Phases you shouldn't use

 I have a friend, whose family nickname is  "Peanut"   She's an awesome singer and I am part of her "support-group fan base" that she calles "the Peanut Gallery"     Now, as a child of the 60's the only reference I have to that term is the Howdy Doody Show, where the small fry in the audience who sang along and clapped and did what small kids in a group will do, were called "the Peanut Gallery".  Recently, I across an article that said the term had a racist beginning, that it referred to the theater section in the segregated south, up in the balcony.    Wikipedia makes no mention of it, simply that it was the cheap seats and that patrons would throw peanuts at the vaudeville performers from the balcony area.  The racist connotation is never mentioned.  Here is my question;  If a phase began with racial undertones, can it be reclaimed to become something that is not?  Has the use of the term for sweet kids on t TV show or a somewhat rowdy audience replaced the term in the American lexicon?   Should we be aware of the origin and not use it, or should we talk about the original context and balance it with the current pop culture reference?  Am I being tone deaf? Probably, but in my mind the term has two meanings.  

I need answers.

Have you ever used the term "Paddy Wagon"?  I remember a Flintstones episode, where the cops tossed Fred and Barney in the Paddy Wagon and hauled them off to jail.  Did you know that is a racist term?  It is.  "Paddy" is pejorative slang for anyone of Irish descent.  They used to go around on a Friday night and round up the Irish, drunk or sober and keep them in jail for the weekend, often keeping part of the money they had earned for the week as a "fine".  the police van was nicknamed The "paddy Wagon"  Years ago  LAPD had a St. Patrick's Day "free ride home" program.  Nice,  HOWEVER they called it the PADDY Wagon.  I called the head of the program and told him it was offensive to  Irish Americans ( since I AM of Irish ancestry , I felt comfortable telling him)  He ARGUED with me, told me his wife was from Ireland and she wasn't offended.   I told him that people whose ancestors  were treated to this practice were offended and no disrespect to his wife, but her family didn't live through that particular indignity.  The next year, it was called something else.

As we learn the origins of seemingly innocuous phases that are part of the lexicon, we need to examine and discard terms that are insulting or a painful reminder of the past.  We need to talk about the past, learn from it and move on from it.  We cannot change what was, only what will be, and by learning history,avoid repeating it.

Thursday

 I am not inspired by anything much this morning.  Coffee is my bestie.  Sleep is not restful and I blame the pandemic.  I need a break.  Often, when I am bemoaning the current state of the world, I think about Anne Frank's mother.  Not Anne, but her mother.  How did she keep it together.  Anne had "Kitty" to pour everything into, but what about Edith ( I had to look up her name)  How did she cope?  Was she able to peer out a window and dream of her former life?  Did she even hope?   I doubt Anne mentions it,  as a typical teen probably saw her mother as the gatekeeper, keeping her from any fun.  How did she feed her family?  I don't really want to re-read Anne's book at this point, but maybe one day when I have time I will ( Otto edited it heavily, from what I hear, to present his daughter is a better light.)

Tiny Book writing

Write a poem about what you can see from your window in the style of William Carlos Williams "The Red wheelbarrow  Here's his poem;

so much depends

upon

a red wheel

barrow

glazed with rain

water

beside the white

chickens

Here is mine:

My neighbor's butterfly geegaw

spins

in the gusty morning air

startling sparrows

and the  yellow cat

who was sitting beneath it

Probably not as poignant as Williams, whose notes to his wife were more poetic than my little attempt.  I like Williams.  I wish I had a quarter of his talent.  Same with Mary Oliver.  Both write deceptively simple poems that have so many layers in them, you keep going back and seeing more meaning.

I'm quite a hack, by comparison, BUT poetry is a release for me and I write it to amuse myself, mostly.   I haven't been writing poetry lately.  Maybe I should go back to the medium to see how it goes. 

Tiny things to write about AND some political thoughts

I know, I know, since the Evil Orange is no longer the President ( no matter WHAT  QAnon and other rabid dogs might think) I am trying to move away from political commentary as much.  I WILL say that IT'S ABOUT TIME that his taxes were released to the District Court of New York.  He is crying and whining that he is being "Persecuted"  well, if there is nothing WRONG with your taxes, what are you worried about?  I would hazard a guess that his taxes will show that he is NOT the mega-millionaire he claims to be, and if that his true, he lied to his followers( Surprise!)  and if it is a LIE, if he cheated the government on his taxes, well he should serve time, just like Wesley Snipes  who did time, or have to sell off his possessions, like Willie Nelson did.  I have a feeling he does not really OWN all that property he claims he owns, as he was selling his name as a brand to people who thought it gave the place a certain cachet.  They are ditching that now in a lot of locations, from what I understand.  This will be and interesting development, and it is the reason he fought so hard to stay in power, to avoid prosecution for his crimes ( and let's face it tax evasion is a crime and ANYONE who does it  is a lowlife snake)

His kids are- to use a 70's expression - Freaking and Peaking ( I am not sure but there are signs of drug use in Jr- he really needs an intervention.)  They are going down with the trump ship and they really don't have the life skills to start over.  But we will see

Here is my Tine Thing for the day: ( the tiny things to write about book, which I am randomly picking something from)

Write about moving to a place you have never been to:

I am moving to South Carolina.  The place has beaches and small towns and I have longed for it since I heard James Taylor sing about it ( on second thought was he talking about NORTH  Carolina?  dunno)  I think I would like the pace, the food- although I may need to import totillas or masa- again dunno)  Besides, my friend Candace lives there.  HMMMM     I wonder if the state can HANDLE two of us.

Monday morning

 For a variety of reasons, this weekend was not much of a weekend.  My day off was interrupted and while I don't mind helping out a bit, I really lost the focus of what I had planned to do and things got discombobulated.  I am looking forward to some real time off and away from responsibility, which we are planning soon ( keep your fingers crossed or a candle lit, I really need a break!)

I have been making door hangings to decorate the front door of my place.  It's a small thing, but I really am enjoying the process of making small art.   I do not consider myself artistic in any way ( except MAYBE in my writing, which is more a release of anxiety than art) but the hangings are turning out like I want them to.

This month I celebrate my Celtic Heritage and put up one that says Erin Go Bragh on it.  You will see this draped all over bars- or would before the Pandemic.  It means Ireland Forever.  It is used for St Patrick's Day, which is frankly, weird.

From what I understand, in Ireland, St Patrick's Day is NOT a day to drink green beer, or get "tits up" in a local pub. NO ONE eats corned beef. That's the AMERICAN version, replete with parades and turning rivers green with some kind of dye.  My Dad said that when he was a kid it was a religious holiday and everyone in his family went to church (now my GREAT Grandparents were from Ireland so they were all here in Philly-delphia-haha-, but they celebrated it as befitting the Patron saint of Ireland)  Recently- within the last 20 years or so, the Irish caught up with the rest of the world celebrating THEIR holiday ( talk about Cultural Appropriation!) and have parades and the like, but really it was not a binge drinking day.  

Take a second.  When you hear that someone is Irish, what is your first thought.  A-  they like to drink a lot,  B-They have foul tempers and like to fight or C- why don't they have red hair?  All of these myths about the Irish, these stereotypes are firmly ingrained.  Do you think of scholars?  I bet you don't,  but there is a wonderful book  "How the Irish Saved civilization" by Thomas Cahill which details the work of Irish Monks to save literature and history while it was being destroyed in most of Western Europe,  Do you think of the indomitable spirit of a country that the British  have tried to wipe off the planet for centuries ( and yes I also have English ancestry , so I am basically a war unto myself)  Read about the potato famine- they purposely sent blighted plants to destroy the crops.  My dad said they then told them that the reason was they had over farmed the soil.  For years, people believed THAT lie,

So, on March 17 I will be raising a wee dram AND eating corned beef ( it's on SALE for goodness sake HOW could I pass it up) and celebrating the spirit of the Irish, fun loving but fierce when necessary.  SLAINTE!

Texas and writer's Block

 I am eternally grateful that I do not wake up every morning and check the Associated Press to see what kind of idiotic thing the President of the United States has said or done. I am glad not to have uber angst over the fate of the country and the world and that the adults are finally in charge.

I am happy that relief is finally on the way in Texas.  The President sent generators and supplies LAST Sunday, without someone needing to kiss his ring or his nether regions.  Texas was barely red, but that does not matter to Mr. Biden,  He is the President for all of us.  The only people I have nasty remarks for are those who run the water and power companies.  They chose profit over people and did not heed the warnings in 2011.  Hopefully, the good people of Texas will make them make the necessary changes.  This is not "once in a lifetime" unless you're a rabbit.

Notice I did not mention the Senator from Texas who deserves our scorn and to be voted out of office never to darken our political landscape again.

I have been trying to find my creative spark, but writing has been difficult.  I don't really write much fiction , although I wish I could.  I think I just need to concentrate on it- like a muscle that is weak.  I took a Master Class from Joyce Carol Oates. She had some good advice and I probably should go back and do the writing exercises.  I need to make time for my art.  It is difficult.   I get up for work around 6 or 6: 30- I have to be dressed and on the computer at 8. I drink coffee and look at messages from friends.  Sometimes I get caught up in the drama and I should learn to step away.  Work is intense, no bones about it, and harder since I am at home and can't just bounce something off one of my co-workers.  I am on the phone all day.  I really don't enjoy it, that aspect anyway.  Sometimes, I can talk with a coworker for a bit and it seems normal, but I miss face-to-face interactions.  The vaccines and Joe Biden give me hope that that will be again.

A while back, I bought a book to help me with my writing . It is called "642 tiny things to write about."  I am going to try to use it, maybe not every day but as much as necessary to spark my creative though  Here is the first one ( they are sometimes QUITE silly)

The Home from your Favorite Fairy tale is up for Sale  Write a real estate Listing to sell it;

"Quaint castle in the center of  huge acreage , LOADS of Trees and vines for privacy, surrounded by a circular lake GREAT for fishing or swimming. Four plus  stories with  LOADS of storage, including a secret room for storing treasures ( Like your  Spinning Wheel collection)  Bedrooms on all floors have large windows.  Single owner,  has not been actively occupied for 100 years, so may need modernization.  Contact Aurora Rose for Details"

That was kind of fun, although my favorite fairy tale is The Goose Girl, and the home does not feature prominently enough to do this exercise for it.  

I have been exploring my creative side, making door wreaths for my front door.  It's been fun and I am a minimalist in my decorating. and this month's celebration of St Patrick's Day will go up on the door this afternoon.  I am pleased with it,  It has the Irish phrase Erin Go Bragh emblazoned on it and nothing more.  My Dad said that means Ireland Forever.  Tomorrow, I hope to explore a little more of my Irish roots and some things about St Patrick's Day and the stereotypes of Irish character- if you think we are all alcoholics, you might have some Unconscious bias that needs tobe expunged.

Trials and what the future may hold

 Well the "trial" of Donald John Trump in the Senate turned out much as predicted.  All the Republicans are breathing a sigh of relief, having pandered to their base and sold their soul.  But here's the thing, it ain't over for him.

He sais "this is just the beginning" but I think that does not mean what he thinks it means.  He is now a "private citizen" whose crimes are being investigated by several jurisdictions.  I am sure people who are going to court for the seditious acts they committed are going to drag him into the mix, possibly sue him and tie him up in legal challenges for years to come.  I hope his "attorneys" are ready.  He had a history of stiffing them, so I hope they got the cash in their bank account AND the check has cleared before they do anything.  Maybe not.  I think it would be amusing to see his OWN LAWYERS take him to court for  non payment.

The outcome was ridiculous.  Apparently, the Republicans threatened to hold up ALL legislation until the trial was over.  Think about that for a moment.  EVERYTHING would be held up for MONTHS unless they let Donnie Boy skate,  THEN after the Circus was over and the clowns were getting ready to celebrate, Mitch McConnell stood up at the podium and declared  the Trump had actually DONE what he was accused of.  The gall of that man is endless. He didn't think the trial was legal?  The SENATE approved it, and yet Mitch did what he always does; kowtow to his master.  He talks out of both sides of his mouth.  

There is talk of doing something else in the House, but I wonder.  Someone said they should have stopped when witnesses were no allowed and sent the whole thing over to the DOJ, But Merrick Garland isn't AG yet so that might have been a non-starter.

I donated money to John Fetterman, who has announced he will run for Senate.  I like him in many ways, he flies in the face of conservative Pennsylvania politics.  It was a reaction to the fact that I share  an ancestor ( my seven times great grandfather) with one of Trump's lawyers, Bruce Castor.  We both descend from Frederick Castor, whose daughter Margaret married Jacob Myers on my paternal line.  Bruce proved that not EVERYONE in my family tree is smart, I'm afraid.   Now I am reading that Fetterman held a black jogger at gunpoint at some point several years ago.  It was a horrible mistake, but he is unapologetic about it and even if you think you are doing the right thing at the time, shouldn't you say something to that effect?  I wonder if the incident was a  "one- off" reaction to things that were going on at the time or some pattern of bad behavior.  I really would like to see him say something even if it's "Hey I thought I was doing the right thing, but now I know better and have learned from it"  If racism can be learned, it can be unlearned.  I hope he addresses it.  It is bound to be a BIG sticking point in his political future.

Which brings me back to the future of the Republican Party and 45.  As of this writing, he can still run for office again.  I am hopeful that one of the following happen:

• He is convicted of a felony in the District of New York or Georgia
• His unhealthy habits make him too ill to be a viable contender ( let's face it he will be 78 in 2024 and he's not that healthy to begin with)
• the Republican Party splits in such a way that his MAGA Party cannot get enough voters to follow it( I Firmly believe that once all the lies are exposed in Civil Court he will be vilified)

A felon cannot vote nor hold public office and even IF he gets his record expunged, he is still a tax cheat and a seditious inciter in the court of Public Opinion.   Remember, acquittal does not mean innocent, especially in the not-court of the halls of Congress.

For now, I am hopeful for our new President, although the MAGA crowd is said to be mounting another attack on March 4.  One thing is for certain, the Proud Boys won't be there.  The attorney for the leader is calling out Trump as a phony, blaming him for inciting and abandoning his followers.  This trial, and the guy in the deerskin bikini's trial should be interesting.  Court TV, anyone?

Crime and (lack of) punishment

 I have been watching the second impeachment of Donald J. Trump. I have several thoughts on the matter:

I am hearing from the MAGA crowd that this trial is a "waste of money and time"  , well, sort of.  The problem is that, as I have said before, Trump could shoot their mother  in front of him and he would get a "pass" from them.  they are so desperate to cling to the perceived power of the MAGA base that they will do anything to stay in power themselves.

The "jurors" in this case came into the trial with a preconceived notion to acquit no matter what evidence was presented.  I want to call out Mr. Paul and Mr. Hawley in particular.  I've BEEN on jury duty before, and if I were in the jury box, doodling or sleeping or whatever the hell those two were doing instead of their DUTY, I would have been in cuffs for "Contempt of Court" so fast it would not be seen by the naked eye.  and yet, there they are, acting like the star quarterback at a high school, who knows the history teacher won't say "boo" to him or it would ruin their chances at going to State.  I am sure there is a sector of their constituency who is cheering this bad behavior, and I hope there is an even greater number who are appalled and will work to vote them out of office in the next election.

I see that a number of Republican senators are not taking their job seriously and not even showing UP for the trial.  I wonder if there is a mechanism, whereby if you weren't in the room, you are not allowed to vote.  how can you consider evidence you didn't hear? AND meeting with the defense?   HOW IS THAT EVEN LEGAL????  I know when I served on juries you were cautioned about ANY incidental encounter with either attorney and while the rules for Congress MIGHT be relaxed, THIS is absurd.  They are giving them advice as to how to proceed?  Boy  Trump hired some real winners, didn't he?

The thing is, the impeachment only impacts his ability to run again.  It won't put his fat ass in jail or anything.  ( Ok that was inelegant but I am sick of him)   Are they so impressed with his destruction of the country and his own party that they want him to be able to finish the job?

Super Bowl, Bruce Springsteen and other random thoughts

 I didn't watch the Superbowl on Sunday.  I STARTED to, but two things irked me. The announcers.  ( Got ya)   

Between slavering over the Return Of Tom Brady and talking incessantly about  nothing, I made it through the first HALF of the first Quarter.  I couldn't take it.  These guys who played football can't TALK about football.  I long for sportscasters who know when to talk and WHEN TO SHUT UP.  the constant buzz of their voices made me turn it off ( Yeah, I tired watching it muted, but I would have liked SOME idea about what was happening, who made that awesome run, who made that amazing stop.

I understand football. I went to San Fernando High School where Football was like a religion.  My ex will tell you he played "semi Pro" ball, which was really more like Pop Warner for adults.  If you signed up and paid the fee you played.  It was fun while it lasted and I used to hold a "clinic" at practice for  the wives and girlfriends, because it can be super boring to go to a game and not know the basics.

As usual, I digress,

As a result of not watching the game, I did not see the commercials.  I had read somewhere that Budweiser has declined to do their traditional Short film with the Clydesdales and donated the money they would have spent to Covid relief.    I missed them and will look to see the recap that is usually on the internet.

I missed the Bruce ad  which was supposed to be a call for unity.  Turns out it was kind of divisive.  While a call to unite "in the middle" sounds good, there are too many people for whom that means status quo and no progress toward justice, which is the core of unity.  It smacked of "let's move on"  We need to hold accountable those who tried to OVERTHROW the government when Without proof, listened to the petulant whining of a spoiled rich child who had his toys taken away and recruited other people to do his dirty work.  then left them hanging while he hid, first in the White House and now at his mansion/hotel.  We need justice, which we may not get.  Evidence needs to be heard and considered totally, but the Republican Party is so afraid of him and his followers they won't do their job.  Those who DO their job are censured.

I was watching television and saw an ad for an upcoming Black History month program. In it they quotes part of a Langston Hughes poem "Let America be America again"  I like Hughes.  Like most poetry I enjoy, he writes deceptively simply words with complex layers of meaning  Go here

 https://poets.org/poem/let-america-be-america-again

I posted it on a friend's page and got flack that Hughes did not mention the struggles of women in his poem and while I understand it, he does not specifically call out women in the poem, but I felt included in those he mentioned.

As we move today toward the trial -probably one of many criminal prosecutions- of Donald John Trump, I wonder when we can have "the land that has never been yet, and yet must be"

Proverb

They are roofing my apartment.  It started at 7:30 yesterday and after I got ove the initial terror of the thought that someone was breaking in, I emailed my new building management.  Chris was ready to fire off a "What the hell" email, but cooler heads prevailed and we sent an inquisitive note instead.  She said it would take a week.  I think less, but it's always better to give an outside estimate, just in case; if you think three days, say a week and everyone is happy at how quickly it was done.  If you say three days and it takes a week, well...

I was sweeping my doorstep of the debris and I went a bit along the walkway to clear it as well. I remembered a "proverb" I had heard.  I just looked up "proverb" as I usually associate it with a book of the Bible.  It is a "short pithy saying, stating general truth or a piece of advice."  What I was thinking was what I THOUGHT was Confucius ( ok the guy gets a bad rap, but he had some pretty revolutionary ideas for his time, even if his words are reduced to fortune cookies and racist jokes)  "Let each man sweep in front of his own door and the whole world will be clean"  Turns out it's Goethe.  Who knew?

I stood on my stoop, pondering that for a moment.  I thought about the basic idea, that if you clean up around yourself and everyone cleans up around themselves, we would definitely have a cleaner community.  But you know Goethe was not really talking about getting out there every day with a broom and sweeping the leaves and dirt from the steps, or at least that is what I am thinking about it.   He means we need to clean ourselves, not our physical bodies ( although that is good in a polite society, although in the pandemic when we don't see one another, I wonder - not for too long- about that practice.) I think he means to sweep our minds.  Clear out the cobwebs that might be left by misinformation or lies we are taught to believe.  Sweep the  corners of your mind and make room for new ideas.  I am not saying you should ( as the saying goes) throw out the baby with the bathwater, but take time to evaluate what you think and see if you need to change anything.  There is a Jackson Browne song, where he goes back over his life a bit in which he says "I don't know how I believed some of the things I thought"

I know for myself, some of the things people around me at one time or another got into my head.  They pop to the surface and I think "WHOA, now that's is one screwed up thing to think" and I push it out as not part of MY thinking, but dismiss it as someone else's problem.  

I am only responsible for the thoughts I have and the actions I take.  I can try to talk to someone about their misdirection on an issue, but I can't change what is in their head.  I can only hope a dialog with them will begin to bring about a change.  I can sweep in front of my own doorstep and hope others can do the same.