Down the Drain

This is a rant. Go away now if you are looking for cute pictures of niceties. You can come back tomorrow for that.

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Most people who have been reading my blog for any length of time are probably aware that I am not happy with the current state of the nation.
 
Give it a year, and I think a lot of people are going to be really unhappy, but they will have to find it out for themselves. Some will never figure it out, and will blame somebody else. It's the nature of being human.
 
With all of this quick change going on, to me it feels like a chronic beating over the head. Unfortunately, every time Republicans are in charge of the government, I feel like I am being beaten. It is the verbal patronizing, the language, the authoritarianism, I suppose, that makes me feel like I have a boot over my face. Not only that, Republicans in Congress are just mean. And they really dislike women. Honestly, every mean person I know is a Republican. I know nice Republicans, too, but I can't think of a single mean Democrat. I probably know some, but I don't know who they are. I know that I know mean Republicans.
 
Anyway, since that is how I have been feeling, like a beaten down dog whimpering in a cage, it has been hard to blog. I try not to blog too much about political stuff here because that is not what I want on Blue Country Magic. But when it is all I can think about, and all that is in the news, and all that is eating at me, it is difficult to write about fawns and daylilies.
 
I am not writing on Facebook, either, even though I sometimes want to scream out responses to the things I see posted. But I am not very good at arguments. I can state my case and you can agree with it or not, but I don't want to argue with anyone about it. So I don't argue. If I do post something, if you don't agree, don't agree. I generally won't waste my time fighting about it. Usually I just hit "delete." It's the best key on the keyboard.

That type of thing, of course, pertains to opinion. Now, if I'm stating a fact, like, say, 4+4=8, or the ground is made of dirt and rocks and compost and dead things, and you don't want to agree with that, well, that just means you're ignorant. I might argue with you over a fact. A real fact, not an alternative fact.
 
A friend, a moderate Republican who occasionally shows glimpses of a soul when he talks to me, doesn't post a lot of political stuff on Facebook, either. I still have hope for him,  but yesterday he posted a video on Facebook but he made little comment about it except that it made him think (about what, I do not know). The video was by some dude who claimed to be in Iraq (no way to know for sure, he might have been in his basement in Mississippi). He said that he had been told that right now, with the [whatever name I decide to call the person leading the country]'s ban on immigration, the Iraqis are fired up. After all, we're supposed to be on their side but their nation was spelled out as being bad and their people couldn't come here, not even the ones that fought with us. This guy said if he went out on the town, the Iraqi people, not ISIL or Al Qaida, would kill him. Torture him, behead him. And is that the kind of people we want in the U.S.?
 
What I wanted to respond to this video was this:

Matthew Shepherd (December 1, 1976 – October 12, 1998), beaten, tortured, and left to die near Laramie, Wyoming on the night of October 6, 1998. Significant media coverage was given to the killing and what role Shepard's sexual orientation might have played as a motive in the perpetration of the crime.

Nine black church congregants were killed by a white shooter June 17, 2015 in Charleston, S.C.

The KKK and black lynchings.

Any newspaper reporting crime in any day in this country.

For further information, here's a report in the Washington Post on Hate Crime. 
 
And there is this graph here at the FBI site:

I just pulled out Virginia because that is where I live. In just those areas, which doesn't even include most of Southwest Virginia, there are over 160 murders. And look at all of those violent crimes.
 
And then I would have liked to have responded with this:
 
FBI Hate Crimes Statistics

Overview

• In 2015, 14,997 law enforcement agencies participated in the Hate Crime Statistics Program. Of these agencies, 1,742 reported 5,850 hate crime incidents involving 6,885 offenses.
•  There were 5,818 single-bias incidents that involved 6,837 offenses, 7,121 victims, and 5,475 known offenders.
• The 32 multiple-bias incidents reported in 2015 involved 48 offenses, 52 victims, and 18 known offenders.

Single-bias incidents

Analysis of the 5,818 single-bias incidents reported in 2015 revealed that:

• 56.9 percent were motivated by a race/ethnicity/ancestry bias.

• 21.4 percent were prompted by religious bias.

• 18.1 percent resulted from sexual-orientation bias.

• 2.0 percent were motivated by gender-identity bias.

• 1.3 percent were prompted by disability bias.

• 0.4 percent (23 incidents) were motivated by a gender bias.

 
Because we're such a calm, non-violent society, after all. We worship our mammas and apple pie. We don't gang up on gays, or black people, or Muslims, or people of different faith.

What crap.

My point is, this weird view that Americans have that we're such a peaceful, tolerant and welcoming nation is bullshit, and the world is calling us on it. We are violent. We are mean. We are as bad, if not worse, than any other nation in this word. as far as violence and hatred and just plain vileness goes. Only we do it in the name of "Christianity" instead of some other religion, so somehow or another, because a bunch of people worship a really blatantly fucked-up version of "the Prince of Peace," that makes shooting one another and dropping drone bombs on people all right.

And to make this point even more strongly, here is this, from The American Bar Association:

In 2003, there were 30,136 firearm-related deaths in the United States; 16,907 (56%) suicides, 11,920 (40%) homicides (including 347 deaths due to legal intervention/war), and 962 (3%) undetermined/unintentional firearm deaths.

CDC/National Center for Injury Prevention and Control, WISQARS Injury Mortality Reports 1999-2003 http://www.cdc.gov/ncipc/wisqars

• The rate of death from firearms in the United States is eight times higher than that in its economic counterparts in other parts of the world. Kellermann AL and Waeckerle JF. Preventing Firearm Injuries. Ann Emerg Med July 1998; 32:77-79.

• The overall firearm-related death rate among U.S. children younger than 15 years of age is nearly 12 times higher than among children in 25 other industrialized countries combined. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, 1997;46:101-105.

•  The United States has the highest rate of youth homicides and suicides among the 26 wealthiest nations. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
  Rates of homicide, suicide, and firearm-related death among children: 26 industrialized countries.MMWR. 1997;46:101-105. Krug EG, Dahlberg LL, Powell KE. Childhood homicide, suicide, and firearm deaths: an international comparison. World Health Stat Q. 1996;49:230-235.

Still think we're so nice? Let's see. How about the 2006 murders at Virginia Tech? The Sandy Hook murders in 2012? The Oklahoma bombings in 1995? How about the guy who beat another guy to death in the gas station about four miles from me, because he didn't like the way the other guy was driving? Or maybe the murders of a couple of young women near UVA? Or the shooting of a couple of journalists at a local TV station?

Or maybe the stabbings, gunshots, fights, and domestic violence runs that my husband's EMS/Fire crews see every single night in Roanoke would convince you, dear reader, that we are not a peaceful people?

We are the ONLY nation to have used an atomic weapon on real, live people. We have lynched people on the say-so of a single person. We are completely capable of ostracizing and being cruel to someone different than us. We do it every single day. Every. Single. Day.

And we're terrified of people who are thousands of miles away from us.

Frankly, I am as frightened of some of the people in my community as I am anybody else in the world.

We can keep fooling ourselves that we are better than others in the world, but we're not. That boat has sailed and is so far gone it is too late to wave bye-bye to it. The only thing we have is greed and a religion that worships money.

Some of us, though, want a better world.

We ain't gettin' it today.

Thursday Thireteen #485

Thirteen pictures that have nothing in common except I took them.

A secret glen of trillium.

Bear running through alfalfa.

A calf.

An orange rose.

Sunrise through forsythia.

A January rainbow.

Canadian Goose.

Fence.

Our house from afar, in Autumn.

A black swan that found its way to the pond.

Rose after rain.



Fawn.

Turkey.

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Thursday Thirteen is played by lots of people; there is a list here if you want to read other Thursday Thirteens and/or play along. I've been playing for a while and this is my 485th time to do a list of 13 on a Thursday.

A Big Wind Came Through

So today this happened:

The cedar tree split in two.

Half of it fell across the driveway. Good thing I wasn't going anywhere.

Poor tree.

Removal begins. Good thing we have a backhoe.

More work.

There it goes.



He's pulling it away, off to a brush pile.

Sunday Stealing: Cool Guy Questions

Sunday Stealing: The Cool Guy Questions


1.) When was the first time you ever swore or said something profane?

A. The first time? I've been swearing for at least 40 years or longer.

2.) Have you ever had unrequited feelings for someone?/Have you ever been friendzoned?

A. I don't know what friendzoned means. Have I ever loved someone and had that person not love me back? Yes.

3.) What's a false assumption a lot of people have about you?

A. That I am snobbish and stuck up when I'm really just introverted and a little shy.

4.) Have you ever questioned your sexuality?

A. Can't say that I have, no.

5.) If you could bring one person back from the dead, who would it be and why?

A. The person who invented gunpowder, and then I'd explain to him/her what her invention ultimately leads to, and then send the person back into time to never invent the stuff.

6.) What did you do on December 12th last year?

A. I had a swollen ankle. I went to the bank, fixed my mother-in-law's computer, and noted that I had a pain level of 4 in my abdomen.

7.) When was the last time you truthfully told someone you hated them?

A. I have an actual date for this answer, but I decline to reveal it at this time.

8.) What is your opinion on this song? What about this song?

A. No clue. The link I followed was dead. But I like music.

9.) In less than four sentences, describe the entire plot of the last book you read.

A. Young girl is sent away from home to live with spinster aunts. She is spunky, gets into trouble, and is generally a creative and curious person. She grows up and goes to school, and things get better for her. (The book was Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm.)

10.) Describe the appearance of the most untrustworthy person you can think of (they can be a person you've met or a made up person). Are they male or female or neither? What about their appearance makes them untrustworthy?

A. He is dressed in black, carrying a Bible in one hand and a fistful of dollars in the other. His charisma is unfathomable and people instantly like him. He is untrustworthy because of the lies he tells that keep others poor and downtrodden while he makes himself wealthy.

11.) What is the most cringe-worthy thing you've ever seen?

A. A cow that had been struck by lightning. You really don't want details.

12.) What is your biggest regret?

A. I quit a job in 1985 for stupid reasons, and even though I went on to college and finished up my degree, I think financially it was a bad move.

13.) Do you have any cousins? When was the last time you saw them?

A. I have many, many cousins. I last saw them at a funeral. That seems to be when I see family anymore.

14.) Describe the worst birthday you've ever had.

A. Nothing really stands out.

15.) When was the last time someone provoked you to the point of violence?

A. November 9, 2016. I ripped the newspaper to shreds, then placed the remains in a pan and threw a match on it. Do not do that. It flames up very quickly.

16.) OH NO!!!! Someone has gotten you to drink a truth potion and now you have to truthfully answer every question you are asked!!! What's the worst possible question someone could ask you?

A. I can't tell you, because then I'd have to kill you, but it concerns a possible homicide. I used to be a journalist; I have been privy to many, many things.

17.) Describe, in detail, your first serious relationship. Describe how it ended.

A. My first serious relationship began at a football game, underneath the goal posts, and ended with a ring on my finger and this morning, 33 years later, a kiss that has to hold me until he returns home.

18.) Introduce your best friend. Tell the story of how you met.

A. I have several close friends. My longest-running friendship is 33 years old (not my husband). We met when I went to apply for a job at a law firm in 1983 (incidentally, the same job I regret quitting in 1985). She interviewed me for the position, hired me, and we became fast friends. We still talk on the phone about once a week and have lunch frequently. We are both intellectuals, highly read, and we have in-depth conversations that would probably be the envy of many a professor at a university. We discuss everything from the stars to religions to politics to health. We have many discussions about books.

19.) To the introduced friend, has our interviewee lied in any of these questions? Are you surprised by any of these answers?

A. I would think the answer would be no to both of those. I do not generally lie. I may not tell all I know, but I don't lie.

20.) To finish up, what is your biggest irrational fear and how did you get it?

A. I am a bit OCD and I constantly worry about leaving things on, like the curling iron or the coffee pot. I have eliminated much of that by purchasing auto-off appliances. I am also not a fan of snakes; when I was about 8 years old I was playing around in a brush pile and suddenly found myself covered in baby snakes. I remember screaming and running to my mother, and when my father came home he burned the brush pile. I guess either no snake bit me or they were not poisonous, since I am still here. I have other snake stories, too, but that is good enough for now.


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I encourage you to visit other participants in Sunday Stealing posts and leave a comment. Cheers to all us thieves who love memes, however we come by them.

Saturday 9: Brokenhearted

Saturday 9: Brokenhearted (2012)

Unfamiliar with this week's tune? Hear it here.

1) This song is about a girl who is eager and anxious for her new lover to call. Do you owe anyone a call? An email? A text?

A. Not that I am aware of.

2) The lyrics are peppered with the informal English exclamation, "cheerio!" What pops into your head when you close your eyes and think of England?

A. Big Ben. And that makes me think of the song England Swings.

3) This week's artist, Karmin, is a husband/wife duo who met at college, and that meeting changed the course of their lives and careers. Think of someone who has had a huge impact on your life. Did you know, as soon as you met, that this was going to be a life-changing relationship?

A. I knew that with my husband, and most recently (last five years), I knew it when I met a friend. We locked eyes and I swear something electric passed through us. It was two more years before we actually became friends, but I knew the moment we met that at some point we would be pals. And now we are. We talk on the phone almost every day.

4) Though she sings about consuming tequila, the female side of Karmin, Amy, is a big proponent of healthy eating. She recommends organic foods that are free of pesticides, hormones, food coloring and added sugar. Think about your most recent meal. Was it a good example of "healthy eating?"

A. It was a Lean Cuisine. I strongly suspect that is not healthy eating, but it is better than a Milky Way bar.

5) Husband Nick has his own Twitter account (@NickKarmin), but he doesn't use it often. His last tweet was back in August. What's the last thing you posted to social media? (No, your blog doesn't count.)

A. A comment on Facebook about whether or not some of these "alt" government accounts are real. Some of them are using British spellings in their language, so another former journalist and I were discussing the implications of this.

6) Karmin performed "Brokenhearted" live on Dancing with the Stars. DWTS is  very big business for ABC-TV. So many people vote for their favorite couples each week that their phone and text systems often overload. Have you ever voted for a contestant on American Idol, DWTS, The Voice, etc.?

A. No. I seldom watched any of those shows.

7)  In 2012, the year"Brokenhearted" was popular, the average cost for a gallon of gas was $3.91. In 2016, it had dropped to $2.40. When it's time to fill up your tank, do you shop around for the lowest price/gal.? Are you brand loyal and always return to the same station, regardless of price? Or do you just buy gas from the nearest station when you're running low?

A. I buy from the same station - which is Kroger - because (a) the gas is usually cheaper there and I get $$ off because of all of my prescription purchases and (b) it is the station nearest to me.

8) In 2012, the Space Shuttle Endeavor was retired and placed on permanent display at the California Science Center, a Los Angeles museum dedicated to encouraging excitement and enthusiasm about air and space travel. Let's say you had a long weekend to spend in Los Angeles. Would you go out of your way to see The Endeavor? What else would you like to do during your time in the City of Angels?

A. Oh yes, I would love to see The Endeavor. I am a big space fan. In fact, today (January 28) is the 30th anniversary of the explosion of Challenger, and I knew that without looking it up (Columbia exploded on February 1, 2003). I followed the New Horizons probe through its journey to Pluto. NASA is one of the websites I visit frequently. As for other things, I am not familiar enough with Los Angeles to really know what is there. TripAdvisor recommends Universal Studios; that might be fun.

9) While we're thinking about aviation ... Statistics show that it's still a predominantly male field, and less than 10% of commercial pilots are women. Would you be nervous flying with a woman pilot?

A. I would not be nervous at all.

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I encourage you to visit other participants in Saturday 9 posts and leave a comment. Because there are no rules, it is your choice. Saturday 9 players hate rules. We love memes, however.