Introducing Mary Anne Franks, PhD, Author... and info about her first book, The Cult of the Constitution... Part 1

 

I've had Mary Anne Franks' book, The Cult of the Constitution, for quite some time and had already started and highlighting it. As most of you know, I read non-fiction books on an ongoing basis. But this time, it was as if I was reading for the first time, perhaps because it had been so long. I immediately turned to the beginning and started reading anew... I'm so glad I did. This is another book that I needed to fill in the many blanks I have been finding based upon my turn to politics in 2015. I verified the date of publishing for this book and determined it was 2019--also after 2015, the beginning of the assault, in my opinion, on the United States of America. I'm claiming this unexpected return as a God Incident, so plan on this being one of the books I'll be discussing on an ongoing basis... This is Part 1.

As soon as I came to my computer this morning, I worked to learn more about this writer and have sought out a connection on LinkedIn. I hope she has time to work with me, but as you can see by the videos, she is a very active, informed woman who is working diligently in her professional fields of expertise. I am just happy to have found her first book, which in my opinion, should be her first book that you read. It is a foundational book that I found myself responding to as being one with answers...

Dare I say, especially for women and non-white people? Yes--I Dare!

She is an author that has delved into the connection between her early religious experiences so much so that it guided her in pursuing further study. As you all know, I didn't realize that I needed further information until the last decade or so of my life... So I consider myself still learning. And, in doing so, I want to ensure that my time reading is a beneficial addition to my own personal goals of spotlighting God's Truth and His Love for ALL!

Realize that I will be meeting her in the following videos just as you... So I will be commenting on anything that strikes me along the way... except for the first one on her second book... I don't want to mix up my thinking on this book yet with what I'm now reading... Hope that makes sense--I just know how my mind remembers information in pieces as opposed to specific books...

By the way, I had another dream as I woke up this morning... Literally, I was hearing Snippets, yes, pieces of issues that I'd gathered and formed into a realization... I've started a post on my sister blog on that for later, jotting down the issues that I could remember as I woke up... That was about 5AM by the way... And I didn't turn over and go back to sleep because I was shaking... I knew I was to write about those snippets pulled from years past into what is happening right now...

Anyway, I've included the first video simply because it was the first I found, and because it was about her second book. Some of you may be more interested in the second book, so I wanted to spotlight Free Speech, also, at this important time when it seems that free speech is actually being attacked more than I have ever heard of--and as some of you know, I was greatly involved in Freedom of Speech on the West Virginia University campus, as both working in the provosts' offices and later in Facilities Management responsibilities...

By the way, I'm not a fan of the new "shorts" being used so often. Many of them are poorly done, I have found; e.g., ending before they should cutting off info to restart. But the more important aspect is what was done in the following short... I could easily guess why it was created and posted, as I hope all of you can see as well... Therefore, I will proceed to the following, full video to comment...

I already left a message that I thought this video showed Bias on YouTube

Protected Political Speech!!!!

First

Fire - a comment

I wanted to use a non-government site to discover what Protected Political Speech is...

I tried to sign up and they mandated a mobile number in order to be accepted as a member...

Supposedly this site is for the individual, yet they refuse to realize that some people cannot use mobiles for messages!!! I didn't bother to read much... but linked it for your use...

However, I did read that this phrase, according to the Supreme Court, is the basis for Free Speech... Ahhhhh, I don't think so, but if this is true, it makes absolutely no sense! Is the Supreme Court saying that it is only the government who can lie and say anything they want? I cannot accept that this is the case just through logic! So, does that mean that is why every republican is called on to believe everything that DJT claims? What about the fact that he changes what he says each time he speaks without a teleprompter? But I digress...

I am so happy that I saw the "short" first. To me, it was already clear that this man was a republican misogynist. His clear disrespect of Dr. Franks is indicative of the type of problem all women are now facing under the imperialistic government we now have.

As an aside, my best friend once introduced me as a "women's libber." She was the first and only one who'd ever said that... I didn't think I was--until 2015! And it's become even more so, against this present group of men who are in office from the republican party... At the same time, I want to quickly also point out that my opinions do not include ALL men--mostly just white male supremacists, as defined in this book...

Ok, we have all become used to the republican party acting belligerent every time some professional speaks against their opinions... It has become outright rudeness during this administration, no matter who is being addressed! I am saddened by this man's vulgar display--I am not surprised...

What I do want to point out is that I listened clearly to both speakers. This speaker purposely led a disagreeable process in talking with each of the speakers... What I heard from the second speaker had little to do with what Dr. Franks was discussing. Yet, this speaker attempted to create a situation where one disagreed with the other--on purpose! He did not succeed and therefore chose to use the final speaker, a male republican, to close out the panel discussion. At which time, he claimed that the 1st Amendment was only for political speech and they would lose MUCH if anything changed... Meaning Dr. Franks' presentation... I give my first KUDOS to Dr. Franks for the manner in which she was able to address this rude man who purposely chose to ridicule her after the clarification that she had a doctorate degree. Boo His to the male speaker!

Now, based upon my understanding of Free Speech, I believe that what the white male supremacist was trying to do was to get Dr. Franks to say that the government was allowing bias to be shown toward conservative companies... And she justly sent him right back to the conservative business owners...

AND, the first one that popped into my mind as I write is the "conservative" baker who didn't want to make a cake for a gay couple because of her personal beliefs... Ok, let's take an aside on that too... First of all, is the attempt to divide Christians into Christians Nationalists simply in order to gain acceptance via complaints or personal faith... In my opinion, she loses--even if some cases have been accepted in the last decade...

First of all, let's deal with the logic. A Corporation or business is created to do business... They get a license to sell...serve the public... To me, it's already too late to ever decide that your own personal prejudices supersede that business organizational activity already entered into... 

Using free speech itself as an example... On campus, we verified that free speech was permitted under the First Amendment, but that we had the right to restrict that activity to certain places on our campus. We were able to routinely deal with requesters wanting to use our space on potential controversial issues, by establishing our processes right from the beginning. Additionally, when we wanted to serve the community, such as the local groups needing larger spaces, it was I who coordinated/connected use with the programs within the University, and sought budget officer authority to "sponsor" that event... Just to clarify, those facilities such as the student union which was organized to sell for profit was routinely the site where most facilities were used...

Now getting back to the fact that those companies blacklisted being discriminated against, well, let me tell you that I have blacklisted a number of companies in my own life due to their service... If some were republican owned, that is not my problem, nor should it be... By establishing a business open to the public, in my opinion, your personal issues are just that--personal, and have no relationship to the economic activities we use OUR own money to buy... In other words, in my opinion, that baker, no matter her reason, was WRONG in demanding approval for prejudice against another citizen... If that company would up on the blacklist, so...be...it... and in my opinion, that was the beginning when the Supreme Court no longer acted on a sound legal basis to agree to religious exceptions being permitted. The Bible is NOT the Constitution... There WAS a separation of state and religion once...

As I may have said before, Velshi is one of my favorite moderators on MSNOW, especially related to books and professional expertise... I have found him effective in using content, for instance, he did the Project 2025 entire book in a series.  I believe this entire session will be a valuable piece of information on our own rights!

Switching Gears...

I'm switching gears--sorta... I've been interacting with an author about how AI--and criminals--may decide to use YOUR expertise... as writers--as authors...

You see, I was planning on providing an excerpt of Dr. Franks book to allow potential readers to determine if they liked the author's writing... Then I started to learn more about how AI can be used by those who have no concern about right and wrong...

I'm a Trekkie--have been since Spock was introduced as a different kind of personality... I loved all the Trek movies, and even identified a book based upon the series, and included it in my review... The author told me I was the only one who saw the connection (which had not mentioned the television program AT ALL)...

I simply recognized the content connection of her books...

I have been opposed to people like Gates above who have already talked about using AI to write poems, etc... But I never had "connected" it to what I personally do here on Book Readers Heaven. As many of you probably know, I push the copyright privileges to the limit as the book publisher allows. That is simply because I know that many across the world cannot get access to what I read without significant cost, so I want/wanted to give the "flavor" of the writing of the author as well as my personal regurgitation of the story... Until I started a discussion about the use of some additional material presented in the back of the books I was reading, which started me responding/thinking about what was said to me... BTW, I still do not know what this means for the blog presentations... 

BUT, as soon as the discussion started, I became mad at myself for not seeing this connection, even though I closed out hundreds of videos about using AI for school work and being disgusted... I can see the pros and cons, of course...

BUT, I had not merged the connection with what we are all seeing about the criminal element gaining control in the United States... Meaning... How are criminals already thinking about the use of AI for illegal purposes!

I was given the example...

If AI is fed entire books from say, J.D.Robb, a favorite author, in essence, AI could be used to generate a illegal story plotted and published under the author's name and be sold... It obviously could be easily done by purchasing ebooks, which has the electronic version already on computers! What a mess!

I remember when the government first took notice of the reviews being "paid for" on online sites, the one I was on as an example... They immediately established a process by which assurance was made for our "income" being collected and providing their share. At the time, I decided I would no longer charge for reviews, even though we knew that many self-published authors had been coming to us because they didn't have access for reviews by papers or other media... I have not charged for at least 15 years. Now, I buy my own copy as a verified purchase for records.

How to solve both sides of my blog activities is at the forefront right now... It seems to me it's a damned if you do and a damned if you don't situation... Books are often shared by word of mouth/social networks. For fear of plagiarism, we choose  not to share much about our books, does that mean sales will go down. From my own experience interacting with writers, I think so... On the other hand, I can perfectly accept that anything good can also be used criminally. By chance, this author has expertise in this area as well, so maybe...maybe...she might help us know more about options for the future...

I have seen how much has changed since the government/Supreme Court is being used and abused for greed... I no longer feel that the majority of people even understand how they are being cheated in one way or another...

My first thought is to continue to do what I do now. Contact the author, but allowing them to know about the AI potential harm to writers' works... This topic will not go away--Trust Me! 

Re this book, as I said, I have already sought a connection to this author... I will postpone the next part, based upon that, hopeful, discussion... or experiment with options...

God Bless

Gabby

News

I couldn't find the entire program yesterday with Katy Tur... This is one interview that was relevant about the acts by ICE... The last one that closed the two-hour show was heartbreaking, so maybe that's why I couldn't find... It was a Minnesota pastor that talked about diverting to see what was happening during the period in which Citizen Good was murdered... He was informative and talked about how neighbors helped neighbors in Minnesota... I hope you can find it... Because at the end, the emotional impact of the discussion finally broke the minister and he started and couldn't stop crying as the camera was still on... 

I cried with him...

Father, I pray for this pastor--his love for his state, his community and his church was seen by all of us. And, as we who are Christians watch the violence being brought to American citizens with lies following, and government control of the investigation, now excluding the State, we have no idea what justice will be brought to all of us... Because we know that the lies from Noam started immediately after the incident, calling the woman a domestic terrorist... simply because she was trying to support her community people facing masked and armed violence creators...known for kidnapping people off the streets, whether citizens or who are legally here. You can bet that the majority now being taken are not all illegals!

BTW, just learned that two other people were hurt by ICE in a different state... Injured, they drove two miles before they sought help, for fear that they would not be allowed to get medical help...

Evil is alive and well in the present government administration...

Wow! First Personal Favorite for 2026 - Blind Descent - Anna Pigeon Mysteries Book 6 by Nevada Barr - An Excerpt...

New Post on Sister Blog... https://gabixlerpersonalopinion.blogspot.com/2026/01/kings-wear-robes-message-to-those-who.html

It could be argued that the open areas of the caverns felt as much like a Disney creation as Space Mountain. There were no dangerous mazes, no precipitous heights, no tight squeezes. Still, it was a cave, and so Anna had passed on repeat trips. Given the inevitable nature of things, she would spend much of eternity underground; no sense rushing on down before the grim reaper called for her. 

Her love of bats might have overcome her fear of enclosed spaces, but if one waited, the splendid little creatures were good enough to come out and be enjoyed in less stygian realms. This December she had been sent to CACA from her home park in Mesa Verde, Colorado. Trained teams consisting of park rangers from all over the region responded to catastrophes that ranged from hurricanes to presidential visits. 

This time it was the injury of a caver. Had the caver been hurt in Carlsbad Cavern, extrication would have been simple: pop her in a wheelchair, roll her down to the snack bar and onto the elevator. She’d have been home before her mother knew she was missing. But this caver had been injured in Lechuguilla. The cave was on NPS lands near CACA’s headquarters. Lechuguilla was closed to the general public for the protection of both the cave and the visitors. Nearly ninety miles of the cave had been explored but it would be many years before it was fully mapped. Lech was a monster man-eating cave, dangerous to get into and harder to get out of. Two days into Lechuguilla, a member of the survey team had been hurt in an accident. Not surprisingly there’d been a contingent of experienced cavers at Carlsbad at the time, a small but dedicated group given to squeezing themselves into dark holes and living to write home about it. 

Before Anna and her teammates had descended on the park, the cavers had begun doing what they did best: getting one of their own back. Procedures in place from the last, well-publicized rescue from Lechuguilla, in 1991, the NPS had mobilized in record time. Within four hours of the report, Anna had been on a plane to El Paso. By the time she reached Carlsbad more than two dozen others from the southwestern region had arrived. With the overhead team came the inevitable Porta-Johns, food trucks, and power struggles. On duty less than three hours, Anna was happy to sit out the political squabbles in Oscar Iverson’s snug little office. There, far from the madding crowd, she manned the phones in her official capacity as information officer, doling out approved statements to a press already panting for another media glut like that generated by the Baby Jessica case in Texas. When she was eight hundred feet below the surface of the earth and two days’ travel from the light of day, a grown woman in a limestone cave was almost as good as a baby in a well shaft. 

For the past half hour reporters had been getting short shrift. Anna was reading. By chance she’d picked Trapped!, the story of caver Floyd Collins, off Iverson’s shelves. It detailed the gruesome death and media circus surrounding the entrapment of a caver in the 1920s. Collins had become wedged in a tight passage; his attempts to wriggle free had brought down loose dirt and rock, entombing him from neck to heels, his arms pinned at his sides. For thirteen days, friends had made the dangerous descent to feed him, while up above concessionaires sold food and souvenirs to an ever-growing crowd of vultures gathered in curiosity, sympathy, and morbidity. On the fourteenth day rains so softened the earth that the access tunnel collapsed. Collins was left to die alone. Scrawled in the margin of the book were the words “fact: wedge victims die.” Transfixed by the same dread a woman in a stranded VW might feel watching a logging truck bearing down on her, Anna was glued to the book. Iverson, Carlsbad’s cave specialist, gusted into her sanctuary, and she dropped Trapped!, glad to be rescued from its bleak pages. He waved her back into his ergonomically correct office chair and folded himself haphazardly over the corner of the desk. Housed in an old stone building built in the 1920s, the office was small, crowded by two desks, the walls lined with metal shelving and stuffed with books. Sprawled over the cluttered desktop, Oscar looked as homey and leggy as a spider in his web. Long limbs poked out the fabric of his trousers at knee and hip. His arms, seeming to bend in several places along their bony length, were stacked like sticks on his thighs. Come Halloween it would take only a little white paint to pass him off as a respectable skeleton. A mummy of the sere and unwrapped variety would be even easier. The man looked made of leather, hide tanned by the desert, hair coarse and straw-colored from the sun. 

Anna guessed he was close to her age, maybe forty-five or -six. “Got some bizarre news,” he said, banging his heel softly against the metal of the desk. For whom the bell tolls, Anna’s mind translated the hollow ringing. “Now that the relatives have been notified we can release the name of the injured woman. Frieda Dierkz. And she’s asking for one Anna Pigeon.” Shit, Anna thought. It tolls for me. “Frieda?” she echoed stupidly. Iverson shot her a startled look. “Don’t you know her? From the intensity of the summons, I got the idea you two were best buds.” “Buds.” Anna’s mind was paralyzed, not so much by shock as by incongruity. Hearing Frieda’s name in reference to the victim of the rescue was akin to running into one’s old grammar school teacher in an opium den. “She’s the dispatcher at Mesa Verde,” Anna managed. “We’re . . . friends.” They were friends, fairly close friends, and Anna wondered why she’d sounded so half-hearted. “Dierkz was on the survey team,” Oscar said patiently, his washed-out hazel eyes trying to read Anna’s face. It wasn’t an earth-shattering revelation. Most cavers led other lives. They were geologists and physicists, beekeepers and bums; regular folks who had been bitten by an irregular bug that compelled them to creep beneath the skin of the world every chance they got. Anna had seen the photos of a helmeted and mud-bedaubed Frieda grinning out from nasty little crevices Anna wouldn’t go into for love or money, and she’d listened with half an ear about her upcoming “vacation.” She’d just not put two and two together. “What does she want me for?” Without much caring, Anna noted the disapproval sharpening Iverson’s gaze. She could guess where it came from: cavers helped cavers. It was an unwritten law of survival. Who else was going to fish them out of the god-awful places they insisted on pushing their way into? Iverson stared, and Anna stared back, refusing to apologize or explain. A moment passed, and his look softened. Perhaps he reminded himself she was not a caver but a mere mortal. “The injury is worse than first thought.” He spoke slowly as if Anna had a learning disability. His voice was low, gentling. She would have been irritated at the condescension had she not known Iverson always talked that way. “The caver who hiked out said a broken leg. Painful but not life-threatening. Apparently the rock that smashed her kneecap struck a glancing blow to her left temple as it fell. She was knocked unconscious but only briefly. We just got a second report. It was brought out by a member of another team surveying in the Great Beyond. He met up with one of Dierkz’s team in Windy City and brought out a message. She’s been slipping in and out of consciousness and has suffered some disorientation.” “Head injury,” Anna said. “Bad news.” “Bad news,” Iverson agreed. “Peter McCarty, a member of Dierkz’s team, is an M.D. in real life. That’s the good news. She’s got a doctor with her. McCarty recommended we get Ms. Dierkz what she wants. She’s agitated, and it is not helping her medical condition any. He feels it would soothe her if she could have a friend there.” 

“A lady-in-waiting?” “Exactly.” A chilling image filled Anna’s mind: herself crouched and whimpering, fear pouring like poison through her limbs, shutting down her brain as the cave closed in around her. Adrenaline spurted into her bloodstream, and she could feel the numbness in her fingertips and a tingling as of ice water drizzling on her scalp. To hide her thoughts she rubbed her face. “Will you go?” Iverson asked. 

Anna scrubbed the crawling sensation from her hair with her knuckles. “Just deciding what to wear.” Oscar looked at her shrewdly, the long, narrow eyes turning the color of bleached lichen. “Let me rephrase that: can you?” “I don’t know,” Anna answered truthfully. “Can I?” “Caving?” “None.” “Climbing?” “Some.” “Rappels sixty to a hundred fifty feet. Ascents ditto, naturally. Rope climbs with ascenders.” “I can do that.”

~~~~

I ran my Fire battery out for 3 days... Don't know how many days I'll take to share with all of you! LOL Watch for it!

Gabby

Here's where we'll be going...

 

How Can We Know? A Look Back at January 6th 5 Years Ago! We Could Not Have Foreseen What Came!!! Open Memoir

 

I never turned away from the television yesterday, 5 years ago. I could not believe what was happening, even with my own eyes... I will never forget it and so should we NOT! That day, an elected president refused to give up his position when the election by the people, for the people, chose another President!

Many of you know that when I heard Donald Trump say he could grab women by their "pussy," I became what you might call a fanatic...

But it was not a MAGA FANATIC. Rather, it was my goal to determine why I had been told by a member of my family that, "If I was a Christian, I must vote Republican!"

Why on earth was I being told how to vote! For me, I've never seen a connection between religion and politics. Indeed, I was there listening when the Separation of Church and State was explore many years ago and became law... To my amazement, then, it was to learn that the entire group of evangelical christians were supporting Donald Trump's 2016 election! I could not comprehend! I had seen how he treated women. I knew that many believers followed God's Truth and Love. How could the basic beliefs of Christianity be so skewed to have an entire denomination choose someone with a background such as DJT? It remains an illogical mystery to me!

Perhaps it was because, like many working people, we barely had time to do our job, keep up with personal and medical needs, and provide for food and shelter. I had started working for West Virginia University when I was just 18, directly out of high school. I was hired by the Office of Personnel there and spent 5 years in that office, moving upward, thereafter, mostly by somebody else's initiation. I held staff and women concerns positions on campus--one elected; one appointed. I was known as someone who saw what needed to be addressed and worked to do it--even if we never succeeded (such as child care on campus)...

But, to me, my life was no different, I thought. Politics was something you tried to keep up-to-date on, but as long as the country was running, I could deal with my own issues, just like everybody else... The first political incident in which I took notice was Bush sending us into Iraq... My reaction at the time? Our taxes were paying for rebuilding a country where we should not have been... Only afterward did it come out, that the information supposedly used to justify what the United States did...was...wrong...

I had walked all the way to the top of this great monument and felt pride in knowing that our country welcomed those who sought help from distant lands. After all, that is how the lands now called the United States had become a great country. Through people coming from across the world to find a home for FREEDOM... It was only later as history was more open that I learned that those who came, often used violence, theft and more to claim this land for their own--even from those who already had lived there for hundreds of years... How Can We Know the WHYS OF ALL THAT HAPPENED IN THE PAST?

HOW CAN WE KNOW THE WHYS OF ALL THAT IS HAPPENING NOW WHEN SUPPOSEDLY WE ARE A CIVILIZED COUNTRY?

Needless to say, from 2115 to now, I watched how the U.S. citizens, or those who seek help from the country to whom France had once given The Statue of Liberty to recognize our open heart and mind to those in need... have been treated by politicians... It grew steadily worse as of January, 2025!

Note: If you cannot hear the entire video, please check back tomorrow. I wanted to use this video on today's hearing, not realizing how long it would be--4 hrs-- (or go to YouTube to finish...) Thanks!

How can we know what has happened. When even the president of a country lies from one day to another and has turned away from all election promises to be an autocrat, a man of violence, thirst for power and revenge and riches... How can we know when the Supreme Court has allowed all of this to happen?! Does that mean the majority of U.S. Citizens can no longer feel secure in being citizens of a democratic land? Because, we all KNOW that you are able to find the truth, even if you were once fooled by the republican party... We KNOW it's been wrong with all that is occurring right now! Will only a few realize what has been done, and seek forgiveness? And, consider this, why was it only one woman who refused to be pardoned for the crimes committed on January 6th, was willing to speak to Congress to share her truth of how MAGA had misled many...

They found this plaque hidden away! It was ordered under the previous administration... It was never hung... How can we know what more has been hidden? We know that all that was done during the last administration has either been delayed or overruled--or hidden and lied about--how can we know what has happened that is not being discovered via media that supports democracy and the constitution?! Can any of it be discovered/recovered...

We knew that one of the reasons that Trump needed to win the election was to stop the many court cases underway. Jack Smith was relieved of his position as Special Counsel for two of those cases. As time went on, Smith attempted to get approval for a public presentation of his findings. It was denied. It was only based upon continued pressure and requests from the minority party that he was able to provide the presented information.

Let's face it.... It is WELL BEYOND  what should have been prevented! It is also clearly obvious that both the Supreme Court and the activities of the lack of action by, in particular, the House of Representatives had been fraudulent and criminally neglected. Instead the Speaker refused to allow members of Congress to gather for weeks at a time... All the time, blaming the Democratic party for being the problem...Give me a Break! Anybody that at least follows news once a day clearly saw the devastation from day 1!

You know that day that he promised that prices for grocers would be reduce on day 1... and then ignored totally...

You know that soon thereafter, Trump initiated the tariffs across the world, which automatically increased costs...trying to claim that WE citizens would NOT be paying for those increased costs! His lies aren't even "good" lies!

You saw that Trump brought in an outsider and his staff with no authority and gave access to all records related to finance... Committed funds were stopped on, for instance, Infrastructure projects... Complete programs were deleted, such as USAID... People were being fired based upon DEI, an illegal action! In fact, every single thing that has been done has been illegally incited or generated by the autocratic actions of individuals never confirmed through normal processes... Security issues have been shielded even to those in "Need to Know" positions...

You know, folks, I went into Job Burnout when changes were made by new administrators even before they knew what I was responsible for... And they never bothered to learn... But my life was not ruined. I kept my eyes open and filed for retirement because I had the proper time in--even if I hadn't planned on retiring then. But I have to acknowledge. NOTHING THAT HAPPENED TO ME HAS BEEN EVEN COMPARABLY CRITICAL AS HAS BEEN DONE TO THOSE WHO HAVE BEEN FIRED WITHOUT CORRECT PROCEDURES... Rules, laws, procedures--the greatest asset of any organization, its people-- mean nothing to this administration... Those of you who have worked for most of or some part of your lives know that ignoring accountability will lead to failure! Each of us must work to ensure the United States is not destroyed completely... It's bad now--we all know it... And instead of trying to help deal with the U.S. problems, the entire administration has been looking outward where they can grab even more power... Even if they can lead the United States! 

During the first administration, I watched CNN almost exclusively, but then people started claiming that I needed to watch more than CNN... So I changed to MSNOW (new name) plus watched PBS, David Muir... I already knew not to watch Fox from the first 4 years of lies, especially after Fox had to pay restitution for lying about election machine fraud! My point is not that I was watching as much, but that I found that by reviewing multiple, reputable TV stations, I could ensure that what I was listening to was as true as it could be, given that lies continued to be stated and then further lies were made to cover what had occurred. I found that January 6th was the most falsified by the republican party. In fact, I learned just today that an entire rewrite of that day has been made and posted on government sites... I didn't bother trying to find... You really don't have time, these days, to chase down rewriting of history by a group who is obviously trying to cover up things that they know are and were illegal acts against the country's citizens... 

I found I enjoyed The Last Word because the commentator was old enough and had a professional history to support his opinions about what was going on and--most importantly--was not afraid to speak truth. MSNOW was separated from MSNBC recently. It appears that the major stations are giving in to this administration's pressures... How Can We Know that this corruptive overtake of not only our government but that it is getting worse, honing in on this hemisphere as if the United States has a right to invade wherever and whoever is profitable for the U.S. billionaires who care nothing about the Americas except how they can be exploited to allow the them to become even richer--and with more power...

The thing is, the United States can, in my opinion, no longer be considered a democracy... And, there is no longer any legal methodology by which the republican party can be stopped, except through actions by the people, for the people... But...

HOW CAN WE KNOW WHETHER THERE IS A WAY BACK FROM THE DESTRUCTION ALREADY FINISHED... Just like the destruction of the White House without authorization, without concern for historical preservation, without congressional authorization... when one man, controlled as a puppet by those better qualified to understand the complexities of government, just how can we move to reclaim the United States of America?

You know, folks, I'm not a fan of comedy. I laugh when something rings "true" and it's appropriate! I've never understood making fun of anybody else... To me, that's shameful...

But you know what? This crap has become offensive to the whole world, including those allies that have come together for many years... Not only are Republicans turning against our allies, they are turning against the Constitutional requirements for a multi-layered government by which oversight is a mandate... And it's been achieved because republicans lie to our citizens... Like the lady above, who apologized for once believing MAGA lies and participating in the January 6th insurrection against our government, attempting to override the election of a new president, we have found that those who choose to support their own desires, their own greed, that our citizens have been faced with the worst year of our lives... Now even the comedians are pinpointed for destruction... So, I thought I would end this by pointing out that one top comedian, along with his sarcasm and satire, also includes TRUTH... And when millions of citizens know this and understand that the only reason it is funny is that because our president failed in getting him fired, then surely we must know that, somehow, Truth and Right will overpower the corruption that has occurred because one old lady who felt she could believe the republican candidate, and did the right thing in acknowledging that she was guilty on January 6 and refused Trump's pardon, is what we must all do. It will not be easy. Too many people have listened to republicans--they believed that if you are a christian, then you should vote republican... Don't ask me why because I don't know why I was told this! But I know one thing. God gave us a mind--a brain. He gave us free will. He has provided continued improvements in communication... Yet many ignored the Death of Christ to save our world...

How Can We Know That? 

Look around... Where is the Truth of God? Where is the Love of God? When individual religious leaders have split off against what is happening, then we know that there are many who have opened their eyes and seen the destruction... And, I hope, remember that, among the lies that began in 2015 was that God had chosen Donald J. Trump...

New International Version
“No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.

Today...

God Bless HIS World

Gabby

Welcome to 2026 from Diana Raab, PhD - Poetry and More!

 

Dear Glenda, "The New Year stands before us, like a chapter in a book, waiting to be written." ~ Melody Beattie Welcome to 2026! In the Chinese calendar, we are now transitioning from the Year of the Snake to the Year of the Horse. The Year of the Snake was a year of shedding, releasing, inner growth and subconscious healing. The year of the horse is about having clarity, freedom, breakthroughs and momentum. I am wishing you all good things during this transition. I have been reading and hearing a lot lately about how people are coming together and craving the collective. It feels like survival is in the collective. The past number of years many people have focused on self-care but now, many seem to be hungry for a sense of community. No doubt, this need was born after the end of the pandemic when we all had enough of isolation. Thus, I am excited to introduce a new Sacred Circle, a gathering of kindred spirits to discuss, support, share stories, and do some writing together. It will be an empowering gathering. If you are based in California, I hope to see you there. Please see the details below. Until we meet again, I wish you a happy, healthy and peaceful New Year! https://www.dianaraab.com

Maddie Day Presents Flipped For Murder - Country Store Mysteries Book 1) - And Dancing/Multi-genre Music Playlist!

 So what are your failings?” He laughed. “I hate reading fiction. My brain just can’t suspend disbelief and stop analyzing why the people in a story would never, ever do something like that. And I bit my nails until a year ago.”

Phil belted out a gospel tune from the sink, where he cleaned up pots and pans. I chose song

They have line dancing if you like that kind of thing, too.” A dancing date. I never got enough dancing. This evening was sounding better and better.

“What kind of dancing?” “Everything. Line dancing, contra, West Coast swing, ballroom, Latin. Used to even go to international folk dancing over in Bloomington.”

“Here comes the music.” “I don’t know how good I am at following. I love to dance, but mostly it’s just been, you know, moving around kind of free style.” “I’ll show you, Robbie. Don’t worry.” After we finished eating, we joined the line dance, making me glad I’d worn a flared skirt and my turquoise cowgirl boots. And when the dance turned to West Coast swing, Jim led me through the moves in the most delightful of ways.

Despite how tired I was, I took the time to clean out the coffeepot, set up the regular coffee and the decaf for the morning, and make sure all was clean and ready for what I hoped would be another breakfast rush. My brain was rushing along like the Wabash Cannonball and I knew I wouldn’t be able to sleep yet. Instead, I pulled out butter, milk, cheese, and eggs. I could prep the biscuit dough now to save time in the predawn hours. It would hold fine in the walk-in overnight. After I scrubbed my hands and put on an apron, I measured out the flour, half whole wheat and half unbleached white, into the big stainless bowl, mixing in baking powder and salt. The image of Stella Rogers with my biscuit in her mouth rose up as if I was looking at her in full color on the big screen at the Starlite Drive-In in Bloomington. Who would have done a thing like that? Was somebody really trying to frame me? I didn’t hate anybody. Well, besides Will, my ex. But you’d have to hate someone to kill them. Wouldn’t you? Or to even frame them for murder. I cut the butter into small cubes and used my big vintage pastry cutter to slice it into the flour, pressing the U-shaped wires down again and again until the flour was the texture of coarse meal. What other reasons would drive a man or a woman to take a life? Rage at losing something valuable, like a spouse or a treasure, I supposed, or at feeling unfairly treated. Fear of being exposed could be another motivation, exposed for having committed a crime or done something shameful. Making a little well in the flour, I cracked in the eggs and stirred them up with a fork, then added the milk and the grated cheddar from the industrial-sized bag. Buying already grated cheese might have been cheating, but it saved so much time I’d decided to give it a try. I stirred the dough until it just came together. Who in this small town felt that kind of rage at Stella, or that type of fear? I floured the big marble pastry slab I’d installed at hip height—which for me was only thirty inches off the floor—and turned out the dough. I kneaded it only enough to bring it all together, then slid it into a clean plastic bag, sealed it, and set it in the walk-in along with the other perishables. After I cleaned up, still wearing my apron I sank into the chair next to the bourbon. One more little splash wouldn’t hurt, and it might help me sleep. My gaze wandered to the framed picture on the front wall. My mom and me, each with an arm slung over the shoulder of the other, laughed into the camera. I lifted the mug toward the image. “Hey, Mommy. How’d I do?” Adele had taken that picture the last time she’d been out to visit before I moved to Indiana. Mom and I had taken her to the Wild Pelican, a high-end restaurant perched above an unspoiled beach outside Santa Barbara, its wall of windows showcasing the sparkling Pacific that stretched out all the way to Japan. My mom’s wavy blond hair was cut in a no-fuss short do and her blue eyes were brilliant in a face tanned from walking on the beach. I’d gotten my dark curly locks and Mediterranean skin tones from my long-disappeared father, but my body matched Mom’s. We’d often talked about how we came from good peasant stock. “You would have loved this place,” I told her, taking a sip of bourbon, another taste we’d shared. My throat thickened, as it still did frequently, when I thought about her. She’d been my best friend. She’d taught me carpentry, giving me projects in high school to keep me busy and off the streets. Every summer she’d sent me out to stay with Adele for a month so I’d get to know my Midwestern roots. She’d fostered my love of puzzles of all kinds, and encouraged me to attend the engineering program at Cal Poly a hundred miles up the coast in San Luis Obispo. She’d even given me her blessing when I wanted to marry Will the day after I graduated, even though I could tell she didn’t like him much. I should have trusted her judgment over my own. “But I have the feeling you’d think this was the right move. This store, this restaurant. Right?” I didn’t have much of a belief in the afterlife, but I hoped her essence was out there watching, listening, and giving me the thumbs-up with a great big old grin.

~~~~

This is such a fun book on many levels... First, I loved that the main character was not only a chef, a business owner, as well as a carpenter who had bought a run-down old country store, but did all the carpentry to create the smartest-looking cafe/country store in town! And it was an instant hit in the community... Loved the name--Pans ‘n Pancakes!

But, of course, not everybody was happy that she had come into Indiana! But her Aunt Adele was there and she was moving to be near family since her mother had recently died... But as soon as she got settled, Robbie Jordan went out looking and found exactly what she wanted to fulfill her dream! Only thing was that somebody else had wanted the store and was upset she got there first... BTW, he holds grudges--and more! That's one...

It had taken most of her savings and plenty of hard muscle work to create just what she wanted. A pleasant place in which to serve meals, plus adding her personally loved collection of antique kitchen utensils of all kinds for both decoration and to sell... She had met several new friends who had volunteered to help get her going, even Phil had agreed to contribute his bakery talents and help out as the store opened... Aunt Adele also helped but Robbie knew that she would have to get help soon if she could get some type of notice out... But! She didn't have to because a young woman came in asking for a job and happened to be Danna, the daughter of the town's mayor! But when Robbie asked about her previous employment, which was at another country cafe in a small nearby town, she hesitated and talked about being able to walk to work... That's Two... Soon she was to learn that her former boss was not liked by many women...Robbie was happy to get her out of that situation.

The big day began, and people were there waiting to come and spend time with the new business owner. Even the Mayor came and congratulated her. (That's Three!) But Robbie was surprised by how the Mayor's assistant acted... Not someone she would think to have as an assistant, for any job...

Apparently many people thought that, because the Mayor's assistant was found murdered soon thereafter...

Now, the way I read this happening is that Robbie did not intend to become an amateur sleuth. Rather, she was soon being followed and in possible danger! She either has to try to figure out who wanted to get rid of her...or...else... 

While all that is happening, Robbie is meeting other business owners in town and is surprised that one of the men had been involved with her mother! (That's four!) And to learn more about him, she began to wonder just how her mother was involved--and who, possibly, was her father! The one whose name she had never been able to learn from her mother...

But it wasn't long that Robbie realized that she had been set up for the murder! She had lost her favorite pen and couldn't find it... But she had also revealed that the Mayor's assistant had given her many problems in trying to get the sale of the building accomplished... 

Fortunately, Robbie was able, with the help of a local lawyer and admirer, to ensure the police chief begin to believe in what she was saying, especially when Robbie was being shot at and the bullets had been found!

This is a great cozy mystery, with lots of intrigue and danger for the amateur detective character... But, it was the story that brings the readers into the community and people who were helping to support their new business owner that made this a novel well worth reading... Of course, the music was fantastic when she gets connected to a cycle group and bluegrass! In fact, the range of settings and music added greatly to the overall small community setting! Kudos to author...

So this was Stella’s son. Inconveniently named Roy Rogers. Well, maybe he was more typical of his generation than I was, and had no idea who the old TV singing cowboy was. Roy shook Don’s hand without really putting himself into it. “Thanks, Don.” Whoa. The guy I’d heard on the other side of the partition earlier. He looked over at me and squinted, running his left hand through hair so greasy it made him wipe his hand on his dark blue work pants. “This the girl who robbed me of my store?” Roy asked Don. Don held up both hands facing Roy. “Hold on a chicken-picking minute, Roy. She didn’t rob nobody.” He beckoned me over. “Kinda funny, that. Robbie here didn’t rob nobody.” He gave a grim little chuckle that neither Roy nor I joined him in. “Robbie Jordan, Roy Rogers. The late Stella’s only son.” I took a deep breath. “Nice to meet you, Roy. And I’m so sorry about your mother’s passing.” Roy snorted. “As if.”

“I’m off. Rehearsal tonight.” I stood as well. “What’s the show this time?” “It’s Copeland’s The Tender Land. Absolutely gorgeous. And I have the male lead.” He grinned. “Get out. Really? That’s awesome.” I knew he aspired to a career in opera. “Thanks again for the desserts, Phil. You’ll do more on Thursday for the weekend?” “You bet.” He left, humming as he went.

The tune of “Ya Gotta Dance” filled the room. Jim appeared next to me and pulled me into a close dance position. “Shall we?” “The ice cream is going to melt,” I murmured into his shoulder. “Let it.”

I emerged from my apartment into the store at ten-thirty. It was empty except for Danna and me until Phil waltzed in through the door a minute later, carrying his dessert trays and singing at the top of his lungs. “‘I believe,’” he belted, “‘that the Garden of Eden—’” “Yo, pipe down,” Danna called from the stove. “You’ll scare away the customers.” She looked at Phil and laughed. “No way. Book of Mormon? People around here love it,” Phil answered. He set the trays on the counter. “Hey, Robbie, you look nice.” I glanced down at my black skirt, which I’d paired with a soft purple top and a short black jacket. My hair hung loose on my shoulders, and I wore low black boots with tights. “Thanks. And major thanks for bailing me out like this. I owe you.” He batted his hand down. “I’ll catch you up on that one of these days. Now get out. Danna and I have some catching up of our own to do.” He slid an apron off the shelf and popped it over his head.

I stood in the back of the ornate church, scanning for Jim, five minutes later. An organ droned church music and people rustled their programs and spoke in hushed tones. A uniformed Officer Wanda stood in position in the back left corner, hands behind her back, also scanning the pews. I gave her a nod, which she barely deigned to return. Don was up near the front on the right, sitting next to Ed Kowalski. Roy sat with bent head, alone, in the first row not far from the casket, which was draped in a white cloth with a gold cross on it. I didn’t see Adele anywhere, but when I spied Jim, I made my way up the side aisle to where he sat on the left and slid in next to him.

“Pickles. I think we’re okay for breakfast tomorrow,” Danna said. “But order more OJ, eggs, and bread for the weekend.” I entered those as Phil sang a song I didn’t recognize, then I took the tablet into the walk-in and did a survey there.

Added Smoke Gets In Your Eyes from Classic Broadway/Musicals

“I owe you, Phil,” I added. He blew me a kiss. “I will exact an appropriate price from my friend,” he sang to the tune of “Oklahoma.”

“Robbie,” Danna said, moving to my side as I flipped cakes during breakfast the next morning. We experienced our usual rush despite the weather having turned cold and stormy. The coatrack was full of dripping raincoats and the antique umbrella stand held a half-dozen soaked umbrellas. I glanced up at her grim tone, one I’d never heard her use before. “What’s going on?” She tossed her head to indicate something behind her. “You have to trade places. I’m not talking to him.” She grabbed a clean apron from the box, threw it on, and started the sink water running a little too hard, scrubbing her hands like she was punishing them. I twisted to see Ed Kowalski examining the menu at a table by himself. “Gotcha.” I pointed to the orders. “The two specials platters are up next.” I also ditched the grease-stained apron I’d been wearing for a fresh one. Poor Danna. No woman should have to put up with harassment. He’d better not try anything on me. I adjusted my hat and grabbed the order pad and pen. We could have gone hi-tech and used a digital ordering system, but a tablet for every table was expensive, and who needed a digital device mounted next to the grill? It’d be a wreck, full of grease splatters and flecks of batter in a week. Or a day, more likely. I steered for Ed’s table. “’Morning, Ed. Decided to eat out again today?” “Thought I’d see how the competition was doing after a week.” His mouth smiled, but his little eyes didn’t. “Things are going pretty well.” I waved the order pad at the other nine tables, every one of them with at least two customers seated. A party of six men occupied the biggest table. “Can you put together a small sample portion of everything you’ve got?” He frowned at the breakfast menu. “Seriously?” I raised my eyebrows. “You are checking out the competition. You want five omelets?” “No, of course not.” He blinked and stabbed at the menu. “Give me the Kitchen Sink, but with only one egg. And a couple of pancakes, bacon and sausage, white toast, biscuits, meat gravy. Like I said, one of everything, but small-sized. When I came in on opening day, all I tried were the biscuits, gravy, and eggs.” “I can’t do a Kitchen Sink omelet with one egg. It won’t hold it.” I set my hands on my hips. “Whatever.” Ed waved a hand. “And coffee, of course.” “Of course,” I muttered as I headed toward the coffee station. “A ‘please’ would have been nice.” One of the white-haired men at the large table waylaid me with an “Oh, miss?” and a smile that could have lit up a dark night in January, so I changed course. Ed and his sampler breakfast would have to wait. “How’s everything?” I asked after introducing myself. “Delicious.” The man patted his nicely rounded midsection with both hands, a plate of half-demolished pancakes in front of him. “Super delicious. Miss Jordan, we wondered”—he glanced at his tablemates, several of whom bobbed their heads in agreement—“we’re a men’s breakfast and Bible club, and we wondered if we could reserve this table for eight o’clock every Friday morning. If it wouldn’t be too much trouble.” “That sounds like a good idea to me.” Several paperback New Testaments lay on the table, along with a couple of well-thumbed black Bibles. “It’s no trouble at all.” He beckoned to me to lean in and lowered his voice. “We used to meet in Nashville at”—he tilted his head toward Ed across the room—“at another establishment, but we like it here better. Samuel recommended we give you a try.” He pointed at one of the men. “I’m glad you’re pleased with Pans ‘N Pancakes, and I’m happy to reserve the table for you all. I’ll make up a special sign and put it out every week. How does that sound?” “Perfect. We’re much obliged.” “Are you always six, or are there more? The table seats up to eight.” “Never more than eight.” “Perfect, then. I’ll be right back with more coffee, gentlemen. Anything else I can get you?” One man held up his juice glass, and another asked for a refresher on his tea, thanking me for my trouble. At the far end of the table, a slender man with dark skin and a full head of wiry grizzled hair waved me over. “Is my grandson working today?” He smiled up at me. “You know, Philostrate?” “Oh, Phil. No, he’s not a regular employee, but he does make the desserts for lunch. And I’m sure you know he designed our logo and did a lot more to help me get started.” I smiled back. “He’s a good friend.” He extended his hand. “I’m Samuel MacDonald. I’m pleased to make your acquaintance. I’ll tell Philostrate his recommendation was well-founded.” I shook his hand and thanked him before I bustled away. I sure wasn’t about to turn away a weekly group of polite and hungry Christians, especially one including Phil’s grandfather. Ed might not like it, but fair was fair in the free-market economy. I handed Ed’s order to Danna. When she frowned at it, I added, “He said he wants a small portion of everything on the menu. Not every omelet, just the Kitchen Sink.” “He’ll never change his own menu, or the quality,” she said, sliding the spatula under a cheese omelet and flipping it with care. “I don’t know what he thinks he’s going to accomplish by tasting your much better breakfasts.” “I don’t, either. But he’s a paying customer.” I wrinkled my nose. “Or not. He comped my breakfast at his place the other day. I guess I’ll have to return the favor.” I leaned close to Danna. “Give him really small portions, okay?” A giggle slipped out. She snorted. “You got it. He’ll be lucky if I don’t spit in it.” “I wouldn’t blame you, but let’s not get carried away. I don’t want to get sued.” A few minutes later, after bringing Ed his coffee, topping up drinks at the Bible table, clearing another table, and making change for a third, I loaded up my arms with Ed’s order. “Here you go.” I set the plates on the table. I carried over a jam and syrup caddy from the table that just vacated, then turned to go. “Any news about the murder case?” Ed asked, his eyes on his food. “I heard you’ve been asking a lot of questions around.” “Not really. And I don’t have any news.” I gazed at him. “They’re way past the forty-eight-hour window, though.” His gaze met mine for the first time. “I read somewhere if they don’t solve a crime in the first two days, they’re unlikely to,” I added. “I’m surprised you’re still out walking free after they found your pen at Stella’s place.” He forked a bite of omelet into his mouth. “What? I sure didn’t leave it there,” I said. “If I killed her, you think I’d be stupid enough to leave my own pen at the scene of the crime?” “Any murderer can’t be too smart in the first place, don’t you think?” He looked at me, speaking with his mouth open as he chewed. I barely kept myself from squeezing my eyes shut. “Enjoy your breakfast, Ed. It’s on the house.” I turned away and busied myself clearing dirty dishes and greeting a new group who walked in. The next time I heard the bell on the door jangle, I glanced over to see Ed’s back passing through it. Talked with his mouth full and couldn’t even be bothered to thank me after he shoveled in his samples. I strolled to the front window to see him climb into a shiny black car parked in the HANDICAPPED slot next to the ramp I’d built. I stared at the front license plate. Even through the downpour I could make out KCSTOR. That had to be for Kowalski’s Country Store. The same plate and the same shiny black car that nearly ran me off the road on Sunday. Which had to be a coincidence. Because if it wasn’t, trouble was seriously brewing right here in River City. Or Brown County, as the case may be.

~~~~

Life as getting even more complicated, as if trying to stay alive was not bad enough to add on top of daily workload and investigating who's trying to kill Robbie. But then, the Mayor has to add on an even bigger burden... Holding a benefit for local animal shelters! Now Robbie was just as fond of animals as most of us, but she didn't need this extra burden right now! And why was the Mayor doing it not very long after her assistant was murdered... Was she aware, as Robbie had discovered, that her assistant was involved with blackmailing as many individuals in town who has something worth being blackmailed for!!! And that's quite a number, Robbie was to learn, even including the Mayor! Well, there were so many that was in this type of situation that I've even spotlighted at least 4 potential villains--either for murder or for some other deed they'd done in the past! One, Robbie was to learn, even involved her father who she was fairly certain she'd discovered just who he was!

People in town were to donate anything they thought of value to raffle off! Robbie immediately put together one for free meals! Phil followed that with a little touch of music!

“Crazy. Got anything you want to donate? And will you come?” “I can do up a certificate for a month of Friday desserts,” he said. “Delivered with a song. How about that? And a couple extra trays of brownies for the event itself.” I laughed. “I like it. All of it.”

Impossible Dream My Choice!

Wait. If it’s ten o’clock here, it’s three in the morning over there. If she got up at seven, maybe she’d write back at two in the morning my time. Or three? I could get up extra early and check. If I could even sleep. My agitation made me doubt that. I got up and poured a little bourbon in a glass; then I found the playlist I’d labeled “Mom” on the computer. I’d never known why she loved to listen to opera so much, until now. I started the Bocelli album playing, the one where he sings arias from a number of operas, which I’d listened to dozens of times since I lost my mom. I set it to play “Che Gelida Manina” from La Bohème, one of her favorites. As the tenor sang, I found Roberto’s picture again and gazed at his face. At the end of the song, I knew the words translated to: “Now that you know me, speak, tell me who you are! Will you say?” “Will you tell me who you are, Roberto Fracasso?” I asked the image. “Will you say?”

The magic of riding was doing its hat trick again. I’d been cycling about fifteen minutes, head down, pumping. It cleared out both the anger and the ice cream calories. It was my own personal Zen zone, where all I was doing was this one thing. In the back of my brain, I knew I had a lot to deal with once I was home, but for now, the road was just the road. A Mary Chapin Carpenter song my mom used to play about a road being just a road came into my head and I sang into the wind, my legs going at the rhythm of the song. I cut it off when an engine gunned behind me. I’d turned onto South Lick Road a few minutes earlier, a narrow way winding between wooded hills and marshes, with not a house in sight. Cars rarely traveled it, preferring the easier drive of Route 46. Slowing my pace, I glanced behind me. Uh-oh. A black sedan barreled toward me...

Folks, I hope you've enjoyed this post as much as I did putting it together... Don't think I've ever had an author use as much diversity in the music area than was done by Maddie Day! Verrrrry Cool Maddie! You put in some songs I didn't know, but I also put in songs when you didn't name them... Just doin' my part, LOL... I had to stop talkin' about the whodunit cause music kept gettin' in the way of talking about the book... NOT! Actually, I highly recommend the book. I was pretty sure whodunit... But, then again, there were even more people, especially women, who needed to report on one of the possible candidates who was on Robbie's List! Ladies! You all are gonna have to start speaking out about men trying or doing inappropriate things! We've seen how one man can initiate teens into unwanted sex while still in their teens...and it was allowed to continue for years! We've got to learn to speak up! Don't you think? I know... I know... It's easier said than done... But we can't continue to allow powerful men to handle what doesn't belong to them, out of fear!

Also...

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