Monday, November 19, 2018

Going to borrow something someone else wrote, that I might have embellished just a tad, but something I feel needs to be said. It's political. Posted by a Christian Pastor, James Lyttle, on September 17, 2018:


“I remember the day after the 2016 Election, a friend of mine who happens to be white, remarked on social media that he “finally wasn’t embarrassed by America and our President.” Others claimed they had "suffered" during Obama's presidency.
Since then I’ve heard those sentiments echoed by more white folks than I can count: supposed relief at once again having a leader who instills pride.
Since I don’t have the time to ask each of them individually, I’ll ask here:
What exactly were you embarrassed by?
Were you embarrassed by Barack Obama's lone and enduring twenty-five year marriage to a strong woman whom he’s never ceased to publicly praise, respect, or cherish?
Were you embarrassed by the way he lovingly and sweetly parented and protected his daughters?
Were you embarrassed by his eloquence, his quick wit, his easy humor, his seeming comfort meeting with both world leaders and street cleaners; by his bright smile or his sense of empathy or his steadiness—perhaps by his lack of personal scandals or verbal gaffes or impulsive tirades?
No. Of course you weren’t.
As as for how you suffered, how did you suffer when the American Auto industry broke sales records, or when clean energy doubled, or when the deficit was cut, or when unemployment was cut in half, or when Osama bin Laden was eliminated or the stock market tripled or when he won the Nobel Peace Prize, or became Time Person of the Year?
Honestly, I don’t believe ever suffered by being embarrassed. That word implies an association that brings ridicule, one that makes you ashamed by association, and if that’s something you claim to have experienced over the eight years of having Barack Obama representing you in the world, I’m going to suggest you rethink your word choice.
You weren’t “embarrassed” by Barack Obama.
You were threatened by him.
You were offended by him.
You were challenged by him.
You were enraged by him.
But I don’t believe it had anything to do with his resume or his experience or his character or his conduct in office because many of you seem fully proud right now to be associated with a three-time married, serial adulterer and confessed predator; a man whose election and business dealings and relationships are riddled with controversy and malfeasance. You’re perfectly fine being represented by a bullying, obnoxious, genitalia-grabbing, Tweet-ranting, Prime Minister-shoving charlatan who’s managed to offend all our allies and insult distinguish world leaders, National public servants, and local authorities. And you’re okay with him putting on religious faith like a rented, dusty, ill-fitting tuxedo and immediately tossing it in the garbage when he’s finished with it.
None of that you’re embarrassed by? I wonder how that works.
Actually, I’m afraid I have an idea. I hope I’m wrong.
Listen, you’re perfectly within your rights to have disagreed with Barack Obama’s policies or to have taken issue with his tactics. No one’s claiming he was a flawless politician or a perfect human being. But somehow I don’t think that’s what we’re talking about here. I think the thing President Obama did that really upset you, white friend, was having a complexion that was far darker than you were ever comfortable with. I think the President we have now feels much better, decidedly whiter.
Because objectively speaking, if what’s happening in our country right now doesn’t cause you great shame, I don’t believe embarrassment is ever something you struggle with.
No, if you claimed to be “embarrassed” by Barack Obama but you’re not embarrassed by Donald Trump, I’m going to strongly suggest it was largely a pigmentation issue.


Sunday, November 11, 2018

Been away too long...

I'm so sorry to have neglected my blog; I need to think of it as a journal that someday I will be able to look back on--hopefully fondly rather than with embarrassment. Honestly, what has taken my attention is the political situation in our country. I see that it has been a year since I've been here, and I'm sure I've ranted about our miserable excuse for a leader on Facebook and to my friends, and in the meantime the grands are growing and becoming more amazing by the day. It's not that I don't notice that because I do. I'm present to both of them and delight in their newly emerging personalities nearly daily, at least weekly. I feel very lucky to be able to have this opportunity at my advanced age to have these little folks to love. 

On a less positive note, I am so distressed at our country's devolving into a crass, boorish exclusionary mood because of the antics of our man-child president. He is bringing such humiliation to the office of president, every day. Here it is 11/11/18 and he flew to France to honor the soldiers who died there, along with Germany's Merkel, France's Macron, and even Canada's Trudeau, and he stayed in his hotel room rather than get rained on while the rest of them stood in the rain to honor the brave men and women who fought to their deaths in the mud. I'm so ashamed, as of course he should be, but Trump knows no shame, never felt it.

I've also been writing, so I have something to show for this past year. Now I'm in a quandary about what to do with that writing. I have revised my novel Carved In Stone and it's probably ready for a real edit. I have written several - maybe a dozen short stories that I think have promise, and should enter them in contests or something, but just don't know where to go next. 

Oh, and my friend Jean and her crisis have kept me involved with her. More about that later. 

I just wanted to put this short note here, and make a promise to do better from now on.

Luv, Pat