Trumped

Remember when Glen Beck had his own show on Fox News and every day he would go on about the left wing progressives and how evil they were?   He had his chalkboard and all his visuals.  Everyday angry or crying about how our country is going down the tubes.  Then there was Sean Hannity who pretty much didn't hold back how he felt about the progressives.  And of course there was Rush Limbaugh, always angry about something.  Add to that Alex Jones and Michael Savage on you tube and radio.  And then there's kooky Sarah.

The party then split into the Tea Party and the so called "Rhinos."  I personally felt that because I didn't agree with the tea party, that although I have been a Republican my whole adult life, I was now deemed one in name only and therefore not a true member of the party.   So ok.  Whatever.  There was no longer any room for moderates in the Republican party. 

So what did they think was going to happen?  Someone like Trump comes along and all these people that have been listening to the above named personalities glob onto him like he's the second coming.  They've been listening to the anger way before Trump came along.  So no one should really be surprised. 

But - are the things he's saying wrong?  Don't we want jobs to come back to America?  Don't we want this country to be what it once was?  Don't we have a right to secure our boarders just like every other country can? 

Today I read that Trump doesn't feel that he needs to tone down his campaign.  Of course he doesn't, its what's gotten him to where he is now.   He's even willing to act like he doesn't know who David Duke is so not to lose any supporters.  Everything he's doing is very calculated.  I think he likes the violence in his rallies.  If he didn't, he would have already directed his supporters to behave but he hasn't.  And by the way -  he has everything to do with what's going on in his rallies.  I hear pundits trying to spin that the other way but come on.  Let's just be honest. 

Clearly this country has been split for a long time but now it seems like its more quartered.  There's the leftist progressives, the radical right, the moderates and whatever the centrist democrats are called.  And I believe there are some.  We like to think that after the general election, that this country will unite but that's not going to happen. 

So what do we do?  I don't know.  I suppose keep putting the lipstick on that pig for now.

Fair Game

"How will this affect the presidential race? Trump's remarks certainly won't do him any damage in the primaries. Contrary to liberal myth, there are such things as Republican women and they tend to be just as conservative as Republican men.

 

In the general election, however, many more moderate women may find it unappealing that The Donald chooses to personalize politics by going after Bill Clinton and see his remarks as underscoring conservative hostility towards feminists trying to break the glass ceiling."

 

This is from a CNN article by Tim Stanley, view link here http://www.cnn.com/2016/01/04/opinions/stanley-bill-clinton/index.html

 

Anyway, I consider myself a moderate woman and I don't find it unappealing that Trump chooses to personalize politics by going after Bill Clinton... .  I remember being so horribly embarrassed when the news of Monica Lewinsky leaked and the full deposition transcript was printed in the paper.  I was mortified.  This country was a laughingstock.  So, its fair game really.  And honestly, I'm not so concerned about feminists trying to break any glass ceilings.  I think its more important to elect the right person, not someone based on their gender just so a glass ceiling can be shattered.  How many people voted for the current president only to have the first black president?  And where did that leave us? 

 

I like the line that says contrary to liberal myth, there are Republican women.  I suppose because of the social issues concerning women, all are expected to be liberal.   I don't meet a whole lot of Republican women but I know they are out there.  Its probably because I live in California.  But I don't like being lumped into one group just because of my gender.  I have a choice you know.  Isn't that what liberals are all about, choice? 

This is Not Life

Last night I saw a show on CNN called "This is Life."  I've seen this show before and I notice a common trend about it.  The show highlights the aspects of life that are very seedy.  Past shows were about strippers, motorcycle gangs, heroine users, etc.  Reaching an all time low, last night's show was about Satanists.  This group wanted to erect a 9 foot statue of baphomet in Detroit.  The group behind it was the same group that had the statue of the Ten Commandments removed from a courthouse in Oklahoma.  Their argument was religious freedom and not having one religion forced on people by the government. 

The host of the show, Lisa Ling, who strikes me as one big knucklehead, interviewed key individuals from the group as well as some of their members.  Then there was an unveiling of the statute of baphomet and church groups in Detroit gathered outside of the building to protest it. 

I think the thing that bothers me is twofold.  The first is that Christians are always portrayed as the enemy or as a group of "weirdos" on television.  The second is that this issue is not really one of religious freedom.  Its veiled by that cause but in reality, its so much deeper than that.  Christianity, in its truest sense and purpose, is not a religion.  It is very far from it.  Jesus did not come to create religion but rather to create relationship with God the Father.  It is through Him that we are reconciled to God from the sin of Adam. 

Satan is the enemy of your soul and those that follow him are sorely misled.  They worship the statue and engage in all forms of debauchery thinking that this is freedom.  And yet the evil they worship is the same evil we see in terrorism, hate, violence, corruption and all other ailments of the human race.  Even sickness.  What is it that Satan has that anyone would want to even be associated with him?  These people have no idea that Satan hates all mankind, is a serial killer and would slash their throats in an instant. 

Does that sound harsh?   This isn't a game, you know. 

This show inadvertently promotes evil by showing this type of "journalism."  There was the mother who's son was gay and was made fun of and he overdosed accidentally.  They show her sadness and her longing to belong to a group that does not promote a religion that rejects homosexuality.  Then they showed members of this group going into pregnancy counseling offices to secretly tape them trying to talk women out of abortion by telling them about the health risks.  And that they must be Christian organizations.  Again, Christianity is bad.  That's the message.   

I guess I shouldn't be surprised.  The Bible talks about the day when evil will be seen as good and good will be seen as evil.  This must be that day.  And it will get worse.  Pretty soon, any mention of Christianity will be deemed politically incorrect, intolerant and discriminatory against anything and everything the world deems as proper.   Is the this "blurred lines" people talk about?

I am led to believe that the dangers of being lukewarm in a person's faith in God are very real.  If you are not serving the one true God, then you are serving the enemy.  You might think you are a casual observer but think again.  If you take part of this promotion of evil as good, you will have to explain it one day.  Claiming it was just journalism won't save you.  And I wouldn't want to be in your shoes.   

Paris

Clearly the battlefield has moved from the wars of yesterday.  Before you had to "go to war," whereas now it comes to you.  And the citizen becomes the reluctant soldier.  And how exactly do you fight an enemy that doesn't give a nickel for their own life? 

Close the borders, don't close the borders.  Common sense would say to close them.  But then people feel bad about the genuine refugees who have no place to go.   The President plans to allow a large number of refugees in next month.  We cannot be so ignorant to believe that some terrorists will not be in that group. 

Some say that if we had guns, the terrorists would quickly be shot down.  Then lets all carry guns.  This is a war after all isn't it?  Maybe that's not the answer either.

There are so many analysts on cable news channels these days that go on and on about the situation and I have to wonder if they are just there to hear themselves talk on the subject, as if they have any idea.  We listen to them and maybe nod our heads but that's where it ends.  Maybe talking about it makes some people feel better.  The President talks about it, Hilary talks about it, the GOP candidates give their 2 cents about it. 

To be continued...

Sleep

Sleep, you are a thing I contend with every night.  Its almost as if you've taken on physical attributes.  I think you are a woman because you are fickle and moody and we are like that.  Some nights you are my happy friend and other nights you are distant and aloof.  You arrive eventually but every morning you overstay your welcome.  I can't get you to leave when I have to go to work. 

Sometimes I want to say to you - I don't need you.  You are a big waste of time to me and I'm tired of dealing with you.  But my body won't let me do that.  I wish God had created us with a mechanism to recharge that was easier to manage, like plugging into an outlet for an hour.  But that would be weird.  And imagine all the dreams we would miss. 

I acknowledge that when sleep takes long to arrive, its my fault.  I give in to my wandering, roaming mind as I lay down when I'm supposed to be still and quiet.  I'm like a little kid who doesn't want to go to bed because the play time is over.  That must be it.  My evenings are my play time and when I wake up, its work time.   So I have to make my peace with Sleep.  She's not as difficult as I make her out to be.  Sometimes the answer lies within ourselves.

Five things I wished someone had told me about aging parents.

“Oh, are you sending your kid off to college?” a woman asked me as she saw the twin extra-long sheets in my shopping cart.  I just smiled and nodded at her.  I didn’t want to tell her the truth which was that a hospital bed was delivered to my mother’s home and the bed happens to be a twin extra-long.  It hit me later that she wasn’t completely wrong – I was in a way a parent now, not to college bound kids but to elderly parents.  I never had children of my own, but at this stage in my life, the word “diaper” has appeared when I thought I was never going to use that word.   

 

Sometimes I think the realization of the switch came soft and gently and other times I feel as if it smacked me in the face.  It was two years ago when my parents began to fall.  My nearly 88 year old dad has recovered and seems to be on stable ground, whereas my 80 year old mother has been in the nursing home 4 times now.  People are living much longer these days and we’re going to see a lot more people hit 100.  Are we ready to take care of them? 

But what I’m talking about is keeping your own sanity while caring for parents that love and need you.  I have a friend whose 80 year old mother is a caregiver to her 100 year old grandmother.  That’s rough.  I’m 50 and there are days when I want to lay on my mother’s hospital bed.  

At 20, I believed I would be young forever and so would my parents.  Their aging was the furthest thing from my mind.  At 30, I still to some degree believed that the golden years were too far away to even consider.  I would have laughed if anyone had come up to me then and told me to make sure I was prepared for caring for my aging parents.  Even in my early 40s, my mother could walk faster than me.  And my dad spent hours out in his garden.  And I was happily living in the stupor of my own naiveté. 

 Of course hindsight is 20/20 but still you wish you had someone tell you what to expect, whether you were really listening or not.  What would I tell my 30 or 40 year old self now?  That’s what this article is about.  So if you’re 20, save this somewhere and bring it out when you turn 30.  Remember it when you are 40 and you will thank me by the time you are 50. 

How do you prepare for the increased life span of elderly parents? Here’s some tips:

 1.  Remember that you are not alone.  So many have dealt with these issues before you.  Keep a circle of friends your age who are going through the same things or join groups that are.  Solidarity always makes it easier to go through things you are not sure of and you can always learn from each other as well. 

 2.  Regardless of what your age is, when your parents reach 65, that might be a good time to talk to them about what their plans for the future are.  I know 65 is young these days and many don’t want to think about unpleasant things.  You could just say you want to be prepared.  Talking about finances and available resources are very important topics.  Should they take out a long term care insurance policy?  This would be the age to figure some of this stuff out.

3. Have a sit down with your siblings.  I see time and again when an only daughter or an unmarried sibling is left with the responsibilities to care for the aging parents.  Have that talk now about what each of you think would be fair.  These parents raised all of you and this should be a joint effort.  If not, resentments can form and make things worse.  If you are the only child, then do some research on caregivers. There are many good ones out there.

 4.  If your parents are 75 and traveling the world over, great.  But anyone can slip in the bathtub.  Talk to your parents about when to take precautions by putting in safety rails, bathtub benches, etc. 

 5.  Most important point – take care of yourself.  I saw a poster the other day that said “When caring for others, don’t leave yourself behind.”  A close friend of mind told me once that in an effort to keep my parents alive, I was killing myself.  That really stung.  I was so wrapped up in meeting other’s needs that I had left myself behind.  I had to learn to let go and stop trying to be superwoman. 

 So my advice is, find time to nurture your soul when caring for aging parents.  Do the things that bring joy to your life, no matter how simple those things might be.  Renew and refresh your own life on a regular basis and when the waters rage, you’ll be better equipped to handle the storm.  Once a woman who saw me helping my mother in a public bathroom told me she that got to care of her mother also and that I was blessed.  I didn’t feel very blessed at the time but I chose to believe that woman because she had gone through the experience.  She knew the ups and downs and with her mother now gone, I could see she held no regrets.  That’s where I hope to be, with no regrets.