A Life Changer: Living With an Awareness of Mortality

     Since my father died last August, there's been other deaths in my family and among good friends. During this tough stretch I've had an epiphany. Several in fact.

1. Life is too short. Death is lurking behind every challenge in our lives. Naturally and accidently. It can come like a thief in the night. 

2. I've become aware of my own mortality, and it calls for changes in my life. I'm re-evaluating my priorities and unmasking the frivolous, empty pursuits that our culture often validates.

3. Time is the most precious of all commodities. It can't be bought. Period.

Fully embracing the fact that I'm not going to live forever is bringing my values into a sharper focus.

Material things have little, or no, sway with me these days. I don't feel like I need a new house or wardrobe to be happy. 

The subject of social justice is foremost in my thoughts as I watch with some trepidation as Trump tries to tear our Constitutional Democracy apart. 

I've always believed all men/women are equal. That belief is stronger now than ever before.

As a combat veteran with PTSD, I've been struggling with death since I left Vietnam in 1970. I couldn't resolve what I did and saw in the Nam. At times I even embraced death as a solution to my misery.

After 54 years of intrusive thoughts, I think I've come to a peaceful place in this last year as my loved ones passed away. Thanks to Shirley, my wife of 49 years, my priorities are more meaningful now. 

As it Stands, coming to terms with mortality late in life is not all that unusual. Perhaps the saying about old age making us wiser has some merit.

Here's a Collection of Cartoons Because You Need to Laugh

It's time for a laugh break.

With all the chaos and hatred engulfing our country we need to divert our attention toward something positive. Laughing.

After combing through the web, I've selected the following cartoons for your viewing pleasure. 

An interesting sidenote... I've never done this before and am curious how well it does with readers. Let me know what you think.

 

As it Stands

Have a great day and don't forget how to laugh when you feel like crying!

What Options Do Republicans Have if Trump Implodes Tomorrow?

"Well, here's another fine mess you've gotten me into!"

-Oliver Hardy: Sons of the Desert

Republicans have gotten themselves in a fine mess, politically, and morally.

They've staked their future to a former twice impeached president who is facing criminal trials in four different jurisdictions and is a convicted rapist. Not exactly the perfect presidential candidate in anyone's book.

Trump is a walking time bomb. He's already cracking during the first week of his first of four trials. Between falling asleep and farting in court he's been the picture of an old man giving way to his dementia. 

Because Trump has permanent Tourette's syndrome and no self-control he's already at odds with the judge and has violated gag orders with impudence in at least ten examples. The judge really doesn't want to put Trump in jail for the violations and is bending over backward by just giving him financial fines and second and third chances.

A court clash is inevitable. It's such a tough call because the judge wants him in the courtroom. If Judge Merchan decides he has no other choice but to put him in jail accommodations could be made. 

The Manhattan Correctional Center, where Jeffery Epstein ended his life, is only about 100 or so yards away from the courthouse in Manhattan where his trial is taking place. Trump could be confined there and participate in the trial through a video link.

It's also possible Trump could be put in a gilded cage, like Trump Tower or Mar-a-Lago because the Secret Service does have an obligation to protect him.

If jailed - regardless of where he's confined - Trump will play the martyr card and go to new heights as the victim of the century.

However, he could snap and lose whatever tiny bit of sanity he processed and go full looney and be confined to a padded room. With a full-on gibbering idiot Republicans would have to turn to... who?

Exactly. If the day comes and Trump implodes, he's going to guarantee the Republican's will be a minority party for at least the next decade.

There is no plan B. As unimaginable as that may seem to be it's true. Trump hasn't even named his VP pick yet, who could at least be a possible alternative.

Nikki Haley? I don't think so. I have an idea though. They could name Tucker Carlson as their candidate as most of the MAGA cult (once called the Republican Party) currently follows him religiously.

As it Stands, Carlson would also go a long way in keeping Republicans a minority for more than a decade.

It's a Mystery: Why Did Speaker Johnson Suddenly Flip on Ukraine?

A while back, GOP House Speaker Mike Johnson, a Christian, said that he felt like Moses with God parting the sea and elevating him to the speakership.

That dubious blessing turned out to be somewhat of a curse as Johnson has been caught up in a maelstrom of MAGA morons who are enabling Putin and threatening to vacate his seat if he helped Ukraine out.

At first it appeared Johnson was sympatico with the far-right fire starters in the House and a good soldier for Trump who summoned him to Mar-a-Lago to kiss the ring two weeks ago.

But something happened. No one is sure why Johnson opened the floor to vote on aid legislation for America's allies. It was a sure thing Marjorie Taylor Greene and other ultra-right morons would go after him if he did. He knew it but ignored their threats.

Why? Johnson hasn't been a profile in courage in his entire career and now people are suddenly impressed with something he did - Republicans and Democrats alike.

Was it another biblical moment for him like Paul's journey on the Road to Damascus moment when he totally changed his beliefs and acknowledged God's presence in his life?

I'm going to go out on a limb here... but I doubt it. I'm not a particularly religious guy and I tend to look at hard cold facts over miracles. The fact is - despite his big move - Johnson is still Trump's creature.

My guess is it was a convergence of events that convinced him not to hang our allies out to dry. 

His son just graduated from the Naval Academy. Meeting with two GOP house chairs and our intelligence community was a turning point when they laid out the carnage that would follow if a bill wasn't passed. 

Pressure from conservative Republicans who wanted to keep their seats in prominently Democratic areas also played a part in his decision. 

Perhaps he realized he didn't want to be known as the man who turned over our democratic ally to Russia.

The important message is Johnson did the right thing. The bill passed and he seems confident that he'll withstand MTG's lame assault against him. Maybe because - believe it or not - Democrats have told him they would support him in an ouster vote.

As it Stands, we may never know all the reasons that motivated Johnson to do the right thing. Let's just be thankful he did.

The Realization That You Can't Always Get What You Want

"And I went down to the demonstration

To get my fair share of abuse

Singing "We're going vent our frustration

If we don't, we're going blow a fifty-amp fuse"

Sing it to me, honey...

You can't always get what you want"

The Rolling Stones

Generally, when we reach a certain age, we come to the conclusion we're not always going to get what we want in life. Reality intrudes with practicality in most cases.

However, there's a lot of wealthy families whose children get most of what they want like their parents do. It's called entitlement. But that doesn't mean they get EVERYTHING they want.

I desperately want the LA Lakers to beat the Denver Nuggets in the playoffs despite sports guru's not giving them a chance in hell. 

Okay. They lost game one. It doesn't mean the series is over... at least not in my mind. I'm prepared to back them to the bitter end. It's called being a fan.

The odds are I'm not going to get what I want, and I'll have to wait until next season.

Americans are tired of the constant political warfare being waged over the airways and social media. Most people just want some civility restored where it's safe to debate without going nuclear.

I say to those exhausted people you won't get what you want unless you vote for change and fight for truth and defend facts. Even then you may not get what you want...but at least you gave it a shot.

Being human we don't all react nicely when we don't get what we want. Some people, like rapist and former president Donald Trump throw tantrums and threaten people with harm when their will is thwarted.

There's no such thing as a good loser in 2024. The fact that there's going to be millions of sore losers - regardless of the results - is scary. 

I've come to the conclusion that people are strange. Me included. I can go all day without eating with very little discomfort, but I can barely contain my uncertainty before each Laker game.

Part of me suspects we suffer whether we get what we want or not. If I don't get it, I suffer the loss. If I do get it, I still suffer because my team may lose next time.

As it Stands, there's nothing wrong in going after what you want - it's how you deal with the results that determines the difference between being happy or sad.

'Sleepy Joe' or 'Dozing Donny?' Whose Your Favorite Old Guy?

Ring Announcer: Ladies and gentleman...

welcome to fight night in America!

Tonight's pugilists and presidential candidates are, "Dozing Donny" in the red corner representing the MAGA cult, and in the blue corner we have "Sleepy Joe" representing the majority of average Americans.

Referee: Okay gentleman I expect a clean fight (Trump breaks out in laughter) and no low blows! 

Round 1

Reporter: "The two men are slowly circling the ring uttering curses.

Two minutes later..."The two antagonists continue to circle the ring uttering curses.

"Just before the bell rang Sleepy Joe suddenly unleashed a combination of punches while Dozing Donny was ranting about windmills and whales. As he plodded back to his corner "Dozing Donny" complained the fight was fixed.

Round 2

Reporter: "Tired from circling around in the first round the two aging opponents stood to-to-toe and tried to keep their balance while throwing awkward punches at each other.

"At one point Dozing Donny threw a sloth like punch to Sleepy Joe's groin area causing him to take a step back and look at the referee for a call. When none came Sleepy Joe delivered his famous left-handed "Scranton Strike" to Dozing Donny's jaw.

It was enough to make Dozing Donny stumble over to his corner and cry to his trainer who was trying not to look disgusted."

Round 3

Reporter: Dozing Donny has refused to come out of his corner until Sleepy Joe agrees not to hit him in the face again. The referee went over to the judges, and they all are conferring about what to do.

"Meanwhile Dozing Donny has his IPad out and his calling his MAGA minions to save him from further punishment.

"Okay. Here comes the referee. He's going to the center of the ring and calling for the fighters to come over to him.

Referee: "It's legal to punch your opponent in the face. You should have known that before getting into the ring in the first place. Either keep fighting or slink off to your lair as a loser."

As Dozing Donny was being helped out of the ring he shouted, "You're going to hear from my lawyers." 

Post Fight Interview

Reporter: "So how do you feel about sending Dozing Donny back to his lair?"

Sleepy Joe: "What?"

Reporter: "How does it feel to win?"

Sleepy Joe: "It reminds me of that time I had to lay down the law on CornPop and threaten to drag him off the 3m diving board."

As it Stands, an injection of humor in these dire times is the best medicine.

Confused and Abused: Average Americans Don't Know What or Who to Believe In

The last decade has been a turning point in American society where traditional norms and truth have fallen alongside the wayside and chaos reigns supreme.

Factual information has been overwhelmed with misinformation and lies streaming from right-wing politicians and activists. 

The result is most Americans are confused, scared, and plain sick of the rampant hate spreading around the nation like a deadly cancer.

The country is facing fascist threats from Donald Trump's cult who want him to be a dictator. Right-wing extremist agendas are busy taking away women's rights and the rights of minorities and LGBTQ communities. 

The MAGA movement is a direct threat to our Constitutional Democracy and the freedoms it enshrines. Facts are clouded by conspiracies embraced by what use to be the Republican Party.

It's no wonder Americans are confused about what America really stands for these days. There are two competing narratives that have divided the country - one based in facts and history, and the other where neither applies to the alternate universe being created by Trump and his minions.

Demonstrating how confused people are right now you have two presidential candidates - one a former twice-impeached president, who has been charged with 88 felonies in four jurisdictions and is a convicted rapist who is currently in court for bribing a porn star days before the 2016 election - and the other a current president (Biden) who has no criminal history and has helped the economy make a huge comeback after a terrible pandemic.

Easy choice, right? Not so fast.

Believe it or not polls keep showing the two candidates tied and all predictions are it's going to be a close race. I don't understand how any sane person could pick Trump.

MAGA morons are abusing our judicial system and Congress with impunity. Trump gets away with fleecing his own followers and cheating at business and golfing. He loves Putin and is modeling himself after him. He's a traitor.

In this atmosphere the average American's rights are being abused daily at the state and federal levels by the orange faced domestic terrorist who is running for the presidency in November. 

Here's a terrifying thought. How many people won't even vote because they don't like either candidate? That is how Democracy dies. When a majority of Americans don't vote, bad things can happen.

As it Stands, do yourself a solid and thoroughly research articles and what people are claiming in real time to dispel any confusion you may have. 

From Russia with Love: Marjorie Taylor Greene and GOP Right-Wingers Praised for Not Funding Ukraine

Russian State media can't get enough of Marjorie Taylor Greene. 

She's proven to be a superstar for actively stopping aid to Ukraine.

Her horsey-faced mug has become a regular feature on Russian TV. And the rest of the right-wing Putin-loving GOP members have willingly joined her in becoming traitors for Trump.

Some people in Congress on the Republican side realize what a cancer she is for the party and have retired early to avoid being associated with her toxic lies. 

House Republican Ken Buck, who recently retired from the House after being disgusted with how chaotic things in the House were went on CNN yesterday and called her "Moscow Marge" who is willingly helping the Russian's propaganda machine.

Two senior Republican lawmakers, the chairs of the House Intelligence and Foreign Affairs committees, said their colleagues are echoing Russian state propaganda against Ukraine.

Republican Rep. Michael McCaul, the chair for the Foreign Affairs committee acknowledged what has been clear for some time: "Russian propaganda has made its way into the United States, unfortunately, and it's infected a good chunk of the party's base." 

Republican Rep. Mike Turner, chair for the House Intelligence Committee, told CNN that anti-Ukraine messages from Russia are "Being uttered on the House floor."

The Good News and the Bad News

The good news is that some Republicans are admitting there's a traitorous connection between Russia and some Republican congressman.

The bad news is that they are not going to do a damn thing about it! It's still business as usual in the nut house where anti-American squirrels are sharing lies at an amazing rate.

What would have Republican saint Ronald Reagan have thought about that? His beloved party infiltrated by communists and their sympathizers.

As it Stands, I've quoted this before, and I'll probably quote it again, "We have met the enemy, and he is us." -POGO

GOP Governors Unite in Fight to Stop Unions in their States

Six Republican Governors have gathered to warn their residents against the evils of unionization which they claim would threaten their jobs and values.

The governors high-profile attempt to head off unionization in their states was spurred by The United Auto Workers (UAW) voting to unionize a Volkswagen factory in Chattanooga, Tennesse later this week.

The UAW is also targeting more than a dozen factories in the south as it attempts to break out of its Midwestern stronghold.

What the Republican governors are trying to do is to preserve their economic models built on relatively low pay and minimal worker voice according to Stephen Silva, a professor at America University.

So far Tennessee Republicans have thwarted two UAW attempts to unionize the VW factory in 2014 and 2019. They've been ramping up their opposition recently with news conferences and public statements.

Like everything these days, the whole issue is a political battle between Democrats and Republicans. In their joint statement the six governors wrote, 

"We have serious reservations that the UAW leadership can represent our values. They proudly call themselves democratic socialists and seem more focused on helping President Biden get reelected than on the autoworker jobs being cut at plants they already represent."

The governors of Tennessee, Alabama, Georgia, Mississippi, South Carolina and Texas are united in their opposition to the UAW.

Democratic state senators in Tennessee criticized the Republican governors on social media this week.

"Autoworkers in the South are ready to make history this week. #StandUp, Chattanooga!" Sen. London Lamar posted. 

To put the six governor's action into prospective Silva, who has closely studied unionization in the South, called their statement "unprecedented and shocking" and it discouraged workers from exercising their legal right to organize.

As it Stands, the wealthy's war against the common man is still very much part of our chaotic society.

Truth Social: Betting on Ideology is Risky... Especially if it Involves Trump

Step right up folks and buy Trump's meme stock if you love the former president and rapist.

Don the Con's stock market debut with Truth Social is a blast from the past. Gullible people buying into another Trump scheme to fleece the masses. Remember Trump University? Not only did it fail but Trump was forced to pay $25 million to the victims.

At first the initial offering price of Truth Social (DJT) was about $50 dollars to a peak of $80 in late March. Since then, the share price has plummeted a staggering 68% to Tuesday's price at $25. 

Stock experts have warned people all along that DJT stock is nothing more than an illusion. A fairy tale story that isn't going to happen in the real world.

Trump's latest con is meeting financial reality according to Tyler Richey, an analyst at Sevens Report Research, during an interview with ABC. 

The only hope Trump has is if enough of his cult followers buy into his scam and the very real possibility their doing it to support him financially and don't care if they end up losing their investments.

However, "Truth Social is not attracting and holding users and it's not attracting significant advertising revenue," Jay Ritter, a professor of finance at the University of Florida told ABC news recently.

"Its current business model is a colossal failure," he concluded.

Investors just have to look at Trump's past business ventures where he ended up filing bankruptcy seven times.

Canny investors don't bet on ideology because it's too risky. But these are crazy times where a former president and insurrectionist indicted in four jurisdictions is the GOP nominee for president.

Anything could happen.

As it Stands, it remains to be seen if Trump supporters have any more money left to invest/donate in Trump's latest rip-off after being constantly dunned for over a year to pay his legal bills.

Trial Begins: What Are the Chances of Convicting a Former President of a Felony?

Once again, Don the Con is making history for all the wrong reasons.

No former president has ever been indicted for a felony and forced to go to trial.

Add eighty-eight felony charges in four jurisdictions and you have the most corrupt former president and current GOP candidate for the presidency in American history.

Trump's hush money trial is here. Jury selection has begun with a dour Trump listening to prospective jurors who may decide to throw him in jail with a guilty verdict.

The whole thing is a political spectacle like the public has never seen before. Legions of reporters from all over the world clustered around the courthouse like moths around a flame as the drama unfolded inside.

There are 6,000 prospective jurists who have been called up by the court and the long process of vetting them as begun under Trump's baleful gaze.

Publicity for this potentially weeks long trial has reached a fever pitch with the legacy media and right-wing outlets competing to flood American households. It'll be a war on truth. Facts versus lies. Reality versus an alternative universe.

The feeling I'm getting is there's a good chance Trump may elude justice. I've carefully followed what legal experts have been talking about in this trial of the century, and it looks like the prosecution is going to have a rough road to hoe.

There's always the possibility of a MAGA mole worming his/hers way on to the jury. Keep in mind that Trump's followers are a cult and there's no extremes that they won't take to defend him. One determined follower can stop justice from happening.

As it Stands, this is just one of four criminal trials Trump faces this year. The stakes couldn't be higher. It's Democracy versus Autocracy.