Just a Thought

As I commented on Russ' blog where he posted a letter by a Russian soldier:

 Leon and I watch the news, we ache in our hearts, we wonder not only about the Ukrainian people but also about the Russian soldiers who are Putin's Pawns in this deadly game of chess he is playing with otherwise peaceful, innocent people. 

 Living in this new world order where evil and horror and hate and lies and power and violence and irreverence have taken hold is not healthy for the human spirit. I can only hope that somehow this will all implode on those who thrive on spewing their toxic breath on the rest of us.

Representative Andy Kim Picks Up The Trash Left By Traitors in the Capitol

This is how we move on...

 

 

Some Thoughts on Current Events

 Our neighborhood has a social media platform with some rules about keeping political and certain other topics confined to sub-groups so as not to offend others. I deliberately broke the rules on Wednesday in the midst of the TV coverage of the Nation's Capitol. So did others who responded. There were only a few, but they seem to reflect what many others were saying and thinking.

I wrote:
And I don't care if I am breaking any Nextdoor rules but there is no place in our democracy for this kind of violence. This is TRUMPISM in action; he is knowingly and deliberately adding fuel to the fire. He is intent on destroying our democracy before Jan 20th.

How ANYONE can or could have supported this maniac is beyond me. and that's all I have to say about these sickening people and these horrible events. For now.

So ban me, Nextdoor! (My post and comments were removed but I copied them)

Talk about a year that has brought me to tears so many times...sad, angry, tearful. This is disgraceful.

AB replied:
Today’s event showed me the hypocrisy by allowing these terrorists to do what they did AND no police or law enforcement of any kind stopped them. Yet for Black Lives Matter protestors who protested for the killings of so many black people being killed daily…

For Native Americans who protested the pipeline on their lands who were brutally attacked with rubber bullets, bullets, teargas, yet today pice stood by and did nothing. Curfew was set, protesters still walking around!

Tell me how we are continuing to tolerate all of this! Sad that people of color do not matter

CD said:
Yep, you are very right. I know this but a part of me just doesn’t want to believe it. No denying it now. Am sickened as well. I’ve spent time in DC and on Capitol Hill over the years. This is what sickens me: The Capitol Police, who spent the summer wearing full riot gear and using tear gas, flash bangs, and rubber bullets against genuinely peaceful protestors blocks away from the Capitol, are now not even arresting Trump supporters who have forced their way past every security line, invaded the Capitol, and even injured police. It’s why they were able to breach the building.

I said:
I will be the first to admit that as an aging "hippie" I am not a flag-waving patriot and I have some issues with reciting the Pledge of Allegiance or any prescribed display of patriotism, mainly because such things have been, for so long, associated with right-wing politics.

However, that is not to say I am un-patriotic. It is, as is my nature, more quiet and reserved. But at times like this, when everything this country is about is violated, I feel the need to speak out my truth to whoever might hear, regardless of whether my speech will be banned. (My comment was removed)

Anyhow, thank you for your kind words. Let's all look toward the future with hope and optimism.

EF said:
Amen, Frank. The beauty of who we are as a country is that you can be anything you choose. If it is your choice not to wave a flag or recite the Pledge of Allegiance then God Bless You. It’s all about freedom. With this evil troll who presently occupies 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, and his idiotic offspring, it’s all about hate, and destruction.


And my 2 cents on Impeachment and the 25th:

Impeachment at this point is both a necessary step and also ultimately symbolic. It can not come to fruition/conviction by the Senate in the limited time available even if there were enough GOP Senators willing to convict. Even if willing in spirit, they are mostly cowards when it come right down to casting that vote. 

As for the 25th Amendment, it all depends on the VP who has given no indication of his willingness to go that route; even if he did, is there a sufficient number of cabinet members to follow through? It seems that resignations are their way to avoid having to deal with that possibility.
 

So, I don't see either of these options as viable for stopping the maniac from causing more harm and destruction to our democracy. There are, I believe, Executive Orders still in the works and a slew of "pardons" to be issued, no doubt, among them, his own. The shit show, I'm afraid, will continue until Biden/Harris are sworn in.

My Three Cents

ONE:
I wrote an email to CVS back in April because there were customers in the local CVS not wearing masks...and CVS is a HEALTH CARE business.

The reply was to the effect of: our employees cannot be put in the position of enforcing the requirement. So three month later they (and Walmart and Kroger, and Texas and Colorado and others) decide it's a good idea for all customers/citizens to wear masks.

But the precedent of "resistance" has already been established so now people who think it is their "right" not to wear a mask are physically assaulting others who try to enforce the requirement. So sick of this shit.

TWO:

People need to get over the erroneous notion that science and opinion are or should be put on equal footing.

The difference is that science is always self-correcting and always adding to knowledge; opinion, particularly in the case of COVID19, is not self-correcting, nor does it add to our knowledge.

In fact, some "opinions" are outright dangerous and have brought us to this "worse and worse" scenario and act very much like a virus: infecting the uninformed, the fearful, the suspicious, the ideologues.

The anti-science, conspiracy theory undercurrents that are driving much decision making in this country are not only baffling to me, but a danger to us all.

So many states are now requiring masks and distancing...after the cows have left the barn and things are spiraling out of control.

We are worse off now than we were in March and solving this will require many more months of inconvenience, sickness and death.

If only we had had a universal, country-wide, science-based response and strong leadership at the federal level we might be where most of Europe is right now - slowly, cautiously, safely opening for business. If only we (he) allowed Fauci and other medical experts to make health policy....

THREE:

Liberty, personal freedom and the constitution will count for little when you (rhetorical) or a loved one is on a respirator.

Liberty, personal freedom and the constitution are ideals that are only meaningful within the context of a society, a community, where individuals take responsibility for insuring the rights of all citizens, sometimes at the expense of one's own convenience or comfort.

We need to take care - of ourselves - and one another.

Is It Time To Get Political Again?

I'm getting really sick of the idiot in the White House. Actually I've been sick since November 8, 2016. So here is a great ad for our times.


 And while I'm at it, here is an email I sent to Dr Anthony Fauci and a cc: to a number of his staff a few days ago, just before the idiot in the White House decided it would be a good idea to discredit the good doctor.

Urging You to Speak more forcefully
To: anthony.fauci@nih.gov Cc: hilary.marston@nih.govDr. Fauci,

Having worked as an HIV/AIDS Counselor at the Connecticut State Department of Health Services during the height of the AIDS crisis, and having survived that epidemic, I recall having a great deal of respect for you and your leadership during those times. 

I am now 72 years old and I am very concerned, not only about the possibility of my contracting COVID-19, but also the devastating effect this pandemic is having on the lives and loves of so many others. 

I sense that you have been less than forthcoming lately - as if you’ve been told to tone it down and make things (the facts) seem relatively ambiguous. We have let this get out of control and desperately need your leadership!

So, I urge you:

Please speak more forcefully and definitively about the reasons for the explosion of COVID-19 cases and please be unequivocal in your admonitions to the president, government officials and the citizenry about what each person needs to do get this horrible disease under control. 

I will look forward to your most authoritative message soon.

Sincerely,

Frank DeFrancesco

 

 

To Solve the Problem of Too Much Rain?

I don't usually post about the imposter in the White House but I had such a laugh when I read this transcript of his explanation of why he wants to change the EPA regulations regarding water conservation fixtures. It is hilarious to read, so long as you mentally suspend the reality that this man is really the president of the United States.(Link to JMG here). His words will go down in history:

Trump Complains About Toilets That “Take 15 Flushes”

December 6, 2019

“We have a situation where we’re looking very strongly at sinks and showers and other elements of bathrooms, where you turn the faucet on in areas where there’s tremendous amounts of water, where the water rushes out to sea because you could never handle it. And you don’t get any water. You turn on the faucet — you don’t get any water. They take a shower, and water comes dripping out, it’s dripping out very quietly, dripping out.

“People are flushing toilets 10 times, 15 times, as opposed to once. They end up using more water. So EPA is looking at that very strongly, at my suggestion. You go into a new building or a new house or a new home, and they have standards where you don’t get water. You can’t wash your hands, practically, there’s so little water comes out of the faucet. And the end result is you leave the faucet on, and it takes you much longer to wash your hands. You end up using the same amount of water.”

“So we’re looking at, very seriously, at opening up the standard, and there may be some areas where we’ll go the other route. Desert areas. But for the most part, you have many states where they have so much water that it comes down — it’s called rain — that they don’t know what to do with it. So we’re going to be opening up that, I believe. And we’re looking at changing the standards very soon.” – Donald J. Trump, alleged president of the United States.

Worse Everyday: Pence's "christian rabbi’ Ignores Shooting Victims to Pray for Republicans

With all due respect for the victims of anti-Semitic violence in Pittsburg, their families, their loved ones and the entire community, I post this entry:

I watch the news every day and I am generally expecting, (and my expectations are always met),  more outrageous news from the current administration.

All the blogs I read are commenting on the news, expounding on the outrageousness and stupidity and dangers and illegalities, and atrocities of the administration and its supporters.

So I have pretty much given up blogging about it myself, as others do a good job and, well, who reads this blog anyhow?

But every once in a while there is a story that really gets under my skin. This is one of them:

Link: Article on Pence's "Christian Rabbi"   (Be sure to read the Twitter comments in the article)

and here: LGBT Nation

Who knew there were "christian rabbis" trying to convert Jews?

And that one would be invited pray for republican candidates days after the shooting at the Synagogue in Pittsburg, rather than pray for the dead?

The height of insensitivity gets higher every day with this arrogant, ignorant, self-serving administration. Hubris beyond the definition of hubris.

I fear Pence (who is calculating and fanatic, if not outright evil) is inherantly more dangerous than our president (who is merely a stupid, arrogant, narcissistic puppet).

I Guess This Is A Bright Spot In The Week's News

Matthew Shepard's ashes were interred this week at the National Episcopal Cathedral.

A bright spot because the interment is not only fitting and respectful, but it also serves as a strong message to all fundamentalist christians that they do not speak for all people of faith. Especially in view of the fact that Matthew's parents legitimately feared that any grave or memorial site would very likely be vandalized.

That is a sad commentary on the state of our world.

Over the past twenty years we LGBT folks have seen so much progress: we've won Supreme Court victories, we've gotten marriage equality, we've had LGBT celebrities come out, we see sympathetic, multi-dimensional and mainstream LGBT characters on TV and in movies. We've gotten the sense that we've arrived, that we are not only tolerated, but accepted and even admired; that the world we live in has become safer and more enlightened and that our country's values have evolved.

UNTIL the new wave of hatred, intolerance and bigotry arrived on the heels of this current president's campaign, beginning in June of 2015.

The floodgates were opened further on election day 2016, when many of his supporters felt that their hateful opinions were given legitimacy and they became hell-bent on un-doing and destroying everything that Mathew Shepard and the LGBT community had fought for and achieved.

It is just inconceivable how we have arrived at this place.

It is wrong and discouraging that we should have to see our fortress being dismantled piece by piece, or that we should have to fight the good fight all over again.

And all those allies and friends sometimes really don't seem to fully get it. There is danger afoot in this administration and among it's rabid supporters. Stay vigilant.

We will not be shaken, we will be strong. Stay strong my friends, stay strong.

US Secretary of State Pompeo and Hate Group FRC Dance Together

“Ministerial to Advance Religious Freedom”

This "religious freedom" summit (July 24-26) hosted by Secretary of State Mike Pompeo is beyond hypocrisy in light of the president's Muslim travel ban and despite its lip-service to religious refugees, is an insidious attempt by the religious right to establish christian theocracy here and abroad. Top officials from 80 nations are scheduled to attend, and Vice President Mike Pence will be giving an address. 

Tony Perkins, president of the Family Research Council, a Southern Poverty Law Center designated HATE GROUP, with a long history of anti-LGBT activities, has been promoting this event which dovetails with his anti-LGBT agenda here and abroad.

I don't understand how this summit cannot be blatantly unconstitutional as it is promoting, not just Christianity, but a very narrow definition of christian beliefs which are in direct opposition to the civil rights and liberties of other religions as well as to the rights of LGBT persons.

This is totally unacceptable.

There is no formal action that I know of to oppose this abuse of the office of US Secretary of State.

Madaleno for Governor - Take That

Birthday Road Trip - Palm Springs Splurge

I celebrated my 70th birthday this past week.

As I typed that sentence I had a slight dissociative experience...as though it was some other 70 year old who was typing and certainly not me.

Anyhow, before I bore you with photos of our birthday trip to Palm Springs, I want to say a word or two about the March for Our Lives protests this past weekend. I was truly inspired and extremely proud of the young people who organized and marched and gave such poignant speeches. Among them were Emma Gonzalez and 11 year-old Naomi Wadler whose eloquence put to shame every do-nothing politician in America.

The young people who have come together in cities all over the United States (and the world) have a cause that will propel them into the future, as voters, as activists, as politicians, as men and women who can turn around this country that has gone astray.

I really hope these kids kick ass and vote out every lazy, hate-mongring, bought-and-paid-for by the NRA politicians cluttering up the halls of congress.

                       *              *            *            *              *              *            *              *

Now for a few photos of our road trip to Palm Springs, California. I call it our Palm Springs splurge because we really blew our wad on this trip.

We stayed at the Triangle Inn - a gay guest house with very nice accommodations, swimming pool, hot tub and continental breakfast.

Let's just say it was not Econolodge or Red Roof Inn. Can we say "splurge?"

The gardens and the bougainvillea really made for a relaxing tropical/dessert atmosphere.

[click photos to enlarge]

We did Joshua Tree National Park which was about a 5-hour tour. Amazing rock formations, vegetation and Joshua Trees which look like something out of Dr. Seuss.

The Palm Springs Tram took us to 8,516 feet at the top of Mt. San Jacinto (I think that's the name of the mountain). I didn't take a whole lot of pictures...there are more, but they're not great photos.

The Indian Canyons were interesting. A babbling brook in the dessert, flowing down through a palm tree lined canyon lush with vegetation. A real oasis.

A light rain one day made a visit to the museum a nice change. We saw an Andy Warhol exhibit. I never really appreciated Warhol. I think most people associate his art with Campbell Soup. He really is so much more than that.

Some other exhibits included Mid-Century Modern, Glass Sculptures, and an art piece made of white bread, or was it toast?

In town, while Spanish architecture is one of the more prominent styles, Mid-Century Modern rules in Palm Springs.

We did some "furniture shopping" as Leon wants to redecorate the house in Mid-Century Modern, a style he always liked.

But we blew our budget on a groceries from Aldi (so we could make a few lunches and dinners without spending half our IRA) and ate out a few dinners and a lunch. I thought P-town was expensive. Yikes.

We did pick up a couple of bargains at an antique/flea market store and got a new rainbow flag at the local Q-Trading Co.

All in all, we had a very nice time - a great respite for Leon (who's been working 60-hour weeks) and a memorable 70th for me.

Ugh. I said it again. Can't possibly be...I still feel 27 on the days when nothing hurts.