“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
“Chasing The Spider” Commercial!
“Chasing The Spider” By D. S. Mitchell!
“Chasing The Spider” By D. S. Mitchell!
Here is the commercial for my new erotic suspense thriller – What do you think?
Well, I finally stepped out of my comfort zone. I have left the realm of non-fiction and jumped into the hot and steamy, heart racing, pulse pounding danger and intrigue of contemporary suspense! “Chasing The Spider” follows a young girl running from The Speaker of the House. A man with the power and resources to hunt her down and kill her without consequence. Can the three handsome men she meets on the road save her from the peril she finds herself in?
Check out my new adult thriller-“Chasing the Spider” !
D. S. Mitchell
Book 2 will be available Spring of 2021
Have You Tried Calamity News And Politics?
HAVE YOU TRIED CALAMITY NEWS AND POLITICS?
CalamityPolitics.com has been up and running forever! That means it is time we thanked a few people for the things they’ve done to keep us fresh and interesting.
OUR CONTRIBUTORS:
D.S. Mitchell (aka) “Calamity” – Leader of the Pack
David Shadrick – Professional hack
Jane Francis – Techie Queen
Sonnet Gomes – Coolest name eva’
Trevor K. McNeil (aka) T.K. McNeil – Very funny, and most productive of the group!
Anna Hessel – Star
Wes Hessel – Best name to pronounce. Say it with me “Wes Hessel, Wes Hessel, Wes Hessel!” Pretty cool
James Moore – Working out mind and body
Brett Kondratiew – A view from Down Under.
Michael Leonard Douglas – A unique British and Kenyan voice
Megan Rees – Living in Hanoi, Megan keeps us in step with what is going on from an Asian perspective
OUR PASSIONS:
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Streetlevel Resources.org
Democratic National Party
Black Lives Matter
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OUR FANS!!!
You are the most awesome part of the Calamity Politics scene! Without all your support we would be a voice screaming into the wilderness. Your comments, contest entries and enthusiasm really keep the gears churning. If you like what we’re doing here please pass it on to your friends. The more the merrier!
THANKS
Thanks, one and all!!! If you have not checked out the site recently, you don’t know what you’re missing! Tons of topics from writers around the globe!
COMING SOON
There is always something going on at Calamity News And Politics and we noticed the world is changing. Time for us to start changing too. With more and more people watching their news we will be expanding our propaganda with new tech.
PODCAST
We’re looking into doing a weekly podcast. This will be a chance for us to expound on the events of the week, cover our lifestyle reporting in better detail and so you can see our thought process. We look forward to answering any questions you may ask during our podcast.
ZOOM CONFERENCES
Keep in contact with Calamity Politics so you can receive information on our upcoming Zoom Conferences. This will be an opportunity to interact with our contributors and experts on topics that impact you. A great chance to have your questions answered.
MORE THAN TRUMP BASHING LIBTARDS
We don’t just complain about the President, we bitch about everyone! Like I said, we have lifestyle articles, comedy articles, pro wrestling articles, articles about human trafficking, Satan, and trying to find the ‘effin car keys. It’s a smorgasbord of reading happiness.
CHECK US OUT
If you’d like to check out the world from a unique perspective, then Calamity News and Politics may be the perfect read. Always fresh, edgy and in the here and now. If you not doing anything right now, I invite you to click this link:
https://www.calamitypolitics.com/
Now you can see what our hundreds of fans and thousands of hackers already know. We are cool as hell!
OPINION: Watching Democracy Die
OPINION:
Watching Democracy Die
By D. S. Mitchell
Wisconsin Outrage
Television images captured thousands of voters in Milwaukee, Wisconsin standing in three block long lines, face masks in place, showered intermittently with hail and rain, risking exposure to COVID-19; to exercise their right to vote. This did not need to happen. This should not have happened. Voting should not be an obstacle course. Voting should be one of the easiest things, we as citizens, ever do. It should be as easy as licking an envelope. The vote by mail push is meeting stiff resistance from the far right, particularly from Donald Trump. The politicians fear it would endanger their grip on power. Republicans in Wisconsin, and other states have used voter suppression to shrink the electorate and limit access to the polls for decades.
Anger
I was disgusted at the sight of what was happening in Wisconsin. Furious to my core. So angry, I was crying. Tears are not always shed in weakness, or defeat. Some tears are a physical manifestation of a rage so great that when held back can lead to plate smashing, door slamming, and window breaking. At other times tears are shed because the injustice of events is beyond the understanding of the human heart. In 2018, according to the Brennan Center For Justice “17 million Americans, or 8% of the nation’s electorate, were removed from voting rolls.” The clear intent was to deny particular segments of the population the right to vote.
The Whigs
In the first days of our country there was no such thing as voter registration; white men just showed up and voted. In the mid 1800’s voter registration laws began to emerge. These laws, were designed to limit participation, not encourage involvement. One of the first voter registration laws in the country was written by New York state Whigs. The Whigs wanted to limit the voting power of Irish Catholic voters in New York City. The Irish were mostly Democratic party voters. But, the Whigs had a plan, and the legislative power to suppress the power of the growing Irish Catholic vote.
Switching Gears
Switching Gears
I sat on a deserted beach in front of my vacation home and reread “Goal Free Living: How To Have The Life You Want Now” by Stephen Shapiro.
Switching Gears
D. S. Mitchell
A Box Of Books
I found several boxes of books in the garage.
Yesterday, I was pawing through a box of books I had stored in the garage. I have looked around the house, searching for some “keep me busy” tasks to occupy my time during this “stay home, stay safe” order. As I looked at the books I was trying to decide if they were something I should drop off at The Salvation Army when the pandemic passes. Or, should I bring them into the house and find space for them on one of several bookcases.
Self Help
As I was trying to decide, whether it was time to part with the books or find space for them, I came upon Stephen Shapiro’s 2006 self-help gem, “Goal Free Living: How To Have The Life You Want Now.” It has been more than a decade since I read the book. As I slowly flipped through the pages I remembered it distinctly, and wondered how I had allowed this little treasure to end up in a box in the garage. Standing there, in PJ’s and slippers, I thought the lessons from Mr. Shapiro’s book were so valuable that I should share them with my Calamity Politics readers.
It’s Okay
Setting goals is a near religion in America.
Stephen Shapiro is the first person in my memory who gave me permission to reject the religion of goal setting that permeates the American culture. His book encourages readers to live without the restrictions, structure and confining limits of a set of goals. His promise is that when you jettison the goal setting, you can find happiness.
If You Can Visualize It
I have been told since I was a kid, that goals of all kinds, big, small, wildly ambitious were all within my reach. I just had to want them bad enough. The rule was, if you can visualize it, you can have it; if you don’t know what you want (can’t visualize it), you might as well be lost at sea without a life-preserver. It was essential to develop a five-year-plan, kind of like China under Mao.
Some Days, You Just Gotta Smile
Some Days, You Just Gotta Smile
D. S. Mitchell
Shelter In Place
It is Tuesday morning and it looks like a perfect day. The clouds are white cotton balls hanging over a green ocean with cresting waves breaking gently against the sand. It does not seem to matter that I am currently “sheltered in place” because of the COVID-19 pandemic. I was thinking before I started writing this blog post that I should discard politics for a few minutes and look for as many reasons as I can to smile. Here is what I came up with:
Smile List
1.) Puppies and kittens 2.) A man in white T-shirt and faded jeans, that fit just right 3.) Hot, crispy french fries 4.) Beach bonfires w/friends 5.) Misty mornings 6.) My over-sized cat sleeping in the hanging fern 7.) Moonlight on water 8.) Old Godzilla movies at midnight 9.) Taking first place 10.) Tiny houses 11.) Wicker and lace 12.) Powdered doughnut holes with fresh perked coffee 13.) My secret journal 14.) An old cabin in the woods 15.) A check at the mail box 16.) Giving the peace sign, not the middle finger 17.) A new toothbrush 18.) An old Marx Brothers comedy 19.) Triple layer chocolate fudge cake topped with chocolate and cherry cordial ice cream 20.) Snowmobile rides under a full moon 21.) Sweet dreams 22.) Back rubs 23.) The rhythmic click of a spinning fan 24.) Remembering Mama 25) Following a stone wall to its end 26.) Babies dressed in boots and jeans 27.) Snorkeling the Great Barrier Reef 28.) Machu Picchu 29.) Self-confidence 30.) The swooshing sound of corduroy on corduroy 31.) Toy Trains 32.) Cartwheels, somersaults, and hand stands on the front lawn 33.) Giant Tortoises 34.) Koi filled ponds 35.) Hot apple Empanadas 36.) Carte blanche 37.) Good posture 38.) A Denny’s breakfast of grease and goo 39.) Japanese lanterns floating on a breeze 40.) Twitter friends
Visit Me
No matter what is happening in Washington D. C. today, I will smile. Join me daily on www.Calamitypolitics.com and Twitter @calamitypolitics, as I autopsy the headline political news, promised to be served with a generous side of sarcasm and a double order of cynicism. For dessert, I promise a big dish of hope. as I attempt to analyze and comment on the upside down world of U.S. politics.
Join the Resistance
A Taxing Season Til April 15th
A Taxing Season Til April 15th
April 15th is only a month away. I find myself wondering if I should attempt to do it myself or just call a CPA.
April 15th, Looming Large
In case anyone has forgotten, income tax returns are due in just over a month. April 15th is looming large, as they say. It is not that www.calamitypolitics has that many deductible expenses, but that is only because I haven’t figured out how to deduct my daily double Caramel Mocha or my mani-pedis. Maybe I should consult Ivanka on that.
To Deduct, Or Just File Away
I have been busy, sorting, ironing and filing receipts, getting ready for tax deadline
Over the last week, I have been sorting, ironing and filing receipts. Typically I toss most of my Calamity Politics tax receipts into my car’s glove box. I find if I crumple up every receipt really small I can fit a lot of them in the glove box. Any overflow goes in to the bottom file drawer in my home office. The only problem comes at the end of the tax year when I have to get out the ironing board and iron those crumpled receipts flat.
Tax Year and a Standard Year
My son keeps telling me there is no difference between a ‘standard year’ and a ‘tax year’, both are 365 days long. Well, I don’t believe it; I see it as just more government distortion. It feels as if the tax year is actually 9 months long, or 270 days. It is like a time morph for the muddled, and the disorganized. I’m sure this phenomenon is a real knee-slapper for those at the IRS. The government’s artificially shortened year, combined with the recent tax changes has admittedly added to my tax preparation anxiety.
Call a Friend
I figured I am not the only one with tax deduction stress so I called on my friend and fellow writer Wes Hessel to come up with some help for me and other befuddled American tax payers. Check out what he learned and is now sharing with us.
D. S. Mitchell
A Taxing Season Til April 15th
By Wes Hessel
Facing The Inevitable
They say that only two things are certain: death and taxes; while some may prefer death over doing their taxes, there are gratis resources that can avoid your considering 1040 to be a four-number word.
Land Of The Free
A Google search for “free tax help” (YSRMV – Your Search Results May Vary) yields multiple options for Federal tax return tools that are credible:
- The AARP Foundation offers free tax preparation for seniors at Tax-Aide locations – https://secure.aarp.org/applications/VMISLocator/searchTaxAideLocations.action
- A United Way partnership with H&R Block provides free tax prep and filing – https://www.myfreetaxes.com/
- H&R Block also offers free tax preparation directly through their site – https://www.hrblock.com/ (the difference is apparently in the criteria to qualify and potentially what is provided for free)
- Three of the major online tax preparers offer free prep and/or filing:
- The Department of Defense offers free tax software and help for military service members and their families –
https://www.militaryonesource.mil/
Jalapeno Cheese Rolls
Jalapeno Cheese Rolls
By D. S. Mitchell
Life Lesson #2
Recently I posted a recipe for Apple Quake (Cake). That recipe and the “life lesson” shared with that recipe is part of a cookbook-biography I have played around with. I didn’t really have a formalized plan for what I was going to do with the material when I started writing down my mom’s recipes and accompanying life lessons. Not atypical for many writers. The working title; “41 Life Lessons From My Mother’s Kitchen”. Now that I am close to my target 41 Life Lessons I decided I would begin sharing these fabulous recipes and common sense life lessons with Calamity News and Politics readers. Here is recipe 2 from my cookbook project.
Book Excerpt:
While I was growing up my Mom owned a busy café style restaurant in NW Portland, Oregon. The “Fifth Wheel” was located on St. Helen’s Rd. A lunch time favorite were hot deli style sandwiches served, not on bread, but on mouth-watering, scrumptious, homemade Jalapeno Cheese Rolls. The rolls are actually more like hamburger buns when baked. Her’s were famous. Mom’s original version is Top Secret, but a good option is the one I am sharing here. Once you’ve made a sandwich with one of these rolls you will never want a plain bread sandwich again.
JALAPENO CHEESE ROLLS
Ingredients:
1 bag of Self-Rising Hot Roll Mix (use the 48 rolls recipe)
5 Jalapeno peppers (unseeded)
1 Medium Sweet Onion
5 Cloves Garlic
½ Stick Butter
Salt and Pepper to Taste
24 Slices American Cheese
48 oz, Shredded Mexican Cheese
Directions:
*FYI: Handling Jalapeno peppers can be irritating. I suggest wearing gloves. Be sure to keep hands away for eyes, nose and mouth after handling the peppers. Dispose of gloves and immediately wash your hands thoroughly.
1.) Prepare hot roll mix and allow to rise. (Proof at 120 degrees)
2.) Chop jalapeno, onion and garlic in food processor until smooth but slightly chunky.
3.) Sauté processed veggies in butter until soft and season with salt and pepper.
4.) Combine cooked veggies with hot roll mix.
5.) Divide dough into 2 equal portions, setting one aside.
6.) Roll out one of the divided portions of dough on a clean lightly flour dusted counter top. (A large island is perfect.) Be sure to roll dough out until you have got 12 individual 4” wide x 12” long strips. Repeat with the second half of dough. You will have 24 strips of dough.
7.) Warning! DON’T MIX CHEESE INTO DOUGH, LAY IT ON TOP of the dough!! Cheese prohibits dough from rising.
8.) Visualize each strip of dough as 3 sections. Place ½ slice American Cheese in middle of the strip, fold right section of dough over cheese piece. This will make a section of dough on top of the American Cheese. On this section place another ½ slice American Cheese and top with 1 oz. Shredded Mexican Cheese. Fold remaining dough over the cheese. Sprinkle remaining Mexican Cheese on top of dough.
9.) Allow dough to rise a second time in the proofer.
10.) Bake using directions on dinner roll package, but allow an extra 5 minutes to compensate for larger roll size.
Life Lesson:
Short cuts. Shortcuts can be a great thing. They can get you where you want to go more quickly, or they can get you lost.
Simple Life Lessons From My Mom’s Kitchen
Life Lessons From My Mom’s Kitchen
By D. S. Mitchell
Life Lessons and Distant Memories
At the time of this writing, my mother has been dead for 32 years. But, every time I go into the kitchen she is there waiting for me, or more truthfully, she comes with me. She is not there in a bodily form of course, but from my heart and distant memories she emerges and pats me on the shoulder, and kiss’ my cheek.
The Chemistry of Memories
I don’t understand the chemistry of memories, but I am sure that every time I bring out her hand-typed recipe book, she hums her little work song and reminds me that she is always with me. As I remember the times I spent cooking with her; whether it was making dinners, prepping picnics, devising scrumptious desserts, or savory breads, I learned a great deal more than cooking tips. I now realize it was in my mother’s kitchen that I grew into the woman I am, where I learned the things that are most important in life.
Apples Everywhere
The Apple Quake is my all-time favorite cake, topped with my most favorite frosting. In the 1950’s everybody knew somebody that had fruit trees. It seems most people in today’s busy world forego fruit trees when they plan their landscaping. Without the fruit trees busy people don’t need to feel guilty because they have left the fruit rotting on the ground unwanted and unused.
Buy Local
I am so glad to see a slow but growing movement in this country to bring fresh unprocessed foods back to the American table. God bless each person that rises up and demands safe, local food sources. Read about it. Get concerned. Get involved. Demand, Fresh & Local.
APPLE QUAKE
- 3 eggs
- 2 cups white sugar
- 1 cup olive oil
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 to 3 tsp. cinnamon
- 1 tsp. baking soda
- 1/2 tsp. salt
- 1 to 2 Tb. vanilla
- 5 green apples, washed but unpeeled
- 1/2 cup walnuts
Directions:
In a large bowl combine eggs, sugar, olive oil and vanilla with a mixer.
In a separate bowl combine flour, cinnamon, soda, and salt; when well blended add to the egg mixture. Lastly, add walnuts to the cake mix and blend together gently. Spread the thinly sliced apples over the bottom of the greased glass baking dish. Pour batter over the apples. Batter will be very thick. Place the batter into the sides and corners first, and then into the center. Let the batter sit for about five minutes to make sure that the batter is evenly distributed before placing it in the pre-heated oven. Bake: in a 350 degree oven for 1 hour. Remove from oven and cool thoroughly. Frost: generously with cream cheese frosting. Refrigerate: left overs.
MOM’S CREAM CHEESE FROSTING
- 8 oz. softened cream cheese
- 2 1/2 cups sifted powdered sugar
- 1/2 cup softened salted butter
- 1 to 2 Tbs. (or more) lemon juice to taste
In a medium bowl cream together the cream cheese and butter until smooth. Mix in lemon juice, gradually stir in powdered sugar, beat until smooth. Frost cake.
Somewhat Vague
The measurements for cinnamon, vanilla, and even the lemon juice for the frosting are somewhat vague, I admit, but there is a lesson here. LIFE LESSON: As my mother would say, “be generous”, especially if you like a particular flavor. I think that is wise. If you like something-always be generous in its use. When you believe in a cause, give generously of your time. If you love someone, give generously of your kindness and respect. If you are dedicated to a project then generously donate your money. What you love and believe in deserves your generous contribution of time, energy, and yes, even money.
**The name Apple Quake came from my young pronunciation of cake. Cake, quake–get it?
How Low Will Trump Go?
How Low Will Trump Go?
By D. S. Mitchell
The Era Of Trump
I try not to let my emotions guide my typing fingers. But in the era of Trumpism, I find it harder each day to follow that self admonition. While the House of Representatives were calling for Yeas and Nays on two Articles of Impeachment, the gutter snipe, sometimes called President of the United States, Donald J. Trump was revving up 10,000 supporters at a rally in Battle Creek, Michigan.
I’m Grinding My Teeth
I am grinding my teeth. I am so angry. The pundits on cable “news” keep saying people are becoming “numb” to Trump and his ghastly and despicable behavior. I must be in the minority, because each day of his presidency I become more agitated and enraged. I cannot believe anyone can continue to support the constant lies, insults, bullying, cursing and disregard for law that Trump demonstrates every single day.
Some Is Planned And Deliberate
Obviously, Trump learned a few tricks about keeping the public’s attention, during his years as a reality TV star. So, I accept some of the Trump chaos as deliberate and planned. His constant banging of the drum, is like a spoiled child banging the damn thing until, the observer takes the drum, covers their ears, or just leaves the room. In fact, it seems to me that the Republicans have been more effected by political numbness than any Democrat.
The Dingell Legacy
John David Dingell, Sr. was elected to the House of Representatives from Michigan’s 15th District in 1932. The Sr. Dingell served until 1955, when he died in office at the age of 61. The state of Michigan held a special election and his son, a young WWII veteran, John David Dingell, Jr., was elected to fill his father’s vacated seat. John Dingell, Jr. would go on to serve longer than any other house member. Mr. Dingell, Jr. retired in 2015 after serving an amazing 59 continuous years.
A History Of Public Service
Carrying on the saga of service by the Dingell family, Debbie Dingell, wife of the retired Representative picked up the banner and ran for the House in the same Michigan’s #15th District. She won easily. Together the Dingell family has up to this time served 87 years in Congress representing the people of Michigan. John Dingell, Jr. is an icon in Michigan.
For Two Stumbling, Bumbling Hours
When Donald Trump lurched like an over-fed gorilla on to the podium at Battle Creek, his face had been smeared with heavy orange makeup. His upper lip was beaded with sweat. He looked and sounded like a man off his psychiatric medications. For two stumbling, bumbling hours he lied, he raged against impeachment, the Democrats, Nancy Pelosi, the dead John Dingell, Jr., and his widow, Debbie Dingell. Another low point, but certainly not as low as Trump has proven himself willing to go.
A List Of The Insulted Dead Grows
The list of dead people Trump has attacked include not only the longest sitting Representative in history, John Dingell, but many others of heroic and iconic status. How can we forget his rants and insults hurled at the deceased Senator John McCain. Or, the insults Trump directed at the family of dead green beret, Sgt. La David Johnson and their family friend Congresswoman Frederica Wilson. The most scurrilous and continuous have been against the Pakistani-American-Muslim parents of US Army hero, Captain, Humayun Khan.
A Hollow Core
One thing we know, for certain, is that Donald Trump is a coward. His rude rants, his assaults and insults have become so frequent, and so outrageous the American public is forced to either overlook the behavior, or leap like trained frogs from one scandal to the next. Each Tweet, each speech, revealing the hollow soul of an immoral and corrupt man.
Covering Their Faces
But, what about those surrounding and supporting him? You see them, looking down, shuffling their feet, turning away, giggling stupidly. Turning away, seems the most consistent response of his followers. Others are choosing to cover their faces with brown paper bags. My question is, at what point, if ever, will they refuse to remain silent?
Evangelical Support Base Challenged
There was a small break in the “I see nothing, I hear nothing, I say nothing” mantra when last week, a moderate Christian publication, “Christianity Today” challenged the white Evangelical Christian community to support the impeachment and removal from office of Donald J. Trump. The editor’s at “Christianity Today”, three years into Trump’s presidency, finally ask their reader’s when is enough, enough? The response to the article was limited, despite the author appearing on many cable news channels to explain the magazine’s stance.
What’s Rachel Have To Say?
So, back to the CNN, MSNBC pundits. Are they right about the numbing of America? Are we after 240 years witnessing the last death shiver of American democracy? Will our democracy die because the citizenry is too fatigued to fight back against an immoral wanna be dictator. God save us, if we don’t have the backbone to reach out and snatch that fucking drum away from the spoiled brat creating havoc where ever he goes.
**Merry Christmas, A bountiful New Year, and Happy Impeachment to all the friends of Calamity News and Politics.
