between here and there

The sign said ME MAS. I suppose that message after being hung on the inside of a storefront window the day after Halloween,was pretty good having survived its original greeting of MErry ChristMAS, now that it is December 30. The storefront upon which the sign dangled with its icy red and green letters was the only business still owned by its original proprietors, I knew this because under the ME MAS sign was a notification imprinted since 1956. The stores to the left of this establishment were boarded up and a new sign hung from it stating this will soon be a condo with units starting at $750K and of course as is the norm in LA, sitting atop commercial space. The stores to the right of the ME MAS building had been renovated into a hot yoga studio, a yogurt palace, and a juice bar. Prior to these hipster businesses were a tailor shop, a Russian produce market and a clothing shop all circa the 1970’s with the names of the small business owners emblazoned upon the doors. Lots of scaffolding circled the condo unit with its usual collection of liter blown onto the sidewalks, and setting up a home for the evening under the scaffolding were  a group of men with their cardboard boxes, and a woman with a large shopping cart and plenty of plastic bags. This was on Santa Monica Boulevard a major thoroughfare in West Hollywood, so traveling between here and there you either were very self absorbed ignoring all of this, blinded by all the variables in plain sight as if there was too much to witness, or just wondering as to what was really happening.

The next block the Happy Holiday signs posted must have either been placed on the windows with stronger tape, or perhaps placed on the windows a few weeks after Halloween. One man was lying on a dirty carpet in front of the Happy Holiday sign store and I suppose at one time during the night he had been covered with a another blanket, but this day if there was another blanket it disappeared along with his left shoe and sock. Two women were a bit perplexed trying to squeeze by him, the sidewalk was narrow, and the two bags each they carried from Bloomingdales made this squeeze by a bit difficult. The one woman was on her phone stopping to talk long enough to say to her friend REALLY, and the other woman a bit terrified grabbed on to her friend’s jacket whispering hurry up Arlene, hurry. There was a garbage can at the corner, West Hollywood is very trash conscience filled with Starbucks cups and lots of multi-colored poop bags. But littered around the garbage container were some actual piles of poop sans the bag, seemingly as if having your dog poops close enough to the garbage can it is as good as placing in the bag in the container. There was what looked like a fresh box of discarded pizza, still light reddish in color and although it was pretty close to the “I am just too tired to place my dog liter in a bag spot, was a young woman with a large backpack stuffed with what looked like jackets bending down to first smell the pizza, then picking a piece of it to taste it. This was on Santa Monica Boulevard, in plane sight so traveling between here and there you had to see it, or perhaps decided not to look at all.

Tis the season we say, the winter time when religions honor their God’s and religious people pray for goodness, kindness, and tons of gifts both material and emotional. Streets are draped in colorful stars, glistening trees with ornate decorations, and walking past businesses you probably can hear Bing Crosby singing some carol or two. But between here and there, there are somehow the poor, the tired, the discarded, the lonely, the anxious, the hopeless all trying to thrive, let alone survive. We can see the joy the world has to offer, but why must we continue to ignore anything else. I continued my walk and wondered what can I do, am I responsible for doing anything, and if I don’t see what is in front of me will it go away? Amazing what is found between here and there.

Hello Goodbye

I had the opportunity of being a day camp director and eventually the supervisor of other day camp directors. Day camp for some of the kids was a joy, the reason for summer, for some it was a mandatory experience because parents worked, and for others it was a difficult task. I believed as counselors we had a responsibility to help each camper feel as comfortable as possible and although the reasons for coming to camp varied there was at least one thing all the kids had in common; it was their name. As part of the day camp staff orientation we would play the hello and goodbye game. Using my own name it would go something like this, “Hi, my name is Gerald, I use the nickname Gerry and if you happen to write me a letter (this was way before email, in the dark ages), you should make sure you spell my name Gerry, not Jerry, and because my name is spelled with a G does not mean it is pronounced Gary!” If there was anything I owned it was my name, and how a camper said his/her name also provided some insight as to how satisfied they were with this piece of wealth. Once my counselors went around the circle asking everyone to say their name, the next step was to make sure they said hello (camper name) at the start of day camp, and goodbye (camper name) at the end of the day. I believed that acknowledging someone by actually looking at them and saying hello or goodbye not only proved for them that they mattered, but the person saying both greetings had to take the time and look at the other person.

My gym is located about 12 minutes away. I walk there and often times the 12 minute walk seems like an adventure in wonderland; not the fairy tale version, but the dark sinister tale as if Stephen King would write it. Often times I have to zig or zag to avoid someone texting on their phone so we do not collide. Often times I act amazed that by my zigging or zagging they seem appalled because my quick movement to not bump into them made them auto-correct the last word they texted. Living where I do I se many of the same faces walking on Santa Monica Boulevard, going to the same gym as I and just as often it is as if we all are strangers and the idea of saying hello or goodbye is as dangerous as growing a bucket of water on the Wicked Witch of the West! 

I am frustrated that we are living in a nation where one political party so far has embraced men and women who would rather find the differences in all of us and who never take the time to acknowledge what we have in common. I am frustrated but not surprised because the Republican presidential primary candidates are symptoms of a society where the words hello and goodbye no longer exist for fear that by saying them we might notice we really are the same. We all come into this world in unique and special, but we live in a world where we share very common goals and needs. How difficult would it be to try and hone in on hello and graciously say goodbye!

Happy Christmas

Be it a star, a shiny singular brightness in the sky filled with a glitter gently pointed and perfect…

Be it a symbol, a meaning for a story encompassing passion, purpose seeking answers but only begging more questions…

Be it a suggestion wanting permission for love to linger, hope to happen and choruses of care and concern to be sung in harmony…

Be it as you wish, as you want, as you find the most comfort either conforming to or calling your own…

This is Christmas and it can be as big bold and bountiful because it belongs to you…

…slightly soulful a silent symphony sung in solo…

…surrounded with faces, feelings creating new memories, or just holding on to those who have passed and remain in our hearts for the present…

Celebrate as you might, make magic, whisper a prayer, recall, remind, reminisce…

Take the time and above all else Joe and I hope you find your reason and your rhyme….

Who are we

Fear has found a foothold in the weakest of people who hide from themselves and hurl hurt at anyone who does not scare as easily as they do. Politics is no longer about laws, about the proof in the pudding but merely a means by which more money can be made keeping everyone afraid. The so called Christian Conservatives have set the seed, watering it with misconceptions of the Constitution, bouts of religious blurred vision, and presumptive facts based on nothing but sentences and paragraphs intended to hide the truth. We, ALL of us, by remaining silent for way too long have also permitted the loud mouthed loons to reinvent history as well as never present the news but imagine it through their internet, cameras and entertainers. We saw Donald Trump and laughed we imagined that Ben Carson was smart because he had MD after his name. We let Ted Cruz close down the government and sighed saying this was a meaningless gesture. We watched as the GOP tried to remind us that it was just Hilary who made Benghazi happen, even as the GOP lied about doing so. Giggled as the most bizarre of pundents like Coulter, Limbaugh and O’Reilly pretended to believe the real fault of the nation is the black guy from Kenya or just maybe that he is a black guy. Now we witness a virus that has always been flowing in this nation ever since the Confederates stopped believing they lost the Civil War,leaving all of us looking like deer in the headlights wondering is THIS really what America has become!

It seems the South won the Civil War, they may have surrendered at Appomattox, but generations of their supporters and families never stopped waving the Confederate Flag, still believed that God purposely made the Negro inferior, and that any government espousing Northern ideals is the enemy. These anarchists wave the Confederate Flag claiming by doing so they ARE the real Americans. Men and women with their assault weapons openly carrying them to demonstrate that the Federal Government is not the true law and always ready for some kind of revolution. White robes or swaztika’s on shirt sleeves once worn in the dark of night when cowards feel freer to roam are now brazenly modeled in the bright sunshine. The old time Evangelical religious Bible which espoused fear and loathing for anyone not white, not Christian, not a sun or daughter of the Confederacy is our new Constitution. Fear has found its foundation again and it needs enemies, foes to thrive.

Fear has found a foothold, and no matter who the person is to become the nominee for president from the Republican Party, the real disaster is the wave of distrust, terror, scapegoating and division he or she has created. To build walls, deny access, find fault never a solution, imply, or simply lie are forms of terrorism to democracy. The monsters may be gone, but it is the terrified townsfolk who now are the dangerous ones. Look closely at what the men and one woman are telling their supposedly “fellow Americans” regarding race, gender, sexuality, choice and if you are honest with yourself all you will hear is FEAR. It seems the candidates have started a virus and too many have contracted it. I worry!

Just think about it

We can all enjoy our political parties in America, at least for now, until pieces of the Constitution like democracy are removed. So if you are a Republican you have a whole lot of choices to consider in the upcoming 2016 presidential election. There is nothing wrong in believing in Republican principles but honestly IS there much to believe in the current crop of contenders for president?

Little Marco Rubio,for example has made it clear that on day one he is going to use his Executive prerogative and eliminate that silly same-sex pretend marriage thing. He stood on the same stage as the homophobic and dangerous Evangelical minister who said since Jesus is supreme it would be okay to kill a few Gays. So go vote for him that is if you don’t really care about the lives and loves of your LGBT family and friends. Prophet in waiting Teddy Cruz has no time for immigrants either from Mexico or Syria. He also believes that women never need no education about their bodies, nor affordable health care. Gun control according to his highness is un Godly because when he sleeps Jesus reassures him of that. So if you hate women, hate the Queers and of course anyone of a color other then white, Teddy Cruz is your man. And then there is Carly, she has the Sixth Sense thing going for her she see’s dead fetus’s, except she really doesn’t. She also believes that women don’t really require things like inexpensive health screenings or equal pay for equal work. Nope she lied about her rise to the top and certainly thinks any dame with any “balls” can do the same thing to achieve greatness. So Republican’s if you hate any females who work or like to stay healthy make sure you vote for Fiorina!

If you like big ideas, you know the kind that come in beautifully wrapped packages all glittery and gold until you open them and find just a bag of hot air Donald Trump is your man. Donald is too busy now to tell us how he will make America greater but he sure knows how to teach us how make it worse. So if have friends who happen to be Black or Jews, or plain looking females or worse, immigrants, say goodbye to them because Donald has made it clear he doesn’t like welfare drug selling Negro’s, Jewish money, ugly women, or anyone from the same homeland as Jesus.If you are feeling all Bible-ly and care less about allies in the world or never really did pass 9th grade civics Ben Carson is your man. So, if you know anyone who does not share his faith based religion, thinks America is a part of the world not THE WORLD, or believes the Constitution was some made up propaganda then Carson is your next president. Of course there is Chris Christie always at the ready to play judge, doctor and climate film flam man. He can tell you when you have Ebola and lock you up, he knows when 5 year old orphans are caring AK 47’s in their underwear, and he loves himself some retaliation when he doesn’t get his way. Hope you don’t care if optional concentration camps or at will road closures pop up when he is elected.

You may despise Hilary, think Bernie is a joke or not even know who Michael is, but these three Democrat contenders have never stood on the stage with a preacher who believes killing Gays is cool. None of these three people have tried to prohibit women from having control of their bodies. All three of these people believe that immigrant lives matter. If the current Republican field included leadership like Lincoln, Teddy Roosevelt, and Ike, then Republican principals of inclusion/divide between church and state/ women’s rights/civil rights/ gay rights/ and democracy should and could be debated via education and facts not with lies and unproven theories. There is nothing wrong about being a Republican but this presidential season there is nothing right about the men and one woman running for president from that party.

Ain't that "TRUMPTIN"

Ain’t that “TRUMPTIN", a BroMance between Donny and Vladie. Picture this, a Fascist and a Communist both pretending to believe in democracy but preferring the term dictatorship embrace and enlighten each other with dreams of being the two coolest narcissists in town. Two con men with the art form at its height, speak cozily of how each other is the best the world has to offer. One a snake oil salesmen and the other a barker at a very defunct sleazy carnival. Sweet nothings whispered from the one man who wants homosexuals to be banned and sweeter words from the other who wants to ban Muslims. Ain’t that “TRUMPTIN”, Vladie caressing the ego of Donny pretending that there is any respect for the clown with wild hair, all the while knowing that Donny will grab and swallow any bullshit like a boa constrictor as long as it includes words of greater, better, outstanding. Donny being delightfully delirious thinking that a man who murders his political opponents, journalists,invading countries at his whim is an idol upon adoration means EVERYTHING.

Ain’t that “TRUMPTIN” Trump and Putin agog about how each one defines the real meaning of a leader. Jumping on board are the “TRUMPETS”, the brave ones who open carry their way through Wal-Mart, Target, the white guys who walk into minority neighborhoods all macho and masculine with their Glocks and AK’s, who sit in their man caves pretending that playing PlayStation actually makes them real soldiers. The “TRUMPETS” who most likely have never EVER volunteered for the latest rounds of war in Iraq and Afghanistan but believe that Donald be da’ man to start another war in ISIL-land! The “TRUMPETS” calling themselves Patriots as they wave, wear, cherish the Confederate Flag, you know the Flag of the treasonous states waging war against the red, white and blue stars and stripes. The “TRUMPETS”praising Putin for handling his nation so macho, not caring about the legitimacy of a Constitution, and knowingly hoping Trump will do the same thing when he becomes President.

Ain’t that “TRUMPTIN”, how stroking ego’s can bring as much pleasure to the insecure as having sex. Of course Putin would like to see Trump as president, no invasion or atomic bombs dropped, just a continuous soothing of an empty soul will win that war. Of course those “TRUMPETS” will follow the lead of their Supreme ruler thinking that taking candy from a stranger in a van has no consequences. Ain’t that “TRUMPTIN” two men of low esteem and values in a love fest. What could possibly go wrong!

Chiller Theater

The home in which I grew up was a small place. It was in a row of houses actually at the beginning of the row so although one side was attached to the neighbors the other side was open to an alleyway which during the day was a terrific place to play tag but at night was an ominous tunnel which everyone in our row knew was the home to any imagined monster. If you sat in our living room and dared to lean forward while sitting on our sofa you could actually see two sights which could curdle your blood when it was dark and dreary outside. We had a huge dining room window which overlooked the alleyway and worse it was right above the 12 steps which led to our basement. The second sight was a small window inside the frame of our kitchen door leading to the backyard of our house. Our backyard lead to a driveway which was surrounded by very old garages and of course an area of trees which everyone from our block new could hide the most frightening of creatures who came out at night. We had curtains for the dining room window, rather thin curtains which my little sister and I knew did not do much to hide the scary faces of what lived in the alley at night; and our kitchen door window had none. Why God, oh why!

Saturday nights in Pittsburgh was Chiller Theater time on channel 11 WIIC and its host was Chilly Billy. At first Chiller Theater had one movie for the audiences viewing pleasure and then it became a Double Chiller Theater. My parents never really minded my little sister and I watching these horror movies and honestly the only rule of the night was if we did stay up past 11:30 was to make sure we turned off the front porch lights and the living room lights. Both requests might seem rather simple, but when you have been watching monsters on television for about 2 hours and you must then shut the lights of a house which suddenly seemed larger and more menacing then ever and had to escape from the first floor to the second floor hoping not be grabbed by whatever was or is lurking just waiting for you in the dark, this task was daunting, dubious and dangerous. Most of the movies on Chiller Theater were about monsters that waited for you outside. Whenever those movies were on the television as afraid as my sister and I might have been we both knew that we were inside, so no matter what as long as the front door was locked (which we both made sure of at least 5 times) and the back door was locked (which we made sure of while my parents were still awake, because we knew if they weren’t around something would certainly grab us) and the that damn see through curtain in the dining room was completely closed(even a thin line appearing onto the scary alley could coerce a demon to peek in), we knew that no monster could enter. But sometimes Chilly Billy would show movies about the monsters INSIDE the house. These monsters hid in basements, which we had(it also had an old coal cellar and my sister and I knew if anything lived in our basement it called that space home), or closets(one we had between the living room and dining room which the door never would stay shut or worse in one of the bedrooms on the second floor.(We had three and mine was in the rear of the house and I knew I had about three seconds to walk upstairs get under the covers before I was attacked). My little sister and I during the safety of day realized that the scariest monsters were those who MIGHT be in our house.

Tuesday night we had another peek at the candidates from the GOP who want to be president. For me that was scary enough watching these men and one woman lie, fabricate and exaggerate. This group of “wannabe’s” decided that they would use the old playbook of fear, and if you watched the entire debate you heard horror stories and epic examples of the WORST case scenarios. Person to person they mentioned the monsters outside and how they would carpet bomb, have boots on the ground, over throw governments, or just nuke, nuke, nuke. But who IS the real monster? None of them recognized that they were the monsters inside…denying women freedom for their own reproductive health…homosexuals the right to marry, adopt and be safe in the work place…people of color equal protection from the police…children of immigrants born in this country…safe passage in this country…the elimination of social security as if it was a socialist enemy…the elimination of affordable health care for all. My little sister and I knew the scariest of monsters were the ones in the house. If you watched CNN on Tuesday night you could see an ominous array of monsters waiting for you in your living room.

Exceptional America

Carpet bombing followed by boots on the ground, any American who pretends that these two phrases define modern American Exceptionalism, should express their very desire to enlist in the military to get those boots on the ground as quickly as possible. We were Exceptional Americans and knew that domino’s would fall in SouthEast Asia if we did not carpet bomb and attack. In those days we had the Draft, but as usual if you felt you were that really Exceptional American you had a deferment, cause Viet Nam was kind of creepy and scary. Usually one deferment was okay but it was a long war and many people of money and power had 2, 3, or four deferments (ask Dick Cheney and Donald Trump about that). We showed just how Exceptional we were as Americans as we left our South Viet Nam allies behind and ignored blamed and scapegoated our returning Vets.

We declared a war in Iraq, because we believed our Republican president (everyone knew that it was the Republicans who were tough and defined American Exceptionalism. It was going to be quick and easy and we were reminded that if we didn’t give the enemy HELL a huge mushroomed shaped bomb would fall on us. We kind of sort of declared victory in Iraq and knew this time that having stolen oil from that country we actually had to go after the nation where the real villains had been hiding all the time, Afghanistan. With this war however, the puppet masters realized that a draft would only deter so we invented an all volunteer army and ended up having the SAME men and women volunteer, volunteer and volunteer. We cried and clamored more, more, more and we are still at war in both countries. Of course many of those people with power never had their kids VOLUNTEER, nope those children needed to stay home and keep the American Exceptional thing remaining in tact. We brought our Vets back some in body bags and some without limbs, some incapable of thinking clearly, and some so suicidal. In these wars we at least treated the Vets as the hero’s they were, but the same American politicians, most of them Republican didn’t think we had to spend Exceptional American dollars on their recovery or their lives.

Now we must once again face the madmen of the Middle East. We, the American Exceptional dominate country, must eradicate evil from the Earth and try and fight it with the most modern of weaponry and of course our Exceptional American Troops. One might take a peek at the Viet Nam War when our super powers did nothing but torch the Earth kill millions of bad and good guys and still we never won. The privileged did not serve in that war as the privileged have not served in the Iraq and Afghanistan wars. We can carpet bomb and when it is time for the Boots on the Ground we should ask the question just who will those boots be fighting and whose kids will place their feet inside those boots. It is often so much easier to brag about American Exceptionalism when it is the OTHERS who will do the fighting. If war IS necessary and all of the Patriots waving their Confederate Flags, walking into Wal-Mart with their open carry arsenal, swearing that Jesus wants war, if all of these men and women just volunteered to and took their American Exceptional pride along with them maybe we can win. Oh yeah and along with these Exceptional Americans lets have the politicians,their children or grandchildren, wave that flag and also enlist. Maybe then if the same power as the rhetoric used to declare war is transferred to those who shout it loud we might win!

Aunt Meercy and a Wizard

Back in the day, the day when Thanksgiving was considered a holiday and not an obstacle to Christmas. Back in that day when the only thing Black Friday meant in the city of Pittsburgh was yet one more very snowy or cold wet rainy overcast day as if the sun had left the heavens, back then the Friday after Thanksgiving was the one time a year the Wizard of Oz was shown on television. Most televisions back in the day were black and white and large enough to be considered furniture. Some really lucky families had purchased color TV’s, and for them the real magic of the Wizard of Oz was (the unnoticed in a black and white television) the scene when Dorothy’s house landed in Oz and suddenly everything was in glorious Technicolor. We had a black and white TV and heard these rumors of such a thing, but it was hard to imagine. I have an Aunt, Meercy who back in the day I thought was a clone of Doris Day. (She had blond hair a haircut like Doris Day was a single working woman so she seemed as sophisticated and savvy as I imagined Doris Day to be, and my Aunt loved to dance and sing…and the nicest thing is she is now 98 and still sings and dances). My Aunt Meercy worked for The National Organization of Theater Owners (NATO) and my aunt had access to all the paraphernalia(I didn’t know the term marketing back in the day) that would arrive on the Friday of Wizard of Oz. Remember back in the day having Wizard of Oz in your own living room WAS a big deal. My mother would warm up the left overs from Thanksgiving,usually cook even more food and invite the family over to watch Wizard of Oz. My Aunt Meercy brought with her a replica of the ruby red slippers, pieces of the Yellow Brick Road, and the real live cape (if only) of the actual wizard! How much better could life be!

Of course back in the day there were commercials during the movie, and Aunt Meercy was never one to let time pass without an educational moment. Being that I was sure she was Doris Day’s clone, I knew that whatever my aunt was going to tell us had to be true. Being related or a clone of a movie star meant you knew everything about the movies;AND after all my aunt  worked for theater owners! Aunt Meercy would ask us how we liked what we just saw, and to imagine if we were any of the characters of the movie how we might feel. I was enticed by all of this and wondered often times if I might be brave enough or smart enough, you know the rest. I believe I was about 7 when once again Wizard of Oz was showing on television, (still black and white TV for us, but since more friends had a color TV and they told me about the amazing colors of Oz, I could almost see it) when my Aunt Meercy asked a different kind of question especially to me. This time her questions were not asked until we finally meet the Wizard. This time when my aunt asked her questions her jovial tone seemed a little more serious. So serious that my mother actually,”Meercy this is not school”. My Aunt Meercy asked, the following questions: “Do you think the Wizard has been lying?” “Is this man really a Wizard?” Are his intentions to help Dorothy, or just to keep on pretending he is important and powerful?” Serious stuff, so serious that the first time she asked these questions that I was not sure we were still talking about Wizard of Oz! I had no idea Doris Day was a serious lady!

Sadly, as time marched on and Wizard of Oz could be purchased as a video then a CD or seen on TMC, or On Demand so the specialness of the Wizard of Oz Friday was less shiny and so ordinary. For some reason a pang of nostalgia found footing in my heart and I decided to watch the movie. We have a 60” HD screen and in color (imagine that) and even though I had seen all of this before it was like eating greasy buttered popcorn at a movie theater and sitting on my home in Pittsburgh living room couch. I waited for the Wizard to appear and then realized just how important my Aunt Meercy’s questions regarding the Wizard really were. Are we mesmerized as a nation with promises and semi permanent solutions? Are we still looking for home somewhere else better hoping some person can lead us there. Do we have courage, heart and brains but need some else to find it for us? Are we permitting people running for president to lie, to wham-bam-thank you ma’m? When all is said and done will the Wizard Trump create the chaos and then fly somewhere on the other side of the rainbow, where the only people permitted will also have a gold key? Sometimes what seems magical is just flimflam and hocus-pocus!

Grandpa and the Golem

It was a few weeks before my 13th birthday the year of my Bar Mitzvah (in the Jewish tradition the ceremony for a boy to officially become a man) when my Grandpa Buncher asked for me visit him at his house. We usually would spend Sunday afternoons with him , but this was Tuesday and the first time he actually asked if my father would just bring me over. I of course thought wow, he is giving me my Bar Mitzvah gift early and began to imagine just what that would look like. My Grandma Buncher had passed away many years earlier and my Grandpa still lived in a very large house by himself. The house always seemed spooky and with the passing of my Grandmother, the house itself seemed to be in mourning and it seemed as if the oxygen in the house was diminishing by the year. When my grandmother was alive she insisted that all furniture maintain its luster and she had handcrafted plastic made to fit each sofa and chair precisely. I remember when we did visit while she was alive, before we sat down she would fidget with the plastic making it seem even tighter and as my little sister and I sat down the sound of that movement sounded as if we farted. We both would do it again pointing fingers at one another laughing and no one else knowing why.

My Grandpa Buncher had this green recliner chair which was always about 5’ from his television. In those days there were no remotes so if channels had to be changed the tint had to go from too dark to lighter and if the volume was not just right someone would have to make the effort and do it. My grandmother would repeat the story that 5’ is just enough room for my grandfather to get some exercise and not over do it when he watched the television. It was his TV and his job to control it. No one ever was permitted to sit in his chair…EVER! On this day when I met with my grandfather the television was on but he was sitting on the sofa. My father and I entered the house and we both took a second look and then looked at each other as if we were seeing the most unbelievable sight. I remember my father saying “Dad, are you alright?” “Why not my grandpa replied, sometimes change is good.” My grandfather then said to my Dad, you can come back in 20 minutes, I need to speak to my grandson.” Oh my God, I had never been alone with my grandfather. EVER! I became a little worried and then became almost crazy when he said in the next sentence “Please, Gerry sit in the green chair!” I sat, venturing over to the chair as if it was an unknown tract of land, as if land mines were buried everywhere as if the world as I knew was about to end.

“Golem gone bad, my grandfather said to me, listen to what I tell you”. I looked at him only concentrated on him and at the same time almost expected my grandmother to appear. A  Golem can appear magically and at times may do good but IT must be reminded constantly not to do bad. A Golem gone bad can not be stopped until there is no more damage to be done.” Now I became a bit frightened suddenly the house seemed darker, the oxygen even less abundant and somehow as my grandfather arose walking toward the television a Golem was going to step out from the picture tube! My grandfather walked to the TV turned it off and said you need to know this before you become a man, “never start anything you don’t intend to finish. Never begin when you know you do not want to end. Never permit a Golem to go bad because he will hurt anyone in his way.” He walked toward me kissed me on the head, and said who told you you could sit in my chair!” As our political world becomes meaner, stranger and darker all I can think of is a Golem gone bad and it scares me that the Golem is in total control!

A Quiz Show

This December 15th the next three ring circus is about to open its tent again, and something pretending to be a Republican debate but in reality looking like a rerun from some Twilight Zone television show will appear.  As is typical for this rating’s grabber the ads look like marketing material with photo-shopped head shots and the stars last name in bright gold lettering beneath. (Interesting that CNN wants these illusionist candidates to only use only one name like Cher, Madonna, Beyonce). These larger then life photos look like a list of mug shots of America’s most repulsive politicians. The candidates will be lined up on stage in order of the base Republicans bad taste in popularity all demanding “I am ready for my closeup Mr DeMille”. Wonder what what the line-up might look like if it was based on either the truth factor or intelligence? The actors will pretend everything they say is spontaneous as if they WERE free spirits, but indeed every single comment, spittle and pause is and was scripted for them.

The journalists (the name we now give entertainers who would rather make news then report it) will pretend to be professional but they too know this debate IS more about ratings and sound bytes. In the old days when someone helped anyone with an addiction rather then aiding them to quit they were known as enablers, now they are the “fair and balanced”, “the most trusted name in news” “first in business world wide” or “see the whole picture”.  These moderators (big word for men and women who look like a cop trying to direct traffic on one Beijing’s 12 lane freeways), will try their method acting tricks of trying to look important but will be buffered by the bluff, blunder and buffoonery of second rate politicians. A rabid group of attendees begging for bigotry, bleeding for bias and fantasying for fear,will hiss and boo any of the republican Christian Crusaders who stray from deny, destroy, diminish and will most likely this time around throw stale peta bread at the moderators who might try to find the truth. When this fiasco is over the pundents will pulsate identifying who the Biggest Loser Is, the talking heads will explode as they cover up the ,lies,tell a few of their own lies or try to pretend anyone on dais made sense of anything. we will will laugh, we will cry, we will tune into You Tube we will be warned and as the tent is tucked away we will just wonder what the hell happened.

But I do have an idea for the next so called debate, make it a Quiz Show. Let the candidates guess at multiple choice questions, or true and false questions. Base the entire format on questions a 9th grader might be asked on his/her final US History and Civics exam. Take verses from some of our amendments and ask which number amendment does this statement belong. Take a few Supreme Court rulings and ask them what was name of this ruling? Do a speed round ask them some number questions like how many Americans died after we announced victory in Korea, Viet Nam, Iraq, Afghanistan? Or how many voters actually were guilty of fraud? Then for the big finale, we all love to see finalists sweat it out for the big money, ask these candidates the very same questions we ask of people who wish to become naturalized citizens. The winner can either donate his pot of money to a lobbyist group who in turn will buy them his/her vote, to Halliburton so just in case we go to war they are taken care of, or for a rocket ship ready to jet them to another planet when this one dies.

Fear the Empty

Donald Trump is scary. He is a frightening man not because of the things he says but the fact that he does not care about what he says and will say whatever is necessary to keep his name in lights, his image on the screen and his reputation alive. Donald Trump as most people of intelligence will tell you is an empty vessel but he has full cargo when it comes understanding how fear innuendo, and phobia work especially in the minds and the bottomless souls of self proclaimed victims. Donald Trump believes there are no consequences for his actions and will always mange to leave the theater before he screams fire! Donald Trump can provide the instructions for tar and feather, assume that he just might have to do this or that tell a group of mob minded insecure lemmings how scary the future looks walk away and gleefully laugh as mayhem ensues. Never have his fingerprints on an act of menace but he certainly understands how to suggest the possibilities.

Donald Trump is wise enough to know he does not know how to be president, so he exposes that weakness by saying I will do it differently. For the masses who also have no idea what it means to be a president this used car sales pitch resonates as a miracle. You had a clunker in Bush Trump bemoans, you have a lemon in Obama Trump brags, trust me that my car will be speedier, shinier, sleeker its a secret how that will work, but you will drive something so much better. And all the townsfolk need as they gather their pitchforks is the promise of a man who has made things glitter albeit not from gold.

Setting traps, establishing blame, seeking scapegoats, are not new to the history of politics; what is unique is that after so much history of that kind of evil having taken place, to see it reborn is scary. Donald Trump has no conscience that is clear but he has a narcissistic drive verging on madness, and madmen know no boundaries. Donald Trump has NOTHING in common with the people who seek his radiant glow, but he understands that void and uses their own insecure virus to attack them. It matters no longer if Donald Trump wins the nomination or not and that should frighten all of us. Donald Trump has established the conversation for the next presidential election he has set the agenda for policy for the next year, and he has the kool aid in paper cups at the ready for angry to drink. Donald Trump is scary but it is the minions who need reason to hate, purpose to despise, and cause for violence who we ALL should fear.

Look AT us

Look at them, NO, seriously look AT them. There was a news conference held today at the hospital in San Bernardino where many of the victims arrived after the heinous and murderous attacks took place. Three primary doctors spoke to the reporters and if you looked at them, NO, seriously looked AT them, you would have noticed that all three doctors did not have glimmering white complexions but rather differing degrees of a brownish skin tone. If you looked at them, NO, seriously looked AT them you would have seen two of the physicians most definitely were immigrants to this nation, and one perhaps a child of immigrants or maybe even though his skin was not white as snow an American citizen of American citizens. Look at him, No seriously look AT him the country commissioner of San Bernardino, was a man with brown skin, this man explained how the largest county in the nation reacted to the murderous rampage and how he and his fellow commissioners will continue to respond. Listen to them, NO seriously listen TO them, three of the speakers had a non-American English accent, yet they communicated their emotions, trepidations, fears and most importantly their HOPE to aid the victims and tom try and prevent more insane violence. 

Look at them, NO seriously look AT them, the men who shot people from bridges in Maryland, the teens who decided to murder students in Columbine, the young man who felt a movie theater audience made a better target range, the guy who believed Jesus would forgive him for killing the lives of the people who he thought were killing lives of the unborn, the guys who hated the government enough to blow up a building in Oklahoma. Look at them NO, seriously look AT them, each was a caucasian as they get, each spoke the English language as their first language, each was born in the United States.

Look at us, NO, seriously look AT us. We are notALL the same people. We are not ALL the enemy. We are not ALL your reason to be fearful, hateful, ignorant, bigoted or biased. But in America for a long time many of us DO NOT take the time to look, NO, seriously look AT us. Why is it so much easier to single out a scapegoat, act the bully, discriminate, and blame then it is to find commonality, consensus, or care. Look at us, NO, seriously look AT us!

Festival of Lights

In the light of a candle as it bounces, blossoms and beckons bits of beauty, many people begin to imagine images dancing, floating, haunting and picturesque. On the nights of Hanukkah as I light my Menorah I too look deeply into the wispy glow of the candles and emotions from my grandmothers stories as a little girl, my grandfathers saga’s of bravery as a young man, my parents tales of how miracles are made more majestic not magically BUT by our own perseverance and patience; I stop, sigh, and realize just how important mere moments of our lives matter.  Many Jewish families will begin an eight day celebration of wonders, why’s, wisdom and wishes, wanting to know if they too will have the power to defeat their own adversaries. We live in a nation with potential and promise but somehow recently, the lights of peace and prosperity waver in the wind. On this Eve of Hanukkah, as I light my candles I hope to see opportunities of kindness, caring, acceptance and accord sway swiftly in the orange, blue and yellow willows of candle light. Cha Urim Sameach, (Happy Festival of Lights!)

LETS STOP PRETENDING

Lets stop pretending that the current Republicans care one ounce about life, and that they and only they can and will keep America safe. While we joyously watch one cable network try to out produce shock and awe regarding this latest terror attack by another American creating stories that never find a conclusion as to how to stop this madness, the Republicans in our Congress vetoed a bill to AT LEAST PROHIBIT the same list of terrorists who are a no fly list from procuring guns. Yep, in the yes of this republican Senate you cannot fly American but you can buy American adjust stay home and murder any one you want. And while this group of Republican Senators whine and moan and croon a tune about Jesus they also too the time to try and repeal yet again ObamaCare and of course defunding Planned Parenthood. Yep somehow their Jesus loves the fetus but hates the carrier of that seed. Jesus loves a life in the womb but somehow believes that once it breathes it first breath medical care, health screenings and quality of life don’t matter too much.

Lets stop pretending that the current crop of Republicans care about all the people of America when in fact the only persons they seem to dote over are the newly created life form that our Supreme Court identified called Corporations. No sane gun laws, (and sorry folks no one is taking your guns away from you just trying to make sure even if you consider yourself a good guy you you don’t turn bad) because the personage in the form of the NRA’s life matters more. The life of the Oil Industry matters more, so don’t expect to breath clean air until they breath in as much cash as they can. And of course nothing says life more then a good war or two so the lives of the Industrial Military complex matter a whole lot more.

Lets stop pretending that the current crop of Republicans are more Patriotic just because they know how to scapegoat, lie, fabricate and incite fear better then anyone else. Lets stop pretending that when 13 men and one woman only offer prayers and thoughts to end gun violence, spend more time repealing affordable care instead of presenting an even more affordable health plan, who find deferments for them to never fight in a war cool but want more, more, war, who pride themselves as having family values, but are sure women do not deserve equal pay, family leave leads to laziness, homelessness is a crime, women’s reproductive parts are government property and a living wage is nothing but socialism. Lets stop pretending that the current crop of Republicans are nothing but shills for some really greedy, gluttonous group of men who believe in fact they are Gods.  LETS STOP PRETENDING  

God Blessed 'Merica

God blessed ‘Merica, again by golly! Not just any God but the real one the God who dictated the terms of the 2nd Amendment to the Christian Founding Fathers, y’all know the Jesus God. It WAS a bad guy with a gun who shot those Americans, even though if they had a pistol in their pockets they might be alive, so in a way it is their fault they died. Why, Jesus is telling us once again if you ain’t packing a pistol you might as well swear allegiance to the Nazi’s or worse the kind of pretend God that people called Omar, Ali, or Muhammad believe in; that nasty pretend God who only permits heathens and bad guys pray to him. This is another perfect example that Marco Rubio told us about, that God was angry with ‘Merica and blew up the Twin Towers and when we didn’t heed his commands to never trust anyone who ain’t Christian he took out those pansy Parisians. (Kind of should have expected that for not following the advice of President Cheney and go into I-rack!

God blessed ‘Merica gain, indeed! Just listen to Mr Trump he told us he could smell when the next terrorists attack was gonna happen, he is smart that way. Mr Trump predicted we would be attacked by foreign fighters, nobody with red, white and blue blood would ever kill good Christian ‘Mericans. Why Prophet Cruz stood on the alter of an evangelical church touting that once we permitted those Sodomites to actually think they were normal and marry we were begging Jesus to smite, smote and kill. Pastor Huckabee knows that Jesus is a good God but can be a bit pissed off when we let those abortionists kill innocent babies. He said that false Gods like that Ali Baba God will try to take over ‘Merica because too many of us are being contaminated with the Progressive Hilary Clinton disease. We need to remember the bad guys in dark colored skin ain’t got no place in the White Christian nation. Bull crap with that liber-tard make believe history that there is a divide between church and state and that this AIN’T a Christian nation. That’s why I fly my nations Confederate flag, cause them guys knew how keep this nation Christian and safe.

God blessed ‘Merica fer sure! Bad guys with guns ain’t got no excuse like that pretend mental illness thingy, its them Islam-Muzlins doing the bidding of some kind of demon who hates anyone with values or morals as stated in my King James Bible; all they want is to destroy freedom in this great Christian nation, my freedom to hate those who don’t think like I do, my freedom open carry and decide who I need to fear, my freedom to elect real Americans into office like Ted Cruz or Marco Rubio. God blessed ‘Merica because he knows that only non-Christians are the bad guys, and only Christians shooting, and killing are the good guys! Amen to that Brother!!!!!

Thought and Prayers

If you or your loved one is murdered by a person who has other than Christian purposes in doing so, then there is never an issue of the gun being the problem, it is simply that his or her God is nothing but the Devil in disguise.  If you or your loved one is murdered by a Christian raised by a good Christian family then, then once again it has little to do with the gun but most likely it is a mental health problem. If you or your loved one is murdered by a person who was raised in family of divorce once again it is not the gun at fault but rather the child of a Godless family who had they really found God would have never divorced. If you or your loved one is murdered by a white person, then there must always be other circumstances for this heinous action, but of course it has nothing to do with the gun. If you or your loved one is murdered by a person of the Muslim faith, then YOU must immediately purchase more guns because the only answer to THOSE people is to kill them first.

If you are running for President from the GOP/T-Party then you MUST never admit that guns are the issue, rather state that too many good guys did not have access to guns to shoot at all the bad guys with guns. If you are running for any office within the GOP/T-Party you must make sure that your puppet masters the NRA write your script for you, the one in which it is never the gun’s fault. If you are a GOP/T-Party politicians or a loon from FOX News or a fan of Conservative media you must learn how divert the conversation about gun control insisting that it is more about the government controlling your freedoms; you know like shooting whom ever you believe is the enemy. If you are a GOP/T-Party lover of guns, and call your self Pro Life you must always end by criticizing or Obama and the Liberals/Progressives by saying our prayers are with you for the death and destruction brought to you, not our God but the pagan false idol those people believe in.

If you are tired of hearing the GOP/T-Party recite “our prayers and thoughts are with you”, but we cannot pass laws to protect you. If you are tired of hearing that if it was a white murderer the “poor thing must have mental illness, so not too many prayers or thoughts for that. If you are tired of waking up and in the same newscast hearing the weather report, traffic conditions and how many people have been massacred and murdered today it is time to unite and vote out all of the accessories to murder who never pass laws but only provide “thoughts and prayers.”

Imagine War

Imagine if all of the War Video games playing, open carry in God We Trust Patriots, and AK 47 freedom fighters actually enlisted in one of the Armed Services, just how really scary our war on terrorism might be. These couch sitting, Wal-Mart roaming, Boarder crossing militia all( he-man and she-woman) who love to shoot pretend laser beams, intimidate shoppers or goad minorities are always declaring war on imagined creatures,or women seeking health care or people of any color but white, but never seem to find the time and enlist to serve this nation overseas. Imagine how quiet the conversation of war would become if this time around the Congress passed a bill re-creating the Draft. Imagine how some real debate would emerge from the tongueless, deaf elected officials if they, their children or grandchildren were just as eligible to serve this nation as the people living in poverty, or the less influential citizen does. Imagine what might become real conversation when the conversation of America’s might also includes the very people who seem to insist our dignity is devoid when we don’t start another war.

Imagine if after every war this nation declared as American responsibility we had an honest accounting a REAL bi-partisan evaluation made public (every step along the way), and we all got to discover the real facts about which Military/Industrial Corporation made billions, what our billions actually purchased, how many Troops were killed, how many Troops disabled and how much money would really be necessary for the burials, physical/mental health care of the returning Vets, what plans were made for the surviving families. Imagine if we made both the Congress and President accountable by insisting we have a real national evaluation of each and every war this nation has played a direct or indirect part in pursuing. Imagine if we did not permit any cable spin machine to deflect the truth, spread partisan propaganda, and also be listeners to the real experts who care about the lives and dollars spent on war.

Wars may be very necessary, but wars contrived by people who have never fought in any war nor ever fight in a war love to provide bluster and BS but never seem to bother with the realities of war. We talk about “American Exceptionalism” and do so safely from our living rooms, the aisles of public markets or the roads and highways of the boarder states. Imagine if we all had to play an equal part in understanding the need for war and then equally assumed responsibility for fighting that war. Imagine that!

If a tree falls

"If a tree falls in a forest and no one is around to hear it, does it make a sound?" is a philosophical thought experiment that raises questions regarding observation and knowledge of reality.

Officer Garrett Swasey was murdered by a man who most likely got his news from Bill O’Reilly or Sean Hannity, must have absorbed himself with lots of Rush Limbaugh or Glenn Beck radio, became mesmerized by the lying hypocrites like, Carson, Trump or Fiorina and was sure his kind of Jesus could not tolerate abortions but loved him some cowardly murder. OR he is just an ugly American who has his share of demons and understands murder is the best way to rid himself of their evil, and loves himself some 2nd Amendment NRA rights! And once again a white guy of Christian persuasion with an AK 47 assault weapon shoots a few people and this a policeman and like that tree in the forest it seems some of the T-Bagging “blood on their hands” GOP presidential candidates heard nothing; raising the question of observation, knowledge and reality. 

It is still quiet on the OMG front for a few contenders to become a Fascist dictator, some have FINALLY come around to hear that tree fall, reluctant of course to say the words perhaps we incited this murderer. Others are acting like adolescent immature brats swearing it wasn’t them it was the liberals who caused this murderer to act upon the wishes and wants these GOP douchebags swore was the answer to Planned parenthood. I have to imagine if the murderer was a Black man, perhaps a Mexican or worse a Muslim I am sure FOX News and each and every candidate for Fascist dictator from the T-Bagging Twilight Zone would demand that President Obama call a state of emergency. But the guy was white, and if a white guy murders anyone he is either mentally ill, or just a fallen soldier of the Christian Crusade!

Dear Carly

Dear Carly,

You were able to describe in graphic detail a video that never, ever existed except in the deranged minds of your marketing team and your empty heart and less then honest brain. You were able to look straight at the camera not once but a few times and insist that voodoo, witchcraft, murder and trade were taking place at Planned Parenthood Clinics. Cocky as ever you dared those who questioned your honesty to take a look for themselves, EXCEPT Carly as the saying goes, THERE IS NO THERE, THERE!

Then Carly something very ugly, very real happened at a Planned Parenthood Clinic, witnessed on video on cable on all local newscasts, and somehow you remain silent. We all got at least 48 hours of viewing of a madman who decided to believe you (and the other liars running for president) that the imagined video you so proudly spoke of was actually true. Where is that “I gotcha” grin now Carly, that willowy smile to prove that you are the meanest gun slayer inside  T-Bag-ville? What a phony you are Carly, what a coward Carly. Something really happens and you decide not to see it, Carly! Clueless, souls and selfish I suppose perfect skill set for the bigoted base you so seek to have adore you!

Whose Boots

There is demand for more boots on the ground. Terror has found its footing once again in America. Fear knows very few boundaries and is very good in creating a kind of havoc inspiring hallucinations, heartache, and horrendous moments of kill or be killed. And so as is a natural defense, we beg to become on the offense. Facts become mingled with fiction, fiction triumphs as purpose, and purpose pleasures itself with frivolous and fearful statements promising to be fact. Now we as a collective nation begin to believe once again that the enemy can be controlled with more boots on the ground.

But lets ask one major question and that is WHOSE BOOTS will be hitting that ground? Will it be the gunslayers who proudly parade between the aisles in Walmart and Target stores, pretending that somehow they are a brave militia intimidating shoppers looking for a bargain? Will they be those White Supremacists who think they are some kind of Patriot as they open carry their assault weapons marching in Black neighborhoods or standing guard whenever the ‘Black Lives Matter’ members protest? Might they be the Christian Crusaders at the ready to carry a Glock intimidating the people who seek medical assistance at the Planned Parenthood clinics, the brave souls who are armed and ready to shoot the women so they can save the fetus? Perhaps the Minute Men, the guys pretending that the Constitution of the USA matters little when it disturbs their version of lawlessness? Or maybe the 20 somethings who think that by playing Mortal Combat, Call of Duty, Warfare 2, God of War they are combat ready?

It is so easy to insist we put more boots on the ground when in fact we usually know it is not our boots facing an imminent choice of life or death. If Americans feel this is the answer to the madness of terrorism then maybe we might have to consider the following. We want another war to end all wars then the Congress should reenact the Draft. If we truly believe boots on the ground is the answer for our fears then lets have ALL eligible Americans take on that responsibility. We should not permitted people in the past like Donald Trump, Dick Cheney, George W Bush to pay for their deferments. Lets have the men in women in Congress’s children be role models and be the first to be drafted. Lets see how many of the 1% of the wealthiest families stand proud and sign up for battle first. Terrorism knows no boundaries, so why should we as Americans fighting for freedom and democracy permit our own boundaries of who should or should not enlist. If war is inevitable then it SHOULD be fought by all of us.

Another Virus

THE VIRUS IN US Part Seven: When we were young in the 1950’s and 1960’s Pennsylvania had on its list of laws something called The Blue Laws. Blue laws originated to regulate industry, shopping and other behaviors on Sundays. The restrictions were supposed to be for the good of everyone's morals. Blue laws were supposed to force the citizenry to observe the Lord's day quietly, at home. In our state even if you were not a Christian you had the obligation to respect the one day of the week that Christians considered their Sabbath Day.  THE VIRUS IN US ALL loved to dance with delight on Sunday’s. You might not be of the Christian religion but by God as a pagan you needed to adhere to the values and show some respect for the more moral and correct part of society. If you tried to ignore the Blue Laws you might be arrested and most likely be known as very Un-American citizen.

Pastor Kevin Swanson standing on stage at the National Liberties Religious Conference declared that murdering Homosexuals who did not stop being Gay was a justified Christian duty, and found his own version of Scripture to prove that Jesus also hated the Gay. Joining him on that same stage were Ted Cruz and Mike Huckabee. Neither man declared that Pastor Swanson went a little too far in redefining American values and instead talked about their Christian point of view and insisting that this IS a Christian nation. Franklin Graham son of the Evangelical leader Billy has gone ga-ga over Vladimir Putin regarding that nations anti-Gay Propaganda law. Homosexual marriages, adoptions are just another form of nails in the body of Christ. Putin, according to Graham got the Christian thing correct and Obama did not.Jail those damn homosexuals for wanting fair and equal. THE VIRUS IS IN ALL OF US and it can’t wait demonstrate its rage

A religious test, now a new requirement for entrance to the United States. Ted Cruz is acting as the lead Crusader for Christianity, and in a time of trouble and tension his brand of new Americanism his test of true nationality has resonated with the very fearful forces of the minions who have never read the Constitution nor believe in its validity when in direct dispute with their own inadequacies. The ever ready fear monger,(remember the Ebola quarantine in New Jersey,) Chris Christie is taking his mighty Bible in hand and swearing that 5 year olds of the Muslim faith will bode ill for the future.  THE VIRUS IS IN ALL OF US, and has seeped into the rows and pews of churches, onto the Bibles, passages and hymnals read and sung, by Evangelicals and is coursing through the blood of people who think that this is only a Christian nation. Joining Senator Cruz and Chris Christie of course are Christian Crusaders of Ben Carson and Jeb Bush insisting that Christians do not commit acts of terrorism. And to prove their feed the frenzy of the fearful, anyone now who wishes to find safety in the US must first pass a religious test filled with the values of Christianity. No need to look at the men hiding behind their white robes, nor the Brothers of the Aryan Nation, or the hero’s who bomb Planned Parenthood Clinics because they are really not the same kind of terrorists as those with brown and olive skin. THE VIRUS IS IN ALL OF US  and loves to hide behind hypocrisy and hyperbole. 

Nostalgia

Facebook fans love themselves some Throw Back Thursdays and Way Back Fridays, I think a portion of this nation is also fond of Flashback Fascism! As Sophia Petrillo, the matriarch from ‘The Golden Girls’ used to say, “Picture this…”

…A narcissistic man cunning enough to work the democratic process, too stupid for facts but savvy enough to imply that fiction and fictitious facts prove a truth, steps into the limelight and mesmerizes crowds of people. He knows that EVERYBODY needs an enemy and he has his victims lined up and ready to scapegoat. He invents a problem, works on the fear factor, and proves that there is a definite difference between THEM and US. Afraid to be found out a fraud he immediately with the face and grace of a snake oil salesmen criticizes the state press. He knows that perhaps some of the press is part of THEM, and warns his lemmings that listening to THEM is dangerous to the sovereignty of the Homeland. He implies that some facts are just hyperbole or perhaps subjective. He reminds his followers that THEY understand a flimflam when it is happening to US, as he picks their pockets and then banishes their brain cells. This man is a marketing maven, a guy who understands the selfishness of others and who can pretend to care as he carelessly sets traps for anyone who might demand the truth…

…This self-serving man loves to scream fire as he of course exits the theater. He knows how dangerous stupid can be and tempts the angry with promises of if THEY ( of course the enemy) are gone HE can make life better. All he needs to do is prose poetic by saying “I know how to, trust me, I can hire the best, don’t be fooled by fringe on the left”, and it works because nothing feels better then empty promises. He must have his secrets and those who just need a bad guy to blame in their lives ask for nothing more. First you must find the fear, then you must harvest the hate, then you create the chaos all ingredients for a recipe of fire wielding townsfolk. Never get your hands dirty, no need for your fingerprints, but at the same time NEVER discourage those among your group who you insist are “just thinking for themselves’”…

…This above the law guy (after all the law is only in place to protect THEM), pretends that he cares about democracy, but incites enough babble and bias to have his followers become a gang of goons, and with all due respect to decency has them beat up any bastard who dares to decent. These gang colors change with the mood of the insecure, sometimes they wear brown shirts, sometimes suits from Macy’s made in China, sometimes tri-cornered hats and sometimes a white robe underneath their camouflage hunting jackets. There has to be safety in numbers so just to be sure, henchmen adorn his dais and just in case someone might carouse past the guards, enough open carry, assault weapon wearing Patriots of the Homeland at the doorway to pounce when necessary…

…Flashback Fascism how sweet. But then that Fascist stuff just happened in Germany and we all know THOSE people were not as bright as US Americans. This leader of the pack guy loves to shout out lots of Nazi misinformation, but he is wise enough to know that for some (sadly not all) Hitler is still some kind of bad guy. However copies of Mein Kampf are stashed away in his gold plated library just in case the lies, fabrications, accusations don’t work as well as planned. Flashback Fascism in America, and if you for one minute do not believe it, and lets say you happen to be of color, living in poverty, not an Evangelical Christian, a female who expects personal freedoms, a homosexual, a Jew or an atheist, you might as well dig a deeper ditch so the rest of your body is in the same sand trap as your head!

The Virus of Hoods

A group of men have been spotted driving around in pick up trucks waving a flag not of this nation but one that signifies that of an enemy state, perhaps a caliphate. These men are hard to describe as they all have their heads covered with a hood like mask. They carry, alongside their assault weapons, of course their holy book and as they pass by local towns and villages they shout that they are the messengers from God. Intimidation works for these men because they believe by hiding behind a mask of sorts and usually outnumbering the individuals, people will form fear and flee; if they don’t flee they of course may be hung or have their homes burned down. Sometimes these people actually attack the same kind of religious institutions they pretend at which they pray, but these masked men believe the God they pray to hates this particular sect of HIS religion. The religious institutions which these men like to call their own houses of worship have religious leaders who praise these men as doing Gods job. The God these men and their religious leaders worship considered violence against a self perceived enemy to be a commandment. Unlike the hooded men in the Middle East driving around in the back of pick up trucks, waving their black flags and wearing their black masks and hoods the T-Bagging GOP politicians in our country have little concern. The evil ones are never your constituents or those who flock to your racist oriented rallies, nope they look and smell and demonstrate bigotry like you so they are cool. These men wear white hoods, they carry a flag symbolizing slavery, white supremacy, showcasing a distaste for freedom for all equality for everyone. This group of men don’t use the letters ISIS to identify with, nope, they like to keep it simpler they prefer the KKK.

THE VIRUS INSIDE ALL OF US, loves itself some hypocrisy. If you wear a black hood you are evil and worshiping a maligning and malicious God, if your hood is white, pure white then of course your God is filled with goodness and glad tidings. Read a Bible and you are interpreting the will of God who loves to smite and smote, read a “so called” satin inspired book in Arabic of all useless languages, and all you are is being manipulated by some fool who pretends he is God. Burn down churches, bomb women’s clinics, vandalize synagogues and swear that Jesus loved himself a good gun fight at the OK Corral and Gods grace is all you need for that violence. Murder, maim, mutilate people because you pretend your God is actually a God then you are nothing but a criminal and of course will rot in Christian Hell.THE VIRUS IS INSIDE ALL OF US and be clear every single deranged man and woman who thinks God speaks to them telling them that HE wants you to kill is dangerous. Perhaps there are a few people in this country who need to be monitored, who actually speak English!

The Virus inside all of us Part 7

THE VIRUS IS IN ALL OF US: Part Seven. A lot of the T-Party crowd, you know (Jesus helped write the 2nd Amendment to the Constitution group of “open carry guys and gals), want to kick ISIS’S ass and are pissed that President Obama has not placed more boots on the ground in SyriaLand to rid the world of those terrorists once and for all. They might have a point and to prove that point if we are yet to start another war without a conceivable ending why not just then open up the Draft again. A Draft for EVERYONE, would permit those guys and gals who love to parade down the aisles of Walmart or Target stores with AK’s or Glocks or Sniper Rifles hanging from their camouflage vests and torn Confederate flag T-shirts to fight that war that the Kenyan president is afraid to fight.

Now those white guys who love to parade in predominately black neighborhoods with the butt of their rifles hanging out of the butt of their backend, love to play the bully. They are pissed off that the Socialist Obama ain’t doin’ enough to Pro-tect this Christian homeland. With an Open Draft as law these guys can patrol the streets of other dark skinned people’s neighborhoods and show them A-Rabs just how brave Bible tottin’ Christians can be. Why these Jesus was the first member of the NRA group of folks can use the skills they learned from playing all the war videos of Play Station. Sitting in your living room with a bunch of beers moving that toggle switch is more then enough skill in linking the enemy.

Why, with an Open Draft those good Christian soldiers, the ones who love to burn down black churches, bomb or set fire to Planned Parenthood Clinics, or call them selves The Minute Men making sure none of those cantaloupe calf sized,Mexican rapists cross over into this country, can exchange their faux military garb for real US Armed Service fatigues. As a special incentive the NRA can provide each of them with a lifetime membership. Joining those soldiers for Christ with an Open Draft we should expect either the GOP Congress members to enlist and if they are too old of course to do the American thing they will escort their children or grand children to the Federal Building. But then of course I am kidding, none of those God Bless America self described cowards will step forward and fight, because if in fact they really were brave patriots ALL of them would have been on a Tour of Duty already! THE VIRUS IS IN ALL OF US and loves to incite a riot from a distance.

THE VIRUS IN US ALL Part Six

THE VIRUS INSIDE ALL OF US Part Six: I am certain there is inside all of a virus, one that can lie dormant even until death, but one so virulent that at any time its contagion can spread with the speed of a category 5 hurricane. I am certain this virus is the crux of any and all virus’s many authors of fiction refer to as the Zombie virus. In the TV series the “Walking Dead”, we discovered that the good souls, the people who tried to take the apocalyptic environment in which they found themselves trying to survive and make the best of humanity as they could contained the virus. But no matter how hard they tried to make a difference if they died of natural causes they to turned into zombies. When actions committed seem to have no conscionable purpose, when only it is necessary to dismember another, when one is guided by a lust to deprive anyone from decency they have an active case of THE VIRUS INSIDE ALL OF US.

I believe Donald Trump has suffered from this virus since he first ate soup from his golden spoon. But the virus flowing through the veins of Donald has taken on the form of something even more frightening; as he cares less how his actions harm others but is deeply smart enough to realize how saying he will harm others actually gives him more power. Donald is an empty vessel in the soul department, but a genius in understanding that THE VIRUS INSIDE ALL OF US lurks luxuriously in the most insecure and fearful among us. Donald Trump like most Zombies can smell the infected, unlike the “Walking Dead” zombies, who pay little attention to those already ill, Donald knows how to generate THE VIRUS IN ALL OF US, by simply pretending that he too is as irate, pissed off, exasperated as the common man. Donald shares nothing in common with the common man of course but he speaks their language of fear and blame. And with each sentence sounding like Fascism, racism, and bigotry the lemmings flock to him as if he was tooting the flute of the Pied Piper. The base of the Republican Party, the men and women who pretend to understand American democracy and true religion, smell blood when Donald entices them with ID badges, walls on our borders, and that even the poorest in this nation are earning to high a wage. Self victimizing is key for the success of THE VIRUS INSIDE ALL OF US, and Mr Trump can recognize those self inflicted wounds and he can see the poison of the virus flowing freely from them.

Now as before, (we Americans hate to learn from history, and even in the nation state of Texas their Board of Education has little problem in using an eraser for the parts they don’t like) we find ourselves in an election year where the best defense is to offend as many people as we can, implying that they really don’t count or should not be considered. Not to be left out in courting and cajoling the base voters of a deranged Republican base Chris Christie stands boldly upon his faux soap box and like his critically wrong decision regarding the EBOLA virus, knows that this virus IS contagious and he too spews the kind of hate only the lonely and biased love. Ted Cruz is filled with THE VIRUS INSIDE ALL OF US. His form of the virus has manifested into conceit and personal gain. His father told him Jesus has anointed his son Ted as an apostle, and Ted without any regard to Jesus, wants not only to be that apostle but a king of kings in his kingdom of America. Ted knows the venom of the stupid, pretending that he shares those same demented values. Good ole’ Marco Rubio now filled with the millions of his newest puppet master, is wise enough to try and gain ground on his co-snake oil salesmen, so he demands a harsher hate for the Muslims. He believes you can be an immigrant but maybe from Cuba or at least those other very white parts of the globe.

THE VIRUS IS INSIDE ALL OF US, and if we don’t watch out, with the continuing soundbytes and lack of resolution to really contain ISIS just like the population that believed President Dick Cheney and his ventriloquist dummy George W , could keep us safe we might vote once again for a charlatan a conceited clown. In times of fear many Americans think because we are exceptional we can drop bombs, put other kids boots on the ground, listen to FOX News distort the truth and win because of course we ARE a Christian nation and everyone else isn’t! And once again has our history has demonstrated, we will end up consumed by THE VIRUS INSIDE ALL OF US. Be careful what you wish for because THE VIRUS INSIDE ALL OF US, all over again! (THE VIRUS INSIDE ALL OF US PART Seven to follow)