Mess with them

 Every person in this country that supports a woman's right to chose needs to now hit those keys and avidly research how to get an abortion, where the abortion clinics are, how to order the abortion pills.  They are going to be watching online and those companies like Facebook will hand over your information.  My guess so will Google.  So give them something to do.  They will absolutely violate your privacy to enforce their 11th century ideals and cruelty.  Make them work for it.  Make them go through millions and millions of searches.  Turn the tables on them.  And keep digging for dirt.  

Death spiral of my democracy

 We are on par with a  lot of the third world countries now.  We are forcing children to birth children, most times from incest, rape victims to birth their rapist's baby, poor women who have no means to support another baby  to give birth.  And the republicans refuse to increase the welfare system because women are taking advantage of it.  They refuse to offer child tax credit through the year, they refuse to fund daycare, they refuse affordable health care.  But they can sit on their comfortable, taxpayer funded fat asses and pass judgement on others.  Every damn politician in this country is a grifter, a  liar, a thief and a criminal. Every damn one of them takes bribes to pass the legislation their owners want them to pass.  Every damn one of them.  And screw the poor and the average working person.  The only time they even give them a thought is when they need their vote and they are trying very hard to allow only those voting for republicans from voting.  I so wish someone with more computer knowledge than me would dig up the dirt on every damn one of them and publish it on the internet.  Start with the Supreme Court unjustices.  Clarance Thomas first, then Gorsuch, Kavanaugh, Alito and the female handmaiden in her cult, Barratt.  When people are as controlling, bullying and mean as they are, they are always hiding their crimes and you can bet that there is a lot of sleeze in that Supreme Court.  So hopefully, those internet sleuths will get on that. I have, in observing people, noticed that those who want to force others to follow their orders, are the ones that are hiding who they really are.  Just take Scott DesJarlis from Tennessee.  He impregnated a patient and pressured her to have an abortion.  He pressured his ex wife to have two abortions, but he is solidly pro-life, anti-abortion.  George W Bush paid for an abortion for his girlfriend back in the day, but he is pro-life, anti-abortion.  Wonder how many abortions Dan Patrick has paid for.  

Republicans plan for the poor

Lindsay Graham just unveiled the republican plan for social security and medicare.  Their plan is to cut the amount people already on social security gets.  To starve the social security fund, to allow those coming up to invest in private accounts.  And the icing on the cake, deny those with disabilities benefits or make it extra difficult for them to qualify. And they want to cut out medicare completely.  Never mind the fact that that will leave the majority of seniors with no medical insurance.  Those living on retirement cannot afford to buy insurance and could not get it anyway because of pre-existing conditions.  All this from senators living off the largess of the taxpayer, ie they are welfare recipients.  Every member either  gets a subsidy to the tune of 70% of the premiums or are on the Federal Employees Health system.  And they get excellent care--much better care than you, their employer, can get.  This is so twisted.  They should be forced to pay 100% of their health insurance.  The average working person or the poor person cannot even afford insurance.  Dental and vision care is ignored because there is no money for it.  

So for the republicans to plan on cancelling medicare and social security when congress are the ones who set it up and forced seniors to buy into medicare by allowing insurance companies to charge they  high premiums with very little care, this is basically Mafia tactics.  And still funneling $2billion to oil companies, $16million to sitting members of congress in farm subsidies.  The taxpayer also subsidizes many big businesses.  But we can't take care of our citizens.  Our citizens are not important.  I haven't figured out how in hell fools like Graham figures they can fund their pet projects when there is no more blood left in that turnip that is the taxpayer.  Our country is in a deep mess.  And don't get me started on climate change and how it is just being ignored.   

Texas stupid

A Texas congressman, Louis Gohmert, stood up and in front of cameras stated that by the Jan 6 committee subphoening those involved in the insurrection, that republicans can no longer lie to congress, can no longer lie to the FBI, can no longer lie to the DOJ.  Considering that all these actions are already illegal, what he means is that the republicans can no longer get away with it.  And that all came out of the mouth of someone who holds a law degree, has served as District Judge and on the 12th District court of appeals in Texas and 18 years in congress.  He has served on many committes concerning civil rights, terrorism, criminal justice.  That should make you feel wonderful knowing that this is who the law schools turn out.  He is an embarrassment to the State of Texas and and embarrassment to the United States and the republicans in this country and state love him.  Why?  Because the republicans want only one thing: to completely control the government in every facet.  To completely control every citizen in this country and that is what they are working hard to do.  

What these idiots who back them do not realize that, just like Hitler, when they achieve their goals and have total control, no one will have any rights.  No one.  We will be in a dictatorship.  And that is what people like Gohmert, Cruz, McCarthy, McConnell, DeSantis and Trump are all working actively to achieve and idiots like my governor and lt. governor are right on that bandwagon doing their bidding and doing their level best to make this happen.  I so hope the country wakes up.  But I am very afraid they won't.  

 

Ashamed of my country

 As everyone in the world knows, last week we had 19 children under 12 killed, actually slaughtered, and two teachers.  And the one doing the slaughtering was 6 days over 18.  He bought the high velocity semi-automatic rifles on his birthday and picked them up after the 6 day waiting period.  Having just turned 18, of course he had no record.  His juvenile record was sealed.  So he walks away with these guns.  First he shoots his grandmother in the face, then he proceeds to the school to slaughter children.  And the very worst part of this is that the cops let him do it.  They stood around for over an hour while he was in that classroom slaughtering children.  And hour.  And when a group of rogue cops decided enough was enough, they were ordered to stand down.  They ignored that order, went in and killed the 18 year old shooter.  The local cops did nothing.  NOTHING.  Why?  They were afraid of being shot and killed.  So they allowed those children to die.  

Then we move to Tulsa, Oklahoma.  Last week, a man who was angry with his doctors went into a gun store, bought an assault rifle, walked to his doctors' office, went in and opened fire.  No waiting period,.  And 4 people are dead and many others wounded.  And still the republicans will not enact stricter gun laws.  Don't get me wrong here.  I am not for removing everyone's guns.  I have family members who still hunt and supplement their supplies this way.  But you don't need and AR-15 high velocity .22 nor do you need a hand gun.  If you are just looking for home protection, a damn shotgun is the best because it has a short range and will not kill your neighbor two streets over.  And those AR-15's are good for two things, 1)killing people and 2) killing wild hogs.  Nothing else.  So they need to be banned.  Period.

The republicans are so owned by the gun lobby that they will do nothing until one of those private schools that they have their kids in gets shot up.  Then we will see action.  Do I want that to happen?  God no.  God no.  I wan to see children able to go to school without fear, without having to plan where they will hide, for the teachers to be able to teach without fear of that door bursting open and a raging idiot charging in and shooting.  But nothing will be done until it impacts the adults in government in this county and maybe not even then.  We are in scary time.  

war in ukraine

It is so, so sad that this war could have been prevented if the last two presidents has played hard ball with Putin.  Obama looked the other way while Putin invaded and annexed Crimea.  Trump jumped into Putin's pocket.  And he withheld military aid from Ukraine while trying to blackmail the president into committing a crime for Trump.  Had they gotten the backing they needed and had Trump told Putin we would not put up with any move on Ukraine, he would not have done it.  But he was allowed to butcher Syrians after Obama stirred the pot in the Middle East and encouraged the Arab Spring. Obama encouraged the overthrow of dictators in the Middle East.   Then he backed out and left them hanging.  So naturally Russia stepped in and Obama just let them do it.  Then we had Trump.  Trump was so far down in Putin's pocket he was giving him a hand job.  If Trump could have jumped in bed with Putin, he would have.  To my way of thinking, Trump, all his cabinet and the majority of republicans in congress should be tried for war crimes.  Because they not only committed treason here in our own country, they,  by neglect, committed war crimes in Ukraine.  I have strong feelings about this.  I am a child of a WW 2 veteran.  I grew up with PTSD, fear of a nuclear war, fear my Daddy would be sent off to war again.  I learned not to touch my daddy when he was sleeping.  I learned that when the nightmares came, to never, ever go into the room where he was.  I learned that there were no war stories allowed on TV.  I learned that my daddy had seen hell, had walked through hell and come out the other side a haunted man.  And I learned to question everything a politician said.  To look behind the curtain.  To dig in and see who they actually were, who they associated with, everything about them.  I learned to never take at face value what a politician said.  Watch what they do.  Actions always speak louder than words.  And we so need that WW2 generation so bad right now.  My father hated Trump and he died long before Trump became president.   

Oscars

I have read statements from other blacks that say Will Smith's actions reflects on all minorities.  I have to disagree.  What Smith did at the Oscars by slapping Chris Rock and then cursing at him was an entitled white trash move.  I did not grow up around blacks, but I did grow up around white trash and this was a white trash move and an entitled one because he knew or did not expect any consequences from his actions.  He is no different than those entitled white trash politicians like Marjorie Green, Madison Cawthorn, Rand Paul or Tom Cotton.  Just because his skin is black does not make any difference.  It was an entitled white trash move.  And no, I do not judge blacks by Will Smith.  I judge Will Smith and what he did.  I understand that a lot of bigoted whites will judge all blacks by this one stupid move, but you have to understand that those whites are also entitled white trash.   

It gets crazier and crazier

 Mitch McConnell was asked if he would vote for Trump if he got the nomination again in 2024.  He said yes.  He was asked if there was anything Trump could do that would convince McConnell not to vote for him.  He said no.  McConnell has just proven that the Republican party is a cult and that the republicans put party and cult above country and Constitution.  How sad that our country had sunk to this low.  The republican party is dead set on turning our democracy into a dictatorship.  And they are well on the way to doing this.  We need that WW2 generation now more than every and. sadly, they are gone.  This bunch now are the draft dodgers from the Vietnam era and their irresponsible offspring.  The republican party does not give a tinkers damn about the country.  They never have.  They are, many of them, of my generation and I remember them from then.  They were the ones who the laws did not apply to them.  They were the ones who only protested the war when the deferments stopped.  They are the ones who have since tried to spin their lazy, drug addled brains and lack of civility, in their youth into "it didn't happen."  It damn sure did.  My generation was busy screwing anything they could, getting high all the time, breaking every law they could and thumbing their noses at everything.  Bernie Sanders was an avowed communist.  He won't admit it now, but he was.  Trump was an out and out draft dodger.  So was Bush Jr.  And I just read an article that says that McConnell was kicked out of the reserves after riding a college deferment for 5 years for sodomy.  Apparently, he was caught in barricks at Ft. Knox.  His old senator whom he interned for intervened and got his record either sealed or destroyed.  So guess McConnell is a closet queen.  Wow! Never saw that one coming.  

Not gonna lie.

Not gonna lie.  Madison Cawthorn's remarks about sex and drug parties within the elected GOP was so damn funny.  What was even better was the GOP's reaction to it.  They let those fools spout any stupid junk and say nothing and sometimes, like with Trump, actually support their far out lies.  But when it comes close to the truth, they are quick to jump on that crap.  I am loving it.  And Marjorie Green added icing to the cake by calling the three who voted for Brown on the Supreme Court nomination pedophiles and pedophile lovers, that was pure gold.  Now if the democrats have sense enough to jump on that crap, it is free ammo for them.  Handed to them on a silver platter.  Wow!  The GOP slime is eating their own.   

The insurrection

 The more we dig into this insurrection and what led up to it, the more frightened we should all be.  Those are people who are white, bigoted, racist and have been dipping their toes in the water of insurrection and outright treason, well, since the end of WW2.  And Trump gave them the boldness to actually do it.  Add to that the republicans in congress are on board with destruction of our democracy for the sole purpose of staying in power and we have a perfect storm.  And that storm is raging.  If Trump and his henchmen get away with this, then there won't be any stopping them.  Hopefully, the congressional committee can dig deep enough to make sure it never happens again, but if the republicans can get hold of the government again, I am afraid we are doomed.  It may be time to look at immigrating to another country.  From what I am reading, Canada is already making plans to deal with a dictator in this country.  Those founding fathers and that WW2 generation must be rolling in their graves.  This is what they tried so hard to prevent. 

Border

 I have been reading reports from the southern US border.  Those reports are trashing the US for allowing in Ukrainian refugees but blocking all others.  Well, those others aren't coming from a country that is fighting for it's very existance.  Those from Haiti are economic refugees looking for an easier time of it rather than fix their own country.  Same with those from other countries.  Ukraine if desperately trying to save their country.  They are fighting for survival.  There is a big difference there.  If the Ukrainians stay, they face sure death.  They face slaughter.  Those others looking for an easier life are not facing slaughter.  There is the difference.  The rest need to stay and fix their own country.  We can't be the catchall for the world.  We help who needs it most and right now it is the Ukrainians.  And, no, I don't think we should allow in Russians.  They have had time to fix their country and they allowed this regime to control the country.  They need to stay and fight to fix their own country.  My thoughts. 

Ukraine

 I'm sitting here scared to death of a possible tornado while the people of Ukraine are scared to death of bombs.  Sure puts things in perspective.  At least we don't have bombs exploding over our heads.  At least not yet.  Those people are to be admired and their president has shown the world what a true leader is.  I hope they win and can kick Russia out.  I so hope they survive. 

Russians showing up at the US border

 Russians are flying to South America, renting cars and driving to our border to demand asylum.  Why would we give the asylum?  They are from the agressor  country.  Their country is killing Ukrainians.  They are screaming unfair and discriminatory for us letting in the Ukrainians.  So are the Mexicans, Colombians, those from Central America.  Difference is that none of those are fleeing a war of attrition.  And especially the Russians.  Why would we let them in?  If they won't fight against the nuts in Russia and fight for a liveable country, why would we want them here?  Where will they run when Russia attacks us?  And would they fight against the United States? Ukrainians it is understandable.  The Russians are destroying everything in their country.  Like the Jews in WW2, the world has to protect them.  But there is no reason for the Russians to run here except they are the middle class and want to hold on to their money.  Same with the big exit from Cuba back in the 1950's.  It was the middle class and the rich running to save their money.  Same with Syria.  The middle class and rich ran to hide in the west.  It is time this stopped.  If you want a country, stand up and fight for it.  The Ukrainians are definitely standing and fighting.  They women and children are the ones leaving and not all the women. Many are staying and fighting.  They are trying to keep their country.  I have great respect for them.  I have no respect for the Russians running.  They are only concerned about their money.  And if war comes to the US, they will just run somewhere else.  I would also suspect a lot of them will be plants by their government as sleeper cells.  We don't need that.  So no, we don't need to allow them in. 

More on Ukraine

I am very proud of Biden.  He is doing everything he can to support Ukraine without getting us into WW3. Hopefully Putin's inner circle will kill him.  I saw where now they are going to demand the return of Alaska, the Antiartcic.  Yeah, I see that happening.  Not.  10million people have been displace in Ukraine and now there is fear of concentration camps and I don't doubt that that nut will do just that.  This is what Trump aspires to.  Trump wants desperately to be Putin.  And I am scared to death that the fools in this country will vote him back in in 2024.  That is one scary thought.  I see in my own extended family them blaming Biden for the high gas prices because he won't let the companies drill.  He isn't stopping them.  There are 9000 drilling permits already issued and not being used.  The president has nothing to do with oil prices.  Nothing.  Unless they want him to release our reserves.  And that would be really bad.  Back to Putin, we will see a Stalin-like purge and many, many Russians will be murdered. I am seeing where he is rounding up Ukranians and sending them to Russia.  That say Hitlerisk concentration camps.  Russia did not improve when the USSR cratered.  It is still the same ole bunch of thugs.  Nothing more.  You know when even the Taliban trashes them, they are bad.  

Controlling wome

The new thing with the republicans is total control of women's bodies.  We have a mean old white man now in Texas trying to make it capital murder if a woman has an abortion.  It is already to the point that a doctor cannot abort a dead fetus, cannot do an abortion to save a mother's life.  Missouri is trying to make it illegal for a woman to go out of state to have an abortion.  I guess they will be stopping women at the border and making her prove she is not pregnant. I expect they will be using the police for this instead of, you know, stopping real crime.  And a state rep in Missouri questioned a trans gender 14 year old about her genitals.  If this had been done to this rep's straight son or daughter, she would have been beside herself.   When called out on how inappropriate this was, she said she was just curious. Had I been that a 14 year old, I would have stood up and reached for my waistband and said, "Well lady, I'll show you mine if you show me yours."  This is the religious right and they have total control of the state governments all across the south and most of the midwest.  They are moving us back to the dark ages.  And if they can control women, then the next move is total control of the government. 

continued to adult 101

Choosing what mask to wear in adulthood is sometimes difficult to decided on.  You need to make sure you are confident in who you are.  If you lack that self confidence, they there are those that will prey on you.  If you are entering into a relationship and your significant other  displays signs of manipulation, or control, run. Let's say that he/she always criticizes your friends.  Red flag.  He/she tries to isolate you from your friends and family, red flag.  He/she tries to make you feel guilty for going out with your friends, or buying something with your money, or at any time spending you money as you see fit, red flag.  If he/she makes fun of you in front of others, calling you stupid or dumb, red flag.  Never, ever tolerate a slam on your character.  And if he or she ever hits you, book it out that door and don't look back.  Nobody, nobody has a right to hit you ever.  If you have a good relationship with your family and they are uneasy about the person you are dating, listen to them.  Others will see things you miss.  So always listen.  Evaluate.  And decide if they are right.  Do not ever turn a blind eye to red flags.  They will only get worse.  I just read a story about how a husband changed the name of their first born on the birth certificate to make his parents happy.  Big, huge red flag.  Your significant other, if it is a healthy relationship, will always put you first.  He/she will never let their parents come before you.  They will be able to tell their parents to butt out.  If they can't, then you don't need them.  Be strong and self confident in who you are.  You will thank yourself down the road. 

Our own stupid

We have a contingent in this country, about 40% of the citizens, who are stupid and proud of it.  We have several in congress who think and act like they are in high school and being disruptive.  They have no concept of why they are in the legislature of the United States. 
And  a hellava lot of governors fall into this catagory as well.  DeSantis of Florida comes to mind.  This POS should be stripped of this citizenship and shipped back to Cuba along with Ted Cruz.  And let's not forget my own good governor, Greg Abbott.  Yep, Mr my-nose-can't-crawl-further-up-Trump's-ass Abbott.  A bigger piece of shit never existed,  Well I can't really say that because Dan Patrick is a bigger piece of shit than Abbott and he is a damned carpetbagger, failed used car salseman too boot.  When you think Texas can't sink any lower, they up and fool ya.  But damn, if we go any lower, we will be rubbing elbows with Satin.  But hey, that seems to be what the politicians want, to see how low they can go.  That 40% makes me ashamed of my country.  That WW2 generation would not have stood for this.  I miss them.   

Kicked off Facebook

When the invasion of Ukraine started, I was posting on a facebook feed.  Russian bots were also flooding the site.  So I strongly called out Facebook for lying and saying they were blocking Russian bots and that they were still allowing it because they valued money more than morality.  I was kicked off.  So I will just voice my opinions here instead.  I have very strong opinions.  Some may be wrong, but that is the beauty of being a US citizen, at least for now, I can voice my opinion.  If the republicans have their way, that will change.  From what I am seeing, the only opinions the republicans want us to have is their opinions.  Well, there are very few republicans that I have any respect for and only a few more democrats.  I have to admit, I have developed admiration for Liz Cheney.  I absolutely abhor the woman's politics, but, damn she has balls in bucking the crazy in her party and that party is overflowing with crazy.  Another republican I have absolute respect for is John Huntsman.  I really respect that man.  So on to the democrats.  I really respect Biden.  He is sharp.  He is a statesman.  He has integrity.  He cares about the country.  And I respect his wife.  Hillary, no, just no.  The woman is arrogant and entitled.  She felt like she was entitled to the White House.  With the 2016 election,it was damned if you do and damned if you don't.  On to Biden's choice for VP.  Just no.  The woman is not grounded.  She is off the wall on a lot of stuff.  She should not be in politics and if the dems run her ever, she will lose it for them.  And she would make only a  slightly better president than Palin and that would be a disaster.  Elizabeth Warren. absolute respect.  She is a good legislator and would have been a good president.  Pete Buttigieg,  with experience he would make a good president.  He is sharp, can think on his feet.  He is grounded.  Nancy Pelosi, yep spot on.  But Nancy is also too old for the legislature.  The squad.  Nope, Nope.  Ocasio-Cortez no experience and I don't think she is learning anything in the way of critical thinking. Ilhan Omar, she does not understand the concept of what the United States is.  And she will never back Israel.  Unless we back Israel, there will still be wholesale slaughter of the Jews.  And she does not get that.  Also, she has no respect for our citizenship.  She wants to abolish ICE.  She wants open borders.  We can't have that.  We have laws and those laws have to be enforced or we cease to be a nation.  So nope on her.  There are others I have respect for, but on both sides of the isle, there are more idiots than smart, sensible ones.   

Back to adulting

 Once you get yourself into the adult world and learn to maneuver it, get decent income and health insurance, then it is time to find a kick ass therapist.  A good therapist so you can ditch all the damage done to you by your family.  No matter how well meaning and how great your parents are, they did damage.  Get a good therapist and ditch the childhood baggage because you do have baggage and to live your best life, you have to let it go.  This does not mean cutting off your family unless they are toxic.  But it means affirming your place in the adult world. Affirming that you are your own person, not an extention of anyone else.  Remember, this is not a dress rehearsal.  This is the real deal.  There are no do-overs in life.  You are living it.  So make it the best life you can.  And if you aren't satisfied with the first therapist you try, change.  Don't stick with a therapist who is not helping you.  Don't walk out of that office, RUN. This is about you and your life.  Make it about you and your life.  

Relationships.  Remember, you don't need to be with someone to be happy.  Create your own happiness.  Never rely on anyone else to make you happy.  A partner should enhance your happiness, but is not responsible for it.  As to that happiness, ditch that idea.  You are searching for contentment.  Happiness is fleeting.  Contentment with your life is not fleeting.  And take it from someone who has lived in the eye of the storm, you want calm in your life, not chaos.  You can only ride that high for so long then you crash.  And sometimes that crash takes you lower than you can successfully crawl back from. So  strive for contentment.  And that other person in the relationship needs to be your cheerleader, your safe place, your partner.  If he/she is not all this, ditch them.  Life is too short to allow anyone to drag you down.  Ditch them and walk away.  It is better to be alone than to be with the wrong person.  

Children:  If you want them, have them.  If you don't, do not let anyone pressure you into having them.  And be selective who you breed with.  Make sure that person will be a good father/mother.  A child is a huge responsibility.  They are not your property.  They are for you to mold into the best citizen society could wish for.  It is your responsibility to raise that child to be caring, compassionate, shrewd, competent.  That child must be taught critical thinking so they can make good choices.  And never, ever think that getting pregnant for the sake of trapping a man is a good idea.  It isn't.  Wait until you are emotionally and financially prepared for a child.  And if you don't want a partner, that's ok too.  But be sure you are up to the responsibility of raising that child.  

Putin's regime

Putin is a product of the old USSR and he is out to rebuild that empire.  He has been enabled in this by Bush Jr, Obama, and Trump.  Bush pretty much patted Putin on the back for invading Georgia.  Obama practically ignored Russia's invasion and annexation of Crimea.  And Trump, if Trump could have, he would have crawled into bed with Putin. So Putin felt that the US would just look the other way while he invaded Ukraine.  But Biden is not Bush, nor Obama, nor Trump.  Biden is a seasoned statesman.  Will we wind up in a nuclear war?  Very likely.  Can we avoid it?  We could, for a short time.  We have to willing to appease Putin just as Europe tried to appease Hitler.  It only worked for a short time.  And so it will with Putin.  Stripping him of any and all funds will help, but remember Putin is a mad man.  He is a Russian Trump and is only interested in power.  He does not give a tinkers damn about the Russian people.  It is all power.  And as long as his inner circle continue to live the good life and have that power, he will keep up the bullying tactics.  Will we avoid a nuclear war?  Not likely.  Will humanity survive?  Maybe.  But if we just leave it alone, it won't be the end of the power grab.  Once Russia consolidates it's power, there is China and down the road we will have to contend with a power struggle between China and Russia.  So provided we avoid a nuclear war now by appeasment, it will only delay the inevitable.  I would say prepare for that war.  And also prepare for a good section of our own population backing Russia in such a war.  A huge portion of the republicans would back Russis, are already backing Russia.  We are facing more than a nuclear threat.  We are facing a life and death struggle for the existence of our own democracy.  And we may lost that war.   

Attack from Russia

 Every leader, when elected, should be required to watch the Nuremberg trials, watch military footage from Japan, watch the footage from the concentration camps.  And above all read the book by Nevil Shute titled "On the Beach" and if those things don't scare the ever lovin hell out of each one of them, then they don't need to be in leadership.  I would say these need to be shown and read by every school student, but the parents would never allow that.  You can find that book very cheap.  Buy it and read it.  Also the movie based on the same book, if you don't want to read.  Educate yourselves about the world around you because we are all connected.  What is done to a populace in one country affects the rest of the world.  There is no place to hide.  It is one planet and you are on it with the rest of humanity.  At least for now.  If Russia starts a nuclear war, humanity will be destroyed.  The planet will heal itself, but humanity will not return.  Are you ready to see humanity become extinct?  Because we will.  

Russia and Ukraine

 I watch what is happening in Ukraine and I feel so, so sorry for the people of this country.  They are being killed by a Russian Trump and if you think Trump is not cheering Putin on, then you are part of the problem.  Also when we have our news media trashing our elected president and patting Putin on the head, that is part of the problem.  The citizenry  in this country could stop this, but they won't.  They live in their little rabid bubble and it is more important to them to get and keep total control of our government than it is to defend our very democracy.  To them, they have a right to control every citizen's thought, speech and action in the name of "protecting freedoms" while all the while destroying those same freedoms.  It is Germany leading up to Nazi era all over again and throw in the mix that Russia is and we have a recipe for worldwide disaster.  There is a hellava lot of the citizens in this country that would back Russia if it tried to invade.  Think on that for awhile.  Around 40% of our citizenry would back a dictator over a duly elected government.  Why?  Because they are so focused on their butt hurt attitude and so focused on their own little bubble and being right that they can't and won't see what is happening in their very own country.  They will not be happy until they control every little aspect of the country, until they beat down and force every citizen in this country to fall lock step in with the vision they have for the country and that vision is very scary.  Our education system has failed and it has failed because of organized religion whipping people into a frenzy over trivial things so that there is no teaching.  There is no learning going on.  The schools have become a dumping ground for delinquents who are allowed to beat up teachers and that is the goal of the organized religious Nazis among us.  Don't think so?  Look around you.  Teachers cannot teach.  Teachers cannot discipline.  There is no cirriculum in the schools.  And anytime any school system attempts to actually teach students, you have those idiots whipped into a frenzy over lies.  Teachers are threatened on a daily basis.  Teachers are attacked on a daily basis.  Better wake up before it is too  last.  And if we descend into a civil war, it will be so much different this time.  All the bullies in the world will see their chance to create havoc all around the world.  We will be bombed.  We will probably face an invasion.  Canada is already making plans to deal with a dictatorship in the United States.  Let that sink in.  The Bastion of democracy is sliding into dictatorship and a huge part of the populace is all for it.  If that doesn't scare the shit out of you, then you are stupid beyond redemption.  

Adulting continued

 So steps to take:

Learn how to set up a checking and savings account.  

Learn how to keep that checking account balanced and know what you have in that account at all time.  Never overdraw that account.  It hurts your financial record.  

If you get a credit card, pay it off every month.  If you can't pay cash for it, don't charge it.  

Practice setting up a budget.  Practice until you are comfortable with this.  

Pay yourself first.  When that paycheck comes,  treat savings as a bill you have to pay.  Try to save 10% of what you bring home.  That may be difficult at first depending on where you live.  Some areas have such low minimum wage, it makes it very difficult to save. Once that money is in savings, try your level best to not touch it except for emergency.  

Pay your bills on time.  Always.  

If you can't afford a car and you need it to get to work, factor in Uber or ride the bus.  

Be your own cheerleader.  You are your own corporation.  You are loyal to you.  Sure that employer gave you a job, but you made him a good employee so if something better comes along, go for it.  You don't owe that employer anything but a two week notice.  And always be looking for a better job, a better deal.  If you start saving as soon as you get your first job, you will be fine in life. 

Adulting continued

It is an absolute horrible time to become an adult and have to step out into the world, but every young person has the ability to nail it.  Being an adult means choosing a mask, slapping on that mask every day and presenting yourself to the world.  And never be afraid to change that mask.  You can be whomever you want to be.  The possibilities are unlimited.  Nobody really knows how to be an adult and there is no right way to do it.  First up, find your safe place.  The place where you can always be you.  You can relax.  Maybe a grandmother or your parents', or an aunt.  Whomever it is with, make sure the person is non judgemental.  And does not push you.  You will make mistakes.  We all do.  Treat them as learning experiences.  If you learn from them, then they aren't mistakes.  Always, always take care of you.  Put yourself first.  I don't mean be cruel nor mean, but taking care of your mental and physical health is for you.  No one else, just you.  Want to look glamorous, do it for you.  Never ever let anyone else dictate what you should wear, how you should look, how you should talk, where you should work.  Those are your decisions and yours alone.  On relationships, if you are in a relationship or considering a relationship, make sure that person is your partner.  You want someone who will build a life with you, who will always support you and be your biggest cheerleader.  And you return the favor.  Never, ever cheat.  If the relationship is not working, walk away.  Life is too short to stay in a relationship that is not working and cheating hurts your partner and it is something they never really get over.  Never stay in a toxic relationship.  Never.  Don't walk away, run away.  Watch for the red flags.  If he or she tries to cut you off from your friends or family, red flag.  If someone laughs at your problems, red flag.  If someone lies to you, red flag.  Hone you skills in seeing those people.  If you are confident in yourself, it will be harder for someone to fool you.  It can still happen, but not as easily.  And never, ever fall for charm.  Charm is fine, but if that is all a person has, you don't need them.  Don't ever support a freeloader.  If he/she can't pull their weight, you don't need them.  March to your own drummer.  Never care what people think of you.  That is none of your business.  What is important is what you think of yourself.  

Build your character.  Examples Joe Biden and Jill Biden.  Both are caring.  Both look outside  themselves.  Both try to do the most good they can.  Who not to be: Trump, Putin, Lauren Bobert, Marjorie Taylor Green. These are extreme examples, but there are others that are not extreme.  What I am trying to tell you is build a character that you will be proud of, a character that when you are old, you can look back and say that you were the best person you could be.  You will get hurt.  It will feel like you are dying.  You won't. You will pick yourself up and jump back into the game a little wiser and a little more cautious.  But you will get up and move forward.  Don't be the people you are seeing in politics today.  Many, many of them are empty vessels, totally selfish, no compassion, no empathy.  Don't be like those people.  And don't gossip.  Gossip hurts and is mean and serves no purpose.  So just don't do it.   

On becoming an adult

My granddaughter told me she doesn't know how to adult and this started me thinking.  We don't teach our children how to be responsible, contributing adults in society.  We get them to 18 and then they are on their own.  And this is a failure of parents, schools and society as a whole.  So I am going to put this out there and any young person who reads it, I hope it helps a little.  

Find someone to teach you to maintain a checking and savings account.  This includes how to pay your bills, how to balance that checkbook and how to always know what you have available.  

Learn to set a budget. To do this you set up a monthly income and expense statement

Total after taxes income

Expenses:

Rent

Utilities

Groceries

Household items (toilet paper, cleaning supplies, shampoo, dish soap, etc)

Renters insurance (Usually around $30/month but really good to have.  

Auto payment, auto insurance, auto upkeep, gas.   

In Trouble

WE are in a world of trouble and it is the Republicans that have put us in that world of trouble along with the help of democrats.  The republicans have since the 1990 been slowly destroying the country.  Their mantra is "yeah we're bad, but look at the democrats."  Unions.  Unions are a tool of the democrats to keep you from working, ergo the right to work laws.  Those give businesses the right to fire you with no warning, no severence pay, nothing.  And by framing it as right to work, they have sold the people on this.  Public health insurance.  If we have single payer insurance, you won't be able to see a doctor for months.  You will be allowed to die.  Well we are the only developed country that has third world health care.  Abortion.  Abortion is a way to take away your freedoms.  Look at the laws passed under the guise of protecting the unborn.  Texas has basically banned any abortion, but put no measures in place to take care of those children when born.  The citizens this will impact is the poor.  And that is the way they want it.  Control the poor and make the rich happy and they won't even notice when they have no rights left.  And we are on our way to that place.  Missouri is trying to pass a law making it illegal for a woman to leave Missouri and go to another state to get an abortion.  That will mean that any female leaving the state will be subjected to interrogation.  Maybe even forced medical exams.  Do you see what is happening here?  The first leg of control.  After they gain control of women, then the working men will be next.  We are on a dangerous path and half the country will not wake up and see this.  

And the other half is the far left demanding free college, free rent.  They are demanding a socialist government.  Socialism never works.  Never.  It always collapses into dictatorship.  We need, desperately need, middle of the road politicians.  We won't get them because both the far right and far left have such a toe hold on the country.  I am pinning my hope on the young generation coming up now.  My generation, the boomers, have royally screwed up the country and their children, my children's generation made it much worse.  It is time to kick both generations to the curb and fix our country.  We need the WW2 generation and they are gone.   

Divided We Fall

Had a conversation with a close relative this morning and she is blaming President Biden for the high gas prices in this country.  The way the prices work is that Opec sets those prices.  Not the president.  And we do produce our own oil and we are one of the top producers in the world, but a hellava lot of that oil is exported and we in turn import replacement oil.  So now she is saying, as are many, many others that the President needs to stop the export of our oil  If Biden issued an Executive order to stop all export of oil a few things would happen. 1). Oil companies would just stop production and cap the wells.  You can't force a company to produce goods. 2) As soon as the oil companies curtailed production, that half of the country would be bitchin because Biden let them stop production.  And that contingent is now pushing the agenda that none of this would have happened if Trump were president.  That Trump stopped imports.  That Trump was forcing companies to return jobs to the US.  All Trump did was levy tarraffs against some companies' products.  Oil was exempt under Trump.  And those products that he levied tarraffs against were not vital to the country. But the retaliation from the countries we levied tarraffs against did hurt the US greatly.  Government aid to farmers accounted for up to 1/3 of all farm income because the farmers could not sell their crops overseas because of the tarraffs levied against those crops in retaliation for what we did.  And he levied no tarraffs against Russia.  None.  So what I am seeing and hearing is that at least half of the citizens in this country never bother to do any research and just believe the lies told to them by politicians and far right new stations.  Trump did his level best to become Putin and they won't see this.  They refuse to see that if Trump had succeeded in overturning the election, we would now have a dictator and it would not hit home until their"fredoms" were visably taken away from them.  Our education system is a mess and failing horribly.  We are just one candidate away from becoming Russia.   

The world is going to hell in a handbasket and Ukraine is paying the price for being the gatekeeper

 I can't say I was really surprised at the invasion of Ukraine by Russia.  We set the stage for that invasion all the way back to Obama.  Obama and congress sit on their welfare asses and just allowed Russia to take Crimea.  No sanction.  Back to business as usual.  So did the rest of the world.  Then along came Trump.  He has had his nose up Putin's ass since before he got into the White House.  He has the hots for Putin.  And Putin used him like a dust rag to get what he wanted.  And Trump is too damn stupid and egotistical to even realize this.  So now we have a country fighting for it's life and most of the world sitting back and allowing it to happen.  Even those in this country want to appease him because "we get oil from Russia."  And now Saudi and the rest of the Opec countries in the Middle East are siding with Russia.  Siding with Russia while using us for their protection.  Maybe it is time to cut them lose and allow them to defend themselves when Russia comes calling for them.  Time we dished out that plate of crow.  If the world is not careful, we will have a new cabal of countries forming their own alliance against the West.  All the former USSR satellite countries are stepping up support for Ukraine because they know they are next on Putin's hit list.  And if we have a cabal of Eastern European countries hostile to the West and hostile to Russia at the same time, that is a recipe for disaster.  We are probably going to wind up in a nuclear war.  That is a given.  Putin does not give a damn that he will destroy the world.  All I can say is we are in a real mess.  Putin has taken this right out of Hitler's playbook and any appeasement of Putin will only make him worse.  And the Russian people would rather be told what to do and when to crap than stand up to their so-called leader.  We haven't been in this shape worldwide since 1939.  And we may never be in this shape again if Putin starts a nuclear war.  He won't destroy the world, but he will destroy mankind and once we are gone, we won't be again.  The world will recover.  It will rebuild itself.  We won't.  

Insurection

 Anyone who took part in that attempted overthrow of our government should have to spend the rest of their lives in prison and never be allowed to vote again.  But the kicker is I would put money on them not voting now.  And that orange one they are backing, I seriously doubt that even Trump votes.  The loudest mouths are usually the ones who do not bother to vote.  Here in my town, we had someone running for city council.  He had not voted in an election since coming here.  My congressman, Bill Flores now retired, for 8 years living in my community, never voted.  And yet he ran for congress and was elected.  He did nothing while there.  He left and went on the board of ERCOT because he could make more money there.  And nobody ever checked to see if he was qualified as a congressman nor as a board member or ERCOT.  People will just vote for the party.  I am convinced if Satin ran on the republican ticket, he would be elected.  Republicans do not care about anything but them being a far right republican.  Not a moderate republican, but a far right conspiracy theory, Alex Jones loving fool.  That is their only requirements.  And that is dangerous.  

Covid-19

 Throughout this pandemic, I have been shocked at how those on the right refuse to take any measures to mitigate the virus in spite of the fact that is is those on the right that it is killing.  I have heard you are stupid for wearing a mask, it is my right to not wear one, it is my right to continue to not take the vaccine, they are putting computer chips in you, it isn't a vaccine, it is an experimental vaccine, they don't know what it will do to you, it will make you sterile.  And I can't wrap my mind around this.  Yes you have freedoms but with freedoms come responsibility.  And when these anti-vaxxers get the virus, they head straight to the ER for treatment that may and may not save their lives.  Never mind the fact that medical personnel are exhausted, many have died.  Never mind the fact that you could have contributed to mitigating this virus.  Just head to the ER and scram "save me." I know this sounds horrible and cold and if it is one of mine, I will flip on a dime, but I do not believe that those who refused a vaccine, social distancing, and wearing a mask should even be admitted to the ER let alone receive treatment. We have several vaccines that can save your life.  And yet this group of people are so intent on staying in their pack that they will put the lives of their whole family on the line to prove to the others in their pack that they can be just as stupid as any of them.  

Sarah Palin tested positive while in New York City.  She went out to restaurants several time.  She should be charged with attempted murder.  And what really kills me is that these people have no shame.  None.  Their "rights" come before your right to live. Yes they have a right to kill themselves, but they do not have a right to take others with them.  We had quarantine camps for those with yellow fever.  We should bring back those quarantine camps for those refusing to take a vaccine or quarantine when they get covid.  Put them all together and let them take care of each other and leave the rest of us alone.  I lived through the polio epidemic.  And every time you ran a fever, you were petrified you had polio.  I had measles and it put me down for 6 weeks and a loss of 45 pounds.  I weighed 55 pounds when I recovered and I was 13 years old.  I had mumps.  I had whooping cough.  I missed chicken pox.  I lost some hearing from the measles.  My sister has a heart murmur from measles.  One friend went blind.  I also took the smallpox shot.  The covid shot is a pinprick compared to a smallpox shot.  These are people who were the "no child left behind" "you are not responsible for your actions".  So if you spend your life not having to accept responsibility for anything you say or do, then you turn into a self centered asshole and we have a lot of those now.  And they are dangerous.  

leaving Social Media

I am really tired of Facebook.  They sat back and allowed the insurrectonists to plan the attempted overthrow of our government.  And yet, simple statements trigger a ban from posting.  I have seen the far right lies all over facebook.  No one stopped them.  I have seen racist posts.  No one stopped them.  So contemplating just leaving all together.  I use it to communicate with family, but I don't think it is worth it anymore.   

Absurdity of facebook

 I have been banned from facebook again.  This time it was for answering someone who was backing the blue and my reply was "yeah unless they are capitol police, then we kill them.  Just stating the truth, but not up to facebook standards.  Facebook allows all the conspiracy theories out there.  The insurrection was planned on facebook, but that is fine.  Zuckerberg needs to decide whether he is a solid citizen or a nutjob.  I'm guessing one of the nutjobs.  So time to leave facebook.  

As to the insurrection, I'm still wondering why those involved have not been charged with and tried for treason.  Treason, murder, attempted murder, theft of government property, distruction of government property, breaking and entering.  They have been charged with none of that.  I can answer my own question.  They were white upper middle class.  Had they been Native Americans or black or hell poor whites, they would be under the jail for 99 years each.  But because they are white upper middle class, they get a slap on the wrist and told "don't do that again.  

Let's imagine they were democrats doing this when Clinton lost the election.  Those same republicans would be hanging them.  We have reached a really shameful stage in our country and a dangerous one.  Maybe time to become a political refugee.  Wonder if I can scoot south of the border.  Soon it will be Mexico sending troops to stop US citizens from crossing their border.  Canada will be doing the same.