Monday, February 15, 2016

(Guess Which? I Guess) President's Day 2016

I guess today is 'what-the-hell,-it's-a-holiday,-might-just-as-well-take-the-day-off-anyway' day, so I have been reading other people's blogs (all far more consistent and interesting than mine) and also a lot of political crap... although I found a great piece supposedly written by a University prof... a letter to Dr. Laura Schlessinger (sp?), of whom I have heard little lately, but thought this really funny- here it is:

Dear Dr. Laura:
Thank you for doing so much to educate people regarding God’s Law. I have learned a great deal from your show, and try to share that knowledge with as many people as I can. When someone tries to defend the homosexual lifestyle, for example, I simply remind them that Leviticus 18:22 clearly states it to be an abomination… end of debate.
I do need some advice from you, however, regarding some other elements of God’s Laws and how to follow them.
  1. Leviticus 25:44 states that I may possess slaves, both male and female, provided they are purchased from neighboring nations. A friend of mine claims that this applies to Mexicans, but not Canadians. Can you clarify? Why can’t I own Canadians?
  1. I would like to sell my daughter into slavery, as sanctioned in Exodus 21:7. In this day and age, what do you think would be a fair price for her?
  1. I know that I am allowed no contact with a woman while she is in her period of menstrual unseemliness – Lev. 15: 19-24. The problem is how do I tell? I have tried asking, but most women take offense.
  1. When I burn a bull on the altar as a sacrifice, I know it creates a pleasing odor for the Lord – Lev. 1:9. The problem is my neighbors. They claim the odor is not pleasing to them. Should I smite them?
  1. I have a neighbor who insists on working on the Sabbath. Exodus 35:2. clearly states he should be put to death. Am I morally obligated to kill him myself, or should I ask the police to do it?
  1. A friend of mine feels that even though eating shellfish is an abomination – Lev. 11:10, it is a lesser abomination than homosexuality. I don’t agree. Can you settle this? Are there ‘degrees’ of abomination?
  1. Lev. 21:20 states that I may not approach the altar of God if I have a defect in my sight. I have to admit that I wear reading glasses. Does my vision have to be 20/20, or is there some wiggle-room here?
  1. Most of my male friends get their hair trimmed, including the hair around their temples, even though this is expressly forbidden by Lev. 19:27. How should they die?
  1. I know from Lev. 11:6-8 that touching the skin of a dead pig makes me unclean, but may I still play football if I wear gloves?
  1. My uncle has a farm. He violates Lev. 19:19 by planting two different crops in the same field, as does his wife by wearing garments made of two different kinds of thread (cotton/polyester blend). He also tends to curse and blaspheme a lot. Is it really necessary that we go to all the trouble of getting the whole town together to stone them? Lev. 24:10-16. Couldn’t we just burn them to death at a private family affair, like we do with people who sleep with their in-laws? (Lev. 20:14)
I know you have studied these things extensively and thus enjoy considerable expertise in such matters, so I am confident you can help.
Thank you again for reminding us that God’s word is eternal and unchanging.
Your adoring fan,
James M. Kauffman, Ed. D.
Professor Emeritus Dept. of Curriculum, Instruction, and Special Education
University of Virginia

Just had a call from Larry, my other reader of my love letter podcast. He is stuck in Phoenix waiting to get on a plane with a four hour delay because of the terrible weather in the other half of the country. (This is why I am living on the left coast kiddies) As they told him when he asked why he had to wait four hours for a plane whose ticket said from Phoenix to San Francisco, "Buddy, we don't have planes sitting around here waiting to take you home... they have to COME from somewhere... and that's back East, where the weather is BAD." Showing you the way people think simply about themselves and their little moment in time most of the time. Yeah, it's always me, me, me, isn't it? So, think of the other person once in a while... well sure, as long as it's how he/she relates to me, right? So here's a poem that I think kinda illustrates that... written in a fit of what? nostalgia, despondency, maybe me, me

You're the One (in My Mind, Maybe Not Yours)

You are my best friend
the one I can turn to, the one I can cry on,
the one who makes me smile... giggle... laugh out loud.
You are the one who is always there
the sweetest person I have ever known
You are my last and greatest love
You mean the world to me and always will

With age I had to give up candy... dessert
I had to give up running, jumping and driving
eating great foods and drinking and staying out late
fooling around and most of the pleasures of life...
But nothing will make me give up You
Unfortunately there is only one way to say it in English
I LOVE YOU... but you must know I do... or do you care? 

So here I sit, writing (or editing) more poems to join the hundreds that sit in boxes or on old computers... that are the story of a life not very well organized or led, so will undoubtedly be also one not read... but one that rhymed a great deal of the time (or should that be timed?) Ah, silliness had set in, so it must be time to go... ye gods, yes, it is time for the news. Time to hear what those stupid, Ill mannered, loud mouthed republicans are blocking today. I hated all the lovely platitudes about what a sweet old guy Scalia was, including those from Democrats. You know how they interview people who live next door to murderers and rapists... "Oh, he was such a nice guy, always smiling... said hello to me every morning, helped with shoveling the snow... nice person." Or, as Larry said, "Wouldn't have been more interesting if he had been wiped out by 10 shots from a military weapon?" So now even the Dems are saying what a great constitutional lawyer and good guy Scalia was. Well, I cheered when Scalia died the other day... now if his black buddy on the court would just get the hell out, and the republicans let Obama appoint an intelligent person to the supreme, perhaps we would get rid of things like that damned bill that makes corporations people and military guns not legal for our citizens (hey, there weren't any corporations when the constitution was written... and my Pilgrim ancestors never saw a machine gun... where did you get that with that moron's 'great constitutional mind'? Peg... stop the rant... g'nite!

Monday, February 1, 2016

What a Day... hooray, I'm online & HORRORS the 'second coming' won in Iowa!!

And... it is my dear little (big) grandchild Max's third birthday... that's one for great celebration. He is definitely Mr. Cute, an adorable child I will never get to know... but then, I didn't get to know any of them, did I? The only grandchild I ever felt really close to was my dear little Bella, who is a lot like me, in sort of miniature, the 'middle child' syndrome?. They all do have the Cartwright face, though, although in Max it is the least.

So... first... Allie came over last night and presented me with "LoveMegglie.com"... my podcast, all done and online with my letter from L.Megan Carringtown, explaining what was coming and why it is called what it is, and introducing the hero and heroine of the great love story that started at the change of the century and will go on for around 8 years. I may have to do a blog along with this opening one, as there may be things to explain... or who knows what will happen..... I am pleased. Now there will be much less work... except for the reading of the letters... I'm up to number 44,  I think, so there will be a lot to read. I do hope that Larry is up for it... he is a dear to do it. And darling Allie is wonderful to do all the work on the website.

Perhaps I will start doing some artwork to go on the website. No... I think I must get to work and do some artwork and do a website for me, and perhaps stat reading my poetry and drawing stuff to do with it. I do wish I had a musician friend to write some stuff to be played with the poetry. What the hell am I doing... I'm not going to live long enough for all this. I have to go and see Colin and get all other simple day-to-day things done. Too much to think about... far too much.

Then... after having a lovely day thinking of all the nice things hat had happened, and all the nice people who had helped me...I had a call from Larry... a lovely person I was planning to call to tell him to get to a computer and listen to himself reading Kirkie's letters, when he gave the the horrible news: That moronic 'second coming' Cuban Canadian ted cruz won in Iowa! God... the end of our country if the dreadful stupid evangelical idiots manage to get the vote out and the GOP runs him for president. The end of the word is upon us... Jesus has been reborn as the most hated man in Congress. Yep, his father says he is going to fix the states first... then he will go on to fix the world. Sca-a-a-a-a-ary!!!
Oh, ye gods... WHAT A DAY!  I do wish Kirk was here... or even Jackie... I need a hug.

Tuesday, January 19, 2016

I Guess "I'm Happy on the Shelf"

Well, I’m back to talking only to Sylvia Katt once more. Rather she is back to telling me to “get the hell into the bathroom and clean out my litter box.” I will when I feel like it, having done so at least twice today (she's getting old and like all us old ladies, needs to go often), along with filling her water bowl, then filling her food dish... jeeze, what more can I do? I have become her constant maid and yet she wants more, but I can’t figure out what that is... she probably just wants me to take her out in the hall and watch her run up and down. Not in my nightgown, I won’t. Oh, great... she just knocked something down in the bedroom... hope it wasn’t the little suitcase that was up on the big one on top of the bookcase... she’s been jumping up there to use it as a scratching place... must be in shreds now. Oh well... I’m not going anywhere ever again, except in a small box.....

Ah, but where is our country going? We had better, all of us progressive U.S. citizens, get out the vote and elect either Bernie or Hillary, or the U.S. will cease to exist, as it will have a crazed, helpless republican in charge. What do they have for us? A screaming, power-mad billionaire with a pinky-yellow dye job, who hates the rest of the world and has never dealt with any other political leaders (well, which of them ever has... they are all really novices). Then there is the one whose father declares him the second coming, who is actually a Cuban Canadian remade into a racist Southerner. And another Cuban American, who is confused about almost everything; another dopey Bush, who claims to be the smart one in a family of not-too bright people; the woman who wrecked HP; a governor undoubtedly food-crazed from being on a strict diet throughout his campaign; a black brain surgeon who seems to be there to promote his book; and a bunch of other guys standing around hoping someone will ask them something they have rehearsed answers for.

Now we begin to see what the ruined educational system of this country is producing. Not just these political nuts, but also the people who actually vote for them. Someone has put these idiots into a position to buy votes... to get themselves backed by the wealthy, unscrupulous corporations that run our country and feed the wealth of our nation into the hands of the wealthiest amongst us. Whitney was right, we should have gone to Canada, or the Netherlands, but, unfortunately they don’t want us as citizens... we don’t have the skills to live in another country. Other countries expect their new citizens to learn their language and have the skills they need. We continue to allow assault weapons to be bought and carried by anyone, to give in to religious nuts who think the world is 6000 years old, to allow children to starve, while cutting the taxes of the wealthy, to allow corporations to buy votes by promoting the kind of stupid and useless politicians we now have in Congress. We need a single payer medical system, similar to the ones in ALL civilized countries. We need to get rid of the useless “health insurance companies” and have a health care system that is the same for all people. If every person in the U.S. paid $25 a month for health care, and the majority of doctors stopped being ‘single style’ doctors and actually worked as family physicians, we would be a much healthier nation. If teachers were better trained in their subjects instead of “how to teach” (most of the time useless), and paid more like the bloated ‘doctor specialists,’ we might have an educated country instead of a land of low IQ peasants. Children should not be taught at “age level” but at “intelligence peer level,” or skill level, with different groups for each skill in each ‘grade.’ Not every child should go to ‘college.’ If a child does not want to go, or cannot do the work required, he/she should have a choice to learn a trade or skill, or be able to work as an apprentice to learn a skill that will get them a job they like, for too many people in this country now hate the work they do, and should have learned to work at something they enjoy doing.

I get the feeling this upcoming election may be my last. For my grandchildren’s sake, I hope that the poor, uneducated, unthinking, low IQ nation in which I now live, has the good sense to turn their backs on the screaming, squabbling bunch of idiots and vote for the people in their district and in the national races who will not cater to the corporations and the wealthiest people in this country.  And, please, let's get rid of that nut who looks like the youngest member of "The Adams Family," Paul Ryan. come on, people of Michigan, you have more brains than that!