Nope, Not There

There is a foaming soap I like.  I have been buying it for years.  Unfortunately, I picked up some that wasn't foaming.

When I tried to return it to the drug store where I have shopped for years,  they discounted it without a receipt.

The price was $9.78.   It was on sale for $3.99.  When I went to the register for the exchange, I was told that the store price WITHOUT a receipt would be $2.49.  Since I had two of them to exchange,  my $20 purchase was now worth $5.

WHO keeps receipts for everything?   I am well known (or was) to the store employees.

I won't be shopping at Rite Aid again.

The good news is I am changing brands.  I'll be buying Mrs. Meyer's lavender foaming soap.  I didn't lose money, I gained an opportunity for a another step up.

An Oath To Defend

With the advent of the new film, The Post, which is about the Pentagon Papers, a part therein being released to the Washington Post, I think about Daniel Ellsberg.  I think about his courage, his love of country to risk everything to stand for freedom.

I also think about Edward Snowden. I think that the times we live in are not so really different.  That Daniel Ellsberg, like Edward Snowden and Chelsea Manning are patriots.  There was no personal gain.  There was confinement for Snowden.  Confined to a room in Russia because his own country would put him in prison. Manning got prison time.

At a time when the President of the United States is under intense scrutiny for alleged hacking of the election with his Russian comrades, it does make you wonder who the treasonist really is.

We are reminded, of a conversation three years ago in The Atlantic wherein "Daniel Ellsberg, the celebrated leaker of the Pentagon Papers, said in a conversation last weekend with National Security Agency whistleblower Edward Snowden that every human sometimes bites their tongue when they witness something that they know to be wrong—and blood often flows as a result. Due in part to lies during the Vietnam War, he said, millions of people were needlessly killed. At home, tobacco executives successfully hid the cancerous nature of their products. More recently, as GM customers died in their cars, the company kept mum about a defect. "

"Snowden was the one person in the (expletive deleted)  NSA who did what he absolutely should have done," he said.

https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2014/07/daniel-ellsberg-snowden-honored-his-oath-better-than-anyone-in-the-nsa/375031/

They took an oath to defend the Constitution.  Is there even a Constitution anymore?  Where are the Constitutional lawyers?

The Post is about that time.  In 1971 the Pentagon Papers were leaked.  An all star cast takes us back to the Washington Post, during those years led by Katherine Graham.  Ellsberg was only acquitted because Nixon's White House Plumbers broke into Ellsberg's psychiatrist office.  It is my hope that Edward Snowden receive the same treatment when Trump faces treason.  Edward Snowden deserves to come home to the country and the Constitution he protected.  He deserves to come home the hero and patriot that he is.

UFOs: National Security Threat?

By now, you must have heard about the government"program investigated reports of unidentified flying objects, according to Defense Department officials, interviews with program participants and records obtained by The New York Times. It was run by a military intelligence official, Luis Elizondo, on the fifth floor of the Pentagon’s C Ring, deep within the building’s maze."

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/12/16/us/politics/pentagon-program-ufo-harry-reid.html?_r=0

Dr. Carol Rosin speaks about Dr. Werner Von Braun's fear of the weaponization of space.

https://youtu.be/gP8ftWzFYI4


"FREE has secured information directly from Tom DeLonge and his military intelligence handlers that they have a negative view of UFOs, that UFOs pose a national security threat, and that the ultimate goal of this slow leak military disclosure release is ultimately the weaponization of space.  Ask yourself, who will benefit from this false flag evil alien invasion scenario?  Who was the primary funding recipient of this Pentagon led UFO program?  The answer is Bigelow Aerospace, of of the major space military contractors and the same person that secretely purchased the Experiencer files from MUFON.  Notice that the director of this Pentagon Program, Mr. Elizonda, was an operative from military inteligence and that he publicly stated that we need additional funding to continue this program because of the possible "national security threat" posed by UFOs."

Reinerio Hernandez, co-founder of FREE
J.D. MCP Cornell University, Ph.D. Candidate UC Berkeley
http://www.experiencer.org

This president needs a war to ensure his second term (if Mueller and his team don't succeed in finding the goods).  What better way with a nut case in the White White, one in North Korea and monsters in the sky. 

UFO Disclosure?!

Nearly everyone has read or heard about the Pentagon's release of a UFO video.

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/12/16/us/politics/pentagon-program-ufo-harry-reid.html

Many questions abound.  For starters, why did they choose to release a 2004 video, one nearly fourteen years later when surely more recent ones are available?  Why release this now?  Why when the President of the United States and his team are under huge scrutiny for possible treason, obstruction of justice, campaign violations and more.  Why release this five years after Stephens and Inouye have passed?

Did anyone mention that Bigelow persuaded Reid to get involved in this project.  That Bigelow also contributed to Reid's re-election campaign? That Bigelow conributed more than $10,000 between the years 1998 and 2008?

https://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2017/12/16/pentagon-ufo-search-harry-reid-216111

Was the U.S. really concerned that the Chinese or Russians may get the jump on them developing next generation technologies? And/or did the U.S. want to be the first to disclose a portion of this before they did?

You don't have to be an intuitive or psychic to see beyond all of this.

Let's continue with who controls the media?  Why is it every single station reads the same story, verbatim?  Could it be that they are all owned by the same corporation?  Yes, mostly.

The lines are blurred.  Government is in cahoots with corporations and control this country now.  They have for some time.  And, there are many factions involved.  It is a cleidoscope. One easy turn and the picture changes.

I don't know what was in the hearts and minds of the two pilots, Commander David Fravor and Lieutenant Commander Jim Slaight, who say saw this UFO.  I don't know what Luis Elizondo knows.  

I do know enormous money has changed hands. Some of it went to the company of a friend and campaign contributor of Harry Reid, Robert (Bob) Bigelow.  Surely, this is a huge conflict of interest.

At the very minimum, I know UFOs exist.  I have seen a few of them.  If you are interested in my experience, with a ship 35 feet off the ground above me,  have a listen.  https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCY9HZ1M8-7nTCV8RjdzAl8Q

But this, my friends is at best a shell game.  More inept and corrupt governmental attempts to sprinkle crumbs so that the masses will flock to them.  A red flag?  You betcha!!

The Chat Room

It is said chat rooms began in the 1990s. They are a room online, often grouped by age or interest.  The former is exclusive to one age group as bots come in and out.  Senior chat rooms tend to be people fifty and over.  Some of the bots are kids, some are people of nefarious backgrounds.

They attract a lot of different personalities.  The isolated either by personality, geography or both frequent chat rooms.  People living on the fringes, unhappy people, sexual predators and people of that ilk can also be found there. Then there are people, nice people who just want to make friends.  These are the people who have the hardest times in the chat rooms.  Sometimes they are picked on by the bullies who come in to start trouble.  Often they don't say a word, nor stand up to those who are bullied.  They leave quietly - without any complaints.

Some chat rooms have monitors that volunteer their time in the rooms.  Most bring their own agenda, personality quirks and prejudices with them.  Charged often with the removal of bullies, sometimes they are the bullies themselves.

I checked out a few of these rooms.  As a trained sociologist, I wanted to see how group behavior would handle these difficult personality types.  I had no formed hypothesis.  I just wanted to participate and to observe.

50Plus is based in Germany.  It is 'monitored' by a Brit.  He seems a friendly enough fellow at first.  He also seems to delight in watching room bullies insult people.  Few stand up. He does not.

There is Buzz50 run by a British husband/wife team who allegedly met online.  They have an assortment of 'monitors' who have their own social agenda.  It appears they are not too keen on Americans.  They do not self-police their monitors who often run awry. The owner continually asks for money and donation of 'points' to allegedly help run the business.   Still, the bullies seem more limited in this room, but this writer found the worst of all was a female monitor. A male monitor put up a pin up photo of a woman. Nothing was done.  It is censorship at will. At best.

321chat has monitors as well.  They are untrained, uneven in their monitoring and allow abuse, foul language and have a sizeable drinking population.  The room says it is a senior room for people typically aged thirty and over.  One monitor is just thirty-five and has no ability or personality to stand up to the bullies.  Another monitor bullies the men.

I also was appalled that so many allow bullying and few stand up.  Perhaps it is typical of the world in which we live.  That is not a world where this writer is comfortable.  It takes a village to create peace.  It surely can not be found in some of the rooms I observed.

The Sled

In 2012, when I learned I would be moving to New Hampshire, it was time to get rid of a few things. While my apartment along the Atlantic was large, a sled wouldn't fit into it.

We have all things we cherish. This sled was one of them.  I bought it for fun with my spouse.  Little did I know, he wasn't as adventurous as I.  Not that sled riding is all that adventurous.  So, I took my little ones, bundled them up and sat them on the sled.  Since they were too young to ride down our high hill in Maryland in those days, I would pull them around the flat cul-de-sac.  It seemed to satisfy them greatly.

When we moved to upstate New York, we weren't there long enough to do any significant sledding.  The sled spent much of its time against the outer wall in the two car garage.

Another move took us to the flat lands of New Jersey.  There were no hills anywhere.  Still, I couldn't part with my beloved sled.  It moved south with me to the Smokies, where there are mountains everywhere.

My hill meets all the sledding requirements but one.  Traffic.  Since the S-shaped curve doesn't have the appropriate mirrors to see to the bottom of the road, I haven't been able to use it.

Two days ago, on my Main Street morning walk, I met the fellow, MJ, who bought the sled from me for his antique store five years ago.

"Do you happen to still have my sled?" I asked.

"I have about 4-5 sleds back there.  I'll be back in about 20 minutes.  Stop in and we can see what I have."

This was the longest 20 minutes.  The first sled was from the 1950s and quite worn.  Another one clearly newer was leading against a hutch.  It felt familiar but I remembered it being in brand new shape.  Two more were tucked away in the back.

"Here, take this one," MJ said.

He charged me less than half of the price he originally paid me for it.

"No one buys sleds anymore, " he assured me.

I put the sled in the back of my Subaru.  It was dustier than I remembered.  Some of the coating was wearing off the stainless handle bars.

I got it home, removing cob webs and years of neglect when it happened.  I turned it over and saw my last name, magic markered some thirty years earlier.

Flexi is once again home.  I told MJ, the shopkeeper about it just this morning.

"Oh, sledgate," he said.

Once again, the sled is propped up on the wall where it has lived for twelve years (plus the five left alone in the shop).  Warmth and joy fill my heart. And the gratitude for finding it is more than words can describe.

The People's March on Washington To Impeach Trump

Rarely, is there a topic where there isn't much to say.  This, says it all.

http://www.rallylist.com/the-peoples-march-on-washington-1-26-18/

The People’s March On Washington 1-26-18

The People’s March On Washington 1-26-18

The People’s March on Washington is dedicated to advancing the vision of Hope, Equality, Opportunity and Justice for all. We want to encourage the nearly 66 million voters in the last election to Organize, March and Occupy.

Add your name go to www.peopledemandaction.org and add your name to call for the impeachment and removal of the 45th President of the United States.

The official call for impeachment is Friday January 26th.

Join us in Washington, D.C on Saturday January 27th as we March and Occupy DC.

And let’s Occupy starting Sunday January 28th.

To Contact Us: contact@peopledemandaction.org

In 1991, half a million people outside the Kremlin demanded that Gorbachev resign from office! Well, that moment in time is also coming for TRUMP!

America, NOW is the time to prepare for this! If we organize the most massive protest in our nation’s history – even to the doors of the White House – this evil administration will have NO CHOICE but to step down!

But none of this will happen if we sit quietly at home! It is time all of us become organized for this event! Our democracy is depending on this!

It is very clear now to everyone who pays attention to the news that Congress is doing NOTHING! They are all just sitting on their assess, talking about the new great tax bill, which is a complete scam. SOME are TRYING to get the impeachment process going!

The Mueller investigation is going incredibly SLOW as well! We all hope that Trump will be indicted and charged for treason, but there is no guarantee that this will happen!

So, it is time for ALL Americans, who care about the true American Dream, to stand together UNITED, despite racial, religious, and political differences! It is no longer about which party is best, it is now about our own personal freedoms that are in jeopardy!

And the only way we can end this national nightmare is to organize together as ONE and show Congress and this most idiotic, greedy, and evil self-centered regime that we are all sick and tired of this MADNESS!

We The People need to stand up NOW even unto the doors of the White House itself! We cannot let this administration go any further! They have done enough damage already!

Who is with me? It is time to end the madness! SPREAD THE WORD!

Event Website:

https://www.facebook.com/events/530158777342771/

Date of Event:

Friday, 26 January, 2018

Time of Event:

Jan 26, 2018 at 10 AM to Jan 28, 2018 at 1 PM EST

Address:

Washington, D.C.

City:

Washington, D.C.

After Quantico

After Quantico and after a tour in the middle east in the 90s, Cerise knew her background and education prepared her for far more.

It wasn't just becoming the first in her class to excel at Remote Viewing.  Or, that she had an innate ability and knowing to get to the bottom of things.  9/11 opened up a whole new world for Cerise.  Stories of hidden and diverted funds, housed in a computer in the World Trade Center in New York City, rogue operations going on in several floors in the buildings.  But the casualties of war, the families going without in the United States because of the waste in military funds played on her heart.   That billions were diverted to special interest groups in Congress, hidden accounts in the Caymans, Greece and Deutsch Bank made her furious. Still, combat soldiers were receiving minimal care in Veterans Hospital in a government where no one seemed to care what was going on.

Young people sacrified at the alter of greed and dollars by wealthy members of Congress who continually send people to war.  Wars in which their families never participate, wars which made them lots of money as it did for Cheney and Halliburton to the tune of $40 billion in the Iraq war alone. We are told he put his investments into a blind trust while Vice President.  That certainly does not guarantee that those managing the trust aren't partial to Cheney's interests.  Cheney continued to retain the $34 million in his stock options as well.

And she wasn't one to wait for the Sam Ervins of the world to call it out and expose it.  Cerise wanted more.

Plagued by Edward Snowden's expose on tapping into the servers of U.S. tech companies, or cable companies worldwide, NSA accessing private citizen phone records, all done with secret court orders.    Or Julian Assange with Wikileaks who was brilliantly adept at cracking computer codes and exposing  confidential documents and military atrocities.

Or the outtage of James Comey, former FBI Director with his refusal to end the investigation into Michael Flynn, then national security adviser secretly involved in too many Russian connections.  Cerise had heard and seen too much.

It was often hard in her early days for Cerise Le Roq to be taken seriously.  At least until you saw her in action.  Her long brown hair, striking blue eyes and model figure at just five feet six inches quieted any room she entered.  She was always composed.  A bit like Elizabeth Warren in her gentle mannerisms.  That was, until she had something to say.

Like the time this past fall when the Senate Judiciary Hearing invited her to sit in on a session.

"Dr. Le Roq, you have five minutes."

"Gentleman, you are in leadership roles whether at Google, Facebook or Twitter.  How could you miss all these Russian posts?  Don't you track where your income is coming?"

Dr. Cerise Le Roq continued, "You are all Americans.  Americans.  Where was your loyalty to your country?"

The poker faced, numbed-down executives offered little.  They were not about to give up their private jets, housekeeping services, limos, private schools for their children, or stock options in the millions.  They had a board to answer to.  Executives like themselves who absconded millions with inside deals laundered away in remote banks on islands few of us have the opportunity to enjoy.

Cerise knew this was all a build up.  A build up for the time when Mueller and his investigative team, who deeply loved their country, had a high degree of ethics and ability to tract funds will reveal what has been going on.  The tweeter president and his family on  the government dole would one by one be placed under a microscope.

It wouldn't be long until Ivanka and her husband, Jared Kushner, would be spending less time at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue.

The case for the impeachment of the 45th president of the United States was proceeding. And, it wasn't about to end with just the president.

®

Oh, Pub!

Oh, Pub!  What is with this new craze in America?  Unlike our British counterpart, many of these new start-up pubs are bland. No style. Stealy.

https://www.thrillist.com/drink/nation/english-pubs-vs-us-bars-15-reasons-why-british-pubs-are-better-than-american-bars

You can't have a conversation in these places.  The acoustics are non-existent, the place isn't necessarily clean - new grunge, as some refer to it.  It is pure and simple - a watering hole.

I don't much care for this type of entertainment.  Since I am not a drinker - have never felt the need to inebriate in order to forget my troubles, or even, have a good time.  Apparently, many do.  They cater to the 30-40-50 crowd.  I have to wonder if these frequenters will lose their hearing in a few years because of all the noise.

As one who prefers smaller gatherings, meaningful conversation, you have a better chance of finding me in a nice little restaurant with a friend or two.  Clean bathrooms, good service.  Ambient matters so how the owners designed the place is important.  Whether it is done on the cheap, artsy, simplistic, I don't care.  I do like to see what others put together.

I am saddened that my town has succumbed to the beer joint idea.  Few offer food at the table.  Some do food trucks.  FOOD TRUCKS?  Who wants to eat out of them?  Had enough of them during my Rutgers days.  The food is usually palatable but I just don't want to be served on paper plates, paper utensils. You understand where I am going now.

Pubs in Maine are a whole different situation.  The food is usually pretty good, served at the table and reasonably priced.  Sure, it is pub food, not necessarily organic, fried on the grill.  The bathrooms are always clean and the seating is family friendly.  They also have higher revenues which explains why my little town has sparse beer joint offerings.

Nope, you won't find me in one of those places again.  Unless it is 4 p.m. before the crowd gathers.  No doubt I will have cider in my hand.  I'll only consume half of it because it doesn't bode well in my digestive tract.

I'll be looking out for the next Annie's Bakery.  A place where multi-generations can gather  Where the food is healthy and where you never know when you will meet your next friend.

In a pub?  I don't think so. At least not here.  Most likely, I'll be on the mountain.  The food is delicious, the company grand and the bathrooms immaculate.

On Sexual Harassment

Just the other day a friend asked me a question.  I still have my mouth open about it.  Mostly, in shock.

"Do you think people who sexually harassed others in the 60s and on are liable?"

"Liable, he says."

My jaw nearly dropped.

"Liable, are you kidding?  Touching someone inappropriately at work or on a date is totally wrong. Playing power games on a worker for sex is wrong."

We could call it bullying.  Or sexual molestation if they are touch.  I will settle for sexual harassment.  The perpetrator should be fired.  On the spot.

NBC knew long before Matt Lauer's final professional demise what was going on.  So did Rupert Murdoch at Fox (cough) News.

"Liable ?"he asks.

Without a doubt.  Crimes like this have no expiration date.  Nor do the memories of the victims.  I have been there.

I am told Trump was 'elected' president.  How can we be sure?  Mueller and team are hard at work investigating what really went on.  It doesn't look good.

But there is far more to the story.  Why would anyone vote for a sexual predator?  Can all these women being lying?  A recent article explains some of it:

https://rantt.com/why-women-vote-for-sexual-predators-1a33194492a9

We know that former second class citizens can't have much of a sense of self-worth. Look at what we did to the native Americans and it has been decades just trying to help them recover emotionally and financially.  We are so used to sweeping these behaviors under the rug.  Both men and women laugh at these things.  I sure don't.

It is time for all these women to be compensated for what they have endured.  Lost wages, lost promotions, depression and PTSD. It is also time to raise all of our consciousnesses over the horrible treatment of people - men and women.

Do I think people who sexually harassed others in the 60s and on are liable?  You bet!

Happy December

Sometimes the universe sends you messages.  Sometimes they seem, at first, to be confusing ones.  I think I was tested, maybe even teased to see if I really wanted to stay in the Smokies.  That the buyer for my mountain home backed out with a few signs of hesitation before said it all.

So did my colon, which wasn't too happy about me signing a contract.  I was more physically upset than I knew.  And that, comes from someone who thought she was pretty in touch with her body mind.

"There are other solutions," my inner voice reminded me.

"Pick one."

I have been mulling it over, even looking for a place to rent.  I did find one rental I really like, but the real estate agent wasn't ethical.  Then I found a house but it became a bidding war.  Now the house is back on the market.  I won't buy it.  It doesn't feel right now.

So maybe buying a condo is the thing to do. My wonderful new real estate agent is trying to secure one in a lovely little community.  Of course, I will still keep the mountain house.  My soul is here. And it is by the ocean in New England.  It can be in two places.

Sometimes the universe sends you messages.  Sometimes you have to let them be.  Let things happen naturally.

Maybe that is why I love being in nature.  Whether the mountains or the ocean.  Yes, both will do nicely.

Happy Holidays!

Letting Go...Again

I am just down.  Dissatisfied.  Isolated.  Feeling like I am done here.  Everything points to do it.  Then there is the offer on my beloved home.  I know it is time to go.  But to where?  What can I afford and still live comfortably on the meager amount I get for my home.  Having a lovely home, relatively new, or better yet NEW is important to me.

A friend from out of state called today.  In fact, I have been hearing from lots of friends lately.  It is fall, so I am cleaning out my list of who will follow me into 2018.  There will be lots of changes.

The nasties are definitely being left.  I miss having someone to talk to.  Someone to run things by.  A partner.  Seems everyone is too busy for friendship.  Or maybe that is because I have made some lousy choices in them.  I am grateful to have a couple of close ones.

A dear friend has a new boyfriend.  He seems perfect for her and I couldn't be happier.  She deserves the very best.  Other friends just lost their partners.  They are forlorned, vulnerable and mourning.

I think this time of year is for reflection. Looking back but definitely looking more forward.  Looking at the choices we have made in mates - friends.  Partners.  Are we doing the same thing expecting a different result?

Three years ago after a short lived, ridiculous semi-relationship, I vowed to take a few years off and just reflect.  Think about the next adventure.  Notice the signs that it is time to go.  Maybe the hardest thing now for me is to just be.  Let the process unfold.  No expectations.  No attachment.

Fb People

Enough already!

Let's start posting nice things.  Happy moments. Surely they compromise more of your life than abused animals and children and those dumb enough to stay in those kinds of relationships.  Enough of $rump stories (yeah, I have posted a few, too).  Enough of people, animals and homes under water.  Enough of fake news, how you loathe your white privilege, bandwagoneers.  You jump on a cause, bleed it until there is nothing left and do absolutely nothing about it after you moan and groan.

Is this all you know?

I had a wonderful weekend.  There was a daycare center picnic, a boat tour around Casco Bay,  trips to downtown Portland, a Marimba band concert, dinners and lunches out and at home.  There was lots of family interaction, and a toddler who knocked at my door in the morning calling my name.  And a toddler who asked where I was when I left to fly home.

Life is for the living.  There is more positive than negative in the world.  Hold the moments, tell a funny story. Inspire others.  Leave the world and others better than you found them

On Self Leadership

Do you really have to look to another person to lead you?  MLK, Obama, some mouth on the news, the internet and media will tell you who to follow. Where are you on any of this?   Where is your heart?

C'mon we all know what is right.  I don't buy for one second that you blame your lot in life on anyone else.  Really?

Beware of the Fb nemes, posts that tell part of the story and get your adrenaline pumping.  We seem to be in a culture that does a lot of that.

There is a writer for a local newspaper, the SMN.  One writer never tells the whole story.  Who, what, where, how and why.  Basic tenets of journalism.

Most recently, she headlined a story about a local tribe who was not going to fund senior citizen utility bills.  The headliner was heart wrenching.  I even wrote her to suggest that she do a full interview and get to the real story. (they are other funding stories to take care of them).  Have called her in the past telling her to do the WHOLE story, too.  I suppose the editor doesn't care much.  Nor does the readership.  Apparently.  Anyway, they lost my following.

Stand up.  Speak out.  Love from your heart.  You don't have to like the behaviors of others.  You do have to be kind about it.

Be your own self leader.  Now. Our survival demands it.

Rethinking America

The latest outrage in the United States is now about Confederate statutes.  A recent incident in Charlottesville, Virginia touched off the sensitivities of a few.   Many have jumped on this bandwagon.  Remove the statues they say.   A group of thugs decided to do the deed themselves.  They await the legal system. A nation cries out.  Why now?

Let us be clear.  We are not a fair country.  51% of our statues do not represent women in all the areas women were and are involved.  Streets and highways are named after paid male politicians, judges and others and don’t reflect the free contributions of all citizens.  Statues often reflect the victors of war, not those who sought and continue to peace and unity.  

It seems these bandwagon movements are short lived and not sustainable.  We see this in civil rights; how we treat one another on a daily basis ; children, animals, veterans, and those at the sunset of life.  Those that rule our country come from wealth and tend to enact laws that maintain their lifestyle, not the population they are elected to represent.  

We are a country that gives corporations personhood, allows puppy mills, child and elder abuse, human trafficking, and the 51% to be treated as second class citizens.  We continue to do that with anyone who isn’t white, wealthy, male.  

It is said we are one of the most charitable nations.  On paper, money transfer, checks.  We don’t get involved with the hungry family down the street, or the older woman living alone whose front door won’t open.  Our time is spent sedentary, often on the internet, not engaged with our community. If we do, it has to be over beer and wine.  We couldn't do it sober.

A recent survey of Facebook bandwagon comments doesn’t bring disparate groups together, or even groups with similar opinions among the so-called liberal community.  They are about puffing themselves up, putting you down.  They aren’t about listening, engaging or moving the human spirit forward.  

Where will the bandwagon mentality be next month?  Who will they put down?  These people don’t care about you.  They care about themselves.  That, is the real outrage.

Wimps

Time to wake up!  Time is running out.

Politicians do not care about the constituents.  They only want your vote.  They care about being re-elected.  They care about the money they will make in office and the power they will have.  It has been that way FOREVER.

Yes, they are some caring ones. Barbara Mikulski from Maryland.  And yes, I know her.  I worked with her sister, Fran.  Fabulous family. Deep values.  Honesty. Integrity.

Jimmy Carter also cared for people. Hubert Humphrey from Minnesota (the Happy Warrior) cared.  I am at  a loss to remember who else cared/cares.

And yes, they have you where they want you.  They scatter crumbs here and there.  Tell you they have not allowing folks from seven Arab countries to come into the U.S.A. Never mind that Obama did something similar.  You are worried about them?  Where were you when they were bombing their homelands.  Put into boats.  Are you going to sponsor them?  Let them live with you?

I hardly doubt it.

Enough said.

Don't Talk

Don't talk to me about white privilege. Or what is wrong with the world. Or post more hatred on Facebook.  Tell me about your hopes, your dreams.  Tell me what you are doing to make the world a better place.  Or, just do it without the self-aggrandizement.

A quick stroll through most media sources is a walk through the negative.  For the past year, as part of a desire to re-center my life, I haven't been around too many people.  Tired of the hit and run texts, superficiality and empty lives, I thought I would try a year of reclusion.  Of course, this didn't include my dear family, with whom I enjoy spending time with.  Or my absolutely adorable new granddaughter who has an inner smile. Or a few close friends always in my heart.

This interesting year has taught me much.  While I won't go into what I have learned, for it is my lessons alone,  I will tell you this. Love is all around you.  Be that love.  Call a friend.  Invite them to lunch, or for a walk.  Check on an older person and see how they are.   They have wonderful stories of life.  Be a mentor.  Find one.  Walk a different path.  The view will astound you.