There are signposts to both good and bad administrations. Here are some of the signposts along the road of the Trump administration and, of course, where appropriate, feel free to see the distorted reflection as well in the David Israel administration here in CV.
1. Secrecy and opaqueness - Transparency is not a featured trait of a bad administration. Yes, there are attempts to pull the wool over the electorates eyes but it is not successful. Most administration seems to be done via one man fiats as in Executive Orders or as in the decision making process which leaves out the voters.
2. Lack of cohesiveness - There seems to be no united theme or goal, no target that makes sense. There appears to be no goal that remains true to its statements or introduction.
3. No mission statement - There is no philosophy of government, no guiding principle (s) other than the exercising of power as seen fit by the head administrator and appointees.
4. Accountability - There is no clear line of responsibility when a debacle arises when a decision goes disastrously wrong. Instead, the whole mess is pushed under the rug as much as possible and then allowed to sink into the muck and mire of other misdeeds.
5. Due Process - To put it simply, there is none. There is no orderly and transparent method by which items and/or plans are processed from inception to completion.
6. Input from the electorate - Again, there is none, and should one attempt to contribute, a ridiculously complicated procedure is put in place which makes it impossible to proceed with any degree of success.
7. Nastiness of the administrator - All opposition to the policies and/or plans of the head administrator are belittled in a personal manner, called names, and denied rights. This process verges on the border of persecution.
8. Use of threats to stifle Opposition - When opposition comes on strong or righteously, threats of using force, security and the forces of such are made in order to stifle any dissent.
9. Improper conducting of meetings (violations of Roberts Rules). - Rules of order, of conducting of meetings ,of the role of the Chair are blatantly violated. All calls to order that point this out or wish to put an end to it are dismissed, belittled or ignored.
10. Financial mischief - Money is used indiscriminately, much to the detriment of the funds of the electorate, spent in the wrong pathways and barely held to account.
11. Poor advisers and bad advice - The advisers of the administrator are not held to standards other than pleasing the administrator and hence we have harmful decisions for the electorate and the political entity being governed.
12. Confusing and confused plans - if any - for the future. Due to all the lacks of this administration there is no one good, cohesive plan for the future, certainly none that make sense, financially, or in any other manner.
13. Redeeming features? Barely a hint of any.
Now compare and contrast the national and our very local administrations and find any difference. Yes, possibly there are good public servants here or there in both places, but not enough so as to totally overcome the harm of these administrators and their henchmen with their dastardly plans for themselves and their entities.
Unfortunately we are in a pickle, as big as the old time nickel pickles we used to buy as kids. As president we have a mentally deranged man, totally immersed in his own fake world, who makes up videos which show and reshow the same vehicles, or men supposedly hard at work who show no sign of breaking a sweat, help going to people who live in intact apartments and homes, who appear cleanly washed and fluffed, and the same mess of one road. Yes, some help has come thru, but this man did not come thru for these people, for fellow Americans - and woe upon him for this. But in the meanwhile, it is woe upon the people, particularly as headway is beginning to be made into the hinterlands and people are being found in bad ways, particularly the elderly or the more fragile of the citizens.
This man is now having a growing number of his appointees investigated for wasting of public funds, misuse of these funds to flit them around the country and world. This is the "swamp" draining? I think not. I think that Trump et al are filling the bogs and fens of D.C. quite well and quite hypocritically.
What appears to me to be growing is a cynical use of every and anything in order to maintain power and enrich their own pockets in their rush to destroy the country and the balance of the world. Use of Facebook, ever increasing nasty ads sponsored by Russian linked people and sites, with vicious lies, allowing the Russians deep into our most sacred rite of democracy.
We have incessant quarreling amongst the officers of this administration. Look at the latest with Bob Corker who was publicly accused of being a man with "no guts", who accused - rightfully so - the White House of being an adult day care center, with the implied adult in care being Trump- and how correct he is on that! And the tweet war continues.
And do not forget the ridiculous set up by Pence who walked into a football game and then ostensibly walked out, disturbed by the kneeling at the anthem or whatever form the protest took. Reporters were even told to remain behind as Pence would be out soon. What an infantile manner of doing government! And there is no disrespect to the flag or soldiers or anyone else within these protests. In fact, they are showing more honor than are the alt right, their supporters, and Trump who has encouraged the growth of hatred and prejudice in the country. We need to all walk out on them!!
The cherry on top? The increased demand by Trump to wage an intensified war on the immigrants, going after not only the Dreamers, but their parents and now, on the children coming thru to be reunited with their parents who have worked and saved enough money to bring their children into a future with hope, what America was meant to be. No foreign workers is his cry - that is, other than those he needs at his hotels and golf courses! This is a man with no humanity, a man of cruelty, of metal confusion, of nefarious plans and a man most dangerous to us and our country and to all who follow in his footsteps and mannerisms.
It is now up to us to make it very clear to the politicians in D.C. that they must step up to the plate, particularly the Republicans. They allowed this farce of a president to get into office. It is their responsibility to get him gone. Now!!
Monday, October 9, 2017
Sunday, October 8, 2017
NOTE TO FUTURE: BAH HUMBUG!
Imagine this: several humanoid figures are digging around in a large mound, trying to figure out what happened to the race of people on this planet. The humanoids are from a planet other than earth and earth is where they are digging. So what indeed happened to the population of this sphere in space?
It seems that sometime in the first third of the 21st century according to their calculations, they lost the will and the reason to adjust to the demands of life. Personal desires, wishes and demands took the place of the good of the many, people of different colored flesh, people of different faiths, people of different beliefs in certain facts of life all combined to turn into a conflagration that destroyed the world.
From what they dug up, this is the story. It appeared that these humanoids of Earth forgot that children were the future, healthy children, well educated children, children with ethics and values, children who were taught that we are one, rather than a bunch of separate warring tribes. But what happened was the opposite.
Children had their health program taken away. Children were cheated in their education. Children were taught that instead of seeing all as our brothers and sisters, one family, they were taught that the tribe is what counts. They saw a violent tribe return to Charlottesville, shouting how they will not be replaced, chanting that the enemy of their country, Russia, was their friend, evidently emulating the belief of the president at that time.
And the violence continued to rise. There were mass shootings all over the country and yet these humanoids refused to understand the simple mathematics. Take away the guns, enforce it strictly so that only hunting rifles with limited magazines, only handguns with limited clips, only limited types of ammo - take away all that and one limits the possibilities. Add to that the teachings that we are one, that we do not kill each other in bouts of madness and pique and perhaps there would have been a good start to the end of slaughter. But it was not to be.
Faith was evidently another area in which there was great friction. Different names were assigned to their G-d and they refused to realize that no matter the name, the G-d was the same. The pleas for peace, the pleas for a better year, a good year, for a world in which they could raise their children with hope and love, a world in which the destruction of the world did not take precedence over all else - all this was asked for from the "different" versions of a Power. Would that we would have recognized that fact before it was too late. If only...
But there was a man at that time, supposedly a leader according to the artifacts, that pushed the opposite. He urged war on all who opposed him. He practiced nastiness and indeed, even madness. He poked fun of people's language, he threw towels at the site of a natural disaster saying that all were having fun catching these rolls of paper, all the while there were people dying for lack of food, for lack of water, for lack of medicine, for lack of roads to reach them.
This man of hate and anger encouraged the hatred to spread. He spoke of war, of nuclear devastation, of no need for talk but for the show of the fist. Nothing else mattered other than his particular private business and his profits from it, even as he appointed the members of his family to positions of responsibility and power, the classic moves of a dictator.
And so matters worsened. Women, denied their rights, with no proper birth control, no legal sayso over their own bodies, began to surge back into the deadly world of back alley abortions, of wire hanger abortions, even as this man and his cohorts shouted wild religious statements and misquoted religious texts.
And so the nastiness grew, it festered, and people regressed into the tribalism of the beginning of mankind, only now this tribalism was accompanied by powerful weapons capable of destroying each other to the point of no return. And use these weapons they did. And so we saw children of skin and bones, hanging from the arms of their parents. We saw elderly people confused as to the situation, sitting by the side of the road, waiting for death to relieve and release them. We saw people killing and killing, refusing to talk and finally it was too late.
The balance had tipped. There was no way back. Even as the brighter people of the planet and of the humanoid Earth population realized what was happening, there was no path to salvation. Not any longer. And so too late, they waited for the inevitable end. Too late they realized that the gods over which they had been feuding had long ago left them. A famous Rebbe (rabbi) was once asked, "Rebbe, where is G-d?" His answer: "Wherever one lets Him in." Well, we closed the door on Him, did we not. We perverted everything that G-d stood for, no matter the name assigned to Him.
And so these space archeologists gathered their tools, gathered the relics uncovered, looked around and shook their heads. What a waste. What a mess of destruction, a planet left uninhabitable by the last minute blasts of nuclear weapons, a planet whose residents ate each other, figuratively speaking, who ate up their own future. A planet which discarded the divine spark within them and instead turned to the demons within them.
Is this our future? Are we so different from the history of those humanoids of Earth? Think about it and think again. What exactly are we doing and where are we going? And who have we allowed to be in positions of power. And have we learned anything from the mess or are we still descending even further into tribalism and hate, war and destruction. Future? What future?
It seems that sometime in the first third of the 21st century according to their calculations, they lost the will and the reason to adjust to the demands of life. Personal desires, wishes and demands took the place of the good of the many, people of different colored flesh, people of different faiths, people of different beliefs in certain facts of life all combined to turn into a conflagration that destroyed the world.
From what they dug up, this is the story. It appeared that these humanoids of Earth forgot that children were the future, healthy children, well educated children, children with ethics and values, children who were taught that we are one, rather than a bunch of separate warring tribes. But what happened was the opposite.
Children had their health program taken away. Children were cheated in their education. Children were taught that instead of seeing all as our brothers and sisters, one family, they were taught that the tribe is what counts. They saw a violent tribe return to Charlottesville, shouting how they will not be replaced, chanting that the enemy of their country, Russia, was their friend, evidently emulating the belief of the president at that time.
And the violence continued to rise. There were mass shootings all over the country and yet these humanoids refused to understand the simple mathematics. Take away the guns, enforce it strictly so that only hunting rifles with limited magazines, only handguns with limited clips, only limited types of ammo - take away all that and one limits the possibilities. Add to that the teachings that we are one, that we do not kill each other in bouts of madness and pique and perhaps there would have been a good start to the end of slaughter. But it was not to be.
Faith was evidently another area in which there was great friction. Different names were assigned to their G-d and they refused to realize that no matter the name, the G-d was the same. The pleas for peace, the pleas for a better year, a good year, for a world in which they could raise their children with hope and love, a world in which the destruction of the world did not take precedence over all else - all this was asked for from the "different" versions of a Power. Would that we would have recognized that fact before it was too late. If only...
But there was a man at that time, supposedly a leader according to the artifacts, that pushed the opposite. He urged war on all who opposed him. He practiced nastiness and indeed, even madness. He poked fun of people's language, he threw towels at the site of a natural disaster saying that all were having fun catching these rolls of paper, all the while there were people dying for lack of food, for lack of water, for lack of medicine, for lack of roads to reach them.
This man of hate and anger encouraged the hatred to spread. He spoke of war, of nuclear devastation, of no need for talk but for the show of the fist. Nothing else mattered other than his particular private business and his profits from it, even as he appointed the members of his family to positions of responsibility and power, the classic moves of a dictator.
And so matters worsened. Women, denied their rights, with no proper birth control, no legal sayso over their own bodies, began to surge back into the deadly world of back alley abortions, of wire hanger abortions, even as this man and his cohorts shouted wild religious statements and misquoted religious texts.
And so the nastiness grew, it festered, and people regressed into the tribalism of the beginning of mankind, only now this tribalism was accompanied by powerful weapons capable of destroying each other to the point of no return. And use these weapons they did. And so we saw children of skin and bones, hanging from the arms of their parents. We saw elderly people confused as to the situation, sitting by the side of the road, waiting for death to relieve and release them. We saw people killing and killing, refusing to talk and finally it was too late.
The balance had tipped. There was no way back. Even as the brighter people of the planet and of the humanoid Earth population realized what was happening, there was no path to salvation. Not any longer. And so too late, they waited for the inevitable end. Too late they realized that the gods over which they had been feuding had long ago left them. A famous Rebbe (rabbi) was once asked, "Rebbe, where is G-d?" His answer: "Wherever one lets Him in." Well, we closed the door on Him, did we not. We perverted everything that G-d stood for, no matter the name assigned to Him.
And so these space archeologists gathered their tools, gathered the relics uncovered, looked around and shook their heads. What a waste. What a mess of destruction, a planet left uninhabitable by the last minute blasts of nuclear weapons, a planet whose residents ate each other, figuratively speaking, who ate up their own future. A planet which discarded the divine spark within them and instead turned to the demons within them.
Is this our future? Are we so different from the history of those humanoids of Earth? Think about it and think again. What exactly are we doing and where are we going? And who have we allowed to be in positions of power. And have we learned anything from the mess or are we still descending even further into tribalism and hate, war and destruction. Future? What future?
Wednesday, October 4, 2017
NEXT POSTING
Due to a religious holiday I will not be posting a new one till Sunday morning. In the meanwhile, please read and think about those I have posted on the blog and let us hope that you know who does not get too nutsy over the weekend!
WHAT ON EARTH
"Hell is empty and all the devils are here." William Shakespeare
So it seems. It seems that we have been visited by all the demons of the underworld and the hits just keep on coming, be they of natural forces or by the hand of man. Mankind has overcome many troubled years, years when people wondered if the world would - could - continue, yet there is something in the air now that is possibly even more troubling than ever before. Or perhaps it is that we are returning to a time of the past when there were not even countries, but tribes and a tribal mentality. Examine the terms of nationalism, populism, and see the truth underneath them both, the truth of tribalism, of barbarity, of cold and selfish hearts, of cruelty.
The largest mass shooting in this country, perpetrated by a man who planned it all with tools of murder legally acquired, with devices to hasten the pace of the deadly bullets, with devices to hush the sound of their firing until it did not matter anymore so loud were the screams and the cries of the wounded and the mourners, All this and what do we get when people plead over the airwaves, in Congress, on TV, at vigils in Vegas - we get a "not now". What is not now? The time to rein in the gun toting mentality of this country?
So when is that time? First graders were not important enough. High schoolers were not as well. Any of the other mass shootings this year were not, or last year, or the year before, going back to whenever, and evidently this event follows that line of thinking. Ryan says they are too busy trying to pass the budget so no time for gun control. The President continues his unpresidential ways and says not now - so when, I, and many others, ask.
I have no trouble with the Second Amendment but nowhere in there does it say that it is right or safe or moral for people to hold and use assault weapons and nowhere in common sense either. What gives the NRA or anyone else the right to push their murderous and unlimited philosophy upon the rest of us? How does being legal to own a handgun translate into civilians being able to hold and own and use assault weapons. Where do we stop - or do we not? RPGs anyone?
And this hypocrisy worms its way into the rest of other issues. One of the "pro life" voters in Congress had some nerve. His extra marital lover took him to task asking how he could do this when last week he asked her to get an abortion of their presumed unborn child. Turned out to be a scare, but that does not happen for many others who for one good reason or another need an abortion. The choice to have one is not anti life. It is the hardest decision ever in a woman's life, and is her right, not that of some old white men sitting in a dusty corrupted corner of D.C.
And what on earth continues as we find that Michigan and Wisconsin were targeted by the Russians. The stink ever grows. And Mueller and his team are researching presidential pardons, trying to ensure that Trump does not pardon before court even happens. Such is the level we have reached. And those who screamed to hang Hillary for emails are guilty of the same doings, and worse, and Jared keeps lying thru his teeth as do the others, involving Trump Organization into governmental business. Money, money, and business all the time - and screw the country. Gerrymander their states until the minority of voters can own the state - Republicans, be ashamed of yourselves, be ashamed to stand in front of your children as they realize how crooked and immoral you are.
Trump continues his uncaring and self boasting path thru Puerto Rico and goes on to Vegas today. Again, the hypocrisy of some!! Handing out a couple of sandwiches and a roll of paper towels in a large city does not ameliorate the troubles and woes of the majority of the island, no matter how often one pats himself on the back.
"There is accumulation,
There is responsibility.
And beyond these, there is unrest.
There is great unrest."
We need to face the truth of that quote, the state of affairs of the world. The unrest is growing, the civil unrest is almost frightening. Jason Aldean, the country music star who was singing that night, who has cancelled his weekend shows, says it better than I could so I give you what he posted on social media. Read it and hear and feel the truth, the sadness in the warning and the plea of his words. They are the words of all thinking and feeling people.
"Over the last 24 hrs I have gone through lots of emotions. Scared, Anger, Heartache, Compassion and many others. I truly don't understand why a person would want to take the life of another. Something has changed in this country and in this world lately that is scary to see. This world is becoming the kind of place I am afraid to raise my children in," he wrote.
"At the end of the day we aren't Democrats or Republicans, Whites or Blacks, Men or Women. We are all humans and we are all Americans and it's time to start acting like it and stand together as ONE! That is the only way we will ever get this Country to be better than it has ever been, but we have a long way to go and we have to start now," he continued. "My heart aches for the Victims and their families of this Senseless act. I am so sorry for the hurt and pain everyone is feeling right now and there are no words I can say to take that pain away. Just know u all are in my heart and my prayers as we all go through this together. Time to come together and stop the hate!"
Straight from the heart, trashing the would be devils of the world. Hear these words, feel these pleas, and let us all work together to change the hate. What on earth? Not what we have now. That's for sure.
So it seems. It seems that we have been visited by all the demons of the underworld and the hits just keep on coming, be they of natural forces or by the hand of man. Mankind has overcome many troubled years, years when people wondered if the world would - could - continue, yet there is something in the air now that is possibly even more troubling than ever before. Or perhaps it is that we are returning to a time of the past when there were not even countries, but tribes and a tribal mentality. Examine the terms of nationalism, populism, and see the truth underneath them both, the truth of tribalism, of barbarity, of cold and selfish hearts, of cruelty.
The largest mass shooting in this country, perpetrated by a man who planned it all with tools of murder legally acquired, with devices to hasten the pace of the deadly bullets, with devices to hush the sound of their firing until it did not matter anymore so loud were the screams and the cries of the wounded and the mourners, All this and what do we get when people plead over the airwaves, in Congress, on TV, at vigils in Vegas - we get a "not now". What is not now? The time to rein in the gun toting mentality of this country?
So when is that time? First graders were not important enough. High schoolers were not as well. Any of the other mass shootings this year were not, or last year, or the year before, going back to whenever, and evidently this event follows that line of thinking. Ryan says they are too busy trying to pass the budget so no time for gun control. The President continues his unpresidential ways and says not now - so when, I, and many others, ask.
I have no trouble with the Second Amendment but nowhere in there does it say that it is right or safe or moral for people to hold and use assault weapons and nowhere in common sense either. What gives the NRA or anyone else the right to push their murderous and unlimited philosophy upon the rest of us? How does being legal to own a handgun translate into civilians being able to hold and own and use assault weapons. Where do we stop - or do we not? RPGs anyone?
And this hypocrisy worms its way into the rest of other issues. One of the "pro life" voters in Congress had some nerve. His extra marital lover took him to task asking how he could do this when last week he asked her to get an abortion of their presumed unborn child. Turned out to be a scare, but that does not happen for many others who for one good reason or another need an abortion. The choice to have one is not anti life. It is the hardest decision ever in a woman's life, and is her right, not that of some old white men sitting in a dusty corrupted corner of D.C.
And what on earth continues as we find that Michigan and Wisconsin were targeted by the Russians. The stink ever grows. And Mueller and his team are researching presidential pardons, trying to ensure that Trump does not pardon before court even happens. Such is the level we have reached. And those who screamed to hang Hillary for emails are guilty of the same doings, and worse, and Jared keeps lying thru his teeth as do the others, involving Trump Organization into governmental business. Money, money, and business all the time - and screw the country. Gerrymander their states until the minority of voters can own the state - Republicans, be ashamed of yourselves, be ashamed to stand in front of your children as they realize how crooked and immoral you are.
Trump continues his uncaring and self boasting path thru Puerto Rico and goes on to Vegas today. Again, the hypocrisy of some!! Handing out a couple of sandwiches and a roll of paper towels in a large city does not ameliorate the troubles and woes of the majority of the island, no matter how often one pats himself on the back.
"There is accumulation,
There is responsibility.
And beyond these, there is unrest.
There is great unrest."
We need to face the truth of that quote, the state of affairs of the world. The unrest is growing, the civil unrest is almost frightening. Jason Aldean, the country music star who was singing that night, who has cancelled his weekend shows, says it better than I could so I give you what he posted on social media. Read it and hear and feel the truth, the sadness in the warning and the plea of his words. They are the words of all thinking and feeling people.
"Over the last 24 hrs I have gone through lots of emotions. Scared, Anger, Heartache, Compassion and many others. I truly don't understand why a person would want to take the life of another. Something has changed in this country and in this world lately that is scary to see. This world is becoming the kind of place I am afraid to raise my children in," he wrote.
"At the end of the day we aren't Democrats or Republicans, Whites or Blacks, Men or Women. We are all humans and we are all Americans and it's time to start acting like it and stand together as ONE! That is the only way we will ever get this Country to be better than it has ever been, but we have a long way to go and we have to start now," he continued. "My heart aches for the Victims and their families of this Senseless act. I am so sorry for the hurt and pain everyone is feeling right now and there are no words I can say to take that pain away. Just know u all are in my heart and my prayers as we all go through this together. Time to come together and stop the hate!"
Straight from the heart, trashing the would be devils of the world. Hear these words, feel these pleas, and let us all work together to change the hate. What on earth? Not what we have now. That's for sure.
Tuesday, October 3, 2017
CONFUSION DESPAIR AND ANSWERLESS
From early yesterday morning, when I first read of the Vegas massacre thru this morning, as I watched the toll climb and the identification of more and more of the dead, the hopelessness grew. Again and again we have had mass shootings here, around 270 this year alone and no, these were not all perpetrated by some crazed terrorist, but by many seemingly normal people who then turned out to have had mental issues yet were able to get their weapons of death. Yesterday's shooter was able to buy rifle after rifle and even have an AK 47 or similar weapon, a weapon of war used on unarmed and unaware civilians as they stood in a shooting box, like sheep to the slaughter. No real place to run, to hide, to save friends and loved ones, to save oneself - nowhere to escape the criminally negligent thinking of those in Congress who refuse to put in place a strict gun control situation.
How many more times is Gifford going to have to speak of her own terror, of her hard work to get back to a new normal? How many more times will the parents of little ones need to be reminded of their never ending pain as more people are shot? How many more orphans are we going to create all because the legislators have no courage to stand up to their base and say no more! Yes, you can have a rifle for hunting - if you pass a check, but you certainly do not need a mass of them nor are you allowed to have an assault weapon.
It almost does not matter why this man became a mass murderer, be it mental illness, worries of his own making, radical ideas, left, right or terrorist, for the result is the same - more death and no action to prevent it again.
Trump did not mention one word about gun control nor did most Republicans. Has that party become the party that supports hatred and violence? Poor Lincoln must be watching from above and wondering what happened to his party, their ideals. And the people who think and feel are standing there with a hopeless wonder. What has happened to this nation and its citizens?
So what can be done? Well, lowering the flag to half mast does nothing. Sorry to say that, but it is the truth. It begins to lose its meaning after a while and nothing happens to stop future incidents as a result of the lowering. Talking of the pain, of its evilness does nothing unless followed by action. But legislators are afraid of the NRA who apparently think not so much of the dead who stand there looking at them from hollow eyes. Nope, they got their rifles. They got their assault weapons to assault what? The deer? The ducks? Or the people? And yet they wish to add more to this armory of death by allowing further expansion of the types of ammo allowed, the easier to kill people, and to allow silencers, I guess so the victims will have less warning time as the muted sounds of murder frighten fewer targets. Now isn't that special!!
And in the midst of all this we have the ever growing show of lack of morals and ethics in our government as is presently constituted. Yet another email address for Ivanka and Jared who never belonged in the White House to begin with. Yet more proof of contact between the Trump campaign and the Russians and more talk of business, the ever present goal of Trump, that and profits and to hell with principle and values. Over 10 million people exposed to ads placed by Russian (government) all the better to stir up trouble, racial divides and defeat Hillary. So how many times the thirty pieces of silver did Facebook rake in? Were there any people thinking that this was wrong? Or is it that we have come to only value money, money.
And added to that we have the proposed welfare bill for the wealthy, the one that will add 2.4 trillion dollars to the deficit and double and triple that over a period of a few more years even as the ultra wealthy rake in increased savings, ever more money so they can buy their fifth and sixth houses!! And as for the middle class - well, too bad, let them eat cake, I guess, if they have less money to buy bread.
And let us not forget the people of Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, the American citizens we have neglected and ignored in their moment of crisis - no, their days and weeks, and months to be, if we do not get moving on this. Trump seems to have his typical bigotry going nicely as he warns and chides these brown people that they should have paid their bills, as he considers their agony of no food, no water, no gasoline, no outside contact, the months ahead of them, the agony of families still awaiting contact with loved ones, the houses that will need to be rebuilt, the roads of the mountains that will need reconstruction, the bridges down and the list goes on. And do not forget those dying because they have no access to medicine and no place to refrigerate that which requires it. Furthermore, I guess we should remind Trump, he who always needs to bring in our soldiers, that many of these "brown" people served in Afghanistan, in Desert Storm, in the Korean War, in Iraq, wherever our soldiers were sent. Remember that in your visit to the island today. See the agony of those outside the city and stop picking on those who remind you of your duty as President of this nation of all people that you have divided so. Remember that call for unity that you sent out yesterday. Stand by these words and do not fail us yet again.
I am not optimistic about the outcome. There will be yet again a deadly silence about gun control as the NRA sends out its blustery pronouncements. There will be a mass forgetting of yet again another tragedy as its victims have to deal with their outcomes for years. And the President will fail us, disappoint us yet again.The people of the islands will continue to struggle after the spotlight is off. And we will remain confused, shocked and in despair, hopeless that there will actually be a change and wondering when and how we can stop all this murder, mayhem and indifference from the powers that be. First step - vote out those who are deaf to the needs of the people and vote in those of courage and values.
Without that first step, we all may as well buy Kevlar vests and metal hats.
How many more times is Gifford going to have to speak of her own terror, of her hard work to get back to a new normal? How many more times will the parents of little ones need to be reminded of their never ending pain as more people are shot? How many more orphans are we going to create all because the legislators have no courage to stand up to their base and say no more! Yes, you can have a rifle for hunting - if you pass a check, but you certainly do not need a mass of them nor are you allowed to have an assault weapon.
It almost does not matter why this man became a mass murderer, be it mental illness, worries of his own making, radical ideas, left, right or terrorist, for the result is the same - more death and no action to prevent it again.
Trump did not mention one word about gun control nor did most Republicans. Has that party become the party that supports hatred and violence? Poor Lincoln must be watching from above and wondering what happened to his party, their ideals. And the people who think and feel are standing there with a hopeless wonder. What has happened to this nation and its citizens?
So what can be done? Well, lowering the flag to half mast does nothing. Sorry to say that, but it is the truth. It begins to lose its meaning after a while and nothing happens to stop future incidents as a result of the lowering. Talking of the pain, of its evilness does nothing unless followed by action. But legislators are afraid of the NRA who apparently think not so much of the dead who stand there looking at them from hollow eyes. Nope, they got their rifles. They got their assault weapons to assault what? The deer? The ducks? Or the people? And yet they wish to add more to this armory of death by allowing further expansion of the types of ammo allowed, the easier to kill people, and to allow silencers, I guess so the victims will have less warning time as the muted sounds of murder frighten fewer targets. Now isn't that special!!
And in the midst of all this we have the ever growing show of lack of morals and ethics in our government as is presently constituted. Yet another email address for Ivanka and Jared who never belonged in the White House to begin with. Yet more proof of contact between the Trump campaign and the Russians and more talk of business, the ever present goal of Trump, that and profits and to hell with principle and values. Over 10 million people exposed to ads placed by Russian (government) all the better to stir up trouble, racial divides and defeat Hillary. So how many times the thirty pieces of silver did Facebook rake in? Were there any people thinking that this was wrong? Or is it that we have come to only value money, money.
And added to that we have the proposed welfare bill for the wealthy, the one that will add 2.4 trillion dollars to the deficit and double and triple that over a period of a few more years even as the ultra wealthy rake in increased savings, ever more money so they can buy their fifth and sixth houses!! And as for the middle class - well, too bad, let them eat cake, I guess, if they have less money to buy bread.
And let us not forget the people of Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, the American citizens we have neglected and ignored in their moment of crisis - no, their days and weeks, and months to be, if we do not get moving on this. Trump seems to have his typical bigotry going nicely as he warns and chides these brown people that they should have paid their bills, as he considers their agony of no food, no water, no gasoline, no outside contact, the months ahead of them, the agony of families still awaiting contact with loved ones, the houses that will need to be rebuilt, the roads of the mountains that will need reconstruction, the bridges down and the list goes on. And do not forget those dying because they have no access to medicine and no place to refrigerate that which requires it. Furthermore, I guess we should remind Trump, he who always needs to bring in our soldiers, that many of these "brown" people served in Afghanistan, in Desert Storm, in the Korean War, in Iraq, wherever our soldiers were sent. Remember that in your visit to the island today. See the agony of those outside the city and stop picking on those who remind you of your duty as President of this nation of all people that you have divided so. Remember that call for unity that you sent out yesterday. Stand by these words and do not fail us yet again.
I am not optimistic about the outcome. There will be yet again a deadly silence about gun control as the NRA sends out its blustery pronouncements. There will be a mass forgetting of yet again another tragedy as its victims have to deal with their outcomes for years. And the President will fail us, disappoint us yet again.The people of the islands will continue to struggle after the spotlight is off. And we will remain confused, shocked and in despair, hopeless that there will actually be a change and wondering when and how we can stop all this murder, mayhem and indifference from the powers that be. First step - vote out those who are deaf to the needs of the people and vote in those of courage and values.
Without that first step, we all may as well buy Kevlar vests and metal hats.
Monday, October 2, 2017
WARNING: DANGER AHEAD
Vacation. Walking along the beaches of Isla Verde or the Condado. Trekking thru the El Yunque Rain Forest. Wondering at the dense jungles and the steep mountains. That is or was Puerto Rico. It used to be a favorite getaway of ours during our working years and now? Now the people are struggling to survive and not in the sense of everyday troubles but in Survival!
The mayor of San Juan is out there 24/7, working, pleading for help and that help can be there if only, if only we did not have a delusional, dangerous, self centered degenerative at the supposed helm of the country. He who stays in abodes and getaways of the 1%, he who watches a golf match from a special viewing point, in a club that costs half a million to join even as people are dying, yes dying, in the mountains of Puerto Rico, he who brought danger to the entire country - he has lead and is leading us into more and more danger.
It is the dangers that derive from delusions of grandeur. It is the dangers that derive from selfishness. It is the dangers that arise from a brain suffering from some unknown as known yet degenerative condition. If only he were to suffer, then fine, so be it, but he is taking the country along with him and literally is guilty of causing the death of others, a criminal act, a crime against humanity.
Calling people names, be it "Little Rocket Man", or "political ingrates" does not change the picture nor gain progress. We have seen the illusions of calling opponents name right here in CV, where we are once again in a precarious financial situation, particularly as we look toward the needs of the near future, and multiply that danger as we apply it to the country.
We have a president who opposes his own appointees. As dangerously inexperienced and incapable of fulfilling his responsibilities towards the country, at least Tillerson is trying to talk down the Korean dude off the ledge even as his own boss cuts his legs out from beneath him.
We have a country that is now rudderless, and no one is calling out for "my captain, my captain". There is almost open rebellion out there, what with shirts stating Everybody vs. Trump - and that is growing truer and truer every day. People are shouting at each other, no more talking and sharing, for the supposed helmsman does not abide nor support that technique. Even as he cuts the ground beneath his supposed base by pushing his welfare for the wealthy tax plan, by pushing for his deathcare misnamed healthcare program, by ignoring the very real dangers to life and the very survival of the islanders of Puerto Rico, he maintains that all is well in his delusional world.
The shoals of danger are perilously close to our ship of state. The nations of the world have decided that the United States of America, that once proud nation, that once upon a time leader of the Free World, is now almost negligible as they write it off, designating it to the useless but dangerous column. Arms trading is growing everyday, from and to North Korea, Nasrallah is threatening the Jews of Israel that they had better leave the country before the next war is upon them and the rest of the world keeps the blinders on, maintains that anti Zionism is not simply another name for anti Semitism, as indeed the ugly head of anti Semitism and the growing racial and religious hatred around the globe grows, as the Rohingya of Malaysia are threatened with genocide and the world stands idly by, and as we now awake to yet another shooting with many critically wounded, dead and injured taking place in the delusional world of Las Vegas - what are we to do? Does not anybody hear the roar of the waves against the shores, the rocky shores, the ones that will tear out the hull, sending us to the bottom?
And maybe that is what we deserve, allowing this dangerously delusional man to rule us, to do his outrageous deeds , to shout and tweet out his calls to hate, and to try to deflect all blame and consequence as he pulls one more and yet one more act of lunacy, so much so that we are growing tired of this and the danger is growing that we resign ourselves to this, waiting for possible relief in 2018 or 2020. But we cannot do that. We cannot blind ourselves to the very possibility that ignoring this, trying to play down its growing danger will not cause more danger and bring us right to the tipping point.
Time for this man and his base and his sycophants and his bigots and haters to go. Time for us to stand up for America! We are immigrants all, be it of this generation or one or more back. Take the rights away from one group and another will soon follow. There is no vacuum of safety.
Remember the old PSA that showed an Indian chief on a horse beside a polluted river, tears rolling down his face? Well, people, grow that message into our Founding Fathers standing beside a country in distress, a country that turns its back on its heritage, and then ask yourself if you can ignore this and you who voted for Trump - would you still do that, still remain in the delusions that he is for the common man?
The time to face facts is here. The time for difficult decisions is here. The roars of the rocky shore grow ever louder. Danger ahead!
The mayor of San Juan is out there 24/7, working, pleading for help and that help can be there if only, if only we did not have a delusional, dangerous, self centered degenerative at the supposed helm of the country. He who stays in abodes and getaways of the 1%, he who watches a golf match from a special viewing point, in a club that costs half a million to join even as people are dying, yes dying, in the mountains of Puerto Rico, he who brought danger to the entire country - he has lead and is leading us into more and more danger.
It is the dangers that derive from delusions of grandeur. It is the dangers that derive from selfishness. It is the dangers that arise from a brain suffering from some unknown as known yet degenerative condition. If only he were to suffer, then fine, so be it, but he is taking the country along with him and literally is guilty of causing the death of others, a criminal act, a crime against humanity.
Calling people names, be it "Little Rocket Man", or "political ingrates" does not change the picture nor gain progress. We have seen the illusions of calling opponents name right here in CV, where we are once again in a precarious financial situation, particularly as we look toward the needs of the near future, and multiply that danger as we apply it to the country.
We have a president who opposes his own appointees. As dangerously inexperienced and incapable of fulfilling his responsibilities towards the country, at least Tillerson is trying to talk down the Korean dude off the ledge even as his own boss cuts his legs out from beneath him.
We have a country that is now rudderless, and no one is calling out for "my captain, my captain". There is almost open rebellion out there, what with shirts stating Everybody vs. Trump - and that is growing truer and truer every day. People are shouting at each other, no more talking and sharing, for the supposed helmsman does not abide nor support that technique. Even as he cuts the ground beneath his supposed base by pushing his welfare for the wealthy tax plan, by pushing for his deathcare misnamed healthcare program, by ignoring the very real dangers to life and the very survival of the islanders of Puerto Rico, he maintains that all is well in his delusional world.
The shoals of danger are perilously close to our ship of state. The nations of the world have decided that the United States of America, that once proud nation, that once upon a time leader of the Free World, is now almost negligible as they write it off, designating it to the useless but dangerous column. Arms trading is growing everyday, from and to North Korea, Nasrallah is threatening the Jews of Israel that they had better leave the country before the next war is upon them and the rest of the world keeps the blinders on, maintains that anti Zionism is not simply another name for anti Semitism, as indeed the ugly head of anti Semitism and the growing racial and religious hatred around the globe grows, as the Rohingya of Malaysia are threatened with genocide and the world stands idly by, and as we now awake to yet another shooting with many critically wounded, dead and injured taking place in the delusional world of Las Vegas - what are we to do? Does not anybody hear the roar of the waves against the shores, the rocky shores, the ones that will tear out the hull, sending us to the bottom?
And maybe that is what we deserve, allowing this dangerously delusional man to rule us, to do his outrageous deeds , to shout and tweet out his calls to hate, and to try to deflect all blame and consequence as he pulls one more and yet one more act of lunacy, so much so that we are growing tired of this and the danger is growing that we resign ourselves to this, waiting for possible relief in 2018 or 2020. But we cannot do that. We cannot blind ourselves to the very possibility that ignoring this, trying to play down its growing danger will not cause more danger and bring us right to the tipping point.
Time for this man and his base and his sycophants and his bigots and haters to go. Time for us to stand up for America! We are immigrants all, be it of this generation or one or more back. Take the rights away from one group and another will soon follow. There is no vacuum of safety.
Remember the old PSA that showed an Indian chief on a horse beside a polluted river, tears rolling down his face? Well, people, grow that message into our Founding Fathers standing beside a country in distress, a country that turns its back on its heritage, and then ask yourself if you can ignore this and you who voted for Trump - would you still do that, still remain in the delusions that he is for the common man?
The time to face facts is here. The time for difficult decisions is here. The roars of the rocky shore grow ever louder. Danger ahead!
Sunday, October 1, 2017
GOOD JOB, DONALD - SAID DONALD
Self praise means nothing in the long and short run of things and it is amazing how much praise certain people can heap upon themselves even as their supposed efforts fall thru cracks in walls, floors, and ceilings.
Let's go locally for the outset. David Israel, in the new Rag, pats himself on the back for deeds accomplished, or so he says. He continues to lie about things thinking no one notices and when people do notice, he calls them names - getting old, that tactic, Davey. No one planned to walk out of the DA so there was no failure there. What did happen is that after opinions were given, during which David, as usual, kept talking, a vote was taken and by four votes - for it had to pass by 76 votes and it was 79 - the motion passed and then, disgusted by it all, most people just got up and walked out. Truth, Mr. Israel, truth. And recognition of the fact that these few people decided on a huge issue for 15,000 people. Your typical tactic.
At the introductory sessions for the clicker, it was promised that the first few votes would be with clicker and ballot. Never happened!! And then David makes fun of these people right there in the DA and I happen to know one of them, a lovely elderly lady, who was not sure, so she kept to the ballot for this first vote. You are a nasty individual and do not care who you insult, do you? Does it make you feel big? Just like Donald!
Then of course, we have the Rag, your private promotional media, in which you boast of the hurricane effort here in CV and one way you did that was to take to "task" those who said, gasp - that it was not perfect and needed lots of tweeking. So you say all these people were out of state. Wrong!! And even if they were, perhaps there was a reason for that outside the hurricane, and people still did not get what they needed even as you boast of CERT. Yes, volunteers did the best they could but the fact is that people do not volunteer much because they hate you and cannot wait till you are out of office- by whatever means and oh, a minor detail. you say volunteer - and then you deny those efforts to volunteer so there ya go again - more lies, more lies and yet more lies.
Okay, 'nuff with you now, little man and on to the bigger problem of this country - its President, one who is struggling mightily to be a president or at least one in his own image. Just think of what this man has done or not thru the months of his administration. First of all, it is difficult to keep track of who is in and who is out as they quit, get fired, get caught in major no-nos, shoot their mouths off, try to cheat the taxpayers as billionaires use our money to pay for their private trips but that is not all. In this great job, Donny, you have millions of people bereft of help and he and the Governor can lie thru their teeth - the needed help is not there. The necessary people are not there. And the cities and villages and small settlements in the mountains are foodless, waterless, powerless, gasless, roadless even as he pats himself on the back. I personally know of several families, relatives of a friend, who have not yet been heard from or received nothing, have lost their homes and no, silly people, they are not paying attention to the inane and insane tweeting of this idiot - they have no power so to whom is he talking, fool!!
There are desperate people out there in Puerto Rico and in the US Virgin Islands and he is tweeting about football, deciding what people can or cannot do, encouraging or bemoaning the loss of violence in the game. Guess he played too much as a kid and the results are quite telling with him! How about he gets a brain MRI or a PET scan so we know the truth?
Guess that will have to take place right after he releases his tax returns. Oops, that is never going to happen. So condemn racism wherever it shows up and rears its ugly head? Nope, be it Charlottesville or Sweden where they marched purposely on Yom Kippur, there is nothing worthwhile out of his mouth.
And Donald continues as the requests to spy on more Americans increase to the provider companies, the Russian investigation is ongoing and turning up frightening things, so much alleged incidents of collusion, so many incidents of swamp behavior among the administration people, so much negligence, so much nastiness planned and pushed, and there go the tweets on football again even as Brennan, the ex CIA director says that it is fine and the take a knee movement is simply trying to push for unity and justice, even as Donald keeps pushing the other way.
No wonder people cannot sleep at night! No wonder so many people are wondering where their brains were in November and are regretting their vote for Trump. And I still wonder if he is a validly elected President and so are many others, more and more every day. And even if he were, what about his mental status. SNL in a hilarious spoof semi joked of his brain deterioration but I do not think it is a joke!! In the meanwhile we have to deal with his tax plan for the wealthy, his insane yelling at foreign individuals, stop his incessant use of "rocket' terminology in discussions, his lack of care for the everyman can be seen in his attempt to push his deathcare on the country and the list keeps growing. A generous man is our Donald! Pay attention to his huge misdeeds and watch out for his deflectors. Deflection does not erase his huge errors and incapacity in the job. Good job, Donald? Not on your life!
Let's go locally for the outset. David Israel, in the new Rag, pats himself on the back for deeds accomplished, or so he says. He continues to lie about things thinking no one notices and when people do notice, he calls them names - getting old, that tactic, Davey. No one planned to walk out of the DA so there was no failure there. What did happen is that after opinions were given, during which David, as usual, kept talking, a vote was taken and by four votes - for it had to pass by 76 votes and it was 79 - the motion passed and then, disgusted by it all, most people just got up and walked out. Truth, Mr. Israel, truth. And recognition of the fact that these few people decided on a huge issue for 15,000 people. Your typical tactic.
At the introductory sessions for the clicker, it was promised that the first few votes would be with clicker and ballot. Never happened!! And then David makes fun of these people right there in the DA and I happen to know one of them, a lovely elderly lady, who was not sure, so she kept to the ballot for this first vote. You are a nasty individual and do not care who you insult, do you? Does it make you feel big? Just like Donald!
Then of course, we have the Rag, your private promotional media, in which you boast of the hurricane effort here in CV and one way you did that was to take to "task" those who said, gasp - that it was not perfect and needed lots of tweeking. So you say all these people were out of state. Wrong!! And even if they were, perhaps there was a reason for that outside the hurricane, and people still did not get what they needed even as you boast of CERT. Yes, volunteers did the best they could but the fact is that people do not volunteer much because they hate you and cannot wait till you are out of office- by whatever means and oh, a minor detail. you say volunteer - and then you deny those efforts to volunteer so there ya go again - more lies, more lies and yet more lies.
Okay, 'nuff with you now, little man and on to the bigger problem of this country - its President, one who is struggling mightily to be a president or at least one in his own image. Just think of what this man has done or not thru the months of his administration. First of all, it is difficult to keep track of who is in and who is out as they quit, get fired, get caught in major no-nos, shoot their mouths off, try to cheat the taxpayers as billionaires use our money to pay for their private trips but that is not all. In this great job, Donny, you have millions of people bereft of help and he and the Governor can lie thru their teeth - the needed help is not there. The necessary people are not there. And the cities and villages and small settlements in the mountains are foodless, waterless, powerless, gasless, roadless even as he pats himself on the back. I personally know of several families, relatives of a friend, who have not yet been heard from or received nothing, have lost their homes and no, silly people, they are not paying attention to the inane and insane tweeting of this idiot - they have no power so to whom is he talking, fool!!
There are desperate people out there in Puerto Rico and in the US Virgin Islands and he is tweeting about football, deciding what people can or cannot do, encouraging or bemoaning the loss of violence in the game. Guess he played too much as a kid and the results are quite telling with him! How about he gets a brain MRI or a PET scan so we know the truth?
Guess that will have to take place right after he releases his tax returns. Oops, that is never going to happen. So condemn racism wherever it shows up and rears its ugly head? Nope, be it Charlottesville or Sweden where they marched purposely on Yom Kippur, there is nothing worthwhile out of his mouth.
And Donald continues as the requests to spy on more Americans increase to the provider companies, the Russian investigation is ongoing and turning up frightening things, so much alleged incidents of collusion, so many incidents of swamp behavior among the administration people, so much negligence, so much nastiness planned and pushed, and there go the tweets on football again even as Brennan, the ex CIA director says that it is fine and the take a knee movement is simply trying to push for unity and justice, even as Donald keeps pushing the other way.
No wonder people cannot sleep at night! No wonder so many people are wondering where their brains were in November and are regretting their vote for Trump. And I still wonder if he is a validly elected President and so are many others, more and more every day. And even if he were, what about his mental status. SNL in a hilarious spoof semi joked of his brain deterioration but I do not think it is a joke!! In the meanwhile we have to deal with his tax plan for the wealthy, his insane yelling at foreign individuals, stop his incessant use of "rocket' terminology in discussions, his lack of care for the everyman can be seen in his attempt to push his deathcare on the country and the list keeps growing. A generous man is our Donald! Pay attention to his huge misdeeds and watch out for his deflectors. Deflection does not erase his huge errors and incapacity in the job. Good job, Donald? Not on your life!
Friday, September 29, 2017
TALK, TALK, TALK
Why all this talk of Trump? Why not speak of other things, of music, of art, of the Public Art in the Second Ave. subway, or of some thoughtful books recently read or simply of the flowers and the trees, so damaged here and destroyed by the hurricanes all over the Caribbean?
Why? Because it seems that once all roads led to Rome, but today they lead to Trump because like it or not, this man and his misdeeds have affected us already and he is haring off to do more damage and tell more lies. He apparently is a big believer and practitioner of the Big Lie philosophy.
Let's take taxes, the "reform" that is not yet laid out, especially let's look at the estate or deathtax as he calls it. No more tax on any estates over $5 million. Well, that is one in 500 estates and guess who will benefit on that - not the poor bottom income earners, for sure. Reform or prizes for the 2%? You answer that.
Their whole math is off. Scott and Pruitt took on their positions so they could live the high life on our backs, chartering planes, building special structures for themselves, unnecessary ones at that, and could not figure out why people were so angry. Duh!! And Cohn, the great financial wiz, or so they say, has now told us that the average American family makes $100,000 a year. Ah, bigly wrong on that one. The average family makes $74,000 before taxes and the median family makes $55,000. With those incorrect figures, Cohn goes on to state that with the $1,000 saved by these families they will be able to do much, such as buy a car or renovate their kitchens!! Is he out of his mind? Obviously.
Take another road, say the terrible attitude and behavior of some men towards and with women. We were finally making progress on this issue, especially on campus where there is apparently little to rein in wild parties, keggers and advantage taken with nefarious plans to dope some coeds or get them drunk and then have their way with them, a polite way of saying rape them. Programs were established to raise the consciousness of the men who seemed not to understand that a person drunk or doped is not capable of making any rational decisions and plans to get them that way are major legal no nos! The coeds were believed, finally, at least to some extent and football and other sports lost some of their headway in this area. But wait! Along comes DeVos with her backward planning and here we go again, reducing it to a he said/she said level once more. Shame on her!!
Okay, next? The American dream. A country where all can live together, no hatred, prejudice looked down upon, a country that at least tried to reach that standard, made errors, but tried, made progress but here we go again. Trump to the rescue? There are "fine" people among neo Nazis. David Duke is a fine fellow and his support welcome, the Republican party now supports Moore in Alabama, a pure bigot, a "Christian" who scares the bejesus out of me with his emphasis on that, a man who states openly that the rights we have are not governmental and man given, but are G-d given. So if one is an atheist what, do we deny him those rights, ship him off, force him to kneel in front of the huge Ten Commandments monument that Moore put up by the courthouse? And how did such a man, removed TWICE from judgeship ever get allowed to run and then win!?
Continuing on, we have the wonderful stress and major action by ICE this week, arresting record numbers of immigrants in the sanctuary cities, I guess showing them who's the boss according to the Trump bible and never mind the fact that the same bible allows for lack of ethics, for fiddling with the same devices and emails that they wanted to hang Hillary for! And to add insult to injury they have fallen for some spammer who sends all sorts of queries to them in the name of the rest of that crew and they are doozies! What fools those mortals be!
Black students in an Air Force school receive threats and "advice". Puerto Rico is left devastated even as Trump pats himself on the back and says it will get even better for he is going to go there and in the meanwhile, the only area getting help is San Juan and never mind the rest of the island. What will happen when so many will come over to the mainland so they can live, eat, breathe - will ICE come after them too? Make some excuse to get them? Haul them out of their relatives' homes? Make major raids in the Orlando area where so many Puerto Ricans have settled, working, living?
So there ya' go. All roads lead to Trump, even the books read. Read T. Jefferson Parker's latest one , check it out. Frightening book. Well written.
It used to be that most people spoke of vacation plans, of renovation plans, of education plans, but today not so much. We question if we will be alive or nuclear ash, living the life we lead or living in a world where all computer chips are gone, damaged by an EMP attack and we are blasted back to a world of candles and horses, with tribal wars all over the country. Why do all roads lead to Trump? Because he has put himself there in his constant grandiose and dangerous schemes, in his megalomania, in his definite unfitness to be president. Uh, anyone for pickleball?
Why? Because it seems that once all roads led to Rome, but today they lead to Trump because like it or not, this man and his misdeeds have affected us already and he is haring off to do more damage and tell more lies. He apparently is a big believer and practitioner of the Big Lie philosophy.
Let's take taxes, the "reform" that is not yet laid out, especially let's look at the estate or deathtax as he calls it. No more tax on any estates over $5 million. Well, that is one in 500 estates and guess who will benefit on that - not the poor bottom income earners, for sure. Reform or prizes for the 2%? You answer that.
Their whole math is off. Scott and Pruitt took on their positions so they could live the high life on our backs, chartering planes, building special structures for themselves, unnecessary ones at that, and could not figure out why people were so angry. Duh!! And Cohn, the great financial wiz, or so they say, has now told us that the average American family makes $100,000 a year. Ah, bigly wrong on that one. The average family makes $74,000 before taxes and the median family makes $55,000. With those incorrect figures, Cohn goes on to state that with the $1,000 saved by these families they will be able to do much, such as buy a car or renovate their kitchens!! Is he out of his mind? Obviously.
Take another road, say the terrible attitude and behavior of some men towards and with women. We were finally making progress on this issue, especially on campus where there is apparently little to rein in wild parties, keggers and advantage taken with nefarious plans to dope some coeds or get them drunk and then have their way with them, a polite way of saying rape them. Programs were established to raise the consciousness of the men who seemed not to understand that a person drunk or doped is not capable of making any rational decisions and plans to get them that way are major legal no nos! The coeds were believed, finally, at least to some extent and football and other sports lost some of their headway in this area. But wait! Along comes DeVos with her backward planning and here we go again, reducing it to a he said/she said level once more. Shame on her!!
Okay, next? The American dream. A country where all can live together, no hatred, prejudice looked down upon, a country that at least tried to reach that standard, made errors, but tried, made progress but here we go again. Trump to the rescue? There are "fine" people among neo Nazis. David Duke is a fine fellow and his support welcome, the Republican party now supports Moore in Alabama, a pure bigot, a "Christian" who scares the bejesus out of me with his emphasis on that, a man who states openly that the rights we have are not governmental and man given, but are G-d given. So if one is an atheist what, do we deny him those rights, ship him off, force him to kneel in front of the huge Ten Commandments monument that Moore put up by the courthouse? And how did such a man, removed TWICE from judgeship ever get allowed to run and then win!?
Continuing on, we have the wonderful stress and major action by ICE this week, arresting record numbers of immigrants in the sanctuary cities, I guess showing them who's the boss according to the Trump bible and never mind the fact that the same bible allows for lack of ethics, for fiddling with the same devices and emails that they wanted to hang Hillary for! And to add insult to injury they have fallen for some spammer who sends all sorts of queries to them in the name of the rest of that crew and they are doozies! What fools those mortals be!
Black students in an Air Force school receive threats and "advice". Puerto Rico is left devastated even as Trump pats himself on the back and says it will get even better for he is going to go there and in the meanwhile, the only area getting help is San Juan and never mind the rest of the island. What will happen when so many will come over to the mainland so they can live, eat, breathe - will ICE come after them too? Make some excuse to get them? Haul them out of their relatives' homes? Make major raids in the Orlando area where so many Puerto Ricans have settled, working, living?
So there ya' go. All roads lead to Trump, even the books read. Read T. Jefferson Parker's latest one , check it out. Frightening book. Well written.
It used to be that most people spoke of vacation plans, of renovation plans, of education plans, but today not so much. We question if we will be alive or nuclear ash, living the life we lead or living in a world where all computer chips are gone, damaged by an EMP attack and we are blasted back to a world of candles and horses, with tribal wars all over the country. Why do all roads lead to Trump? Because he has put himself there in his constant grandiose and dangerous schemes, in his megalomania, in his definite unfitness to be president. Uh, anyone for pickleball?
Thursday, September 28, 2017
BELIEVE ME
These are two favorite words of Trump and indeed any one person who is trying to pull a fast one. Why should one just "believe" without proof, without background, without any reasonable backup particularly when the opposite is true.
What if there were a man who constantly changes a story, erase, or tries to erase his past actions and statements and then always uses the term "believe me"? Well, we have such a man sitting in that Oval Office and he is most emphatically NOT to be believed. Even more so when we find that he is ignorant of much, cannot spell to save his life and has not a clue as to the structure of the English language.
There was an election in Alabama, one with not really much choice between them, (so hopefully the Democrat will win when it counts), but Trump chose to throw his weight and that of Pence behind Strange. Oops, he lost and then suddenly there was more room on Twitter for Trump began to erase his tweets supporting Strange. This is not the first time he has done this and by the way, as President he is not to erase anything for it is all to be preserved. Hmmm. Trump not listening. Wow! Shock!
He tried to erase his statements re Charlottesville but could not and when he tells people that believe me, I am not a racist, well, start unbelieving. And the same goes very definitely with his latest tweet re taxes and his proposed "tax cut". DO NOT BELIEVE.
This proposed reform, to use an incorrect term, would be a boon for the wealthy, those of his class, those in the truly wealthy group. For the lowest tax rate, well, prepare for a raise of 2% from 10 to 12%, in a category where every dollar means a great deal. But for those in Trump's group, why worry your silly heads not at all. “The wealthy get a tax cut,” ... “They will pay only 35 percent on their income taxes (down from 39.6 percent). At the moment, this rate applies to any income above about $418,000.” If you make $500,000, in other words, you’ll save about $25,000 a year in taxes. What’s more, business gets a significant cut, which obviously benefits Trump through the Trump Organization (which still puts money in his pocket).
And remember that even as Trump saves a great deal here, he will also save more when he is dead and there is no more estate tax on these sizeable ones. This affects only the wealthy beyond imagination - a great deal - so again, believe me - never! And as for the people who have struggled and are now making upper middle class money in a state with taxes, in a city with taxes, well, forget those deductions. Better you should have money in foreign banks, less taxable!
Why should we believe a man who has never disclosed his tax returns, contrary to all custom. Why should we believe a man who tells lies all the time. Why should we believe a man who does not recognize others as equal to him (and probably better at that!). Here is a heart felt statement about what the take a knee is all about.
"I would like to challenge every American watching this show to treat people better... It's about treating people like human beings. That's the first step. ....
"There's no way that a woman should feel less human than a man. There's no way that a black person should feel less human than a white man. Everybody should be seen equal, and until that happens and everybody sees what we're fighting for, it's the truth and the reality of what we want ..."
So whom to believe? A person and a movement that states the above or a man who lies about his taxes all the time, a man who tells us nothing about how he plans to make up the growing deficit if these plans came to fruition, a man who lies about the votes for his awful 'deathcare' program, a man who lies about everything, including the fact that his own staff and family used private devices and emails to handle governmental work, a man whose search for 'fraud' in elections has uncovered that his son in law is registered as a woman.
This is a man whose rulings about immigrants and refugees has basically hung a sign outside our borders that says to go away, not wanted, America is not what it once was - much to our detriment. And what do we say about a policy and behavior with ICE that targets pregnant women, locks them up in increasing numbers even as they were not supposed to do this, as they treat miscarrying women with great heartlessness.
Michelle Obama says that women who voted for Trump voted against their own voice. I truly believe that is true and cannot understand how we can lock up Wiener, a creep, who never touched anyone and let a self admitted and boastful sexual predator and molester to remain as President of the country. How? Why? What does that say about us? And what do we do about the Facebook and now Twitter ads and statements put there by the Russians to help Trump and to stir up trouble within our borders? Look for help where? With the same man and administration who benefitted from all this?
Believe me, we are in trouble and when I say believe me, believe me!! Very sad situation. Very dangerous situation. Bigly sad!!
What if there were a man who constantly changes a story, erase, or tries to erase his past actions and statements and then always uses the term "believe me"? Well, we have such a man sitting in that Oval Office and he is most emphatically NOT to be believed. Even more so when we find that he is ignorant of much, cannot spell to save his life and has not a clue as to the structure of the English language.
There was an election in Alabama, one with not really much choice between them, (so hopefully the Democrat will win when it counts), but Trump chose to throw his weight and that of Pence behind Strange. Oops, he lost and then suddenly there was more room on Twitter for Trump began to erase his tweets supporting Strange. This is not the first time he has done this and by the way, as President he is not to erase anything for it is all to be preserved. Hmmm. Trump not listening. Wow! Shock!
He tried to erase his statements re Charlottesville but could not and when he tells people that believe me, I am not a racist, well, start unbelieving. And the same goes very definitely with his latest tweet re taxes and his proposed "tax cut". DO NOT BELIEVE.
This proposed reform, to use an incorrect term, would be a boon for the wealthy, those of his class, those in the truly wealthy group. For the lowest tax rate, well, prepare for a raise of 2% from 10 to 12%, in a category where every dollar means a great deal. But for those in Trump's group, why worry your silly heads not at all. “The wealthy get a tax cut,” ... “They will pay only 35 percent on their income taxes (down from 39.6 percent). At the moment, this rate applies to any income above about $418,000.” If you make $500,000, in other words, you’ll save about $25,000 a year in taxes. What’s more, business gets a significant cut, which obviously benefits Trump through the Trump Organization (which still puts money in his pocket).
And remember that even as Trump saves a great deal here, he will also save more when he is dead and there is no more estate tax on these sizeable ones. This affects only the wealthy beyond imagination - a great deal - so again, believe me - never! And as for the people who have struggled and are now making upper middle class money in a state with taxes, in a city with taxes, well, forget those deductions. Better you should have money in foreign banks, less taxable!
Why should we believe a man who has never disclosed his tax returns, contrary to all custom. Why should we believe a man who tells lies all the time. Why should we believe a man who does not recognize others as equal to him (and probably better at that!). Here is a heart felt statement about what the take a knee is all about.
"I would like to challenge every American watching this show to treat people better... It's about treating people like human beings. That's the first step. ....
"There's no way that a woman should feel less human than a man. There's no way that a black person should feel less human than a white man. Everybody should be seen equal, and until that happens and everybody sees what we're fighting for, it's the truth and the reality of what we want ..."
So whom to believe? A person and a movement that states the above or a man who lies about his taxes all the time, a man who tells us nothing about how he plans to make up the growing deficit if these plans came to fruition, a man who lies about the votes for his awful 'deathcare' program, a man who lies about everything, including the fact that his own staff and family used private devices and emails to handle governmental work, a man whose search for 'fraud' in elections has uncovered that his son in law is registered as a woman.
This is a man whose rulings about immigrants and refugees has basically hung a sign outside our borders that says to go away, not wanted, America is not what it once was - much to our detriment. And what do we say about a policy and behavior with ICE that targets pregnant women, locks them up in increasing numbers even as they were not supposed to do this, as they treat miscarrying women with great heartlessness.
Michelle Obama says that women who voted for Trump voted against their own voice. I truly believe that is true and cannot understand how we can lock up Wiener, a creep, who never touched anyone and let a self admitted and boastful sexual predator and molester to remain as President of the country. How? Why? What does that say about us? And what do we do about the Facebook and now Twitter ads and statements put there by the Russians to help Trump and to stir up trouble within our borders? Look for help where? With the same man and administration who benefitted from all this?
Believe me, we are in trouble and when I say believe me, believe me!! Very sad situation. Very dangerous situation. Bigly sad!!
Wednesday, September 27, 2017
A BUFFOON, DIVISIVE AND RACIST
These were three terms used to define Donald Trump in yesterday's papers. They have been used before but never with such anger and venom behind it, never with such fear about our future. Does this man do it purposely or simply because he is the buffoon in a role he plays perfectly?
So here is my little interpretation, my own amateur analysis. Much of his behavior is typical of the middle schooler who is unsure of himself, who needs attention but does not know how to get it other than by being the class fool or by hurting or insulting others. It is understandable in a 12 year old who is first learning who he is and trying out different personae, but not in a 71 year old man unless that71 year old has a mental illness or has a deteriorating mind. Both of those fit the possibilities for Trump. Or maybe he is just evil.
Should he fear loss of attention or approval - at least in his own mind - he will stir things up, particularly if the stirring up will deflect attention from far more serious matters, in his case, the possibility of treason, the ever growing possibility and proof of a tampered with election that shows he was not truly ad validly elected, and his dangerous temper tantrums with Kim Jong-un.
He found such a deflection possibility in the knee postures of various NFL players, owners, and now others in various areas as the bending knee is now carrying serious weight. And typically, Trump sees it for what it is not and natters on about it in his divisive and threatening tweets. It is not about respect for the flag. It is not about disrespect for the anthem or about not appreciating our soldiers. Instead it is showing respect and understanding of our rights as citizens, the right to protest, the right to point out wrongs, and the right to do it peacefully. It is about having a conversation, a national one, about police violence and about racism. It is about the disconnect so many feel with our country and its so called leaders.
Trump does not want to hear this any more than a 13 year old wants to hear that he has a bedtime or must do his homework, must obey the rules. So he throws his tantrums but how silly and how dangerous is that in such a man who holds the highest office in the land, if not the world - or at least it used to be. So, as a child, he calls names, he threatens where he has no power to do so or carry out those threats, and stupidly, thinking he is playing to his base and exulting in their applause in their limited arena, he does not see nor understand that he is now losing elsewhere, shedding voters who now regret voting for him, who detest his tweets, his mouth, his threatening to deny rights to protesters, like it or not.
Finally, he rips open his own self and declares to the world, to the nation, that he himself is a bigot, a racist, a friend to supremacists, who allowed David Duke and others to flourish once more in his shadow. He causes a fire chief to have the gall to use the N word in referring to the bent knee issue, and he divides the nation with anger and nasty statements such as ignoring the human catastrophe that is now Puerto Rico, saying yes, it is a disaster but you know, they owe a lot of money to Wall Street!! Really? Who cares now when there are people with no water, no food, no electric, no home and no hope. Feed and water them, house them, help with the grid and the infrastructure. Treat them as human beings, as brother and sister Americans. So now he is shamed into going there. No one needs him there, just the aid that should be forthcoming. Another hoagie given out to someone does not count for much.
But the question is - can he do that? He does not look upon people as connected to him unless they kowtow to him, worship and adore him, feed him what he wants. Now he is back to the ban on seven countries, most of whom are Moslem and yet the reasoning behind it is fallible and fallacious. In twenty years no foreign born person from any of those banned countries allowed in as a citizen has carried out a fatal attack here in America. Should we not ban white nationalists as well, throw them somewhere if that is what we are doing? It was not a Muslim terrorist who shot up a first grade class, or destroyed the building in Oklahoma City or any number of other attacks. So yes, vet as hard as one wishes, those laws are already in place and have worked, but be sensible. What is this nonsense that a Somali can visit but not stay. If one is terrorist minded do you think that the visit will not be planned well?! Dumb!! Just vet as we do now. Stop this total violation of who we are, how we were founded, as a place of welcome for all and when we had periods of time that contradicted that at least we learned to correct ourselves. Let us not go backwards unless it is to cancel out November and have a rerun!! Now that sounds good.
So here is my little interpretation, my own amateur analysis. Much of his behavior is typical of the middle schooler who is unsure of himself, who needs attention but does not know how to get it other than by being the class fool or by hurting or insulting others. It is understandable in a 12 year old who is first learning who he is and trying out different personae, but not in a 71 year old man unless that71 year old has a mental illness or has a deteriorating mind. Both of those fit the possibilities for Trump. Or maybe he is just evil.
Should he fear loss of attention or approval - at least in his own mind - he will stir things up, particularly if the stirring up will deflect attention from far more serious matters, in his case, the possibility of treason, the ever growing possibility and proof of a tampered with election that shows he was not truly ad validly elected, and his dangerous temper tantrums with Kim Jong-un.
He found such a deflection possibility in the knee postures of various NFL players, owners, and now others in various areas as the bending knee is now carrying serious weight. And typically, Trump sees it for what it is not and natters on about it in his divisive and threatening tweets. It is not about respect for the flag. It is not about disrespect for the anthem or about not appreciating our soldiers. Instead it is showing respect and understanding of our rights as citizens, the right to protest, the right to point out wrongs, and the right to do it peacefully. It is about having a conversation, a national one, about police violence and about racism. It is about the disconnect so many feel with our country and its so called leaders.
Trump does not want to hear this any more than a 13 year old wants to hear that he has a bedtime or must do his homework, must obey the rules. So he throws his tantrums but how silly and how dangerous is that in such a man who holds the highest office in the land, if not the world - or at least it used to be. So, as a child, he calls names, he threatens where he has no power to do so or carry out those threats, and stupidly, thinking he is playing to his base and exulting in their applause in their limited arena, he does not see nor understand that he is now losing elsewhere, shedding voters who now regret voting for him, who detest his tweets, his mouth, his threatening to deny rights to protesters, like it or not.
Finally, he rips open his own self and declares to the world, to the nation, that he himself is a bigot, a racist, a friend to supremacists, who allowed David Duke and others to flourish once more in his shadow. He causes a fire chief to have the gall to use the N word in referring to the bent knee issue, and he divides the nation with anger and nasty statements such as ignoring the human catastrophe that is now Puerto Rico, saying yes, it is a disaster but you know, they owe a lot of money to Wall Street!! Really? Who cares now when there are people with no water, no food, no electric, no home and no hope. Feed and water them, house them, help with the grid and the infrastructure. Treat them as human beings, as brother and sister Americans. So now he is shamed into going there. No one needs him there, just the aid that should be forthcoming. Another hoagie given out to someone does not count for much.
But the question is - can he do that? He does not look upon people as connected to him unless they kowtow to him, worship and adore him, feed him what he wants. Now he is back to the ban on seven countries, most of whom are Moslem and yet the reasoning behind it is fallible and fallacious. In twenty years no foreign born person from any of those banned countries allowed in as a citizen has carried out a fatal attack here in America. Should we not ban white nationalists as well, throw them somewhere if that is what we are doing? It was not a Muslim terrorist who shot up a first grade class, or destroyed the building in Oklahoma City or any number of other attacks. So yes, vet as hard as one wishes, those laws are already in place and have worked, but be sensible. What is this nonsense that a Somali can visit but not stay. If one is terrorist minded do you think that the visit will not be planned well?! Dumb!! Just vet as we do now. Stop this total violation of who we are, how we were founded, as a place of welcome for all and when we had periods of time that contradicted that at least we learned to correct ourselves. Let us not go backwards unless it is to cancel out November and have a rerun!! Now that sounds good.
Tuesday, September 26, 2017
I HEARD IT, YOU HEARD IT, THE WORLD HEARD IT
A man threatens that a country will not be around much longer. He insults the leader of that country, a man who is just as mentally unbalanced as he is. And when that country responds in kind, he tries to back out and deny. Well, sorry, too late for that.
I nearly had a heart attack when I opened my phone to headlines and read that North Korea bombed and sank the USS Vinson and then shot down bomber plans and military jets. His representative in NY confirmed this and added that it was fine to do this as the USA in the person of that mouth of the President announced it.
I heard it. You heard it. The world heard it and was horrified. When I read that headline, before I frantically opened to the story I was shouting, "Oh no! Oh no! He did it!" And now I wonder if we will wake up to nuclear ash or the news that South Korea, Japan and Hawaii were nuked and we are responding in kind. That it will not be a video this time.This, in fact, is what the whole world is worrying about. Will we even wake up and will we want to??
And even should we avoid that crisis for a bit, look what is happening in our own country. All one has to do was listen to the discussion group of regular citizens on 60 Minutes last night and hear their own words. Fear of a nuclear war. Fear of losing healthcare and her life is over. Contempt over his tweets - and that even from his supporters. And one voiced my worry that I have previously voiced and there it was and there it was again in op - eds in papers. What? The fear of civil war, fighting in the streets, guns and battles, death among us and for what? All because this man who should never have been elected cannot control himself, has no brakes?
His every word is a sign to haters, to supremacists, to racists. Charles Blow called him a cretin today and yes, he is, but also there is that cunningness within him as he uses anything and everything to distract. From what? From the growing concern over thousands of ads in Facebook all aimed to change an election? From the growing evidence that the Russians interfered with the campaign and had close contacts with the Trump campaign and who knows how high it went?! From his greed and lack of morals? From his violations of ethics? From the truth that he is not a valid president?
And do not forget the disgusting mouth he opened about the football players. I know next to nothing about this sport, have always detested it due to its violence and never really had any thoughts about the players until all this information about the devastating damage to their brains came out. But they were American - always - and as such had the right to speak out about whatever they wished, as long as there was no violence incited or hate speech involved. So they protested about the racial hatred growing in the country. So they protested about Trump and his lack of confrontation with racists and in fact, did the opposite by praising them, by encouraging them, by using them as his deluded base.
So these players knelt or held hands or refused to come out at the singing of the anthem, the song of a country which did not always do well by their brothers in color - and yes, even with the Jews and just read the Moment magazine this week about that - and Trump, the original SOB himself, castigates football for not being as violent as it once was, as it should be - the jerk! and then calls them out, to be fired, to be debased, to be denied their rights for this. They are not automatons and have rights the same as all Americans whether Trump likes it or not.
Mnuchin told people to shut their mouths! What a moron. Does he think that this same president who did not condemn those shouting about blood and soil, carrying Nazi flags and shouting how Jews will not replace them, did he forget this? Did he forget that hatred spreads and no one is immune? Does he value his connection with the Oval Office so much he will sell his soul - and who knows, when push comes to shove, his body goes along with it.
The movement continued to grow as people from other areas joined in, despite Trump's continued screeching on Twitter. He should invest his energy in a better way by devising faster ways to help Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands. Oh yes, and perhaps we need to find a large jail cell for all those in his administration who used private emails for official business. "Lock them up!" Bannon, Priebus, Ivanka, Jared, Gary Cohn, Steven Miller - lock 'em up! Right Donald?
Will there be a civil war? A 97 year old veteran of WWII took a knee to show he sides with the players and their rights but Trump who had 'fallen arches' so could not fight - he has the audacity to call these players cowards, some of whom did serve in a war where we have no place being any more?!
This man is calling down violence upon the whole nation. Civil War redux? Dear Lord, I hope not but it all falls upon his shoulders and his stupid mouth and careless brain.
I nearly had a heart attack when I opened my phone to headlines and read that North Korea bombed and sank the USS Vinson and then shot down bomber plans and military jets. His representative in NY confirmed this and added that it was fine to do this as the USA in the person of that mouth of the President announced it.
I heard it. You heard it. The world heard it and was horrified. When I read that headline, before I frantically opened to the story I was shouting, "Oh no! Oh no! He did it!" And now I wonder if we will wake up to nuclear ash or the news that South Korea, Japan and Hawaii were nuked and we are responding in kind. That it will not be a video this time.This, in fact, is what the whole world is worrying about. Will we even wake up and will we want to??
And even should we avoid that crisis for a bit, look what is happening in our own country. All one has to do was listen to the discussion group of regular citizens on 60 Minutes last night and hear their own words. Fear of a nuclear war. Fear of losing healthcare and her life is over. Contempt over his tweets - and that even from his supporters. And one voiced my worry that I have previously voiced and there it was and there it was again in op - eds in papers. What? The fear of civil war, fighting in the streets, guns and battles, death among us and for what? All because this man who should never have been elected cannot control himself, has no brakes?
His every word is a sign to haters, to supremacists, to racists. Charles Blow called him a cretin today and yes, he is, but also there is that cunningness within him as he uses anything and everything to distract. From what? From the growing concern over thousands of ads in Facebook all aimed to change an election? From the growing evidence that the Russians interfered with the campaign and had close contacts with the Trump campaign and who knows how high it went?! From his greed and lack of morals? From his violations of ethics? From the truth that he is not a valid president?
And do not forget the disgusting mouth he opened about the football players. I know next to nothing about this sport, have always detested it due to its violence and never really had any thoughts about the players until all this information about the devastating damage to their brains came out. But they were American - always - and as such had the right to speak out about whatever they wished, as long as there was no violence incited or hate speech involved. So they protested about the racial hatred growing in the country. So they protested about Trump and his lack of confrontation with racists and in fact, did the opposite by praising them, by encouraging them, by using them as his deluded base.
So these players knelt or held hands or refused to come out at the singing of the anthem, the song of a country which did not always do well by their brothers in color - and yes, even with the Jews and just read the Moment magazine this week about that - and Trump, the original SOB himself, castigates football for not being as violent as it once was, as it should be - the jerk! and then calls them out, to be fired, to be debased, to be denied their rights for this. They are not automatons and have rights the same as all Americans whether Trump likes it or not.
Mnuchin told people to shut their mouths! What a moron. Does he think that this same president who did not condemn those shouting about blood and soil, carrying Nazi flags and shouting how Jews will not replace them, did he forget this? Did he forget that hatred spreads and no one is immune? Does he value his connection with the Oval Office so much he will sell his soul - and who knows, when push comes to shove, his body goes along with it.
The movement continued to grow as people from other areas joined in, despite Trump's continued screeching on Twitter. He should invest his energy in a better way by devising faster ways to help Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands. Oh yes, and perhaps we need to find a large jail cell for all those in his administration who used private emails for official business. "Lock them up!" Bannon, Priebus, Ivanka, Jared, Gary Cohn, Steven Miller - lock 'em up! Right Donald?
Will there be a civil war? A 97 year old veteran of WWII took a knee to show he sides with the players and their rights but Trump who had 'fallen arches' so could not fight - he has the audacity to call these players cowards, some of whom did serve in a war where we have no place being any more?!
This man is calling down violence upon the whole nation. Civil War redux? Dear Lord, I hope not but it all falls upon his shoulders and his stupid mouth and careless brain.
Monday, September 25, 2017
OF HONOR, OF COURAGE, OF TRUTH, OF HOPE - AND CROOKED JARED!
I am conflicted. I was going to write something else but I just cannot hold off, so Donny boy, I will get to you today! But first, David.
Actually, this is not only for David but for all those who term themselves leaders of the Village, who purport to have the best interests of the Villagers at heart, first and foremost. Where the hell were your brains when it came to rebuilding the Clubhouse and building the 'new' one at Hastings? Where was the forethought, the concern that perhaps we had better think ahead and plan for the increasingly havoc ridden hurricanes that are on their way. Well, too late - they are here! They have truly come visitin' and we are damn lucky to have dodged that great big howitzer shell but we did get heavily grazed. Without power for more than a week in some cases, hard to get food and even to the store, sitting there in the oppressive heat that Trump the moron is denying with his every breath, and there we had two big buildings just sitting there, empty, when they could have served us well.
So we hear the excuse they are not shelter material. Well, neither are the buildings with so many of wood construction and quite aged. Why was the building, the two of them, why were they not made so? Where the hell were the great big brains thinking and planning? We shelled out millions of our money on this, to build Levy a great big plus for his property, so no one could think of how big a plus this would have been, to advertise the shelter we would have available, the food we could store, the water we could store, the first aid we could store.
But the big minds at work were neglectful? Selfish? Unthinking? Not forward looking? And here we are. What we need to do now is find out how to fix this situation. We do not want to end up with Villagers roasting alive in their units, dying of thirst, of neglect as happened in a nursing home here in Florida. The time is NOW!!! And David, you retain much of the guilt for this neglect as no, you were not president then - Bob was, as useless as usual, but you had years and years to fix this. Where the hell were you? Busy with your neglectful watch over the Village, with lousy roads, poor financial planning and all else, expert only at screaming for security, shouting "out of order" and making fun of your opponents who dared to speak out. Shame on you. Time to retire.
As for the Donald - wow!! He has truly irritated the hive there, what with the entire sports world going nuts on him and his stupid and foul mouth. Even big donors to Trump spoke out against him and the issue grows. This is not about patriotism. This is not about love of country for I would believe that these are patriotic dudes, albeit a bit overpaid but that is for another day. They are calling Trump and buddies out for his prejudice, for his stupid unthinking mouth that encourages hatred and prejudice, for the mouth even that is getting us into hotter and hotter water and the chances for disaster for us with North Korea grows geometrically every time he gets into it again with Kim.
And what about Crooked Jared who used his private email for national business, contacts with Russians, etc. Hmmm - throw him in jail? Is that the way the line went?
Now we have the media, the entertainment world and the sports world joining forces against a man of hate, a man who thinks nothing of spewing garbage, who plans his insults and hurtful tweets, who has no idea what the hell he is doing and simply put as by one of the players - this is not what a president does! And worse, if he really knows what he is doing, then woe upon us.
So even if we live thru planned deathcare, planned sacking of the economy, the ruination of all out there who disagree with him, we still have to live thru this nuclear growing crisis and face the rest and the growth of this over his presidential years and what a misnomer that is. The man has nothing presidential about him. Handing out a hoagie or two, wearing a baseball cap and wondering aloud how big the hurricane was like a child - this will not help the environment either. Wake up, Trump, before you kill us all.
Of honor, of courage, of truth, of hope - not with these men, not with David and crew for the only one I see working is Donald Foster and not with Donald, the great orange man. Perhaps we will find these traits again when he is convicted for alleged treason or violating the ethics of the country, of the emoluments law, of greed of whatever is waiting out there. His closet is full. Would that we can empty both their closets and find these missing values with the next one up.
Actually, this is not only for David but for all those who term themselves leaders of the Village, who purport to have the best interests of the Villagers at heart, first and foremost. Where the hell were your brains when it came to rebuilding the Clubhouse and building the 'new' one at Hastings? Where was the forethought, the concern that perhaps we had better think ahead and plan for the increasingly havoc ridden hurricanes that are on their way. Well, too late - they are here! They have truly come visitin' and we are damn lucky to have dodged that great big howitzer shell but we did get heavily grazed. Without power for more than a week in some cases, hard to get food and even to the store, sitting there in the oppressive heat that Trump the moron is denying with his every breath, and there we had two big buildings just sitting there, empty, when they could have served us well.
So we hear the excuse they are not shelter material. Well, neither are the buildings with so many of wood construction and quite aged. Why was the building, the two of them, why were they not made so? Where the hell were the great big brains thinking and planning? We shelled out millions of our money on this, to build Levy a great big plus for his property, so no one could think of how big a plus this would have been, to advertise the shelter we would have available, the food we could store, the water we could store, the first aid we could store.
But the big minds at work were neglectful? Selfish? Unthinking? Not forward looking? And here we are. What we need to do now is find out how to fix this situation. We do not want to end up with Villagers roasting alive in their units, dying of thirst, of neglect as happened in a nursing home here in Florida. The time is NOW!!! And David, you retain much of the guilt for this neglect as no, you were not president then - Bob was, as useless as usual, but you had years and years to fix this. Where the hell were you? Busy with your neglectful watch over the Village, with lousy roads, poor financial planning and all else, expert only at screaming for security, shouting "out of order" and making fun of your opponents who dared to speak out. Shame on you. Time to retire.
As for the Donald - wow!! He has truly irritated the hive there, what with the entire sports world going nuts on him and his stupid and foul mouth. Even big donors to Trump spoke out against him and the issue grows. This is not about patriotism. This is not about love of country for I would believe that these are patriotic dudes, albeit a bit overpaid but that is for another day. They are calling Trump and buddies out for his prejudice, for his stupid unthinking mouth that encourages hatred and prejudice, for the mouth even that is getting us into hotter and hotter water and the chances for disaster for us with North Korea grows geometrically every time he gets into it again with Kim.
And what about Crooked Jared who used his private email for national business, contacts with Russians, etc. Hmmm - throw him in jail? Is that the way the line went?
Now we have the media, the entertainment world and the sports world joining forces against a man of hate, a man who thinks nothing of spewing garbage, who plans his insults and hurtful tweets, who has no idea what the hell he is doing and simply put as by one of the players - this is not what a president does! And worse, if he really knows what he is doing, then woe upon us.
So even if we live thru planned deathcare, planned sacking of the economy, the ruination of all out there who disagree with him, we still have to live thru this nuclear growing crisis and face the rest and the growth of this over his presidential years and what a misnomer that is. The man has nothing presidential about him. Handing out a hoagie or two, wearing a baseball cap and wondering aloud how big the hurricane was like a child - this will not help the environment either. Wake up, Trump, before you kill us all.
Of honor, of courage, of truth, of hope - not with these men, not with David and crew for the only one I see working is Donald Foster and not with Donald, the great orange man. Perhaps we will find these traits again when he is convicted for alleged treason or violating the ethics of the country, of the emoluments law, of greed of whatever is waiting out there. His closet is full. Would that we can empty both their closets and find these missing values with the next one up.
Sunday, September 24, 2017
TELL ME WHY, TELL ME WHY.....
Remember the trips with the little ones when all they would do was to ask "why" and when answered asked "why" about the answer. It was their mouths and minds working with their eyes to try to understand the world. Today is my question day, my "why" day. Answers? Ha!!
Why do we have an imbecile for a President?
Why did we even allow such a man to run?
Why are there no minimum limits per sense and values, morals, before one is allowed to run for office?
Is there no group with which this man does not pick a fight?
Why does this man have a pitifully limited vocabulary limited to the vulgar and the obscene?
Why does this man not show a decency and modicum of respect towards others?
Why does this man act as a terrible twos toddler in dealing with others?
When and how is this dangerous feud with Kim Jong Un going to stop?
Are we on the brink of nuclear disaster?
Why are so many asking the same questions, raising the same concerns?
Why do so many comment on the unsuitability of this man for President?
Why does this man ignore the pleas for help coming from the darkness of Puerto Rico, the destruction on the islands even as he finds time to curse our people?
Why do we have an administration that runs on greed and gimme, gimme tactics?
Why does Secretary Price use luxury charters to take his little trips - on our back!?
Why are our allies deserting us?
Why are our foes rejoicing in our current situation?
Why are the Republicans so anti humanity?
Why do the Republicans wish to destroy the healthcare of millions?
Why have the Republicans forgotten their roots as the party of Lincoln?
Why have we been returning to the days of old - in a non romantic manner - and encouraging or allowing hate and hate groups to prosper?
What is the matter with those women who allow the alt right to grow, who support it at the expense of their own rights and humanity?
How indeed could any woman have voted or still support this man and his followers of the basest base ever?
How do we condone the forcible arrest of non participants in a protest due to use of "kettling' - a contemptuous technique for rounding up "protesters" as if they are animals, fish to be kettled and cooked!!?
How will we run this country when we do not pass the required bills in order to do so?
Are we facing rebellion in the streets that amount to a revolt? Is that what these increasingly violent protests will become? Whose fault is that?
Why do we have a President who seeks and cherishes the support of white supremacists?
Why are we chasing after frightened immigrants?
Why are we going after contributing members of our society simply because they were children and were taken here by their parents looking for a better world, a better future?
Why do we have an administration where nepotism and cronyism are right back in the forefront?
Why do we allow petty dictators in all aspects of our lives to grow and prosper?
Why do we allow others to cancel our rights?
When have we lost the sense of what it means to be an American - and to be proud of being American?
When have we allowed other countries to interfere with our internal and yes, even external, activities and processes?
Since when do we go to the brink on each and every foreign policy issue?
Since when is foul language, nasty name calling and deaf ears part and parcel of American policy?
Today is our 50th wedding anniversary, a day we embrace with great joy and thankfulness, but will we be able to celebrate our 51st in the America that we were born into, that we love and cherish? Where is my answer?
Why do we have an imbecile for a President?
Why did we even allow such a man to run?
Why are there no minimum limits per sense and values, morals, before one is allowed to run for office?
Is there no group with which this man does not pick a fight?
Why does this man have a pitifully limited vocabulary limited to the vulgar and the obscene?
Why does this man not show a decency and modicum of respect towards others?
Why does this man act as a terrible twos toddler in dealing with others?
When and how is this dangerous feud with Kim Jong Un going to stop?
Are we on the brink of nuclear disaster?
Why are so many asking the same questions, raising the same concerns?
Why do so many comment on the unsuitability of this man for President?
Why does this man ignore the pleas for help coming from the darkness of Puerto Rico, the destruction on the islands even as he finds time to curse our people?
Why do we have an administration that runs on greed and gimme, gimme tactics?
Why does Secretary Price use luxury charters to take his little trips - on our back!?
Why are our allies deserting us?
Why are our foes rejoicing in our current situation?
Why are the Republicans so anti humanity?
Why do the Republicans wish to destroy the healthcare of millions?
Why have the Republicans forgotten their roots as the party of Lincoln?
Why have we been returning to the days of old - in a non romantic manner - and encouraging or allowing hate and hate groups to prosper?
What is the matter with those women who allow the alt right to grow, who support it at the expense of their own rights and humanity?
How indeed could any woman have voted or still support this man and his followers of the basest base ever?
How do we condone the forcible arrest of non participants in a protest due to use of "kettling' - a contemptuous technique for rounding up "protesters" as if they are animals, fish to be kettled and cooked!!?
How will we run this country when we do not pass the required bills in order to do so?
Are we facing rebellion in the streets that amount to a revolt? Is that what these increasingly violent protests will become? Whose fault is that?
Why do we have a President who seeks and cherishes the support of white supremacists?
Why are we chasing after frightened immigrants?
Why are we going after contributing members of our society simply because they were children and were taken here by their parents looking for a better world, a better future?
Why do we have an administration where nepotism and cronyism are right back in the forefront?
Why do we allow petty dictators in all aspects of our lives to grow and prosper?
Why do we allow others to cancel our rights?
When have we lost the sense of what it means to be an American - and to be proud of being American?
When have we allowed other countries to interfere with our internal and yes, even external, activities and processes?
Since when do we go to the brink on each and every foreign policy issue?
Since when is foul language, nasty name calling and deaf ears part and parcel of American policy?
Today is our 50th wedding anniversary, a day we embrace with great joy and thankfulness, but will we be able to celebrate our 51st in the America that we were born into, that we love and cherish? Where is my answer?
Wednesday, September 20, 2017
THE NEW YEAR
This is a time for introspection. What have I or we done right this year and what could we improve? Do we regret any action or inaction and could we have chosen other words?
The answer, I believe, is a definite yes but as for me, I am not sorry that I spoke up, called out for reform and called people to task. Would I have loved to do more? Of course, but life does not always give us what we want. We need to build on what has gone before, and always, hopefully, in the right direction.
I have spoken or written before of my fears of the rising anti Semitism, the violence it has chosen, the vehemence of its poison, and the most shocking, the growth of this in young people and the aid and abetting of it by young Jews themselves who do not understand that anti Semitism includes all Jews, open or not, and there is no escape or running away, no matter what name you call it. It therefore behooves all of us to remember that we, as Jews, need to remember that we are one and the difference in our customs, be it via country or via religious sect and observance should not divide us.
Not only that, but our history and our books, our very religion, urges us, tells us, commands us to fix the world, to help others - the widow, the orphan, to give charity and to be kind to the stranger in our midst. We are to chase after justice, not let it slide by, ignored. As such, we should be in the foremost of every charitable association and on the donor lists of disasters and food pantries. It should make us proud that Israel as a country is often the 'firstest with the mostest' to disaster areas and are already on the way to the disaster that is now the Caribbean.
And we, as Jews, need to know that we must support Israel. Yes, she has made errors in judgement as have many other sovereign nations, but the main point is that she remain sovereign, the only Jewish state, the only state where the Jews are eternally welcome, not chased out or burnt out or killed or slaughtered. It should not be made into a 'hip' or cool thing to knock down fellow Jews with a kippah on or a Jewish star, or who support Israel. It is not cool, not the right thing and not the right way to protest and we must remember that until one is living there, accepting the risks and the responsibilities, that one needs to temper one's judgements.
Most of all, as a woman who is Jewish, as a woman who feels that women have often been denied and even ignored in some aspects of Judaism, that the recognition of women as equal partners must happen. We must be treated with respect be it at a meting or at the Kotel, the Wall. Mind you, the secular world needs to learn this too and not try to outtalk and overtalk women as well. I am so proud of these younger women who have forced the issue and become rabbinical representatives and the men who support them. Kol Hakovod - kudos to you.
As for the world - what a better place it would be if we realized that we indeed do share this planet, this spinning orb and we had better do right by it or it will do wrong by us. Enough with the hypocrisy, the avoidance of responsibility. Enough with the sovereignty as it runs rampant over others. Enough with the hypocrisy of business and government. Let the United States be once again the moral and values leader of the world rather than the one threatening to blow it up. Let us talk honestly and openly. We are all mankind and unlike the movies there are no alien ships with wise sages who will come to teach us a better way or warn us of impending doom unless we change. We can realize that ourselves - and have to help ourselves.
Today, in Mexico, after a second quake, and as we watch the horrifying and stunning views of the massive hurricanes, a woman asked, "Is G-d mad at us?" I think so. I can just see Him looking down upon us and asking Himself what He has done? Maybe we can all try just that bit more?
In the meanwhile, a Shanah Tova to all of you, all of us, out there. May we know a New Year blessed by peace, by prosperity, by health, by love and happiness. See you all Sunday morning.
The answer, I believe, is a definite yes but as for me, I am not sorry that I spoke up, called out for reform and called people to task. Would I have loved to do more? Of course, but life does not always give us what we want. We need to build on what has gone before, and always, hopefully, in the right direction.
I have spoken or written before of my fears of the rising anti Semitism, the violence it has chosen, the vehemence of its poison, and the most shocking, the growth of this in young people and the aid and abetting of it by young Jews themselves who do not understand that anti Semitism includes all Jews, open or not, and there is no escape or running away, no matter what name you call it. It therefore behooves all of us to remember that we, as Jews, need to remember that we are one and the difference in our customs, be it via country or via religious sect and observance should not divide us.
Not only that, but our history and our books, our very religion, urges us, tells us, commands us to fix the world, to help others - the widow, the orphan, to give charity and to be kind to the stranger in our midst. We are to chase after justice, not let it slide by, ignored. As such, we should be in the foremost of every charitable association and on the donor lists of disasters and food pantries. It should make us proud that Israel as a country is often the 'firstest with the mostest' to disaster areas and are already on the way to the disaster that is now the Caribbean.
And we, as Jews, need to know that we must support Israel. Yes, she has made errors in judgement as have many other sovereign nations, but the main point is that she remain sovereign, the only Jewish state, the only state where the Jews are eternally welcome, not chased out or burnt out or killed or slaughtered. It should not be made into a 'hip' or cool thing to knock down fellow Jews with a kippah on or a Jewish star, or who support Israel. It is not cool, not the right thing and not the right way to protest and we must remember that until one is living there, accepting the risks and the responsibilities, that one needs to temper one's judgements.
Most of all, as a woman who is Jewish, as a woman who feels that women have often been denied and even ignored in some aspects of Judaism, that the recognition of women as equal partners must happen. We must be treated with respect be it at a meting or at the Kotel, the Wall. Mind you, the secular world needs to learn this too and not try to outtalk and overtalk women as well. I am so proud of these younger women who have forced the issue and become rabbinical representatives and the men who support them. Kol Hakovod - kudos to you.
As for the world - what a better place it would be if we realized that we indeed do share this planet, this spinning orb and we had better do right by it or it will do wrong by us. Enough with the hypocrisy, the avoidance of responsibility. Enough with the sovereignty as it runs rampant over others. Enough with the hypocrisy of business and government. Let the United States be once again the moral and values leader of the world rather than the one threatening to blow it up. Let us talk honestly and openly. We are all mankind and unlike the movies there are no alien ships with wise sages who will come to teach us a better way or warn us of impending doom unless we change. We can realize that ourselves - and have to help ourselves.
Today, in Mexico, after a second quake, and as we watch the horrifying and stunning views of the massive hurricanes, a woman asked, "Is G-d mad at us?" I think so. I can just see Him looking down upon us and asking Himself what He has done? Maybe we can all try just that bit more?
In the meanwhile, a Shanah Tova to all of you, all of us, out there. May we know a New Year blessed by peace, by prosperity, by health, by love and happiness. See you all Sunday morning.
IS IT ENOUGH YET?
When is enough, enough? When is it time to pull the plug? When is it time that deluded people admit to their dangerous delusion and the "base" realize that they are supporting a madman who will utterly destroy their world and the world of their children? Where is the final boundary, the so called red line to be drawn and when?
So yesterday was a boomer day for the madman of the country. His whiny scared little Senators are trying to figure out a way to screw the people of the country by taking away their healthcare, going forward - or really backward- in their frenzied push for this misnomered healthcare. It will give people so much health - right into the grave or severely impaired lives. And why? All so they can say "we won" and get little pats on the back from that madman in the big White House.
In the meanwhile, he is occupying himself by tweeting re the Emmys, calling it the lowest rated ever. Nope, sorry, wrong again and enough with this nonsense about numbers. I did not watch it, never watch these awards shows and yet I saw every bit of it I needed or cared to see and I was not included in the numbers. Enough!
What is more important is the fact, the disturbing fact, that Sanders is on the path of obstruction of justice and needs to watch her mouth, but that is minor compared to the worst speech ever given by a US President to the UN. All one had to do was look at the faces of Tillerson and Haley and realize that oops, something is wrong here. Well, there were many things wrong here. First the man used this speech to boast about himself again for he built a hotel nearby. He has the best unemployment and employment figures - wrong again. He has called it sadly wrong in his threats to Venezuela, Cuba, Iran and North Korea. Yes, there are some bad dudes there. There are people suffering there. But, a great big but - we are not the ones to go in and militarily take over, run the joint and turn the world against us in a righteous manner. If we wish to help oppressed people there are thousands upon thousands of Rohingya over by Myanamar and Bangledesh. There are severely poor, hungry and uneducated thousands right here in the USA. But do not forget the praises given to Russia for their help. Oh, such good people they are, says the president who is being investigated for collusion with them in his campaign and before and after.
How do we allow a man to stand up there and in his representation as our representative talk, threaten, yell that he is going to wipe North Korea off the face of the earth. He is nuts! Yes, that country is being run by a maniac, similar to Trump in plans and thinking although so far we have avoided these extremes, but there are millions upon millions of innocent people there who do not deserve to go up in nuclear ash. Nor do the people of South Korea or Guam or Japan or Hawaii or the west coast of America and who knows how much further into the interior. The world does not deserve - not yet anyway - to go up in nuclear ash, into nuclear winter, into oblivion because this man is crazy. Is this what he is trying to do, to emulate the madman approach that Nixon used to warn the Soviet Union off? Either way, it is nuts and why have there been no objections from his appointees, his Congress, his governors, his family, his military? Where are their voices? Where the hell is Pence in his responsibility to get this man gone or is he still trying to glue down every hair on his head?
So as the world crumbles we ignore the fact that Trump is using campaign funds and RNC funds to pay his legal fees, millions already, even in criminal defense. NO, no, not a good thing to do, but fairly representative of his lack of morals. Where is he when his great numbers of employment are threatened by Ford closing down for a bit in several factories? When Toys r Us declares bankruptcy? When nastiness is prevalent in the working world and elsewhere, when people can threaten others, to cry that they own the streets, when in a military hospital the workers are allowed to mishandle newborns! When there is fighting in the streets and the situation looks worse every day?
When is enough, enough? You tell me. I know it is enough for me but you? You pick your red lines but make it quick for the world is heating up in more ways than one. Enough!!
So yesterday was a boomer day for the madman of the country. His whiny scared little Senators are trying to figure out a way to screw the people of the country by taking away their healthcare, going forward - or really backward- in their frenzied push for this misnomered healthcare. It will give people so much health - right into the grave or severely impaired lives. And why? All so they can say "we won" and get little pats on the back from that madman in the big White House.
In the meanwhile, he is occupying himself by tweeting re the Emmys, calling it the lowest rated ever. Nope, sorry, wrong again and enough with this nonsense about numbers. I did not watch it, never watch these awards shows and yet I saw every bit of it I needed or cared to see and I was not included in the numbers. Enough!
What is more important is the fact, the disturbing fact, that Sanders is on the path of obstruction of justice and needs to watch her mouth, but that is minor compared to the worst speech ever given by a US President to the UN. All one had to do was look at the faces of Tillerson and Haley and realize that oops, something is wrong here. Well, there were many things wrong here. First the man used this speech to boast about himself again for he built a hotel nearby. He has the best unemployment and employment figures - wrong again. He has called it sadly wrong in his threats to Venezuela, Cuba, Iran and North Korea. Yes, there are some bad dudes there. There are people suffering there. But, a great big but - we are not the ones to go in and militarily take over, run the joint and turn the world against us in a righteous manner. If we wish to help oppressed people there are thousands upon thousands of Rohingya over by Myanamar and Bangledesh. There are severely poor, hungry and uneducated thousands right here in the USA. But do not forget the praises given to Russia for their help. Oh, such good people they are, says the president who is being investigated for collusion with them in his campaign and before and after.
How do we allow a man to stand up there and in his representation as our representative talk, threaten, yell that he is going to wipe North Korea off the face of the earth. He is nuts! Yes, that country is being run by a maniac, similar to Trump in plans and thinking although so far we have avoided these extremes, but there are millions upon millions of innocent people there who do not deserve to go up in nuclear ash. Nor do the people of South Korea or Guam or Japan or Hawaii or the west coast of America and who knows how much further into the interior. The world does not deserve - not yet anyway - to go up in nuclear ash, into nuclear winter, into oblivion because this man is crazy. Is this what he is trying to do, to emulate the madman approach that Nixon used to warn the Soviet Union off? Either way, it is nuts and why have there been no objections from his appointees, his Congress, his governors, his family, his military? Where are their voices? Where the hell is Pence in his responsibility to get this man gone or is he still trying to glue down every hair on his head?
So as the world crumbles we ignore the fact that Trump is using campaign funds and RNC funds to pay his legal fees, millions already, even in criminal defense. NO, no, not a good thing to do, but fairly representative of his lack of morals. Where is he when his great numbers of employment are threatened by Ford closing down for a bit in several factories? When Toys r Us declares bankruptcy? When nastiness is prevalent in the working world and elsewhere, when people can threaten others, to cry that they own the streets, when in a military hospital the workers are allowed to mishandle newborns! When there is fighting in the streets and the situation looks worse every day?
When is enough, enough? You tell me. I know it is enough for me but you? You pick your red lines but make it quick for the world is heating up in more ways than one. Enough!!
Tuesday, September 19, 2017
LIT
I used to think, actually, know, that this word meant something being lighted or even when one was just a tad tipsy or a term referring to the inclusion or exclusion of light. I have now found out differently and understand the word to mean "cool". At least in the jargon of the day of teenagers. And much to my dismay? I have found out that I am not 'lit' to my granddaughter because that is not something grandmothers are supposed to be. Okay, I can live with that.
So I decided to look around and see what is 'lit' in today's world. Not much. Everything seems to have a tawdry overtone, blotting out the light and one has to search for the lit in things. So why is that? I think because it comes from the top. Like him or not, Obama set a certain tone, a classier tone, along with Michelle - and I must say I am disappointed that he is now seemingly in the business of taking hundreds of thousands of dollars for speaking engagements on Wall Street. Not even a year and there he is. Is there ever a politician that does not disappoint? No lit here.
Not anymore.
As for our current top guy - ugh, is there a different phrase for that - there is no lit coming from him, not in attitude, not in behavior, not in anything. Now he is talking again of the 'ultimate deal' in making peace in the Mideast. Well, if it is going to be of the same caliber of his so called and ballyhooed plan for two new lines of hotels, with all the false starts, lies about deals actually being made, everything all fritzed out - well, no lit here either. Not very surprised. Are you?
Perhaps most frightening of all is that this unlit man could get us involved in nuclear catastrophe. A poll taken shows that most Americans do not trust him to handle this crisis. Well welcome to the club!
What did surprise me today was hearing that Hillary said there might be reason to question the validity of the 2016 election if there is more to be found referring to the Russian interference. She feels this is the deepest attack we have ever had on our country and its values and there have been no consequences for the attacker . Hmmm. Have been saying that for months. Now if someone can only find the legal way in which to overrun the results, wow!! But wait, where will we get those great bellylaughs if SNL has to cut out their jokes about the fool in office. You know, the toddler in mind who sends out tweets emphasizing violence, against women, against others, against anyone who displeases him. No lit in those tweets and indeed far the opposite.
This man has no 'lit' in his life nor his heart nor his mind. He laughs at troubles for others, he tweets harshness and hate and encourages it in others and fights with all. He has no favorites for life for if one displeases him, off with their heads!And yet, he has a base out there, albeit a shrinking one and these are people who are insisting on keeping their delusions, their hate, their manic opposition to any and all who talk against him, who accept anything in desperation as in the proposed Cassidy-Graham bill to replace ACA. Well, we are back in the forget about pre existing, forget about affordable premiums, and forget about its rationality and legitimacy as the Budget Office has not yet even rated it and yet, the rush and push is on before September 30. Never mind the other more important things that must happen before that date such as being able to run the country and not default on our loans and interest payments. Minor, I guess. NOT!
His lawyers are bickering amongst themselves as the digging goes on and the fear and frantic maneuvering continue. And even now, Trump continues to try to hide his misdeeds in deals and connections and possibly even treason and treachery. It kind of reminds me of the nonsense we have here with David Israel and crew. He cycles people in and out of his inner circle so long as they please him and recognize his "awesome' power. There is even a rumor that he is on the outs with an important person in his life, Hmmm....
And will he now be "lit" and try to improve the situation for future hurricanes, get this weak CERT on the road, as no one truly wants to work with him, such is the atmosphere in the Village. Will he continue to push for $16,000 to be spent on LED lighting or maybe see that that money is better spent on replacing trees and signs and fences. And by the way, who is that guy that they supposedly know who keeps jumping the fence. If they know - then do something!!! Are we to wait until there is a too late for that incident and a tragic outcome. That is truly not 'lit'!
So in my jargon, to be lit is to be cool and at one with the higher values of life, with compassion for others, with a heart that feels, with a desire to make this a better place and not for power, such as it is. Let us all be lit. What a world and wouldn't our grandkids be so proud of us - even if we are not 'lit" in their jargon.
So I decided to look around and see what is 'lit' in today's world. Not much. Everything seems to have a tawdry overtone, blotting out the light and one has to search for the lit in things. So why is that? I think because it comes from the top. Like him or not, Obama set a certain tone, a classier tone, along with Michelle - and I must say I am disappointed that he is now seemingly in the business of taking hundreds of thousands of dollars for speaking engagements on Wall Street. Not even a year and there he is. Is there ever a politician that does not disappoint? No lit here.
Not anymore.
As for our current top guy - ugh, is there a different phrase for that - there is no lit coming from him, not in attitude, not in behavior, not in anything. Now he is talking again of the 'ultimate deal' in making peace in the Mideast. Well, if it is going to be of the same caliber of his so called and ballyhooed plan for two new lines of hotels, with all the false starts, lies about deals actually being made, everything all fritzed out - well, no lit here either. Not very surprised. Are you?
Perhaps most frightening of all is that this unlit man could get us involved in nuclear catastrophe. A poll taken shows that most Americans do not trust him to handle this crisis. Well welcome to the club!
What did surprise me today was hearing that Hillary said there might be reason to question the validity of the 2016 election if there is more to be found referring to the Russian interference. She feels this is the deepest attack we have ever had on our country and its values and there have been no consequences for the attacker . Hmmm. Have been saying that for months. Now if someone can only find the legal way in which to overrun the results, wow!! But wait, where will we get those great bellylaughs if SNL has to cut out their jokes about the fool in office. You know, the toddler in mind who sends out tweets emphasizing violence, against women, against others, against anyone who displeases him. No lit in those tweets and indeed far the opposite.
This man has no 'lit' in his life nor his heart nor his mind. He laughs at troubles for others, he tweets harshness and hate and encourages it in others and fights with all. He has no favorites for life for if one displeases him, off with their heads!And yet, he has a base out there, albeit a shrinking one and these are people who are insisting on keeping their delusions, their hate, their manic opposition to any and all who talk against him, who accept anything in desperation as in the proposed Cassidy-Graham bill to replace ACA. Well, we are back in the forget about pre existing, forget about affordable premiums, and forget about its rationality and legitimacy as the Budget Office has not yet even rated it and yet, the rush and push is on before September 30. Never mind the other more important things that must happen before that date such as being able to run the country and not default on our loans and interest payments. Minor, I guess. NOT!
His lawyers are bickering amongst themselves as the digging goes on and the fear and frantic maneuvering continue. And even now, Trump continues to try to hide his misdeeds in deals and connections and possibly even treason and treachery. It kind of reminds me of the nonsense we have here with David Israel and crew. He cycles people in and out of his inner circle so long as they please him and recognize his "awesome' power. There is even a rumor that he is on the outs with an important person in his life, Hmmm....
And will he now be "lit" and try to improve the situation for future hurricanes, get this weak CERT on the road, as no one truly wants to work with him, such is the atmosphere in the Village. Will he continue to push for $16,000 to be spent on LED lighting or maybe see that that money is better spent on replacing trees and signs and fences. And by the way, who is that guy that they supposedly know who keeps jumping the fence. If they know - then do something!!! Are we to wait until there is a too late for that incident and a tragic outcome. That is truly not 'lit'!
So in my jargon, to be lit is to be cool and at one with the higher values of life, with compassion for others, with a heart that feels, with a desire to make this a better place and not for power, such as it is. Let us all be lit. What a world and wouldn't our grandkids be so proud of us - even if we are not 'lit" in their jargon.
Sunday, September 17, 2017
OH TO BE THREE AGAIN!
This is the stage of our president. His behavior is that of an infant, totally focused on himself, totally centered on what makes him happy, even if it is in an infantile manner.
Take the load of tweets that he sent off . Once again he sent off stupid - there is no other word for it - tweets, moronic ones and totally inappropriate for a grown man, let alone for one who is supposed to carry and enhance the dignity of this country. He praises his own wealth and we are already concerned that growing his wealth is his primary goal. He misspells the name of a candidate he ostensibly backs, praises his donations to the relief fund, never mind all the effort from others and the miniscule amount it means to him - and then boasts about it.
He pokes fun of "the Rocket Man" the already off the deep end dictator of North Korea and shows himself hitting Hillary with a golf ball. More misogyny. This stuff is nauseating, plain and simple.
And in the meanwhile his White House and his departments are not running well at all. He has Sessions deny what a federal court asks for, they hide papers, refuse to disclose the tax forms, stonewall about the investigation and are bent on reducing people in the State department as Tillerson acts as a CEO and not a statesman. This is where we are at and it is not a good place to be, especially when this week is when the President and his representatives, his appointees, his professionals are supposed to meet and talk with their opposites from other countries. And us - woefully unprepared. Not good news for us at all.
What we have is a country and administration being run in a non transparent manner, more focused on finding the leakers who are exposing the truth and the faults of the Trump administration and in the meanwhile the country is going to hell. Where and when does this stop. How long do we allow this to continue? When does he get gone - resign, impeach and convict, whatever, but get him out and make sure that Pence understands that we will not stand for nonsense from him either. We want the humanity back in our government. We want the humanity back in our lives. We want the truth and we want it now.
And by the way, that goes double for the administration of David Israel in CV. We were woefully not ready for the hurricane and its aftermath and they can crow that their generators worked at the UCO building and they were cool and comfortable but there were thousands out there that were not. Why not give up a few more millions to WPRF? We seemed to have made this a routine act. Why not follow thru on building properly and looking towards the future. Woe upon us with both administrations and when the hell are we going to wake up and get rid of them. Elections are coming up. Important questions are coming up and no, worrying about spending more and more money on LED lights for trees is not an important issue. Wake up, people. Wake up, America. Time is short and consequences loom large and serious.
Take the load of tweets that he sent off . Once again he sent off stupid - there is no other word for it - tweets, moronic ones and totally inappropriate for a grown man, let alone for one who is supposed to carry and enhance the dignity of this country. He praises his own wealth and we are already concerned that growing his wealth is his primary goal. He misspells the name of a candidate he ostensibly backs, praises his donations to the relief fund, never mind all the effort from others and the miniscule amount it means to him - and then boasts about it.
He pokes fun of "the Rocket Man" the already off the deep end dictator of North Korea and shows himself hitting Hillary with a golf ball. More misogyny. This stuff is nauseating, plain and simple.
And in the meanwhile his White House and his departments are not running well at all. He has Sessions deny what a federal court asks for, they hide papers, refuse to disclose the tax forms, stonewall about the investigation and are bent on reducing people in the State department as Tillerson acts as a CEO and not a statesman. This is where we are at and it is not a good place to be, especially when this week is when the President and his representatives, his appointees, his professionals are supposed to meet and talk with their opposites from other countries. And us - woefully unprepared. Not good news for us at all.
What we have is a country and administration being run in a non transparent manner, more focused on finding the leakers who are exposing the truth and the faults of the Trump administration and in the meanwhile the country is going to hell. Where and when does this stop. How long do we allow this to continue? When does he get gone - resign, impeach and convict, whatever, but get him out and make sure that Pence understands that we will not stand for nonsense from him either. We want the humanity back in our government. We want the humanity back in our lives. We want the truth and we want it now.
And by the way, that goes double for the administration of David Israel in CV. We were woefully not ready for the hurricane and its aftermath and they can crow that their generators worked at the UCO building and they were cool and comfortable but there were thousands out there that were not. Why not give up a few more millions to WPRF? We seemed to have made this a routine act. Why not follow thru on building properly and looking towards the future. Woe upon us with both administrations and when the hell are we going to wake up and get rid of them. Elections are coming up. Important questions are coming up and no, worrying about spending more and more money on LED lights for trees is not an important issue. Wake up, people. Wake up, America. Time is short and consequences loom large and serious.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)