Category: politics

Monday’s Theme Music

Mood: bluestormrising

We’re bounding into the last week of August, 2024. Today is Monday, the 26th. Looks like 71 days until the 2024 elections.

It’s 57 F degrees in Ashlandia today. We’re seeing mostly blue sky and sunshine. Pouting clouds lurk around the distant horizons. They act like they’re planning something. We hit 80 degrees yesterday. Today’s high will be a more normal 88 F.

I drifted through the news stories this morning. Feeling a little battered by the disasters, campaigns, rulings, deaths, and general information. The never-ending cycle starts feeling a little heavy.

I was able to help out friends yesterday. We’d stayed together on vacation last week. They then drove home to Ashlandia on Friday, as we did. They insisted that they’d lost their key fob. Must’ve left it back at the vacation place.

Well, wait; how did they drive and charge their EV if they lacked a key fob? They insisted they had. They looked everywhere for it. Didn’t find it, so they must have driven home without it.

I researched that, and like, no way did they drive and recharge their Hyundai Kona EV SUV without the key fob or any key. I went over and found it in about a minute, under their passenger seat against the transmission tunnel. They were absolutely flabbergasted but grateful.

After I was looking for it, they mentioned they’d lost a cell phone. I’d notice one in their car, in the center console compartment. Yes, that was their missing phone. We suggested they might need to rest.

We’re dealing with home insurance issues. After being with Connect, which is Costco’s insurance program with American Family Insurance, for over fifteen years while living here, they’re dropping us. They’re worried about what the cost of insuring us for fires might do to their profits. Homeowners see this sort of things from insurance companies all the time. They’re there and willing to take your money until your place is too large of a risk for their profit margins. It’s not just us but all over town, and not just Connect. I’m hearing the same thing from friends and relatives in other parts of the state.

We’ve seen this before. Earthquakes insurance premiums skyrocket, and then the company announces they won’t insure you any more because you’re in an earthquake zone. Our flood insurance one year went from $300 a year to over $3000, because the city said we’re in a 100-year-flood zone. After the terrorist attacks of 9/11, insurance companies bailed on paying for acts of terrorism. Of course, places that see regular tornado, hurricane, or flood damages already have felt the impact of insurance companies running away from them. That includes insurers leaving California and other states in droves after catastrophic wildfires. Capitalism at its finest. Yes, that is snark.

For us, our home insurance will go from $360 to $1140 a year. It will no longer be through Costco Connect, but to one of American Family Insurance’s feeder companies. Yes, we are looking for a new insurance company for home and auto. We don’t appreciate being passed around like a cheap bottle of wine.

And with extreme weather events happening more frequently as predicted by climate change models, expect more withdrawals by insurance companies. Soon, they’ll only be insuring the wealthy and powerful.

This week’s theme music concept remains time in the song title. There’s an abundance of such songs out there. Today, though, The Neurons pulled out one that they said is dedicated to Don Old Trump and his merry band of MAGAts. Yes, today The Neurons have the Guest Who song from 1969, “No Time”, thumping in the morning mental music stream (Trademark paused). The Canadian group’s opening line in this song is, “No time left for you.” Right on, Neurons. No time left for Trump. I like it.

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Sunday’s Theme Music

Mood: Sundenergized

Good morning and welcome to a chilly Ashlandia day. It’s Sunday, August 25, 2024. Right now it’s 54 F outside at my house. The computer is showing Bing’s Accuweather info, and that shows that it’s 58 F outside in Ashlandia. Alexa — source unknown — informs me that it’s 66 F outside. She also says that it’ll be 80 F today. Bing says the day’s high will climax at 77 F. Whichever it is, we’re under clear skies, with good air quality, and plenty o’ sunshine.

I’m pleased to report my floofs did well in my absence. Tucker (pronounced Tuck-ah) seems to have gained weight. He’s not obese by any means but has a big frame and needs to carry some weight IMO. And Papi the ginger blade stayed his young, fit self. Fur on both is gleaming and soft.

Ah, the news. Harris surges. Trump attacks. States sue Biden. Astronauts stuck in space. Israel launches missiles at Lebanon. Sigh. Maryland’s Supreme Court upheld their handgun permit law.

Fire updates show that the Park Fire in California, which started July 27 of this year when an idiot pushed a burning car into a ravine, is now 429,000 plus acres and 57% contained. The Durkee Fire in eastern Oregon has swallowed 295,000 plus acres and is 95% contained. The wet weather is helping but experts remind us that fire season is not over and to remain vigilant.

Time in the song title remain’s this week’s theme. In response to the idea, The Neurons loaded “Tulsa Time” from 1978 into the morning mental music stream (Trademark split). Although Don Williams had a hit with it and I’m familiar with it, I went with the Eric Clapton live version.

Stay positive, remain firm, lean forward, and vote blue in 2024. Coffee is percolating through my body so here’s the music video.

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Thursday’s Theme Music

Mood: satisbeached

We’re passing through another day. Today is Thursday, August 22, 2024.

I’m still on the Oregon Coast on vacation. The weather continues favoring us with sunshine, chill temperatures, and clear air. Some friendly clouds pass by with a wave. Right now it’s 60 F, just two degrees from an anticipated high of 62 F. The tide is coming in, so I’ll be going out for a walk along the water.

Rain fell last night. Hearing it, I headed out onto the uncovered patio at a few minutes after midnight, letting it fall over me, breathing in the fresh air, solitude, and sound.

The Internet was mostly down yesterday. While others napped, I wrote or walked along the shore, breathing in the air, enjoying freedom, and thinking, sometimes writing in my head. It was about two miles in each direction. I rarely encountered another. When we did, simple nods and smiles were exchanged, acknowledging the other’s presence. The net returned in time for us to catch the DNC, watching and listening to it as we worked on a jigsaw puzzle.

I continue with the theme of a color in the song’s title today. The Neurons wavered between “Tequila Sunrise” and “Orange Crush” this morning. The 1988 R.E.M. song won my morning mental music stream (Trademark woke). Its energy today just felt right.

Be strong, remain positive, and Vote Blue. Not because I say so but because it’s better for more of us than the alterntive offered by the other party.

Coffee is playing with my body in a welcome way. Here’s the music. Cheers

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Bravo!

Guess who came to dinner?

Keith captures my thoughts on it. The difference in values and optics between the Republican and Democratic conventions is striking, highlighted by the current and former Presidents appearing and giving rising speeches, along with notables such as Oprah Winfrey, Pete Buttigieg, Wendell Pierce, Josh Shapiro and Andy Bashear, and a performance by John Legend with Sheila E. to introduce Gov. Walz. Then Gov. Walz spoke about true American values of service, community, and inclusion. We’ve worked hard to become inclusive as a nation. The GOP now want to tear it down.

Former President Obama captured the essence in the difference the two parties and their visions. Trump’s MAGA-dominated GOP is interested in outing people, excluding those not like them. They use hate and fear as their tools to manipulate voters. As Barack Obama noted, Kamala Harris and Tim Walz and the Democratic Party will work with you, even if we disagree with you.

And that, friends, is a significant difference.

Vote Blue.

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Wednesday’s Theme Music

Mood: Beachsified

Come in, come in. It’s Wednesday, August 21, 2024.

We’re still at the Oregon coast, nestled down in a beach house surrounded by sand dunes. Off in the distance is the ocean, colored today by an lightly overcast sky. It’s 64 F, and that’s as high as it will be. Rain visited overnight, and stronger winds are flirting with the sand today. Except for an aerospace vehicle’s occassional propeller drone, it is quiet.

Spoke to the catsitter last night and all is well with the house floofs. They know and trust her. I wasn’t worried about Tucker (pronounced Tuck-ah) but Papi is generally more wary. Not a problem, she told me. He was there, waiting to be fed, came in, and readily ate. It’s good to have someone dependable in that role that we trust and the floofs trust.

The net went out last night and was still out this morning, so our news feed was sparse. We’ve seen one Trump declaration anywhere, and one Harris sign. It’s a sharp contrast to four years ago, when frequent Tump signage was spotted. We’re doing a jigsaw puzzle, a favorite activity with this gang, so the absence of the net wasn’t noticed except the lack of convention news.

We headed out for breafast at The Blue Whale this morning. Then the group splintered. One group went hiking up Cape Despair way. My group returned to the beach house. It’s low tide right now, and the net is back. So, some web surfing to catch up and then down to the water. As I type this up, my wife calls out political news from her perch with her ‘puter. Sometimes she confuses me because she’s talking to her computer when I think she’s speaking to me. “What?” I shout. “Not talking to you,” she returns. She streaming DNC news stories now.

I’ve done black, red, white, and blue for the color theme for my theme music. Staying with that concept today, I think of songs which include green, gold, yellow, pink, and purple. “Purple Haze” by Jimi Hendrix takes over the morning mental music stream (Trademark red) as The Neurons jump onto the song wagon. Songs like “Gold Dust Woman,” “Pink Shoelaces,” “Yellow,” “Purple Rain,” “Itsy Bitsy Teenie Weenie Yellow Polka Dot Bikini,” “Big Bright Green Pleasure Machine,” and “Pink Cadillac” are displaced. “Purple Haze” it is.

Coffee has been consumed a couple times. Be strong, stay positive, and vote blue. Here’s the music. Cheers

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The Conman

All Don Old Trump can do is con and grift. He shows it once again by using AI generated deep fakes of Taylor Swift supporting him.

What a sad loser.

Fortunately, social media like X immediately identified as fake and took it down. Yes, that is snark. You know they can’t be trusted to take down Right Wing disinformation.

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Tuesday’s Theme Music

Mood: Oceanastic

Good mornin’ all. Tuesday, August 16, 2024, finds me on the Oregon coast, where I’ll be spending the week. It’s 62 but the weather geeks claims it feels like 77 F. Good thing, as it’s sunny with some clouds, but will only crank up to 65 F here.

Our regular cat sitter is staying with the boys, Tucker and Papi. Tucker is happy with her but Papi, ever wary, is like, “Who are you and what did you do with my people?” She has only done this for us about fifteen years. It takes Papi time to trust.

I don’t know what we’re doing today. Been up a couple hours. Had my coffee. Listening to the others slowly awaken and begin talking about the day. Think I’ll just go for a walk on the beach.

Haven’t seen any news for today or yesterday. I’m comfortable with that for the moment. Color in song titles remains my theme concept for this week. I did “Red Red Wine” and “Dirty White Boy” in the last two days. so I’m going with blue today. When you think about songs with blue in their titles, a blue streak of songs roar through my mind. Or so The Neurons say, cranking out melodies from Elvis Presley, Elton John, Linda Ronstadt, Foreigner, U2, Badfinger, Willy Nelson, and on and on. The Neurons eventually introduced “Bell Bottom Blues” by Eric Clapton to the morning mental music stream (Trademark blue) but also Kenny Wayne Shepherd with “Blue on Black”. But then The Neurons found an old favorite among my memories, “Devil In A Blue Dress”, a 1966 song by Mitch Ryder and the Detroit Wheels. We had that puppy on a 45, shorthand for a small vinyl record that runs at 45 RPM. I was ten then, and it made an impact on me like an asteroid hitting the earth.

Stay positive, be strong, and vote blue. Coffee is now circulating through my body. Yes, I know that’s not how it works, but it is how I visualize it, so there. Here’s the music. Cheers

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