Christmas 2022

 Happy Holidays to all. 

May everyone have a fine christmas and interesting new year. 

Happy Thanksgiving, 2022

Whatever food you have, enjoy. 

 

It's about the people.

The news, and insomnia

 Lately, I've been sleeping poorly, nothing really new. But I've gotten into a pattern of waking at 5am after a fitful night. I turn off the cpap, get up, turn on the radio to NPR and lay back down, hoping for an hour or so more sleep. 

The news doesn't help. 

Ukraine....the war, Putin's veiled threats to use tactical nuclear weapons. The war's effects on the world, food shortages, inflation, two bags of groceries for $100 here. Not conductive to sleep.

Britain... since brexit, they've imploded. 5 Prime Ministers in 6 years. Vieing for Italy in government changes per year. Our closest ally, near collapse. 

And here...this, our country. It's unrecognizable to me anymore. We have lost what it means to be a democracy, and a sizable part of the country does not want a democracy. Tens of millions want a minority ruled autocracy, where the minority views, right wing, are the rule of law. 

Here's what I wonder...now, I could turn off the radio, silence NPR. I could stop looking at the internet, FB, the NYTimes, etc. I could listen to music, watch movies. I could make myself believe the events of the world outside my door had nothing to do with me. 

I could keep up the illusion, try to ignore the prices of groceries, gas. Not talk to my daughters about their fears for themselves in the new America. 

How long? How long before it can't be ignored? How long before there is a knock on the door, and two men with a clipboard ask if it's true I voted democrat? Did I ever know anyone in this country illegally? Did I know anyone who's gotten an abortion?

You tell me. 

 

Another post

Yes, it's been a bit. I'm still here, living now in Portland. I miss Montana, I miss the weather, not the people. Some, I have good friends there, but Montana has moved so far to the right politically, like the nation, I am no part of it. 

Portland is...so different than when Cary and I lived here, 1970-73, again in 76-80. The neighborhoods have become so...yuppified. No, more diversified, which I guess is a good thing. 

I posted some photo's at random...here's two from the Columbus day storm of 62...

ion

A guy sent this to me recently, from a Viet Nam group, he was a photographer for the Marines, he took this in '69...it's in Da Nang, the station hospital. 

Here's my son Henry, with the now 15 month old Nelly.

And the Adorable One, in the 7th grade this year chowing down on seafood on the Oregon coast

Not sure if I'll post more, but judging from the responses and views, it doesn't matter.

Hope all that see this are well.

 

Phantsythat brought me back

 The Crow must have felt the change in seasons, and wanted to get ahead of the fall rush. In my support of that, and hopes the Crow will continue to grace us, I'll post a few recent photos. 

I'm in Portland, perhaps for the duration, in a MIL at my son's place. It's a Fine and Private Place, with everything, almost, a geezer would want. 

I'm looking forward to fall, and the temps and rain...the summer has been difficult for me, I don't 'do' heat well. 

So, on to the recent and not-so-recent photos...

The kids, the grands, the kids and the grands, and finally a pic of Cambridge, on a fall day, with students and dons mingling in the the town. 

Mourning

 Today in America

Tell Me if I'm Wrong Here

 In 2016, I thought things were as bad as they could get. As bad as they could possibly get. We'd just elected a liar, woman-molester, con artist, all around asshole to be the president. 

The next few years seemed uneventful, for those not paying attention. He distracted with his obvious incompetence, his irrationality, his inability to speak in complete, or rational, sentences. We made fun of his obvious inability to comprehend complex sentences. 

What we didn't pay attention to was that with his cronies, he put on the federal bench over 300 federal judges, for life. Most of them unqualified, with the only 'qualification' that they would be loyal trumpites, and they would rule however he wanted. Nothing else was required or wanted. 

We didn't pay attention.  Meanwhile, trump's followers continued to metastasize through out the land. School boards, city councils. dog catchers, whatever. A minority then and now, they started to cement their minority rule over the majority. Their success was amazing. We made vague protestations. 

Now, 6 years later, here we are. Roe V. Wade is history. It's likely when the trumpites (don't call them the gop, or republicans, they are the trumpites) win the house and senate majority they will go much further than the mere banning of abortion re Roe V Wade. They will want a federal ban on abortion. McConnell has already confirmed this. 

What next? It's as bad as your worst imaginings. Picture a ban on Gay Marriage. Also, picture DOMA in it's resurgence. Then gone any LGBTQ rights. States making any reference to women's rights, ala FL's 'don't say gay' illegal.  Picture bounties offered by states to people who'll 'denounce' any woman seeking abortion...spouse, mom, daughter, you get 10K if you rat on them. Sounds like the former GDR Stasi, eh?

I don't think it ends there. I think we're at the wet dream of Martha Mitchell, the 'Mouth of the South', wife of John Mitchell, of Nixon fame. She once said for the cameras "We're going to take this country so far to the right you won't recognise it!"

Well Martha, took a bit longer, but you got it. 

My advise to my kids, and they are taking, and to everyone is to get out. Get out of this wretched once a slightly tolerable country. Get out. 

Cheers!

New post...

 

Some random images to show I'm still here, still above the grass. 

I watch the news with alarm, as most do. I had hoped my children and grands and beyond would have a better world than I, we, did. Alas, seems quite the opposite. 

There seems little I can do, other than encouraging them to work, be active, and hope. 

I have hope, because it's unimaginable to me that my daughters, son, and grands will have the world that it seems to be. 

Hope you all are well.