United States

DC Comic Con

It’s a marvel

to behold

what’s about

to unfold

in DC.

Crime is down

in the capital

town,

despite

what the 

spiteful

prez says.

He’ll pretend

to defend

all that is

sacred

when really

it’s hatred

he  preserves

and unleashes.

He releases

The Guard

when the going

gets hard-

only

for him.

Funny

how  despite

his bluster,

he couldn’t 

muster

The National

Guard

—it was too

hard—

during

his insurrection.

Now his protection

against

being a joke

is deflection

and crackdown

wherever it’s 

woke

in his projection.

LA

and DC,

and soon each

city

will start to see

and pay 

dearly

for this beloved

embodiment

of antiestablishment:

the president

who regards

the presidency

as a joke

of expediency

to be ever more

greedy

and powerful

because he

can.

Plastic Surgery

I’m a hypocrite;

I know it.

I admit it,

though

I think 

the problem

is public

as well as

corporate.

I know

it would be

drastic

to forgo

the use of

plastic,

because it

really is

fantastic,

but it’s 

poisonous.

Poisoning us

like smoking

does,

without noticing

thus.

Leaching into

water sources,

air and soil,

natural resources,

mammals

and all animals,

and the atmosphere

here

on earth,

is deceptively toxic

from so much plastic.

Who knew 

that from

the era of

“The Graduate”

we’d gradually,

inadvertently,

blindly,

slowly

kill everything.

Micro 

and nano

plastics

are found

underground

and inside us.

But the demand

for change

in how we 

arrange

our lives

for health

is rather strange.

We know

the plastic

problem

continues

to grow,

though we

dare not

abstain,

which is 

a stain

on our 

humanity.

Kennedy,

the Secretary

of Health,

and Human

Services,

has an opportunity

to shift away

from mRNA

funding cuts,

to finding 

the guts

to take on

Big Plastic.

It’s so ubiquitous,

this poisonous

stuff 

that’s poisoning

us 

and the environment,

but its

retirement

is not yet

a conversation.

It will 

necessitate

those who 

might hesitate

to boldly

demand policy

private

and public,

that plastic

becomes

less ubiquitous

and poisonous

to us

and every

living thing

around us.

Start here:

https://www.beyondplastics.org/act

https://www.beyondplastics.org/

Love Island

The Epstein isle,

now a classified

file

of those

attached 

to the vile

pedofile,

can even

revile

the most

MAGA.

The saga

has a 

lifespan

that began

years ago

and you 

know who

was a fan.

The Donald

fondled

whoever

he wanted

and taunted

throughout

his life.

But the current 

strife

within his

coalition

is based 

on the position

he put 

himself in 

in order 

to secure

the win.

Is the cover up

worse 

than the crime

this time?

Stay tuned

for the reality

show’s

finale.

Or maybe

there’ll be

a sequel.

Few,

if any,

will equal

Epstein

in all of his

pure evil,

but guilt

by association

in this

constellation

could be

a revelation

of consequence.

In this instance,

the dissonance

as Trump

tries to distance

himself from

evidence

revealed

long ago,

that they

partied

together

(birds of a feather),

at least

somewhat,

from what

we know.

But clearly

there’s more

that would

be revealed

if these

classified

documents

became

unsealed.

He’s concealed

his perversions

of laws and norms

and forms

tales—

ok, lies—

on a whim.

Will Epstein’s

ghost

harm him

the most?

I’m curious

to know

what reality

will show.

This might

be the most

watched episode

yet.

NOAA’s Arc

In an atmosphere

of fear

and threat

and perpetual

distortions,

we get

flooded

with antediluvian

actions

compounded by 

distractions

of epic

proportions.

The contortions 

of explanation

from the current

administration

on everything

from reigning

in immigration

to raining

inundation,

when the

lapse in 

communication

seemed to

exacerbate

a biblical

situation,

severely

compounds

the loss

and frustration

that somehow

is still

siloed.

The National

Oceanic

and Atmospheric

Administration

endured

DOGE

job 

eliminations

which

seemed to

affect

communications

between

the National

Weather Service

and state

actors.

But detractors

will insist

that deathly

flooding

would persist

no matter 

what.

Yes,

the rains

were extraordinary

and likely

to cause

adversity.

But was

the calamity

necessarily

due to

an impossibility?

The unbearable 

tragedy

from the floods

in Texas

reminds us

that nature

can be 

quite cruel.

But humans

fuel

the result

of nature’s

tumult

one way

or another. 

NOAA’s

arc 

of expansion

decades since

its creation

has provided

communication

and exploration

tools

that only fools

in this administration

would find

dispensable.

We’ve seen

this with

other agencies,

like USAID

where the lack

from the cutback

means

more die.

Defunding research

and/or communication

leaves

those most

in need

in the lurch

in the most

horrible

situation.

Responsible

oversight

might

seem ancient

when the penchant

for disruption

is au curant. 

Until recently,

NOAA’s arc

was built

conscientiously

to protect

us 

and the environment.

As 911 

and Katrina revealed,

the politics 

concealed

breakdowns

between authorities.

The disparities

were ignored

until 

the devastation

was toured

and the discoveries

appalling.

NOAA’s arc

again

reminds me

that  we

must bend

the arc

of history

creatively

toward justice

and sustainability.

ICEcapades

Before

the lure

of a military 

parade,

Trump unleashed

an escapade

of Immigration

and Customs

Enforcement.

Without endorsement

from 

Governor Newsom,

the ICE raids

then 

had shades

of authoritarianism 

when,

without state’s request,

at the behest

of the Trump administration,

The National Guard

was deployed

so ICE could raid

where immigrants

have been 

long employed.

The showdown

in downtown

LA 

with marines

on their way,

had it’s day

in court

yesterday.

Gavin won

round one.

But we know

how Trump

likes to play.

He’ll ask

for a stay

and go

all the way

to the Supreme 

Court.

While that

was unfolding

Kristi Noem

was holding

a  presser

on Homeland

Security.

Feigning purity

of purpose

against 

the “Socialist”

governor

and mayor,

the California

senior Senator

posed a question-

or tried to.

Abruptly

and aggressively,

he was whisked

away,

manhandled

and cuffed,

as Noem

bluffed

her way

around

and through

this new

way

of silencing

opposition.

Such escapades:

ICE raids,

and parades

of military,

while roughing

up a dignitary,

and anybody

deemed

a foe

can quickly

grow

worse.

Five months

in

to this administration,

look where 

we are.

Is this the tip

of the ICEberg?

Right Guard

In that arid,

extra dry

city

of angels,

a legal

and  peaceful

demonstration

met recrimination

by  the criminal

White House.

Sure,

it’s no secret

that any rally

in blue Cali

makes Trump

go bat-bleep crazy.

He picks ICE
to make 

all immigrants

pay a price

which won’t

suffice.

Fake video

seems

to show

the protests

becoming

violent.

It’s the pretext

for

the pretend

savior

to call

the National

Guard.

The guy

who ignored

the pleas

for order

restored

at The Capitol

at the 1/6

insurrection,

has decided

that at 

his direction,

LA

needs

the National Guard

to prove

how right

he is.

But the right

guard

is not hard

to see

particularly

as the citizenry

is mobilized

to demonstrate

for democracy.

The whole 

immigration

situation

needs 

an overhaul.

But not at all

what we’ve 

seen thus far

by this 

White House

reality star.

What’s next?

Will the new

LA Law

be 

martial law

or some straw

man

argument

against

any immigrant

regardless

of how innocent?

There’s more

in store,

you can 

be sure.

It’s enough

to make

you sweat.

Our perspiration

is his

satiation,

and he’ll go

to the nth

degree

as he

disregards

constitutional 

rights,

much less, 

humanity.

Strong Ending on a Weekend

Sovereignty 

won again.

Then,

Good Night and Good Luck

had me watch CNN

and I sobbed

uncontrollably 

at the end.

I pretend

that this

National Guard 

bit

won’t hit

hard;

that Trump

expels verbal

gas,

lighting

the mass

appeal

of his zeal

to troll.

He stole

our sovereignty

and dignity.

No sense

of decency–

not just

McCarthy.

I know

there are more

of us

who stand

for progress

and for 

the good. 

The indecent

are not 

so recent;

but the exponential

potential

of social

media and 

incredible wealth

have threatened 

the health

of the republic

and the world.

It always seems

more dangerous

and ever

more outrageous,

but we’re

also able 

to see 

the most contentious

among us

as the weakest.

So,

though it

seems utterly

terrible,

if not practically

unbearable,

let’s not get

hysterical.

Sovereignty

won again.

So shall we

with integrity.

We see history

more clearly

and the need

for participatory

citizenry.

I will do

what I can

next Saturday

(and every day)

to stand

for democracy.

Will you?

Freedom Fighters?

They are all

terrorists,

claiming

to be

anti colonists

or anti zionists

or whatever

the latest 

version

of subversion

and inversion

may be;

but to me,

yelling

freedom

not while 

holding signs

or hands,

but

while

in the midst

of shooting,

burning,

attacking,

threatening,

beating,

etcetera,

is meeting

the criteria

not for 

legitimacy,

but for

criminality

of the worst

kind.

Yell

all you 

want,

if you

want 

to yell,

but the hell

we see

daily

it seems,

of innocent

lives

made

a prize 

or some

token

for a cause

because

someone

decided

that jews

(or fill

in the blank)

are the problem

and always

have been

and always

will be,

I guarantee

find 

their hate

channeled,

but 

insatiable.

Hate is 

like

that little

shop

of horrors.

It feeds

its needs

unendingly.

The spate

of antisemitic

violence

against

innocents

just 

this year

alone

should

sear

the heart

of anyone

and everyone,

but does it?

Any group

maligned

or assigned

problematic

in the way

antisemitic

hate works,

just like

any (and every)

form of

bigotry,

isn’t some sort

of existential

symmetry.

It does

not affect

the actual

oppressor.

I can be

pro-Palestinian

and pro- Palestine

without being

a philistine.

I have no

interest

in killing

those 

with whom

I disagree.

Sadly,

we forget

that a government

may not represent

its constituents.

The innocents

are everywhere

and have always

been 

the forgotten.

Spare me

the faux

freedom

fight

and claim

of right,

even if

believed.

Ill conceived

when needing

purpose

or cause

for ineffectiveness,

the subjectiveness

subjects

us less

to righteousness

and freedom

than to destructiveness

and endless

heinousness.

It’s ridiculous

that we aren’t

beyond this.

We seem

to use

more tools

to enable

than to 

disable

the weaknesses

of humans.

Or maybe 

they are just

more accessible.

Habeas Corpus Kristi

So 

Homeland Security

Director, Kristi,

didn’t know

that habeas

corpus

is for

all of us.

It is not

Trump’s 

decision

to imprison

or deport

anyone 

he chooses.

But Kristi

refuses

to acknowledge

(did she learn

this in college?)

that we are

a constitutional

democracy.

While some

heard 

defiance,

others heard

reliance

on

the  Constitution

as the enabler

of the singularity

of authority

of the presidency.

The controversy

isn’t really

about understanding

habeas corpus.

It’s the torturous

logic 

of torture

and detention

when the pretention 

of 

executive order

that suggests

the border

of emergency.

From enhanced

interrogation

to undoing

immigration,

by 

denying

due process,

the crisis

excuse

for justified

use

is nothing

less than

constitutional

abuse.

Fast and loose

with interpretation

or not 

understanding

the definition

of habeas 

corpus,

Krsiti Noem,

Director of Home-

land

Security,

defined

the meaning

of this

presidency:

Because

he says

so.

A Classless Society

A decade ago, 

when Trump

made a go

at politics,

the heretics

rose

to close

the deal

to reveal

the fault 

lines

beneath us.

It’s been

everyone

else’s fault

since then;

never

a mia

culpa.

A witch hunt,

political stunt,

or cries

of lies

no matter

how it defies,

now

no surprise;

Nonetheless appalling.

The most 

galling

is no longer

name 

calling.

It’s to be

expected.

Protected 

speech,

unless you 

teach

or learn

about

oppression,

is a matter

of opinion.

The dominion

over everything

that power

and money

can possibly

bring

is ushering

in

autocracy

in a now

crass

and classless

society.

I don’t

mean

the kind

that Bernie

and A.O.C.

have 

in mind,

but the 

cheap 

and tasteless,

undignified,

rapacious,

Trump

brand

that his

command

has forced

us to

withstand.

Checking

privilege 

and elitism

is unfolding

into quite

a schism

suggesting

that the

evolution

of civilization

has been

a hoax,

folks.

Proof

that money

can’t by

class,

the ass

in chief,

like a thief,

takes

whatever

he wants.

His taunts,

now dangerous,

and increasingly

outrageous,

threatening

to deport

citizens

after the precedents

of sending

legal residents

to Salvadoran

and Libyan

prisons.

The callousness

of this classlessness

as with everything

else he says 

and does

does

harm 

to all of us.

Our classless

society

with faux

piety,

now run

as an

oligarchy

with remnants

of democracy,

can’t wait

for half

to discover

decency.

This is an

emergency.

This class

is pass/

fail.