The Technology Journey

Having grown up in the 50's and 60's, today's technology was not even dreamed of by most people.  We thought high technology was found in things like the first Mercury 7 Rocket that took Alan Shepherd into space in 1961.  Today's iPhone has more computing power in your pocket than that rocket had!

My personal technology journey probably started when I acquired an original Atari Pong Game that hooked up to the television.  We stayed up many nights marveling at the ability to play an electronic game on our television.  Soon, more advanced games were on the horizon.  Because of my Toy Industry connections, we soon had Mattel's Intellivision, Coleco's Colecovision, and advanced Atari Units.  We were able to play arcade games on our television!!  Then in 1984 or so, a company out of Japan, Nintendo, decided to market their new console and picked Boston as their test market.  Having a lot of stores in the Boston area, we, at Child World, worked closely with them to bring Nintendo to market.  Wow, we now had access to Mario, PacMan, Frogger and others.

The early to mid 80's was also the beginning of personal computers to the masses,  In 1984 or so, I had spent a whole weekend at my kitchen table, working on annual budgets.  With my green 12 column accounting pad, a pencil and a handheld calculator, I toiled over the minutia of that budget, writing, calculating, erasing and recalculating.  I knew there was a better way.  On Monday morning I dropped the whole package on the CEO's desk and told him that this was the last time I would do budgets without a desktop computer.  Well, he called my bluff...at 4:00 that afternoon the IT department delivered this big box with a cathode ray monitor to my office and set it up on my credenza.  But, I had no idea how to use it!!  

In our Financial planning office, there was a newly minted Harvard MBA, that surely had the knowledge I needed.  Offering to buy him dinner for several nights, he came to my office and taught me how to use Lotus123.  I became an expert, and while my counterparts in other departments continued with their antiquated methods, I was off and running!  Having the video game and PC categories under my purveyance, I became very familiar with the ins and outs of personal computers.  While we were unsuccessful in getting Apple and IBM to sell to us (they didn't want their computers to be viewed as Toys), we were successful with Commodore and an Apple knockoff from Franklin Computers.  I became obsessed with learning how to get the most out of these new technologies.

By the time we started The Sports Authority in 1987, having personal computers on my desk was a necessity, not a luxury.  I reveled in the opportunity to teach others how to use Lotus (this is before Excel) and the ins and outs of the Windows operating system.  Of course, I had a personal computer at home and began doing my personal finances and other chores, using the Windows based PC.  My friends would turn to me if they were having computer problems and  I could usually figure out how to get them out of a jam.

This period was also the beginning of the cell phone revolution, and my first cell phone was a huge block that I could move from my car to my boat or just to carry around.  We bought a new Lexus in 1990 that came with a built-in cell phone!!  Then, cell phones became smaller and smaller and the flip phones that could also text became a thing.  From there, we went to The Blackberry, a wonderful device that made text communication easier.  I went nowhere without my Blackberry and was loathe to give it up!

However, in 2007, Apple unveiled the most talked about device that they had been developing since 2005..The iPhone 1.  In my view, this changed EVERYTHING.  Now, we had a computer, a phone and a text device that could also access the World Wide Web in our pocket.  While it took a little while for me to give up my Blackberry, I was an early adaptor of this new technology.  And that led to other things...My daughter convinced me to switch from a Windows Based PC to an Apple PC and eventually adding an iPad, so that the PC, the tablet and the Phone could all share the same information.  Would wonders never cease to amaze?  There were many discussions within my peer group as to whether it was better to be an Apple person or a Microsoft devotee.  I became an Apple person and have never regretted it. 

The World Wide Web was actually first developed in Europe in 1991 although there had been earlier data share programs used by the military. However it was not until 1993 that it was placed in the public domain and could be accessed using Netscape or Mosaic, that it really got recognized as a tool for business and personal use. But even then, there was less than a few thousand web sites that you could access.  As web access increased in the mid 1990's, companies such as AOL and Yahoo began the commercialization of the internet.

So, why am I writing about internet history?  Because it all leads up to my latest curiosity...Artificial Intelligence -AI.  Not knowing much about AI chats etc, I turned to a new friend of mine with some questions.  One of which was, if I fed all of my blogs into an AI bot and asked them to analyze those blogs and suggest topics to write about, would they be able to do that.  He encouraged me to give it a try. (Thanks Will!)  

So I downloaded Chat GPT, CoPilot, Gemini and the latest, Claude (thanks for this suggestion, Brad!) and fed them the same exact instructions:  "Analyze the blogs at http://roysjourney.blogspot.com and suggest new topics to write about."  I was most impressed with the results I got from CoPilot and Claude.  I thought they did a good job of capturing the essence and writing style of my previous Blogs and had good specific suggestions for future blogs.  Gemini (Google) had the least useful analysis and ChatGP was pretty thorough once it went to the correct website..for some reason it initially picked up writings from another roysjourney at another website not related to blogspot!

Claude said "Roy's best writing happens when he combines a specific memory with a bigger truth.  He writes with warmth, humor and real depth across several distinct themes."  It then goes on to break down those themes and give specific topic suggestions.

CoPilot said  - "Your blog has three powerful pillars -personal health, nostalgic storytelling and social/political reflection -and you can expand each of them into fresh, compelling topics that keep your voice at the center.  Your strongest posts combine personal story + cultural reflection. Lean into that intersection."  It then gave very specific Blog titles and ideas.

ChatGP said - "Your blog reads much more like a personal chronicle of lived experience.  In short:this is real-world experience-based insight, not abstract philosophy."  It continues with things that are strong and where the blog can be stronger.  It also goes into very specific suggestions.

Bottom line...Going forward, I will take some of their suggestions of topics and maybe this foundation will help make the blog more enjoyable for all.  However, I don't plan on letting any of these Bots do my writing for me...it is my therapy and that would defeat the whole purpose of writing this blog.

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

PS:  As always, if you want to be removed from my distribution list, just let me know...Also, if you have friends that might benefit from or enjoy getting these, just send me their email address.  I don't post it on Facebook any longer.

We Are Legendary

I usually write all of my Blog Posts and don't copy from other sources.  However, this post I found on Substack is so on point, I want to share it with you...

We are often called “the elderly,” but that quiet label hides a truth most people rarely pause to consider—we are the last living witnesses of a world that no longer exists.

Look closely at us and you might see gray hair, slower steps, or the quiet patience that time teaches. But if you truly listen to our story, you will realize something extraordinary. We are not simply older people moving through the final chapters of life. We are the survivors of a breathtaking transformation in human history, a generation that walked from the slow rhythm of an analog world into the dazzling speed of a digital one without losing our sense of humanity along the way.

Our journey began in a very different world.

Many of us were born in the 1940s, 1950s, and early 1960s, when the scars of World War II were still fresh and the world was trying to rebuild itself. Cities were rising again from rubble, families were learning how to hope after years of uncertainty, and childhood unfolded in ways that would feel almost unrecognizable to younger generations today.

Our toys were simple.

We played marbles in dusty yards and hopscotch on cracked sidewalks. We gathered around kitchen tables to play checkers and cards while the smell of dinner filled the house. When the streetlights flickered on in the evening, it was the universal signal that childhood adventures were over for the day and it was time to go home.

There were no smartphones.

No streaming videos.

No endless scroll of digital distractions.

Instead, we built our memories in the real world—with scraped knees, laughter echoing down neighborhood streets, and friendships that formed face to face.

Music became one of the defining soundtracks of our youth.

The 1960s and 1970s arrived like a wave of color and rebellion. We watched as culture shifted around us, carried by electric guitars and voices that dared to question the world. For many of us, gatherings like the legendary Woodstock Festival of 1969 symbolized something powerful: the belief that peace, music, and community could reshape the future.

Hundreds of thousands of young people stood together in muddy fields, listening to artists who poured raw emotion into towering speakers known as the Wall of Sound. Those concerts were not just entertainment—they were moments when strangers felt like a single generation singing the same hope under an open sky.

Education looked different then too.

Our notebooks were filled with handwritten notes carefully copied from chalkboards. Research required patience, libraries, and stacks of heavy books rather than a quick internet search. We learned to slow down and think through ideas because information did not arrive instantly.

Mistakes were corrected with erasers and ink.

Not with the click of a “delete” button.

Love also carried a different rhythm.

We fell in love while vinyl records spun on turntables and cassette tapes clicked softly inside plastic players. Music became the background to first dances, long conversations, and dreams about the future. Those relationships grew into marriages, families, and lives built step by step through the 1980s and 1990s, decades that saw technology begin to reshape the world around us.

Yet nothing compares to the bridge our generation has crossed.

We are the only generation to have experienced an entirely analog childhood and a fully digital adulthood.

We remember waiting days—or sometimes weeks—for handwritten letters to arrive in the mail. We remember rotary telephones and party lines where neighbors could accidentally overhear conversations. Communication required patience and anticipation.

Today, we can see the face of a loved one across the ocean instantly on a screen small enough to fit in a pocket.

The world changed in ways few could have imagined.

We watched humanity land on the Moon in 1969, a moment when millions of people sat in living rooms staring at black-and-white televisions as Neil Armstrong took humanity’s first steps on another world. We saw the rise of personal computers, the birth of the internet, and eventually the arrival of smartphones that placed entire libraries of knowledge in our hands.

Machines that once filled entire rooms now exist on devices lighter than a paperback book.

We moved from punch cards and mechanical tools to artificial intelligence and global networks connecting billions of people instantly.

And through every shift, we adapted.

Our bodies carry the marks of the times we lived through as well.

We grew up during fears of polio and tuberculosis, illnesses that once terrified entire communities before vaccines helped bring them under control. We witnessed the global challenges of pandemics and health crises across decades, including the recent silence and uncertainty of COVID-19, which reminded the world that resilience is still required in every generation.

Science itself transformed before our eyes.

We saw the discovery of the structure of DNA, the decoding of the human genome, and the early steps into gene therapy and advanced medicine. Transportation evolved from simple bicycles and steam engines to hybrid vehicles and electric cars gliding almost silently through city streets.

Few generations have witnessed such sweeping change.

And yet, despite everything that evolved around us, certain things remain unchanged.

We still understand the joy of a cold glass bottle of lemonade on a hot afternoon.

We still remember the taste of vegetables picked straight from a garden.

We still know the value of a long conversation that unfolds slowly without a keyboard or screen interrupting it.

Our memories stretch across decades.

We have celebrated births, mourned losses, watched friends depart, and carried their stories forward. Those who remain share something rare: the experience of standing at the crossroads of history, holding memories from a world that younger generations know only through photographs and stories.

But we are not relics.

We are living bridges.

Our perspective reminds the modern world that progress does not have to erase wisdom. The speed of technology does not have to replace patience, kindness, or reflection. We remember what life felt like before everything moved so fast—and that memory carries quiet lessons worth sharing.

So when someone calls us “elderly,” we can smile.

Because behind that word lies something extraordinary.

We are the generation that crossed two centuries, witnessed eight decades of transformation, and walked from the age of handwritten letters to the era of artificial intelligence.

What a life we have lived.

What a remarkable story we continue to carry.

And if you belong to this generation, take a moment today to look in the mirror and recognize something powerful.

You are not simply growing older.

You are living history.

You are part of a generation that will always remain one of a kind.

And perhaps, in the quietest and most meaningful way, you are becoming legendary.

Life Interrupted

It has been awhile since my last Blog Post.  

Sometimes, life has a way of being interrupted and what was formerly routine becomes hard to realize.  Since you follow me on Roy's Journey, I thought I would update you on what is going on with me!

As you all know, I had a kidney transplant in October of 2020 after having been diagnosed with a rare kidney disease in 2019.  At that time, I was informed that if the disease invaded the new kidney, I would not be eligible for a 2nd transplant.  Two and a half years later, the disease did, in fact, invade the new kidney.  But after 8 weeks of chemo treatments, we halted the progression of the disease.

This past Fall, the disease was back and we repeated the 8 weeks of Rituximab.  However, this time, it did not stop the disease and I slowly have gone into total kidney failure.  On January 31st, I was rushed to the emergency room with several problems.  The flu, an UTI, a massive ulcer in my digestive tract, an infection in the transplanted kidney, and I ultimately contracted sepsis in the hospital.  Sepsis is a life threatening medical emergency caused by the body's extreme, overactive response to an infection, which damages its own tissues and organs.  It occurs when an infection triggers a chain reaction throughout the body, potentially leading to widespread inflammation, organ failure, septic shock and death.

However, after 14 nights in the hospital I was able to come home...much weakened but thankful to the Doctors and Nurses, my Connie, Lisa and Brad that saw me through this nightmare.  With a port for dialysis installed in my chest and neck, I began the new routine of 3 days a week dialysis.  A week or two later, my heart decided to go back into afib and I was again admitted to the hospital.  After shocking the heart back into rhythm, I was discharged after 5 nights.

I am now home and continue to go for dialysis 3 mornings a week and am working with a PT a couple of days a week to regain some of the strength lost after 19 days laying in a hospital bed.  This is the new normal for me...but I am ready to move forward and adjust my life to accommodate the reality.

I want to thank all of those that have been by my side during this bump in the road.  First, my partner in everything, Connie, who has been by my side throughout this journey.  Lisa and Brad, who stayed by me in the hospital and even stole a wheelchair to get me out of the Rehab facility I refused to stay in.  My brothers and sisters-in-law who check up on me often, and my close friends, who have brought dinners, visited and continuously check on me and are the real heroes in this Journey.  Without others support, this Journey would be much more difficult.  I cannot say Thank You enough!

So, where do we go from here?  I have accepted the fact that dialysis is now part of my life.  Unlike the peritoneal dialysis I was on prior to the transplant where I was hooked up to a machine for 8 hours every night at home, I have opted for Hemo Dialysis, whereby I go to a facility 3 mornings a week.  The fistula in my arm is maturing and once it is ready, the fistula will provide easier access for dialysis and I can have the port in my chest/neck removed.  By opting for hemo dialysis, we can still travel...dialysis is available from many dialysis centers throughout the world.  

I am not looking for sympathy.  I consider myself lucky...I am still here, feisty as ever and ready to take on the world!

And The Journey Continues.....

Toys of Past Holiday Seasons

Having spent around 15 years of my varied career as a Buyer, Merchandise Manager and Executive in the Toy Industry, I have seen a lot of fads, crazes and hysteria over toys.  I remember the intro of Trivial Pursuit, Rubik's cube, Transformers, and the electronic and video game categories.  How lucky were my kids to have a Dad that was a Toy Buyer! None of those toys, including Atari, Nintendo, Mattel handheld games, Simon, Intellivision, ColecoVision or Furby were as crazy as the introduction of Star Wars Action figures and Cabbage Patch Dolls.  

The original Star Wars Movie was introduced to audiences in May, 1977, and to say that Kenner Toys was unprepared was an understatement.  Up to this point, toys based on movie properties historically did not sell very well.  But, toys based on television shows were hot!.  Legend has it that, Bernie Loomis, President of Kenner Toys desperately wanted the license to a TV show called "The Man From Atlantis" starring Patrick Duffy of "Dallas" fame.  In order to get that license he agreed to take the license for an unknown Sci-Fi movie being made by George Lucas, whose most famous movie up to that point was "American Graffiti".  Needless to say, Atlantis was a bomb and Star Wars a tremendous success! 

But the toys were not ready for the Christmas Season of 1977, and in fact barely on the drawing board.  So, Christmas Season of 1977 rolled around and there were no Star Wars Toys. And due to the demand, Kenner had to come up with something!  The answer was to sell an EMPTY BOX with a coupon inside that could be exchanged for the first 4 action figures when they were finally produced...which turned out to be in February of 1978...and we sold a ton of those empty boxes for $19.99!!

Star Wars merchandise has generated over $20 Billion in sales since 1977 and the original Kenner action figures sold over 300 million units of little Hans Solos, Luke Skywalkers and others.

In the mid-1970's an out of work artist, Xavier Roberts of tiny Cleveland, Georgia developed and handmade soft sculptured dolls and began selling them at craft fairs as Little People Dolls, marketing them with adoption papers and birth certificates.  Shortly thereafter, they became all the rage among all the kids in the area.  Word started spreading and they migrated from Appalachia and arrived in Atlanta around 1978 or 1979.  I found about these dolls, because my daughter, Lisa, HAD to have one!  But they were expensive...at retail they were well over $100.  But, I had a friend who had an "Adoption Center" within his Baby Store, and he agreed to make me a deal!

So, for her birthday, we took Lisa to the Adoption Center and she picked out her baby, raised her right hand and took the oath of adoption.  After the adoption ceremony, that "baby" went EVERYWHERE with us..to restaurants, on vacation and wherever we went, the baby went!  Besides being the most adorable thing you have ever seen, a bright light went off in my Toy Buyer brain.  I went to the President of Richway Stores and asked for some funds to buy a few of these dolls to send over to our agent in Hong Kong to knock off these dolls to sell in our stores.  After checking with the Legal Department, I was stopped in my tracks after we found that Roberts had already sued and obtained injunctions against others who had the same idea.  

Well, if there is a good idea out there, somebody in the Toy Industry was going to eventually find it and Coleco licensed the Little People Dolls from Xavier Roberts and his Original Appalachian Artworks Company in 1982 and began producing the dolls under the Cabbage Patch name.  At their introduction at Toy Fair 1983, in NYC, I convinced Coleco's President, Leonard Greenberg to let Richway, in Atlanta, get the first shipment for our Atlanta Stores...promising him a full page ad in The Atlanta newspaper and assuring him a success story to tell., since the dolls were already known in the region.  So, we received the first shipment in the Spring, a typically bad time to be selling a doll.  But, we ran the ad anyway with a picture of the doll, which looked just like the original Little People, for a fraction of the retail price.  People started lining up at the stores at 5 AM to be first in line for those dolls and the rest is history.  Up to that point, the best selling doll in the industry was Baby Alive and its total first year sales were around 1 million dolls.  It is estimated that over 3 million Cabbage Patch Dolls were sold that first year, 1983, over 20 million dolls in 1984 and more than 350 million dolls over history. 

Wishing all a Happy Holiday Season and a Healthy and Happy New Year!

And The Journey continues.....

Ghosts of Thanksgivings Past

Thanksgiving has always been my favorite Holiday.  It is not just the food that makes it memorable, but a lifetime of experiences and memories that define the Holiday.

As a young child, we had a certain routine for Thanksgiving Day.  This was the 50's and we would start the day in front of the black and white television to watch the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade.  Soon, though it was time to get ready to go to the Freshman Football Game between the Georgia Bullpups and the Georgia Tech Baby Yellow Jackets.  In College football back then, Freshmen had their own team and were not allowed to play on the Varsity Team until they become Sophomores.  This annual game was for the benefit of a charity - The Scottish Rite Children's Hospital.  It was always at Grant Field in Atlanta and always drew a full stadium...probably the most well attended Freshman Game in the Country!  I remember the slogan of the game: "Strong Legs Will Run so that Weak Legs Can Walk."  Besides being fans, my Dad was a Free Mason and he would proudly wear his Fez and gather us together to go to the game.

Meanwhile, my Mom would stay behind and cook or go to my Grandmother's to help her cook so that when the game was over, we could enjoy our Thanksgiving meal.  Memories of the standard Thanksgiving fare of Turkey and Gravy, Dressing, Sweet Potatoes with marshmallow topping and other goodies are only surpassed by the fond memories of sharing the meal with family.  Aunts and Uncles, Grandparents and cousins plus any other friends that didn't have a place to go.  Eventually, as our family grew, we had Thanksgiving at my Mom and Dad's house.

And then in 1983, I did the unthinkable and moved our little family to Boston.  Faced with our first Thanksgiving without the rest of our family, I took charge and cooked the turkey myself.  Nobody told me that I shouldn't stuff the turkey the night before, but we survived any threat of food poisoning and after a hike through the woods, enjoyed our first Thanksgiving with just the 4 of us! 

In either 1984 or 1985 - 40 years ago, I had a great idea for Thanksgiving. While watching the Macy's parade most years, My Mom always wishfully mused that she always wanted to go to New York for the parade.  So, because of the connections I had made as an executive with Child World, I was able to arrange for 6 VIP tickets to the parade.  We took the train to New York and Mom and Dad flew in from Atlanta the day before Thanksgiving.  Early on Thanksgiving Day we cabbed to the 8th Avenue entrance to Macy's and was escorted through the darkened Macy store back out to the front bleachers and settled in for the parade.  We were told to be there by 8 am....but didn't realize that the actual parade doesn't reach Herald Square until about 10! And it was cold...I mean really, really cold!  So, by the time the parade reached us, we had no feeling in our feet, and were pretty much frozen.  And trying to get a cab back to The Essex House after the parade was nearly impossible.  But we survived, and rather than a traditional Thanksgiving Dinner, our meal that night was at Sammy's Roumanian on the Lower East Side - Chopped Liver, stuffed cabbage and other Jewish delicacies!  But we had created a memorable few days and fulfilled one of my Mom's Bucket List items!

Moving to Florida in 1987 put us closer to Atlanta and made it easier to go there for Thanksgiving, but eventually, we settled into hosting a lot of our friends and neighbors for the Thanksgiving meal.  It seems we always had a full table (or 2) and I became the Head Chef, taking pride in my turkeys and most of the side dishes.  Connie's famous pecan pies always capped the festivities.  By the time we sat down to eat, I was usually already full from tasting everything as I cooked and carved.  So, my favorite food became the late night Thanksgiving sandwich, after everybody had gone home.  That's a Turkey sandwich with Durkees (look it up!) dressing, and cranberry sauce on challah bread - heaven!

Fifteen years ago, we went to Atlanta for Thanksgiving and a reunion of sorts.  My Dad, and all of my brothers, spouses and kids (with the exception of one) were there.  It was really organized by the Cohen cousins and it was the last Thanksgiving we have had together.  I think it is time to do it again! (I chronicled that event in a Blog dated November 30, 2010)

This year is a quiet Thanksgiving.  Lisa and family went to California, and Brad and his family stayed in Denver. So, we have invited over some friends, let Whole Foods do the cooking and will watch some football and enjoy each other's Company.  But while I am most thankful for my family and friends, I relish the fond memories of Ghosts of Thanksgivings Past.

Wishing all a very Happy and Memorable Thanksgiving!

And The Journey Continues.....

My People

 It has been some time since my last blog.  

I guess, like many of you, I am news weary.  That is, I am so damn tired of all of the bullshit coming out of Washington.  Trump's worsening Dementia, the implementation of Project 2025, the loss of free speech, the militarization of our cities, the horrendous treatment of immigrants and racial profiling by ICE, the loss of Democracy and implementation of an Autocratic regime, the government shutdown, the prosecution of Comey and others as retribution, the constant lying by every politician, the bribery and grift perpetuated by Trump, the hijacking of policy by the likes of Stephen Miller and Tom Homan, and the fact that our press and media are now controlled by 3 conservative individuals that don't believe in diverse opinions being broadcast or printed are just a few of the plagues affecting our Country.  I think I would rather have the  hail, frogs, lice, flies, darkness, etc that were the 10 plagues of Egypt!

So, what do we do about it?  Get involved!  I know it is difficult and scary but we all have to stand up for what is right.  If we don't stand united against these tyrants and their draconian policies, then there won't be a Country left for our children and grandchildren.  But that is not what I really want to write about...it is so exhausting!

I want to write about positive things!  As you know, I have had some health problems recently and although I seem to be getting better day by day, it makes one think about what is truly important.  I have read a lot of books over the last few months and have enjoyed a variety of writers.  

One of the purposes of reading is to help you live lives beyond the one you are inside.  It connects us to everyone and everywhere and every time and every imagined dream.  It helps one to escape, and it just might teach you something.

And sometimes, certain passages hit home and I can't help but make note of them.  Recently, as I was enjoying Humorist, Dave Barry's most recent book, I came across this passage:

"In the end, your professional achievements don't matter.  In the end, all that matter-all your really have-is the people you love.

Not your job. not your career, not your awards, not your money, not your stuff.  Just your people.

Which is not to say wealth and fame aren't nice; just that they're nothing compared to family and friends."

How true!  I know I would have had a much more difficult time getting through these few months without the love and support of my Family and Friends.  The phone calls, visits, dinners, coffee cakes, brownies and just the thoughtfulness of my people is uplifting and I am grateful!  I like to believe that the readers of this Blog are included as "my people."  Special shoutout to my Best Friend, Connie, who has been by my side for over 54 years and didn't complain even when I criticized her driving as she drove me around town to doctor appointments and other places!  Well, at least she didn't complain too much!

People never forget the way you make them Feel!!

And The Journey Continues........

I Pledge Allegiance.....

 I pledge allegiance to the flag of The United States of America And to The Republic for which it stands, one Nation, Under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for ALL.

The original text did not include the words "under God."  By adding those words in 1954, Congress was attempting to distinguish the politics of the United States from godless Communism.  But like many other acts of Congress, this change divided our nation rather than further uniting its citizens.

As a child, I proudly recited that pledge every morning at the beginning of school...hand over my heart.   I loved my Country and all that I thought it stood for.  Growing up in the South, I saw plenty of things that made me doubt whether it truly was a Country that was indivisible and whether it actually stood for liberty and justice for all.  Abject racism, anti-semitisim, rich against poor, KKK, and all of the other nasty things that nobody wanted to talk about.  

But slowly things began to change.  School desegregation, a younger generation that seemed to want change...change of inclusiveness, acceptance, a yearning for peace and truth.  Yes, there were many diverse opinions, approaches and ideas.  But even then people talked to each other...respectfully.  They could actually have a civil conversation about issues.  Sometimes there was compromise, sometimes not.  But in the end, most everyone was pulling for the same thing.  A successful Country with a successful future.

That is not the case any longer.  We have people that make up alternative facts.  We have people that don't believe in scientific facts. We have people "leading" this country that don't know how to be civil and talk to each other.  We have people that are simply only in it for themselves without regard for their neighbor or anything other than their own pocketbook.  However, in reality, we are headed for incredible inflation, bank failures, and financial calamity that hasn't been seen in a century.  When select oligarchs control the financial sector, it is bound to happen.  Already, this administration is demanding a stake in Corporations that they have no right to have....financial blackmail to benefit Trump and his friends.  Just look at Trump's personal financial dealings of the last 90 days!

We are teaching our children that History doesn't matter anymore.  Slavery wasn't bad...let's erase it from the museums.  Diversity, Equity and Inclusion is a bad thing because we would not want to treat everyone equally.  And of course Man takes precedence over Woman and she shall be subservient to his desires.  And horrors of all horrors, we need to legislate what sexual orientation an individual might be.   The radical right talks about Sharia Law....that IS what we are living today.

And free and fair elections? Because people are fed up with the current mess of things, and the REAL poll numbers show a complete distaste for the current administration, let's just rig the system so that ALL elections are rigged in the favor of one person.

We are living in a Country where The President's sole objective is to extract retribution against those that disagree with him, have rightfully prosecuted his crimes and simply get in the way of his greedy quest for financial wealth and undeserved recognition for made-up accomplishments.

Just this week, he stated "I have the right to do anything I want to do - I am President of The United States."   Wow!  That is not what I was taught.  I was taught that there are 3 branches of government and that there is suppose to be checks and balances.  BUT....this is what happens when The Supreme Court says that The President cannot be prosecuted...that he is above the law.  A Supreme Court that is bought and paid for by The Heritage Foundation.  Congress is the branch that imposes tariffs...not the President.  Why are his tariffs in effect?  

We are living in a Police State where this orange turd has decided to punish blue states by sending troops to Democratic cities to harass, scare and strip civil liberties from the people...citizens and non-citizens.  Liberty and Justice for All????   I don't think so!  Where is due process....the law of the land?   

His justification is the soaring crime rate!  A crime rate that is significantly DOWN from year's past...but now, all of a sudden, it is a priority to send troops to DC and other cities.....but not those that have the highest crime rates....because those that have the highest crime rates (Louisiana, Mississippi) are Republican States.  Besides, if you agree with Trump, you get pardoned for despicable crimes like insurrection and murder of police officers at The Capital on January 6th.  But what would you expect when we are stupid enough to elect a President that has been convicted of 34 Felonies and gotten away with many others.  But let's prosecute a guy who threw a subway sandwich at a cop but we don't uphold existing gun laws in DC and limit access to firearms....why would we do that, it is only a few kids that are being killed!

And as long as I am rambling, let's talk about those sycophants he has surrounded himself.  It is bad enough that the Administration is being run by a self-hating, racist, sleaze bag, Stephen Miller.  But he has appointed the most unqualified people in the History of this Country to lead important positions within the Government.  Besides the fact that many of them, including 3 Supreme Court justices should be prosecuted for perjury for lying during their confirmation hearings in Congress, their qualifications are non-existent and have quite evidently failed at their jobs.  Career experts have either been fired or quit in frustration.  And we, the people, will be paying the price for the next generation!

So, what's important to this guy?  A $250 million Gold Ballroom so he can throw a party? A paved-over rose garden so his shoes don't get wet?  A Nobel Prize that he keeps demanding?  His face on Mt. Rushmore?  A Declaration that HE is President of Europe too?  Putting covert operatives in Greenland to try to take over that Territory.  When in reality he is a laughing stock to the rest of the World.  Putin plays him like a fiddle...he has no morals, no original thoughts and is the most unintelligent President in the history of this Country.  His late night temper tantrums against anyone that pokes fun at him is pitiful...I have known 5 year old kids with more emotional stability than this guy.

Certainly, Healthcare is of no concern to him...or else he wouldn't have appointed the wacko, RFK, Jr  and his idiot minions.  

And finally, let's talk about his attack on immigrants to our Country.  WE are all immigrants unless you are descendants of the indigenous tribes of North America.  Our families came from Europe, Asia, and Africa for a better life, for liberty, for freedom and worked to help make a functioning society.  Most were escaping horrendous conditions and were simply looking for a better life...just like those that come to our country today looking for help.  I am not condoning those that break the law, don't try to use the system to gain entry, and go through the steps to legal immigration.  BUT, we have placed so many roadblocks in their way, I don't condemn those that get here anyway so that they can work hard, pay their way, pay their taxes and continue to try to slough through the terrible system that we have messed up.  We could have passed immigration reform...there was bi-partisan support.  But passing immigration reform would have hurt Trump's chances of election, so he demanded that the Republican Congress not act.

I am a student of History.  If you look back at the foundations of Dictatorships throughout the world -Hitler, Mussolini, Putin, North Korea and others, the roadmap is plainly visible for all to see.  Trump and Stephen Miller are doing a great job of following that roadmap.  And the scariest thing about all of this is that 77 million people voted for this, including MANY young white men who are buying into this MAGA Bullshit. 

 I have lost any patience with anybody that can support any part of this administration and defy anyone to give me three things that have been positively accomplished by them.  Actually, I have not only lost patience but have found that rational conversation is not possible with his supporters. How sad!

Nonetheless, I still pledge allegiance to the flag of The United States of America And to The Republic for which it stands, one Nation, Under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for ALL.  

Because if I don't keep trying, who will?

And The Journey Continues......