Trump "tweeting" against the Mayor of San Juan, Puerto Rico indicates just what a "low life" he really is. Donald J. Trump has no compassion -- so I guess none should ever be given to him. When he finally "keels over in death -- however that happens" we should perhaps quietly just move away from the "rotting corpse" he was in life, and now will become in death.
Self-congratulations over the relief effort in Puerto Rico is just another way of "stroking his own........
ego." Trump is a horrible person -- on that most people would agree; but he is also mentally ill on so many levels, and ill-equipped to lead himself to the bathroom, much less our country in any capacity.
He needs to be impeached -- he needs to go away. WE need him to go away.
Continue to "resist" until that happens.
Saturday, September 30, 2017
Friday, September 29, 2017
Women Becoming Invisible
A former female boss (DCE by name) once explained to me how and when women become invisible. At a certain age men no longer look at them as, and I will use my terminology here, "possible conquests." These women may still be extremely attractive, or cute, or simply holding it together -- it doesn't matter. They will still become "invisible" to most of the men out there.
They also curiously become "invisible" to other women -- as rivals, as competitors for "cutest in the room," etc. They are no longer a threat to marriages, existing relationships, or friendships. Women do wisely leave open the possibility to befriend these "invisible women" -- especially if they have a lot to offer.
I was reminded of all this by the incredible victory Saudi women have finally achieved in their own country -- the right to drive cars. It only took about 120 years since cars were first used to them to achieve this "honor" -- which should not be an "honor" but a "right." Men control women in Saudi Arabia, while women silently and surreptitiously suggest and cajole men. It is the "battle of the sexes" only writ in a cultural language distinct from Western Civilization as a whole.
In American -- even though women can become invisible -- they must exert their power: in politics as they do in economics. On Main Street as they do within the family. On Wall Street as they do on Main Street. We need women to speak up, to act up, to be integral in leadership, to play a much strong role in American culture.
Resist always.
They also curiously become "invisible" to other women -- as rivals, as competitors for "cutest in the room," etc. They are no longer a threat to marriages, existing relationships, or friendships. Women do wisely leave open the possibility to befriend these "invisible women" -- especially if they have a lot to offer.
I was reminded of all this by the incredible victory Saudi women have finally achieved in their own country -- the right to drive cars. It only took about 120 years since cars were first used to them to achieve this "honor" -- which should not be an "honor" but a "right." Men control women in Saudi Arabia, while women silently and surreptitiously suggest and cajole men. It is the "battle of the sexes" only writ in a cultural language distinct from Western Civilization as a whole.
In American -- even though women can become invisible -- they must exert their power: in politics as they do in economics. On Main Street as they do within the family. On Wall Street as they do on Main Street. We need women to speak up, to act up, to be integral in leadership, to play a much strong role in American culture.
Resist always.
Thursday, September 28, 2017
Trump and Business Growth
The American "business" community will grow richer while Trump is in office. Tax cuts, regulation trimming, and eased Federal pressure (from watchdog agencies like OSHA and EPA) -- will bring about a higher rate of corporate growth (big business) and a smaller rate of small business growth (your local stores). Why?
Corporations will milk every advantage out of increased profits and less "government scrutiny" and will ride above the fray of litigation from individuals or courts. Small businesses however, more often have to answer to the individuals who patronize them --- and social media (Yelp, Zagat, and other 'rating groups') are in a position to literally destroy them unless they respond and improve.
Capitalism writ "large" will still cut costs, and the public be damned. Capitalism writ "small" will be responsive to customers' needs and wants. And the "tax breaks" will favor the very large corporations -- and not the small businesses.
There were promises during the campaign (mostly on the Republican side) to "reduce government debt" and stop ever rising "deficit" as a top priority. With this "growth plan" in place -- should that happen; and it is likely -- the deficit will soar and individual citizens will be baffled at the "conservative responses from the Republicans." It's all about the "Benjamin's" baby!
Continue to resist -- no matter what!
Corporations will milk every advantage out of increased profits and less "government scrutiny" and will ride above the fray of litigation from individuals or courts. Small businesses however, more often have to answer to the individuals who patronize them --- and social media (Yelp, Zagat, and other 'rating groups') are in a position to literally destroy them unless they respond and improve.
Capitalism writ "large" will still cut costs, and the public be damned. Capitalism writ "small" will be responsive to customers' needs and wants. And the "tax breaks" will favor the very large corporations -- and not the small businesses.
There were promises during the campaign (mostly on the Republican side) to "reduce government debt" and stop ever rising "deficit" as a top priority. With this "growth plan" in place -- should that happen; and it is likely -- the deficit will soar and individual citizens will be baffled at the "conservative responses from the Republicans." It's all about the "Benjamin's" baby!
Continue to resist -- no matter what!
Tuesday, September 26, 2017
Condemn Trump's Words
Trump does not speak for me -- nor do his words espouse any kind of "litmus test" patriotism. I have a right to "protest" -- and every person in America has that same right.
For Trump to make "standing up for the flag" (his flag apparently) some kind of test for citizenship is anathema to the way Americans have thought since the beginning of our country. Trump once again has failed to understand basic principles and has put his own misguided and moronic interpretations out there as the "only way Americans should act." His "litmus test" for Americanism shows just how shallow and misanthropically strategic he is -- towards his own base, towards his purported support for his own party, for his unproven conservatism, and for his lacking humanity.
The reason why Colin Kaepernick first knelt during the playing of our National Anthem -- was to protest racial injustice, and the incidents of misguided police "over-policing and profiling" of black citizens. He has a right to protest -- we all do. And I have a right to join with athletes like LeBron James and others in labeling Mr. Trump a "bum."
Continue to "resist."
For Trump to make "standing up for the flag" (his flag apparently) some kind of test for citizenship is anathema to the way Americans have thought since the beginning of our country. Trump once again has failed to understand basic principles and has put his own misguided and moronic interpretations out there as the "only way Americans should act." His "litmus test" for Americanism shows just how shallow and misanthropically strategic he is -- towards his own base, towards his purported support for his own party, for his unproven conservatism, and for his lacking humanity.
The reason why Colin Kaepernick first knelt during the playing of our National Anthem -- was to protest racial injustice, and the incidents of misguided police "over-policing and profiling" of black citizens. He has a right to protest -- we all do. And I have a right to join with athletes like LeBron James and others in labeling Mr. Trump a "bum."
Continue to "resist."
Saturday, September 23, 2017
Sad People
There are many Americans, and many others in the world, who are trapped by their own insecurities. These are the people who have lost hope -- and /or are stuck in jobs or professions that have become mundane, at least to them. They are people for whom love is only a fantasy, and compassion is the enemy of their self-sufficiency. They don't contribute to causes, because they think it's a plot to get their money, or they are so self-absorbed they think they themselves are the real victims.
I know many such people. Sadly, most of them can't even acknowledge their own helplessness. They plan, rather feverishly, for a crack in their future that allows them to survive.
To all of them I say what "Zorba" would say: "Chew life!" Nikos Kazantzakis got it right in his novels, again and again espousing that life should be lived, not just survived. The "art of living" includes taking chances on the future, on growth, on other people, on love., on life.
To refuse to know someone else (see my July 7, 2017 posting) is to hasten your own death. My sister has a refrigerator slogan at her home -- "We plan; God laughs!" I don't really believe in the source of the sentiment but I certainly understand the intent of the meme. Whether it is God, or fate, or chance -- the future is unknowable and neither benign nor horrific. We should never be afraid to broaden and stretch ourselves -- that was pre-eminent in my own artistic growth. I apply that dictum every day to my own life -- and I hope you will too. "Chew life!"
Continue to resist!!
I know many such people. Sadly, most of them can't even acknowledge their own helplessness. They plan, rather feverishly, for a crack in their future that allows them to survive.
To all of them I say what "Zorba" would say: "Chew life!" Nikos Kazantzakis got it right in his novels, again and again espousing that life should be lived, not just survived. The "art of living" includes taking chances on the future, on growth, on other people, on love., on life.
To refuse to know someone else (see my July 7, 2017 posting) is to hasten your own death. My sister has a refrigerator slogan at her home -- "We plan; God laughs!" I don't really believe in the source of the sentiment but I certainly understand the intent of the meme. Whether it is God, or fate, or chance -- the future is unknowable and neither benign nor horrific. We should never be afraid to broaden and stretch ourselves -- that was pre-eminent in my own artistic growth. I apply that dictum every day to my own life -- and I hope you will too. "Chew life!"
Continue to resist!!
Friday, September 22, 2017
A Moment of Discovery
"Discovery" happens when you finally realize that a person's self-appraisal is all a lie; when the world understands it has not solved a problem just by talking about it; when nature wields a mighty hand and destroys simple human constructs; when hope bubbles up out of a cauldron of misery; when self-reflection finally yields peace; when the world seems "good" again in spite of itself.
A good many of my problems personally, and most people's problems generally, can be alleviated if we can only find the time to be "mindful" and "aware" enough to think, feel, and act them through.
Thinking by itself is never enough to live a fully artistic life; nor is feeling sufficient to create happiness; and action must be there to complete the process. I don't mean to sound elusive or opaque -- but human beings are amalgams of feelings, present thinking, and activity. We shortchange ourselves when we fail in any of these three areas.
A good many of my problems personally, and most people's problems generally, can be alleviated if we can only find the time to be "mindful" and "aware" enough to think, feel, and act them through.
Thinking by itself is never enough to live a fully artistic life; nor is feeling sufficient to create happiness; and action must be there to complete the process. I don't mean to sound elusive or opaque -- but human beings are amalgams of feelings, present thinking, and activity. We shortchange ourselves when we fail in any of these three areas.
Wednesday, September 20, 2017
The Greed of Corporate America
There is absolutely nothing wrong with capitalism as an economic system. It is not nor never was meant to be a "political system" and its application as such is moronic and short-sighted. It also has many man-made weaknesses as a social system
Corporate America, beholding to its shareholders and its own sense of self-righteousness, has been taking profits unfairly for at least a hundred years in the US. In the midst of a hurricane, where basic human supplies are in extremely short supply, some stores will charge $30 for a case of water (which normally sells for $5 or less). Gasoline, because it is in short supply, suddenly becomes more precious than gold. And even food, or what a depleted store has left of food, becomes as expensive as the "market will bear."
Capitalism must be controlled or it will bankrupt all of us. Insurance rates, costs of basic rebuilding materials, costs of human necessities, medical costs, pharmaceuticals --- cannot be allowed to run rampant because some business has a "right to make a profit." Airline costs during peak periods are yet another example -- just because it is a "national holiday weekend -- like Thanksgiving" doesn't mean you should charge 3 to 5 times the normal rate for a flight -- and get away with it.
A fair profit does not imply a "fare" as profit, if survival is at stake.
These corporate structures are inhumane and should not be supported.
Resist, resist, resist!
Corporate America, beholding to its shareholders and its own sense of self-righteousness, has been taking profits unfairly for at least a hundred years in the US. In the midst of a hurricane, where basic human supplies are in extremely short supply, some stores will charge $30 for a case of water (which normally sells for $5 or less). Gasoline, because it is in short supply, suddenly becomes more precious than gold. And even food, or what a depleted store has left of food, becomes as expensive as the "market will bear."
Capitalism must be controlled or it will bankrupt all of us. Insurance rates, costs of basic rebuilding materials, costs of human necessities, medical costs, pharmaceuticals --- cannot be allowed to run rampant because some business has a "right to make a profit." Airline costs during peak periods are yet another example -- just because it is a "national holiday weekend -- like Thanksgiving" doesn't mean you should charge 3 to 5 times the normal rate for a flight -- and get away with it.
A fair profit does not imply a "fare" as profit, if survival is at stake.
These corporate structures are inhumane and should not be supported.
Resist, resist, resist!
Saturday, September 16, 2017
Idiocracy -- a New Theory of Civilization
We may be witnessing the rise of the "stupid," the uniformed, the tunnel-visioned, the callous, the self-concerned, the non-humane, the uncompassionate, the ridiculous, the theoretical outliers, and all their many compatriots. We have more "conspiracy theorists" than we have researchers; we fawn on those who give us quick and shallow definitions, unsubstantiated rumors as fact, and just plain lies as truth.
This not only exists in politics, and news reporting; but in the very fabric of family life, human relationships, and yes, our own thoughts. We have all been infected and are now addicted to the false narratives of social media. Someone's Facebook account now substitutes for the "real person" (if there is such a thing). People use Instagram as conversation, selfies as love-making, attitudes as children, the "forever present" their future. We are no longer completely sane.
We have begun down the road to "idiocracy" -- coined after the movie of the same name. That was comic science fiction; unfortunately it now may have become fact. All the "adults in the room" may be gone.
Continue to RESIST!!!
This not only exists in politics, and news reporting; but in the very fabric of family life, human relationships, and yes, our own thoughts. We have all been infected and are now addicted to the false narratives of social media. Someone's Facebook account now substitutes for the "real person" (if there is such a thing). People use Instagram as conversation, selfies as love-making, attitudes as children, the "forever present" their future. We are no longer completely sane.
We have begun down the road to "idiocracy" -- coined after the movie of the same name. That was comic science fiction; unfortunately it now may have become fact. All the "adults in the room" may be gone.
Continue to RESIST!!!
Thursday, September 14, 2017
Back From the Storm
No pundit can describe the devastation and anguish caused by Hurricane Irma, back-to-back with Hurricane Harvey. So many people have lost their lives, and their livelihoods in this freakish time of storms. Some will claim that our "changing" weather patterns are not being caused by "global warming." They would be wrong.
Others will claim that all this bad weather is a "punishment from God (god)" for all our sexual sins.
They too would be ridiculously wrong.
The most important thing that needs to happen now is not finger-pointing or ex post facto recriminations. Comfort; recover; compassion; love; support; listening; help; and respect: these are what are needed now -- from all of us, to all who need.
Others will claim that all this bad weather is a "punishment from God (god)" for all our sexual sins.
They too would be ridiculously wrong.
The most important thing that needs to happen now is not finger-pointing or ex post facto recriminations. Comfort; recover; compassion; love; support; listening; help; and respect: these are what are needed now -- from all of us, to all who need.
Thursday, September 7, 2017
If I Die ....... During Hurricane Irma
Someone please "sue" the school I work for -- for not making a decision about cancelling classes until it was almost too late to get to safe ground.
The lack of control, understanding, and compassion towards students and faculty both suggests a level of unfitness that is imponderable. When no one is "in charge" an institution drifts, and has no coherence -- no matter how much good will and gushing comes ex post facto.
The fact is we have a hurricane bearing down on us -- maybe -- because ultimately weather is not a perfect science; yet we choose to procrastinate and hope everything just turns out alright. Yikes.
The same indecision appears to be infiltrating the local school board's decision-making as well. Will CEMA / FEMA bite the bullet and actually recommend evacuation, or not?
The lack of control, understanding, and compassion towards students and faculty both suggests a level of unfitness that is imponderable. When no one is "in charge" an institution drifts, and has no coherence -- no matter how much good will and gushing comes ex post facto.
The fact is we have a hurricane bearing down on us -- maybe -- because ultimately weather is not a perfect science; yet we choose to procrastinate and hope everything just turns out alright. Yikes.
The same indecision appears to be infiltrating the local school board's decision-making as well. Will CEMA / FEMA bite the bullet and actually recommend evacuation, or not?
Wednesday, September 6, 2017
Hurricane Irma
Are "hurricanes -- a plot to sell bottled water and hotel rooms?" Rush Limbaugh, noted right-wing broadcaster says that that is true -- and is all orchestrated by the media -- yikes!
Conspiracy theories abound -- and most of them belie truth, and common sense, and any semblance of practicality. And so it is with commentators, bullies and ignorant pundits -- who lead their huge followings forever down the miasma of backwaters that are the political stance of the moment.
There are real problems in the world -- and they pack 185 mile per hour winds, and not pundit bluster.
These real problems destroy buildings, and wreck memories, and kill people -- they don't attack truth, nor virtue, nor intelligence itself. Limbaugh is not an outlier -- he is the clarion call of ignorance. He is an "alt-right" hero; he is a spokesperson for foolishness itself.
Resist such silliness!!!!
Conspiracy theories abound -- and most of them belie truth, and common sense, and any semblance of practicality. And so it is with commentators, bullies and ignorant pundits -- who lead their huge followings forever down the miasma of backwaters that are the political stance of the moment.
There are real problems in the world -- and they pack 185 mile per hour winds, and not pundit bluster.
These real problems destroy buildings, and wreck memories, and kill people -- they don't attack truth, nor virtue, nor intelligence itself. Limbaugh is not an outlier -- he is the clarion call of ignorance. He is an "alt-right" hero; he is a spokesperson for foolishness itself.
Resist such silliness!!!!
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