Mitt Romney's Mother, his Father, And American Decency

In 1968, as a UPI reporter in New Hampshire, I spent a day driving around Lenore Romney, Mitt Romney's mother. It was a delightful day and I was deeply impressed by her integrity. It was a great day for me. I was 23 and wished I'd had her to guide me in my upbringing. Her husband, George Romney was the Governor of Michigan and a no-nonsense, straight talking man. He was someone you could respect. Therefore there is no surprise that Mitt Romney spoke out to register how sleazy he thought Trump and his colleagues looked in the Mueller Report. The apple doesn't fall far from the tree and one understands how appalled Romney was. He is the only Republican to speak out on this. It would be lucky for America if he ran for President in the primary against Trump. I love the way he sings the last verse of America. O Beautiful for Patriots Dreams that see beyond the Years, thy Alabaster Cities Gleam undimmed by human tears.

Hiking Toward Insight and Renewal

For many years I hiked the Backbone Trail and its offshoots in Southern California. Then I owned a  horse (a thoroughbred-warmblood) and rode trails north of La Canada. Especially in the hikes I felt rejuvenated and gained insights into problems that bedeviled me. Now that I'm disabled, I take pleasure in books by the Hillermans  (Tony, the father, and Anne, his daughter). They write about members of the Navajo Tribal Police and how nature shapes so much of the way these individuals (Leaphorn, Chee, and Manuelito) feel tied into nature as they go about detecting. They gain insights and renewal from their Navajo way of looking at the world. But, it isn't just Navajos (the Dine) who can gain from this. I frequently felt the world was lifted from my shoulders and I gained understanding from these hikes. Perhaps, it might be the same for you.

Trump is Cutting Programs For The Disabled

As a disabled person, I care about what happens to people like me. I'm retired with a pension, but know that younger people with disabilities need to have jobs to support themselves. The most visible program that was cut by the Secretary of Education was the Special Olympics, but some many Americans were upset with that decision, that the administration had to back down and restore funding for the program. But there are a lot of cuts in the works by the Trump Administration that will take away funding for the disabled who want to work. Oliver Wendell Holmes said "to live is to function." In this concept is the idea that people not only want earn money, but also feel like they are contributing to our society. Why Trump would be against this positive concept, I cannot fathom. Good Presidents have empathy and the ability to help others thrive and contribute. This does not seem to be the case today.

There's a Special Place In Hell for Those Who Burn Black Churches

Over the last ten days someone has burned three Black churches in one Louisiana Parish.
In a song written two days after 9/11 Alan Jackson wrote "Where Were You" and it contained the following:" I know Jesus and I talk to God and I remember from when I was young
Faith, Hope, and Love were the good things he gave us
And the greatest is Love."
If Jesus is about one primary thing its about Love.
My values come out of Methodist Sunday School and there's a song that I remember. It's called "Jesus loves the little children"; Black and Yellow, Brown and White.It talks about how they're equal in his sight.
As far as the Pentecostals go, the Editor of the Christian Century, who created the word "Pentecostal" said these people who supported Trump could no longer claim this mantle. They were not what he would consider Pentecostal anymore. Hatred is fueled by Trump who has given white supremacists what they need to operate, with no fear of being prosecuted. I'm stuck with my Sunday School Values which help me survive the Trump presidency. I hold out the hope that America will once again be what I thought it was. 

Barr Thought His Four Page Summary of the Mueller Report Ended Speculation About the Contents, But He Was Wrong

If you've looked at the polls about Trump's popularity, you may have noticed that a majority of the American people still do not approve of Trump's presidency. The four page, mini summation of the report by William Barr (which people thought has settled the question of whether Trump engaged in obstruction of justice) seemed settled with Barr's little roundup, even though Mueller said he could not decide on the obstruction of justice issue ,Barr put on his cheerleader outfit on and thought that would end the problem. Now, some members of Mueller's team have told associates that individual conclusions summarized by members of the Mueller team, which should have been made public, were not mentioned. The reason they've been talking about this is because a majority of the American people believe Trump is a terrible president. Any comment by a lackey of Trump is not going to change their minds. He's a racist pig. People who have tried to brief him say he has the attention span of a squirrel. He has a limited view of American democracy and doesn't care who he hurts in his off the cuff decisions. The majority will despise him no matter what ends his presidency. 54 per cent of the American people aren't stupid.

Positive Thinking or Just Stupidity

First: This is not a macho thing. This is something that could have happened to a lot of strong women I know.
Second: This is not a victory lap, because, if anything, it's a chronicle of failure.
I've been disabled for ten years. The only way I can walk is if I put diclofenac sodium on my body which eventually will lead me to kidney dialysis.
If you're disabled, you know that it can't help pissing you off. You can't help hating that your body is failing you.
On Sunday I got tired of looking at the ivy on the other guys fence and knew if it jumped into the tree by contact with a branch it would destroy the tree. That already happened with the guy's ivy on the other side of  my backyard.
So I took out my ladder and some big shears and began to get rid of the guy's ivy. I, of course fell over backwards and bloodied my scalp. Since I have cervical spondylosis. These two situations don't go well together. My wife is a UCLA Medical School Professor Emeritus and after it was pointed out how dumb I am, she took me to the emergency room. Luckily a cat scan showed that I'd survived without having the two things affecting each other. However, my wife t feels that stupidity was the cause of the whole thing. So, I ask you, was this just stupidity? Or was it positive thinking?
The use of words like asshole or jerk should not be included in your response