Weather for the day… starting out, 60° overcast. Nice day for a walk. Hour after I got home today it poured down rain Hour later, it actually hailed for a bit. Then got kind of nice again.
Podcast, Pod Save America Ep. Trump's Pump and Dump (feat. Sen. Raphael Warnock)
America's biggest problem today seems to be that we need to get politics out of the way of our decision making.
Base solutions on Problems!
Carve away all those basing All Our Reality on Their fantasies.
Fixes for Problems are based on Reality. Fantasy is not a basis for "problems"
I have to say, since Roe vs Wade came into existence in 1973 (I graduated HS that year), I had thought:
"They really need to use this time, this breathing space, to make it a law, not leave it in a SCOTUS ruling."
I also thought that in the 80s, 90s, 2000s. on.
I'd also thought Gerrymandering was STUPID!
I had a very smart Civics teaching who had met and worked with Chiang Kai Shek in a political work group.
She described Gerrymandering to the class and I sat there, flabbergasted. I literally couldn't believe what she was telling us so I questioned her. Thinking maybe I'd heard it wrong. Nope.
I said, Gerrymandering is... ridiculous.
She said, It's always been that way.
She gave me a look that echoed back for me to the day in 3rd grade when I questioned our nuclear war bomb drill of getting under out desks and I questioned the teacher about the veracity of hiding under a desk...for a nuclear bomb ("Stop it, you're scaring the other children")
I said, But it doesn't make any sense!
She said, It's just how it is.
I just shook my head. I couldn't believe it. NOW?
I really can't believe it.
My fears finally having come to roost.
Trump actually IS “poisoning the blood of America.“ At least some of our smaller blood vesicles, ones that aren't very important, but still can cause a lot of pain. The MGAA vesicles.
Trump‘s grifting of America is not a Ponzi scheme, because in that at least the first tier gets paid. In this case, it all goes directly to the top of the grift, Donald Trump, which is just blatant outright stealing through his weaponization petty grievances.
Trump motto: “To siphon money from supporters“. Yes, it's a stupid motto. It's Trump.
Trump Truth Social stock. Locked up for six months before he can make money off it or sell shares. Except the board can vote to change that. And board is made up of his sons and other sycophants.
So... Trump wins a golf championship, at club he owns. He once ran into a golf tourney winner, played him nine rounds, beat him (maybe, so the story goes), and then declared himself co-winner of that championship. The duffer he played against the podcast says: "That’s some real Kim Jong-un shit. Where that NK tyrant played 36 under par the first round of golf he ever played. Right sure you did...Un.
Did you know someone wrote an entire book about Trump cheating at golf?
As I’ve been saying for almost a decade, I don’t hate anyone. I don’t hate Trump, though he is wearing on me. I mean sure, what a putz! An ass. A lowlife. But look, I just regret certain sections of humanity, which he happens to fall either right in the middle of or right at the top of.
I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but over the past few years we’re seeing Republicans who are going so far to the right that they’re ending up on the left and quitting the Republican party, some even quitting Congress. Which pretty much says everything about extremist Republicans, that is, MAGA. Those who have all these non-fact-based claims against Democrats, until their own Republicans can’t take their RINO crap anymore, surrender, and quit
To draw picture visually of what’s going on, RINO MAGAs and non-MAGA Republicans, in Congress have continuously stepped ever closer to the edge of the "ledge", until the extremists are pushing the real Republicans off their cliff, leaving them right up on the edge. You're next. Take that next step!
Even George Santos said he’s leaving the Republican party to become independent, regardless of the fact that the Republican party, including both MAGA and actual Republicans, left HIM because he’s just a pathological liar and a petty little criminal...in the vein of a Donald Trump, who is a world class pathological liar and a petty little criminal. Hey, it's a talent. A one trick pony.
Starting my 2nd mile now.
Today I'm wisely wearing a left ankle slip on brace. I walked my first 4 miles this year on Sunday, two days ago. It's Tuesday now and I thought how I felt after that last walk that I should probably do a total of three, 4 mile walks before I try a 5 miles again. Long Covid really sucks. If you try to get too healthy, too fast? It’ll kick your ass.
I can’t believe in a week it’ll be two years since this last Covid infection hit me and I got long Covid… again. I was hoping it would be gone in 18 months to 2 years and yet, it’s still dragging on. It went away once, here’s hoping it goes away again. Cheers! Sláinte!
On the creative side of things… I haven’t really been able to work since end of December because of this long Covid, dormant viral trigger nonsense to plays out. I’m feeling better now. But between that, and trying to get my short, noir film, “Gumdrop", a short horror…up on a film distributor, that is, Filmhub, finally completing a lot of work in order to submit it and then got it turned down (normal, technical issues)… so that now I have to tweak it to what they said was wrong with it, that kind of broke me. This was after my building a closed captioning file, after having said I'd never go through that. But I found a pretty cool CC editor which made it much easier (Subtitle Edit).
I can’t believe in a week it’ll be two years since this last Covid infection hit me and I got long Covid… again. I was hoping it would be gone in 18 months to 2 years and yet, it’s still dragging on. It went away once, here’s hoping it goes away again. Cheers! Sláinte!
On the creative side of things… I haven’t really been able to work since end of December because of this long Covid, dormant viral trigger nonsense to plays out. I’m feeling better now. But between that, and trying to get my short, noir film, “Gumdrop", a short horror…up on a film distributor, that is, Filmhub, finally completing a lot of work in order to submit it and then got it turned down (normal, technical issues)… so that now I have to tweak it to what they said was wrong with it, that kind of broke me. This was after my building a closed captioning file, after having said I'd never go through that. But I found a pretty cool CC editor which made it much easier (Subtitle Edit).
I still have to finish my film companion book on my award-winning documentary/film poem, "Pvt. Ravel‘s Bolero". Then I have a new documentary I want to get working on full-time about my grandfather‘s rather amazing life and travels around the world, starting out as a race car mechanic in 1920s Brooklyn, then somehow ending up riding the range in the newer "old west" and somehow meeting Wyatt Earp. He then traveled the world is a diesel engineer for the military (as a civilian, after being in WWI which I'm still trying to track down his involvement there) and inventing a new diesel engine, ejector technique, and...on and on. But now I have a new spark of enthusiasm for a new project/movie I want to produce, this time at full length, I guess you'd call it sci-fi, maybe kind of philosophically based flick. I love its concept. My son loves its concept which is high praise in my mind. And I really want to get to working on that. But that’s gonna be an effort because it’s mostly dialogue based. On the order of "The Man From Earth", or a sci-fi version of "My Dinner with Andre", or something. And first I have to prep, restore and digitize all of my grandfather's old home movies from the 1940s in Asia and track down his travels from his passport from that decade where he traveled in Europe, Northern Africa and South America. Interesting guy. I once asked him (as had my older brother) about his life as we were fascinated by him and he spoke very little. He just said, "No you don't want to hear about that, there's nothing interesting there." Uh huh...right.
Again, I agree with the podcast that Hakeem Jeffries should be made speaker of the House of Representative. First they need to return the old format rule of getting rid of the Speaker getting rid of the current idiotic version of only one person being able to trigger than because of how bad Kevin McCarthy wanted that title. It needs to be what it once was and rationally should be. But Republicans in the House are worse than herding cats. More like hurting cats with that scary zombie brain fungus, the new "MAGA brain fungus." I mean, Donald Trump is a disease unto himself.
About how Hakeem Jeffries becoming Speaker of the House… Would you really want that nonsense? Not before the MAGA purge in Congress, I would think. And they do need purging.
By the way, I’m still supportive of legal capital punishment for Donald Trump, for his actions and intentions. A message needs to be sent out to protect America. I also support a Russian coup against Vladimir Putin. Russians don’t deserve that guy. Once they take over and capture him? I’m all for his end going like Kadaifi went in Libya. I’d even settle for what happened to The execution on TV of Nicolae and Elena Ceaușescu in Romania in 1990.
"US Constitution save America!" Not that whole “God save America" bullshit which has got to stop. We picked that up out of fear decades ago in the McCarthy era because of fear of the unknown and communism and bullshit politics... the Hollywood blacklist...political bullying that even Nixon joined into, and abusing people for fun and profit, wealth, and power. A lot of our problems go back to changing our motto from "e pluribus unum", "out of many, one". We need to return to that. Because this abusing minorities and immigrants and finding enjoyment from people like Trump's bullying people and oppressing and abusing those who cannot speak for themselves, passing laws to abuse LGBTQ+ people. Disenfranchising same-sex marriage and women for having a right over their own damn bodies! How do conservatives not see this? Unless, they're in a cult, a religion, and are attempting to turn America into "Gilead", a theocracy, or failing that a kleptocracy, or with Trump as their head an oligarchy.
Donald Trump, burring democracy, one gravesite at a time... at his golf courses.
Starting my 3rd mile.
Again, I agree with the podcast that Hakeem Jeffries should be made speaker of the House of Representative. First they need to return the old format rule of getting rid of the Speaker getting rid of the current idiotic version of only one person being able to trigger than because of how bad Kevin McCarthy wanted that title. It needs to be what it once was and rationally should be. But Republicans in the House are worse than herding cats. More like hurting cats with that scary zombie brain fungus, the new "MAGA brain fungus." I mean, Donald Trump is a disease unto himself.
About how Hakeem Jeffries becoming Speaker of the House… Would you really want that nonsense? Not before the MAGA purge in Congress, I would think. And they do need purging.
By the way, I’m still supportive of legal capital punishment for Donald Trump, for his actions and intentions. A message needs to be sent out to protect America. I also support a Russian coup against Vladimir Putin. Russians don’t deserve that guy. Once they take over and capture him? I’m all for his end going like Kadaifi went in Libya. I’d even settle for what happened to The execution on TV of Nicolae and Elena Ceaușescu in Romania in 1990.
"US Constitution save America!" Not that whole “God save America" bullshit which has got to stop. We picked that up out of fear decades ago in the McCarthy era because of fear of the unknown and communism and bullshit politics... the Hollywood blacklist...political bullying that even Nixon joined into, and abusing people for fun and profit, wealth, and power. A lot of our problems go back to changing our motto from "e pluribus unum", "out of many, one". We need to return to that. Because this abusing minorities and immigrants and finding enjoyment from people like Trump's bullying people and oppressing and abusing those who cannot speak for themselves, passing laws to abuse LGBTQ+ people. Disenfranchising same-sex marriage and women for having a right over their own damn bodies! How do conservatives not see this? Unless, they're in a cult, a religion, and are attempting to turn America into "Gilead", a theocracy, or failing that a kleptocracy, or with Trump as their head an oligarchy.
Donald Trump, burring democracy, one gravesite at a time... at his golf courses.
Starting my 3rd mile.
Worth seeing Kristen Welker grilling of former RNC chair Rona McDaniel on Meet the Press, who has been hired NBC (now with claims of dropping her already). Rhonda said she took one for the team when she lied for the RNC and Donald Trump. I assume that’s very kind to what some conservatives in recent years have said, as one did to his daughters: 'If Rape Is Inevitable, Lie Back And Enjoy It'.
Look, no one‘s gonna give Donald Trump a talk show on Fox News. No one‘s gonna give a lying little bitch like that, that kind of access because he can’t handle it, not without a script. On his own he tends to sound like a mentally challenged person. He's certainly morally challenged. No one should be giving a woman like Ronna Romney McDaniel a venue after what she did as mouthpiece for MAGA and Trump, acting as an election denier, in trying to "burn down the stadium“. When you cross certain lines, who’s gonna want to listen to you without having to fact check all the time during your show?
If Trump is right, that all of these DOJ action against him (his crimes) is just a “witch hunt” then I suggest we toss the sucker into the lake as they used to do to prove you’re not a witch. If he sinks and drowns, yay, he’s innocent! If he doesn’t, well, we can go back to capital punishment.
To be clear for myself and my orientation… yes, Trump's assassination would help protect America and Western democracy, and help to kill some of the support for Putin and other autocrats that Trump has built up so authoritarianwise. The problem I see with that however, and I do think Russia should assassinate their own president for their own sake and that of humanity (and Ukraine, and whoever is in Putin's crosshairs next), but that is Russian doing it to their own (not us or others). Trump, being murdered, or assassinated, will just make us more problems. If he has not been tried, convicted, and then executed, for appropriate crimes then he dies a martyr. Killing him, even when he dies of natural causes, some of the MAGA Fooled well idiotically make him a martyr in their confused mind. Those of tiny minds or little awareness in the MAGA authoritarian infection will eventually die once Trump is no longer heard from, just as it died in America in the 1930s and 40s.
How do you know that Gerrymandering and disinformation has really screwed up America? When the majority of Americans don’t want Donald Trump as POTUS, which they DON'T, and still he’s this close to Biden in the polls, or elections, or anything, there IS our damn sign. Considering the size of Democrats and liberals, the GOP KNOWS they are overwhelmed. That's why all the dirty tricks and supporting someone like Trump. And fascism.
It’s against the law and some states to give food or water to people standing in lines in the heat, to vote? When they've purposely made the lines long and difficult to vote? That has to end. But OK I’ll even give you not giving people in line, food. But not giving them water? THAT should be illegal. What’s next ? Repressing their air?
If your favorite person for, or as president, and I’m talking about people who have been or are now president… if you don’t think they’ve done anything wrong? Or something you should disagree with? You’re just ignorant. These are people. They (hopefully) try hard to do good (this is not how Trump attacked being POTUS, ask anyone who worked with him). I believe we need to ben breaking glass ceilings. I liked Obama a lot. He was smart, erudite, I thought he’s a decent person. I think he did some very good things, but he did some things at the time I didn’t so much like. I’m glad he got two terms, though. I think Biden is far better than Trump. I don’t like everything he’s done either. But in comparison to Trump? You could put a dead llama in the oval office, and it would be better than Donald Trump for all the damage he’s done to America, our citizens and democracy… which translates as actual freedom. Conservatives do not need to break glass ceilings. They’ve broken them and they don’t replace them. We’re a liberal democratic Republic and we need to remain that. Women and minorities need to make progress. We needed a woman president, years ago. But the last thing we need is a Christian nationalist anything as POTUS. America is not a theocracy. It was designed, built in structure not to be a theocracy. And what we’re seeing lately are pushes towards autocracy and theocracy. I think they'd be happy with which ever one comes first for them.
Student debt forgiveness. Let’s look at this honestly. As we decided in the 1800s, with K–12 as a way to better America. "A rising tide lifts all boats." It’s a benefit to America to have a more educated society. Colleges got way out of control on intuition, and costs. I had Vietnam era VA benefits that paid for my four years of college towards my university degree in psychology. I think it was $350 a quarter plus books at $100 or $200 which just about killed me, aside from my rent, etc. I worked my first two years while at a community college And my last two years at university... I couldn’t work. I needed all my time to study. And I studied more than anybody. Because I knew that was my one chance, when my mind was as sharp as it would ever be, so then was the time. If we’re going to give loans out for college and I would argue, that’s should be K–14, as free. You should be able to get a two-year Voc. school or community college degree free, because times have fucking changed. We need to update and stay abreast of changes as we do with cost-of-living increases. If we’re gonna give loans to citizens you shouldn’t be paying $600 a month on interest and $30 on your loan. I mean, what the hell? It should be the other way around! So fixing that situation, however we have to, after ripping off our citizens and burdening them and giving them mental problems and breaking up their marriages and families from the stress that puts on them? That needs to be rectified. And for those complaining they have to pay for others now in fixing that? That’s living in a country, dumbass. You elect the right people so you don’t have these mistakes. Who has hated our education system the most? Republicans. Who did Trump put in as his Secretary of Education? Betsy DeVos (give me a break). Whose brother Eric Prince founded Blackwater, which has changed its names a few times because of their Christian nationalist questionable and at times, illegal activities.
We need to fix things...stop breaking them! Because fixing is too hard? Give me a break. Our founding fathers weep in their graves for this disingenuous bullshit that right extremists have fantasized and fetishized over. And that has to stop. They need to be properly educated, not indoctrinated, but actually taught History. History should make you feel uncomfortable. We've been through some tough times. All of humanity has. That's reality. We work hard now to do better, to learn from mistakes. NOT hide those mistakes, not NOT learn from them! Proof and reality, not conspiracy and immature desires.
Starting my 4th mile. This is kicking my butt. How wimpy…
Did you know that there's a national problem with the elderly not getting enough protein in their daily diet? We tend to just eat what makes us full. So I actually try to track what I’m eating. I don’t write journals, that drives me nuts. But I do try to pay attention. im' (always) trying to get my weight down. I’m like 6'1", 225 pounds. I want to get down to 200 pounds, so dinner lately has been cup yogurt and some fruit. Breakfast is simple and small, even though it may be the main meal of the day. I have my main meal at lunch which gives me time to digest before bedtime. I even allow myself a cookie or something after lunch.
I don’t eat sugar much, except occasionally. I believe we should eat well and live healthy so we can splurge and have fun once in a while. I use agave for sweetener. I avoid corn syrup or "inverted sugar", or whatever names they want to give it to trick you. Past week I’ve started buying mochi ice cream. Which is a little ball of ice cream with a shell of mochi, which is kinda beaten rice. I’ve been to mochi festivals, I highly recommend them. It’s a great Japanese event. We have them on Bainbridge Island here on the Puget Sound across from Seattle. Tyco drum performance is awesome and everyone's favorite. You can help with making the mochi, then eat it...so much fun.
I don’t eat sugar much, except occasionally. I believe we should eat well and live healthy so we can splurge and have fun once in a while. I use agave for sweetener. I avoid corn syrup or "inverted sugar", or whatever names they want to give it to trick you. Past week I’ve started buying mochi ice cream. Which is a little ball of ice cream with a shell of mochi, which is kinda beaten rice. I’ve been to mochi festivals, I highly recommend them. It’s a great Japanese event. We have them on Bainbridge Island here on the Puget Sound across from Seattle. Tyco drum performance is awesome and everyone's favorite. You can help with making the mochi, then eat it...so much fun.
But anyway, I’ve been having one of those mochi ice cream balls after lunch. Eat it slowly, the mochi shell keep the ice cream from melting. It’s a little odd but when you get used to it, it’s pretty tasty. Anyway, reasonably restrict your diet. I hear fasting occasionally is good, since we are designed that way, hundreds of thousands of years ago.
Body shaming people is bad, body shaming yourself is bad. But that’s not good either if you have too much of it. Too much, body. The amount of money we would save nationally if everybody got thin is mind-boggling. Less wear and tear, smaller seats on trains and planes, less fuel for airplanes, it goes on and on. Don't bother arguing about if being overweight is healthy or if obese is healthy. Be what you want to be. But I don't want or need to drag around excess weight on a frame designed for less. I find when I’m thinner I’m happier, I feel I’m healthier. I just feel better. My knees love me rather than sending me telegrams of hate and a need and desire to share to me to lose weight.
Aesthetically speaking, higher fat levels blur out the human form. I just prefer a little better definition over none, just my personal preference.
Where did all this come from? In the 60s when I was a kid, my mom was overweight and out of shape. It was actually the out of shape I think I had more of a problem with. My friends moms were all thin. I found it embarrassing. Hey, I was a kid. In the 1960s. TV moms were ridiculous. Thin, attractive, wearing pearls when cleaning the house? What the hell. And those kind of perfect families on TV were NOT my family. I was also what they called a “husky kid“. And I got teased for that. Kids just suck sometimes. But it was OK overall. I grew up with empathy for others and I stood up for kids I saw being bullied. Led to me having the crap kicked out of me several times. One time by a group of boys. I was 2nd grade, standing up for a 1st grader being bullied by some 5th grade boys. they backed down from me on the playground at recess. Then got me after school. That sucked. Especially when they told the principle the next day I was the trouble making and he gave me hacks. What the holy hell?
Aesthetically speaking, higher fat levels blur out the human form. I just prefer a little better definition over none, just my personal preference.
Where did all this come from? In the 60s when I was a kid, my mom was overweight and out of shape. It was actually the out of shape I think I had more of a problem with. My friends moms were all thin. I found it embarrassing. Hey, I was a kid. In the 1960s. TV moms were ridiculous. Thin, attractive, wearing pearls when cleaning the house? What the hell. And those kind of perfect families on TV were NOT my family. I was also what they called a “husky kid“. And I got teased for that. Kids just suck sometimes. But it was OK overall. I grew up with empathy for others and I stood up for kids I saw being bullied. Led to me having the crap kicked out of me several times. One time by a group of boys. I was 2nd grade, standing up for a 1st grader being bullied by some 5th grade boys. they backed down from me on the playground at recess. Then got me after school. That sucked. Especially when they told the principle the next day I was the trouble making and he gave me hacks. What the holy hell?
I had a harsh realization recently.
I saw my USAF ID card. from 1978 when I was 23 and 6'1" weighing 160lbs. Packing chutes every day and those damn B-52 bomber 225lb drag chutes.
I weigh 225 today. I'd been wanting to get down to 200.
199 would be great though I didn't want to overdue it.
But this means...
I'm 65 lbs overweight!
Damn.
When I was in the Air Force, we found my wife had hypoglycemia. She went into natural foods, later worked at the health food store. I got down to like I don’t know, maybe 10% body fat, which might be a little too little. Mom said I looked unhealthy. I never had felt so great! When I was in college, after my divorce, my girlfriend and I rented an apartment from a bunch of firefighters in Bellingham Washington. They said they had to keep their body fat at 15% or they'd lose their job. This was 1982, 83, 84. They said they had to get into a water tank that would tell them what their body fat was. That got me thinking.
Like the fireman told me, you don’t need to carry excess fat, it’s useless to us. You only need enough to be healthy and that got me thinking. Fat is good for 100,00 years ago when we needed the fat between summers, in the lean cold times. Today things are different. I really didn’t have a problem with weight at that time. I was in great shape, best of my life after the military years. I only had a six pack on my stomach which kind of bummed me out as I didn’t have an eight pack. But there it was, be happy with what you got and just do the best you can.
Mile 3 1/2… I’m ready to quit. Feels like 4 miles already. But I’m gonna push through that last mile. I don’t want to backslide now. It was supposed to rain today but it didn’t. So I’m here, walking. Supposed to rain tomorrow. It’s that time of year where in the Pacific Northwest, you go outside when it’s nice.
Just thinking about my older MAGA brother who for years he hated… HATED, Nancy Pelosi. He’s transferred that to Joe Biden. All when Trump is far worse than both of those two together. But I don’t hate him. It’s kind of a useless, a waste of energy emotion. Tends to be inaccurate. I was taught martial arts from fifth grade on. You don’t hate or get mad at your opponent in a fight because you lose control and hand control to them. So said my Sensei. You think, you act and respond to what’s happening.
Not what MAGA does. Too often they respond to fantasy. Fantasy designed by others.
What hatred does is turn your opponent into, “the other“. It dehumanizes them. Who does that work for? The leadership, not the individuals. Not the citizens. Hatred divides us and breaks America. It's toxic leadership. Joe Biden has not tried to divide America like the right has claimed he has. He has been far too congenial in my book, for far too long. Recently, he started fighting back against Donald Trump and his nonsense. And so that’s weaponized against all of America and not just Biden. It’s sad that the right can’t see that accurately observing, is not hatred. But it’s interesting to note when that side is being observed, they register that as hatred. They are recognizing their own ill will and their poor orientation of life that they are existing within. When you hit someone, and someone says you hit someone, you don't register how you're a victim being demonized. You're victimizing others. Deal with honest observations and adjust if you don't like being who you are defining yourself as. It ain't complicated. Though it appears life is too complicated for them.
Let me put it this way… If you hate, YOU are the enemy. And don’t disingenuously try to label those reacting to your hatred. as their being “haters“. Don’t be a compliant deluded citizen of the government in the book "1984". Stop trying to bring that into fruition. Don’t be a "good" citizen in the book, "The Handmaid‘s Tale", and stop trying to bring that into fruition.
OK. Starting that 4th mile...
What hatred does is turn your opponent into, “the other“. It dehumanizes them. Who does that work for? The leadership, not the individuals. Not the citizens. Hatred divides us and breaks America. It's toxic leadership. Joe Biden has not tried to divide America like the right has claimed he has. He has been far too congenial in my book, for far too long. Recently, he started fighting back against Donald Trump and his nonsense. And so that’s weaponized against all of America and not just Biden. It’s sad that the right can’t see that accurately observing, is not hatred. But it’s interesting to note when that side is being observed, they register that as hatred. They are recognizing their own ill will and their poor orientation of life that they are existing within. When you hit someone, and someone says you hit someone, you don't register how you're a victim being demonized. You're victimizing others. Deal with honest observations and adjust if you don't like being who you are defining yourself as. It ain't complicated. Though it appears life is too complicated for them.
Let me put it this way… If you hate, YOU are the enemy. And don’t disingenuously try to label those reacting to your hatred. as their being “haters“. Don’t be a compliant deluded citizen of the government in the book "1984". Stop trying to bring that into fruition. Don’t be a "good" citizen in the book, "The Handmaid‘s Tale", and stop trying to bring that into fruition.
OK. Starting that 4th mile...
For the first time, a majority of Americans say they are not part of a church, a temple, or a mosque.
Well, that’s progress. Finally. Religions has through history been used for control of the masses and today it's been fully weaponized in politics. Certainly in America. I've talked before about how one church went to Africa and pushed homophobia, got laws passed against LGBTQ+ toward some of those people being murdered. How very Christian?
For those who say that’s bad, what's bad is humanity should’ve grown up beyond mythology, hundreds of years ago and the religious killed people who weren’t even trying to change others' minds, just trying to live their life. And that’s conservatism for you. As with women, as with minorities, as with the non-binary, and as with the concept of non-binary in general.
The world is not black-and-white, it's shades of gray with color and those who can’t take that have mental problems. And a political party. Binary is what you use, as is conservatism, only at times of great emergency and when there’s a little time to act or think. To try and make THAT an entire political party or a national mindset... is not only damaging, it’s dangerous.
We usually do have time to think. We have time to construct. We have time to share our thoughts together and come to a group decision. But here we have a Republican party who just wants power because they "know what's right for us all". Because they believe in patriarchy, because while they may say they don’t believe in patriarchy, they exist in a patriarchy of their actions and abuses, and that’s regression. That’s the “make America great again“ weird belief system. That’s the "it was better in the old days” paradigm, fully ignoring the ignorance and the abuse back then, and poor medical science and the poor capabilities to help others or to spread health and wellness worldwide. Capitalism has taken us a good distance from our caves and huts. But it’s also become "gamed" and toxic, where the game is fixed against the majority. Where we could feed the world... but we don’t? Which pretty much says it all
Religion. We need to get back to it as a private thing. When you go out and try to turn others to your ways of believing in what's based in mythology without any serious kind of proof, and where the debate of God existing so utterly useless… Just Leave Others Alone. Stop pushing your beliefs on others.
I joined the Freemasons back I think in 2004. I got as high as Senior Warden. I was up for the next head dude. Family matters dragged me away and I haven’t gone back. But I learned a lot. My grandfather was a 32nd degree Freemason and Shriner. The first rule I learned was that you don’t go out to get other Freemason, they have to come to you. That would be a good rule for every fucking religion on earth. I like the teachings in religion of justice, mercy and compassion, but I don’t see it a lot in action. I’m not much into the Old Testament teachings of justice, harsh justice, and God. What I find so interesting with Christian who say how many they live and preach the New Testament but keep referring back to the old. As if the New Testament didn’t exist. Thus you get things like anti-abortion, pro murder in some cases as a love of Capital punishment. You’ve seen me say Trump deserves capital punishment and he does. But I don’t believe in it. And that says a lot. I believe it should be used sparingly, and we’re talking maybe one person killed by the State every one to 10 years and the less the better. But when an individual is so dangerous to the body politic as Donald Trump is, as Steve Bannon is worldwide, as Stephen Miller is, they’ve earned the State's wrath and they do need to be put down. An alternative would be say, Guantánamo Bay, with a permanent gag order, for life.
3 1/2 miles!
Religion. We need to get back to it as a private thing. When you go out and try to turn others to your ways of believing in what's based in mythology without any serious kind of proof, and where the debate of God existing so utterly useless… Just Leave Others Alone. Stop pushing your beliefs on others.
I joined the Freemasons back I think in 2004. I got as high as Senior Warden. I was up for the next head dude. Family matters dragged me away and I haven’t gone back. But I learned a lot. My grandfather was a 32nd degree Freemason and Shriner. The first rule I learned was that you don’t go out to get other Freemason, they have to come to you. That would be a good rule for every fucking religion on earth. I like the teachings in religion of justice, mercy and compassion, but I don’t see it a lot in action. I’m not much into the Old Testament teachings of justice, harsh justice, and God. What I find so interesting with Christian who say how many they live and preach the New Testament but keep referring back to the old. As if the New Testament didn’t exist. Thus you get things like anti-abortion, pro murder in some cases as a love of Capital punishment. You’ve seen me say Trump deserves capital punishment and he does. But I don’t believe in it. And that says a lot. I believe it should be used sparingly, and we’re talking maybe one person killed by the State every one to 10 years and the less the better. But when an individual is so dangerous to the body politic as Donald Trump is, as Steve Bannon is worldwide, as Stephen Miller is, they’ve earned the State's wrath and they do need to be put down. An alternative would be say, Guantánamo Bay, with a permanent gag order, for life.
3 1/2 miles!
Which guarantees me 4! Unless an ambulance gets involved. I’m beat up enough from 4 miles today that I was only gonna do one more 4 mile walk after today, but I may just keep doing them until they get a little easier and then go for five. Acclimate to 4, then move on. Then I’ll be at a 5 mile level. Being only the month of March, I’m not doing too bad. Somehow I made it through this winter, which seems to get harder for me every year. Ah well...do your best.
The podcast is interviewing Rafael Warnock now. He's saying there’s a issue of loneliness in America today. Yeah, I didn’t expect to be living alone at this point in my life either. My grandfather died alone. My grandmother lived alone until she died. My older brother lives alone. My sister is still married to the guy she married after high school. Little bit later after high school, after she got her career going. And they’re both great fun to hang with. My little brother died in '75. My cousin, a female, lives alone now but only because her boyfriend of 40 years died a few years ago. Her parents lived together till they died. My mom had been married to multiple partners with all my siblings being half siblings, but never feeling like it was that way. We were tight.
I’m honored that my older brother once told me some years ago, he has two younger brothers by his dad, that he always felt like I was more of a brother to him than they ever were. And he grew up with them. We didn't see him much until his teens. And I can’t tell you how much my siblings feel like 100% siblings, as we were always very close.
As for loneliness? I seldom feel that. I keep busy. People retire, and then die, or people say they retired and they hate life. As with "empty nest" syndrome, before the kids move out find something to replace them, with as best you can to keep busy. Which is what I did. I had an intensive IT job, and when my kids were to start moving out soon, I started writing every moment of my spare time again. It was exhausting and rewarding, and when they were finally moved out, and it was just me and the dog, on our acreage out in the woods in Squamish, Washington, it wasn't such a shock. I was also working remotely from home every day so I didn’t have to take the two hour commute by car, bus, ferry, and walking. Twice a day. Four hours a day. I missed the kids, but I never really felt lonely.
Dave Attell on his new Netflix special, Hot Cross Bun, just dropped. "What's loneliness look like? Your image in a microwave oven glass. Turn, turn, turn. Turn into a woman."
As for now, I would love to have somebody special to spend life with. The last lady I was dating was six years ago. I helped her transition from her marriage and a nightmare. She’s now with same guy after me, over five years now. Before her, I was dating a woman who had been married in an abusive relationship for 27 years, since she was 18. I was the second guy she had slept with. Helped with her transition. Before that was my 2002 divorce. I’d still be married to her except she definitely had some mental problems that even my kids now sadly recognize. Maybe not sadly as it's helped them heal.
But lonely? I don’t know…
I definitely think it’s helpful to get married when you’re a little younger, when you still good looking. I do agree with some scientists who believe aging is a terminal, disfiguring disease to be conquered. I was once in a lecture by a visiting CEO of a company, while I was at university, who said, "There are people in this room now, considering the technology we have today, with the advances we're making and that can reasonably be expected, some of you here in this room today, may never die." And I'm good with that. That was 1983.
But lonely? I don’t know…
I definitely think it’s helpful to get married when you’re a little younger, when you still good looking. I do agree with some scientists who believe aging is a terminal, disfiguring disease to be conquered. I was once in a lecture by a visiting CEO of a company, while I was at university, who said, "There are people in this room now, considering the technology we have today, with the advances we're making and that can reasonably be expected, some of you here in this room today, may never die." And I'm good with that. That was 1983.
I’ve had 3.5 marriages. My second marriage I remember her looking at me one day and saying, “You really don’t know how good-looking you are, do you?" Id didn't know what to say to that. Whatever. no I don’t think she'd say that today. But I don’t know, after a lifetime of alcoholism. I really don’t know what she’d say today. Though I can say I’m happy she’s gotten cleaned up now and seems happier. Single, by the way. Yeah, I really know how to pick them...
America is 5% of the world population. 25% of the world’s incarcerated. Why?
Warnock just made a good point on the podcast, that ritualism helps. Keeps a connection with others and with history, referring to his church. Which is interesting because that takes me back to Freemasonry, which is not a religious institution at all. We had a visiting leader from another lodge give us a talk. Interesting guy. He said, "We're all ritualists here" I'd never thought of it that way. I had flashbacks to my Catholic old school upbringing where I was head altar boy at our Slovak Church. I think that ended my Freemason time. Weird.
America is 5% of the world population. 25% of the world’s incarcerated. Why?
Warnock just made a good point on the podcast, that ritualism helps. Keeps a connection with others and with history, referring to his church. Which is interesting because that takes me back to Freemasonry, which is not a religious institution at all. We had a visiting leader from another lodge give us a talk. Interesting guy. He said, "We're all ritualists here" I'd never thought of it that way. I had flashbacks to my Catholic old school upbringing where I was head altar boy at our Slovak Church. I think that ended my Freemason time. Weird.
Yes there’s a "G" in Freemasonry and no it doesn’t stand for God but stands for the "Great Architect". IF you prefer it to mean "God", whatever. And in that way, anyone of any religion can be a Freemason. You just have to believe in a higher power. YOU are NOT the higher power I think is the point. My son started to join and got half way through but then ended up moving and never got his Master Mason level. We both agreed that something about joining a lodge had to do with men finding a way to not go to church with wives and families, or to have a place to go that was like going to church without the religion, or God. Because they were smarter than that, I would guess. Supportive of critical thinking and reality. Of being a "good man". I once said that no lodge would ever have Donald Trump but then someone online said they were a Freemason and they would have him in a second. And his lodge would have him. Which, as one of the tenets of Freemasonry, Trump could not be accepted into a lodge. Period. He is not a substantial quality of character. I mean come on, he’s a liar, a criminal and a scumbag. I mean, come on already.
Rafael Warnock: "The arc of the universe is long, but then towards Justice." As Dr. King used to say.
People who do not feel safe, lack empathy. And that explains the Republican Party and MAGA and Donald Trump, who have been purposely made to feel unsafe and insecure and that there is “the other “out there against them, seeking them out to harm them (give me a break). Because autocracy needs an enemy. Because control requires distraction to keep them from seeing how you're manipulating them.
I guess that’s the thing, I’ve never felt really insecure. Very seldom and in specific situations but not overall. Makes me really worry about conservatives.
Warnock is saying on the podcast he thinks that Bibi in Israel is wrong in attacking where the people have been told to go. People who did what they were told to do. Kind of reminds me of my dog. When my kids were younger, the dog had his bed in the living room, off to the side. I made it clear to them that no matter what he does, if he’s on his bed, even if he did something bad, that bed is his safe zone. Everybody has to have someplace they feel safe at. But not somebody else’s safe zone, you don't take that. That’s… some deep MAGA style shit
Rafael Warnock: "The arc of the universe is long, but then towards Justice." As Dr. King used to say.
People who do not feel safe, lack empathy. And that explains the Republican Party and MAGA and Donald Trump, who have been purposely made to feel unsafe and insecure and that there is “the other “out there against them, seeking them out to harm them (give me a break). Because autocracy needs an enemy. Because control requires distraction to keep them from seeing how you're manipulating them.
I guess that’s the thing, I’ve never felt really insecure. Very seldom and in specific situations but not overall. Makes me really worry about conservatives.
Warnock is saying on the podcast he thinks that Bibi in Israel is wrong in attacking where the people have been told to go. People who did what they were told to do. Kind of reminds me of my dog. When my kids were younger, the dog had his bed in the living room, off to the side. I made it clear to them that no matter what he does, if he’s on his bed, even if he did something bad, that bed is his safe zone. Everybody has to have someplace they feel safe at. But not somebody else’s safe zone, you don't take that. That’s… some deep MAGA style shit
I wish you all great success and health! Until next time!
Cheers! Sláinte!
Cheers! Sláinte!
A Chinook helicopter is flying overhead as I arrive here at my house, my walk now over.
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