“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
A Poem For Don and Vlad
“If you want to lift yourself up, lift up someone else.” Booker T. Washington
“To argue with a person who has given up reason is like administering medicine to the dead.” Thomas Paine
“Imagination is the bridge between the things we know for sure, and the things we need to believe, when our world becomes unbearable.” Staceyann Chin
“The people who are crazy enough to think they can change the world are the ones who do.” Steve Jobs
“Inspiration descends only in flashes to clothe circumstances; it is not stored up in a barrel, like salt herrings to be doled out.”Patrick White
“I will not allow my life’s light to be determined by the darkness that surrounds me.” Sojourner Truth
“Instead of giving a politician the keys to the city, it might be better to change the locks.” Doug Larson
“Law without humanity is injustice.” D. S. Mitchell 2020
“Fear is the main source of superstition, and one of the main sources of cruelty. To conquer fear, is the beginning of wisdom.” Bertrand Russell
“One of the penalties for refusing to participate in politics is that you end up being governed by your inferiors.” Plato
valuable article
Tag: #D.S.Mitchell
The Spider Series-Available on Amazon Books
The Spider Series-Available on Amazon Books
The Spider Series-Available on Amazon Books
12 Things That Make Me Smile
12 Things That Make Me Smile
12 Things That Make Me Smile
By D. S. Mitchell
Welcome to Calamity News and Politics. Calamity is currently based in Southern Oregon, in beautiful Grants Pass. CNP attempts to present relevant and engaging political commentary, opinion, argument, speculation, and prediction regarding the political news in the United States. CNP also comments on health, wellness, fitness, silliness, games, and just about anything that tickles our panties. Once a month, or so, I do a post entitled “Things That Make Me Smile.” The number of items that make me smile usually change with each individual post. No reason, just because I can, I guess.
So, take your mind off of politics and policies, including your grandmother losing her Medicaid, you losing your SNAP benefits, the Russian attack on NATO ally, Poland, the total and complete destruction of Gaza by Israel. the attacks by Israel on our ally, Qatar, and try if possible, to focus on the good things in your life.
Today I’m going to keep it short, here are 12 Things That Make Me Smile, how about you?
1.) Being on time.
2.) Daddy’s old work bench.
3.) Blackened hot dogs. Yum, yum.
4.) Talking to my plants.
5.) Living in a vacation town, during the off season.
6.) Slow dancing with him.
7.) Pizza with a crispy paper thin crust.
8.) Wild strawberries peeking up in the flowerbeds.
9.) Fish On!
10.) Following estate sale signs.
11.) Putting pennies in a jar and watching them grow into dollars.
12.) Watching couples walk hand in hand.
The corruption and scandal in the Trump Administration is going to be around for a longer time than I would ever want, so think of your own 12 things that make you smile, because its gonna be a rough next three years plus years.
Call your congress person, write letters to the editor commenting on Trump policies, start a blog or a podcast, and hit the streets and protest. The next big rally is supposed to be on October 18, 2025. Watch for more information. Come out and protest, ‘No Kings,’ and let’s give our Dictator in Waiting, 10 million middle fingers. Join the New Resistance.
**If anyone is curious the picture accompanying this post is not me, but rather a lovely AI rendering of an imaginary woman.
I’ve Got 25 MORE Reasons to Make You Smile
I’ve Got 25 MORE Things To Make You Smile
I’ve Got 25 MORE Things To Make You Smile
By D.S. Mitchell
I am back at the computer making my second post to my Calamity Politics blog, today. 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 half a dozen posts a day related to the Trump Administration, and its basket of corruption and outrage. But I thought, before I start my rant on the collapse of the progressive agenda. I should deliver something positive and uplifting.
So, here are twenty-five things to make you smile:
- Blowing the wrapper off the straw.
- Sunsets over water
- Wraparound sunglasses
- The Science Channel
- Kite flying contests
- The Muppets
- Astronauts
- Blowing the wrapper off the straw
- Winning at Monopoly
- Astronauts
- Blowing the wrapper off the straw
- Barhopping
- The sound of your lovers voice
- The clatter of skis being loaded
- The rumble of a train as it passes
- Walking in the rain
- The imagination of a six year old
- Margaritas at midnight
- Blowing the wrapper off the straw
- Volunteering for a cause you believe in
- The smell of a new car
- Roller skating
- Memories of your first grade teacher
- A good book
- Daddy’s wisdom
I know this Thursday distraction did little to take your mind off the continuing chaos in the Trump White House, but if it gave you a couple minutes of respite, that’s a good thing. Have a gem of a day and never forget to blow the wrapper off the straw.
Join the New Resistance
Calamity Clown/AKA D. S. Mitchell
WORD CHAIN-Black to White
WORD CHAIN-Black to White
WORD CHAIN-Black to White
By D.S. Mitchell
Political blogging requires mostly research and the desire to tell the world all of your political theories. Ideas you are driven to share with people who may or may not support your theories. I try to provide discussion, analysis and relevant topics from current U.S. political news. But, sometimes, I like to play, so for this session here are a few word chains, related in some twisted way, to the current political situation. LOL.
I can change black to white, by changing one letter at a time: black, blank, blink, clink, chink, chine, whine, white
I can change give to take, by changing one letter at a time: give, live, like, lake, take
I can change tears to smile, by changing one letter at a time: tears, scars, stars, stare, stale, stile, smile
I can change poor to rich, by changing one letter at a time: poor, boor, book, rook, rock, Rick, rich
I can change hate to love by changing one letter at a time: hate, rate, rave, cave, cove, love
Fun and amazing, huh?
I wonder if Donald Trump can change treason to impeach by changing one letter at a time, or impeach to imprison?
Join The New Resistance; protest, protest, protest. I want to encourage all of those who aren’t hospitalized or dead, to hit the streets on June 14th, 2025 to protest Trump’s 92 plus million dollar military-personal birthday parade. Millions of dollars for phony adoration while his administration terrorizes our veterans, the disabled, the sick, the poor, the disenfranchised, hungry children, and the elderly, with loss of funding for basic health care and other safety net services. We as a nation don’t have to take this shit. Destroying our democratic government and promised benefits for millions of Americans in exchange for tax benefits and special government contracts to a handful of sociopaths and oligarchs seems out of balance. It is clear that the billionaire values his needs above those of his country and his fellow equal citizens. There are more of us than there are of them. It is time we remind them of that fact. Show your outrage; make a sign, find the sneakers, and tell Trump, Musk, and that whole billionaire cabinet to suck dick.
Calamity Clown/ AKA D.S Mitchell
**Thank you Rod L Evans, Ph.D for your permission to use your work on this website. (Displayed word chain taken directly from his book Tyrannosaurus Lex). Look for it.
Creating Your Legacy
Creating Your Legacy
Creating Your Legacy
Editor: In southern Oregon we have a local publication that circulates to about 100,000 customers called the “Sneak Preview.” It’s an awesome circular that provides valuable local information; both historical and current. Steve Roe, (Roe Motors) our Grants Pass, Oregon, Buick and GMC dealer writes for the publication. I find his articles interesting, informative, and usually inspiring in some way. I didn’t call him and ask about using a portion of his recent article on legacy building, but I will definitely do that tomorrow. Thank you, Steve Roe for your commitment to family and community. D. S. Mitchell
Leaving A Meaningful, Lasting Legacy (an excerpt from Steve Roe’s, March 1, 2024, Sneak Preview article.)
By Steve Roe
The dictionary defines legacy as “the long lasting impact of particular events, actions, etc. that took place in the past, or of a person’s life.”
Leaving your legacy and how we contribute to the world is different for each of us. We want to know that our life matters to others. Once we know what we want our legacy to be, we can start building it by living in a way we want to be remembered. Leaving a legacy is limited only by our imagination and what is valued by others. Our generosity can include:
- Donate: Giving your time, talent, and treasures depending on what matters to you. It can be as big or small as you want because every cent or minute really does matter.
- Mentor: Being a resource to others in our community that may need guidance or a listening ear.
- Volunteer: There are dozens of ways to help others by volunteering. It can be a great way to bond with our families and teach others the value of giving back.
- Pay it Forward: With only a little effort, you can brighten someone’s day. Little gestures can go a long way. Doing kind things for others can help them while giving you that great feeling of giving.
There are a lot of people in need and a little kindness accompanied by a smile can be a big help.
Protective Actions To Take With A Shooter
Protective Actions To Take With A Shooter 
Tips From Homeland Security:
Protective Actions To Take With A Shooter
The FBI has not set a minimum number of casualties to qualify an event as a mass shooting, but U.S. statute (the Investigative Assistance for Violent Crimes Act of 2012) defines a “mass killing” as “3 or more killings in a single incident.”
By D. S. Mitchell
A Lovely Dinner
I think it was 2001. My husband and I were having dinner on the sidewalk service area of a popular restaurant & bar at the corner of SE Milwaukie Ave and Powell Blvd in Portland, Oregon. It was about 10:30 pm. We were having fun, lingering over a glass of wine and laughing and chatting with other diners.
Running In All Directions
Several loud “cracks” caused me to look around curious, but certainly not frightened. Several more “cracks” echoed in the night. By that time, I realized the sound was coming from the AM/PM gas station across the street. People in the gas station parking lot were screaming and running in various directions. It was only then, I saw flashes of light coming from the driver’s window of a small red sports car, stopped on Powell Blvd.
In The Leg
More shots rang out and a man thirty feet to the left of me, in the restaurant pavilion area fell to the ground screaming. He had fallen to the sidewalk clutching a leg wound. The time between the first shot and my realizing I was in an active shooter situation was probably an entire minute. Realization time. If the bullet had been 30 feet to the right either my husband or I could have been shot; probably in the head since we were sitting and the injured man had been standing.
Little Red Sportscar
The shooter revved the engine, popped the clutch, and sped away. I’m an RN and I have a duty to give aid, so I raced across the street to help. The Portland Police were on site at the same time as I got there. Several ambulances arrived, sirens screaming. Two young men were wounded, one with a bullet in the upper arm and the other fellow with a bullet in the shoulder. In addition to the three wounded two others lay dead. All the dead and wounded at the AM/PM were young- most likely high school age.
“There He Is!”
While the cops were asking questions, I saw the perpetrator’s red sports car slow down and slowly drive past the crime scene, again. They say criminal frequently return to the scene of the crime, but this guy was unbelievably stupid. I raised my arm and pointed toward the car and screamed, “There he is, there’s the shooter!” The wounded young man sitting on the asphalt, that I had been helping, chorused, ‘There’s the son of a bitch! There’s the shooter!!!”
The Morning Oregonian
The cops were on it and I read in the morning Oregonian, two 16 year old Cleveland high school students, members of a notorious local gang, were arrested on suspicion of murder and were being held in jail as adults. I tossed the paper on the breakfast table. What a waste. Two funerals and potentially two life sentences for the perpetrators.
Unready, Unprepared
All situations are different. I think one of the reasons it took so long for me and other diners to realize there was a shooting in progress was because we were across the street from the center of the events, with lots of traffic and noise between us. It wasn’t until a fellow diner was shot by a ricocheting bullet that any of us realized there was even a shooting. Another factor, I believe, may have something to do with the fact that in 2001 mass shooters were not quite as common as today. Whatever the reasons, we were stupidly unprepared for this deadly situation.
****
The Department of Homeland Security offers Americans several suggestions that might save your life if you are caught in an Active Shooter Situation.
Run
If you can get out of the situation, do it. Run toward the first escape route you can find. Leave your belongings and just get away. Once safe, dial 911 and give the police all the information you can.
Play Dead (this is NOT on the DHS list)
I have added this suggestion. I have heard several survivors of mass shootings tell of rubbing blood from victims on themselves and hiding in plain site among the dead as the shooter moves away to find new victims.
Hide
If you can’t escape; take cover, find a place to conceal yourself. You want to be out of sight, with some offered protection, between you and the shooter, such as a locked door. If you can blockade the door with furniture-do it. Be smart, turn off your cellphone as an unexpected call could alert the shooter to your location.
Fight
Take action against the shooter only as a last resort. Throw items and improvise weapons in an effort to disrupt and incapacitate the shooter.
When Law Enforcement Arrives
When the cops arrive, immediately put down any weapons or items you have in your hands. Keep your hands visible and raise your arms. Follow instructions. Refrain from making quick movements toward the officers.
Questions & Answers With D. S. Mitchell
Questions & Answers With D. S. Mitchell
Q & A With D. S. Mitchell
By David L. Shadrick
I had several advantages going for me when I called writer, author, editor, publisher, D. S. Mitchell to ask her for an interview. The first big advantage is that I have known Darlene Mitchell for nearly forty years, the second was I wanted to do a story about her. I hoped our long term friendship and my appeal to her vanity would seal the deal. So after a few hiccups we got together at her home in beautiful southern Oregon and I started asking questions. Here is the result of that interview.
David: When we first met you were an RN. How and when did you decide you wanted to abandon the bedpan for the ink pen?
Darlene: You’re funny. It wasn’t like that. I’ve been writing short stories and bad poetry since I was a young kid. I spent my school years in advanced creative writing classes, encouraged and mentored by a number of wonderful teachers along the way. But, so few writers find success that I chose a “reliable” career. Professional nursing was a sure paycheck, not a hope and a prayer. My mother said a hail Mary on that choice, thankful that the four years of college she paid for wouldn’t be wasted on a low paying unpredictable career as a writer.
High Praise For “Chasing The Spider”
High Praise For “Chasing The Spider”
High Praise For “Chasing The Spider”
By D. S. Mitchell
***** “I loved how fast paced and sexy this book was. I could not put it down until the end. I can’t wait for the next adventure.” Megahan W.
***** “Really good story with gritty dialogue and intriguing pace.” Roselyn T.
***** “I loved it. I couldn’t put it down until the last page.” Anita M.
***** “I couldn’t put it down. I had to know what was coming next. I don’t read a lot but this book just kept me glued to the page.” Mark S.
***** “What was coming next kept me reading.” Som G.
***** “Ever so sexy. Great fun.” Ellen B.
Available on Amazon Books and Kindle ebooks
Here’s the link to the book:
Writing Is My Heart
Writing is My Heart
Writing is My Heart
By D.S. Mitchell
I’ve been journaling and writing short stories since I figured out which end of the pencil held the lead. Most of my writing has been for my own mental health. In 2016 I started the Calamity News and Politics website. The website has given me a platform to talk about the things that are important to me, the news and the politics of the day. I have been able to write articles about issues that mean something to me and to the community.
I fully intend to continue the website. I’m just asking for a little patience as I finish up book three of my adult thriller series Chasing the Spider. The three books are Chasing the Spider, Stalking the Spider, and Embracing the Spider. If you are interested you can find book one on Amazon. The second book should be available next month.
Thanks again for being a Calamity fan, you are loved and appreciated.
Thanks again for your understanding and patience.
D.S. Mitchell
