The Only Thing You Have To Fear Is Donald Trump Himself

"I enjoy the spring more than autumn now.

 One does, I think, as one gets older."

~Virginia Woolf 

Jacob's Room

My whole life I've heard and read, what a melancholy season autumn is! But it has never felt that way to me. I've always thought that, of all the seasons, autumn is the only one with a sense of humor! It's death reminding you, with the ultimate "joke's on you" prank, of turning all the leaves on the trees into beautiful colors, of red, gold, orange, mustard, and sometimes purple, that shine in such vibrancy, that death is the furthest thing on your mind! 

But, rather than a joke, or a set time to be melancholy time, maybe autumn is more like a yellow signal light. The message is a simple one, it's time to slow down. It's time to reconsider how fast you and your life are going. I don't see the melancholy in that. Even as the seasons of autumn and winter converge, I don't feel the sadness others do, not as long as I can find autumn leaves fighting off the skeleton trees that winter causes. But actually, if truth be told, I don't feel depressed in winter either. 

Winter has ice ghosts. Shadows that sometimes scare me more than any shadow I've seen in the last days before Halloween.Winter is black and white, and therefore it makes me search for the color, and it's that feeling of a treasure hunt that sends me out into the cold of life, determined to live. I refuse to give up. I push back. I have pushed back so hard on some years, that I was able to take pictures of autumn leaves, still on trees in March, because I was determined to search for them! The leaves were literally sharing a tree with the cheeriest of spring blossoms, and I would have never seen them, if I hadn't pushed through! 

We aren't going to get out of life alive.

 And there is no easy way out, it just is what it is.

So I'm going to grab my camera and enjoy the scavenger hunt. 

And pretend Donald Trump doesn't get us all prematurely killed.

Well, this post just took a seasonal turn... didn't it?

I went and did it again!

I dwelled on my biggest fear!

The scariest thing since

 Frankenstein

 Michael Myers and Dracula combined!

Boo! And Boo!

 "Don't Boo... VOTE!"

~President Barack Obama

(A real president)

 #25 Leaf Of The Day

October 16th, 2018

Stockton, California

~Mood: Happy/Not Happy/Happy/It's Complicated

~Me

 

Where Theres Smoke, Theres Probably Someone Throwing Water On A Fire

"Well, if crime fighters fight crime and fire fighters fight fire, what do freedom fighters fight? They never mention that part to us, do they?

~George Carlin

 


Yesterday, Monday, in a mad fit of "I CAN'T STAND IT ANYMORE" I put new batteries, and new SD cards in my cameras, got into my little blue car and went for a ride. The "IT" I was running from was overwhelming, mind-numbing, boredom! Oh, and the sound of my immature neighbor "Donny" throwing things about on his patio, because he was angry at himself for alienating yet another neighbor by letting his dog BARK and throw himself against his fence, 2 days in a row! At 5:45 A.M.! The neighbor in question has been a really good neighbor, is quiet and minds his own business, which is all I really require in a neighbor, so why Donny decided to be a jerk, yet again, is beyond me. Donny is simply... and we will focus on the word... simple... here. Simple.

The other thing eating at me is the media blitz that President Obama is engaging in, in his run up to that war with Syria he is aching for! TV yesterday offered very little for the weary viewer. Daytime TV is embarrassing to admit to watching. The news is just more of the same. I turned on both CNN and MSMBC and heard pretty much the same questions being asked about the Syrian situation, so off I went. I got myself a nice big order of FROYO and headed for the hills! Mt Diablo to be exact! Why Mt Diablo you ask? Well, because it was on fire! According to my handy dandy text alert messages on my phone contraption, the fire which had begun on Sunday, had doubled overnight! There was also a text message from Alan, who said he saw the fire from the San Francisco peninsula last night! Mt. Diablo is one of the higher peaks in the Bay Area, but to be able to see the flames from that far away, meant it had to be kinda spectacular!

Okay... off I went.

Here is one of the best shots I got. It really doesn't do much to show the gravity of the fire. I was closer to the western slope of Mt. Diablo. But it gives you some idea of how close I got. There is an amazing album over at the ABC/KGO website that really demonstrates the fire properly. If it is still burning later today, I might try to get a better angle on things. You never know. Today is probably going to be just as irritating as yesterday. Honestly! Sheesh! I can't do anything to force my neighbor Donny to grow his ass up and stop annoying people. And I can't do anything about President Obama and his inability to lead. So I am left hoping that Donny will just go to work tomorrow, rather than piddle around the property, acting like a jerk. As for Obama, well, later today he will be addressing the nation, hopefully to say there has been a legitimate deal brokered by Russia, to disarm Assad of his chemical weapons. Fingers Crossed.

GOD DAMN IT! Did you ever think you would see RUSSIA coming in to save the day with rationality?

Still, yesterday wasn't a total loss. I came home to the news of George Zimmerman being "detained" in regards to a domestic violence issue regarding his soon to be ex-wife Shellie, and her family. Poor George (I say sarcastically) anyone want to start a DIVORCE DEFENSE FUND? No?

I didn't think so!


Mood: Sarcastic

~Me :)

They Know Your Uncle Jim Has Hemmorrhoids

"Of course I'm not going to look through the keyhole. That's something only servants do. I'm going to hide in the bay window."

~Penelope Farmer, Charlotte Sometimes

Sigh.

I took this photo on January 25th 2005, just 5 days after George W. Bush's second inauguration. As you can see, the owner of the Grand Lake theatre in Oakland was no big fan of President Bush, and if you have known me for any length of time, you know I wasn't either. But if you arent' aware, I think America changed with Bush in office. And it wasn't a change for the better. It was a change toward a country of infighters. I found myself, at times, thinking that we just might be on the verge of yet another civil war, fuel by the Bush administration nonsense. If you just happened to not agree with the administration, you better not say it out loud, or you met with not just hostility, but rather vulgar actions and death threats by rabid "Bushies". Just ask The Dixie Chicks.

But what could one do? The only things we on the left could do, was wait for President Bush's second term to end, and eventually it did. But about two years before that finally happened, both the right and the left was searching for our next national leader. I can't speak for the decision making process of the left, I have no idea what goes on in their minds, but as a Democrat/Liberal/Progressive, take your pick, I know I wanted most was some relief from the oppression of the Bush administration. The warrant-less wiretapping of average Americans, the TSA searching procedure at airports, his failure to sign the Assault Weapons Ban back into law, the holding of anyone, anywhere without due process.

Do I need to go on?

So, as we inched closer to the 2008 election it seemed more and more of the country had also grown tired of the same things that weighed heavy on me. We were all ready for REAL CHANGE. I was a Hillary girl. I thought in 2008, just as I do now, that Hillary Clinton would be the right person to dig us out of the desperate hole we were in. She could do wonders with restoring our name around the world. She could and would bring a fresh perspective... yes... as a woman. I believe she would have brought to the White House, and the nation, a sense of perspective. A decency. But alas, she lost in the primaries to Senator Barack Obama.

Remember him? Candidate Obama?

Candidate Obama and President Obama are two very different people... aren't they?

Did you read a newspaper (remember those) or visit and online news outlet yesterday? If you did, you know that once again America has sold out to fear. Personally, the article at The Nation was the one I read yesterday that brought a lot of perspective to the whole thing, "Secret NSA Program Gives the Agency Unprecedented Access To Private Internet Communications." Holy Cow. So, if I want to email... oh... say... my Aunt Sue... I don't have an Aunt Sue... but if I did... that means someone, somewhere, might be reading my HAPPY 89th Birthday E-Card before she does? Hmmmm. All in the name of national security?

Shame of Candidate Obama! Sir, you lied. You said one thing, and you are doing another. If you lied about what you will do as president, if only we trust you and vote for you, then what else are you lying about?

Shame on President Obama! Sir, you aren't any better than George W. Bush was! You have not just continued the work of Bush, but expanded the very things you promised to stop. Why couldn't you have had the courage to just come out and tell us, prior to the election last Autumn? Every single day more and more of those freedoms that we all enjoy saying we have are being taken away from us. Every single day! And ironically, all this wiretapping failed catch the Tsarnaev brothers who were involved in the Boston Marathon bombing. But what do they know?

They know if you Uncle Jim has hemorrhoids
They know if your neighbor Mr. Whoever, is having an affair.
They know that you get a daily horoscope
They know that your dog, Mr. Ruffles, threw up a tapeworm
They know that you think someone aught to invent a glue that is as sticky as a booger
They know that you are an avid Stephen King fan
They know that you want a real solution for Male Pattern Baldness
They know that you once Googled... "Why Can't An Erection Last Over 4 Hours?"
But do they know your deepest, darkest secret? How about your darkest thoughts? Not even the ones you are serious about, but the ones you have that go fleetingly by?

Would you want them to?

If you are me...

They know I Think George W. Bush is the worst thing, besides Dick Cheney that ever happened to America
They know I love cats
They know I send myself a list of quotes daily, for the purpose of using them on my blog
They know I am crazy about Mootsie's Tootsies
They know Alan and I flirt while we play Words With Friends
They know Alan and I play Words With Friends while he is at work
They know I LOVE ordering lunch to go from Chipotle
They know I watch One Life To Live and All My Children on Hulu.
They know I have a huge crush on Todd Manning
They know I love to order old movies from Amazon.com
They know... well... they know. They know whether or not I wanted to share. 

As for my deepest, darkest thought. Well. I have daydreams of a meteor, the size of a semi, hitting my neighbor. But I don't think of it often, because with my luck, I would be home, and I would end up getting hit right along with the pain in the ass neighbor. That's the luck I HAVE.

I miss the America we were on Monday, September 10th, 2001. Don't you?

And you know what?

You can't blame that on W!

Mood: Quiet

~Me :)

Trusting The Guy Next To You To Get It Right

"For years politicians have promised the Moon. I'm the first one to be able to deliver it."

~Richard Nixon

 

Wow... isn't it the truth? President Richard M. Nixon did indeed put a man on the moon, a dream that was bipartisan as it had also been President Kennedy's goal as well! Something went really right when it came to this kind of working together. It was a good example for children of the 60's myself being one of them. It was impressive to me that America could work together on a program that  not only gave us a step up scientifically, but also politically and socially. Socially in that Americans could put at least some of their differences aside, to pursue something that brought us all together on common ground and gave us all common pride.

Pride, is now simply the "P" word. It holds no particular meaning for America any longer.

I am feeling a bit reflective because we in the Bay Area learned this week that pretty much the highlight of our usual Fleet Week festivities, the Blue Angels, will not be attending here, or any other Fleet Week celebrations throughout the county. But hey, maybe all isn't lost, at least we will have the Parade of Tall Ships... um... no, maybe not... well... actually probably not! You see,  as we sit waiting for the next shoe to fall in the mess called Sequestration, it is likely that shoe will be the cancellation of the Parade of Tall Ships... which means full cancellation of the event altogether!

I know, I know... it's just a big military propaganda party... right? Well, it's certainly your right to feel that way if you wish, but I would ask you to consider what it will mean above and beyond any political feelings you might have, like the much needed income an event like Fleet Week brings to a city like San Francisco... an estimated $65 million dollars.

The sequestration is affecting a lot more than the elite flying team, it is affecting the very existence of elderly people. It is affecting the future of our children by cutting the First Start program, it threatens cuts to Social Security and Medicare, which is devastating for the most needy, and  the ironic part is the fact that neither of those programs has anything to do with the federal deficit. It is merely a talking point carrot that apparently both sides of the aisle like to dangle when they can't think of anything else to do. Raise your hand if, like me, you knew he sequester was a stupid idea when you heard about it the first time, and feel free to pat yourself on the back, as I am doing here, for being right!

But for all the I TOLD YOU SO'S...  it's little comfort considering how much damage is being done by our current president, and the republican party. Sometimes it's difficult to remember that President Obama is a democrat. As such, cutting Social Security, hell even bringing it into the debate, is not something any democrat I know would do. Creating a special group of senators to settle the budget because the congress and senate can't work together, was an unusually strange idea. Why, if the two chambers couldn't work together in their usual capacity, would a special committee have a chance in HELL? Did President Obama really think anything would accomplished in a super duper situation? Apparently, but hell if I know what he based that idea on.

Thank goodness we only have 3 more years of this nonsense to deal with and he will be gone. Things will get back to normal and we will once again be able to tell the good guys from the bad guys, or at least the good guys from the well meaning guys, or the straight up liars... right? Sigh... if only. I think sometime during the Bush (W) administration America found it's dark side, and I seriously doubt it will once again see the light of day in my lifetime. But hey, there's HOPE. Right? You know, that old four letter word.HOPE.

Sigh. Here's the thing. When it comes to what programs will be cut, as a result of the sequester, I can understand giving up the Blue Angels, if it meant some elderly person wouldn't have to go without the basic necessities of life, or a child could get a true head start, or a the blind person be able to keep a job that was contracted through the government, or any of a 100 other directions of need that exist, but it doesn't, this mess is hitting everyone but those who need to feel the pain the rest of us go through daily. Federal workers. State workers. Unemployed who want to work, but can't find a job. Collage students who simply want a future. Teachers. Home Health Workers. The Blind. The poor. All those groups could show those in Washington quite a lesson about REAL LIFE! And I suspect that after about a month of dealing with a scary, cold, uncertain futures, the word sequester would no longer exist.

I was looking forward to seeing the Blue Angels next October when they come to San Francisco, but it looks like that isn't going to happen. It's a shame, this type of event is just the kind of thing that gives one a minute or two of diversion from the painful every day truths of life in the greatest country in the world. Isn't that a real shame?

Memories Of Fleet Week 2012...

 

Mood: Quiet

~Me

Today An Arm, Tomorrow The Leg

"It's clearly a budget. It's got a lot of numbers in it."

~George W. Bush

Well... it's all his fault...it's all George W. Bush's fault... right? The latest political bullshit, also known as the Sequester. It's his fault. Again I ask... right? Well, no. No it's not. As much as I would love to make a case for how it's his fault, I can't. No, the blame belongs firmly and exclusively with Obama, and the Republican party. While admire the president's show of political balls in his offer of a 2 for one compromise, he didn't try to give them everything! He is learning that terrorists can't be negotiated with, even when you give them what the want! But it distresses me that he still seems to be oblivious to the fact that the REPUBLICAN PARTY WILL NOT WORK WITH HIM... EVER!

The effects on each individual state will vary, but it will be devastating regardless of which state you live in. Here are just a few examples of how my state, California, will be affected this year alone...

California

1. California will face a loss of about $87.6 million in funding for primary and secondary education, which will put about 1,200 teachers and aides jobs at risk.

2. The Head Start Program
 Services for about 8,200 children in California will be eliminated.

3. Protections for Clean Air and Clean Water
- $12.4 million in environmental funding to ensure clean water and air quality.

4. Law Enforcement and Public Safety Funds for Crime Prevention and Prosecution
 $1.6 million in Justice Assistance Grants that supports law enforcement, prosecution, crime prevention and education, correction and community corrections, crime victim and witness initiatives.

5. Job Search Assistance to help those in California find Employment and Training.
- $3.3 million in funding for job search assistance, referral, and placement, which results in about 129, 770 fewer people will get the help and skills needed to secure employment.

6. Child Care.
About 2,000 fewer disadvantaged children will have child care that allows their parents to work.

7. Vaccines for Children.
Around 15,810 fewer children will receive vaccines for diseases such as measles, mumps, rubella, tetanus, whooping cough, influenza, Hepatitis B.

8. Public Health.
- $2.6 million in funds to help upgrade it's ability to respond to public health threats including infectious diseases, natural disasters, and biological, chemical, nuclear and radiological events.
Also
-$12.4 million in grants to help prevent and treat substance abuse, resulting in around 9,400 fewer admissions to substance abuse programs.
-$2 million loss to California State Department Of Health Services, resulting in about 49,000 fewer HIV tests.

9. Stop Violence Against Women Program.
 -$795,000 possible loss in funds that provide services to victims of domestic violence, resulting in up to 3,000 fewer victims being helped.

10. Nutrition Assistance for Seniors.
-$5.4 million loss for programs that provide meals for seniors.

And, of course, the nationwide cuts to federal programs affects everyone. The CDC. The FBI. FEMA and the F.A.A. are just some of the programs that will see significant cuts.

I don't know my country anymore! The levels of greed and selfishness are epic and embarrassing. When will the republicans end their incessant need to bend to the will of the top 1%? When will the republican party do the right thing, be it work in good faith with the president to balance the budget, or decide to be a part of the change for the better for future generations by voting for true gun reforms such as reinstating the Assault Weapons Ban? Now that can be blamed on George W. Bush! He has a lot of blood on his hands, as does any politician who puts a false idol above the life of even 1 American.

And as for President Obama... he should have stood up to the Republican party from day one, and he didn't! When he tried to deal with Republicans and they turned away, that is when he should have stood up to them, not turn the other cheek. I feel like the president has changed his tactics since the election last November, and that is a good thing, but I am afraid it is too late now. The sequester was a bad idea, and I said so when it was introduced, but what can I do? There was NO incentive for the special group of senators to reach a deal. I am only one small peep on the Internet, but I am pretty sure I wasn't alone in my belief that President Obama needs to move beyond his fantasy of some sort of a grand bargain. It's like America has become some sort of a cheesy reality show, and all of this drama and nonsense is scripted for ratings mindless entertainment consumption.

But to answer the question you are probably wanting to ask...

The answer is YES. YES I am glad I voted for President Obama a second time. Why? Because I would rather have someone in the White House who DREAMS of hope, and fairness and change, than someone who you only hear from during your NIGHTMARES.

Washington Post
White House Releases State By State Breakdown Of The Sequesters Effects

Mood: Frustrated

~Me :)

It Feels Like A New Day

"National parks and reserves are an integral aspect of intelligent use of natural resources. It is the course of wisdom to set aside an ample portion of our natural resources as national parks and reserves, thus ensuring that future generations may know the majesty of the earth as we know it today."

~John F. Kennedy
World Conference On National Parks (June 23 1962)

I was born six days after John F. Kennedy spoke those words. I wish public parks were as important today as they were in 1962. For that matter, I wish there wasn't such a drive to continue to invade and impose into our places of natural beauty for any reason, let alone for the greedy reasons that we tend to hear about most often... drill baby drill.

California has some magnificent parks. From the great big ones where one could get lost for days, to the small ones like this one, Greenridge Park, but more and more they are taking a financial hit, and it came very close to the permanent closure of many California parks after Governor Schwarzenegger's his term in office. Thank goodness, Governor Brown was able to take steps to fund most of the parks, at least in the short term, but there is still a lot to be concerned about. But with a surplus in the budget that California is currently enjoying, there is a lot of possibilities.

Sometimes things work out so strange. I was hoping President Obama would be more proactive with the environment, but he hasn't done much in regards to conservation. And I thought we had a champion in Al Gore, but I don't think I really know what his values are anymore. If I ever really did. I guess some things aren't always what they seem to be, but it really hurts all the same when someone you thought you could count on becomes someone you don't recognize.

When all is said and done, I voted for President Obama, and I wouldn't change my mind for anything. I think I have grown to appreciate the man for his ability to try and now his ability to know when to stop trying. The bible says even God stops knocking at some point. In retrospect, I think the frustration I would feel over President Obama's over reaching in his efforts to reach bipartisan conclusions, forced me to put a little more thought into what I really hold important. Perhaps in the next four years President Obama will do more about protecting the environment, so when I am finally at the age that all I can do is sit on a park bench and feed the birds, there will be a park bench to sit on.

Hope... it does a body good!

It's a strange feeling as I sit here writing this. President Obama was sworn in yesterday, officially, and today he is sworn in again for all to see. In some ways it feels like he is beginning his first term, and not his second. He has shown a lot of strength since the shooting in Connecticut. And a lot of courage to. I know that if the republicans, and the NRA wanted to be a part of a positive change in how we go forward concerning gun ownership, he would have been happy to have their input. Unfortunately, the NRA only wants their way or no way. And they don't care who they threaten. But President Obama didn't cower in fear, instead his is walking into the future and allowing his conscience to be his guide.

Thank You SO Much Mr. President!

Thank You, Thank You, Thank You!

Sarah Palin once asked... "So, hows that hopey, changey stuff workin' out for you?"

Well, 1/2 term Governor Palin... Pretty DAMN WELL! Oh and by the way, the British didn't want to take our arms, they didn't want us to begin our own nation. Sheesh. And shes allowed to pretend she knows how to sue a gun.



~Happiness :)

~Me

With The Permission Of The Ignorant

"It was the meanest moment of eternity."

~Zora Fuller Ross, Independence!


It's Sunday. I am sure of that. I have been talking to God quite a bit in the last couple days, barely able to put my feelings into understandable thoughts. Thank God, God knows me and understands me before I even begin. Horrible things happen every single day. Awful obscene things. They happen to the elderly, and the babies. They happen to the rich and the poor. Awful moments know nothing of race or religion. The hour and day makes no difference to the turning of the world. No one who wakes up in the morning, knows if they will have the distinct joy of seeing an amazing sunset as the day slips into night. And just as I was sharing with my friend Paul the other day, life is pretty darned random, but yet when you least expect it, a pattern will occur to once again remind you that sometimes things happen specifically in some scheduled universe we mortals are not necessarily privy to, and sometimes we do know it's coming and we ignorantly choose to ignore it.

In my life I have been guilty of relying on the random to explain away responsibility. It wasn't my fault that I got a flat, who could have known that if I hit that pot hole, it would leave my tire damaged. The pothole was perfectly random, but the knowledge that there was at least a small chance of hitting one, rather than paying attention to traffic hazards, was somehow pushed to the back of my mind as just one more of God's little jests in a random universe. God had nothing to do with it. If God does indeed have a sense of humor, he wouldn't have used it to flatten my tire. He would have used it to help me find a random banana skin to slip on. Which let's face it... is not only hilarious, but makes a good use of all parts of a delicious fruit.

The shooting that happened on Friday... :::weep::: seems in some ways to be a random act of a sick mind, when in fact, I think we all know, it was as far from random as anything gets. The Aurora Colorado shooting last summer could be explained as a random act of a dangerous mind, as could the mall shooting a week ago in Washington, as could the shooting at Virginia Tech, and Columbine, and the Luby's massacre, and the shooting of Gabby Giffords, 1 California Street, and just Saturday evening a man was arrested in Southern California for shooting more than 50 rounds into a parking lot near Macy's at the Fashion Island Mall in Newport Beach, and the murder/suicide in Las Vegas yesterday, the football player who killed the mother of his infant daughter and then himself. All random acts of the deranged. The psychotic. The evil. The mentally disturbed. The sick.

Actually, each and every time someone is murdered with a gun, either as part of a mass shooting, or suicide by one's own hand, the responsibility lies not just with the one holding the gun, as they couldn't have done it without the permission of the ignorant.

As our president wept yesterday on live TV, I felt nothing but disgust at his inaction on gun control. That is one of the reasons I can very close to not voting last November. As he spoke of the shooting in Connecticut, I couldn't feel sorry for him, I was too busy grieving for the children and teachers who did nothing wrong. They were innocent. But they paid for the selfishness of those too worried about their own self-serving agenda. "Guns don't kill people, people kill people." "If you take all the guns off the street than only the criminals will have guns." "It's my right under the 2nd Amendment." BLAH... BLAH... BLAH. The ridiculous justifications make me sick. Physically sick. Twice yesterday. Once today.

How many more children?

I don't know. I hope I don't find out. But I am fairly sure... someday... it will happen again. Especially if we Americans continue to live in the fantasy that we are the best country on the planet. That we can do no wrong as a society. That the world wants to be just like us.

No They Don't.

Want a wake-up call?

Yesterday, some Pakistani school children held a prayer vigil for the victims of the shooting in Connecticut.

I am proud to say that I live in the state with the toughest gun laws in the country, but it didn't come about without the tragic loss of life. Too many lives.

Will anything change?

Not without the permission of the ignorant. Sleep well tonight, knowing your life is, for now, in their hands.

Please visit the Brady Campaign To Prevent Gun Violence to leave a message of condolence and learn the facts.

~Me

A Photo A Day For 6 Months: Day 178~ Falling Back Into Politics

"Loyalty to country ALWAYS. Loyalty to government when it deserves it."

~Mark Twain

Okay, time to discuss the subject I have been avoiding... avoiding with a passion... POLITICS. There was a time when I lived and breathed it. I watched a lot of analysis. Read a lot of opinion. Did a lot of researched into it. I formed my beliefs and opinions as I searched for facts. I wanted to know why I believed a certain way about things. I smiled when I remembered that my first ever crush was when I was 3 and I fell HARD for Hubert Humphrey. Was it his looks? Well, no. Was it his voice? Well, no. Was it his political fighting style? Well, no. Personally, I think it was the fact that when Hubert Humphrey campaigned for the office of president, my father had one less worry line on his face just imagining a democrat in office. Well... and yes... as politicians went, he was kinda nice looking. But it meant a lot to me that my father saw some HOPE in him.

It wasn't to be, and the rest is history.

But while that elections and history was being made, California, and the Bay Area specifically, was also making history. The massacre at Berkeley's People's Park left a deep hole in the heart of the Bay Area. It's something that's never been fully forgotten, and it nor should it. If nothing else it should serve as the strongest of cautionary tales about not taking political choices for granted. It should be a stark reminder that just because someone says they are a democrat, it doesn't mean they actually hold any democratic principles. in 1969 Ronald Reagan trick-or-treated as a democrat, then called in the National Guard to bring their tear gas and weapons to enforce the government stealing of Peoples Park and the active silencing of Freedom of Speech. By the time it was all said and done, 1 person was dead, one person permanently blinded, dozens more injured, and Berkeley permanently scarred.

You can see some amazing photos of the changes California went through in the 1960's, including the People's Park incident right here... Picture This: California's Perspective On American History.

The next National Election is only 2 days away. I have a lot more I want to say in the next couple days. If it's too big a bummer to tune in, I get it. Believe me. I get it! I have done a good bit of ignoring all the nonsense and useless chatter the last few months, but I now find myself incredibly frustrated as we head into Tuesday. But I also find myself incredibly grateful for some things as well. Like Chris Christie putting party politics aside to give credit where it is due. I am glad that Donald  Trump got called on the car floorboard by Chrysler executive, Ralph Gilles, because of Trump's lies about Jeep sending manufacturing jobs to China. Liars are being called on their bullshit and IT'S ABOUT DAMN TIME! Now, if only someone would put Willard "Mitt" Romney in his place!

If you want to avoid my rants, it's okay, but please comeback later in the week. I will be back to a more normal blog of photographs with a few words to bring it all together. I still have a lot to share with you about what I have seen and done the last month. But for now, I am looking back, before I take any steps forward.

The "People's Park" Mural, by artists O'Brien Thiele and Osha Neumann, is difficult to post in one photo, so I have decided to post vignettes of the mural.

 

 

 

 

Don't forget to set your clocks back an hour tonight. Spring FORWARD. Fall BACK. :)

So tell me, are you ready for Tuesday, November 6th, 2012?

Mitt Romney's Seven Biggest Debate Lies

Whoppers Of 2012: Final Edition ~FactCheck.org

Obama's Numbers: Statistical Measures Of The Presidents Term To Date. ~FactCheck.org



~Me :)

Now, please drop by my friend JR's blog and say HI! :) My APAD project is nearly over, and he has been a loyal contributor. It has been very much appreciated! Thank You JR!

JR
http://jrclinephotography.blogspot.com/2012/11/apadf6-175.html

A Photo A Day For 6 Months: Day 146~ Motion Sickness

"The true measure of a man is not what he dreams, but what he aspires to be; a dream is nothing without action. Whether one fails or succeeds is irrelevant; all that matters is that there was motion in his life. That alone affects the world."

~Mike Norton, White Mountain

Did you see the presidential debate tonight?

Personally, I found it breathtaking. It was like some kind of a weird nightmare after eating too much chili and ice cream. Obama was like something out of a 50's Science Fiction movie. You know something like Invasion of the Body Snatchers. Or maybe he just showed us the closest look at his true self that we have ever seen. All I know is... at 5:45 pm Big Bird's job was safe, but by the time it was all over, Big Bird is applying for unemployment. Was he the 47% Romney was talking about?

Wait, what's that?

Oh... lookie there...

I think I have the tred marks from a bus on my back.

Damn, I always liked that sweater.

SHIT!

Don't know what to say.

But I know one thing, I am not looking forward to the next month or so.

Damn scary world... and getting more so all the time.

Thank GOD for my camera.

Because I just can't look anymore.

"Never mistake motion for action."

~Ernest Hemingway

~Me :(

Today's Link From My Pal JR...

JR
 http://jrclinephotography.blogspot.com/2012/10/apadf6-144.html

A Photo A Day For 6 Months: Day 131~ Required Viewing For All Presidential Candidates

"A weird in which we are alive. We can travel anywhere we want, even to other planets. And for what? To sit day after day, declining in morale and hope."

~ Philip K. Dick, The Man In The High Castle

I tool this photo in the late summer of, I believe, 2005. I only had a moment to decide if I wanted to do the photo, as we sat at a red light in San Francisco. In the moment I couldn't decide if I was invading his privacy, or, if by doing so, would make him feel worse than he clearly already did. For whatever reason, he was alone, and clearly in despair. I heard myself think the word despair in my mind, and at that moment I snapped the picture. It left me with a lot of sadness afterwards. But at the same time, and in many ways, I knew I had photographed something profound, almost like I saw the lesson, or perhaps saw the meaning of the momentary play, that I had just seen.

It has not been lost on me that my camera has provided me many different ways off seeing the world. The good... following a film idol around as he makes cinema magic, the BAD... the mean spirited hatred of opposing opinions, and the UGLY...the protest signs on the Cal Berkeley Campus which had pictures of the atrocities Bust/Cheney war... and yes... the PROFOUND... the day to day life of the homeless. It's their pictures that I can't always bring myself to share here, but there are times that I feel that they need to be seen, and acknowledged.

Please take a look at the whole picture, if you feel comfortable doing so, and tell me what you see. Tell me how you feel. Tell me your impression. Every time I look at it, I see something different that moves my impression of it along like a kind of evolution. He is dressed in fairly new clothing, despite the rip in the jacket. He is wearing nice polished shoes... and socks... you don't see that often on the homeless. He has a large cart that belongs to him, and holds what is probably his only world positions. He is sitting on the bench, with a bottle of alcohol next to him... and a glass with a dark beverage inside it. Also something you rarely see, a homeless drinking from a glass, as if he couldn't forget his manners.

It seems that he was very new to his circumstance... and it had devastated him. I state the obvious. I know what I feel about it, and I will never forget him. Just a couple years later, Alan and I would go through one of our worst times in our marriage, financially speaking, and here we are, a few years later back to something resembling a more normal life. We are among the lucky ones. I thank God almost every day that we made the decision to not have children. I have seen the devastation this economy has had on families. Friends. Losing houses. Not having enough to eat, even with 2 paychecks. Sigh.

I could say a lot about the events of the last week or so. But I won't. I will just say...

I believe this photo should be required viewing for all presidential candidates.

I believe this image is the point. The point of everything.

~Me

Today's Link is from our friend JR...

JR
http://jrclinephotography.blogspot.com/2012/09/apadf6-127.html

A Photo A Day For 6 Months:Day 126~ Whoopsie Wheres My Hope??

"Where you are right now, doesn't have to determine where you'll end up."

~Barack Obama

Time flies when your having fun. Well, let's face it, time flies period when you hit a certain age. No asking for my approval. No asking if I would like yet another grey hair. No asking me if I want to ask the 20 something kid at the store to take my groceries out to my car. No asking me at all. Time is just plain rude, but it unfortunately has a monopoly on my journey. I have tried distracting myself. I have tried ignoring time, in hopes it would just go away, but then I realized what that actually meant and stopped doing that immediately. LOL. There is no negotiation with time. Time is clearly in charge, unless you are Bruce Jenner. He has decided to fight time... lol... by injecting Botulinum toxin into his face so no one will know he is 62. Good idea I suppose, because it's not like we can just Google him or reference his Wikipedia page or anything.

Sheesh! That guy is spooky looking, and it's not even time's fault! Go figure.

I am 50 now. My goodness, when did that happen? Wasn't it just the other day I was out partying with my best girlfriends, drinking screwdrivers, dancing with cute guys, and rocking out to Madonna, and our personal theme song from Cyndi Lauper, Girls Just Want To Have Fun? If you are under 50, you are not allowed to laugh at the memories of my days as a single girl on the town. Your reflective days will come soon enough, and what I am saying will make perfect sense. Believe me. And while it might sound like I am mourning that time in my life, I am really not. I did it all just the way I wanted to, and finally settled down when I was 28. I wouldn't change a thing. Oh don't get me wrong, I made some mistakes in dating, like that time I became a republican, briefly, all for a guy no less, but it all happened as it should, and today I can say, I love my age, grey hair, ability to finally say what I want to in the moment, and say the most lovely word in the English language... NO. I am just not sure when it all came into perspective.

What is all askew is that as hard as Alan and I have tried, we both thought that there would be more opportunities when we got to this age. I don't know, it has seemed that things in the last 15 or so years has began to slide as prices have soared. Gas prices... forget about it. Clothing... what the hell? Food... really, $5 for a decent loaf of bread? Movies... $12.50 for a matinee? Ice Cream... $4.50 a quart? Prescriptions, with health care... $35.00 a month, without... $300.00? It's scary! And it's getting scarier! And as much as I want to buy into the whole HOPE & CHANGE idea, I can't. Not again. Not like 4 years ago.

For the first time, in a very long time, I have been seriously considering sitting the whole national election out. I don't think President Obama comes close to representing my ideals, and values as a progressive liberal. However, when I think of a Romney/Ryan administration, cold chills run up my spine. Especially after the events this week. We are still held in somewhat contempt by the rest of the world because of the actions of the Bush administration, if Mitt Romney is elected to office, we will continue to slide farther and farther down in terms of world wide view. And what he, and the GOP as a whole seems to miss, is that we do indeed need to be apologizing to the world for our actions, in fact it wouldn't be a bad idea to ask for forgiveness.

Sigh.

I don't have much HOPE anymore, because I don't feel Obama has kept his promise for change. Washington is still Washington. And politics is definitely still politics. End of story. I had hope that after 8 years of division in AMERICA, folks on both sides would try to put it behind us. What was I thinking? I don't blame Obama so much for the lack of change, no Rush Limbaugh and Fox News said up front that they wanted nothing more than to see Obama fail, even if it means America fails as well. I put the responsibility for my frustration on myself, for buying into something that seemed a little too good to be true. I can't say that Obama lead me down a primrose path or anything, no, I believe he had all kinds of good intentions, but you know that old adage... The Road To Hell Is Paved With Good Intentions.

Unfortunately, we are all right there on the road with him.

I am not 100 percent sure what I will do in November. I know if Mitt Romney is elected we will be in another full on war, and I don't know how much more war we can all take to be honest. It might just be the beginning of the end, if we aren't there already. Mitt Romney, politicizing the death of the Ambassador to Libya this week did nothing to make the world better, or to keep us safe, or improve our credibility in the eyes of the world. Sigh. At least Obama has that going for him. I think. We'll see. I know I am not taking reaching my 51st birthday for granted, assuming we all survive December 21st. The day the Mayan calendar seems to end on. For the most part, I don't believe the world will end that day, but just in case I am eating all the fucking ice cream I want. At least that's my HOPE. And I don't plan to worry that it is almost $5 a quart.

~Me

And Now For A Little Humor. SNL's Kardashian Wedding/Divorce. It ALWAYS makes me laugh!

 

Today's link comes from our friend JR. He's awesome!

JR
http://jrclinephotography.blogspot.com/2012/09/apadf6-123-and-124.html

A Photo A Day For 6 Months:Day 75 ~ Jazzman Take My Blues Away

“Music expresses that which cannot be said and on which it is impossible to be silent.” 

~Victor Hugo  William Shakespeare

Okay, another Monday done. Closer to our month vacation in October. Sigh. I am short-timing it I think. I woke up with a lot more energy today, the Fibromyalgia pain is better, and the while the sun was out today, it wasn't unbearably hot. In fact, it was just about perfect outside. I even considered going down to Oakland and greeting President Obama at the FOX theater, where he was attending a fundraiser. But the traffic would be a nightmare, and the barricades wouldn't let the average guy or gal get very close, so, in the end, I decided to stay home, and work a little in the garden. There is a lot going around in my brain. I wish President Obama would come to Bay Area sometime when he doesn't have a fundraiser to attend. It's depressing that access to the president goes to only the highest donors, or is it bidders? Either way, there is something wrong with that.

I put some music on today while I was in the yard. I LOVE Carole King. Jazzman was one of my favorite songs as a young one. While I was listening to it today, it reminded me of a photo I took at Union Square several years ago, just before Christmas. I love the street performers in San Francisco. They are awesome, and really set a mood sometimes. The man in the photo above was an pretty great musician. He had a real talent. It was amazing to sit and listen to him, as shoppers went scurrying by and folks dressed to the nines walked toward the Theater District. San Francisco is magical at Christmas, there is music everywhere. Today would have been a good day for the Ethereal Musician today to out playing his tunes, you know, that guy with the saxophone who can sometimes be heard in the yard. 

But no. It was not to be. Maybe he was in Oakland, standing at a barricade, greeting the president. You never know.

So, in his absence, what's a girl to do? Why go to YOUTUBE of course.

Ladies and Gentlemen... Carole King

 

~Me :)

Go see what my friend JR is up to, I know it's something amazing!

JR 

http://jrclinephotography.blogspot.com/2012/07/apadf6-74.html

A Photo A Day For 6 Months: Day~72 Deepest Sympathy And Love For Aurora

If tears could build a stairway,
And memories a land,
I'd walk right up to Heaven
And bring you home again.

~Author Unknown


**Warning... this post is not a lighthearted one. If I offend anyone, I apologize... but I am not sorry.


FUCK YOU! The Rant Paragraphs...


Every time I hear someone say American is the greatest country on the planet I want to borrow their rose colored glasses, so I could see the world the way they do. And yet at the same time, I want to point out how very wrong they are. I did a little Googling, and as an example, we don't lead the world in EDUCATION, but want to know what we do lead the world in... HIGH SCHOOL SHOOTINGS. That is what we are doing for our children, that's the world we are giving them.. AMERICA... LEADING THE WORLD IN SCHOOL SHOOTINGS SINCE 1999. 1999... And the Columbine Massacre.


Both Mitt Romney, and President Obama held their respective press conferences today, and neither candidate had the BALLS to say ENOUGH. GOD BLESS AMERICA  and GOD BLESS THE FUCKING NATIONAL RIFLE ASSOCIATION. If I hadn't made up my mind before, it's made up now. If President Obama doesn't do anything SUBSTANTIAL about gun control between now and November, I will NOT vote for him, or anyone else who can't stand up the NRA. And don't give me that BULLSHIT about if you don't vote you can't complain... SHUT UP! As a matter of fact I can, and I will. LOUD. Because that's what AMERICA is about. The freedom to speak. To seek change. To insist that our government DO IT'S JOB!


The Government has kept us safe since 9/11? No, not really. The government has us being molested at airports. The Obama administration has more guns on the street now, then when George W Bush was in office, and oh by the way, we weren't being molested at airports during his administration.


There are more Americans, then members of the NRA. It's time for those of us who can think straight to make our voices known, not just loudly... DEAFENING!


PRESIDENT OBAMA. DO SOMETHING NOW! I DON'T WANT A PRESIDENT WHO CAN'T STAND UP TO THE NRA!


WEEP... The Sadness Paragraph...


Every time one of these shooting takes place, invariably I will learn about someone's life. Someone extraordinary. And while I may have never met them, I never forget them.


(Dr. Michael Griffith)
1991 - Lubby's Masacre


(John Scully)
1993 - 101 California St Shooting


(All The Children Of Columbine)
1999 - Columbine High School, Columbine, Co.


(Amish School Children)
2006 - Amish School, Bart Township, Lancaster, Pa


(Gabby Giffords)
2011 - Tucson Shooting, Tucson Az


(Jessica Ghawi)
2012 - Aurora Century Theater Shooting, Aurora Colorado


In Aurora, as of right now... 71 Shot or Injured. 12 Dead.


Enough...weep... weep... weep. I am sorry, I will PRAY for you is just NOT ENOUGH.


Brady Campaign To Prevent Gun Violence (Website)


Brady Campaign (On Twitter)


Please take a moment to sign the Petition at the Brady Campagin to Prevent Gun Violence.


Share These Badges In Support Of The Victims Of The Aurora Shootings. (From ABC7 News San Francisco Facebook Page)
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~Me :(

NOTE: I am taking a few days off. I thought I would make it to my goal, but I just feel the artist in me draining out, and an exacerbation of my Fibromyalgia flowing in.  I will be back soon I think. Gotta take care of the health first.


:(

Special Ops Enemas and The Assholes They Kill!

Rest In Torment Asshole!


Thank you, Thank you, Thank you, PRESIDENT OBAMA! I'm kinda crushing on you right now!!!

Thank you U. S. Military! Especially the members of Special Ops! Our HEROES EVERY DAY!

"From every mountainside let freedom ring"

:)

-Carly

The President's Back- To - School Message To America's Students Streamed Live

From For Ellipsis

Comeback here at 12:00 PM ET to watch a LIVE stream of President Obama's Back - To - School address.

-Carly