“First They Came” was written by anti-Nazi pastor, Martin Niemoller. The message is clear.
First They Came
By Martin Niemöller
First they came for the Communists
And I did not speak out
Because I was not a Communist
Then they came for the Socialists
And I did not speak out
Because I was not a Socialist
Then they came for the trade unionists
And I did not speak out
Because I was not a trade unionist
Then they came for the Jews
And I did not speak out
Because I was not a Jew
Then they came for me
And there was no one left
To speak out for me.
I am considered well-aged. In other words, I qualify for all those senior citizen discounts. At 75 I have been dealing with increasingly debilitating Osteoarthritis (OA) of both knees for at least the last ten years. “Bone on bone” as the doctor keeps reminding me. I have been putting off knee replacement surgery due to both fear of the surgery and my ongoing hope for a better answer.
From Miles to Feet
I have always been active and ready to take on whatever the world has to offer, skiing, swimming, hiking, and walking. In fact, I walked four or five miles every day of my life since I was a high schooler. Walking has always been the mainstay of my exercise routine. However, as my knee pain has worsened I have retreated from former activities and have been reduced to limping about my apartment or using the electric scooter at the local Walmart. The final blow to my exercise routine came, when my dog, my prime motivator for walking, died two years ago.
Dr. X
In December I met with Dr. X, the surgeon scheduled to do my right knee replacement. He told me I am within a hair’s breadth of the top end of the weight limit; and suggested I lose a few pounds, strengthen my legs, and workout to build my upper body strength. I told him if I could do all those things I wouldn’t be knocking on his door. He laughed, and told me to, “Try. You have ten months.” “Ten months?” Yes, ten months, I was told. “Mostly due to COID-19 issues such as surgical back-log, shortage of nurses and support staff, plus endless employee sick calls.” The medical assistant came in, opened the computer and tentatively scheduled my surgery for November 16th, 2022.
Editor: Normally CNP stays away from publishing articles on similar topics two days in a row. But in this case I said, Oh, hell, yes. So here is the second article on Betty White in two days, and I suggest just like Anna Hessel, let’s all try to be more like Betty. *Please consider donating to your local no kill shelter in the name of Betty White.
“Be Like Betty”
By Anna Hessel
The Great Betty White
The world remembers the legendary Betty White with awe, honor, and respect. Those that knew her personally recognized she treated everyone with equal importance and kindness. We often recall the “Golden Girls” theme song, “Thank You For Being A Friend”, when thinking of Betty. She was a friend to all, especially God’s furry creatures.
Lover Of All Big And Small
She is quoted as saying, “When I am around animals, I don’t pay attention to people”. Her parents were animal lovers, also, so Betty grew up visiting zoos on a regular basis. Animal rights organizations have been flooded with donations on what would have been her 100th birthday, January 17th. She was a champion of other liberal causes, as well. Also on her birthday, a Google search of Ms. White’s name unlocked rose petals fluttering down the page and a message saying, “Thank you for being a friend”.
A Television Pioneer
Ms. White was a pioneer of women in television, the first female to produce a situation comedy, “Life With Elizabeth”. In the opening of NBC’s “The Betty White Show”, which aired in 1954, Ms. White sang the Rodgers and Hammerstein classic song from “The King and I”, “Getting to Know You”. She played various characters – naughty Sue Ann Nivens, The Happy Homemaker on “The Mary Tyler Moore Show”, had the title role in “The Betty White Show”, but is remembered most as the loveable, storytelling Rose Nyland on the cult classic “Golden Girls”.
In Honor of Betty White, the Calamity Jukebox Choice of the Day is Andrew Gold doing, “Thank You For Being A Friend”.
Lyrics Below:
Thank you for being a friend
Traveled down a road and back again
Your heart is true, you’re a pal and a confidant
I’m not ashamed to say
I hope it always will stay this way
My hat is off, won’t you stand up and take a bow
And if you threw a party
Invited everyone you knew
Well, you would see the biggest gift would be from me
And the card attached would say
Thank you for being a friend
Thank you for being a friend
Thank you for being a friend
Thank you for being a friend
If it’s a car you lack
I’d surely buy you a Cadillac
Whatever you need, any time of the day or night
I’m not ashamed to say
I hope it always will stay this way
My hat is off, won’t you stand up and take a bow
And when we both get older
With walking canes and hair of gray
Have no fear, even though it’s hard to hear
I will stand real close and say
Thank you for being a friend (I wanna thank you)
Thank you for being a friend (I wanna thank you)
Thank you for being a friend (I wanna thank you)
Thank you for being a friend (I wanna thank you)
Let me tell you ’bout a friend (I wanna thank you)
Thank you for being a friend (I wanna thank you)
Thank you for being a friend (I wanna thank you)
Thank you for being a friend (I wanna thank you)
And when we die and float away
Into the night, the Milky Way
You’ll hear me call as we ascend
I’ll see you there, then once again
Thank you for being a
Thank you for being a friend (I wanna thank you)
Thank you for being a friend (I wanna thank you)
Thank you for being a friend (I wanna thank you)
Thank you for being a friend
People, let me tell you ’bout a friend (I wanna thank you)
Thank you for being a friend (I wanna thank you)
Thank you for being a friend (I wanna thank you)
Thank you for being a friend
Whoa, tell you ’bout a friend (let me thank you right now for being a friend)
Thank you for being a friend (I wanna tell you ’bout a pal and I’ll tell you again)
Thank you for being a friend (I wanna thank you, thank you)
Thank you for being a friend
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., stands as the paramount leader of the civil rights movement. There were many more alongside him, most notably the other members of the “Big Six”. They were James Farmer, A. Philip Randolph, Roy Wilkins, Whitney Young, and John Lewis. But Dr. King, or MLK, as many refer to him, was the most visible light and lightning rod.
He Still Speaks To Us
His words continue to speak volumes today, calling us to continue the fight for what is right. Most particularly right now is the need to pass the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act and the Freedom to Vote Act. That is the legacy that should be made to honor both these men who worked staunchly for what they believed. Dr. King’s own family is calling for a hold on celebrating his day until these voting rights bills are made law. In the meantime, we hear the echoes of MLK’s quotable phrases and speeches.
Editor: Betty White would have been 100 years old today, January 17, 2022. One of the most important aspects of her life was her commitment to Animal Rights.
Celebrating The Life Of Betty White
By MAHINROOP PM
Animal Advocate
Betty White, the iconic American actress, comedienne, singer and legendary TV personality left us on December 31, 2021, just seventeen days before her one hundredth birthday. America’s ‘golden girl’ will be missed, like few other celebrities. Betty was not only a pioneer in show business, but she was a pioneer animal rights activist, too. She was a compassionate advocate for animal protection and animal rights, throughout her long life. For decades Betty White has been known for her generosity; giving to animal rights causes, zoos, and foundations across the country. It was Betty White who stepped up and paid for the plane to relocate penguins and sea otters being evacuated from the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. I believe Betty would want to be remembered for her work as conservationist and devoted animal lover, as much as she would want to be remembered for her celebrated 80 years in show business.
Expanding Activism
Betty White worked tirelessly for more than 50 years with the Greater Los Angeles Zoo Association. In a public statement, the GLAZA remembers “her service, her enduring friendship, her lifelong advocacy for animals, and her dedication to supporting our mission. ” The star deeply cared for all living creatures and her demise will leave a huge hole in animal protection endeavors. As White’s fame grew she expanded her animal activism. One of her most beloved charities was The Seeing Eye in New Jersey, one of the country’s oldest guide dog schools.
Editor: Cannabis and its usage by humans dates back at least 8,000 years. For millennia, the plant has been valued as fiber and rope, as food and medicine, and also for its psychoactive properties for religious and recreational use. Some have gone so far to declare it a ‘miracle’ plant.
By D. S. Mitchell
The Controlled Substance Act
In 1969, Richard Nixon, announced that Attorney General, John Mitchell was preparing a comprehensive new measure to more effectively meet the narcotic and dangerous drug problems challenging the country. At the federal level, Mitchell devised the Controlled Substance Act. The Act combined all existing federal laws and expanded their scope into a single new statute. More importantly, the CSA changed the nature of federal drug law policies and expanded federal law enforcement authority over controlled substances.
Fear Of Success
The Comprehensive Drug Abuse Prevention and Control Act of 1970, established the National Commission on Marijuana and Drug Abuse. Raymond Shafer, one of the bill’s sponsor’s fearing it’s restrictive nature, made this statement to Congress, “The criminal law is too harsh a tool to apply to personal possession even in the effort to discourage use. It implies an overwhelming indictment of the behavior which we believe is not appropriate. The actual and potential harm of use of the drug is not great enough to justify intrusion by the criminal law into private behavior.”
Permafrost is any sort of frozen ground, ranging from soil to sediment to rock, that has remained frozen for at least two years and as long as hundreds of thousands of years. It can range in depth from a few feet to more than a mile beneath the earth’s surface, covering huge regions like the Arctic tundra or a single, isolated point like an alpine permafrost mountaintop.
Microbial Breakdown
Microbes that breakdown the carcasses of plants and animals release carbon dioxide, methane, and other global warming gases into the air. A deep freeze successfully halts that process, preserving organisms as well as the gases they would otherwise release underground in the permafrost. The microbial decomposition of those organic materials—and the emission of greenhouse gases—restarts when frozen soil thaws.
Great Tips to keep you safe while driving on wet, foggy, winter roads
By D. S. Mitchell
Rain And Fog
I live in the Pacific Northwest. Although we don’t see much snow, Mother Nature keeps us on our toes with lots of rain and fog. Of course, rain happens all the time, all over the world. Despite wet roads people need to get from place to place. But rainy weather can bring really slick roads, causing skids, hydroplaning, and collisions. A second weather hazard we see a lot of in my area is fog. Fog can make driving difficult; what I really mean is, when the two hazards come together the danger doubles. When things turn grey and wet remember there are some common sense driving tips to keep you safe.
“I’ve finished my 3 book Spider Series. If you’re into hot sex and heart pounding adventure please check it out. Available on Amazon. Thank you for your interest and support. D. S. Mitchell aka “Calamity” at Calamity News and Politics.
“There is nothing more inspiring than taking action against injustice.” D.S. Mitchell 2025
“If stupidity got us into this mess, why can’t it get us out of it.” Will Rogers
“If you can’t be a poet, be a poem.” David Carradine
“No god would want a child killed in his name.” D.S. Mitchell 2023
“Without music, life would be a mistake.” Friedrich Nietzsche
“Too bad that all the people who know how to run the country are busy driving taxicabs and cutting hair.” ― George Burns
“A politician thinks of the next election – a statesman of the next generation.” – James Freeman Clarke
“I want to disturb the comfortable and comfort the disturbed.” Arthur Ashe
“Our task must be to free ourselves… by widening our circle of compassion to embrace all living creatures and the whole of nature and it’s beauty.” ― Albert Einstein
“So the America I loved still exists, if not in the White House or the Supreme Court or the Senate or the House of Representatives or the media. The America I love still exists at the front desks of our public libraries.” ― Kurt Vonnegut
“Let’s just remember that social security is not the government’s money, it belongs to the people who had it taken out of the checks involuntarily their entire working lives.” Mike Huckabee
“I have insecurities of course, but I don’t hang out with anyone who points them out to me.” ADELE
“The growth and development of people is the highest calling of leadership.” Christian Grey
“My favorite old car had no reverse gear. It taught me I could only go forward.” Flavia
“Education is the most powerful weapon which we can use to change the world.” Nelson Mandela
“Those who think they can control the mob are fools and are often the victims of their own incitement.” D.S. Mitchell 2021
“A conservative is a man with two perfectly good legs who, however, has never learned how to walk forward.” Franklin D. Roosevelt
“If now isn’t a good time for the truth I don’t see when we’ll get to it.” Nikki Giovanni
“Everything happens for a reason. Sometimes the reason is that you are stupid and make bad decisions.” Your mother
“Studying American politics has taught me several disgusting lessons, the first being, money buys friends in Congress. That alone should terrify the American public.” D. S. Mitchell 2021
“My art is my heart.” D. S. Mitchell 2015
“Love life and life will love you back. Love people and they will love you back.” Arthur Rubenstein
“Every lie is like stepping in a quicksand pit. Every lie as dangerous, as telling the truth.” D. S. Mitchell 2020
“Sometimes when challenged we find out we are capable of the unthinkable.” D. S. Mitchell 2022
“Surround yourself with those on the same mission as you.” Anonymous
“Dimming the lights will not hide the social injustice in America.” D. S. Mitchell 2017
“The optimist proclaims that we live in the best of all possible worlds; and the pessimist fears this is true. So I elect for neither label.” – James Branch Cabell
Smile
"If puppies and kittens don't make you smile, you might consider therapy." D. S. Mitchell 2015.
“Success is stumbling from failure to failure with no loss of enthusiasm.” Winston Churchill
“Every moment is a fresh beginning.” T. S. Eliot
“Voting is like a prayer.” Raphael Warnock 2021
“We are all valuable. The problem is not everyone is smart enough to realize it.” D. S. Mitchell 2021
“I wonder, if you were blind, lost and confused, would you care what color the offered hand?” D. S. Mitchell 2015
“Silence in front of savagery is savagery itself.” Abhijit Naskar
“To be happy and contented, count your blessings, not your cash.” Chinese Proverb
“We can never be too busy to be kind.” D. S. Mitchell 2017
RIP RBG
“The rain falls because the cloud can no longer handle the weight. The tears fall because the heart can no longer handle the pain.” The Wise You
“Let my old days be my best days,” Cousin Lucille
“In no instance have… the churches been guardians of the liberties of the people.” James Madison
“Happiness is a gift and the trick is not to expect it, but to delight in it when it comes.” Charles Dickens
“Thoughtful people are slow to anger, not necessarily less efficient in their killing.” D. S. Mitchell 2019
“Endings are not always bad. Most times they’re just beginnings in disguise.” Kim Harrison
“The United States like so many countries around the world has chosen to give to the few and deny the many.” D.S. Mitchell 2020
“It is said that your life flashes before your eyes just before you die. This is true, its called life.” Terry Pratchett
“Trickle down economics is like having three dogs and giving one of them a hot dog, and thinking he’ll share.” Bill Maher
“The modern conservative is engaged in one of man’s oldest exercises in moral philosophy; that is, the search for a superior moral justification for selfishness.” John Kenneth Galbraith
“When people start acting as though the past is the same as the present and context doesn’t matter, things start to get dangerous.” Trevor K. McNeil 2020
“Pardoning the Bad, is injuring the Good.” – Benjamin Franklin
“I don’t need to attend every argument I’m invited to.” Unknown
“I love you as certain dark things are to be loved, in secret between the shadow and soul.” Pablo Neruda
“Empty your mind, be formless. Shapeless, like water. If you put water into a cup, it becomes the cup. You put water into a bottle and it becomes the bottle. You put it in a teapot, it becomes the teapot. Now, water can flow or it can crash. Be water, my friend.” ― Bruce Lee
“I have been far oftener discriminated against because I am a woman than because I am black.” Shirley Chisholm 5/21/1969
“The turning points of lives are not the great moments. The real crises are often concealed in occurrences so trivial in appearance that they pass unobserved.” ― George Washington
“We only fail when we fail to try.” Rosa Parks
“The test of our progress is not whether we add more to the abundance of those who have much it is whether we provide enough for those who have little.” Franklin D. Roosevelt
“I like the dreams of the future better than the history of the past.” Thomas Jefferson
“The world will not be destroyed by those who do evil, but by those who watch them without doing anything.” Albert Einstein
“Darkness cannot drive out darkness, only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate, only love can do that.” Martin Luther King, Jr.
“The 7 Social Sins are: Wealth without Work; Pleasure without Conscience; Knowledge without Character; Commerce without Morality; Science without Humanity; Worship without Sacrifice; Politics without Principle.” Frederick Lewis Donaldson
“All evils are equal when they are extreme.”-Pierre Corneille
“Let us not seek the Republican answer or the Democratic answer, but the right answer. Let us not seek to fix the blame for the past. Let us accept our own responsibility for the future.” John F. Kennedy
“There is a cult of ignorance in the United States, and there always has been. The strain of anti-intellectualism has been a constant thread winding its way through our political and cultural life, nurtured by the false notion that democracy means that my ignorance is just as good as your knowledge.” Isaac Asimov
“People without vaginas shouldn’t be able to regulate them.” Unknown
“What this country needs is more unemployed politicians.” Edward Langley, artist
“Be sure to put your feet in the right place, then stand firm.” Abraham Lincoln
“When sleeping women wake, mountains move.” Chinese proverb
“If people stopped searching for things that offended them and started looking for things that inspired them; what a wonderful world this would be.” Night Owl
“Everyone is entitled to his own opinion, but not to his own facts.” Daniel Patrick Moynihan
“Chasing The Spider” by D.S. Mitchell
www.chasingthespider.com
“It is often the small steps, not the giant leaps, that bring about the most lasting change.” Queen Elizabeth II
“Freedom and justice cannot be parceled out in pieces to suit political convenience. I don’t believe you can stand for freedom for one group of people and deny it to others.” Coretta Scott King
“Outer beauty attracts but inner beauty captivates.” Kate Angell
“It is better to be hated for what you are than to be loved for what you are not.” ― Andre Gide, Autumn Leaves
“Worry is a waste of valuable time.” D. S. Mitchell 2015
“The man who has millions will want everything he can get his hands on and then raise his voice against the poor devil who wants ten cents more a day.” Samuel Gompers
“Pretty comes in all sizes. My size is cute.” Honey Boo Boo, reality TV star
“When a man is denied the right to live the life he believes in, he has no choice but to become an outlaw.” ― Nelson Mandela
“All I can say for the United States is that it opens with a prayer and closes with an investigation.” Will Rogers
“We have, at the heart of our government, a perilous disease, and it is called greed.” D. S. Mitchell 2017
“Anger helps straighten out a problem like a fan helps straighten out a pile of papers.” Susan Marcotte
“If you’re going to kick authority in the teeth, you might as well use two feet.” ― Keith Richards
“You must expect great things of yourself before you can do them.” MLK
“I would like to see a time when man loves his fellow man, and forgets his color or his creed. We will never be civilized until that time comes”. Clarence Darrow
“Do more things that make you forget to check your phone.” Unknown
“Social Conventions are like Santa Claus. They only exist for those who believe in them.” T. K. McNeil 2021
“Politics have no relation to morals.” Niccolo Machiavelli
“The problem is that American women are kept from growing to their full human capacities–that fact, is taking a far greater toll on the physical and mental health of our country than any known disease.” Betty Friedan
“May we think of freedom, not as a right to do as we please, but as the opportunity to do what is right.” Peter Marshall
“I weep a lot. Thankfully, I laugh a lot, too. The main thing in one’s own private world is to try to laugh as much as you cry.” Maya Angelou
“All of us do not have equal talent, but all of us should have an equal opportunity to develop our talent.” John F. Kennedy
“People see God everyday, they just don’t recognize him.” Pearl Bailey
“No matter how great your accomplishments, the memory of man is short.” D.S. Mitchell 2021
“No matter how stupid or inane your cause, you can depend on getting at least 30% support from the fucking internet.” David Shadrick 2021
Self-isolating has forced us to turn even more to telecommunication and social media.
“Poverty is like punishment for a crime you didn’t commit.” Eli Khamarov
The Major Cause Of Sex Trafficking Is Poverty
“Being deeply loved by someone gives you strength while loving someone deeply gives you courage.”
“Pain and sadness are often the fruits of intense commitment to a belief or cause. That does not mean you should halt your activity or reject your commitment.” D. S. Mitchell 2017
“The first step towards getting somewhere is to decide that you are not going to stay where you are.” J. Pierpont Morgan
“It has been said, ‘time heals all wounds.’ I do not agree. The wounds remain. In time, the mind, protecting its sanity, covers them with scar tissue and the pain lessens. But it is never gone.” ― Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy
“Information is the currency of democracy.” Thomas Jefferson
“Illegal aliens have always been a problem in the United States. Ask any Indian.” ― Robert Orben
“Dream as if you will live forever, live as if you’ll die today.” James Dean
DEADPOOL QUOTES: 1.) “Never underestimate the stupidity of idiots.” 2.) “Today was about as much fun as a sandpaper dildo.” 3.) “My common sense is tingling.” 4.) “You can’t buy love, but you can rent it for three minutes.” 5.) “I’m gonna eat until I’m tired. Then I’m going to sleep until I’m hungry.” 6.) “I can say chimichanga in seven languages.” 7.) “Do you have an off switch?” 8.) “That’s a face I can sit on.” 9.) “Daddy needs to express some rage.” 10.) “I seriously need a speed bump between my brain and my mouth.” 11.) “I’m a bad guy who is paid to fuck up worse guys.” 12.) “Life is an endless series of train wrecks with only brief commercial like breaks of happiness.” Marvel Comics. Deadpool created by Fabian Nicieza & Rob Liefield
“What we think, we become.” Buddha
“Always laugh when you can. It is cheap medicine.” Lord Byron
“Certainly in the next fifty years we shall see a woman president, perhaps sooner than you think. A woman can and should be able to do any political job that a man can do.” Richard M. Nixon
“Secrecy and a free, democratic government don’t mix.” Harry S. Truman
“Just because nobody complains, doesn’t mean all parachutes are perfect.” Benny Hill
“Politicians and diapers must be changed often, and for the same reason.” Mark Twain
“Anyone who can make you believe absurdities can make you commit atrocities.” Voltaire
“We can have democracy in this country, or we can have great wealth concentrated in the hands of a few, but we can’t have both.” Louis Brandeis
“To learn who rules over you, simply find out who you are not allowed to criticize.” Voltaire
“The greatest leader is not necessarily the one who does the greatest things. He is the one that gets the people to do the greatest things.” Ronald Reagan
“Yesterday is gone. Tomorrow has not yet come. We have only today. Let us begin.” ― Mother Theresa
“A people that elect corrupt politicians, imposters, thieves, and traitors are not victims..but accomplices.” George Orwell
“When our government is spoken of as some menacing, threatening, foreign entity, it ignores the fact that in our democracy, government is us.” Barack Obama
“It was June, and I saw a bumble bee hovering over a flowering shrub. It’s November now, and I have yet to see a second bumbler hover close to me.” D. S. Mitchell 2021
“If you are planning on revenge, dig two graves.” Confucius
“Political language is designed to make lies sound truthful and murder respectable.” George Orwell
“Identify your passion and then pursue it recklessly.” D. S. Mitchell 2018
“I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.” Maya Angelou
“It goes without saying that Fox News is not news at all-but pure propaganda geared to an audience of ignorant fools.” Richard Dawkins
“A fierce rage is not always followed by quiet exhaustion. In fact, it sometimes ignites an unstoppable fury.” D. S. Mitchell 2020
“Fear less, hope more; eat less, chew more; whine less, breathe more; talk less, say more; hate less, love more; and all good things are yours.” Unknown
“The deep political divisions in America do not run between big and small states, but rather, between the North and the South and the coasts and the interior.” D. S. Mitchell 2018
“Some men see things as they are, and ask, ‘Why?” I dream things that never were, and ask, ‘Why not?” Robert F. Kennedy
“Judicial abuse occurs when judges substitute their own political views for the law”. Lamar S. Smith
“Facts do not cease to exist just because they are ignored.”-Aldous Huxley
“Don’t cling to a mistake just because you spent a lot of time making it.” Aubrey De Graf
“Love is like the wind, you can’t see it, but you can feel it.” Nicholas Sparks
“What difference does it make to the dead, the orphans and the homeless, whether the mad destruction is wrought under the name of totalitarianism or in the holy name of liberty or democracy?” ― Mahatma Gandhi
“A President needs political understanding to run the government, but he may be elected without it.” Harry S Truman
“If you see bigotry, oppose it. If you see violence, condemn it. And if you see a bully, stand up to him.” Hillary Rodham Clinton 3/12/16
“The harder the conflict the more glorious the triumph.” Thomas Paine
“What befalls earth, befalls all the sons and daughters of the earth. We did not weave the web of life. We are merely a strand in it.” Chief Seattle
“Hate is too great a burden to bear. It injures the hater more than it injures the hated.” Coretta Scott King
“People will dismiss facts, ignore science, and argue the unarguable; if it’s in the interest of their pocketbook.” Yogi Berra
“If you really think the economy is more important than the environment, try holding your breath whilst you count your money.” Dr. Guy McPherson
“We must find time to stop and thank the people who make a difference in our lives.” Laura Claudette
“I long to accomplish a great and noble task, but it is my chief duty to accomplish small tasks as if they were great and noble.” Helen Keller
