and his neglect of the economy, and all his trials, literally and figuratively, awaiting him and it couldn't happen to a more deserving soul! Oh, for frog's legs!! Have we not waited long enough, learned enough to know that the hate positions embraced by so many of the GOP stance are harmful, abhorrent and deserving of a timely death!

For frog's legs is a totally appropriate response to awful trash verbally inflicted upon us by GOP members who cannot tread the straight and narrow unless it is the Trump Doctrine, a filthy amassment of garbage, dangerous garbage, but garbage nevertheless. 

Is it not time that the American populace learns to discern between truths and lies, between positive steps and backwards ones? Is it not time to dump the Trump trash, policies and people, once and for all? For frog's legs, but cannot we move forward, take positive steps, ditch the outmoded words and actions generated by and generative of hate?

We need to all look inwards, whether we are Black, White, Green or Purple. Color should be insignificant. Character should matter. Truth should matter. Humanity should matter. For frog's legs, let us finally move on; it is about time and not for dinner either! Frog's legs need to wait and good sturdy legs need to be built for our society to move on in and with confidence. And that is the froggy truth!!

WHAT'S G-D GOT TO DO WITH IT?

   Ever notice how people fall back onto the universal catchall excuse - G-d wants it that way, or G-d told them otherwise? Amazing to me how many people claim to know the inner workings and desires of G-d. How clever they must be in order to plumb the depths of the highest power known to mankind! Wish I had those powers! But then again what responsibility would lay upon my shoulders, so I leave it to the know it all, of which there appear to be so many!

Evidently G-d has spoken to a very limited group of people. How do we know that? Why because they say so, they tell us emphatically so, thus of course we must believe them. Poor G-d. He must be so frustrated up there as He watches His Name being taken in vain, His authority usurped. He has apparently told pastors of the Christian evangelical movement to not take the vaccine. Yup. Evidently G-d has delivered the knowledge to them of secret issues with the vaccine, but only to them, not the rest of us. How do we know that? Why because they tell us so.

It would be funny if it were not so serious and actually life threatening and not only to their members who believe them, but to the rest of us as well. It is this arrogance, this contempt and uncaring or lack of concern for the rights and welfare of others that has infected mankind and its history through the ages. It is about time that it stops. We have made our own choices, not G-d. We have the responsibility for the consequences.

G-d and His Name have been used irresponsibly throughout the Ages. Go on Crusade and kill thousands of those heretical Jews, in practice preparation to killing all those Moors in the Holy Land. G-d evidently told them it was okay to do so, even commendable, as it showed their devotion to the proper cause. 

G-d has been on the side of every side in every war throughout history. How do we know? Because they tell us so. So how then do we deal with and understand the conflict of that "fact"? Please, when you know, share that knowledge with the rest of us. Until that time, if it ever will arrive, just make do, the best you can.

It seems that the best we can do is apparently press down on the expansion of rights, the recognition of the humanity of all. Evidently "cancel culture" means a return to times of not so old when G-d told those 'righteous' people to deny rights to all, to ignore the law of the land and in fact, pass conflicting laws, for so G-d told them to do. How did we know that was so? Because they told us, railed from the podiums of religion and politics, claiming oh so righteous power.

It once appeared that we had gotten or were getting over this usurpation of G-d's words and wishes, but evidently  it has returned, full force. From those who oppose choice for women, call abortion murder, a violation of the sanctity of life but okay the murder of doctors and nurses in women's health clinics, to those who refuse the funding and programs that would hep these children born into bad circumstances of many causes, well who told them it was okay? Evidently it was G-d. How do we know? Again, because they tell us so.

It has gotten so bad and so loud lately that should an actual prophet of Biblical proportions actually show up and preach in the streets, we would not recognize this fact. See, G-d would have told those other recipients of His words to ignore that dude or dudette, How do we know they are correct? Because they tell us so.

I believe the worst thing of all is that we use G-d shamelessly to push and endorse our own agenda which generally has little or next to nothing to do with G-d and His words. Those words tell us to take care of the poor, the needy, the sick, the widow and orphan. They tell us to welcome and be kind to the strangers in our midst. They tell us to feed the hungry, to share their humanity. They tell us to leave pickings for them in the fields, rather than reap every last bit of profit from them. They tell us to pursue justice, to not cheat in business, to remember they are loaned this globe for a period of time and to treat it with respect.

Perhaps some introspection would help us to be able to discern the true words of G-d from the false ones, the falsehoods so inaccurately attributed to Him. The Truth is out there; we just have to rediscover it. And then take the vaccine. And then reach out to others. And then truly we will be able to say that G-d is involved with us. 

When will that be? Your guess is as good as mine but hint, hint - I am not optimistic on that timetable.

 

WOULDN'T IT BE LOVERLY?

  Ah, if only we lived in an ideal world where wishes came true, the wishes all being good, altruistic in motivation, and all problems were solved in a good and timely manner. Money would not be a problem and there would be no complaints about 'unfair' taxing. So lovely!

Unfortunately life is not like that. There are constant problems, constant complaints, and when one trouble appears to be resolved, another pops up to fill the hole. It seems the human world is meant to be beset by issues. The question, though, is why and must it be so? Is there no other way?

One character in a great historical fiction novel about the bloody years of the Huguenot vs. Catholic religious/political wars, asked, tired of the bloodshed, bereft of family, why they wasted all those years in killing each other to control how one worshipped and in what language one prayed? What difference did it really make and was all that loss of life worth it, all the starvation, the economic blow to so many countries, the horrors that took place, the neighbors turning on each other? Was it worth it?

Fast forward to today. Do we not have the same questions? Can we not substitute other problems for religion with the same anguish? The same despondent airs? Why do we expend so much negative energy on skin color, religion, tribe, customs, or whatever irritates us? It is not as if we do not have other, larger, serious issues that must be resolved if we are able to move forward, to evolve, to improve the life conditions of so many, indeed,  too many.

Biden is making a great effort to attack so many of these so much more relevant and immediate problems. Think how we could eliminate hunger, food insecurity, if only we paid attention to that rather than expending our brains and monies on hate. How many brilliant brains for the future would we save and benefit from? Why must we tolerate so many wars that exacerbate this issue?

Our infrastructure is looking like that of a Third World nation. It is unsafe, with bridges and overpasses way beyond their sell by date. Highways crumble, potholes proliferate, lights do not work and repairs are neglected, to say the least.

Domestic terrorism on the rise. Hate crimes, even unto murder, mass shootings, vehicular attacks, all grow in number, not a good growth industry at all. Wouldn't it be 'loverly' if we cold eliminate all these issues and actually move in a positive direction for once in a very long time?

As for the funding, well, rescind the just about criminal tax break given to the corporations and the uber wealthy. Yeah, some of the executives work hard, but so do many other workers work long, long hours and their pay comes nowhere near theirs. Trillions of dollars are needed and trillions of dollars were the giveaway funds in Trump's disgusting programs and actions.

As the novel's character asked, why do we waste so much time, effort, and money chasing hate, chasing violence, destroying ourselves? Why have we not tired of it yet and why, I ask, are our political parties so dead set against each other now to the exclusion of the people of this nation? Particularly the GOP.

Wouldn't it be loverly? If only........

THE MORE THINGS CHANGE THE MORE ........

  They don't. Or do they? Anyone living in this world today has the right to be confused about that. Anyone with any kind of sensibility about sense, about truth, about improvement will wonder and scratch their heads in confusion as positive past mores of behavior are tossed away, down the sewer and instead, fresh and dangerous ones are imported from G-d knows where, much to society's detriment.

What seems the most absent is accountability and responsibility. As one looks back on the awful five years of campaign and administration, at the destructive activities of Trumpers, one wonders why they are all not in prison, paying their dues. Add to that murky soup the awful 2020 when we locked down, separating ourselves from our loved ones, from life as we knew it, all in the attempt to save lives, to beat back the pandemic. Unfortunately much time was lost under the do nothing Trump dictate and so many, many lives were lost and/or damaged.

Walking around Disney Springs on two separate days, it was amazing to see all the masked people, no arguing, no defiance, just common sense. Masks save lives. Companies can demand masks on their premises. So obey the rules or face the consequences and no, this is not discrimination. It is the law, the rule, the common sense that must reign if we are to beat this stubborn virus. Nor do I understand why the more strict the religious observance, at least outwardly, the more opposition to wearing a mask, social distancing and common sense. Why does Christian nationalism fight the masks? Why do ultra observant Jews fight the mask? Not all the people in these groups, but too many, too much of a pattern.

I believe a great deal of the cause is the fact that we have denied accountability. We have let crimes, corruption, misdeeds go unpunished, allowing responsibility to slough off the shoulders of the offenders and off they go to live another day, to harm more people, to send the wrong and dangerous message to others, particularly the younger generations. Read the essay from Salon, and then ask yourself what has happened to common sense, to accountability and responsibility, to care for the nation.

We need to take up the battle to reinstate accountability, responsibility, decency and humanity to our society. We need to cull the behaviorisms of the nation and eliminate the negativity that has grown so over the past five years, the willingness to literally overthrow the nation.

Would that we will. Would that we succeed. Would that we get the world back on as even a keel as possible and would that we all survive this and future pandemics, facing them with common sense and fortitude. Would that the more things change, they change in a good way, as we toss out the rotten, keep that which is good, and add in more good, more humanity, more decency and more responsibility and accountability. We hope.

LORD OF THE FLIES?

 Really? The Trump camp, and its campers, have been described now as real life Lord of the Flies society. Well, it certainly is a fitting comparison, but it does aggravate me as this taints a great book to read and teach and learn from. Not everything must be compared to Trump as that induces almost immediately a Pavlovian reaction which then ruins the purpose of the novel, its role in education and its place in the pantheon of excellent novels. However, it is a good comparison, nevertheless.

 In the meanwhile, we have all the rest of the miserable news. Yet another mass shooting. Yet more grief, confusion and fear at the Chauvin trial, another symbol of American society gone amiss. Further exposures of failures in Trump government, from Fauci now being blamed, quite bizarre, for COVID, to Ivanka's wasteful and pitiful women's initiative program, which went nowhere, unless one counts her worldwide travels on its funds as going somewhere. Quelle surprise that her program was useless, worse than that.

The GOP is planning on running crooks and perverts in many races, particularly for Senate seats in their push to retake control, a dire thought! Gaetz, the creep, whom I have long ago designated as persona non grata in our government, is now revealed as being under investigation for human trafficking and sexual relations with an underage girl. Lovely! But this apparently is the direction and composition of the GOP today. No wonder in that as they continue to back their favorite pervert, Trump, as their leader despite all the allegations and evidence re his crimes, criminality and even treason. Feh!!!!

 In their rush to regain power and maintain that control, the GOP is pushing voting restrictions and voting against any and all humanitarian bills, - and then taking credit for monies flowing into their states and districts under the provisions of said bills. Chowing down on their cake, are they? But they must remember that bills always come due and must be paid for somehow.

 In the meanwhile, business leaders must speak up and out about these attempts to restrict the voting abilities of groups who displease the GOP. Districts are gerrymandered. Difficulties and obstacles to voting are placed in the path of voters who displease the GOP. But will they speak up or will they remain quiet, joining in the long history of big business not only remaining silent on these issues, but even benefitting from them. Will we have a watered down version of big business and fascism once again. Certainly an evil step if that happens and in the meanwhile, kudos to the CEO of Delta for speaking out about this, much to the displeasure of the governor of Georgia, Kemp.

 I will try to ignore the nastiness today, wrong as that might be or actually no might about that, but perhaps selfishly, I mean to maintain the happy days of this holiday and hope all my aggressive wishes will be subsumed by watching the whams and pows of Godzilla and King Kong, surrogates for the battles in the world of humans today. And always, actually.

 After that, a good book to sink into and great conversation and laughter with family and friends and think I will put on my new Daisy Duck shirt in honor of women all over the world, for it was not only Donald or Mickey who increased the fortunes of Disney. All the mommas, aunts, grandmothers, who shlepped the kids to Disney, wiped their mouths from the overpriced ice cream, handled their whining, tired after a day of incredible walking, all of them deserve mention and reward. So do all the women of the world who keep this world going, steadying it after the ruinous activities of men as they jockey for power. Women keep things on as even a keel as possible against all odds and difficulties. Women are usually the ones left behind, battered as weapons of war, victims of aggression, and always the ones holding their dead or dying child, yet another victim of man's stupidity and cupidity. So Daisy Duck it is.

Seriously, we must remember to find joy in life so that we can gather strength to fight the wrongs and maintain humanity. Lord of the Flies? Perhaps. Quite likely, but insensitivity, inhumanity, and other ills of mankind can be challenged and that is the job of all humanity. Hmmm, what are the chances?