Nature is a good reminder of all that's right with the world

I saw this video for the first time tonight, and loved it. Beautifully-filmed nature shots, a reminder that the world really is a wonderful place. Every time I need a reminder, I'll check out this video......

The day of reckoning is here

It is perhaps no coincidence that there are so many sexual abuse scandals happening all around us--in politics (Brett Kavanaugh), in the Catholic church (pedophile priests), in the entertainment industry (#metoo, Harvey Weinstein, and Bill Cosby), and in the workplace (where to start--there are so many stories of bad bosses and toxic workplaces). These worlds were the playgrounds of men for many years, far too many years. Centuries of power placed in the hands of men, many who behaved indecently toward others, some who did not. The former behaved in ways that kept women and minorities out of the circles dominated by men, or if women and minorities were allowed in, kept them out of positions of power via harassment, abuse, sexual harassment, and sexual abuse. Make no mistake--all forms of harassment and abuse are power plays--exertions of power by the strong over those they perceive as weaker than they are. The harassers harass because they can, because they have the license to do so. They have enough power and money to prevent those they harass from fighting back and demanding justice. They can victimize others, but those others may after some time refuse to be labeled as victims and may fight back, and that is what is happening now in 2018, after years of not fighting back. The 'weaker' parties are ultimately not victims of the powerful. But the centuries-long imbalance between the powerful and non-powerful perpetuated the bad behavior by the powerful. I think what is happening now, however extreme it may be, is necessary in order for us to move forward as a nation and as a civilized world society. This bad behavior is not just occurring in the USA.

The day of reckoning is here. We simply cannot continue down the path on which we have been going. We know about all of the things that were wrong in the past, even the recent past. What we need now is change. We need open doors, we need a breath of fresh air. Out with the dinosaurs (of which Trump is one), in with the new. New ways of thinking and behaving. Transparency and integrity in leaders, be they men or women. Ethical behavior, justice for all. We have to believe again and to have hope. As is written in the Declaration of Independence: "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness." The word 'men' can be stricken from this document and replaced with 'people', so that everyone understands that this document grants these freedoms to all, not to just one gender. It will be an extremely painful process to reckon with past grievances, but it is high time that we did. All real change is painful.

A quote from Jackson Katz's book The Macho Paradox: Why Some Men Hurt Women and How All Men Can Help

I haven't read Jackson Katz's book The Macho Paradox: Why Some Men Hurt Women and How All Men Can Help, but I am impressed by this quote from his book. It's uncomfortable to read it, and yet, if you are a woman, you learn to do many of these things already when you are quite young. Here is the quote:

“I draw a line down the middle of a chalkboard, sketching a male symbol on one side and a female symbol on the other. Then I ask just the men: What steps do you guys take, on a daily basis, to prevent yourselves from being sexually assaulted? At first there is a kind of awkward silence as the men try to figure out if they've been asked a trick question. The silence gives way to a smattering of nervous laughter. Occasionally, a young guy will raise his hand and say, 'I stay out of prison.' This is typically followed by another moment of laughter, before someone finally raises his hand and soberly states, 'Nothing. I don't think about it.' Then I ask women the same question. What steps do you take on a daily basis to prevent yourselves from being sexually assaulted? Women throughout the audience immediately start raising their hands. As the men sit in stunned silence, the women recount safety precautions they take as part of their daily routine. Here are some of their answers: Hold my keys as a potential weapon. Look in the back seat of the car before getting in. Carry a cell phone. Don't go jogging at night. Lock all the windows when I sleep, even on hot summer nights. Be careful not to drink too much. Don't put my drink down and come back to it; make sure I see it being poured. Own a big dog. Carry Mace or pepper spray. Have an unlisted phone number. Have a man's voice on my answering machine. Park in well-lit areas. Don't use parking garages. Don't get on elevators with only one man, or with a group of men. Vary my route home from work. Watch what I wear. Don't use highway rest areas. Use a home alarm system. Don't wear headphones when jogging. Avoid forests or wooded areas, even in the daytime. Don't take a first-floor apartment. Go out in groups. Own a firearm. Meet men on first dates in public places. Make sure to have a car or cab fare. Don't make eye contact with men on the street. Make assertive eye contact with men on the street.”

― Jackson Katz, The Macho Paradox: Why Some Men Hurt Women and How All Men Can Help


I find it sad that we have come to this point in society, where women cannot really trust men to treat them respectfully. Where women cannot trust men to help them if they are threatened with sexual assault (when the men that could help just stand there and watch as their friends rape a woman). Where women are treated like objects for men's sexual (often violent) proclivities. Where 'no' is always taken as 'yes'. What has brought us to this point? Has hardcore porn played a role? I think it has. But of course that view is poo-pooed by so many people who want so desperately to be liberal in every way. I remember my father, whose view on men was not very promising, to say the least. He would always tell me that a lot of men were just no good and that I should watch out for myself. When I was young, I didn't want to believe that what he was saying was true. But as I got older, I understood. I have met many good men, but I have also met others who were simply the opposite--crude, rude, sexually-aggressive, violent, hate-filled, and envious. Men who think everything is a joke. Men who disrespect women by interrupting them constantly, belittling what they say, overpowering them by yelling, and so on. Men who become angry when told 'no'. Men who abuse women verbally (telling them they're stupid, for example), psychologically, and physically. The list goes on. So if Jackson Katz can teach men how to behave respectfully toward women, kudos to him. He deserves a star in my book.

The world needs a giant wake-up call. I think this is it.

Everyone in the world needs to read this article. I posted this on my Facebook page today, and some of my friends commented and said they were horrified by it. I am as well.

http://mobile.abc.net.au/news/2018-09-18/china-social-credit-a-model-citizen-in-a-digital-dictatorship/10200278?pfmredir=sm&sf197878142=1&smid=Page%3A+ABC+Australia-Facebook_Organic&WT.tsrc=Facebook_Organic

We need to wake up fast to what is really going on around us. Look up from your cell phones and see what is happening. China is just the start of this insanity. If you don't think it can happen in your own country, think again. We only need the right combination of circumstances for it to take hold. This is scary stuff, people. We need to fight this kind of digital control with every ounce of our beings. Otherwise, there will be no humanity left after these types of governments and dictators gain complete control of us. I don't want this kind of society for the future, and I will fight against it in any way possible. Please share this article; unfortunately, it is not fake news. I checked around online, and found other articles dealing with this story:

https://mindmatters.today/2018/09/digital-dictatorship/

https://www.realclearscience.com/2018/09/20/china_is_building_a_digital_dictatorship_282883.html

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eViswN602_k

I do understand why some people want to go off the grid and live without internet, without an online presence. The problem is that almost all the things we do nowadays are connected in some way, shape, or form to internet--banking, stock trading, shopping, social media, smartphones, travel, careers, reading, music, and so on. Our lives may not be 'tracked' in the same way as they will be in China by 2020, but our digital lives are alive and thriving online as we speak. It will not surprise me if major companies dabbling in AI will find a way to tie all our digital information together and begin to exert control over us. Most of that type of control will have to do with marketing--pressuring us to buy this or that by defining our needs for us. But if the government begins to do that, it will be the end of freedom as we know and take for granted--the end of being able to think, speak and write freely. It will not be a world that I will want to live in.



 

Check out Bill Bramhall's political cartoons for September

Another online item to check out--this time it's the totally spot on political cartoons courtesy of Bramhall. You'll find them in the New York Daily News:
http://www.nydailynews.com/opinion/nydn-bramhall-cartoons-for-september-2018-20180908-photogallery.html

What to say about these cartoons, except that they're great. If you need to know what's going on in the world of Trump, you'll find out by reading these cartoons. He skewers Trump. Thanks for telling it like it is!

Check out Tappan Zee Bridge@oldtzb on Twitter

If you check out one thing today online, check out this Twitter account--Tappan Zee Bridge@oldtzb:  https://twitter.com/oldtzb

If the old Tappan Zee Bridge could speak, I am certain that this is what it would be saying. Kudos to the person behind this account. I love it. The first thing you read when you access the account is the following (just to give you an idea of the intelligent sense of humor that defines the entire account):

Tappan Zee Bridge@oldtzb
"Bridging since 1955. Living like there's no 2019".

Thank you for giving a voice to the feelings we all have about the old bridge now that the new bridge is up and 'bridging'. For those of us who are nearly the same age as the old bridge, it's a wonderful way to deal with saying goodbye to the bridge in a humorous, intelligent and pointed way. Many of the tweets are just spot on.

Here is a recent newspaper article talking about this Twitter account:  https://eu.lohud.com/story/news/local/rockland/2018/09/21/tappan-zee-bridge-silent-all-these-years-speaks-out-twitter/1366539002/

Please, keep on tweeting. Sincerely, a loyal fan. 

A dog rescued by a kind person

If this video doesn't break your heart, I don't know what will. Even though this poor dog was rescued, it breaks my heart to know that someone or some family left him/her behind when evacuating their home due to hurricane Florence. If you have a pet, it is part of your family, and you should take your pet with you in situations like this. Your pets love you and trust you to do the right thing; how can you live with yourself if you don't make the effort to take them with you when you evacuate?

I thought about this story for hours after I saw the video. It made me cry, and that's a good thing, because I haven't been able to cry much lately. I think I've become too inured to the crazy, cold, inhumane and unjust world we live in. I need to see more positive stories; I need to know that there are still good people in the world. Because there are. All the media ever tells us about are all the bad people and situations in the world.

https://www.facebook.com/CBSNewYork/videos/263733037814957/

A good song by Dennis Lloyd--Nevermind

The sex abuse scandal in the German Catholic church

And now the statistics for Germany--it's enough to make your mind reel. What were the people involved thinking? That it would remain covered-up forever? Why did no one in the church's bureaucratic organization stop and say, 'no, I won't be a part of the cover-up and I won't silence my voice or my conscience. I will speak up and speak out'. Just the fact that the church wanted to control how the research results were published/utilized is appalling--I quote: "because the church wanted to reserve its right to control the resulting research papers — and under certain circumstances even ban their publication". The church apparently believes its own hype--that it is judge, jury, and executioner with no accountability to anyone outside the church, and this way of looking at dealing with crime in the church is just plain arrogant and wrong. If I am a typical example of the faithful, my trust in the church to make intelligent and moral decisions is gone. Just plain gone. And sadly, I doubt that it will be coming back. I believe I do a better job of running my life and dealing with moral decisions than the church will ever do.

https://www.nytimes.com/2018/09/12/world/europe/german-church-sex-abuse-children.html?smid=fb-nytimes&smtyp=cur

I'm guessing we'll getting the statistics for other involved countries soon, because there is nothing inherently 'American' about this scandal. It all has to do with the kingdom called the Vatican. Somehow in the midst of all the power and wealth, Christ and what he stood for fell by the wayside.

Never forget

https://www.911memorial.org/blog/tags/911

Is there a civil war within the church now?

If you want to read more about the current sexual abuse scandal in the Catholic church, these are some good links:

http://www.nydailynews.com/news/world/ny-news-priests-australia-report-sex-abuse-confessions-20180831-story.html

https://www.nytimes.com/2018/08/29/opinion/catholic-priest-abuse-reporting.html?imp_id=936089097&action=click&module=Opinion&pgtype=Homepage

https://www.nytimes.com/2018/08/27/opinion/pope-visit-ireland.html?action=click&module=RelatedLinks&pgtype=Article

https://edition.cnn.com/2018/08/29/us/cardinal-wuerl-catholic-insurgency/index.html

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/acts-of-faith/wp/2018/08/29/a-vatican-diplomats-explosive-letter-reveals-influential-conservative-catholic-media-network/?noredirect=on&utm_term=.056224573d90

If there is a civil war within the church now, it is because it has brought it on itself. But the church can end the war by standing up for change. It can open the doors, let in the light, get rid of the careerism and bureaucracy. It can get rid of the wealth, prestige, and power that dominate the lives of many clergy. It can get rid of the holier than thou attitude. It can get back to the basics of Christ’s teaching. It just needs to do it. 

Two good articles about the current sexual abuse scandal in the American Catholic Church

I read these articles and I try to find understanding in my mind and heart for the priests who have committed these atrocities against children. I find none. What I feel is anger and loathing; anger at the attempts to silence the victims and to pretend that the abuse did not happen, something the church can no longer do, and loathing for the sheer arrogance and belief that the faithful would accept the explanations for the bad behavior, move on, and forget about it. Maybe some of the faithful can do that; I cannot. If you read the first article, it talks about the sense of betrayal that is felt by many of the faithful, and how they might deal with that. Like married couples where one partner has betrayed the other by being unfaithful, it will be a long road back to re-establish trust in the person who committed the betrayal, if it ever happens. Likewise with the church; it will take a long time for the faithful to get over this, and I think that's the right reaction. I don't find it in myself to simply accept the explanations anymore. I want action. I want change. I want the pedophiles to pay for their crimes after having been tried as the criminals they are in a court of law. I want justice for the victims. And that is exactly what the second article is focused on--the criminal priests will not be let off the hook anymore. There will be aggressive criminal investigations, and rightly so. Thank God. This is not about persecution of the Catholic church; it is about persecution of those men who call themselves priests, when in reality they are nothing more than common criminals, who have lived off the good will and economic support of the faithful. They deserve nothing less than life in prison.

I am angry at myself for buying into some of the ideas that the church pushed over the years, especially when I was a teenager. That the word of male priests was somehow 'law'. That unmarried male priests could tell us how to be married, could tell married women what their 'duty' was toward their husbands, could push warped ideas about sex and love on us as teenagers, that only led to unnecessary guilt. I've always thought it strange that sex was promoted as an evil activity for the unmarried to engage in, but that once you were married, it was suddenly holy and good. How many marriages in my generation suffered as a result of that way of thinking? It would have been far better to have focused on self-respect and on the importance of respecting others' wishes when it came to sex and to so many other things. I no longer buy into any of these ideas, but when we were teenagers, it was excruciating at times to listen to this folly. There was a period (post Vatican II) when the doors seemed to fly open and the church seemed to be on the path toward true enlightenment, when it felt as though change was in the air and anything was possible--male priests could perhaps marry if they wanted to, women could perhaps become priests, and so on. But no, none of it came to pass. And why not, when you think about it? Jesus Christ was friends with men and women. He had the utmost respect for women. I have always said that it would not bother me in the least if we found out that he had married and had children. His mission on this earth would have been the same.

Going to mass and sharing in that fellowship are still important to me, although I find myself torn now in a way I never was before. I sit there in the pew and feel the anger inside of me, anger because not one of the priests in my church ever comments on the current scandal. They should. They should be talking about it, opening the doors for the faithful to talk about it, and to talk about how betrayed they feel by the criminal priests and by the church for protecting these priests and covering up their crimes. How could these pedophile priests stand in the pulpits Sunday after Sunday preaching what they no longer (and perhaps never) believed in? Telling the faithful how to behave. How in good conscience do you do that to the faithful, good people who are essentially supporting you financially? How can you stand up there and lie? And how can so many priests stand up there now and defend the blowhard Trump--who stands for all that Christ did not stand for? How in good conscience can they do that? I am currently at odds with the church, with its patriarchal attitudes and its careerist bureaucrats, with its arrogance and blaming of others, and with its lies. I am fed up and disappointed in its support of Trump where that is the case. I may go to mass, but I am now a resister. I no longer buy what they're selling. If they don't want to discuss what's going on and face the wrath of the faithful, then they can skip the sermons and the singing. They can shut their mouths and just celebrate the mass--quietly, solemnly, seriously. And then let us go about our lives. I for one won't miss the preaching.

https://www.nytimes.com/2018/09/06/opinion/couples-therapy-catholic-church.html?action=click&module=Opinion&pgtype=Homepage

https://www.nytimes.com/2018/09/06/nyregion/catholic-sex-abuse.html?action=click&module=Top%20Stories&pgtype=Homepage