Still thanking

 The day after Thanksgiving. Friday, November 25, 2022. As I awoke, I immediately made a decision to continue my sense of giving thanks, by ignoring reading the news on my telephone, opting instead to actually use the bathroom sans any electronic device. (I did amaze at just how much quicker I was able to partake in any and all flushing of bodily fluids.) I asked Siri to play the best of Crosby, Stills, Nash, and Young, ignoring my iPhone for that request, as I brushed my teeth and washed my face to the songs, “Our House,” and “Teach Your Children.” I felt a pang of WHAT MIGHT HAVE HAPPENED gnawing in my gut but trying my best to pretend that if bad news happened, someone would have called me and told me to fill up our bathtub with water. (In most apocalyptic movies of the 80s and 90s whenever a nuclear bomb blasted, most characters filled their bathtubs for fear that the water might become contaminated.---Joe and do  not have a bath tub---OY!)

I walked past our TV in the bedroom, raising my middle finger and as I passed by I said Screw You MSNBC, and you too CNN. Our pooch, Enzo, looked at me with concern on his face, as I suppose my statement of Screw You had been quite loud. Phew, I said walking into our living room and heading for the kitchen, so far I am awake for at least 35 minutes, and I can breathe freely, without the worries that Musk/West/Trump/Carlson and other 15-of-fame whores took over the world. Breakfast time and still I had no idea of how many times Boebert denied she was a homophobe, how often Putin-Greene lied about her homophobia, and how the murder of the LGBTQ community could be excused because they were homosexuals.

 

I made it past breakfast, but still no phone usage for me, or even acknowledgment I owned one. No watching the TV in the living room providing me with news channels acting more like infomercials for opinionated persons. Again, I inhaled, hoping that the pang of anxiety now lodged in my upper chest was just gas. I stretched for 5 minutes, thinking this bit of exercise would help me pass the gas. I asked our living room, Siri, to play Carol King's song “So Far Away,” and the rest of her songs from the Tapestry Album. I found some photo albums the older ones from decades gone by, and as Carol sang I turned each page and knew why I could and should and would give thanks.

 

And then it became darker outside as the rain increased, and the night was begging to arrive. I returned the Photo Albums to their shelves and said to no one but Enzo. It is time. And minus any quilt or trepidation, I read the news today, as the Beatles once sang. And I wrote my blog.

Thanksgiving then and now

 It seemed, back in the day, any holiday, be it a Jewish celebration or an American traditional event, it was our house hosting friends and family, and my mother was the official cook and baker. It also seemed, back in the day, no one wanted to argue, because dinner at Rena’s house, was one wonderful, delicious way to celebrate.  

We would add the two wooden extensions to our dining room table, extending that seating area, to accommodate, 14 people, squishing the small tushies between the relatives with not-so-small tushies. The nice dining room chairs with the softer cushions were for grandma’s older aunts and uncles, and if anyone was pregnant at the time. My little sister and I had to go to our scary part of the basement, next to the old coal shoot, and collect the stack of folding chairs, which always seemed full of spider webs, and spiders. It was usually freezing outside, but we had to take those folding chairs outside and wipe them off. The neighbors supplied the two folding metal tables and random extra chairs. No complaining however because the feast that early evening was going to be a reward worth touching spiders and spider webs.

 

At the height, when most of my family had been living in Pittsburgh, in the 1950s, for Thanksgiving, would somehow squeeze into our tiny row house, at least 28 people. I had no idea of the concept of a nuclear family way back then, but damn, as I recall and remember, how wonderful indeed it was to have everyone together gathered for Thanksgiving dinner. I never knew the names of the perfumes the women wore, but I do remember thinking that my grandmother smelled like roses, my aunts smelled like lavender, and my mother seemed to have the aroma of lilacs around her. We knew who had just arrived at our house because back then their perfumes arrived before they did. Most of the men were surrounded by Old Spice, and back in the day, they used an awful lot of that. But then, of course, once we started with homemade chicken soup and onto the choices of turkey or brisket, nothing but the intoxicating aromas of food lingered. Often times we had 7 different Jell-O-molds in various shapes and colors, and of course cakes, cookies, pies, and ice cream. The meal would end with a combination of Peach Schnapps and something my family called Romanian Coffee, dark, and with the pungent aroma of coffee beans.

 

I miss then. I am happy with now. But the older I get, the more I remember, once upon a time. I am grateful for who I have become, and the life I have lived…but since this IS Thanksgiving, I want to thank all of the family and friends, from a life so long ago for helping me make it to today!

Imagine Again

 Imagine.

 

I do. Imagine if there was a law passed that stated there is no Corporate money permitted to purchase politicians, and rather that all politicians receive the same amount of cash, paid for by taxes. Imagine if we actually could make gerrymandered districts illegal, and have each state, create districts based on natural boundaries rather than the artificial ones state legislators have drawn. Imagine if we had term limits for all members of the Federal and State Legislatures,  we would be able to create term limits for the office of the presidency so why not for the entire slew of politics. Imagine, if The Supreme Court Justices did not have a life appointment, but lessened that to a decade or two, knowing that culture and civics change, and any long-term judge, may not change. Imagine if Supreme Court Justices, had an ethics and honor code, the same ethics codes that all other judges must adhere to. Imagine if anyone running for any government position first had to qualify by at least passing an 8^th Grade Civics Exam or taking the same test people applying for citizenship must pass. Imagine if everyone running for office had to show the public their returns.

 

Imagine. 

 

I do. Imagine how those politicians who never have any competition from the opposite party because of their gerrymandered districts might have to appeal to their entire electoral base. Imagine how gun laws could be passed because no more buying and selling of politicians with huge donations would take place. Imagine how, those stodgy long-term politicians might have to actually do the work for the people, rather than linger in office and just rely on their longevity. Imagine, Supreme Court Justices who are not considered Royals, creating laws for everyone but themselves. Imagine how facts, history, truth, and justice would be served, if politicians were held accountable to fulfill their job descriptions of and by the people. Imagine how we the people would have a better idea of just where the wealth from politicians came from, and to whom these politicians seem beholden.

 

Imagine. I do. Regaining control of OUR Government!

 

Georgia on my mind

 “…Oh, Georgia, don't do that, had to know well

No peace I find, won't you hear me now

It's just an old sweet song, I said, oh, I said that

Keeps Georgia on my mind…”(Georgia On My Mind/Carmichael/Gorrell)

 

“Do y’all know what the definition of an enemy is? A enemy is somebody that don’t like you,” Walker said, according to Jezebel, which obtained audio of the Nov. 20 rally. “But they been telling you they don’t know the definition of a woman either. So think about that either. They don’t know the definition of a woman.” Hershel Walker (VICE)

 

He certainly DOES know the definition of women, however. The campaign of Herschel Walker publicly acknowledged this week that the Republican Senate candidate has three children by women he was not married to in addition to his son by his former wife. (CNN). But it is NOT the issue of women, NOPE, this douchebag, wants to make his America great again, by scapegoating Transgendered individuals. Ya’ all know, in Georgia, no Trans people will cut inflation, lower gasoline prices, stop the Russians from conquering Ukraine, keep democracy thriving, and end climate change!

 

“Tragically, 300 Americans die of fentanyl poisoning everyday in America and Biden says and does nothing,” Greene said, referring to one of the latest fringe rightwing myths: that drug dealers are putting the synthetic opioid fentanyl on random people’s car door handles in parking lots, causing them to die when they touch the fentanyl-laced door handles. (LGBTQ Nation). Margie PUTIN-Greene is not someone worth quoting, but the mere fact she has been re-elected to sit as a Congress Woman, does mean she is also someone who can’t be ignored. 

 

Her response to YET one more MASS-SHOOTING: “Tragically, 5 people were killed in a shooting in Colorado and Biden immediately demands a ban on assault weapons. The solutions are this: 1. Secure the border and stop the drugs.; 2. Defend our right to keep and bear arms so that people can defend themselves from killers who could care less about laws.” (LGBTQ Nation)

 

The voters of GA 14th District decided an ignorant bigot, purveyor of COUPS and hate, should represent them. Now, we turn to the rest of Georgia, watch, wonder, and worry!

 

another DAY AFTER

 One more DAY AFTER. One more DAY AFTER, with a flurry of awful news regarding the lives wasted by an individual. One more DAY AFTER, with the parade of Thoughts and Prayers, however a lot less because those who died might have been LGBTQ. One more DAY AFTER, as cause and effect are ignored, replaced by the PERVASIVE POLITICS of Gun Ownership. One more DAY AFTER, when HUBRIS AND HYPOCRISY act as a duo, spilling out of the mouths of Republicans who pretend they are PRO-LIFE, but only while that so-called life remains inside the womb.

 

One more DAY AFTER, and of course we beg the question, how many more DAY AFTERs must we once again face?         

 

One more DAY AFTER, and of course for a wee while, those who have bragged about their own HOMOPHOBIA, in the past, will cower in the shadows, waiting until this latest hue and cry of one more DAY AFTER quiets down, not regretting their hate, but holding on to it, perhaps a week after, the DAY AFTER!

worry

 Rep. Schiff and other Democrats said McCarthy is trying to court support from hard-right conservatives like Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga. – who was expelled from committees during a 2021 vote of the full House because of her incendiary statements about Democrats.

"I suspect he will do whatever Marjorie Taylor Greene wants him to do," Schiff said on ABC's "This Week." "He is a very weak leader of his conference, meaning that he will adhere to the wishes of the lowest common denominator. And if that lowest common denominator wants to remove people from committees, that’s what they’ll do." (USA Today)

 

The GOP, as I see it has maintained a female as Speaker of the House, perhaps not one to sit upon the throne as Kingmaker but to sit on her royal toilet as Queenmaker. The Dems had Ruth Bader Ginsberg, replaced by a Handmaid named Amy Coney Barrett, and now Nancy Pelosi will be replaced by a parasite named Marjory-Putin-Greene. If McCarthy is elected as Speaker of the House, the person packing his balls and backbone will actually be Marjory-Putin-Greene.

 

Of course, all of America, even you MAGA/NAZI/FASCIST/CONFEDERACY/CHRISTIAN NATIONISTS will suffer the consequences of having MARGIE, as the true leader of the Republican House Caucus, because it seems the only talent MARGIE seems to demonstrate is to behave as might a 5-year-old brat, raised by wolves. Oh yeah, and those of you who just, simply had enough of inflation, high gas prices, and crime, don’t hold your breath waiting for the GOP House to attend to any of that business. 

Names-Names-Names

 Say the names: SPINELESS MCCARTHY…PUTIN-TAYLOR-GREENE-JIMMY -THE SHOWER-JORDON…

…If voters thought House Republicans would learn their lessons about extremism after the outcome of the midterms, think again. The party in the House seems to be charging ahead with a polarizing agenda aimed at inflicting political pain on President Biden and Democrats. (MSNBC)

 

Keep on saying the names: Voters of Long Island, flipping 2 seats Red and keeping 2 seats Red because THEY VOTED ON CRIME AND INFLATION…

…House Republicans are apparently more focused on Joe and Hunter Biden in the lead-up to their assuming the majority in Congress, instead of inflation and crime, two issues that they made prominent during the midterm elections. (NBC)

 

Some more names to say: THE FLORIDA TRIFECTA. Governor and both the Senate and House a Majority Republican, permitting gerrymandering and redistricting, so the odds of any Democrat gains are null and void. Add the names of  SOINELESS-ROBERTS, MR. GINNI THOMAS, HANDMAID-COMEY, I LIKE BEER AND LOOSE WOMEN-KAVANAUGH, IT’S A CHRISTIAN NATION-ALITO for ignoring the politicization of voting rights…

…Republicans are already talking about impeachment proceedings as well as investigating Anthony Fauci and Hunter Biden. (Vanity Fair)

 

YEAH! RIGHT! UH-HUH! The Party of Trump has been decimated, because, Trump is a jerk, was a jerk, and will remain a jerk. The Evangelicals swear they were blindsided. FOX News claims a memory loss as to ever supporting him. The GOP Mega Donors feel cheated. BULL SHIT. MAGA remains the BLACK HOLE IT WAS AND WAS MEANT TO BE!  Those of you who pretend that the only reason you voted RED was for any other reason than Racism, Bigotry, Anti-Sarmatism, Fascism, Misogyny…REMEMBER THE NAMES, cause your life just got worse!