Wandering Thoughts

Wandering Thoughts

Wandering Thoughts

D. S. Mitchell

Thinking Aloud

I’ve spent most of the afternoon potting plants. I’m putting my beloved lake house up for sale and I noticed the deck needs a bright summer look so I went on a buying spree in Home Depot’s garden section. LOL. My dear neighbor came over with his wheel barrel when he saw me struggling with my blooming treasure and made quick work of the unloading. Brilliant blue Witches Hat, a dozen baskets of gorgeous red petunias, and 8 giant pots of amazing white Snow Thimble.

Getting the picture; red, white, and blue; the 250th anniversary? Anyway, none of this matters except that I do very little on Sunday, except play in the garden, eat gummies, canvas the internet for conspiracy theories, and write for Calamity Politics. The Calamity Politics part of it is where I am right now. Some days focusing on a particular topic is easier said than done, so please bear with me as random thoughts bounce around the page as I play with what’s hopefully going to be an article for Calamity Politics.

Misfiring Electrons In My Brain

Mom Said

My Mom used to say, “People will ignore facts, dismiss science, and argue the unarguable; if it’s in the interest of their wallet.” I thought for years that she had come up with that on her own, but then one day I saw a version of the quote attributed to New York Yankee catcher, Yogi Berra. Whoever the source I think it is particularly astute. I wonder what Mom or Yogi would say about Donald Trump making at least 8 billion dollars in the first 19 months of his second term? I won’t mention his kids cuz they seem to be everywhere snagging US government contracts, causing protest rallies as far away as Albania. Since when is this alright? Mom? Yogi?

Yogi Berra

When Yogi Berra left this world we lost the greatest baseball comedian-philosopher of all time. I didn’t say that, I read it somewhere. In addition to the first quote noted above he had a million more; such as, “When you come to a fork in the road, take it.”  “Nobody goes there any more, it’s too crowded.”  “You can observe a lot, by watching.” “The future ain’t what it used to be.” “Never answer an anonymous letter.”  “It’s like deja vu all over again.” “He hits from both sides of the plate.  He’s amphibious.”  When queried about where he wanted to be buried, he said, “Surprise me.”  Yogi Berra had a zest for life that even death couldn’t stop. While men like Yogi Berra continue to bring smiles to our faces men like Donald Trump and his cronies are literally trying to break the American spirit.

Start Writing

What about encouraging some blowback? I don’t believe it’s right for Trump to run a mafia operation  out of the White House without some kicking and screaming from the American people.. If you haven’t written a letter to your Mayor, your local newspaper Editor,  your State Legislators, or one of your Federal Legislators, you should do it immediately.  It’s a great way to get what’s bothering you off your chest.   The Letter to the Editor is especially rewarding because you can present your beef to the community and garner a few minutes in the spotlight. While you’re fired up, make some poster board signs for the next NO Kings protests, get your drum, your voice amplifier, your comfy shoes and be ready for the biggest protest in US history.

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On the Radio

On the Radio

On the Radio

By John Curran

 

I try to lighten the load but one thing I have to have is my little Sony transistor radio. And so I turned it on and was listening this morning to a woman make a very interesting point. She was talking about how now since we got this big momentous date on the calendar called 250 that it’s just the greatest time and ‘n excuse for a big national party, not like no backyard BBQ thing this go ’round, no sir this one gotta be BIG, bigger more and more and more even, than it ever was. Yet at the same time, this woman went on, it’s pretty damn ironic that for a lot of people probably so what might not be a more logical response to the real ongoing real that is actually, not fake news here, actually happening. I mean this woman was saying that in point of fact this particular anniversary could and may well one day be looked at as maybe the most terrible time, the most perilous time, the time most in need of real solid brains and leadership and instead we got this ongoing dog and pony show, this delusion, that everything’s ok when, a whole lotta people sure ain’t with that one, no mo, no one wants this shit, says the woman, who then pointed out the irony of it all. That’s when I tune out. Irony? What’s that? Anyway, I think I know what she’s saying. Pretty cool, I tend to agree. I ain’t got nothing for Kid Rock anyway. So pretty dumb. Take it from a dumb guy, one who ought to know. Radio. It’s what I know.

The Melania Movie? No, Definitely No.

The Melania Movie? No, Definitely No.

The Melania Movie? No, Definitely, No.

Things I Would Rather Do Than Watch the Melania Movie

By Cate Rees-Hessel

 

  1. Get Disco Duck tattooed on my arm – no Melania movie for me…
  2. Hang upside down – no Melania movie for me…
  3. Kiss a rabid bat – no Melania movie for me…
  4. Scoop the litter box – Melania is not first and certainly not a lady…
  5. Scrub the toilet – no Melania movie for me…
  6. Watch grass grow – no Melania movie for me…
  7. Watch paint dry – no Melania movie for me…
  8. Shave my legs with a dull razor – no Melania movie for me…
  9. Get a bikini wax – its less painful than Donnie Boys’ voice; Melania is not first and certainly not a lady…
  10. Eat haggis – no Melania movie for me…
  11. Get caught in the rain wearing my new suede coat and boots – no Melania movie for me…
  12. Enjoy a peanut butter and kale sandwich – no Melania movie for me…
  13. Fumigate – no Melania movie for me…
  14. Have blood drawn – Melania is not first and certainly not a lady…
  15. Break my favorite vase – no Melania movie for me…
  16. Step on a Lego in stocking feet – no Melania movie for me…
  17. Walk over glass barefoot – no Melania movie for me…
  18. Clean the floor with my toothbrush – no Melania movie for me…
  19. Slip in a mud puddle wearing an all white outfit – Melania is not first and certainly not a lady…
  20. Pay bills – no Melania movie for me…
  21. Drink warm Gatorade – no Melania movie for me…
  22. Muck the stall of a horse with diarrhea – no Melania movie for me…
  23. Eat a two month old tuna sandwich – no Melania movie for me…
  24. Change a tire in a snow storm – Melania is not first and certainly not a lady…
  25. Have 25 mosquito bites – no Melania movie for me…
  26. Get a pelvic exam – no Melania movie for me…
  27. Wash my hair with Mr. Clean – no Melania movie for me…
  28. Listen to a grade school trumpet concert – at least the children are actually cute; no Melania movie for me…
  29. Clean out the garage – Melania is not first and certainly not a lady…
  30. Shovel the driveway while it is still snowing – no Melania movie for me…
  31. Watch one of Ronald Reagan’s old movies – no Melania movie for me…
  32. Fall in a deep hole – no Melania movie for me…
  33. Swim in a pool with a floating swim diaper – no Melania movie for me…
  34. Brush my teeth with lye soap – Melania is not first and certainly not a lady…
  35. Drink bleach – oh wait, the Trumpster suggested this to prevent COVID; no Melania movie for me…
  36. Pay tariffs – um well, we are doing this despite a Supreme Court order; no Melania movie for me…
  37. Buy a timeshare – no Melania movie for me…
  38. Break a heel off my most expensive pumps – no Melania movie for me…
  39. Take out the trash – Melania is not first and certainly not a lady…
  40. Listen to Karaoke on dollar shots night – no Melania movie for me…
  41. Dump the contents of my purse in a mud puddle – no Melania movie for me…
  42. Get the heel of my shoe caught in a subway grate – no Melania movie for me…
  43. Have an impromptu Zoom meeting before my shower – no Melania movie for me…
  44. Get permanent marker off my wood desk – Melania is not first and certainly not a lady…
  45. Put a sweaty glass on my coffee table without a coaster – no Melania movie for me…
  46. Take a Lysol bubble bath – no Melania movie for me…
  47. Eat a GMO meal – no Melania movie for me…
  48. Watch a horror movie – oh wait, the State of the Union is horror-ific; no Melania movie for me…
  49. Listen to childish whining – oh wait, that is the same as watching anything MAGA; Melania is not first and certainly not a lady…

We considered canceling Prime Video when we got an email that it was being hosted on Prime…

Moving On

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!

 

50 Things I Trust More Than Trump

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

Racist, Sexist, Misogynist

OPINION:

Racist, Sexist, Misogynist, Government 

 

OPINION:

Racist, Sexist, Misogynist, Government

By David L. Shadrick

A growing list of racist, misogynist and transgender policies and actions from Donald Trump and Associates have surfaced. I’m just going to focus on three of them:

No Beardos

Pete Hegseth: “No beardo (s).” What does this mean? Primarily black soldiers are effected by this policy. With black men shaving is often difficult because of their curly hair the shaving will often cause ingrown hairs leading to pimples and infections. This policy is a pitiful attempt to remove black soldiers from the armed forces. In addition, the majority of resignations and firings among the generals and admirals were either been black or women. Hegseth’s top three targets are blacks, women, and transgender. And the higher the ranks the harder the assault against them. Of course, Donald Trump is beating Hegseth by a mile.

Fat Old Bigot

Our bigoted 80 year ‘ol prez, a demented fella, living in a fantasy of 1940 America recently had a televised melt down  over those (dark skinned) Somolians, calling them “garbage.” Trump then claimed the Haitians (also dark skinned folks) were eating the pets of white Americans in Springfield, Ohio. Despite considerable rebuke Trump pushed this lie through multiple news cycles.

“Very Fine People”

“Stand down, stand back,” “The Nazi’s were very fine people,” infamous comments from Trump’s first term.  The now natorious lunch with Nick Fuentes and Kanye West, both very public anti-Semites and Nazi supporters. After Trump was re-elected one of the first things he did was pardon or commute all 1/6/2020 insurrectionists who attacked the capital at his direction per Jack Smith’s recent congressional testimony. Media disclosures indicate that some of these bad actors from 1/6/2020 are now on the ICE payroll, with a big sign on bonus I might remind readers. So now the government is hiring known domestic terrorists to act as law enforcement officers. Sounds like the fox is in the hen house.

Schizophrenic Jewish Nazi

It appears that Stephen Miller the schizophrenic Jewish Nazi is directing Homeland Security policy and actions. He is so damn ugly, he is mostly kept hidden in a backroom-somewhere.  My reference to his ugliness in no way negates his power, While cutesy Kristi Noem wears a cowboy hat and rides her horse for million dollar photo shoots, Miller is back at the White House calling the shots. His hate seems to be global. Apparently, Miller has been rejected by his family because of his crazy beliefs. Recent informants describe him as the target of taunting and teasing throughout his childhood and adolescence. Sad man with particularly horrific ideas sitting at the seat of great power, choosing to terrify, persecute, and torture immigrants and U.S. citizens based on the color of their skin.

Used Car

Used Car

Used Car

By John Curran

I needed a car and I needed it bad, and I needed it fast. So I got online ‘n found an outfit called ‘Used Cars From Hell.’ Hmmm…thinks I, what ‘hell’ indeed; I decided I’d check it out. So, I went on down there, it was down in the fiery pit of town, a rough area supposedly known for a lot of radical left activity; whatever that was. No matter, I went in the daytime and it all seemed pretty peaceful to me, the action was down a ways, I could see something going on, another shooting probably but oh well, whatever, none of my affair, more a them outside agitators, communist infiltrators, who knows, life goes on.

I was no sooner off the bus, not even feet on the ground, when this guy comes running up to me and says, “I know what you’re looking for, and I got it right here, a hot one, just got it in yesterday. It’s another sad story but the deal I got for you will fire ya up sure, so much good coming from so much bad would you not agree?” Well, I didn’t know what he was talking about but as we walked on to the lot he pointed out what he was so excited about.

“Yeah,” he says, “we got some doozies here alright, confiscated cars from murderers, thieves, bootleggers…every kind of mayhem you could imagine. If there was a car involved ‘n it got confiscated I get a shot at it after the initial investigation is done. A little deal I have with Big D.” He looks me in the eyes then real significantly like, kinda wink wink, adds, “You do know of Mr. D.,  don’t ‘cha?”

I just kinda’ nodded, and asked, “watcha got?”

“Well then,” he says, “got a beauty. Like new.” And pointing at a maroon SUV, “barely used. She didn’t get far you might say,” kinda chuckling, “Let’s have a look.”

So we walk up to the rig an the first thing I noticed, besides it being a really pretty nice, newish SUV was a rather large caliber well defined bullet hole in the front windshield. The airbag had been engaged and looking inside the rig I could see there was blood all over it ‘n other areas as well; there was even blood covering a child’s toy tiger laying on the front passenger seat.

“I call it the DT SPECIAL. A real conversation piece, this one.”

“DT SPECIAL?” I mumble.

“Domestic Terrorism SPECIAL.”

“Oh, yeah,” I say, a little weirded out actually, “so what’s the story?” Too weird actually I’m thinking.

“Well, so you want the story then?” and he’s kinda rubbing his hands together like, yeah, sure, I’ll give you a story, but before he can go on there’s a commotion outside the gates, people running, shots being fired.

“Damn,” he says, “I really wish they’d taken it somewhere else,” and then turning back to me says, “we can replace the airbag if ya like. But, my boss, Big D says we gotta leave the windshield as is, just so they’ll know we mean business.”

Was he joking? “Who is your boss then sir, the damn devil?”

But he would not answer me, not that I was serious, just looking for a car, fast and cheap. I’ll spare you the gory details but I gotta get the hell out this town, now. Speaking of hell.

 

OPINION: For What It’s Worth

OPINION: For What It’s Worth

OPINION: For What It’s Worth

 

D. S. Mitchell

 

I didn’t sleep well last night. I was agitated, angry, and broken hearted over what appears to be a murder in Minneapolis, MN, by a masked ICE agent. ICE stands for Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the woman, a white woman, a 37 year old mother of three, was an American citizen, Renee Nicole Good.  The gaslighting by DHS Secretary, Kristi Noem  and the Mango Menace himself began  immediately. Rather than wait for an investigation the woman is being labeled “a domestic terrorist”. I tried to put myself in Renee Good’s place, being menaced by a masked man attempting to drag me out of my car. Holy crap, I’ve seen a lot in my long life but I don’t know if I could have behaved any less fearful than Renee did. This bullshit has gone way too far. I don’t know how many people have to hit the streets to sway the direction of this government, but I’ve heard that about 12 million protesters on the streets at one time can overwhelm the bad politics of this MAGA mad man and force a change in policy.

This isn’t El Salvador, yet; or maybe, people like Trump and Stephen Miller think it already is. Well, I’m not willing to surrender to thugs and criminals. I’m asking a mere 12 million protesters take to the streets. No Kings and Indivisible will be planning events coming into the spring. Watch for them and participate. We need an overwhelming outpouring of dissatisfaction against this mob boss president.  Just 12 million citizens yelling and waving signs can change the direction of this country.

All I keep thinking of are the words of that iconic protest song from the 1960’s, “For What It’s Worth“, by Stephen Stills.  I included a verse to stir your memory banks. Pull it up on YouTube. Buffalo Springfield.

Verse 1

There’s something happening here

But what it is ain’t exactly clear

There’s a man with a gun over there

A-telling me I got to beware

Chorus

Hey its time we stop

Hey what’s that sound

Everybody look what’s goin down

 

Thank you, For What it’s Worth Lyrics