When your Congressman is the House Whip

If you don’t know Tom Emmer yet, you will. He is the ambitious congressman from the Sixth District of Minnesota. You may remember the former occupant of that office, the colorful Michele Bachman. While she has not remained as visible as I expected after she left office, she remains as disconnected from reality as ever.

If you ever attend a prayer service at her place of worship, check first if they provide weapons or if you have to bring your own.

So, now you know the political milieu in which I live. I remain unrepresented with Emmer in her place. (20 plus years of Republican entrenchment)

He was educated as a lawyer and spent some time handling lawsuits for municipalities against police officers (you don’t hear him discuss that!) Soon he moved into elected office—city council, state representative, and then a run for governor, which he narrowly lost to Mark Dayton. After that loss he had a right wing talk show and got elected to congress in 2015. He worked his way into power as chair of the fundraising National Republican Congressional Committee and then became Whip, the 3rd highest ranking Republican whose job it is to wrangle the votes needed to pass legislation—arm twisting may be involved and in the Trump future, that could include kneecaps and other appendages. Tom’s your man. He also gets some airtime to defend the regime’s policies. Do you think he has the right stuff? Is that smile a winning smile that will catapult him to his next step up?

I’m going to exercise my free speech rights, as Trump has declared to be so vital and tell Tom what I think. I hope you voice your concerns to your representatives—regularly and loudly. We entered Bizzaro World on January 20, but we cannot accept any of it as normal. It is dangerous, unamerican and wrong!

Here’s what I wrote to Tom:

Tom, your interview on ABC was not convincing.  You want us believe that The Justice Department went too far in convicting criminals that committed heinous crimes against police officers, our Nation’s Capitol, and the peaceful transfer of power, and thus there is justification to free them to once again break the law?  You are okay with a blanket pardon of insurrectionists?  Really?  And a weak whataboutism on Biden’s pardons will cover up the sins that Trump has already committed in letting out a man who has threatened to kill his son? Others who are already organizing to do something subversive again?  Your shame will be part of history.  Maybe your sons and daughters have not been threatened like Joe Biden’s family has, but if they had been, what would you do?  You are a hypocrite of the highest order.  I hope the next four years make you question every single day your choice to stand by the most corrupt person to ever hold office.  You bow and scrape and make excuses and then support vile actions that destroy lives and important institutions.  Keep smiling Tom.

A MAGA Checklist

I recognize that there are some real opportunities for people in the Trump era to contribute to his success in transforming our country—remember, ask not what your country can do for you, yadda yadda…

1. Withdraw your money from your savings/retirement accounts and invest it in a Trump Meme coin. What the heck is that? Most people don’t have a clue because you can’t hold it and you certainly can’t eat it, wear it or sleep under it. However, you will probably lose the bulk of your investment. How does that make America great? You don’t think that was ever the point, do you? Making DJT richer was the point, so yay!
2. Now that you are poor, you can take one of those jobs that immigrants use to do before they were all deported. I’d stay away from the meat packing plants…those places stink, maybe maid service, if you don’t have a bad back; making beds can be a real strain.
3. This next task may make some time, but get out your sharpie and your Bible and start crossing out those annoying passages that talk about love and concern for the least of us. Anything about humility or compassion has got to go. You can probably just rip out whole sections to save time…most of it is pretty boring, like that renegade female bishop, Right Rev. Mariann Edgar Buddy preached at the National Prayer Service on Inauguration Day. Boring is out…retribution is in!
4. Women, do something about your hair! Is it long and wavy and alluring? Does it accentuate your full lips and ample bosom? Hair extensions and plastic surgery…get going, ladies! There is a look. You can’t be the head of Homeland Security without it. That and a real nasty puppy-killing streak!
5. Forget about the niceties of etiquette and manners. You do not have to hide your disdain for your liberal neighbors and coworkers. Tell them they are boring and stupid. Remind them that you have guns, and the police are probably on your side or you can get a pardon. Make sure their kids can hear; their teenagers already think they are dweebs, so you have nothing on your conscience.
6. There is so much more to do, I can’t list it all! Trump is doing his best, but he can’t do it all on his own! Bring out your inner nastiness and hate and get going. Together you can be the ones that destroy democracy and the environment in one fell swoop!

And So It Begins…

Yesterday, before sunrise, my oldest son, a major in the reserves, boarded a plane bound for Dallas, to prepare for a technical mission to Kuwait where he will be second in command. Hopefully, I’ll see him again at Thanksgiving time. I will miss him, but perhaps not as much as his wife and six-year old son will.

“Don’t worry, Mom,” he said, “I’ll probably be safer there than I would be here.”

Despite being stationed in a spot next door to Iran, I agree with him. We are, as of 12:00 pm EST in what will be a war zone. Perhaps there will not immediately be drone attacks or tanks rumbling down our street, but the war against democracy and decency is engaged.

Normally I don’t engage in hyperbole, but surely I am doing so now? No, I don’t think so. The executive orders signed on his first day were an attempt at shock and awe. It not assured that they will all be put in place, so no one should roll over and just accept them. Governor DeSantis is already using “the Gulf of America” is an announcement, but we don’t have to. Yet…the adversarial tone has been set, and Project 2025 has commenced. It’s scary, but it’s not inevitable. Take the battles one by one, look for your fellow resisters—they are close at hand.

Countdown: One Day

Are you old enough to remember December 31, 1999?  It was the day before "Y2K" and there was widespread concern about what could have been a major technology breakdown to computer systems as the two-digit year changed from a "99" to "00".  Would it impact our financial systems using antiquated computers and cause a collapse or a panic?  

For most of us, less immersed in technology than we are now, only 25 years later, the idea lived in a somewhat mysterious and far-removed place, allowing fears to grow based on lack of actual knowledge about the real parameters of the problem and its solutions. The result was mostly a nothing-burger that didn't have long-lasting impact on the average person.  Life went on and technology advanced.  We were lulled back into a state of confidence.

I recall that night quite clearly.  We were at our friends' house on that New Year's Eve, outside in their hot tub on a very chilly Minnesota night. We were watching our almost grown children run around with sparklers adding more twinkles of light to the night sky full of stars.  Amid the uncertainty, there was so much possibility; hope and anticipation for the future.

Tonight, I will not look for sparklers in the night sky.  I will not be holding wonderful possibilities amid the uncertainty.  It is a different kind of precariousness that I anticipate--bad things will happen, there is no doubt, but the scope and scale of those bad things cannot be clearly delineated from where I sit today.

We have seen the capitulations to Trump by politicians on the right, starting back in 2015 and increasing day by day.  We have seen their strongly-held principles fall by the wayside:  Senator Joni Ernst?  Once an advocate for women in military leadership and all aspects of military operations, including combat; working tirelessly for their protection from harassment and discrimination.  

Now, cowed by political pressure to accede to support a candidate for Defense Secretary, Pete Hegseth, that is the antithesis of all that she had worked for, she has abandoned her mission.  She had been an abused woman who had regained her power, only to be put in her place by misogyny, with no one having her back. She was abandoned and found she really didn't have the right stuff on her own.  How does she sleep at night?  Does she think that maintaining her office will save her or give her any leverage?  How strong was her fear to make her acquiesce so quickly?  

Most of the women I know don't have combat experience or a position of power and prestige.  If Ernst can fall so easily, what are the options for our sisters of color?  The poor and the pregnant?  The immigrant or the undereducated?  I see women among the early and easy targets, along with the marginalized LGBTQ+ communities.   

But...

I also know that women are stronger, smarter and more resilient that the ardently masculine give us credit for.  I look forward to see the women's resistance movement grow.  I look forward to being part of it. Perhaps, if we can get through the dark days ahead, equality can become closer to reality.  It will take a lot of resolve and courage and there will be a lot of regrettable loss and pain. 

If we were actually just watching a Netflix series, or a big-budget reality show, the next four years could be fascinating!  The multitude of colorfully evil characters would be triumphant and the heroes would take time to emerge; they would be thwarted on every turn and we might give up watching, feeling the hopelessness of a happy ending.  

We would also know that the series would continue to get high ratings from our neighbors who couldn't get enough of the bad guys' successes.  Even it was only a show, neighborhood gatherings or meetings and lunchtime at work would be fraught with tension. 

I can't imagine an easy scenario of the next few years.  I doubt if Berliners in 1933 Berlin could either.  They saw their cosmopolitan city lighted and draped with the flags and banners of the Third Reich.  It glittered, it gleamed, and then it fell in ruins as the bombs fell.  

Some days we'll want to grab our popcorn, but most days we'll want to cry.  Let's stick together and make it through and help someone else through as well.

Countdown--33 days: Putting Women in "Their Place"

I just read a friend's post on Facebook, noting that, for the first time in 20 years, there are no women selected by the Republicans to lead committees in the US House of Representatives; but there are also no black men...just a lot of white dudes and one Florida rep. whose maternal grandparents immigrated from Mexico.

You might  begin to think that there was a plan in place to disenfranchise women who have gotten altogether too uppity over the years!  Why do I say that? Consider the Supreme Court's callous disregard for 50 years of legal precedent granting women autonomy over their reproductive rights, and the talk you hear about repealing no fault divorce, taking away the vote from women, limiting access to mail-order abortion drugs and the Comstock Act.  

If you haven't heard about that, you might want to add it to your background knowledge.  It's a "zombie law", meaning that  though it was long considered unconstitutional or unenforceable, it was never repealed and, with enough momentum, could be resuscitated and enforced. That rebirth could result in a nationwide termination of access to abortion, regardless of state laws. 

Then, there is the prominence and growing power of Christian Nationalism and Dominionism, both attempting to tie religious fervor with political power and all committed to determining the "proper role" for women in society.  Clue: it's not in the White House or other seats of authority.

We could get our feminine undies in a bunch if we continue down this path, but I want to veer off just a little.  I've been thinking all day about a particular woman; the senator from our neighboring state of Iowa, Joni Ernst. 

I'll have to admit, this is a new focus...the junior senator, in office since 2015, has annoyed me with her affection for conspiracy theories (about Covid and other things), opposition to climate protections, her ties to the Koch brothers, through their support of her campaigns and her opposition to reproductive rights, but it never rose to the level of keeping me awake at night. Maybe it should have. 

I had found a modicum of respect for her when she worked across the aisle with Kirsten Gillibrand,  the NY senator, to overhaul the military's handling of sexual assault cases, taking the investigative power out of the chain of command, thus removing the bias that has existed that prevented cases from being properly prosecuted.  

Senator Ernst had achieved the rank of Lt. Colonel in the Army National Guard and had served as a commanding officer in a combat unit.  Her 23 years of service and numerous medals earn her a measure of respect and provide her with experience that benefited the Armed Services Committee she served on.

She was also a sexual assault survivor; a rape victim in college, faced sexual harassment in the military, and life with an abusive husband that she divorced in 2019.  

Her values and views on education, human rights, gun control, health and reproductive care--all diverge sharply from mine; but when it comes to the military and the need to have intelligent, capable and sound leadership in the Department of Defense--she should be in the right place on that, right? 

She had experienced abuse at the hands of men in power, and she had worked to alleviate it.  She had been in command and should understand the challenges, demands and responsibilities of leadership. 

Along comes Pete Hegseth:  When even your mother recognizes that you are abusive to women, red flags are waving.  When co-workers recognize that you are drunk on the job--more red flags.  When your resume for the job you are seeking, is as flimsy as toilet paper and your past experience in leading a small

organization was corrupt...you get the picture, don't you, Joni?

This man is not fit to run the military that you served honorably.  While those under his purview could be dishonorably discharged for extramarital affairs, he is the poster child for bad behavior towards his first two wives.  Drunkenness and alcohol abuse face similar consequences; dismissal and/or criminal charges. Hegseth could set the tone for a casual disregard of protocols and military standards that could reach every level of command. 

You know what you should do, Joni.  But, you won't.  Your reelection is threatened.  You come out with a statement of support for the man who will make a mess of the military.   

I said this might keep me up at night...but maybe not as much as it should you, especially since you will have a front row seat on the debacle.  You will turn in your values, for a tenuous seat on the Trump express.

Hopefully you'll think about the 228,000 women serving in active duty--a quarter of a million women, who just became a lot more vulnerable.  If I know what he thinks about women in combat and in command, then so do you. You maybe protecting your future, but at what cost to your integrity and what cost to those women's safety and opportunity for advancement?  At what cost to our national security and the security of the world?  

You have a few weeks to lose sleep over your decision.  I have trouble imagining how people can reach the point where you are--how many times you must have compromised decency for power.  You could be a hero; what a shame that you believe the only thing that your voters will appreciate is your capitulation to a tyrant.

We really are lost.

Step 17:

Forget what I just said...being lost doesn't mean we can't be find our way again.  

It's a time for recognizing true values and holding on to them...don't be a Joni.  Now is not a time to give in to the easy out; the going along with the bluster and the bully.  Resistance is not futile--it is vital! 

Countdown 47 Days: A Cold Wind is Blowing

 "I met a girl who sang the blues

And I asked her for some happy news

But she just smiled and turned away..." 

American Pie by Don McLean, 1971    

When I was young I was fascinated with photography; by a camera's ability to capture a slice of time, so fleeting and ephemeral, and yet there to be recalled on some future date, even when the players and the place have been altered or have disappeared. 

Granted, the photos I was able to take with our old Kodak Duaflex left much to be desired; small in format, the black and white images grainy  and sometimes disappointing after the long wait for the film to be developed.  But the possibilities that photography offered!  

I think I often looked at the world as if I was looking through a camera lens, composing a scene to capture a view of the world, or going in for a close-up.  People talk about a photographic memory, and I was nurturing mine.  This is not to say, that I have perfect recall, far from it, but my memories of people and places were often composed and frameable.  Sometimes that process let me choose to leave the mess and the unpleasant outside the frame, but I might just as easily zoom-in and capture the smallest details.  

The second major "grown-up" purchase that I made after graduating from college and getting a job was a Canon SLR camera.  (The first was a white 1973 Mustang to replace my 1951 black Chevy) I took that camera on a bus tour of Europe.  I shot my first roll of film in England.  Curious as to why I was able to keep shooting pictures after the supposed last picture on the film, I discovered that I had failed to load the film properly! Humbled, certainly, but glad I still had a chance to take pictures of Shakespeare's home in Stratford-on-Avon and the rest of my trip.

Indeed, the possibilities of photography have grown and expanded since my first adventures with lens, aperture and focus, often in mind-blowing ways, that we, creatures of this modern age, too soon take for granted.  

Today, I click on a link that took me to the Associated Press's 100 Photos of 2024 and I felt the full impact of photographic possibilities.  I was thrust into the lives of thousands; into their struggles and pain in such a visceral way.  Mothers mourning their dead sons, families cooking a meal in the roofless shells of their bombed out homes, I caught a glimpse through a window of the the storm-wrecked landscape after a tornado and saw the caved-in roof of a home after the hurricane.  How good to see happy Ukrainian children's faces on the first day of school and other occasional images of beauty, but those 100 pictures told stories that needed to be told and are often heartbreakingly tragic. 

How do we deal with all this?  On this cold winter day, with the temperatures dropping to the single digits here in Minnesota with wind chills below zero, I am still safe and warm; but I am reminded that so many do not have comfort or safety in their lives.  We will not often find the "happy news", but will we just "smile and turn away?"

Today, I sat for awhile, like Pope Francis did (in one of the 100 images), and let the tears flow.  Sending love to a broken but still beautiful world.

STEP 16:

It's okay to cry.  Your feelings are valid.  Be grateful for your willingness to feel sorrow and empathy.

        

Countdown 57: It's Sunday, Check in With Your Spirit

 Perhaps you are a regular church-goer, deeply connected to a particular faith tradition.   I remember attending a friend's father's funeral and learning that this 95 year-old man had been baptized, confirmed and married in that church.  He had sung in the choir for 50 years and served his fellow congregants in so many meaningful ways throughout his life. I know that he was a good man and his faith and this particular congregation had informed his life in positive ways.

For many of us, that is an unlikely scenario.  We are a mobile society and even if we wanted to, it could be difficult to remain connected to a single place or a single viewpoint in a changing world.  The role of religion in society is morphing from what I experienced as a child.  According to a Gallup poll in 2023, 47% of Americans considered themselves religious, 33% considered themselves spiritual but not religious and 2% consider themselves to be both, adding up to 82% that have some kind of spiritual belief system.  That leaves 18% who say they are neither.  

A quarter century earlier in 1999, 90% had a spiritual belief system and just three years later, in 2002, it had dropped 3 percentage points and the trend continues downward.  Couple that retreat from spirituality with the rise of politically infused Christian Nationalism which seeks to merge Christian and American identities, distorting both the Christian faith and America’s constitutional democracy. 

Christian Nationalism presents a powerful message of the need for spiritual warfare in a cosmic battle between good and evil.  Imagine the pull of being part of the end times army!  Hundreds of participants in January 6th were adherents of the New Apostolic Reformation movement and there are other Christian Nationalist church organizations, which once were fringe, but now are gaining prominence.  Pete Hegseth, the local boy gone radical spreader of Fox news propaganda is a member of an aligned congregation in Tennessee.  

The strength of religion as a force for good is losing its hold on Americans, of all ages, but particularly among younger Americans at the same time that it is being perverted into a force for power and domination by the self-proclaimed righteous Christian Nationalists, basking in their close connections to governmental power.

Hopefully there are still many churches that provide solace, inspiration and community and if you are lucky enough to belong to one, it can be a real treasure in the years ahead.  

If you feel disconnected from church you may still feel the pull, strongly or just a quiet nudge in the back of your mind to find connection to something bigger, deeper, more profound than the chaos of the world around you.  For your consideration, I share this compilation

STEP 15:

Finding your spiritual core" means discovering the deepest, most authentic part of yourself that connects to a sense of meaning, purpose, and higher power, often achieved through introspection, meditation, spending time in nature, and engaging in practices that resonate with your personal values and beliefs, allowing you to understand your place in the world and live with greater alignment and fulfillment.


Key aspects of finding your spiritual core:
Self-reflection:
Deeply examining your thoughts, feelings, and experiences to identify what truly matters to you and what gives your life meaning.


Spiritual practices:
Engaging in activities like meditation, prayer, journaling, spending time in nature, or connecting with a spiritual community to access a deeper sense of self.


Identifying core values:
Recognizing the fundamental principles that guide your decisions and actions, such as compassion, integrity, honesty, or service to others.


Exploring your purpose:
Questioning your reason for being on earth and what contribution you want to make to the world.


How to start exploring your spiritual core:
Meditation:
Practice mindfulness to quiet your mind and connect with your inner self.


Journaling:
Write down your thoughts, feelings, and experiences to gain insights into your values and beliefs.


Nature walks:
Immerse yourself in the natural world to feel a sense of connection to something larger than yourself.


Gratitude practice:
Actively focus on the things you are thankful for to cultivate a positive mindset.


Volunteer work:
Serving others can help you discover your purpose and connect with your community.


Seek guidance:
Consider talking to a spiritual leader, counselor, or trusted friend for support and different perspectives.


Important points to remember:
It's a personal journey: Your spiritual core will be unique to you and may evolve over time.


Be patient: Finding your spiritual core is a process that requires time and consistent effort.


Embrace curiosity: Be open to exploring different practices and beliefs to find what resonates with you.


Don't compare yourself to others: Focus on your own individual path and growth.

Countdown 58: Food for Thought Yesterday and Tomorrow, Just Plain Food Tonight

 Our fundraising online auction is set to go live tomorrow, so that has been my focus.  Instead of trying to provide you with "food for thought" I thought I'd just share some photos of food I've taken in marketplaces I've visited...a little bread, some fish, a few veggies.  It's the best I can do tonight!  Thanks for reading!