Why Do Republicans Hate the United States? You know they must.
Actions always speak louder than words. Republican Sen. Tuberville, who states, “there is no one more military than me,” is blocking confirmation of new members of the Joint Chiefs of Staff to replace the two who have retired. He’s also blocked 301 other promotions and confirmations for important military positions. Perhaps if Tuberville had ever served in the military, he’d understand the chaos and crises this is creating. As he fosters a leadership vacuum in the United States, think of how other nations might take advantage of Tuberville’s intransigence.
Besides Tuberville, Senator Rand Paul (R-KY) is blocking confirmation of 60 plus State Department officials the same way that Tuberville is blocking the confirmation of military officials. So, they are deliberating undermining the security of the United States in pursuit of their personal political agendas. His agenda: to ‘learn the true origins of COVID-19’. Sure, that’s what he claims, even as information has been provided to him time and again. This is simple pettishness masquerading as concern, doing his best to cripple the country because it’s led by a Democratic POTUS who was lawfully elected to lead the nation.
Whether it’s the debt ceiling, blocking the appointment of judges, military readiness, or stopping the State Department, Republicans continually demonstrate that politics is more important than country. They’re masters of obstruction politics. Last election, they offered no platform, and when in leadership positions, they work hard to savage the US Constitution and Bill of Rights.
So fucking shameful. But that’s what we get from the party who supports a former president who tried to undermine lawful election results so he could stay in office. Even worse is that so many otherwise intelligent and hard-working citizens seem to support these goals of undermining the nation and its founding principles. How else can you explain that these two and others of their ilk are re-elected time, and time again?
We’ve flipped the page over to Friday, August 4, 2023. It’s sunny and 67 degrees F in Ashlandia, where the buses are regular, and the schools are above average.
Papi the ginger wonder floof has forgiven us for going away at last. In a fine mood, he’s galloping about, playing games with me. Seems quite happy, though we worry about him. A cougar was photographed on someone’s front porch less than a quarter mile away. Another person noted that the neighboring housing area has had four cats disappear in the last few days.
Lot of road construction going on in Ashland. ADA ramps being added, roads repaved and striped, drain systems being addressed. Feels like there’s no main road where you don’t encounter a short delay for construction. Not a bad thing; employs people, improves the town’s appearance and makes it more inviting, and addresses problems which could cause damage or significant wear and tear on vehicles, along with ensuring that the systems function right when rain and snow seasons arrive. Think a lot of it was postponed during COVID interruptus.
Politics and legal matters still absorb a lot of my downtime. Most are related to Trump and how the GOP and Trump supporters respond to the indictment onslaught. While Trump and others are being charged with obstruction for knowingly spreading multiple big lies about the election being stolen, other Republican politicians continue that song with pause. This with the revelation that a Georgia billionaire who backs the GOP and supported Trump now saying that he no longer will because Trump et al keep making the same claims about stolen elections without offering any evidence.
That brings me to a Bob Seger song, “Turn the Page”. I feel like, come on, you’ve lost in court time and again for lack of evidence. Time to move on and turn the page. The Neurons agreed, plugging the Seger tune into the morning mental music stream (trademark re-discovered), It’s a fine song about life on the road as a performer.
Now give me a C. Give me an O. Give me — oh, just give me the coffee. Stay positive, be like a tree. Remember that expression? Here’s Seger and the band. Time to get moving. Cheers
Greetings from Ashlandia, where the parks are green and the mountains are brown.
It’s Thursday, August 3, 2023. We’re back in the personal dwelling called home. The floof boys are fine, although Papi is expressing his dismay that we dared to leave him for a few days. I miss my morning gaze off the back porch, looking west across the Pacific, and the rolling thunder and fresh smells associated with the water/land affair. Got a fix, at least, and the fix will last me a while.
67 F now in Ashlandia. The weather watchers have posted a high of 89-91 F for us. Blue skies and clear air rules the moment, so it’s not bad at all.
Catching up on the news. Following up on Oregon wildfires – yep, still burning, but no new ones down here. There is the Canadian-Washington fire to worry us. Hundreds of miles away, it doesn’t affect me personally (though it might say something about the air sometime); I just worry about what’s happening to the people, animals, lives, and existences up there.
Also following up on who died when we were limiting our news intake, just finding out about the worsening Niger situation, more deaths along the US border, and reading more deeply on the Obstruction Six indictments. The world goes on, you know?
The Neurons put the Stereophonics and their mellow song, “Maybe Tomorrow” from 2003, into the morning mental music stream (trademark miracle). Came about from remembering the line, “I want to swim in the ocean, I wanna take my time,” heard in my head yesterday as I took a last long gaze at the Pacific before turning the car inland.
Stay positive, and keep on keeping on, as they say. Coffee is up and so am I. Here’s the beats. Cheers
Mood: slow, mentally and physically. Took me an hour to yawn this morning. Emergency coffee begun.
Yeah, Friday. July 28, 2023. See that date, kiddos? July almost done, another young older, another year gone.
Cool mountain air has been climbing all over me through the open windows. 66 F now, we’re looking at 90 as the top end. Fires are burning but our skies remain clear, knock head. Hope everyone else surrounded by disasters or engulfed by them are doing well.
Well, sis finally told Mom ’bout her cancer, so we can all talk about it openly. Youngest one was diagnosed with rectal cancer. First reported symptoms were rectal bleeding. Went on a while before her older sister forced her to the doctor. A large polyp was removed but now her rectum will be removed. As others have said, and I have said, and will probably say again, cancer sucks.
Along with that, her young son had a severe, terrifying seizure earlier in the month. First one ever. They’re searching for the root cause. A few years short of being eligible to get a a driver’s license, he’s scared. Yes, sis and her fam are having a not very good year. There are bright spots; #1 son just got his license. He graduates HS next year and spent part of his summer visiting college campuses.
I have “Rocky Mountain Way” by Joe Walsh in my morning mental music stream (trademark surprised) today. Why it’s there is a question for the ages. Why do Der Neurons do anything? They rarely explain themselves these days, like they’ve becoming indifferent to what I think.
Meanwhile, I’ve been preoccupied with the GOP and their CRA to overturn endangered species protections for the lesser Prairie Chicken. They used gems like this to rationalize their decision:
‘Rep. Bruce Westerman, an Arkansas Republican who chairs the House Natural Resources Committee, called the Endangered Species Act an important but outdated part of U.S. history.
“The unavoidable truth about the ESA is that a listing means less private investment, which harms conservation efforts,” he said.’
So, to be clear, investment is more important than life, in his opinion.
This one by Sen. Moran was a laughter.
‘On the Senate floor, Republican Sen. Jerry Moran of Kansas said the rule threatens ranchers and farmers.
“I am confident there are ways to conserve the species without hindering economic opportunity in rural communities,” he said.
He said what Kansas needs is “more rainfall not more regulations.”’
See, the numbers for this species have been plummeting for years. I think a smart child would point out to the senator that if there were ways to conserve the species without regulations, it would have already been done.
Sure. Experts point out that this species is often used as a bell weather for an ecology’s state. As the species goes, so does the region. Meanwhile, heat records are being smashed around the northern hemisphere. The GOP actively blocks efforts to deal with climate change.
And this is the GOP in a nutshell to me, a party that ignores facts in pursuit of BAU, a reactionary party that will drag itself, the nation, and the world over a cliff while telling everyone that it’ll be fine.
Sen. Moran, BTW, also thinks that protecting the lesser Prairie Chicken will also harm energy producers, because, you know, despite record profits and high executive pay and bonuses, that industry is hurting. *end snark*
Well, that certainly did nothing for my mood. Deep breath. Stay pos and strong. Move forward, and specify what that means. Here’s the music. Coffee is half gone, brothers and sisters. Time to awaken. Here’s the music from fifty years ago to cheer us up and move us on. Am I being ironic, hypocritical, or just plain ol’ ridiculous?
It’s Tuesday, July 18, 2023. A waxing crescent moon wins the night sky tonight, if you look for it.
Cool, quiet morning. A train unleashes long blasts of warning as it crawls through town. Mildish summer continues in Ashlandia, where coffee is brewed fresh and new pastries are baked every day. 67 F now, we appear to be due a high temperature of 92 F, 33 C. Sunrise was 5:49 AM, and sunset will be at 8:45 PM.
Our weather situation is better than many. Flooding in Korea today, joining the disasters of Vermont, India, and Japan. Heat dome fixed in place over the southwestern US. Hawaii on a storm watch. Wildfires are burning in Canada, causing breathing problems there and in the US. Parts of Iran are blazingly hot, China is described as ‘searing’, and extreme heat is threatening health and safety across Europe, and they’re battling wildfires in Greece. Will something be done on the human side to try to address these things? Probably not. A large percentage of folks prefer not to be woke about these things. Denying it and burying facts about things they don’t like is their M.O. until it reaches the point where there’s no where to hide, apparently. “Less taxes,” they cry. “Voter fraud.”
On the family front, a teenage nephew suffered a seizure. Terrified everyone. He recovered but tests are being run. Results are awaited. Fingers are crossed.
Also on the family front, a niece’s neighbor had three cars burn up. He had chemicals stored in his car for his work. The intense fire melted the siding on her home. She and her family weren’t home at the time. Nobody was hurt.
I have “Break On Through (to the Other Side)” circulating the morning mental music stream. By The Doors, the song was released at the onset of 1967, when I was ten and living in Penn Hills, PA. It was another of those songs which instantly seized my interest. It hasn’t let go. But why is it in the morning mental music stream (trademark — what?)? I put this to The Neurons, who shrugged and wandered off. I’ve enticed them back with the promise of coffee. The Neurons are suckers for coffee.
Stay strong and be pos. Time to begin the day. Here’s the coffee; breath deep the fresh aroma. Here’s the music. Cheers
Hello, world. Saturday, July 15, 2023. It’s my little sister’s birthday. She was my only little sister for several years before the other two came along. Two years younger than me, we frequently played softball together in pickup games on the street. Whole neighborhood was invited, and we had fun. Now sis is a grandmother and executive VP for a bank. Guess she’s grown up. Happy birthday, little sister.
74 F now in Ashlandia, where burritos are tasty and fishsticks are frozen, without much breeze. The heat dome has brought us into its embrace. 103 F today, probably 100 plus tomorrow but then we get a reprieve and the highs drop into the nineties next week. Fingers crossed that they’ve called that right. Not nearly as bad as west Texas, Arizona, many parts of California, Nevada, and New Mexico.
Only dropped down to the lower sixties last night. That’s always a problem because it’s harder to cool the house if the air doesn’t cool. Stayed into the eighties until after 11 PM before the heat was finally cranked back. But then it rose fast. That’s how it is in a heat dome.
Thinking about weather took me around to thinking about Earth. Unintentional consequences of that was The Neurons put a song about Earth in my morning mental music stream. Yes, “I Feel the Earth Move” by Carole King (1971) is playing in the morning mental music stream (trademark confused). Odd choice for The Neurons, since the thoughts swirling around were all about the misery today’s headlines encapsulated. Everything from disastrous weather around the world to murders and killings. Death dominated. I suppose The Neurons elected to counteract all that chaos and mayhem with a simple song about being in love.
Stay pos, be cool, be safe, be strong. The coffee is kicking in. Let’s do this. Here’s the music. Cheers
Hey, it’s Fried-day, July 14, 2023. Birthday for one of my late cousins. Years younger than me, cancer claimed her in 2019.
Gonna be hot today here in Ashlandia, where the plays are entertaining and the musicians are local. Not OMG help hot, like AZ’s impressive daily highs, nor Palm Springs 120 F hot, but protect-yourself-family-and-pets hot, 98 F. And that’s why it’s Fried-day.
When I was being educated in the US in the 1960s, attending elementary school, teachers talked about a ‘can-do attitude’. They were always encouraging us to rise up to the challenge and find a way to overcome it. I vividly recall listening to one teacher standing before us rapt, dewy-eyed second-graders as she said, “The can-do attitude helped make America great.” Before we were taught history and learned that the country wasn’t great, that America was flawed. Yet it had to the potential to become greater, if we kept after things with a can-do attitude.
I grew up believing that we can fix things, whether it was injustice, inequality, poverty, or going to the moon. This was in the aftermath of President John F. Kennedy’s assassination. He seemed to empower ‘can-do’ for young me. No, wasn’t perfect, but he was willing to set goals, create a vision, and strive to achieve them.
Now we’re mired in a severe can’t-do existence. Money is typically the ‘can’t-do’ motivation, followed in the US by ‘Founding Fathers’. The Founding Fathers and their vision of a Democracy run by the people, for the people, are thrown up as an obstacle as people stop to think, not what is best by and for the people, but what would the Founding Fathers say and do?
I believe that attitude would have the Founding Fathers appalled. They would ask, “Have you not established a robust education system that helps people? Do you knot know how to think? Do you lack the courage and principles to come together, find solutions and move forward?”
And that’s a big now. Big reason for me, whether it’s about climate change and half the country setting new high records for high temperatures year after year, sensible gun control, or taxes, is that half the country is trying to go backward. Yes, let’s go backwards. Just bury our heads and deny what’s going on.
That shows a true ‘can-do’ spirit.
All of that explains my exasperated mood today.
I woke up with the Looney Tunes theme music in my morning mental music stream. As I went about re-establishing my existence, mocking myself as I fell into my comfortable, middle-class routines once again, The Neurons opened some “Canned Heat” and spilled “Let’s Work Together” into the morning mental music stream (trademark non-existent). The 1970 version of Wilbur Harrison’s take on “Let’s Stick Together” could be an inspiring theme song for promoting a can-do attitude. Feel the energy behind that gravelly voice, courtesy of Bob Hite, as he urges us to work together.
Together we’ll stand Divided we’ll fall Come on now, people Let’s get on the ball
And work together Come on, come on Let’s work together Now, now people Because together we will stand Every boy, every girl and man
People, when things go wrong As they sometimes will And the road you travel It stays all uphill
Let’s work together Come on, come on Let’s work together, ah You know together we will stand Every boy, girl, woman and man
Oh well now, two or three minutes Two or three hours What does it matter now In this life of ours
Let’s work together Come on, come on Let’s work together Now, now people Because together we will stand Every boy, every woman and man
Ah, come on Ah, come on, let’s work together
Well now, make someone happy Make someone smile Let’s all work together And make life worthwhile
Let’s work together Come on, come on Let’s work together Now, now people Because together we will stand Every boy, girl, woman and man
Oh well now, come on you people Walk hand in hand Let’s make this world of ours A good place to stand
You know, we do show the ability to come together. We come together to cheer performers — singers, actors, athletes — to cheer them on. And we come together to cope with disasters. We come together to offer hopes and prayers after mass shootings, floods, wildfires, hurricanes.
Honestly, can’t we begin to find a way to come together before disasters and deaths?
Yeah, I know. It’s all been said before, all been written with more inspiration before, and here we stay, stuck on yesterday, moving toward last century, burning up and and falling down.
Guess I need coffee. Stay pos, if you can, and strong. Wish you the best in whatever situation you face today, tomorrow, next month, next year.
Quiet day here yesterday, today. Light traffic. Today brings more human mechanical noises through the air. A chipper is at work somewhere, and the trash has been picked up at the apartment complex down the street. It’s Thursday, July 13, 2023.
65 F outside, we expect our upper temp to pick at the low 90s in Ashlandia today, where the grass is browning like biscuits in the oven, and the children are going hiking. VP Kamela Harris, the first woman of color to be VPOTUS, made more history by matching the number of most tie-breaking votes made, 31. I believe she might set a new record before her term is done. The historic vote advanced Kalpana Kotagal’s nomination to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. VP Harris shares the record with John C. Calhoun, so the record has been set for a while. It took VP Calhoun eight years to set it back in the early 1800s.
Meanwhile, over on the Fox News website, read all about the man found with skulls, a missing man’s body found in Yosemite, a cat killer, and shark encounters.
The Neurons pre-loaded a Bad Company, “Shooting Star”, from 1975, into the morning mental music stream (trademark contemplated). Why, Les Neurons, why this song on this day? Why not, they answer. Because it’s there, they also replied. And, because we wanted to. Because we could. Little blighters.
Here’s the music. Stay pos, informed, and aware. Ingesting some fresh coffee to help me kickstart my brain. Oh — here comes kickstart my heart. Oh, well.
I’m sitting at my desk at home, sipping hot black coffee. A cool breeze washing over my back through the window. Machine noises are carried in. Sounds like excavating equipment is hard at it in Ashlandia, where wine is made on one side of the valley, and beer is brewed on the other.
It’s a summer morning, Friday, July 7, 2023.
A weary state of mind has overtaken me. Just read about dark waters and the pollution causing cancer to humans and animals. Companies like DuPont do this to communities and fight against taking responsibility, while manipulating laws and lawmakers to make more money, more profits. They epitomize the worse of corporate greed. Unfortunately, they’re one of many. And our hugely right wing Supreme Court goes and guts laws to protect water and people and animals, and the right wing shouts, “Hurray. Freedom.”
That article was atop reading about the proliferation of shootings across the nation on this holiday week. How these murders are enabled by the NRA, with right-wingers heartily going along with it, shouting, “Hurray. Freedom.” Death doesn’t mean much to the pretend ‘pro-life’ party called the GOP.
The GOP party has become the party of minority rule — meaning a rule of one. One person in many GOP led states can complain about a book and have it taken off shelves. One person can take up an automatic weapon and go shoot up a school, a synagogue, church, workplace, neighborhood, resulting in deaths and the ruination of many lives and that party will continue to shout, “Freedom.” They write into laws against others, and shout, “Freedom.”
Naturally, thinking of all of this, my neurons sink back to Janis Joplin’s magnificent cover of the Kris Kristofferson song, “Me & Bobby McKee” from 1970. The lines so many of us remember from the song, the one I was reminded of as we celebrated a nation’s beginning that is supposed to be founded on principles of freedom, democracy, and equality, are, “Freedom’s just another word for nothin’ left to lose. Nothin’ ain’t worth nothin’ but it’s free.”
Stay as positive as you can as we endure this era. Try to look forward to what we can build, and don’t be dissuaded or disheartened by those trying to create something other than a land of freedom and equality for all. Or as it’s written in the Declaration of Independence: “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.”
The coffee is half gone. The breeze is fading and the heat is rising. 71 F now, it’ll be in the low 90s before the sun slips out of view. Time to take this show on the road. Here’s the music. Cheers
63 F in the outdoors with a tincture of cool mountain air offsetting the morning sun’s greeting. “Perfect,” the cats agree. They’re looking forward to the possible high in the low to mid 80s F.
It’s Monday, June 26, 2023, in Ashlandia, where the cougars and bears roam the streets and tourists roam the restaurants. Perusing the news, there’s hope for a cancer treatment that shrinks tumors, deaths in Pakistan from lightning, North Korea keeping up its traditional war of words with the US, cocaine market is booming, tornadoes in the east, train hauling hazardous materials derailed — yes, another — and more deaths, more deaths, more deaths. Not much on Ukraine and Russia. Nothing on Trump. Probably too early in the day. Race results about a NASCAR offering named after a corporation which bought the rights provides filler,
Stone Temple Pilots, J. Cash, Bush, and the Stones have songs sharing space in my morning mental music stream, they being, “Creep”, “Folsom Prison Blues”, “Machinehead”, and “Start Me Up”. Why them was the leading question in my interrogation of The Neurons to learn more. They took the fifth. No comment all the way.
After all that, I went with “When the Whip Comes Down” by the Rolling Stones, a song featured in the documentary about them last night when they focused on Ronnie Wood. Written and released in 1978 (yeah, looked it up), the song is about a gay man and how he’s treated. I enjoy watching Mick playing gee-tar on the video.
May I suggest you stay positive and keep my moving forward? I’m moving toward a cup of coffee. Let’s get it cracking. Time waits for no one.
Michael Seidel, writer 