It's Summer Composition Numero Uno Thing

Dear America,

it's summer time; and right on cue, given it is now August, it has come complete with... 

summer distractions,

summer attractions,

summer excursions and
summer exertions...

for the plethora of summer affections runs wide and long and high and deep.

But almost without warning, the ebb and flow of my usual day has suddenly come to a complete stop; today marks the beginning of a little stay-cation, as they say, for the old Gthang... with a little house sitting, a little dog sitting (Simon), a little kitty sitting (Dexter), and even a little bearded dragon sitting (Charlie)...So as our summer weather continues to be hot and humid with no relief in sight, this girl will be drowning in a pool of testosterone and chewy toys, and what's not to love about that?  Just me and d'boys in the hood, for a fortnight and a day and all play.

And of all things, there is even leftover pizza in the fridge!  Say it isn't so.
...and it's probably enough to feed me for the next 36 hours -- if managed like a man on mars with limited resources (and that is just a plug for a great summer flick)  --  if re-calculating the remaining slices to be spaced out about 9 hours apart.  Not that it's necessary to conserve; there are grocery stores and strip malls full of take-out within a three mile radius in every direction, so it's all good. [Not to mention, I brought whisky! Of course...duh. Jameson, just in case you're wondering...]

But wouldn't it be nice not to have to leave the house for a day, or two, or even three? And for that matter, why even brush my teeth.

And just like that, let the summer non-glam-ping begin --  albeit a mere twelve minutes away from home, as the crow flies --  and yet, with the curtains closed to protect the neighbors, and a little imagination, I am already feeling a world apart.

For it's not my house.  This isn't how I live.  I am not surrounded with my things, aside from a few books brought over for navigation; I may as well be high in the Himalayas, aiming to experience nirvana, with my only companion being the rarefied thin air and an occasional sighting of an Himalayan big horned blue sheep (which, just to be clear, is neither blue nor a sheep...teehee).

...as a crazy thought hits me right about the third eye region .......interrupting nirvana..... and causes me to pause and wonder.... perhaps, miracles upon miracles, I can write a little something something, for it's been such a long long time....

Oh yes, bring on the summer compositions --  complete with summer exclamations, damnations, and sensations --  anyone?  Maybe even a whole string of 'em...just, like, one G thing after another, after another.   Who needs tennis when there is pizza, a laptop, and a comfy recliner so perfectly aligned, right?  Does it even matter what time it is?  Aside from feeding the wee menagerie, all things considered, the truth of the matter is that all things conventional have gone on a little holiday, as well.

The routine.. brand.new, and sitting awfully close to non-existent.

The common trappings of the makings of three balanced meals, is non-obligatory, fully discretionary, and not even shared with anyone.

I am alone and not only living in a new galaxy, but am entirely rotating around my own private sun, in my own little orbit, and given all the makings of seclusion, not a thing should bump into me for days, if all things go as planned.

summer contemplation, I'd like you to meet, summer composition; oh, how do you do...and like magic, the mind will piece together a few thoughts, the fingers will tap a few words, and before you know it, the little diary that could manages to make it over the mountain for another day. [I know, I know, I went from space imagery to a train without connecting the tracks....oh well.]

[And that's just the opening,  albeit coming to a complete stop.]
Keep calm and blog on...

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

In the beginning 

God created the heaven and the earth.

Genesis 1:1

It's almost this basic.

It feels as if, as a whole, as a society, as a culture, these United States of America fails to understand its relationship to Creation, to our Creator, if at all. We are growing less about creation and more about destruction.

In my Catholic devotional this morning, the first page opened to discusses Nature vs. Grace.  And it begins with a word from Christ, saying: "My child, I want you to become a spiritual man, that is, one who is wise enough to recognize the various forms of self-deception and the many graces which come your way each day.  There is in your nature a deep selfishness which does not always seek what is really good for you..."

Continuing with, "Nature is selfish.  It will try to enjoy everything on earth and still gain Heaven.  Even where sin is involved, nature attempts to make excuses, for self and looks for reasons to favor self."

In America, we have grown selfish, drawn to our nature side versus grace, in every way.

So much so, we have lost sight of what made America exceptional in the first place, upon her creation, at a time when our founders recognized that which was fully divined and orchestrated by the hand of God, and made real with the words, Divine  Providence; while it took the Revolutionary War, to cement it into history, creating the pathway to the life, the liberty, and the pursuit of happiness as proclaimed in our Declaration of Independence, and ultimately, the ability to create and be and do anything  in America, for one and for all.

This liberty made the history, that produced the precedence, to make the ability for a Facebook, and its founders,  to make billions of dollars.

How dare they censure history, how dare they coddle its membership and their community of followers within it's liberal, leftist universe by controlling content -- especially if such content is simply another American bearing opposition politics and ideology.


Case in point:  Elizabeth Heng.
To which she lambastes Zuckerberg, saying,

“It is unbelievable that Facebook could have such blatant disregard for the history that so many people, including my own parents, have lived through,” said Elizabeth. “I’m sure it is shocking for some people to hear about this kind of injustice, but this is reality. This is why I wake up every single day with the fight and determination to have a voice and make a difference in my community. Neither Facebook nor any other company in the tech industry get to silence our stories. We’ve seen it over and over again with Republican candidates and organizations. This kind of censorship is an attack on the freedoms that we have as Americans to express what we believe in, and we must hold Facebook accountable.”

It's a sad day for America.

And not that I'm all that into this guy.....but about the Alex Jones bruhaha...

Yeah, its all fine and dandy and tastes like candy until somebody comes after your views, your ideology, your religion, your freedom of speech, your right to assemble, etc. etc...


It may not be pretty these days in America, there is that. [Hypocrisy lives in all kinds of neighborhoods and states of mind.]

But, by golly, if we lose our ability to speak freely, to ask questions, to question authority, to say that is wrong or this is right -- then we have lost everything, in my book, everything.

But to everything there is a season, right.. turn, turn, turn....

And it is summer right now...
....and this girl is house sitting and dog sitting and kitty sitting and bearded dragon sitting as of right now.  There is hope that a string of Gthings will wind their way to you through the wonderful world of the  www over the next couple of weeks, as more precious time becomes more and more all mine.

I am just pleased that I showed up today.

Blog #944 is in the can: summer composition numero uno.

Make it a Good Day, G  

Dear America,

Happy Tuesday, not to be confused with happy tuesday next week, when it will be happy happy tuesday.


It doesn't even matter how it turns out really (okay, that's not entirely true, but let's run with it); it doesn't matter because this aberration of we the people,  the one that democrats keep denying, or discrediting, or lambasting into politico oblivion, is not going away anytime soon.

And all I have to say is, where is the respect for the debate, the open discussion, the brainstorming with both fronts fired up and ready to lay it all on the line based upon the merits of the argument?  Where is this fine tuned art form of pundit meeting up with political, ethical, economical and cultural repartee?

Mercedes Benz put this in my head with their new ad:  saluting the debate in all walks of life -- sports, the arts, politics -- oh right, and cars; we debate in our heads and out loud the pros and cons from everything to how will I look behind the wheel to which model suits the family best to what color -- cause that's what we do, as Americans.

Or take the ad for Fox News..."we are not a nation of wallflowers...we act...we don't lean...we move...forward"

It's who we are; it's what we do -- we debate, we move -- heaven's to betsy, we don't just lean (nice one...give that ad agency a bonus, going against MSNBC, who by nature merely leans -- and very left, too, never a balance of both sides, but who am I to care, who watches them anyway?)

Problem with today is, even if one leans or speaks in one direction, unless you are on the side leaning left, you get blasted for it, judged, fired, maybe even get a call from the White House...

A local minister here in the San Diego area should have a good story to tell soon; Dr. David Jeremiah will be having a "follow-up" call from Joshua Dubois, the president's liaison to the faith-based community, around 11:00 this morning.  Apparently, on Dr. Jeremiah's radio show, he said this:

"I do not believe he has been an asset to our country; I don't believe he's moved us forward in a good direction, and frankly, I am praying, along with many other believers, that in this mid-term election we will find a way to slow down this train that seems to be moving us toward socialism and away from our historical moorings," Dr. Jeremiah explained. "I'm really frightened about that, and I think in that respect, I believe he's a dangerous person."

It was the part when he said the word "dangerous" in describing the president that sounded the alarms.

Besides loving the tie into the idea of moving forward, badump ba, the very thought being voiced by the good doctor seems to be one that is quite familiar with the president already...having already been over used in his teleprompted speeches and well worn responses of this very same idea -- the people are afraid.

Going a step further, it is fine by him for a certain Dr. Jeremiah Wright to speak in clear terms of fear and judgment against the G*$D@#% America, in his ranting and ravings of "the chickens coming home to roost", blaming Bush for all evil and wishing him harm from the pulpit, a pulpit where our very own president sat beside as loyal follower and mentor-ship of twenty years -- but no, Dr. David Jeremiah, who wished no harm, who did not say it in a "mean-spirited way" -- for it is just his opinion, coming from his own pulpit of his national radio show -- THAT gets a phone call.

And like Juan Williams, formerly of NPR, who gets fired for just speaking his mind, his opinion, one that sat uncharacteristically on the far right, for just once, of his usual left wing ideology -- your done, cooked, thanks but no thanks for the last ten years of service and expert opinion and insight; you associated just a wee bit too much with the other side, Juan -- no longer just bordering the danger zone,  we consider you now fully tainted by the enemy -- and we're done, don't let the door hit you on the way out.

Even if we take a good look at how our dear president draws the sides should tell us everything we need to know; for just who is he wooing right now?  Who is he talking to -- as THE President of the whole United States?  Who is he addressing as his own, on his side?

College kids, Latinos, African-Americans, women in general -- but not in particular when it comes to a certain conservative leaning, Unions -- all of them -- including, those who use union dues for a political agenda that perhaps not all members agree with, along with urban communities organized everywhere  -- if minority, that is...He basically draws up the sides up, piece by piece, rhetoric by rhetoric, pinpointing a certain belief in someone's backyard, and running with it; cooking up whatever magic spell will work, matching up with whatever political bias he is with, pulling whatever punch line he can get away with -- in order to seal the deal.

Presidential?  Hardly -- not by a long shot; especially considering he was hired on account that he would be nothing like this.

The president made a point a few months back to say, in a commencement speech at the University of Michigan, "if we choose only to expose ourselves to opinions and viewpoints that are in line with our own, studies suggest that we become more polarized, more set in our ways."

Amen to that, but more important, just where did THIS president wander off to?

Oh, right, these days, it depends upon the moment, who's speaking, what they said (never mind the full context) and their political, spiritual, ideological affiliation.

The thing is, this is the wrong side of being right no matter who is in charge; the day we wipe honest to goodness debate off the face of this earth will be the day we die.  When there is no listening to both sides, the varied opinion, no matter how uncomfortable it may be, then we lose the possibility of real communication, the very prospect of making all things better across the board, or just maybe the chance to see the light altogether, and switch views entirely.

America has always valued the open debate, even going so far as settling the argument with a duel, using real guns, as crazy at it may sound (yes indeed...no lie...go ahead and read about Lincoln's era and the like) -- but that was then, and this is now; haven't we learned anything?

I wish I could run out and buy a Mercedes today; that ad worked on me like candy to a baby; but being a realist, and being so poor it takes everything out of me to pay attention, I will settle for simply taking the ad on as my muse for the day, and let the dream of sitting behind the wheel of a slick, brand spankin' new SL somethin' somethin' slip into my psyche and push me into the joy of a long, sexy, thought provoking banter with someone I love...a sleek convertible in champagne metallic has got nothin' on that. (I know, I am my own spin machine, look out world here I come vrroom vrroom)

What is dangerous, is the very thought of a phone call from the White House questioning someone's inherent God given freedom to speak freely in this country without reprimand -- but hopefully, Dubois is just calling to open up a conversation, to invite David over for a beer, a debate, a dialogue, or just maybe, he's reaching out to say that Obama is listening and will take better care of this country from now on.  It could be anything, anything at all.

I wonder what it will be...

Make it a Good Day, G