I've become really popular and unpopular at the same time. It
s am honor both ways....
Most of those who complain about teachers aren’t in the education field and know little about learning or child development and behavior, particularly in group settings. Even parents of large families will not have a firm grasp. No. Most of the children they deal with at home will be their own blood. Dealing with 25-30 of someone else’s children is a whole ‘nother thing. Teachers taking part in the recent “All out for Education” event last May 1 have been called :”union thugs,” ungrateful, anti-child, socialists. Critics could not be more wrong. North Carolina teachers have no unions, devote up to 12-14 hours daily to the benefit of their students and if they seem ungrateful, it is because they ARE unappreciated. Furthermore, public education IS socialist, as are the post office and the military. They exist for the benefit of ALL, not merely a small, affluent minority. Teaching takes a special kind of a person, one who knows they will be valued less (“those who can’t do, teach!”) , have impossible things demanded of them and know they will never be compensated well enough. Critics need to walk a mile in teachers’ shoes rather than judging them.
the "Imbuicles" are gonna eat this one up...
Friday, May 3, 2019
I showed this movie to the group I subbed for all week today. I'd seen it before and believed it taught a vital lesson.
I've told students before that you one does not have to like someone to treat them decently. This movie is a grand example of what happens when people stop doing this.
The German people were convinced that "the jew" was their enemy, the cause of betrayal and the defeat of Germany in world war 1. In the motion picture one of the main characters tells his young son that jews aren't really people, and insinuates that, in order to make a better world, they need to be eliminated. And being the commandant of a concentration camp, he makes it his business to make sure this happens.
The young son meets a young jewish boys resident of the camp and strikes up an unlikely friendship. Neither he nor has mother particularly buy into the "final solution." Neither does the paternal grandmother who, they say, is mysteriously killed in a "bombing raid." They didn't say, but I am left with the notion that her demise was due to other causes and to her politics.
Not all Germans approved of Hitler or the Nazis.
The words and attitudes displayed throughout were chilling and I sense a similar outlook on the loose now in this country.
Westboro Baptist would execute homosexuals in a moment, if they could. Some preachers have openly advocated it in other places.
I will readily admit that I am not always comfortable with either Jews or homosexuals, but no way would I ever advocate harming or sanctioning them. Nor do I have the right or the inclination to judge them.
I got blasted on the News and Record Blog, as I knew I would be. I am still the reigning "drama queen " and delusional "leftist," the one who imagines that so many of these white supremacists have been "inspired" by Trump's words and actions. Some have so stated in their "manifesto," including some who reside in other countries.
Those are facts, but then such things are totally wasted on Trumpkins.
I've come to measure the quality of my letters by the amount of vitriol my opponents spew. One of them even referred to Bernie as a "cocksucker" this time around, the act of a hormonal adolescent.
I will not relent. Some would advocate that I stop trying to reason with fools. I'm not. I'm way past that. Now I am just providing them with the opportunity to show other voters how twisted and delusional they really are...
They say that sometimes, as one gets older, they come to view certain things in a different way. That has certainly happened in my own case.
I now see how my prolonged association with Mary J cost me dearly.
I also see how some of my words and actions with difficult people, particularly during my time in the Catholic Schools, made situations worse than they were.
I've even come to question a lot of our military actions, including even our involvement in Kuwait. I volunteered, was not drafted and was gun ho for the longest time. Was I lured into going along with some things I should not have?
As a "transplanted" southerner, I went along, also, with the notion that southern secession was about...I guess the term might be southern "nationalism" and not merely slavery. Converts can be deluded and overly zealous in a lot of ways.
I believe I see things more clearly now. Agreed, it was not merely about slavery alone but part of a grand scheme to perpetuate a system of servitude that involved both black and white. Less than 6% of southerners owned slaves, yet many of the remaining 94% were lured into defending that "system," facing for the notion that the "meddling yankees" were attacking our "way of life." Few of those slave owners shared in the danger. Many were exempt due to owning slaves.
"Rich man's war; poor man's fight."
Hundreds of thousands died in the effort to maintain the system of servitude. Perhaps the reason I know that so well, now, is because the same kind of things is and has been happening in current times.
Since WW 2, we have involved our military in conflicts with countries who, with the possible exception of Afghanistan, who harbored those who attacked us on 911, had been no direct threat to the United States. Many of the actions, both overt and covert, have resulted from our wishing to seize resources we believe we needed or in an effort to overturn established governments we disagreed with and NOT as self defense.
Who are the overwhelming majority of those who enter the military? The poor, the disadvantaged; that has been true for decades.
"Oil wars."
"Wars for profit."
President Eisenhower warned us about the "military -industrial complex." War is very good for certain industries and individuals. Flag draped coffins coming home don't seem to matter anymore. Nor is it a new thing, either.
Recall the dark ages? Yes, the one with serfs and lords and ladies, a very tiered society when the few prospered and all others paid and slaved. Are we really that far away from that now?
There was another shooting in a synagogue today. Information is still incomplete, but authority says it is a "hate crime," another one. I don't know it, but suspect the culprit will be yet another white supremacist.
Donald Trump's words and example have inspired terror actions not only in the United States, but in the international community as well.
It will take years to erase the stain he has made on the American and International psyche.
It may never disappear completely.
That second civil war we have all been dreading has already begun...and it appears, we are losing....
The Trumpkins on the News and Record Blog have already initiated the name calling and insult; small wonder. They support Trump because they are exactly like him.
why any reasonable person would still support Donald Trump. Millions still do.
There was another shooting in a synagogue today. Information is still incomplete, but authority says it is a "hate crime," another one. I don't know it, but suspect the culprit will be yet another white supremacist.
Donald Trump's words and example have inspired terror actions not only in the United States, but in the international community as well.
It will take years to erase the stain he has made on the American and International psyche.
It may never disappear completely.
That second civil war we have all been dreading has already begun...
The jackass wants to send more troops to the Mexican border now. He's also taunting Iran,
The man needs a distraction, a diversion.
The GOP is drawing up big plans to trash both medicare and social security. They had promised never to do that.
Trumpkins are so dumb. So many of the things King Orange is doing and plan to do will harm them the most and yet, they worship the ground upon which he walks....
Joe Biden is going to run for president after all. I had begun to think he would not.
Not 100% sure how to feel about that...
Yes, he was Obama's veep, but I don't think he is a Barak Obama.
Still want to pull for Bernie, but fear that the GOP will use the socialism meme to discredit him. We Americans are so pedantic anymore.
That civil war so many fear has begun. Actually, it's been going on for awhile now. Pipe bombs in the mail. White supremacist shootings. Now a militia group on the border says they trained to assassinate Clinton, and Obama. The world is going nuts....
t
The era of Trump will not end peacefully. He has ambitions of being president for life and has so stated. No joke. If he is somehow re-electred (yes, it could happen), our democracy is finished. So is our middle and working class. We'll bet reduced to the status of serfs, economically and socially. America's status in the world will continue to decline. We are already not seen as the leader of the free world. Trump isn't even welcome in many c capitals in Europe.
Impeachment is unlikely.
I would rather trump be turned out be election. Njmbers don't usually lie. If he is repudiated by the majority of the electorate, it will speak volumes. Of course, that already happened in 2016 and here we sit.
I suspect the Russians will do their utmost to be sure they pull off the same scam they did before. Yes, I still do believe they helped trump steal the election.
Should Donald Trump else out this time, there will not be a peaceful transition of power. He will create some crisis or incident that will keep him in power as long as possible. His minions will throw tantrums, claim election fraud and the good lord only knows what else.
Stupid is like cock roaches; near impossible to get rid of.
Some democrats are screaming for impeachment proceedings to begin. My gut tells me that could backfire on us. Trump has promoted himself as a victim throughout and if an attempt at impeachment fails in the Senate (and it would), then he will do as he did when the Mueller report first came out, claim complete exoneration and say the evil lefties are after him.
His base will gobble that up, of course and those propped on the proverbial fence might swing to his side.
Democracy in America is on the ropes. Call me a drama queen, call me whatever else you choose, but what I just said is true, irrevocably true. The deep pockets have managed to persuade too many that their way is right for us, that we need to listen solely to them. Too damned many are listening to them.
Now, in order to get funds for his border wall, his education secretary sought to delete funding for special olympics - 18 million dollars. He's also looking at drawing money away from much needed military building projects, like a new water system for Camp LeJeune. Their water has been problematic for years.
I wonder if the military is still fond of Trump after this...
Mueller's report seems like a disappointment and I gotta know trump is gonna claim exoneration and use his victimhood to garner votes. He'll say it was all a "witch hunt." And his base will eat it up.
Yes he did. But I've begun to have my doubts about Bernie's chances. He has more challengers in the progressive/moderate realm this time and the neolibs are already targeting him. We could have a split amongst the progressive/moderate vote again and if that means four more years of trump, then our country is toast.
Nary a day passes without him doing or saying something hateful and divisive.
His vitriol is spreading around the world now. He was most recently cited by the New Zealand mass killer as an inspiration.
Hate crimes and hate groups are on the rise in this country.
He and congress are at an impasse regarding his "national emergency" over the "wall."
Meantime, Russia is gearing up to help him steal the 2020 election, just as he did the 2016 one. The man is a traitor. Never believed I would ever say that about a sitting president but there it is. I can no longer deny it.
he seeks to weaken or eliminate NATO - much to the delight of Putin
he disbelieves and disrespects our FBI and CIA, refusing to believe or consider their intelligence information, preferring, instead, to believe the Russians.
he pals around with Saudi despots who murder
Yet, despite all that, his "base" adores him.
If and when he is turned out of office, either by impeachment or by election, he will not go quietly. They'll be claims of election fraud, perhaps the calling of a national emergency which allows him to remain in power.
This is a man who aspires, I believe, to be a "president for life" as Papa Doc, Idi Amin and the current president of China are/were.
That too used to her hyperbole in my mind. No anymore.
My epic tale And Reap the Whirlwind could easily become reality.
I've honestly come to believe that. Last night, while browsing Amazon videos, I came upon with done by what appeared to be evangelicals.
"Don't want to listen to those damn Christians," I uttered, to my shock and amazement.
I hate it. I do. Never believed I could be pushed this far.
"Religion" used to be the very center of my life. Now...
"religion" has become anathema to me.
How did this ever happen?
Still working on my next major work My Country Tis of Thee and the more research I do, the more radicalized I become. The people calling the shots right now are evil and selfish. Judgmental? Yes. But regrettably, it's true. I cannot help but believe that anymore.
CEOs of Pharma and insurance companies make tens of millions a year. Who pays for those exorbitant salaries? People who get denied health care. And some of those people die when that happens. It matters not to the oligarchs. Those people are just stats, nothing more. Their god is profit.
Trump and his people are now seeking to slash both medicare and social security, saying they cause the federal deficit to rise. Those things are not and never have been part of the budget. They are funded by a operate tax that all working people pay. What they are doing is stealing money from the working people to pay for their unfunded wars and their tax cuts for the billionaires. Harsh? Reality is often harsh.
Never put much stock into the notion that republicans were just for the rich, but I do now.
A more serious issue is that I feel that too many corporate funded democrats are too.
Trump is in office today because Hillary Clinton represented that corporate wing of the Democratic Party. Too many working people knew it. I did.
Bernie Sanders got the muddy end of the stick because the party regulars felt that Hillary was heiress apparent and rigged things in her favor. Had the playing field been at all level, Bernie Sanders would have won and likely would be our president today.
I voted for Hillary Clinton, most reluctantly because I knew that Donald Trump was no more than a corporate thug. Some of my fellow Sandernistas either voted for the Green Party or stayed home. That and some foreign intervention " elected" Donald Trump. Don't think the playing field was level then either, at least, not in the electoral college. Hillary outpolled Trump by 3 million votes. We elect senators and governors by direct, popular vote. Why not presidents?
I get ridiculed on the editorial blog on the News and record site when I liken trump to hitler, but I am certainly not the only one to do that. Increasingly more people see parallels. They're there, like them or not.
The Senate joined the House of Representatives today in voting down Trump's "emergency." His response was to say that his military, police and bikers might have to get "tough" with his detractors. A page right out of Mein Kampf.
This isn't going to end well...
Just imagine what he will do if the House of representatives votes to impeach. His supporters will utterly lose their minds, of course.
Perhaps that "civil war" some have spoken about might happen. I certainly hope not.
Been here for hours. Won't be boarding for another hour and a half.
The miscreants brought me this morning. For awhile I was uncertain about if or how I would get here. More results of non meticulous planning; my return flight was out of Baltimore and NOT DC. Won't use cheap flights anymore. Bought trip insurance. It was totally worthless when I sought to change my reservations. No more.
And so my great DC adventure comes to a conclusion.
Well, it will once I get back to Orlando. Then it's back to the old routine. There are days I don't mind that and then there are others....
I've a myriad of feelings over it. While I have enjoyed being back at teaching science, it isn't really the same as it was. Too many kids in Florida are brats. I think I will be glad when the school year is over at last and I can return to being the itinerant author.
Will I still miss the interaction with staff and students? Don't honestly know....
Dear Lord, I hope not, but there are times I wonder.
Sound crazy, but there are also times I believe this.
How is it I have come to own such a cynical view of the land of my birth? It's gotten, lately, that I don't even want to say the pledge to the flag. That's serious.
Our situation is not going to end well, I fear. Evil is loose in the land and, like roaches, it is never easy to get rid of.
Trump's approval is up to 46%, the highest it's been in a long time. Over 40% now say they are likely to vote to reelect. Defeating an incumbent is always difficult.
My latest letter to the editor, pending publication....
“Religion” has taken a real beating over the past two years. Makes me sad. Christ established His “church” but mankind screwed things up and made what was a faith community into a “religion.” Things have gone downhill ever since. “Faith without works is dead,” St. James told us. Evangelicals preachers living in multi-million dollar homes tell us that the “poor” are a drain on our resources and that your financial status is an indication of how blessed your relationship is with the almighty. “Do not judge lest you be judged. For in the way you judge, you will be judged; and by your standard of measure, it will be measured to you.” — Matthew 7:1-2 These same preachers advocate summary execution of gays and decry the death of the “unborn,” yet fail to advocate for the benefit of poor children. Inconsistency? The problem with Christianity is NOT with the faith itself, but with its misuse and misinterpretation. “ It would disturb me if there was a wedding between the religious fundamentalists and the political right. The hard right has no interest in religion except to manipulate it.” ― Billy Graham For me, that makes it abundantly clear.
Didn't know this until today. Significant, I think.
Bernie is running for president, again. He was only recently re-elected to the Senate so if his attempt is not successful, he will still be in the Senate.
It will be an uphill battle, like it was in 2016. I remain convinced that he would have won back then if the primary was not rigged against him.
Age will be an issue. So will his standing as a "democratic socialist." The oligarchs, both democrat and republican will mobilize against him. no doubt.
I've already contributed to his campaign, on a monthly basis, as I did three years ago.
We need to take sides, to stop bringing a knife to a gunfight. It's time for that "revolution" that Bernie called for, actually, past time.
The Phoenix bird symbolizes rebirth. I plan to post it within my almost completed book My Country Tis of Three. A local artist did the rendition for me, thus no copyright violation. So I guess, in that context, it is not so much a revolution we need, but a rebirth, a rededication of the ideals I am told, this country was founded on.
"With liberty and justice for all." ???????????????????????
Okay, originally, the intent was a benefit for white men who owned property. That has morphed, a great deal. Women have the the vote now. So do all eligible citizens of the United States of America, including those of color or of a different national origin or "religion." None of that could have happened without the ratification of the constitution and its defense and transformation over the years.
I published a letter to the editor today:
I am a retired teacher with thirty some years in the classroom. The first ten were in non public ( Catholic ) schools, but the rest were in public schools. I've written a book on the subject of education and sections of four other books I penned all have excepts on the matter. There is a gulf between public and non public education. Public education is far more egalitarian in method and in spirit, and is the underpinning of democracy, as it takes an informed and somewhat enlightened populace to make our system of government work. Secretary DeVos and her GOP confederates have virtually NO interest in maintaining our democratic traditions and seek, instead, to establish a revival of the feudal system that dominated Europe in the dark ages. They MUST be stopped or the American experience will be at an end.
I apologize for NONE of what I say, zany as it may sound. Our rights and our privileges are being eroded and/or taken away by some selfish and openly evil sorts.
Not hyperbole. Not hysteria.
I wish it all were just my over active imagination. I do. My letter to the news and record will most certainly be lampooned and discredited by the usual few. It happens all the time. I'm quite accustomed to it by now, but my status with the local editorial page editor has made me "a VIP," something he refers to me as, not myself.
I don't have a lot of money or political clout, but what I have, I give.
Many credit me with being a wizard with the written word. And it's said that the pen is more powerful than the sword.
I hope and I pray that things never come to something like what is portrayed to the left. It has happened twice in our history and with as much rancor, unbridled anger and division as exists in America now, it could happen again, on some level.
Some believe it already has. There has been more than one mass shooting, inspired by the spirit of intolerance and division at the national level. That is a fact that is hard to refute.
If things degenerate to a low enough level, the American people might be left with no other alternative. That will be more than tragic.
My developing saga And Reap The Whirlwind is based on that scenario. I have been crafting it since 1972 and am determined to complete it this time.
Then, we will see if the pen is indeed more powerful than the sword.
It's said that Uncle Tom's Cabin was at least, a partial cause of the War Between the States.
Let me be straight forward and emphatic: the ONLY kind of revolution that I favor is one without bullets, bombs and bodies.
It's been done before.
The Soviet Union and the "Iron Curtain" fell without a shot being fired. Jim Crow fell without an uprising. Woman got the vote without bloodshed.
It can happen again, but we must begin the process right away. The stronger the forces of the alt right and oligarchy become, the more likely it is that it will not be swept away except for violence. The selfish and the self absorbed will not yield to anything else.
That would be insane, utterly insane.
Pretty much true. No denying it.
What wounds me most is that so many working class people are being pushed into voting and advocating against their own good.
The Roman church advocates against abortion and gay rights, but overlooks that republicans also advocate against medical care for all and for a culture that sees war as profitable.
I haven't been a part of the Catholic Church for some time now. That is one of the primary reasons why, that and the growing stain of sexual abuse that the church has covered up for generations.
Is this the kind of things that JESUS would support?
The more I write of my book My Country Tis of Thee, the more enraged I become. We are being robbed, lied to and manipulated by some purely evil and self-serving people.
And so many just don't see it.
The last election did some damage to the Trump Agenda, but the painful reality, at least for me, is that there are still some democrats out there who are owned and operated by the oligarchs, the ones who would "own" us as proverbial serfs.
The peril is real. Some laugh at me. I only hope and pray that what I say is wrong because as delusional as to many Americans are, now, it will be far too late to stop the death of our democracy by the time its imminence is realized.
knew it wouldn't last. It is still winter, after all. My year in Florida definitely thinned the blood.
Saw the former CEO of Starbucks on CNN last night. He's pondering an independent run for president. Didn't some of what he said, mostly because of how he said it or did not say it.
I suspect he is actually just a decoy, a stalking horse for trump.
But things could go south again in a few weeks. No one is budging on the wall funding issue. And declaring a national emergency over the situation on our southern border seems ludicrous given than illegal alien flow is at its lowest point in decades.
It's all about Agent Orange and his ego. Most things have been.
I submitted another "radical"letter to the editor just now to the Greensboro news and record.
I do not understand how any reasonable person can support Donald Trump anymore. He just engineered the longest government shutdown in American history at the behest of Ann Colton, aka Secretary of State Colton, then caved for the same deal he had agreed on weeks ago, one voted for unanimously for the United States Senate. The man has insulted the disabled and families of veterans who gave their lives for their country. He lies constantly. No one wants to be his chief of staff. John McCain asked that he NOT be invited to his funeral and his appearance at the HW Bush funeral turned the affair frigid when he arrived. Under his tutelage, children have been wrested away from their children and put into cages. Others have been tear gassed. Interesting how that caravan moving north to invade our country seemingly evaporated the day after the midterm election when it could no longer be exploited for political gain. How many of his associates have now been indicted for suspected complicity with a foreign power or for lying to the FBI or to congress? And they were so concerned about Hillary’s emails?
The Imbusciles will doubtless lose their fecal matter over it.
There's a crazy thing going on lately, all inspired by the motion picture, Birdbox, the tale of a woman and two children trying to survive a world invaded by beings who cause people who see them to do crazy things. The trio sets out on a journey to a community that is deemed "safe," but must do it all blindfolded. If they look, they die.
cute little bugger, but can
you see doing this for a day or two?
Last evening, I saw a family (I think they were a family) walking on Oak Arbor road, out in front of my house. Two of them (I believe they were young girls) were finding their way blindfolded, one of them almost crash landed in the ditch between my yard and the street. Yes, their father or some significant male, walked with them, but he was also walking three dogs on a leash and thus couldn't keep a watch on them. Cars tend to drive down our street as though it were the firecracker 500. Kind of scared me some...
This one stayed blindfolded for 2 and a half hours during a science experiment. She handled it really well, but then, the whole thing took place inside the science museum...
This from as LONG time resident of the south and middle west who always thought being called "liberal" was closely aligned with being dubbed a communist.
I don't believe I'd go so far as taking up arms. For one, at 70 years old, I don't think I would make much of a guerrilla, even though I am retired special forces.
Neither do I particularly believe that shedding blood will solve our issues, only make new ones.
Not sure, now, how consistent my faith in Jesus would be with violent overthrow.
Still, most revolutions are not violent. Tbey represent change, sometimes radical change. Already written and self published two books on the matter: The Well Behaved Seldom Make History and A guide for a second American revolution.
I am working on yet another non fiction, My Country Tis of Thee that advocates for some drastic changes in our country and culture and am also working on a work of fiction And Reap the Whirlwind, a modern rendition of It Can't Happen Here, by Sinclair Lewis.
I've come to question many of the "truths" I grew up with:
the United States of America is the greatest nation on earth.
I no longer believe that. We might have been once. Not anymore .
We are a "shining light on a hill."
I don't believe this either. Doing the research for my books has brought me to see some of the horrible things we have done as a country and as a culture. Didn't set out to do that, but facts are stubborn, irrepressible things. If some of may acquaintances knew how I felt, many would have nothing to do with me.
we are a christian nation
No we're not. We're good at quoting scriptures (out of context, of course) and being judgmental of those who don't believe as we do, but so far as being all affirming, as Jesus, did - that's not happening. Not anymore. I've left the Roman Catholic Church, this time for good, I believe. There are a lot of factors involved there, most of them explained in another publication of mine, Reflections of a Recovering Catholic. I admit to having been somewhat judgmental myself, but as already said, facts are tough things to ignore.
capitalism is a good economic system
Not anymore. The greedy and malevolent have seized control of our country and our economy. "The rich get richer and the poor get poorer" has become more than a cliche. Am I then a communist? No. Communism is dead. Any system of government or economics that locks its people in with guns and barbed wire deserves to die.
Our problems are not economic. Our issues are people, corrupt, evil people who have little to no regard for anyone but themselves and seek to restore feudalism to the planet where the few have all the political and economic power and the rest of us become virtual serfs, yoked to a system of servitude.
What galls me most is how many of those eventual serfs are advocating their own servitude. They're gulped the proverbial "kool aid," accepting the notion that government and taxes are both evil, that any and all who advocate equality represent those who want "free stuff" and getting the use of "other people's money." I have yet to comprehend how universal healthcare is an evil thing, when it benefits everyone. Congress already has it. Tens of Millions of ordinary citizens do not and many die each year because of it. The oligarchs control the media and our access to what is really happening in our country.
The United States of America was, ideally, founded on the notion of equal opportunity, or so we've been led to believe. I've come to question this as well.
In reality, the original document, called our constitution, was written to favor white MEN, who owned property. Only through vision and revision of the original concept did we get what we have now. Those in power right now, would dilute and eventually eliminate the gains we've made. I am utterly convinced of that.
The above account is not fiction. The forces of greed have sought this kind of solution for over a century. Presidents like Nixon and Reagan and now, Trump have brought us to the precipice. Others of both political parties have done not enough to impede them.
Hence my political "radicalization."
If we do not resist the encroachment on our liberties, they will be gone within another generation. I am utterly sure of that too.
I hate ice storms. Would much rather have snow anytime. With snow you do not usually lose electrical power; yes, traveling (or even get out of the house) can be an issue for us southerners, but there is always the option of just hunkering, doing some serious commenting of FB and binge watching on Netflix.
Lost power for about 12 hours. A big tree fell down into the yard next to me. Had it fallen the other way, it would have landed in my bedroom. I remember hearing it fall. And I was in the bedroom. Lucky again.
I don't think I will ever vote for a republican at any level, ever again. They are, for the most part, without honor for not opposing the evil of Donald Trump or, at least, questioning some of what he has done and said.
"Agent Orange" is unquestionably the worst president in the history of the republic.
They are. Yes I'm 70 years of age, but I am vertical and still mobile. Things could be decidedly worse....
I've become a left wing radical. No two ways about it. none. My experiences and research for my books has shown me a side of reality that I am not pleased about. Never thought it would come to this, but I am no longer proud of being an American.
Nor do I call myself a "Christian" any longer. Perhaps that's judgmental, but it's how I feel. Got myself royally flamed for a letter I published in the News and Record this week.
Some say Christianity is under attack in America. I suggest, instead, that their hurtful, judgmental words and actions, not to mention virtual worship of all things trump by some “Christians”, has created a perception of "religion " as oppressive and cruel. That has marginalized them, not the actions of others. I, myself, was a devoted member of the Catholic faith my entire life. Even taught at catholic schools for ten years and my parish (church) was at the center of a great deal of my social life. I left the church two years ago when the pastor of the church I attended took to pontificating on his right wing visions for the world, from the pulpit; I grew weary of leaving church each Sunday confused and angry. The church community I knew so well morphed and not in a good way. Many who’d belong for decades fled for better climes. Now, hearing so many evangelicals likening trump to the second coming of Christ, I have become totally disillusioned with "christianity" as a whole. Never wanted to see this happen. It has pained me greatly.
If the wrong people see my letter, I'm in deep stuff.
Most people do not live past their 70's and it seems so synonymous with being decrepit and dependent. I've not been either and don't relish the thought.
Not in the least.
Hard day subbing yesterday, the very worst I have ever had. Had to eject 5 kids from the classroom in one block. It left me wondering if I no longer have the moxie.
70 has left me wondering about a lot of things.
Trump is going to drive us into another American Revolution.
He's partly shut down the government and it's hurting a lot of people. 45 demands funding for his border wall and will not yield. Democrats won't go along. They've offered compromise, something I would not do, but Agent Orange will have none of it. It's his way or the highway.
Falsehoods and distortions come out of his mouth daily now. Many of them are plainly delusion but his base still supports him.
