A Cappella

Well, this has been a heck of a week. Boston, Waco, Congress, Politics, the ongoing debate (or lack thereof) on gun control, abortion, the economy....all in turmoil.   Actually, it has seemed as it the whole country has been in turmoils since the elections back in November and then the shootings in Sandy Hook  in December.  It is possible that life in America (and perhaps the world)  has always been in turmoil, humans being the creatures they are, but in this day and age, it is nearly impossible for anything of any import to occur without the whole world knowing about it instantly.  We practically see things as they are happening and in fact, the bombings at the Boston Marathon were, I believe, actually broadcast as they occurred due to the proximity of the bombings to the finish line and, thus, the media and cameras that were located there.

Not only do we have continuous broadcast coverage on TV, Facebook (and Twitter and texting too, I suppose) has become a "man in the street" of sorts giving everyone who is part of Facebook a soapbox to throw in their information, opinions, rumors, gossip, reactions, and over-reactions instantly.

I don't know about you, but all this information floating around gets to the point where I find it overwhelming.  It becomes difficult to sort the wheat from the chaff, the true from the untrue, the fact from fiction. As you can clearly see by reading some of the comments related to any even vaguely controversial subject or opinion, Facebook provides a medium for the trolls to spill their vitriol and stupidity about anything.

All that adds up to more overwhelming and upsetting view of almost any topic that shows up.  It keeps us all on edge.

For years and years, I purposely did not read a newspaper or even watch TV news with any regularity.  I found it depressing and upsetting. I just didn't want to hear nothing but bad news.   I figured that if anything truly important happened, I would hear about it sooner or later.  I wasn't terribly well-informed, but I sure was less stressed by the state of the world.  The Internet has pretty much taken  away our ability to filter our intake of and exposure to the news of the day.  You hear about everything and you hear everyone else's opinion about everything and you realize that the probability of more than two people having exactly the same opinion on any subject matter is slim to none.  And everybody wants to say exactly why their own opinion is better than every one else's ....Ad nauseum!

Through Facebook, you also realize that there are a huge number of people out there  who are either purposely outrageous, vicious, and frightening or there are a huge number of very seriously disturbed people in our world!   You can say anything at all, you can lie, you can libel anyone (or slander, I can never remember which is which), you can exaggerate, you can insult, you can be cruel and awful, you can say the most horrible things....and no one can stop you!  You can write whatever you want with complete impunity!  No newspaper, magazine, television, or radio news program could get away with such tactics; but individuals can and do, on a daily basis.  This outrageousness stirs the pot and makes it really difficult to know what to believe about anything.

It should be freedom of speech at its finest, but it isn't!  In fact, way too often, it isn't even close!

To tell you the truth, it's beginning to scare the hell out of me!

A Cappella (Time for another rant!)

I worked a standard work-week for nearly 40 years of my life, (40 YEARS!!) Part of MY money was deducted from each of my paychecks for Social Security. I AM entitled to that money now because I earned it and it was in trust for MY needs and the needs of other retirees. Well, I am retired now....and it is STILL MY money! The Gov. has an obligation to do nothing to harm Soc Sec.....because it was NEVER the gov's money to begin with! It belongs to the millions of people who earned it by the sweat of their brow and ALLOWED the gov. to hold it in trust FOR THEM. The U.S. needs to STOP re-writing history and twisting the truth and get their grubby little mitts out of OUR Social Security!!!

The other thing that is so unbelievable about this whole Soc. Sec. thing is that Soc. Sec. is supporting our retired mothers and fathers and grandparents, and aunts and uncles, and mentors, and teachers and doctors, and mailmen and soldiers and nurses and librarians, and the builders of roads, the repairmen and electricians, and firemen, and store clerks, and groundskeepers, and maids, and kitchen workers, and waitstaff and cooks, and street cleaners, and musicians, and babysitters, and all the other hard working people who spent their lives taking care of the bozos who now want to rob them of what is rightfully theirs. 

Such an action by our (???) legislators and government is IMMORAL, DISHONEST, AND INDEFENSIBLE.

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It's time OUR GOVERNMENT started listening to US!

"World Gone Wrong"

The following is freely admitted to be a RANT!  These are my words and opinions and not those of anyone else.  They have been written in outrage, and incredulity, and blinding-hot anger.  I am completely responsible for this content.  The thing is though....every single man and woman in the U.S. needs to understand where this could and most possibly will, happen as a result of this event in Alabama!  


Have you seen the latest??  The Alabama's mostly Republican House has shown it's true colors and made it absolutely clear that as far as they are concerned, women have no rights, they have no say,  they are unimportant and the only acceptable activity for women is to crank out child after child after child, and --- this is the really important part, even though it is never stated as such --- stay home to care for those children and get the hell out of the work force!   After all, if women were not working they wouldn't be taking jobs that belong to men!  Women wouldn't be demanding equal pay for equal work because every man knows that women can never be as good at anything as men.  Women wouldn't be asking employers to fund pregnancy leave or safe child care.  There would be no need for any employer to pay for a woman's healthcare except as a spouse and then only when the male employee is willing to cough up extra money for his wife and children's healthcare.  The "religious-based" employers or the legislators could then begin to dictate that their employees must be Republican or must join their church or can only marry "appropriate" individuals.... you know, people just like them!  What happened to "separation of Church and State??"

This is a very slippery-slope and could lead to other outrageous activities.....Pretty soon they will be putting up signs like "Jews need not apply" or "Men"  "Women" and "Colored" on rest rooms, and the KKK will rise again!!

Am I over-reacting??  Are my comments over the top??  A couple of years ago I would have said of course!  But today I find I am living in a world that is changing before my eyes.  And changing for the WORSE!  I am no longer sure that wisdom will prevail.  I am no longer confident  that the forces behind this and other incredibly stupid actions will be stopped.

What the State of Alabama has done is to completely ignore the intent and provisions of the U.S. Constitution and its Amendments, the Bill of Rights and have publicly revealed through this action that they despise and fear women.  This cannot go on.  Really, it can't!

WOMEN:   Get off your asses and exercise your rights before they are completely taken away.  Make no mistake this is NOT about religion or religious beliefs.  This isn't even about abortion or contraception.  This is about MONEY, GREED,  FEAR, AND MALE DOMINANCE.  Women cannot count on our lawmakers to be fair and just and protect our freedoms.  And any legislator (man or woman) who supports this incredibly discriminatory and misogynistic  legislation deserves to be summarily dismissed from public office for blatant and egregious misconduct!!  This is NOT what the United States is about.  At least not the United States that I used to live in.  This is what happens in a "World Gone Wrong!"

My fellow women, look deeply at this issue and it's UNSPOKEN CONSEQUENCES!  We cannot allow this to happen!  Although it may not  happen overnight, at some point our daughters and granddaughters will have to try to break free and regain the freedoms that this generation is so blithely allowing to disappear.  Women, use your own thought process, don't just accept what your husband, father, brother, church, preacher, or congressmen tell you!   Their agenda is NOT your agenda!  You are allowed to make your own decisions and choices.  You are a U.S. Citizen and your opinion is every bit as valuable as anyone else's!

It is up to US, the women, to ensure that our freedoms are not blocked by any congressman, president, lawyer, church, or political organization.  Because if we don't do it, you can bet the farm, that no one else will!