I Can't Wait for the Vaccine

Yes, I can’t wait for the vaccine. I’ll take either the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine or the Moderna COVID-19 Vaccine – I can’t wait for that RNA to do it’s thing.  I feel this way for two reasons; 1., the obvious - this is the light at the end of the tunnel that will usher in our new normal.  And 2., protection against the non-science believing rubes who don't care about anything but illusions. 

I saw this out there on the internet...

I can't wait for the vaccine for it will protect me and mine from people like Stacey, here. I’m tired of having to depend on Stacey’s ability to grasp common sense or for the common health & welfare of others. She is lacking.  Stacey has proven herself a danger. The concept of other people and their needs escapes Stacey. You may want to brace yourself, Stacey, but it’s not all about you. It is because of the Stacey’s in this world that we – right here in the United States – have well over 300,000 DEAD due to COVID-19. 

Yes, Stacey – the vaccination will free me and mine from the likes of YOU. The stupid, the ignorant, and the evil – a trifecta of protection in a series of two shots, each 21 days apart. There are precious few moments in life when one can get a shot in the arm and be protected from the ineptitude of others. It will be refreshing - liberating really. 

I cannot wait. I cannot wait to embrace the light at the end of the tunnel. I know that the Staceys and Karens of this world may not take the vaccination. If it was only about them, which as we have previously established – it is not, BUT if it was only about them, I wouldn’t care. The trick is our actions, or our inactions affect others - we know this, this is beyond them.  Yes, the Stacey or Karen will refuse the vaccination, contract COVID, and take it to their parents, their friends, and their coworkers. They do not care since it is all about them – it always has been. People like us? We are background actors – non-player characters in Stacey’s or Karen’s world. Therefore, the onus is up to us to outthink and/or outmaneuver the Staceys and the Karens. I can only hope that those around them knows them for what they truly are – the stupid, the ignorant, and/or the evil and they get vaccinated as soon as possible so that they too will be protected against their Staceys and Karens in our selfish, unkind, unenlightened world.

Again, how many times in history can we point at where a vaccination can not only save lives but offer protection against indiscriminate killers - spreaders like the Staceys & Karens?

Not too many. When it becomes available, get vaccinated.

Until such times, wear a mask, wash your hands, and maintain social distance. We will never know how many lives have been saved by these simple measures. Conversely, we will never know how many lives were lost because such measures were ignored.

Do your part and, when you can, get vaccinated.

MARVEL 616

 Let's talk a bit about, MARVEL 616.

“What’s that?”  It’s a show on Disney+.  I just finished the first season and I loved it.

There are 8 documentaries about Earth 616.  And, in the MARVEL Universe, World 616 is us – it is our home-world.  These documentaries, filmed by 8 different documentarians, examine, “the intersections of storytelling, pop culture and fandom within the Marvel Universe.”

Brief breakdown of the documentaries…

1.       “Japanese Spider-Man.”  There were 41 episodes of Spider-Man that were produced in Japan that the western world didn’t know of until about 2009.  Interesting story. OH, and if the rumors of a Spider-Verse movie are true Shinji Tôdô NEEDS to one of the Spider-Folks.

2.       “Higher, Further, Faster.”  Representation matters.  It is important that kids can look around and see a hero that represents them.  It matters a lot.  Further, there are more women working as writers, artists, and editors, too.  Worthy episode.

3.       “Amazing Artisans.”  Technology has made the world all the smaller.  This episode follows two Marvel artists – contributors to Miles Morales and Moon Girl, both live in Spain and both meet their deadlines.

4.       “Lost and Found.”  This one made me giggle and then laugh out loud.  Paul Scheer is on a search to reboot a forgotten team of Marvel superheroes.  Good luck with that.

5.       “Suit Up.” Is all about cosplay at the New York Comic Con. 

6.       “Unboxed.” This one explores, “the relationship between toys and comics.”  Seeing the inner workings of Hasbro and Funko was fun.

7.       “The Marvel Method.”  This is how Stan Lee wrote.  He would come up with characters, a villain, and a plot and then he would give it to artists to tell the rest of the story.  Most comic writers these days use a script, which makes things easier for artists, pencilers, letterers, and editors.  Dan Slott, who had a 10 year run on, “The Amazing Spider-Man” is not one of them.  He uses the Marvel Method.  I loved this episode.  If you like to write – you too will LOVE this episode.

8.       “Spotlight.”  I didn’t know that Marvel produced high school plays for the stage.  This final episode of the first season follows two classes of kids producing two different plays – Squirrel Girl and Ms. Marvel.  This one is all about theater and the process of collaborative storytelling.  I loved those kids and their teacher - but I speak too much - go see it for yourself!  I dug it.

I am looking forward to season two of, ‘MARVEL 616’.  And Disney+, if you're out there, PLEASE greenlight Season Two!  You must do so, for there are still so many stories from Earth 616 to tell.

 

Unus Annus - a Momento Mori

I stayed up with my oldest daughter and my son to watch it all end – Unus Annus, that is. We were there when it ended. At 3:00 am, EST, the timer hit, “00:00:00:00” and with a click of a button, it was gone.

A moment after this image - everything went black.  Unus Annus, was gone.

What am I talking about? Well, therein lies a tale.

I discovered Unus Annus through my kids. They were there from the start – they have seen EVERYTHING. I would hear them laughing in the next room and the voices of both Ethan & Mark and from time to time I would join them to watch, enjoy, and to spend some time together making memories.

“So, what was Unus Annus?”

Well, Wikitubia (https://youtube.fandom.com/wiki/Unus_Annus) says this…

Yes, Ethan and Mark are…or were, Unus and Annus, however there is a third member who is only heard or glimpsed from time to time and that would be Amy. To paraphrase Mark, ‘Amy is a creative force unto herself and Unus Annus would not have been the force that it was if not for her presence.’ And what a creative force the channel was.  Over 365 videos, at least one a day, this past year.  I now take you to IMDB for three screen grabs – one from the beginning, one from the middle, and one from the end…

In the beginning…

At the meridian...

At the end...

It was fun while it lasted. But all good things… no, that’s not completely correct… ALL things must come to an end.

Unus Annus went live with a retrospective on 11/13/2020, at 3:00 pm, EST – or noon PST, where the live stream is happening on YouTube. Before midnight, all the Unus Annus social media accounts were deleted, one by one.

“But why would they do this?” you may ask. “They must be making a huge amount of money – 1 million views per video, advertising revenue, and merch – WHY?”

Money was not what Unus Annus was really about. Unus Annus was an art installation. Ahead of its’ time or, perhaps, the first product of its’ time. Mark, Ethan, & Amy created something that was not meant to last. But, in all reality, what is? It was built to illustrate that time is precious. Moments count. The message – pack life into the time you have for time is precious. Use it.

They never forgot their mission and they saw it through to the end. True to their word, at 12 am PST / 3:00 am EST, time ran out for Unus Annus. The only record of it exists in the viewer’s minds – in the memories. You either watched their videos for the time the channel was alive, or you did not. You either participate in the time you are given, or you don’t. ...So, participate. Do. Create. Dance. Take that Chinese archery or drum lessons you’ve always wanted to try. Try sipping different fluids through a Life-Straw. Search for the mighty HEE HOO but beware of the GONGOOZLER! Know in your bones that the search for each is a memory made. DO NOT PUT IT OFF. This is not a dress rehearsal. Go and make memories. Let us all remember that, for a short time, WE WERE HERE.

Congratulations for the tremendous Momento Mori of Unus Annus to Ethan, Mark, Amy, and all the other’s behind the scenes.

Thank you for the memories.   

For everything there is a time. Make your time count.

It is Sunday Morning

The dawn of a new day across America. 

All votes have been counted. Joe Biden will be the next President of these United States. Pulpits from sea to shining sea will be delivering messages concerning this very development.

What that message says will tell everything about where their hearts have been over these last four years. Did these last four years reflect the Gospel, love, compassion or was another message sent to a watching and waiting world – something else entirely?

Speaking for myself, before yesterday I felt that if Trump were to get in, that things would become worse than these dark, past four years have been. Entropy. I felt that if Biden were to get in, that things would begin to get better, but I knew that it would not be easy. There are so many things that we as a people need to recognize, fix, and move forward on. I knew that there would be the true believers, those susceptible to Trump's cult of personality were still there just waiting for some ‘word to be given’, to sow violence and discord. Those who would want to see things get worse.

God help us all.

This is purported to be a “Christian Nation”. I have serious doubts about that for over the last four years I have not seen the evidence of that faith. I have not seen the fruit in the walks or lives of those who profess the name and calling of “Christianity”. This may be a watershed moment, in that, now that Biden is in, Christians will have to have the courage of their convictions.

Romans 13:1, “Let every soul be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and the authorities that exist are appointed by God.” Therefore, now that Biden is considered to be the President elect, it is God’s will. A Christian will accept that. A “Christian” (with quotation marks), will not.

The reaction from the “Christian” evangelical right to Donald Trump, shook my faith even further than it was shaken prior to the election of 2016. Watching the American “Christian” evolve over these last four years has demonstrated to me the principal of the duck. That principal? “If it looks like a duck and sounds like a duck, it’s a duck.” The American “Christian” neither resembles nor sounds like a follower of Jesus Christ. No, American “Christianity” resembles idolatry to me. American “Christianity” has taken the Gospel and has misused and mistreated it as a means to praise, elevate, and worship Donald Trump. It was not that long ago that Romans 13:1 was used to defend Trump. Well, the Gospel is a double-edged sword. Come what may, God is still in control. Biden won the election, American “Christians” will have to come to grips with that. Christians will understand that God is the ultimate authority. American “Christians” will not, for they have been too concerned with Trump’s kingdom and have ignored God’s.

What damage has this done to the representation of the Gospel? On this side of the veil a Christian is the only Bible some people will ever read. What is that example? Where is the fruit? Can anyone look at an American “Christian” and honestly think to themselves, I want what this person has in their life? No. People are stepping away from the church due to the fact that people see that American “Christians” are not people who have joy, peace, or love in their hearts. They do not practice what they preach. Loving one’s neighbor, feeding the hungry, housing the poor, seeing to the sick – these have been branded as, “socialist” by American “Christians”. They have formed the message to their own ends. They have remade God in their own image to suit their needs. Jesus speaks of this in Matthew 7:15-20…

“15 “Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves. 16 You will know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes from thornbushes or figs from thistles? 17 Even so, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. 18 A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit. 19 Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. 20 Therefore by their fruits you will know them.”

There has been a endless parade of false prophets during the last four years. People making spectacles of themselves for a larger station in Trumps kingdom. So much damage has been done. So much continues to happen. To them, I can only say, stop what you are doing. You are misrepresenting the Gospel that you are claiming to represent. If you claim to be what you claim to be, repent. Repent of your sin. Go, and sin no more.

Repent.

Forgiveness is a watermark of the Christian faith. I have boatloads of issues and forgiveness is one of them. That is my cross to bear. However, those who can recognize the evils that have been committed, the ones that continue to happen, and now want to work to change them & make things right – forgiveness is a given. For those who cannot understand this – those who simply will not or cannot recognize just how far we have fallen, I can only offer up Matthew 7:21-23…

“21 “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. 22 Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?’ 23 And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!’”

“…I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!’”

As a Christian, that should terrify you. As an American “Christian”, ambivalence is to be expected but you should know that if you ever, truly want to get rid of those quotation marks, “”, the current marks of the Beast, put your faith in Christ and not man – certainly not Donald Trump.

The American “Christians” lost me for good at Charlottesville. I saw their true face then. Christians know that we are only saved by the Grace of God. It is that grace that I hold onto, not the flawed and twisted doctrines of man or of American “Christians”.

If you ever where what you have claimed to be, repent – and return to the Grace. The nation needs love and healing right now. We are called to be the light. Repent and be that light that our world so desperately needs.

Shine. Let people see love, let them see the Gospel, through your life. Make sure the message that you are sending as a Christian is one of love. Do not diminish the Gospel. It is not about man’s kingdom, but God’s.

It is a new day.

God is on the thrown and he has seen fit to have Joe Biden be our President.

Let us have the courage of our convictions. It is time to heal, to unify. It is time to represent Christ in this world by our example.

Anything less is window washing.

It is time to shine.  

It is, after all, a new day. 

Dawn

The Lincoln Project, which was created by conservatives & republicans to turn away from the cult of celebrity that is Donald Trump put out a video, Dawn, that reminds us that our vote is our voice and that with President Joe Biden in office, better days are ahead.

"The end is coming.  The end of the noise and lies.  The end of the chaos and division.  The end of the hate.  In it’s place a new America is ready to stand tall again.  Ready to restore the goodness in the heart of our nation.  Ready to put people before politics.  Ready to lead, to innovate, to grow, to heal.  It won’t always be easy.  There are tough times to come, COVID to be defeated, an economy to restore, but that new day is coming.  A day when words like, ‘caring’, ‘competent’, and ‘professional’ won’t be insults.  A day when compassion and character mean more than celebrity.  A day when every American’s rights are respected and valued.  That day is coming because of your hard work.  Your commitment, your energy, and passion.  That day is coming because of your vote.  Joe Biden – our President."

 

A Simple Hope

I changed my Facebook cover photo to this… 

Spider-Man reminding us all to check our pride.  “…We need to give each other the benefit of the doubt, or there won’t be anything left of us but our pride.”

“When you walk around only expecting the worst, that’s all you’ll ever see.” – George Scully

I have grown weary seeing only the worst.  That’s why I am not on social media as much as I was at one time, these days.  I have trained myself to see the worst.  In my defense there have been some very good examples of the worst given by my peers and friends.  And I have cut some people off for the simple reason that I don’t need the additional head noise.  Some had to go because I do not do conspiracy theories on my own time – nor white nationalist agendas.  That bullshit had to go.  In the wake of their exit I have become sensitive to seeing ‘the worst’.  I can’t live there, though.  I need to believe (apart from glassy eyed believers and Nazi sympathizers) that we can give each other the benefit of the doubt.  I need to believe this because Spidey is right, if we can’t, “there won’t be anything left but our pride.”

A simple hope.  The return of normalcy, of dignity, of unity.  No cults or bigots.  A place where confirmation biases are recognized – both yours and mine – where we can set them aside, rationally discuss issues, compromise, and move forward towards a common good – towards a future.  A future for all.  A future worth having.

A simple hope, I know.  But a worthy one.

I look forward to a time when this election is behind us.  I hope it is a future without the current occupant of the White House for reasons found on the previous 1,367 pages of this tome*.  The future I see is after this dark time in history.  It will come – eventually.  When it does, may we have the eyes to see our mistakes, the ears to listen, the hands to help, and the heart to change.  We will need them all for healing to happen but happen it must.

It will.

We owe it to the future – to pass on to them a world worth having.

Perhaps, one day, we will look back in remembrance of the lessons learned from this time – a time then far behind us and wonder at the changes that have come to pass and how far we have come.    

I hope so.  It is a simple hope – for a better future.

Simple but worthy.   

Selah.

 

*Gentle Reader, I have been keeping a journal since the beginning of the quarantine.  This humble blog post is part of a much bigger project.  The project is growing.  I will keep doing so until the new normal is established as, well, the new normal or, probably, for another 1,300 pages.  It is not fit for human consumption at this time, but it is doing exactly what it needs to do – mark this time in history, document day to day life, and keep me sane.

 

Happy 54th Birthday, Star Trek.

 

It was a show that ran three seasons and launched a narrative that is still expanding.  It premiered today, September 8, 1966.

I was born during the original series run and truly discovered it by watching reruns in syndication with my dad.  Star Trek had a startling impact on me and generations of others, too.  We were born into it.

The real promise of Star Trek lies not in the technology, or the intergalactic travel, although those are great, but that’s not it.  No - the real promise that Star Trek presents is a world where people have learned to live together and constructively move into the future united...as one.  It is a future that is there to be explored and understood for the good of all peoples - whether they hail from Earth or not, whether they are human or not. 

So many of the technological predictions have come to pass as reality - communicators to cell phones, tricorders to iPads, high capacity computers that run starships to laptops at home.  BUT the real promise of the future is a sociological one.  A promise that has yet to become a reality.  That promise is our capacity, as a species, to work together, unselfishly, for the good of all.  A world where all races and creeds are all part of a human family, united.  A future where the needs of the many are more important than the needs of the one.  A future that has learned from our successes and from our failures. That is the real promise of Star Trek.  The promise of a future worth having. 

I hope that we boldly go towards such a future …someday.

Happy 54^th Birthday, Star Trek.  May you live long and prosper.

There. I Fixed It.

A blog in two parts.

There are two parts to this.  Part one consists of words verses words and it is a bit incendiary.  Part two is about the power of words and the stories that we choose to believe.  It is a bit less provocative, but then again it’s hard to get the toothpaste back into the tube once one squeezes it onto your brush.

Part I…

So, I came across a political meme that has been making the rounds on social media, yesterday.  That’s really not a hard thing to do these days.  Pick a side and run with it to your hearts content.  There’s something for everyone.  Pick something that fits your world view, your confirmation biases and there you are.  Just try not to get too carried away.  This meme gets a bit carried away with itself.

I decided that I was not going to cut & paste it here as it is presented.  No, that wouldn't be proper, it needs some fixing.  Perhaps it’s part of my own confirmation bias, but I believe the truth should still mean something.  So, instead of just cutting & pasting, I’m simply going to describe it for you, Gentle Reader.  There is a picture of Trump glaring at the camera and pointing a finger.  The words surrounding his precious little head read…

“In reality they’re not after me they’re after you.

I’m just in the way.”

At the very top, above the postcard picture of that man of the people are those words.  Words written by a peeved Proud Boy(s), a Trump cultist(s), a campaign writer(s), or some combination, thereof.  Words specifically designed to strum all the strings of manipulation at once.  Words designed to divide – it is an election, after all, but, regretfully, the last four years have gifted us with nothing but division.  The words used here are marching orders.  Words that say, in no uncertain terms, that Trump is the conduit to a golden future for the United States and if you think differently, you’re simply wrong, you Godless, leftist, Democrat, and you deserve to be crushed. 

I have taken the liberty to address the points raised by this patriotic young lad(s) or lass(es), wherever your pronouns may be.  I wrote in the brackets – emboldened.  Here we go!   

To answer all of those of you who would say “I can't believe you would vote for Trump." Well folks listen up! I'm not just voting for him. I'm voting for the second Amendment (because they’re coming for your guns!  SPOILERS, no – that old chestnut is not true, no one is coming for your guns unless there is a good reason for it). I'm voting for the next supreme court justice (due to me being jaded and chocked full of biases also I don’t like balance), I'm voting for the electoral college (how do I feel about gerrymandering? Hold on, I have to look that up), and the Republic (dystopia) we live in. I'm voting for the Police (the good ones, the ones who kill people that are not the same color as I am, or the stormtroopers who make people disappear?  There are so many to choose from these days!), and law and order (I do not like protesters and my second amendment rights are more important than their first amendment ones). I'm voting for the military (you mean the estimated U.S. military spending is $934 billion*. It covers the period October 1, 2020, through September 30, 2021?), and the veterans (who are having problems getting their medications through the mail since Mango Mussolini tried to kill the United States Post Office) who fought for and died for this Country. I'm voting for the Flag that is always missing from the Democratic background (another contrived lie; also, I’m beginning to think you don’t like Democrats). I'm voting for the right to speak my opinion and not be censored (Come now, you have never had a problem voicing your opinion – whether it’s not wanting to wear a mask during a global pandemic or just the casual refusal of science, voicing your opinion is not one of your problems.  But, hey, if you could lay off the conspiracy theories, though? it would be appreciated). I’m voting for secure borders (and against Mexicans because they don’t look like me – any other people who also do not look like me). I’m voting for the right to praise my God without fear (Come now, let’s not be coy, you praise your God without fear already. As an American your idea of religious persecution pales in comparison to the real thing.  But, God - which one are you referring to?  Hard to say – there are so many.  Playing the odds, 74% of the U.S. claim Christianity. Out of curiosity, if you claim to be a follower of Christ, which title do you prefer, Capitalist or Christian? Asking for a friend). I’m voting for every unborn soul the Democrats want to murder (this, too, is a lie). I’m voting for freedom and the American Dream (as long as it is for people who think and look like I do). I’m voting for good and against evil (No, you’re really not & horribly, horribly mistaken in this case). I'm not just voting for one person, I'm voting for the future of my Country! (Trump gave you a voice. You’ve kept so many things bottled up inside of you; poor dear.  But it’s different now - now it can be your boot on the throat of those you think are your enemies. Your taking your country back!  You’ll show ‘em all, won’t you, Sport?)

What are you voting for?!?! (I am voting to cancel yours. That’s a true story, right there).

In God we Trust; One Nation Under God (added to the Pledge of Allegiance in 1954, BTW)

Copy and paste. I did. (Of this, I have no doubt. There is no way you came up with this. It must fit your assumed world view.  Fortunately for you, there are hosts of people out there – the Alt Right, Nazis, KKK members, run of the mill Karens oblivious to their own white privilege, etc. – who will give you all the opinions you should have and, after all, “It has always been easier to have an opinion than it is to think”, hasn't it?  Yes, it has.)

There – Fixed!

It could be fixed better, but it holds water – depending on the intentions of the words. 

Look, I get it.  It is an election year, that’s one of the reasons it’s so slanted.  The fact is, neither of us - the author(s) of this meme or I, are going to be changing our minds on the topic of Donald Trump.  I can't speak for you, author(s), I can only speak for myself, and I can honestly say that if you identify as a republican or a democrat, that I'm fine with that.  It's the way it is here in these United States.  Third, fourth, or fifth parties are swallowed by the political machine so, effectively, we have a two-party system – republicans and democrats and, leaving the extremists out of the conversation for a moment, we can find common ground.  I can work with either.  But if you identify specifically as a Trump supporter, flags start to go up for me.  Just being honest.  Not that I write you off completely, that’s not the case, but it tells me a lot about what you, your priorities, and the stories you believe.  Perhaps I’m mistaken.  It has happened on occasion, so I am not blindly casting my nets out into the waters and saying, “All Trump supporters are wrong.”  No, I'm not doing that.  But, with God as my witness, you are suspect. 

You have earned it. 

I have my own reasons for this. 

You wouldn’t care about them if I told you.  But, I have my reasons.

You can shout, “God bless, Donald Trump,” all you want, but try to understand, when you do so, I have deep and serious misgivings as to whether you know either party.

But, hey, that’s my confirmation bias.

I have said this before and I can still say firmly, and without a shadow of doubt, it does not matter what side of the aisle you find yourself sitting on politically – we all lost on Election Day 2016.  All of us.  He found a way to unite us at last and right there at the very beginning. 

We all lost.

SPOILERS, this precludes Donald Trump…

 

And now, for Part II…

“All I suggest is a man hears what he wants to hear and disregards the rest…” Simon & Garfunkel, The Boxer

Part II…

Words mean things.  That shouldn’t be a revelation.  The old adage about ‘sticks and stones’ is a lie.  Words can hurt you, and in the wrong hands and they can be deadly.  Language, written language especially, is a funny thing.  Words come together – a noun here, a verb there, and, before you know it, there’s a sentence.  Those sentences become paragraphs.  Those paragraphs become chapters.  Stories are saved and told and repeated and those stories – the ones that are accepted and believed, hold everything together.  Is the story true or is it something else?  Words and their resulting stories can unite, uplift, and inspire.  The opposite is true, as well.  Words can build up or they can destroy.  Therefore, critical readers – critical thinkers, are essential.  As a society, we need to be able to sift words through the filter of the truth.  It has always been important to chose the stories we hold closest to our hearts, wisely.  

Unfortunately, we focus more on the story and, more often then not, lose focus on the words that are used to tell it.  Case in point.  I could tell you that I believe in the 2^nd amendment but that I wouldn’t mind mental health background checks before you are able to get one.  You may say to yourself, “Well, that’s not so bad.” Or you could say, “That is an infringement on the right to bear arms”.  Or you could ignore the words altogether and go right for the story, “They’re coming to take your guns!”  In two out of three of these options there is room for discussion – for give and take, room for, dare I say, compromise.  In the other tale, the story that the gun lobby has woven is the only thing you need to know, there is no room for debate or for thought.  There is no rhyme or reason, it’s an opinion gone wild.  Discussion or compromise?  Sorry, there's no room.  That’s how you get people who deny things like Sandy Hook – they believe the story that the NRA has seeded and some twisted souls mutate it to fit their own sick narrative.  Lobbyists tell such great stories and their pockets are full so they can pay off as many politicians they can.  That is corrupt and disgusting but it is the way of American politics.  It will collapse due to internal rot one day, but for now, it’s business as usual in Washington, DC.  This is why there is never discussion about reasonable gun laws.  And there never will be.  People go immediately into DEFCON 2 in defense of this story – the one where they are the lone patriot and the government is coming to disarm them.  It’s really not going to happen, but the true believers don’t hear that.  They can’t.  There are too many defense perimeters to plan for, too many ammo caches to stock up on.  “Molon Labe,” baby!  Compromise and reason do not fit into their narrative.  They don’t fit into the story they believe about themselves, because – after all, it is all about them and compromise is for the weak.  Never mind that here in the United States there have been at least 2,654 mass shootings since Sandy Hook, with at least 2,908 killed and 11,088 wounded**.  When new facts are presented the story must adapt.  At Sandy Hook Elementary School 26 people were slaughtered, 20 children, six adults, and the shooter who took his own life.  That doesn’t fit the overall narrative from the NRA, so the story must evolve – “The only thing that stops a bad guy with a gun is a good guy with a gun.”  The story feeds itself.  There is no room for reason or rhyme, no discussion, no compromise.  Nothing happens.  The story is a fantasy spun by a lobby group that speaks to the internal narrative of some heavily armed civilians who have their guns oiled, magazines full, with one in the chamber.  Who knows, in the next chapter, maybe a few of them will get to shoot some, "bad guys" and all those fantasies can become a reality.  

So, is the government coming for your guns?  No.

Will there be any meaningful discussion about practical gun laws?  No.

Will anything change concerning this issue in the United States?  No. 

There will be no change with gun laws until people start caring about the lives of other people and, let’s face it, if we didn’t do anything after Sandy Hook, we are not going to do anything.  We have listened to the wrong stories for too long.  There is too much money to be made.  Our fantasies that fuel our personal narratives were more important than the lives of those school children, their teachers, and the lives of all who have fallen since that dark day in December, 2014.   

What we believe – our stories, can be dangerous things.  How many people have died because of an ongoing narrative or narratives through the years?  People die for stories every day, let alone in the sweeping epics of the history of mankind.  Even before the discovery of gun powder.  History has devoured their bodies and all we are left with are the survivor’s stories.  As for what we believe – the stories we hold dearest, we latch onto the ones that appeal to our vanities or our hopes, and we take them with us as far as they'll go.  As I said in Part I, opinions are much easier to have then thoughts.  Opinions are preconceived and accepted.  A data-set, so to speak.  The idea is that the individual no longer has to think about any given data-set because it has worked for them in the past and it is presumed that it will work for them in the future.  Right up to the point it doesn’t.  Right up to the point where new data becomes undeniable and it is there that two things will happen – the narrative will evolve or it will be abandoned for a different story altogether.  Perhaps it is a tale that fits best with what the believer once held as gospel truth.  Perhaps not.

I took the first point from the manipulative political meme introduced in part one and examined it a little closer.  I could have kept going down the list of unscrupulous presumptions found in the meme, but to what end?  The meme is pure biased opinion that is the narrative it serves.  It is supposed to not only preach to the choir but also to let the people sitting in the back pew of the church know where the speaker stands.  It's a rallying cry for those who prefer to have opinions rather than thoughts.  The meme deliberately attaches itself to a host of other stories that fit the personal narrative of about 40% of the population of these United States.  We can’t ignore the words and just accept the stories we are being told any longer.  We must challenge ourselves to find the truth behind the stories that we have been told and the ones we choose to believe.  The truth should mean something, the same is true for words, and for people’s lives. 

So, here’s to the truth, Gentle Reader.  Find yourself a good story, one you can believe in - one that is worthy of your faith.  There is an abundance of false prophets and ravenous wolves running around these days, right here and right now in these United States.  Learn to spot them and turn them away.  Stand in the truth and move forward from there.   

Until next time, stay safe, wear a mask, and wash your hands.

Peace.

 

*Source: https://www.thebalance.com/u-s-military-budget-components-challenges-growth-3306320

**Source: https://www.vox.com/a/mass-shootings-america-sandy-hook-gun-violence

 

 

Domestic Kidnappings and What Can Be Done About Them

These are strange and dangerous days here in the United States.  Strange happenings that, if you are paying attention, should send chills down your spine.  On top of social injustice, people confusing public health with personal freedom, and economic woes – there are now federally authorized kidnappings happening right now within the United States.   

Business Insider, reported this week, “A former Border Patrol agent describes the special federal unit deployed in Portland as one of 'the most violent and racist in all law enforcement'”  The article by Oma Seddiq, can be found right here: https://www.businessinsider.com/former-border-patrol-agent-describes-unit-portland-violent-and-racist-2020-7.  Jenn Budd is the former Border Patrol agent.  She describes the Bortac (Border Patrol Tactical Unit) as, “elite federal unit deployed by the Trump administration to quell protests in Portland, Oregon, as one of the "the most violent and racist in all law enforcement."”  She goes on to describe them further, "They don't exist within the realm of civilian law enforcement. They view people they encounter in the military sense as enemy combatants, meaning they have virtually no rights."

The trick is, these are American citizens and not enemy combatants, meaning they have rights.  Trump has authorized this ‘elite federal unit’ on the citizenry of Portland, Oregon and on these United States. 

“But these are lawless protesters!”, you may have grown fond of typing or screaming. 

One could just as well say that these are citizens who are using their First Amendment rights to assemble and petition the government for change – in this case, the Black Lives Matter movement.  Don’t get me wrong, I am not saying rioting is a right, but I am saying that peaceful protest is.  But, as Juvenal the Roman poet said, “Who will guard the guards themselves?”  It can be hard to hold those in power accountable.  These are soldiers who have been used as muscle to threaten, intimidate, and kidnap American citizens.  Stomping over the First Amendment betrays the oath that they took in becoming soldiers in the first place – remember, that oath to defend the Constitution?  These presidentially authorized kidnappings and federally authorized terrorist actions, are by definition and scope, completely un-American. 

It is disconcerting.  Here in the United States, if you exercise your right to peaceful protest, you can get carted off by a goon-squad that is all too happy to be abusing their power.  The oppression is real, and it is here.  It is the natural progression of tyranny.  Trying to control and manipulate the news, trying to block publications, making people disappear to silence them – these are all hallmarks of a totalitarian regime.  It is only a matter of time before things get worse.  Perhaps when they get to the writers and the bloggers, you’ll see people like me disappear too?  There is historical precedence.   

Disturbing, to say the least.  The brutality of despotism here in the United States is something that keeps me awake at night.  Mainly due to the fact that for my entire life as an American citizen – 51 years, mind you, I have been taught to believe otherwise.  We all were.  Brutality, authoritarianism, tyranny were things that we fought and not practiced or stood up for.  It is a hopeless situation we find ourselves in.  But then I remember, Charlie Chaplin and his final speech from the 1940 film, “The Great Dictator”, and again, I have hope.  You can see that speech here: https://www.charliechaplin.com/en/films/7-The-Great-Dictator/articles/29-The-Final-Speech-from-The-Great-Dictator- and here... 

I’m sorry, but I don’t want to be an emperor. That’s not my business. I don’t want to rule or conquer anyone. I should like to help everyone - if possible - Jew, Gentile - black man - white. We all want to help one another. Human beings are like that. We want to live by each other’s happiness - not by each other’s misery. We don’t want to hate and despise one another. In this world there is room for everyone. And the good earth is rich and can provide for everyone. The way of life can be free and beautiful, but we have lost the way.

Greed has poisoned men’s souls, has barricaded the world with hate, has goose-stepped us into misery and bloodshed. We have developed speed, but we have shut ourselves in. Machinery that gives abundance has left us in want. Our knowledge has made us cynical. Our cleverness, hard and unkind. We think too much and feel too little. More than machinery we need humanity. More than cleverness we need kindness and gentleness. Without these qualities, life will be violent and all will be lost….

The aeroplane and the radio have brought us closer together. The very nature of these inventions cries out for the goodness in men - cries out for universal brotherhood - for the unity of us all. Even now my voice is reaching millions throughout the world - millions of despairing men, women, and little children - victims of a system that makes men torture and imprison innocent people.

To those who can hear me, I say - do not despair. The misery that is now upon us is but the passing of greed - the bitterness of men who fear the way of human progress. The hate of men will pass, and dictators die, and the power they took from the people will return to the people. And so long as men die, liberty will never perish. …..

Soldiers! don’t give yourselves to brutes - men who despise you - enslave you - who regiment your lives - tell you what to do - what to think and what to feel! Who drill you - diet you - treat you like cattle, use you as cannon fodder. Don’t give yourselves to these unnatural men - machine men with machine minds and machine hearts! You are not machines! You are not cattle! You are men! You have the love of humanity in your hearts! You don’t hate! Only the unloved hate - the unloved and the unnatural! Soldiers! Don’t fight for slavery! Fight for liberty!

In the 17th Chapter of St Luke it is written: “the Kingdom of God is within man” - not one man nor a group of men, but in all men! In you! You, the people have the power - the power to create machines. The power to create happiness! You, the people, have the power to make this life free and beautiful, to make this life a wonderful adventure.

Then - in the name of democracy - let us use that power - let us all unite. Let us fight for a new world - a decent world that will give men a chance to work - that will give youth a future and old age a security. By the promise of these things, brutes have risen to power. But they lie! They do not fulfil that promise. They never will!

Dictators free themselves but they enslave the people! Now let us fight to fulfil that promise! Let us fight to free the world - to do away with national barriers - to do away with greed, with hate and intolerance. Let us fight for a world of reason, a world where science and progress will lead to all men’s happiness. Soldiers! in the name of democracy, let us all unite!

Thank you, Mr. Chaplin.

Hope in a bottle, the vintage label reads 1940.  I read this speech and, once more, I have hope.  Hope that we can rise above the quagmire that the last four years have brought us.  Hope that, one day, we remember the people we are supposed to be.  Hope that there is a future for the United States of America and that we won’t collapse from the decay of corruption, greed, & lust for power.  The coronavirus exposed our weaknesses.  The social and economic fault lines are exposed and it is time to fix them – the injustice woven through our society, the lack of healthcare so people remain exploited, the willful ignorance where we haughtily reject expert opinions for YouTube videos or for people who have degrees from the “University of Facebook”.  It is time recognize our problems, address them, and move into the future – a decent and good future for all.   

Chaplin’s words hail from 1940 but they are more relevant today than he ever envisioned.  There is an important election coming up here in the United States.  Read this speech before you vote.  Watch it again before you cast your ballot.  This next election is for the soul of our nation.  Register to vote, if you have not, especially, if you haven’t voted before.  The Millennial generation and the marginalized could shift the balance of power and they should for a variety of reasons, but let’s just stick with the most obvious one – this is YOUR country, it is time to put someone in office who represents you and not their own polluted interests.

Read the speech again.  And again.  Allow it to sink in. 

Read it and hope.

“Don’t give yourselves to brutes.” 

Read it and #VOTE.

 

 

 

Final speech from The Great Dictator Copyright © Roy Export S.A.S. All rights reserved

Happy Juneteenth

Today is Juneteenth.

“What’s that?” you may ask.

Juneteenth celebrates the freeing of American slaves.  155 years ago, today - two and a half years AFTER the Emancipation Proclamation was signed and the Civil War was over.  Texas got word that slavery was over.  

Let us consult my favorite second brain, Wikipeidia, for further details...

“Juneteenth (a portmanteau of June and nineteenth), also known as Freedom Day, Jubilee Day, and Cel-Liberation Day, is an American holiday celebrated annually on June 19. It commemorates June 19, 1865, when Union general Gordon Granger read federal orders in Galveston, Texas, that all previously enslaved people in Texas were free. Although the Emancipation Proclamation had formally freed them almost two and a half years earlier, and the American Civil War had largely ended with the defeat of the Confederate States in April, Texas was the most remote of the slave states, with a low presence of Union troops, so enforcement of the proclamation had been slow and inconsistent.

Celebrations date to 1866, at first involving church-centered community gatherings in Texas. It spread across the South and became more commercialized in the 1920s and 1930s, often centering on a food festival. During the Civil Rights movement of the 1960s, it was eclipsed by the struggle for postwar civil rights, but grew in popularity again in the 1970s with a focus on African American freedom and arts. By the 21st century, Juneteenth was celebrated in most major cities across the United States. Activists are pushing Congress to recognize Juneteenth as a national holiday. Juneteenth is recognized as a state holiday or special day of observance in 47 of the 50 states.

Modern observance is primarily in local celebrations. Traditions include public readings of the Emancipation Proclamation, singing traditional songs such as "Swing Low, Sweet Chariot" and "Lift Every Voice and Sing", and reading of works by noted African-American writers such as Ralph Ellison and Maya Angelou. Celebrations include rodeos, street fairs, cookouts, family reunions, park parties, historical reenactments, and Miss Juneteenth contests. The Mascogos, descendants of Black Seminoles, of Coahuila, Mexico, also celebrate Juneteenth.”

I first heard about Juneteenth around 2002ish.  I had not heard of the occasion prior to that and I had to do some investigating on the topic.  Now, either I was not in class when it was taught or it, simply, wasn’t taught.  It is, most likely, the latter.  There are so many things that have missed our history text books.  So, what is Juneteenth?  Juneteenth celebrates the last domino to fall concerning the news that slavery had been abolished.  It happened in, Galveston Texas.  Once Texas recognized the Emancipation Proclamation—slavery was over.  Unfortunately, Jim Crow started to go into effect soon afterwards reinforcing systemic oppression and segregation, but to victory of slavery being abolished deserves to be celebrated. The fresh horrors that Jim Crow would bring are staggering and helped pound a racial wedge through our society helping an already racist system become further segregated. Juneteenth should be a celebration.  In all honesty, it should replace Columbus Day as a National Holiday. 

Frankly, we have failed ourselves by not teaching our own history.  It’s been whitewashed.  Literally.  This needs to be recognized, taught, accepted, and learned.  Education is key to addressing systemic racism.  We must, therefore, educate.  Not tell fabrications, half-truths, or omit.  Our history needs to be acknowledged so that when someone says, “There is no such thing as systemic racism in America.” We can hear those words and know that this person is either ignorant of their own history or a bigot who benefits from keeping someone else down.  Ignorance and bigotry are staples of American culture.

This must end.

Happy Juneteenth.

Baratunde Rafiq Thurston's TED Talk

Baratunde Rafiq Thurston wears many hats.  All of them interesting ones, but, before we get to that you need to see his TED Talk, which can be found right here:"How to Deconstruct Racism, One Headline at a Time".

It's a little over 16 minutes long.

Go ahead.

I'll wait.

.

..

...

Finished?  It’s GREAT, RIGHT!?

I know!

TED introduces Mr. Thurston, as thus, "Baratunde Thurston has worked for The Onion, produced for The Daily Show, advised the Obama White House and cleaned bathrooms to pay for his Harvard education. He's the host of the iHeartMedia podcast Spit, wrote the New York Times bestseller How to Be Black and serves on the boards of BUILD and the Brooklyn Public Library. He makes media, delivers keynotes and promotes action with his unique blend of criticism, humor and optimism. He's most invested in topics of race, technology, democracy and climate, because the hard stuff has already been solved."

I find this worthy.  And, in these trying times, inspiring and hopeful.  COVID-19 will be the harbinger of a great many social and economic upheavals—but these upheavals are long overdue.  Inequality, systemic racism, hunger, poverty, healthcare, exploitation by the rich, education, injustice—these are things that were part of the old normal.  That old normal did not work for a great many people.  We must do better and now is the time to do so.  We have a chance to rebuild as we reopen (sensibly, scientifically).  The status quo doesn’t work now.  The truth is it didn’t work then, at least not for all.  It is a shame that progress has to look like destruction, but now is the time to rewrite the playbook.  NOW is the time to rebuild the whole narrative.

"We change the story by changing the action."

It is beyond time to change the story.

His Name Was George Floyd

I’ve been keeping a journal.  I call it, “Life During Quarantine”.  Very early on, I predicted "tremendous social and economic upheaval."  We are due.  It is undeniable, there are changes that must be made.  One of those issues that can no longer be ignored, is the issue of race.  We have a systemic racism problem here in the US.  We have a huge section of the American population who are living in a dystopia due to the color of their skin and there is a big chunk of white America that sees no problem at all due to the comfortable bubble we were gifted and grew up in. 

We must recognize this.

There are other things of note that are happening in the shadow of the coronavirus.  A man named George Floyd was murdered, on video, by a group of four police officers.  One of the police officers had his knee against Floyd’s neck.  Floyd is heard begging on the video to be let to breathe or to have some water, probably to open his throat again.  His words are ignored, and the officer keeps up the pressure on his neck.  Floyd stops talking.  Nine minutes pass.  He dies under the knee of this officer.  Did I mention that Mr. Floyd was black?

We have a horrible double standard in this country.  It exists.  There are marginalized communities from sea to shining sea and the majority of them are categorized by the color of their skin.  Marginalized for treatment under the law, for poverty, for opportunity, for healthcare, for everything.  The sad truth is most white people have no idea that there is anything amiss.  We have no idea that we are living on the bright side of dystopia.  Blissfully ignorant, tranquilly seduced into seeing that nothing is wrong with the way things are for me, so it must be alright for everyone.  This is a lie.  Suffering is real.  Racism is real.  Hate is real.  Fear is real.  We can pretend that they don’t exist and stay in our, “Live, Laugh, Love” bubble, but that is all an illusion. 

I’m no different.  I lived my life with rose-colored glasses on never suspecting once that they were on at all or that I was ever wearing them.  I saw cracks appear in the lenses when I was in my teens when I started to realize that injustice was real and that “and Justice for all”, only seemed to apply to those who could hire the best attorneys.  If you were poor, you get court appointed representation.  Then you live a little more, see a few more things, and, suddenly, deeply held beliefs in our system of law, government, and religion are inevitable to miss if your eyes are open.  It is getting harder to see through the cracks in those rose-colored glasses, but they are still on.  You are still a part of that comfortable entitlement of being white and, to a degree, you always will be—you’re white, after all.  You are not automatically thought of as a threat.  Something to fear, something to hate, something to be kept in place.  No, you have all the possibilities that American society offers splayed before you to explore.  Your future is bright, and you don’t even know how bright it truly is.  After all, it is your birthright, that blissful tranquility, that entitlement.  But life goes on, you stand on your own and you open your eyes further, there are too many cracks in the lenses to see properly now.  Since you can’t see out of them any longer, you now have a choice—you keep them on, try to buff out some of the scratches, and retreat to your comfort zone or you take them off. 

Suppose you take them off.  Time has passes, things have change, you’ve supported yourself a while now, you’ve met, worked, and befriended a host of people who are not the same shade of skin that you are.  You find that people are people, each with their own unique set of needs and desires—in other words, just like you.   You begin to hear their stories—tales of how they struggle, how they live, how they make do, how petrified they are for themselves or their children who may run into the wrong group of white people or, worse, a police officer who wants to ask them questions.  And their stories horrify you.  After all, you haven’t had the same inherent problems coming up in American society.  Why would you?  You’re white—with all the unseen advantages that brings.  What about the police?  As a kid, I was told that they were the, “good guys”, your friends—not the hand of a system designed to keep you where you are, your oppressors, or your executioners.  This is the dystopian, oppressed, reality for a large section of America.  Sure—provisos all around—but the fact is, those who enforce the law (just or unjust) are part of the machine—good or bad.  They are the enforcers and, in some cases, the oppressors.  There are good police officers.  They are the ones who, “Serve and Protect”.  The ones who want to make their communities better, safer places for everyone.  I must hope that the majority of them have this creed in their hearts.  However, I can only hope. 

The ongoing slaughter of black men is what the, “Black Lives Matter” movement is about.  Black lives that are threatened by police officers.  Therefore, Colin Kaepernich took a knee.  To protest black men being slaughtered.  This upset an entitled nation of white people.  Some of whom went bug-nuts crazy.  After all, why should an athlete who is paid to entertain me have any reason to spoil my fun?  What does HE have to protest?  A great many things, in all reality, a great many things.  White people were incensed that something as trivial as black lives could spoil their football game!  They started to take things in other directions, “It disrespects that flag, is what it does!” or, “I didn’t fight in the war just so a …football player can disrespect Old Glory!”  Ironically, free speech was one of the things that, we are told, war defends.  Oh well, Mr. Kaepernich pissed off a lot of white people.  He was followed by other players—which pissed off more white people.  It pissed off the police because, how dare the black population be upset at us for killing them so often?  The police formed the, “Blue Lives Matter” to protest the “Black Lives Matter” protest.  Then the entitlement of a white nation kicks into overdrive for a segment of society that just wants things to remain the same; people who are all too happy with their own situations to care about someone else’s.  Especially if that someone else is a black person.  We collectively forget until the next black man is killed.

Something has to change.   

We have a race problem here in America, 2020.  It stretches back beyond the slave trade, which was alive before America existed.  Our system is not set up for justice for all.  It is set up to keep those in power in power, and, shock and awe, that is a group of old, rich, white men.  It is an injustice that we cannot afford to keep sweeping under the rug.  As a society we must take ownership of the past, the evils that have been done, recognize the wrongs that have been and continue to be done.  We need to recognize systemic racism so that we can stop it.  We must check our own biases.  Realize where we are and be willing to be the people that we should be.  We need to acknowledge this.  We need make amends, and we need to move forward.  The American experiment is for ALL of us—regardless of the color of our skin.  

Peaceful protests over George Floyd’s death have escalated to, “rioting”.  I am reminded of the words of Martin Luther King Jr., when he said, “A riot is the language of the unheard”.  Everyone is remembering that one now—but it needs to be remembered.  It is far beyond time that they were heard.  We are all in this together.  Let us not give in to the forces that benefit from keeping us apart.  I was moved by the pleas from Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms, the Mayor of Atlanta, Georgia.  Her heart breaks for her city.

Peaceful protests have escalated to chaos all over the country.  From sea to shining sea.  I have heard community leaders say time and time again, calling for the violence to stop, and to go home, to fill out the census, and then go out and vote.   “Beat them at the voting booths”, I heard one man say. 

My rose-colored glasses are gone.  It was a collection of real-life circumstances and experiences that scratched the lenses.  I do not pretend to know what it is like for a person of color here in America.  I have some ideas—but they are only that, ideas.  I have a good imagination, but that only goes so far.  The reality of the situation is that we can no longer turn a blind eye to racial injustice.  We must recognize systemic racism and stop it.

Yesterday, in the city of Camden, NJ as the protesters approached a group of police the officers held up their own, “Black Lives Matter” signs and joined them in their march.  There was another group of protesters from Coral Gables, Florida who when they came upon police officers both the protesters and the police took knees.  There are examples of similar stories happening all over the country.  Unfortunately, there are bad things happening too.  I can’t condone violence or rioting; however, I agree with the protesters, George Floyd is where this needs to stop.  And, for the record, I am not anti-cop.  The good ones do a job I could never do.  There is so much pressure riding on their shoulders.  The good ones ‘serve and protect’ for the betterment of their communities—no matter what shade of skin the people in their districts may have.  The world is a better place because the good ones are there. 

So, how do we stop the riots?  We start living by our own ideals—understanding that, “All men are created equal”, that “We The People” make up this nation, and that everyone should have, “liberty and justice for all”.  Those ideals can’t be for the entitled few—they must be for all.  This is not an us verses them scenario.  We are all in this together—black, white, & everything in between—police, civilians, protesters, and community leaders.  Times such as these force us to grow and, God knows, we need to.  This is a time for growth.  It is long overdue.