Prosecutor Or Felon?

The 2024 election is just six weeks away.

Amid all the hype and breathless reporting of polls, several things are extremely clear. The two candidates could not be more opposite in everything: personality, character, policies.

I don't want a president who deals exclusively in threats, fear-mongering, lies, insults and name-calling.  

I don't want a president who is so out of touch with everyday Americans that he talks about buying a pound of cereal. Every shopper knows that cereal is sole by the box or bag, not by the pound.

I don't want a president who spends more time golfing than he does working for the American public.

I don't want a president who hurls ketchup-covered food at the wall when he is upset.

I don't want a president who openly admires dictators, and who announced that he "fell in love" with the North Korean dictator.

I don't want a president who has been convicted of rape and of committing 34 other felonies.

I don't want a president who had a secret meeting with the leader of Russia at which no notes were taken.

I don't want a president who insults world leaders and who shoves them aside so he can be in front for a photo.

I don't want a president who openly lusts after his eldest daughter.

I don't want a president who steals dozens of boxes of highly classified materials, stores them in a residence bathroom, shows them to a foreign national, and then lies about stealing the documents.

I don't want a president who has no plans and no policy proposals, but who touts his 'concepts' rather than plans.

I don't want a president who wants to send Haitian immigrants to Venezuela because he doesn't know that Haitians are from Haiti.

I don't want a president who steals from charities for children with cancer.

I want a president who works to uplift people. 

I want a president who will work to improve the standard of living for all Americans, not just the super wealthy. 

I want a president with a sense of humor. 

I want a president who is joyful. 

I want a president who knows how to laugh. 

I want a president who happily takes part in a video to show a Senate colleague how to make a tuna melt. 

I want a president who cares about people. 

I want a president who shows compassion. 

I want a president who has actual plans for her administration, along with real policies. 

I want a president who will protect, not remove, the rights of everyone.

I want a president who knows what it is like to grow up in a middle class family of immigrants. 

I want a president who likes people for who they are, not for what they can do for her. 

I want a president who knows and enforces the law.

I want a president who understands and defends the US Constitution.

My choice for president is based on a number of things, including personality, but mostly on her willingness and ability to put country above party and especially country about self.

World Gratitude Day 2024

 There is much in this world that is sad, disappointing, frightening, even horrifying.

There is international war. There is escalating gun violence and other violent crime in this country. There is a political party hell-bent on either destroying this country or turning it into 'Christian', fascist state. There are millions of people around the world suffering from starvation, flooding and other natural disasters. The planet is suffering. There is a presidential candidate with tens of millions of supporters who ignore his deteriorating mental condition and rabidly embrace his fascist leanings.

But today, World Gratitude Day, I want to focus on things that make me smile, that make me happy. Things for which I am grateful.

The joyfulness of my dog who at age 3 often makes me smile. I love watching her sleep peacefully in her bed.

Looking at some of my photographs can make me smile and bring back precise memories of when and where they were taken. Not just the memories and the images, but realizing that I did a good job of capturing the scene, makes me happy.

Walking outside on a crisp autumn morning, with no wind, no traffic and no noise, under a blue sky, makes me happy. A beautiful sunrise over the mountains adds to the joy.

Looking at photos of some of the stunning places I have visited reminds me to be grateful for the opportunity to travel, to see places I have always wanted to see, to photograph amazing places and wildlife, and to meet people from many other cultures.

There is beauty in this world. And while the evil gets most of the attention, there also is kindness. There are some good people doing their best to make this world a better place. We who have much for which to be grateful should remember to join them in making the world a better place.

Let's be grateful for the good things and the good people in our lives.

I Am Sick of the Death

I am sick of my Facebook newsfeed being filled with appeals to save this dog with only one day to live before it is killed. 

I am sick of posts about some poor dog that has been confined to a kennel run in an animal shelter for the past two or three years. I am sick of people refusing to have their dogs and cats spayed or neutered, thus contributing to the millions -- yes, millions -- of pet animals killed each year because there is no room, and there are no homes, for them.

I worked in a large California humane society for 8 years in the 1980s. Sadly, the past 35 years have seen little improvement in the number of animals killed each year for lack of space. Some 3 to 4 million companion animals are killed in this country every year.

I have adopted 15 dogs over the years, some from humane societies, some from rescue groups, and some directly from their previous families. All were spayed or neutered except one. He, sadly, died before he could be neutered. But he never added to the surplus pet problem.

The problem of too many dogs and cats is one that can be, and should be, corrected. 

I cannot solve the overpopulation problem on my own.

Whenever a post appears in my newsfeed about a dog in urgent need of adoption or rescue, I block that organization so I don't see any more of its pleasing posts. This is particularly true of animal shelters in other states. 

I cannot adopt the millions of dogs in need of new homes. I cannot donate enough money to fix this problem. It is a problem of human making. Humans have allowed this problem to continue for many decades. Only humans, collectively, can solve this problem.

I cannot continue to be besieged by stories of dogs needing urgent rescue. These stories hurt my soul, and my soul has been hurt far too much. I do what I can to help, but besieging me with more sad dog stories isn't the answer. 

I am currently looking for another dog to adopt. That is all I can do.

What Has Happened to Us?

On this 23rd anniversary of this nation's worst terror attack in American history, I believe that Sept. 11 should be a national holiday. 

It should be a day to remember all those who died that day while going about their daily lives. September 11 should join other days of remembrance such as Memorial Day and Veterans Day. We should cancel Columbus Day, which is a minor holiday celebrated by the federal government, but not by anyone else. And it is an insult to Native Americans who resent having to honor a man who enslaved and killed so many of their ancestors.

Let us instead honor the nearly 3,000 innocent people who died on that beautiful September day in 2001. Let us also honor those first responders -- police, firefighters and paramedics -- who rushed in to help the victims. Sone 343 New York firefighters and paramedics died that day. An equal number later died of 911-related illnesses.  

Seventy two peace officers died in the line of duty on September 11, with an additional 229 who died of related illnesses.

These attacks killed people of all ages, from young children to senior citizens. They killed US citizens and immigrants. They killed men and women, people of all races, ethnicities and religions. 

And let us honor the survivors who will forever carry the physical and emotional scars of that day. Let us honor all who were forever scarred by the memories of Sept. 11, 2001. 

Let us remember how Americans came together in the aftermath of that terrible day, in love and support of each other and of this great nation. It didn't matter the gender or nationality or economic status of the victims. We cam together as one nation, united in grief. Whatever our race, whatever our political beliefs, it didn't matter. What did matter was that our country had been viciously attacked, and our fellow Americans had died.

Let us work to regain the sense of a common humanity, a nation united, that we experienced in the aftermath of this horrible day. Wei need to work on rekindling that sense of unity, that sense of togetherness.

As NBC News anchor Lester Holt commented at the conclusion of a story looking back on the aftermath of 9/11, "What has happened to us?"

Above all, let us never forget.

One of These Days

How often have we made this statement: One of these days I'm going to ...?

For me, the best day to do these 'one of these days; things will be a cold, cloudy winter day, a day that is perfect for staying indoors. 

One of these days I won't take my dog for her expected morning walk.

One of these days I will skip walking 10,000 steps (usually more).

One of these days I will stay in my cozy, warm pajamas all day.

One of the days I will spend the day writing or reading, things I really enjoy.

One of these days I will cook comfort food or soup that will fill my house with wonderful aromas.

One of these I will finally tackle PhotoShop.

One of these days may be too late.

The problem in waiting for 'one of these days' to arrive is that too many 'one of these days' comments may find us wasting our days, our lives, with  postponing things that might be just what we need. So skip walking the dog once. Stay in your comfy pajamas. Cook that comfort food. Don't exercise once in a while.

Make one of these days today!

Do. Create. Be.

 Do. Create. Be.

I did not create this chain of words. I ran across them on a Facebook page where people share their photos of Yellowstone National Park. But I like what these words prompt me to do. Do what I love. Do something to help others. Do something to make this cruel, often hate-filled world a better, friendlier place.

Create pushes me to indulge in my creative pursuits of photography and writing. I don't write music or screenplays. I can't draw or paint. I don't have the imagination to write poetry or fiction. But I can write about things I love, about my travels and about my experiences. I can create beautiful photos and share them with my friends. I can use my photos to create wall calendars and I can give the money from sales of my calendars to one of my favorite charities.

Be is a more difficult word to put into practice. Be brave. Be kind. Be strong. Be helpful. Be my own person. Be helpful. Be generous with my time and resources. Be my best self. Be an example to others. Be authentic.

Thank you to the couple who created this 3-word expression. As a writer, I love seeing the power of words and the impact, both good and bad, they can have.

So get out there and do. Create. Be.