Category: Current Events

Flat Earthers take cover

Riley, who has been on lockdown for five years. He believes in the science of being cozy.

I’ve been trying not to think about the state of the union, but that might prove to be impossible. Just as I breathed a huge sigh of relief when Joe Biden won the election, Trump and his cronies dug in deeper to spread misinformation about election security, and the man himself refuses to accept he lost. Oh, and purging non-loyalists, denying access to transition resources.

The list goes on, and all of it concerns me, a retired 65-year-old military veteran and non-radical citizen who just wants decent people representing us. Yes, I care about specific policies and lean left, but I’m OK with a diverse selection of elected officials as long as they are not amoral sociopaths. I’m looking at you, Donnie.

As I stewed over this train wreck of politics, it occurred to me I am trying too hard to look the other way. I’m getting better at intellectual distancing – in that I can think about the mess we’re in and not internalize it too much – and I believe it’s a sign I can absolutely pay attention and share my observations from time to time without going nuts inside.

Just because we’re getting older doesn’t mean we have to disappear quietly into that good night. There’s a lot to talk about … and plenty of room left for art, reading, golf, outdoors, cooking and all the other fun stuff that makes for a happy retirement! I very much appreciate your readership and hope you enjoy the balance of topics.

I wonder (not worry) about what’s next. I already feel better knowing Joe Biden will be our next president. We have a ton of social, medical and financial challenges, but the flat Earthers will have to take cover when science matters again, and we’ll have four years to see if we can turn this ship around.

It will not be easy. I miss pre-Trump Republicans. Some of them might have looked beyond their own agenda to do what’s right for America and her allies. Now I wonder how Trump’s sycophants will fare once the ex-president has faded from the scene.

People like Bill Barr, Lindsey Graham and Mitch McConnell – they sold their souls. But perhaps there are others who will see the light once Trump isn’t looming over them like the grim reaper.

Call me crazy, but I’m feeling optimistic about the future.

No malarkey

What a relief to see Joe Biden elected president. And as one of the late night comedians said, what a year this week has been. I guess it was last week, but you know what I mean.

I like to think things are not quite as random as we suppose. Joe didn’t get the job in earlier years, because it was not his job. The universe was saving him for when we needed him the most. This time the doors opened.

I’ve had a lot of songs on the election results playlist that runs through my head. Among them:

  • When You Wish Upon a Star – Jiminy Cricket
  • Save The Best for Last – Vanessa Williams
  • A Change is Gonna Come – Sam Cooke
  • Waiting for the Miracle – Leonard Cohen
  • At Last – Etta James
  • Philadelphia Freedom – Elton John
  • Everyday People – Sly and the Family Stone

Any favorites on your list? By the way, I’m advocating Bruce Springsteen for the inauguration.

Our country is still a hot mess. But I am hoping someone sane and moral at the helm will drive positive change. Although I lean liberal, I don’t favor extremists of any persuasion. I’m thinking Joe can steer us toward sensible middle ground. There will be disagreements galore, but at least we won’t have all that hateful rhetoric spewing daily. No malarkey!

I NEVER watch political speeches, but I caved and watched Joe and Kamala. I cried. I do believe they are the right team for the right time. I loved how he said he would be president to all, not just his supporters. That always drove me nuts about Trump – only speaking to his base, as though he wasn’t president of the entire United States.

Is it too much to hope both sides will come together and give our country another run at democracy? That somehow Joe can help all of us embrace cooperation over divisiveness?

Dale and I had a lengthy debate discussion on how to pronounce Kamala’s name. It’s comma-la. Dale, as always, disputed my authority, and I had to produce reference material. Then he suggested my sources were not credible, so I finally had to find a video of Kamala saying her own name!

It’s not easy being us.

I still want to practice my intellectual distancing. Some of the more left-wing critics suggest the Biden win will let people like me “go back to brunch.” I’m not going to stop caring and doing what I can to help our country, but I do look forward to waking up everyday without this great existential fear about what Trump and his cronies have done while I was sleeping.

As for him, the reaction is pretty much what I expected. Earlier in the year, I had a vision it would be like the Wizard of Oz, when Dorothy accidentally spills water on the Wicked Witch of the West.

Look what you’ve done!! I’m melting, melting.

Ohhhhh, what a world, what a world. Who would have thought that some little girl like you could destroy my beautiful wickedness.

Election fatigue

The U.S. election has been particularly brutal this year. Of course, I’ve made no secret of my utter disdain for Trump. I fear the worst if he is reelected. However, I’ve read conservatives fear the worst if Biden is elected. Both sides have deeply seated emotions that are on full display and propagated in news outlets and on social media.

It got me thinking about how things used to be. I seem to recall my parents did not tell each other who they voted for, although I remember a Goldwater bumper sticker on the car. That was just posturing. Who you actually voted for was your own private business. Dale said his parents were the same, and he only learned his father was a Democrat years after he died.

Even after a stint in the Army and 20 years as an Army wife, I can’t recollect any serious political conversations with friends or colleagues. A bit of social commentary for sure, but we mostly talked about beer, food, family, work, travel, music, romance and sports. It was fun.

Back when we were having those get-togethers, we assumed no one was exactly like us, so we made an effort to find common ground. With the internet, a lot of people found their tribe, and now they don’t want to socialize with anyone who doesn’t think, act or look like them.

It’s all quite tiresome. While I continue to support causes and candidates I care about, politics has become a dreary topic of conversation. I’m burned out. Aren’t you? I noticed there are no political yard signs in our neighborhood, and I love it. It seems rather peaceful in our little bubble.

Politics and neighborhoods … maybe it’s like marriage. Not everything needs to be said.

A mysterious visitor

Dale had an unusual experience last week, and no, I’m not talking about yard work.

He went to get gas and was parked by the tank, about to fill up. A neatly groomed older guy – Dale said maybe 60s – approached him. The man was wearing shorts Dale said were a little shorter than what’s in fashion (as if Dale would know) and a shirt tucked in. No mask.

The visitor said, “I’m from another area, and I’m not sure how this works. Do I go in and pay?”

Dale asked him if he had a credit card, and the guy said yes. Dale explained he could pay at the pump. The guy got his credit card out and fiddled around with the machine, finally asking Dale if he could help him. Dale showed him how it worked. Before the guy pressed the button for gas, he said, “Oh, is this unleaded?”

By this time, Dale is wondering what the hell? But he said in his nicest Mr. Know-It-All voice, “We haven’t had leaded gas in the U.S. in more than 20 years.”

The guy said, “Oh, OK, thanks.”

Dale’s telling me this story, and I said, “Are you sure he didn’t say he was from another era?”

We both laughed, but that leaves us with some decisions to make. Who was this unmasked man, and why was he so clueless? Here are your choices:

  • Time traveler
  • Alien
  • Recently incarcerated or otherwise institutionalized
  • Other?

I’m voting for time traveler and an unlucky one at that. Time travel should come with a warning: Beware 2020. As for the other choices, it seems like even someone institutionalized would be more savvy, and I’m pretty sure aliens don’t have credit cards … let’s hope not, anyway.