Month: January 2017

This topic has been slipping through my grasp since Kelly Anne the Clown said it, and yes I said clown but not because I mean it with hate or spite, no it is because she is straight up clowning or needs to be drug tested. But seriously we should all be proud of Kelly Anne for finally admitting that there are Republicans who believe and operate from a perspective that you can have alternative facts. It really explains a lot about conservatism in general and why there are people who wholeheartedly believe the way they do.

Here is a list of just a few things that work if you use alternative facts:
Climate Change denial
Denial of systemic racism
Belief that the USA is a Christian promise land
Denying the deist beliefs of the founding fathers
That we found WMDs in Iraq
That Al Qaeda was in Iraq
That it is the fault of minorities or illegal aliens or NAFTA that they do not have good jobs.
That the same business people who shipped jobs overseas for their own profit, can and will bring them back with good wages.
That President Obama wasn’t born in America.
That President Obama created the entire mess in the Middle East.
That Black Lives Matter is a terrorist organization that wants more than just the same seat at the table as white people.
That the Republican party of today is the same as it was when Lincoln was president, and that the Democratic Party is the same as they were before the two swapped sides during the Civil Rights movement.
That Republicans didn’t protest after President Obama got elected. What else would you call the tea party, the oath keepers, and probably the largest gun and ammo buying spree in history, but protest?

It is easy to keep going, heartbreakingly easy. What worries me the most is the question, how do you work, having meaningful dialog, and reach compromise with people who believe that facts can be so arbitrary and capricious? Between alternative facts, goal posts that keep moving, and republican religious zealotry that prevents compromise, I question whether we can ever heal the divide. I wonder if the Republic has reached the end of its lifespan.

I know trying times are nothing new, but I have a family and friends I love deeply and must be pragmatic in how I consider what tomorrow brings and how I will react.
 

I believe that if you think the worst of people, your actions towards them condemn no one but yourself.

The problem is that we do not live isolated in a vacuum, we live in societies and each of us has influence over those around us. When groups of people start to think the worst of other people because they are different. When they verbally or physically abuse them, isolating them in different ways, people will lash out.

I believe that we all have severe mental disconnects in our thinking. There are people who think kids should fight back against bullies, but if the bullies happen to be cops and those fighting back are a racial or ethnic minority then it is wrong. There are also those who think spiking trees to prevent logging is ok, resulting in death and maiming, but if the police or loggers react aggressively then they are wrong.

I believe that we are all so set in our ways at this point, so determined to hang onto our own beliefs, that listening to reason is a dog that won’t hunt. People who believe that all Muslims are bad can not be convinced otherwise. People who believe that any barriers to immigration are wrong cannot be convinced otherwise. But no matter which ideology you have adhered to and will not back down from I believe that if you do not love your neighbors and your enemies as yourself, well then you have condemned yourself.

If Trump said he would ban Muslims, then said he would implement extreme vetting, then got elected and implemented a messed up executive order around extreme vetting, says Christians will be prioritized, how much longer before he implements a full out ban? What about a registration of muslims, another of his ideas he has floated, how long before that reaches fruition? Or brings back torture, he said he would do that as well.

So, as his supporters expect the majority of Americans to be silent, give him a chance, I have to ask, a chance to do What exactly? To do all of the things he said he would do? 

My psychiatrist has recommended that the next step in my treatment, due to depression that is continuing unabated for months now despite the medication, is Transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS). TMS is a 4-6 week treatment regiment consisting of 5 40 minute sessions per week. Now since I have not met my deductible completely for the year, I know that if I have this done before April 1 I will be paying several thousand dollars, if I wait until April 1 my deductible year starts over and wham I could be looking at double the amount. If the ACA is repealed with no replacement, individual mandates go away and tax credits for businesses disappear, then I expect that my employer provided insurance may see cost increases and benefit reductions on par with pre-ACA years. For those of us with health problems, I suspect we will see an erosion of options back to getting treated at the ER as a last resort and foregoing treatment.

I would ask why, but it does not matter. In fact healthcare may soon be the least of our concerns, as cost of goods will soon skyrocket if Trump imposes tariffs on imported goods. How long before we see a vote on ending Federal Minimum Wage? What about the end of public education? Legalization of indentured servitude anyone? After the last few days wouldn’t surprise me at all. And so the Republic teeters on the edge of oblivion.

Feel free to use and share with others.

Dear Member of Congress,

The United States of America is a nation of laws and principles, founded on the ideals of life, liberty, and equality. The President of the United States has now signed an illegal executive order restricting immigration from seven countries based on religion. Ironically this executive order states “The United States cannot, and should not, admit those who do not support the Constitution” while trampling on the very ideals embodied in the Constitution.

So, where do you stand? I am one of your constituents and I want to know where you stand! Will you condemn this un-American action by President Trump, will you stand up and publicly condemn his actions? Will you put your oath of office before your political party affiliation?

If this travesty is allowed to stand unchallenged by members of Congress, you will have left us standing on a slippery slope, and then the next erosion of American law that President Trump commits will be too late. We the American people are depending on you.

Sincerely,

Not dreams, wallflowers, that take my hand for a moment and leave me before the end of the song.

Dreams, goals, visions for the future. They haunt my mind, not because they are bad, but because they slip away so fast. I cannot envision tomorrow beyond half an hour from now.

I think every self-help book I have read starts along a similar line, Take a small step or some such equally simple but grand path. So, you start small and build from there, believe in yourself, tell the universe or God this will be so and it will; hush but it is a secret to be dispensed by some guru if you pay them or buy their book. But half an hour is all I have and the hands on the clock move swiftly against me, not even a full deep breath and it is gone, only an illusion.

Now I see events transpiring in the world and my eyes are wide open. Not because they were ever closed, but too focused. Focused on making it through each day and taking care of my family, found something that I am very good at and made a career out of it. It was enough, I could provide a good life for my children, their future would be brighter and they could have dreams like I never could. What a fool I have been. We are racing towards a cliff as a nation, hell-bent on self-destruction, and I have nothing if it all collapses. No way to move forward if I had to start over tomorrow, as things slip through my mind so quickly.

Decided it was time for a little housekeeping and a makeover. My plan is to grow my blog this year, as well as release a book. I am working on setting up a dedicated Facebook page and have set up an email subscription list.

I am looking at different ways to expand and draw more traffic. Also working on a plan to be consistent with my postings go forward.

For the next few weeks posting may be erratic as I dial in what works.

On life

Clothes,
lie scattered
on the floor,
in a chair.

Dishes,
clang together
in a sink,
running water.

Radio,
playing softly
a baby,
softly snoring.

Mother,
rocking slowly
with the baby,
in her arms.

Father,
working quietly
so mother
can rest.

Overcast sky, storms on the horizon, Babylon rising higher.
Politricks heavy on I and I, watching the downpressor man rise.

I bang my head against the wall in trying to understand the full realm of human nature. I would really like to understand why people view the world so differently. What makes one person selfish and another selfless? Why do some want equality for all and others to want to protect only themselves? Can conflict between humans ever be overcome completely?
My mind betrays me; teasing me with deep, fleeting thoughts, and insights into the type of knowledge that could make a difference in this world only to laugh maniacally, as I lack the ability to turn the thoughts into an actionable study. The dreams of being unable to speak, feeling as if my mouth is paralyzed, are more than just dreams, they are analogous to a disconnect that exists between a section of my mind that I cannot unlock and share with the world and the living breathing me.

Is it possible to be humble and stand tall?

When the nominee for Secretary of the Treasury forgets what he owns certain large properties or that he is a director for an investment fund based in the Cayman Islands, he responds with the following.

 “I think as you all can appreciate, filling out these government forms is quite complicated,” Mr. Mnuchin said, noting that he had handed over 5,000 pages of disclosures. “Let me first say, any oversight, it was unintentional.”

“In his revised questionnaire, Mr. Mnuchin disclosed several additional financial assets, including $95 million worth of real estate — a co-op in New York City, a residence in Southampton, New York, a residence in Los Angeles, California, and $15 million in real estate holdings in Mexico,” Democratic staff members of the Senate Finance Committee wrote in a memo on Thursday. “Mr. Mnuchin has claimed these omissions were due to a misunderstanding of the questionnaire.”

Unintentionally or because of a misunderstanding; really, seriously? I could understand if he has applying for some little job somewhere but wtf this is Sec of the Treasury, you triple and quadruple check your paperwork and ask for a damn extension if necessary. Also if the paper work is confusing wait till you see the job.