Dismal Times

This weather begins to make me wonder about my non-belief in a greater being up above us. It really begins to look like someone just got fed up with Humankind, and then tossed a switch to change everything about the weather, and then sat back to enjoy the resulting chaos.  We here in North Carolina have been lucky so far, having missed out on California’s Atmospheric Rivers falling from the sky. But, we used to live in downtown San Francisco, and so we feel their pain.  And then there’s Texas. They cancelled, what, 6000 flights into or out of Texas airports?  How awful is that? Especially for folks trying to leave Texas.  

And then, right in the middle of this weather chaos, we have republicans beginning to gain speed in their zeal to become the Evil Overlords of America. They’re busily banning books that make them uncomfortable. They are threatening teachers with felony convictions should they dare to reveal to their students how the world actually works.  But then republicans really do so hate educated people. They ask so many embarrassing questions.   And then those same educated people seem to insist on voting, and we know how that works out for republicans.  All in all, the chaos here in America makes me think about moving, except for two things. One, I’m 88 and have no serious wherewithal to pick up and leave to some other country.

But then I also have this other issue. Even if I were able to move, where would I go?  I used to imagine New Zealand. But then Jacinda Ahern left as their political leader, and the weather Frankenstein moved over their country, creating chaos there. I mean, Britain seems totally screwed up politically, Australia isn’t any saner than America. So I guess I am going to have to look around a bit more cautiously.  Politics does seem kind of screwed up so many places.

And then, and then, our police started thinking it was ok to kill people, just to demonstrate who’s really in charge.  And that is never a good thing. We need our police. Really, we do. But we really do not need police acting out their worst instincts.  First, five Black cops, belonging to some elite unit, decide it’s ok to beat some other (Black) dude to death. And here I thought we learned something from the George Floyd disaster.  And then, some other White police dudes decide it’s ok to chase after a guy with no legs and then shoot him. Wouldn’t want him getting away, would we?  Makes me think maybe the Brits have the right idea by denying arms to their beat officers.

So, now, as I gaze outside at the dismal weather, I have to resist the urge to watch any TV news, or even to follow any Newsie outlets in my computer, since we seem to have all bad news all the time. Remember that Ukraine place? Yeah, it’s still there, and Vlad the Impaler continues to sit in his comfortable Moscow office and issue orders to kill and maim as many Ukrainians as possible. He is so bad that even Russians have begun fleeing their country to escape the possibility of being drafted into Vlad’s Evil Army.  Begins to bring back memories of both the Cold War and that war in Southeast Asia. Remember that? Such fun.

When did it used to be fun living in America?  Remind me, please. I’m really old and have begun to forget when those good times were a’rolling.