These Are Not Easy Times to Raise Children

                Alexas_Fotos  

A neighbor friend of mine just posted something on Facebook about how perplexing it is to explain what is happening in Minneapolis, with the rioting and looting over the murder of a Black citizen by the police.  Her post was sympathetic to George Floyd the man who was killed by the policemen, as were the comments.  Everyone commenting decried the violence and looting, some suggesting that more peaceful ways of protesting the murder should have been utilized.  My God how ignorant can these people be?

Does anyone remember Colin Kaepernick taking a knee in protest of all the Black men and children killed by police? That peaceful demonstration worked out well didn't it?  Led by the racist lardass in the White House, bigots and racists all over the country whipped out their American flags and weapons to condemn Kaepernick and the rest of those players who took a knee to protest the injustices suffered my Blacks at the hands of the police.  It's okay to take a knee on the neck of a Black man to kill him, but it's not okay to take a knee to protest racism!

I too condemn the violence and the looting, but sometimes when all else fails desperate and fearful people see no other choices. I'd like to point out that in watching newscasts of the looters, many were white. Of course, divisive Donny took to Twitter to rally his supporters and the police to meet the protesters, peaceful or not, with gunshots. His answer to for killing over 100,000 Americans in his incompetent response to the Covid-19 pandemic is to incite a race war to deflect the country's attention away from his failings. 

With hundreds of thousands of people and their families suffering from the Coronavirus, and Black families suffering from the loss of family members due to police violence, Trump is throwing a tantrum over being fact-checked over his lying Tweets on Twitter.  Within a matter of hours, he issued an Executive Order attempting to stifle Twitter and other social media platforms if they dare to criticize him or call him out on his lies. If only he had acted this fast to stop the spread of Covid-19 or make an attempt to address the acts of violent racism that are becoming too common in our country today.

Yes, it is difficult to try to explain what is happening today to our children and to hope they understand the reasons for some people's behavior. But it isn't just what is happening in Minneapolis or any other city where our fellow Americans are being killed by those who are given the responsibility of protecting us, solely because their skin is Black.  It's the whole damn Trump presidency!

What do parents say to their children when they hear the President of the United States mock handicapped people, or denigrate women, or call African countries shithole countries?  What do you say to them when they hear Trump bully people because of their weight, or height or he makes racist remarks about people's religion or ethnicity?  How do you explain that they shouldn't give demeaning nicknames to their friends and classmates when they hear Trump do it almost every day?  Lastly, how do you punish your children for lying when they hear their president lie in almost every public statement he makes?   They must be confused as hell when they listen to their priests, rabbis, ministers, or imams preach love and acceptance of our neighbors and relate the lessons of the Ten Commandments!

How will children react when they study American history and read about the Boston Tea Party and the Revolutionary War?  The people who fought to separate from England and form our country tried peaceful means to obtain their rights but failed in those attempts.  Revolution was their only recourse.  Good luck in explaining this to your kids!  Parents have a tough job trying to teach their kids responsibility, kindness, honesty, charity, and acceptance, and love, but having an amoral, racist, misogynist, ignorant, narcissist, moron as president only makes the job more difficult.

You Think Our Problems Will Be Over on November 3? Don't Count on It!

Image by Comfreak from Pixabay

To many people, this coming November 3, election day, is the answer to our prayers.  The end of an American nightmare, of the most heinous, corrupt, hated, immoral, treasonous and, lethal presidencies in our history. The man who was elected president with the help of Russia, even after receiving millions of votes less than his opponent can finally be removed from office.  But will it really happen?

Let's not forget that this illegitimate orange bastard was impeached by the Democratic House of Representatives for trying to secure the help of a foreign power to help him rig his re-election, but the Republican Senate refused to remove him from office, in an attempt to remain in power and further benefit from his administration's corruption.  Most, if not all Republicans are terrified of Trump's retribution if they criticize him or they are complicit in his illegal and corrupt activities.  By refusing to remove Trump from office the Republicans, in essence, gave Trump permission to do whatever he wanted, whether it be legal or not.

Since then he has been attacking anyone who testified against him and has succeeded in removing them from their positions in the government.  Public servants were punished for doing their jobs by telling the truth.  Meanwhile, the Republicans sit on their collective asses letting him destroy the Constitution and the rule of law.

Even during the pandemic with a massive loss of American lives and hundreds of thousands suffering from the coronavirus, because of Trump's inactions and incompetence, the Republicans dare not criticize the Liar-in-Chief. Trump has blamed anyone and everyone for his failures, refusing to accept any responsibility for his ineptness.  As people continue to die, Trump continues to lie and deflect.  His re-election is much more important than the health and the lives of Americans!

During the past few years as we all have been forced to endure Trump's racism, sexism, corruption, and hate many people have found solace in the fact that there will be a presidential election on November 3, 2020.  As Trump's poll numbers continue to be dismal people feel confident that he will not be re-elected. But remember that's the way we felt in 2016 when the fat assed dictator was elected at the surprise of us all, and even him too.

What could go wrong in 2020?  First of all, an election has to take place.  Already, shithead, Jared Kushner has suggested that he might have to cancel the election as if he or anyone else could cancel the election.  Only the House of Representatives can cancel and election and only for good reason.  Don't be surprised though if Trump and his thugs try to cancel it.  Rest assured if he tries this stunt the Republicans won't do a frigging thing to stop him.

Trump knows that once he officially leaves office he most likely will be indicted and end up in prison, along with many of his family members and cronies.  He will fight like a rabid cornered animal to prevent this from happening. He will use any means at his disposal to win this election, regardless of how illegal it is or how many people will die along the way.  Already he has taken over the Justice Department with his toadie Barr in charge, making sure Trump's opponents are jailed or otherwise made irrelevant.  Barr has already stated that no investigation of the President or his administration can be conducted without his knowledge and permission.

Trump has managed to fire each and every Inspector General who could possibly offer any oversight on his actions or could testify against him. Once again the GOP remains silent as Trump destroys the rule of law.  With his poll numbers evaporating and the death toll from Covid-19 Trump is becoming more and more terrified and bolder and bolder in his attempt to hold his grasp on power and stay out of jail.

This upcoming election will not only be the most important one in our history but it will be the most dangerous and probably be the most violent one.  It is no secret that Trump's supporters include the least desirable of our society, among them racists, white supremacists, bigots, nazis, and haters of all stripes. All during his presidency, he has stoked the flames of fear and hatred among his supporters to gain the admiration he so desperately craves.  He will not shy away from inciting violence among his supporters if he sees it can be a benefit to his campaign. He's done it before when the stakes have not been as high as they are now.

One situation that we could possibly face this election that has never even been considered before, is what happens if or when he loses?  If he loses on November 3 he still will remain in office until January 20, 2021.  Knowing how vindictive Trump is and always has been it can almost be a sure bet that he will turn to a scorched earth policy as he exits his office.  There's also a possibility that he will try to declare the election null and void and refuse to vacate the Oval Office. Unless the Republicans grow a set of testicles they will do nothing to stop him. This will lead to an extremely serious Constitutional crisis and most likely violence as he will stir up his cultist followers to keep him in office.

We all like to think that this coming November will be a cure for all of our fears and problems and this helps to reduce our feelings of anger and stress.  Truthfully though with the November election, we are entering uncharted and possibly dangerous waters.  Let's hope we will survive as a nation in 2021.

I Don't Watch the News Because I'm Not Afraid of COVID-19

Image by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay 

I've always liked to watch the news to keep abreast of current events, winter storms, politics, and business.  During this COVID-19 pandemic, I feel it is particularly important to be aware of what is happening during the course of the disease.  Not only to learn how to keep me and my family safe but also to be informed of the facts and learn how to dispel rumors and misinformation. I try to avail myself of the information provided by WHO, the CDC, and the major news outlets. I avoid Fox News and of course any information coming from Trump or any members of his administration, as throughout this crisis the have disseminated nothing but conspiracy theories, misinformation, and outright lies, solely to protect Trump and his re-election chances.

A little more than 2 months into the pandemic and over 80,000 deaths, and rising, I am amazed at the ignorance of a large number of Americans who don't want to know about what's really going on.  It's almost as if over 1,300,000 sick people and 80,000 dead Americans mean nothing, as people are willing to gamble with their own lives, as well as their children and loved ones by refusing to be informed. 

When social distancing and wearing of masks were mandated by most states and businesses began to shut down, and schools were closed most people seemed to be supportive and seemed to understand the reasons for such actions.  However, those people living in rural areas where the virus has yet to take hold complained that only New York City and other large metropolitan areas should be made to follow the recommendations of the CDC and most governors.  Instead of believing medical professionals and seeking information from the CDC, WHO, and the MSM they listened to the fools at Fox News, Rush Limbaugh, and worse yet, Trump.  Instead of listening to the oftentimes disturbing truth from the experts, they chose to risk their lives by listening to lies and fairy tales that were more palatable to them. 

After only a few weeks the numbers of these ignorant fools began to grow, with the support of the ignorant fool in The White House. Groups of white, so-called militiamen, armed with assault weapons and even grenade launchers forced their way into statehouses in several states in protest of the shutdown of business and regulations requiring social distancing and the wearing of masks in public.  They protested that their freedom was being taken away by the regulations and apparently insisted upon being given their freedom to die or to cause the deaths of their neighbors and loved ones.

Here, in my community in Upstate New York, I now am seeing comments on social media and hearing comments from my neighbors, as we practice social distancing, complaining about having to continue with the recommendations.  I have heard people who are teachers complaining about school being closed and if it reopens being required to wear a mask while they are teaching.  They show absolutely no regard to the health and safety of their students, much less their own children.  They are not even aware that in New York City and some other areas of the country children are exhibiting previously unknown severe symptoms related to COVID-19.  When I raise the question of the necessity for the regulations, stating facts, I receive responses indicating they don't watch or pay attention to the news! How dangerous and irresponsible! Especially for parents and teachers.

In New York, the governor has issued an order that those people who cannot pay their rent cannot be evicted until August. People here are upset with this action and criticize the governor for causing hardship for the landlords.  Not a frigging thought for the families and children who would be thrown out of their homes into the streets because they can't pay their rent!  These are most likely the same people who didn't raise an eyebrow as children were either put in cages in camps along our southern border or ripped from the arms of their parents.  

I cannot fathom how anyone could watch the numbers of deaths increase daily, or watch pictures of bodies piling up in New York City, or grandparents dying alone in nursing homes, or people in hospitals struggling to breathe on ventilators, or doctors, nurses and other healthcare professionals working to the point of exhaustion, and still not believe in the danger and severity of this virus and not giving a damn.

As states are beginning to open up, against the advice of medical professionals, people are flocking to the beaches, restaurants and other crowded venues, the numbers of cases in rural America are spiking, especially in Red states.  Meatpacking plants in the midwest are the new hotspots for the coronavirus and workers are being forced to stay on the job without adequate protection.  Trump wants them open, so they're going to stay open. He doesn't care because the employees are immigrants with brown skin.

I cannot understand the behavior of the American people. I can't help but think of what our grandparents went through during the Great Depression when the government didn't give any assistance whatsoever.  I can't help but think of what our parents, and grandparents went through in World War II when they had no choice but to fight and defend our country.  The Great Depression lasted 10 years and the US fought in WWII for 4 years.  But the American people can't wear a mask or refrain from eating in restaurants or getting their hair cut or nails done for a few months to protect themselves or their families?  What a disgrace!

With people clamoring to go back to work and out into public gathering places with the support of Trump and his sympathetic GOP governors, the stage will be set for the apocalyptic second wave of COVID-19. If you think we weren't prepared before, we're certainly not going to be prepared then.  It won't be just Trump and his Republican regime responsible for the second wave, but the American people will also share the blame, with their arrogance, laziness, ignorance, and lack of responsibility.

Republicans are Like Bad Athletes

Image by Keith Johnston from Pixabay

If they don’t have the balls they should get out of the game.

For more than 3 years our country has been engaged in sort of a game where Donald Trump, the illegitimately elected president of the United States has been playing to destroy the Constitution, the rule of law, and the poor and middle classes of our country. He is playing to cement the place of the wealthiest class in halls of power, as well as solidifying the dominance of Christian, white supremacy in our society.

Part of his game has been to roll back the rights that minorities, such as Blacks, Hispanics, the LGBTQ community, the handicapped, et al have struggled to achieve over many years. He has been succeeding not only in rolling back those rights but legalizing outright discrimination and demonization of minorities.  He has especially targeted immigrants, those from African or South American countries while ignoring those from predominantly white and Christian countries.

Suddenly Trump is confronted by an opponent he can't bully, intimidate, or buy off. Covid-19. And that virus is taking its toll on him, as well as the economy and the rest of the country.   As of this writing, over 74,000 Americans have died, and more are dying every day, more people are unemployed now that during the Great Depression, schools are shuttered, our healthcare system is bursting at the seams, and children and families are beginning to go hungry.

The longer this pandemic progresses the more we know about how Trump has screwed up the government's response to the virus.  Or should I say lack of response?  At first, he called the pandemic a hoax, then he said it would all be over in a month, then he blamed the spread of the virus and the deaths on the Democrats, then he blamed Obama, then he blamed China. He publically announced that he shared no responsibility for the spread of the virus.

We soon learned that the Obama administration had a pandemic response team in place to prevent the spread of the virus, but Trump dismantled the entire team solely because Obama had formed it.  We then discovered that Trump was warned several times in early January that a pandemic was imminent. Yet Trump did nothing.
Instead, he blamed the WHO for not warning the world of the coming pandemic.

We then learned that Germany had offered Covid-19 tests to the United States, but Trump refused them, instead insisting the US develop its own tests. As the rest of the world had developed testing programs for its citizens, Trump was touting tests and cures that did not exist.  He then started his daily coronavirus briefings that were nothing but mini-campaign rallies where Trump rambled on for hours attacking the press, Democrats, China, Obama, and anyone who disagreed with his lies and misinformation.  He even had the balls to attack the scientists and medical professionals who were risking their lives to save the country from this deadly virus.

As people were dying and hospitals were overburdened with Covid-19 patients, especially in New York City, front line medical professionals were begging for medical supplies, such as PPE's and ventilators, Trump was lying that they were on the way.  In reality, they didn't exist.  The Trump administration has given them to China, Russia, and Europe.  Hospitals were fighting the battle of the virus with no weapons.   In response to the pleas for needed supplies, Trump names his useless son-in-law Jared Kushner to take charge of the national stockpile of medical supplies.  

As the virus waged battle with the country, Trump refused to take a leadership roll in battling the disease.  He handed that responsibility over to the governors of the individual states. Then it became apparent that the states that needed the help the most just happened to be Blue states.  True to his disgusting form, Trump gave the help to the Red states that didn't need the help.  Kushner's supplies were given out, not according to need, but according to which states supported Trump.

Then the battle turned to an economic battle, with Trump striving to save the economy at the expense of the lives of Americans.  The first stimulus package ended up benefitting big corporations, not small businesses.  Once again large corporations were bailed out at the expense of everyone else.  Each American received a meager $1200 each to pay for rent, food, and expenses.  And this was to last until the end of the pandemic!  This stimulus package was not won without a fight from the Republicans who wanted to deny the average person assistance while giving more to big businesses.

After Trump was criticized for touting a dangerous drug as a treatment for Covid-19 and suggesting people drink bleach to kill the virus, he quit having his mini-rallies, at least for a couple of days. He soon started up again, but with less time spent having the scientists speaking.  He switched his game plan to saving the economy rather than saving the lives of the American people.  As a result, future stimulus packages will not include helping the worker but helping the stock market, in order to aid Trump's re-election.

As the death toll continues to climb Trump's sycophants in Red states are reopening their states to business and abandoning social distancing recommendations.  With Trump's support, his armed protesters have stormed state houses of some states demanding to have the right to not wear masks and no social distance.  In those states where they have reopened the number of cases has begun to spike.  But Trump sees this as a necessary evil to save the economy.  People have actually been shot and killed trying to enforce the CDC rules on social distancing and masks and Trump has said nothing.

From the very first case of Covid-19 when Trump called it a Democratic hoax, to the present day, where the number of cases and deaths are increasing, we have received nothing but lies, misinformation, conspiracy theories, and blatantly corrupt handling of the pandemic.  Everything Trump has done in handling this virus has been done with his re-election in mind.  We have discovered that Trump cares nothing about us. He only cares about Donald J. Trump and his money.

Every day, in regards to the pandemic we see nothing but incompetence and corruption. Trump continues to downplay the severity of the pandemic and trivialize the role of scientists in fighting this disease while gutting the CDC even more than he has. But there are other things happening that are not receiving much attention.  Today the Trump's Justice Department dropped charges against Trump traitor friend Michae Flynn.  Many of the environmental policies formulated under Obama to protect our environment have been put on hold or done away with.  Trump is quietly but successfully attacking the rights of minorities such as the LGBTQ community, immigrants, and those of color. Voting rights are particularly under attack as we near the presidential election.

Even though social distancing is enforced or encouraged in Washington, DC, Mitch McConnell has called back the Senate, not to legislate more financial help for small businesses and the average American, but to push through more conservative judges friendly the Trump agenda.  No help for economically struggling Americans.  No help for small businesses. No help for hospitals and those on the front line in the fight to stop Covid-19.  Just help to keep the GOP and Trump in power.

Amidst all of this corruption, lies, incompetence, death and dying, attacks on the Constitution, and the rule of law there has been nothing but absolute silence from the Republicans. If they've lifted their voices at all, it has only been to oppose any kind of help for the poor and middle classes, the average American worker.  

There have been very few reports of Republicans openly daring to disagree with Trump.  Disagreeing with the Orange Dictator will result in a Twitter tirade in retaliation.  For the most part, the Republican Senate is scared shitless of Trump and will cowardly allow this moronic madman to destroy our country, our reputation, and our way of life.

As of now, it appears that Trump is winning this deadly game because he is the only one trying.  The opposing team, the Democrats and responsible Republicans haven't even taken the field.  We have 7 more months to play this game, which will end in the election of 2020. I hope we get to the election before Trump has destroyed us all.  For all those cowardly Republicans and meek Democrats please grow a pair of testicles and get back in the game.  You're not 5 years old anymore, so those nasty comments and nicknames from Trump won't hurt you.  You're supposed to play for the American people, not the Trump family.

People Are Dying, It's time to end Trump's reality show!

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It’s shocking and depressing to wake up each morning to the news that the numbers of positive cases of the coronavirus and the number of deaths from it are dramatically rising. I can’t help but think that one month ago the leader of our county muttered these words, “and again when you have 15 people, and the 15 within a couple of days is going to be down to close to zero, that’s a pretty good job we’ve done”. Now thanks to Trump’s refusal to act in a timely fashion and incompetence we have over 69,000 deaths and over 11,200,00 cases in the U.S., and the numbers are still rising!

Every day the Moron-in-Chief appears for his daily briefings. People expecting to hear about life and death information, and how our government is helping them, hear nothing but lies, misinformation, conspiracy theories, attacks on his enemies and the press and self-aggrandizing pronouncements. We are put through a sickening parade of the sycophants in his administration kissing his ass, in order to keep him happy and keep their jobs. Even when the two medical experts are allowed to speak, Trump contradicts them if they tell the truth, as dire as it may be. Instead, he spouts irresponsible and dangerous information, offering false hope to his supporters.

At a time when the leader of our country should be uniting us and giving honest emotional support he, instead, continues to divide the country with his racist remarks and failing to take responsibility for his failure to meet this emergency head-on. Instead, he blames Obama, China, Europe, Democratic governors, the press, and anyone else he can think of for his disastrous response to the pandemic. He still believes the pandemic is a conspiracy to ruin his chances for re-election.

Americans are suffering and dying because of him and it’s going to get worse. Enough is enough. This is not a Trumpian reality show! It’s not about him. It’s about us and our country. It’s time for this shit show to end. The more he talks, the more people will die. His cabinet will never dare correct or criticize him, so we can’t depend on them to do the right and moral thing. The GOP members of Congress are either terrified of him or are complicit in his reign of terror and will do nothing to remove him.

Take the fat son of a bitch off the briefing stage and put his ass on a golf course with all the KFC and Big Macs he can eat and leave him there until this thing is over. He can’t harm us there. Then put Dr. Fauci in charge of a panel of experts and have them give the daily briefing to the American public. This will save lives.

Who Took Christ out of Christianity? The second death of Christ.

Wikipedia

I’m not a religious person, even though I was raised a Catholic and my family still are active in the Church. I drifted away because of a number of reasons, of which hypocrisy is one of the strongest. I am gay and have always been bombarded with condemnation and reasons for my worthlessness. These lessons were taught by everyone from the pope on down to the nuns in my school. They did not come from Jesus Christ!

I could relate that to helping feed the hungry and poor of our community.

I think I stayed connected to my religion not because my parents forced me to go to church and Catholic school, but because of the stories I heard or read about the life of Christ. I can remember the story of the loaves and fishes where Jesus fed the masses. I could relate that to helping feed the hungry and poor of our community. It seemed that Jesus was always helping the less fortunate in society. I liked that. Now people can be arrested for leaving food and drinking water for poor hungry migrants at the border, who are seeking a better life for themselves and their families!

Immigrants are now demonized and unwelcome in this country,…

I remember the story of the Good Samaritan, in which Jesus taught us about expressing love for our neighbor, no matter who or where they came from. In this parable, Jesus told of a traveler, much like those crossing our borders every day, and how well he was treated, despite his appearance and who he was. Now we have some good Christians who want to build a wall to keep people (our neighbors ) out of our country because they have darker skin color or a different religion or are poor. Immigrants are now demonized and unwelcome in this country, where every person, not of Native ancestry, is descended from immigrants!

I also learned of the “seven deadly sins” described in the Bible,…

I remember the story where Jesus healed a crippled man who was brought to him as he was preaching at the pool at Bethesda, where the sick and infirmed of the day journeyed to be cured. Today our own President publicly mocks the handicapped, and his good Christian followers applaud him! I also learned of the “seven deadly sins” described in the Bible, which include adultery, pride, and gluttony. Yet our country has elected and still supports a man who embodies 

those despicable characteristics!

Oh, how things have changed!

I remember the story, which I believe, told of the only time Jesus lost his temper. This was the story of Jesus driving the money changers from the temple. As these people were busy making money in a house of God, Jesus became angry throwing them out of the temple, and, according to the Bible, said, “It is written, My house shall be called the house of prayer, but ye have made it a den of thieves.” Oh, how things have changed! Today huge and ornate megachurches have sprung up all over the country, pastored by slick, savvy businessmen preaching God’s word and promising His blessings, for a donation. Images of empty so-called houses of God, against the background of poor homeless people sleeping in parks during hurricane Harvey in Texas, still anger me.

they give, even though they cannot afford it….

Today, with record numbers of homeless and people dying because they can’t afford healthcare and medication and children going without lunch in our public schools because they can’t afford it, we have megachurch pastors living in multi-million dollar mansions, with a fleet of luxury cars and private jets! We see pastors begging their flocks to give money so their wives may have a car that none of us could ever afford, or begging for a new private jet because Jesus wants them to have one. Sadly there are millions of people who are so starved by a lack of meaning in their lives and so taken in by these charlatans that they give, even though they cannot afford it.

…somehow religion has morphed into a religion based on prosperity,

When Jesus preached his Gospels of love and charity he was often preaching to crowds of the poor and less fortunate looking for a better life in salvation. Today, somehow religion has morphed into a religion based on prosperity, where people can achieve wealth by practicing their Christian faith. A Christian faith, as delineated by ruthless, conmen masquerading as servants of Christ. I’ve even seen ads on television where a minister is offering free miracle water that will not only cure diseases but will bring you unimaginable wealth after using it. Of course, a nice donation is required to receive the water! 

…the church of Jesus was simply the Christian Church,…

For hundreds of years, the church of Jesus was simply the Christian Church, until egos and nationalities influenced changes. The Roman Catholic Church, the Egyptian Coptic Church, the Russian Orthodox, and Greek Orthodox churches came into being. With Martin Luther came the Protestant Reformation, which eventually gave us the Lutheran Church and then the Episcopal, the Presbyterian, Methodist, Baptist, and a list of other denominational churches. All founded on some interpretation or other of the teachings of Jesus Christ. I grew up being familiar with these churches and had friends who were members of one or other of the churches. They were no different from me.

New and REALLY different small churches began to sprout up,…

Then things began to change. It seemed to me that when people started fighting for their civil rights the churches began to change. During the civil rights movement Christian churches, for the most part, took an active part in support of the moment. Not only Blacks but also Native Americans, Hispanics, non-Christians, and gays, began demanding their rights. This is when, in my opinion, things really changed. New and REALLY different small churches began to sprout up, predominantly in the south and Midwest. Small Evangelical or Pentecostal churches espousing hatred of the LGBTQ community became quite common. Most famous of these is the Westboro Baptist Church, which became known for its church members harassing funerals of gay people and military killed in combat.

…the emphasis of the teachings of these fundamentalist churches lies not in the parables of Christ,…

It is interesting to note that the majority of the membership of these churches tends to be white, as pointed out in this article from the NY Times. To me, the emphasis of the teachings of these fundamentalist churches lies not in the parables of Christ, but in the hatred of gays, or anyone who happens to be different. The fact that young Black kids are being shot and killed by some police officers who seem not to be accountable to anyone, or the fact that our children are being killed all too often in mass school shootings, or the fact that at our southern border children are being ripped from their parents and given for adoption by agencies aligned with our government, go unaddressed.

I don’t remember Jesus ever talking about schools like this!

We have an extremely religious and devout self-proclaimed Christian as Vice-President of our country, who as governor of Indiana signed a bill to jail gays for simply applying for a marriage license and has opposed laws banning discrimination of the gay community in employment and housing and has become the first Vice President to speak before a major anti-LGBT group. His wife teaches at a Christian school that bans gay or transgendered students, faculty, and parents. The school not only condemns the LGBTQ community but also demands that any of their employees also not support or condone any type of “deviant” behavior, such as same-sex marriage and pre-marital sex. You can read more information regarding this here. I don’t remember Jesus ever talking about schools like this!

And I mean ‘Men” as in gender.

What happened to Christianity from the time Jesus walked on earth and the here and now? In my opinion, what happened was the introduction of men into Christ’s church and teachings. And I mean ‘Men” as in gender. Women have historically been excluded from the Church since the time after Christ’s death. With the dominance of men in the church came the fight for power, at the expense of Christ’s legacy of love and charity. It would take years for me to delve into how the interference of man into Christ’s church has destroyed real Christianity, so I will avoid argument and save time by allowing others, more classically trained in religion to fight for the reason for their existence. After all, this is only my humble opinion.

Everyone was boringly the same in white Christian America!

So what has happened to Christianity in our country? I hear a lot of people talk about our country being founded as a Christian country. This is not true. If anyone knows anything about the history of our country, they know this is far from the truth. Our founding fathers were anything but religious Christians, but that’s a lesson for another day and another story. When many people think back to attending church on Sunday or participating in church activities they can remember every member of their congregation being white. There were few if any people of color and there certainly weren’t any gays (they usually played the organ at most churches though) as they were well hidden. Everyone was boringly the same in white Christian America! How many Blacks, Hispanics, Muslims, Asians or gays do you remember seeing on “Leave it to Beaver” or “The Donna Reed Show”?

Thanks to our country’s doctrine of separation of church and state,…

That was the America of the fifties and sixties. The America that many people thought was great. The America that some people want back again. So how do you go back to those good ole Christian days? You change the meaning of Christianity! If the mainstream churches allow people of color and people with different lifestyles in as members, you change the rules or start your own churches. Thanks to our country’s doctrine of separation of church and state, American Christianity has evolved into a business, wrapped in religion, where it is legal to discriminate against anyone who is perceived as different. Whether that difference is in skin color, sexual orientation, national origin, ethnicity, or even political point of view. Christ no longer has anything to do with Christianity!

Christ never condemned me for being gay.

According to Religion New Service millennials are leaving religion in vast numbers because they have become disenchanted with the strictly conservative interpretation of Christ’s teaching offered by some churches. Like these Millenials, I still consider myself a Christian. I believe in Christ’s teachings in regards to the poor, in regards to loving our neighbors and in regards to treating everyone with respect and dignity, regardless of any descriptive label. Christ never condemned me for being gay. I may have left religion, but I haven’t left Christ!

Remember the Boy in the Bubble?

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How many of you remember the boy in the bubble? Probably not many. But during this time of self-quarantine, I can’t help thinking of him. For those of you who don’t remember him, I’ll try to explain who he was.

David Vetter was born in 1971 with an immunodeficiency disease called Severe Combined Severe Immune Deficiency (SCID), for which there was no cure and limited treatment. Because his immune system did not function properly, exposure to any common pathogen, that people normally harbor, would be fatal to David. The only treatment available to him was to place him in a sterile environment, that would isolate him from any contact with the outside world, including his entire family. This environment was a plastic structure which became to be known as a “bubble”. David’s story can be found here, for those who wish to learn more about “the boy in the bubble.”

It’s been a little over 4 weeks since I have been self-quarantined. I am a senior and I suffer from both asthma and COPD, so I am at high risk of death if I contract COVID-19. Last year I was hospitalized with a severe case of the flu which I thought would kill me. I know what it’s like not being able to breathe and I am scared shitless of contracting the coronavirus. So, yeah I’m not venturing out to commit suicide by socializing with friends, neighbors, or the general public.

My husband and I have our groceries delivered and also some of our meals delivered so we don’t have to come in contact with people shopping or picking up take-out. Even though my husband is not in the high-risk group he could still contract the virus or spread it to me without him showing any symptoms. When we receive packages or mail everything is sprayed or wiped down with Lysol, to be on the safe side.

From time to time I would feel as though I’m in a bubble, like David. Staying at home I am reducing the possibility of contracting the virus, and any other diseases for that matter. I think this is the first time I’ve gone so long without catching a cold. My sinus problems, however, are not affected by bacteria or viruses, but the weather, over which I have no control.

Because I’m spending more time with myself I have extra time to think about things that I have little control over or make absolutely no sense. Times when I feel as though I am in a bubble I wonder about what will happen when the quarantine is over and I’ll be able to go out among people. Will I suddenly have no immunity to common pathogens and become sick with the common cold or other maladies floating around in my community? Should I stay away from everyone just in case they are sick with something else, other than COVID-19. What happens if the coronavirus morphs into another deadly unknown virus that will destroy humanity?

So far I have been handling the quarantine quite well and have not been suffering from cabin fever. It helps that the weather has been shitty for the past few weeks, so I don’t relish going out in the cold, rainy, and even snowy weather. I’ve also gotten over wanting to eat anything and everything that wasn’t alive and breathing. I still crave chocolate though and I’m sure I will no matter what situation I find myself. Since my husband is working from home in his office in the basement, I have a good deal of alone time elsewhere in the house. I have come to cherish and enjoy that time alone, and my husband loves to spend his time with his computers and other gadgets when he’s not working.

I find it odd that I don’t miss going to my gym and seeing the regulars there I would normally converse with. For the most part, they were Trump supporters so intelligent conversations were not possible. If I want to raise my blood pressure now all I have to do is watch Fox News for a few minutes to induce vomiting or listen to the daily campaign rallies about how good of a job the Moron-in Chief has done in managing the Trump virus.

I sometimes find myself fantasizing about living in a cabin in the middle of the Adirondack Mountains, as I have done many times before. But this time it’s different. I wasn’t quite sure if I could survive without human contact and the everyday amenities of life I have become used to. Now that I am doing just that, I think I might be able to live my fantasy. I’m not sure about pizza delivery though.

Comparing my living in quarantine to David Vetter living his life in a bubble is probably just an acceptable way of feeling sorry for myself during these trying times. David didn’t have any choice in how he lived his short life and there was never any hope of his circumstances changing to allow for a normal life. I can still roam around my home and my property and enjoy the sights and sounds of nature. David couldn’t. I can be with and hug my husband and soon I will be able to feel the closeness and warmth of those dearest to me. David never knew that feeling. I previously enjoyed what could be called a normal life, and someday soon hopefully I will be able to return to that life. David never got that chance.

When my time on this earth is over, this quarantine will be remembered as only a flash in time for me. David’s whole life was spent in his bubble. He died from Burkitt’s lymphoma at the age of 12 from complications of a failed bone marrow transplant. Think about David every time you complain about having to stay at home because of the pandemic!