Politics

No Kings

~ MaryG ~ 15 Comments

It’s great to see there was huge turnout out in the major cities, especially Boston (wow), but it was interesting to protest in a small town.

I’d say we had about 400 people on the town green where I waved my sign.

We were mostly middle-aged and older white people. I chatted with a teacher, a dental hygienist, a grocery store worker, and a lot of retired people I know from church.

We were in a high-traffic area where we actually waved our individual signs at passing cars and got lots of curious stares, many supportive honks, a few middle fingers, and 2 to 5 dudes yelling “Go Trump.”

There was a small counterprotest (2 to 4 people at one end of the town green in full MAGA regalia with a Trump 2024 banner), but they were peaceful.

Oh, and there were two Jesus freaks (sorry, that’s what GenX calls them) with “Jesus IS King” signs. They were fairly young skinny white guys with beards who were there to proselytize. I overheard one lady trying to find common ground with them on the immigrant issue (“but Jesus wanted us to welcome the stranger and help the poor”) and they were having none of it. They were much more aligned with the small MAGA counterprotest.

Oh, and thanks to the great city of Portland which started the trend, there were multiple inflatable costumes. We had a giraffe, several bees and a unicorn, YAY. The unicorn was adorable.

Onward.

And honestly, FUCK DONALD TRUMP and All Who Support Him. I kept the F word off my sign (both of them: Fuck and Fascism) and did not engage with any pro-Trumpers yesterday, but I need to be the real me on my blog and I really truly hate him.

No Kings

~ MaryG ~ 8 Comments

Quick update since my last post.

I fit everything I planned onto my poster. It was a tight squeeze, but I did it.

Liberal churches like mine are ready to show up on Saturday – peacefully.

XOXOXO

Mary G,

Retired Grandma

😀 🌈 🦄

No Kings

~ MaryG ~ 5 Comments

What’s everyone’s plan for Saturday?

Will you turnout for the largest (hopefully) pro-democracy peaceful protests in history?

NoKings.Org

I’m going to a poster-making event Wednesday, so I went searching in my basement for poster paint. I found some! Now I just need some normal size lettering brushes. My house painting brushes are too wide.

This was my paint-testing practice poster, but I think I’ll stick it on my lawn on Saturday

I’m debating what to put on my actual protest poster. Here’s what I’m thinking:

NO ABORTION BANS

NO Healthcare Hike$

NO Voter Suppression 

NO Assault Weapons

NO Kings in America

What’s your sign going to say?

Do something, anything

~ MaryG ~ 18 Comments

I fully admit that I have been so grief-stricken and stunned by the second Trump term, I have not done much of anything to resist it. A protest here, a Facebook post there, a small donation now and then. I cancelled my Hulu subscription over the Kimmel thing.

But the fact of the matter is: we are out of time. If the upcoming midterm elections don’t somehow curb his power, it’s “game over” for US democracy as we’ve known it. The Supreme Court is not going to stop him.

Wildly unpopular “Project 2025” is being implemented, despite all claims to the contrary.

The cost of living is out of control, with healthcare costs set to skyrocket next year, and Donald Trump is responding by declaring war on…Chicago.

Women will most certainly be second-class citizens in this far right version of America. A 100% male committee in South Carolina is currently considering an abortion ban so extreme it could threaten women with the death penalty for pregnancy loss.

Our minister left us with the following quote from the Talmud on Sunday.

“Do not be daunted by the enormity of the world’s grief. Do justly, now. Love mercy, now. Walk humbly, now. You are not obligated to complete the work, but neither are you free to abandon it.”

She said that last part twice, so it stuck with me.

Downton Abbey Finale

~ MaryG ~ 10 Comments

With increasingly unhinged far right authoritarians running the show here in the US, it’s hard to stay calm. Due to the Kirk assassination, many people will no longer be able to speak their minds due to promised retaliation by the government. And I don’t just mean talk show hosts and journalists. Teachers, doctors, university leaders, nonprofit administrators and regular old corporate employees are losing their jobs over what they say.

Here’s Commander Waterford and Commander Putnam lying about left-leaning organizations promoting violence and telling us their grand plan for Gilead.

Therefore, if you are able, I recommend escaping to the great outdoors or, if it’s raining, the great indoors—a big-ass movie theater with reclining seats, Dolby Atmos sound, and a bar.

I thoroughly enjoyed the sold-out premiere of Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale. If you ever loved the show, you won’t want to miss the final installment set in 1930. Downton looks amazing on the big screen and your old favorite characters all make appearances, even the deceased ones. Not to give too much away, but acceptance of divorced women and gay people into polite society is a major theme.

You will be reminded that time marches on and progress has—and always will be—a matter of more inclusion, rather than less.

Assassination

~ MaryG ~ 12 Comments

My husband and I tried to remember the last time we’d seen a gruesome assassination of a public figure. We couldn’t think of anything. We were too young to have seen JFK’s mortal head wound (when his brains went spattering across Jackie’s suit). And when John Lennon got shot, there was no video. Melissa Hortman, the Minnesota legislator assassinated in June, and her husband were not nationally known and again, there was no video.

So, this Charlie Kirk assassination is fairly shocking to me. I watched the close-up video and wow…a total kill shot. His whole upper body shook, and blood came spurting out of his neck as he went limp with the microphone in his hand. Absolutely horrific.

Even though we see it in movies and on TV all the time, real murder and gun violence is scarring to see at close range, even in a video.

Check-out Lydia’s post for a clearer understanding of Mr. Kirk’s views on gun violence and policy in the United States.

Rosie O’Donnell on 60 Minutes

~ MaryG ~ 6 Comments

As I’ve already mentioned, I’m 💯% Team Rosie so I watched her interview on 60 Minutes Australia with great interest.

I did not love the guy who interviewed her. He seemed smug. (And what the heck is a “jelly” in Australia. Was that some sort of an insult in his opening? Maybe Brizzy May can explain.)

I thought Rosie did pretty well under the circumstances. She still managed to be funny and light in a very serious situation. She’s basically a United States artist and citizen living in exile due to fear of retribution from the President of the United States. It’s so fucked up.

What do you think?

Related post:

Team Rosie

Two vaccines and a coupon

~ MaryG ~ 19 Comments

The CVS app said that the newly updated Covid vaccine is available so I decided to get one while I can (before the brain worm host sends us back to the 1940s).

I easily booked an appointment to get both the new Covid vaccine and the updated flu shot at my local Massachusetts CVS. Since I’m under 65, I had to choose a “condition” to qualify for the Covid vaccine of which many were listed including mood disorders and having a BMI over 25. I chose “current or former smoker” which is true, but nobody asked for any proof of that.

Nobody asked me for my insurance card or charged me any money. I got one jab in each arm and a 50% off coupon. I bought some moisturizer that’s supposed to make me look younger with the coupon.

Morning (a cinquain)

~ MaryG ~ 10 Comments

Today I’m continuing to join in creative group activities offered by other blogs.

Dwight at Roth Poetry frequently participates in the dVerse poets pub challenges and he inspired me to give it a go.

So here’s my cinquain:

Morning

coffee

Wordle (not hard)

social media scan

news so outrageous it angers

crossword 

[A cinquain is a short poem based on syllable count—a five-line poem with a syllable count of 2-4-6-8-2.]

Thursday Doors — West Chester, Pennsylvania

~ MaryG ~ 15 Comments

Happy Thursday! I’ve just learned of Dan’s Thursday Doors through Ritva’s post and I like it! Who doesn’t love an interesting door?

Here’s my understanding of the parameters:

Thursday Doors is a weekly feature allowing door lovers to come together to admire and share their favorite door photos from around the world. Anyone may join the fun by creating their own Thursday Doors post and then sharing the link in the comments on Dan’s site, anytime between Thursday morning and Saturday noon (North American Eastern Time).

The mammoth bronze doors of the historic Bank of Chester County (now a Wells Fargo) in downtown West Chester, Pennsylvania. The Greek Revival building was completed in 1836 and is in the National Register of Historic Places.

Clearly I was captivated by these doors as I took multiple pictures of them when we were visiting West Chester for a lacrosse tournament in July 2018.

Here’s my son in front of the doors for scale:

I think I really liked the decorative swirls and starbursts in the individual panels and the fact that they’re non-biblical. It’s not a church nor was it ever. In comparison to Europe (and its endless ornate doors), the United States was founded as a secular country. I tend to be drawn to beautiful evidence of that.

Also, I’m reminded that downtown West Chester, Pennsylvania is fun. Or at least it was in 2018. I hope it bounced back after the pandemic.

Outdoor dining in downtown West Chester, Pennsylvania (USA 🇺🇸)