Is there any doubt now that the Republicans are the Party of Can’t. You can’t have simple, affordable healthcare, because it will hurt the Insurance industry and their investors. You can’t have women control their own bodies, because women must be kept subservient to men. You can’t protect yourself against gun violence with common sense laws, because there are fascist Americans want guns to fight everyone else. You can’t allow people of color to vote and participate in Democracy, because they’ll vote for Democrats who support their interests. You can’t have social programs because they are too expensive. You can’t have clean air, water, and land because it will cost jobs. You can’t have a livable climate because it conflicts with profits. You can’t have social or economic justice, because it will give you power.. You can’t , you can’t, you can’t.
Let me get this straight, the Republicans at the behest of Trump,
have expressed an interest in extending his first term by 2 years to make up
for the time “lost” due to the Mueller Report. Republicans always play the
victim and sidestep accepting responsibility for their actions.
In 2017, a poll asked Republicans if they would be okay with
postponing federal elections if Trump wanted it. A majority said yes, they would
be willing to obstruct democracy if it served Trump’s purpose.
These are the people we are dealing with; a minority successfully
bullying the majority. Most Democrats, particularly the moderates and old guard
who, apparently, have no clue about the immediate threat of climate change or
how to deal firmly with a traitor and his supporters.
With all that in mind and a modest knowledge of history, I am ready to pronounce my prophesy, a la Nostradamus and the prophets of the Old Testament. Like those ancient gas bags, I’m going to be intentionally hazy about the dates because, unlike those old farts that pulled prophetic messages out of their asses, I acknowledge that the following depends on the patience and intent of the public and all the players. The sequence of events may change. But each event will occur.
I see, I see, I see a shit storm coming our way and there is
no way to avoid it.
By the end of 2019 there will be blood in the
streets. Demonstrators continue to be demonized until Fascist bully boys can’t
refrain themselves and attack.
There will be an act that will outrage the Trump
supporters and give them the excuse to say that we need firm authoritarian leadership.
Most likely, the trigger will be an attack on Trump supporters. It’s likely
that it will be a false flag operation, in which Trump has his own people
attacked so he can blame the Democrats and the Left.
The violence, perpetrated by Trump supporters
will be used as an excuse to impose some form of martial law, curtailing habeas
corpus. It won’t be to control the bullies, rather it will be to blame the Left,
further demonizing them.
The prisons that are now being emptied of
non-violent offenders, marijuana convictions etc.. What will happen with all these
open cells, particularly in the privately run, for profit, prisons? Why not
round up Protestors, Lefties, and anyone who doesn’t go along with the fascist
plan and lock them up.
Trump will start a war or police action that
will give him the excuse to say in his re-election campaign, “Don’t Change
Horses in Mid-stream.”
Trump’s supporters will swagger around intimidating
anyone one they don’t like, including any Republican not “loyal” enough.
Remember the Night of the Long Knives in Germany? Hitler purged his own people of
all but the most loyal, killing or jailing anyone found lacking.
All through this process, Trump and his Fascists
will demonize people of color and force through even more restrictive voting
regulations against them.
In due course, people will start disappearing,
either sent to some distant prison or being disappeared by death squads.
The climate continues to collapse, our nation
will become a footnote in history as we descend into moral, ethical, and
political impotence.
Our planet Earth will rapidly fall apart and
within our lifetimes we will see the start of the collapse of human
civilization.
Eventual extinction.
Question: When will most Americans, cease waiting for a
Savior, realize that they are their own Saviors, and get to the hard work of holding
the Fascists to account? Will we Americans have the balls to defend Democracy
or will we slump back into our couches and jerk-off to reruns of Friends?
If we don’t save our nation from the barbarians, the entire
world will suffer.
This morning, after coffee at my local café, I took a leisurely walk home, enjoying the cool spring day. I live in Minneapolis, a city known for its green spaces and urban wildlife. Our lakes and parkways provide green ribbons from the Mississippi River to lakes and trails in the far western suburbs. During the spring and fall, our city hosts a diverse population of migrating birds. On spring mornings, the air in Minneapolis is filled with bird songs and darting shapes.
At least, that was the way it was a decade
ago. Walking home today the silence was oppressive. There were a few isolated
birds singing, but it was clear that the great number of birds in the past
weren’t here. I’ve noticed how the variety and number of birds at my bird
feeders has dropped markedly.
Likewise, bees and butterflies that
were plentiful until a few years ago, are now rare. When I see a pollinator, I
feel the joy of recognizing an old friend. This doesn’t happen much anymore.
All variety of pollinators are rapidly disappearing.
Sadly, the same is true for our bats.
At sunset, their swarms were common. Wheeling around in the air,
careening here and there, they provided a flying
circus through twilight into the dark. They also ate their weight in insects
every evening. Now, naturalist say that our metropolitan bat populations have
crashed and are going extinct.
It’s not to say that we don’t have some
wildlife entering the city. Bald eagles still perch above our lakes and rivers.
Turkeys are plentiful and crowding their way into all parts of the city.
Rabbits abound. However, the biodiversity of Minneapolis has shrunk noticeably.
When I got home, I sat in my backyard
and listened. After a bit I went inside, feeling hollow, empty of joy, bereft.
I am experiencing grief for the world we will not be able to pass on to our
children.
I’m trying a new approach. I don’t go off about something for at least 3 days old, so there is time to allow the hysteria and game commentary cool down. Then I can judge if the story is truly comment worthy. That’s why I’m focusing on International Women’s Day, now.
It wasn’t until after I became an adult with a little world experience
before I realized what an unusual family I came from. In my house, my mother
had the stronger personality, so everything appeared decided by both mom and
dad.
My mother was worker bee that became a small business entrepreneur. It was
by watching mom handle her business that I learned what it meant to be
responsible. It also showed me that it takes hard work and diligence to
succeed.
My mother and I had a rocky relationship, to say the least, but I will
always admire her grit and her example of take work seriously.
Our society has come a long way during my lifetime. So much so, that younger
generations don’t understand the oppression that was so casually dished out. It
seems to me, that the Women’s Movement and 21st century Feminism have reached
critical mass to get more and more women involved in government and politics.
I am proud of the younger generations who took our messages from the ’60s
and 70s and made them their own and now they are picking up where we left off.
I am optimistic that we can save our bacon from Global Warming and Fascist
White Nationalists.
It is clear that they have an inherent understand of equality and fairness, more
than I did at their age.
I am happy to see women engaging in government. If I remember this right,
the Iroquois Confederation was a participatory democracy where they would
gather together and hash out problems with men and women equal. In fact, I
think that by tradition women were mothers to the tribe and had positions of
authority. It was the Iroquois that our founding fathers and the women
supporting them, looked to the Confederation for examples of a living
democracy. We can thank the Iroquois for our democracy.
We have drifted so far from cooperative problem solving that we need the
networking of women to direct us back to a civil society.
IMHO – everyday should celebrate women and their contributions to society
and the incredible potential unleashed once, their “brethren take their
boots off our [women] necks.”
I can’t believe that I just paraphrased the Notorious RBG. Long may she live
and provide her wisdom.
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February has ended up as Minneapolis’s 4th snowiest month on record with 39 inches for the month. Due to compaction over time, current snow depth is about 30 inches.
Today is the first day of meteorological Spring and we are expecting another snow storm later today, followed by arctic cold. I love Minnesota!!
The meteorological calendar simply divides the calendar into 4 three month segments. Winter consists of December, January and February. We’ll have to wait until March 20th for Astronomical Spring to start.
The Astronomical Calendar is based on the position of the sun in relation to the equator. An equinox, meaning “equal night” in Latin and indicating equal lengths of night and day, occurs when the sun is directly above the equator. This happens twice a year, in the Spring (Vernal) and the Fall (Autumnal).
A Solstice, on the other hand, is the other two major astronomical events. They occur when the sun is farthest north or south from the equator. Summer Solstice, with the sun farthest north in the sky, occurs around June 21 and is the longest day of the year. Like wise Winter Solstice, around December 21, is the shortest day of year with the sun at it’s southern most point in the sky.
Climate Deniers
Slowly, folks are becoming aware that Climate Change is real, it is extremely dangerous, and that it is man made. Yet, I still heard a diehard arguing that it’s a hoax or completely natural and not created by man. It seems to me that anyone who still maintains that position is being willfully ignorant. Perhaps they are so fearful of the reality that they hide from it through denial. Or sadly, they adhere to their ignorance as a political article of faith. To admit that climate change exists is to admit that the faux president and the Republican Party have conned them, big time. It is difficult to admit to yourself, let anyone else, that you’ve been taken advantage of for evil purposes.
It is important to remember that the climate denial campaign was begun by the oil companies in the mid 1980s when they discovered that doing the right thing would cost them $Billions. They chose profits over saving the planet. With that cold blooded attitude, they mounted a well financed campaign to discredit the legitimate science and the scientists. The oil companies created numerous fake organizations and think tanks to promote their lies. By its appearance, climate denial was a scientifically viable position.
It’s completely understandable how people not familiar with the methodology of science could be temporarily mesmerized by the slick propaganda. And, once they’ve accepted the lie, ego becomes involved, making changing positions more difficult. Yet, a large majority of the American people have weighed the evidence and determined that Climate Change is real, dangerous and man made.
In October, 2018, the UN IPCC issued a frightening report stating categorically, that we have used up all spare time we have had to deal with the crisis. The report says unequivocally that we have 10-12 years to make major changes to our energy and societal structures if we are to survive.
I suspect that 10 years is more accurate and even then optimistic.
Denial is a dead, yet still deadly. It is equivalent to criminal negligence, or worse. I believe that reasonable discussion with deniers has reached the point of diminishing returns. The time used in debate is better served in figuring out how best to combat Climate Change and building grassroots pressure for necessary major changes.
As for the rearguard deniers, I believe that humor, ridicule and shaming are in order. An argument against this approach is that it will only make these folks dig in deeper and resist harder. Harder than what? They have squandered 30 years we could have used to make and implement plans that would have allowed us to transition to a more stable world with the least amount of disruption and pain. Because of the deniers, millions of people are suffering needlessly and we are forced to make massive changes in a short period of time, causing more unnecessary pain for 100s of millions more.
The deniers need to recognize the pain and misery they’re beliefs are causing. That is why, since education and empathy aren’t working, it seems to me, an harsher more punitive approach is in order.
Not much to say. Our President continues to eviscerate our democracy and nation. His henchmen are merrily working along to totally undermine democratic traditions, role of law, you name it. It’s a race between human decency and depravity. Right now, what we normal citizens can do is make our voices heard through our elected officials, contribute time or money to social and political causes aimed at removing the Faux President and setting things right.
Did I mention that the climate is collapsing down around our heads? Actually, it’s oozing up between our toes as sea brine.
How about the imminent stalling of the saline engine that drives major currents in the Pacific and Atlantic? Yep. As freshwater from Greenland’s dissolving glaciers flood into the North Atlantic it dilutes the salty Gulf Stream current which carries warm water and weather all the way to Ireland, UK, and Europe. The salty stream goes away, so does a temperate Europe.
Some days, I feel like one of the Night Watch characters from Game of Thrones. Wrapped in bulky layers, caught in the seemingly eternal embrace of a classic Minnesota winter.
The image is a selfie taken with my Samsung phone and processed with Lightroom and Photoshop. A friend of mine, a talented painter, scoffs at photo-realistic paintings, saying, “If you want a photograph, use a camera.” Now this posses a similar question to me, ‘If I wanted a painting, I should use a brush.’ Beneath this lies the question, does technology render art obsolete?
Waiting for Hell to Freeze Over
Not much to say. Our President continues to eviscerate our democracy and nation. His henchmen are merrily working along to totally undermine democratic traditions, role of law, you name it. It’s a race between human decency and depravity. Right now, what we normal citizens can do is make our voices heard through our elected officials, contribute time or money to social and political causes aimed at removing the Faux President and setting things right.
Did I mention that the climate is collapsing down around our heads? Actually, it’s oozing up between our toes as sea brine.
How about the imminent stalling of the saline engine that drives major currents in the Pacific and Atlantic? Yep. As freshwater from Greenland’s dissolving glaciers flood into the North Atlantic it dilutes the salty Gulf Stream current which carries warm water and weather all the way to Ireland, UK, and Europe. The salty stream goes away, so does a temperate Europe.
Some days, I feel like one of the Night Watch characters from Game of Thrones. Wrapped in bulky layers, caught in the seemingly eternal embrace of a classic Minnesota winter.
The image is a selfie taken with my Samsung phone and processed with Lightroom and Photoshop. A friend of mine, a talented painter, scoffs at photo-realistic paintings, saying, “If you want a photograph, use a camera.” Now this posses a similar question to me, ‘If I wanted a painting, I should use a brush.’ Beneath this lies the question, does technology render art obsolete?