Personal Update December 29, 2023

 Posted by at 11:09 am  Politics
Dec 292023
 

Well, I’m a bit better – I have some remedies on order and in the meantime hve cobbled together as best I could a recipe given to me by a former medical missionary who used to used it against dysentery in Africa.  It’s not (nor is it intended to be) a miracle cure, but it’s helping.  At that I may be lucky.  Heather Cox Richardson’s latest column is about Wounded Knee today.  Here’s one quote:

A dozen years ago, I wrote a book about the Wounded Knee Massacre, and what I learned still keeps me up at night. But it is not December 29 that haunts me.

What haunts me is the night of December 28.

It is haunting.  Those who most deserved to be haunted by it likely were impervious.  Their descendants, and all Americans in Power, who are not impervious should be learning something from it (as some are and some aren’t.)  Because

One of the curses of history is that we cannot go back and change the course leading to disasters, no matter how much we might wish to. The past has its own terrible inevitability.

But it is never too late to change the future.

Yesterday Maine did this in hope f changing the future (Lawrence interviewed the Maine Secretarty of State Las night on it)

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Personal Update December 27, 2023

 Posted by at 1:14 pm  Politics
Dec 272023
 

I’m afraid I really am not feeling good today.  I could use one of those ginger mints Ruby gave Shaye – I hear both ingredients are good for nausea.  But I just got an emal I had to pass on – Alexander Vindman’s twin is running for Congress in Virginia, and pairing up with Adam Schiff for fundraising.  I personally have not given anything to the California Senate race because I don’t want to diss Katie OR Adam OR Barbara – it’s not even that they are all the same, because they aren’t – they are all distinct and each would be a fantastic Senator in diferent ways.   But I’ll quote from the email from Alexander including the link.

I’m writing to ask you to split a $10 contribution today between my brother Eugene Vindman’s campaign for Virginia’s 7th congressional district and Adam Schiff’s campaign for Senate.

Please let me explain why:

In 2019, in my role on the National Security Council, I witnessed a telephone call between then-President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, during which Trump pressured Zelensky to launch a political investigation of Joe Biden as a quid pro quo to continue receiving United States military aid. I was shocked.

I alerted my brother Eugene who served as the NSC’s ethics attorney. We immediately informed our superiors and I eventually testified before a closed session of the House Intelligence Committee, on which Rep. Adam Schiff served as chair.

He led a thorough, honest investigation and eventually secured the first bipartisan vote in a Senate impeachment trial to convict a U.S. president in the history of our country. Each in our own ways, we exposed Trump’s abuse of power to the American public.

It was the right thing to do, Joanne — but we all paid the price.

Then-President Trump retaliated swiftly and fired Eugene and me from the White House, ultimately ending our decades of military service.

And Trump, the Republican Party, and the right-wing media have spent every day since seeking to take down Adam Schiff, censuring him on a partisan vote and even trying to remove him from Congress — simply for championing the rule of law.

That’s why it’s up to us to have Eugene and Adam’s backs. Because they will always have our backs in the fight for our democracy and stand up for the integrity of our Constitution like they have for years.

Just look at January 6th and the ongoing attacks on fair elections. Look at Republican attempts to strip the fundamental right to vote. Look at Trump’s plans to purge the government if he wins again.

It’s more important than ever that we have staunch voices in defense of democracy in the House and Senate. Those voices are Eugene Vindman and Adam Schiff.

So please, split a contribution of $10 or whatever you can afford today between Eugene’s campaign for Virginia’s 7th district and Adam’s campaign for Senate. Every dollar makes a difference as we approach the end-of-year FEC fundraising deadline.

Here’s one to show the anti-immigration people (not that they’ll understand it) –

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Who Knew Penguins Love Christmas Carols?

 Posted by at 1:43 pm  Politics
Dec 252023
 

♩   ♪   ♫   ♬

Hark! The Herald Penguins sing:

Please don’t eat our little wings!

Eat a goose down to the bone,

But leave Penguins all alone.

♩   ♪   ♫   ♬

Baby ducks are very sweet,

Tastier than Penguin meat.

If we’re carried in your store,

Please don’t shop there anymore!

♩   ♪   ♫   ♬

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Personal Update December 25, 2023

 Posted by at 6:14 am  Politics
Dec 252023
 

Well, the USPS must have been listening to Lona – the prescription they expected to deliver next week came Saturday. It didn’t come before I started filling pill bottles for the next 2 weeks – but the informed delivery email did come before I started, so after doing the evening ones, I waited before starting the morning ones. All this while listening to Tannhäuser on the radio, which was also included in the summer season, so I won’t go into detaii, I’ll just mention it’s anoter Wagner opera in which a man achieves salvation through the (death of the) woman who loves him. This concept was huge during the Victorian era (not just in England though -a;ll over Europe.) The same time period during which they romanticized tuberculosis (which they called “consumption.”) Before you laugh too loud, remember every time period has at least one idea (usually more than one) which is generally accepted but which in a hundred years or so will leave everyone wondering how they could possibly have been so deluded. That includes us today. We don’t know what that idea (or those ideas) could be because we are in the blind time period, but you can be sure there is something.

Don’t let it – or anything else – ruin your Christmas (Catmas -we may not all celebrate Christmas, but, as followers of TomCat, surely we can all celebrate Catmas together) holiday. I’m sure I don’t have to warn anyone not to be a bully just because the two cats on the left and right are.

I’m giving you the DU link for this animal rescue video because it has some back story which IMO wasn’t clear enoughin the video alone.
https://www.democraticunderground.com/10181939014

And today’s humor – a large helping of truth.

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The “OMG Tree” – A Tree-Mendous Christmas Lights Display in Texas

 Posted by at 9:26 am  Politics
Dec 232023
 

On a ranch in Bartonville, TX a 150-year-old pecan tree is the tableau for an annual spectacular light display every Christmas.  The locals call it the “OMG Tree” – and with good reason!

It began as a suggestion back in 2005 from Bill Rathburn, owner of the Christmas Light Company in Dallas who the ranch owners, Barbara Nunneley and her partner, Jan Deatherage, had hired to outline the roof of their house with Christmas lights.

He noticed the huge, lone pecan tree out in their pasture and told them it’d make a spectacular light display.  But at the time, Nunneley thought it was an extravagance that was a bit too expensive.

Her mind was changed two years later when her dad, who always said Christmas was his favorite time of year, was losing his battle to the terminal stage of prostate cancer.  She decided the display would be an appropriate tribute to her father, so she called Rathburn and told him: “Let’s do it!”.

It takes a crew of up to eight workers from the Christmas Light Company about 20 hours to string the over 60,000 LED lights used to cover the tree.  And because the pecan tree is so tall, they have to use a huge cherry picker in order to reach the top.

Nunnelly planned the inaugural lighting of the decked out old pecan tree as the featured event for the family’s annual Thanksgiving gathering at the ranch.  But sadly, her father was not able to make the 70-mile drive from Nocona to Bartonville for the festivities.  Sadly, he passed away the very next day.

Nunnelly said about the inaugural lighting: “It took my breath away.”   And given the background for its inception she recalls: “It was a little spiritual, a little emotional.”  But she philosophically adds: “My daddy did not ever see it from Earth, but I’m real sure he saw it,” casting her eyes skyward.

The tree brought them such joy they decided they would make it an annual tradition to honor her dad.  And its notoriety has grown so that now folks from all over the South and Southwest travel to enjoy the light show.

So, let’s also join in for some of its mystical delight …

 

 

As its fame has grown, she notes that sunset is the most popular time for visitors to enjoy the light display.

 

 

 

And Nunnelly notes that over the years it’s become a favorite romantic setting for the younger folks in the area to stage their proposals – which is perfectly understandable …

 

 

Nunnelly admits she gets a kick out of the irony that over a dozen young men have asked her permission to “pop the question” under her pecan tree, in light of the fact that she’s a divorce lawyer.  But adds she does have a personal rule that she’ll never take a case of someone who proposed under her tree.

If any of you folks in the area ever make it to the ranch, I’d enjoy hearing about your experience.  Until then, I’ll just have to enjoy it vicariously …

 

RESOURCES:

GIFs are from CBS:

Pecan tree decorated for Christmas draws visitors from hundreds of miles away – CBS News

https://www.cbsnews.com/video/pecan-tree-decorated-for-christmas-draws-visitors-from-hundreds-of-miles-away/

 

Story is largely from Texas Monthly:

An Old Pecan Tree Is a Beacon of Hope at the Holidays – Texas Monthly

https://www.texasmonthly.com/travel/bartonville-pecan-tree-lights-holidays/

 

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Personal Update December 23, 2023

 Posted by at 6:15 am  Politics
Dec 232023
 

Well, I did manage to get everything taken care of on the 21st, although it took till the 22nd before I was certain of it.  And of course learned something in the process.  I knew there were such things as FSAs, qhich are funded with contributions from the person who owns the account (and/or their eligible dependents) and must be used or lost each year.  I knew there were such things as HSAs, which carry over from year to year, and I always thought that was what I had.  Not so.  An HSA, like an FSA, is funded by the person who owns it, and by their eligible dependents.  What I have is an HRA, which is funded by a third party, such as a prior employer.  The only circumstances under which I can put money into it are if I have accidently spent some of it on something that isn’t covered (or something that is covered, but I have lost the documentation for.)  Why does it matter?  Because HSA holders are required to fill out and sign documents giving yhe old provider permission to transfer their account to the new one.  Since all the money in my account comes from USAA, USAA can take care of the authorization for me.  What a relief.

Here are a couple of humorous videos.  There’s no new information in either, they’re just for fun.

This was on the Late Show, so you may have seen it. I don’t care. Watch it again. (Sorry the CC isn’t better but the pictures help interpret it).

This one is from Parody Project.    Good CC and high production values.  And cannot come true too soon for me.

And here is a meme which is timely without being seasonal.

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Personal Update December 21, 2023

 Posted by at 6:06 am  Politics
Dec 212023
 

Well, I have the prescription transfers solved, and the current one that is needed paid for, and I should receive it by the 26th, so that’s a maximum of three days without it, and all I need to do is avoid overexertion for those days.  The new HSA custodian is a different kettle of fish entirely.  I have it figured out now at least.  I’m not thrillled with what I need to do, but financially it’s a no-brainere.   I’ll have it done by the end of the day.

This is a good news article. I realize – in fact I’m probably one of the bigger grinches on this subject – that nominating and running is not the same as winning. But without running, there can be no winning. (Oh, yeah, it’s substack.)

Jeff Merkley is the Senate sponsor of this bill, and that’s a pretty good indication it’s a very good one. I do however want to note that raising Congressional salaries might be necessary. Sure, I could live like an Empress (here in Colorado – maybe only like a princess in California or New York) on the lowest starting salaries. But I don’t have to pay a staff, nor two residences and the travel between them which is necessary to do the job well – keeping in touch with constituents. Realistic research needs to be done on the actual financial costs of serving in Congress. Maybe some things need not to come out of salary, but be reimbursable expenses – and maybe some already are – and that’s something I should already know, and I don’t.  i expect it’s available – but it’s certainly not common knowledge.

Not that anyone who only learned about Judge Lutting through the Jan 6 Committee findings has much respect for Judge Lutting – but –

This is far from the most profound cartoon today – but it certainly is accurate (and funny).

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