Bible Trumping

 

What does a person of faith, like myself, say to this?Nothing should surprise me about this man, and his efforts to grif his way through life, but this is simply too much for me to bear. He has blasphemed God before, using the bible to further is amoral efforts, but selling a bible that degrades not only God, but the U.S.A. is too much! The "God Bless The U.S.A. bible, as it appears to me, gives equal gives the glory to Lee Greenwood, wrote composed the song, God Bless The U.S.A. after the events of 9/11. At the time, I wasn't a fan. It has a county music flare and country music is just not my thing. Also, I had a friend, Janice, who played it way to much, like all the time, because it was somewhat patriotic, and she did enjoy the style of the music.Plus she took 9/11 hard. We all knew that day was a tragedy, and we all felt a state of patriotism, its just it took some folks to feel normal again. Janice was one of them.

For weeks and weeks she brought me printed flags, and talked about how many at Canter Fitzgerald died, which was the company she worked for. She was a temp for their office in San Francisco, and I completely understand her feelings, but she cried and went on about it for months! And that song... every time I went with her anywhere in her car she played it. But that was what it was. I eventually found excuses for why taking my car places was a good idea, and after while she got a clue, gently, and everything went back to normal. As it did for all of us. Like it did after Covid. Covid isn't over by the way, but we get numb to situations that shock us into real life. Like Donald Trump and his machinations as president. His suggesting that we drink beach to cure ourselves of Covid was pretty real, wasn't it? And now it is all but forgotten. I am sure, wherever Janice is, she is a fan of Trump and she will probably be one of the first people to purchase this blasphemous book. Inside it includes contains the, Constitution, the Pledge of Allegiance, and the lyrics to, wait for it, Lee Greenwood's, "God Bless The U.S.A!" When I accepted Christ, I learned that the bible was sacred, so this in outrageous! It takes the the focus off God, and puts it on Trump and Greenwood. 

And about the Bible and God... we have a the right to

  freedom of religion and of the separation of church and state.

 

 Both are sacred rights. 

 

And will lose them if Trump ever becomes president again. I feel like we as Americans are slipping away a little at a time. So slowly that no one even realizing it's happening, because we are all numb.

 

Note: I wrestled on whether or not to link to this deeply offensive attempt at grifting by Trump, but in the end I decided that if your are interested in it you can find it for yourself. I won't be a part of this.

 

 

Wizards And Their Advocates

“All governments suffer a recurring problem: Power attracts pathological personalities. It is not that power corrupts but that it is magnetic to the corruptible.” 

~Frank Herbert

 Chapterhouse: Dune 

 

 

Via The New York Times

 

An appellate court lowed his bond this morning, because, of course they did!

 

 

A statement, following the decision, was released by N.Y. Attorney General Letitia James...

The wizard does it again!

 

 When will all of Trump's misdeeds finally catch up with him? I can feel it in my bones. He will be reelected. He has the support of 40% of Americans, which is not enough to be reelected, but all Trump really needs is to secure the electoral college to win in the fall.

 

 

Still, this happened.

 

Via New York Times 

 

 Will this be the case that finally sees him receive no special treatment? Should I have any faith in this being the criminal case that he won't squeeze out of? How many judges and witnesses does he have in his pocket? How many members of Congress? How many politicians? How much of the military? How many in law enforcement? That's one thing I appreciate about Judge Aileen Cannon, she doesn't attempt to hide her corruption when it comes to Trump. You know she will shield him as much as possible! 

 

On to April 15th.

 

 

Don Poorleone

 

Note: This post was originally titled, "Shitting Bricks And Howling At The Moon." I found "Don Poorleone" was a trending on Twitter and fell in love with it. It fits so much better! Thank you Twitter!

 

So, Trump spent the weekend in a massive meltdown. Nuclear meltdown you might say. He is about to lose Trump Tower, and some additional properties, perhaps even Mara-Lago. No one wants to lend him the money so he may just file Bankruptcy. Again. Monday morning should be interesting. What stunt will he pull to unleash his wrath at being made to look like a fool? An even bigger fool then he looks already! So Bankruptcy or no Bankruptcy? That is the question! He admitted over Truth Social that he has the money to pay this judgement, so will it be seized? But if he really doesn't have the money, does that mean that he committed perjury when his lawyers filed a brief last weekend that indicated that he didn't have the money? Will new charges be filed for that? Who was lying? Trump or the lawyers?

Stay Tuned...

 

For The Love Of Money

By The O'Jays

Money money money money, money [Repeat: x 6]

Some people got to have it
Some people really need it
Listen to me why'all, do things, do things, do bad things with it
You want to do things, do things, do things, good things with it
Talk about cash money, money
Talk about cash money- dollar bills, why'all

For the love of money
People will steal from their mother
For the love of money
People will rob their own brother

For the love of money
People can't even walk the street
Because they never know who in the world they're gonna beat
For that lean, mean, mean green
Almighty dollar, money

For the love of money
People will lie, Lord, they will cheat
For the love of money
People don't care who they hurt or beat
For the love of money
A woman will sell her precious body
For a small piece of paper it carries a lot of weight
Call it lean, mean, mean green

Almighty dollar

I know money is the root of all evil
Do funny things to some people
Give me a nickel, brother can you spare a dime
Money can drive some people out of their minds

Got to have it, I really need it
How many things have I heard you say
Some people really need it
How many things have I heard you say

Got to have it, I really need it
How many things have I heard you say
Lay down, lay down, a woman will lay down
For the love of money

All for the love of money
Don't let, don't let, don't let money rule you
For the love of money
Money can change people sometimes

Don't let, don't let, don't let money fool you
Money can fool people sometimes
People! Don't let money, don't let money change you,
It will keep on changing, changing up your mind.

 

Trump's melting brain this weekend...

 

Guns And Roses

 

"Hot Cocoa"rose from my garden.

Autumn 2012

 

“Your photography is a record of your living,

 for anyone who really sees.”

~Paul Strand

 

 

 

It's true, sometimes I take a photograph of a landscape or a beautiful bird, but it's more about how I feel while I use my camera. I always have an emotional connection to my subjects. Some of the photos that I have done, that I have received the most positive feedback on, have been when I have been in the depths of depression, and sometimes it's about fear. Please don't think that has been the emotions behind all of my photography, I am a happy and content person most of the time. I am getting older, and that means a symphony of physical pain, and limitations, but I do my best to accept it and move on. However, sometimes life just throws you in the middle of the, frankly, SHIT, and doesn't give you a choice on how you take it. My niece died in a traffic accident that was not her fault. To make it worse, it was a hit and run. Fuck! A short time later my nephew committed suicide.

 

 FUUUUUUUUCK!

 

Glock

 

And if that wasn't enough to fuck me up, yesterday I thought I was going to die. We were out doing errands for a while, and when we returned home a car was parked in the middle of the alleyway where we park our Mini Cooper. We couldn't get around him without driving over the grass and around to sewage equipment. Suddenly a man got out of his car with a gun, and fired about 4 shots toward his girlfriend's apartment. She was yelling back at him in anger, for shooting his gun towards the apartment where her young children were! Oh Shit! Was he going to shoot us for being witnesses? Were we going to be the latest statistic of rampant gun violence? Was the young woman he was shooting toward be a victim of domestic violence? I was terrified! I decided that if he was going to shoot me, I hoped he would shoot to kill, because I didn't want to be in pain and still be alive. That would be a hell of a FUCK YOU from fate, wouldn't it? Just get it over with! You think about a lot of things when you think your death is imminent. 

 

Who will take care of my cats?

 Will it hurt?

 Or will I just be gone?

Did I put on clean underwear?

Guns don't sound the same as they do on TV and in movies!

 

The my brain turned to...

White car, sedan 4 doors, Honda 

4 shots... I think

Young black man

mid 30's

White clothing

We drove around him as best we could, parked, and went into our condo. I called the police. I gave them all the information I could. I was embarrassed by how much I had forgot between the car and when I went inside. I guess I am not the best witness, but FUUUUUUUUUK he had a gun! It looked like a Glock22 semi-automatic but I don't know anything about guns, it's a guess based on the limited research I have done in the last 24 hours. Isn't it strange that something so scary is so exotic. I think I am going to do more research on the instrument of death to both make me feel less frightened next time and better educated. I need to do better next time, and believe me, I know there will be a next time.  I should have began this paragraph with telling you that I am okay, but a little fucked up this weekend. I was diagnosed with PTSD a few months ago, just after my family died. I have lots of incidents in my past that have caught up to me in my old age. I am getting treatment, but it's a long road, and who knows, I may not ever recover. But I am trying. 

 

Now, what's up with the roses? Well, the errand I was on yesterday was to buy some new roses for my garden. I found a lovely "Peace" rose and to my, absolute delight, I found a "Hot Cocoa" rose! I LOVE that rose! I had one when I lived in the Bay Area, and it was an absolute delight! It was the favorite of all my roses, and I had to leave it behind when I moved. Once we settled in Stockton, I looked and looked at every garden center I could, with absolutely no luck at all, so I gave up. But yesterday, there it was! What a happy turn of events! I will have that beautiful rose growing in my garden once again. Something to help me heal, and then that gun incident had to happen, because everybody has a gun. Will my mind attach that incident to my roses? Will I think of it every time I see a new rose grow on the stem? That remains to be seen, but right now it's hard to think about. The human brain manifests fear strangely... and sometimes it's just lets the negativity go, and it gets filed away. And, of course, that's for the best.

So, it was a guns and roses kind of day. Like the name of the band. Funny thing, I can't remember a single song by them, but I did a little looking around on YouTube and found this song, which I kinda like. I wasn't into Heavy Metal rock, so I passed it all by, but now I think I will have to listen to more of their stuff. Discovering new things, making new memories helps erase the stuff you don't want to think about. Like suicide. Like murder. It should be more music, less murder. More roses, less guns. More healing, less scars. Even if life has other plans. I am trying, I really am.

 

 Anyway, this is a nice song, and I hope you enjoy it.

"November"

By Guns And Roses

I witnessed gun violence yesterday.

 Next time I will try to capture the turn of fate with my camera.

 I guess it was my new experience for March. On to April.

Wishing The Princess Of Wales A Healthy Recovery

 

From The New York Times...

A transcript of the video message given by

 

  Catherine, princess of Wales:

 

I wanted to take this opportunity to say thank you, personally, for all the wonderful messages of support and for your understanding whilst I have been recovering from surgery.

It has been an incredibly tough couple of months for our entire family, but I’ve had a fantastic medical team who have taken great care of me, for which I am so grateful.

In January, I underwent major abdominal surgery in London and at the time, it was thought that my condition was noncancerous. The surgery was successful. However, tests after the operation found cancer had been present. My medical team therefore advised that I should undergo a course of preventative chemotherapy and I am now in the early stages of that treatment.

This of course came as a huge shock, and William and I have been doing everything we can to process and manage this privately for the sake of our young family.

As you can imagine, this has taken time. It has taken me time to recover from major surgery in order to start my treatment. But, most importantly, it has taken us time to explain everything to George, Charlotte and Louis in a way that is appropriate for them, and to reassure them that I am going to be OK.

As I have said to them; I am well and getting stronger every day by focusing on the things that will help me heal; in my mind, body and spirits.

Having William by my side is a great source of comfort and reassurance too. As is the love, support and kindness that has been shown by so many of you. It means so much to us both.

We hope that you will understand that, as a family, we now need some time, space and privacy while I complete my treatment. My work has always brought me a deep sense of joy and I look forward to being back when I am able, but for now I must focus on making a full recovery.

At this time, I am also thinking of all those whose lives have been affected by cancer. For everyone facing this disease, in whatever form, please do not lose faith or hope. You are not alone.

• 
  
  
  

Welcome To Spring

 

“Clean air; bird song; fresh flowers;

 and the leaves unfurling on the twigs.”
~Pierre D'Alverne 

 

A little later today we say goodnight to winter. I am a bit blue about that fact because I enjoy the dark rainy day, I like when the wind blows so hard that it makes spooky noises in the house. I like watching old black and white monster movies, because being scared shouldn't be held to autumn exclusively. But as I sit here mourning winter, I realize that I also enjoy the warmer summer days. My arthritis really enjoys it! And I adore Jelly Belly Jelly Beans. Every single flavor! Which I tend to crave this time of year. In autumn, its candy corn, in winter, Ghiradelli chocolate. Summer finds me crazy for old fashioned candy, like Whoppers and Mounds bars. It's all good, but I just bought a 4lb bag of Jelly Belly for the season. It helps me deal with Trump bullshit, but I will save all that for another day.

Joey And His Shadow

 

“What greater gift than the love of a cat.”

 
~Charles Dickens 

 

I certainly agree with Dickens on that. I don't know any greater honor than to be loved, but cats constantly remind their owners that love isn't automatic, just because you feed them, and put a roof over their heads. The relationship builds over time, but once there is love, it's the most honest love you will ever have. I would be completely lost without my boys. I love them so much!

 

 

It's There's Blossoms And Birds, It Must Be...

 

“Springtime is the spirit of strength.”
~Lailah Gifty Akita 

 

Okay... fine... it's SPRING! I know spring doesn't officially begin until next Wednesday, the 19th, but I cannot fight it anymore, it's spring, and has been for a couple weeks! Oh well, hopefully summer will begin early also, and then we will arrive back at autumn, the most beautiful season of the year, faster! Usually the autumn light begins in August, towards the end of that month, but I will take it earlier than that! Yes, please! Now, lets address a different subject, why I capitalize the names of the seasons. I get that they are general nouns and therefore not subject to capitalization, but don't they look nicer when capitalized? So, I am perpetually wrong about that, but it's a hard habit to break! Oh well, I'll try. Okay... spring... there!

Hey, I just seemed to grow as a person,

 and I have Spring to thank for it! DOH!

 

👧

Gotcha!

 

“What we find changes who we become.”
~Peter Morville 

 

 These, pheasant, are the hardest damn birds to find! I spent all of last year searching for one, to add to my bird album, and the only one I managed to see and photograph was on it's way, the HELL away from me. I got a blurry photo, with just enough detail to know it was a pheasant, but definitely nothing to brag about. But the other day, as we were speeding along Woodbridge road, there it was! A large male pheasant standing along the road, looking around, as if it was no big deal that I drive myself insane attempting to spot them! It's really difficult to not believe the birds openly mock me. Not really, I kid the birds, but one thing is for sure, it was a wonderful, exhilarating experience, and I am so pleased I got to see this beauty! Was it a late winter gift? Or was it an early spring gift? Either way, I smiled for a couple days just thinking about it!