Welcome to BOOK READERS HEAVEN! Books, Reviews, Short Stories, Authors, Publicity, a little poetry, music to complement...and other stuff including politics, about life... "Books, Cats: Life is Sweet..."
Showing posts with label Emotionally Damaged. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Emotionally Damaged. Show all posts
Take My Hand, Precious Lord - (with Marion Williams)
2.It's A Highway To Heaven - (with Alex Bradford)
3.Hide Me In Thy Bosom - (with The Dixie Hummingbirds)
4.I'm Going To Live The Life I Sing About In My Song - (with Marion Williams)
5.Peace In The Valley, (There'll Be) - (with R.H Harris)
6.What Could I Do - (with Marion Williams)
7.I'm Waiting For Jesus - (with The Dixie Hummingbirds)
8.I Don't Know Why - (with Bessie Griffin)
9.If You See My Savior - (with Alex Bradford)
10.If We Never Needed The Lord Before - (with Marion Williams)
11.Thy Servant's Prayer Amen - (mono, with R.H. Harris)
12.Search Me Lord - (with Bessie Griffin)
13.When The Gates Swing Open - (with The Dixie Hummingbirds)
14.My Desire - (with Delois Barrett Campbell)
15.Old Ship Of Zion - (with Bessie Griffin)
16.How Many Times - (with Alex Bradford)
17.I'll Tell It Wherever I Go - (with Sallie Martin)
18.Never Turn Back - (with R.H. Harris)
19.Lord Will Make A Way Somehow, The - (with Marion Williams)
Sooo, how did I get into this post? Well I had recorded a PBS program on Black Gospel and thought it would be a good video for a Sunday... Actually it turned out to be more historical narrative, at least as far as I got... But I had hooked onto a name, Thomas A. Dorsey, and learned that he had written one of the top 10 Christian songs that I've often sung as favorites, Precious Lord Take My Hand... Also, Peace in the Valley...
Sure, I'll go back and finish the PBS show, but I just had that song in my mind, knowing that I've been thinking about Him so much more recently...
Especially about my Black "neighbors" as Jesus called them when He asked us to Love (ALL) Our Neighbors (some had added the words which I liked)... As Myself... Do you love yourself? I do... We should... After all, we were created in His image! Even if there are many who have blackened His image over the many years since He died for all of us, by acts of hatred, jealousy, prejudice... and especially by placing the desire for money or power over any other part of our lives... We all have done it, you know...
There was a period in my life, that I chose to turn away from listening to Him... Yet, there was always nudges, whispers in my ear... When I was forced into a medical leave, my pastor gave me a recording of Christian music without words... I didn't want words at that time... It was words on the job that would not stop even when I left to go home, often after working late. At night I would have nightmares of those words, scenes, that had resulted with me walking out one day to seek help...
Even when I was better with medication, I still have nightly recalls of what had happened on the job... I began to use the words that I wanted to hear... I began to sing my favorite songs--as many as I needed to finally fall asleep... Precious Lord, Take My Hand, was always one of those songs...and I now know that Thomas A. Dorsey had written it, also in a time of distress and loss (of his wife and child). If I was especially troubled by something that had happened to "spike" my emotions, I began to sing through the alphabet--some I knew all the words, others I just sung what I remembered... Sometimes I went through the alphabet twice, and most of the time I would pick out other songs that had the alphabet letter I was thinking of which had that letter in the song's title.
Words of music were always what I looked for first, then the music and what emotional response I got from the accompaniment... Most of the time, the songs I select to listen to is based upon the title... So I went through the above video's selection and those songs I shared today are based only on the title--a song that I thought I might like to sing...
When I lived in Brookhaven, WV, and worked at the University, I began going to the home church of my best friend... There was a Black Church in the same neighborhood, and on holidays, the choirs of the two churches would always join together providing a community recital. I loved when it was Easter and we would, weather wise, be able to have a sunrise service...
Anyway, I've provided a list of Dorsey's songs at the bottom, in case, some title attracts your interest...you'll know what to look for! And if you are, like me, sometimes unable to feel like singing, just listen and allow the words about Jesus to speak to your heart and mind... I started with Take My Hand...because it is so important that we all turn to God and His infinite mercy and ask for patience, with a sure knowledge, that all that is projected for the next 4 years, will only be used to incite another type of feeling, other than hate and retribution... I pray that we all Turn Our Eyes Upon Jesus... for we KNOW that love will always win over hate! So, sometime, today, maybe every day or just when you need to KNOW His presence... Listen to Whitney tell us to find a quiet place and allow His peace to come to you...however way you want to spend time with your God... Because God is An Awesome God!
If you do not know we've got trouble in the United States, then this book is not for you!
Yesterday I went to the doctor about a possible knee replacement. My caretaker went with me to ensure we both heard the same thing. The first individual that came in was probably a resident who worked with the surgeon... He was Black. He was wonderful to interact with... After we left, I asked my caretaker, who is in tune with my opinions... Wouldn't America be a sad world without our Black residents? Folks, I've heard enough about Project 2025 to know what is planned for the future. It will result in many non-white individuals being placed under scrutiny and possibly relocated from America! Please plan to vote in November...
Maxwell's book was published in 2020. It is my opinion that some of the book does not reflect an up-to-date evaluation of our president. That does not mean that I question what was being said. What it means is that, from the period during which he wrote a paper on what then became law under President Clinton, I believe that, as he says himself, he has grown wiser. Of course, that does not change his history, rather it is, in my opinion, to be taken as a measuring stick for all readers of this book, to what he did during the Obama eight years and now with Harris as his VP. You all know my support for which presidential candidate I will be voting for in 2024.
Now, let's get into the book. Some of you may have read The Author's Note that I shared earlier. If not, check it out by looking in my right column of do a search for the author... First, let me tell you that I had a Black best friend from 7th grade onto graduation from high school. Afterward, I was on the West Virginia University campus for 37 years and had routine interactions with all students, faculty and administrators... They included non-white individuals.
I recognize that I may have a unique perspective from others (or not, I really don't know). What I do know is that, when the Black Dean of Libraries and I, one of the rare female higher level administrators were both relieved of their services, at the change of presidency, I knew it was discrimination even though we couldn't do anything about it. We had positions that were not classified, but served at the pleasure of the president. And if that president wants to fire somebody at that level, it is permitted under policy. Even if there was no problem with our performance.
Let's specify immediately that almost no or few women and non-whites have been in control of almost all organizations since the beginning of America. Each advancement was fought for rather than considered routine. Many white men were fighting against us. And, so, we who were part of fighting for those rights, are very upset and angry...
Maxwell spotlights the problem as identity-based politics...
Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley is the first black woman to be elected to Congress in the history of the state of Massachusetts. Pressley’s campaign slogan, #WeCantWait, emphasized the need for a shift in leadership for Massachusetts’s seventh district, a diverse, working-class constituency that includes the cities of Boston and Dorchester. When I interviewed Pressley for this book, she acknowledged how much pushback she got from the white political establishment about her focus on women of color. They wanted her to be less focused on women and girls of color; they bristled at her insistence that she wear her hair in Senegalese twists and traditionally black hairstyles. Her presentation needed to be more palatable to the white mainstream, especially in a city like Boston and a state like Massachusetts.
Yet, her message prevailed because voters of color understood her connections to their communities and stood behind her. Pressley’s unorthodox run focused on the fact that the systems that kept so many people down weren’t invented by Trump. She made people aware that the focus on only certain segments of American voters, while others are ignored, is in need of a fundamental transformation. “This is not just about resisting and affronting Trump,” she declared, garbed in a flowing red jumper. “Because the systemic inequalities and disparities that I’m talking about existed long before that man occupied the White House!” When Pressley won and shocked the political establishment nationwide, she said, “I’m accountable in working for more than just who voted for me, but you know, each morning I’m thinking specifically about those who we effectively and successfully engaged or reengaged who had been ignored, left out, or left behind.”
The traditional white male consulting class didn’t know what to do with an outspoken black city councilwoman from Boston who unapologetically ran her first race for city council on a message of protection and advocacy for women and girls of color.
“I also had a multigenerational [strategy], you know, multicultural, every sexual orientation, gender identity—and that mattered. That informed everything. It’s to ensure that you don’t have blind spots.” That’s just never been done before in politics. Politics, in this day and age, is all about blind spots because, traditionally, the people who craft our candidates’ messages don’t look like the people they are speaking to. They don’t always know what it’s like to be a victim of racial prejudice when they’re crafting messages to communities of color or what it’s like to experience workplace sexual harassment when they’re crafting messages to women. We have not made it a prerequisite for our speech writers and campaign managers to actually be of the constituency that the candidate is looking to speak to, so it’s no wonder that, even today, we’re still hearing candidates speak in a way that doesn’t fully engage all of their constituents. These messaging blind spots have created a need and an opportunity for candidates like Pressley to use their own experiences to speak directly to those Americans that share them, rather than just parroting what their out-of-touch campaign strategists tell them to say. That was her strategy, to speak what she knew from her own lived experiences—and from the lived experiences of those she was seeking to represent—rather than just listening to what her campaign consultants told her to do when she knew it wasn’t right for her constituents. Pressley’s challenge of Mike Capuano, a veteran, ten-term incumbent, ruffled the feathers of establishment insiders. Incumbent candidates for Congress tend to win reelection 90 percent of the time, so any challenge to them that can upset the balance of establishment power is seen as an unnecessary annoyance to the party. Running against a reliable incumbent Democrat—someone who votes on policy the way the majority of Dems want them to vote, someone who’s unlikely to challenge the status quo in return for being able to keep his or her seat of power—is normally seen as something that isn’t worth the effort. You’re probably going to lose, and for what? But Pressley didn’t see running her campaign as something not worth the effort because, in her view, it’s not just about voting the way the party wants you to vote, and it’s not just about having someone in office who is a Democrat—a warm body who isn’t actively working to help his or her constituents. It’s about having someone who can speak truth to power and loudly advocate for constituents too at risk or too vulnerable to speak for themselves. Pressley’s vision harkens back to the true meaning of representative democracy. In Pressley’s eyes, “The people that are closest to the pain need to be closest to the power.” When Pressley announced her candidacy, the advice from some of the consultants was to play it safe and smooth out some of the edges to appeal to a more moderate and probably white electorate; she shouldn’t make explicit appeals to communities of color by running on the protection of women and girls of color. She was told that identity-based politics wouldn’t and couldn’t work. Imagine all of the women of color who needed to hear that message, who were moved to vote for Pressley because of the truths she so bravely spoke in her campaign. She spoke about overcoming her own history of abuse and trauma to become an outspoken advocate for girls of color who were living through those same experiences—an unorthodox message. In a time when politics focuses on messages of economic prosperity, Pressley focused instead on the most vulnerable and unprotected people in her constituency, speaking out against physical abuse and speaking up for gender equality. This all gets down to the systemic ways in which we come up with “the message” in the first place and how that system needs a complete overhaul.
How will political consultants, who shape political candidates and their messaging, know how to speak to the people in the candidates’ constituency when they themselves may not understand the people? A huge part of learning to harness this power correctly lies in learning how to articulate one’s message to the people. Each demographic is different—they have different lived experiences and are searching for the fulfillment of different needs in public policy to help shape their lives. We are not a one-size-fits-all coalition, so a one-size-fits-all message is doomed to do more harm than good, alienating entire factions of the Democratic base with a single ill-fitted mantra or campaign slogan. Democrats need to be able to speak to men and women of color of all walks of life. They particularly need to be able to speak to black women. Black women will play an especially crucial role in determining the election outcome in the 2020 Democratic primary race because, as Fortune magazine noted in a June 20, 2019, article by Melanie Eversley: “In the wake of the general election last year, black women stand out as a demographic group with one of the largest voter turnouts. The U.S. Census Bureau reports that 55% of eligible black women voters cast ballots in November 2018, a full six percentage points above the national turnout.” That part of the Obama coalition also needs to be understood as a persuadable yet pragmatic bloc that does regularly participate in elections. The key to harnessing the votes of any member of yesteryear’s Obama coalition is tailoring a message to tackle the specific issues of the voter demographic while making it clear that they and their lived experiences are seen, acknowledged, and included in the mix of the political conversation.
So, how do you harness and secure the votes of blacks, Latinos, and the younger generations? Here’s a thought that rarely occurs to the Democratic old guard: What are the lived experiences of black and brown people? The simple answer is you have to first ask this question before you can realize that the answer is that it’s something very different from the lived experience of a white male leader. Often, data gurus on campaigns come up with a message they think might resonate with the most people based on feedback from focus groups that they set up to get a pulse on what the constituents are feeling. These focus group administrators are all well-meaning experts with stats and numbers, but that doesn’t mean that they are actually of the constituency they’re trying to learn more about or that they understand them beyond what is said within the confines of the focus group setting. Going forward, campaigns need to understand that cultural biases cannot be learned and accounted for within a single focus group session. Using this focus group data, campaigns then poll the candidate’s policy positions and messaging to see what gets the highest marks.
But this ivory tower approach isn’t the best way to win. Data can show only so much, and it can’t tell lawmakers what people are thinking and feeling. The PowerPoint presentations and graphs don’t reflect human impulses and biases like sexism and racism, which impact voting preferences and which are best spoken to through shared lived experiences. This is why, as Democrats, we need to convene focus groups in real communities, not in manufactured settings, where candidates can get our feedback, or the candidates should be creating these groups. The listening sessions that these groups provide candidates and their staff are essential in opening up the line of communication between the people and those in power. But that line of communication often closes as soon as the data is collected or utilized instead of creating a feedback loop that persists as long as that person is representing the public. On campaigns, this feedback loop is necessary because political messaging needs to consider factors like bias that may impact the behavior and the needs of the people candidates are trying to reach and represent. Pressley’s candidacy and model in Congress are a template for the future. She represents what is possible when the people in power have been through some of the same obstacles that they are in Congress to legislate against.
If the political strategists who are giving candidates advice are not people of color and they are not on the election consultancy team, we need to look for a new lawmaker. Symone Sanders, the press secretary for Bernie Sanders in 2016, was a senior adviser for Joe Biden in 2020. The campaign manager for Julián Castro moved over to advise Elizabeth Warren’s campaign once he dropped out of the race. These people of color are advising candidates who haven’t lived their experience but who want to understand it deeply so they can put forward workable policy solutions. Without the expertise of people of color, the plans these candidates hope to implement could seem out of touch with the constituency’s lived reality. The folks working beside government officials need to be diverse, as diverse as the voters the officials hope to represent, much like Barack Obama’s and Hillary Clinton’s campaigns were.
I’ve been on the inside, and a lack of diversity in a candidate’s campaign directly relates to campaign messages and whether they are in or out of step with the people. If you want a diverse coalition of voters to support your candidate, you’d better hire people who look like the coalition you are trying to build. But there’s no campaign school for little black kids. There’s too little infrastructure in place to train young people of color to intern or work on a campaign, and young people who work on campaigns are better positioned to become future candidates. Democrats can gain a big opportunity and build up a pipeline of candidates if they work to include young people from the community in political campaigns. The old way of listening to a white man in khakis who has only seen the city of Baltimore because of the Stringer Bell character in The Wire is over.
I was 18 when I took my job in the Office of Personnel at WVU. I was the records clerk that did the paperwork for all classified employees hired. The people ranged from service staff, such as custodians and mail carriers, up through to professional and technical personnel, some paid as much or higher than some faculty. I was quickly interacting with people of all people--no matter who they were. I helped them understand their benefits and get them on the payroll. Many of them I worked with through my years on campus. And, when I began to supervise others, I took each employee and learned enough about them so that I could help them do his or her job. It is quite easy for me to recognize what Maxwell is talking about! And I wholeheartedly agree. All of us are American citizens. We should all be just the same in being represented effectively!
To me, this is just logical! I was elected to Staff Council at West Virginia University. Individuals were chosen based upon their job classification. ALL classified positions at the University were included... So, I have to ask, why aren't representatives elected based upon some type of identity for purposes of politics?!
Maxwell begins the book with the chapter called, "Demonized Politics." It is not hard to imagine what might be covered first... But let's be very specific. Pay differentials!
One of the most important things we have to remember about identity politics is that it essentially creates a broader spectrum of politics, a framework that establishes new parameters for the people whose issues we consider and the person who is elected to represent those interests. Equal pay is an issue that illustrates this point. The often-cited statistic is that women make only 77 cents for every dollar a white man makes. But that’s the statistic for white women. Black women actually make only 64 cents on the dollar, and Latinas make only 54 cents. That disparity illustrates how race and gender can affect economic status, and thus, policy solutions must take that into consideration. No policy to solve equal pay can truly be effective unless every aspect of people’s lived experiences is taken into consideration, and those differ depending on what color skin we were born with. I wish this wasn’t the case, but it is, and we have to deal with it. What most detractors to identity politics fail to realize is that in 2016, Donald Trump ran on identity politics too—white identity politics. If not explicitly, he certainly ran on prioritizing the interests of white Americans over everyone else. “Trump went against the traditional Republican platform by promising to expand government, to protect Social Security, to protect Medicare and basically to provide government benefits that white people wanted.… Trump’s appeal is about whites wanting to feel like they’re getting some share of government benefits and support. This is of course wrong: White Americans receive a disproportionate share of resources whether that’s from the government or just the overall economic, social and political resources in the United States,” Duke University professor Ashley Jardina explained in an interview with Salon magazine. Jardina defines “white identity politics” as “the group of voters who feel attachment to their whiteness as a thread of solidarity and belonging.…
How sad that this same issue was addressed in the 1960s when Civil Rights was addressed resulting in Equal Pay for Equal Work... But that only works in, perhaps, non-corporate organizations. And, even at the University, I was quite aware that, for my level of responsibility, I came into another department where young and unclassified staff were making more than I was... Part of this was that, new people coming in would have a chance to negotiate their salaries, while if you were promoted internally, there was a standard percentage increase across the board. Yes, many new people were being paid higher salaries than those in similar positions who had years of experience! The point is that we--women and non-white individuals have known for decades that white men were paid more! Surely the question must be asked--WHY? And, everybody knows that the minimum wage rate hasn't been updated for too many years!
Readers, I'm not going to spend more time on this book, not because it doesn't deserve it. But because, I do have one critical point I want to make. Having lived in the 1960s and seen the improvements that were being made by the federal government, only to now see just how easily white men have worked to move us backward rather than forward. I want to close with this. Zerlina Maxwell is right on point on what needs to be said and even how to begin to look at things... I highly recommend this book, if you are younger, to all non-whites. Further, if you are white, but very concerned, such as a female white individual, I also recommend this book. Women have also been forced to fight in the area of employment and equal rights, even though it has been worse, in my opinion, for non-white, especially in the area of salary...
Now, without giving specifics, I want to spotlight, finally, what Maxwell shares about racial/sexual discrimination within politics! Apparently it is rampant... In my opinion, although I haven't been in the work field for a very long time, but I DO know that when our former president started calling names of women such as Hillary Clinton and Nancy Pelosi, you can be sure that all men saw it as open season for all those harassments that had been calmed down through the earlier improvements in federal regulations, which are now being questioned once again. So, to me, I see this period of time as a "reinvention of the wheel" once again if indeed we get the wrong party in office.
What do I mean? In my opinion, normal communication has been so corrupted since 2015, that if we don't at least move back to that level where we had achieved some level of success in many areas, then we cannot possibly hope to achieve what Maxwell has rightly said must occur. Instead, if our former president is elected, we would be moving backward until cave men were once again pulling their captured females back to their caves... NOT trying to be funny...
It was quite clear that our former president favored big-money corporations in relation to taxes and regulations and eliminate many safety and financial constraints...for those same corporations to whom he gave major tax cuts... Also, two major issues about guns and women's bodies will continue to deteriorate until women are not working but kept pregnant and working in her kitchen, waiting for her husband, the breadwinner to come home... Or, taking the oldest job of women who were not married and providing the always-required services that all men must have, no matter from whom that would be... Sarcasm intended. We will be back in the 1950s or maybe even in Bible times where harems were popular... What do you think? Did God really plan for the human race to move backward rather than forward in our lives? I seriously doubt it!
I am a Single Christian Woman who does not support anything that is happening under the guise of the Republican Party's Project 2025! When I realized early on that I was writing about the daily events in my life (and how they might have ended with flashbacks into my early life, never would I have imagined that I would watch the attempted assassination of a man who I've openly disdained since the day I heard the video where he discusses grabbing women...
Now all that is on television is a minute dissection of that event... over and over and over... I needed some sanity and started looking for taped videos to watch. Today's Fareed Zakaria Sunday show was very informative as most of his are. It was not yet posted on YouTube however, So I chose, the following one... I've watched this group often and found it to be credible, if somewhat biased--but then I am that as well... But I saw the next video which apparently has over a million views...
It seems to me that all of this is just a game for many that have been incited by the former president... Let's face it, that man has literally gotten away, so far, with murder... You don't think so? Well, consider that on January 6th there was one republican groupie that was killed by the Capitol's guards as she was climbing through a smashed entry, as well as a number of those guards that were killed and/or greatly damaged physically, mentally and emotionally when they were forced to defend our Capitol from hundreds of MAGA supporters carrying flags supporting Trump, and also those who were identifying their cults such as White Supremacists and of course the Proud Boys who Trump publicly told them to "stand down and stand by." Since then hundreds have been indicted, many of them, when interviewed, indicated that they were there at the President's request. Indeed, written documentation of emails, I believe, supported their assertions. We saw a number of them express their regret and confusion as the January 6th congressional group questioned them... Sadly, they were apparently only a few who saw what they had been pulled into and were now seeking redemption...
Folks, we have then been witness to what has happened after the Biden/Harris election... I had originally thought that, at last, it was over. Instead it has gotten worse--much worse! For instance...
When I hearken back to where I was when John Kennedy was assassinated, I remember it quite well. I had just been hired in July, 1963, by the West Virginia University Personnel Office. I was hired as a Records Clerk... Working to welcome new employees and make sure a file was created as well as handling the paperwork to get them on the payroll... The Departmental Secretary was charged with my training and we became friends, often lunching together. One day she invited me to walk to her home for lunch. I had no idea that she lived all the way down the main street of Morgantown and it took about 10 minutes to walk. Needless to say we were late coming back. I was upset as we walked back to her office. The Director was there and I started to edge back, trying to escape to my own room... But Mr. Wall called out to both of us to come in and listen to the radio... Our American President had been shot while riding in an open car... We were all horrified...
But there was no 24-hour news for most of us working people, we went back to our routine that day and kept up with the news to learn what happened. His Vice-President was quickly named as President. The Government went on, sadden, but not affected in any major way... How I wish that would have happened when Joe Biden was elected our new president.
One of the bargains that Trump made with the Evangelical Christians, according to Frank Shaeffer, the son of evangelist Francis Schaeffer, was to place as many conservative judges as quickly as possible. Of course, we learned, when that started to happen, that the plan had already been laid when the Senate Majority Leader refused to even place President Obama's recommendation for a judge on the floor!!!
Little by little we were spotting lies--so many lies by so many political leaders that many of us were shocked and began to worry... That's when I became somewhat of a news hound keeping track of exactly what the republican party was doing...
Some of my readers may recall that my sister had told me when I talked about registering to vote that if I was a Christian I had to vote Republican... And, frankly, that is when my family truly started to see me as an outsider... I first registered Independent thinking I would vote for who I felt was the best candidate. But as days went my and everything started to occur under Donald Trump's presidency, I quickly changed to the Democratic party so that I could vote in our state's primary, according to voting rules.
Now, let's make a quick reference to my very first "professional" job... I was dealing with records from the first day I started, July, 1963, throughout my career--different records, but...records. My point being is that when Donald Trump took classified documents when he was forced to leave the White House, my mind started thinking... Ok, as a records person, I knew that some type of documentation would be kept of all official documents, classified or not. Either a simple filing system or more complicated by using computerization for keeping data-oriented data when I moved into facilities management... In my mind, there was no way that records should have been removed! At a minimum, if something like the "love letter" from the North Korea dictator with whom Trump "fell in love" (his words, not mine), and Trump wanted to keep as a personal momento, then a copy or a request for the original would have had to be made...
Let me illustrate what I did in my last few months working at West Virginia University...I had been reorganized out of my job... that sometimes may happen, but not in the way it was done to me. I will write more on that later. However, what resulted was that I, with the title of Associate Director, was moved into another department where a number of other individuals had a similar level, under my level, however. A new director had been named. He admitted to me he didn't know what to do with me; however, he did have a major concern that he needed to report on. I was given the assignment of creating a comprehensive and documented Deferred Maintenance Budget Proposal, which we knew would be in the multi-millions... I was to work with each department to gather both an identification as well as a calculated estimate of what the cost would be to repair/replace that item... Folks, we are talking about every tree, every walk, every roof, every individual building system, et.al. I'll go into that at another time. However, my point for today is that...that had taken me over a year to create. When I left, I passed out all the documentation, the computer files and the written report to the appropriate people...
There was no question in my mind that I could not retain even a copy of that report for my own purposes. Now, let's get specific, our past president did take boxes and boxes of government documents...
Worse, through his deal, he placed one specific conservative judge into office, who has betrayed her legal office to delay and obfuscate the legal documents case for the benefit and support of the president who put her in office... That case which was/is under a special counsel has been delayed for months. Given my and everybody else's view of what has happened, this case should have been easily settled and prosecuted months ago!
There you have it folks... Here's one individual's perspective, based upon my own personal experience as well as a very-well documented set of facts that we had all been watching--that is. if we watched multiple sources to ensure that Truth was actually... The Truth.
No, I wasn't surprised that somebody took a shot at the past president based upon his own incitement of violence... Or...was it perhaps a conspiracy to make him a martyr? Frankly, after listening to the new president of the Heritage group, who made it clear that if the republican party didn't win that another civil war, without guns, would be next and then he suggested that based upon the rest of the country, that it may have to include violence...
Folks, we have watched as there is no longer the ability to feel sure we are hearing the truth... It has been made clear that lying by Donald Trump was to be allowed and nothing would cause him to stop... Yet, he is now working to return to our Capitol--the Capitol we all watched and saw that he was not doing anything to try to stop its invasion. We have seen the Supreme Court give him immunity beyond any former president. Surely we know that this is a planned effort on the part of many to destroy our government... to destroy our democracy.
I believe God is watching. My God is a God of Truth. My God, through His Son asked us to Love our Neighbors... What is happening, apparently instigated by many different groups, is not an act that could ever possibly be blessed by the God of Truth and Love...
Happy Birthday Mom! I've been spending a lot of time thinking about you lately... First, realizing that I am now older than you were when you died... And then, wishing you were still living with me in these days that are worse than anybody could have imagined... How I wish I could talk to you daily about what is happening in America, supposed land of the free, yet so much is moving in the wrong direction... I remember you would often when it seemed we were all in a mood, that you would say, "Want me to Sing?" and "Beautiful Dreamer" would come out so that we immediately moaned and laughed... Now I wish you were here sleeping now, as I write... and things would be easier, somehow...
You know, Mom, I never understood your telling me that "God always takes the good ones first when talking about my father having died before I was born. It didn't make sense to me that God could be a part of my not ever having a father. But, then, later, when I learned of You, I knew that I would always have a Father... But perhaps, Mom, your having made that statement when I was young, started me on the road to the "Why?" type of person that I was to become...
I moved the music box playing "Those Were The Days" to sit on the stand next to my chair, remember my first thought when I bought it for the song, that the old grandmother type in the chair rocking and sewing, never did remind me of you... You were always working, doing something... Mostly for others who paid you as a nurse and more... I think you looked a little like Edith Bunker where this song was played in the beginning of Archie Bunker....
So why am I looking backward today? Because, right now, the republican party is trying to move us back into those early years and the democrats are still trying to do what is right for the people, moving forward instead of backward... And, Mom, there is so much happening with the party that I guess you were a member of, although you never talked about it... All of your family that I know of, other than me, are in the republican party... and I can't help but wonder... Why? Especially after the last decision of The Supreme Court... I can't help but think that there will be nothing to celebrate this July 4th if the republicans have their way...Electing a criminal as our next president...even after what he did in his first term... Why? Mom? Here's what I believe Mom...the same as our democratic president, President Biden:
Mom, what is worse is that the republican party is trying to move away from the teachings of Christ... And, I believe, that many do not truly understand what is going on, including your family... At least one person I'm able to talk to understands...
Mom, I believe that God is leading me in reading the right books and sharing them with those who are seeking answers... And yet, as recently as this past month, family members are unwilling to listen to what I say... Mom, I must follow what I believe God is asking me to do... There is so much hate and violence in today's world... Children are even being killed during school hours! Yet the republican party continues to refuse to do anything about access of guns... I am being guided to speak for God--not my family... I remember Jesus' words that if I go into a place where Jesus' words are not the guiding role in their lives, that I should leave and wipe the dust from my feet...
Matthew 10:14-16 New International Version (NIV)If anyone will not welcome you or listen to your words, leave that home or town and shake the dust off your feet. Truly I tell you, it will be more bearable for Sodom and Gomorrah on the day of judgment than for that town. “I am sending you out like sheep among wolves.
God is sending so many signs and books to me--nonfiction books that I would never otherwise read...So much is being said and it supports what I believe. I hope you understand that I must put God above family...
On the other hand, I feel closer to God than I have ever felt before... And know I speak as Jesus... Here's a song that I've adopted as, sort of, an anthem for today's world...
Like It? I remember when we still lived in New Geneva and you'd be lying on the couch in the living room... You'd ask me to sit down and play hymns. Often when there were others there, you'd ask us to sing... Songs about Jesus was so much a part of my early life... And it continues today with new beautiful songs that are being created by the young Americans who are more and more speaking out against the hate, the violence, and the lies... Mom, nowadays, we aren't even sure if what is being said on television is the Truth... I don't mean in fictional programs, but from some news agencies! They purposely lie! Here's a perfect example, as, after hearing the above full speech from our president, this individual chose to spread lies with it...Mom, the constitution is in danger! Can you image that, after 200 years, that the republican party and what is called, now, Christian Nationalists, are working against the rights of the people to govern America!
Mom, I remember many years ago that I asked you about our background... I am German on both sides of my ancestral families... Your immediate, and only, response was that "You are American." Today, when I think about that, I realize that you were expressing a very important fact for us--that we were Americans, first, and our ancestors were really not changing that. Now, all I see, Mom, is that the republican party wants to make America a land of "white" people... So what does that mean to all of those in America who were/are non-white. It seems to me that the present republican party is against all that Jesus taught--to love our neighbors as ourselves... And, to love God above all... What I have come to see, and know, is that if those who claimed to be Christians had actually, taken these two--only TWO--guiding points from Jesus, that we would not now be in the situation that we are in! I want to write more about this...but, as your son-in-law Bill, used to say, "That's on another Page..."
I miss you Mom
But I guess birthdays are no longer important, are they? But, for me, and many others, it's a good reminder...
It's 2 AM, I came to write... But Jesus Stopped Me...
Remember Me? Let me talk to you first, Ok, Glenda?
Soon I heard the voice I sang when younger, clear, bright, in love with Jesus, My Father, who art in Heaven, Hallowed Be Thy Name... In Praise of Jesus...
I have New Words for you to hear.. Let me lift you from your past, all the hurt, all the pain, all the confusion....I will take it away and help you sing again.. I know you feel My Presence...Relax, I Got This, Remember? Shelter in my Arms, once again, I am Here...With you... Always and Forever...
You remember with fondness the woman who told you, finally, that you had been abused, Used for your dedication and knowledge, and then, when you started asking questions, refused to lie for them, explained when they were wrong...even told them that they didn't deserve your respect, what did they do? They tossed you away... But, dear Glenda, you had already followed my guidance...you had followed the words of your pastor to get help, you followed the words of your doctor who said that you had to choose between your job and your life... I am so proud of you that you chose Life...
For, even then, Glenda, I had already started a new path for you to walk... And, when that path became one that you could no longer trust, you once again turned... You turned to me because you've always trusted me and know that I will never talk, talk, talk, let never say anything meaningful to your life's path...
I Got This, Glenda, You traveled down the new road, alone, until you once again found Me. If I haven't told you lately, I love you, my child... I have given you new songs to sing, you may not know the words, but they are the words that will sink into your turmoil, your confusion at the latest display of hatred, of lies, of pressing closely, too closely, that you feel like you can't breathe...
You are sheltered...Now and Forever...Listen to the many voices I have sent to you, telling of My Love with the world's children. All of my children. I love you all... And, I am so sorry when some force you to pause, to feel pain, the pain of loss, the confusion, the worry and concern, got to remember this or that, can't make a mistake, Truth, I must speak Truth... You want to speak the truth now, but nobody will listen... Yet, they do listen and will hear...
We see and hear the hate spewed, we know you felt sorrow. But, remember, I've Got This...
I can feel the lift from your shoulders...you are hearing my words, relaxing in my embrace. You are mine... You are in my presence right now...when you've stopped to feel me, to hear me...But, know Glenda, I am with you always...and a day...
By these new words, I want to help you realize that I am speaking to many of my children right now all over the world. They, too, are listening. And they, too, know that Hate and Vitriol--yes you spelled it right--I know I am sliding in words that you've never known or used before...But, dear Child, I know all of the words that have ever existed...don't worry about spelling, for I know you well...Feel free to proofread... You are so good at that, you have been the eyes for so many writers who have wanted somebody to read their words and instinctively know what they wanted to say to the world...
But, now, right now, I want you to hear ME. Really, I Got This... Did you not hear that even Michael is speaking differently...he is calmer, and, yes, I am speaking to him, though he is not as open to my words, his pain is much greater, because the man he trusted did more than abuse him...he lied to him continuously and pretended he cared...but we both know that man cannot care for anybody but himself, sadly...
When your mind flashed to Michael, yes, Glenda, I allowed you to stop and listen again so that I could tell you about my love for Michael as well...you are becoming quite a writer, even editing my words to you... I want to laugh out loud... your edit was needed, I agree...
Instead of trying to use your words...let me speak this time... I send peace to all who will hear ME. LOL, Glenda, stop with the proofreading, it's ok not to capitalize my name, I know your mind is flashing to a memory right now, but it's not your boss, that man who drew a black mark across a letter you had just typed... You retyped it because you cared for your own self-image... But, Glenda, I've seen ALL of your mistakes and I still love you. I will never turn away from You or any of those who have accepted my words, my request to come unto me...
Instead of writing, I want you to go ahead and read it over, correct the errors that have been made as your eyes have been closed, better to listen to my words... Remember, I am speaking of my love to so many others... Listen to the words I've sent...Believe me what I have said... we are talking in that particular song... I speak to You and then you repeat what I've said...and you say I believe... Yes, my child...
Follow your path, but listen for those twists and turns you love so much in your books... One is calling to you right now...to be read and talked about, to highlight the special words of meaning that you find...
Go now, time has past... you are free of all those things that had gone through your mind, of what you felt a need to write...but, not today, Glenda...just stop, now... It is time to rest, sleep, remember, as the song just said, I am a child of God...Yes, recognize it. Embrace it...
And remember, I Got This!
Jesus,
Your Friend, Your Father, Your Truth, Your Love, I AM all that you will ever need me to be...
It is 4 AM; I Awake From Sleep Shaking, Having a Panic Attack, Can't keep from moving. Got to Calm Down. Many Flashbacks... Comparisons...Rocking Movements: I Know that I Know that I Know..... I have Worked with Jesus Speakers. With Godly believers...
I have worked...with BORG... Rocking back and forth, sitting... Trying to Calm down... I... Rocking more slowly... still shaking inside... I have seen More of BORG in Power... Where are the Jesus Speakers...? I remember one, only one leader who clearly spoke Jesus...Sadly... But!
I take deep breaths... I have known many Jesus Speakers working beside me...within my community sphere... So many of BORG in positions of Control... Corporations not allowing easy contact with complaints... Leaders who think they know what to do; and don't... Leaders who care only about power and money--not their most important asset--people!
VOTERS: There is a difference...between candidates... I have been placed in a position to have watched both candidates daily on the news, in their ads...in their actions...in their words... since 2016. I am an Independent at heart. Voter Rules forced me to choose...
In 2016, I chose Democrats... Democrats seek to serve, democrats believe in diversity, democrats show no prejudice toward any person, (as a group) democrats work for the good of the people. It is their...responsibility... They do their job...
In 2016 (and before) those of the BORG were assimilated to ensure America would be changed. BORG assimilates; that is their function; they have assimilated QAnon, Proud Boys, KKK, Nazi sympathizers, White Supremacists, evangelical christianity leaders, christian nationalists, corporate leaders, Fox News, codependents, gunlovers, those who act with violence, egotists, many republicans you will know they are not christians...they have no love for their neighbor... Their god is power and riches...they are BORG
Joe Biden Speaks Jesus, He even met with the Pope when some questioned his stand on Abortion and other issues... The Pope blessed him... More, however, God has given him the gift of love even through pain and loss. He has the gift of God's empathy... His Love for all mankind... Biden acts on his beliefs and has spent this life dedicated to serving the people of the nation. He is dedicated, strives to do the right thing, even when it is impossible or because of BORG... (Those in the republican party who vote against anything that does not support BORG...which means BORG is against the majority of the people of America...and all God's people in the world.)
Biden visits with parents of children killed in gun shooting, listening to their parents begging for action against guns... he explains BORG limitations, but pressure against BORG continues... Biden speaks to the BORG prime minister of Israel...who seeks only retribution and power to cover his own offenses... BORG has power not yet stopped by those who speak Jesus... BORG assimilates, taking whole countries, destroying those who do not bow down to BORG... to those who cherish freedom, free will...
And, Biden weeps... He feels the pain of those suffering, terrified for life, or filled with the fear of not having enough money to provide basic needs of food and shelter to all people... More importantly, Biden acts...within taking office, he created a completely diversified Cabinet to ensure input of information...he prioritized...COVID plans never made by BORG were handled as quickly as possible and he led America in all ways through the pandemic... Infrastructure was funded and implemented...not done in years; BORG fought funding allocations... Biden restored America's friendship with those countries who embrace democracy once again... and so much more...
It's Easy Folks: Biden speaks Jesus; FREEDOM
And we know: Trump is BORG, he speaks violence and retribution...
BORG WISHES TO ASSIMILATE AMERICA, UKRAINE, PALESTINE, ISRAEL, SOUTH KOREA; THAT IS, ALL DEMOCRATIC COUNTRIES WHOSE PEOPLE WANT Freedom and action by Politicians.
BORG ASSIMILATES ALL PEOPLE MAKING SLAVE DRONES TO KEEP BORG ALIVE AND POWERFUL...
Trump is BORG
DISCLAIMER: I ACKNOWLEDGE THIS COULD BE PHOTOSHOPPED...BUT, THEN, AGAIN...
I've heard his garbage mouth myself
like that which he is now being charged in NY
~~~
CHOOSE BIDEN OR WHOEVER YOU KNOW
CHOOSES DEMOCRACY AND FREEDOM
BORG Assimilates!
this seems to be many republicans
And BORG specifically as defined above.
Biden...Democrats are Right
The Soul of America
Sweet Land of Liberty
is under siege...
Vote
Fight ASSIMILATION
FIGHT FOR FREEDOM
FIGHT BORG LIFE UNDER Trump...
I Support Joe Biden
I Support Freedom
I Support the Constitution
I Support the Great I AM
God of all Creation!
Please note...I will continue to get specific in how i learned the difference between leaders while working...for nearly 40 years... next...
Also FYI: Beginning today, I will be identifying only Open Memoir (of My Life) Relevant book titles will be provided as Hashtags...
I decided to include this for others to see what happens when I get upset about something... this time, I'd heard just too many news people talk about our President looking frail, while at the same time I have to learn all the details about our past president and the republican nominee having committed a crime, committing adultery, while he was hiding it from the people of America during the 2016 election!
From a Facebook Post
Just a thought - age is pretty much all in your head (and knees and back but who's counting).
True, but this creation was showing off his wonderful merge of of building and structure, but, not so much of actually living life... Consider that his use of natural rock on the main floor was extremely hard and cold, not to mention if you did succeed to fall asleep you might walk right out of the room into a pool and possibly drown...and as for the bedrooms? I had a larger bedroom on a cruise ship than he provided for those staying overnight... Well, I'll close that I just had to spotlight my knowledge of this structure...It was designed as a summer home so it really would never have made it through the year in the location where it was built... It's within driving distance from my log cabin, however... It's a wonderful and beautiful place to visit...but I think I'll stay warm in my cozy log cabin...BTW...age is not a factor for anything in my opinion... It's the use of God's gifts that he's given us for the good of the world...After all, most of God's early prophets were older than most of our present living presidents... Thanks for the post!
A critic Just to let you know that the point of the post is not lost on me! I didn't take it as a critique on Wright’s architecture. It’s nice to hear. Too often I think I’m too old to complete my writing. Thanks for the reminder that only ‘dead’ is too late. I wouldn't live in one of his houses but how fascinating to look at them.
Ahhh Merikay and Bruce, neither of you picked upon on the bragging I was attempting about having a famous and historical building nearby... I find it is hard these days...If you joke, you get criticized. If you tell the truth, you get blamed for being a democrat...LOL... I got the point. I'm in that generation and do not feel that anybody should ever be talking about ageism as a topic... It's bad enough that people are placing age for presidential candidates, before, the qualifications of the individual, and let's not even go into the experience of one of them, and lack of the other. BTW, how did you happen to pick Falling Waters as your choice for this architect? His more complex buildings in large cities would have been more appropriate if the age was really the point of it all... But then again, I take one day out of hundreds of writing right on FB postings, and get criticized...Yep... I take it as criticism... did you ever think that I was starting a discussion? Did you ever think of saying, Tell me More... Did you ever think of asking me if I was interested in the ageism statement or the architecture beauty of in my opinion, one of the great architectural wonders of the world... Oh well, who the hell cares anymore...that's the major problem isn't it...people do not care about people as they are, regardless of age...You two have made the point I was really saying... Sorry Merikay, you've disappointed me... And I really don't care who criticizes me... I'm in that age bracket (nearly) and find this posting gratuitous at best...
You're kinda preaching to the choir here, Glenda.
I know, you are right...kinda...I have to say, however, that not one writer has ever asked me my age as they ask for a review. Not one individual has ever said to me that I was too old to open an account or buy a washer or go to a movie... Can you imagine, then, how Joe Biden feels to have people defending him? Can you imagine that they call him frail one day, while on another day, they applaud his annual address? Can you imagine how people are talking about the orange "turd" and thinking about his having sex with a porn star...while this man is taking up all the news time with all of his crap and very little is publicized about what our president has already done and is now doing, but is overlooked because a criminal trial is taking all the air space. As Spock says it is illogical! Why should you or anybody else have to feel that you must defend those who are older? Why is it that a criminal, already charged in civil court is getting away with everything, including stopping/forcing delays to other trials, just because people don't speak up??? Yes, I mean that, there is absolutely NO reason that Trump gets away with all of this that he is... If you can honestly say to me that you did not post it because of Biden/Trump, then I will apologize, again and again... But if you merely saw it of interest, decided you'd give a push to an older candidate not because he is doing all that he is doing, then, sorry, you really are a member of the choir's audience and enjoying the song, and forwarding it along...Sorry, dear, I know you, but we must stop and really think about what is happening in America. I am doing my damndest to try to speak out...only to be disgusted when somebody says he is frail...give me a break! or others have done great things "at an older age..." You know, M, I have learned much about the communication process since 2016 and it is not something I am proud of... I will continue to question everything from now on. I must. If not, who will? You can just simply pass something forward and not explain why you are doing it anymore. I chose to see what would happen...and you saw what happened. You agreed with the critic...not only agreed, but loved his comment. That's why I was disappointed. Not because of the post, but that you chose to agree with the criticism. That is what, my guess 80% of Americans do daily... They agree, like, or forward without so much as caring one bit about what actually is the real message. Yes, the man knew your message, I did too...but he chose to criticize me for "NOT?" If you can not see what I am talking about, I suggest we no longer be connected. Because I intend to speak out more...because I think Joe Biden has been placed in the position of president to counteract what Trump and evangelical christians have already done to America... I plan to speak out to defend Biden often, loudly and critically... So, if you are a member of the choir...I challenge you to start singing! I Speak Jesus...
Speaking out Because I Must...
Gabby
I was listening to public radio as I traveled for groceries, the bank, etc., this morning... the commentator talked about two sisters, two pianos and how it built up and down...exploring... I got a God nudge to do share this when I heard the song... for one of my sister friends here on FB Merikay Noah. Planned on Making a public apology here, but couldn't find her name... Boy, I really screwed up this time...What I found was a GoFundMe page for Merikay... So here's the good and bad... I had been unkind, hurt Merikay, I know, and even blogged about it...because I was feeling depressed and angry about these stupid politicians! (BTW, I'm not going to delete the post, which was part of my Memoir. Rather, I'm going to add this info to that post and update... It is time to humble myself as I mess up so badly...) I had been unkind to someone I cared about...only to discover just how badly she is herself suffering! Oh God, will we ever learn to have the empathy to know that somebody else may need care and just because we are feeling bad that day, is no reason to be cruel to somebody else... Well, I knew that God Incidentally put me into a position I was in because He knew my regret...and wanted me to express it in the most effective way... I've donated to Merikay's GoFundMe...and thought I should let others know ... Merikay is a "Covid Long Hauler and Needs Rent Money! I keep harping about "doing unto the least of these" and then move forward not really looking out for those in that situation. So, if you know Merikay, check out her GoFundMe Site and learn more...
