Saturday Surprise … Just For Fun

Posted on September 7, 2019 by jilldennison under animals, Bits 'n Pieces, Humour, Random, Saturday Surprise

Okay, folks … it’s the WEEKEND! Time to shed those stifling work uniforms and kick up your heels just a bit. And, after a brief hiatus, Saturday Surprise is back! Except for the Feral Five, I rarely show personal pictures, but today I have a few that I just must share. This spring, we planted our usual array of flowers, our favourites being sunflowers. Well, to say that we planted them would be a fib … Miss Goose actually did all the planting. We … she … waited a bit late, and so, while they sprouted quickly enough, we have been waiting all summer long for most of them to bloom. The cosmos came up and bloomed quickly, but everything else has been just rather a jungle, devoid of colourful blooms. But, in the past week, the sunflowers have bloomed!

This was a couple of days ago — there are more now, but since it’s dark, I can’t take another pic

The cosmos

This tiny little sunflower, only about 6″ tall, sprouted up among the 5′ giants!

Now, every year, our tiny garden is visited by a pair of beautiful yellow birds, but we hadn’t seen the birds yet this year. On Thursday morning when I had just come in from watering the jungle, I looked out the front window and …

I still haven’t seen his partner … I hope he or she (I haven’t yet determined their genders, for they don’t allow me to get close enough) … is okay, and hopefully now that the sunflowers are in full bloom, they will both come ‘round to visit more often!

Oliver says “Hi”

I have no particular direction today, but just went looking for fun things to start this weekend out on the right foot.

And speaking of feet … the holidays aren’t all that far away, y’know, so it’s time to start shopping for those fun things for your friends and family. I came across the perfect thing! Chicken Leg socks! Look!

They are available on Amazon, in case you’re interested, for $5.99 and up! Might want to order several pair for those quirky family members … don’t deny you have them … we all do!

I’ve seen some … um, shall we say “different” hair-do’s in my day, but … these take the cake!

What do you bet he’s from Texas?

A few funny pictures …

A couple of jokes …

And I wrap it all up with an adorable animal video about a baby pig named Debby and a giant dog named George …

And that, my friends, is all I’ve got for today. Have a safe and fun weekend!!!

Still More … Sigh … Snarky Snippets

Posted on September 5, 2019 by jilldennison under Bits 'n Pieces, Law and justice, Political commentary, Racism & Bigotry, Social commentary

So many things were flying at my radar last night when I was trying to find my focus for this post that it must be time for another episode of … Snarky Snippets!

Mikey goes to Ireland …

Mike Pence, well-known for his anti-LGBT bigotry, traveled (at our expense) to Ireland this week, for some reason unbeknownst to those of us who paid his way. Oh yeah … his wife accompanied him, also at our expense. You ever been to Ireland? No? Me either … probably never will, for I can’t afford it after paying for Mikey and Karen to go. Anyway … to the point …

This, from The Irish Times on Tuesday, September 3^rd …

“A “Disco outside the Dáil” organised in protest against the visit of US vice-president Mike Pence drew a crowd to Kildare Street this afternoon.

Protesters led by Amnesty International waved rainbow flags, wore Mike Pence masks and danced to music by YMCA and RuPaul, in a demonstration inspired by US LGBT activists.

Executive director of Amnesty International in Ireland Colm O Gorman told the jubilant crowds that “the best way for us to defeat hate is to be who we are, to be courageous and bold”.

During his visit, Mr Pence has spoken repeatedly of his Sligo-born grandfather, Richard Michael Cawley, and has previously said that he was inspired by the former soldier, who served with the Irish Defence Forces in the Civil War.

However, Mr O Gorman called out Mr Pence’s claims to Irish values, saying ‘he doesn’t get to accept Irish values if he’s not prepared to listen to what Ireland has to say to him right now’.”

And back on this side of the pond, deputy White House press secretary Judd Deere claimed that …

“For all of you who think our @VP is anti-gay, I point you to his and the @SecondLady’s schedule tomorrow where they will join Taoiseach @LeoVaradkar and his partner Dr. Matthew Barrett for lunch in Ireland”

Say WHAT??? So, because Pence is doing the job he was sent to Ireland to do, meeting with the Prime Minister of Ireland who happens to be gay, that makes him unbiased? I think not.

Note: I will have more on Pence’s visit in a later post.

San Francisco takes on the NRA …

I lived in California off and on during my childhood and youth, and more and more I wish I still lived there. The state government has some sense, they put people first. California has always had the highest emission standards in the nation, and these days they are thumbing their nose at Trump’s rollback of environmental regulations, sticking to their own high standards despite his attempts to hasten the destruction of our planet’s resources. But this latest caused me to clap my hands!

This week, the San Francisco Board of Supervisors unanimously approved a resolution declaring the National Rifle Association (NRA) a domestic terrorist organization.

The resolution was introduced by Supervisor Catherine Stefani on July 30, two days after a shooting at a garlic festival in Gilroy, Calif., in which three people were killed and more than a dozen others injured.

Ms. Stefani said the N.R.A. conspires to limit gun violence research, restrict gun violence data sharing and block every piece of sensible gun violence prevention legislation proposed at local, state and federal levels.

“The N.R.A. exists to spread pro-gun propaganda and put weapons in the hands of those who would harm and terrorize us. Nobody has done more to fan the flames of gun violence than the N.R.A.”

Granted, the resolution has little or no practical value, but what it does do is send a message to the NRA and the gun nuts in this nation that California takes gun violence seriously, unlike states such as Texas who seem to believe that if one gun is bad, then more guns are better. The NRA got the message and responded via … what else … Twitter:

“@NRA is the fabric of American society. We are teachers, doctors, cops, and everyone who fights for America’s freedoms. San Fran should be ashamed.”

Racism by any other name …

Mississippi has long been known for its racism … watch the movie, Mississippi Burning and you’ll see what I mean. But, this is the 21^st century and I have to admit this one stunned me. Two people are planning a wedding. The groom is African-American, the bride-to-be is Caucasian. The groom’s sister, LaKambria Welch, was helping the couple make the arrangements, and as such she had been in touch with Boone’s Camp Event Hall in Booneville, Mississippi about having the wedding there. All seemed to be going well, until suddenly the couple received a message saying that they could not hold their wedding at Boone’s Camp due to “the owner’s personal beliefs”.

Ms. Welch and her mother went to Boone’s Camp to try to find out what had happened. They were told …

“We don’t do gay weddings or mixed race, because of our Christian race, I mean our Christian belief. I don’t want to argue my faith, we just don’t participate.”

Christian race??? WTF???

Boone’s Camp Event Hall said in a statement on Tuesday that the owners had previously been taught to believe that “interracial marriage was against the teachings of the Bible.” They followed the statement with a milquetoast apology. There is much I could say about this, but I’ve said it all a million times before, so I will leave you to pick your jaws up from the floor now, as I do the same.

Oops!

And just a bit of humour to end this post. I had saved the link to an article in The Washington Post that I was using as a source for one of the above stories last night, and when I tried to pull it back up today, I got an error message … I had never seen this one before, but it definitely gave me a smile!

A Visit To The Other Side …

Posted on September 3, 2019 by jilldennison under Bits 'n Pieces, cartoons, Environmental Issues, Law and justice, Political commentary, Racism & Bigotry, Social commentary

I stumbled, quite by accident, onto a very conservative website, Townhall, last night. As soon as I saw some of the OpEd titles, I knew I was not in Kansas anymore, and was aiming to make a hasty getaway before I was spotted in enemy territory. But then … I thought … why not take a look at what they are saying? I’ve long said that in order to meet somewhere in the middle, we must first listen to each other, right? Here is a sampling of the titles of some of the OpEd pieces on this site …

Trump Pushes Back Against Anti-Christian Bullies and Bigots – Todd Starnes
Trump Supporters Have ALL The Moral High Ground. Don’t Cede One Inch Of It To The Left – Scott Morefield
American Workers Looking Forward to Five More Labor Days With Trump – Bob Paduchik
The New York Times’ Revisionist History on the Start and Story of America Is Absurd and Dangerous – Richard Land
President Trump—Not Democrats—Is Really Helping Low-income Americans – Michael Busler
Mainstream Media Hijack Hurricane Dorian for Climate-Change Alarm – Vijay Jayaraj
Democrats Put Their Faith in the Faithless – Robert Knight

I actually read a few of these articles this morning, thankful that I hadn’t yet eaten, so there was no danger of a return visit, and then I went to take a shower, for I felt somehow dirty. These are semi-legitimate journalists, by the way, not the Tucker Carlson variety of ranters, although I did notice Ann Coulter’s name on their list of contributors. According to Media Bias/Fact Check, their factual reporting gets a mixed review, as they are known to “publish misleading reports and omit reporting of information”. Anyway … in case you care what the other side thinks … I shall share just a few relevant snippets.

From the Scott Morefield piece …

Especially given a leftist-controlled mainstream press all-too-willing to portray the president as a monster and his policies as monstrous, you may be forgiven for thinking all of those things. But the reality, however, is actually the exact opposite of what they would have you believe. In fact, it is Trump’s supporters who truly have every inch of the moral high ground. In fact, it is Trump’s policies that are the very definition of objective principles, morals, and values, even if his presentation at times gives his haters ammunition by seeming to belie that fact.
Every time these jackals politicize mass shootings to call for more gun control, remember that they really don’t care about any of the lives such legislation would save, especially considering they know full well the legislation they espouse wouldn’t actually save any lives. In their unquenchable thirst for control, leftists would happily take away the right to defend oneself against rogue criminals or rogue governments. They cry alligator tears at the deaths of gun victims while ignoring those who successfully defend themselves with guns or the unarmed who die from a senseless home invasion.
Those who refuse to support President Trump based on optics alone are completely missing the big picture. Whether you consider some of his tweets and comments “presidential” or not, the policies Trump espouses and helps to implement through executive orders, signed legislation, and appointing judges result in by far the greatest good for the greatest number of people, full stop.

From Bob Paduchik’s …

The Democratic Party’s presidential candidates not only want to repeal the tax cuts that saved taxpayers an average of $1,400 last year and restore the regulatory overreach that crippled American businesses during the Obama era, they’re also urging surrender in the seminal trade negotiations that are still underway between the Trump administration and the Chinese.
The Democrats have plenty of other nasty surprises in store for working Americans, too. Their outrageous “Medicare for all” proposal, for instance, would eliminate the private health insurance plans that workers earned at the bargaining table.

And, according to Robert Knight …

Democrats can’t seem to figure out whether they want to use the government to drive Christianity underground or just replace the biblical version with fake Christianity. These aren’t mutually exclusive goals; either one brings America closer to a secular, socialist state whose unofficial religion is atheism.
Democratic presidential contenders like former Vice President Joe Biden, Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren, New Jersey Sen. Cory Booker, California Sen. Kamala Harris and South Bend Mayor Pete Buttigieg invoke Christianity to shill for taxpayer-funded, unrestricted abortion and the family values of Sodom, plus confiscation of wealth and redistribution. Note to the media: Why aren’t Democrats – and Republicans – being asked what they think of Drag Queen Story Hour? Anyone?

Well, I think you get the gist, right? The thing that disturbs me is that both sides are so far apart on all issues from foreign policy to humanitarian issues to immigration to religion that I see no room for any middle ground. The middle ground seems to have become a barren desert where nothing can exist. I mean, how do you debate with someone who calls gun-control advocates “jackals”, and says, “Trump’s policies that are the very definition of objective principles, morals, and values …”? Where do you even begin?

The name-calling is taking place on both sides, I engage in it myself on a fairly routine basis, but it is detrimental to any meaningful meeting of the minds. How do you engage in any sort of discourse with people who turn a completely blind eye to the single most important issue of the day: climate change? When they applaud Trump’s de-regulation by executive order rather than will of the people or congressional mandate, they are essentially begging to hasten the destruction of life as we know it. How do you speak to that?

Well, the exercise wasn’t entirely futile, for it got my adrenaline stirring and gave me some food for thought. How ‘bout I end this with a few cartoons from “the other side” …

I didn’t really find any of them to be that funny, did you? Thought for the day: How can we shrink this great divide that is destroying the country? How can two sets of ideologies that seem so far apart with nothing in common, unite?

Snarky Snippets Are Baaaack!

Posted on September 3, 2019 by jilldennison under Bits 'n Pieces, education, Environmental Issues, Law and justice, Political commentary, religion, Social commentary

It’s been a while since I released a full stream of snarky snippets … been taking it a bit easy, trying to keep the snark at bay, but … well, that only works for so long, y’know.

Say WHAT???

When Miss Goose was young, I read to her the first Harry Potter book, “Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone” (first published as Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone in the UK). I liked it much better than she did, and I went on to read the next 2 or 3 in the series … by myself. Although I’ve never been a fan of fantasy fiction, I have to admit they are fun books. Harmless fun with lovable characters. But apparently the Catholic Church doesn’t think so.

St. Edward Catholic school in Nashville has removed the Harry Potter books from its library, saying …

“These books present magic as both good and evil, which is not true, but in fact a clever deception. The curses and spells used in the books are actual curses and spells; which when read by a human being risk conjuring evil spirits into the presence of the person reading the text.”

Oh bullcrap! Yes, that noise you hear is me stomping my feet, not the presence of evil spirits!

According to Rebecca Hammel, superintendent of schools for the Catholic diocese of Nashville …

“We really don’t get into censorship in such selections other than making sure that what we put in our school libraries are age-appropriate materials for our classrooms.”

Well if this isn’t censorship, lady, then I must not understand the meaning of the word. I was not aware, but the Harry Potter series has drawn criticism from religious groups before. In 2001, the pastor of Christ Community Church in Alamogordo, New Mexico oversaw a book burning of the Potter books, and a local library responded with a dedicated display, telling the public that “Harry is alive and well at the library”.

While he was still a cardinal in 2003, the future Pope Benedict XVI described the books as “subtle seductions which act unnoticed and by this deeply distort Christianity in the soul before it can grow properly”.

Wake up churches … we have entered the 21^st century! Harry Potter books are fun! They are harmless! There ain’t no evil spirits planning to descend upon those who read these books!

A veteran speaks …

Last week, a spokesperson for Bozo in the Oval announced that “in certain cases”, children born to U.S. service members or government employees stationed abroad may not automatically be eligible for citizenship under the new Trump rules.

Tammy Duckworth is a former U.S. Army lieutenant colonel who has served as the junior United States Senator from Illinois since 2017. While serving in the Iraq War as a U.S. Army helicopter pilot, Ms. Duckworth suffered severe combat wounds, which caused her to lose both of her legs and some mobility in her right arm. She was the first female double amputee from the war. Despite her grievous injuries, she sought and obtained a medical waiver which allowed her to continue serving as a lieutenant colonel in the Illinois Army National Guard.

Senator Duckworth penned a letter to Kevin McAleenan, the acting director of homeland security, stating her objections to the new policy. Her letter bears reading …

What’s next, folks? Trump claims to love the military, love veterans, but thus far his policies have done nothing positive for them.

Spittin’ in the wind?

I really didn’t set out with the intention of picking on religion tonight … I try hard to bite my tongue where religion is concerned, but at the moment, my tongue is already bleeding.

Florida is bracing for the arrival of Hurricane Dorian. I’ve seen countless pictures of people filling sandbags, boarding windows, helping others move inland, stocking up on supplies, and more. But, these people …

… gathered on the Jacksonville Beach Pier to pray the storm away. Yes, you heard me right! They say they are telling the storm to “calm down”. I put this one right up there with people sending “thoughts and prayers” after a mass shooting, but then admittedly I am a cynic. The group says they did the same thing two years ago while awaiting the arrival of Hurricane Irma. Did that work well for them? Well, let’s see …

Hurricane Irma delivered an $85 million hit to the city of Jacksonville, according to the city’s most recent cost estimates.

The biggest share of the total is about $40 million for hauling away all the debris left behind by the storm, followed by $16.6 million for dunes and berms, and $15.3 million for personnel and equipment costs for emergency response operations.

The total financial impact on city government is almost twice the $45 million expense dealt by Hurricane Matthew in October 2016.

I’m thinking maybe not so much. And during Irma, they even had the help of some 59,000 people who had the brilliant idea to point fans toward the east and blow the hurricane back out to sea! Imagine how much worse Irma might have been if she hadn’t been thwarted by all that hot air!

Okay … I’m done snarking for tonight. I’m fairly certain I’ll have more soon, though. Meanwhile, to all my friends and readers in the path of Hurricane Dorian, please keep safe and let us know you’re okay. Love you all!

Good People Doing Good Things — Everyday People

Posted on August 28, 2019 by jilldennison under Bits 'n Pieces, Good people doing good things, Random, Social commentary

Today’s good people are just average, ordinary people who see a need and step in to help another. Small things, everyday sort of things, but things that mean so much …

In October, Milwaukee bus driver Natalie Barnes started talking with a passenger named Richard, who told her he has been homeless for a week, since the place where he had been living was condemned. When he asked if he could ride along for the night to stay out of the cold, she agreed.

“At some point in our lives, everybody needs help. I wanted to do what I could to help Richard in some way.”

At one point during her shift, she took a break at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee and offered to get her passenger a bite to eat. “Now I don’t know what to say but to say thank you,” he said to Barnes and promised to pay her back somehow.

She refused, saying, “I want to help you.” But it doesn’t stop there. During another break, she reached out to a friend, who helped get Richard into a temporary shelter. Barnes and Richard became friends during that six-hour bus ride. Now he has her cellphone number, and they keep in touch.

“We talk every couple of days and he thanks me every time he talks to me for helping him. He calls me his little guardian angel. I’m happy to say that he’s progressing well.”

Helping others comes second nature for Barnes, who has received three commendations for outstanding service since being hired by the MCTS two years ago.

Lisa Meilander of Elizabeth Township, Pennsylvania, was eating dinner with her family at Eat’n Park restaurant when a 91-year-old World War II veteran sat down to eat his meal alone.

But he didn’t eat alone.

Lisa shared what happened next in a Facebook post.

“The elderly gentleman was seated in the booth directly across from my family as we ate dinner Saturday night at Eat’n Park in Belle Vernon. We really didn’t see him come in. But we did notice when our server, Dylan, dropped to one knee to look him eye-to-eye as he got ready to take his order.The man apologized for not hearing too well. He had forgotten to put in his hearing aids. He talked about how he lost his hearing during his time in the war. He was 91 years old with many stories to tell. Dylan patiently listened giving him his full attention.

Eventually the man apologized for talking so much.

‘I’m alone now,’ he said, ‘and I don’t often have someone to talk to.’

Dylan smiled and said he enjoyed listening.

He then helped him figure out what to order and left to take it to the kitchen. It was a touching site. I wanted offer to pay for the man’s dinner, but before I could flag down Dylan, a man seated at a nearby booth asked Dylan to bring him his check.

‘Someone’s already taken care of it,’ Dylan smiled. I guess we weren’t the only ones eavesdropping on the conversation.

After the man received his food Dylan came back to say he was on a break. He asked if he could sit with the gentleman as he ate. As we left the restaurant the two of them were conversing and many people seated nearby were smiling. It was a touching sight.

With all of the negative stories about our youth today this was a breath of fresh air. I wonder if I would have been as kind and attentive if I were the one working there. One thing’s for sure, if you are ever at Eat’n Park in Belle Vernon, ask for Dylan. If he’s your waiter you’re certain to get great service.”

Antonio Basco, 61, made headlines after issuing a public invitation to his wife Margie’s funeral, saying he felt alone as the couple didn’t have any nearby relatives. Over 3,000 people turned out for her services and over a thousand flower arrangements were sent for the funeral.The following weekend, Basco’s vehicle was stolen and wrecked. In addition to the car destruction, the thief also stole a pressure washing machine from Basco’s trailer that he used for his mobile car washing business.Casa Ford Lincoln, a dealership in El Paso, posted on its Facebook page that it was looking for ways to help Basco. The dealership gave Basco a brand new Ford Escape and a trailer. CBS Dallas-Fort Worth reported that an anonymous donor bought Basco a new pressure washer for his business.

When responding to a recent call, members of the Webster Groves Fire Department noticed a woman in a wheelchair falling over while trying to enter her home.

“Multiple stairs and uneven terrain unfortunately led to the resident falling over in her wheelchair while trying to enter the house. Luckily the patient was uninjured, but we saw an opportunity to help.”

The firefighters spent several off days digging out and pouring a new sidewalk for her.

“She will now have a level pathway and ramp to gain access to her home. A huge thank you goes out to the members that spent their days off helping those in need.”

See, folks, you don’t have to have a lot of money to help others … you just have to be willing to give a bit of yourself, of your time. ‘Til next week, then, remember …

Monsters, Monsters Everywhere

Posted on August 27, 2019 by jilldennison under Bits 'n Pieces, Free Press Issues, Law and justice, Political commentary, Racism & Bigotry

There are monsters everywhere we look in the federal government today. Those who are opening their mouths to say, “But it has always been so”, just hush, please. Sure, every administration has had a few corrupt members, some more than others. But the current administration is the most corrupt in history, and that is only based on what we know! I think that once they are gone and the digging begins, we will find many dead bodies that we are not aware of yet. But I’m not talking about corruption at the moment, I am talking about monsters …

It isn’t only the corruption, but the sheer lack of any shred of conscience or humanity in most of Trump’s administration, from his hired bimbo Kellyanne, to his senior policy advisor Stephen Miller, to Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin. Look into their eyes … nothing. No warmth, no sign of life. And at the top of the monster chain is none other than Trump himself. But today I write about other monsters …

Trampling the Constitution … again

Trump & Co are at it again, this time attempting to shut down journalists whose reporting is unfavourable to Trump. A group of Trump allies has begun a program to start dossiers on these journalists consisting of basically any dirt, real or imagined, they can dig up on them, including potentially embarrassing personal social media postings. According to the New York Times …

The group has already released information about journalists at CNN, The Washington Post and The New York Times — three outlets that have aggressively investigated Mr. Trump — in response to reporting or commentary that the White House’s allies consider unfair to Mr. Trump and his team or harmful to his re-election prospects.

Operatives have closely examined more than a decade’s worth of public posts and statements by journalists, the people familiar with the operation said. Only a fraction of what the network claims to have uncovered has been made public, the people said, with more to be disclosed as the 2020 election heats up. The research is said to extend to members of journalists’ families who are active in politics, as well as liberal activists and other political opponents of the president.

The information unearthed by the operation has been commented on and spread by officials inside the Trump administration and re-election campaign, as well as conservative activists and right-wing news outlets such as Breitbart News.

This is very shaky ground they are treading upon. Be afraid, people, be very afraid. Trump has trampled the Constitution multiple times already, has declared himself to be above the law, and sadly the Department of Justice is now headed by a Trump sycophant who will not pursue any action against Trump. The 1^st Amendment, perhaps most especially the free exercise clause guaranteeing freedom of the press, is the major safeguard from becoming an autocracy. It isn’t, as some would tell you, the Second Amendment keeping us free … it is the First.

Though the Times was unable to identify all the members of the group, one such member is noted as Arthur Schwartz, a friend to both Don Trump Junior and Steve Bannon.

A monster re-surfaces …

“On this day, August 25, 2019, after consultation and approval from my wife of 61 years, Ava, I have decided to run to be reelected Sheriff. Watch out world! We are back!”Those were the words spoken on Sunday by the man who was convicted of contempt of court, who has engaged in racial profiling and crimes against humanity, former Maricopa Country, Arizona sheriff, Joe Arpaio. In case you’ve forgotten, Arpaio …

engaged in “unconstitutional policing” and established a “pervasive culture of discriminatory bias against Latinos”
failed to investigate over 400 alleged sexual assault cases reported to his office, including dozens of child molestations between 2005 and 2007 alone
arrested a 6-year-old child during an immigration sweep
arrested a reporter from The Phoenix New Times for reporting on him in an unfavourable light (The Times sued and won a $3.75 million settlement)
refused to comply with a previous court order to stop racially profiling, and was found guilty of contempt in July 2017
Was convicted of contempt of court and faced a prison sentence, but Donald Trump pardoned him on 25 August 2017

Despite the pardon, Arpaio is a convicted felon and a rotten-to-the-core excuse for a human being. Surely the people of Maricopa Country cannot be stupid enough to elect him again???

And yet another monster rears its ugly head …

You remember ol’ Roy Moore, right? Former Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Alabama who was removed from the bench for breaking the very laws he had sworn to uphold … not once, but twice! Ol’ Roy Moore made his own rules, refusing to remove the granite Ten Commandments monument from a federal government building, and the second time for issuing an order to Alabama judges to disregard the U.S. Supreme Court ruling in the same-sex marriage case of Obergefell v Hodges.

In 2017, he ran against democrat Doug Jones for the U.S. Senate seat vacated by Jeff Sessions, and lost, largely because numerous credible accusations of sexual harassment emerged during that time, the most heinous one by a woman who says Moore sexually abused her when he was a 32-year-old assistant district attorney and she was only 14 years of age.

In the weeks that followed, Moore called into question the accuser’s character, saying she was a part of a “liberal conspiracy”. The woman, Leigh Corfman, filed a defamation of character suit which is still pending. And now, ol’ Roy is running once again for the U.S. Senate, and he wants the court to dismiss Ms. Corfman’s suit so that it doesn’t cause him problems with the voters in Alabama.

Moore’s senate bid is unlikely to gain much momentum, even without the shame of having been accused of such misconduct, for he has raised far less in campaign donations than his two opponents. Doug Jones has raised some $4.3 million, Bradley Byrne has raised around $2.4 million, and Roy Moore has raised a paltry $16,000. However, the mere fact that his arrogance allows him to believe he is fit for any office higher than that of garbage collector is appalling.

To offset the darkness of this post, I bring you just a little bit of humour …

Jolly’s Monday Morn …

Posted on August 26, 2019 by jilldennison under animals, Bits 'n Pieces, cartoons, Humour, Politic-Free Mondays

Good Monday Morning, Folks! How was your weekend? Did you do anything fun, like a trip to the beach, a hike in the forest, or a wild ‘n crazy party? No? Me either. Jolly and I stayed in most of the weekend, ventured out for a bit yesterday, but nothing out of the ordinary. I find that as I get older, the ordinary, the routine, is just fine by me. I made a few treats for you this morning … and I have to tell you all that this is a special, happy/sad Monday, for our youngest friend, Benjamin, will be starting Kindergarten this week, and he won’t be around as much for Jolly Monday, but will be learning how things work, how to find the square root of 1,080, who defeated Napoleon and all sorts of stuff. Remember, it is he and others his age that are our future! Anyway, enough with the nostalgia … go grab a treat and see what Jolly and I have put together to start this week off on the right foot!

Benjamin’s Star Donuts

Benjamin’s Juice Box!

Gwammie … din’tya forget sumptin’? ‘Member? My puppie?

You tell them, Jolly … it’s your puppy and your news. 🙄

Okay … thanks to you fwiends who made names for my puppy, but I decided to name ‘im … {drumroll} … Pweshus Pup!!!! An’ we’ll call ‘im PeePee for short, cause he does peepee a lot!

One thing about having one’s head stuck in the deep, dark world of politics for more than half of every day is that it leaves you with a bit of an odd sense of what’s funny. My daughter has nixed my ideas for Jolly Monday more than a few times, like the time I was going to write about a lady who had died … I can’t remember exactly how, but at the time I found it humorous … not that she had died, but the manner in which she had done so. Chris nay-ed that one. Anyway, my sense of humour is sometimes off, but today I came across a children’s book title that literally made me laugh standing in the middle of Barnes & Noble …So, I thought … there must be hundreds of humorous kids’ book titles out there, and I Googled “funny kids book titles”. Sigh. The world is a scary place these days. Some were quite humorous, but … in a very perverse sort of way … nothing I would put on this blog.

I always have fun when I come across oddly funny signs, so here are a few to provide you with a Monday morning chuckle …

What a bargain!

Isn’t this too cool?

Y’know, I have to wonder where people come up with some of the absurd things they do to get their name in the Guinness World Book of Records. This latest one is kind of cool to look at, but it still falls into the category of … WHY???

A United Arab Emirates grocery store chain broke a Guinness World Record by using 883 bottles of ketchup to create an 11-foot-tall tower. Carrefour, which collaborated with Heinz to create the ketchup tower, was awarded the Guinness World Record for the tallest packaged food display after 52 volunteers spent more than 48 hours constructing the tower. The tower was constructed from bottles of “Edchup,” Heinz bottles designed by pop star and ketchup fan Ed Sheeran. Smaller versions of the ketchup tower were assembled at Carrefour locations in the Mall of the Emirates, City Center Ajman and Marina Mall in Abu Dhabi.

Some people have too much time on their hands, methinks.

I found a few funny ‘toons over at Phil’s Phun that I thought you might like …

Okay, folks, that is all the funny that Jolly and I ha … wha … what’s that??? Oh! The funny animal video? You say you’re not leaving until I give you a funny animal video, eh? Well … let me see … JOLLY??? Where’s the funny animal video???

I jest finished makin’ it … here it is!

Okay, folks … NOW that is really all I’ve got for today. Jolly and I have left a basket of smiles at the door … please take a few on your way out to share with people whose smiles seem to be upside down this week. Things are tough these days, and I think we could all use an extra smile, don’t you? Keep safe and have a wonderful week, my friends! Love ‘n hugs from Filosofa and Jolly!

Snippy Snarkets … Er… Snarky Snippets!

Posted on August 25, 2019 by jilldennison under Bits 'n Pieces, Environmental Issues, Global Issues, Humour, Political commentary

There is so much on my mind that needs venting that I didn’t know where to start, so you know when that happens I have to unload some of it in a round of snark snippets, yes?

He should have been locked in his room …

Every time little Donnie is allowed out to play with the other kids, I get nervous. Last year at the G7 summit he embarrassed us all by suggesting that Russia, who was ousted in 2014 from what was once the G8 for their forcible annexation of the Crimea, should be let back in. He has already started on that tired old claim again this year. His stated reason?

“Because we should have Russia at the negotiating table. You know, whether you like it or not, and it may not be politically correct, but we have a world to run.”

His real reason, however, is that Putin, in exchange for doing everything in his power to shove Donnie, despite the wishes of the voters in the U.S., into the Oval Office, in return expects Donnie to do his bidding.

Trump fails to understand that the G7 is meant to solidify policies on the basis of shared values and interests. If Putin were there, he would not be cooperative. Quite the contrary, he would render the group ineffective.

Trump’s minions are apparently pissed that France is focusing much of this year’s G7 meeting on such things as climate change and human rights … the Trump team apparently only wanted to discuss trade. Quite frankly, in this I side with the French, for there is no single issue more relevant, more urgent than climate change and in fact, it is really the ONLY issue that matters very much at the moment. If we don’t act on climate change NOW, nothing else will matter in just a few short years. And I will always think that human rights are more important than trade. At this time in our history, the U.S. is guilty of more serious human rights violations than in the past 155 years, since the end of slavery.

According to aides, Trump left for the G7 fully intending to promote his isolationist “America First” viewpoint, but hopefully the other six nations, France, Canada, Germany, Italy, UK, and Japan, will keep the conference to more relevant topics. Otherwise, next year Trump may not need to worry about attending, and it may be called the G6. According to Jon B. Alterman, senior vice president at the Center for Strategic and International Studies …

“There has been a complete realization on the world stage that the U.S. is not playing its traditional role and may never again play the role it’s played for 75 years. But it’s unclear what role the United States will play, and what the consequences of that might be.”

European Council President Donald Tusk noted that …

“For me it’s absolutely clear that if someone, for example … the United States and President Trump, uses tariffs and taxation as a political instrument, tool for some different political reasons, it means that this confrontation can be really risky for the whole world, including the E.U. Under no condition can we agree with this logic. If the U.S. imposes tariffs on France, the E.U. will respond in kind.”

I’m sure I’ll have more about this after tomorrow, but for now, suffice it to say that Donald Trump fails to understand the concept of international cooperation, his ego requires that he be the center of attention at all times, that his demands are the only ones that matter. He literally sucks all of the air out of the room when he’s in it.

She’s baaaaaaack …

I suppose you’ve all heard the news that former White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders, the woman who sold her soul for the chance to lick Donald Trump’s boots, has taken a job over at Fox “News”? As one person tweeted, “In a way, Sarah, you’ve been a Fox contributor all along.” True dat.

Now, last I heard, when she left her position in July, she was planning on making a 2020 run for Governor of Arkansas. Wonder what happened to that? Oh wait … it’s perfect, now that I think about it! She can be her own best source of advertisement … unlimited exposure, hundreds of opportunities to toot her own horn, to be seen by all the good people of Arkansas. Who needs to worry about campaign contributions when they are on state-tv every day?

Former CBS news anchor Dan Rather tweeted that her new role was “about as surprising as water flowing down hill.”

Comedienne Chelsea Handler: “I’m not surprised Sarah Huckabee Sanders is joining Fox News, but I will be surprised to see what she looks like as a blonde,” an obvious reference to the fact that most of the female personalities on Fox are blonde bimbos.

The jokes on Twitter were endless. I will only say I’m thankful that I don’t watch Fox, for I had enough of watching Sanders lie for Donnie-boy for two years. I only hope that the people of Arkansas are smart enough not to elect her governor.

A bit of humour …

I end with just a bit of humour … I debated about including this one, for in a way it’s not exactly tasteful (pun intended), but I simply couldn’t resist.

Apparently, Chicago doesn’t like Trump very much (does anybody, really???), and a Chicago eatery has found a new way to mock him. The eatery is called Weiner’s Circle, and from what I understand it is a very popular hot dog stand. Chicago is, after all, famous for hot dogs!

Weiner’s Circle has put a new item on the menu, named the Trump Footlong. It is three inches long.

“The special item will be dressed exactly the same as a Chicago dog, only smaller in size. Customers can enjoy a single Trump footlong for $2.69; a Trump Package with two hot dogs, fries and a drink for $8.30; or the Super PAC for $12.56, which comes with four hot dogs, fries and a drink, according to RedEye. Wiener’s Circle is doing a little decorating as well… “

Wiener’s Circle employees are also wearing hats that say, “Make Wiener’s great again.” The Trump-style hot dogs are available Friday through Sunday.

And on that note, I shall quietly slip away for a bit, but stay tuned, for I have more …

Good People Doing Good Things … Best Buddies and More

Posted on August 21, 2019 by jilldennison under Bits 'n Pieces, Global Issues, Good people doing good things, Social commentary

My first ‘good people’ of the day came to my attention thanks to my youngest reader, Benjamin, who emailed me with … “Namaste, Miss Jill! It’s me, Benjamin! We, Gem and me, found a good people for you! Gem read it to me and I told her, that’s a good people thingy for Miss Jill. Bye!” Well, he was right, this is perfect for my “good people thingy” … thank you, Benjamin! Don’t you just love it when a 5-year-old is already taking notice of the good people in this world?

Michell Girard is a hero, at least to one person, Chris Barrington. Ms. Girard was Chris’ teacher many, many years ago, and she must have been an exceptional teacher, for when Chris was found wandering alone on a highway outside of Gatesville, Texas one day back in June, hers was the only name he could think of to give the Sheriff’s deputies. You see, Chris is autistic and severely developmentally delayed, and functions at the level of a six-year-old child.

Chris had been living with his father, but his father was in the late stages of leukemia and was not able to get out of bed to care for Chris, so Chris struck out on his own. When the deputies found him, he had been walking around for two days, and other than his father’s name, the only other one he could come up with was his teacher from way back when, Michell Girard.

When the Sheriff’s office contacted Ms. Girard, she asked …

“What happens if I don’t take him? Will he get in a group home?”

When told that no, he would be institutionalized, she responded …

“Not on my watch, he’s not!”

You’ve gotta love that lady! And that is how Chris Barrington came to live with a woman he hadn’t seen in years. Chris’ father died a short time later, on August 1^st, and Ms. Girard has applied for permanent guardianship.

There are a lot of things in life that most of us take for granted but that Chris had never known … simple things like … a birthday party! Says Ms. Girard …

“He’s never had a birthday present, a birthday party, he’s never had Christmas, Thanksgiving, nothing. So, this year is going to be full of firsts.”

But he had a party this year!And that’s not all … he took his first boat ride! Ms. Girard posted on Facebook to see if any of her friends knew of somebody with a boat who would be willing to take him for a ride … just around Lake Waco. Enter Jimmy Bennett, owner of JMB Fishing …

“You know, there are so many things that kids want to do. They want to go to Disney. I have one that wants to go to Hawaii on a shark fishing trip. Chris is happy to come out on Lake Waco and ride around on a boat. That’s all he wants to do.”

Check out the video …

Ms. Girard definitely qualifies in my book as a ‘good people’ … and from the looks of it, Chris Barrington is embarking on a fun new chapter in his life!

As I was digging for more information about Michell Girard and Chris Barrington, I came across another story that led me to an organization …Meet best buddies Lisa Buchanan and Ruth Godding. The two met 20 years ago, through an organization called Best Buddies International, a non-profit that is working to end “social, physical and economic isolation” among people with intellectual and developmental disabilities.

When they met, Lisa Buchanan was president of the Best Buddies chapter at Marymount University in Virginia. Per Lisa …

“We hit it off right away. We started talking on the phone. We just did all the on-campus things through college, like Halloweenfest and Christmas parties. Then when I graduated I wasn’t technically in Best Buddies anymore, but I still kept in touch with Ruth.”

The two have spent many good times together. Lisa is now a schoolteacher and the mother of 13-year-old twins, of whom Ruth says …

“They were very cute babies! I was very surprised they were twins. Wow! There were two babies! I wasn’t expecting that one.”

Best Buddies International highlighted Ruth and Lisa’s story of enduring friendship this month. According to the organization’s founder, Anthony Shriver …

“Ruth and Lisa’s 20-year friendship is really what Best Buddies is all about. It’s truly a testament to the power of friendship and inclusion. Genuine one-to-one friendships like this change lives, and it’s why we’ve spent the last 30 years working to connect people who may not normally be friends and changing the way people think about individuals with special abilities — everyone should have a best buddy.”

Best Buddies’ Mission Statement:

Best Buddies International is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization dedicated to establishing a global volunteer movement that creates opportunities for one-to-one friendships, integrated employment, leadership development, and inclusive living for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD).

The IDD community that Best Buddies serves includes, but is not limited to, people with Down syndrome, autism, Fragile X, Williams syndrome, cerebral palsy, traumatic brain injury and other undiagnosed disabilities.

Best Buddies is the world’s largest organization dedicated to ending the social, physical and economic isolation of the 200 million people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD). Our programs empower the special abilities of people with IDD by helping them form meaningful friendships with their peers, secure successful jobs, live independently, improve public speaking, self-advocacy and communication skills, and feel valued by society.

And they have had a global impact …

Take a look at their website … I think you’ll agree that this organization also qualifies as a ‘good people’ and deserves a two thumbs-up!

Once again, good people just dropped into my lap and I didn’t have to look far. Underneath all the noise and detritus in the news these days, there are these people, real people, making a difference in the lives of others. Kind of restores a bit of faith in the world, doesn’t it?

Too Little, Too Late, But Still …

Posted on August 20, 2019 by jilldennison under Bits 'n Pieces, Free Press Issues, Law and justice, Racism & Bigotry, Social commentary

There have been some positive signs that perhaps this nation as a whole is sick and tired of the white supremacists and their rhetoric, sick and tired of seeing white people with notions of superiority thinking they have more ‘natural rights’ than others. It’s far too little, too late, but still … it’s a start.

And it only took five years …

In 2014, New York City police officer Daniel Pantaleo choked an unarmed black man, Eric Garner, to death. It was not the first, nor would it be the last case of a white cop killing an unarmed black man, but it was the case that brought the #BlackLivesMatter movement to the forefront of the public eye. In almost every one of these cases, the police officers have gotten off scot-free, even kept their jobs. On Monday, a New York City Commissioner James P. O’Neill made a decision that will, hopefully, set a new precedent, by firing Officer Pantaleo, and stripping him of his pension benefits.

Garner’s crime five years ago was that he was allegedly selling cigarettes outside a convenience store. For this, he paid with his life. It is my opinion that Officer Panteleo should have been tried and convicted. The department had a rule against using the chokehold he used on Mr. Garner, and Garner said, “I can’t breathe”, but still Panteleo didn’t release his hold. Blatant cruelty. And yet, despite Mr. Garner’s death having been ruled a homicide, Panteleo was never charged.

As I said, this is a case of too little, too late. Pateleo should be in prison, but instead he is in his lawyer’s office trying to force the NYPD to reinstate him, his benefits, and pay him back pay for time lost. And, it took James O’Neill five years to decide to fire him. When they say the “wheels of justice” turn slowly, they aren’t kidding! Still, it is a small step in the right direction.

A slippery slope …

The 1^st Amendment right to free speech is a slippery slope and has been the cause of much disagreement throughout time. At what point does free speech cross the line and become punishable? At what point should speech be silenced? Some would answer “never”, but most reasonable people agree that there must be limits, but rarely agree to the terms of said ‘limits’. In this age of social media, the question becomes even more relevant, for there are those who believe that hate speech is protected under the 1^st Amendment, and spew their hate all over Facebook, Twitter and YouTube for all the world to see.

Last week, social media outlets Facebook and Instagram suspended the accounts of James Orien Allsup, and Twitter had already suspended his account in late 2017. James Orien Allsup is a white supremacist who marched with the other white supremacists at the Unite the Right rally in Charlottesville, Virginia in 2017 and whose hate speech can still be seen on YouTube. There will be some, no doubt, who will cry “Foul!” at the move by Facebook and Instagram, but frankly, I support the move.

I am a staunch advocate for freedom of speech and freedom of the press. However, in my book there is a line. When you publicly threaten or incite violence, then you have shirked the responsibility that accompanies those rights. I say the same about media outlets such as Fox and Breitbart that engage in conspiracy theories that have already led to violence and loss of life. I applaud Facebook and Instagram, and would urge YouTube to remove this man from their platform as well.

The New York Times is doing an excellent series titled The 1619 Project:

The 1619 Project is a major initiative from The New York Times observing the 400th anniversary of the beginning of American slavery. It aims to reframe the country’s history, understanding 1619 as our true founding, and placing the consequences of slavery and the contributions of black Americans at the very center of the story we tell ourselves about who we are.

I will be including some of their works in future posts, but I urge you to check it out for yourselves. Racism, white supremacy, white nationalism … whatever name you give it … is ugly, and in this country, it is increasing at what I consider to be an alarming rate. We need to tackle this subject, to take off the window dressing and show it for what it is … arrogant hate. A friend sent me a meme recently that I think should be made into a poster and mailed to every member of any of the 1,000+ hate groups around the country!

Filosofa's Word

Cogito Ergo Sum

Category Archives: Bits ‘n Pieces

Saturday Surprise … Just For Fun

Monsters, Monsters Everywhere

Jolly’s Monday Morn …

Snippy Snarkets … Er… Snarky Snippets!