Politics

NO KINGS 3, this Saturday

~ MaryG ~ 15 Comments

My husband has had a bit of a setback with his recovery, but I’m still planning to get out there to protest Trump on Saturday.

The second round of “No Kings” protests (“No Kings 2”) in October 2025 drew roughly 5–7 million Americans nationwide, making it one of the largest single-day demonstrations in U.S. history at about 2% of the population.  Social scientists and historians often point to the so-called “3.5% rule,” which finds that sustained, nonviolent movements become very hard for governments to ignore when about 3.5% of the population participates—in the U.S., that’s roughly 11–12 million people. 

So, all hands on deck! No Kings 2 was actually a lot of fun. You don’t want to sit on the sidelines for this nationwide protest. Even if you don’t have time to make a sign, getting your body out there makes a difference.

I’m planning to lead singing with a small group from a bandstand as I have done in the past. I can sing loudly and clearly into a microphone, which is the main qualification for this role. I’m not out there protesting on overpasses or at ICE facilities, but I try to contribute my singing voice, when asked. We all need to try to do something to save the Republic. 🇺🇸

Not sure I’ll have time to make a sign, but if I do, I think it’s going to say:

NO MAD KINGS

We The People…don’t want any of this: 

*Abortion bans

*War

*Immigrant hate 

*Measles outbreaks, FFS!

Find a protest near you.

Artistic Dilemma

~ MaryG ~ 25 Comments

I decided to try painting something to submit to an “Art for Democracy” contest being run by my church. It’s open to professional artists throughout New England and there are cash prizes, so I’m not getting my hopes up. I’m thinking of it as an “artistic prompt” (like the daily writing prompt here on WordPress).

Here’s the actual prompt:

Art is a powerful tool for social change. Unbound by age, culture or social location, it sparks the imagination and promotes meaningful dialogue. With the goal of encouraging civic engagement, artists across New England are invited to submit works on the theme of protecting and strengthening American democracy. Artworks should express the goals of promoting unity and the common good, which underscores the American ideals that all voices are important and that our strength lies in welcoming diverse perspectives. Our goal is to spur productive dialogue; showcase the work of New England artists; and celebrate democracy.

Like many people, I was inspired by the people of Minneapolis who bravely stood up to ICE in the frigid cold to try to protect their community, even after Nicole Good and Alex Pretti were assassinated. There was one viral photo by an unidentified photographer that really struck me. A woman went outside in her bathrobe and slippers to join a crowd of others documenting ICE actions in their neighborhood:

So I decided to paint that.

Here’s where I’m at with the painting now. I still need to paint the faces, pants, shoes, phones, etc. in the crowd.

So here’s the dilemma: Should I perhaps leave the two Police/ICE agents as unpainted line drawings? Do you think it might be effective like that? From my perspective, they are unwanted invaders in this community. Maybe the contrast with the good people of Minneapolis would be greater if I leave them unpainted. Ghosts in the Machine, so to speak. OR should I paint them monochromatic in shades of grey? What do you think? Which would make a better painting?

The hardest part about knowing Trumpers

~ MaryG ~ 22 Comments

I think the hardest part about having Trump voters/donors in your life is feeling like they don’t know the difference between right and wrong.

Even if it’s someone you thought you knew well, there’s like this suspicion that never really goes away. You’re pretty sure they’d have your back if things got bad. But would they?

If they turned a blind eye to the Access Hollywood tape in 2016 and voted for Trump, do they actually think that women deserve to be treated equally in our society?

If they never said a word of condemnation of the January 6th insurrection, do they really think that every person’s vote should count in America?

If they twist and dispute the most basic facts about climate science or vaccines, do they disbelieve in experts, and therefore education itself?

If they’re OK with a President who posts vile things constantly including a video of Black people as apes, are they really OK to have around your children and grandchildren?

It’s painful to say this but I’m finding that even a lifetime of actions to the contrary cannot erase the doubts introduced by this one thing.

This is whack

~ MaryG ~ 18 Comments

Listen, I know that nobody needs my hot take on what’s happening in the Middle East, but this is truly whack. The Trump regime has literally stranded upwards of 1,500 American civilians abroad. They were not warned not to travel to the Middle East before they left for their trips, and now they have no clear way to get home.

As someone who has consulted the US State Department (and enrolled in its Smart Traveler Program) before going abroad, I find this very disconcerting. Is it even safe to travel abroad now? Is the United States Department of State still a trustworthy institution? Have they fired so many experts that only unqualified people are making the big decisions? Are they just WINGING this whole damn thing???

(I’m still hoping for the best, but realistically—expecting the worst.)

Hoping for the best

~ MaryG ~ 13 Comments

A lawless President decided to topple the government of another country of 92 million without authorization from Congress or buy-in from the American people while he was sitting in his beach house in Florida.

Is it all just a distraction from the Epstein files? Maybe. Is the outcome going to involve massive cash windfall to Trump family businesses? Probably.

But what else can we do now but hope for the best? May U.S. military casualties be minimal and a new, free Iran miraculously emerge.

BU students reacting to the death of Mahsa Amini in 2022

Minnesota Hot Dish

~ MaryG ~ 20 Comments

A couple weeks ago, I was trying to figure out what to make for a family birthday dinner. I decided that I wanted to try making a “Minnesota Hot Dish” in honor of the brave people of Minneapolis who stood up to ICE in the coldest weather imaginable for weeks on end. I have never been to Minnesota, but I was intrigued by their hot dish recipes that Tim Walz, Amy Klobuchar and others were always talking about during the last election cycle.

Being a typical East Coast liberal, I went straight to The New York Times to find a recipe and this one sounded good: Tater Tot Casserole. Everyone liked it. There were no leftovers. I forgot to take a picture, but it looked identical to the photo in the recipe.

As some of the recipe commenters noted, the point of a Minnesota Hot Dish is to make something delicious, filling and easy. (That’s why a can of condensed soup is a typical ingredient.) Commenters said that only the NYT could find a way to make it hard. BUT it really wasn’t that hard. In the NYT version, you basically make your own condensed soup, which took a bit of doing, but I really liked that it didn’t come out too salty. It tasted very good. (I didn’t add any of the optional salt listed because I used 4-5 of those little beef bouillon granulated packets for the base and I was already worried they would make it too salty.)

For dessert, my husband requested a double layer chocolate cake. And, since it’s the Year of the Knee, I felt bad for him and decided to make one from scratch. Again, I went to the NYT and attempted the richest, most chocolaty, most decadent birthday cake imaginable. This, I would NOT make again. Too hard! And waaaay too much butter. There are five sticks of butter in this thing (two in the cake and three in the frosting), plus tons of cacao and melted dark chocolate. I mean, it was very good, but it was a lot.

Birthday cake for my two Aquarians ♒️

Here’s the recipe, in case you are a true chocoholic. And yes, I did serve it with vanilla ice cream, because what is even the point if you skip the ice cream?

Missing white lady!!!!

~ MaryG ~ 18 Comments

I’m sorry that Savannah Guthrie’s mother has gone missing, but GOOD GOD. The media coverage is ridiculous. They actually broke into primetime Olympics coverage of the men’s figure skating—with “Quad God” Ilia Malinin on deck—to tell us that absolutely nothing had changed.

How many Native American women go missing every single year and we never hear a peep from the media about them?

While Nancy Guthrie has been receiving 24/7 coverage, it sounds like things are still really bad in Minneapolis.

Copied and pasted from “The Other 98%” Facebook page:

Minnesota is still very much under assault by Trump’s private ICE army, even after the headline friendly withdrawal of 700 agents. You would not know it scrolling through your feed, where posts from Minneapolis residents about raids, beatings and shootings keep getting flagged or buried while the national press treats the state like a backdrop instead of a crime scene. And now there are early reports that ICE agents may have killed yet another person, adding to the sense that this crackdown is only getting deadlier, not winding down…On the ground this does not feel like “enforcement,” it feels like an occupation that has simply swapped helmets. The numbers have not really drawn down, they have just changed tactics, leaning harder on pre-dawn home raids, unmarked vans, so called “collateral” arrests of bystanders and courthouse stakeouts meant to snatch people when they show up to comply with the law.

———————————————————

On the bright side:

Randy Rainbow’s latest is a real gem—a perfect Ode to the Sycophants. 😂

Last weekend my church raised over $2,500 for a local non-profit social service organization that supports refugees and immigrants with a fantastic concert by Emma’s Revolution. We also raised $4,500 to buy a used car for a hardworking immigrant family from Afghanistan that several church members know.

Thoughts on Super Bowl LX

~ MaryG ~ 14 Comments

Coincidentally, I’m LX too—same as the Super Bowl.

Last night was a bummer for Pats fans, but hey…nobody ever expected them to make it to the Super Bowl this year. It’s just too bad they were never really in the game. Husband disappointed, but not crushed.

On the bright side, Bad Bunny was awesome. I closed the activity ring on my Apple Watch dancing along. No, I didn’t understand most of the Spanish, but I liked the vibe. My favorite part was the ending where they came dancing straight towards the camera flying all the flags of the Americas.

“The only thing more powerful than hate is love” was the message on the screen above the flags.

It definitely felt like a big F U to Trump and ICE and all that they represent—white nationalism, hate, fear.

And apparently Trump took it like that.

It’s rich that a man who has been credibly accused of raping a 13-year old is complaining that salsa dancing is too “disgusting” for children to watch.

I took my family to Puerto Rico in 2016, because I really wanted to see it. We liked it a lot. Ahead of that trip, I tried to learn some Spanish with an online language learning program through my library. I gained a lot of words, but no real fluency. I did the same thing before a trip to Mexico.

Bad Bunny made me want to give it another shot at some point.

My kids and me on a street in San Juan in 2016
A very hot kitty resting in a tree trunk in Old San Juan in the summer of 2016
A stop on the way to El Yunque National Rainforest in Puerto Rico

Final thought: Brandi Carlile did a beautiful version of America the Beautiful—it would make a much better national anthem.

Yes or No

~ MaryG ~ 12 Comments

I asked ChatGPT two Yes or No questions. I was pleasantly surprised by its honesty and inability to dodge.

After that, I got carried away:

Is Donald Trump racist? Yes or no answer only.

Yes

Is Donald Trump a sexual predator? Yes or no answer only.

Yes

Is Donald Trump a liar? Yes or no answer only.

Yes

Is Donald Trump senile? Yes or no answer only.

No

Is Donald Trump unfit to be President? Yes or no answer only.

Yes

Is Donald Trump self-dealing? Yes or no answer only.

Yes

Is Donald Trump a narcissist? Yes or no answer only.

Yes

Is Donald Trump a traitor? Yes or no answer only.

No

Is Donald Trump stupid? Yes or no answer only.

No

Is Donald Trump making the world less safe? Yes or no answer only.

Yes

Is Donald Trump bad for the US economy? Yes or no answer only.

Yes

Winter 2026

~ MaryG ~ 19 Comments

This is the first winter in forever that I’m not going to Florida for at least a week. I’m staying here in the cold with my husband—and his new knee—for the entire winter. And it sure is a cold and snowy one. We have a huge snow bank in our driveway and major icicles hanging off our roof. I’m worried about ice dams causing leaking into the house (so far, so good).

There’s a garden under that huge pile of snow. The plow guy has no other place to put the snow. I hope at least some of the plants survive.

On the bright side: I get to see my granddaughter today 😁 Also, the Patriots are in the Super Bowl, which is a big plus if you’re married to a huge Pats fan. The Super Bowl is on his birthday too. Also, my church is hosting an Emma’s Revolution concert Friday to benefit a local immigrant and refugee justice organization. It’s going to be fun.

Yesterday, I watched some of the congressional testimony from people whose lives have been ruined by ICE, including Renee Good’s two heartbroken brothers. Not a single Republican congressperson attended the hearing. I watched Aliyah Rachman—a woman with a traumatic brain injury—testify to the most horrific capture and treatment by ICE that you could possibly imagine. The conditions in the detention centers are subhuman, with living human beings referred to as “bodies.” Watch her testimony here.

My husband has signed on to get his other knee replaced in mid-March, so that’s going to….in a word…suck.

But back to the bright side: we moved an old treadmill from the unfinished side of the basement to the “nice” side of the basement and it still works fine. So I can “take a walk” even when the weather prevents me from going outside. I’m currently rewatching the entire original Sex and the City series while I’m treadmilling. I’m on Season 3.

I’m getting closer to the end of my watercolor botanicals workbook and I decided I’d like to keep learning in a class with a teacher. Last night I found a class at a different community arts center (even closer to my house than where I took my first watercolors class last fall). There was just one opening left, so I registered. I had hesitated to register earlier, because the class focuses on learning to paint one particular subject, which sounded kind of silly. But last night as I watched All Creatures Great and Small on PBS, I decided that painting “soft, cute and fluffy baby farm animals” might be just what I need in the Winter of 2026.

Peony and wildflowers from my Watercolors Workbook