Thursday, October 20, 2022

An Upside-Down World Where Down is Up

You'd be wrong if you thought that sloths live in an upside-down world. They're world is right-side up to them and we're the confused ones.

Like the Republican party where GOP congressman today are trying to institute a bill - the so-called Children Sexualization Act - that will prevent liberals paying strippers to dance in front of our school children!

In the real world there's never been one case of schools or state governments funding strippers to do the hoochie-couchie for students from kindergarten thru high school. That ridiculous assertion doesn't bother the MAGA morons, however. They truly live in an upside-down world.

This crazed attempt won't go anywhere this time, the democrats still have the House and probably won't even allow it to come to the floor. But, if those same MAGA morons win back the House we can expect to see these kinds of bills introduced daily.

I think it's important to understand reality is no long a safety rail in our society where millions of Americans are doing mental handstands rather than be confronted with the truth and reality.

It's not easy standing your ground against so many lies, and so much hate and racism. Real conservative Republicans have found that out after rebuking Trump and his minions for their part in the Jan.6 insurrection. Their careers are over.

Back in the day native American's were quite liberal in some ways. For example, when it came to dealing with members who were off their rockers, they called them "Contraries" and gave them a space in their society.

Contraries walked backward, said no instead of yes (and vice versa) in reply to questions, frowned when they were happy, and basically did the opposite of everything.

Sound familiar?

The only problem with our modern-day contraries is they don't live peacefully with the rest of us. Instead, their goal is to turn us all upside-down and to turn America into an authoritarian utopia.

As it stands, people like you and me must maintain our balance in this topsy-turvy world we live in and be defenders of reality and truth.

Wednesday, October 19, 2022

American Psychiatric Association Announces New Litmus Test for Crazies

Let's face it. 

It's not easy to tell who's crazy by just looking at them.

Especially nowadays when people run around wearing political cosplay costumes.

The only way to fully determine if someone is short a couple of bottles of a six-pack is to ask them some basic questions. 

After seeking advice from the American Psychiatric Assocation they shared an updated litmus test that I'm passing on to you.

Some core questions to ask:

1. Who is the president of the United States?

This is one of the quickest and most reliable ways of knowing if a person is a dimwit.

2. Is Trump the son of God?

Be prepared to hear blasphemy if you ask this. It's a surefire way to judge just how crazy they are.

3. What year is it?

Sounds too easy, doesn't it? Well guess what? When they start talking about 2020 you caught them red-handed.

4. Should there be more gun safety laws?

Keep a good distance when you ask this question and wear a bullet-proof vest. A normal person wouldn't pull an AR-15 to answer.

5. Is the earth round?

I know. Too easy. Crazies always feel strongly about their flat earth beliefs.

6. Describe what the American flag looks like.

If there's one thing crazies love, it's desecrating the national flag. A crazy will display numerous examples of Trump's fat orange face surrounded in stars and stripes.

Once you've determined your talking with a crazy here's some suggestions:

** Run away as fast as you can!

** Don't stop running.

** Smile pleasantly and suddenly say "Squirrel!" When they look. Run.

** Offer them a cheeseburger or a chicken wing from KFC to go away.

** Back away slowly smiling stupidly (it soothes them) while determining where the quickest escape route is.

** Agree with everything they say and even drool a little to put them at ease.

As it stands, those savvy shrinks emphasized that humor was the best medicine and .... defense!

Tuesday, October 18, 2022

Things That Make no Sense, but We Still Have to Live with Them

The only things that make sense to me anymore are my pets. 

Their straightforward companions, loyal and they know how to have a good time. 

I roll my eyes in disgust when I hear about the stock market suddenly going boffo because corporations reported obscene profits which translates to growing inflation for the rest of the poor souls in the nation. 

How does anyone make sense of these contradictory sets of statistics that are only decipherable by cryptographers and bankers? 

Moving on.

Despite being legal (medical and recreational) in most states today, Marijuana is still rated as deadly as heroin and fentanyl by the federal government. It's classified as a Schedule 1 drug. The baddest of the bad.

Not only does it not make sense it's a stupid relic from the Demon Weed Days of Reefer Madness. A reminder of another madness that sent millions of Americans to jails for sparking up hooties and packing pipes with cannabis.

President Biden recently freed marijuana smokers (not dealers) who were locked up in prison with an executive action that could someday lead to complete normalization. Don't hold your breath, however.

Moving on.

It's doesn't make sense watching golf courses daily watering acres of land in California during an ongoing drought. 

Southern Californian residents are being paid to dig up their lawns in a desperate attempt to conserve the dwindling water supplies... but it's okay for golf courses to squander water!

Environmentally it makes no sense, but the rich and famous don't want to give up their entertainment (nor modify it) for the sake of others' lives.

Moving on.

The wild conspiracies that blanket our society daily don't have to make sense. They're about poisoning minds. People can't seem to stop their spread. The result is idiocracy reigns.

It'll never make sense to me why we can't just set all of our clocks at the same time and be done with it. I've heard all the feeble reasons why we can't and their too ridiculous to repeat here.

We could if Congress and the states got their shit together but that's as about as likely as Trump confessing to all of the lies he told while squatting in the White House like a bloated orange toad for four years. 

I'll never understand how millions of Americans have put the most corrupt president in our history onto a pedestal where he can do no wrong even as he dismantles our democracy in little ways daily. 

As it stands, one of the disappointments of growing older is the increasing amounts of things that make no sense in your world. Instead of revelations with age you find there's even more senseless things than ever before.

Monday, October 17, 2022

Midterms: Watching for an Impending Political Train Wreck

On a moonless night in America two trains are heading for a political collision... a red train and a blue train.

The American audience is watching for the possibility of impending disaster from their TV sets and computers with fear and loathing. The midterms are coming, and no one really knows what to expect. What to believe. Who to believe. Or cares.

I'm reminded of the old silent films and their cliff hanger endings that kept people coming back to theatres despite the poor economy. They couldn't wait to see what happened to their hero/heroine.

They wanted to see if the hero could untie the fair damsel in time before the train rolled over them both and turned them into pancakes.

The surreal political world we now live in doesn't have guardrails to protect the public. The free flow of disinformation and misinformation is threatening to derail democracy in the November midterms.

October 2022. The two trains chug on towards the same depot - the voting center. 

They carry with them passengers with two wildly different views for what America should look like in the future. 

Pundits try to predict which train is longer, but it's impossible to tell yet as they hurdle down the tracks during the moonless night toward election day.

Both trains fear being derailed before November 8. Many obstacles still remain for both before the race is over and they can discharge their passengers to cast their votes.

When the votes are counted and announced we'll discover which train - the red (Fascists) or blue (Democrats) -prevailed and what that means for America. Democracy or Fascism?  

As it stands, hopefully the good guys (that would be the democrats) prevail like in those old silent films I mentioned earlier. 

Sunday, October 16, 2022

A Call to Today's Younger Generation for Help from an Old Hippie

I'm passing on a sacred mantel today to America's youth who are old enough to vote in the upcoming midterms.

This mantel was woven by young Americans in the 70s who united to protest against the war in Vietnam and on marijuana. We declared war on a criminally flawed administration.

We gathered in in streets of San Francisco, New York, Oakland, and Berkeley to protest an administration that we felt was morally corrupt. Many Americans mocked us and called us stupid hippies because we believed in peace, not war.

But we stood firm.

We weren't going to be bullied by the crooked regime that used all of its powers to hunt us down and jail us with fake charges and laws attempting to take away our freedoms. 

Fun fact: all hippies didn't have long hair.

Remember the Mayday Protest in 1971 when citizens used the nation's capital as the ground on which to stage their disapproval?

It was a glorious day. A riot of youth and flowers where thousands of hippies camped out in masses on the edges of downtown Washington on May 2, 1971.

They chose places that enabled them to spread out along the entrances to the city as quickly as possible the next day.

Traffic was stopped for a few hours.

Later former CIA director Richard Helms remarked that Mayday was "one of the things that was putting increasing pressure on the Nixon administration to try and find some way to get out of the war."

I recall the rallies (Hell No! We won't go!) and the long-haired young men and women with flowers in their hair who at the time didn't realize the important role they each played in American history.

They were doing what they believed was right. They fought for individual freedoms and equality among races.

I look in the mirror today and I still see that long-haired rebel that believes in personal freedoms. But that was over 50 years ago and I'm slowing down now. 

I cherish my right to vote more than ever even if I can't physically attend rallies. But I'm worried that there's just not enough of us old hippies to lead democrats to victory in November.

All the election pundits seem to agree that the democrats only chance of not losing their majority in Congress lies with YOUNG VOTERS. That's you. The silent one's who don't respond to polls.

We know women are motivated and will turn out in great numbers because of the abortion issue. I'm counting on that. Still, it's not enough.

Campaigning against the negative headlines of inflation is an uphill battle for democrats which is giving the MAGA morons an edge in the closing weeks.

So, I'm asking all of you young voters to take this mantel - with its glorious history of making change - and wrap it around you. Talk with each other. I know you face numerous challenges in today's society my generation never dreamed of.

But we must not let Trump and his corrupt minions running for office establish any more footholds in our democratic process. They've already done enough damage.

Wear your Tye-dyed t-shirts to the ballot boxes or if you're voting by mail spark a bowl after you send it! 

Don't forget, your hippie predecessors also fought so you could legally smoke weed. The good fight continues.

As it stands, America needs you now more than ever. Your vote counts. 

Saturday, October 15, 2022

It's Came Like a Thief in the Night - What We Should Be Prepared For


Photo - "As a thief in the night (COVID-19) by Du Lac
On October 7 there were early signs a new U.S. COVID surge could be on its way, according to a recent report published by the Harvard T.H. Chan School of National Health.

Americans like me have been letting our guard down since the pandemic was officially declared under control. We quit washing hands frequently, muffling our sneezes and coughs with our elbows, and masking in big crowds and indoors. 

The result? Personally, my wife and I, are both fully vaccinated and boosted, but we caught COVID-19. It came like a thief in the night and before we knew it, we felt like we had the mother of all flu bugs. But then we tested ourselves and found the culprit. 

She's had COVID for seven days and is still struggling. I'm on my third day and desperately trying to rally my strength after losing ten pounds (FYI it's not a recommended way to lose weight). 

The kicker is my 94-year-old dad lives with us and has daily medical needs. He's not in the best of health (but is fully vaccinated and boosted). We also tested him, and he has COVID-19 too. 

Worse yet... the Oregon Department of Health says he's too old to get the new anti-viral treatment. WTF? I guess you get written off at a certain age in our society!

Meeting our daily challenges while sick as dogs that got ahold of some bad meat has been difficult... to say the very least.

We can't have friends or family in the house for fear they'll get infected. I worry about my dad. In my fevered mind it's like being on a death watch. 

Here's What's Happening Around the Country

There's been an uptick in COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations, according to NPR. Experts are scratching their bald heads (most are bald you know) and don't know if we should be worried about a winter surge in the country or not?

Here's a thought; if people get the new bivalent vaccine, it could keep the numbers down... the rest of the story is only 8 million Americans have gotten the new vaccine which leaves 200 million people at risk.

President Biden succumbed to politics when he declared the pandemic was over. It's just not true. Instead, he should have warned people to be vigilant, and go back to safe practices because there was a chance COVID could come back this winter.

I sincerely hope the Biden administration can look past the upcoming midterms and concentrate on things like having a secure supply chain of vaccine and ways to deliver it to the public when we need it the most.

As it stands, have you seen any warnings from the national health departments about the need to get vaccinated ASAP? That's what I thought. Neither have I.

Friday, October 14, 2022

Trump Must Be Indicted for All of His Crimes!



              Republicans just don't care.

About truth.

About justice.

About honor. 

About democracy. 

About accountability.

About women's rights.

About threatening election workers.

They're proving all of that and more during the midterm elections by fielding a cadre of election deniers.

The GOP is so desperate to take back the House and Senate that their backing candidates like Hershel Walker whose been caught lying so often he could give a master's course in it.

But the GOP doesn't care if he paid for an abortion, beat up his wife repeatedly and held a gun to her head. Their swallowing their own bile to win in order to regain power.

Related: Trump Planned and Directed the Whole Damn Thing - Why is Anybody still Defending Him?

There's no choice: Trump Must Be Indicted to Preserve Democracy!

There's no GOP agenda to make America a safe democracy. Their agenda is revenge and seeing to it we have a fascist state led by a former president and TV host.

Americans like me are worried about the consequences. We're a tense nation teetering on near panic at the thought of the GOP regaining power in Congress.

We can't trust the polls. They're useless. These are the midterm blues. There's a good chance we're on the highway to hell, however.

Related: Russia Link to Trump Documents Means it's a matter of "when", Not If" He is Indicted

The only hope - and I mean our ONLY hope - is a record turnout of democratic women and young voters. A blue wave. It could happen. It must happen.

It will happen if you care about our republic and vote! If you're not registered yet, do it now.

As it stands... please vote!

Wednesday, October 12, 2022

Halloween is a Bigly Con Job Fronted by Pumpkins

I'm not going to bore you with the history of Halloween.

Who really cares?

For reasons never clear to me pumpkins are the most common image associated with Halloween. Skeletons and witches are secondary symbols but the Great Pumpkin (watch Charlie Brown's quest to find the Great Pumpkin here) is a centerpiece for the holiday.

Halloween is a commercial rip off that began with a schoolteacher giving students candy and letting them dress up in odd clothing so the little rascals would have something to do on Halloween instead of vandalizing neighborhoods. As years went by kids went "Trick or Treating" ... and still vandalized neighborhoods.

When Halloween grew more popular over the years capitalists saw a great opportunity to make lots of money. 

Halloween grew into a major industry offering scary costumes, Jack-O-Lanterns (one of the pumpkins rolls) carved into hideous and hilarious faces, and mountains of candies from Sweet and Sour witches and skeletons to chocolate monsters. The holiday was a dream come true for the candy industry.

Try asking someone what Halloween is all about? I'm sure you'll be amused by the answers.

Check One

A. A way for corporations to make big money.

B. Candy

C. Pumpkins

D. An opportunity to dress up in weird costumes and roam neighborhoods seeking candy and trouble.

E. Parties where children and adults play stupid games in outlandish costumes.

F. I don't know, nor do I want to know. 

Halloween Tales & Traditions

An Irish myth about a man nicknamed "Stringy Jack" is believed to have led to the tradition of carving scary faces on pumpkins.

Here's a link for Halloween stories for 1st graders through 8th grade. If you ask adults, they say Halloween is for kids. Don't believe them! They lie.

Adults go out of their way to watch horror movies hoping that they'll scare the shit out of them! Adult-themed Halloween parties get more popular every year. Naughty nurses are a standard theme for women. The guys enjoy dressing up like Dracula sucking up alcohol instead of blood.

As it stands, the whole holiday is a national con job fronted by pumpkins for corporations who keep finding innovative ways to cash in on America's second biggest holiday of the year.

Tuesday, October 11, 2022

Why Young Boys Need to Learn How to Cook

Growing up my high school had a Home Economics class. 

Despite the fact boys could enroll in it, no boys in my class ever took the course.

It helps to understand that back in the 50s and 60s being a young male meant being ultra-macho and leaving cooking and housekeeping up to the girls.

Little boys played with weapons of war, trucks and cars. Little girls played with dolls and pretend ovens that turned out bland cookies and mini cakes.

Fast forward.

As my wife Shirley and I's three boys grew up, she made sure "Her" boys knew how to cook. She was determined to make them self-supporting men in all ways, including how to cook meals.

Lucky for them the mid 70's didn't emphasize toxic masculinity, and young men were cooking in communes. I'm not sure if there were Home Economics Classes when they attended school. 

But our boys had a private tutor (Mom) that meant to teach them about the mysteries of cooking. She taught them the basics of cooking and let them use their imagination. They all loved the opportunity and weren't shy to share their skills with friends.

All three of our boys are now first-class cooks and are proud to share their creations in family gatherings. None cook for a living. However, if they wanted to, they could.

I admit that I was no for model for them when it came to cooking. I couldn't boil water without a problem. Sometimes it came down to me (and the boys) to make a meal if Shirley was sick and unable too. Luckily for us all, she was a healthy young thing, and it didn't happen too often.

After I came back from Vietnam, and we were dating, Shirley was stunned to see how I ate. My little apartment contained can food and frozen dinners. That was it. And I still had a bad habit of eating straight from the can. Pork and beans for instance.

Realizing you can't teach an old dog new tricks Shirley took it upon herself to feed me real food. That's probably when she decided that if we had boys, she'd be sure they could cook.

As far as I know there's no longer a stigma for boys/men to cook. As a matter of fact, it's become a matter of pride to be a good cook. Go to a Bar-b-que competition and most of the entrants are men.

As it stands, young boys should be given the same opportunity to learn how to cook as young girls as they grow up. Self-sufficiency is a good thing for everybody. 

Monday, October 10, 2022

Liars Have Nothing to Be Ashamed About in the Trump Era

Liars throughout America were emancipated in 2016 when Trump slunk into the White House with the help of Russia.

Liars are mainstreamed now right alongside truth tellers. The liars network aka Trump and minions proudly tell lies and defy truthtellers who are overwhelmed trying to debunk them daily.

Once (was it really that long ago?) liars were scorned when exposed in public. Now lying is a basic credential for MAGA morons and their vile sidekicks QAnon idiots.

The Republican Party is a House of Lies. It's their own damn fault by allowing a cult to overwhelm real conservatives. Authorism has seeped into the once Republican agenda and turned the party into predators' intent on a destroying our democracy.

Maga morons are competitive heading into the midterms with hypocrisy and lies as standard political speeches spurring on like-minded fascists in their campaigns.

Think about it. Why would Republicans be ashamed for outright lying to gain power when it's working? "The only thing worse than a liar is a liar that's also a hypocrite," Tennessee Williams once said.

Liars' tactics start with making falsehoods appear to be the truth and ends with making truth itself appear like a falsehood. It's a simple and effective approach to lure the sheep into the cult. 

Here's a brilliant quote by Anne Applebaum, "Sometimes the point isn't to make people believe a lie - it's to make people fear the liar."

That's what we're seeing today. Trump's ability to scare the hell out of his devotees to do his bidding is being copied by the MAGA rats running for office and those already in power.

Liars are so respected in MAGA Land that they have a club - it's called Mar-a-Lago. Liars also make top dollar in the far-right media like Fox and Newsmax.

Once people hesitated to call out a person in a professional environment because they felt guilty for being suspicious. 

To some it was a frightening proposition at best. But now we can't afford to let the liars go unchallenged for the sake of the republic.

As it stands, it's impossible to lie every day and still have a conscience.

Sunday, October 9, 2022

When You Wish Upon a Star and Reality Slaps You in the Face

I remember seeing the classic Disney movie Pinocchio when I was kid, and how inspired I was by the song "When you wish upon a star.

I can't tell you how many stars I wished on over the years.

What's relevant is that none of those wishes were granted. I admit to still wishing upon a star now and then despite that fact. Maybe I'm a dreamer. Or a kid who never grew up.

I recall wishing the same wish every night (regardless of the weather) throughout the 2016 presidential campaign, "Please don't let Trump win."

Right up until the end it looked bad for Donnie but then reality slapped me (and most of the country) in the face. The unthinkable happened. Trump won.

I finally had to concede wishing is a waste of time although I still find myself peeking out windows searching the night sky for deliverance.

I've tried wishing wells tossing in my loose change when I came upon one. It didn't take long to realize I wasn't getting my money's worth. Not one wish was granted.

It didn't me long to realize that rabbit's feet keychains were not lucky for me or the rabbit.

Because I strive to be an optimist, I still do wishful thinking where I allow my imagination some playtime. Otherwise, if I didn't the pessimistic side of my nature would assert itself.

To be clear. I'm not encouraging anyone to quit wishing upon stars or anything else. I've found wishing is a positive thing. It temporarily puts us in a good place.

Just don't count on your wishes coming true. That's taking it a step too far.

As it stands, hope and wishes are two different things. One is based upon some empirical evidence, and the other one on a Disney movie.

Trump's Lowest Grift Ever Saved for Holy Week

This is a story about how the devil's puppet, aka Donald Trump, mocked Christianity by selling a book combining the Bible, the Constitu...