People, whatever you do, do not poach deer in Lawrence County, Missouri, or Judge Robert George may innovate your sentence.
The judge sentenced David Berry, Jr. to one year in prison after Berry, his father, two brothers, and a family friend were caught poaching hundreds of animals, according to Conservation Agent Andy Barnes. But the judge didn't stop there. To Berry, Jr.'s sentence he added a special proviso: while he is in prison, Berry must watch the movie Bambi starting no later than today, December 23, 2018, and once a month for the duration of his stay.
Whoa! Not too shabby, Your Honor! But...! May this blogger approach the bench?
If it please the court, Your Honor, may I be so bold as to make a suggestion to augment and supplement your wise and creative ruling? You see, Your Honor, this blogger was, like you, offended at the egregious amount of senseless killing perpetrated by the party of five, as described in this article. But I am also quite aggrieved by the idea that these folks went out, night after night, in a spree of poaching so large that it went on for years. So large that it involved law enforcement agencies at the state and federal level, as well as in Canada. This group slaughtered mostly for trophies, and, in the words of Prosecuting Attorney Don Trotter, they left "the bodies of the deer to waste."
Your Honor, begging the court's indulgence, may I suggest: Perhaps prisoner Berry, Jr. could also take a field trip to see, or perhaps he could receive as a visitor, a member of a nearby Native American tribe? A shaman or a tribal elder who could educate David Berry about the purpose of proper hunting, since his father shirked his responsibility to do so, and joined him in the carnage.
And if it does not offend judicial temperament, may I be so audacious as to exhort you to perhaps also have the prisoner watch videos about people starving? This so that perhaps he could be brought to the understanding that, while many in our culture are opposed to hunting and killing of animals to feed us, and by factory farming, etc., almost everybody is offended by killing that serves merely as a prize when so many people are hungry. Succinctly, it is a sin to waste food.
Oh, yes, and Your Honor: thank you so much for revoking hunting, fishing, and trapping privileges of these folks.
This blog stands in recess.
Sunday, December 23, 2018
Tuesday, December 18, 2018
Don't Be That Fan! Call-Out
So Sunday, the Pittsburgh Steelers accomplished what has been nearly impossible for the last 17 years, they beat the New England Patriots. I detailed here exactly how I feel about the NFL in general, and the Roethlisberger-QB'ed Steelers in specific, but I'd be lying if I said that a petty part of me isn't delighted that the Men Of Steel finally got it all over the Deflatriots, especially after some rather sucky play on the Steelers' part the past month.
That's why I was so disappointed to hear about this bar fight on this afternoon's news broadcast. Three people arrested in a bar after fighting with police and medics. One woman knocked unconscious. Wow, great idea, fighting with cops in a bar. What are ya gonna do for an encore, geniuses? Give a caged bear a noogie?
And two weeks ago, during the game vs. the LA Chargers, we had a twofer that took place in the stands. The "head-butt seen 'round the world" and a pregnant woman was choked. Ugh. Really, Steeler fans? This is the face we want to show the world?
Six times since 2000, the city of Pittsburgh has been named "Most Livable" -- by Forbes, Places Rated Almanac, and The Economist. "The City Of Champions", with multiple championship trophies earned by all three major professional teams. World-class medical city, with a burn unit, transplant center, and Children's Hospital that are well-known pioneers of technique. Major studies are done here, and pharmaceuticals developed. We became innovators of communication nearly 100 years ago when the first radio station in the US, KDKA, signed on the air, broadcasting Harding-Cox election returns, and again in 1954, with WQED, the first community-sponsored TV station in the US. We survived the death of Big Steel in the early 80's, and, hardly skipping a beat, we commenced a city-wide renaissance begun in the late 70's, bringing it to a crowning finish in the early 90's.
We are that original "big city with a small-town attitude", well-known for our friendliness to "ahta-tahners", you know, them that ain't yinzers. So must we let football games, yes, even our beloved Steelers, ruin our good image?
And how about Chris Boswell? The embattled kicker, who made 92% of his field goals and signed a big contract last year, has struggled to bang through a league-worst 61% so far this year. No question his 32-yard miss earlier in the game looms larger in the minds of Steeler Nation than his 48-yard success late in the 4th quarter that kept it a one score game. But after the earlier failure, Steelers Head Coach Mike Tomlin indicated to Boswell he would go right back to him, showing confidence. So why did some fans feel the need to kick the guy when he was down, immediately going into detective mode to unearth racist and homophobic tweets from five years ago, just to get him fired?
Does this blogger condone the content of Boswell's (now deleted) Twitter feed? No, never. Do I think he should be fired for it? Yes, as long as we all understand that we have all had wrong attitudes and said dumb things, and that if all the dumb things we have ever thought and said were somewhere waiting to be ferreted out and exposed, I wonder how many of us would have jobs. But to be fair, Roseanne Barr lost her TV show earlier this year for the same kind of content, so, OK, fire him. But let's be real about why we want him out. Is it because he is racist and homophobic? Or because all of a sudden, he can't make field goals? Cuz I didn't see none 'a yinz diggin' up this kinda stuff last year when Boswell went to the Pro Bowl for Da Stillers n 'at.
I think I liked you better in October, Pittsburgh.
https://www.pennlive.com/steelers/2018/12/steelers-police-investigating-two-fan-incidents-caught-on-video-at-heinz-field-during-chargers-game-reports.html
That's why I was so disappointed to hear about this bar fight on this afternoon's news broadcast. Three people arrested in a bar after fighting with police and medics. One woman knocked unconscious. Wow, great idea, fighting with cops in a bar. What are ya gonna do for an encore, geniuses? Give a caged bear a noogie?
And two weeks ago, during the game vs. the LA Chargers, we had a twofer that took place in the stands. The "head-butt seen 'round the world" and a pregnant woman was choked. Ugh. Really, Steeler fans? This is the face we want to show the world?
Six times since 2000, the city of Pittsburgh has been named "Most Livable" -- by Forbes, Places Rated Almanac, and The Economist. "The City Of Champions", with multiple championship trophies earned by all three major professional teams. World-class medical city, with a burn unit, transplant center, and Children's Hospital that are well-known pioneers of technique. Major studies are done here, and pharmaceuticals developed. We became innovators of communication nearly 100 years ago when the first radio station in the US, KDKA, signed on the air, broadcasting Harding-Cox election returns, and again in 1954, with WQED, the first community-sponsored TV station in the US. We survived the death of Big Steel in the early 80's, and, hardly skipping a beat, we commenced a city-wide renaissance begun in the late 70's, bringing it to a crowning finish in the early 90's.
We are that original "big city with a small-town attitude", well-known for our friendliness to "ahta-tahners", you know, them that ain't yinzers. So must we let football games, yes, even our beloved Steelers, ruin our good image?
And how about Chris Boswell? The embattled kicker, who made 92% of his field goals and signed a big contract last year, has struggled to bang through a league-worst 61% so far this year. No question his 32-yard miss earlier in the game looms larger in the minds of Steeler Nation than his 48-yard success late in the 4th quarter that kept it a one score game. But after the earlier failure, Steelers Head Coach Mike Tomlin indicated to Boswell he would go right back to him, showing confidence. So why did some fans feel the need to kick the guy when he was down, immediately going into detective mode to unearth racist and homophobic tweets from five years ago, just to get him fired?
Does this blogger condone the content of Boswell's (now deleted) Twitter feed? No, never. Do I think he should be fired for it? Yes, as long as we all understand that we have all had wrong attitudes and said dumb things, and that if all the dumb things we have ever thought and said were somewhere waiting to be ferreted out and exposed, I wonder how many of us would have jobs. But to be fair, Roseanne Barr lost her TV show earlier this year for the same kind of content, so, OK, fire him. But let's be real about why we want him out. Is it because he is racist and homophobic? Or because all of a sudden, he can't make field goals? Cuz I didn't see none 'a yinz diggin' up this kinda stuff last year when Boswell went to the Pro Bowl for Da Stillers n 'at.
I think I liked you better in October, Pittsburgh.
https://www.pennlive.com/steelers/2018/12/steelers-police-investigating-two-fan-incidents-caught-on-video-at-heinz-field-during-chargers-game-reports.html
Sunday, December 16, 2018
To Those Who Murder Sleep...
This Call-Out!
So, this morning, I was doing what tired shift workers do on Saturdays, if they can. I was sleeping. Dreaming peacefully of a place with shining blue waters tumbling gently over rocks, making a lovely sound just like that of my white-noise-spewing radio, when all of a sudden...
BLAM! BLAM! BLAM! BLAM! Rattling my storm door, accompanied by
DING-DONG! DING-DONG! DING-DONG! Causing the cat to run and hide, an event I liken in frequency to an eclipse; and growl, which I have never heard him do before. I looked at the clock. 11:33 AM. WTF? Are you serious right now? Who dares invade the peace of a quiet suburban Saturday morning like this? Is it an emergency the way the pounding and the three rapid-fire doorbell rings make it sound?
I looked outside to find a Window World truck parked in front of my driveway, four-way flashers blinking. Are you kidding me??? People, people!! During the early 90's I sold Avon, during which time I followed a handful of cardinal rules, a few of which were: NEVER go out to see your customers before noon, and always gently tap on the door no more than three times; ring the doorbell once. Put your calling card in the door. If they want your product or service, you'll hear from them.
There used to be such a thing as decency, by which I mean some kind of consideration for privacy, by which I mean the right to not be disturbed by other people. Nowadays I think that if it were light enough to do it, there would be bozos outside at 10 PM, or conversely, 4 AM, mowing their lawns.
Of course, only relatively recently have we acquired a 24-hour society. But somehow many of us still want to operate as if most of our world is still 9 to 5.
I became most acutely aware of this in 2006, after the current regime took over The Plaza and I accepted an overnight supervisor position, working five 10+ hour days a week, 10 PM-8 AM. I attempted to sleep between noon and 8 PM; rarely did I achieve more than five hours of sleep a night. Too many Post Office/UPS/Fed-Ex/salespeople ringing and knocking; family on the phone; lawn-mowing going on all hours. And of course it had to be that year and no other that one of my neighbors had their driveway dug up and replaced, and another their sewer lines. And for whatever reason, though they had a big, beautiful backyard to play in (that didn't face my house), yet another neighbor's four kids all had to play almost exclusively in the driveway that does face my house.
What to do? Well, I did what I could. My mother already knew We Do Not Wake A Sleeping Claudia. The landline's ringer was turned off; the sound way down on the answering machine. Family and friends were told the hours we could not be reached, and were good about complying for the most part. A sign was posted on the door, which read, "Shift worker sleeping. Do not disturb except in case of fire, local or national emergency". This worked for a time, until some folks decided their employers' rules stated they HAD to knock or ring the doorbell. At which time I smashed the doorbell cover in a psychotic rage. (Do not do this. Doorbell cover replacements are expensive!) Then I simply disconnected the doorbell.
All to no avail. I still rarely got more than five hours of sleep. Consequently, I was chronically sleep-deprived and would fall asleep anywhere -- while reading, watching TV, and once, while parked in a Wal-Mart parking lot. This is, unfortunately, the curse of the overnight employee. No one was happier than me when The Plaza shut down for demolition and rebuilding on Labor Day, 2006. My mother and I went out for breakfast to celebrate, and when we returned home, I slept. And slept. And slept. 20 out of my first 36 hours home. And when I finally caught up on my sleep, I recovered my wits from the fog that had engulfed them.
Luckily, after The Plaza was rebuilt, it was decided that I would help keep order in the Coffee Paradise restaurant, in lieu of running shifts. I returned to my old standby, the 3-11 shift, usually arriving home around 11:30, winding down and going to sleep around 4 or 5 AM. A lot of people are surprised that I don't go home and go right to sleep, but that feels as unnatural as a day shift employee getting home at 5 or 6 PM, eating and going right to sleep. Winding down is a must, and look at it this way: my being up late helps keep the neighborhood a little safer, because I hear everything.
My loved ones are pretty good about remembering my timetable, and contacting me accordingly. And deliverers of packages generally no longer interfere with my sleep schedule. My biggest impediments to a good night's sleep now are, in this order: menopausal insomnia; my cat, who gets lonely and will scratch my door so he can cuddle and sleep with me. Or hunt and kill dust molecules in my bedroom. You never can tell which.
Oh, yeah, and knuckleheads like Mr. Window World.
So, this morning, I was doing what tired shift workers do on Saturdays, if they can. I was sleeping. Dreaming peacefully of a place with shining blue waters tumbling gently over rocks, making a lovely sound just like that of my white-noise-spewing radio, when all of a sudden...
BLAM! BLAM! BLAM! BLAM! Rattling my storm door, accompanied by
DING-DONG! DING-DONG! DING-DONG! Causing the cat to run and hide, an event I liken in frequency to an eclipse; and growl, which I have never heard him do before. I looked at the clock. 11:33 AM. WTF? Are you serious right now? Who dares invade the peace of a quiet suburban Saturday morning like this? Is it an emergency the way the pounding and the three rapid-fire doorbell rings make it sound?
I looked outside to find a Window World truck parked in front of my driveway, four-way flashers blinking. Are you kidding me??? People, people!! During the early 90's I sold Avon, during which time I followed a handful of cardinal rules, a few of which were: NEVER go out to see your customers before noon, and always gently tap on the door no more than three times; ring the doorbell once. Put your calling card in the door. If they want your product or service, you'll hear from them.
There used to be such a thing as decency, by which I mean some kind of consideration for privacy, by which I mean the right to not be disturbed by other people. Nowadays I think that if it were light enough to do it, there would be bozos outside at 10 PM, or conversely, 4 AM, mowing their lawns.
Of course, only relatively recently have we acquired a 24-hour society. But somehow many of us still want to operate as if most of our world is still 9 to 5.
I became most acutely aware of this in 2006, after the current regime took over The Plaza and I accepted an overnight supervisor position, working five 10+ hour days a week, 10 PM-8 AM. I attempted to sleep between noon and 8 PM; rarely did I achieve more than five hours of sleep a night. Too many Post Office/UPS/Fed-Ex/salespeople ringing and knocking; family on the phone; lawn-mowing going on all hours. And of course it had to be that year and no other that one of my neighbors had their driveway dug up and replaced, and another their sewer lines. And for whatever reason, though they had a big, beautiful backyard to play in (that didn't face my house), yet another neighbor's four kids all had to play almost exclusively in the driveway that does face my house.
What to do? Well, I did what I could. My mother already knew We Do Not Wake A Sleeping Claudia. The landline's ringer was turned off; the sound way down on the answering machine. Family and friends were told the hours we could not be reached, and were good about complying for the most part. A sign was posted on the door, which read, "Shift worker sleeping. Do not disturb except in case of fire, local or national emergency". This worked for a time, until some folks decided their employers' rules stated they HAD to knock or ring the doorbell. At which time I smashed the doorbell cover in a psychotic rage. (Do not do this. Doorbell cover replacements are expensive!) Then I simply disconnected the doorbell.
All to no avail. I still rarely got more than five hours of sleep. Consequently, I was chronically sleep-deprived and would fall asleep anywhere -- while reading, watching TV, and once, while parked in a Wal-Mart parking lot. This is, unfortunately, the curse of the overnight employee. No one was happier than me when The Plaza shut down for demolition and rebuilding on Labor Day, 2006. My mother and I went out for breakfast to celebrate, and when we returned home, I slept. And slept. And slept. 20 out of my first 36 hours home. And when I finally caught up on my sleep, I recovered my wits from the fog that had engulfed them.
Luckily, after The Plaza was rebuilt, it was decided that I would help keep order in the Coffee Paradise restaurant, in lieu of running shifts. I returned to my old standby, the 3-11 shift, usually arriving home around 11:30, winding down and going to sleep around 4 or 5 AM. A lot of people are surprised that I don't go home and go right to sleep, but that feels as unnatural as a day shift employee getting home at 5 or 6 PM, eating and going right to sleep. Winding down is a must, and look at it this way: my being up late helps keep the neighborhood a little safer, because I hear everything.
My loved ones are pretty good about remembering my timetable, and contacting me accordingly. And deliverers of packages generally no longer interfere with my sleep schedule. My biggest impediments to a good night's sleep now are, in this order: menopausal insomnia; my cat, who gets lonely and will scratch my door so he can cuddle and sleep with me. Or hunt and kill dust molecules in my bedroom. You never can tell which.
Oh, yeah, and knuckleheads like Mr. Window World.
Saturday, December 8, 2018
Shout-Out To A Pair Of Red Kettle Ladies!
With the holiday season upon us, we are all bound to see those big, red Salvation Army kettles in our out-and-abouts; they definitely are ubiquitous this time of year. Like most of us, I look forward to the opportunity to drop a little something into the kettle. It adds that necessary ingredient of Good Will To All that may be lacking the rest of the year, but sets the year-end holidays apart, makes them sacred. Something that adds a certain spring in the step and lift in the heart that might not be felt again until the snow stops flying, at least. Something that makes us a little more favorably disposed to the other struggling humans on this planet for a month or so.
As I went grocery shopping yesterday afternoon, two ladies Who Know What It's All About were manning the Red Kettle together, and lending considerable talents to the endeavor. Such sweet, true voices they had, raised in song. Christmas carols, something I have never experienced in all these years of running into the Salvation Army at holiday time.
I noticed they had a pretty full kettle when I went past them into the grocery store, but when I came out (praying they would still be there), that kettle was stuffed! What I donated is between The Universe, The Ladies and me, but I will just say that, as I told the talented duo, they uplifted me, so I gave more than usual.
And judging from the the abundance in the kettle, I wasn't the only one. Happy Holidays!
https://give.salvationarmyusa.org/give/164006/?pid=cpc:red_kettle_national::bing:::::use:brand:brand&utm_source=bing&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=red_kettle_national&utm_content=use&utm_term=brand#!/donation/checkout
As I went grocery shopping yesterday afternoon, two ladies Who Know What It's All About were manning the Red Kettle together, and lending considerable talents to the endeavor. Such sweet, true voices they had, raised in song. Christmas carols, something I have never experienced in all these years of running into the Salvation Army at holiday time.
I noticed they had a pretty full kettle when I went past them into the grocery store, but when I came out (praying they would still be there), that kettle was stuffed! What I donated is between The Universe, The Ladies and me, but I will just say that, as I told the talented duo, they uplifted me, so I gave more than usual.
And judging from the the abundance in the kettle, I wasn't the only one. Happy Holidays!
https://give.salvationarmyusa.org/give/164006/?pid=cpc:red_kettle_national::bing:::::use:brand:brand&utm_source=bing&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=red_kettle_national&utm_content=use&utm_term=brand#!/donation/checkout
Monday, December 3, 2018
Not Rain, Nor Sleet, Nor Galactic Objects
Once every couple years or so, you may hear of a youngster writing a letter to Santa, and a lovely creative response by the US Postal Service. And those are sweet feel-good stories that we all eat up this time of year. But this Shout-Out goes out to the UK's Royal Mail, and the imagination and sensitivity shown by one of its employees.
Seems young Jase Hyndman wrote a letter to his father who had passed away, and sent it via Royal Mail, requesting, "Mr. Postman, can you take this to heaven for my dads birthday. Thanks."
And from Royal Mail, Jase received this response:
"Dear Jase, while we've been delivering your post, we've become aware of some concerns. So I just wanted to take this opportunity to contact you about how we succeeded in the delivery of the letter to your dad in heaven. This was a difficult challenge avoiding stars and other galactic objects on route to heaven."
"However please be assured that this particular important item of mail has been delivered. I will continue to do all I can to ensure delivery to heaven safely." The letter was signed by Sean Milligan, assistant delivery office manager for Royal Mail.
Jase's mother, Teri Copland, shared on Facebook:
"A few weeks ago my 7 year old son posted this card to his dad in heaven and today he got a lovely reply from the postman. I actually cannot state how emotional he is knowing his dad got his card... you didn’t have to make the effort to do this you could have just ignored it but the fact that yous have made the effort for a little boy you've never met is such a lovely thing to do. Royal Mail you've just restored my faith in humanity and thank you it honestly means the world to him please share this so all the staff at Royal Mail know just how greatful [sic] we are."
Sean Milligan and Royal Mail, thank you for your kindness, and the opportunity for this blogger to segue gracefully into the holiday season. It is my hope that our society can recover the angels of its better nature, if not permanently, then at least until the end of this year. May we all be blessed.
https://m.facebook.com/teri.copland/posts/pcb.2438483316168010/?photo_id=2438483192834689&mds=%2Fphotos%2Fviewer%2F%3Fphotoset_token%3Dpcb.2438483316168010%26photo%3D2438483192834689%26profileid%3D100011552269602%26source%3D49%26refid%3D17%26_ft_%3Dmf_story_key.2438483316168010%253Atop_level_post_id.2438483316168010%253Atl_objid.2438483316168010%253Acontent_owner_id_new.100000190967793%253Athrowback_story_fbid.2438483316168010%253Aphoto_attachments_list.[2438483192834689%252C2438483186168023]%253Astory_location.4%253Astory_attachment_style.album%253Athid.100000190967793%253A306061129499414%253A2%253A0%253A1546329599%253A5837400797899219738%26__tn__%3DEH-R%26cached_data%3Dtrue%26ftid%3D&mdf=1
Seems young Jase Hyndman wrote a letter to his father who had passed away, and sent it via Royal Mail, requesting, "Mr. Postman, can you take this to heaven for my dads birthday. Thanks."
And from Royal Mail, Jase received this response:
"Dear Jase, while we've been delivering your post, we've become aware of some concerns. So I just wanted to take this opportunity to contact you about how we succeeded in the delivery of the letter to your dad in heaven. This was a difficult challenge avoiding stars and other galactic objects on route to heaven."
"However please be assured that this particular important item of mail has been delivered. I will continue to do all I can to ensure delivery to heaven safely." The letter was signed by Sean Milligan, assistant delivery office manager for Royal Mail.
Jase's mother, Teri Copland, shared on Facebook:
"A few weeks ago my 7 year old son posted this card to his dad in heaven and today he got a lovely reply from the postman. I actually cannot state how emotional he is knowing his dad got his card... you didn’t have to make the effort to do this you could have just ignored it but the fact that yous have made the effort for a little boy you've never met is such a lovely thing to do. Royal Mail you've just restored my faith in humanity and thank you it honestly means the world to him please share this so all the staff at Royal Mail know just how greatful [sic] we are."
Sean Milligan and Royal Mail, thank you for your kindness, and the opportunity for this blogger to segue gracefully into the holiday season. It is my hope that our society can recover the angels of its better nature, if not permanently, then at least until the end of this year. May we all be blessed.
Sunday, November 25, 2018
Mr. Peabody Award
So, I want to introduce The Latest Sensation here on Call-Outs And Shout-Outs. It's an honor I have decided to call the Mr. Peabody Award. This distinction is to be periodically given to those individuals who have shown amazing insight and wisdom, and who demonstrate an eagerness to listen, research, and truly understand all aspects of a particular subject (said with sarcasm). Especially when they evidence intention to flay and upbraid others with this supposed insight and wisdom.
Today's Mr. Peabody Award goes to...well, I don't know her name, but she was a customer at the Coffee Paradise restaurant in The Plaza where I worked the fourth (and for me, the last) busy day of the busy holiday week. Let's just call her The Dear Lady (TDL). And let's please do understand that I am actually not picking on any particular person. Her name could be legion, for she is many, and not always female. Rather, TDL is representative of a certain category of person, and the story you are about to read is representative of probably a hundred or more similar incidents I've experienced or observed in nearly 22 years in this location.
That said, let me set the stage...
When TDL arrived, at about 10 PM last night, we were finally making progress getting Coffee Paradise cleaned and stocked up after spending most of the previous 7 hours serving a continuous line of customers. N, at 17, and Coffee Paradise's newest member, was manning the counter and making drinks. J, a newly-minted adult hired just a few months ago, was on the other side of The Plaza picking up some stock. I was cleaning and stocking Coffee Paradise's condiment bar.
Presently N took TDL's order. And forgot to give her her change, $3.24. N called me over, and asked me what to do. I said, "No problem. Just take it out of the tip jar, and write down the amount." And I went back to my stocking.
Next thing I know, TDL is indignant, telling N, "No, you don't have to do that, she was rude to ask you to do that, just keep it." WTF?
Then, before I knew it, she was beside my condiment bar, demanding of me, "Are you the manager?"
"No. Is there something I can help you with?"
"That was just rude the way you asked her to do that. Surely you could show her how to get her drawer open?"
"Since I'm not the manager, I don't have the ability to get her drawer open," I explained.
"Well surely there's someone here who could and you could've gone and gotten them?"
Not wanting to continue the unpleasantness, I pointed out, "I was just trying to expedite things for you, ma'am," whereupon I continued my work, and unbelievably, TDL continued discussing The Heinousness Of Me (standing six feet away from me) with a lady who had ordered before her, and who had also been waiting for her drink.
(Now let it be said that in my private life I would be sorely tempted to scatter the teeth of a biatch of this ilk like so many Chiclets upon the sidewalk, but I digress).
Then, after receiving her drink (and $3 from the tip jar), she walked away in dire haste. After she did, I asked N if she was alright, if she had perceived me to be rude, because if she did, I didn't mean to be. N told me she felt awkward because TDL was so upset and attacking me, and it was uncomfortable because N knew that I had chosen an expedient solution to the problem, and TDL acted like I had punished N in some way.
I replied that I might have tried to explain what was what to TDL, but when some people are angry like that, there's no point. They're not listening. They think they are right and that's all they know. Is it traveler's stress, overblown sense of entitlement, or are they control freaks or classists who look at a 50+ year-old server and see a loser they can abuse? Who knows? We just know that such people make what can be a hard job even more difficult.
Well, TDL, here are some free fun facts for you:
1. When I asked N to give you your change out of the tip jar, it was NOT to punish her in some way. The idea was, the next time a customer paid with cash, she would re-pay the tip jar $3.24 out of her drawer, then both her drawer and the tip jar would be square and correct. (The reason I told her to write down the amount). Which happened approximately 15 minutes after you left. We do this all the time, as managers do not always hear us calling on The Plaza's PA system, and are not always able to come over immediately when called. More than 99% of customers understand this at least to some extent, and are grateful. Also, we don't endear ourselves to those who are above us on the food chain if we call them when they are busy, too, to help us with problems we can easily solve ourselves.
2. I called it "the tip jar" both at The Plaza and in this post because it is just that. Not just N's tip jar. When you were our customer, there were, as I mentioned, three of us working at Coffee Paradise. The tips belonged equally to all three of us, so if I ask N to gyp the jar of $3.24, I get gypped, too, unless of course the intention from the beginning is to re-pay the tip jar.
3. I truly have no power to open N's drawer, or anyone else's. This is company policy, which protects all of us. Otherwise, when anyone leaves Coffee Paradise on a meal or bathroom break, or to carry out a duty, what is to stop me from using my magic card to steal money from their drawer? It was a policy set in place to keep us honest, not to make your visit inconvenient.
4. You thought I should have gotten the manager to open N's drawer to give you your $3.24. Really? We are trained to make things expedient for you. Now if the manager had been in the office, then it would have been relatively expedient for you. But it was a busy holiday Saturday. Likely as not, he wasn't in the office. He might have been in one of three coolers. Or the freezer. Or the electrical room. Or the men's room, checking the porter's work. Or in one of the other two stores, helping out or doing manager work. Or he could have been outside in the shed! He legit could have been anywhere. Did you REALLY want to wait for me to go get him? You know what I think? I think if I had gone to get him, and made you wait, THAT would have been "rude" in your eyes. If I'd given you silver, you'd have wanted gold, and if I'd given you gold, you'd have kvetched because it wasn't platinum.
5. You made an excessive scene when we did our best to help you, and in so doing, put an unhappy cap on an already very stressful day; ostensibly you did this in N's defense. Well, I'm sure N will be thinking of you (and not in a good way, as you made her feel awkward and uncomfortable, in her own words) when we have to do this busyness all over again in a few weeks. Thank you for helping me illustrate to N, however, that it is possible to walk away from an unpleasant encounter, even when the provocateur is determined to carry it on ad nauseam just a few feet away from you. That's something she'd have never believed unless she'd seen it with her own eyes.
The fact that you were (deliberately?) obtuse to the above, and not interested in listening or engaging in any syllogism on the matter, but instead were committed to mouth-ahead-of-brain says a lot about you. Just as the fact that I have gone to the lengths of writing a post like this, when I have worked for almost 22 years at The Plaza, and have been largely silent about my job (in more than 11 years of posting on two blogs!), and the folks like you that I run into there, says a lot about my level of frustration with the amount of excrement consumption I must undertake at my job on a weekly basis.
You are not winning this blog's dubious distinction today because the things you did and said are really so unusual, but exactly because they have become commonplace. Pervasive. The customer is always right, aren't they? Even when they don't know jack.
The fact is, that if you were to, God forbid, suffer a sudden reversal of fortune, and come to my Coffee Paradise to work, chances are you would be trained by me (Wouldn't that be fun?! Could you imagine the certification test I would give you?! I'm rubbing my hands together, thinking of it, lol). And if you were, it would take at least two weeks before you would know enough about my job to be certified as a Big-Time Coffee Drink Maker. That means two, maybe three weeks before you could even be left behind the bar alone. And 4-6 weeks before you'd really be confident that you knew how to do 90% of the job 90% of the time. Not to mention understanding the intricacies of The Plaza's foreign-owned corporation, as well as obeying the laws of four different entities, when most folks have only a rudimentary concept of how restaurants really run, evidenced by my having to explain 1-4, above.
So I'd appreciate it if you and your kind would stop telling me all about my job and how to do it, having drawn conclusions on same during, on average, a five-minute visit, Peabody.
(I thank my regular readers for indulging me by allowing me to go on a bit, as they say, for the purpose of edifying a certain segment of the population, not to mention venting).
Today's Mr. Peabody Award goes to...well, I don't know her name, but she was a customer at the Coffee Paradise restaurant in The Plaza where I worked the fourth (and for me, the last) busy day of the busy holiday week. Let's just call her The Dear Lady (TDL). And let's please do understand that I am actually not picking on any particular person. Her name could be legion, for she is many, and not always female. Rather, TDL is representative of a certain category of person, and the story you are about to read is representative of probably a hundred or more similar incidents I've experienced or observed in nearly 22 years in this location.
That said, let me set the stage...
When TDL arrived, at about 10 PM last night, we were finally making progress getting Coffee Paradise cleaned and stocked up after spending most of the previous 7 hours serving a continuous line of customers. N, at 17, and Coffee Paradise's newest member, was manning the counter and making drinks. J, a newly-minted adult hired just a few months ago, was on the other side of The Plaza picking up some stock. I was cleaning and stocking Coffee Paradise's condiment bar.
Presently N took TDL's order. And forgot to give her her change, $3.24. N called me over, and asked me what to do. I said, "No problem. Just take it out of the tip jar, and write down the amount." And I went back to my stocking.
Next thing I know, TDL is indignant, telling N, "No, you don't have to do that, she was rude to ask you to do that, just keep it." WTF?
Then, before I knew it, she was beside my condiment bar, demanding of me, "Are you the manager?"
"No. Is there something I can help you with?"
"That was just rude the way you asked her to do that. Surely you could show her how to get her drawer open?"
"Since I'm not the manager, I don't have the ability to get her drawer open," I explained.
"Well surely there's someone here who could and you could've gone and gotten them?"
Not wanting to continue the unpleasantness, I pointed out, "I was just trying to expedite things for you, ma'am," whereupon I continued my work, and unbelievably, TDL continued discussing The Heinousness Of Me (standing six feet away from me) with a lady who had ordered before her, and who had also been waiting for her drink.
(Now let it be said that in my private life I would be sorely tempted to scatter the teeth of a biatch of this ilk like so many Chiclets upon the sidewalk, but I digress).
Then, after receiving her drink (and $3 from the tip jar), she walked away in dire haste. After she did, I asked N if she was alright, if she had perceived me to be rude, because if she did, I didn't mean to be. N told me she felt awkward because TDL was so upset and attacking me, and it was uncomfortable because N knew that I had chosen an expedient solution to the problem, and TDL acted like I had punished N in some way.
I replied that I might have tried to explain what was what to TDL, but when some people are angry like that, there's no point. They're not listening. They think they are right and that's all they know. Is it traveler's stress, overblown sense of entitlement, or are they control freaks or classists who look at a 50+ year-old server and see a loser they can abuse? Who knows? We just know that such people make what can be a hard job even more difficult.
Well, TDL, here are some free fun facts for you:
1. When I asked N to give you your change out of the tip jar, it was NOT to punish her in some way. The idea was, the next time a customer paid with cash, she would re-pay the tip jar $3.24 out of her drawer, then both her drawer and the tip jar would be square and correct. (The reason I told her to write down the amount). Which happened approximately 15 minutes after you left. We do this all the time, as managers do not always hear us calling on The Plaza's PA system, and are not always able to come over immediately when called. More than 99% of customers understand this at least to some extent, and are grateful. Also, we don't endear ourselves to those who are above us on the food chain if we call them when they are busy, too, to help us with problems we can easily solve ourselves.
2. I called it "the tip jar" both at The Plaza and in this post because it is just that. Not just N's tip jar. When you were our customer, there were, as I mentioned, three of us working at Coffee Paradise. The tips belonged equally to all three of us, so if I ask N to gyp the jar of $3.24, I get gypped, too, unless of course the intention from the beginning is to re-pay the tip jar.
3. I truly have no power to open N's drawer, or anyone else's. This is company policy, which protects all of us. Otherwise, when anyone leaves Coffee Paradise on a meal or bathroom break, or to carry out a duty, what is to stop me from using my magic card to steal money from their drawer? It was a policy set in place to keep us honest, not to make your visit inconvenient.
4. You thought I should have gotten the manager to open N's drawer to give you your $3.24. Really? We are trained to make things expedient for you. Now if the manager had been in the office, then it would have been relatively expedient for you. But it was a busy holiday Saturday. Likely as not, he wasn't in the office. He might have been in one of three coolers. Or the freezer. Or the electrical room. Or the men's room, checking the porter's work. Or in one of the other two stores, helping out or doing manager work. Or he could have been outside in the shed! He legit could have been anywhere. Did you REALLY want to wait for me to go get him? You know what I think? I think if I had gone to get him, and made you wait, THAT would have been "rude" in your eyes. If I'd given you silver, you'd have wanted gold, and if I'd given you gold, you'd have kvetched because it wasn't platinum.
5. You made an excessive scene when we did our best to help you, and in so doing, put an unhappy cap on an already very stressful day; ostensibly you did this in N's defense. Well, I'm sure N will be thinking of you (and not in a good way, as you made her feel awkward and uncomfortable, in her own words) when we have to do this busyness all over again in a few weeks. Thank you for helping me illustrate to N, however, that it is possible to walk away from an unpleasant encounter, even when the provocateur is determined to carry it on ad nauseam just a few feet away from you. That's something she'd have never believed unless she'd seen it with her own eyes.
The fact that you were (deliberately?) obtuse to the above, and not interested in listening or engaging in any syllogism on the matter, but instead were committed to mouth-ahead-of-brain says a lot about you. Just as the fact that I have gone to the lengths of writing a post like this, when I have worked for almost 22 years at The Plaza, and have been largely silent about my job (in more than 11 years of posting on two blogs!), and the folks like you that I run into there, says a lot about my level of frustration with the amount of excrement consumption I must undertake at my job on a weekly basis.
You are not winning this blog's dubious distinction today because the things you did and said are really so unusual, but exactly because they have become commonplace. Pervasive. The customer is always right, aren't they? Even when they don't know jack.
The fact is, that if you were to, God forbid, suffer a sudden reversal of fortune, and come to my Coffee Paradise to work, chances are you would be trained by me (Wouldn't that be fun?! Could you imagine the certification test I would give you?! I'm rubbing my hands together, thinking of it, lol). And if you were, it would take at least two weeks before you would know enough about my job to be certified as a Big-Time Coffee Drink Maker. That means two, maybe three weeks before you could even be left behind the bar alone. And 4-6 weeks before you'd really be confident that you knew how to do 90% of the job 90% of the time. Not to mention understanding the intricacies of The Plaza's foreign-owned corporation, as well as obeying the laws of four different entities, when most folks have only a rudimentary concept of how restaurants really run, evidenced by my having to explain 1-4, above.
So I'd appreciate it if you and your kind would stop telling me all about my job and how to do it, having drawn conclusions on same during, on average, a five-minute visit, Peabody.
(I thank my regular readers for indulging me by allowing me to go on a bit, as they say, for the purpose of edifying a certain segment of the population, not to mention venting).
Thursday, November 22, 2018
Mega Shout-Out!
Happy Thanksgiving, y'all!
Thank you to all in my life, those who bless me, and those who challenge me.
Either way, I am blessed. A Mega Shout-Out to you!
"Thanksgiving is not just a holiday, it's a lifestyle." -- Joel Osteen
Wow, when I read those words, I knew I had to share them, and write this post.
Thanks for reading! Again, Happy Thanksgiving!
Thank you to all in my life, those who bless me, and those who challenge me.
Either way, I am blessed. A Mega Shout-Out to you!
"Thanksgiving is not just a holiday, it's a lifestyle." -- Joel Osteen
Wow, when I read those words, I knew I had to share them, and write this post.
Thanks for reading! Again, Happy Thanksgiving!
Friday, November 16, 2018
Something A Little Different
Let's call this a Watch-Out. As in Let's Don't Be That Person.
For example, last Wednesday evening's demonstration in front of Fox News host Tucker Carlson's house. A small group named Smash Racism DC assembled, crying, "Tucker Carlson, we will fight! We know where you sleep at night!" From there, depictions of the protest vary, with Carlson's wife, the only family member home at the time, claiming the demonstrators cracked the Carlsons' front door, necessitating her sequestering herself in the pantry, fearing her home was being broken into.
Of course, the protesters tell a much more innocent story. Whose story is the more accurate?
Guess what? This blogger contends it just doesn't matter.
Because to me, these protesters had no business being on or near Tucker Carlson's private property, period. How did they think that his wife would feel? Or, had they been home, his children? Did they think? Hey, if you dislike Tucker Carlson or you believe he's a racist or a nationalist, that's your right. You want to protest him or whoever? Knock yourself out! But do it the right way. Get a permit, call the media and tell them all about it. Carry out your protest. In a public place. In a civilized orderly fashion. Not on private property, involving and upsetting loved ones who are not responsible for whatever you're protesting. Especially children.
Don't be that person.
And then last month former Full House alum Lori Loughlin was putting the cap on (pun intended) her third Hallmark Christmas movie.
“Love the show Lori but wish you would keep politics out of it. Guess we just disagree that our president is ‘making America great again,’ ” wrote Garrett Murphy.
Really?!
“I’m so confused by your comment,” Loughlin replied. Murphy began to debate with other followers as to whether wearing a red hat equals supporting Trump and his ilk's MAGA hats. Many rightfully concluded Murphy was "reaching", as one put it. Then Loughlin weighed in, "The hat says ANOTHER HALLMARK CHRISTMAS MOVIE. RED is for the Christmas season. Hope that clears up the confusion. Also the entire crew is Canadian.”
Incredibly, Murphy fired back with, "Oh give me a break Lori I think it’s pretty obvious what it means. It’s also pretty obvious that you’re all enjoying excluding EVERY OTHER RELIGION by wearing those ‘Christmas only’ hats.”
Sheesh! But evidently cooler heads prevailed, and a sensible voice who mirrored the feelings of this blogger opined, "I am a liberal and you are ridiculous.” I couldn't have said it better myself.
People, there are those on the right hand side of the aisle who truly believe that those on the left hand side of the aisle are lawless, and that we are snowflakes, among other things, many of them not good. Usually, this is not true. So we must behave accordingly. We must conduct ourselves in a way that reflects true progressive values unequivocally. We must not be drama queens (kings), trolls or bullies. Being disrespectful will not advance our cause. Neither will being thin-skinned or dishonorable. Let's take the high road.
Don't be that person.
Off my soapbox.
https://www.yahoo.com/lifestyle/lori-loughlins-hallmark-channel-christmas-hat-sparks-maga-debate-wish-keep-politics-180841337.html
For example, last Wednesday evening's demonstration in front of Fox News host Tucker Carlson's house. A small group named Smash Racism DC assembled, crying, "Tucker Carlson, we will fight! We know where you sleep at night!" From there, depictions of the protest vary, with Carlson's wife, the only family member home at the time, claiming the demonstrators cracked the Carlsons' front door, necessitating her sequestering herself in the pantry, fearing her home was being broken into.
Of course, the protesters tell a much more innocent story. Whose story is the more accurate?
Guess what? This blogger contends it just doesn't matter.
Because to me, these protesters had no business being on or near Tucker Carlson's private property, period. How did they think that his wife would feel? Or, had they been home, his children? Did they think? Hey, if you dislike Tucker Carlson or you believe he's a racist or a nationalist, that's your right. You want to protest him or whoever? Knock yourself out! But do it the right way. Get a permit, call the media and tell them all about it. Carry out your protest. In a public place. In a civilized orderly fashion. Not on private property, involving and upsetting loved ones who are not responsible for whatever you're protesting. Especially children.
Don't be that person.
And then last month former Full House alum Lori Loughlin was putting the cap on (pun intended) her third Hallmark Christmas movie.
"Coming to a close on Homegrown Christmas,” Loughlin wrote, Instagraming three photos of herself and the cast and crew wearing red tousle caps that read, “Another Hallmark Christmas Movie."
“Love the show Lori but wish you would keep politics out of it. Guess we just disagree that our president is ‘making America great again,’ ” wrote Garrett Murphy.
Really?!
“I’m so confused by your comment,” Loughlin replied. Murphy began to debate with other followers as to whether wearing a red hat equals supporting Trump and his ilk's MAGA hats. Many rightfully concluded Murphy was "reaching", as one put it. Then Loughlin weighed in, "The hat says ANOTHER HALLMARK CHRISTMAS MOVIE. RED is for the Christmas season. Hope that clears up the confusion. Also the entire crew is Canadian.”
Incredibly, Murphy fired back with, "Oh give me a break Lori I think it’s pretty obvious what it means. It’s also pretty obvious that you’re all enjoying excluding EVERY OTHER RELIGION by wearing those ‘Christmas only’ hats.”
Sheesh! But evidently cooler heads prevailed, and a sensible voice who mirrored the feelings of this blogger opined, "I am a liberal and you are ridiculous.” I couldn't have said it better myself.
People, there are those on the right hand side of the aisle who truly believe that those on the left hand side of the aisle are lawless, and that we are snowflakes, among other things, many of them not good. Usually, this is not true. So we must behave accordingly. We must conduct ourselves in a way that reflects true progressive values unequivocally. We must not be drama queens (kings), trolls or bullies. Being disrespectful will not advance our cause. Neither will being thin-skinned or dishonorable. Let's take the high road.
Don't be that person.
Off my soapbox.
https://www.yahoo.com/lifestyle/lori-loughlins-hallmark-channel-christmas-hat-sparks-maga-debate-wish-keep-politics-180841337.html
Saturday, November 10, 2018
You Can't What?
The Reverend Al Carlisle of the Grace Of God Church in Port Richey, Florida has a message for us:
I guess what he was trying to say was you can't be a Christian, and be a Liberal or a Progressive. The arrogance of trying to influence the vote, as a man of the cloth, and making sweeping, generalized judgements about a large swath of the population (and this from a man who especially ought to know better) is why Rev. Carlisle is the subject of our latest Call-Out.
Rev. Carlisle, I and my panel of friends beg to differ with you. Allow me to introduce the panel:
I guess what he was trying to say was you can't be a Christian, and be a Liberal or a Progressive. The arrogance of trying to influence the vote, as a man of the cloth, and making sweeping, generalized judgements about a large swath of the population (and this from a man who especially ought to know better) is why Rev. Carlisle is the subject of our latest Call-Out.
Rev. Carlisle, I and my panel of friends beg to differ with you. Allow me to introduce the panel:
- Martin Luther King, Jr.
- Jimmy Carter
- Jesse Jackson
- Al Sharpton
- Pierre Teilhard de Chardin
- Dietrich Bonhoeffer
- Corrie ten Boom
- Thomas Merton
- Reinhold Neibuhr (the author of the Serenity Prayer)
- Frederick Douglass
- Fred Rogers
- Susan B. Anthony
- Tommy Douglas (Baptist Minister, a Premier of Saskatchewan, and the developer of the Canadian model of Universal Health Care).
- Sojourner Truth
- Dorothy Day
This is just my short list. If I really wanted to get serious, believe me, my list would be a lot longer. See you on the other side, Reverend!
Tuesday, November 6, 2018
Happy Election Day!
It's wonderful to be able to stand up and be counted, to exercise your franchise, isn't it? Except if you can't, when you should have the perfect right. Am I talking about some banana republic? No, this Call-Out goes out to some situations in locations right here in the good old USA...
If you live in Georgia, State Secretary Brian Kemp is very interested in your handwriting. Better make sure your I's are dotted, your T's crossed, your hyphens exactly where they should be, and most of all make sure your signature as you vote matches the one on your voter-registration card. Because Brian Kemp is on the job to make sure No Matchee, No Votee. I know my signature at age 53 is exactly the same as it was at 18. Uh-huh!
And did I mention dear Mr. Kemp also without one speck of evidence accused Democrats of hacking into Georgia's voter database? Not one shred of evidence, but blaring it far and wide! And, ladies and gentleman, can you you please tell me in what universe but Georgia could someone simultaneously be running for governor in the same place he's in charge of elections?!
And in Ohio, be sure to vote every once in a while, or you may be unceremoniously purged. Back in June, the Supreme Court decided in Husted V. A. Philip Randolph Institute that states are allowed to dump a citizen's name from voting rolls if they have failed to vote in three consecutive federal elections. This decision is sure to affect the people the most who have the hardest time getting to the polls -- low-income, minorities, the elderly. Look for a lot of states to try this tactic to slant close elections, and no doubt this is one of those landmark Supreme Court decisions that will be brought up frequently, and talked about for some time to come, and not favorably, by real freedom-loving Americans.
And if you're in North Dakota, be sure you know your exact address. That may sound a little strange, but not in a state where a large section of the population is Native American and living on reservations, which does not afford them the luxury of having exact residential addresses. There was a time when a tribal voter could use their P. O. Box address, but not since the passing of the new law in 2014.
In April 2018, a US District Judge turned back this law, calling it "burdensome and discriminatory", but that opinion was overruled in September by a US Circuit Court Of Appeals, whose verdict was upheld by the Supreme Court. Last Tuesday a group of Natives returned to court, and the original District Judge, Daniel L Hovland sympathized, saying he had "great cause for concern", but citing the Purcell Principle, which forbids changes in voter laws close to an election, refused to set aside application of the law. Needless to say, re-election of Senator Heidi Heitkamp, may be in serious jeopardy. Which was, I'm guessing, the intent of the law.
It goes without saying which party is the beneficiary in each of these cases, but that is actually secondary in the mind of this blogger. My concern is that this kind of activity is going on right in front of us. What will we, as citizens, do about it? I truly believe the integrity of our nation is at stake, and I not only mean integrity in the sense of moral uprightness, but also in the sense of being "unified and sound in construction." I'm not really sure of the future of any of the three.
I'm counting on you to prove me wrong.
http://msmagazine.com/blog/2018/10/17/voters-georgia-north-dakota-fighting-back-voter-suppression-advance-midterm-elections/
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/10/11/us/politics/georgia-voter-registration-kemp-abrams.html
https://www.thenation.com/article/jimmy-carter-georgia-stacey-abrams/
https://www.thenation.com/article/after-stunning-democratic-win-north-dakota-republicans-suppressed-the-native-american-vote/
If you live in Georgia, State Secretary Brian Kemp is very interested in your handwriting. Better make sure your I's are dotted, your T's crossed, your hyphens exactly where they should be, and most of all make sure your signature as you vote matches the one on your voter-registration card. Because Brian Kemp is on the job to make sure No Matchee, No Votee. I know my signature at age 53 is exactly the same as it was at 18. Uh-huh!
And did I mention dear Mr. Kemp also without one speck of evidence accused Democrats of hacking into Georgia's voter database? Not one shred of evidence, but blaring it far and wide! And, ladies and gentleman, can you you please tell me in what universe but Georgia could someone simultaneously be running for governor in the same place he's in charge of elections?!
And in Ohio, be sure to vote every once in a while, or you may be unceremoniously purged. Back in June, the Supreme Court decided in Husted V. A. Philip Randolph Institute that states are allowed to dump a citizen's name from voting rolls if they have failed to vote in three consecutive federal elections. This decision is sure to affect the people the most who have the hardest time getting to the polls -- low-income, minorities, the elderly. Look for a lot of states to try this tactic to slant close elections, and no doubt this is one of those landmark Supreme Court decisions that will be brought up frequently, and talked about for some time to come, and not favorably, by real freedom-loving Americans.
And if you're in North Dakota, be sure you know your exact address. That may sound a little strange, but not in a state where a large section of the population is Native American and living on reservations, which does not afford them the luxury of having exact residential addresses. There was a time when a tribal voter could use their P. O. Box address, but not since the passing of the new law in 2014.
In April 2018, a US District Judge turned back this law, calling it "burdensome and discriminatory", but that opinion was overruled in September by a US Circuit Court Of Appeals, whose verdict was upheld by the Supreme Court. Last Tuesday a group of Natives returned to court, and the original District Judge, Daniel L Hovland sympathized, saying he had "great cause for concern", but citing the Purcell Principle, which forbids changes in voter laws close to an election, refused to set aside application of the law. Needless to say, re-election of Senator Heidi Heitkamp, may be in serious jeopardy. Which was, I'm guessing, the intent of the law.
It goes without saying which party is the beneficiary in each of these cases, but that is actually secondary in the mind of this blogger. My concern is that this kind of activity is going on right in front of us. What will we, as citizens, do about it? I truly believe the integrity of our nation is at stake, and I not only mean integrity in the sense of moral uprightness, but also in the sense of being "unified and sound in construction." I'm not really sure of the future of any of the three.
I'm counting on you to prove me wrong.
http://msmagazine.com/blog/2018/10/17/voters-georgia-north-dakota-fighting-back-voter-suppression-advance-midterm-elections/
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/10/11/us/politics/georgia-voter-registration-kemp-abrams.html
https://www.thenation.com/article/jimmy-carter-georgia-stacey-abrams/
https://www.thenation.com/article/after-stunning-democratic-win-north-dakota-republicans-suppressed-the-native-american-vote/
Monday, November 5, 2018
Shout-Out To Some Special Doctors And Nurses
This Shout-Out goes out to the good doctors and nurses at Allegheny General Hospital who took care of Robert Bowers, who last Saturday killed 11 and injured nine people at the Tree Of Life synagogue in the Squirrel Hill section of Pittsburgh. I speak specifically of the Jewish doctors and nurses who cared for Bowers in such a professional manner despite what had to be some very difficult circumstances and personal feelings.
Said AGH President Jeffrey Cohen, who visited Bowers in his hospital room, “Isn’t it ironic that somebody who is yelling in the ambulance and in the hospital, ‘I want to kill all the Jews,’ is taken care of by a Jewish nurse and there’s a Jewish hospital president that comes in to check on him afterwards?”
"We’re here to take care of sick people, we’re not here to judge you,” Cohen said in an interview with WTAE, Pittsburgh's ABC affiliate. “We’re here to take care of people that need our help.”
A special Shout-Out within a Shout-Out to Ari Mahler, RN, who wrote a Facebook post about being Bowers' nurse, which has been shared, as of this writing, more than 128,000 times. In it, Mahler said in part, "The fact that I did my job, a job which requires compassion and empathy over everything, is newsworthy to people because I’m Jewish. Even more so because my dad’s a Rabbi. To be honest, I didn't see evil when I looked into Robert Bower's eyes. I saw something else. I can’t go into details of our interactions because of HIPAA. I can tell you that as his nurse, or anyone's nurse, my care is given through kindness, my actions are measured with empathy, and regardless of the person you may be when you're not in my care, each breath you take is more beautiful than the last when you're lying on my stretcher. This was the same Robert Bowers that just committed mass homicide. The Robert Bowers who instilled panic in my heart worrying my parents were two of his 11 victims less than an hour before his arrival. I’m sure he had no idea I was Jewish. Why thank a Jewish nurse, when 15 minutes beforehand, you’d shoot me in the head with no remorse? I didn’t say a word to him about my religion. I chose not to say anything to him the entire time. I wanted him to feel compassion. I chose to show him empathy. I felt that the best way to honor his victims was for a Jew to prove him wrong. Besides, if he finds out I’m Jewish, does it really matter? The better question is, what does it mean to you? Love. That’s why I did it. Love as an action is more powerful than words, and love in the face of evil gives others hope. It demonstrates humanity. It reaffirms why we’re all here. The meaning of life is to give meaning to life, and love is the ultimate force that connects all living beings. I could care less what Robert Bowers thinks, but you, the person reading this, love is the only message I wish instill in you. If my actions mean anything, love means everything..."
Very few people that I am acquainted with seem to understand that love is an action verb.
To me, that young man deserves a place alongside Gandhi and Martin Luther King, Jr. A true inspiration.
Ari, please know this, and I speak to you as the daughter of a nurse, and one who comes from a "medical" family, with two doctors, two nurses, and an EMT-turned-Medical-Assistant: the fact that you did your job with the heart-attitude that you did is newsworthy, not because you are Jewish, but because that heart-attitude is beyond rare. And beyond admirable. May you be blessed.
https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2018/10/robert-bowers-jewish-doctors-nurses-pittsburgh-synagogue-shooting.html
https://m.facebook.com/ari.mahler/posts/10218102032530177
Said AGH President Jeffrey Cohen, who visited Bowers in his hospital room, “Isn’t it ironic that somebody who is yelling in the ambulance and in the hospital, ‘I want to kill all the Jews,’ is taken care of by a Jewish nurse and there’s a Jewish hospital president that comes in to check on him afterwards?”
"We’re here to take care of sick people, we’re not here to judge you,” Cohen said in an interview with WTAE, Pittsburgh's ABC affiliate. “We’re here to take care of people that need our help.”
A special Shout-Out within a Shout-Out to Ari Mahler, RN, who wrote a Facebook post about being Bowers' nurse, which has been shared, as of this writing, more than 128,000 times. In it, Mahler said in part, "The fact that I did my job, a job which requires compassion and empathy over everything, is newsworthy to people because I’m Jewish. Even more so because my dad’s a Rabbi. To be honest, I didn't see evil when I looked into Robert Bower's eyes. I saw something else. I can’t go into details of our interactions because of HIPAA. I can tell you that as his nurse, or anyone's nurse, my care is given through kindness, my actions are measured with empathy, and regardless of the person you may be when you're not in my care, each breath you take is more beautiful than the last when you're lying on my stretcher. This was the same Robert Bowers that just committed mass homicide. The Robert Bowers who instilled panic in my heart worrying my parents were two of his 11 victims less than an hour before his arrival. I’m sure he had no idea I was Jewish. Why thank a Jewish nurse, when 15 minutes beforehand, you’d shoot me in the head with no remorse? I didn’t say a word to him about my religion. I chose not to say anything to him the entire time. I wanted him to feel compassion. I chose to show him empathy. I felt that the best way to honor his victims was for a Jew to prove him wrong. Besides, if he finds out I’m Jewish, does it really matter? The better question is, what does it mean to you? Love. That’s why I did it. Love as an action is more powerful than words, and love in the face of evil gives others hope. It demonstrates humanity. It reaffirms why we’re all here. The meaning of life is to give meaning to life, and love is the ultimate force that connects all living beings. I could care less what Robert Bowers thinks, but you, the person reading this, love is the only message I wish instill in you. If my actions mean anything, love means everything..."
Very few people that I am acquainted with seem to understand that love is an action verb.
To me, that young man deserves a place alongside Gandhi and Martin Luther King, Jr. A true inspiration.
Ari, please know this, and I speak to you as the daughter of a nurse, and one who comes from a "medical" family, with two doctors, two nurses, and an EMT-turned-Medical-Assistant: the fact that you did your job with the heart-attitude that you did is newsworthy, not because you are Jewish, but because that heart-attitude is beyond rare. And beyond admirable. May you be blessed.
https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2018/10/robert-bowers-jewish-doctors-nurses-pittsburgh-synagogue-shooting.html
https://m.facebook.com/ari.mahler/posts/10218102032530177
Sunday, November 4, 2018
Better For Whom?
So, submitted for your approval is the newest BS ad from the Republican Party, the subject of our latest Call-Out.
The title of this ad is "We Can't Go Back", and exhorts us not to give up now that things are getting better. My question is, better for whom?
Are they getting better for those who might decide they need to get an abortion now that we have our newest Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh, who cannot decide if Roe V. Wade is settled law?
Or for gay Americans, who in 2015 finally won the right to marry? The Republican Party is known to be quite antipathetic to gays.
Or for transgender Americans, who might, for all intents and purposes, be erased.
Or Black Americans, who are constantly being arrested and harassed, beaten up, even killed for basically Minding Their Business And Living While Black.
Or women, for whom it has never been safe.
Or religious minorities, who apparently cannot even go to church in peace.
No, we certainly can't go back.
The title of this ad is "We Can't Go Back", and exhorts us not to give up now that things are getting better. My question is, better for whom?
Are they getting better for those who might decide they need to get an abortion now that we have our newest Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh, who cannot decide if Roe V. Wade is settled law?
Or for gay Americans, who in 2015 finally won the right to marry? The Republican Party is known to be quite antipathetic to gays.
Or for transgender Americans, who might, for all intents and purposes, be erased.
Or Black Americans, who are constantly being arrested and harassed, beaten up, even killed for basically Minding Their Business And Living While Black.
Or women, for whom it has never been safe.
Or religious minorities, who apparently cannot even go to church in peace.
No, we certainly can't go back.
Sunday, October 28, 2018
Pants. On. Fire.
This Call-Out goes to our Fabricator-In-Chief, Donald Trump. After the shooting at Tree Of Life Synagogue in Pittsburgh, well, the show had to go on, didn't it? So in Illinois for a campaign rally, Trump rationalized:
"With what happened early today, that horrible, horrible attack in Pittsburgh, I was saying maybe I should cancel both this and that. And then I said to myself, I remembered Dick Russell, a friend of mine, great guy (he means his 'great friend' Dick Grasso, but it's an interesting Freudian slip), he headed up the New York Stock Exchange on September 11th, and the New York Stock Exchange was open the following day. He said—and what they had to do to open it you wouldn’t believe, we won’t even talk to you about it. But he got that exchange open. We can’t make these sick, demented, evil people important.”
Sounds lovely, doesn't it? Only problem? 100% BS. But Mr. Trump is nothing if not an opportunist, is he? At an appearance earlier in the day in Indianapolis:
"I remember when we had the attack in Manhattan, we opened the stock exchange the next day,” Trump said. “People were shocked.”
Then Trump went on:
"Remember the teams, the Yankees, George Steinbrenner,” Trump said. “He said we have got to play, even if nobody comes, nobody shows up, we have got to play."
Again, not true.
Why does Trump lie? And why is he so infrequently called into account for it? Yes, the Trumpettes constantly whine that poor Donnie is always getting picked on, but the Fourth Estate is largely hands off on any but his most egregious lies.
Trump's lies are not much in the league of Iran-Contra, "I did not have sexual relations with that woman," or, "I am not a crook," they are more along the lines of small, constant, unexplainable. Silly. As in, why bother, unless he is a pathological liar?
I remember reading in Betty Smith's A Tree Grows In Brooklyn, the main character, Francie, begins to "tell stories." Then a sympathetic teacher tells her to say the truth, and write the lie, crafting it into a story. Trump is very creative, I'll give him that.
Too bad he didn't have the same teacher.
https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2018/10/trump-falsely-says-nyse-opened-day-after-sept-11-to-justify-holding-campaign-rally-after-synagogue-shooting.html
(Addendum, April 29, 2019: Hmmph! Glad somebody else noticed!)
https://www.aol.com/article/news/2019/04/29/president-trump-has-reportedly-made-more-than-10000-false-or-misleading-claims/23718809/
And just over another year to double that number!
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2020/jul/13/donald-trump-20000-false-or-misleading-claims
"With what happened early today, that horrible, horrible attack in Pittsburgh, I was saying maybe I should cancel both this and that. And then I said to myself, I remembered Dick Russell, a friend of mine, great guy (he means his 'great friend' Dick Grasso, but it's an interesting Freudian slip), he headed up the New York Stock Exchange on September 11th, and the New York Stock Exchange was open the following day. He said—and what they had to do to open it you wouldn’t believe, we won’t even talk to you about it. But he got that exchange open. We can’t make these sick, demented, evil people important.”
Sounds lovely, doesn't it? Only problem? 100% BS. But Mr. Trump is nothing if not an opportunist, is he? At an appearance earlier in the day in Indianapolis:
"I remember when we had the attack in Manhattan, we opened the stock exchange the next day,” Trump said. “People were shocked.”
Then Trump went on:
"Remember the teams, the Yankees, George Steinbrenner,” Trump said. “He said we have got to play, even if nobody comes, nobody shows up, we have got to play."
Again, not true.
Why does Trump lie? And why is he so infrequently called into account for it? Yes, the Trumpettes constantly whine that poor Donnie is always getting picked on, but the Fourth Estate is largely hands off on any but his most egregious lies.
Trump's lies are not much in the league of Iran-Contra, "I did not have sexual relations with that woman," or, "I am not a crook," they are more along the lines of small, constant, unexplainable. Silly. As in, why bother, unless he is a pathological liar?
I remember reading in Betty Smith's A Tree Grows In Brooklyn, the main character, Francie, begins to "tell stories." Then a sympathetic teacher tells her to say the truth, and write the lie, crafting it into a story. Trump is very creative, I'll give him that.
Too bad he didn't have the same teacher.
https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2018/10/trump-falsely-says-nyse-opened-day-after-sept-11-to-justify-holding-campaign-rally-after-synagogue-shooting.html
(Addendum, April 29, 2019: Hmmph! Glad somebody else noticed!)
https://www.aol.com/article/news/2019/04/29/president-trump-has-reportedly-made-more-than-10000-false-or-misleading-claims/23718809/
And just over another year to double that number!
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2020/jul/13/donald-trump-20000-false-or-misleading-claims
Death To Hate!
As most of you know, very sad news from my hometown of Pittsburgh yesterday. Yet another ugly mass shooting, this one at the Tree Of Life Synagogue in the Squirrel Hill section of the city. I'm sure most of you have seen the story by now. If not, you can find it here.
The hearts of most of us here in The 'Burgh are very heavy. I wonder how many people here shared my ambivalent feelings. "Pittsburgh is one of the safest cities in the US. Surely a mass shooting could never happen here. But it seems to be happening everywhere. Someday even here." Someday came yesterday.
It goes without saying that Call-Outs And Shout-Outs condemns the heinous acts of Robert Bowers. And while we don't want to overly-politicize this tragedy, we call out the reaction of Donald Trump, who feels that more guns and the death penalty are the answer, despite the fact that three law enforcement officers were injured by gunfire in the attack.
Make no mistake, folks, this blogger affirms the Supreme Court's 2008 Heller decision regarding the individual's right to gun ownership for self-defense. That also includes the part of the decision as applies to felons and the mentally ill. It is too bad that we so infrequently realize or act upon someone's mental illness until it explodes into senseless violence.
But do we want to become the kind of society with armed guards everywhere, even our schools and churches? Do we want to give in to the fear?
And when was the last time you noticed the death penalty deterring a mentally ill mass murderer? Many, if not most kill themselves before they can be apprehended. I do not believe Mr. Trump's response is realistic. He is hideously obtuse, deliberately or otherwise, to the hate and mental/spiritual illness inherent in acts such as Bowers'. And his contribution to it.
Our Shout-Out goes to the other side of the coin. So frequently out of tragedies such as this one, we see acts of heroism, kindness, and generosity. People coming together. In Pittsburgh today, people were donating blood, holding vigils, feeding and comforting each other. A GoFundMe page was set up, with 100% of funds donated to benefit the Tree Of Life Synagogue. As of this writing, it had raised over $241,000, with a goal of $1 million. I bet they get it, because there was one thing I could tell from visiting Twitter today -- #PittsburghStrong -- there's a lot of love out there!
Death To Hate!
The hearts of most of us here in The 'Burgh are very heavy. I wonder how many people here shared my ambivalent feelings. "Pittsburgh is one of the safest cities in the US. Surely a mass shooting could never happen here. But it seems to be happening everywhere. Someday even here." Someday came yesterday.
It goes without saying that Call-Outs And Shout-Outs condemns the heinous acts of Robert Bowers. And while we don't want to overly-politicize this tragedy, we call out the reaction of Donald Trump, who feels that more guns and the death penalty are the answer, despite the fact that three law enforcement officers were injured by gunfire in the attack.
Make no mistake, folks, this blogger affirms the Supreme Court's 2008 Heller decision regarding the individual's right to gun ownership for self-defense. That also includes the part of the decision as applies to felons and the mentally ill. It is too bad that we so infrequently realize or act upon someone's mental illness until it explodes into senseless violence.
But do we want to become the kind of society with armed guards everywhere, even our schools and churches? Do we want to give in to the fear?
And when was the last time you noticed the death penalty deterring a mentally ill mass murderer? Many, if not most kill themselves before they can be apprehended. I do not believe Mr. Trump's response is realistic. He is hideously obtuse, deliberately or otherwise, to the hate and mental/spiritual illness inherent in acts such as Bowers'. And his contribution to it.
Our Shout-Out goes to the other side of the coin. So frequently out of tragedies such as this one, we see acts of heroism, kindness, and generosity. People coming together. In Pittsburgh today, people were donating blood, holding vigils, feeding and comforting each other. A GoFundMe page was set up, with 100% of funds donated to benefit the Tree Of Life Synagogue. As of this writing, it had raised over $241,000, with a goal of $1 million. I bet they get it, because there was one thing I could tell from visiting Twitter today -- #PittsburghStrong -- there's a lot of love out there!
Death To Hate!
Friday, October 26, 2018
= 1,000 Words
Today's Call-Out is directed toward the Trump Administration, and all those of like mind and spirit. And I'll just be keepin' it simple:
Friday, October 19, 2018
To Pieter Hanson...
This Shout-Out is for you!
I remember many years ago, watching a baseball game, featuring my hometown team, the Pittsburgh Pirates. Who remembers who they were playing, or exactly when or what circumstances. What I remember was Craig Wilson. Wilson, largely a pinch-hitter and role-player, stepped in the middle of a dispute between two of his teammates, one aggressively verbally attacking, the other firing back...and just stood there. He didn't say a word. He didn't make eye contact with either player. Indeed, he seemed to be watching the game as if his life depended on it. But while doing so, he just kept moving between his warring teammates so that they couldn't see each other. After a few minutes, the aggressor wound down, and the whole thing was over. As a career loudmouth myself, singularly lacking any form of subtlety, needless to say, I was very impressed.
I had a similar feeling when reading this piece on slate.com. It seems a mom tweeted that maybe this #MeToo's done got a bit out of hand, and that because of it, her son was suffering a lack of a social life due to the "current climate of false sexual allegations."
What followed was typical: vociferous agreements and some ironic and amusing rejoinders, featuring various furbabies and sundry scaly and feathered members of the animal kingdom, poking gentle fun at/mocking this good woman.
Then her son himself, Pieter Hanson, weighed in. And folks, I have no doubt Pieter is everything his mom said he is. But what is awesome is that he is much more. He is a man in the mold of Craig Wilson, a fellow who gently disagreed with his mother, while still honoring and respecting her, and all women. He spoke the words that could bring both sides together, poured balm on the wounds. A man like this one gives me hope for understanding and healing. A soldier, yet a peacemaker. Classy. Handsome, too!
Fear not, BlueStarNavyMom3, your son is the best, and he will find the best, because he deserves the best! Kudos to you, Pieter!
Thanks, FEMA...For Nothin'
FEMA, this Call-Out goes out to you.
After an unprecedented year of rain (even for Pittsburgh), landslides, mudslides and sinkholes have become commonplace. Seems if you turn on the local news, not a day goes by that you don't see road closures and even more construction repairs than usual due to the wrath of Mother Nature.
Your Crusading Blogger Herself has had to scrub her cellar four extra times this year due to excessive spring deluges, over-zealous warm-weather storms, not to mention a hurricane or two. We had a sinkhole that opened up on the road in front of our house, necessitating the removal and replacement of two drainage pipes on my property, presided over for ten days by the combined efforts of Messrs. Thump, Bump, Clang, and Bang. Let me tell ya: you haven't lived until you've had your peace disturbed by a piece of heavy machinery slashing open the street in front of your house at 12:50 AM of a Friday.
And we are lucky compared to the pretty much daily pictures of homes and businesses extensively damaged or destroyed by land- and mudslides. So with a documented $22 million in local damages, Allegheny County and Governor Tom Wolf applied to FEMA for aid, only to be turned down, appealed, and then turned down again.
Why? The extensive damage is very much legit, and on the record. We definitely had a typical year's worth of rain by September. So what's the hold-up?
Is it that our tax dollars are being spent on studying the mating habits of the tsetse fly again? Would we be more likely to receive this FEMA aid if our Mayor and Governor were Republicans and local Senator Bob Casey wasn't branded as "that resisting obstructionist who wouldn't even meet with Kavanaugh," (the words of his mid-term election opponent Lou Barletta, and not this blogger)?
No, of course not. Wink, nudge. And as usual hard-working people and small business owners take it on the chin.
And, as usual, the pendulum swings.
https://pittsburgh.cbslocal.com/2018/10/16/allegheny-county-landslide-disaster-relief-denied-fema/
After an unprecedented year of rain (even for Pittsburgh), landslides, mudslides and sinkholes have become commonplace. Seems if you turn on the local news, not a day goes by that you don't see road closures and even more construction repairs than usual due to the wrath of Mother Nature.
Your Crusading Blogger Herself has had to scrub her cellar four extra times this year due to excessive spring deluges, over-zealous warm-weather storms, not to mention a hurricane or two. We had a sinkhole that opened up on the road in front of our house, necessitating the removal and replacement of two drainage pipes on my property, presided over for ten days by the combined efforts of Messrs. Thump, Bump, Clang, and Bang. Let me tell ya: you haven't lived until you've had your peace disturbed by a piece of heavy machinery slashing open the street in front of your house at 12:50 AM of a Friday.
And we are lucky compared to the pretty much daily pictures of homes and businesses extensively damaged or destroyed by land- and mudslides. So with a documented $22 million in local damages, Allegheny County and Governor Tom Wolf applied to FEMA for aid, only to be turned down, appealed, and then turned down again.
Why? The extensive damage is very much legit, and on the record. We definitely had a typical year's worth of rain by September. So what's the hold-up?
Is it that our tax dollars are being spent on studying the mating habits of the tsetse fly again? Would we be more likely to receive this FEMA aid if our Mayor and Governor were Republicans and local Senator Bob Casey wasn't branded as "that resisting obstructionist who wouldn't even meet with Kavanaugh," (the words of his mid-term election opponent Lou Barletta, and not this blogger)?
No, of course not. Wink, nudge. And as usual hard-working people and small business owners take it on the chin.
And, as usual, the pendulum swings.
https://pittsburgh.cbslocal.com/2018/10/16/allegheny-county-landslide-disaster-relief-denied-fema/
Friday, October 12, 2018
Oooh, Tough Guy
"Well, Governor Wolf, let me tell you what, between now and November 6, you better put a catcher's mask on your face, because I'm going to stomp all over your face with golf spikes."
Whoa! And who might be the utterer of this threat? Why, it's none other than Scott Wagner, Tom Wolf's opponent in the upcoming Pennsylvania gubernatorial race, and the subject of this Call-Out.
And what does Wagner claim precipitated this outburst? Well, it seems Wolf mentioned in a political ad that Wagner sued 7,000 Pennsylvanians as the owner of waste disposal, trucking and real estate interests. Prior to issuing his threat in a video posted to Facebook, Wagner criticized Wolf's business acumen, before assuring all concerned he would win the gubernatorial seat in November.
Of course, he is trailing in the polls by 17 points currently.
Scott Wagner fumed that Governor Wolf's ads calling himself the small business governor "makes me want to puke." Well, Mr. Wagner, your video makes me want to puke. Do you think your threats and big talk make you a more viable candidate? Do you think they're going to garner you enough votes to make up the double digit deficit? The truth is, Pennsylvanians, and I daresay Americans at large, are sick of this culture where people deliberately and cynically cross the line, all big and bad, and do a little mea culpa dance a day or two later. We can't unsee and unhear what you said. We can't unknow what it makes you.
The toxic masculinity behind your blustering and that of the likes of Brett Kavanaugh, et al, is very revealing, and not very attractive. It's the larger ingredient behind what fuels #MeToo. With any luck, the days of that sort of masculinity are on the wane, and will die soon. Thank you for the opportunity to illustrate this.
https://aol.it/2pTf1XD
Whoa! And who might be the utterer of this threat? Why, it's none other than Scott Wagner, Tom Wolf's opponent in the upcoming Pennsylvania gubernatorial race, and the subject of this Call-Out.
And what does Wagner claim precipitated this outburst? Well, it seems Wolf mentioned in a political ad that Wagner sued 7,000 Pennsylvanians as the owner of waste disposal, trucking and real estate interests. Prior to issuing his threat in a video posted to Facebook, Wagner criticized Wolf's business acumen, before assuring all concerned he would win the gubernatorial seat in November.
Of course, he is trailing in the polls by 17 points currently.
Scott Wagner fumed that Governor Wolf's ads calling himself the small business governor "makes me want to puke." Well, Mr. Wagner, your video makes me want to puke. Do you think your threats and big talk make you a more viable candidate? Do you think they're going to garner you enough votes to make up the double digit deficit? The truth is, Pennsylvanians, and I daresay Americans at large, are sick of this culture where people deliberately and cynically cross the line, all big and bad, and do a little mea culpa dance a day or two later. We can't unsee and unhear what you said. We can't unknow what it makes you.
The toxic masculinity behind your blustering and that of the likes of Brett Kavanaugh, et al, is very revealing, and not very attractive. It's the larger ingredient behind what fuels #MeToo. With any luck, the days of that sort of masculinity are on the wane, and will die soon. Thank you for the opportunity to illustrate this.
https://aol.it/2pTf1XD
Tuesday, October 9, 2018
Well, You Had To Know...
That I was going to write this post.
I'm calling out the whole Kavanaugh mess, from start to finish.
Christine Blasey Ford reported the alleged assault to Dianne Feinstein, requesting anonymity. But apparently someone leaked the story. Who? Feinstein says not me, nor any of mine. Whether lying or telling the truth, I have seen 8 year-olds much more convincing.
Well, say The-Powers-That-Be, we shall investigate. We shall have a bully good investigation. Very thorough. One. Week. Long. Oooh, yeah! Way to pull out all the stops and do it up right!
And my previous post gives my opinion of the lovely job the FBI did.
And just in case the "liberal news media" reported any fake news, our Pussy-Grabber-In-Chief weighed in every day, because, why be presidential and statesman-like and quietly let the judicial process run its course, when we can grab attention for ourselves with daily interviews and Tweets?
The hearings themselves were a joke, filled with lousy questioning of both principals, and senators who were easily intimidated by Cacophonous Kavanaugh, displaying his even judicial temperament for all to see.
During the investigation, the care, sympathy, and righteous anger shown was heartening. Surely God Himself never thundered down more angrily than Lindsey Graham. Of course, damned little of it made its way to the actual alleged victim. Poor Brett Kavanuagh, his reputation has been dragged though the mud. His poor family. He's an innocent victim. And we got to hear about all his years of hard work and his fabulous intellect. All of those things, of course, could just as easily be said about Dr. Ford, but did we hear them?
And while the FBI investigated, people who were in the know about Kavanaugh, who tried to weigh in and were not allowed to, were forced to do so elsewhere.
When it all came out in the wash, and the decision was made (not enough evidence, blah, blah, blah) to confirm, there were those who could not contain their enthusiasm.
And Mr. Trump, always the soul of consistency, described Christine Blasey Ford as a "very credible witness" one week, then the next referred to gaps in her memory, before basically branding her as a tool for "hoaxers".
All of it nauseating. And here we are, poised between the rock of near-civil-war, and the hard place of snowball-headed-for-hell. Grand time to be alive, ain't it?
A Shout-Out within a Call-Out to Nancy Pelosi. Good luck and give 'em hell, Nance!
And, folks, always remember and please never forget, if you ever commit a crime, waive your right to a jury trial, and ask to be investigated by the FBI and the Senate. Maybe one week later you, too can be pronounced "proven innocent" by Mr. Trump, just like Brett Kavanaugh.
(This blogger was, unfortunately, not paid for her abundant sarcasm).
I'm calling out the whole Kavanaugh mess, from start to finish.
Christine Blasey Ford reported the alleged assault to Dianne Feinstein, requesting anonymity. But apparently someone leaked the story. Who? Feinstein says not me, nor any of mine. Whether lying or telling the truth, I have seen 8 year-olds much more convincing.
Well, say The-Powers-That-Be, we shall investigate. We shall have a bully good investigation. Very thorough. One. Week. Long. Oooh, yeah! Way to pull out all the stops and do it up right!
And my previous post gives my opinion of the lovely job the FBI did.
And just in case the "liberal news media" reported any fake news, our Pussy-Grabber-In-Chief weighed in every day, because, why be presidential and statesman-like and quietly let the judicial process run its course, when we can grab attention for ourselves with daily interviews and Tweets?
The hearings themselves were a joke, filled with lousy questioning of both principals, and senators who were easily intimidated by Cacophonous Kavanaugh, displaying his even judicial temperament for all to see.
During the investigation, the care, sympathy, and righteous anger shown was heartening. Surely God Himself never thundered down more angrily than Lindsey Graham. Of course, damned little of it made its way to the actual alleged victim. Poor Brett Kavanuagh, his reputation has been dragged though the mud. His poor family. He's an innocent victim. And we got to hear about all his years of hard work and his fabulous intellect. All of those things, of course, could just as easily be said about Dr. Ford, but did we hear them?
And while the FBI investigated, people who were in the know about Kavanaugh, who tried to weigh in and were not allowed to, were forced to do so elsewhere.
When it all came out in the wash, and the decision was made (not enough evidence, blah, blah, blah) to confirm, there were those who could not contain their enthusiasm.
And Mr. Trump, always the soul of consistency, described Christine Blasey Ford as a "very credible witness" one week, then the next referred to gaps in her memory, before basically branding her as a tool for "hoaxers".
All of it nauseating. And here we are, poised between the rock of near-civil-war, and the hard place of snowball-headed-for-hell. Grand time to be alive, ain't it?
A Shout-Out within a Call-Out to Nancy Pelosi. Good luck and give 'em hell, Nance!
And, folks, always remember and please never forget, if you ever commit a crime, waive your right to a jury trial, and ask to be investigated by the FBI and the Senate. Maybe one week later you, too can be pronounced "proven innocent" by Mr. Trump, just like Brett Kavanaugh.
(This blogger was, unfortunately, not paid for her abundant sarcasm).
Wednesday, October 3, 2018
FBI? Pfffttt!
So, FBI, my very first Call-Out goes to you. Here is a clue for you: When you are conducting an investigation, you are supposed to interview witnesses. When you have a high-profile case where the stakes are a seat on the highest court in the third largest country in the world, and you are arbitrarily given a week to satisfy the cause of justice, you'd best commence to interviewin' the key witnesses, doncha know? "The key witnesses" being defined as those who would be in the best position to know the facts about your case and the principal individuals involved.
Yet, as early as September 30, we began hearing from individuals related to this case with crucial information, who had contacted you, FBI, wanting to make sure the record is set straight, people who had attended parties with the principals in this investigation, and knew something about their habits and character, who were very concerned to weigh in. And you haven't contacted them yet. With this investigation set to wind up any time now, my question is what the hell are you waiting for?
Over the weekend, the question was raised that perhaps some, including the White House, wanted to limit or hamstring the FBI from doing anything but paying lip service to a true investigation. (It's rather hard to take seriously an investigation with a time limit attached. It smacks of "move along, nothing to see here". But the right hand side of the aisle could sit tight. If your boy is all you thought he is, the truth will out. It always does. What's the harm in being sure?). Mr. Trump insisted, "The FBI probe is not being limited. They should interview anyone they want, within reason." Whose reason, one wonders?
Mr. Trump and Congress, take note: your citizens are watching; mid-term elections loom. If you continue down your present path, what you are saying to every American, especially those who have been on the receiving end of the kind of behavior Brett Kavanaugh is accused of, is justice doesn't matter. Character doesn't matter. (And gee, I thought when it was President Clinton with Monica Lewinsky, Republicans said character did matter). And it will tell us who have suffered sexual abuse and assault that, once again, our pain doesn't matter. In the interest of politics, once again, our credibility is questioned, our experiences are marginalized, there is no justice. In other words, if you are sexually abused or assaulted, STFU. And tell us again, why didn't you come forward when it first happened?
Sources: https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2018/10/brett-kavanaugh-fbi-investigation-witnesses.html
https://aol.it/2yenDfd
Yet, as early as September 30, we began hearing from individuals related to this case with crucial information, who had contacted you, FBI, wanting to make sure the record is set straight, people who had attended parties with the principals in this investigation, and knew something about their habits and character, who were very concerned to weigh in. And you haven't contacted them yet. With this investigation set to wind up any time now, my question is what the hell are you waiting for?
Over the weekend, the question was raised that perhaps some, including the White House, wanted to limit or hamstring the FBI from doing anything but paying lip service to a true investigation. (It's rather hard to take seriously an investigation with a time limit attached. It smacks of "move along, nothing to see here". But the right hand side of the aisle could sit tight. If your boy is all you thought he is, the truth will out. It always does. What's the harm in being sure?). Mr. Trump insisted, "The FBI probe is not being limited. They should interview anyone they want, within reason." Whose reason, one wonders?
Mr. Trump and Congress, take note: your citizens are watching; mid-term elections loom. If you continue down your present path, what you are saying to every American, especially those who have been on the receiving end of the kind of behavior Brett Kavanaugh is accused of, is justice doesn't matter. Character doesn't matter. (And gee, I thought when it was President Clinton with Monica Lewinsky, Republicans said character did matter). And it will tell us who have suffered sexual abuse and assault that, once again, our pain doesn't matter. In the interest of politics, once again, our credibility is questioned, our experiences are marginalized, there is no justice. In other words, if you are sexually abused or assaulted, STFU. And tell us again, why didn't you come forward when it first happened?
Sources: https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2018/10/brett-kavanaugh-fbi-investigation-witnesses.html
https://aol.it/2yenDfd
A Shout-Out For Some Feel-Good TV!
Stressed out? In need of some feel-good to counteract Brett Kavanaugh and other natural disasters ubiquitous in every news cycle? Have I got a couple of shows for you!
Unless you were under a rock all summer, you probably saw some previews and/or witnessed the networks drumming up some buzz for these shows. Do feel-good shows usually hit the TV big-times? I couldn't swear the truth one way or the other, but I checked out the pilot eps of both of these shows and they were AWESOME, so I wanted to share.
GOD FRIENDED ME is about a young podcaster (Brandon Micheal Hall) who is literally friended on social media by God, as the title suggests. The young atheist scoffs, but The God Account is good at getting his attention via his smart appliances and a ton of synchronicity. Pretty soon he and his hacker friend Rakesh (Suraj Sharma) are joined by writer Cara Bloom (Violett Beane), sleuthing it all out, bringing people together, and helping them in ways that get sentimentalists like me all dewy-eyed. And I like the twinkle-in-the-eye chemistry between the leads. This show is escapist for sure, but taps the same markets as Touched By An Angel and The Hardy Boys/Nancy Drew Mysteries (look 'em up, Millenials!) did in halcyon days gone by.
You can see God Friended Me on CBS Sundays, directly after 60 Minutes, or catch it on CBS All-Access and HULU Live TV.
NEW AMSTERDAM is based on the book Twelve Patients: Life And Death at Bellevue Hospital by Eric Manheimer, MD. Ryan Eggold stars as Dr. Max Goodwin, the medical director for the "oldest hospital in the country". Of course he's your usual crusading medico, but with a few twists. His wife, Georgia (Lisa O'Hare) just gave birth to his baby. Oh, yeah, and (SPOILER ALERT!) Max has throat cancer.
He starts off his first day by firing the cardiology department. Along the way, a terminal case the doctors decide is more compassionately treated at home; a troubled psych patient; a possible Ebola case. Every time we turn around we see compassionate professionals actually being doctors, not power trippers with God complexes. At the center of it all is Dr. Goodwin, whose catchphrase is, "How can I help?" Boy, do we need some of that! Oh, yeah, and have I mentioned Ryan Eggold is not too shabby to look at, or that the equally easy-on-the-eyes Peter Horton of Thirtysomething will be at the helm of some episodes (he appeared, blink and you missed him, in the pilot ep), as will Dr. Manheimer.
New Amsterdam is on NBC Tuesdays at 10 PM Eastern. You can also catch it on the NBC app, and on HULU. Enjoy!
Unless you were under a rock all summer, you probably saw some previews and/or witnessed the networks drumming up some buzz for these shows. Do feel-good shows usually hit the TV big-times? I couldn't swear the truth one way or the other, but I checked out the pilot eps of both of these shows and they were AWESOME, so I wanted to share.
GOD FRIENDED ME is about a young podcaster (Brandon Micheal Hall) who is literally friended on social media by God, as the title suggests. The young atheist scoffs, but The God Account is good at getting his attention via his smart appliances and a ton of synchronicity. Pretty soon he and his hacker friend Rakesh (Suraj Sharma) are joined by writer Cara Bloom (Violett Beane), sleuthing it all out, bringing people together, and helping them in ways that get sentimentalists like me all dewy-eyed. And I like the twinkle-in-the-eye chemistry between the leads. This show is escapist for sure, but taps the same markets as Touched By An Angel and The Hardy Boys/Nancy Drew Mysteries (look 'em up, Millenials!) did in halcyon days gone by.
You can see God Friended Me on CBS Sundays, directly after 60 Minutes, or catch it on CBS All-Access and HULU Live TV.
NEW AMSTERDAM is based on the book Twelve Patients: Life And Death at Bellevue Hospital by Eric Manheimer, MD. Ryan Eggold stars as Dr. Max Goodwin, the medical director for the "oldest hospital in the country". Of course he's your usual crusading medico, but with a few twists. His wife, Georgia (Lisa O'Hare) just gave birth to his baby. Oh, yeah, and (SPOILER ALERT!) Max has throat cancer.
He starts off his first day by firing the cardiology department. Along the way, a terminal case the doctors decide is more compassionately treated at home; a troubled psych patient; a possible Ebola case. Every time we turn around we see compassionate professionals actually being doctors, not power trippers with God complexes. At the center of it all is Dr. Goodwin, whose catchphrase is, "How can I help?" Boy, do we need some of that! Oh, yeah, and have I mentioned Ryan Eggold is not too shabby to look at, or that the equally easy-on-the-eyes Peter Horton of Thirtysomething will be at the helm of some episodes (he appeared, blink and you missed him, in the pilot ep), as will Dr. Manheimer.
New Amsterdam is on NBC Tuesdays at 10 PM Eastern. You can also catch it on the NBC app, and on HULU. Enjoy!
Saturday, September 29, 2018
Our Inaugural Shout-Out
Our inaugural Shout-Out goes to teacher Diane Tirado of Port St. Lucie, Florida. Mrs. Tirado was fired from her job, allegedly for giving Grade 8 students who did not complete and turn in an assignment zeros. Apparently, the school expected the long-time educator to award students grades of 50% for doing nothing. But Diane Tirado wasn't having it.
"We have a nation of kids who are expecting to get paid and live their life just for showing up, and it's not real. A grade in Mrs. Tirado's class is earned."
Diane Tirado, we here at Call-Outs And Shout-Outs salute you. We have experience with just the kind of kids you mentioned, the kind who expect to get paid just for showing up. And we who have paid our dues and proven ourselves through the years appreciate your gutsy stand. We're behind you, and hope that your firing is just one door closing, and a better one opening. And that more educators and parents follow your wise and courageous lead. Kudos!
More on this story here and here.
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