Yet Another Day

 And so another day is going by without her.  I am surviving, but just barely. I am fortunate because I have loving family, daughters who care and are willing to do lots of things to help keep me alive and healthy.

But as I remain alive, I keep looking around me. I am constantly reminded that humankind occupy this tiny piece of earth in this vast universe.  And that humankind often seem to think about how important they are. Whereas, all of humankind is a mere speck of dust in this vast universe. I have lived a mere 91 years in a universe that seems millions of years old. But we don’t even know that. We simply make up stuff based on the vast evidence around us. Mostly though, we ignore the vastness of this universe and pretend that we Earthlings are what matters. And lately, we have begun imagining that individual creatures, Donald Trump, for example, are even more important than the rest of us.

As a result, that particular piece of vermin is beginning to shape shift into a different kind of creature.  He thinks of himself as somehow more important than the rest of us. And he has creatures around him, Mike Johnson for example, who cry out to all other mortals about how important is his bossman.

And now, because of his bossman, people, kids especially, may be dying because that creature has begun removing those things that keep those children alive.  And his MAGAHeads, the population of idiot-malenfants who surround him, keep cheering him on and yelling at other normal creatures to leave the bossman alone.

And all this just reminds me that fairly obviously, there is no God out there looking out for us humanfolk.  Nope, we’re all alone in this vast universe. And whatever we do here has no serious effect out there in that vast universe. So, even were there a God, she would simply ignore us and go back to playing cards with the other gods, or whatever it is Gods do all day long.

So, with my lifelong sweetie gone from this earth, I am forced to still tune into the doings of that humankind and watch the Donald Trumps of the world and their BFFs (Vlad the Impaler) destroy this lovely, even if tiny, piece of this universe. Yeah, America, you are just a teeny-tiny speck of dust in this universe and Donald Trump is even tinier.  Trump is like a roach who settled into America so as to destroy it. And he is doing such a good job at his destructive mission.  Good thing we’re not a bigger part, or those MAGAHead idiots might actually threaten even this entire universe. And they won’t even know what they are doing.

Is There a God?

 Having now lost my trusted soulmate of over 70 years, my wife Carol,  I am forced to turn my head towards people still alive, so I can begin wondering WHY? Why do they remain, while my loving wife is gone? I observe many comments about God lately. How it is so wonderful that we have a loving God and that that creature created us all.

But then, I am forced to stop. Really folks? You think there is a God who created all this stuff, and all these people? Your God created Donald Trump and his hordes of awful family and even worse friends. God created Pete Hegseth? Why would God do such a thing?

And also . . . God Created Vlad the Impaler Putin? Oh, and thinking of Trump and Putin, God created Adolph Hitler? Really? And you seriously worship THAT GOD?

So, with the passing of my loving wife, I am now being drawn inevitably to the notion that either there is a God, and she pays no attention, or all of this is merely some weird bioaccident. Maybe God wasn’t paying attention and she knocked over something and our universe resulted from that accident. And then, again because she was not paying attention, evolution occurred and things began forming out of nothing all over that accidental universe.  And one of the more pathetic formations that resulted was humankind. And everything since has been simply an extension of that original accident.

In some weird way, perhaps again because she is not paying attention—maybe she’s playing cards with other Gods?—humans mutated into this collection we find in front of us. Look at this collection of idiot-malenfants surrounding Trump.  I mean, I don’t know who/what surrounded Hitler, but this bunch could well be worse—both on the competence level and on that evil thing.

And again, she is clearly not paying attention, or hopefully she would step in and begin making corrections. But I think the Trumpy MAGAHeads are evidence that God either does not care, or simply never pays attention to what occurs on this teeny-tiny extension of the vast universe she created by accident.

So, I assume that means that we are stuck with it. For all purposes, there is no God ready to step in to fix the crap being created by the Trumpy’s.  So, folks, I guess if you like what is happening then good on you. But if you are more normal human creations, you Hate what is going on. And now, it is really waaaaayyy past time to step in and correct it. First by throwing out everyone and everything associated with Trump – EVERYTHING.  Maybe package them up and ship them ALL to maybe Pluto.  Then begin anew to recreate America the way our founding fathers envisioned.

But I don’t know. I hope that is possible, but it may not be and maybe we are at an end. If so, BY By Humankind. It was nice being here. But perhaps all good things actually do come to an end.  We shall see won’t we?

 

And so another day has begun. Ahh, but this day is so different. My love of more than 70 years has passed on, May 26^th to be precise. She suffered for a while from one or more conditions, and her body finally gave up its battle. And Carol Schmidt has now left me, and, more to the point, she has left you. She was loved and respected in so many spheres and by so many people that it is difficult to assure that all who knew her now realize she is no longer with us.

Carol’s life was so embedded with mine that her passing is too difficult for me to describe.  But, however close she was to me, and that was very close, she affected so many people in so many ways.  Her three children, her grandchildren, her great grandchildren all knew her well and respected her love and caring.  Carol was surrounded by love and passed on her love every minute of every day.

But Carol also gave back to our world.  She spent so many hours of each day creating quilts for sick kids at our local Jeff Gordon Children’s Hospital, creating over time hundreds of quilts, each one to make a sick child a little happier.

She also worked with our local library, teaching folks who could not read or write English well, to do it all a little better. She was loved for her work.

She was an amazing chef, mainly for me, but also for kids, grand kids, Greats, and good friends. So many people were so happy because of her cooking skills, and the love included.

But I felt our 70+ years together as a precious gift we gave to each other. We traveled the country and the world together. We lived in New York, and California, and India, and Massachusetts and Maryland, before arriving at our final homestead in North Carolina. WE loved our life here and it was reciprocated by all those around us. There are too many tales to tell, but mainly there is the LOVE. We loved each other so much and Carol was so much a part of me. When people now ask, “How are you?” I do not know how to answer. Because my brain is so filled with my now departed loving wife.

My LOVE, I Love you. You are still a large part of my brain. You are loved. I still think of July 2, 1955 as the day my real life began. You may be gone, My Love, But you will never be forgotten.

 

Life

 This message note is to acknowledge that I have now lost the most important piece of my life and my heart. My wife of nearly 71 years (7/2/1955) has now passed on from LIFE. She died peacefully, but she carried away with heart my love. She has been a truly amazing woman -- smart, energetic, fully loving, caring for others and for our world. She has been my love and my heart is broken.

Failing in America

 With all the talk about assassination attempts, I remain drawn to a different reality—Trump’s seeming passion for failure. I am thinking of his six bankruptcies.  And how, as I watch him and, more importantly, watch his supporters spewing Hate at all things Democratic, I now find myself imagining Trump actually killing America. How could he do that? Well, my memory goes back to those days of FDR, and WW II, when Americans were drawn together in the battles against Germany and Japan. Then the picture shifts as those wars end and we move into our standoff with Russia.  Yes, we had other wars, Korea, Vietnam, Middle East, and yes there were conflicting views among Americans about all those conflicts. But, in the final analysis, we just disagreed. We did not HATE one another or wish to kill one another.

Enter Donald Trump. Perhaps his main thought train is HATE towards anyone who disagrees with him. And as those disagreements grow in number and ferocity, his hatred grows, and that hatred spreads to his supporters. MAGA is not merely a political movement. It is the beginning of an army of hate-filled, heavily armed supporters. The folks who voted for him and now support him seem oblivious to his faults, many though they are. The fact of an illegal WAR, Iran, and even Venezuela, seems not to matter. It seems no longer possible to hold civil conversations with MAGA.

Having lived through many presidents and even working for two – Carter and Reagan—Trump seems anomalous.  I now would place him at the very bottom of our list of Presidents, with no one else even being close.   He would even, in my opinion, be near the bottom of any list of foreign leaders. Now does he equate with Hitler? Well, no, not yet. He has a ways to go on that killing of Americans thing.  But he seems moving in that direction.

AND, one of the forces pushing him in that direction is his MAGA supporters. They seem to be growing more hate-filled by the day. AND, they now seem to hate other Americans –Democrats, and really anyone not supporting Trump.

Now, are we headed to a new Civil War? Maybe, although I am not sure what that would look like. There are MAGA strongholds, to be sure, but there do not seem clean lines of division. A war of MAGA-Hatred would be a messy war indeed.  And its resolution seems uncertain, although, to be fair, I see our Military largely on the side of reason, not supporting Trump. Still, great risks remain with Trump in charge, and MAGA running free. I find myself hoping for some medical miracle—a fatal heart attack maybe.  See, Trump has moved my head into uncharted waters. Never before, even under some of our less wonderful presidents, has my brain gone to such a spot.

But it is important to note that I am now profoundly depressed about my/our America, and I have lived through presidents from FDR on. As I approach my own ending – I am, after all, 91 and counting—I am daily saddened by how Americans seem to grow in their hatred to one another.  That truly is sad.  Remember folks, there likely is NO HEAVEN and NO HELL. This is it. When you die, you simply cease to exist. Now think on that, hard. Whatever happens here is all there is. So, try to make what happens here as pleasant as possible, not merely for you, but for everyone. It’s all there is, folks.

Trump Ends

 We keep half joking About how Trump has embarked on a campaign that will lead eventually to the total destruction of America.  And then I keep reading FB postings about how one or another of our Congresspeople think maybe we should invoke that 25^th Amendment thingie so we can transfer Trump to some deserted island with his family and his cabinet.  And they can then rule over a handful of birds or fishies.

I have yet to read about we are going to try, convict and then punish Trump and his gang for war crimes—the kind of thing we accused the Nazi’s of in past decades.  To be fair, Trump has not yet killed millions, but he keeps trying.

It isn’t that Trump’s war crimes have gone unnoticed. Everyone paying even remote attention knows that is what he is doing, and knows equally that he needs to be in prison at least. And yet we do nothing. By now, all of our NATO allies have been completely disconnected as friends and allies. Think of that. All of our NATO allies now are no longer friends. Now they are not yet at the “enemy” stage, but Trump keeps moving us in that direction.

And now he has decided on some sort of peace deal with Iran. What/how is currently unknown, but it is a good thing. We did not need this war. It was completely unnecessary, and illegal. Maybe if the dumbass/evil Arabs would stop killing Israeli Jews, Bibi would not have emerged as a Nazi over there, and we might have avoided this illegal war.  But they do seem to love killing Jews, and, as long as they continue, Bibi will continue in his Nazi way to retaliate.

And I keep wondering about what if anything Congress is going to do, to pull Trump out of power. There really seems no power grid active to accomplish that.  And until that happens, Trump will remain an eminent threat to America and the world. Now, maybe he will continue his descent into the Netherland of Dementia.  Maybe if he awakens some morning and really does not know who he is, someone will get the message – Hey Gang, maybe it’s time we moved on without him. Of course, then we get Vance and the gang of idiot-malenfants he appointed.  Not sure if that solves the problem.

Ah well America, you lived a good long life. Maybe it’s time Canada annexed us.

Dump Trump

 TRUMP AND AMERICA

What to do, what to do? I keep getting FB pieces that tell me how some group wants to get rid of Trumpo and his Gang of Ignorant Nazi’s. And they always ask me if I approve. Well, as it turns out, it really doesn’t matter whether I approve. I have no vote in Congress. So, stop asking for my opinion.

How about, instead, if the people in charge actually do something. This all depends on how many support Trump and how many oppose him. In terms of the population at large, I assume there are really two main groups of people. Those who are now unalterably opposed to Trump and want to see him and his gang of idiot-malenfants gone. Think of it – a major illegal war in Iran, Trump punishing Cuba for no reason. Screwing up Hormuz entirely, wrecking our entire NATO alliance. And then, every time he speaks publicly, he sounds like a drunken, demented idiot.

Then, I assume there is some group of citizens who still support him—really folks??? You support this evil idiot?

But how big is that group? And Congress has to finally face facts. Trump is destroying America. He is way beyond some minor threat. He is heading us into bankruptcy, He is killing people around the world, as well as here in America. He could, if he continues, destroy all of America if someone does not stop him. AND, we are running out of time.

So, Congress, it is time you decide – stand by Trump, or stand by/rescue America. You need to get rid of him and his entire group—all of them, before they destroy us. DO IT NOW!!!

The Ending of America

 Well, I think he may have done it. Done what you ask? Well, destroy America. America, as we used to know it, was a country governed by three separate branches -- the Presidency, Congress, with its two branches, and a Supreme court overseeing the other two. Now apparently, we are down to that Presidency thing. It is apparently the sole functional branch of our government. And it is being run by an international War Criminal. We apparently no longer have any allies worthy of the name--let's see, does Putin count as an ally? Maybe, and then maybe Bibi, and that seems to be it.

That other branch called Congress, seems completely non-functional, if not dysfunctional. And the Supreme Court has apparently decided it will no longer rule on anything of consequence regarding our President. They are pretty much going to let him do whatever he wants.

And so now we are down to watching how the rest of the world responds, if indeed they do anything. I suppose if Trump decides to drop some nuclear bombs on someone -- Iran maybe??--our former allies, now bystanders, might have some commentary. But, and this is a big BUT, those former allies seem unlikely to take any action to stop the Orange Dude in the White House. And so we are left with a Nation led by an evil, Malenfant idiot. Will he turn to bombing the rest of the world, just cuz he can?? We will see.

Good Luck World. And America . . . you used to be such a grand nation. Such a shame. Bye bye

Understand America

 I am having trouble understanding Official America – our Government—at this moment. Trump seems to be threatening Iran with War, yet to my knowledge, he has not even consulted, no less asked permission from Congress. He seems to say or do whatever he pleases, without ever consulting with anyone.  And it makes me wonder, what kind of country do we now inhabit? Is this Iran . . . Russia . . . 1936 Germany??

Trump seems never to seek or pay any attention to guidance. And no one ever says anything. Trump lies . . . all the time . . . about almost everything, and nobody ever holds him to account.  Dems say, “Oh he’s lying”, but Repubs dismiss that as opposition BS.  There seems no longer any actual conversation between the two parties, and now the SCOTUS seems to have given up and lets him do anything he wants.

So, what have we become? Surely we are no longer a constitutional republic. We seem now to be a nation of a dictatorship. I see routinely, signs about impeaching Trump, but then nobody ever does anything or takes even the first step in that direction. And he is only in his second year. Suppose he invades or attacks Iran, maybe like Venezuela.  And then suppose Iran says BS and attacks us back. And then we are at war with Iran, but Trump has never even consulted the Congress.  So, is that OK? So doesn’t that signal that we are no longer a constitutional democracy, but instead a Dictatorship? And nobody would object?

I cannot even imagine Harry Truman, or even Ronald Reagan, getting away with such shit.  And we seem to have slipped down into this hole without even any discussion.  So, Republicans are ok with all his shit? I have lived through Eisenhower, Reagan, two Bushes, not to mention FDR, Clinton, Johnson et al.  None of them even came close to this Dude.  As arrogant as that crowd was, they never crapped on the American people, and pissed all over Congress-(both sides) the way this Dude is doing. It’s like he recognizes no rules. He is stupid, we know. So maybe he is not even aware of how utterly destructive he has been and promises to be in the future.

And that is a serious problem. He may actually be so stupid that he does not understand how awful he is.  Most of the time, I think the Putin’s and Hitler’s of the world understand they are evil, but they act that way anyway, because they are so selfish that they care not about their effects on other folks.  I think Trump may be even more stupid, so stupid in fact, that he is actually unaware of how evil he is. And that could make him worse than Hitler or Putin. He is destructive but doesn’t even realize it.

And that could make him even more dangerous than either of the former twosome.

So, America, maybe you need to pay waaaaay more attention to our leader. Maybe you need to think waaaay more seriously about removing him from office (and ALL of his idiot-malenfant followers) before he actually destroys America altogether. Pay attention America. You are running out of time!

Reinventing Humankind

 OK, so let’s assume that God(dess) invented us all. But then, who invented him/her? So, as I see it, there really is no good answer to such questions. One can always simply reach back to another, “So, who/what invented . . .?” It’s really troublesome, cuz we always want some explanation for the universe.  It goes way beyond, “who in its right mind would have invented Trump?” I mean, something invented Adolph Hitler, right?  And would the same dude who invented Hitler also invent FDR?

Unless . . . yeah, unless.

So, suppose there is a cast of dudes and dudettes up there somewhere. And suppose further, their intent is to amuse themselves.  And so, they invent Jack Benny. But he was minor. The biggies are the Hitlers and FDRs and Trumps of the world. Cuz they are the ones who cause calamitous environs that bring about horror, or amusement, depending on your position. And so, when they play games, shit happens on Earth. Maybe that’s why they invented Trump in the way they did. In any rational world, Trump would have long ago been kicked out of office.  But the Dudes who invented this mess must have decided that it would be way more fun were Trump to continue acting like an idiot, causing everyone to yell a lot, but lacking the means to kick his ass out of office.

It’s kind of amazing really. I have been paying attention to politics in some form since I actually listened to FDR tell us on the radio about Pearl Harbor.  And, no I did not spend my entire lifetime listening to politics on the radio, but I did listen frequently. And it has been amazing really. Remember the Congressional hearings involving Nixon?  And remember those hearings about Cuba, where there did seem a distinct possibility that America and Russia would begin throwing ballistic missiles at one another. And we engineers at Lockheed sat around after work drinking at a pub, discussing whether it would be better to head off to the Sierra’s, or to the coast in order to remain alive.  I assume the Dudes upstairs were laughing out loud. Assuming that were possible.

As I approach the Dying thing, I find myself questioning my life and the why’s of that life, including where it goes from here.  Life has been pretty amazing for me and my family. Mainly, because we managed to travel a lot, to see strange places and record them in our brains.  But now, it’s beginning to close down and I find myself asking why? Why did we do those things and what happens next?

Are the jokesters upstairs still laughing at us, because we are all so terminally stupid? But if we are, why did they invent us to be so stupid?  Just cuz that makes them laugh a lot? So if/when I die, what did they invent for me?  I assume there is no Heaven or Hell.  That they invented us simply to amuse themselves, and that their humankind design is that we simply shut down and there is no more after we crash out of Life. If that is indeed the case, then we really need to rethink our lives. Make believe that someone is watching us, and act accordingly. Makes me wonder. If everyone did that, would we ever elect a Donald Trump?  Hmmm . . . seems unlikely. But then I’m really old and likely warped, so what do I know. Oh well, carry on. Amuse your elders upstairs.

It Is Time To Protest

I am at a loss for ideas. Maybe it is because I am 91, and my brain is beginning to close down.  On the other hand, our good friend, Sidney Tynan is sitting up in Rhode Island continuing to celebrate her life at the ripe age of 104. And as we were working out this morning. A friend came up to us and pointed out one of the folks there working hard to stay healthy and told us that she was just turning 100.  So maybe I should just suck it up and get on with that Life thingie.

But really, I keep being drawn back mentally to my little self sitting on the front room floor, listening to FDR tell us about Pearl Harbor. Or about my period working for that idiot  Ronnie Reagan. And fearing I would go brain dead if I didn’t leave.  Or watching TV news coverage of the idiot-malenfant Shrub act out in front of us.

But to be fair, none of them even resemble the current Idiot-in-Chief Donnie and his MAGAhounds who follow him around drooling Hatejuice everywhere. No, when he managed to have one of his Nazi-gangstas shoot and kill that lovely woman in Minneapolis, I thought, something has changed dramatically in America.  Yeah, we apparently have now become a NaziLand, in which no one is safe any longer.

Oh and folks, assuming you are not a member of MAGALand Gangsta’s. you can do something. Call your local member of Congress and tell them to disarm, maybe even defund ICE. ICE is the Thugleader’s main source of voter intimidation.  He may soon tell ICE to visit any/all voting areas (remember that voting thing?) during the next election and shoot anyone thinking of voting for anyone. Yeah, apparently, he plans to disable that voting thing. He hates it when folks vote, cuz at least some of them will vote against him, and he really cannot stand that.

So, while you still can, please contact your local Rep and tell them to get rid of ICE. They are simply Nazi thugs and America can no longer exist as a free and democratic society with ICE operating anywhere in the country.  And please, DO NOT WAIT. DO IT NOW!

Our local police forces have enough to do protecting us against actual crooks.. They do not have the resources to fight ICE. And remember, he is thinking about sending in actual military troops to any city that seems negative to him.  We need to rid America of Trump, in any legal way we can. Are we at that stage of citizen armed rebellion? Well, No, we are not. But we do not wish to move to that next stage. So, act now folks. Call your local congressman now. And when it next arrives in your neighborhood, get out and vote.  Who you vote for is up to you. But VOTE! And in the meantime, DISARM ICE. NOW!

LIfe in Today's America

 And so, 2025 draws to a close, and this newbie, 2026 enters our scene.  We don’t know what this year will bring, except that Donald Trump remains alive. Well, technically we don’t really know whether he will make it through this new year, but should he leave, there remain so many awful creatures appointed by him that good things seem unlikely. JD Vance, Miller, Kristi Noem et al seem so terminally awful that I would wonder the outcome should Trump fall by the wayside. It’s a bit odd I guess, saying that a Trump departure would not necessarily improve our political world.  But he really seems not to know any ethical, intelligent human beings.

I still have memories of me at about age 6, sitting on our front room floor, by myself, listening to FDR tell us on the radio about Pearl Harbor. Or about, heaven forfend, me voting in my first election for Dwight Eisenhower –yep I actually voted for a republican my first time out.  But it was Ike.  And he was more than OK. He was Ike.

But then the world began resuming its situation normal. Nixon, Bush, Reagan (aargh). Yeah, republicans resumed their norm – Terminally awful.  BUT, and this is a BIG BUT, none of the prior awfuls even resemble Trump. In fact, they all look pretty damned good in comparison to Trump. I mean, Mussolini might fit into his class—Hitler?? No, probably not. Hitler was in a class all by himself.

But, it is difficult to drop Trump into the class of prior officialdom. Some raters just toss him into the class of Worst-ever US President. And that seems OK with me, although to be fair, I  really do not know enough to make such a judgement. I do know that I have never observed a President who routinely was the joke of the room, as well as being simply evil. He is dumb and grotesquely evil, while still making people laugh at him. I cannot imagine folks laughing at Nixon or Reagan, unless they were telling an actual joke.

So, it is hard to know what we are supposed to do when Trump enters our presence. Now the problem with all that is the damage he is doing while he continues to serve. Our global reputation suffers daily. We have a huge military and nuclear weapons, so it is difficult not to take us seriously. But then Bobby Jr. walks on stage and tells us how he is going to dismantle our vaccine programs. Huh??? Or anything Steven Miller says, which seems to bring back memories of Adolph.  So, should we be laughing or arming ourselves?  I no longer know what to think. But him having a heart attack, or him being shot in the head, seem to be plausible possibilities – and how awful is that America?

I find myself, at age 91, wondering whether I will ever again live in an America of which I am proud. How sad that will be, as I move into my sadly aging existence. How sad indeed.

Life

 Life

So, Life is over.  Or, more likely Life never was. I think of something. And then I imagine that it never existed. But maybe it exists, and it is I who never existed.  How would I know? And would it make any difference either way?

Will my great granddaughter awaken someday, and ask, did I have a great grandfather named Richard? And if so, why? Or why not?

I think of India. Why? Because I lived there. Or did I? Does that place exist, or did my mind simply invent it?

And then I think of Donald Trump. Surely he exists, does he not? Well, does he? Ummm, maybe . . . maybe not. Does a squirrel wandering alone in the forest know of that Donald Trump? And if not, why not?

We went to our Farmers’ Market this morning. And folks wandered about, some even spoke to me, or about me.  And did that matter? Why would it? Some laughed at me, with me, about me. And then they went off without me, to spend the rest of their lives without me.

Why am I writing this squirrely piece? Because I do not any longer exist in any meaningful way?

But tomorrow, will I awaken and understand that life  is but a brief moment, and then it is gone, as though it never existed.

Tomorrow, and tomorrow. Will they arrive on schedule, and then go away, as does everything called life? I stare out at existence. Will that Donald creature still be here tomorrow? Or will he too disappear as though he never existed? That would be nice.

Tomorrow. Yes. Do arrive.                              

Hitler is Alive And Well

So what, now we are acting as literal pirates, seizing a Venezuelan oil tanker, and vowing to keep the oil? Is that not the literal definition of a global pirate? And that act falls on the heels of murder, when we killed two men hanging onto the side of a boat we had bombed. We said they were narco-terrorists, but in reality the two men were in the act of drowning, when we killed them. Some label those killings as War crimes, but in fact we are not at War with Venezuela or anyone else.  So, killing them was simply murder, carried out by a direct order of the US Secretary of Defense (likely instigated by Trump).

And nobody within the American government is calling for anyone’s immediate arrest.  And that defines the entire Trump Administration.  I would call it “Anarchy”, but apparently we have something different. Anarchy, simply put, is the absence of government or ruling authority, meaning no rulers or leaders, and can refer to either total chaos and lawlessness or a society organized by voluntary cooperation and freedom without coercion. And we have a “ruling authority”—the US Government, as defined and run by Donald Trump. Our government is now moving towards . . . towards, what . . . Nazism? And what is that? Nazism is totalitarian principle of government, predominance of especially Germanic groups assumed to be racially superior. Sounds vaguely like Trump, but he is moving towards his own definition of a Supreme Government Authority. Partly, he has brought into his government people who seem quite unskilled, ignorant even, of the jobs to which they were appointed. Mainly, their job is to carry out whatever Acts by Government that Trump dictates, whether those acts are  defined as “legal” or “Illegal”.  That was the essence of Nazi Germany. Whatever Hitler said or dictated, his followers were obliged to implement.

And oddly, Trump has removed all checks on him, through his republican Congress and his appointment of empty-headed Supreme Court justices (SCOTUS is dead: RIP).  I am pushing onto 91 and have never observed anything like this kind of authoritarian rulership.  In my dim past, I had always thought that Reagan, or maybe Bush II were awful, but they seem saints by comparison.

So, now, with two years to go, America is stuck with a full Nazi-like government that thinks it can kill anyone it wants and act as The Pirate of the Seas whenever it suits them. And because SCOTUS is dead, there seems no one to stop them. Imagine that?

So World, I do not know whether you have the Chutzpah to step in and say, “OK, Donald, No More!” See, that might mean a literal war, and then all those Nukies might become a threat to the world.

Where is AI when it is really needed?

Bye bye World.

Heaven & Hell

 

I finally figured it out. Why do so few people enter heaven, whereas almost everyone heads into Hell, after you know, that Death Thingie.  WHY?

Cuz you need a User ID and a Password to get into Heaven. See, for some long time, God was allowing all kinds of dudes into Heaven. And the folks residing up there began complaining –“Oh no, you allowed Harry in here? What kind of Fake place is this? Are there no standards for Heaven?” Then, finally,  one of the residing angels got God’s attention. “Um, Sir, do you really think Adolph there deserves to be here, as opposed to, well, you know, the other place?”

And God thought about Adolph and finally concluded, “Dear, I think you may be right. Perhaps I have been a bit too easy-going on my entry decisions. But, what to do, what to do?” And his angel guardian said, “well why don’t we require a password to get into Heaven? That way, we can block all the ne’er-do-wells, none of whom will have a password.” And God thought a bit and then said, “My dear, that is a brilliant suggestion. From now on, we will issue a user ID and a Password to all the good folks who croak, and refuse same for all the baddies, you know like Hitler and Miller and Trump. They can take the down elevator to our friend below. Great thinking. I will get to work on it immediately.”

And so a new system of transition entered the game of Death, Heaven and Hell. To enter Heaven, a new prospect had to produce a user ID and a Password for the Guardian Angels to review.  If they pass, then the doors will be opened for them. Otherwise, they are directed to the Down Elevators.

Now God was not too well versed in this hi-tech stuff, and so he turned to his BFF down below, You know, Mr. Satan. And he said, “Hey Bud, I need some tech help here. Are you willing?” And Satan said, “Sure what’cha need”?

“Well,” said God, “ I need a new system to allow the goodies, while denying the baddies (you know, your folks) entry to Heaven. We are thinking that everyone who departs and heads to the Pearly Gates will be asked to present a User ID and a Password to the Guardians. If they look legit, then and only then will the Guardians open the Pearly Gates and allow entry. Otherwise they are directed back downstairs to you. So, what do you think?  Oh, and I would love it were you to design the system by which User IDs and Passwords are issued. That is, what do folks seeking entry have to demonstrate in order to get an official entry pass?”

And then Satan, Laughed quietly, and said, “Oh I think I can help you there. I have some great ideas.”

And so the system by which folks gain entry to Heaven or Hell was born. When one croaks and then shows up at the Pearly Gates, the Guardian Angels produce a body of questions about your origins, what you did for a living, where you went to school, who you married and other personal life items.  Only if you pass that test, will you be issued a new User ID and Password.  And then you will be asked to sleep on it for a few hours, then return when you will be asked to produce your Used ID and Password. And no writing it down. You’re in Heaven remember, Pens and paper are not allowed in.  So, keep that memory sharp.

And so the new system began. And that system was greeted by a sharp fall-off in new entrants. And Satan was really happy. And he was in such a good mood, that he came up with a brilliant new Idea. Satan called up one of his Earthling BFFs in the Hi-Tech industry down below. He explained this concept of User IDs and Passwords to inhibit people from gaining access to Hi-tech systems. And the Dudes laughed hilariously and decried, “Woe, what a brilliant plan. We will have so much fun.”

And so the new system began taking roots on Earth. And everyone was happy. Well, the ultimate users were not so happy, but they don’t matter to anyone, do they?

Death?

 We watched Stephen Colbert interview Anthony Hopkins the other night.  Stephen referred to Hopkins as “Tony”. Tony??? Anthony Hopkins??? Wow. And nobody laughed.

Oh well. But the interview was fascinating, because Hopkins is fascinating.

During the interview, it was revealed that Hopkins is 87 years old. I’m 90, so “Tony” fits right in. And they spoke of aging and how one copes. Hopkins at one point said that he is not frightened by his age.  And I thought, “well I am not frightened either . . . sort of”.  But I do find myself fearful of what Death actually means.  I was reading about some woman the other day. The article said that she had “died” for 7 hours I think. And then recovered. And I thought, “Huh, well no she didn’t DIE. Her heart apparently stopped beating for 7 hours, but then I guess it began again. And she “recovered”.  But see, you aren’t DEAD when your heart stops beating. You are dead when your brain ceases to function permanently.  As I best understand it (and I am NOT a DOCTOR!) your heart feeds your brain blood and oxygen. I assume it is mainly the oxygen the brain needs to continue functioning.

But back to that frightening thing. I wonder what was going on with that woman. If her brain was not yet dead, did she continue “knowing” stuff?  And that is the thing that frightens me. I think now about my brain functioning. But suppose my brain finally STOPS. That is, my brain no longer functions. Now, I am officially DEAD, BUT, I do not know I am DEAD, because I do not know anything.  And then, I look out the window and I see the sky, or maybe a tree line. And I think, well, without my brain I would not see that sky, because I would not “SEE” anything. BUT, and here is the scary part. I would no longer know that I could not see that sky, because I would not “KNOW” anything, including that fact that I did not know anything.  Now that is scary.

See, Organized Religion has treated us all to the utter absence of true Death. If Death means you cannot see anything, AND you do not know that you cannot see anything because you do not know anything, then religion has broken down.  See, in Religion, when you die, you simply acquire a different vision. You are now looking down from above. See, you know you are dead, but you are looking down on all your relatives, and watching them do stupid things. That’s what religion promises. But because religion is a fraud, that isn’t actually what happens when you die.  When you die, you no longer exist, because your brain no longer exists. You’re dead, but you don’t know that.

And that is really scary . . . at least to me.

So, “Tony” does that part scare you, or are you truly immune to being scared?  Talk to me Tony. Tell me how you really feel. Ot tell Stephen and he can tell me.

Turning 90

I was doing just fine, thanks. And then, last December, I turned 90. At the time, I thought, Oh, how nice. And they are throwing me a nice party. “Drinks all around. Richard has turned 90.”

And then, life went on.  And then, guess what? That following July 2^nd, we celebrated our 70^th anniversary. Now, not many people celebrate turning 90 . . . but 70 years of marriage? And a Happy 70? Even fewer.

And then, we kept on truck’n.

But, for reasons I fail to understand, I have become aware of why relatively few turn 90 successfully, and then keep on truck’n. Nothing dramatic happened. Yeah, Carol has had  her chemo infusions and they are unhappy events. The first 7 seven days now of each month (Monday – Friday and then Monday and Tuesday) she receives two shots of a chemo in her belly.  And they are beyond annoying for her. They hurt. They tire her. But she is a tough cookie and keeps on truck’n. Yep, she continues quilting for those sick kids at the hospital, keeps on fixing me wonderful meals daily, and we even go on our datenites each Thursday at the Brewery. So, our lives together continue.

But I have begun experiencing sleep difficulties (as does Carol). In part, I have begun thinking more about the inevitable consequences of this aging thing.  Which is that, at some stage, you stop living.  Yeah, partly, I now keep seeing postings on social media about folks of whom I am aware, who just died. Most are well known actors, but I also learn about people I actually know who just croaked.

And then I notice little things. I used to walk confidently, even run confidently. Now I walk carefully. I am not exactly unsteady on my feet. But confidently is not how I might describe my style.

And, although I routinely see folks who are well into their 90s, seemingly alive and well, I am not really seeing myself with them. And then, the more religious among us, including those few within the family, talk about the recently departed as “looking down on us from that heavenly place up above.” But I am thinking, “well no, THEY simply no longer exist.” We listen to Stephen Colbert routinely. He often asks a guest what happens when we die. And their responses always seem to at least touch on that afterlife thing, although most are tentative. But my brain keeps thinking, “Well, what happens, is that your brain ceases to operate, and you no longer know anything, including the fact that you are dead.” Yeah, you are dead, but YOU DO NOT KNOW THAT.” Why, well because you have no brain.  And YOU were always simply your brain.  So, there is no AFTER Thingie.  And that’s where my actual alive brain ceases to imagine. Happily, we have no way of knowing when that will happen. AND, we will never know when it actually happens, cuz then, we will no longer know anything. And that fact now keeps me thinking.  Yesterday, I looked out across the street and viewed the house over there, Then I looked just beyond and saw the remains of the sun--some clouds, brightening. And then I thought, well one day that will still be there, but I will no longer know it. Nope. My brain will be gone--well technically not gone, but ceased, no longer operating. And so I will not look out any longer, because I won't be doing anything any longer. And that is really hard to imagine. Me no longer an active me.  And see, if you are religious, then you begin imagining looking down from up above. But if you do not believe in an afterlife, then you have to think of NOTHING. What the Hell is NOTHING like? Well, I won't know, will I. Because I will no longer know anything. And even that awful prospect cannot get me to that Disney channel where I imagine myself sitting on a cloud. Nope, there are indeed clouds, but no misty folks up there.  Makes me half wish I did believe. But I don't, and so . . . sigh.

So, keep on truck’n folks, cuz this is all we have. Make the most of your time, cuz there ain’t any other time. Think about what you are doing. Try always to make the folks around you happier than they might otherwise be.  Smile if you can, especially when you are looking directly into someone’s eyes. They may smile in return. 

Charlie Kirk: A Dilemma

So, Charlie Kirk was shot and done in. And the responses have been  . . . “Yay” . . . to, “Oh My God, how awful”. See, it all depends on your view of Charlie’s past utterings.  Yeah, Charlie was a profound Utterer, and pretty much to one side of the Utterance Social Channel. See Charlie was pretty much way over there, on that side where Hitler, had he still been in our midst, would have been applauding loudly. Charlie seems to have been:

A Racist, a homophobe, an anti-Latino, Anti-LGBTQ rights. He was a Christian Nationalist, and perhaps the farthest right wing of any of the folks in MAGALand.

So, does that mean he should have been a target of a shooter? Well, No, but it depends on where your brain takes you when confronting PoliticaLand.  See, suppose Charlie was not Racist, or  homophobic, and really just disagreed with most Latino politicians. Would he still have been a likely target? Hmmm, likely Not.

But see, the real bottom line here is that none of our politicians—Right or Left—should be targets, and that of course includes Donald Trump.  Why??? Well, we live theoretically in a country where we settle our disputes at the Ballot Box, rather than through the barrel of a gun.  So, in America, the Charlie Kirk’s of the world should be safe from targeted assassination. 

I admit that every time I see an ICE Gangsta, my first thought is, “will someone shoot him?” They all look like some foreign intruders, Gangsters really, with their masks, and camo garb. They seem like evil creatures in and from a foreign land—an evil foreign land.  Now, to be fair, Charlie Kirk never dressed up like an ICE Gangsta. He always looked normal. But whenever he opened his mouth, he seemed, well not quite American. Again, to be fair, MAGA folks don’t really seem American either, but still not worthy of assassination.  Now the January 6^th MAGAs were every bit worthy of assassination, especially as some of them were in fact killing police. So, a Trump pardon seems way extreme, on the other side.

And if he continues down his chosen path of using our military to force his will on American cities, I fear that we may be headed for something way beyond Charlie Kirk. One can almost smell that CIVIL WAR thing.  And the MAGA crowd is likely heavily armed. We’ll see about the American electorate.

So, keep an eye peeled folks, for the drumbeats of Right Wing Warriors.  I think you can almost see them coming sooner rather than later.

 

Life's a Bitch

I’m 90, as you likely know. So, periodically, my thoughts turn to . . . Death. Yeah, I know. Bummer, huh? But not just Death. Rather, What is Death? And I have concluded that Death is a peculiar state. It is a state, when I do not just lose consciousness. Or I just lose “awareness”. No, I no longer “Know” anything, because my brain no longer functions. I don’t know if you have thought about such a state . . . when your brain no longer works. You are dead, but you no longer know you are dead . . . because you no longer “KNOW” anything. You do not even know that your brain does not work. Nope. YOU are gone. And, you are not GONE into that Heavenly space where you meet your grandfolks. Or maybe that hot place where you meet Satan. No. You simply no longer exist, and you do not know that, because you have no brain.

It’s hard to comprehend such a state of nothingness . . . a state where you no longer are aware that you are not aware. Try thinking about such a state. It ain’t easy.

Yeah, but I’m 90 and you’re not, so you may not be having such exotic thoughts. UNLESS . . . yeah, I’m thinking about the parents of those little kids who were shot AND killed in that school in Minnesota, The mom, who’s grieving now, may well be thinking about all the years her little one will not experience.  See, parents don’t think about such things normally. Instead, they think about what their little ones are having for lunch, or maybe what they are learning that day at school.  See, thinking about a state of Nothingness is not on her mind.  Or at least, we hope it is not.  We hope she is having Happy Thoughts about what she will do when her little ones return from school, and maybe, what she may fix them for dinner.

See, that young man who got out his guns and went over to that school he once attended and then began shooting at the place, was also not thinking about the possible states of non-being he might be imposing on some very young kids who had most of their lives in front of them.  See, he was unlikely to even be aware of the Death State, and what it really means.  See the young ones he killed were not thinking of that state, and now are not thinking anything. He took that away from them. Killing someone is a weird thing to do. Most people who do the killing have no idea what they are doing, because their brains are malfunctioning when they are in that act of killing.  Maybe it’s a good thing that young man was killed in the act. Now he cannot think about what he did. We might prefer it were he able to think. But his brain was malfunctioning anyway. No normal functioning brain would allow such a cruel act. And it makes me wonder what his Mother is now thinking. But more, it makes me wonder about the Mothers, and the fathers, of those dead children and what they are thinking.  “Life’s a bitch, but then you die”. Yeah, but NOT THAT WAY.   NO. Parents are supposed to be thinking about their kids graduating from school, and maybe even college someday.  They are not supposed to be preparing a Gravestone for their kids.  That’s just wrong.  So, what do we think about guns, and about malfunctioning kids having possession of guns? Not such a hot idea huh?

Well, let us all think about those parents of the little dead kids.  Send them your thoughts and prayers, even though they won’t bring back their kids.