QUOTE OF THE DAY

“I hope that in this year to come, you make mistakes.

Because if you are making mistakes, then you are making new things, trying new things, learning, living, pushing yourself, changing yourself, changing your world. You're doing things you've never done before, and more importantly, you're Doing Something.

So that's my wish for you, and all of us, and my wish for myself. Make New Mistakes. Make glorious, amazing mistakes. Make mistakes nobody's ever made before. Don't freeze, don't stop, don't worry that it isn't good enough, or it isn't perfect, whatever it is: art, or love, or work or family or life.

Whatever it is you're scared of doing, Do it.

Make your mistakes, next year and forever.”  

Neil Gaiman

NEW YEAR RESOLUTIONS

1.      I RESOLVE TO NOT PAY SO MUCH ATTENTION TO TRUMP. ADMITTEDLY, I’M WORRIED ABOUT KEEPING THIS ONE. TRUMP IS LIKE A BAD CASE OF HEMORRHOIDS. PRETTY HARD TO IGNORE. A CONSTANT PAIN IN THE ASS.

2.      I’M GOING TO START GIVING MORE MONEY TO PEOPLE ON THE STREET. CHARITIES ALL KEEP A PERCENTAGE FOR OVERHEAD, AND IN SOME CASES, EXORBITANT SALARIES. PEOPLE SAY, “WELL, WHAT IF THEY GO BUY ALCOHOL?” MY ANSWER HAS BEEN “SO WHAT, IF THAT IS WHAT THEY NEED TO KEEP FROM GOING INTO WITHDRAWAL?” GIVING, IN MY OPINION, SHOULD NOT INVOLVE JUDGING OR ASKING FOR ANYTHING IN RETURN. LIKE HAVING TO SAY A CHRISTIAN PRAYER WHEN YOU ARE NOT CHRISTIAN, OR ATTENDING A WORSHIP SERVICE. OR WORRYING WHAT THE PERSON WILL DO WITH THE MONEY. THAT IS NOT GIVING. THAT IS BUYING.

3.      I’M GOING TO KEEP VOLUNTEERING AT THE FOOD BANK. I MAY PICK UP A THIRD DAY SOMEWHERE I CAN GET DIRECT CONTACT WITH THE RECIPIENTS. WE SUPPLY AGENCIES WHO GIVE AWAY THE FOOD. WE DON’T HAVE DIRECT CONTACT WITH THOSE IN NEED. I MISS THAT.

4.      I COULD SAY I’M GOING TO TRY TO BE MORE PATIENT WITH PEOPLE, BUT THAT NEVER WORKS. THERE ARE TOO MANY THINGS TO BE IMPATIENT ABOUT.

5.      I’D LIKE TO BE MORE UNDERSTANDING OF RIGHT-WING REPUBLICANS. NO, FORGET I EVEN MENTIONED THIS.

6.      I’M GOING TO CUBA THIS YEAR. I HAVE ALWAYS WANTED TO DO THAT. I E-MAILED RAUL CASTRO AND ASKED FOR A MEETING. SO FAR, NO ANSWER. I NEED SOME TIPS ON STARTING A REVOLUTION.

7.      AS USUAL, I AM HOPING TO BECOME A BETTER HUMAN BEING. THIS IS A CONSTANT ENDEAVOR. A LOT OF MOVING FORWARD ONE STEP, FALLING BACK TWO. STILL, I’M HOPING IT IS WORTH THE STRUGGLE. I’M TRYING NOT TO GIVE ST. PETER TOO MANY WEAPONS.

8.      I’M GONG TO WRITE A LITTLE MORE. I’M COMMITTING TO TWO EDITORIALS PER MONTH FOR THE LOCAL PAPER;  GETTING SOMETHING BLOGGED AT LEAST ONCE PER DAY; SENDING IN TWO ARTICLES FOR PUBLICATION;  AND ONE FACEBOOK ENTRY EVERY OTHER DAY. IF THAT DOESN’T SATISFY MY WRITING NEEDS, I’LL SEND A LOVE LETTER TO MERYL STREEP ONCE PER MONTH.  

QUOTE OF THE DAY

SCIENCE-BECAUSE FIGURING THINGS OUT IS ALWAYS BETTER THAN MAKING SHIT UP.

SMOOTH WRITING

WHAT HAPPENED TO AMERICA?
JUST THE OTHER DAY, THINGS WERE SO GOOD. NOT REALLY. ALWAYS PROBLEMS. PEOPLE GET GOOFY. EVERYONE HAS AN AGENDA. UNFORTUNATELY, THERE ARE 322,000,000 MILLION OF US. THAT'S A LOT OF GOOFY.

ALTERNATIVES TO CAPITALISM

WHEN WE VIEW THE ECONOMY NARROWLY, THIS IS WHAT WE SEE:
   CAPITALISM
   WAGE LABOR
   MARKET-DRIVEN PRODUCTS
   PROFIT MOTIVE

INSTEAD, LOOK FOR AND SUPPORT THE ECONOMIES UNDERNEATH:
   ON THE STREET                    BARTER
   IN NEIGHBORHOODS           INFORMAL LENDING
   BETWEEN FRIENDS              CONSUMER CO-OPS
   NOT MONETIZED                  UNDER THE TABLE
   VOLUNTEER                           PRODUCER CO-OPS
   SELF-EMPLOYED                   NOT FOR MARKET

HOT SPRINGS VILLAGE

IT'S AN OK PLACE. IT'S NOT MONTPILLIER, VT. OR SANTA FE,NM. OR NAPLES, FL. OR KULA, HI. OR EVEN SAN DIEGO. OR NAVARRE BEACH, FL. OR NASHVILLE, TN. IT SURE BEATS CHICAGO OR NEW YORK OR KANSAS CITY, OR LA OR DENVER. AND LITTLE ROCK AND PINE BLUFF AND POSSUM. IT'S NOT THE BEST FOR OLD PEOPLE. THE ROADS ARE HARD TO DRIVE. IT GETS REAL DARK. THE SUMMER IS WAY TOO HOT. THERE ARE TOO MANY SNAKES. THERE ARE TOO FEW GOOD RESTAURANTS. FINDING PEOPLE WILLING TO STAY UP PAST 8PM IS DIFFICULT. YOU HAVE TO HAVE SOMETHING MEDICALLY WRONG WITH YOU TO FIT IN. AND IT DOESN'T HURT TO BE REPUBLICAN. ON THE OTHER HAND, THE SCENERY IS GREAT. IT'S A GOLFERS DREAM COME TRUE. WE HAVE PLENTY OF WATER TO SWIM IN, BATH IN, BOAT IN, FISH IN, OR DRINK. LOTS OF PATHS TO WALK. CLUBS OF ALL SORTS. CARD CLUBS, RADIO CLUBS, ACTING CLUBS, SOCIAL CLUBS, MILITARY CLUBS, INVESTING CLUBS, GARDEN CLUBS, CRAFT CLUBS, WALKING CLUBS, BOATING CLUBS, FISHING CLUBS, DANCING CLUBS. WE HAVE A CLUB FOR PEOPLE WHO DON'T LIKE CLUBS. AND PLENTY OF CHURCHES, ALL OF THE CHRISTIAN VARIETY. WE COULD USE BETTER LEADERSHIP. MOST POA PRESIDENTS HAVE BEEN MILITARY. NOT THE BEST PLACE TO GET DEMOCRATIC LEADERSHIP. THEY DON'T LIKE ANYONE QUESTIONING THEM. WE COULD USE FEWER RULES. AGAIN, PROBABLY FROM MILITARY INFLUENCE. AUTONOMY IS FROWNED ON. IT WOULDN'T HURT TO HAVE WARMER WINTERS. AND MORE BAKERIES WOULD BE GOOD. AND A STORE ON THE EAST END. A WHOLE FOODS WOULD BE GOOD. LESS BLIND ALLEGIANCE. MORE POSITIVE DOUBT. AND MORE WORDS ALLOWED IN EDITORIALS. WITH TITLES.

Breakfast and Beer

Breakfast and Beer

LIVING BY THE NUMBER TEN

1. TEN GUIDELINES FOR LIVING A BETTER LIFE ARE NOT NEAR ENOUGH. THERE SHOULD BE 2,345, MOST HAVING TO DO WITH NOT TAKING ADVANTAGE OF THE POOR; A FEW ABOUT SEX; MAYBE ONE ABOUT NOT BEING A JERK.

       2. IN THE BEGINNING, THERE WERE NO HUMANS. AND IT WAS GOOD. THEN GOD GOT THIS BRILLIANT IDEA:  WHY NOT RUIN EVERYTHING?

              3. I MET AN ANGEL. SHE WAS A WAITRESS AT THE WAFFLE HOUSE. THOSE BRIGHT EYES AND THAT INFECTIOUS SMILE. SHE MUST HAVE BEEN ABOUT 23 OR SO. I HEARD HER TELL ONE OF THE OTHER WAITRESSES THAT SHE HAD TWO CHILDREN. I DIDN'T HEAR HER SAY ANYTHING ABOUT A HUSBAND. SHE WANTS TO GO TO COLLEGE. PRE-MED. I THINK SHE CAN DO IT. AN ANGEL CAN DO ANYTHING.

    4. YOU GOT TO HAVE FAITH. THE QUESTION WOLD BE: IN WHAT? THERE ARE PLENTY OF PEOPLE SELLING FAITH NOWADAYS. FAITH REQUIRES A LEAP INTO THE UNKNOWN. THE UNPROVABLE. TAKING THAT LEAP IS SCARY. I APPROACH IT HESITANTLY, LIKE A BUNGEE JUMPER. I'M WORRIED ABOUT THE CORD, THE DISTANCE, THE BOUNCE, THE WIND, WILL INSURANCE PAY FOR A MISTAKE. GENERALLY SPEAKING, I COULD USE A SHOVE. FAITH IS A HARD THING TO KEEP A GRIP ON. I FIND IT, AND LOSE IT. FIND IT, AND LOSE IT. FIND....
            
                         5.DON'T BELIEVE EVERYTHING YOU THINK. THERE ARE 6 BILLION PEOPLE IN THE WORLD, MANY OF WHOM ALSO THINK. THE PATHS ARE MANY. THE STUPIDITY BOUNDLESS.
           
                6. LOVE COMES IN A VARIETY OF FLAVORS, NONE OF THEM VIOLENT.


     7. "DO UNTO OTHERS AS YOU WOULD HAVE THEM DO UNTO YOU" IS NOT AN ARMCHAIR SLOGAN MEANT FOR THE FAINT-OF-HEART. IF SOMEONE IS HUNGRY, SHE DOESN'T NEED A LECTURE ABOUT GETTING A JOB.  SHE NEEDS FOOD. THE HOMELESS DON'T NEED A SERMON ABOUT Y9UR IDEOLOGY, OR WHAT RELIGION YOU SUBSCRIBE TO. THEY NEED A PLACE TO LIVE.

          8. BEING SAVED IS A WHOLE OTHER MATTER. I COULD HAVE USED SAVING ABOUT TEN TIMES OVER THE YEARS, WHICH MY BE A CONSERVATIVE ESTIMATE. RATHER THAN BEING SAVED IN A HANDS ON KIND OF WAY, I ALWAYS THOUGHT IT WOULD BE ADEQUATE TO CHANGE MY BEHAVIOR. NO NEED FOR PUBLIC DISPLAY.

9. I WOULD NOT RECOMMEND GETTING RELIGION UNLESS YOU MEAN TO DO SOMETHING GOOD WITH IT.

               10. NO ONE SHOULD FEAR GOD. I DON'T THINK GOD WOULD WANT US TO FEAR HER. THERE ARE PLENTY OF THINGS TO FEAR: SPIDERS, SNAKES, TORNADOES, HEIGHTS, HURRICANES, INGROWN TOE-NAILS, THE IRS, SENATORS WHO WEAR SHEETS, LIGHTENING, MANIACS, RELIGIOUS OR OTHERWISE. GOD SHOULD NOT BE ONE OF THEM.

11. NO, TEN ARE NOT NEAR ENOUGH. THIS LIFE IS WAY TOO COMPLEX FOR SUCH A SMALL NUMBER, TOO MANY WRONG TURNS TO BE HAD. HAVE YOU EVER WALKED DOWN A ROAD WHERE YOU CAN'T STAND THE PAIN? I SHOULD BE A BETTER HUSBAND OR WIFE. WHAT HOLD ME BACK? AM I AS DEVOTED TO BEING A GOOD FATHER AS I AM TO MY CAREER? CAN I BE A BETTER DAUGHTER? OR IS THE DISTANCE SAFER? WHEN THE ROAD GETS PAINFUL, AM I WILLING TO KEEP ON STEPPING FORWARD? OR WILL IT BURN HOLES IN MY SHOES?
                  
    
     

CHRISTMAS...the VERY NEXT DAY

Had we the chance,m we would have rushed
        to Bethlehem
                   to see this thing that had come to pass.

Had we been a day later,
          we would have found the manger empty
                   and the family departed.

We would have learned that they fled to Egypt,
    warned that the baby was endangered,
    sought be the establishment of the day
         that understood how his very life
             threatened the way things are.

We would have paused at the empty stall
    and pondered how this baby
          from the very beginning was under threat.

The powers understood that his grace threatened all our
     coercions;
they understood that his truth challenged all our lies;
they understood that his power to heal
     nullified our many pathologies;
they understood that his power to forgive
     vetoed the power of guilt and
         the drama of debt among us.

From day one they pursued him,
      and schemed and conspired
      until finally...on a gray Friday...
              they got him!

No wonder the family fled, in order to give him time
          for his life.

We could still pause at the empty barn---
    and ponder that all our babies are under threat, all the
           vulnerable who stand at risk
              before predators,
    our babies who face the slow erosion of consumerism,
    our babies who face the reach of sexual exploitation,
    our babies who face the call of war,
          placed as they say, "in harm's way,"
    our babies, elsewhere in the world,
          who know of cold steel against soft arms
          and distended bellies from lack of food;
     our babies everywhere who are caught in the fearful display
          of ruthless adult power.

We ponder how peculiar this baby in Bethlehem is,
          summoned to save the world,
                     and yet
we know, how like every child, this one also was at risk.
       The manger is empty a day later'''
           the father warned in a dream.
Our world is so at risk, and yet we seek after and wait for
          this child named "Emmanuel."
      Come be with us, you who are called "God with us."

Walter Brueggemann-Prayers for a Privileged People

DEMOCRAT OR REPUBLICAN?

IS THERE A DIFFERENCE? MAYBE. MAYBE NOT. BOTH LIKE WAR; LARGE CORPORATIONS; WALL STREET; CAPITALISM; STANDING UP FOR THE STAR SPANGLED BANNER. NEITHER SEEMS IN TOUCH WITH THE EVERYDAY JOE. OR DARLENE. STATUS-QUO DEFENDERS. IMPOTENT TO DO ANYTHING WORTHWHILE.

WELL ARRANGED LIVES

       WE ARE A PEOPLE OF PRIVILEGE AND

ENTITLEMENT. WE ARE AMONG THE HAVES----
  
   WE HAVE EDUCATION, CONNECTIONS, POWER,

   AND WEALTH. TOO OFTEN WE ARE INDULGENT

AND SELF-SUFFICIENT CONSUMERS. WE SPEAK OF
    
   OUR ACHIEVEMENTS AND ACCOMPLISHMENTS.
   
      SOMETIMES WE OFFER GOD LITURGIES OF
    
      DISREGARD, LITANIES OF SELVES MADE TOO
 
  BIG. BUT WE HEAR FAINT REMINDERS OF A
                      
                            BETTER WAY.

Walter Brueggemann-Prayers for a Privileged People

TEN NEW YEAR'S RESOLUTIONS FOR HOT SPRINGS VILLAGE

1. THAT WE GET AWAY FROM MILITARY LEADERSHIP  IN OUR PROPERTY OWNERS ASSOCIATION. IT'S THEIR WAY OR NO WAY. 
2. THAT OUR NEW COMPREHENSIVE PLAN MAKES $500,000 WORTH OF SENSE. I'M BETTING OTHERWISE.
3. THAT OUR NEW PROPOSED POOL HAS A SWIMMING LANE FROM THE WEST END OF THE VILLAGE TO THE EAST END. AFTER ALL, FAIR IS FAIR, OR SO THEY SAY, WHEN IT COMES TO POOL DAY.
4. WE COULD USE A WHOLE FOODS ON THE EAST END. SHORT OF THAT, HOW ABOUT A HARPS.
5. I'M HOPING OUR MANAGER COMES TO A REALIZATION THAT OUR BEST CUSTOMERS ARE AGE 55+ AND WILL MAINLY BE ATTRACTED TO THE VILLAGE BECAUSE OF OUR GOLFING OPPORTUNITIES. WITH 8 COURSES, THIS SEEMS PRETTY OBVIOUS. OUR NEW LEADERSHIP IN WASHINGTON MAY MOVE RETIREMENT AGE TO NEVER.
6. MORE DIVERSITY WOULD BE NICE, BUT UNLIKELY. WE ARE A RIGHT-WING, REPUBLICAN HEAVEN, TOPPED OFF WITH THE RICH.
7. HERE'S HOPING THE POA DIRECTORS DO 99.9% OF OUR BUSINESS IN OPEN MEETINGS.
8. I'M HOPING FOR 25 GOOD RESTAURANTS, BUT I'LL TAKE 2-3. WE JUST LOST ANOTHER.
9. I WOULD HAVE TO SAY, ALL THINGS BEING EQUAL, WHICH THEY NEVER ARE, THE PLACE IS NOT A BAD PLACE TO LIVE. IT'S JUST STUCK.
10. MAY THE NEW YEAR BRING HOPE, A RENEWED SENSE OF CREATIVE ENERGY, DIVERSITY, AND A BETTER SENSE OF DECISION MAKING IN THE OPEN, FOR ALL TO SEE AND ENGAGE IN.

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'We Do Not Forgive...We Do Not Forget': Angry Vows to Oust GOP After Tax Scam Vote



DON'T BEND OVER.

LIFE

LIFE HAS A WAY OF WAKING YOU UP TO THOSE THINGS THAT ARE MOST IMPORTANT: RELATIONSHIPS, FRIENDS, FAMILY, SIMPLICITY, GOOD HEALTH, BEING ABLE TO SLEEP AT NIGHT, HELPING OTHERS. LOVE.

Tedeschi Trucks Band - Midnight in Harlem (Live)

THANK GOD FOR MUSIC. TAKES ME AWAY FROM ALL THE MISERY WE ARE EXPERIENCING.

PEEVER LAW #103

BE THANKFUL FOR WHAT YOU HAVE. IF YOU ARE RICH, GIVE MOST OF WHAT YOU HAVE TO THE POOR.  THAT'S WHO YOU PROBABLY STOLE IT FROM IN THE FIRST PLACE.

WINTER SOLSTICE

THE WINTER SOLSTICE IS ON THE 21ST. THAT WOULD BE A GOOD DAY TO KICK TRUMP OUT OF THE WHITE HOUSE. A VERY MERRY CHRISTMAS.

FREEDOMS JUST ANOTHER WORD

WE WHO BELIEVE IN FREEDOM...

SUNDAY MORNING HYMN: Robert Plant 'Ship of Fools'

SUNDAY MORNING SERMON: SHIP OF FOOLS

* Why would we continue to believe that war would ever result in peace and harmony? War only produces hatred, misery and resentfulness.

 * Justice is not much more than a money making scheme for the state and counties. Money speaks, the poor do time. Justice is one of life's finer purchases, not unlike a good bottle of wine, or a luxury car.

   * The Earth is not warming, it’s all just a liberal plot. For what exact purpose, I’m not entirely sure. But, even if the Earth were not warming due to our stupidity, I would still support the contention, if for no other reason than to aggravate all the right-wing knuckleheads. 

 * Everyone should own and carry a gun. This will cause criminals to behave themselves. Actually, the criminals will end up being the people carrying the guns. 

 * Why should women have control over their own bodies? The argument seems obvious: if a man impregnates a woman, she should be the last one to say what should happen. On the Ship of Fools, women have no rights.

  There are no easy answers. There are no easy problems. Everything seems connected to everything else. The web of life has been woven tightly and reverberates with every move. To focus on a single problem with hopes of solving it is a distant memory. The complexity of our world requires problem solvers to look beyond singular solutions and envision multiple answers to complex problems, any one of which may need to be brought forward  only after it has been discussed how it will affect our great-great-great grandchildren. Most of our problem solving takes into account only us. We are not visionaries. We tend to be reactionaries. Ethanol is a good example of our short-sightedness. So, far that matter, is our insistence that war can bring about a peaceful world, or that guns can make us safer, or that drugs will go away if we put everyone in jail. All are elementary miscalculations made by short-sighted thinkers who have jumped on board the Ship of Fools.

CHEAP LABOR

CHEAP LABOR. CORPORATIONS LOVE IT. CAPITALISM NEEDS IT. BUT I REPEAT MYSELF. MINIMUM NOTHING. CEO'S SLEEP BETTER AT NIGHT WITH IT. IN BIG HOMES. WITH FANCY CARS. EXOTIC EXPLOITATION.

PEEVER LAW #77

IF YOU NEED A GUN TO EXERT YOUR POWER, YOU DON'T HAVE ANY.

Trump Just Accidentally Told Millions of Working Class Families the Truth About GOP Tax Plan

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FINALLY, HE  SPEAKS THE TRUTH.  I BET HE COULDN'T SLEEP THAT NIGHT.

After Alabama: A Fierce, Strategic and Organized Hope Is the Only Way Forward

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HOPE ALWAYS RAISES ITS HEAD RIGHT WHEN YOU ARE READY TO CASH IT IN. THE FIGHT IS ON.

A DAY IN THE LIFE

VOLUNTEERING AT THE FOOD BANK. THE TRIP IS INTERESTING. OUT THE GATE GATE IS MY ESCAPE FROM RIGHT-WING REPUBLICAN CITY. MY FIRST PROBLEM IS GETTING PAST THE DONUT SHOP, ABOUT 7 MILES DOWN THE ROAD. MY CAR JUST KIND OF TENDS TO VEER OFF INTO THE PARKING LOT. ON TO GULPHA GORGE. THIS IS ABOUT A MILE AND ONE-HALF STRETCH OF SUICIDAL ROAD. IF YOU MAKE IT, YOU COME OUT ON GRAND AVENUE. A RECENTLY REMODELED SERVICE STATION IS ON THE LEFT. THEY SERVE FRIED FOOD TWENTY WAYS. A LINE OF PUMPS HAS NO WAY TO EXIT. YOU HAVE TO BACK UP. PROBABLY A HOME GROWN ARCHITECT. DOWN ABOUT THREE BLOCKS IS A BAPTIST CHURCH ON THE LEFT. THEY HAVE A FANCY ELECTRONIC BULLETIN BOARD. THE MESSAGE READS "WE SUPPORT ISRAEL." THIS SEEMS ODD. I WOULDEN'T THINK BAPTISTS WOULD BE ALL THAT CRAZY ABOUT JEWS. AFTER ALL, THE JEWISH FAITH DOES NOT RECOGNIZE JESUS AS THE MESSIAH. BAPTISTS ARE PRETTY SURE HE WAS. I'M THINKING THEIR SUPPORT OF THE JEWS COMES FROM THEIR DESIRE TO EXTERMINATE MUSLIMS. THIS IS JUST A GUESS. AT THE CORNER OF GRAND AND MALVERN, THERE ARE USUALLY BEGGARS. THEY SAY NOT TO MAKE EYE CONTACT, BUT I ALWAYS DO. HAVEN'T GONE BLIND YET. THE CITY TRIED TO GET RID OF THEM BY PASSING A NO BEGGING ORDINANCE. THE ACLU THREATENED TO SUE ON BEHALF OF ONE OF THE BEGGARS. THEY SAID THEY WOULDN'T FILE A SUIT IF THE SALVATION ARMY WAS NOT ALLOWED IN FRONT OF STORES, OR IF THE BOY SCOUTS QUIT BEGGING AT WALMART. THE CITY RESCINDED THE ORDER. THE BEGGARS ARE BACK, AND I STILL KEEP LOOKING AT THEM. I'LL LET YOU GUESS WHETHER I GIVE THEM ANY MONEY. FINALLY AT THE FOOD BANK. A PLACE SUPPLYING FOOD TO THE HUNGRY. I DON'T KNOW HOW WE CAN HAVE HUNGRY PEOPLE IN THIS LAND OF PLENTY. ANYWAY, SO MUCH FOR MY DAY TRIPPING.

'If This Bill Passes, People Will Die': Tax Scam Opponents Rally as GOP Aims for Final Vote Next Week

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THIS IS MUCH WORSE THAN ELECTING MOORE WOULD HAVE BEEN. WE CAN WITHSTAND ONE MORE JACKASS IN THE SENATE, BUT THIS WILL COST LIVES. MANY OF THEM.

HEALING

WORKING IN THE MENTAL HEALTH AND SUBSTANCE ABUSE FIELDS FOR 25 YEARS, YOU LEARN A LOT ABOUT HUMANS AND THE HUMAN CONDITION. YOU HAVE MORE FAILURES THAN SUCCESSES. BUT YOU KEEP ON GOING, BECAUSE THAT IS WHAT YOU ARE CALLED TO DO. HEAL. GIVE IT AS MUCH AS YOU’VE  GOT. DO AS MUCH AS YOU CAN. THAT’S WHY WE WERE THERE. WE HEAL THINGS.

SMOOTH WRITING

WHEN RELIGION EMBRACES IDEOLOGY, ALL YOU GET IS STINK. SANCTIONED KILLING. RELIGIOUS BIGOTRY. MINE IS BIGGER THAN YOURS. IDOLATRY. THE SMELL OF SUPERIORITY.

IF ONLY...

FOR THE HUNDREDTH TIME I HEAR FROM MY NEIGHBORS HOW GOOD TRUMP IS DOING. "IF ONLY HE COULD KEEP HIS MOUTH SHUT." FOR THE HUNDREDTH TIME, I GET SICK TO MY STOMACH. "IF ONLY" HE HAD THE DECENCY TO STAY AWAY FROM A MUSEUM DEDICATED TO CIVIL RIGHTS LEADERS. THAT WOULD SHOW SOME CHARACTER. "IF ONLY" HE DIDN'T APPARENTLY LIKE THE THOUGHT OF NUCLEAR WAR. I GUESS HE NEEDS TO PROVE HE HAS THE BIGGEST ONE. "IF ONLY" HE TOOK RESPONSIBILITY FOR HIS GROPING AND OTHER SEXUAL BEHAVIORS. OTHERS ARE. "IF ONLY" HE DIDN'T GIVE PUBLIC LANDS TO PRIVATE BUSINESSES FOR THEIR EXPLOITATION. "IF ONLY" HE GOT TREATMENT FOR HIS MENTAL ILLNESS. WOULD THAT CHANGE HIS BEHAVIOR? "IF ONLY" HE WASN'T USING THE OFFICE FOR PRIVATE GAIN. THAT WOULD BE VERY MUCH UNLIKE HIM. "IF ONLY" HE HELPED THE POOR RATHER THAN THE RICH. I HAVE A LOT OF "IF ONLY'S," THE LEAST OF WHICH IS THE STUPIDITY THAT COMES OUT OF HIS MOUTH. I'D MOVE, PUT I PREFER TO STAY HERE AND MAKE ALL THESE RIGHT-WING, REPUBLICANS, LESS COMFORTABLE.

As Final Tax Scam Vote Looms, Demands for McConnell to Seat Doug Jones 'Immediately'

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DOUG JONES SHOULD GO AND TAKE HIS SEAT. FUCK McCONNELL.

RING AROUND THE ROSIE

 From: Bruce Weik

 To: Directors

The proposed changes to Article 9, Section 3 are disturbing and wrong. It sounds very military, which is not surprising. You have way too may reasons to go into executive session. The state of Arkansas has three. This lacks both transparency and democratic rule. And you can never, by parliamentary procedure, take a vote in private. You are responsible for those who elect you, and we have a right to know how you vote. These changes are a continuing problem with the Board of Directors. It is very, very, disturbing. I would highly recommend you revisit this proposal. Bruce Weik

From: John Weidert, Chairman

To: Bruce Weik

Mr. Weik,
  Thank you for the opportunity to address your comments.  Let me say, our board only goes into executive session when necessary, for prudent reasons, as spelled out in Article 9, Section 3 of our Bylaws.  And, our executive session thoughts and reason for having it is always brought up at the next formal monthly Board of Directors Meeting, where a discussion is had and a vote taken, always in public forum.
                                                                                                                                                       Sincerely,
                                                                                                                                                  JohnWeidert
Chairman
Board of Directors    

To: John Weidert

From: Bruce Weik

You failed to address that there are too many reasons to go into executive session. You list 8. Most are not legitimate reasons to hide a discussion. Again, telling us why you did it at the next meetings is doing so after the fact. I do not believe you will find any municipalities with so many reasons to discuss issues behind closed doors. Thanks for the reply, I appreciate it. Bruce

To: Bruce Weik

From: John Weidert

Bruce,
  We as a board have decided on these and are comfortable with the number of reasons we go into executive session.  And, like I said, we do not hide discussions.  We go into executive session for reasons we deem necessary and these executive sessions are a topic at our next scheduled Board of Directors Meeting.  Take care.
                                                                                                                                             Regards,
                                                                                                                                                 John

If I talked to the wall, I would get just about as good an answer as I'm getting from John. Because the Directors say it is ok, I guess it is ok. Hard to argue that logic.