Turning Republicans to Democrats

My favorite curmudgeon, John Nance Garner - known to friends as Jack, has been at it again.  He's had another Letter to the Editor of the Denton Record-Chronicle published.  

Turning Republicans to Democrats

"Christmas time again. The time of the year when even tightfisted Republicans sometimes display a spirit of giving. The magic of the season brings about profound changes in some people.

Ebeneezer Scrooge blasted everyone who dared wish him a Merry Christmas.

(Disney image)

Scrooge was visited by three spirits that changed the old miser in such a manner that it was said, “He knew how to keep Christmas in his heart the yearlong”; as a Democrat should.

Then there is the nemesis of the Christmas spirit; the Grinch’s blah makes Scrooge’s 'Christmas, bah humbug' sound like 'Silent Night.'

The Grinch doesn’t like anything about Christmas, not the singing, the laughing and not an outpouring of love.

The Grinch decides to steal everything that smacks of Christmas. He is caught by a large-eyed child who just stares at him.

His thievery complete, he is astonished that the people in the village below are singing, laughing and there is an outpouring of love on Christmas day.

As the Grinch ponders this phenomenon, the little girl flashes into his mind and with that an outpouring of Christmas that fills his Grinch heart with joy, and it swells to the size of a Democrat’s.

The Grinch returns the stolen Christmas items and joins the people making merry.

And so, the spirit of Christmas turns two hardened Republicans into Democrats.

Now if it could do something about Donald Trump.

Merry Christmas, everyone." ... Jack   

I second that!
Peace and Love,
Marilyn

I've been thinking...

There have been few reasons for me to feel like posting on this blog during the summer, but I have been doing a lot of thinking. The political climate has been so depressing that it spills over into my thoughts much too often. I am fed up with all of the news being dominated by our current President and his administration.  Not being on Facebook, at least I do not have to get into snarky political debates. And if I receive too many political emails (unless they are cartoons) I have begun to delete those.

A few times in the past, some have made me feel apologetic about my "liberal" political/philosophical views. Mostly this was by members of the small West Texas town where I attended high school. Many of those folks are ones who profess to be Christians.. ignoring the fact that Jesus the Christ was indeed a liberal. If He were alive today, He probably would be "throwing them out of the Temple" (the hallowed halls of Congress)!

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"Forgiveness should not lead to forced reunions. There may be some people you are better never to see, hear from, or even think about."..(Stephanie Dowrick "Choosing Happiness") This quote comes to mind every single time I "think about" those people! Why not some good advice on how to keep one from thinking?

We are told both from a spiritual and a psychological viewpoint that it is necessary to our emotional and physical well-being to forgive the people who harm us. (I wonder if that includes a government administration that appears to be destroying our way of life? But I digress..) 

There was a time that a particularly abusive person who had brought a great deal of pain into my life showed up at my door. He asked me if I could forgive him. I answered, "Of course. I've already forgiven you, but I can never forget what you put me through." He was one of those people I never cared to see or hear from again - and I (kindly) told him so. Our thinking can sometimes be intrusive...something we cannot control. At least I cannot. However, the blessing bestowed by passing time, in this case over 30-years, is that negative emotions are no longer attached to the thoughts. That may not be true for everyone, but it works for me. 

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(from Brainy Quotes)

Maybe the above quote from my favorite Transcendentalist, Emerson, is the reason there is so much dissension in our country today. Too many folks are watching the 24-hour news stations or reading the online news sites, or listening to carpers like Alex Jones. The people who are in the worst shape, i.e., out of work - or if farmers, suffering from drought (or trade deals), and are otherwise discouraged by what they think is all caused by our government, have more time on their hands to watch, listen, or read.  Human nature causes each of us to seek out the things that most represent our own beliefs or needs. Based on the last election returns, the current administration won overwhelmingly in states that contained the most suffering and discontented. Fed daily by information from FOXNews and the likes of Alex Jones and Infowars, they believed the likes of our current POTUS had all the answers and would "fix" what was wrong in their world.

All of that negative "thinking" and the reinforcement by negative commentators must have been complicit in the formation of the current chaos that is coming out of Washington. Do you think?

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Somewhere it was written that Matthew Fox -- the former priest and noted progressive political activist -- was talking about his pet dog. Like most of us pet owners who love their dogs and speak to them as if they always understand what we say, he said that when he leaves his house he tells his dog "Do your job, now. Protect our home." I told my beloved little dog Fancy (who lived almost 20-years) the same thing for years after that. I'm not certain she understood my words, but she allowed me to leave her and the house feeling a lot less guilty.

FANCY

"..only human beings talk for the sheer pleasure of it."..(from Senior Moments by Willard Spiegelman) Maybe that's why seniors who live alone often get depressed. No one to talk to! And maybe that's why pets are so welcome to those who live alone. I have always talked to my pets - even to my daughter's little dog Nimbus, who is totally deaf. She reminds me, "Mom, he can't hear you!" But he and I share a secret. As I talk to him, he locks onto my face, and we make a heartfelt connection. I know that little darling understands me. It's a language of love. (Nimbus dropped by for visits recently, and we have had lovely conversations. But then, it may be the back massages I give him rather than our conversations that makes him excited to see me!)

NIMBUS

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School is back in session. It's so hard to believe that my youngest grandchildren are so grown up now! Travis proudly celebrated his 16th birthday in July by getting his driver's license. My little beauty Kelly will turn 13 in November, and is now in the seventh grade.

Travis played in a golf tournament in Fredericksburg last weekend, and his parents and Kelly all went to cheer him on. I've heard through the grapevine that mom Amy woke to see a ghost at the foot of her bed! I'm anxious to get the whole story soon. Dooh dooh dooh dooh..Daughter Carajean and my neighbor April and I have decided we need to hold a seance, as I have had a resident ghost in my cottage! Things That Go Bump in the Night  I'll keep you posted.

Until next time, may all the September stormy weather miss you and yours completely!

Peace and Love,
Marilyn

SEASONS

"To stay in one place and watch the seasons come and go is tantamount to constant travel; one is traveling with the earth"...Marguerite Yourcenar

I've done my share of traveling over the years. Besides driving to visit friends or family, I had the added pleasure of "watching the seasons come and go" and photographing many.

Old Bridge at Burkett, Texas

"Relish the changing landscape of the place where you live."

Springtime in the Hill Country
(Near Burnet, Texas)

 Texas Bluebonnets (Near Burnet, Texas)  

      

Anole Lizard on Front Porch Plant

(Austin, TX)

         Front Porch in Austin

   My own "Van Gogh" Irises in         Burnet, TX Backyard

As I no longer drive, I am very happy to view the changing seasons from my front porch or deck at my current Lake Cottage. I call it that because I am only a couple of blocks from Lake Austin. These are some of my photos I've taken from my front porch or back deck. My way now of enjoying the outdoors and the little creatures that I share my space with.

Yes, it snows in Texas. I have yet to see enough accumulation in Austin, where I now live, to photograph. Burnet is a little north of Austin.

Summer Blooms in Burnet

Summer Blooms in Burnet

Beside my front porch in Austin

The following video is of landscapes that are beautiful even when dying.

From film "Five Seasons: The Gardens of Pief Oudolf" 
Directed by Tom Piper

Praying for a definitive end to the heat wave we've suffered this summer, and a cool fall and even colder winter.

May many colorful living things inhabit your own space on Planet Earth..

Marilyn

DON'T BE A SUCKER

(Those salutes look familiar?)

Released to the general public via theaters in 1947, fanatical propaganda depicted in the short film below brings images of our current President to mind. When clips of one of his recent speeches to a crowd of his supporters is shown on television, I cannot help but think he must have taken lessons from some of the old-time films of Nazi Germany and it's infamous leader. Remember, Hitler fooled a lot of the German people. 

 "Don't Be A Sucker" - 1943 US War Department Video about Racism and Fascism.

"The Hungarian speaking in this film reminds Mike (the 'everyman sucker' in the film) that Germany was 'a nation of suckers' who allowed 'crazy people; stupid fanatics' to use prejudice to 'cripple the nation.' 'We must guard everyone's liberties, or we can lose our own,' he declares. 'Let's not be suckers! Let's be selfish about it; let's not think about 'we' and 'they'. Let's think about 'us'!"...(from the film). That sounds familiar, too, doesn't it?

I was a child during World War II, and as I've mentioned before, my parents often used movie theaters as babysitters. There were always newsreels, a cartoon, and I'm pretty sure I saw something like this (or even this one)  as well as the feature film.

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"Sooner or later there comes a time when it hits us: “oh, s*** – this is real.”.. John Beckett

"Asylum seekers arrested. Families separated. An order to reunite them, only to find that many of them can’t be matched up. And while we were fixated on that (and rightly so) a bill to gut Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid, to “balance the budget” barely six months after a huge corporate tax cut.

Trade wars. Alienating allies. Photo ops with dictators." THIS IS REAL

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Let us not forget this famous poem written by the the German anti-Nazi theologian/Lutheran pastor Martin Niemöller during Hitler's reign. We could substitute "immigrants" and/or "Muslims" for some of these. 

First they came for the Jews

and I did not speak out

because I was not a Jew.

Then they came for the Communists

and I did not speak out

because I was not a Communist.

Then they came for the trade unionists

and I did not speak out

because I was not a trade unionist.

Then they came for me

and there was no one left

to speak out for me. 

We must continue to speak out about the "unspeakable" directives and mandates being carried out by the current administration. Rallies, visits with despots all over the world (GOP congressmen visiting Russia on the

very day we celebrate our nation's freedom), and even the deplorable situation with the precious children being separated from their families tend to cover up the real destruction of our democracy that goes on behind the scenes and unnoticed by the general public.

Let our voices ring loud and clear in November's elections.

And may God bless America,

Marilyn

MEMORIES FROM WWII TRIP HOME

(Typical ancient Pueblo housing.)

A long-time friend from the days I lived in Albuquerque has led one of the most interesting lives of all the people I know. When I first met her, she was a pediatrician traveling to Native American reservations in the area. Remarkably, she was toting an infant carrier with her first-born child on board to all of her appointments! Ruth MacCurdy and I have corresponded with one another for the nearly 50-years since I moved back to Texas. Her life has afforded her many amazing experiences. I don't personally know anyone else who has climbed to the top of a Mexican pyramid, lived in Puerto Rico, was married to a man who worked for the CIA, or experienced such a harrowing trip as the following one she related to me in different emails...and now practices a type of medicine known as craniosacral therapy! (Correct me Ruth, if I have that wrong!) I have almost "hounded" her from time to time to write her memories about this experience. She relayed this to me in bits and pieces as her memory took hold. If I don't have it quite in sequence, it is totally my fault! 

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Ruth

"Most memorable was our trip back to the states on a hospital ship and I have many memories of that. For years we told the story, laughing at the lighthearted jokes my father told to keep some of the other missionaries from worrying. But in the late 90’s I was telling the story to some friends in Mexico and simply could not continue, I was so choked up with the fear and other emotions left over from that trip (that had been submerged for all those 50+ years).

"Although I was only 4-5 I do have a couple of vivid memories and the rest my mother and/or sister filled in...

"In Bangalore sirens went off for air raid practice and we were instructed to get under our seat/tables …..which we learned to do very quickly.

"In Kodaicanal the news brought total panic to the missionaries who immediately evacuated almost to a person. On hearing this (later) I was totally amazed, as Kodaicanal seemed the farthest and almost safest place to me (as Stilwell’s army was pushed back to the border of Assam/India where they held against the Japanese with the help of an Indian army).

"Since my father had been working with the Gandhian nonviolent movement for freedom in the Bangalore area, this was quite concerning to the British 'in charge' of Tamil Nadu, India. As America was an ally in WWII, their hands were essentially 'tied', but they finally sent a deportation notice (which was never found in the records after our return to the States). Our first departure date was delayed as my brother and sister came down with measles. (I have long been convinced – there are no coincidences!!  We later learned the first ship we were to leave on was torpedoed and there were no survivors!)

"If troops were being moved, there was absolutely no room on the trains, but we were soon waved over to a carriage and arms extended to get us on the train thru the windows; with soldiers moving over to make room for us.

"We departed from Bombay in a convoy of two ships (one carried orphans from Europe to Australia and we have since learned how some of them were treated), heavily guarded by battleships, submarines, etc. Our first stop was somewhere along the southern coast of Australia, but we (a mixture of Americans and Europeans) were only allowed to walk up and down a very long pier. After one or two trips back and forth I immediately returned to the ship as I was afraid it would go off without us, and there were no signs of a town or habitation whatsoever. I then worried that they would leave without my father who was not going to miss that exercise. The older boys and men were 'housed' somewhere lower in the ship and the women and younger children on the upper deck. But there were areas of the ship where we met and ate.

(Hospital ship from WWII-Not the one they took.)

"I’m sure they took on water and supplies and then headed for an Island (perhaps Guam) to take on the soldiers who had been evacuated from Guadalcanal. They filled the ship from the bottom to almost the top with wounded sailors.  And there could have even been some in 'bags'.  We ended up going through a 'hurricane', but survived quite well, even if we were sleeping up on deck – fortunately between two big guns – they kept us from washing off. 

"We (the children) were all watching from the top deck as they filled the whole ship with soldiers, and opened up access for the supplies to be loaded down the middle of the ship – we could see the men on the very lowest deck – looking like ants scurrying around. The soldiers filled the whole dock area and repeatedly kept shouting 'Throw down the children, Throw down the children'. This I did not understand 'til it was explained to me that they hadn’t seen children for two years or more.

"We then headed across the Pacific, not stopping till we reached the States. There were so many soldiers that the mess had to feed all of us in shifts, and all the black soldiers volunteered to be cooks. The officers and crew ate last (women and children ate first), and I made good friends with the officer in charge of the mess, often going back to see what they were eating. One day I asked the lieutenant in charge what something was and was told it was 'pie' -- 'Do you want a taste?' I had been rigidly raised not to eat between meals so I replied I’d have some for lunch. And the next day, everyone was served pie (not just the officers)!!

"Our deck had access via stairs to the lower decks, and it was soon clear that I wasn’t going to stay put on just our deck (and the open deck above). There were MP’s at all the stairways, and they assured Mom that someone would grab me should the ship be attacked (I refused to wear the life jacket everyone was required to wear), and that I would not be harmed! At the end of the day I would return for the night loaded down with candy bars, minus the hair ribbons from my braids. When they were all gone my mother told the MP’s she had to have them back, and they slowly filtered back up the stairs, although a bit shorter.

"Being a doctor, Mom was occasionally consulted re some medical problem (they had medics, but few MD’s), and was taken 'below' to help. I remembered her saying there were two decks of cages, with one man in each so they wouldn’t hurt anyone, and could be monitored so they didn’t hurt themselves. Needless to say, I wasn’t allowed on those decks!

"Two other incidents I remember clearly. A submarine was detected by our convoy and depth charges were 'dropped' – making our ship lean way to one side and then way over to the other side. We happened to be in an area where the civilians could visit, and all the chairs and tables went 'flying and sliding', with a few of the occupants falling over backwards."

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What kind of memories do you have from your early years? I have a few from the World War II era, but nothing so dramatic or exciting.

Peace and prayers we never have a WWIII,

Marilyn

GRANDMOTHER REMEMBERS

As my regular readers know, (and many of you are accompanying me on this journey) I am an aging grandmother of seven. Lately, I spend much of my time "reminiscing". I love to muse over my favorite life events.. even though I sometimes need a little help with my memory.  I am attempting to recreate some of the stories for my grandchildren, and someday, my great-grandchildren. A lot of my favorites took place in the decade of my fifties. Here are two of them: 

DEATH AND REBIRTH

(Joe Sohm/Getty Images)

"I crawled out and fell on the cool earth like a newborn child on the bosom of his mother. . . . Despite my physical depletion, I was filled with an overwhelming sense of peace. I felt like I had gone to the other side of death and returned renewed, refreshed, rebaptized. It was like all the sacraments rolled into one, rising up whole and inseparable from the very center of the earth."...Ken Nerburn, from his book The Wolf at Twilight..An Indian Elder's Journey through a Land of Ghosts and Shadows

The above quote describes the author's experience in a sweat lodge ceremony. These may be "purification ceremonies" or simply a "sweat".  These were originally used by Native Americans for religious purposes only. Made of simple items, such as branches of trees, they are sometimes covered with animal skins. Inside, water is poured over a hole containing heated stones from outside the hut. Thus, the "sweat" from steam rising up. 

A good friend, Mary Smith Hendricks, who had trained with a local shaman in the methods and rituals of conducting a "sweat", and in  possession of some Native American genes, was to be our leader the night we planned to hold a sweat in the country. She lived at a commune-type place called Rainbow Valley. This was a delightful small community of earth-sheltered homes where some used solar electricity and practiced other methods of living "green". Mary's house even had a compost toilet! 

At dusk, women from our local church, after donating a gift of some kind, gathered in a line outside the tiny entrance to the lodge. It was summer, and I had on a brief cotton romper sunsuit. (We were told in advance that clothing was optional. I thought my outfit would be "cool". So much for understanding a sweat!) My friend behind me asked if I were going to wear that when I went inside. I said, "Yes, why?" She answered, "Marilyn, this is a ceremony of "rebirth". (The lodge represented a womb.) Do you want to be reborn with clothes on?" I quickly looked around and immediately stepped out of my clothing. After all, this was not a co-ed sweat as I had heard some were.

Many experiences were felt by those of us in attendance.. all were meaningful, and even mind-expanding. I don't recall any expressing their experience with such eloquence as the above quote. Some could not take the heat, and even had to lean on another.. but none wished to exit before the others.

As I recalled the memories of that night, I contacted Mary for a little more information. (I wish I had a picture of the lodge.) Mary is my go-to for lots of esoteric information, and even for some of her herbal concoctions when my skin is in need of healing. She and her daughter Heather are both herbalists, often appearing at Renaissance Faires and such to sell their wares. In the intervening years since our sweat lodge was held, Mary has joined FEMA as a disaster assistance employee, and met and married her husband Jaye. She answered my latest request thus:

"George (her son-in-law) and I built it. We covered it with blankets and then an old army tarp. Normally a lodge has four main ribs going across each direction and four around to the opening. And then smaller branches to fill in. Somehow, we ended up just putting three ribs around and a circle at the top. I was told by a shaman friend that we had joined the forces of Indian and Celtic traditions when we did that!

The token gifts were to honor spirit and to support the lodge. Kinda like what one does when one gives money at church.

Technically, we had 13-virgins in that lodge (womyn who had never been in a sweat lodge) plus two that had. So, to bring in that type of energy was a blessing. 

Heather was the keeper of the fire, and George was our guardian (at a distance). Plus, we had two drummers to hold the heartbeat."

This took place in the 90s. I told my children about it, and my daughter seemed to be shocked that we went into the lodge in the nude. For some reason that stuck in her mind. 

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CRONING AND MORE

Not too long after, this same group of  women met at my "cabin in the woods" that I called The Barn. We gathered indoors in a circle, with Mary again being the leader of what is known as a "smudge"...another Native American ritual used to "purify or bless people or things" with burning herbs such as a sage bundle. After the burning sage was passed around, we then passed around a "talking stick" for each to add their own blessings or needs for purification. Although Mary is of Native American heritage, and is very devout in her use of such rituals, it is a controversial thing to hold these circles. To call our experiences "New Age" would be a more accurate description.

(The Barn)

We had gathered at The Barn this night to celebrate the 50th birthday of one of our members. In attendance was a woman who practiced Wicca. (Another New Age ritual practiced by some.) Even though the majority of us were Christian in practice, this was a "croning" ceremony, designed to invoke spiritual reflection, dignity and wisdom. It is an ancient pagan rite of passage to honor older women. Croning ceremonies have become nearly extinct, but they're making a comeback. And they were going mainstream as there were so many "baby boomers" reaching age 50 and older.

After the smudge, we grouped outdoors in a line. The birthday girl sat in the center of the flagstone patio surrounded by trees, while our Wicca celebrant, wearing a crown of English ivy and a flowing dress, circled her, chanting "Magic is afoot". She invited us to chant along with her as we entered the patio and circled around as well. For most of us this was a new (and only) experience of this sort. Some of us even giggled at the site of middle-aged women "dancing in the moonlight".

Though I lived in the middle of woods, I had neighbors who were close enough on the other side of my drive to hear our chants. Since they had a two-story house, they could look down upon our celebration. I noticed their lights coming on, and knew that they were watching. I wondered what on earth they might be thinking. I had lived there many years before they built their house. We never became good friends. After this night, that surely wasn't going to happen!

We returned indoors where we held a guided meditation to a video tape I had made of the late John Bradshaw's series "Healing the Inner Child" on PBS. This particular meditation was titled "Finding Your Wild One." I tried to locate a copy of the music, and Mr. Bradshaw told me I was correct that the title of the song was "Thunder Drums". He said, "It is one of the most powerful backgrounds to certain meditations." Since that time, many who attended have asked me about the music. It was, indeed, powerful. And a perfect way to end our celebrations that night. The following video is the closest I could find to the rendition we heard. I am not certain if these are the same artists, but it is a great performance. It is rather lengthy, but listen to even a portion of it and be transported!

Afterwards, some described their experiences during the meditation. One woman manifested "goat feet" so she could climb a mountain! Another shared that she "had a very wild-looking African banshee as her wild inner child". After all these years, I can still hear the drum beats as they got faster and faster. I was dancing around a campfire, going as fast as the drums, until my body glistened with sweat. Was my inner wild child still longing to be a dancer? "...Dance was not merely corporal movement, but also the connection between humans and the gods. They danced for the harvest, fertilization, fun, thanks and most especially for communication and understanding among members of that society..." The Representations of Dance: A Sociological Analysis by J. Medina  Aha!

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Of course, I had to tell my curious daughter about that evening as well! Many years later something brought up those experiences in a conversation I had with her. She said she repeated stories about this last night to her friends through the years, saying that all of the women at The Barn participated in the outdoor ceremony in the nude. I nearly choked laughing at this. When I could speak again, I corrected her. "Oh, no!" she exclaimed, "I've been telling that story for years, and I always said you all were dancing in the nude!" She had confused this with the "sweat lodge" story.

No wonder my son Craig always called me his "hippie Mom"!

Peace, love, and good memories to you all,

Marilyn

DEEP STATE?

"Former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright describes herself as an 'optimist who worries a lot.' And lately, it seems, there has been much to worry about.". The article on NPR is worth reading. Fascism

Always considering myself an optimist, I'm shocked when some tell me I "worry too much". This mostly comes from my grown children. I've had this article in draft stage for a couple of months, as I thought maybe I am making much ado about nothing. When I read the above quote from Madeleine Albright this morning I knew I was not the only optimist who tends to worry. She has written a new book, Fascism: A Warning. Although she doesn't out and out call Trump a Fascist, she does say he is "the most anti-democratic leader that I have studied in American history."

As I am a big fan of Albright, I found myself justifying my own worries about the state of our country. I decided to go ahead and publish this post and then get back to bragging on all the good my children and grandchildren are up to in a future post. They are the ones who will be faced with undoing the damages made by the Trump administration.

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I have been hearing and reading many references to the "deep state"  recently. After running across a couple of definitions of the context currently being used, it reminded me of the 1960s, and the conservative conspiracy theory of "the Kingmakers", a behind-the-scenes group of powerful businessmen who were supposedly "really" running the country. 

Then I did some research into recent similar theories. Only this time, it was not proposed by radical conservatives. I found the following excerpt in an essay on Bill Moyer's website. Anatomy of Deep State It was written by Mike Lofgren in 2014, before Trump popped up in the political arena. I have substituted Obama's name with Trump .. 

Speaking of the authority possessed by the office of President, he writes:

"... President Trump can liquidate American citizens without due processes, detain prisoners indefinitely without charge, conduct dragnet surveillance on the American people without judicial warrant and engage in unprecedented - at least since the McCarthy era - witch hunts against federal employees (the so-called “Insider Threat Program”). Within the United States, this power is characterized by massive displays of intimidating force by militarized federal, state and local law enforcement. Abroad, President Trump can start wars at will and engage in virtually any other activity whatsoever without so much as a by-your-leave from Congress..." (by Mike Lofgren)

The above emphasis in italics is mine, of course. Add to the above the powers of the members of the so-called Deep State (who are really not so hidden)​, the "private enterprise" (read Mercer, Koch brothers, Sinclair Media, etc.) entities, to quote George W. Bush, "the deciders", and the direction the current Congress and Trump administration are leading us is akin to leading lemmings over the cliff!

(Kevin Kallaugher aka KAL)

Read the entire article if you want the bejeezus scared out of you. So much of what Lofgren wrote is similar to what is happening in Washington today.

Look at all the trouble the Trump administration has brought to us. See how he is dismantling and destroying so much of our country and its parks, institutions, safety regulations, civil liberties, etc., etc., etc.. 50+ years ago I thought we were in trouble with Communist Vietnam..​.now Trump has North Korea looming over us. He and his cohorts continue to deny critical climate changes, and we see some of the results in the horrific hurricanes of last year.

When Trump ordered troops be sent to the border of Mexico, he undoubtedly thought he could send in the Marines to show how tough he is. He is probably disappointed that the only ones he could send without the approval of Congress were the National Guard troops. And they are limited as to what they can legally do. Posse Comitatus Act

On February 23, 2018:

Trump touched on a wide-range of topics
during his CPAC speech. He called for Republicans to avoid complacency in the upcoming 2018 elections in order to keep both chambers of Congress in a march towards his own re-election in 2020. 

He also praised his work in improving the economy and claimed his administration had removed more regulations than any other in history.

And that's a good thing? Most regulations were imposed to protect the American people, not just the major corporations. Then there's the new tax plan that also favors the rich and corporations.

Now there are the "trade wars", which Trump avows we will "win". Poor farmers - just to begin with.

It is becoming increasingly harder to remain optimistic. The bright spots are some of the younger candidates moving up in the political realm. Ones like Beto O'Rourke challenging Ted Cruz here in Texas. We love the older politicians such as Biden and Sanders, however, they are well into their senior years. We need more young people, such as the brave high school students behind the Never Again gun control movement, deciding to go into politics in the future. We may someday again see democracy in action in our great country. I hope I am alive to see it.

I urge Democrats to avoid complacency in the upcoming 2018 elections.

(Wiki)

Peace,
Marilyn

FAMILY NEWS

Tanner went to Ecuador in January with students from UC Berkeley and some other college to work on an environmental engineering (his major) project involving bamboo. (They built a "house" from bamboo.) He is currently a freshman at the University of Texas. They were there for a week, and he made a couple of new friends who also attend UT. (After looking at a website for Ecuador, his mom said, "I want to go, too!" ) The last I heard, Tanner is planning to attend film school this summer, and work at a part-time job.

Hannah, a senior at Booker T. Washington Performing Arts High School in Dallas, will graduate this spring. She has been extremely busy recently interviewing at several different universities here in Texas, and recently she flew to Syracuse, NY to interview at Syracuse University. (They paid for her trip.) She had her interview, and according to her dad, Craig, it went well. He said she didn't sound too enthusiastic about the snow, however! Of course, we would prefer she go to one of the Texas universities, but like a lot of young teens, she is anxious to get far away from home. That is probably true for most college freshmen - at least until the first real case of homesickness sets in.

Hannah also recently directed a play at Booker T. Even though she aspires to be an attorney some day, Hannah is a talented playwright.. and apparently a talented director.

Ashlyn will graduate in May as well, from Oklahoma State University with a degree in Nutritional Science. She plans to spend the summer in Austin, working part-time, and studying for the GRE. (Graduate Record Examination. Created and administered by Educational Testing Service, it is used by thousands of graduate and business schools to make admission and fellowship decisions.) Currently, her plans are to go to graduate school to become a Physician Assistant (PA) as her mother did. We are hoping she applies to a PA school nearby. I've seen too little of this grandchild while she's attended OSU.

During winter break, Ashlyn went with her big sister, Audrey, and a friend to Big Bend, where they stayed in a rented cabin. Audrey took this amazing photo inside the cabin. I love this even more because Ashlyn is such a spiritual young woman.

This is Easter weekend. Daughter Carajean and her family are going to come over tomorrow after visiting an exhibition of Salvador Dali's paintings. I can think of a better artist to view on a Holy weekend. Although, hopefully, it will broaden the grandchildren's interest in famous artists and artwork. They are talented in the arts in many ways -- music, dance, photography, and film -- however, there are no artists in their family. Yet.

I've baked cookies, but I really miss dying Easter eggs for the kids to hunt! Time flies, and they grow up way too fast!

Craig, Carajean, Matthew
Easter 1972

Matthew's Children - Kelly and Travis

Easter 2011

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Happy Easter -- a day of overcoming! 

With love,

Marilyn