August 26, 2020 – Wednesday (RNC week/177K US dead from Covid/hurricane looming/fires burning/civil unrest/BLM marches and riots/election woes/political absurdities/economic downfall/jobs and lives lost/isolation/uncertainty…)
Maybe if you just read what follows the date (above) you’ve had read enough. Me, too. I feel like I have waded through enough upheaval and strife to have lived 1,000 lives since January. Don’t we all?
And, still I can say that all this has affected me minimally. Except for the stress part of it. And the loss part. And the isolation and uncertainty … and the political absurdities and the economic downfall. But, otherwise, I’m good.
Aside from my empathetic nature which pulls me down and makes me feel as badly as if this were all happening to me … as if I had lost my job/partner/home/security.
But, in a way – haven’t we ALL? In some fashion – this year – lost so much? Think about it.
I watched a movie last week and it made me so nostalgic. I sat there and rued about sweeter times … the good ol’ days … when people shopped without masks, gathered together hugging and laughing … loving faces, with disposable incomes, enjoying life in scenarios that seemed from SO LONG AGO. Even the commercials were carefree. No masks, no agendas, no political nonsense or campaigning. And then I realized I had only recorded it a few years ago. Yeah, the good ol’ days!
I used to sell cosmetics/skin care … (one would not know that by looking at me now) … and even if it’s neutral – I wear lip gloss. Well, I’m a slow learner! It’s been months of mask wearing and what do I do before I put on my mask? Put on lip gloss! So, I put the mask on and with my first inhale it immediately sucks onto my lips! It’s like I’ve used Super Glue!
So, this week … I finally learned … NO lip gloss before the mask. So, off I went to the vet’s office (another story) and was proud of myself that I didn’t have my mask stuck to my lips because I hadn’t put on any gloss. Kudos for me! However, when I got back in the car, I looked in the rearview mirror (apparently it had been HOURS since I looked myself over) and I had itched my left eye – smearing my eyeliner from the my eye to mid-cheek in a nice, somehow lovely, curving arch. If I had added a diamond teardrop, it would have made for a good sad clown face.
Maybe it was a subliminal display? It’s been a rough few weeks … months … year.
I watched the DNC last week … four nights. I found the first two boring, depressing, and dismal. Disappointing at best. The third night was GOOD … liked all the speeches. Felt better about even the people giving them and saw a human side to Kamala Harris that I needed to know about. That was a good thing. The last night struck me as a church service. Not being a church goer, it didn’t resonate with me – except negatively. Where’s the separation of church and state? I didn’t like it. But, I felt more hopeful after Joe’s speech than I have in some time. I think that was what resonated with everyone I talked with or email chatted with in the days afterward … we felt a bit of HOPE.
And I don’t care what your political stance is … who doesn’t like HOPE? Even if it’s a glimmer?
This week I vowed to watch the RNC … I had it on. I passed by the TV gathering snippets of the speeches. I couldn’t stomach it. I wanted to smash all their faces with their fake Barbie-doll looks and perfection and lies. I watched MSNBC to gather clips and their takes on what was said. And I came away with gut feelings of despair.
It made me wonder why during speeches aren’t there fact check statements running along the bottom of the screens – like captions or sub-titles – so that people can see if what the speaker is saying is true or not. EVERY speaker. EVERY time.
Better yet – have each speaker wear a shock collar. Whenever someone would say something a lie or offer some promise they knew they wouldn’t keep – they’d get a shock. It works for training dogs or keeping them in their yards … why not use it on politicians and political speech givers? I laugh thinking that most would get some jolts … discomfort at best. Trump would be on the ground as if he were tasered within minutes. Before the end of his speech he’d have electrocuted himself.
Think about it.
If you told ANY lie to your boss/family/neighbors/community … they’d think less of you. There would be repercussions. Trust would be lost. Maybe your livelihood – maybe your family and/or friends or community standing/position. Why is this not so with our leaders? Why do we give them carte blanche … when really WE are their bosses. We hired them! If they’re not doing a good job … or are not honest, trustworthy people who are decent and capable … why keep them?
It made me think that we need stricter rules or people with a backbone in these offices. How does a President use the White House as a backdrop for his political campaign? It’s not allowed. Yet he did it. How does anyone use a federal building for the same? And yet he did. How did he hold a funeral for his brother with 150 attendees – in the White House – when no gatherings of over 50 are allowed in DC? How does the Secretary of State take a political stance? He is a public servant. When he took that oath of office, he relinquished his personal viewpoints on politics. He cannot speak on behalf of a political party or nominee. How does anyone with any empathy or decency, use people in a naturalization ceremony for his political gains? Especially someone with his history regarding immigration. And that was the tip of the iceberg. I don’t know why our president and his aides/appointees get away with all this. WHY? HOW? Are all the watchdogs dead?
And, again, it should matter to EVERYONE that he/they are doing this. Regardless of your political affiliation as it’s an affront to us as Americans. If you don’t see this as a problem – maybe you should look deeper. Perhaps you need to look into Trump still having active businesses that have funneled millions of dollars from his campaign, foreign governments and the US government (our tax dollars) to his personal bank accounts from expenses paid at his personal hotels, clubs and holdings. One small bite of this complex, messy, illegal as hell meal we’ve been served.
Think about it. Would you do that? If not – then why should we stand for the leader of our country doing that?
We have 68 days until the election. MAKE THEM COUNT. Do something. Hang a sign. Encourage your neighbors to vote (and early). Contact a campaign office and offer your time. I implore you to help get out the word that this country is in trouble and we need to act NOW.
I sit here and think … Wow, that sounds pretty dire, Les! And then I realize … it is.
If for no other reason (and we all know there are MANY) … we need change. This administration is not working as WE THE PEOPLE need it to be. All of us need help. The Covid virus is still running rampant and until it is squelched, our economy will suffer, businesses will remain closed, people will not have jobs and kids will not be safe at schools. And, personally, I need a HUG! This is not a partisan problem – we are all in need, as Americans, of help and a new way out of this mess. Trump just can’t do it. He doesn’t have the capacity and is too wrapped up in all things DJT to worry about you or me or anyone else.
I’ll be the first to say I’m not a huge fan of the choices this year … either side. But it’s what we’ve got and there is only ONE choice that is clear and shows us a better tomorrow. I’m not asking for perfection. I’m asking for decency and empathy … for diplomacy, courage and responsibility. I’m asking for experience, selflessness and love of country. I’m asking for respect … for science and health, for all people regardless of where they are from, the color of their skin, who they love or what they are capable (or incapable) of. I’m asking for leadership. And in saying that is what I’m asking for … that means I’m asking for change. Change from what is.
I didn’t start out writing this as a political blurb … far from it. I started out thinking that there has been so much stress and strife and upset in the past few weeks that surely, today, I could come up with something funny to chat about. I’m thinking if this were my stand up comedy routine, I’d surely get boo’d off the stage! I’m thankful there is no big hook on my computer!
We’ve got a changing climate … our country is heating up/burning up and in line for a deadly hurricane season. We can’t do much – immediately – to change those things. Mom Nature is going to run her course. But there are things we CAN change … we can change the political course we are on. In fact, we are the ONLY ones who can do that … and we do that by voting. Make your voice heard!
I heard yesterday that UW’s mapping of the virus projects another 140K deaths in the US by December … bringing us up over 310,000 deaths by that time. If that’s not enough to make you want change – I don’t know what is.
Wear a mask. Socially distance. Be responsible and caring and respectful. Be good. You might just save a life … and it may be your own.
Think about it.