Friday, November 22, 2024

November 22, 1963, a very bad day for America and the world and our future.

 On this day in 1963, at about the time I’m typing this, recess was over for the younger kids at John J. Audubon elementary school. I found myself climbing back up the stairs to my third grade classroom when I overheard an older boy coming down the stairs for their recess time. He was telling his friend, “did you hear, they shot the president.”

My parents being civic and interested in the politics and world affairs, plus proud Democrats, we knew all about our President. For my sibs, along with millions of other Americans back then, the Kennedy’s were like distant relatives, meaning it was personal - and the words were like a punch in the belly. Reinforced by our sad struggling teacher explaining what was being broadcast on the news and informed us school was over for that day and that we should go home to our families. We left school and all of us walked back home to be with our parents.

Tuesday, November 19, 2024

New horizons, ...

I believe the direction of this blog will be changing.  Whereas I'd always wanted to be an activist of sorts and was using this blog as outreach - I’ve pretty well given up on that notion.  

I'm thinking I should start using this blog simply for its mental health therapeutic value.  Use writing to help process the monstrosity I am witnessing unfold.  Then, like a message in a bottle, I’ll toss my words into the digital void.  Maybe some AI will find it, wouldn’t that be exciting?  

Although for me, destination isn’t the point, it has always been the journey itself that matters.  After all, with time the destination point becomes another departure point.  No matter where you go, there you are.

Yeah, it's funny/sad, I used to entertain visions of connecting with a few good sharp people (of the more educated and endowed set).  A few who related to my words, that were defending climate science and Earth sciences, and Evolution Appreciating efforts, and such thoughts that I worked on enunciating and getting people interested in.  

People who could look past my rough edges, knowing that with a little mentoring those edges could be smoothed, since my core perspective was solid regarding society’s need to get real about our evolved biological selves - and our dependence upon this planet's biosphere & its global heat and moisture distribution engine.  In short, the Physical Reality we were nurtured within.

I dreamed of becoming a part of a dynamic team, looking for that interaction and networking, inspiring each other to rise up and confront the Faith Based War on Science with rationality.   I knew I was under educated and under endowed, never any financial backing, nor safety net, with kids and family to work for and worry over, etc.  

Dancing the sword’s edge of life the whole way.  

Once my kids grew up I got involved in local Democrats caucus and the convention process, attending State Convention at least four times.  

I've engaged and argued for a more dynamic Democratic Party and all I got was patronizing, and dismissal - as I was forced to watch politics as usual and Democrats losing one crucial heartbreaking battle after another.  I always wondered why the DNC didn’t have talent scouts at their conventions actively looking for self-starting individuals out there on the floor, etc., etc.  If I had Republican values, I’d have been snapped up in a moment, that hurts most of all!  

Now here I sit, early days of post election 2024, struggling to come to terms with the voters of this one time “land of the free” and home of the brave rejecting USA's very government - its established Constitution, the Rule of Law, and the principle Fair Play, along with our pluralistic aspirations and rejecting serious science to top it off.  

I mean this election is handing our government over to a bunch of convicted and unconvicted criminal minds, who have billionaire backers, - yet most Americans seem clueless that something truly profound has happened.

To my eyes we have crossed over into dystopia territory, things will start moving faster yet. 

Billionaires who are self-absorbed and self-serving and possessing utter contempt for our very government, and we just handed them control of our government.  It's insanity.  American’s will find out the cost of willful ignorance in short order - and oh how I wish I’m wrong.  

But that’s the thing, appreciating there is a difference between our fantasies and the real lives we live.  Not respecting that divide, is at the root of many mistakes.  Time after time, after time.

Okay, so now the Christian Warriors have won their self fabricated “War Against Everyone Else,” even at the cost of the very USA government that protected them in the first place.  But who cares, too much is never enough, and greed is good, and these days self-interest is all that matters - when you have God in your back-pocket, all the better.

When is someone going to start explaining to the God Fearing that we create our own Gods from within our own body/brain/mind/experiences? 

God's are real, but only within the metaphysical realm of our mind (individual and collectively) - - -  our planet, her complex systems, our biosphere and biology, all that happens in a totally different realm.

The physical realm needs to be differentiated from our mental realm, our consciousness, our thoughts and emotions.

Our body is the cumulative product of some half billion years of Earth’s evolutionary processes, with your specific bloodline evolving all that time without a missed beat.  

Your consciousness is the cumulative product of all the days and experiences of your life, as processed through your singular body.

Your Gods are the product of your mind processing the challenges and tragedy of living a human life, knowing death is always at hand - and your inevitable destination.  

Thinking about it, it seems self evident that buried memories of infancy and innocent peaceful security, must have served as the kernel, from which various notions of God could grow within our mindscapes.


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Monday, November 11, 2024

My GoFundMe update report - November 10, 2024 - In Defense of Women (v.3)

Let us try to elevate this reproductive rights discussion beyond the same old cliches to a more empathic thoughtful level.

My GoFundMe update report of November 10, 2024 

In Defense of Women (postcard activism)

 * I want to send my heart felt thanks and appreciation to GoFundMe, and staff, for allowing me this opportunity, and for allowing me to hang on despite so little support. I have the postcards ready to go, and there's a greater need than ever for these simple and constructive thoughts to be shared and discussed. If we aren't changing minds we are losing.

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November 10, 2024
Since my last update, my life has been tremendously crowded busy, with some civic work, travel and caretaking grandchildren, working around our cabin, and of course my Maddy dog and the many walks she expects and that keep me exercising. I'll admit, I was brought low by the lack of support and interest, topped off by another brush off from my friends within the Local Democratic Party when I personally reached out to them for a little help and support in reaching out with this postcard and some help with stamps. Seems they thought it was a mute issue, already won and not important just then - another belly punch that knocked the wind out of me and had me returning to other chores.