wAItinG WAITING waiting wAiTiNg

 Remember the PSA contribution of an iconic egg being cracked open and fried? Well, that is kind of how one feels now within my circle of friends and family. Only in this instance we are talking about the stress related fractures of mind as we wait, one and all, for emails, texts and calls. How is Yitzy today? How is he now, two hours after treatment? What about now, a day later? What about what will be in another week, month, year? How do we get through this eternal blasted waiting?  

How do we survive the stress and most important, how do we help Yitzy wait. Wait for another treatment. Wait for another week, month, day after day, to go by as he awaits a hoped for resumption of the life any 12-year-old boy wants. The thoughts of another year before high school. The thoughts of camps and baseball league, ice hockey, more birding and Nature walks, more responsibilities and more privileges. 

Waiting and waiting and waiting and along with him all the other blessed friends and family who have reached out, added their own prayers and hopes, their good will and love. The massive power of that wave of energy and concern must have an effect, must influence recovery, for how could it not? Moreover, that wave will be constantly, consistently refreshed, enlarged, renewed until that wonderful day of these words spoken -go forth and live your life, the life of any 12 year old. 

Waiting. Waiting.  Waiting.

  During that time, we will also be waitng another miracle - the return of amity, comity, brotherhood, true patriotism, faith in our fellow inhabitants of this troubled whirling orb we live on. Waiting to assure that all 12-year-old kids, those younger, those older, all children of all nations, ethnicity, skin color, religion, whatever divides us now, that all that matters not at all. Only the recognition that we all share the same hopes and dreams for all our kids. Actually, there is no time to waste, no more waiting but rather an active search for the right path to follow, to lead the way, to light up that wonderful, hopeful, highway for all these kids.

I want Yitzy to walk out of the hospital or doctor visit one day, soon, and hear those beautiful lifegiving sun drenched words of cure, hope, and "get out of here and live life!"

And so, we wait. Wait for that call. Wait for that contact. Wait for those words. Wait for that wave to conquer all in its path, mandate a cure, for Yitzy and for all kids afflicted with what they should never have to know. Waiting for the idiots in Washington, the idiots in every political and religious sector of this country, indeed, all countries, to wake up and prioritize correctly, know the best world for our kids is to make sure that we address their needs, their futures rife with potential, and simply allow them the chance grow up! 

No more time for waiting.

And yet we will continue to wait as long as we must for Yitzy.

We will wait.

We will wait as long as it takes.

waitingwaitingwaitingwaiting

I grow impatient. I grow angrier that we waste so much energy on nonsense, on negativity, when there are so many more fundamental issues calling for attention.

Waiting. Waiting - for grownups to be grown up.

Waiting for kids to be kids.

Waiting for goodness and love to overrun, swamp the hate, the enmity, the perversion of religion.

Waiting for Yitzy to be able to run free, play baseball again, be the beloved annoying little brother, the caring uncle, the loving son, the adored grandson.

And so we wait.

SCALES AND SUCH

  For most of us, the scales we abhor, avoid as best we can, are the scales found in medical offices. Yes, those dreaded weight scales for which we prepare. Wearing the lightest weight clothing we possess. Ridding our pockets of everything- up to and including the lint - lol. However, while devoting so much time and energy on our physical weight, we leave another weight behind.

We too often forget - on purpose or not - the weight upon our shoulders and souls. Have we watched our behavior as carefully as we watch our food intake? Do we carry around a teeny tiny scale as some do so as to weigh food portions? Do we carry a small notebook which contains calorie listings - or one listing the egregiousness scale of misdeeds? Do we ever check up on our personal values checklist, our balance outstanding or credit awaiting, or do we only check bank and stock accounts, property and wealth accumulated? On what do we emphasize? Which is the weight we most dread and/or value?

Unfortunately, most of us, and I include myself in this category, not proud of it, pay attention to the one more easily seen, evaluated and addressed. The one of lesser pain and importance. We forget our souls, our humanity, our connection to others which must be nurtured. Instead, we forge straight ahead, often blind to that which we leave behind in the detritus of life. Until we are forced to do otherwise.

It takes a great shock to the system, enough force, high on the gravitas scale, to push us to do the right thing, the hard thing, and be honest with ourselves. We finally take stock in the newly increased moments of introspection. We scour our past, near and far, cringing or sighing in relief as we dredge the most innermost depths of heart and soul. At times it takes the acts of another, better acts, a stronger person, to push us over the line, to impel us to at least try to be better, to remember the true values of life, those that fall into the temporary list and those we take with us, on every journey taken.

There are days I cringe while recalling a moment of shame - where I said or did something with a too sharp blade, perhaps not rephrasing in a softer manner. I cringe at the moments where I could have, should have, been a better person - and was not. Not because I think I am a bad person, but because there are moments when it is so hard to do the right thing, to find the right words, to ignore the difficulty and awkwardness, fear our own inadequacy for the moment confronting us. And so, we do nothing, allowing time and distance to push the sharpness of that knowledge away.

Until, like it or not, it rises up to smack us in the face, ignorable no longer. Since Monday when we received the shocker information that our youngest grandchild, my baby grandson as I tease him, had been struck by cancer. Yes, we knew there are new methods, new targeted drugs, new techniques, greater hopes for full recovery. Yes, we knew, and our hearts overflowed at the outpouring of love, of desire to help, to give comfort. Nor did it matter if they were Jewish or of another n religion or no religion. It mattered not if they were old friends or new, part of the past or present.

Of importance was their strong desire to help, to ease, anything in their power to make a terrible situation better, more hopeful, to let us know that our little boy, our family, were not alone. And it was yesterday that something came home to roost, a most uncomfortable something, and I bowed, and still bow, before the courage and goodness of this person, this old friend, whom I had failed in that moment of grief and need.

This person had an awful moment of grief, a grief that will never end. I sent a small note, meaning to follow up with a longer conversation or exchange of feelings, to proffer as best I could any iota of comfort in a most uncomfortable situation. Not knowing the words to say, I said none at all. Time elapsed, the discomfort grew, along with guilt and shame. It became a burr in my soul that was constantly inflicting pain and hurt, yet I could see no way out, no positive way. 

Yesterday, among the myriad phone calls, emails, Facebook messages, the overwhelming huge volume of words of comfort and love, the phone rang. I could not believe my eyes. Hesitatingly, with great trepidation, I answered. And there was the voice of an old friend, a voice I had cut off because my own was inadequate. 

And so, I bowed before this person, so much stronger than I, so much better. I was forgiven even as I could not forgive myself.

Yes, it was a moment of evaluation, a moment for weighing the values, the true values. I hope, I pray, I promise this person that I will do better, will try not to fail anyone else in their moment of need. I only hope I can live up to this person's example.

Thank you all for the outpouring of love, of friendship, of good will and prayers. There are literally thousands of people all around the world adding their voices to the voices of others, pleading, praying, hoping, urging for the healing of this little boy, facing a man's challenge.

Thank you.

Inadequate yet again, yet my heart overfloweth.

THE DAY AFTER THE DAY AFTER

   And so it begins. Port installed, chemo to begin and an entire army of professionals, friends, families, and caring strangers, all armed in heart, soul, and skill to bring this beloved, treasure of a boy back home. As good as new - no, better than new. Stronger, braver, more confident, with a deeper faith and trust in the power of goodness and prayer. The prayers of literally hundreds, if not thousands, already invested in Yitzy's to be triumphant war with cancer.  The combined power of all those prayers and Psalms, recited 24/7 amounts to a huge ball of the power of faith in the eventual victorious combat with cancer, whatever it throws at us.

Yitzy has a great deal to offer this world, a bright future ahead of him, a golden boy who will become a golden man. He is that special, a boy on the verge of manhood, a tough hand dealt to him. Nevertheless, it will be a positive outcome. Those damned cells cannot possibly withstand all the anger, the intent to disappear it all.  

The day after the day after will surely transition into the week after the week, the month after the month, the year after the year, until the day after the day after we have been told of a complete cure.

Please hang in there with us, all of the kind and wonderful people who have sent goodness and hope our way as well as useful information and advice from their own successful combat with cancer. Stay with us, keep in contact, read about the war being waged, cry and laugh with us.

It takes a village, it is said - well, welcome to our village, the best in the world.

Yihye Tov.

It will be good.

THIS MORNING

 This morning is different. This morning despite sunrise there will be no sun for me. For days and months to follow. This morning has shaken my world, awaking to remember after two glorious minutes of peace, what happened yesterday. Yesterday has changed all the mornings of the rest of my life. More important, the mornings of a 12-year-old struck with what should never be.

Yesterday we were surprised at the visit of a daughter and son in-law for a business reason - or so we thought. Only after they were settled in, hugs and kisses exchanged, were we told there was someone on screen for us. Seeing it was my son, I smiled, only to have that smile break, shatter, at the sight of my youngest. His world had evidently collapsed. While I waited for him to compose himself, the worries, the fears ran rampant through my heart and mind to my very core. So I waited, me, Gerry, Roni and Michael, the faces of Roni and Michael betraying a hint of what was to be. 

I waited. And then wished the day's sunrise had never been. Wished that I could turn back the clock. Wished that I could even understand how terrible my world had become. My heart was shaking, beating, faster than ever before. And then my world changed forever. My youngest grandchild, my sweet boy of 12, to be bar mitzva in May, the boy with all the blessings we thought G-d could confer, my sweet baby grandson, so tender with his new baby nephew and the responsibility to be a role model for him, had been diagnosed with cancer. 

NOOOOOOO!!!!!!!

NOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!

NOOOOOOOOO!!!!

And into that black hole of despair, anger, bewilderment, horror, disbelief, and desperate love, came all the worlds of family and friends who reached out, within seconds of getting the unthinkable, yet so real, news. All hands and hearts tuned to the same frequency; all tuned to the same responses. All thinking, pleading, making deals with G-d as the oft repeated words of daily prayer came to mind. Now imbued with all too real emotion and purpose.

 Heal us, Hashem, then we will be healed; save us, then we will be saved; for You are our praise. Bring complete recovery for all our ailments, for You are Hashem, King, the faithful and compassionate Healer. Blessed are You, Hashem, Who heals the sick of His people Israel.”

 No more words said in habitual hurried recitation as work and plans awaited completion of prayers. No, for now each and every word now weighed in heavier than ever. The words were highlighted in our souls, burned there forever. The weight of multiple shattered lives and hopeful hearts, the young, shiny face of a sweet golden boy - will it be enough to endow the healing fingers doctors now assembled in a plan of massed and massive attack on the enemy, even as we turn to our ally above.  

 I pray.

I hope.

I cry.

Please join us as we pray for the healing of a wonderful child well on the way to becoming a young man, beloved by so may, one of the shining stars of the firmament.

Yitzchak Elimelech ben Chanah Sarah.

I cry again.

I try to hold my world together so I can be a help to others rather than a burden.

Let words of love and hope surround this child, bless him, protect him from Evil, from sickness, and allow him to grow up and contribute to a world so needy, so desperate for help.

Let us all join hands, hearts, and voices, put aside hate, and anger - at least for a time. May only goodness surround Yitzy - now and forever more.

May the broken hearts of mother, father, sisters and brothers, grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins and friends carry enough weight and volume to accompany Yitzy on the challenging road ahead, to a full and complete recovery. 

MEANWHILE, BACK AT THE RANCH...

  The ranch being us, Century Village West Palm Beach, just what is going on here these days. It certainly behooves us well to know, understand and speak up re items and issues which concern us in a very real way. If we keep quiet about them, give forth no idea as to what we think, then we are at fault. Allowing others to ride roughshod over us, paying attention to us only at election times, well, shame on us.

An important issue right now, immediately upon us, is whether we are literally going to allow our 'ranch' to drown, dive under water every time there is a rain more than a shower. G-d alone knows the extent of damage that we could and would incur from a hurricane! And yet plans are ongoing which would greatly affect our very lives here, our homes here, and, as usual, we are being kept in the dark, fobbed off every time we ask questions. These questions apparently have no answers for us, at least under the present administration of UCO.  However, we will not allow our ranch here to be literally sold downriver! Not again. 

For years a small committee fought the brave fight against the planned overdevelopment of the former golf course sold out from under us by Levy. With dire consequences of which we only became aware when it was too late. Golf's Edge buildings were literally fenced in and a road into the very heart of the Village was now deemed not our property!! Waldman got his blood money and we got nothing - other than a threat to our lives here.

Toxic earth. Flood waters due to a huge deficit of land to absorb the rain waters. Concrete simply does not allow that to happen, but water seeks its own level -and the nearest 'level' would be the land abutting the former golf course, possibly, very likely, causing flooding there. Toxic dust in the air, flooding water running into first floor apartments, flooding our roads, which have crappy drainage already, and wow! Such a lovely picture. 

Now we are told that there are negotiations going on re the very same issue of drainage. We had been falsely led to believe that the builders would have to find a different path, another outlet - but NOT us. Yet here we are - negotiating. 

For what exactly? Where are the details so we can absorb, think, make feelings known - but as usual, this will be rammed down our throats, no time to review. There we are, pants down, holding on to the short end. Again! Answers? Anyone? Someone? Nope. thought so - and we get shafted again. This time quite possibly mortally wounded.

There are so very many reasons why we have reached this point. There are many other pressing matters here in the Village. But first, we must address the life or death issue which could literally strike a death blow to our Village. 

Time for a change. Immediate. Pressing. Existential. Full transparent process and disclosure. Nothing more and nothing less.

So, David, UCO officers, candidates for positions, where do we stand in these negotiations? What is up for grabs and consequences? Is there compensatory funding to pay for what is necessary -and beyond? What funds are in play? Is it more than enough and fair and safe for us? And hey, why not demand purchase of the Clubhouse for us? LOL? Maybe, but a gal can dream.

Time for truth.

WHO'S WHO IN THE ZOO

  The title has a ring to it, does it not? Reminds me of Dr. Seuss's Put Me in the Zoo, banned for nonsensical reasons, withdrawn. Deemed racist. Not quite sure why, this was a favorite of my children and grandchildren, a beloved book. My oldest grandchild taught himself to read using that very book, at 18 months and he is one of the most nonprejudiced indviduals I have ever met. Go figure!

However, the title phrase, just getting acquainted with it, was used to describe a scene of confusion which needed sorting out. Zoo has always been the go-to term to describe a scene of chaos lacking good, calm, behavior with sensible thinking. The characters in such a "zoo" definitely need sorting out if order and sense are to be established. 

It is most unfortunate when a country, its state of the union, definitely grows ever closer to the epitome of said 'zoo'. Most definitely, its inhabitants need sorting out, particularly when the supposed leaders are foolish, nasty, cynical, cowardly, devious, and disloyal to their constituents and the very idea and practice of true democracy. 

It takes place when every precept of a democratic country is violated, from the very right to "life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness", to growing limitations on voting rights and accessibility to polls, to manipulations of the system so as to insure dominance, to interference with voters. A most frightening trait, in my eyes, validated through a bloody history attached to it, is the planned imposition one religion, the state religion, the approved one, with all else falling into second, third, not worthy of anything, places. The social safety net and a philosophy to look out for all within the nation, including environmental protective laws are shredded.

Folks, we are presently living in an almost completed new zoo, right here in our own backyards, front yards, even within the walls of institutions which once stood for democracy, now become sad jokes, wreckers of that very same democracy, promoting instead, with great enthusiasm, theocracy, represson and suppression, a nasty zoo indeed. Getting nastier by the day. By the hour. Our America. Not for much longer.

Chief Justice of the Supreme Court Roberts meets with a Christian nationalist, who espouses this view:" ...that the problems facing the U.S. were because Christians had failed to take authority in the country.... I sincerely pray God will speak into his life and through his decisions every day that he serves," 

When religion comes into the room, there is less room for others, less oxygenated air to breathe, the future freedom to worship growing in uncertainty. 

 'like-minded families who desire to see the Jesus of the Bible represented in today’s culture with the same relevance and impact He had 2000 years ago,"

"For the past 10 months, the 'He Gets Us' ads have shown up on billboards, YouTube channels, and television screens — most recently during NFL playoff games — across the country, all spreading the message that Jesus understands the human condition,". The ad shows pictures overlaid with text like "Jesus called huddles, too," 

When Christian values other than moral ones, those part and parcel of all good people, of whatever religion or none at all, are presented as belonging only to that religion, demeaning all others as somehow flawed, well, again, history has shown the bloodshed that walks hand in hand with it. I have no problem with those who follow Jesus as he espoused primary Judaic beliefs, and was born, lived and died as a Jew. However, I do not believe in his divinity nor role as the messiah, nor should I therefore be deemed as a lesser being needful of reeducation and reformation. Like it or not. Too many people have been there, done that, on both sides and it is so wrong that we now allow this dangerous doctrine to once again rear its ugly head.

When the Archbishop who heads the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops announces and pronounces, stepping heavy footed into State affairs, there is danger ahead. Separation of Church and State is a line not to be crossed for the sake of all. What follows, in our special Zoo is the gone viral portrait of a library in benighted Florida under the tyranny of neofascist DeSantis, stripped bare of books - shelves naked. Gone is the literature, the philosophy the astonishing advances, the values so hard to come by, problems we faced together, solutions we all shared. No more expansion of minds and horizons. No more joy of reading, of creativity.  Think not? Think Never? Not in this country? I refer you back to that naked library and the so many others who follow.

When this is a question on the NYS Regents, I worry, I cringe, I fear.

"The question shows three maps of Israel starting from 1947 when Israel declared its independence as a Jewish state, in 1949 after the Arab-Israeli war that gave Jordan control of eastern Jerusalem and the East Bank, with Egypt controlling Gaza and, finally, a map from 2017 showing the changes after Israel annexed Jerusalem in 1908, according to the letter. Respondents were given four options to answer: “Zionists and Jewish immigrants,” “the government of Jordan,” “Palestinian nationalists” and “the citizens of Lebanon.”

This, in America, the Goldeneh Medina, where all is possible. 

Maybe. 

Maybe Not. 

"DON'T STOP"

  So sings the group Journey in their record breaking iconic hit, "Don't Stop Believing". It is part of the mantra of life - supposedly - in today's America. Perhaps, yes, it is one of my favorites; however, there are other songs being sung, or simply words being spoken, which carry their own dark iconic, shameful views and instigations. Rather than turn people to the possible in the good sense, these other words turn to the negative.

Outrageous conspiracy theories, rabid attacks and accusations, are the tricks of their trade. Sheer nonsense so dumb that a preschooler would   recognize it as such, smell its demonic sulfur odor, the falsehood, it makes no never mind. These deluded, emptyheaded critters seeking something to make them feel better, to excuse their errors in life, go right along with it. Three years after the outrageous insurrection of J6, the shocking - though was it really a shock - fact that so many of the government, of Capitol Hill, supported, encouraged and even helped plan and shepherd the criminal treasonous behavior.

And in these troubled times, we meet once again with the oldest trope of history. The accusations which fall upon the Jewish people, their 'guilt and complicity' in all the evils of the world, and its ugliness, just keep a comin' and a growin' no end in sight. Worse, it has become a "thing" to be admired and be part of, the more outrageous the accusation, the better. Even an ex-president engages in antisemitic tropes on his vitriolic platform. 

Now we find that the definition of antisemitism as stated in the IHRA has been deemed incorrect, for it includes this:  "Drawing comparisons of contemporary Israel policy to that of the Nazis" and "Holding Jews collectively responsible for the actions of the state of Israel," 

 Certainly, any true Jew hater knows that Israel is a great substitute for allowable PC antisemitism, so what the hell. This from the ABA, the national organization of lawyers. Those supposed to uphold the law, keep it both legal and moral. Or are they joining those of the legal field who cooperated with the vicious antisemitic laws characterized by the Nuremberg Laws of Hitler and the German nation.           Shame on them and a stark warning to us.

Don't stop believing in the good of people, as Anne Frank wrote, but we must be aware and ready. We must, all of us, Jew and non-Jew alike speak up. The hate begins with the Jews but does not end there. That in and of itself, is a form of self-preservation, for think not that you and yours are immune, that by exercising your hate, inciting, inflicting it upon others, will save you.

 IT. WILL. NOT. 

So - for yourself. 

For others.

For the future.

Stand up.

Speak up.

Shout out.

Resist the haters.

"THIS CAN'T BE REAL"

 Most unfortunately, it is too real. What is a more frightening reality is that the present reality is devolving in leaps and bounds backwards, and where it stops? Frankly, that stopping point may not exist and if that does not make the hairs of your neck and arms stand straight up, well, read on.

The reality today is deeply disturbing. Battles long ago thought won, or edging closer, are now way back, forfeiting gains, moving back centuries in outlook and demands. There is no longer any room to stand aside, claim neutrality. This has now become a fight for our lives in so many ways. Threats explicit and implicit. Literally and figuratively. To stand aside is to declare oneself on the side of darkness, of tyranny, of backwards thinking so very close to literally destroying our country. 

We are facing an ever steeper uphill battle and there is no time to waste. Our government is imploding and exploding before our very astonished and despairing eyes. It has become a terrible joke, with the tragic farce GOP determined to eat away from within, make a mockery of our institutions, defy all progress made and wreak their perverted revenge on all opposing, even to the point of self-consumption-an event greatly to be desired. However, in the meanwhile we literally have no one at the helm. The pathetic jokes they send along to impersonate stalwart captains are less than useless as well as dangerous.

Read and weep - or I hope you do, for if you cheer or shrug shoulders, well, the outlook grows dimmer and darker, to the point of no return. That point looms ever larger before us. 

A meeting of the House Judiciary committee becomes a sad, pathetic, dangerous omen, a signal to us that we can expect naught but bad from the present House and Senate situation. Leaders who signed on to the rebellion of J6 are now running the country. The bloodstains of the wounded and dead, of a nation betrayed and mortally wounded, mark their souls. The list of targets grows daily, and the cuts made to these victims are deep indeed. 

Women are a particular favorite target of these Neanderthals. Not satisfied with their victory re the right to choose, the larger right of women to control their own bodies, make their own health decisions, these stalwart warriors now make war on the clothing of women, joining the Taliban in growing restrictions placed upon women. What they can wear, when they can wear, measurements of clothing -and what, soon a reinforcing brigade so happy to find and punish women wearing a dress two inches above the knee or gasp!! exposing their elbows!!!! How have we reached the point, when a second State House imposes very restrictive dress codes on women. Next up? Burkas anyone? Women as chattel, as enslaved, legally, socially, materially, as any slave ever was. 

Trump threatens to rally his troops again, " a call to his supporters to get “locked and loaded” and “physically fight”.                                                                                                   Does it ever end, this constant clarion call for violence, this threat to overturn the government -in the open! When does this man face judgement day, get shipped off to a lifetime in prison? We need to have that happen -soon. Along with him must go his enablers, coconspirators, and those clearly unqualified to hold office, patently, obviously, moronic - dangerously so- Greene, Gaetz, Boebert, Santos, no shortage here.

All the above are signs of a major shift in political outlook of a nation. It all signals a growing trend to tyranny, a coopting of people, their shattered minds and lost souls. Along with these signs come the worst, the eternal. The approved display of bias, of virulent hatred. Legal restrictions, legal persecution, targeted violence and blame and name calling. Restrictions upon "undesirables", abandonment by the law, and finally, treatment as less than human, unworthy of anything but slavery, cruelty and death. 

 The target group -Jews.

I am so very tired, so very desperate to put an end to this growing hatred, the growing use of Jewish very uncomplimentary, to say the least, stereotypes placed upon Jews, the complicity of Big Media, with Netflix a HUGE violator and instigator, along with the Judenrat Jews who turn on their fellow Jews, desert all values and proper morality, for  the sake of fame and fortune and a smile from their oppressors and vehement haters.

 Read the following article -  Google it or type it in and cry along with me.  And then cancel Netflix. You can live without it. Make a point and hit them where it hurts - in their corporate pocket. 

Netflix Hit 'You People' Branded 'Horribly Damaging' to Jewish People

Story by Ryan Smith • 

BAKHMUT HOLDS

  If you are like me, once you never knew there was such a place as Bakhmut and why should you. It was a small place of 70,000 or so population, a city where people went about their business, just like you and me. While I knew much about historical Ukraine, given the history of my people and my family, modern Ukraine was a place on the map and in the Russian area. Today, well, today we have different times and different needs and different values - or are they truly different values?

Bakhmut holds. Against a torrent of never-ending artillery. As wave after wave of men, freed from Russian jails, a misery all by itself, to come and fight, perhaps even live, on the front line with Ukraine. A brutal repetition of the wars of old where the biggest weapon one had was the people one could throw at them, to charge, to die, perhaps gain a yard or two. 

From time immemorial through the Greeks and Romans and Vikings, the British, the French, the bloody trench warfare of WWI, the prior battles memorialized by the Charge of the Light Brigade and the sentiment of "Ours but to do or die". Hungary sent waves of Jewish prisoners against minefields and enemy forces, the Chinese sent waves of their own in Korea and see how far we have come in our 'civilized progress'!

Look in the mirror and feel the shame of humanity.

In fact, we have been ever so busy turning back the clock, returning not to the days of old glorified by the Lone Ranger and Tonto, but to the days of death, of stinking, ash filled air, of bones gritty beneath one's feet, of starvation and brutality, a nightmare world, unreal, yet ever so real. A world to which too many now wish to return, a world which we are beginning, actually more than beginning, to emulate in the most perverted return to the past as ever seen before.

Evidently, the idea of concentration camps has never lost its appeal. Through all the area wars. Bosnia, Kosovo, etc., etc., - and ain't that a blot on humanity - the concentration camp has never lost its appeal or place, front and center. Today, time and sickening time again, Jews are threatened with a return to those 'glory, bloody' days of yore. The brutality. The bloodshed. The inhumanity. The viciousness. The pervasive horror and fear. 

So ... the fourth time that antisemites have strewn pages of hate in the driveways of Jews right here in Palm Beach County. Countless synagogues across the country have been defaced. Scarce funds are being expended on defensive measures such as bollards and armed security guards. Jews are attacked and cursed in the streets -and killed where they pray.

Not to worry, I am told. It cannot happen here. We are different. Really? Same difference as far as I can see. In the camps, the Nazis used other prisoners as the first line of attack upon the Jewish prisoners. These Kapos were brutal beyond words. To keep their privileges, to remain alive. Today, we have Black on Black in a brutal never ever justifiable beating unto death - by our own "kapos", who spoil the barrel for the dedicated law enforcement personnel who are not Kapos. How long do you think it would take to either change minds, co-opt them, or replace them with willing substitutes. Not very long at all. The line forms to the left and curls around ten blocks down. Think not, think never, - think again. And again.

 Today the country is ever so busy replacing officials in political offices, governmental workers are facing job insecurity and discomfort, freedom of speech has become quite selective and discriminating, educational areas, from universities to the preschool are rapidly being attacked or 'reformed' - you take your pick! New political outlook, new policies, censoring all thoughts not considered acceptable by those newly empowered. Truth has nothing to do with it at all.

Perhaps some things are terrible enough to censor, deserving of it. Perhaps. Here are two interesting facts and statements. You choose the one you want to censor, if any. You see if you agree with any of it. 

You see yourself in your choices.

Bysheim was arrested by Atlantis Police on Jan. 21 for obstructing a law enforcement officer without violence after receiving a littering citation for “throwing antisemitic hate speech flyers” on residents’ lawns,"

" ...telling a Bucks County school librarian to take down posters with a famous quote by Elie Wiesel, the Nobel Peace Prize winning human rights activist, professor, and Holocaust survivor, just days before Holocaust Remembrance Day. 

“I swore never to be silent whenever and wherever human beings endure suffering and humiliation. We must always take sides. Neutrality helps the oppressor, never the victim. Silence encourages the tormentor, never the tormented,” Wiesel said.

Evil succeeds when good people are silent.

Bakhmut must continue to hold - in so many meanings, in so many contexts.

IN THE SAME SEAT

 The picture has gone viral. A new flight attendant sat in the aisle beside a frightened passenger as the plane experienced turbulence. A major kind action, particularly as we have read of so many hostile confrontations between flight attendant and passenger of late. A breath of fresh air and a reminder that there are kind people out there, just a bit more difficult to find.

Saturday night I ran into both types. One was the uncaring professional who seemingly could not handle the discomfort of one person along with the discomfort of another. Prioritizing in her mind, maybe, but that does not mean to ignore. A second to reassure one that her pain and discomfort are acknowledged goes a loooong way. Ignoring, cold shouldering - uh uh. Not in any way. For those of us who have made it into the ER for one reason or another, we know the frustration of being ignored, unseen, invisible, of no account. To then be told that an xray of a battered joint would take another two hours, already in the middle of the night, already there for over two hours, well, time to go home. Time to take care of myself until office hours on Monday. And so I did and so we are doing as we trudge slowly through the medical process. Please note that the quickest one to report to my room was the person in charge of getting my insurance info before I left. Says something! 

As I waited for Gerry to bring the car around, a lovely young woman noticed me standing there kind of lopsided and brought over her hair so I could sit. She did not know, how could she, that sitting was even more painful than standing, but sitting was definitely safer. She did not know me from Adam nor Eve yet did a kindness for a stranger. When I thanked her, she said, "It was nothing. Kindness doesn't cost."

She was right, is right, but so few among us acknowledge that or could care less. We live in our own world where we are center, the focus of all within that circle. When we lose that attention, well, we revert to the infant and toddler stages of life. Not pretty at all. That bit of unexpected small act of kindness goes a long way to calming, soothing, and letting one know that invisibility isn't the issue but rather willingly blinded eyes and uncaring heart, poor professionalism at the very least.

Apparently, we have all devolved in recent years, straight back to our SEE ME stages of life. We think that we are the 'right' ones, our opinions the valid ones. Our thoughts the proper ones, our philosophy of life the way to go. We forget there are forget there are other viewpoints, equally valid, and bury, way down deep, the necessity to parry and debate, to compromise and legislate fairly, to move forward rather than backwards.

We need to hear and understand and apply the words of that very kind flight attendant. We need to internalize the philosophy, so simple, and then maybe, maybe, we could even get to the point where we can be civil with each other and work together to unravel the Gordian knot we have made of it all.

"As a flight attendant, you set the tone," Dean-Shannon was quoted saying on Delta's website. "As a passenger, I would want to be treated the same way. I have to remember; I was in that seat, too."

We all share seats on this voyage through life. The earlier we recall that fact and act upon it, the better off we will be.

APOLOGIES

  Apologies. managed a posting yesterday, but today the aches are too great. Took a bad fall Saturday nite and today is far worse than Sunday. So....taking a day off to rest, sleep, ice, heat, whatever works to ease the pains. Seeing a doctors re the same issue! I hope.

See you tomorrow with a blog posting and a day that will begin better than today's!

DOABLE, POSSIBLE, HAPPENING EVERY DAY,

   ... Or have we found ourselves part of the battle of priorities of the world. We have become so busy injecting hot air into circles of concern, that we overlook the importance of the words meant for this occasion - Holocaust Remembrance Day. We have juggled emotions, historical trends and movements, paths of history so clearly distinguishable from surrounding contextual areas. 

So we watch and recall. Remember. Revisit. Re- interpret. Repatch. Refuse to see the differences between this atrocity and similar ones, try to re-equate the impossible to equate events, reposted variables. What's more, this is all done with a tear on the face and a song of anguish and terror. This approach is downward moving, and its path harmful, massively so. We must ask, rethink anew, our set of scales, and finetune the balances of and nearby humanity. Sorry, folks.  We all try to repaint and repurpose the colors chosen in order to emphasize contact, paint our priorities with a larger, more powerful brush. We try to increase its impact on the community. And we all find that comparing our dinner plates to those of Chinese children is not a very productive action. In fact, trying to make one's own tragedy larger is so definitely NOT the way to move forward. Not at all.

 Voltaire said that man must spend his life regretting all the good he has not done. Think about that. We must remember a closed fan has no purpose, no positive movement. Let us emphasize that which must be done, the truth, and forget the nonverbal imports of entries never done.

Good or bad. 

We must own up. 

We must move forward. 

Always and forever.

We must.

THERE CAN BE MIRACLES

  Last night was amazing. It appeared that one of the miracles Whitney Houston said could happen, did happen. There she was, on stage, singing with all her might and talent. The audience was silent, mesmerized, time and time again until it collectively, gave roaring standing ovations to one song after another. Yes, it seems miracles can be part of life.

Now not to worry, I am not delusional, for yes, unfortunately, Whitney Houston died a terrible death after too many awful years. She could not seem to wrest herself permanently from an abusive husband, loved him too greatly for her own sake and fell victim to depression, hopelessness, and despair. Unlike Tina Turner, she could not pull herself together long enough, deep enough, to save herself. However, the message she left behind, the theme of the songs in which she shared her hopes and heartbreak, remains strong. Presenters such as last night's Belinda Davids keep it alive.

The heartbreak of these songs are the heartaches of all of us. The pains with "every beat" of her heart ring through, loud and clear, and we wonder just what happened? Where has the love gone in today's world? How did we forget who we were as children, life generally sweeter, less oppressive, more smiles on faces than frowns. We participated in life rather than remain on the side, the shoulder of life rather than the path we need to take, are meant to take if life is to fulfill the promise it holds for each and every one of us.

At one point in her career Whitney sang of the "greatest love", that which is found within oneself, one that allows our self-esteem a healthy life, gives us encouragement, courage, to go on, to trust oneself. To "be free". Only with that trust can we move forward on a steady path with the strength to go on despite the odds seemingly against that possibility. If only she had taken her own advice; but she did not.

Instead, she lingered in a relationship of abusive nature rather than the loving, caring one she so desperately sought. In the wrong place - the wrong man. Always she sang of the pain this 'love' inflicted upon her. She was nothing without that love, a true love. That never happened, yet she clung to the hope of it, the illusion of it, declared herself broken, shattered, nothing, without that person's love - a love never true nor beneficial, a false love, hurtful, demeaning and poisonous. 

As I listened to the beautiful voice of Ms. Davids, I thought of the waning presence of true love in this world. So many, too many, of the people of this world are without love. They are threatened, beaten, their needs ignored, enslaved, the targets of hatred, inimical to all. We confuse love with acquiescence to demands, that we change to fit those square holes. That we all become the 'supporters', a "base'" for others, never for ourselves -never a good place to be.

I listened and thought how blessed I am in my life. Never mind petty childhood spats of siblings or an occasional scolding by a parent, or a tense discussion with a friend. If we have a circle of family, by blood or by love, crafted, if we have that then much fades into the background, little things of no account.

Unfortunately, in today's world the blessing of true family, of any composition, beneficial and supportive, is a blessing more noticed in its absence than its presence. Today the stories of humanity are rife, rotten, with spilled blood, with hatred vile and vicious, of 'others', whatever one's definition of that 'other' is. We appear to value and stress hatred, refusing to accept the humanity of all, particularly if that other appears to be different than you.

Whitney asked of her audiences, asked of her loved ones, "Don't you want to dance with somebody"? Always there is that need, that longing for a partner, for a trusted being, someone, to share life itself, its joys and tribulations. Well, we all need to dance at times, even if we dance with the "greatest love of all" - our own strong, worthy inner souls.

If we recognize the need fora better side of humanity, if we take a giant step back from where we are now, morph that step back into a step forward, a giant, confident one, forward to a better place where we can all "be free", then we can certainly dance with all.

One day we will realize there are no capitalized people - no White, no Black, no Red, no Yellow, no Trans, no LGBTQ+, no separation, simply people. Let us rejoice in that knowledge and act upon it. Back that cake, serve the customer, treat the patient, respect all - and dance together.

SQUAWK, SQUEAK, SQUAWK, SQUREEECH!

  

Those are the sounds emanating from an excited posting, a transmission of the latest news from Planet Earth to the rest of the waiting galaxy. All agog at the latest human shenanigans, bets are increasing in amount and number, odds changing in minutes, seconds even. Will the entity known as the USA survive, intact for the most part, or will it collapse of its own weight, stressed by lies, more lies, stupidity, greed, and sheer carelessness as players refuse to do their jobs, fulfill responsibilities.

Too busy, they say. What are they busy with? Sniping and biting each other, snapping at heels, and tripping over their own tongues. Goose and gander are seemingly not equal in misdeeds as excuses from the land of Nod are thrown into play. Adults behave as children and the children? They shake their heads, puzzled by the so blatant, obvious, misbehavior of these selfsame adults. Their conclusions circle the core of a plot conspiracy, a human undertaking of suppression of ET rights to visit Earth, to mix with earthlings, to create ties of economy and shared concerns, to expand exponentiality the possibilities for advancement, a positive synergy of the best of all civilizations. How else to explain the daily insanity.

The sages of the Council of Planets scratch their varied heads as they simply feel that such egregiously outlandish behavior by the humans must have a purpose, an underlying reasoning. What that is, is yet to be unveiled, to be explained and understood, validated - if at all possible. The problem is exacerbated greatly when the discussion turns to debate re a proper response, a sane, logical exchange of data, thoughts, philosophies, between the cultures. The tension rises as we meet a growing difficulty in understanding our own selves, let alone trying, succeeding, to find the words to clear up any confusion on the part of the ETs.

You can't make this up, one segment shouts. Others plug for nefarious thinking and plans on the part of the humans. Yet another splinter group maintains that we need to shut the door on communications at this point. Humans are obviously suffering from some long lingering infection, contagious, harmful, and generally affecting the thinking process within the strange minds of humans. In fact, the level of concern grows as questions are raised re the possible contagiousness of this infection, for can it be transmitted to the ET world? How could they possibly know how to deal with the lies of a Greene, of deniers of truth such as McCarthy, of cowards like Cruz, of nonentities like Mast, the vile hatreds of the right wing of the GOP, of whatever the hell that man, Trump, is? How do they focus on the most important if they cannot explain nor understand the issues nor the truth, if any - beneath the bizarre behavior of these strange beings, humans. They themselves appear to puzzle their own selves. Lies, vitriol, anger, determination to stymie progress and even bring the government down, no logic, at least in the minds of the ETs. No sense at all.

Several participants in the Council of Planets are quietly walking out on these discussions. They feel there is no use for they cannot ever understand such improbable self-harming behavior and thinking -and, in fact, never wish to do so at all. Others begin to follow, and the Conference closes the door on contact, open and free, between humans and ETs at this point. Perhaps in another millennium it will be better. Perhaps. There is plenty of time. 

Thus, the growing and then disappearing stories of spaceships in the sky, of strange looking bipedal beings most definitely not your average looking human, of contact with 'weirdos'.  Nope, humans have blown it again, been denied the progress that could have been achieved. 

Will they ever learn? Will they ever stop tampering with truth and reality? With recognition of the humanity of all, with a recognized personhood of ETs, creating a safe environment? 

A pipe dream or a true possibility? 

Big shoes to fill. 

A rocky path to follow.

Sanity required.

SQUAWK......

"MILES AND MILES OF NOUGHT" JAN. 27TH.

  These words are from the pen of Amy Bloom as she describes the peaceful, voluntary death of her husband, holding his hand as he began the "long journey of miles and miles of nought", legally, via Dignitas in Zurich. It did not matter that there was a belief or not of "miles of nouhgt" versus an afterlife. Only the dignity which should be accorded to a person dying, in pain, via a painless, more dignified ending of that journey through life.

There are many examples of the beliefs of one being imposed on another. Abortion choice. Homophobia - personified so gracelessly via DeSantis, our quickly upcoming fascist. In fact, it is so entangled with his other cockeyed beliefs that one cannot see exactly where sanity and insanity merge. Black history is to be banned because it teaches "queer theory", or intersectionality, or whatever bizarre idea runs through his bizarre mind which then finds new homes in the sadly confused minds of others. As it washes through these people, it becomes more and more of a real life threat, as books, ideas, inventions, philosophies, teachers, and all people are targeted for their opposition to this backwards, dangerous trend in the life of the world today. 

 Much, much worse than the spouting of these ideas, these vitriolic words which are part and parcel of the adherents of the New Fascism, is the transference from words to deeds. To a repetition of history most vile and unspeakable. Yet speak of it we must if we are to prevent further growth of this already burgeoning poisonous tree and its deep, long, twisted roots lurking beneath the surface.

In two days, on January 27, 78 years after the liberation of Auschwitz, these ideas remain alive and well and thriving. Still too strong. Still too appealing to haters. Still clinging to life, a life receiving new infusions of energy, money, of blood, every damned day! Even here in Palm Beach County, in West Palm Beach, in Boca, we are living with the growing presence and poison of antisemitism, of Holocaust denial, of a virulent hatred of Jews, as new hate groups arise, as well as groups formed to combat this poisonous contamination of humanity. 

However, our efforts to combat this hate, this erasure of names from life - not numbers, but real, once living, thinking, breathing, laughing people, well, they are failing abysmally. It is a story of a sour history returning again and again, never to die, always to rise and infect. In the UN, the Yad Vashem Book of Names is to be opened, 4,800,000 names - so sadly incomplete. Families with no one left in life to recall them, to name them, to demand that their existence be validated, their death mourned and the enabling philosophy to be ripped asunder, its roots torn out of the psyche of humanity. I, along with so many, too many others will type our list of names which burn in our hearts and validate our emotions, our histories awash in blood and the blackness of hate.

 Will it bring them back to life? No. Most definitely not. However, these victims will be recognized as people, with names and histories, with hopes and dreams, with anguish as their loved ones were stripped away and their own humanity denied. So I will type those names of mine, made ever more real as research has uncovered pictures, stories, their very humanity, new relatives who looked my mom, or resembled my dad. No longer part of a vast incomprehensible mammoth crowd, but individuals. 

Real people. Dying people, entering the long journey of miles of nought way before death freed them from their pain. They are people, my great aunt trudging on a death march, cousins gassed, beaten, burned, shot, tortured to death. 

My great grandmother 'disappeared', her greatly advanced years earning her no mercy, her death never confirmed as to exact day of death. Known to be, as one minute she was there and the next gone. Was she killed in the streets as she searched for food and water, for medicine for ailing, dying loved ones? Or was she ripped from her barely there shelter, or from a street where she might have been existing?

 Was it on the train in the brutal world of the cattle cars, or of starvation and illness in the ghetto of Lvov or did she 'survive' till she reached the belching flames of hatred in the notorious extermination camp Belzec. We might never know exactly, but death was certainly her fate, a death drowning in hate, in spilled blood, and her name and history live on in me. In the diminutive 'Esterke' my grandmother, my Bubbie, used to call me. Did she see her mother in me? Did I cause her pain every time my name was mentioned? I hope not, for I dearly loved her and my Zaydie who lost over 200 members of his family in one brutal mass "Holocaust of Bullets" in the summer of 1942.

Such was the "long journey" of theirs. Such is the long journey we all live today. One official, a pretty good guy for the most part, said, “These people are not coming from Palm Beach County They’re coming from outside of Palm Beach County bringing their hate to us,” ... “We are a diverse, peaceful, loving and welcoming community, but we don’t welcome their hate.” 

This isa denial of truth, a hopeful, but useless and dangerous thought. It is not the stranger, but the neighbor. It is not the acquaintance, but the once best friend, family friends. These are the perpetrators of violent death, of criminal behavior, of uncaring cruelty. Not the stranger - and that makes it even more dangerous and infinitely sadder.

Holocaust Remembrance Day: 'No more means we can live as Jews and not just not die'

Rabbi Avichai Apel, German Rabbinic Organization chair and European Rabbinical Conference Vice Pres. addresses European Commission.

 AMEN!  A THOUSAND TIMES SO.

 "Yitgadal, vitkadash, shemeh rabbah..."

Kaddish for all those ripped from life, known, named, or still unnamed. 

We remember them all.

We remember you. 

And always will.

May your memories be for blessings.

AAAAAAWWWWWWW, SO CUTE, SO GOOD -

  Until it is not. "He is so sweet. Always helping" - said the neighbor of the serial axe murderer. Or, "No, my husband loves his children; he could not be a pedophile...."  Famous last words, except that they are as related to truth as Marjorie Taylor Greene is connected to sanity. Today the subjects of comments such as these are impressive in the sway of their denials and actual, real-time ability to reinsert themselves into society, somehow steaming the filth off their contaminated reeking bodies and souls. Worse, they are becoming a growing percentage of governing bodies throughout the USA. For sure, the skill of telling lies without blinking has become a valuable trait and ability, perfect for a first or second or third and fifth, etc. step up the rungs of that already besmirched ladder, made so by prior 'uglies' doing their own climbing.

Heaven help us, we cry out. How can this be, we ask. It must stop, we call out. And yet, it does not. Nor does it give any answer or advice to the confused, those trying to maintain a sane and balanced governing segment of our nation. It has become a Sisyphean task, and many are caving, exhausted by their apparently useless efforts, falling prey to the miscreants who have seized the reins of power, in ever more outrageous misdeeds and lies. 

Actually, it should truly not make a difference as to consequences of present veering off the straight and narrow. Good - till one is not. Law abiding - until the curtain is pulled back. A sterling example of civic responsibility - until the cracks beneath that solid platform cause it to collapse. Certainly, by logical extension of thought, those who begin in filth and persist in insanity, in living in a destructive world of false conspiracies, at times literally coming from outer space, well, it should be clear there is no room for them in any position or place from which they can do more damage to the world, the country they have already damaged, possibly beyond any possibility of repair, crippled. The nation they have betrayed cries out with fatal wounds even as they go on their merry way.

Can we actually fix a nation which not only accepted a clear pervert years ago with Thomas, now excusing him from his suspicious shenanigans with his wife and is now accepting of yet another sexual pervert in the form of Kavanaugh. A new documentary of his alleged perversions might shake things up, but... the faith, the trust is depressingly most present, prominent in its absence. 

Clear treasonous members of both Houses of Congress, before and after the fact, are escaping responsibility for the rebellion of J6. Worse, they have even gained power. They have stuck their thumbs in the pies and pulled out more than a few plums and cherries. They have pulled out the heart and soul of this nation, its courage and optimism, its confidence, instead, leaving behind, encouraged, despair, ennui, and apathy. It is clear to any but the willfully blind, or those who see and like what they see, that this nation, the nation of "four score and seven years ago" is fading, almost gone, obsolete, victim to attacks from within and without.

"What have you done for me lately?" A question to be asked, to have a mandated response, truthful ones. Good, honest, kind, - until one is not, no longer, and the ugliness previously hidden within the folds of their minds are now exposed, the glare focused, yet will anyone even care anymore, other than the diehards who will go down with the mortally wounded ship of state of democracy.

Not so funny actually that a George Santos will be welcomed to a reception. Not so funny that an openly insane woman now has the key to the seat of power in the House, and perhaps more than that!  Not so funny to watch Hawley cheer on and then run for his life from the rebels of J6 and continue in office. Good - till not. Sweet - until bitter. Honest - until one notices the extremely looong nose!

We are at the cusp of an event, an era, of shocking tragedy, for humanity. As individuals and as entities of state, time to see past the disguises and face the truth, feel it deep within. And then act to protect it, to fend against the evil ones who propose a vastly different future for us.

Think not that I have jumped the shark. Much of what I have said, written, predicted, years ago has come true, been exposed- and yet, here we are. Time to reject, to catch the escaped lunatics, mete out justice, and safeguard this precious nation.

Am I hopeful? 

No. 

DO WE? MAYBE. MAYBE NOT. DOES IT EVEN MATTER?

  Attended a most wonderful performance of the Broadway show, Tina. Wow!!! Wow again. Chock full of talent, especially Tina as the child Anna Mae- what a voice- and adult, Grandma, and on. The audience was 150% positive, not a seat empty, and rocked and roared along with Tina. Yet amusing and entertaining as it was, there were serious moments which demand perusal and musing.

Front and center was Tina's life as a child and adult as to hope, violence, and love. A brutal father, a mother who fled for her life, leaving Tina behind, only a beloved Grandmother to rescue her, followed by more brutality and abuse from a husband for almost two decades, followed by a rough time after divorce. It took many years for her talent to be recognized, respected and rewarded. 

 Noticeable during the performance was the buy in of the audience as they rocked back with verbal shock at the domestic abuse, at the desperation, and cheered and clapped when a woman struck back, remained defiant. Another such moment was when a record executive stated there was no room in their company for an "old n''''r woman" As one, the audience gasped their shock and dislike of that sentiment and choice of words. It cheered her moments of love and optimism, her determination to succeed, and went wild at curtain call and beyond. Misogyny. Racism. Domestic abuse.

What else? Towards the conclusion of the performance, one of my favorite songs, sung by the children of the Thunderdome, "We Don't Need Another Hero" was presented. Herein is the question or questions of the day, the year, the decade, for eternity. Sadly, but firmly, the children, "the last generation ... the ones left behind", pleaded their causes, their desperate wish. Asking not for parents or glory or wealth or even a return to what was and might never be again, even denying the need for a rescuing hero, there was a plaintive plea and recognition of the new limitations in the world.

"We don't need another hero
We don't need to know the way home
All we want is life beyond the Thunderdome

Looking for something
We can rely on
There's gotta be something better out there"

There is great tragedy within those words and wishes. Acknowledgement that no,

 they are not children anymore, left behind, parents, adult authority gone, no one to

 fend for them, alone, with only their own selves to rely on. No pie in the sky here,

 only a desperate plea to find, to live in a world somewhere away from, divorced

 from, the world of the Thunderdome.

And yet, beneath that haunting plea, there is also the eternal optimism to be found in the human soul, that there can and will be a better time, a better place, that things will definitely get better - only when? When? From Rita Moreno's haunting "There's a Place for Us - someday, somewhere, sometime", to Bonnie Tyler's defiant, demanding "We Need a Hero", always there has been this hope for 'better', for a rescuer. For a hero. Unfortunately, heroes are few and far between. Too often we hare after the supposed 'hero' only to find it was a false hope leading only to more tragedy. 

The missing in action hero is to be found within ourselves, within the indomitable courage and strength of humans. Yes, we despair of it all at times, too many times, but it is in there. The heroes we need, seek, long for - it is us, we the people.

We need to be, in fact are, our own heroes.

These Thunderdome children ask not the way home for they know home is no longer there. All they want is a life "beyond Thunderdome', a better place. One where they can serve as a light for others to follow. 

These yearnings are not restricted to children of an apocalyptic movie. No, they are, they live, they populate our fractured world. Be it food insecure, dehydration, kidnapping and slavery, a bullet, a machete, a country reduced to rubble, constant warfare, the children of the Thunderdome have found space within our own Thunderdome. 

We have a world where every day children die, are brutally killed, caustically ignored as they lay dying, as they struggle with mammoth effort, with strength beyond their little bodies and giant hearts, to climb, to flee towards a future for themselves. They are the brave ones separated from parents, denied place and welcome in a new country, denied refuge, become "lost" within the system. 

This is all our doing. We are the antiheroes in our own Broadway performances, only our actions and decisions have an effect in reality, most definitely not make believe. There are strong, severe consequences in real life, real time, enacted upon real bodies, of men, women, and children, the most heartbreaking of all.

WE need to be the heroes we can be, should be.

 We definitely need a hero, more than one, and these heroes are right here!

If only we would acknowledge that and act upon it. 

If only. 

WELCOME HOME, MR. MXYZPTLK

 For those of you who did not spend many wonderful hours perusing the DC Superman comics, Mr. Mxyzptlk is an imp appearing to be non- threatening, yet is very much so. Capable of, and always doing so, he changes reality, warping it, until one does not know the truth from the false. This situation should sound familiar to all of us as we appear to be living in a world which belongs to him and his adherents. Nothing fazes him, victorious in his plans, until tricked into saying his name backwards.

Our dear friend, Mr. Mxyzptlk, apparently reads, for he runs his life true to a facetious statement of Mark Twain- "Never let the truth get in the way of a good story." Worse, the majority of the GOP, and growing, adhere to that thought and chatter away inanities of dangerous proportions and consequences. Lies that are then adopted by the 'base'.

Last nite, I opened the computer and flipped through various news articles and reports. I then had to put a pause on that activity for I had to wonder. Had I somehow been transported into the reality of Mr. Mxyzptlk or the Bizarro world? Had the evil of the truth deniers taken over? Had we lost the battle, the war, for peace, for truth, for democracy? Seemingly so, and I leave it to you to wonder the answer as I present some of the news gems of yesterday. Looking for a rideshare to someplace sane -if there is indeed any such place remaining. Doubt lays heavy upon us.

First up - a new documentary, ready to blow the world of the Supreme Court, re Kavanaugh, will be released at Sundance. Seemingly, this private individual has been able to unearth the truth, what the government refused to do, and reveal that we now have two sexual perverts on the bench - how thrilling, such a warm, reassuring, fuzzy feeling. The 'best' part - I am 100% sure that nothing will occur as a result, he will remain on the bench, twisting and perverting our reality into that of Mxyzptlk and the evil world of Bizarro.

More? Oh, for sure.

" ... at least a half dozen times at trial, a prosecutor asked witnesses to identify Bagby’s “nationality.”Bagby, born in California, is an American citizen... questions about his nationality to be in reference to Bagby’s race, ...must be to emphasize Bagby’s race... a stereotype that to be American is to be white and to be Black is somehow ‘foreign,’ ... prosecutor continuously referred to Bagby’s nationality, ethnicity, and race, it primed the all-white jury to pay more attention to this racial difference, thereby activating any anti-Black implicit biases they may hold.” 

Like that one? Well, have I got more for you. 

Whiteness is the system, the ideology, the belief, the thought that because your skin is white, you are superior to Black people," she said. "Because your skin is white you deserve better. Because your skin is white, you have better opportunities. ""The last thing you have to worry about is an animal - though that could be a very real threat.. more dangerous are any whites you may see on the trail.. be safe!" 

The hate, the danger, is too contagious, poisoning all within society, right to left, crossing lines of ethnicity, race, religion, any difference at all that can be ginned up. Bizarre indeed is the fact of this hatred, from both sides, open, said with pride, even as the spilled blood spreads, as more are seduced by that talk, what it implies and excuses. 

Perennial, pervasive hatred. Reality?

Let's add some icing on the cake as Gov. Noem, a possible candidate for President, shows off her Trumpian stripes - her infection - as she refers to some nations as "evil foreign governments."  meshing seamlessly with those who refer to their "right' ideas of behavior and rules as somehow delivered unto them by the Lord on High. Just ask them.

Add this to the stinking stew.

"The Florida Department of Education says it banned AP African American History because it teaches students about activism, intersectionality and encourages “ending the war on Black trans, queer, gender non-conforming, and intersex people,”

Now, people, think not that this refers 'only' to black history for it refers to all histories of groups, as facts, 'truth' are open for 'revision' as suits the powers that be, i.e. - so no Holocaust history lessons for it is a "hoax" - just ask them.

This next one validates the idea of cutting 'them' off at the pass, starving them to death, weakening 'them' so 'they' become toothless, in more ways than one. I do believe that this type of plan has been tried before!

Iowa Republicans are proposing sweeping changes to the state's food assistance program — including banning beneficiaries from buying grocery staples like meat, American cheese, or flour....co-sponsored by 39 Republican state legislators would limit those getting Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits to buying food on a more restrictive list from a separate program intended for pregnant women and children. ... wouldn't be able to buy a variety of foods, including white grain bread, buns with added nuts or seeds, white rice, pasta sauce, canned fruits or soups, baked beans, cheese slices, butter, or flour. 

They would instead be limited to foods approved for the Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) program. 

Where the hell do these people come from? Have they learned nothing but hate their entire lives? Do they truly believe that the elderly on SNAP will do well on baby formula - if it can even be found! It just boggles the mind!

This next one speaks for itself, and I just love that I am not alone for I now know I have an army of believers in a Creator who also have insomnia walk beside me. We evidently are not afraid of the things that walk in the night. Oh, yay!! And the cherry on top of this bloody iced cake? We are assured that we are up front and personal with that Creator, at least so Mississippi's legislators tell me, as they pass warped laws shredding personal rights of women- and anyone else caught in their crosshairs.

"Missouri's abortion ban declares 'Almighty God is the author of life.'"

So now there are more of us who believe in aliens and ghosts? Yay again.

No, people, this is a reality most definitely not to be wished for. Yet here it is, replete with ugliness, fabrications, right with us, encompassing us. I certainly hope that Superman will rescue us again. If not, we had better amp up the learning curve and understand how we got this reality and how to change it - for the better.

Now, please. Perhaps the latest issues of Superman or the Justice League or the Fantastic Four, or Batman, or the X-men will have a better answer for me - and for you - and for us. Hopefully.

Someone has to have an answer, a solution.