Celebrate: It's All About Frogs

Are you ready to get froggy?

I hope so because April is National Frog Month. 

I'm not sure who decided that in the United States but kudos to them for highlighting our amphibian friends. 

Our foreign friends are also welcome to show their affection for frogs by holding celebrations to honor them this month too.

With 4,000 known species there's not a place on the planet that doesn't have frogs coming in a delightful array of colors and sizes. Just imagine, they can be smaller than a dime (the New Guinea Amau frog) to weighing seven pounds (the Goliath frog) and some are nearly transparent like the Glass frog. 

It's good to know your frogs before you attempt to pick one up. Take the Golden Poison frog for example. It carries enough toxin to take down 10 humans! For the sake of clarity, I'm not going to mix frogs up with toads today because they're not from the same family.

Frog Myths, Folklore and Fairy Tales

Those steeped in frog fairy tales know the Brothers Grimm story of The Frog Prince. In ancient Egypt and Mesopotamia, frogs symbolized fertility. The Greeks and Romans associated frogs with fertility, harmony, and licentiousness. Folklore in many cultures connect fertility, regeneration, and rebirth with frogs. 

In Ohio folklore, the Loveland Frog (left) is a legendary amphibious creature, resembling a giant humanoid frog roughly four feet tall when standing on its hind legs.

In Celtic myths the frog was a familiar of a witch. The Druids looked upon frogs as messengers of the water god/goddess who brought blessings of rain and purification.

In Native American mythology the Frog symbolizes wealth and abundance. When a frog is portrayed in art with his tongue touching another creature, it represents the sharing of knowledge and power.

True confession time...

my nickname since early childhood is Frog. It has something to do with what my family decided was my (to them) big feet which became flippers in our family lore.

The most famous frog in the world today is Kermit the Frog from Sesame Street and The Muppet Show. 

His frog sidekicks are Robin (Kermit's nephew), Leapovitch the Frog, and Mavis the Frog.

As it Stands, the early bird may get the worm, but the patient frog gets the fly. - Unknown

What Would You Do if You Were a Politician?

Regardless of where you live in the world imagine if you were a politician. Some countries - like democracies - give their politician's certain powers and privileges they wouldn't have in other counties ran by dictators. 

Then there are democratic countries trying to hold onto their freedoms that are under assault by right-wing actors worldwide. The United States is a perfect example.

Misinformation and repeated lies have Americans so confused that many don't know who to trust and where to turn to for the truth. 

This cauldron of chaos was manufactured by the MAGA Party (you'll notice I didn't say Republican Party) for years and now it's paying off in dividends with the election of a convicted felon who's managed to free every lunatic in the country and get away with a bloody coup attempt.

Let's say you are an American and a member of congress. What would you do if ...

1. The President was actively dismantling the Social Security Administration, The Department of Veterans Affairs, Medicare, and every government agency that benefits common Americans?

a. I wouldn't do anything about it. I'd avoid town halls. I want to keep my cushy job.

b. I would try to convince my constituents that everything was going to be fine and that Trump's buddy Musk was really doing everyone a favor by crippling the government.

c. I would stand up and challenge the assaults on our democratic system and assure my constituents that I'm doing everything I can to protect their freedom and entitlements. My voting record would show it.

2. What would you do if... a MAGA congressional member threatened you if you didn't vote a certain way?

a. I'd cave in. It's easier to do that than try to fight their majority.

b. I'd pretend I didn't hear them and keep walking.

c. I would assure them that I'd share their blatant attack with the world and would let my constituents know about it so they could pass the word on to their neighbors.

3. What would you do if... you were suddenly told you had to sign a loyalty oath (regardless of which party you belonged too) directly to Trump or you'd get run out of congress? 

a. I'd sign it without question.

b. I'd say that I just had carpal tunnel surgery and can't write anything hoping that by stalling they'd forget.

c. I'd pull out my mobile device, take a snapshot of the "oath" they wanted me to sign and then I'd post it on every social media platform in the world.

Moving on...

Here's some harsh truths.

Democracy in America has never been challenged like it is right now. 

Americans are watching in horror as their benefits and rights are being stiped away daily by the world's richest man who controls the president of the United States.

It's never been truer than now that an elite cabal of super wealthy men and women are running the world. They all have one thing in common, they want to take control of our lives, our thoughts, and freedoms. 

Europe is experiencing the same challenges that America is. Billions of dark dollars from oligarchs are being funneled into countries elections to rig outcomes favorable to the few.

I have no idea what it's going to take to turn the tide of chaos back and reinstate sanity into society. Good over evil. I'm searching for signs that real resistance will spring up next year during the midterms and that the Democrats will retake the House... and yes, the Senate back and hold Trump accountable.

As it Stands, regular readers will recall I quit posting politics for five months because of the 2024 election results. I was too upset at what I saw as the final assault on all of our freedoms. I can't help myself now, however. I'm a journalist and it's my job to call out traitors and tyranny. This is my small contribution to protecting freedoms and justice in an unjust world and taking it to the people.