Pushed on Through in Book Six: Trying to Hold On 2019

Back at work; County re-open. Despite current air temperatures being -9. At least it isn’t -58 which is where we were yesterday with wind chill!

Having the time and opportunity and definitely the desire, I attempted to write a sexy entry yesterday. It was too cold. Sitting in my little cave den, blanket wrapped around me, fuzzy socks and sweat pants long sleeved shirt under sweatshirt and it was still too cold. I spent the majority of the day playing video games alone or playing board games with the Wife.

Returned to work and… Attorney Boss sent an e-mail cautioning everyone about next week. It was going to be difficult, it was going to be busy, we’re all going to be going in a million different directions… so please exercise patience and support. It makes me worried. How bad is next week really going to be?!? I mean… we all have a number of trials… an A Felony Trial and 4 trials on Thursday but… is he really that worried?

AND… now it is snowing. Bloody weather. If it really does get up to 50 degrees on Sunday, I shall ready a weaponized bat to use against any and all who declare Climate Change a hoax. When the temperature swings from almost 60 degrees below Zero to 50 degrees above Zero in the matter of 4 days; you no longer have the Moral/Ethical/Scientific/Observable High Ground to declare that there is not enough evidence of “Extreme Weather”. You git.

Speaking of stupid
(1) Magistrate Court was still held yesterday. Are you kidding me?! The county was closed. Universities were closed. The region was warned DO NOT GO OUTSIDE. Yet, magistrate court was still on? Bloody ridiculous!
(2) During magistrate court, a young man plead guilty to possessing Drug Paraphernalia; to wit: a marijuana bong and marijuana accouterments. He plead guilty… then requested that the items be returned to him! BLOODY IDIOT! I am pleading guilty, which suggests that I understand it is against the law to be in possession of these items. Could you please return these items to my possession? What?! You may… you may have done so many drugs that they fried your brain.

Political 1:
It should surprise absolutely nobody, but the current Senate Majority Leader Mitch “Turtle Man” McConnell has become even more transparent than usual. He stated that declaring Voting Day a National Holiday and requiring all states to make “suitable accommodations to allow all eligible citizens to vote” was (and I quote) a power grab by democrats. That is a man in a Representative Position of a Representative Government literally saying “If more people are able to vote, Democrats will get more votes.” Or broken down more clearly, the Republican Senate Majority Leader believes The only reason Republicans win, is because the system is rigged in their favor. That is… a sad, pathetic thing to think. IF HE’S RIGHT, that means he (1) knows that Republicans don’t represent The People; (2) knows that the people genuinely want change and representation; (3) doesn’t want them to have representation; and (4) knows that his party cannot win on its own merit. IF HE’S WRONG, that means he (1) has absolutely no faith in his party; (2) has absolutely zero faith or trust in the people he is supposed to be representing; (3) is 100% out of touch with the people he is supposed to be representing; and (4) has absolutely zero faith in the American Government systems at large.

Either way… Turtle Man has shown that he needs to be removed from his post. Either we have a representative government based on voting and checks and balances… or we continue to gerrymander, block eligible voters, and flush checks and balances down the drain. All of this under a Republican President and a Republican Senate. And Republicans always said the Democrats were the most likely to destroy or derail the American Political Experiment!

Political 2:
This will be a discussion of the image below, the Content Break. So you don’t have to race down there, if it isn’t large and attention grabbing already… the image us a tweet from Amy Siskind, an American activist and writer, and says
“Can we get anyone in the Trump orbit to condemn the 2 MAGA men who brutally attacked Jussie Smollett, a gay black man, and put his head in a noose while saying “This is MAGA country,” so others don’t feel like your silence is legitimizing hate? How aboyt you @realDonaldTrump?”

Right Wing Media have already jumped on the events in question claiming that these individuals, the 2 MAGA men, were not supporters of Donald Trump but were, in fact, Deep State Liberals attempting to stir up anger and hatred from anti-MAGA folks against the True MAGA supporters. Take five minutes to contemplate that before responding.
What they are suggesting is that people who are opposed to Trump would go out and brutally injure and harm an innocent person using tactics, language, and apparel that have already been tied to Trump in order to make people more politically angry. Super stupid.
(1) Why commit a crime, a hate crime no less, just to make people who are already angry even more mad!?!
(2) Why would anti-Trump people go out and buy/purchase/borrow/etc Pro-Trump attire? Ever? That just directly funds their enemy.
(3) But the largest question, the important question, the Occam’s Razor Question: Which makes more sense? Considering the anti-Gay, anti-POC, pro-Violence, pro-Toxic Masculinity perspective often documented coming from the White House, the President, and MAGA Trumpians… is it more likely that 2 people were so passionately stirred by the tacit endorsement of their hatred that they acted on it?? Or is it more likely that 2 people were so passionately stirred by their dislike of the President that they hatched a broader conspiracy to implicate his supporters in a hate crime?

But (and this is the tragic, mini-violin moment)… the Right Wing News Story Version has already received a buttload of traction in Right Wing MAGA Trumpian circles. Because of course it did. Do these people want to embrace the fact that what they support can and does result in Tribalistic, Racist, Violent behavior? Or do these people want to use any ammo they can to attack their enemies? The latter. Always the latter. Because it isn’t about getting better, improving anything, or doing anything of value. It is to appeal to the mindset of Fuck Liberals. And as I said during the W Bush years “If your entire political belief structure is simply ‘Fuck that guy!’ then you have no substance and nothing to offer if you ever do get any political power.” Well… after 8 years of Obama, the Republican platform seemed to be nothing more than “fuck Obama!” And now we see how that created a world of Trumpisms success. “Fuck that Guy” Politics gave us a President incapable of leading that does little more than scream “Fuck that guy!” to crowds of people whose only inspiration for political engagement is “Fuck those guys!”

I am doing my best to keep my personal history and connection with Ted Bundy close to the chest. The release of a Netflix documentary and the news of a Hollywood movie about him have rather thrust him back into the limelight.

I know people who are very outraged by this. They are furious that Ted Bundy is gaining more attention. They are furious that people are discussing who he was, how he looked, what he did. I get it. I mean… the United States Social Consciousness really needs to reflect on why we’re so obsessed with Serial Killers. However… the people I’m hearing from??? It isn’t “This is a historical tragedy. We should reflect on why we’re so interested without trying to Celebratize monsters.” Nope. They’re just going full bore the other way. Screaming and being hysterical that paying ANY attention to Ted Bundy is a “graphic disservice to the women” he victimized. Then they share article after article, picture after picture, biography after biography of the victims. So they essentially do this: “Stop talking Ted Bundy! Stop paying him attention! Stop making him seem somehow sexy! He was a monster! He victimized ENTIRE LIFE STORY AND BACKGROUND INFORMATION of Victim 1. He victimized ENTIRE LIFE STORY AND BACKGROUND INFORMATION of Victim 2. (and so on and so forth).

So… as the Liberal Spaces I occupy became that, I ventured over to the Conservative Spaces I occupy. I was not much heartened there, either.

A security video of a Convenience Store was playing. The time stamp showed it to be around midnight and a disheveled looking person with long blond hair (could have been male or female) walks in to the convenience store carrying an ax (at first it simply looks like a long stick but there is a dull, small, blunt ax blade present). The video skips to two people in line waiting to pay and the Ax Holder walking up to one of them, a man. After a verbal altercation, the Ax Holder strikes the man who falls down but does not appear to be badly hurt. The Ax Holder then strikes the other person, who does not fall down nor do they appear to be badly hurt. The Ax Holder than leaves the Convenience store. The video ends with the words “Why you should always carry!” And a tag line for a gun company.

That is… terrifyingly irresponsible, dangerous, and stupid. Don’t get me wrong… I have very complicated opinions about the 2nd Amendment and a person’s right to own a firearm. But that video being your “Always Carry” video?? It was as if zero thought went into it at all.

A person who is either (1) mentally disturbed; (2) drugged up; or (3) both enters into a business carrying a weapon. Right here an employee could have (1) approached the individual; (2) called the police; or (3) asked the person to leave with the threat of calling the police. This did not happen. Then the person engages a man in a verbal altercation. If the man was carrying a sidearm, pulling a gun on a strange person in a store is not legally protected… in fact, that is usually part of a hold up. THEN the woman attacks. The way she attacked, if the man had a sidearm, he would not have been able to draw it prior to the attack nor would he likely have been fast enough to pull it during the attack. So, his only option would have been to draw his firearm and fire at the person AS THE PERSON WAS FLEEING. You’ll recognize this as something that has typically been considered by the Supreme Court to be murder. Now what about the second person? After the first was attacked, the second person could have withdrawn a sidearm and aimed at Ax Holder. That is true. But how does that play out? Either Ax Holder acknowledges the situation and tries to leave… Ax Holder is so threatened that Ax Holder attacks… or Ax Holder is mentally disturbed/drugged up and is unpredictable, dangerous, and likely to do just about anything.

In short… for that video “Always Carry” would have, at best, done nothing to change the outcome or, at worst, have made the situation far more dangerous.

Speaking of videos… here’s a video worth seeing from DAVOS: https://www.facebook.com/USdems/videos/575351676223287/
It is a historian discussing what the Super Wealthy can do to help make the world better. He doesn’t get to everything… the fact that Recycling is an individual citizen-led thing all but assures the world that we aren’t doing enough fast enough… but this Historian specifically calls out taxation.

Not terribly surprising as the United States has a President presently who actually says “People who pay their taxes are stupid.” But the truth is… there was a massive tax burden shift around 30 years ago. For a large portion of the United States’ history, there was a steep top marginal tax percentage. Even under Nixon the top wealth earners in this country faced taxation of 60% or higher. Ronald Reagan came along and slashed it… not to mention the myriad ways billionaires have to now hide their assets in off-shore accounts or money-dump laundering schemes. But what I wanted to point out most was that all of these MAGA Trumpians keep saying “Make America Great Again” and when pressed for when they want it to be like… they revert to the 1950s… but then quickly say that they aren’t racist. Okay… in the 1950s, the top wealth earners were taxed at a 70% rate. Yet when Democrats in Government suggested we re-instate that exact same tax plan; Trumpians and their Politicians screamed that it was socialism and criminal and disgraceful and idiotic.

So connect those dots. MAGA means you want it to be the 1950s again but you don’t want the economy to be like the 1950s. So… it makes it a lot harder to say MAGA isn’t racist. Because if you don’t want economics or politics to be like the 1950s… that limits it down to… okay, what are you really saying… you’re really saying you wish it was back when Whites, especially White Men, were the undisputed Kings of the Country. Which… is inherently a racist thing to say. Making MAGA almost entirely wrapped up in a Racial Gender Identity political platform. Do you believe in a funded government whereby those with the most contribute the most… or do you believe strictly that the world was better when only White Men had any say??

Completely shifting gears, here’s a Washington Post article about a Celebrity with Alzheimer’s, her family’s efforts to help her, and her husband having a live in girlfriend.
This is… a unique complication. Because there ARE racial elements as well as financial elements involved. But if we strip all of it back to the basics, the most basic… can we have that conversation?
If your spouse couldn’t recognize you, couldn’t communicate, couldn’t understand the things you were saying… if your spouse’s brain had been so ravaged by illness that it requires someone’s help to dress them (and it still took 45 minutes).... would it be okay to start dating again? Would it be okay to move your new partner into the home? These are difficult questions of behavior, etiquette, ethics, and relationships. Personally, my response would be to each situation the answer that worked best in that situation. I’m not going to judge how a family gets through such a difficult time provided they aren’t breaking the law are willfully trying to hurt one another.

But as I said, this issue is complicated by outside elements.
Element 1: Money. While the husband helped his Celebrity Wife build her celebrity empire, she was the face of that empire and the Celebrity title belongs to her alone. So as her mind has left her; is her husband and his new girlfriend just there leeching off of the money and acclaim?
Element 2: Race. The husband is a black man. His Celebrity Wife is a black woman. His girlfriend is a White Woman. So you know there have been some angry as hell comments! LOOOOOOTS of black women attacking this man for “bringing his White Woman to parade around his poor black wife!”

I can’t speak to any of that.... because I think it inappropriate to speak to the underlying initial item. But I am curious what all of you think!

I… I can’t even with some guys anymore. Just saw a string of tweets saying “If you don’t want to get raped, don’t dress like a slut.” Which, first of all, COMPLETELY misunderstands rape.... and is an insensitive asshole thing to say. But.. I looked into who was saying these things and… ethnically diverse. Socio-economically diverse.

“If you don’t want to be treated like a CRIMINAL don’t dress like a CRIMINAL” Man, that’s racist.
“If you don’t want to be treated like an ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT don’t dress like an ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT.” Man, that’s racist.
“If you don’t want to be treated like POOR WHITE TRASH don’t dress like POOR WHITE TRASH.” Man, that’s classist.
“If you don’t want to be treated like a RACIST MAGA don’t dress like a RACIST MAGA.” Man, that’s against freedom of speech!

Yeah. Just like the comment you shared, dumbasses. If what we WEAR gives a kind of permission to our ATTACKERS than that has to cover ALL outfits and attacks. Not just the ones you “can agree with.” And, btw… if you can “agree with rape”, you aren’t speaking from a place of rational thought or justifiable behavior… you’re speaking from a place of Sexual Predator.

We’re going to need a stronger head:desk gif.

Sarah Huckabee-Sanders, in speaking with the Christian Broadcast Network, stated that “God wanted Donald Trump to become president” and that it was the only reason Trump was in office. She then proceeded to say that it was “very hard” to take morality lessons from Democrats; implying that Democrats are the party of immorality. Evangelical Christians still overwhelmingly support Donald Trump.

IT MAKES NO FUCKING SENSE! The man as a Private Citizen cheated on all of his wives, had a Playboy cover, is in the WWE Hall of Fame, barred black people from his buildings until he was sued by New York over it, obsessed about being a Celebrity, bullies people, lacks humility, lacks Grace… I hate to make a sweeping statement like this but Trump may be the least Christian and the least Christ-like President this country has ever seen!

I’ve studied the Bible. I have a college degree in it. I actually have several awards throughout my life on my Biblical Literacy and Interpretation. So I’m not some novice, side-line, angry political hack on this. So… I don’t fucking get it!

Just going to slide this in here for the record.
Last night, Wife suggested that we might attempt sexy times tonight. It would be the first time in 6 months, so yes please. But we’ll see what happens. It sucks to say that I don’t have my hopes up, but it is honest.

Now I have 3.5 hours of work left. Boss looks to be finishing his depositions. I expect a phone call from a judge based on the question “Defendant has alibi witnesses that weren’t disclosed. I could refuse to allow them to testify or we could continue the case.” I expect Boss will have lots of requests for me today, tomorrow, and next week. But we’ll see. Hard to say for sure.

P.S. Perhaps I am a small person. I must confess that, at times, when I read bright, shining, glowing positive PB stories about love and sex and joy and sunshine… I do feel a bitter pang of jealousy. I assume that means I’m “only human” but I see it as something that keeps me a small person. I should celebrate with them not feel in some way upset. Just… something to work on.

Last updated January 31, 2019