Psychology of Avoiding Hate

Sen. Corey Booker said he understands that "people want an enemy." Donald Trump cannot survive without one and will create one whenever, and wherever none exists for him. But the psychology of hate points out to us, we're just hurting ourselves. And in this case, our country. America has a lot of healing to do.

I do not hate Donald Trump, or Republicans, or conservatives, or anyone, or anybody like Trump who sets themselves us to be an enemy. WHICH HE DOES. I never have. Not since childhood when my grandmother reacted negatively against my saying I hated someone, who was obviously a bad person.

It's what I appreciate so much about Buddhism. And about Aikido... where there are no enemies, only partners, not even opponents. All situations are merely learning and teaching situations.

Harmony, blending. Oneness. And America needs that more than ever. Here, and now.

It's why many years ago, perhaps the last time I had a street fight, when at one final point I threw the guy down. Hard. Even then I was growing beyond my Karate training, searching for something like Aikido, which I did not find until many years later. After military service, and in my first year of college.

As Aikido says, one "throws the world" at someone if they do not cease. Which is not an invocation, but a comment on an action after the fact. Meaning, it is not advocating harm, but commenting on, a description of... what happens.

Yet when my temporary training partner, whom I did not know, who had attacked me on the streetside, saw that he was possibly going to die as he went down there on the concrete sidewalk, in a split-second decision, I grabbed him and stopped his head from mortally slamming onto what was almost his plane of death.

He was stunned. As I helped him upright he asked me, "Why did you do that?" "Because," I told him, "this wasn't my idea. I never wished you harm, never wanted to hurt you. Or anyone. I certainly didn't want to kill you."

And as such, I am indeed unsupportive of Donald Trump's ignominy, his devisiveness, his vanity, stupidity, greed, and vapid self-interest. Not because I hate him, nor does that make me hate his ideals, his people, his supporters. Because I've seen what he has done to this country, purposefully dividing us to gain power for himself. I'm disgusted, and confused as to why his supporters cannot see that in him. It's kind of...bizarre.

Donald Trump has subverted all our GOP for his own ends, for it is all our GOP, even if you are not a REpublican. It's is an American political party, not an anti America one. At least it wasn't, until now. Until it because, forced into being, a Donald Trump Party, a populist party.

It is not a party anymore of Republicans, or for all Americans. Or even that subgroup any longer. Parties and people should have differences, but they need to work together for solutions. As was intended. For the common goals For the good of the whole.

While Donald Trump is doing the opposite. Just as the GOP has been striving to do now for some time before him. But Trump has ruled it far beyond the pale, now.

Now it is Win, at all costs! "Our" beliefs or none!

And that is not how America was ever meant to be. We are meant to work together, separately, not separately, apart. That, is a broken government and that, is what we have today. And it was purposely done by conservatives. Note extremist anti tax nut Grover Norquist's quote of his wishing to shrink the American government small enough to "drown it in a bathtub." More clearly:

Lobbyist Grover Norquist... "My goal is to cut government in half in twenty-five years, to get it down to the size where we can drown it in the bathtub." - Wikipedia

How is that a useful thing?

Looking from the other side, my opposition (yes, opposition, because they have designed this to have no blending, no working together), is because I see fundamental flaws in conservatism as practiced today in America. Because I can see quite clearly that Donald Trump has been incapable of being president.

As his niece Mary Trump has said in her book, Trump's character is too flawed for the presidency of THIS country. Maybe a banana republic has he has been trying to turn America into. A petty dictatorship, with a vain and petty despot as its destructive illiberal leader.

A country so diverse such as ours, albeit still not as cohesive as it should be. And now during the Trump administration, purposefully divided against ourselves.

People seem no longer to understand the difference between American Citizens and "the Other". Those so typically a looked down upon as minority, economically disadvantaged, or anyone of a different race or religion...or opinion, than theirs.

They can not seem to understand religion, as it long has been in America, should be and is a personal thing. One that belongs in their heart, not forced onto others. Not forced into the forefront of our government, or all through our government and governmental leadership.

A concern even our Founding Fathers were worried about.

To be sure, practice your beliefs, share your beliefs to those interested. Just stop forcing them onto others. Stop abusing others, no matter who you are, or who they are.

We are all Americans here. In most cases, even those not legally American citizens as they have that desire to be one. And that means something!

As the saying goes be careful. We don't know who we may abuse on our way up, as later on, on their way up, they may be watching US  on our way down. So be kind, for your own sake, if not simply for the greater good. We never know what the future may hold.

Especially if you are in OUR government or in our police forces. Ask yourself in that consideration, why police "Forces" and not "Peace Officers" as it should be and not disingenuously.

We need to reconsider our overall mindset on so very many things. We need to adjust our priorities which have for so long been warped by money, greed, corporations and profiteering.

We have gotten off the path and do not even know what path we are on anymore.

Republicans have for too long said they were concerned with the long term, yet seem only to actually worry about the short term, and short term profits.

If you are a part of our government, or are voting for our future in an election, then try, just TRY, to not consider only yourself first and foremost. "America First", as it is proposed...is a lie. An destructive abrogation of reality.

America is not about greed or selfishness. It's about all of US. Together. Not divided. And ANYONE trying to divide us, should be seen as suspect.

Just as Donald Trump is, and has been.

E Pluribus Unum: "Out of many, one." The original and real motto of the United States of America.

"In God We Trust", has done little more than to divide us since so foolishly adopted by the U.S. Congress in 1956 during our fervid and fevered anti-communist phase. A conservative knee jerk reaction to fear and conservatives forces are truly only useful in the short term, in an emergency. To pull back, slow down, lock up, and then get back to normal as soon as possible.

Rather than what we're seeing in making it a national mainstay and a new paty for America. One that will see America destroyed.

If you do really want America to be great, this is how we have to do it. Together. Not divided.

But even in the nonsense and destructiveness of today's authoritarian orientation, do I hate these people for the dark cloud they have forced upon us?

Still? No.

Because to do so would be to play into their hands,  and the hands of our enemies. And it will extend their stay in the forefront of our minds nad in the power we have acceded to them.

And that has got to stop. And it will. It inevitably will. It's just a matter of time. Of how much time we wish to accede to them.

My hope is that it will be short lived. And not an abomination such as we are seeing now in Vladimir Putin in Russia.

Because we are America. And we should not wish to become Russia. Especially when what most Russians want is not to be Russia, but an "America". But not American. A FREE Russia. Just as we need to be a FREE America.

And stop this nonsense.

Hate no one. Just strive for good. Good for US all.

Education and Sorrow

When I graduated high school, I swore off school. But not education. I continued on my own, as I'd always been a voracious reader. I was "grounded" to my room a lot as a kid and books saved me. Locked in my room, I was out in the universe having adventures, or learning occult knowledge. Things unknown to my contemporaries and my family.

My K-12 years were a misery, getting easier toward the end in high school, even though I worked nights since tenth grade. My ADD certainly made my first nine years of school difficult. Though, in my own way, at my own pace, I could excel. That seldom was allowed to happen. Not unusual for any child, to be sure.

But that had little to do with how our national cookie-cutter, 19th century industrial age school system worked. One that we mostly still have today.

"Assembly line them out to get factory jobs!" Time and resources and not enough teachers meant you do it how you are asked, or you walk. More accurately? You're tossed out. I'm sure ethnic minorities had it worse. I was lucky. I was white, lower middle class. But the lower your economic class was, the worse you had it. Ethnic distinctions or not.

I never knew there was a method. Not until I took "Study Skills" in college. Then things got a bit easier. I saw it listed and thought what a great idea! Why did n't they teach us this in K-12? Apparently, you're just supposed to learn it through osmosis. Well? Some of us didn't. Couldn't.

After the Air Force at twenty-five, I floundered for a while. Until I sunk into being nothing. Though I started to acquire a greater love of life. Shrooms, weed, and LSD aided that sojourn.

One day my older brother talked to me in his backyard, where I was living for a year in his outbuilding, in a loft I had refurbished. I was a minimalist then, but it was a freeing, enjoyable experience. Knowing all the while that I was not living to my potential and had effectively lost all I had gained while in the Service. At least materially. Well, I lost a marriage too. But that was on me, in marrying too young.

My brother convinced me to use my VA benefits. And so I started college. For the fourth time. Though this time being my only real effort toward a degree.

“Sorrow is knowledge: they who know the most must mourn the deepest o’er the fatal truth, the Tree of Knowledge is not that of Life.” Lord Byron

But before I made my decision to start college and get an actual degree of some kind, I decided to take two weeks to ruminate and consider my situation, and my future.

I felt life had been somewhat painful up to that point. Though, I was making the best of it. At least, emotionally. Which was overshadowing my existence at the time. I had trouble finding a job after years in the military where I had great respect and responsibility. People's lives actually depended on me.

Now? No one seemed to want to trust me at all. Other than a few shady jobs I'd had. More than one of which had taken great advantage of me.

Over those two weeks, I considered what a degree, what higher education would offer me. More knowledge? Sure. A sharper mind. Hopefully. A greater understanding of both the world around me and the universe? To be sure.

I was quite aware of how, with greater knowledge, comes greater pain. I was very focused on that for that first week or so, not much interested in renewing my experience of being abused by a school system once again. But there was something I did not know yet about the difference between college and K-12.

During that second week, however, I started to consider how, with greater knowledge, also comes a greater appreciation of things. A better understanding of art, cinema, science, people, and living in general. There was an upside to it.

In the end, I decided I would give education one last try. After all, if I could survive the nonsense the military put me through, I could certainly deal with school of my peers. Though I would be older now, and returning to school after time away. I would have to get back to where I had been nine years ago when I graduated at seventeen. And that was a little unnerving.

Still, there would surely be wine, women, and song. This was not K-12, but an assemblage of adults. Or near adults anyway.

Once I got into college, took the study skills class along with my other first-quarter classes that first year. I settled in. People, other students this time, were different. People were there because... for a change, they actually wanted to be there. They paid to be there. Not like before where most of us wanted to be elsewhere and were working out issues about authority and our parents. Though, to bs sure some still were. But my K-12 years? Or parents did that to us. The government did that to us.

As one prof put it, he loved teaching college because the kids actually wanted to be there. They had made a choice. Most of them, A choice to be there. They wanted to learn.

And that was what I saw in my fellow classmates. It was addictive and invigorating. A bit shocking at first. Others in my classes would join in. It wasn't just the smart girl, speaking up, or the wise-ass clever guy joining in, all as the rest of us just sat there ignorant or annoyed. Or worse, bored.

People joined in the discussions. The learning invoked great attitudes and we all wanted to be there. I too wanted to be there. It was kind of amazing and rewarding, and after a quarter or two of classes, I was fully invested. The more I learned, the more I wanted to learn more. But also, the more I learned, the less I knew I knew of the ever-expanding awareness of the vastness of all knowledge. 

This was better than partying all the time or doing drugs. It was also giving me something back for my efforts. Something that would remain with me for the rest of my life.

However, there was indeed a downside. 

Deep into the last part of the Fall quarter in my final year, I wandered into the Career Center at Western Washington University. I thought, maybe they could offer me some help, as soon, I would graduate. And...then what?

I sat with a counselor and explained my situation. She looked at me shocked and said, "You're late." I asked what she meant. I had months until I graduated. I believe, about three left. "See these other students in here?" She said. I looked around. A few students were studiously reading various things and filling out forms. "Yes?" What she said next disturbed and shocked me.

"They've been coming here for months, some for a year already. You should have been here sooner."

And sure enough, she was right. I never did find a job for after graduation. I graduated and moved back home, to Tacoma. And... ended up at the same job I had when I started college, and at the same hourly rate. I was crushed. Happy to have a job. But despondent. 

It was a letdown to be sure. Why didn't ANYONE tell me to prepare for leaving college? Eventually, I transferred up to Seattle to another store with the same company, MTS Incorporated. Tower Records. It was a fun place to work, not much money, and not the potential for advancement.

IF you weren't interested in getting your own store to manage. Which I wasn't. Reason there being, I'd been in retail sales since tenth grade at the Drive-In Theater where I worked nights all through high school. I'd started there cleaning the field the night after shows played. It was back-breaking work for a ninth-grader.

Someone once told me that to make money in life, you can't be the employee who physically touches any of the money made. You have to get away from that. Which surely managing the store would do. But I wanted more, yet.

I tried to get a job in Seattle as a starting psychologist and got hit with the hard reality that I was already getting paid more where I was. I was stunned. It wasn't much more but after money, time, blood, sweat, and tears to get a university degree, I'd make the same money? 

I had found before graduating at the career center at WWU that many students were already volunteering for unpaid jobs. Then later after graduation, many got hired. I couldn't afford to do that any longer now that I was working for a living. I'd blown that opportunity.

When I found that out while still in college, I asked a friend and fellow psych student about that and she said, oh yeah, sure. I've been volunteering with special needs kids for a while now. Years later she was a counselor at a K-12 school. 

And so, I found myself stuck in my job for a while longer.

Eventually, I was able to find my first computer job which began my life in IT work. Which eventually paid very well as I worked my way up. I shocked coworkers on my IT team, all of who had computer science degrees. While I had a degree in psychology. 

Regarding that. You'd be surprised how many skills are similar between understanding people as a psychologist and debugging computers, systems, networks, and programs. I did quite well at it.

But I've gotten off track here.

My original point remains. With greater knowledge comes greater awareness...and greater responsibility.

The same is true in the opposite direction for those who remain uneducated and bluster their way through, wanting to be treated as if they deserve the respect some of us have put so much time and effort into achieving. 

Then they start to talk authoritatively about sophisticated issues. Like medicine, or sociological issues. Or politics. Some to be sure are self-educated and deserve our respect. But they are the few.

Certainly, few, who can do it properly. Which is why higher education and structured learning was developed in the first place. Without it, it's too easier to miss entire areas of relevancy.

Too many think they can and have achieved that proper coverage of knowledge on their own, and surely, as most of us have seen...that is simply not the case. And we all have to suffer them and their ignorance as wisdom. There's one at least on every job in every career who thinks they know more than they do. It is a costly thing for them to be employed, until they are found out, and removed. 

In ending, I'll just say this.

More education is almost always better than less. To assume the opposite is dangerous... and abusive. Abusive to the country, to our fellow citizens and to ourselves, our family, friends, and our loved ones.

Whenever you are faced with a problem, an issue, a concern? Take the time to learn more about it. But also and just as importantly, about the surrounding issues. Even some that seem completely unrelated. Because too often, they are related in unseen, and unforeseen ways. 

Because everything is connected and should be seen that way.

Otherwise one day you find yourself poor in so many ways. You find an unnecessary global pandemic staring you down as you die and you wonder... "How did this happen?"

How? It is because with great knowledge comes greater responsibility and greater sorrow. And if you allow it, greater joy too.

But if you don't handle it properly, you will suffer. And others will suffer. We, will suffer. And we do not appreciate it. Especially if WE did do the work.

  

Just as we're all seeing happen today. All around us. All the internet armchair quarterbacks. Political pundits, not worth their weight in...swamp mud. 

Yet, it does not have to be like this. We CAN handle things right. To see our responsibilities. To act to address them properly. To find our job in life that will give you the best life. 

It doesn't have to be this way. We can do better. It just takes effort. It just doesn't have to be like this. 

It really doesn't. 

Being a Good Republican

For those frightened of progression, of becoming more than we are or have been, who think America can not be more or better, or who can understand the concept behind a "one-world government"... pathetic doesn't even begin to exemplify that orientation.

UPDATE, 7/20/20 - Portland attacked by Pres. Donald Trump.

A conservative brought this up recently, which is why I'm saying this.

Pres. Washington said: "It is our true policy to steer clear of permanent alliance with any portion of the foreign world." FAREWELL ADDRESS TO THE PEOPLE OF THE UNITED STATES | MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 19, 1796 - stated at a time in history when the world at large was much, much smaller.

We are the United States of America in a "Great Experiment".

The world is getting closer and closer, smaller and smaller, as we all advance into the future. No matter how much conservatives and Republicans fearfully hold us back from our inevitable destinies. Earth will expand beyond this planet. Then what?

Washington could never have seen how small the world would get from his vantage point in the 18th century. As we look to move beyond such separated nations and beyond this planet. Making our world ever smaller and ever larger at the same time.

And so we have to reorient now before it's too late as moving people off-planet one day will magnify our differences, our isolationism, and our foolishness.

So how is it that our country in this great experiment is not a model for moving forward into a kind of global leadership, which Trump has moved us away from. Trump has diminished us, again, and again, and again.

If not us, who? Of moving toward a kind of global citizenship? It's all going to happen anyway. So should we prefer China or Russia as the model for this planet? Or America? We already were situated for that leadership. Until Donald Trump's massively failed leadership. Failed in so very many ways. Our greatest domestic danger in our leadership in US history.

Choose, or avoid, and by doing so, avoiding, we choose anyway. We've screwed this up before. In 2016, as those who objected and so didn't vote for the other party, cleared the path and allowed Donald Trump to become America's worst POTUS in US History.

Why are some fighting this evolution? And this transition into what we are inevitably going to transition into. Or instead, destroy ourselves avoiding it? This kind of United States of Earth?

We are proving it works. Here, in America. As messy as it can get at times and as destructive as it can be under an ignorant, self-centered, greedy little man like Donald Trump? A man who exacerbates our differences for his own purposes and gain rather than bringing us all together under our commonalities and citizenry? Where instead he divides us against one another. With not America in mind, but his own power and profit.

FEAR is not what one bases a political party on for the people.

It is what you base a political party on for elites, for authoritarians, for those who wish to "Lord" it over their "lesser beings", their perceived lesser citizens. Their minions, the wallets they wish to ravage.

There is your fear to wallow in and yet, those people continue to support this nonsense.

It's really rather amazing. Really.

But then victims in a domestic violence home fully understand this mindset of the majority of Republicans. The not wealthy ones. As would the brutalized spouse or children who counter-intuitively will cling to their abuser.

Just keep doing what you're doing. Be afraid of every noise and shadow. Fight for your rights you believe you are losing all the time, and yet...aren't. And ignore your rights that you ARE losing, and cannot even see them slipping so rapidly away as you turn your world over to authoritarians and bigots, racists, and short-sighted miscreants.

So, don't even bother to notice or fight for all the rights we are actually losing.

Because that's how one is a good Republican. And a good, New Soviet, Fascist Trump American.

Happy 4th of July! Respect ALL Americans, and...

Happy Fourth of July! We are living interesting, troubling times. But we can make it better and we will make it better. Even against these dark forces belaid against us. Just as we've always done. Just s we always will do. Remember what the fourth really means and what we went through to get here. Especially what our Founders went through to give us not a perfect country, but one where we can achieve always, greater and better things. And remember, many have actually died in order for that to be true.

If you enjoy the respect of those from other countries just because we are American...

Respect those who have achieved more in life than you have. They have earned your respect.

Respect those who are still on that path to get to where you are, or those above you, because you were once there yourself.

Respect those you believe or judge will never achieve what you have, or that of those above you, because they may one day, and you cannot know any different, achieve that, or more. Until then, until they die, you are only assuming. And yes, you may be right. But so what? Thinking that way is a petty view of life and you add to the destruction you look down on every day of your life.

Respect those who are not American, because the luck of the draw found us born in a country such as America. What if you hadn't been?

Respect those who are newly American because they have chosen to come here, because they saw America as a great place to be a part of, and they persevered to become an American.

Respect those who are newly residing in America, even if illegally, because you have not lived their life.

Respect those who are criminal, who have made bad choices, who even continue to make bad choices, because to not respect them, furthers their condition, adds on to it, and does nothing to turn them around.

Respect All Americans, regardless. The next time you talk to another American, remember all these things and treat them with the respect an American deserves.

Respect All Human Beings. Because you are one too and to disrespect them, disrespects yourself, and all human beings.

Respect ALL Americans.

Respect ALL Human Beings.

Have a happy and safe 4th of July!

"Gumdrop", a short horror - Wins Cult Critic Movie Award!

We just received notification about our film, "Gumdrop", a short horror from a submission to the prestigious Cult Critic' Movie Awards film festival in West Bengal!

This was a small project that, as films tend to do, grew rapidly as we began production. I decided on this project for several reasons.

Trailer

By the way, the "steps" left of the title in red in the poster, represent the stairs in the film going down into "darkness".

A little background on the film. I've been working up to making movies of my writings for years. I've studied cinema, screen/scriptwriting all through my university years, toward my degree in psychology.

So I looked over my published and unpublished writings and chose one that did not require massive special effects, crew, talent, or locations. 

I chose a true crime story I wrote in 1983 after an abnormal psychology class. In selecting that story ("Gumdrop City"). Spring of 2019 I wrote the prequel screenplay, then acquired the talent...the actors, the location, and then we began shooting principal photography. We shot through that summer. and finished in late summer. I went alone into post-production through the fall and winter.

I never expected to win any award but hoped I would at least get shown at a festival. This "learning" experience, has become much more. I will say however that I put a lot of work into this project and I was pretty pleased with it. The film came out much better than I had ever expected.

Was it perfect? Was it as good as I had wanted? No. Is it ever? In doing all of the post-production myself, I had to learn more all the time about the software I was using, the techniques of an editor (which I have some experience in going back to old celluloid films). I read a lot during production and during post-production.

Did I make mistakes? To be sure. For one? I would like a crew. My first day of shooting nearly gave me a nervous breakdown. But by the end of that first day, I had gotten my stride. The actors seemed to enjoy being on the production, so I guess I wasn't a nightmare to work with.

I learned a lot about directing, running the camera, the lights, the sound, and rewriting on the fly, on set. Then in post-production making the story work even and ever better. I acquired a composer for the soundtrack. Andrea Fioravanti, in Italy. I also had a young singer/songwriter, Alex Dewell on the soundtrack.

I also used some music from Nikolas Hayes, from his CD years ago. I used my first short, eight-minute horror film he had acted in, "The Rapping". A trifle I produced just to prove I COULD even shoot a film. And yet it won an award and was also shown at The Midnight Film Festival in New York. Perhaps I'm on a roll here. 

Concurrently, I am also working on seeing my true crime biopic, "The Teenage Bodyguard" into production along with producer Robert Mitas the head of their Originals department at Voyage Media. There is also a new podcast from the Pacific Northwest Scene of the Crime people, titled, "Enterprise". 

I am also doing a final edit on my manuscript for a sequel to my first ever published book, a collection of my short stories, that will be titled, "Anthology of Evil II". That ending novella in the first book, "Andrew" led to the creation of my next book and masterwork of fiction, "Death of heaven". My new book will also have an ending novella this one titled, "The Unwritten". 

In the midst of all that, I received this email from the Cult Critic Movie Awards.

The Official Notification Email:

Congratulations! We are so excited to announce that your project is an AWARD WINNER at the 32nd monthly season of the Cult Critic Movie Awards.

The full list of selection is about to be released on our website (http://hlc-cultcritic.com/) and will also be published on our social networks.
We'll email you shortly your laurel and certificate, and rate your project on IMDb page (If applicable).
Please note that all the monthly Award Winners are automatically NOMINATED for the prestigious JEAN LUC GODARD AWARDS. The final result will be published on September 2020.
You may follow the detailed coverage of this season on Cult Critic film magazine (http://hlc-cultcritic.com).
Cheers!

Will there be a next project? To be sure!

Also, remember the Scene of the Crime podcast, "Enterprise", which is based on the story my true crime screenplay, The Teenage Bodyguard, is based upon.

A Mafia Murder And An Armed Teen

This is the story of "The Teenage Bodyguard." Who? Well, if you haven't already heard about this, in 1974 a teenager protected a murder witness, a woman and cocktail waitress for a week, from the mob, the mafia, from their "Enterprise". And he kept her alive. But did she survive?

Graphic by Kelly Hughes

Welcome to the Pacific Northwest podcast, "Scene of the Crime", who recently did a podcast titled, "Enterprise" (Also, here - podcast currently seems unavailable), in June of 2020. It told of the story of the Tacoma, Washington Carbone crime family who abused local Pierce County law enforcement and government all through the 1970s.

Years later, in 1978 during their San Francisco federal trial of their "Enterprise", they again murdered one of their bouncers who had been subpoenaed. But he was not the first bouncer they had murdered. The first was in 1974, and his name was Danny McCormack.

In the spring of 1974, there is a particular story that is of interest to us here. And that is the story of Gordie. After receiving a phone call from a "friend", he gave a woman who had been staying with the friend, a short ride.

When she got into his car, a 1967 Camaro RS/SS red convertible (two years later this model would be renamed as the Z28 model), she refused to give him an address to where he was taking here.

The first red light, and sign there was something wrong. Instead shea just told him where to turn until they got to her new living space. Her new home was with four people she had just met recently. With no ties at all to her past, or Gordie's friend, or Gordie for that matter.

At this point one might ask, "Why isn't this in theaters yet?" And if you're someone who could see this film produced, surely, say, "Hi!"

Exactly. Even the podcast pointed that out. The Blacklist, indicated that on an evaluation of this film. The Bluecat Screenplay Contest asked that exact question.

The Blacklist: "Since 2005, each December, the Black List releases its annual list, a survey of the most liked unproduced screenplays of that year. The annual lists are aggregated using votes from film executives working in the film industry." From The Blacklist

Bluecat Screenplay Contest: "Founded in 1998 by award-winning writer Gordy Hoffman, BlueCat has remained committed in discovering unknown, gifted screenwriters and showcases their work to a global audience year after year. Through written analysis provided to all entrants, BlueCat has supported thousands of screenwriters with many who have gone on to successful careers in the film and television industry."

Actually, I've been working with Gordie, the protagonist of this story, along with Voyage Media's head of their Originals Department, Robert Mitas. Robert has had screenplays produced himself, and worked producing films with actor and producer, Michael Douglas.
We are currently working to see this screenplay and story produced and into theaters or via another of many viewer platforms. I'd be happy with Netflix or Amazon Prime or others.

Text from Thursday, January 24th, 1974 Tacoma News Tribune article:

Patron kills bouncer at Tiki

The bouncer in a Lakewood night spot was slain early Sunday as he argued with a disgruntled customer in the parking lot.

Danny Derrick McCormick, 25, 3102 S. 47th St., was pronounced dead at Lakewood General Hospital at 2:30a.m.

He was employed by The Tiki, at Villa Plaza.

Sheriff's deputies were told McCormick was shot in the chest by a young white man who earlier had been harrassing a waitress in The Tiki.

After closing at 2AM, the suspect returned to pound on the cabaret door, unsuccessfully demanding to be let in. When McCormick and a friend went to their car, the suspect and a companion drove over and began angrily discussing the Tiki operation.

The suspect pulled a revolver, deputies were told. McCormick's friend grabbed him and told the bouncer to "get the gun."

McCormick was shot as he approached the suspect, who broke away and fled with his companion in their car.

An off-duty school security officer who had left with McCormick but gone to his own car fired a shot at the fleeing car as it sped away.

Mccormick was rushed to the hospital but did not respond to treatment.

It was this murder of a coworker that sparked this whole story. A story that led to a cocktail waitress to go on the run because, as she contended, she was IN that parking lot when Danny was murdered. A murder she said was NOT performed by an anonymous disgruntled patron, but rather by one of the capos of the head of the "Enterprise", John "Handsome Johnny" Carbone himself.

Why isn't this on screen yet somewhere?

Getting a film made is a magical thing. But we continue to work toward seeing this produced so you can see this story for yourself. And maybe, make up your own mind.

TDS is a Symptom of Obama Derangement Syndrome

For those trying to peddle the nonsense that the GOP today is Lincoln's Republican party...stop it.  You are embarrassing yourself through your lack of historical knowledge and reality.

Remember... The Republican party supported classical liberalism, opposed the expansion of slavery, and supported economic reform. Abraham Lincoln was the first Republican president. Under the leadership of Lincoln and a Republican Congress, slavery was banned in the United States in 1865.

However, this and now, "Donald Trump" Republican party today is a far cry from Lincoln's party and would be more for slavery back then than today's Democratic party, which back in the day, was actually against Lincoln.

Also and FYI, ODS, or "Obama Derangement Syndrome" led to the symptoms of TDS in conservatives. (and no, neither really exists except in the fantasies of political pundits who need to grow up and do a far better job).

Yeah, weird world...right? Hey look, I'm just getting started.

First of all this all started, of course, with a conservative pundit, the late Pulitzer Prize-winner Charles Krauthammer when he originally coined the term, "Bush Derangement Syndrome" during that administration.

Krauthammer since updated this in an article from 2017. He died in 2018 of small colon cancer. If one wishes to explore derangement toward anyone it would be Pres. Obama. Take Congressional Republicans who stated that nothing Obama put forward during his administration would be acted upon as long as he was president. That, is not the orientation of a real and actual American political party. But of a seditiously extremist oriented one.

In 2010: "John Boehner, the likely speaker if Republicans take the House, offering his plans for Obama’s agenda: “We're going to do everything — and I mean everything we can do — to kill it, stop it, slow it down, whatever we can.”

"Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell summed up his plan to National Journal: “The single most important thing we want to achieve is for President Obama to be a one-term president.” - Politico

There is a derangement. "We'll have none of this doing out job stuff!"

Which then led to Obama using executive orders. Which led Republicans to cry about Obama's not working with them. Seriously guys...WTF? That massively helped to spiral us down into the current polarized Congress and dysfunctional electorate that we have today.

Krauthammer makes a valid attempt at his updated explanation and revision to Trump. But misses one valid point that he almost touches on right at the article's end. Much of what Trump supporters view as deranged is actually frustration, justified anger, embarrassment, humiliation, and worst of all, contempt, on the national and the world stage.

George W Bush being so severely disliked was justified as his, to be polite and at best, "mistakes", got half a million people killed in a war that should never have happened. A war he was planning for years before he was ever elected. A war that had nothing to do with those who attacked us on 9/11 or WMDs.

Referring to the other side as deranged is somewhat immature diatribe attempting to dismiss outright, to neutralize, rather pathetically so, some very real and obvious concerns. One as such cannot argue in support of a Donald Trump, so one pivots away instead to mere name-calling. Apparently.

Aside from the fact that it is juvenile it offensively and on purpose, tries to infer that the expressed concerns of the labeled individual are simply of no matter whatsoever and attempts to in a rather weird way, gaslight the individual as well as a social group, to reduce that person's concerns to the concerns of one who is delusional.

Which, in considering Pres. Donald Trump, truly IS delusional.

Bush also, but outside of his existence as president led to 100,000s of lives lost, not so much of a concern to America as it has turned out, as is now Donald Trump. Considerations of Trump getting a second term are now of great concern.

To America, and the world at large.

As for the updated version being related to Donald John Trump, he too should have opponents in his precious political base who see him as a disaster, a mistake, a miscreant and because of HIS mistakes, literally, thousands of Americans have now died from COVID-19. That is questionable only by Trump himself and those supporters of his who truly do now appear to be delusional.

Bear with me a moment while I explain this. TDS, or Trump Delusion Syndrome (experienced only by rabid Trump supporters), has a symptom known as ATDS, Accusatory Trump Derangement Syndrome. which is actually a symptom of ODS, or Obama Derangement Syndrome which is where this particular go around all began.

Here's how that works...

A low information Trump supporter (or one of selective ignorance or what is more generally known as "stupid" or merely as a "Trump Republican"), who originally hated our last and one of our greatest presidents, Barack Obama, loses Pres. Obama as a focus of their hatred in our 24-hour news cycle as target of their incensed anti-non-conservativity.

Trump comes along and is elected presiden and is so obviously bad, so fully incompetent, that the Obama haters with ODS, do what the Republican party has taught them for decades, and best exemplified by Donald Trump in doing his very bad things and then pointing at any others, projecting his actions, or possibly crimes, onto those others who were calling him out for what he shouldn't have been doing in the first place.

Those easily distracted and convinced of this, take up his call and parrot that along into their social media bubbles and their biggest bubbleator sounding chamber of Fox News. Or today even more so, to OANN, with and as with Donald Trump, its potential ties to Russia and their state Putinesque news network, RT (Russia Today).

It's really just about slowing down and redirecting accurate attention away from Trump's actions to build an extra and bigger swamp and to deconstruct the American government.

Part of that dynamic is to use massive viral forms of obfuscating, pivots away from, distractions, and redefining everything and anything they can in a 1984ish way, so as to allow Trump to get away with those never-ending bad behaviors of his.

The Trump version of his Neverending Story. Though even more childish than the original children's tale.

Or as John Dean @JohnWDean) Tweeted: "This man [that is, Donald Trump] can really really self project.... Not since US Grant has any administration tolerated the corruption that DJT does, and no president has been as corrupt as DJT. As for incompetence I am confident DJT will be Number One, easily displacing Buchanan and Andrew Johnson!"

Yes, that IS the fucked up reality we are all now immersed in. The Donald John Trump sludge of his administration.

And thanks very much for that, Trump conservative Republican party and its previous incarnation, the once GOP... even before America and now the entire world were exposed to Donald Trump's ludicrous forms of "management" and what he likes to call, his "administration". But we all see mostly as a mob organization with Russian mafia flavors to it.

Which the rest of the world now knows as, isolating and destroying the entire American government, the cohesiveness of the nation's citizens, and the spirit of America overall.

Trump and those which no longer exist, now that he has taken them over...the once GOP and no longer Lincoln's Republican party which was never such as today's "conservative" party is.

Remember... The Republican party supported classical liberalism, opposed the expansion of slavery, and supported economic reform. Abraham Lincoln was the first Republican president. Under the leadership of Lincoln and a Republican Congress, slavery was banned in the United States in 1865.

That would never have happened under today's Trump "conservative" Republican party.

No, the GOP today and the Trump GOP has nothing whatsoever to do with the party of Abraham Lincoln.

We're now in a brave new world. One populated by Trump officials who are openly cowards.

TDS? The delusions are strong in these Trump supporters.

And yes, America. We can do better.