Category: Calamity Politics

26 Things to Make You Smile

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26 Things to Make You Smile

26 Things to Make You Smile

By D.S. Mitchell

I am back at the computer after taking a week off . Before I started this blog, I worried that I wouldn’t have enough to scream about, but I’m finding that I could probably do a dozen posts a day related to the insanity of Donald Trump. Like Megyn Kelly said recently, “send grandpa back to the nursing home.” But I thought, before I start my rant on the collapse of the progressive agenda and possibly our democracy, I wanted to deliver at least two or three posts that are positive and uplifting.

So, here are twenty-six things that make me smile and hopefully you, too:

1.) Touching toes in the sand
2.) Sunsets over shimmering water
3.) Wraparound sunglasses
4.) The Science channel
5.) Kite flying contests
6.) The Muppets
7.) Astronauts

8.) Blowing the wrapper off the straw
9.) Winning at Scrabble
10.) A dog’s cold nose on your hand
11.) Barhopping
12.)  Old jeans that fit just right
13.) A lover’s voice
14.) The clatter of skis being loaded
15.) The rumble of a train as it passes
16.) Walking in the rain
17.) The imagination of a six year old
18.) Margaritas at midnight

19.) Finishing the Sunday crossword without cheating
20.) Volunteering for a special cause
21.) The smell of a new car
22.) Roller skating, with helmet and knee pads, of course
23.) My first grade teacher, Miss Gill
24.) A good book
25.) Daddy’s wisdom

26.) The firing of AG Pam Bondi

I know this small Friday distraction did little to take your mind off the continuing chaos at the Trump White House, the Iran War, the price of gas and groceries, even attacks against the first American born pope; but hopefully it gave you a couple minutes respite; and that’s a good thing. Have a gem of a day.

No Kings. Stand up to the billionaires.

Girls’ School

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Girls’ School

Girls’ School

 

By John Curran

 

Hi, I’m Joe, the landscape gardener for this wealthy fat cat Washington, DC so-called power player and we are here on his beautiful estate out here in the Hamptons where he is fixing to have an evening get together for some other fat cats so called power players and their wives or servants in tow. And even though I do do house functions as well as tending to the grounds, Mr. C. has decreed that I make myself scarce for this particular gathering.

You see I am not one of those. I am just a regular ‘ol middle aged black guy from originally the deep south, Podunk, Alabama; and I know how to make myself scarce up here in the Hamptons, going invisible in million dollar shrubbery as the sun is going down over the million dollar horizon and the limousines are pulling up. I slip through the cracks, just a black man, they know what that’s all about, I guess. So, just Joe the gardener, making himself scarce. ‘An it just so happens my favorite hideaway is this cool little grotto type arrangement right outside of and underneath the dining room where the big cat gathering was gonna happen.

I tucked in there, I could hear everything, and I must say these white people just never come with a dull moment, its always entertaining. I sat right back down back up against the wall, last beams of sunlight streaming in on me, all warm and comfy, and took it all in ‘an most interesting it was, the proceedings. Early on I’d kinda’ thought this was gonna be like some big important kind of thing where the actual fate of the entire planet was gonna sorta depend on the state of these very important people’s digestion.

But no, seems otherwise, seems it was more like gonna be a party, with this comedian even, this guy, I’d heard his name, Mr. C. talking ’bout this guy, like serious. But no again, now it’s like this guy is actually the comedian, Hegseth his name I think, Pedro, ‘cept he prefers Pete, says no Pedro for Pete. One of his jokes I guess.

Anyway, there I am in position as where I can hear them arriving. And there’s the usual low murmuring thing rising now a bit in volume as more and more of ‘m pile. And then one more louder voice among the rest, damn they ain’t all even got seated in there yet, and this one guy, already starting in with a veritable non stop one liners and zingers demolition. And so I figured this must be the comedian ‘n he can’t even wait to get started and he’s getting into this theme of demolition like the way a good comic can milk a depressing subject for laughs sometimes for laughs and it becomes like a kind of therapy, facing up like to the bogeyman.

And this guy at least was coming on with it good, he actually sounded a little drunk but damn sure wasn’t stopping him until someone yells out, like a heckler would do, saying, “So Pete, tell us about the girls’ school.” And then, right then, the Pete guy, the sorta comedian, well I could hear as his whole voice tone speaking thing had bouncy along so like suddenly became more like the hissing of some reptiles I have encountered as he says back to the heckler, “okay pal, I guess you were there huh, ’cause ya sound pretty girlish to me. Well, I’m sorry I missed ya, ha ha. And man,  it got quiet in that room, and afterwards nobody was laughing much at all. White people, Lawd, I’m saying, I ain’t never gonna figure them out.

Moving On

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Moving On

Moving On

 

D. S. Mitchell

 

I went to 27 different grade schools, and it probably won’t surprise you; I’ve been married five times. The only reason I’m confiding these tidbits of ancient information is to cue you to the fact that I’m no stranger to packing up the car and moving on.

So, now you ask, “are you going somewhere?”

“Aahhh, yes, and as always, I have no idea where.”

I came to the charming Southern Oregon town of Grants Pass in 2022, lured by an older double wide mobile home on a beautiful lake front lot. I bought it and have been loving it ever since.

So, now you ask, “why would you leave; if you love it?”

Aahhh, because somewhere deep inside me there is a malfunctioning gene. A gene that will never let me be stay in one place; no matter how well things seems to be going. In fact, the better that things seem to be going all the better reason to move on. Sounds a bit crazy, doesn’t it? Well, I think you’d be absolutely correct. Unhinged, perhaps? Spoiled? Entitled? Probably all of those things and a few more unflattering descriptors, when the truth is known.

On the other hand, in two capitols thousands of miles apart, two sociopathic heads of state show their willingness to throw their soldiers and citizens into their psychopathic conflict. A war with no purpose, other than to keep Bibi out of jail and the Epstein files out of the headlines. A war that conservatively is costing the United State a fuckin’ billion dollars plus per day. That ought to make your hair stand on end as you wait in the unemployment office for an interview, or you struggle over how to pay for groceries, or fill the gas tank. A fuckin’ billion dollars a day; while rural hospitals are closing across this country. Again while Trump and Bibi burn up a billion dollars a day Health and Science Universities across the United States are experiencing dramatic federal funding cuts. Outrageous, scandalous an unbelievable middle finger to civilized nations.

For the last week I have watched near 24/7 coverage of Donald and Bibi’s War against Iran. It is here I want to say that despite all my malfunctioning genes and general bullshit over the years my craziness has never cost one person their life; certainly not 185 school girls, leveled  a city, destroyed oil fields and stored reserves,  or sank ships and their crews at sea. Why aren’t these two guys in jail or a padded cell? How does it happen that these two men, both criminals, run two of the most powerful countries in the world? Where are the restraints? What went wrong in the election? Right now we have two of the most dangerous men in history threatening the world military and economic stability.

Trump while raving illogical “short term pain and long term gain,” he and his brother in pain are  running wild with Tomahawk missiles and endless bombing raids against Iran. If congress can’t stop them, the American people and the Israeli public CAN halt this despicable activity, but that requires action. Action on the street. Protests. Screaming our damn heads off. Time to put the American people first, that means affordable housing, access to child care, universal health care, basic income, and superlative public education.

It’s time for the few remaining sleeping Americans to come out of the MAGA coma and see Trump for what he is. Show your disapproval for this president and his fuckin’ foreign wars. Register for the No Kings Protest, and turn out with whistle, drum and sign, March 28, 2026. A goal of 10 million Americans on the street will move even psychopaths to change course. Come on America, PROTEST!

 

Why Your Vote Is So Important

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Why Your Vote Is So Important

Why Your Vote Is So Important

By D.S. Mitchell

 

The 2024 Election

I talk to people; lots of people everyday, and I am sad to tell you folks that a surprisingly large group of my friends, neighbors, co-workers, and even my favorite barista did not vote.  I’m genuinely surprised. I thought it was just someone else, somewhere else that did not vote. How could it in fact be people I know, lots of people I know. Usually, a federal election brings the voters out, but not in 2024. I’ve heard the low voter turnout related directly to Trump winning.

Staying Away From the Polls

When I asked each of them why they hadn’t voted the answers varied. Several people said they were busy and totally spaced it out. What? How is that possible? I don’t believe them. But, why are they lying? A handful of others said they didn’t vote because politicians are all a bunch of crooks just with a different party affiliation. So why bother? A few commented that the whole election system was rigged. One woman even told me she was “protesting” by not voting. How can not voting be a protest against anything; you are doing nothing. Several said they didn’t like any of the candidates. And finally the last half a dozen people I quizzed said their one vote didn’t make a difference. How could it; its just one of millions.

What Can I Say?

To those who said they had been “too busy” I can only say, shame on you for not taking the few minutes required to vote. We have few covenants with our democracy;  the principle one is that we vote. Regarding the “all politicians are crooks” belief is understandable. Lobbying is a bad practice and weakens our system. However, it is up to us to demand our officials are accountable for any misdeeds in office. Some ways that is accomplished is with term limits and strict ethics rules, but most importantly a vigilant electorate. The rigged election ‘reason’ is based on a politically motivated attack on our independent state voting system by powerful people with loud voices and a significant bully pulpit. Even a lie, told repeatedly will find believers. As far as not liking either candidate; do a little research and I bet you discover there is a huge difference between the candidates and you might find you really do like one better than the other. The last and most often stated reason people didn’t vote was because they believed that their one vote doesn’t make a damn bit of difference. This last reason I am going to spend some time on. Just like the late Reverend Jesse Jackson I know enough of history to know that one vote has changed the course of history more than a few times.

When One Vote Changed History

  • One vote made Oliver Cromwell Lord Protector of the Commonwealth and gave him control of England, Scotland and Ireland from 1553 until his death in 1558.
  • One vote caused Charles I, King of England, Scotland, and Ireland to lose his head.
  • One vote kept Aaron Burr (later charged with treason) from becoming President of the United States.
  • One vote made Texas part of the United States and led to the Mexican American War and the acquisition of a lot of real estate, including, California, New Mexico, and Arizona.
  • One vote changed France from a monarchy to a republic.
  • One vote per precinct would have elected Richard Nixon rather than John Kennedy as president in 1960.
  • One vote in the German Reichstag in 1933 gave Adolf Hitler dictatorial powers and launched catastrophic global upheaval and led eventually to WWII.
  • One vote maintained the Selective Service System only 12 weeks before Pearl Harbor.
  • In 1920, Tennessee became the final state needed to ratify the 19th Amendment, granting women the right to vote. The state legislature was deadlocked on the issue, and a single vote—cast by Harry T. Burn—secured its passage.
  • The acquisition of Alaska from Russia, commonly known as ‘Seward’s Folly’ was approved by a single vote in the Senate in 1867.

The Roots of Black History Month

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The Roots of Black History Month

The Roots of Black History Month

As It Celebrates It’s 100th year

By Wes Hessel & Catherine Rees-Hessel

 

Black History Is More Than A Month, But It Started As A Week…

Black History Month is recognition and commemoration of the contributions of African-Americans to the history of this country. This celebration started when a group of men – Dr. Carter Godwin Woodson, George Cleveland Hall, William D. Hartgrove, Jesse E. Moorland, Alexander L. Jackson, and James E. Stamps – founded the ASNLH (Association for the Study of Negro Life and History) in September of 1915. Just over ten years later, Dr. Woodson created the forerunner of the current celebration – Negro History Week  – in February of 1926; he chose a week in which the birthdays of both Abraham Lincoln and Frederick Douglass were celebrated.

Gained Momentum And Spread…

Black History Week became Black History Month with a proposal from the leadership of the Black United Students at Kent State University in February of 1969 – one year later, Kent State celebrated the first Black History Month.  In 1976, President Gerald Ford, as part of the United States Bicentennial celebration, urged the American people to “seize the opportunity to honor the too often neglected accomplishments of black Americans in every area of endeavor throughout our history.”  In 1987, the United Kingdom celebrated its first Black History Month in London, and Canada followed suit in 1995, by officially recognizing February as Black History Month, to honor black Canadians.

Learned Man Who Raised Awareness

Dr. Woodson was himself the son of a slave and although he did not begin his high school education until the age of 20, delayed by his need to earn a living in West Virginia coal mines, he went on to study at Berea College, the Sorbonne, and the University of Chicago.  Woodson eventually earned his PhD at Harvard. At that point, he was only the second African American to achieve this advanced degree, his predecessor being none other than the imminent and renowned, W. E. B. Du Bois.

Back Before You Knew It

The first documented person of African descent to come to what became the United States was a member of Ponce de León’s legendary expedition in search of the fabled Fountain of Youth.  In 1513, Juan Garrido, a Spanish-African conquistador is the first known free African to have arrived in the new world. But Garrido was the exception, within 50 years slavery was well established, with the Spanish bringing slaves to St. Augustine (now Florida), as early as the town’s founding in 1565.  The city is considered the oldest European-founded continuously-inhabited settlement in what is now the mainland 48 states.

Nothing New

Various peoples of Africa were brought to the “New World” as slaves, bought, sold, and treated like the property they were considered to be, not the persons of rich culture and tradition they had been.  The “first” African slaves brought to what is now the United States is typically thought to be a load of captives from what is now Angola, sold to Jamestown Governor George Yeardley and Abraham Piersey, the colony’s trade minister, for food, near the end of August 1619.

Color Inside The Lines

The mistreatment of people of color in our nation is certainly nothing new – there is a long history of subjugation and abuse. After the Emancipation Proclamation in 1862, suppression and subversion of human rights, Jim Crow and separate but equal became the “law” throughout the south where white hooded riders lynched and murdered blacks who didn’t tow the line. Yet African-Americans time and again have proved to be instrumental in our history and innovation.

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The Trump Stench

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The Trump Stench

The Trump Stench

 

Editor: When I read Cate Rees-Hessel’s 50 Things She Trusts More than Trump I was motivated to do a bit of a take off on her piece. Forgive me, I couldn’t help myself. Here are just a few of the thoughts that came to mind as I read her piece.

By D. S. Mitchell

 

  1. We can thank our own Agent Orange for all the environmental deregulation.
  2. Left over unrefrigerated milk found in the WH pantry. Bobby’ll drink it! Bobby’ll drink it! We hope.
  3. MOLD WARNING. Not all mold forms are deadly just the smelly toxic orange variety.
  4. I heard Greg Bovino and Pam Bondi are offering at home body piercing. Och, och, och. Show me your papers!
  5. The government was forced to get supersized Porta-Potties for DHS ‘cuz Kristi Noem and Cory Lewandowski do everything together.
  6. The smell of an outhouse on a hot summer day, has nothing on the Trump White House.
  7. Got stomach acid? I’ve been told the Trump store is running a special on gold sprayed Rolaid packets.
  8. Dirty diapers found in the bushes at Mar-a-Lago’s front gate, apparently left following an Epstein memorial party.
  9. Puppy pee pads? OMG! Where’d they bury that poor puppy? I bet Kristi knows.
  10. The foul odor of used Kitty Litter lingers persistently in the air after every Cabinet Meeting.
  11. A box of sexually transmitted disease video tapes found at the Trump Tower after an Epstein memorial training.
  12. A bag of torn prophylactics found with the video tapes. What do you think? I say party favors.
  13. The stench of a dumpster on a hot summer day smells much like the image of Corporate America taking the knee for their revered Mango Mussolini.
  14. The fermenting odor of the Epstein Files permeates every space Trump enters. You don’t want to get caught in any tight spaces with DJT.
  15. Windmills are killing whales and causing cancer Donald tells us, but he’s got clean coal and Venezuelan oil for us.
  16. The ghosts of the demented Ronald Reagan and the criminal Richard Nixon have nothing on the crazy ass Mafioso king pin currently running our country.
  17. Trump has been given a second term to rape and rob the people of the United States. There’ll be no more emergency PayDay loans for Donnie Boy, now it’s direct hand-to-hand-cash in the billions from the Middle East dictators and potentates and who knows who else.
  18. Some rumors never end, especially the one about how Melania lost her virginity to an ICE agent who dummied up an Einstein visa for her ‘extraordinary intellectual abilities’. How bad does that smell; it’s been rotting in Melania’s closet since 1996.
  19. Trump is a publicly diagnosed power-mad narcissist demanding his name be placed on government buildings and that an arch be built with his name emblazed on it, all while threatening to withhold monies for already allocated major projects unless he gets his monuments. The only monument I want to see Trump’s name on is the one in the above photo.

 

 

50 Things I Trust More Than Trump

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50 Things I Trust More Than Trump

50 Things I Trust More Than Trump

By Cate Rees-Hessel

 

  1. Toxic waste since “The Donald” is the worst agent orange
  2. Decades old unrefrigerated milk
  3. Mold
  4. At home body piercing
  5. Porta Potties
  6. The smell of an outhouse
  7. Stomach acid
  8. Dirty diapers
  9. Puppy Pee Pads that have been cleaned by running then through a sprinkler
  10. Gently used tampons
  11. The smell of used kitty litter
  12. Venereal disease film strips from junior high
  13. The local listed sex offender – likely joins Trump on the Epstein list
  14. Used car that was driven once a week to church by a little old lady
  15. A broken prophylactic
  16. Yellow snow
  17. The stench of a dumpster on a hot summer day
  18. A T- shirt and shorts on a cold winter’s day
  19. Cancer causing windmills
  20. A Tesla, maybe? This is a close race
  21. Three Mile Island
  22. A raging bull
  23. My father-in-law
  24. GMO and artificial colors in my food
  25. Carmel color
  26. A Yugo
  27. Craig’s list
  28. Corporate America – maybe not…
  29. Big pharma, big banks, and insurance carriers – well…
  30. Tonya Harding’s advice on how to win friends and influence people
  31. Marjorie Taylor Green charm school
  32. A $1.39 bikini wax
  33. Utility companies
  34. Payday loans
  35. A root canal with out a nerve blocker
  36. A rumor Melania was a virgin before her nuptials to “Donny boy”
  37. A car engine and brake pads from a junk yard
  38. The National Enquirer
  39. Online degree from Elon Musk University
  40. Temu quality
  41. Botox from a tattoo parlor
  42. Interest rates under this administration
  43. Haircut from a first day of beauty school student
  44. Running out of gas on a first date
  45. Nixon’s ghost
  46. Reagan’s ghost
  47. A TV bought from the back of a van
  48. A decade old disposable razor
  49. Home perm kit from a dollar store
  50. My ex-boyfriend

Street Feet

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Street Feet

Street Feet

 

By John Curran

I’m told we’re gonna have another Saturday street fest. A ‘pop up’ they’re callin’ it. The next big ones not gonna be ’til March 28th, 2026 but I guess since this party thing has gotten to be so much fun; well Grants Pass just can’t wait til then. So much fun and actually, the shit has gone nationwide. Killer you could say, don’t we know.

And since I help out my presence is definitely encouraged, I push wheelchairs see, among other things, chores, alla’ that. ‘N hey, I get into it too. It’s a hoot. Maybe I’ll bring my little bongo drum, its a good excuse to do something with it besides having it just sitting there in the corner of my room. Yeah there might be a drum circle, for sure there’s good DJ action, There’s a guy workin’ it out of the back of van. People are decked out in all kinda’ crazy ways, bunny outfits,  dogs dressed as dinosaurs, clown acts, everything.

Speaking of clown acts, we got two sides o’ the street setup to really liven it up-kind of an us ‘n them sort of standoff. Its great. We yell at them and they yell back at us, man you hear all kinds of funny and amusing ranting and raving and I must say, the excitement is in the air. Usually there’s a whole lot more of us than the themmers on the other side, some people just more inclined to party I guess, but the thems are catching on, I think,  they know we be serious about some lively action and this, without  fail, will be that.

‘Course we don’t have the real edge that some city’s been having, the kind of thing that really sends the shit into overdrive, not yet, anyway. And actually, if you think about it, nothing spoils a good party more than a public execution of an innocent person right there in front of everybody, definitely a party pooper that.

So we be good, so far; so I will say, Minneapolis ain’t so far away so, serious partiers we are and will be.  I push wheelchairs see,  and whatever. Just glad to be there and glad to help, however I can. Do I love it? Damn right I do, and all the dogs and cats do too.  ‘Course the one cat will make ya wonder, sometimes. One in every crowd, I guess.

At the Point S

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At the Point S

At the Point S

Editor: I needed a break from Donald 2026.  So as a temporary escape from the minute by minute Trump coverage I went to the tire shop.

 

By D.S. Mitchell

It was time for an oil change and a tire rotation so I called and made an appointment for Friday at the Point S in Grants Pass. These folks are awesome on the kindness scale, and reasonable on the prices. I added on a bad tail light and a broken grab bar and a safety check when I got there. Anyway, I settled in for an hour plus wait. As I’m flippin’ through the old magazines in the lobby I spot a great article in the May 2024 Real Simple magazine. In the Get It Done section Erica Finamore & Hannah Baker offered 14 easy and inexpensive DIY home projects that have big impact for a very small investment in time and money.  I’m only going to pass on the 7 I liked the best. I just wish I had pictures. So here we go:

1.) Add attractive storage for those oversized cookbooks at the end of your kitchen island simply by adding a couple of shelves, then paint the new shelving a bright surprise color.

2.) Stencil the walls of a nook or entry area. It is important to choose a stencil with a registration mark, “these are the small design elements cut into the edge of the stencil that help you repeat the pattern evenly.” A big impact for a small space.

3.) Fake the art. If you’re hanging art over a sofa or buffet, the frame should be two thirds the width of the furniture.  Soooo, if you have an 8 foot couch the wall hanging should be about 5 feet, four inches wide. The height of the art is up to you. Once you decide how big your piece of art needs to be based on the above measurements its easy to create a giant piece of art. Maybe a colorful shower curtain stretched over a frame. In my case, I just went to the fabric store and found a bright ‘modern art’  piece of material and cut it and stapled the material on to a canvas stretcher. Voila! A real scene stealer.

4.) Replace the pantry door in your kitchen with an antique door, something to give the space a unique look.

5.) I love this one! Even if you aren’t an artist you can still project a design you like onto an exterior wall or even a shed wall, or maybe the pool house wall. Project the image you like onto that wall and with chalk out line the design in colors similar to the paint colors you will ultimately use. This will help you remember what color goes where. They suggest two coats of outdoor paint for the project, and a one inch brush for crisp sharp edges. A three or four inch brush is good for filling in the larger areas they suggest.

6.) Crown molding takes a plain jane room to a Parisian retreat. On this one I’d call my son. If you don’t have a carpenter in the family on speed dial you might want to find a licensed and bonded contractor.

7.) Let’s add beams to the ceiling. Hell, yeah, I say. Again, here’s where I’d call my son, or that licensed and bonded contractor. They don’t have to be big massive beams, smaller beams are lighter and easier to install. In fact, the writers suggest 2 x 6 cedar boards in long lengths to fully cross the ceiling width.

What fun. If you want pictures of the above projects go on line and check out the May 2024 edition of Real Simple magazine.

 

The Big Beat

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The Big Beat

 

The Big Beat

 

By John Curran

 

Well you can close your eyes now Angel and fly away, you’ve done your best; you tried to help them right to the end, trying to alleviate the distress of them coming at that poor helpless person, a woman was it not? Yes, and them coming at her in that big bunch with guns ‘n all the rest of that. All charging at her the way they do, to frighten, intimidate, and control, and oft times physically hurt. But you were there filming and you stepped in-your last great gesture-one more time to try again to ease some ‘a the suffering of this world. It’s ramping up now. The senseless, needless killings, state killings…and you tried to help out the woman when they were coming all over her…and now you are gonna see what good that’s gonna get ya, today yeah ’cause today you’re gonna see it all.

And I’m sorry you have to see it. You were a good man and they beat ya down, they pounded you in the head with the metal canister an’ then they laid you out like Christ on that cross and they pumped you full of lead. I’m sorry you had to see that. Nobody should have to see that, but you can close your eyes now and fly away angel and remember always ‘radio loves you’. Your name is heard, all over the land, love’s ya’, and they be trembling now, before that mighty voice.