I Am Tired.....

 I am so tired....so very, very tired of the lies, conspiracy theories, racist diatribe and overall disrespect and nastiness emanating from the While House.  I am so tired....very, very tired of the holier than thou attitude and hatred exhibited by tRump supporters.  I am so tired....very, very tired of the inability of people to comprehend facts (the REAL ones...not "alternative "facts).

Years ago, when Romney was running against Obama, I did an exhaustive analysis of policy differences between the two candidates.  I was trying to determine if I could support Mitt, since I had known him personally and had a great amount of respect for him and his intelligence and morals.  Unfortunately, I determined that those issues that were most important to me didn't line up with his ideals.  So, I couldn't support him as my Presidential candidate.

Which brings us to the current Presidential race.  It is impossible to do that same analysis as tRump's website has no policies nor anything that shows what he would do different in the next 4 years from what he is doing now.  His racist tropes and exhausting exhibition of Dictator tendencies disqualifies him from any office.  His inability to surround himself with anyone worthy of properly advising him is born out by the number of advisors and close associates that have been indicted and convicted.  Not that he would listen to anyone, anyway.  His Administration is being run as one giant criminal enterprise.

tRump has decimated our natural resources and been a science denier as it pertains to climate change.  He has failed public education by appointing an unqualified donor to the Secretary of Education position and allowed her to shift money away from public education to private and parochial schools.  He has taken credit for things, such as Veteran's Choice, that were signed in to law by Obama.  He has failed our Judiciary System by insisting that the Attorney General is HIS attorney, not the independent top law enforcement officer of the Country.  He has failed in his promise to build a wall, totally paid by Mexico...instead, he illegally shifted funds from both the Military and from FEMA...funds needed to fight natural disasters such as hurricanes and wildfires.  He stokes the fires of divisiveness by not condemning the white supremacist and anti-semites.  He screams about ANTIFA, without even knowing what ANTIFA is....ANTIFA stands for Anti-Fascists and there is no formal organization, only an ideal.  (Who shouldn't be anti-fascists?) Yet, he supports QAnon and all of their corrosive and total made-up conspiracy theories.  And most importantly, he totally screwed up our country's response to the Covid19 pandemic and the lingering effects it will have on our Country for the next decade.

tRump's focus though has been on how many days he can play golf (so far, he is approaching 300 rounds in less than 4 years at a cost of  $350 million to taxpayers), whether the Big10 will play football, a mysterious planeload of black clothed thugs either coming from or going to Washington DC (he claimed each in 2 separate statements), pressing Barr to target his perceived enemies  before the election, denigrating the NBA and NFL players for peaceful demonstrations, encourages North Carolina voters to vote twice, likens police brutality to missing a 3 foot putt, and attempting to shut down the post office.  

But, but, but, he gave the Top 1% a rather large tax cut and that is the basis for a lot of his support.  What I don't understand is how the average American can support the lies, deception and criminality of his administration and not get a single cent of that tax cut.  The average American that supports tRump votes against his own self-interest. 

 I have been called "un-American" because I support equality...race, religion, gender, sexual preference.  I support a Woman's Right to Choose. I support a system that makes quality health care a right, not a privilege.  I support a system where we help each other...every person for themselves is not sustainable. I support Social Security and Medicare and demand that the Federal Government pay back the trillions of dollars it has stolen from the Social Security Trust Fund.  I support a Government that is by the people and for the people.  I support term limits in Congress AND on the Supreme Court.  I support efforts to solve our Climate Change problems or we won't have an earth that is inhabitable.   I support a ban on assault weapons and tighter laws on gun ownership.  I believe we need to lead the free world and not be laughed at by the rest of the world....I believe that "America First" is simply a racist dog-whistle and dangerous.   I believe in Science!  If all of that makes me "un-America," then so be it.

Joe Biden lists 46 agenda items and positions on his website.  Donald tRump lists zero agenda items and positions on his website.  His only position, so far, has been I can keep you safe.  He is the one that has gotten us in to this mess and he wants you to believe he is the only one that can get us out.   If you believe that, then I have serious doubts as to whether you deserve any respect at all.

I have a problem with those that lie and those people that ignore others that lie.  tRump has now either out and out lied, made false statements or misled with his statements over 20,000 times in the last three and a half years.  That's more than 20 times per day!  How any self-respecting person can support that is beyond me.

And The Journey Continues.......

I am From the South....But.....

I was born in Atlanta, Georgia and am proud of being from the South.  I am proud of the Southern manners that I was taught as a young child.  Yes Sir, No Sir, Yes Ma'am, No Ma'am.  I love good Southern cuisine...fried chicken, good barbecue, fried green tomatoes, peach cobbler, biscuits and gravy and more.

But, for the life of me, I don't understand the fascination that some Southerners have with the Confederacy, the Confederate Flag, Confederate Generals, Politicians and the other losers of a civil war that took place over 75 years before I was born.  Hell, they were just a bunch of losers that were, in essence, trying to protect their dominance over other human beings.  They were traitors to our Country...why do we glorify them with statues, monuments, carvings and parks?  How do some still embrace those very racist and traitor symbols of a long ago era?

According to The President, it is our "heritage."  Who's heritage?...certainly not mine.  Frankly, if there is one thing I am embarrassed about being a Southerner, it is that I might be tied to those traitors of the 19th century by an accident of my birth.  I assume that those that are holding on tightly to the Confederacy yearn for the days that they can have slaves, and show dominance over others because of the pigmentation of their skin.  I assert that those people have no allegiance to our Country and have no place in our society.

In 1964, I began 8th grade and was part of the first class at Grady High School that was integrated.  Up to that point, I went to an all white elementary school and the only African-Americans that I knew, cleaned my house, cooked my meals and did our yard work.  I heard and laughed at many "black" jokes and am embarrassed today that I participated in such gross and misguided actions.  As I came to find out, my Black friends had the same dreams, same desires and yes, the same insecurities that all teenagers have.  What I didn't realize at the time was that they had many other worries that I, as a white person, could ever imagine.  I never worried about being unfairly judged because of the way I looked, or harassed because of the color of my skin.  I don't pretend to know about the feelings that my black friends have had because of small minded people.

The events of the last few weeks have simply highlighted the struggle that my black friends have endured over the course of my entire lifetime.  It is nothing new....it is just something that has been video'd and otherwise documented.  If my health would allow it, I would be marching to demonstrate my support of the Black Lives Matter Movement....but for the moment I can only use my voice, my writings and my vote to show my support.

Black Lives DO Matter!

And The Journey continues............

5 Elements of Responsible Leadership

I have written and expressed my views severely disliking our current President and his modus operandi.  It is not just that I don't agree with 98% of his policies, nor that I don't trust anything he has said or done.  It is a well documented fact that he would rather lie than tell the truth and his hatred for minorities, the poor and anyone not in his social sphere is quite evident in his rambling and incoherent diatribe.  But most importantly, when this Country truly needs a leader, he falls woefully short.

I recently read an article listing 5 elements of Responsible Leadership and if you agree that it is a good roadmap for responsible leaders to follow, then you can't possible think that tRump even remotely approaches the standards set forth in the article.  Let's explore each element....

1. Stakeholder Inclusion: Safeguarding trust and positive impact for all by standing in the shoes of stakeholders when making decisions, and fostering an inclusive environment where diverse individuals have a voice and feel they belong.  The only shoes tRump could possibly claim to stand in are those of the Fox News pundits, and the upper 1%.  And as far as fostering an inclusive environment, his actions are laughable...except for claiming that the Nazi and KKK demonstrators are "Good and fine people,"

1. Emotion & Intuition: Unlocking commitment and creativity by being truly human, showing compassion, humility and openness.  tRump has no ability to show compassion, empathy or anything close to it.  In a recent analysis of his Corona Virus press conferences, exactly 4.5 minute of the over 15 hours of his ramblings were used to express anything resembling compassion to those thousands of families that have lost love ones.  He is on record as saying that the task force members cannot talk to Congress because they are all "TrumpHaters."  So much for openness!

1. Mission & Purpose: Advancing common goals by inspiring a shared vision of sustainable prosperity for the organization and its stakeholders.  In tRump World, it is either his way or no way.  He does not have the ability to listen to others to even develop a shared vision.  Unfortunately, there is no vision for prosperity for this Country.  His financial prosperity "Vision" is based on the often failed principal of trickle down economics...which has been proven over and over again that is not sustainable.

1. Technology & Innovation: Creating new organizational and societal value by innovating responsibly with emerging technology.  tRump's lack of ability to embrace Science has been demonstrated over and over.  He is a Climate denier, committed to fossil fuels.  His push to espouse the use of unproven "remedies" for the current crisis are appalling and dangerous.  the only technology he understands is the power of Twitter, as he uses this platform to whine.

1. Intellect & Insight: Finding ever-improving paths to success by embracing continuous learning and knowledge exchange.  Do I need to even expound on this one?  tRump doesn't even read his daily briefings, listen to the experts or even explore alternative paths to success because his attention span is so short, he can't grasp too much information at one time.  If it is not on Fox News, then it is not a credible source of knowledge.

Out of 5 elements of responsible leadership, tRump fails in all five!  What is even more disconcerting is the there are still so many that support this administration and would like to see him serve another 4 years (or longer!).

It is up to responsible people to make sure that doesn't happen.  Vote Blue and make sure that we overwhelmingly throw him and his Republican Senate out of office!  And it HAS to be overwhelming, because the voter suppression, gerrymandering and other cheating could win for him again.

And The Journey Continues.......

The Best and Worst of Times!

It was the Best of Times and The Worst of Times...the story of the last 12 months of my life.  As I look back on the last year, there are many things to be thankful for....  Healthy and beautiful grandchildren, children and their spouses, my forever partner Connie, my constant companion Jazz and countless friends and family that have been there for me through the best and the worst of times.

Its only been 4 months since I was first diagnosed with the kidney disease that came out of nowhere.  Now, I am at the stage where we are beginning dialysis and searching for a kidney donor.  The main lesson from all of this is that without your health, none of the other stuff really matters.  Often, when we know others that are suffering, it is easy to not fully comprehend how it takes over their life.  Unfortunately, though, it takes precedence over all of your activities, most of your thoughts and a lot of your interactions with others.

But, this post is not a "Woe is me" post.  Actually, as I reflect on the year and the last four months in particular, I am grateful and touched by the outpouring of love, compassion and caring from so many different people.  Whether it is close friends, family, extended family, casual friends, colleagues at FLMTC or just casual acquaintances, a day doesn't go by that I am not surprised by someone reaching out...and that makes the whole ordeal much more bearable.  I also believe that my health problems have made me more aware and much more compassionate about others that are facing challenges.

It was also  "the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity" ... in our country and in the world.  (Most readers of this Blog know that I couldn't go too long without being political!) The amount of hate and vitriol directed by the white supremacists and encouraged by the worthless imposter that sits in the White House is undoubtedly the worst of times.  The recent spate of Anti-Semitic and Anti-Muslim violence is reminiscent of Hitler's Germany and if that doesn't scare you, then something is wrong with you! The lack of any sort of morality coming out of the Washington Republican elite is repugnant and the lies and misinformation abhorrent.   Not to mention the Climate deniers that endanger the future of our planet.   Somehow, we have come to accept the idea that Party and getting re-elected is more important than doing what is right....and that just plain sucks!  Our Country's standing in the World is suffering...we are being laughed at by other countries and the Chinese and Russians are now the true Powers in this World...all because we have an administration that has no concept of World Affairs, except for sucking up to Putin.  There is no substitute for smarts, thoughtful discourse and an Administration that will listen to those more experienced and smarter...unfortunately we will never have that with Trump as President.  I cannot have any respect for Bad people, and Trump and McConnell are at the top of the Bad people list!  And, while I am always open for debate, using FACTS, I have lost all respect for anyone that supports the current administration based solely on their pocketbook.

So, as we head in to a New Year and a New Decade, I will be working hard to fight against those forces that endanger our Country, our World  and the future that I would like for my grandchildren to have.  All the while, I will take it step by step in fighting back to full health.   Those are my only New Year resolutions!

Happy and Healthy New Year wishes for all!

And The Journey Continues.....

The Search for A Kidney

Three months ago I was diagnosed with an unusual kidney disease, PGNMID, and began treatment.  So far, the four chemo treatments have netted no progress and I have now been in the hospital for a week trying to get the swelling throughout my body under control.  My arms look like Popeye’s and my legs and torso resemble the baby Trump balloon!  Unfortunately, my kidney function is continuing to decrease and the doctors have informed me that its time to move on to dialysis and to be put on the transplant lists.

So, that’s the plan....going to have a port put in my abdomen this week and begin home based dialysis and begin the search for a new kidney.  I am told that being on the list means that maybe a match can be found within 12 months.  Although some in my family have already volunteered their kidney, matching still has to be there and I have to be willing to avail myself of their incredible expressions of love.  That is a decision that I will wrestle with at the appropriate time and in due course.

One thing is for sure though....the importance of support from family, friends and colleagues has been a reward in itself. And that’s the purpose of this blog —- to thank everybody for the calls, texts and emails.  The level of love and concern has made the acceptance of this bump in the road a little easier.  I have to be honest - today’s meetings with the doctors have been difficult - Sometimes it is a little hard to stay positive but we are taking it day by day and will kick the hell out of this!

Thanks again for your expressions of love - please be understanding if I don’t immediately answer your notes, texts and emails...we will do our best in keeping you updated.

And the journey continues......

I Am Not Invincible!

At some point, all of us think that we are invincible!  Nothing is going to happen to me..I am strong, I am healthy, I take only calculated risks and generally take care of myself.  We all go along our merry way, not worrying too much nor fretting over our well being.  And then...BOOM!  That all changes in an instance.

I always thought that if anything affected my health, it would be my heart.  After all, cardiac problems run throughout my family..my Mom, Dad and 3 brothers all had cardiac issues.  So, I was diligent in checking up on the ticker and everything has always been good!   And then a couple of weeks ago, I was just not feeling right.  Lethargic, loss of appetite, retention of fluids and just generally feeling punk.  Finally, after much prodding from my family and friends, I relented and went to the doctor to find that my blood pressure was through the roof.  Blood tests revealed that my kidney function was shutting down.

A week in the hospital and I went through a Kidney biopsy, Bone Marrow biopsy, complications from the biopsy...and the diagnosis is an uncommon Kidney Disease...PGNMID...  At this point, we hope it is treatable with chemo, as I have had my first round last week and am scheduled for the second round on Friday, September 27th.  I am told that about a third respond to this treatment and am trying to avoid dialysis and/or transplant.

So, I am at home, but expect to try to go back to work asap...this sitting around doing nothing is not for me!  Unfortunately, I am restricted in travel as the chemo leaves me more susceptible to infections...but keeping the Purel close at hand is not the worse thing in the world.  However, I am going to have to forego my 50th High School Reunion that I was so looking forward to.  To all my classmates, send pictures, I will be with you in spirit.

I have learned a few things during this ordeal.  First, listen to your body...if something isn't feeling right, then it's time to get it checked out.  Second, I have the best support group in my family and my friends.  The outpouring of love and concern has been overwhelming and that is probably the best medicine of all.

No matter what course I have to take to get there, I'LL BE BACK!!  Stay tuned!

And The Journey Continues!

The New Normal?

64% of American voters believe President Trump committed crimes before he became president, while just 24% believe he did not, according to Quinnipiac poll released Tuesday.

Voters are more divided on the question of whether or not Trump committed crimes during his presidency, with 45% responding yes and 43% no. Of those surveyed, 50% said they believe Michael Cohen — who detailed alleged crimes committed by Trump during his testimony last week — more than they believe the president. As he enters the third year of his presidency, 65% of Americans say Trump is not honest, including 25% of Republicans — "his worst grade ever on that character trait," according to Quinnipiac.

                                                                        AXIOS March 5, 2019

This would be very interesting if it really mattered!  It seems we have morphed in to a society that does not care about honesty…not from our politicians and not in our daily lives.  It has become the new normal to “shade the truth, tell little fibs, exaggerate, pontificate and out and out lie!  It has been estimated that, so far in his Presidency, Trump has uttered 7645 false or misleading claims and is averaging over 15 lies a day!

Why doesn’t this matter to the voters?  We already know that most voters are so under-informed about reality, that they will believe anything put in front of them if it fits within their narrow internet world.  Trump’s tax cuts are a great example.  These tax cuts were a fraud on the American taxpayer.  Benefits were only put in to place to benefit the top 1% and Corporations. BUT, Trump had the IRS adjust the withholding tables so that it appeared that working people were receiving a benefit. However, as these people are now finding out, their Taxes actually went up due to the elimination of certain deductions and now those same people are having to come up with funds to pay their taxes.  Not to mention the Trillions that it is adding to our deficit.  Just as he has done in ALL of his business dealings, Trump lied to fit the narrative he wanted the public to believe.

Yes, I believe Michael Cohen over Donald Trump.  Michael Cohen no longer has anything else to gain or lose, so lying does him no good at all. I agree that Trump is a racist, con man and overall bad person.

So, it is extremely hard for me to understand how anybody can defend this less than a man.  What has he accomplished?  A Tax cut?  No, that was a tax fraud on the American worker.  

Great strides in Foreign Policy? No, he is laughed at by every one of our Allies and only embraced by Dictators and Despots…and he embraces them in return over our own Intelligence Agencies.

 A great economy and unemployment numbers?  No, he had nothing to do with that…the previous administration dug us out of the hole and he has only managed to make things more difficult for our farmers and manufacturers with his phony trade wars.  

Immigration Reform?  No, “Build that Wall” is not immigration reform..it is only hate filled rhetoric designed to fire up his base and create an “emergency” over illegal immigration numbers that are at an all time low.  

Drain the Swamp?  No, he has created a Swamp so deep that 34 people and 3 Companies have been indicted from his administration (so far) and the revolving door that has been installed in the White House for his Cabinet and Advisors is moving at warp speed.  

Peace with North Korea…No, that is laughable.  North Korea has increased the pursuit of nuclear weapons and missiles that can reach the United States.  Complete failure!

Healthcare? Respect and belief in Science concerning the environment?  Education reforms?  NO, NO and NO!!!

So, exactly what has he accomplished besides embracing the Neo Nazi’s, the KKK and others that are filled with hate?  Yep, I now believe that Trump can shoot somebody in the middle of 5^thAvenue and his supporters will find that to be okay!

What a terrible thing to have our new normal be one of lies, deception and general dishonesty rather than real accomplishments, truth, civility and inclusion.

And The Journey Continue…………….