Second Christmas in my self-induced coma...:

Come they told me...
Pa rum pa pum TRUMP.

A new born king to see...
Pa rum pa pum TRUMP.

Our finest gifts we bring...
Pa rum pa pum TRUMP.

To set before the king...
Rum pum pum TRUMP...
Rum pum pum TRUMP.

What have we done now...
Pa rum pa pum TRUMP...

We have a king with a throne...
Pa rum pa pum TRUMP. 

Give him a chance they say...
Pa rum pa pum TRUMP.

Have we lost our minds!
Pa rum pa pum TRUMP
Rum pum pum TRUMP...
Rum pum pum TRUMP.


Pa rum pa pum...ah...screw it....  
Gee...I can't feel a thing!

Please don't let me wake from this coma too soon!

 

When the Impossible Happens....

The impossible has happened. Wednesday morning it appeared on CNN, then local news, and then every channel. "When a distinguished but elderly scientist states that something is possible, he is almost certainly right. When he states that something is impossible, he is very probably wrong," - Arthur C. Clarke (1917- ). That thought evolved today as I saw the big picture...our universe is impossible. Our lives are impossible. Everything is impossible. If I can not accept the impossibility that Donald won the Presidency of our nation, how can I accept the truth that our Sun exists...that one grain of sand held to the sky will cover over 10,000 galaxies. That estimates suggest there are over one hundred billion galaxies in just the observable universe.... So, somehow I comfort myself today with the thought that Trump as our President is no more impossible than everything in our universe. The impossible exists...everywhere. Click to:  See the impossible:    

The Season is Orange and it's the new Black....

All Hollows' Eve approaches...terror, the fear of death and an end to all we know closes in on us like hearing the Doctor say "CANCER." The wife screams again at the screen as Donald waves his tiny hands. The good voice in my head and soul whispers "It will be just fine." And doubt makes my bowels ache like when remembering what the Doctor said...like when the term paper was due...or the project was not ready. Fear grows in my world at the perfect time of year...don't go in the cellar...climb the stairs and die...Ghosts...demons...even EVIL...does not really exist...really...REALLY! Why do we like being scared? Just a rush. Adrenaline. Is Donald also a specter? He'll just be just blowin' in the wind...like the Nobel Poet wrote and sang.

But Donald is just a pumpkin and all pumpkins turn to dust.

We Know What Trump is...But Don't Forget....

The Donald is proud showing great disrespect for women. That has been proven again, and again, and again during the recent debate. But please remember that the Republicans, even those that turned on their own nominee, have waged a relentless war on all women's rights over many recent years. This emphasizes the importance of voting for all the candidates that have your best interests at heart. As I've said before, the Republicans, even the women in the party, will not stop until the "Way Back Machine" turns the clock back to 1950 or earlier. 

In Need of Reality

For nearly two generations, no American has been obligated to join the military. Less than 0.5 percent of the population serves in the armed forces, compared with more than 12 percent during World War II. Even fewer of the privileged and powerful and their children shoulder arms. As you would expect...this separates the great majority from the reality every soldier faces. With nothing to risk...most Americans never have to concern themselves. The media doesn't show the body bags coming home anymore, or the faces of the parents, brothers, sisters, wives and husbands as they get a knock on their door. America is removed from this reality and we must bring it back with a national draft that places every child at risk...including the children of the privileged and powerful. Maybe, one day, enough of us will care if our children die. 

Click for a NY Times Article:

The Haunting faces of war:  

In Need of Reality

For nearly two generations, no American has been obligated to join the military. Less than 0.5 percent of the population serves in the armed forces, compared with more than 12 percent during World War II. Even fewer of the privileged and powerful and their children shoulder arms. As you would expect...this separates the great majority from the reality every soldier faces. With nothing to risk...most Americans never have to concern themselves. The media doesn't show the body bags coming home anymore, or the faces of the parents, brothers, sisters, wives and husbands as they get a knock on their door. America is removed from this reality and we must bring it back with a national draft that places every child at risk...including the children of the privileged and powerful. Maybe, one day, enough of us will care if our children die. 


Click for a NY Times Article:

"Show some respect or your dead."

Philando Castile, Alton Sterling, Michael Brown, Eric Garner...names we should remember...and so many more I can not remember. And on calls in to news shows and comments on social media what do I hear and see? All these folks telling us how, if only these folks had shown some respect for these officers they would be just fine. Since when did showing disrespect become a capital crime deserving of the death penalty? 

 

Philando Castille's murder: Click if you wish (very graphic).

Alton Steele's murder: Click if you wish (very graphic.). 

Eric Garner's murder: Click if you wish (very graphic). 

 

 

Summer in the City....

                                                                       

So, summer's here. It is June in Cleveland. Lazy, hazy, crazy days are here...till all Hell breaks loose next month. I was a liberal...socialist...protester last century. And, when in the streets, we were never alone. Those against the war in Vietnam shared the street with every movement and one issue group that was out there. And then there were the anarchists...those that just wanted chaos, and could, at any time, create it, cause it to appear from nothing. Pacifists and anti-war marchers were all kumbaya  until anarchists took over. And, if you get a convention...for any party...they will come. Our leaders say they're ready. We can only hope. There's a Death Star hovering over Cleveland...and it's not fiction or fantasy. 

Click here for the summer I would hope for...: 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Hxz6qJi-9k

Translations....

I'm going to build a wall. So, it's obvious that the Judge overseeing this stupid lawsuit about my great university is biased, since he's a Mexican. So what if he was born in Indiana...he's making incredibly bad judgements about this thing. I would say the same thing if he was Muslim. They're all terrorists anyway. I could settle this thing...but I'm in the right. These people in the suit are all just losers trying to scam the system...scam me...get my money.  Meow.... 
Click below...:
Man...can I pull crap outa my ass or what! 

Ashamed....

Remembering speeches from JFK's mouth that lifted and inspired...even LBJ frequently hit one out of the park. But that's over...politics has devolved and become a reality show where major news media follow the show contestants 24 hours a day and seemingly more with Twitter...and the huckster commercial sales line echoes from the talking heads..."and wait...there's more." They haven't quite added canned laughter yet...coming soon? I'm becoming more and more pleased with being of a certain age and knowing the curtain call is closer than when it was raised. 

Karma

I was mildly catatonic behind the wheel...no heat, wind and 17 degrees penetrates an old car like an icicle. Dazed, 4 minutes till my start time at 7:45 AM (I'm a crossing guard at Warren and Clifton),..then eyes wide, crashing and tearing of metal on metal right behind me. I turned to my driver's side mirror and saw pieces/parts of the pickup truck parked one space back and other debris in a cloud swerving to my left. I lifted my eyes and an SUV was 15 feet in the air 20 feet away from my window... flipping right side up and facing East in the West bound lanes it fell hard and bounced on its tires. Everything in that car blew open like a pinata and filled every space to the windshield. I could not see any people. I called 911 and was told the police would be there very soon. Then the passenger door opened and a woman slowly climbed out. The same with the driver. A passenger on an Eastbound bus stopped by this scene like everyone else, got out and ran to the two people. He told them he was a doctor and looked them over. Cop cars were surrounding us now and the wail of sirens everywhere as fire trucks moved in and an ambulance appeared. I'm outside my car now and asked a cop if I was okay parked where I was and he told me I was out of the way there. My car had a few plastic bits on it, but no other obvious damage, so I slowly walked across Clifton and by the SUV...both driver and passenger were without visible injuries. I was alive...my car survived...those involved were okay. Some would be late to work and irritated...but Karma seemed kind today.  So I'm happy! 

     

Medal of Honor

I am an unapologetic fan of NCIS. When I was in the Navy, it was called NIS, or the Naval Investigative Service. Myself and friends were often concerned about any NIS agents sniffing around our world...they had large sniffers. In 1992, the NIS mission was again clarified and became a mostly civilian agency. Roy D. Nedrow, a former United States Secret Service (USSS) executive, was appointed as the first civilian director and the name changed from Naval Investigative Service to Naval Criminal Investigative Service. Nedrow oversaw the restructuring of NCIS into a Federal law enforcement agency with 14 field offices controlling field operations in 140 locations worldwide. And I have become a fan of the TV show. Early on, I was not a fan of Mark Harmon...he seemed full of himself and his fame. But he's grown into the role of Jethro Gibbs in a way unlike any other role he's played. And my favorite episode stars Charles Durning in what might be called his best performance as an aging Medal of Honor winning Marine trying to turn himself in for killing his best friend on Iwo Jima. I couldn't find the complete episode, but this taste is one of the best scenes...: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Or5wIJ5eQCg 

When you get the opportunity...watch it.