In Praise of Women

Tiger-like, soft but not too soft, smart, giving, willing to listen, struggling to understand "men," and still able to apply love and compassion. Women!  They bear burdens that men can't understand, or simply ignore. They are anxious about life, choices, outcomes, civility, kindness, and all elements of happiness.

They are not perfect, as smart as they are. They can be fooled by novelty, bluster, "mansplaining," the desire to achieve something better, and the assured need for growth and change. They can be distracted and led astray by lies spoken to solve one concern, while saddling all of us with moral vagrancy. Moral turpitude is everywhere nowadays but can be avoided, and must be exposed. Women have the moral fiber to accomplish this daunting task. 

Women are also sensual and sexual gatekeepers in current society. They must be. Why? Because men, as as rule, are unwilling or incapable to reject evil at first offer.
Women must say "no" when necessary, and "yes" most of the time. Sex is not evil; the misuse or abuse or ignorance of sex is the root of evil. Sex is intimate communication and must not be forsaken. Just "do it!"

An Election a Tornado, and What Is To Come...

Tuesday last we had a "runoff" election for School Board Chairman here in Savannah and I am proud to say a very good man won. Both candidates in this non-partisan contest could have won, and both were excellent. The winner was Joe Buck, a retired Armstrong administrator and former school board chair -- proud that he is in my rotary in Savannah as well.

On Friday (yesterday) a tornado struck: damaged a local public grade school
( Marshpoint Elementary), brought down hundreds of large trees on Whitmarsh Island, blocked and flooded roads on Outland Island, and continued overage of rain for this year.

On early Friday morning our rotary served breakfast for all the teachers and administrators of Haven Elementary and brought many books for their library too.
Public schools start next Thursday in Savannah.

What is to come is the Fall National Election Season. Remember all we have endured from Trump and his ridiculous cabinet -- and VOTE! Take back your country, your rights, and civilization for all of us. You know what you have to do! Do it!

Karma

I have a personal request to make. I have a friend who has lost a close relative -- a dear sister in Colorado. I wish for her: peace.

Mel Mrochinski

Does Anyone Care?

Trump is unfaithful to his wife. Trump flouts the  Constitution of the United States of America in many, many ways. Trump harms all our international relations, even with much-admired Russia. Trump has ruined our closest relations geographically with tariffs (supported by fake and inaccurate trade numbers). Trump has claimed he deserves the Nobel Peace Prize for his totally self-serving "deal" with North Korea, that is really a no-deal deal.

Trump has modeled the worst kind of bullying behavior for his moronic followers. Trump has tried to turn outright corruption into his rendition of "winning." Trump has really shifted the world itself, towards evil. Trump has been a "bad father" and a "worse husband."

Trump is the current version of Stalin-Mussolini-Hitler in the modern world. Trump may bring the countries of the earth to a new world war. Trump is unfetteujred Capitalism; he has morphed into an amoral autocrat. Would you, could you, honestly vote for this man -- or any of his sycophants?

Sex in the Age of Trump

How have things changed? Have they changed? In the era of #metoo and the rise of honest "feminism" we still have "perverts" watching Russian prostitutes peeing on each other, just for fun. And these perverts sanctimoniously occupy the highest political positions in the United States, supported by religious groups that used to believe in the 10 Commandments but have abandoned them for poll ratings.

SCOTUS happily considers supporting America's new dictator in whims and innovative new directions (separatism, isolation, racism, fascism, white supremacism, chauvinism, control of women, restriction of voting rights, and authoritarian control of everything.) Sometimes it just seems as if common sense is "dead" -- along with basic morality!

Collusion, Obstruction, Obfuscation, Treason

Trump is a curse for America. Because a group of impatient older white people (Tea Party Movement) along with an immoral group of zealots (Evangelicals), and a polyglot mass of disgruntled suburbanites (flyover anti-immigrant types, moronic millenials seeking any kind of change, and celebrity-worshipping trumpians), along with greedy Conservative Republicans -- we have a stupid un-American as President.

This President considers himself a  "stable genius!" He has no part of either of those concepts. Instead he is a self-made fascist wouldbe dictator! "Only he can solve our problems!" Or so he tells everyone. He is really the "Milles Glorioso" of medieval theatre. The braggart who knows nothing, tries to do everything (the wrong way of course), and messes up all he touches.

Putin: a Force for Evil

Fighting democracies, free elections, and freedoms for his own people (both economic and personal) -- Putin continues to be a malevolent force in the world. Trump appears to be too stupid to see that truth, or he is as evil as he is and is complicit as a "Manchurian candidate-president" of the United States.

Americans first need to take back the Constitution and its very soul from Trumpian megalomania. Then we need to elect people who can be servants of the people not just self-serving takers. We need honest people who know the differences between truth and lies -- and who choose truth. We need to throw out the crooked autocrats and keep the real compassionate humans in power. We need to return to normalcy, and get beyond the self-serving denizens of "Trumpomania!"

Trump Sump

Vile lies, followed by more lies, followed by lame justifications! Policies, honored traditions, constitutional rights -- all compromised or simply ridiculed as weaknesses. Trump gives out "poop on a shingle" and the Republicans eat it up.

They may momentarily RESIST but they forget and capitulate for "imagined votes" from the moron swamp that is "trumpomania." How long can America last as it is embarrassed to death?  How long?

So Much...

So damn much to talk about!  Trump betraying his country by allying with Putin rather than his own country over Russian "collusion" and "interference" in the 2016 election. That's pre-eminent obviously.

But in my life I also had a short (but crucial) trip to Easton tyo visit my friends Polly and Dick at their annual [30 years annual]  Bastille Day party. It was great fun-- great food and drink -- and wonderful conversation with lots of friends, past and new. Thanks to the wonderful couple, Dick and Polly, for opening their home and gardens at Club Del to all of us.  It was also great to see Ben (of Boston; go Red Sox!), Polly's younger sister, Mich, Vicky, and many others. Two 12 ounce beers did me in (VT IPA) so I was back to motel in Allentown (or near there) way too soon!  Fortunately many of the festive participants are at my age or older so an early end for those of us who had to travel -- was inevitable.

The last issue of note was the incredible kindness of my 50-year grade school graduating class from the now-disappearing St. John Kanty Parish. Our Moms raised us right! Thanks to all of them. And you especially Carlene; I hope we get to know each other better!

BASTILLE DAY!

Most of my friends and relatives will not understand why I might celebrate this historic day. In today's world it is symbolic well beyond French history.

It celebrates community and striving towards happiness; it gives us hope; it allows us to share our plans for  the future; it brings opportunities to relive our lively memories and to surpass them tomorrow; it makes us "sing" with patriotism and the highest of human ideals. BASTILLE DAY  is felt in the heart and the stomach.

Wine, cheese, roasted lamb, conversation, renewal!

Living With Delusion

The Evangelicals are deluding themselves about Trump.  Many young people delude themselves about family, future, and their own prospects for success. Some fewer people establish their own lies or delusions about themselves to excuse their own fears and inactivity.

Unfortunately the "South," as I have experienced it, is a hotbed of this lack of self esteem. Looking for reasons to fail, young people in the South squander their lives in pursuit of "bankrupt values": restoration of the past, fighting or refighting the uncivil Civil war, holding onto values (family, religious, personal) that even they don't truly believe in. And so they live out lives of day-to-day hypocrisy. Pharisees all!

They become the wasted talents of the current generation. 

Brett Kavanaugh

This is a better choice for SCOTUS than the pundits might think for the following reasons::  he is Jesuit-trained (an honest thinker), he is a family man with two daughters and is unlikely to be anti-gay, he is "of Washington" and is definitely not s racist, he is not anti-imigration, he will align with the moral positions of the Jesuits
(including incidentally our current Jesuit pope), he will surprise Trump by his adherence to American civil traditions and the " rule of law." Trump is, fortunately, a very stupid man ruled only by his short-sighted ego and desire for survival.

Putin Versus Trump

Americans believe that Putin has some incriminating "evidence" against our failed President. They expect that evidence to be indicated by the Mueller probe of Donald Trump's election campaign and his first 500 days in office. Americans as a group recognize what a minimal human being Trump is.

We suspect that in his pre-presidential dealings with Putin (and his asssociated olligarchs) Trump did things that would now threaten his regime in America.
These things may have been sexual (times with peeing prostitutes), or financial
(undisclosed deals for hotels, merchandising the "Trump" brand, or what-have--you).

He may also have colluded to try and "fix" the 2016 election, which may actually have been realized. No matter what ensues -- Americans know that Putin can easily manipulate Trump  -- but can he keep the truth from the American people?  I hope not.

God Is Alive -- Religion is Dead

Evangelicals are no longer an honest religion; Catholics have reduced all of morality to: "thou shalt not abort; everything else is okay!" Trump and Sessions quote the Bible even though they completely misinterpret what they use. Basic honesty among Trump's cabinet is non-existent. Lining their pockets and undoing what our normal Presidents (Obama, W. Bush, Clinton, and even Reagan) have done are their only goals. They have no ethics; their "values" are not values but improvisations. Our entire government has been subverted by Trump's inane and  insane campaign promises. When will the Trump nightmare be over?