Politics

The Daily Prompt and Joe Biden

~ MaryG ~ 7 Comments

According to WordPress, I’ve already answered today’s daily prompt, so I guess I’ve lapped myself. I’ve been posting regularly for about a year now. Here was my answer from last time this prompt came up:

Yeah, no, I don’t think so

Regarding Joe Biden, I’m getting more and more fearful that he’s just totally going to F*** us all by not dropping out. This article by Mark Leibovich is pretty harsh, but I tend to agree.

“It is now obvious that Biden has in no way internalized the disaster toward which he is defiantly ambling—or, more to the point, toward which he is leading his party and his country (and, for that matter, NATO, Ukraine, thousands of as-yet-not-deported immigrants, and unprosecuted Trump “enemies”). He seems fully indifferent to any consideration beyond his own withered pride and raging ego.”

I’m trying not to care about politics as much, because it’s just so damn depressing right now. I’m spending a lot of time trying chicken salad recipes and rearranging furniture. I’m trying to take heart in the fact that I (and most everyone I love) live in Massachusetts and perhaps we will be relatively insulated from Trump 2.0, but I know in my heart that nobody will escape it.

Complicated recipe, but very good in the end, especially on Day 2. The flavors really seemed to ripen.

Cold Rice Noodles with Grilled Chicken and Peanut Sauce

Cold Rice Noodles With Grilled Chicken and Peanut Sauce RecipeDownload

Back from the Brink

~ MaryG ~ 4 Comments

OK, I just watched Biden’s interview with George Stephanopoulos and I’m of two minds.

On the one hand, I’m worried that Biden thinks this whole thing is about him. If we lose to Trump, Joe will be just fine because ‘he tried his best.’ Yeah well, what about US?

On the other hand, he did remind me about his stature on the international stage. He held NATO together and even expanded it in defense of Ukraine. He’s accomplished many things — most importantly, he defeated Donald Trump.

So, here’s where I’m landing. If he doesn’t drop out and hand the Presidency and the nomination over to Harris soon, I want to see him involve her in everything. I want her prominently featured in the campaign. I want her leading the charge for women, and prosecuting the case against Trump (Kavanaugh hearings style) at every turn! I want to know that he’s truly mentoring her to takeover for him.

And yeah, he’s still old and mixes up shit, but it seemed more like normal old guy stuff, not like at the debate — where he seemed dementia-level confused.

My two cents.

Ready for President Harris

~ MaryG ~ 5 Comments

On what subject(s) are you an authority?

I’m not an authority on anything, but I have plenty of opinions.

In my opinion, President Biden should resign now and let VP Harris take over. His condition is not going to get better. It is old age and it never reverses. He should not have run for a second term, but he did, so now our only viable option is VP Harris. I’m optimistic that she will rise to the occasion and beat Trump, as she has shown tremendous leadership on the abortion issue of late.

Adam Sewer of The Atlantic said what I am thinking: Biden Must Resign.

I wish someone would play Biden the Hamilton soundtrack this weekend. The song “One Last Time” is so poignant. President Washington stepped down (at age 64) for the good of the country. I think President Biden (age 81!) should do the same, but what do I know?

President George Washington depicted at 64 years old at the end of his second term in office. (www.MountVernon.org)

The Future

~ MaryG ~ 18 Comments

What are you most worried about for the future?

I’m most worried about a second Trump term, which seems quite likely following last week’s debate in which Joe Biden’s advanced age and cognitive decline were on full display.

It is my hope that Biden comes to accept this and allows the Democratic Party to nominate someone younger—who can more vigorously rebut all of the convicted felon’s lies—in the coming weeks.

I believe that a second Trump term would mean the end of the United States as we’ve known it. Women’s rights, the Supreme Court, democracy, and the climate are my main concerns. I think I’ve actually given up on the United States ever controlling its gun violence problem.

On a much lighter note, I wore the pink side of my reversible skirt on Saturday. We had a joyous family celebration of my son’s college graduation and my granddaughter on the way. I cannot wait to meet her! 💗

e-tron

~ MaryG ~ 10 Comments

Are there things you try to practice daily to live a more sustainable lifestyle?

We recycle, own an electric car, and stopped buying plastic water bottles. We don’t fly much or eat a lot of red meat. We had an energy audit of the house and added things like insulation and low-flow shower heads.

In the face of melting polar ice, rising seas, historic floods, and endless wild fires, it really doesn’t seem like enough.

Our new plug-in car in 2016

A/C

~ MaryG ~ 13 Comments
Daily writing prompt
What’s the one luxury you can’t live without?
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For most of my life, I lived in homes with no air conditioning. Growing up, we made it through the muggy New England summers with fans and one window air conditioning unit in my parents’ bedroom. Throughout college and my first few apartments, I had no a/c at all. We purchased a window air conditioning unit for our bedroom in our first house.

It wasn’t until we moved into our second home that I experienced the true luxury of central air conditioning. I was 39 years old. Between menopause, global warming, and the extra layer of fat I now wear, I could never go back to A/C-less living.

Long live Judy Blume

~ MaryG ~ 11 Comments

Do you remember your favorite book from childhood?

I remember having “Pat the Bunny” as a very young child.

This favorite book for babies was first published in 1940.

Books by Dr. Seuss and his protégé P.D. Eastman (“Go Dog Go”) were good for both learning to read and being read to. Horton was particularly fascinating, perched on that nest while lazy Mayzie flew off to Palm Beach!

As I got older, nothing beat Judy Blume for real talk about real things that I actually cared about. “Deenie” was a favorite and of course, “Are you there God? It’s me, Margaret?”

Book banners like to target Judy Blume books, which is all the more reason to keep buying them, reading them, and giving them to your kids and grandkids.

Florida resident and bookstore owner Judy Blume tells us how she really feels about her governor.

Three books

~ MaryG ~ 3 Comments
Daily writing prompt
List three books that have had an impact on you. Why?
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The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck gave me a much better understanding of the Depression and the Dust Bowl and that whole chapter in US history. The take home message that people were poor to the point of starving, with no safety net, is something that stayed with me.

Stamped from the Beginning by Ibram X. Kendi was not an easy read, but I’m glad I made it through. It was one of several books that became bestsellers during the worldwide racial justice reckoning that followed the murder of George Floyd in May 2020. It’s a survey of the history of anti-Black racist ideas throughout American history. It helped lift the veil from my eyes.

I was having a hard time making it through this very dense and challenging material, so I started a short-term nonfiction book club with two friends over Zoom. I’m glad we read it together in the summer of 2020.

The Handmaids Tale by Margaret Atwood came out when I was in college and was a huge bestseller. This dystopian novel describes a Christian fundamentalist theocratic regime in the former United States where some women are forced to conceive and bear children in the most horrific way. It really motivated my involvement with the pro-choice movement of the 1980s. I recently read the sequel: The Testaments, which was published in 2019.

So much of Handmaid’s Tale horror has re-surfaced and resonated loudly since the Dobbs decision by the MAGA Supreme Court. It’s scary—and infuriating.

Under His Eye

May the Lord Open

Gilead

Aunt Lydia