MARCH FOR OUR LIVES

I admit, I was scared when I got the email- the email that threatened my life and the lives of those around me. For weeks a group of organizers in my community had been planning a local March For Our Lives event. We were getting many offers of, “Can I help in anyway? We need to do something about this.” Even people who didn’t usually step up were offering help. In the back of my mind I suppose I knew that there would be kick back, that we may get hecklers and disrupters BUT I did not imagine the vicious email we would get. I guess because I don’t think of the world in terms of hatred and racism like some do. Here it is, completely un-edited:

“Leave our guns alone, you fucking anti-constitutional anti-American cunts. Niggers and spics kill each other with illegal guns and shitty pistols every single FUCKING day in the hood and you little faggots don’t give a fucking shit about that. Some retard shoots up a school and all of a sudden the whole populace needs to be disarmed so the kikes who run this country can do so without any fear of resistance. You guys think you are anti-establishment, but you are just retarded bootlickers wanting more Americans defenseless and dead. Why don’t you talk about the school shooter this week who was stopped by a security officer with a gun? Why don’t you kikes talk about the broward county sheriffs standing down and sitting around the school while an active shooting is happening? The day of the rope is coming and you faggots will die for what you are doing.”

Ironically, earlier in the morning I had attended an ‘ALICE’ training program at the local school.

ALICE (Alert, Lockdown, Inform, Counter, Evacuate) Training instructor led classes provide preparation and a plan for individuals and organizations on how to more proactively handle the threat of an aggressive intruder or active shooter event. Whether it is an attack by an individual person or by an international group of professionals intent on conveying a political message through violence, ALICE Training option based tactics have become the accepted response, versus the traditional “lockdown only” approach.

We, organizers discussed what we should do, should we blow it off, alert the public, contact law enforcement, or cancel the event. We were sure about one thing- we were not going to cancel the event because that meant he had won and we weren’t going to let him win. We also agreed that law enforcement needed to be informed. In the ALICE training I learned that if you see something strange, odd or out of character that you should not ignore it and contact an appropriate party, school services, community officials or law enforcement depending on the circumstances. The biggest debate was how widely we should spread the word about the threat, some wanted to keep it low key so as not to discourage people from coming, others felt we should be honest and upfront with the community and broadcast it through our social media sites. We settled on disseminating the facts to people and allow them to make their own choice.

I didn’t sleep well that night, neither did the other organizers. As I drove through the winding mountain road down into town, I looked at the green, tree rich mountains I loved, I thought of how much I love my family and community and doubted myself, “Was I making a mistake? Should we have cancelled the event? Did I do everything I could to make sure word got out that there could be a danger to people?” And I even, miserably allowed my mind to go: there. You know, ‘THERE’, that place where we think the worst, where our fears rule and our imagination runs amok. Would my eyes see what 1^st responders see at a mass shooting, sights that I could never un-see. Would I not go home again? It was supposed to rain but the sun shone instead and the faint cedar and pine smell wafted through my car vents and I used my mental hand to push those thoughts away and close that door of my mind. If the kids of Parkland aren’t allowing themselves to be intimidated, I sure am not going to let one nasty letter prevent me from protecting my children and grandchildren. Both Hogg and Gonzalez, who refer to themselves as members of the "mass shooting generation," say they've received death threats in response to their efforts in launching the movement. But they aren't letting threats deter them from making progress.

I arrived at our starting destination, the high school, and saw people walking along the streets to gather, more people than usual, street parking was full, folks were carrying home signs; all of them heading to the school. They weren’t afraid and I gained strength from seeing them. John and Bill were setting up the podium. Nan handed me a box of signs, Elizabeth was directing people on where to go. Safeway had donated buckets of flowers for our memorial service. Everytown had sent us a box of signs and a banner.  A group of women had created silhouettes of the 17 lost in Parkland. People cared! They weren’t going to be frightened away and they kept coming and coming. We are a small rural community and we had about 250-300 people show up because, like me, they have had #Enough. Enough of the killing and maiming and the NRA and the cowardice of politicians and the bullying of gun fanatics (not gun owners- gun fanatics- there’s a difference).

We walked and talked through our downtown to our Courthouse Square Park. We laid flowers and a minister spoke words of peace while we offered a moment of silence in memory. Several speakers offered their ideas and plans for solving the gun violence problem, including a young high school senior who has experienced 7 active lock down events in her life. SEVEN active lock down events, not drills. My 12 year old grandson boldly stepped up to the podium much to the surprise of his mother and myself. He opened with “Every morning I wonder, ‘Is this the day?’ Is today the day a shooter comes to my school?’”

Not only did we have one of the largest turn-outs locally I have seen in support of a political issue but we also had a peaceful rally. Is this it? Have we finally had #Enough? Have we finally reached the tipping point when we will no longer listen to the empty, bullying rhetoric of the NRA? Have had enough of cowering politicians? I hope so. I hope this the moment in history when we look back and we know that this was when we put our children before money.

You can read the full coverage in this link from our local paper:

http://www.uniondemocrat.com/localnews/6114552-151/300-march-in-downtown-sonora-to-end-gun

Coping with Captain Queeg at the helm

Our democratic republic has been undermined, in the glaring light of day, on a world stage, by the very individual who has taken a sacred oath to do the complete opposite of those brazen, treasonable acts of trashing our faithful allies and cuddling up to our sworn enemy.

Such blatant treachery has not been committed against this union of American states since the defection of the Confederacy that caused the sacrificial mounds of blue and gray to pile up on both sides of the Mason-Dixon Line.

That was just last week’s meltdown at NATO and Helsinki. Afterwards, the usual terrified Trumpian toadies were able to hold him down just long enough to kinda read a ridiculous cya-statement in an effort to minimize the perfidy.

Barely was that done, when the head of our intelligence services was surprised in a live interview with the information that that very same, supposed, ultimate protector of the U.S. has invited his “Rasputin” into the midst of the very same political process all of our intelligence agencies unwaveringly charge him with protecting!

At this point, despite brief periods of clarity, we are in the clutches of a raving maniac. To those of you who have the power to do something about this, note that there is not enough room for all of you at the table of the future dictator. Why take the chance that your head will not be among those lopped off by the guillotine?!

*****  *****  *****

So, he’s not a politician;

Obviously lacks erudition.

Forget all the things

That he lacks or brings –

We’re on the road to Perdition!

Going ahead with an impeachment process against President Trump will indeed be a scary test of the US Constitution's ability to Check and Balance the three powers of government under perhaps the greatest threat to the Republic since the Civil War. It ultimately did it well with Nixon and equally well with Clinton. Moving forward with the House's Constitutional right to draft Articles of Impeachment, that process could take us into the election season. It will bring the nation’s deep and dangerous divisiveness to the surface, and the facts uncovered through the  Judiciary Committee's investigation to eventually propose the articles that justify impeachment to a full House debate will be fully disclosed to the electorate.  The current Senate likely will not vote to impeach, but they may not get that chance before the election.  And it's not just the impeachable offenses that will see the light of day, and which could so easily change the minds of enough Republicans in the Senate.

EVERYTHING about that conman in the White House, and all his men and oh so many women, will be fully exposed. I mean right down to the last hypothetical magazine slap on the butt, drop of urine and its payoff. And perhaps even more embarrassing, his true economic history, such as tax evasions, bankruptcies, frauds etc etc., and from Russia with love to the Deutsche Bank from son of Justice to son of 45.

My best hope is that 45 will do a 37 before publicly drowning in too much of that. And then individual states will come after him.

If we so fear going ahead with the impeachment process, what kind of crippled country are we giving our kids? We are taking our eyes off some unprecedented existential threats to human civilization and a viable planet right now. A strong America with a relatively high moral fiber is critically important in a world going mad with the biosphere destroying greed of billionaire oligarchs who are predatorily interacting with the tops of power in Russia and China... and the USA... everywhere. The dynamics from some of that oligarchic deep pockets activity may very well also become exposed under the impeachment process.

42% of the US population currently support an impeachment (only 29% supported the impeachment of Clinton).  But not only is that percentage equal to that which supported impeaching Nixon (43%) during a favorable Congress, the point of impeachment wasn't about popular leanings that can change on the dime of glaring truths, but, among many issues, about protecting the Republic from someone that reminded the Founding Fathers of King George.

There is absolutely no balance between the three powers of government right now. That is far more dangerous than any fears we might have about impeachment, in my opinion.

"The Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia was winding down, the draft of the United States’ supreme law almost finished, and George Mason, the author of Virginia’s Declaration of Rights, was becoming alarmed. Over the course of the convention, the 61-year-old had come to fear the powerful new government his colleagues were creating. Mason thought the president could become a tyrant as oppressive as George III.

So on September 8, 1787, he rose to ask his fellow delegates a question of historic importance. Why, Mason asked, were treason and bribery the only grounds in the draft Constitution for impeaching the president? Treason, he warned, wouldn’t include “attempts to subvert the Constitution.”
--Smithsonian

AN IMPORTANT MESSAGE ABOUT IMPEACHING TRUMP FROM CONSERVATIVE REPUBLICANS TO A RELUCTANT REPUBLICAN SENATE
B

We have just gone through an excruciating few weeks. It was not a political one in the normal sense but more akin to a contact sport, where every spectator was physically affected. It has brought misogynists and chauvinists out of every nook and cranny and made some women feel as if ALL men are the enemy, although in their hearts they know better. But any reasonable man knows they have more than the right to feel that way.

Let us evaluate what just happened…

Put aside for a moment the fact that the only reason they wanted HIM was

1.  He is their “get out of jail free” card

2.  This means the beginning of the end for women’s rights. In other words their base will finally be assured the end of legal abortion.

Put aside that the Supreme Court will now go about systematically dismantling every step forward we have made since at least the 1950’s.

Yes, even put aside Dr Ford and all the other women and the highly believable charges of heinous sex crimes, who were most definitely themselves put aside.

The single fact that makes this person an illegitimate Supreme is the FACT that he was not properly vetted. That the Trumpsters hid documents, rode roughshod over the hearings and made a sham of the FBI investigation.

While the hearings were still going on, I was willing to hear all sides with an open mind. When Dr Ford came forward, my instinct was to believe her, BUT as I believe in due process and the need for evidence in ALL things, I withheld final judgement. When the call for a thorough  FBI investigation got louder, I had a brief hope that truth would out.

But when the wrinkled old white male troglodytes grudgingly allowed a “short delay for a limited investigation”, I KNEW the fix was in.

With a vote not based on evidence, bum-rushed through and obviously only in the interests of those who would destroy all forms of democracy, the Supreme Court of the United States is now undeniably an illegitimate branch of what, once Trump stole the election is an illegitimate government.

There is now only ONE LAST CHANCE to save this nation; an outpouring of voters so great that it will overcome all of the Republicans attempts at cheating as usual, bulldoze Putin’s shenanigans and sweep BOTH houses of Congress clean of those who have besmirched it so vilely.

I for one, do not want to hear one more peep playing democrats and progressives against each other. Not one single word. We are at the brink and there is no more room for the bullshit where we spend energy fighting each other. The Primaries are OVER. It is now time to get behind each and every candidate that is opposing the vile disease that has infected our system. We must make our friends get out and vote. We must volunteer for campaigns. We must donate whatever we can. We must DO everything we can. We must win.

Because the thought of losing this one is beyond imagining.