See Sickness

I’m feeling

nausea

from

all the

cynical,

political,

vindictive,

biblical-

like

minds

who don’t

mind

falling behind

the ass.

Perhaps

the most

asinine

speech

ever 

delivered

will

be considered

an anomaly.

(I doubt it.)

Predominantly

bluster,

(it’s all

he can muster)

about nonsense

with a pretense

of muscle.

The commander

in chief

is the reprimander

in chief,

seconded

by his secretary

of war.

Settling

some score

more

than directing

or protecting

the USA,

they have

little to say

that makes 

sense 

anyway,

but they make 

sure that

they 

are heard.

The absurd

meeting

of the top

brass

all as 

a show

for the 

top ass,

would be

amusing

if it weren’t

real.

As the government

shuts down

without

negotiation,

under the guise of

healthcare

for illegal

immigration,

(which is 

the fantasy

of MAGA nation),

and a 

peace plan

in Gaza

is proposed

with occupation,

because…

what could

possibly

go wrong?

I hope

the dope

wins

the Nobel 

Peace Prize

for a surprise

success

of peace

in the Middle

East. 

But he’ll

never

be satisfied.

Not even

if Comey

were tried

and convicted.

Not even

tax breaks

for health

insurance

is assurance

now;

just watch

how

and who

the shut 

down

hurts.

He blurts

out 

without

a blink

that “blue”

cities

should be

military

training grounds.

It’s easy

to see 

why the news

makes me

queasy.

But I don’t

think I’m

the one

who is

sick.

Pain-staking

Once again,

acetaminophen

has been

poisoned.

Tylenol

has been used

safely

for decades

despite

the charades

now playing

out.

No need

to proceed

with clinical

trials

when vials

can be 

discontinued.

Meanwhile,

the recommendation

is accommodation

to discontinue

without

peer review,

other than

what appears

as peers,

not of scientists,

but of the 

resistance

to anything

conventional

or other

wise.

Decrying

the medical

establishment’s

reliance

on science

is keeping

us from

the truth.

Our youth

and infants 

are at risk.

Not from 

Tylenol,

but from all

the efforts 

to throw

the baby

out with

the bath

water.

Pregnant

women

on a strict

regimen

have taken

Tylenol

per

protocol

for decades.

When aspirin

had been

found

to have

unsound

effects

for children

and expectant

women,

science

indicated

a safer

product-

and Tylenol

was born.

The scorn

this administration

pours on

without regard

for any 

consequence

could be

seen 

as nonsense

if not for the

expense

to the most 

vulnerable.

Of all 

the concerns

and problems

to address,

creating

a headache

over Tylenol

is just 

adding to 

the enormous

mess.

The stakes

of pain

can be quite

severe.

We need

science

guidance

to which 

we adhere;

not a

conspiracy

of a deranged

Kennedy.

One and All

One 

at a time.

One day.

One hour.

One extra.

One less.

One time.

One piece.

One left.

One world.

One and all.

One

and done.

Carr Alarm

The noise

around

silencing speech

may reach

a tipping

point.

The joint

astonishment

and grief

may be

brief

as the next

one to fall

will call

our attention.

While there’s

no comparison

between the firing

of a comedian,

or two,

and the firing

of a gun,

we can’t run

from this

crisis.

Opinion

has been

the dominion

of the comedian,

even mocking

the politician.

It’s free speech

in action

and a cultural

tradition.

But the addition

of retribution

to our polity-

once

the contribution

only

of the most

violently

disturbed-

comes from

the top guy,

perpetually

perturbed.

The Federal

Communications

Commision

is now

on a mission

to stifle.

Instead of

a rifle,

or other

violence,

the way

to silence

criticisms

is to fire

the guys

whose

wittisms

are bothersome

to some;

or maybe

just

to one.

Carr’s action-

Kimmel’s subtraction-

in reaction

to the comic’s

wit,

is every bit

a lack of

grit

and merely

a fit

of alarm

of the president

who sees

speech

as harm

and uses

it

to harm others.

Is this retribution

or fear?

Who can hear

over the alarm

over the act

of commission?

Kirk’s Enterprise

Charlie Kirk’s 

horrific demise

as he pursued

his enterprise

as a conservative force

through

political discourse,

should be

our turning point,

USA.

This school shooting,

unlike the other,

was political;

an intentional

act of violence

to silence

debate-

the latest

in a spate

of hate

crimes

against

political

figures.

The triggers

may be

multiple

but when

the political

is emotional

and what 

seemed

impossible 

is no longer

notional,

anything

becomes

motivational

against

a perceived

enemy.

Because

the hate

is visceral

when our

discourse

is so 

uncivil,

we can’t be

casual

about this

hit,

especially when

it

took place

on a college

campus.

Now

most of us

can feel 

the real

pain and sorrow

for his widow

and his children.

But can we

mourn for 

a person

who sparked

attention

for opposition

that may 

have intended

to provoke

and offend

if not

upend,

the woke

when he spoke?

I am chilled

by the blood

that’s been

spilled,

and I feel

my own

turning point.

Our enterprise

can’t be

the demise

of opposing

another’s belief.

Let this 

monstrous

event

help us 

to reinvent

good grief.

I just realized

that today

is 9/11.

What

have we

become?

To boldly go

where no 

one

has gone

before

was the American

enterprise

(cleverly

stated in

the Star Trek

franchise),

at the birth

of our 

democratic

republic.

But we have

succumbed

to hate

and fear

that we’re

in our

final frontier.

Our reaction

to terror

is often

contraction,

while

heightening

security.

But political

(and social)

purity

is immaturity,

not worthy

of who we

need to be.

Give Up!

I gave up

trying 

my same 

old way

each day,

even though

it seemed

okay.

I moved away

from 

one 

beautiful 

residence,

in essence,

to scale 

down

and live

downtown

on the opposite

coast.

I find

that most

of the folks

I know

show me

that I can

see

differently

when I

let go

of rigidity.

Obviously,

it’s not 

so easy

to upend

any ingrained

habit.

Sometimes

necessity

demands it;

or 

in order

to withstand

it,

something’s

gotta give.

So I take

a chance

to enhance;

not just

give in

to circumstance.

Give up!

Let it go!

Grow

instead

of seeing

red.

Rather 

than blather

and get 

into a

lather,

give up!

Don’t give 

in

to what’s 

been eating

you.

If you’ve

been miffed,

then

shift

your focus.

Your locus

of control-

how you roll-

is worthy

of your 

attention.

My contention

is that

when 

giving up

means 

a greater

good,

rather than

espousing

whatever

you think

should

be,

it seems 

to me

that we 

create

more opportunity

to 

live up to

giving up.

Cultured Pearls

We are 

the curators

of our own

exhibitions

of us;

musea

of individuals.

Communal

rituals

are much more

rare,

as virtual

signals,

like likes

and hearts,

keep the parts

we choose

for “friends”

to peruse

showcased

front

and center.

To enter

into 

someone’e

collection

requires little

to no

interjection.

Online detection

becomes

an addiction,

now an affliction

for most.

But as host

and curator

of our identities,

Big Tech

as aggregator

entities

provide hidden

strategies

so that any

inquiries

from our

curiosities

become

commodities.

We are more

connected 

to the

data

and to Google

and Meta

than to

the people 

we think

should matter.

What’s even

sadder

is 

that we give

permission

for our own

submission.

Meanwhile

we style

our images

as though

our personages

are accessible

and never

unacceptable.

It’s deceptively

easy

and imperceptibly

sleazy

though we 

believe

we exhibit

control.

Everyone’s

a content

creator;

a curator

of their own

identity.

But the work

of art

is inquiry,

discovery, and

thinking creatively;

not merely

self expression.

Through art

we get 

to see

and hear

differently

not just

what we 

wish to be.

I can curate

the gallery

of me,

but that’s just

an exhibition

or meaningless

display.

Meaningful curation

can be

its own

art form

creating new

iterations

and connections;

daring 

to ask

probing

questions

through communications

beyond 

our self-curated 

exhibitions.

These are

the essential

conditions

for cultural

and personal

growth.

Taking Dictation

I have no

capacity

for taking

dictation

or anything

else

like it.

I’ll never be

a secretary

or assistant

to 

an administrator

who listens to

a dictator.

Those compliant

with a tyrant

like those

who chose

to remain

silent,

may survive

and even 

thrive,

for 

at least

a while

or more.

But,

in time,

history’s 

rhyme

will seek

poetic

justice.

It’s not

just us

as never 

before

or ever

again.

When power

corrupts

and monopolizes,

taking dictation

finalizes

consolidation

of power.

Whether 

government

or corporation,

the excessive 

power

manifestation

somehow

gets justification

(and monetization )

while deterioration

ensues.

But…

You have agency

to disrupt

complacency 

and the responsibility

to do so.

Those who

take notes

in history

class

know the past

is more

than prologue.

It’s a dialogue

with the present

and future

that we must

nurture

without

taking

dictation.

Mass Murder. Literally. Moms Demand Action

Children.

Children.

Children attending

Mass.

Murdered.

At School.

In Church

there.

Thoughts

and prayers

instead of laws

by naysayers

when kids 

were literally

shot

while praying.

Alas,

this is mass

murder,

literally

at mass.

How much

more crass

can we be?

I saw a

photo

like no

other

of a 

mother

running 

down the

street

in bare

feet

holding 

her shoes,

sprinting

toward 

the school,

with mother’s

fuel

and fear.

I tear

up just

thinking of

this image;

this extraordinary,

yet insanely

ordinary

scene.

Just back

to school.

Nothing

more cruel,

than doing

nothing

about

mass 

murder.

especially

of children.

Don’t accept

this

unconscionableness.

We can’t remain

still,

hopeless.

Momentum

takes time.

You can take action now:

https://momsdemandaction.org/

The Point of No Return

The point of

no return

is to learn-

not just

yearn-

for something

else.

We don’t 

grow younger

or

have more

innocence

when life

provides us

ongoing

experience.

We tend to 

digress

and at times

regress

making progress

seemingly

less 

likely.

Home isn’t

there

where it 

is no more,

before

we moved

away.

We can’t

really stay

the way

we were,

but we sure

can mature

and play

wiser.

Ironically,

it looks

quite silly,

but seems 

to be 

impactful.

Forget 

being tactful.

We live

in the gutter

now.

It’s how

you utter

the message

that matters

so it splatters

across all

media.

No encyclopedia

needed,

just deep 

seeded

anger,

and a commitment

to mirror

this horror

show.

The point 

of no

return

is to know

(and to show)

that we are

better than

this.

To boldly 

go 

where no

one

has gone

before

has moved 

from Star Trek

to South Park;

our stark

cartoonish

reality.

Finally,

heroically,

momentum

is increasing

as Newsom

is teasing

Trump,

with a 

shocking,

and mocking

style.

Sadly,

this is 

progress,

(and also

hilarious)

if we are 

serious

about 

the point

of no

return.