UNBELIEVABLE ... but sadly not !

 

This is a true story … and it happened to me. I live in a small town that could be anywhere in the United States. I'm not poor but I'm also not anywhere near being affluent. My house sits close to a busy thoroughfare and in the year 2011 I had a sign on my front lawn in favor of Obama for his 2^nd term as President. As soon as the results were called in that race I took down the sign.

Approximately 4 years later I stopped at a yard sale being held just 5 houses before you get to mine. I was looking over some books when the woman who obviously lived there came up to me and said “you are not welcome here”. It really threw me for a loop and I was sure I had heard it wrong. I said “I beg your pardon … what did you say?” and she repeated it verbatim. Rather than making a big deal out of it I left. In contrast to her I have made some nice neighbors and especially the family that lives across the street from me.

Fast forward to now. I no longer put out political signs but it's also no secret how I vote. The same goes for the household where the owner told me I was not welcome. They really overdid it this time though and put up a HUGE sign for Trump that is easily over 5 feet. I thought for sure that it would be taken down after Biden won but no such luck. Not only have they left it up but they have written (of course in indelible black marker) the words … 

“STOLEN VALOR”.

Oh, my God, is this really America? The definition of valor speaks of courage in the face of danger but the only danger Trump faces is that people will stop believing his lies. It all fits right in with his clever take-over of the racists that abound in our country. For years they have laid low in the hopes that their leader would appear and finally their wish has come true. It is up to those of us who still love and believe in our country to reverse this course.

I pray it's not too late. 

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ADDENDUM ...I just had a call from my middle son who read this post and he said he understood where I came from but that there is an actual definition for "Stolen Valor" ... it is:

"What is stolen valor? The basic definition includes the act of falsely claiming military service, falsely claiming a certain rank which was not earned, and can also include the wear or claim of certain military awards or decorations that were never actually awarded." 

Well, that puts a whole new meaning to this post.  I took it to be another example of their ridiculous claim that the Presidency was stolen from Trump but this shows that either they are ignorant of the definition (as I was) or perhaps someone who is NOT a Trumpist wrote it!  

I'd be interested in your take on this and Thanks, Matt for educating your mother.

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Out of the mouths of babes ...

 

I am still trying to wrap my head around the fact that on the day that Biden was sworn in as President and after Trump left office with a dismal 34% approval rating the overwhelming majority of Republicans, 82%, still approved of his job performance. WHAT IS WRONG WITH THESE REPUBLICANS?

I started watching the politics of our country around the time of the McCarthy hearings (1954) and have always found it fascinating. Both sides have been contentious and I've actually admired some of the “real” Republicans, but that seems to be a thing of the past. Money, power and fear seem to be what rules the Republican party now and once again (as always) THE DEMOCRATS ARE CALLED ON TO CLEAN IT UP !

I have high hopes for the Biden administration. I truly believe that, not only does he have a brilliant choice of people to surround him, but he is a man that we can look up to and admire. Although it is evident that the divide between the two parties is WIDE I have seen one glimmer of hope and it is:

17 House Republican freshmen sent a letter of congratulation to Biden. In part it read, “after two impeachments, lengthy inter-branch investigations, and most recently, the horrific attack on our nation's capital, it is clear that the partisan divide between Democrats and Republicans does not serve a single American.”

“Out of the mouths of babes” … 17 House freshman who show the “big guys” in the Senate what it looks like to GROW UP !

A new day … “The Hill We Climb”

It was a very uplifting swearing in of our new President Joe Biden today and thank God it was without incident. His acceptance speech was inspiring and the musical tributes were fine, but for me the highlight of the proceedings was on this 22 year old.

Her name is Amanda Gorman and she is the nation's first ever National Youth Poet Laureate. After she gave a few introductory sentences about her background she read her poem “The Hill We Climb” that she wrote specifically for the period that we are facing now. Here is a short sample...

“The new dawn blooms as we free it

for there is always light,

if only we're brave enough to see it,

if only we're brave enough to be it.”

Her words alone were not what made it so magical … her extreme enthusiasm and joy made it come alive and, if you missed it, I recommend that you click on one of the many videos that I'm sure will be flooding the airways very soon.  

HOLDING ON …. FINGERS CROSSED

 

It's January 18^th, Monday morning, as I write this. I'm sorry that I can't post something more uplifting but I am barely holding on with fingers crossed in the hopes that we will get through the next 3 days intact as a country.

I am still in shock over the events of Wednesday the 6^th but, sadly not really surprised. From the very first day that Trump was elected he started the lies … (remember how his crowd attendance was the “biggest ever”?) and that has only accelerated over the years. His “fake news” with “alternative facts” was the final lie that locked it all together.

I pray that I can follow up on Thursday with a blogger post of victory. In the meantime I do have one good thing to share. I've found that being 87 years old has it's advantages. Our county is now out of vaccine but was able to “get all the citizens aged 87 on up scheduled and vaccinated before that happened.”

I am scheduled to get the Covid Vaccine shot tomorrow morning. Hooray !

“FIRE and ICE” …by Robert Frost, (1874 -1963 )

 

"Some say the world will end in fire, Some say in ice.

From what I’ve tasted of desire, I hold with those who favor fire,

But, if I had to perish twice, I think I know enough of hate

To say that for destruction ice is also great... and would suffice.”

Although this powerful poem was written in 1920 I feel that his dire predictions are resonating in today's climate. The greed and lust for power and superiority that we are experiencing now is what I feel when I read these lines. Desire left unchecked becomes fire and can consume us quickly. Hate, on the other hand, is a much slower killer. It turns us into unfeeling human beings with hearts of ice.

Robert Frosts poem is warning us … telling us that we’d better learn to live with one another and to share our lives and our resources or we are doomed to pay the consequences. 

War...insurrection ..coups...famine...fire or ice ?     It matters little...they all suffice. 

Heartbroken ...

 

The unbelievable storming of the U.S. capitol yesterday was horrendous but no surprise to me. Trump, when he began his Presidency, knew very well where “his people” were and he's spent the last 4 years cultivating a loyal following of haters. As I watched the rioting and then the replays this morning it's become clear that theories of how this was possible are running wild and it, literally, makes me sick.

Why does no one seem able to pin-point or say out loud that the REAL cause at the heart of this is RACISM … simple as that. The over-coddled WHITE segment of our society is scared to death of the “browning of America” or whatever it is that they feel is depriving them of their SPECIAL PLACE here.

Who the hell do they think they are? Does no one remember that it is DIVERSITY that has made our nation what it is? The older I get the more I see that a country without world wide input will eventually fail. I know that a change in administration will not correct everything but it's a beginning. Let's hope it's not too late.  

 

James Cagney, the consummate showman

It just occurred to me that many of you readers might not even know the name James Cagney but he was a very famous actor in the 30's through the 60's and winner of three Academy awards. He's played many different acting roles but it was his raspy voice and high pitched inflections that will always be his outstanding feature.

In 1961 James Cagney bought an 800 acre farm in Dutchess County, NY. It was in the same township where my husband, 3 children and I settled a few years later. Although the farm was just over the hill from our house we never saw the famous man.

He loved the country and would stay there whenever possible and finally retired there in the mid 70's. He was good to the county and everyone that met him was duly impressed. I, however, had never even spied him from afar.

One Spring day in 1974 I was grocery shopping at our little local store. My arms were full and, as I approached the door, I saw a small, hefty man holding it open for me. He was slightly hunched and had a plaid hat with brim covering his balding head. It was tilted to give it a rakish look, and as I turned to say, “Thank you”, he tipped it toward me and said, “The pleasure is mine, little missy.”

There was no mistaking that voice ! James Cagney was my doorman and his twinkling eyes told me that he knew it was a thrill for me. Even in his 70’s he was a captivating presence and you could tell that, as much as he loved his anonymity, he was still the consummate showman.