It's Up to Baltimore to Fix Baltimore Thing

Dear America,

"We either make ourselves

 happy or miserable.  

The amount of work 

is the same." 

Carlos Castaneda  

A page from my little book titled, 

"Nothing is worth more than this day." 

by Kathryn and Ross Petras

And because sometimes, it is just easier to have you begin somewhere else -- please go to where this girl religiously hails and finds fresh news and critical thought.... @ The Patriot Post, and read THIS before you read anything else.  And thank you, Thomas Gallatin, for laying out the intersection of context and truth to a capital T....perhaps standing for  Thank you, or Thomas, or Trump, or Truth, just Take your pick.

And thank you, Washington Examiner, for THIS itty bitty walk back....to circa 2015.

SO Bernie can get away with it, because he veers left, like, really left; while Trump, not so much.

This story is getting rather old, timeworn.

What exactly did Trump say, in the tweet that started another firestorm:

Rep, Elijah Cummings has been a brutal bully, shouting and screaming at the great men & women of Border Patrol about conditions at the Southern Border, when actually his Baltimore district is FAR WORSE and more dangerous. His district is considered the Worst in the USA......

....As proven last week during a Congressional tour, the Border is clean, efficient & well run, just very crowded. Cumming District is a disgusting, rat and rodent infested mess. If he spent more time in Baltimore, maybe he could help clean up this very dangerous & filthy place

Why is so much money sent to the Elijah Cummings district when it is considered the worst run and most dangerous anywhere in the United States. No human being would want to live there. Where is all this money going? How much is stolen? Investigate this corrupt mess immediately!

Don't we all wish for good schools and strong, vibrant communities, living in a  safe, litter free, rat-free, drug-free neighborhood to raise a family? 

The president is not only raising good questions and strong concerns, he is elevating the conversation with a fair dose of absolute truth on the matter.  Baltimore IS a freaking mess and newsflash, Trump had nothing to do with it;  Baltimore's leaders AND Baltimore's residents are responsible for Baltimore's "disgusting, rat and rodent infested mess."

From a August 2017, Sam Faddis writes in the BALTIMORE SUN:

Those days are long gone. Baltimore is on any given day the homicide capital of the United States in terms of murders per capita. Life expectancy in much of West Baltimore is on a par with that of North Korea. The unemployment rate among young black men is close to 40 percent... 

Baltimore's schools are an abject failure. Thirty percent of Baltimore's students never graduate high school. Twenty-one percent of Baltimore's students test as proficient in English, less than 20 percent as proficient in math.

All of this despite 50 years of the so-called war on poverty and Democratic rule in the city. All of this despite the fact that Maryland spends more per student on education in Baltimore City than in any other jurisdiction in the state. All of this despite the fact that the Democratic Party has held a virtual monopoly on elected office in Maryland for decades. The General Assembly is overwhelmingly Democratic. Seven of the eight Congressmen from Maryland are Democrats. Both sitting U.S. Senators are Democrats.

Yes, it would be lovely to rest all the fault at Trump's feet, his critical eye, his harsh words that flow unrelenting and severe out from his twitter feed; yes, it would be lovely to blame Trump for all of what's going wrong, miserable, and racist in every way, whether it be at the border or the mess in Baltimore.

But folks, no matter how many ways we pick it apart, no matter how many times the left labels the president a "racist," the facts show that its the democrats who have failed the big cities and liberal states.   

Here's a bit more from the Uncle Sam Faddis:

The Democratic Party's obsession with high taxes, burdensome regulation and massive, wasteful government programs does none of that. These are the policies that created the problem in the first place and now perpetuate the death spiral in which the city is trapped. That will remain true until such time as the people of Baltimore, and by extension Maryland as a whole, stop blindly supporting a party that has failed them consistently for decades.

And let's see, who else agrees?  The MAYOR of Baltimore herself, Catherine Pugh!

California, my beautiful home state, is steadfastly going in this direction as we speak...from San Francisco to Los Angeles, homelessness, drugs, gangs, welfare, illegal immigrants being offered sanctuary state security with all the perks, high taxes (especially that gas tax!), combined with corporations leaving daily, is creating the very same death spiral conditions on the ground, every single day, and all at the dictates of liberal leadership.

I will commend Representative Elijah Cummings, representing Maryland's 7th District, in his work as Ranking Member for the Committee on Oversight and Reform.   Having said that, is lowering the price on prescription drugs really your district's top concern?  Is it?  Just wondering.

Perhaps, instead of getting defensive about the harsh reality of Baltimore -- or just calling Trump a racist in a knee-jerk reaction -- the leaders, along with the people of Baltimore, should consider accepting taking personal responsibility, each in their own way, to the level and capacity their energies and resources allow.   Baltimore's problems are not overpriced prescription drugs.

The community needs to go back to the basics:

This means, expecting your children to not only go to school, but after school come directly home to do their homework; and why stop there... let's aim for good grades and to graduate High School with the expectation to continue with college!

This means, making healthy connections with friends and neighbors and co-workers and fellow church members, to support each other to do one's best, no matter what conditions our reality may be.

This means, making healthy lifestyle choices -- saying no to drugs, using birth control and protection, eating a balanced diet, getting a fair amount of exercise...just move.

This means, keeping our neighborhoods tidy, maybe even growing a community vegetable garden.

This means, reading more books.

This means, if it's all the same amount of work, really -- choose the pursuit of happiness.  Find happy,  make happy, be happy more often the making yourself, let alone those around you, miserable; proper attitude is probably one of the most important things we can ever choose to do with our time here on earth.

And of course, it also means, pray a little.   That never hurt.  All day long if that's what it takes.  Because there are days that require at least that much no matter how much money you make.

But the thing is, this double standard of calling Trump the crazy racist...when he is just saying the very same things, ideas, that other people have said....and when I say other people, I mean, democrats...this hypocrisy is the real issue.

Your know what I'm grateful for today -- a president that just doesn't back down.  He stays in the conversation, throwing whatever he's got into the mix, and stands all 6'3 unafraid.

Baltimore is the face of a sad, sad commentary of where America is heading. This story has no happy ending, unless all of Baltimore suddenly becomes woke, but in a good way!

Just recently, I was introduced to a lady -- not from Baltimore, but from Pennsylvania -- dating back almost a century.  Her name is Sadie Tanner Mossell Alexander.   She is African-American, born in Philadelphia in 1898.   And her life and story, her expertise and education, defines this divide we bear witness to today, and perhaps explains how today's generation of African-Americans are so messed up in some areas, in some ways...  and of course, given that I AM a WHITE girl, I already understand, I have no right to discuss this subject per my inability to relate fully.  I get that. 

She couldn't get the respect she deserved being a black women aiming to have a career in economics, her first love; but she ended up getting a law degree and working on behalf of civil rights.  Maybe that was where she was supposed to be, who knows.   But, in her economic-minded heart, she knew that the variable of working, full time, was the method of changing lives for the better within her black community.  Work, and work full time.  Make a life.  Strive and thrive. 

And all I can imagine is this Sadie having an attitude to move mountains.  Because she did! 

How sad it is, when I look upon Baltimore, in this day and age...and wonder, just how much a lady like Sadie would change lives today.   

My great grandfather on my father's side, immigrated to Baltimore, and lived in a lovely home and worked as a tailor.  He raised his son, my grandfather, to be something more.  And he was.  He graduated Johns Hopkins and when into aviation engineering...and he's someone I've mentioned many times before. 

"We either make ourselves

 happy or miserable.  

The amount of work 

is the same."

this country -- AMERICA -- tells a zillion stories... of family, of life, of successes, of failures.  It's a story as old as time itself.

It's time to focus on the ways we come together and learn from our past.

America may not be perfect, but our mission has never changed.  This country is a celebration of life and liberty and the pursuit of happiness, in every way.   But none of this comes easy, or free. 

It takes work; it takes hard work. 

It takes vision. 

It takes personal effort. 

Baltimore is a mess... a rat and rodent infested mess.  Let's dare Baltimore to look in the mirror and make their own happy like every other community that cares about what happens within their own community.  There is nothing wrong with that... It's all up to Baltimore to fix Baltimore.

Make it a Good Day, G

It's Nothing from Nothing leaves Nothing Thing

Dear America,

Nothing from Nothing leaves Nothing, 

even if it's capitalized.

exactly

which explains why this collusion hoax, and all that came with, has turned into a 34 MILLION dollar nothing burger on a platter, a patter splattered with nothing more than a vendetta against the incoming president of the United States.  Making more than 300 MILLION Americans served up a complete, and utter, embarrassment.   It should go down as one of the worst crimes against sanity ever.

It's also organized harassment, and more generally recognized as bullying.

It's also, a dereliction of duties, with regards to the lack of follow-through on the actual evidence of election interference by a foreign government from the opposition party, and previous administration, under President Obama.    

It's also conspiracy between the Deep State, the FBI, many high echelon Obama officials (if not Obama, himself) with regard to setting up the entire hoax in the first place.   

They just couldn't believe he had won.

Nothing from Nothing leaves Nothing, even if it's capitalized by deplorable action, on multiple fronts, in concert with only one idea -- impeachment, in every possible form, of a sitting president. 

It's a complete nuclearized, super sized, gastronomic mess; and surprisingly, rather disgracefully, it's still warm -- there's still signs of life left in this nonsense!    Can you even believe that?   (Speaking of astonishing things and burgers,  just love this story ....almost as much as I love In-N-Out.)

But let's be clear, alright, 

In-N-Out is nothing like 

a nothing burger.  

It's. like, the best burger on the planet. k.

ugh,  Nadler  just makes me sick to my stomach.

Bear in mind, the Senate Intelligence report, linked above in The Hill post, notes:

"The Senate report says the investigation found no evidence any vote tallies were changed, vote-tallying systems manipulated or voter registration data changed or deleted..."

which, of course, is not new news -- we have known this all along.

SO if in fact  no votes have been changed, which we have known all along, Trump was elected president without collusion, interference, of any kind.

Even Mueller -- appearing like death warmed over -- couldn't say there was collusion.  

For what it's worth, this post @ Vox  [narrowing things down to 5 Losers and No winners]  isn't a bad read on the matter....BUT, not surprisingly, the review of where things stand --  sans Mueller's day in the hot seat --  decidedly neglected to show a nice flow chart on the opposition party involvement, the faces of those responsible for creating and circulating the false dossier, which led to the FISA judgement, arriving on a silver platter through actions of collusion with the Russians by the Hillary Clinton campaign!   There is that.  

Nothing from Nothing leaves Nothing -- especially if it's capitalized by partisan manipulation of what amounts to nothing more than a false narrative right from the start.

again, 34 MILLION dollars.

This government wastes more money on crap...OR read this, from Dave Ramsey -- just takes three minutes.  OR read this one, it's got pictures, from MSN.

we can add this 34 million to the menu

and still -- over twenty TRILLION dollars in debt.  Where's the heated discussion about that reality, CONGRESS?  

Visualizing this hot mess is where it's at.

This is what should stop our hearts and ring the alarm.

Our debt is something so outrageous, no one gives it the time of day.  It's too abstract, too out there, too it's not my problem...let's kick this can down the road to the next generation.

Sure, paying down debt is not fun for anyone; there is that.   

But continuously doing nothing about it ultimately creates bankruptcy, because nothing from Twenty Trillion dollars leaves Twenty Trillion dollars collecting interest, and on and on and on.   While all the while, continuing to spend more money than we make -- whether upon frivolous things like 'the secrets of college drinking' or 'studying glaciers from a feminist perspective'  to funding our military to secure and protect the American people and the sovereignty of this beautiful nation, which, in other words, is the ONE thing the Federal Government is mandated to do per the Constitution....eventually, something, as in many things, has gotta give.  And give bigly.  very very bigly.

This is why all this new chatter about the latest, greatest version of socialism on a social platter, serving billions of dollars to millions of Americans, is the real issue for this upcoming presidential election.  

If socialism wins next time around, nothing good will come of it.  Nothing.

but again, who am I...

but just a girl,

an American girl

and this is just one day in the life on the old G Thing... 

nothin' but a G thang baby

come back again real soon

and if you must know, this girl is now on her way for a something something burger mmmmmmmmmmmm

Make it a Good Day, G

It's a Downright Foregone Conclusion Thing

Dear America,

Feel the Burn

gotta love the instant reality check, no?

it didn't take long...

Last Thursday, when the staffers were complaining of not getting the $15.00/hour plus health benefits package -- the same kind of entitlement package Bernie is touting on the campaign trail -- as in the same kind of government co-dependency programs that all of the left winged presidential hopefuls keep insisting upon through agendas featuring fundamental transformation to the 2020th power -- Bernie found a solution........wait for it.....

The solution is to "limit the number of hours staffers work to 42 or 43 each week to ensure they’re making the equivalent of $15 an hour," he told the Register's Brianne Pfannenstiel

hahhahahhahahhahhah

and he then added: 

 "It does bother me that people are going outside of the process and going to the media," Sanders added. "That is really not acceptable. It is really not what labor negotiations are about, and it's improper."

yes indeed, airing the campaigns dirty laundry in public is quite improper. What, are you british now?

just love that, "going to the media...really not acceptable..."  can't you just hear it coming out of his mouth?  but honestly, since when have you believed that, Bern?  Union negotiations have long been bosom buddies with the media -- from both sides!  How else is the public swayed; how else do the negotiations feel the burn and come to an end over merely the stress factor, the amount of human suffering alone is enough, right?  omg

the irony of the situation came whipping back like a boomerang; although, I still don't think the Bern even gets it.  His answer is always the same thing -- tax more, he says.  Talk like a Brit, sound like a Brit, he must be a Brit, that Bern.   You know we colonists had a knock down, drag out, hellacious war over taxation, right?  You know just finished celebrating the independence from those oppressors of the olden-days, like only a couple weeks ago, right?

And just love how Representative Dan Crenshaw responds: "So does this fall under the category of hypocrisy, irony, or poetic justice?" Crenshaw asked. "All three? Can’t make this stuff up."

The thing is, if this insane $15.00 minimum wage can't work within the confines of a small political campaign, how in the world does Bernie expect it to work in the real world? 

As the Fox News post continues to point out --

 "This situation is an instructive example of the downside of more than doubling the minimum wage," wrote The Blaze's Aaron Colen. "Companies don't just suddenly get more money to pay employees. They have to make tough decisions; usually either cutting hours, or worse, cutting staff."

exactly

And since when does it make sense to basically double the current  federal minimum wage, like, overnight?  (like,  this girl is so sounding like the AOC today, like for sure)   

Sure -- like, businesses won't feel the burn at all going from $7.25/hour (set in 2009) to $15.00 with a quick vote from parliament.  oops, I mean congress.    boom! bust!  ha!

And besides --  many states, almost half of them actually, are not affected by the federally mandated minimum wage at all,  as they already land somewhere above it!   For example, most of the state of California is at a minimum wage of at least $12.00, going up to $15.00, depending upon municipality. 

But the thing is --  this game of minimum wage hikes and government mandates is getting America in a situation much like that of the British Open (ironically played in Northern Ireland, at  Royal Portrush’s Dunluce...am I the only one to find that funny).   

And forgive me (not really) if I carry you off the day's course for a wee bit....

That was a totally awesome day, yesterday, as the Irishman, Shane Lowry, took the most sizable portion of the purse!  He won!  And he deserved it!  He played better than all of the other players!  By a long shot!  Even in inhospitable conditions of rain coming down sideways, winds, and lots and lots of scary things all around the course, from bunkers to weeds to cliffs to hilly greens.  It was an amazing four day spectacle of true grit and talent -- and Shane conquered it all and won!  And he was paid handsomely for it, too, nearly 2 million dollars!  But runner up, Tommy Fleetwood -- although a wee bit higher on the handsome side, got only 1.2 million....and so on and so on.  

Even though they all played the same number of days, the same course, with the same weather, with the same challenges...one got paid more than everybody else.  imagine that.

You see -- if you demanded that everyone get the same fair living wage in the tournament, there would be no tournament.  k?  can you dig me another bunker for your shock and awe?  

awww  but G, that's not the same thing, you're comparing golf balls to basketballs....oh really?

No matter the industry -- whether for sport or for commerce or for service -- there is always the existence of supply and demand, of risk and investment, of capital in and capital out, of gains and losses, of development over time and patience, of market leanings, market evolution, to markets totally disappearing... and all coinciding with the natural separation of personal experience and expertise and talent and dedicated amount of time!   And when you add it all up, that makes way for proper distribution of winners and losers and everyone in between.  Even if it's for charity. 

It remains a mystical, magical, economical equation -- much of which is no mystery whatsoever.   It is all fair play according to the open marketplace; an open marketplace like the one a money guy like Adam Smith imagined...class, no matter your class -- middle and otherwise -- please engage and read up on the ideas of Mr. Smith and make your own foregone conclusions.

The more America drives away from being the land of the home and the free within the security (and spontaneity, shall we say) of the enterprising, free market, full capitalist, dimension, the less security and wealth we will attain, let alone keep.

yes.  Let's Keep America Great again.

In order to do this, the free and open marketplace must win; and socialism -- of every ugly, miserable, envious dimension -- must lose!  bigly.  very very bigly.

end of story.

or it will be the end of U.S.

Bernie's campaign has illuminated everything we need to know and understand about the fundamental transformation he is pitching to all Americans.  1)  Most importantly, it doesn't work  2) why do something that has been proven time and time again NOT to work?  

Wouldn't that be taking us backwards, not forwards, Bernie?  Fore! (yes indeed, with that link, this girl covered the Brits, the Irish and the Scots all in one blog; bringing new meaning to teehee, but I digress)

Dare I say again, fore! look out below......

Socialism

is a philosophy of failure 

with the creed of ignorance, 

and the gospel of envy. 

 It's inherent virtue

is the equal sharing of misery."

Winston Churchill

have a nice day.

Make it a Good Day, G

It's about the Squad Thing

Dear America,

it started with this...

So interesting to see “Progressive” Democrat Congresswomen, who originally came from countries whose governments are a complete and total catastrophe, the worst, most corrupt and inept anywhere in the world (if they even have a functioning government at all), now loudly..........and viciously telling the people of the United States, the greatest and most powerful Nation on earth, how our government is to be run. Why don’t they go back and help fix the totally broken and crime infested places from which they came. Then come back and show us how.......it is done. These places need your help badly, you can’t leave fast enough. I’m sure that Nancy Pelosi would be very happy to quickly work out free travel arrangements!

Trump's twitter fritter strikes again.

one itty bitty problem --  so only one of the four congresswomen was not born in the great US of A, only one. And namely, Ihlan Omar came from Somalia.

details.

His message was meant to sting and scorch the earth underneath their feet in equal portion. 

He then moved into this...

So sad to see the Democrats sticking up for people who speak so badly of our Country and who, in addition, hate Israel with a true and unbridled passion. Whenever confronted, they call their adversaries, including Nancy Pelosi, “RACIST.” Their disgusting language.......and the many terrible things they say about the United States must not be allowed to go unchallenged. If the Democrat Party wants to continue to condone such disgraceful behavior, then we look even more forward to seeing you at the ballot box in 2020!

then this:

When will the Radical Left Congresswomen apologize to our Country, the people of Israel and even to the Office of the President, for the foul language they have used, and the terrible things they have said. So many people are angry at them & their horrible & disgusting actions! If Democrats want to unite around the foul language & racist hatred spewed from the mouths and actions of these very unpopular & unrepresentative Congresswomen, it will be interesting to see how it plays out. I can tell you that they have made Israel feel abandoned by the U.S. “We all know that AOC and this crowd are a bunch of Communists, they hate Israel, they hate our own Country, they’re calling the guards along our Border (the Border Patrol Agents) Concentration Camp Guards, they accuse people who support Israel as doing it for the Benjamin’s,.......they are Anti-Semitic, they are Anti-America, we don’t need to know anything about them personally, talk about their policies. I think they are American citizens who are duly elected that are running on an agenda that is disgusting, that the American people will reject..........What does it mean for America to have free Healthcare for Illegal Immigrants, no criminalization of coming into our Country - See how that works for controlling Immigration! They talk about Israel like they’re a bunch of thugs, not victims of the entire region. They wanted......to impeach President Trump on DAY ONE. Make them the face of the future of the Democrat Party, you will destroy the Democrat Party. Their policies will destroy our Country!” @LindseyGrahamSC Need I say more? We will never be a Socialist or Communist Country. IF YOU ARE NOT HAPPY HERE, YOU CAN LEAVE! It is your choice, and your choice alone. This is about love for America. Certain people HATE our Country....

July 15th was a busy day in twitter world.

Wonder what Ihlan Omar has to say about Hodan this morning, or like yesterday, or even the day before that?  what? like  nothing?   Read her feed for yourself, but only if you are on an empty stomach...go here.

But you would think Ihlan would have some stronger words to use with regards to what IS happening  in her home country, for that's what Somalia truly is -- her one, true, home country; and it's a crappy,  sh@*hole country as it falls apart today.   

To say that Ihlan would not have the liberty to say what she wants to say in Somalia, against the atrocities going on there, against the acts of terrorism upon her home country and people every single day, is an understatement.  She would be attacked, if not killed, if she tried to improve conditions on the ground. let alone aim to improve the Somali government.   SHE would be murdered, just like the Canadian-Somali Journalist --  the one who was pregnant and nearly about to give birth -- Hodan.

We may be a diverse country, but the thing is, America works because -- on our best days -- we aim to assimilate, to become one American culture, as one body of citizens.  There is no white America, black America, brown, red, yellow America; America is designed to be color blind, race blind, religious blind, gender blind....and so on and so on. (Remember some of that from Barack Hussein Obama?...of course you do, it was the speech that led him into the spotlight at the 2004 Democratic Convention.)

A perfect example of what is racist and/or discriminating, is thinking that everyone of a certain color should vote a certain way.  And it goes something like this:

 "We don’t need any more brown faces 

that don’t want to be a brown voice. 

We don’t need black faces 

that don’t want to be a black voice. 

We don’t need Muslims

 that don’t want to be a Muslim voice. 

We don’t need queers 

that don’t want to be a queer voice”

You are all welcome to come on over to the other side any day of the week, just sayin'.
Wish I was seeing the president tweet a response to this!

Are her words uniting or dividing us, as a people, as a whole?

but thank you, to the people's representative, Ayanna Pressley, democrat from Massachusetts, for making it so easy to understand how ya'll roll in the squad.  Appreciate the refreshing, raw honesty.  (for more on this, go here)  You can bet she sounds like a racist through and through, even if she isn't.

I wonder what would happen if Trump actually called Rashida Talib a motherf*&er...it's just her words, not mine.  January 4th, 2019 -- "we're going to impeach the motherfucker."  Is it because he is white and is fighting to protect America's foundations?  You can bet she sounds like a racist, too, even if she isn't.

oh but let's return to Ihlan Omar, from one immigrant to another (although illegal!), and in her own words:

"If you are an undocumented immigrant, 

please know that you are 

in my thoughts and that I will keep fighting 

to make our immigration system 

welcome all who seek a better life in our country."

You say this, and in the next breath or on another day, you dare say, "I probably love this country more than anyone who was naturally born... I want America the great to be America the great."

When, in fact, your first allegiance, Ihlan, should be to American citizens, American sovereignty, and America's protection and security, including securing the border. 

And if you cared so much, how come you have voted, alongside your fellow democrats, EIGHTY times against a true blue Humanitarian Aid package to bring about improvements to the border chaos?

Not to mention another fact,  Ihlan -- that America's immigration system is the most open and welcoming in the entire world!  And this goes without saying, but will say it anyway -- the truth is, people immigrate to America because the whole world sees something in America that they like, that they want.  America must be doing something right, right?

My home country origins run the scope of England along with a good portion of European descent, west to east, east to west.  I don't want to go back... to any of my home ancestral counties.  I love America and I'm an American girl through and through. 

And NO, Ihlan -- you don't love America more than me.  Not even close.   I can say so based upon two things -- evidence of my 1010 blogs addressed to Dear America vs. your evidence of a nasty twitter feed.  Neither the color of my skin or yours has anything to do with it.

Is America perfect?  Of course not.
Show me a country without issues.... without a history... without reprehensible acts peppering the landscape with indiscretions, injustices,  and corruption...  and I'll tell you you're a liar.

hmmm wonder how Somalia fits into this conversation? 
No wonder you left.
No wonder you get so hostile if you are threatened with the idea of going back.

As much as I hate the over consumption of who hates what and why, I  must say, I like that we are having the conversation.  And I'm not a racist if I happen to side on the side of this American president.

Certainly, there are days when we expect more from our elected officials, ALL of them- - including our president; but when it comes to Trump, we expected no less.   He is fighting for AMERICA, and is willing to take the hits, left right and center.

The thing is --
Open borders will not make us more compassionate, as a people
Free college tuition will not make us smarter, as a people
Universal Healthcare will not make us healthier, as a people
Higher taxation will not make us richer, as a people of this glorious republic
and we can go on, but I'll leave it at this...

Taking the long view, indiscriminately throwing around the label "racist" will only desensitize us to the ugly reality of witnessing true racism and prolong our ability to come together as a people, as a country, as any group of  300 million decent human beings, striving to live in harmony, in a republic, in a democracy, alike, can be.

I think a long hard look into the mirror and quickly forgetting what color of skin we were born with, might be a good idea right about now.  enough already.

love this country or leave....amen
and this may sound totally out of left field, but if you don't love and respect this country, perhaps one should reconsider which soccer team to play for....but most especially stand and salute the flag during the playing of the team's anthem, duh (and for another view from Prager U dude, Dennis Prager -- go here!)
Love this country, in thought word and deed....amen


Make it a Good Day -- and nobody gets hurt,
G 

It's a Good Day to be Back Thing

Dear America,

Happy Belated Birthday to the ATB...

 America the Beautiful...

with love and admiration, bae, from the G

so this girl was gone for a good chunk of the calendar...hit the wild blue yonder and never looked back, so it would seem.  Hail to the gap between June 21st through the 10th, yo

But surely, all's well that ends, as my mama says --  so here I am, finally, and all the while still stumbling for the right words in this process of getting all my wheels on the ground and coming to a complete stop before unbuckling my seat belt and jumping back into my life full steam ahead.

Yes, long gone is the steam engine.  good point.  


speaking of steam, oh to celebrating the nation's holiday of America's Independence in the city where it all happens -- in Washington DC!  It surely did not disappoint! 

Timing is everything and talk about fireworks. 

Yikes to the Nike's for caving into a false narrative of our founding and making a total mess of a certain HERstory -- namely, of Betsy Ross (and that link there, is a good one...love my Star Parker, you go girl).   Truth be told, although there were many women doing their thing way in the background way back when, Betsy was, like, you know, the one and only true symbol of women taking an active part in the American Revolution.

Colin, like, I thought your beef was with police brutality against the black man?  How did we go from that to this -- a full blown, knock down, war against America herself?

TO be clear, and to be more bold, offering up a little context that many of you might understand a wee bit better --  this Betsy flag --  the one celebrating our thirteen fire breathing colonies posturing to wreak havoc upon the king and queens across the pond.... that flag...that flag was like the first Rainbow flag!  k, ya dig?  You get it now?

Shame on you, Colin -- and how you got away with it, I have no idea. 

Every women's organization should be throwing down shade one after the other, every which way to Sunday and back,  upon this disgraceful show of disrespect...talk about misogyny!  Where's the ESPY award for that, cuz Nike and Colin are all tied up right about now and it's gonna be a photo finish.   And especially as we are coming into this new season,  of celebrating a woman's right to vote -- the 100th anniversary in August 2020 no less! 

Oh, but to diss Betsy like so, to diss the first flag, to diss our long struggle of fighting for the freedoms every single one of us ridiculously enjoy every day...this first flag, celebrating the 13 colonies joining forces against pure oppression, against England, meant something so much bigger than Colin is even capable of recognizing, let alone understanding.  And same goes for that Nike guy and CEO, Mark Parker.  If you hate America so much, then maybe you two should consider living somewhere else.  Maybe, just maybe, you should stop exploiting Americans by making money off of such lies and steam engine fodder and go live the rest of your days, say, in Venezuela. 

Colin -- would it have been better if the revolution didn't work out so well?  If perhaps, this land and your land, in the company of so much of the royal colonization around the world, was STILL under the control of Great Britain and the Church of England?   Would that have been a better ending to the war that ultimately revolutionized the entire globe? 

Oh let the good steam roll...


You, dear Colin, are an idiot -- an ignorant, left-brained, small-minded peddler of nothing more than perversions of  America's truths, not only dating back to our founding, but including and up through the current day's climate,  which virtually binds us and buries us in untruths and fake news all the live long day.

it's exhausting already.  Calgon take me away.

And in other news in the hot and steam department -- how about this hummahummadamndinger:

picture a girl in a t-shirt, (not wet) and across her chest reads this:

CAPITALISM IS

UNSUSTAINABLE

rich in irony, right?

but quite poor in substantive proof, you know, given what actually happened after the doors were blown off, revealing more wealth and sustenance for more people, for more the world over, through the makings of industry outside agriculture with the industrial revolution!

As one good and steamy revolution turns into another...and another...


Here's hoping capitalism is so unsustainable for y'all who made the shirt, that the shirt doesn't sell!

But seriously, hail to the nitwits bashing capitalism while enjoying the benefits of capitalism, using the tools of capitalism, and marketing through all the capitalized social networks available to sell this kind of nonsense, right?

If bashing capitalism is so woke -- these yokels should at least start with everything "made in china," just sayin' --  at which point, full steam ahead with making your point to Apple, Google, Microsoft, um GEICO...um, Mickey D's....um what else, oh yeah, Nike, that should have been numero uno.....Adidas, Levi-Strauss...then there is Starbucks.... Ford, Chevrolet, Amtrak, United Airlines....yeah yeah.  the list goes on and on and on and on and on. 

let's just stop making everything and live in tee-pees and begin eating off the prairie, starting, like, yesterday.  I'm in.

oh let the good steam roll...

The thing is, THIS is why teaching history, HERstory, is so freeeking important!  CONTEXT is everything.   The era, itself, is meaningful.  The culture of the day gives credence to the day.  And fortunately, all things continue to change over time itself.    Betsy Ross, being a Quaker, was a fighter against slavery; she was on the right side of history, even while history revealed serious faults throughout the struggle of equality for all.

The thing is --  we learn so much when we are learned people and understand from which we all came --  the good, the bad, and the ugly notwithstanding.  (Oh to witness the books from Thomas J's personal library, all I wanted to do was break the glass and smell the pages of a book he once turned; an incredible place the Library of Congress, put that on your bucket list if you have not gone already. but I digress.)

 
Hail to the few and the proud who purchased the Nike Betsy Ross Sneaker before it was pulled; going to their capitalism war chest of tools and ammo, some scored $2000 on the after market collector's market instantly created upon her loss.    Isn't capitalism rich?  indeed.

This girl had a Fourth of July to remember back in the District of Columbia, leaving footprints all over the city, from DAR Headquarters and Constitution Hall, crossing the ellipse umpteen times, to visiting our National Cathedral, to the Library of Congress, to the rooftop of my darling daughter's first apartment (a roof with a view that spans all the way from the National Cathedral, all the way across town... where steeples peek out from the treetops, to the nation's Capitol building rising up against the twilight sky, to the Washington Monument, to the Kennedy Center and the majestic Potomac, all with a fireworks show that lit up hearts and minds in equal portion, no matter rich or poor, all over town).

Although every day was met with an unimaginable level of hot and steamy temperatures, making it unbearably difficult to truly enjoy the great outdoors, I must say, capitalism is alive and well in this fine American neck of the woods.  Alive and well.  What a beautiful thing to behold.

so that's all I got.
time for a hot steam before heading to work; scratch that, gonna go to work first, then return to a hot steam for my reward.   oh life is good.

And the whole truth is -- America is good -- and the more we emphasize the good, the good-er we all get.

Make it a Good Day, G