CANCELED!! CANCELLED!!! DOES IT MAKE A DIFFERENCE?

     No matter how you spell it, canceled, or cancelled, it is one of the most annoying and/or dangerous words around. Conversely, it can be joyous, as in - the test is canceled, or the pandemic emergency is over, canceled - one day! But today, here in America, the word canceled signifies a most dangerous turn of events.

Succinctly put, America is being cancelled. Thursday's session in the House has been canceled. Not because the legislation has been passed, or the need for it less urgent. Nope, not for all that. It has been canceled because the deranged fanatics of the right, those who attacked America on Jan. 6, are planning once again to do the same on March 4. Why? Because they are dangerous fools whose utter nonsense has become principle to too many deluded souls, people willing to see our country go down the tubes, to join the canceled shows of the media.

So what is March 4? Why,  the inauguration of Trump as President! Why that day? Cannot answer that for you, but does it really make a difference? It is the maintaining of the Big Lie, the one that cancels America, its integrity, its trust in its elections, in its democracy. Supposedly, once again there are to be thousands descending upon DC, marching on the Capitol in rebellion redux, breaching it, presumably killing all their targets this time around and installing the new dictator of America. The other America? Canceled!!!!! And where is the one who encouraged, planned and conspired? Refusing to tell all to stand down. It is over. Over!

This time around though, there are different people in office. They are aware of the warnings and have taken precautions. Unlike the stooges of Trump in the Pentagon on Jan. 6, there are loyal Americans who will do their duty. But is that really the point of it all? What is happening here? That such an event could even be contemplated is shocking beyond words. It is a cancelation of our country. Period. No more, no less.

To insure this cancelation of America, these QANON fanatics, these traitors, have a fallback position. On May 20, using American armed forces under Pentagon direction, Trump would be forcibly installed as head of government. CANCELLED! That will be the fate of America. CANCELED!

Traitor after traitor has joined the GOP Fascist Party, swearing loyalty not to the country, not to their Party, not to their oath of office, but to Trump! Welcome to Amerika. That is, if you are a white Christian supplicant of Trump and believe in the selfish and corrupt government he espouses.

Make no mistake about it. It is amazing as we watch one ball-less wonder after another go down the same road. Pence, who was named as a target on January 6, is now, once again, espousing the lies of these right wing dangerous fanatics. Once again, he is the Devil's Spawn, doing the evil job he is so willing to do. All these people have canceled their own selves, their own souls as they join in the cancelation of America.

All these legislative attacks on voting rights, all the legal chicanery, are merely there to divert your attention. As one pays attention to that, one loses sight of the actual physical plans for takeover.

I wish to G-d that I was jumping the shark here, but I am most definitely not. Their plans are out there, proud of them, as they plan to cancel America.

Choices will have to be made. Harsh penalties will need to be put in place and followed through. It will not be pretty - but we can avoid this if we wake up now and cancel the proposed cancellation they have in mind. 

Places everyone?

 

HOLD ON

      That appears to be the new national phrase, the new national philosophy. We are told to hold on. But to what? It means so many different things to so many different groups that it merely increases the confusion already quite rampant out there.

As usual, two benighted states are going to stop all mask requirements, lift social distancing rules and so what do we hold on to now? Do we wait two weeks, hold on to our hats for those two weeks as we await the next surge in these states and in others that follow? Do we then 'hold on' to the oops that results? 

Or is it perhaps that we need to hold on to our patience. We have come so far. Under Biden the doses have increased, the availability increased, the protections increased. Plans are being made and even put into action in case of new variants that require boosters. We need to hold on and wait out the next two months and then who knows? Perhaps we will even be able to return to some semblance of an old normal once again? Maybe. With changes, but still....

However, there are other ominous hold on situations around that we must be very watchful of and for, vigilant in our protection of our rights, of progress made in voting rights. We must not allow a return to the equivalent of Jim Crow laws under any disguise whatsoever. The GOP is on  a rampage, allowing the fascist element of it to take over. Voting restrictions are being put in place, ones that will limit the ability of the elderly, the poor, the ill, to vote. It eliminates the improvements made in enabling people to get out there and vote.

Why? Because the GOP is afraid of the people. They are afraid of those who realize the truth, who know the truth, who see a clear path to the future rather than a clouded path back to a disturbing past. The fewer people allowed to vote, they feel the better off they are. Nothing new under the sun is there, for how often have people tried to restrict the freedom and the rights of others? Are we to 'hold on'  - till when and what? Are we to forgo our  voting rights or fight for them before we lose them? 

Basically, the phrase of 'hold on' is  a new philosophy, and its interpretation is tied to the philosophy of the person holding on. I, for one, am tired of holding on. For what? For the crazed CPAC people to create even more absurd lies, blame Pelosi for Jan. 6! Are we to hold on till it is too late? Are we to hold on till a new surge of the pandemic arrives, as we approach crazed numbers like one million dead, all because people chose to hold on incorrectly - or not? Where is the line and who defines and draws it? Do we hold on till we define it better? We are entering the theater of the absurd. Not a healthy place to be.

Here in CV, though slowly, holding on has paid off. More facilities are open, longer hours, more people allowed. Slow, disappointing, but hold on, for we will get there as the national picture improves. What has not improved here, though, is our CV political situation. It is truly a sad farce of a situation with meetings canceled left and right, communication non existent and elections in two days with people unaware of it at all!!!

Frankly, the entire election is nonsensical with the only thing of import being the necessity of getting Olga elected, a voice for the people, a voice for sanity, for truth and transparency. Have your delegate vote Olga and let us begin a new phase of hold on.

Patience, people. Things are going to improve, We will have to be vigilant, be both proactive and reactive, determined, but we can hold on and move on to. There is truly no viable alternative. Hold on. Hang in there. The future is yet to be.

WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU?

     If there were ever to be an awards show for the best question of the year, well, this one wins hands down. Asked during yet another bewildering twilight zone conversation, it succinctly presents America today. What the hell is the matter with all of us?

I know I stand flabbergasted at the blatant and preposterous lies of the barely sub rosa new Fascist Party of Amerika, presently in barely there mufti as CPAC. What horror as their adherents worshipped a golden "calf" in the form of a crass and hideous in so many ways gold statue of Trump. Excuse me while  I regurgitate for so many reasons. What is next? A Lord of the Flies wild party/throwback to the darkness within us and a murderous hunt for a modern day version of Piggy? But please excuse my error, for we have already indulged in that - January 6, 2021. CPAC has already cut all the lies for that event! Amerika, Amerika.....

What is the matter with you, with me, with all of us when a CEO of a major corporation swallows whole the false election crap? Is there something wrong in some kind of a growing mass delusionary hallucination, one that people buy into lest they be left out of this new frightening world headed our way. Or worse, become a target of it? How is it, that pieces of human filth such as Taylor Greene, Hawley, McCarthy, Cruz, DeSantis, et alia, espousers and purveyors of hatred, along with Noem, seeking her own advantage, how is it that they can now reach out from a new position as a major Amerikan Party and drag down the nation? What is the matter with us? What is wrong with us?

What is the matter with you and you and you down there in Georgia who voted to strip voting rights and access in a return to Jim Crow? What is next? More supposed Republican legislatures going along with this? New Nuremberg Amerikan version Laws? The growing use of runic symbols as these dangerous creatures grow in power and reach? My spine is overwhelmed with the chills running up and down.

Nor does this what is the matter with us end on federal and state levels. Nope, for we have it right here in the Village. For a year there has truly been no participatory administration in the Village. Meeting after meeting canceled. No discussions of contracts. No open discussion of the new agreement upon us. We are being perpetually called last minute and told of canceled meetings. Be not fooled by the present list of canceled meetings for to  that will be added the Executive Board, already a year with no meeting. The bids committee will be canceled along with so many others, already named or waiting in the wings. Having trouble with Atlantic Broadband? Well, tough- meeting canceled. 

What is the matter with you? With us? Think!!!

What is wrong with us?

 

LOST AND FOUND

      I am betwixt and between today. Which lost and which found, as both themes are a boil in my mind. We all remember the lost and found area in school or camp. Mildewed items, items that had one wondering how the hell a child did not notice their being missing, and, of course, your lost item was never found! No matter how much your mom insisted you look. Some kind of obscure metaphysical algorithm of life! And then, not to forget that chief rummager who would come and sift, find a treasure of fashion, take it home triumphantly and claim a moral victory of some sort. Lost and found - and so much more.

Enter stage right. The reassurance of a character to another, that never would she ever be so lost that that the speaker would and could not find her. Always, she would be found. Heartwarming, true, but permit me a bit of cynicism here. This statement presumes that both sides of this 'lost' equation want there to be a finding, are open to it.

What if they are not? Wonder how and why? There are reams of books, gazillions of bytes explaining that - yet it never seems understandable, does it? But think of the lost out there, physically, emotionally. Those who have given up or as we used to say, dropped out. To be found is the last item on their wish list.

As sad as this is, there is a far more serious and concerning lost today - the lost society. These are huge groups of people who are missing some ingredient of sanity, of self control, of societal responsibility. People who have been fed a diet of entitlement and when that does not quite work out, well, hence the lost of the lost society. Particularly when unprincipled supposed leaders feed into this and voila! CPAC 2021.

How dangerously lost so much of America has become. How twisted and shattered of soul are those who would assume the mantle of leadership over this lost group? Looking at the sharp edged runic figures, the red and the black, and a modern day version of the Golden Calf, a hideous golden statue of Trump,  eerily reminiscent of Nazi display  and then wonder. Are we so lost that we turn to this yet again? Are we so lost that we willingly cede our dignity, our self control, out decency, our humanity and progress and recede into a toxic past? 

Lest you say that, 'oh, it can't happen here," well it already has. Children thrown in prison. Violence at parades, personality cult rather than patriotism and loyalty to a country. An extensive and ongoing attempt, a long range plan, to battle other Americans, to death if necessary, and destroy the underpinnings of this nation. January 6, 2021.

Logical next step? Suborn political figures and parade them in front of the nation - as we see in CPAC. As we watch in horror, our shoulders creep up to our ears and we wonder where our passports are? How liquid are our funds? Who might be left behind? Should we pull out the suitcases and pack the essentials? And indeed, is there any place to which to flee?

So think again of lost and found. We have lost so much. What has been found? Be aware. Be alert. Be afraid.     

RIGHT UP THE ALLEY!

     Attention GOP members. If you wish to see an administration with participation at a bare minimum, just c'mon down. If you wish to see what happens when hypocrisy rules the day, well, again, c'mon down. If you want to see non open government, a farce of an administration, well, again, c'mon down.

Last March the world changed and we all had to adjust. It took time and we are still making changes, some of which make sense while others do not. We need to remain flexible and watchful, as sly people are always at the ready to take advantage of new and challenging conditions. It is most cutting when that trickery and cheating, that denial of rights, takes place at one's home administration and for us, it would be the association and the Village.

Due to neglect upon the part of UCO, many associations have no functioning board, no one at the helm. Too old, too many renters, apathy and vacationers who disregard the work that goes into maintaining a safe 'vacation resort" for them. No one reaches out to these associations. No one chases down the possibilities. No one works with a newbie willing, but inexperienced. So the building deteriorates and the only sign of life is a final frantic call for help as it is going under. Or, we have the miraculous one hour revival, a delegate found to come and vote for David and his slate. And our deadly circle of life continues, much to our detriment.

At the very time when there should be vigorous debate over candidates, over a new agreement, we have a deadly silence. Deadly is indeed the word, for our wonderful place will continue to deteriorate. What will we be charged for recreational facilities ? What further outrages will be foisted upon us? Will we continue to buy cars for the Levy family? Will our rights be further limited? Who is our attorney and what is the experience brought to the table? Why are the Villagers not kept abreast of discussions and proposed agreements?

The answers are really one fits all sizes. Until nature takes its course we will have a sick and manifestly limited helmsman. We will have the handpicked few to enable this situation to continue. We will continue to have our own version of twisted elections and results, for who is watching and who cares, as for an entire year there have been no meetings worth a damn. All we hear and see is CANCELED. True enough, for Village participation is extremely limited, our own version of squeezing voter rights and concentrating the reins of government in the hands of the few.

This election on Friday is a joke. But we can make or take a first step. Vote for Olga Wolkenstein for VP. She will make noise and demand answers. She will open negotiations to the light of day. Then, next year, no more David nor a substitute. Fresh thinking. Better procedures. A stronger advocacy for the people. It can be done - but only if we overcome our own inertia.

REASON? LOGIC? HUMANITY? BAH, HUMBUG!

     Each and every day tops the one before. It seems that we have underestimated the lunacy of die hard Trumpian fanatics, those who openly show and demand loyalty to Trump rather than to the country. If you are shockproof at this point in time, then perhaps a full in depth analysis of yourself is well overdue. I know that the preponderance of Trump flags overwhelmed the American flags whose role in this insurrection was as clear as glass. Break windows and doors. Run wild through the hallways of democracy, and threaten, openly, with a hangman's stand erected and operational, and modern day forms of battle lances.

Senator Thune, whose behavior and statements answer the rhetorical one - are you a moron? The answer is as clear as day. Those who have glued themselves to Trump and his politics of dissonance, of illegality, of callous indifference, well, those are the ones who need to remember that the version of yourself seen in the mirror is an illusion. We do not see the ugliness of Dorian Grey.  We forget the trite but true warning of the consequences of getting in bed with flea bearing critters.

As usual, the publicly repressed GOP rant and rave, foam at the mouth, go bananas at mention of transgender. They bring in their old ally, G-d, who actually has not been heard of late. Who are they to decide that a proper G-d is a hate filled one? Who are they to speak of and for G-d, usurping my equal time! You know that old device of transferring bodies is quite funny in the movies, but how funny is it in reality? It is far more tragic, not sinful, not chosen.

There is no sensible or logical reasoning behind continued support of Trump. There is no way to ignore all the proof of financial chicanery, of political behavior crossing the line into the realm of treason. Or of their hypocritical private and public statements and behavior. Time for them to resign, time for the GOP to disavow the hate filled bag of dangerous and explosive hot air such as Marjorie Taylor Greene.

The Brady Bunch spoke loudly and clearly about the need to change, the time to rearrange. Not bad advice. Perhaps we should take it. 

TORRENTS AND TORRENTS

       The world is awash. It is ripe with bad news and misconduct. It is a world in which we take the bad news for granted. The backwash is heavy with bad news and we shake our heads and go tsk, tsk. We appear to be lost, unable to find our way out of a paper bag. 

    The question remains whether we are able to concentrate or find ourselves mixed in with those who cannot strike the right news. The question is how did we ever get into such a bollixed state of mind. Why have we allowed nasty comments to roll off and out of the mouths of confused haters, who allow hatred and venom to spew forth.

    I like SVU. But I don't like when Ice T is cut slack as he mouths off with prejudice. So what now? Do we make excuses or do we make believe we did not hear it. Do we adjust the hatred or do we fight it with every ounce of power we can gather. Do we excuse prejudice so blatantly found in the words of Ice T and others or do we try to understand.

    Do we accept sentences and phrases of prejudice because it comes out of the mouths of those who face words of hatred, words of long haul nastiness or do we try to teach them that prejudice, hatred, nastiness, do not excuse one's own mouth of destruction. 

    Is it not about time that we grow new wonders in the world, that we come from behind and sort out the confusions of the day. Enough. Enough. Enough. 

GROWING WISER?

      Somewhere along the day yesterday, for some unknown reason, I began to reminisce, to ponder and muse. Why? Not a clue, but there it was. Staring me in the face and then, suddenly, Alexa, who has a will of her own at times, began to play the oldie, "Those Were the Days, My Friend". Listening to the words, I asked for a replay, after which I asked for several others, same category, and sang and thought along.

This song maintains that we never grow wiser, remaining the same foolish idealists of our days of youth. Apparently, we never lose those dreams, merely sublimate and bury them under life's demands. So I thought. What were the dreams of my yesteryears and compared them to those of today. Okay, putting aside wishes for a painless back and for recall as to where I left the phone this time, what were they and what are they today.

Digging deeper into the moment and the mood, I played some protest songs, some noisy and defiant, with demanding voices, and others plaintive, wishful, hopeful - yet, underneath that hope, not so much. Songs rife with outrage and bitterness. Songs reminding the older generation as to exactly who put us in this mess. And songs of wistfulness. "Where Have all the Flowers Gone" sang of the futility of a circle of life far and away so not the Disney version of circles of life. In the version of Peter, Paul and Mary there is simply no break. The errors repeat themselves ad infinitum.

Yet in another song, one which became an anthem of the Civil Rights Movement, "We Shall Overcome", one hears the wistfulness pleading and for what? Nothing revolutionary, or was it? To believe that hatred, unfairness, the evil points of mankind could be overcome. To believe. To have the right to believe that society can improve, that the dogs and batons and hoses of Selma and elsewhere can be made to disappear. To feel, hope, wish, that one day, soon, we could all live in peace.

Those of us who remember, those of us who never grew wiser in this area, those of us who remember history, the genocides, the massacres, the signs rejecting one group after another, we cry enough! We wonder why not only have we not yet overcome this baseless hatred, but have watched, stunned or apathetic or a combination of both, as new waves of hatred, imbued with violence grow apace in a world and country gone rogue.

And over it all, the haunting tones of Marion Anderson, singing of her love of America. The echoes through time of the cries of Jews as they were gassed, shot, buried alive. The voices through time of the Irish, the Italian, the Chinese, the Japanese, the Armenians, the Tutsi, the Rohingya, the Uighurs - so many voices of pain, here and around the world.

I thought. Do I still believe? Yes and no. I believe that humanity can shake itself, reform, but I also believe, at this point, that it will be a long time coming, if it ever does. Too many of us seem to revel in the miasma of hatred and violence. Too many of us are so quick to follow false prophets. And too slow to accept the truth.

Or maybe I retain at least some remnants of those dreams and hopes for humanity. Maybe, deep in my heart and soul, I do believe. So I continue the struggle in my own way and pray that somewhere, somehow, sometime, we will overcome.

THAT MEMORIAL

      It is overwhelming in a most positive manner. It is a link between all three times - past, present and future. It reminds us so powerfully of our potential for greatness along with our awful tendency to grasp at the baser elements within us. It is the memorial with a great, yet humble man, who watches, ever brooding, ever worried, a man who loved his country. The Lincoln Memorial and its steps are a shrine to both our greatness and our lowest moments.

So why now? Because last night I finally had the time to watch a most magnificent PBS documentary on Marion Anderson. That voice. It could reach the highest notes, still strong and rich and could overwhelm one and all with that rare contralto depth, whose tones carried within it the deep miseries of life that had gone on far too long. It pierced the soul, cracked any shell around the hardest heart. And yet here we are, three quarters o a century latter, and listening closely, eyes closed, one can see the tears rolling down the anguished face of Lincoln, and hear the heart rending, G-d given voice of Marion Anderson.

"My country 'tis of thee" - so she sang as she opened her voice, her soul, her storage of centuries of pain, taking a powerful step into a hopeful future as she closed her eyes, took a deep breath and the world heard. Slavery. Red Summer with so much blood in the name and service of the Devil and hatred. The "strange fruit" on the trees.. Hopeful faces of the young growing visibly less so as they aged.

The overwhelming irony as thousands protested the growing fascism in Germany and its ever grasping tentacles. The very visible, yet somehow too invisible to too many, persecution of the Jews. Middle Ages redux with a vengeance. Yet at one and the same time, here in America, the supposed symbolic organization of American achievement, the DAR, refused to allow Anderson to sing at Constitution Hall. It makes no sense. Not then and not now. But then again, since when does the vitriol of hatred ever make any sense?

History continued to present itself on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial. The man continued to wonder, grief evident in his eyes, as hatred persisted in his beloved country. He and Marion, so desperately wanting to sing full throated, a paean to "my country" and yet, the time was not yet ripe. The Rev. King spoke, laying bare his soul, his dreams. Now roll forward in time and hear the anguished cry. "I can't breathe".

The marches continue even as does the hate. The hatred spread, swastikas, vandalism, threats, violence and death. And as that man watched in anguished horror, there on the other side of the National Mall, he saw the attempt to divide the nation again. He watched, along with a horrified and terrified nation, as hate, prejudice, the most base elements of mankind, all rose to the top, overwhelming us. Drowning us. Even as the powerful echoes of the voice of Marion Anderson faded just a bit more, even as the notes of sorrow deepened within that rich voice.

"My country, tis of thee, sweet land of liberty."

When?            

PAPER TOWELS AND BOTTLES OF WATER

     The new combo! Hot off the press. More everlasting than the proverbial bottle of wine and a hunk of cheese. All credit for its invention goes to the diamond cut hardness of the hearts of conservative GOP adherents. Actually, more precise would be the Trumpian version adherent.

When Puerto Rico was hit so hard by hurricanes, taking it down to her knees, Trump basically ignored them, the mostly brown people of no accord who were not fans of Trump. When pushed to the wall, he ever so kindly distributed paper towels, tossing them to a crowd, his contempt for them dripping from his every pore. Not water. Not food. Not funds. Not homes or construction crews. Not a restoration of power. Nope. Paper towels. Great for sopping up the floodwaters! So clever.

Y:et through that disaster and so many others, Trump managed to convince his deluded disciples that he was their benefactor, their Lancelot. Even today, after the horrific attempted coup, the fierce battling between Americans, the deaths and the wounding, the shock to the nation, even today we get those who maintain he fights for them. Even as he cut taxes for the wealthy and corporations, so much more important than feeding hungry children, cut services, healthcare, safety net features, and corrupted the federal branch of government into a moral wasteland.

Then he lost. But did he? Not according to too many. Not according to the dangerously deluded who continue to try to overturn the government. Not to supposed mainstream GOP representatives, like Scalise, or Gaetz, who still, to this day, cannot get the statement out of their mouths that the election was not rigged and Biden is the legitimate president. Like pulling teeth! They continue to wage war on the country and its responsible citizens.

So that was the new wine in the form of paper towels. The cheese? For that we move to Texas where the Mephistopheles lookalike, Cruz, could not be bothered to bother about his fellow Texans freezing, thirsty, dying, in their beleaguered state. Nope, claiming he was just being a 'good dad', hefting a huge suitcase, was off to Cancun. Anyone hear the crunch of the daughters under the wheels of the plane? Anyone smell a rat taco? Anyone smell the stink of the moldy and eminently spoiled, inedible cheese?  

But wait, for taking example from his ever so caring and generous leader, he of the paper towels, Cruz atoned. How, you ask? Why by handing out bottles, little bottles, of water. So.....wash face and hands? Freeze and play ice hockey? Take the small bottle and drink? But wait! Do not forget the makeshift latrine which needs flushing water. Oh, the choices! Maybe even enough thinking material to cause one to shiver less under the three coats and four blankets and don't forget the dogs.

Folks, this group of Trumpian acolytes has joined a cult, one dangerous to the body and soul of this country, its very existence. It is a dangerous, coldly calculating cult, rife with hatred and homicidal intent. They come loaded for bear and care not who gets in their way. This ugly crack in our country runs from the very dregs all the way to the highest ranks of government. Do not underestimate its size, power and intentions - and their determination, come what may, to attain victory.

Leave this poisonous gift. Better bread and water and a clean and clear path, a recognition of a future good for all, than what this cult promises by its very existence, by its mission, by its twisted ethos. They bode ill for all.  

  

NO CROWN, NO JEWEL, NOT HERE

      That phrase always sends a chill down my spine. Why? Simple. It reminds me of favorite things, like Julie Andrews sings of. Not brown paper packaging, but rather a book or show or movie about a favorite period of history and the high caliber historical fiction that comes along with it.

Then, unfortunately, reality bursts the bubble. As much as one tries to ignore it, tries to find a moment of peace in troubled times, it is just impossible - at least for me. I envy those who can. But when the stink and the smoke, the filth and the rancor fill the pages of print media, clog the bookshelves and cram the airwaves, then how does one turn a blind eye to it all? In any case, I cannot. Wish I could.

The stink and filth of betrayal cling to the GOP members who continue to tether themselves to the traitor, Trump. They insist on calling the attempted overthrow of the government a 'riot' - which it manifestly was and is not. Why is? Because it continues, much to our detriment and danger. Because it continues to pour out its rancid odor on us all. It taints and stains our country, ravages and tears at its fabric, undercuts its very foundations - and threatens to crush people beneath its wheels of spiked hatred if allowed to continue.

The derelict, deranged, deluded would be tyrant is scheduled to speak at CPAC next week, and what will spew forth? That he continues to retain a hold on fear and power is puzzling and frightening. McConnell licked those nasty boots for years, but was forced to acknowledge the truth, even as he let him off scot free! But the stink clings to him. When one sells one's soul to the devil, well the outcome is never lovely.

And Graham is worse. This man evidently has kept much of his Old South culture hidden in his depths, corrupting and rotting his soul until it burst into the open. "Count me out" he said at the insurrection, breaking, supposedly, with the Devil on earth. Now, oh, he just meant no more attempts to overthrow the 2020 election results. And down he will come to Mar a Lago, to cringe and crawl, to desert his friends of rectitude and true patriotism, and weld his life even tighter with that of Trump. Well, good riddance to them both and to all who continue to buy the swill that group is pushing. Who continue to breathe in his poison.

But the filth continues and one wonders when all will come to their senses. More confessions of adherents that they doubted his sanity. More financial fraud and I hope that roof falls in quickly for all our sakes. And now we find there is more truth exposed in his relationship with the Russians, the KGB, and Putin. 

Stink and smoke, rancid and rotting, eating away at America. Folks, there must be boundaries. There must be a return to honesty, to public service, to at least some sense of altruism. Moral education, values that advance society rather than increase its inequities - and that goes for all - for no group deserves top dog status over all and for all time.

I hope that I, and others who think like me, believe in the same values, have that undying spark of faith in humankind, who detest the smoke and the dirt, who wish for the air to clear, will prevail. And we will not live in a country or state where the awful governor honors an awful man, Limbaugh, in his death, by lowering the flag. Yet more degradation and abasement of values. It must stop. 

AND THE BEAT GOES ON

     Among all that has changed over the past year, there is one I am truly loving, strange as it might be at times. I love music. I remember a gift of a then cutting edge transistor radio and wow! Music on the go. I discovered all kinds of music - as well as the unfortunately often atonal sounds of the world at large.

Eventually life interfered with the music as demands on time increased; no time to tune in, no time to fiddle with channels, and soon I found that my drive time was my music time. Sad, but something needed to change and that was the music.

Years later, in retirement, a miracle! Some chick living in a device was able to converse with me and heed my requests for music. Even as I raced around, relatively speaking, music was once again firmly implanted in my personal firmament. And I loved it. 

My world expanded into new music. No, not noise, but African rhythms, Native American tones, Hebrew music, including the vibrant Israeli branch. And opera, music that I had loved but had never found the time to delve deeply into its substance. Now I could even ask for suggestions from the new resident in my home. And hence, the frustration.

Folks, that Alexa is the most annoying creature ever. Particularly when she insists on playing the incorrect song or worse, when you find yourself actually yelling at a non existent whatever! Our own version of  Hal, the computer of 2001.

Then we remember that along with the new, the gifts of advancement, there will always be glitches, frustrations and the ever heavier burdens of caring for a world that we had abused and continue to do so. There is no quixotic Alexa to call upon. There is no magical lady to delve into the past for better solutions for the future. No. There is only us, a paradoxically shrinking world even as its problems expand exponentially. As for the beat, well, its rhythm is off, often grating on the ear, intrusive and jarring, rather than calming, and we have too often forgotten the beauty in the music of harmony.

There are those in the world who believe that the music is meant only for them. That the wondrous sounds of Bach or Copeland, of the Boss or Pavarotti, of Broadway and of the street, are to be limited, restricted. But when there is no music, when there is no harmony, when there is never a mindful jarring note, or the remembrance of the past or a look into the future, well, there is no longer a beat that will continue on.

At that point life and the world turn grey. Not the calming tones but rather the depressives hues of grey. We then have caricature leaders who are out of beat with the people but who insist on their bizarre music. They run off on vacation even as their constituents are suffering greatly. They consistently look out for themselves alone. They push the poisons of hate and negativity and continue on their journey, determined to undermine our very foundations. The harsh, ear splitting tones of theirs attempt to overpower the more harmonious ones and unfortunately often, too often, manage to break through. Much to our detriment.

We must try to better synchronize our music. It can make demands. It can inspire and remind. It can send us soaring to the heights even as other notes remind us of needs unmet.

The beat must go on, even with the somewhat irritative tics of Alexa. The efforts must continue and new music must be written, challenging and meshing with the old. Music is a necessity and a gift. And now, off to argue with that stubborn woman who has now unilaterally insisted on segueing to a different category of music. 

Ahhh. The music of life. Ain't it great.

 

WHAT THE ........!!!!

      Anybody out there as confused as I am about life today? Everything seems to have shifted one way or another and old standards and guidelines are being discarded with a venom. People are forced to shift for themselves in life threatening situations.

Here are two examples related to the virus. Normally, or typically, when seeking a vaccine, one goes to the doctor or a health facility and wham! Not anymore. Today we are in the midst of a hide and seek game, trying to discover the correct path to a vaccine. Woe upon one who cannot navigate easily on a computer and the web or who feels out of sorts at the thought of waiting on a virtual line for hours - simply to apply and never mind the drive and the wait for the actual shot. 

Second headscratcher? When one feels ill, one goes to a doctor. Today, with symptoms that can fit most diseases known to man, other than an ingrown toenail, one is banned, a new class of lepers in a new society. So just stay home alone, ill, until finally the ICU is the only thing left, not a great option.

The first question people now ask another is 'did you get the shot?' Second, any side effects? To say goodbye we now bless all with a 'be well and stay safe' closing. Forget ciao! Strange new world.

Here is a new one that I love. I have been told by one of those gene companies that I have more remnant Neanderthal genes than the average person. What does that mean? Who the hell knows; just another interesting little factoid to drop into a conversation. Aha! But today the news is better. Apparently these same genes provide better protection from these newfangled RNA diseases. I knew I was special!

Then we turn to the weather, weird indeed. Dangerous. Texas is freezing. People are dying. The east coast is under the same threat today. Meanwhile, here in south Florida we broil under unseasonably hot and humid weather. What the....!!

More? Civility is dead. Patriotism surely that refuge for fascists once again. Hatred has become fashionable and the idea of untermenschen quite acceptable. A new trend on TV and other media is for Black complaints to take the fore, with well situated characters whinging and whining the most.

 Dang, but of course there are many issues to be addressed, especially in areas of life and death.  Would it not be a better use of energy to keep tabs, alert and educate, and always work for the better. Surely all groups in this world have come under attack, so why not join together in common history and hopes rather than all of us trying to outdo the victimhood scale of comparison. Remember, educate, punish offenders, and let us all make progress together. Sensible, I think, but perhaps it is those Neanderthal remnants speaking! Stranger things have happened.

Trump gives a eulogy on Limbaugh - no great loss there - and, as usual, makes it all about himself. Aha, some things remain the same. So reassuring. Nor does he cease in his efforts to disrupt this entire country, still insisting he won the election. Pathetic indeed. The rump of the GOP should be left alone to snarl over the scraps as the sensible ones with any decency and moral courage should form a new party.

So what the .... is going on? Beats me and beats a whole lot of others as well. Should I join the preppers? Should I prepare for another society? Should I seek a home or a cave? Oh, the questions we ask. The answers we need. The few places to find them. Now, wonder what the trend is in clubs and where to shop for them. What the hey!

OF FRINGES AND CHINS

      Such is the level we have reached. I begin to wonder if we will ever consider we have finally plumbed the depths of disgrace and stupidity, or will we forever continue our freefall. 

On the one hand we have a psycho, full fledged, who turns on his former allies with the oh so deeply cunning remark that he has too many chins. Actually, both literally and figuratively, the man is chinless. His chin is nearly not there, and for sure, there is no chin of courage. Be that as it may, I gather we are still  in the Battle of the Kindergarteners with unfortunate consequences.

On the other hand we have a thoroughly nice man who prefers to see the rosiness of all situations. Certainly a positive change from the psycho who preceded him, but not necessarily realistic. He states that, contrary to all that has taken place, "The  nation is not divided. You have fringes on both ends." A lovely, heartwarming thought, but really! That is like buying a rug that is 75% fringe and focusing on the pathetic strip of carpet, ignoring the reality of it all. You know, if wishes were horses.... Still and all, he is certainly the better option.

Unfortunately, though, the fringe has become front and center. The Senator who can carp the most gains points. The more slavishly a GOP member follows the psycho, the more powerful he feels, even as he drains the lifeblood of America, of democracy, and the weaker he actually becomes.

It is truly a frightening world when it is considered to be brave to admit truths, even if these truths are misplaced and mistimed. The man of apparently too chins, according to the psycho, actually displayed too little chin when after voting to acquit, promptly accused the psycho of all the very same misdeeds! And, not to forget, continues his perfect streak of denying any and all complicity and enabling of the psycho and the "fringe" elements in their attempted coup. Chin indeed!

Graham, Johnson, Cruz, Rubio, Hawley et al have all quaffed heartily of the Kool-Aid of the psycho. They have, of their own desires and twisted needs, decided to throw in with the psycho, turn their backs on the American people, becoming our own Quislings. Shame on them and on us and beware the consequences unless we shut them down. Now! We must collectively turn our backs on what they are pushing and relegate them to the discarded dregs of history. Right where they all have earned a place. 

I welcome a true and open investigation. Let it all hang out. Let us do a thorough cleaning, a cleansing of our arteries. Let the truth emerge, for there, in all their true ugliness, will stand  Trump et al, his true believers, the hanger-ons, the power seekers, all those who turned on us, who openly put on the garb of a Benedict Arnold.

The road will be long, rocky, replete with blind curves, icy roads, rockfalls and more, but still and all, eminently doable with the proper determination. We need to heed and follow the words of one very brave young man.

“I always thought, ‘How do I get through this? What do I have to do to overcome this?’ 

That is what we need to do, under good leadership.

YET

      Such a little word. A baby word, three letters only, running around with big guys. But certainly a word which more than carries its own weight. In fact, rather than using 'but' in the previous sentence I might just as well have inserted 'yet' in its place.

Yet means until. It mean opposition. It also means hope. Yet indicates surprise and in both good and bad formulations. It can indicate a change in plans or, rather, a determination to continue despite all else indicating otherwise.

Having a great deal of disbelief, or perhaps wondering if I went off the tracks sometime this morning? Please. Do not. There is rhyme and reason to it all!

McConnell, that mealy mouthed hypocrite of the hypocritical GOP, made sure to point out and play up his righteousness. Trump has not gotten away with anything - yet. Yet is not that statement a lie from the getgo? Is it not yet so, the very opposite in truths? Yet on we forge, a nation united in confusion and disarray, yet so mistakenly and tragically determined to stay the distance.

Yet we all seem to have become selectively blind and deaf, struck mute. Yet despite McConnell's statement, despite all sense of fair play, of justice, of proper law and order, the man and his ilk have indeed gotten away with it all.

Despite a strong loss at the polls, Trump and evil progeny continue to boast of victory. 'Trumpism', the 'glorious America First' movement will yet soldier on. It appears that there is no natural enemy of this plan - yet. So yet on trudge the masses, those so buoyed up by the planned insurrection, a failure - yet was it? Despite the failure of this most definitely planned rebellion, they continue to believe that there is yet hope, and perhaps they are right. There is, as of yet, no proof of sure success for either. Yet on they go.

Yet  is a prime example of the subtleties of the English language. We try not to get into 'yet' situations, yet it happens. And despite attempts to define its parameters, there is yet often a confusing and unsure interpretation of intent. Yet on we forge. There is, as of yet, no alternative - yet there must be and it must be found promptly. Yet that will not be the case.

As for me, despite all necessity to get going, there is yet within me a need for five more minutes! Which choice will be victorious? Yet to be determined.

DOES IT EVEN MATTER?

     A deep, empty space within our minds.  How do we fill that void? What replaces all that has filled our every waking moment - and dreams too - for the past five years? But then again, take an inventory of that mind and see if there really is that void. Lo and behold, much to our dismay and utter exhaustion, there it is again. 

That awful real live monster. That dangerous lunatic. That existential threat to our survival, that throwback to Hitler and all the people monsters of history, from Caligula to Stalin and Putin and all the wannabees. This monster will go down as the treasonous president, as the only president of America who went to war against it. And got off scot free - or did he?

Does the heartrending video footage of the hearing have value, any long term value, for he was acquitted. That is the whole sad, dangerous and depressing question, the one that now fills that space within our minds that should have been able to move on.

Obviously guilty. Declared so by GOP representative, one after the other, AFTER they voted to acquit - does it all really matter? There is no removal from office. No ban on future office, though we might be lucky and he will die before that happens. But does it really matter, for there are his slimy progeny, planning runs for office, all to carry on his "magnificent" plan for this country - and G-d help us should that happen. 

So does it really matter. Well, a majority voted guilty. Many others admitted the crime but hid behind a false flag of constitutionality. Even as they voted that it was! And does it really matter that the true fascist tendencies of those such as Graham, Green, Cruz, Rubio and their like are revealed, their true ugliness oozing through their hideous selves. Does it really matter?

Does it really matter that there is no penalty, no consequences? Perhaps the ongoing criminal and civil crime investigations will follow through and groups of twelve honest, true patriots will see the truth.  They will watch the replays of that awful hand to hand combat, like a resurgence of the shield walls of the Vikings and Saxons. They will understand the truth of hunts for victims, the fear in the crowds of legislators, the same ones who acquitted. 

And it will matter. The truth will matter. The penalties will matter. The well deserved tarring of those same GOP members who enabled, encouraged, and cheered on that human monster, who think no one noticed, well - it will matter. It must matter. Else we are lost.

As for me, I am so tired of that man and his great unwashed masses. Still stained are they by the filth they willingly wallowed in. Stained by their complicity in the deaths and wounds. Stinking of views and deeds of hatred and inhumanity. Reeking of treason and support of corruption in government.

Oh, it does matter. It just seems that the wheel of justice is slow to turn. In the meanwhile, we wait, we watch, we demand and we persist. As for that place in the brain needing other occupying concerns, well the Good Lord has been kind enough to fill it. Falls aplenty. Concussion. Compression fracture. Fractured hip. Broken humorous bone in the arm. Unpleasant and extended second shot reaction. And in case I needed more, my fridge broke quite inconveniently and we are now sitting in a HOT apartment as the A/C decided to blow some esoteric motor that will take days to get in.

And, yes, it all matters. Gotta' believe.

 

"A MATTER OF TIME"

      So remarked one Hollywood figure when questioned re the acquittal vote. A matter of time. Till what? For what? Any which way one looks at it, there is an ominous aura about it. Simply explained, though definitely not simple in consequence, is this: a matter of time till the due date, the payment, is reached. A matter of time. Indeed.

Is this to be the guaranteed future of America? Based on the delirious, frightening words of Trump, well, judge for yourself. "Our historic, patriotic and beautiful movement to Make America Great Again has only just begun," he said. "In the months ahead I have much to share with you, and I look forward to continuing our incredible journey together to achieve American greatness for all of our people." If your whole being did not just shudder, well, perhaps you are the lucky one in that you will be able to avoid knowing that we, in our own way, are emulating the Beer Hall Putsch of Hitler, ending with his takeover, along an increasingly violent way of daily life and the disaster of yet another world war. Another disaster, needless, never to have occurred if only, if only, people would have manned and womanned up, spoken up in a timely manner and headed it all off.

But for the most part, then and now, not enough did so. Or they waited till it was useless, or hid behind pathetic excuses, legal nonsense, and even then, when finally admitting something, anything, they refused to admit their complicity, their share of the blame. Too little, too late. Even as a majority voted guilty, most were the cowardly GOP regulars, spineless, ball - less, morally vacuous beings who either agreed with the horrendous philosophy and behavior of Trump, his vision of a dark and painful existence, and/or refused to take on the battle for truth, for educating the "base", those who bashed the Capitol Police, set up a noose, hunted people like prey, rebelled against America, thus maintaining their seats in Congress.

Thus, his plans, his dastardly vision of and for his America. Thus, the most useless words of McConnell - "There is no question, none, that President Trump is practically and morally responsible for provoking the events of the day," McConnell said. "The people who stormed this building believed they were acting on the wishes and instruction of their president."

"We knew." So stated a police member. We knew their plans, their armed entries, their numbers, their intents - but did nothing, nowhere near enough. Ominous. Indeed. And now? What do we know now and what are we going to do about this plethora of knowledge? What? Or are we going to stand around, be cowards, refuse to follow all investigations and roads leading to his conviction and jailing? The answer is up to us.

We know. We certainly know the true path. But will we take it? If we do not, well ..... The choice is ours. If we do not make it clear to the GOP, well, take them down and save our country. I am gagging and choking, stunned that we actually admitted his guilt,, yet violated every rule of jury impartiality and let this man go. All Americans need to hang our heads low and cry out in pain and despair at what we have allowed, at what will be the dark future for our kids.

"A distant shore" - another pithy statement. That is where our choices lay. Either shore requires hard swims and efforts to breathe and expend and conserve energies where they to be. We need to fend off all foes, above and below the waters and finally swim ashore - to which one? You tell me.

THE ANGER! THE ANGER! AND THE MOURNING, TOO.

  "But He that sits and rules above the clouds

Doth hear and see the prayers of the just,

And will revenge the blood of the innocents

That Guise hath slain by treason of his heart, 

And brought by murder to their timeless ends."

Christopher Marlowe The Massacre at Paris (1595)

     Written long ago, commemorating yet another brutal and bloody massacre in France, between Catholics and Huguenots (Protestants), we can easily ascribe these words to the rebellion of Jan. 6, 2021 and insurrection it was indeed, not a 'riot'. It was brutal. It was bloody. And neither had anything to truly do with it at all. Both had far more to do with politics and power than religion or supposed freedom and rights. Both resulted in deaths and injuries and in shocks to the 'system' of long term duration. And both left us with the uncomfortable feeling that only the One Above can redress the wrongs, right the structures of the world again.

But why? When His creations, mankind, have blown all the provided gifts, turned to savagery,  embarked on seemingly determined efforts to destroy the world and its inhabitants, why do we think we have the expectation or the hope of divine interference? We most definitely do not. Hence, the anger and hence the mourning.

Simply watching those videos, feeling the fear, the blood hungry rages, the mob psychology and the direct line between Trump and the rioters, the obvious and trained leaders who directed that mob, coolly and calmly, knowing what they were doing - well, anger, fierce anger and deep mourning.

Yet the anger is even stronger when seeing, hearing, reading of the cynical and cold comments and oh, Lord, they know exactly what they do! They claim victimhood, embrace the term, even as they refuse to admit the truth, admit Trump's - and their - participation and complicity in the rebellion. A blatant attempt to disregard the laws, the election, the savage and the deluded, and the guilty GOP collided -and they now hide oh so righteously behind a 'constitutional" issue. Bah! HUMBUG!

The anger is all pervasive. It is acidic and its causes continue. The creep will claim vindication. The cowards will wring their hands and weep alligator tears even as they celebrate a 'victory,' an endorsement and encouragement of violence and revolution. And we, well, we are left with our cups overflowing with anger, with wonder as to why that man survived a bad case of the virus as so many others. good people, died.

We died. We cried. We watch, burning with anger as the patently biased and partisan 'jurors' come to 'court' with their decision intact. We grieve deeply the deathwatch of our country as GOP Senators Cruz, Graham, and Lee met with Trump's lawyers. What the hell!!!

To emulate Yoda, angry, I am. Sad, I am. Mourning, we all are - or should be.  

"The mind is its own place, and in itself

Can make  Heav'n of Hell, a Hell of Heav'n.

John Milton Paradise Lost. Book I (1667)

Which do we choose?