I No Longer Have an Opinion

I have decided that I will no longer have an opinion about anything.

Of course, I will still have opinions, but I will no longer share them or express them on social media. I am tired of being attacked by those who don't like my opinions. An opinion, is, of course, just that -- my opinion. It's what I think about something. It's how I feel about something or someone. One definition of an opinion is a view or judgment formed about something, not necessarily based on fact or knowledge. Like it or don't like it, my expressing my opinion about someone or some thing is no reason to attack me. My opinion is not a personal attack on others.

If I say that I don't think it's a good idea to feed a dog a plate full of tacos (five or six full-size tacos, at least), that opinion is based on fact. The greasy taco meat could well cause the unfortunate dog to develop pancreatitis. Tacos are not part of a dog's, or any four-footed animal's, natural diet. So my opinion is an informed one. It should not result in attacks on me. A video of the dog devouring the tacos isn't 'cute' or 'funny' as many believe. Those attacking me are doing so simply for holding an opinion different from theirs.

If I offer an opinion about the current abysmal state of politics and the self-centered ruling party in the United States, on my own, personal social media page, I don't want to be attacked or told I need to produce proof. I do not want to engage in an argument with somebody who employs the same bully tactics as the current American president. I don't need to provide proof of my opinion. Like my opinion or don't like my opinion, I refuse to argue about it. 

If I reply to something and state a fact incorrectly, I have no problem with my fact being corrected. I may recall something incorrectly, or have stated a fact incorrectly. But my opinion is not open to 'correction.'

My first reaction to any attack is to attack back, or to tell the attacker to STFU. But I won't do that. That won't change anything. It will further inflame the situation. So for the sake of my sanity, I plan to no longer offer an opinion about, or respond to, anything posted on social media. I may continue to 'like' a given post, but I don't plan to offer an opinion. It seems that these days, anybody who offers an opinion about anything with which somebody else disagrees is open to personal attacks.

Well done, America. You have taken the next steps toward becoming an intolerant, unreasonable society unable, or unwilling, to accept, much less entertain, the thoughts of those who don't agree with yours. We are now a rude, uncivil, unreasonable society. Congratulations.

We the People Are Worth ... Nothing

How can this country be so screwed up?

And why do we allow it to remain that way? I am a passionate environmentalist. I recycle everything I can. I pick up trash in my neighborhood. I conserve water. I take reusable bags when I shop. I refuse to wear fur of any kind. I drive a fuel-efficient car, and I do little driving. When I lived in California, I would frequently walk to the grocery store or drugstore if I needed just a few items. Or I would ride my bicycle. 

I also am a huge animal lover, regardless of the species. I am especially fond of elephants and wolves, as well as all apex predators. Last summer I spent a week in the wilds of Alaska photographing grizzly bears. I go at least once a year to Yellowstone in search of wolves. I go to Africa at least once a year to photograph that continent's amazing wildlife.

So I am dismayed and disgusted by the ongoing, and growing, attacks on the environment and on wild animals. I'm not alone in feeling this way. Millions of Americans have signed petitions, sent e-mails and written letters in opposition to the current administration's efforts to remove animals from the Endangered Species Act, to allow hibernating bears and their newborn cubs to be shot in their dens, to allow wolves and their young to be slaughtered in their dens, to allow the importation of elephant and lion trophies into the US. 

Lions, tigers, elephants, rhinoceros and pangolins are killed by or for several Asian countries for the supposed magical powers of various body parts. Wealthy trophy hunters continue to buy the right to kill lions, elephants and other endangered species. And those of us who enjoy the animals' natural beauty and their innate worth -- not their 'magic powers' or heads on a wall -- can do little more than endure yet more heartache.

The current administration continues to remove or weaken environmental protections. It's now legal once again to bring the body parts of lions and elephants into the US as trophies. Regulations designed to protect our water and air from pollution are being dismantled, all to benefit big corporate donors to the Republican party. 

Many, many more people want to protect the environment and to be able to enjoy wildlife in the wild than those who get off on using a high-powered rifle to slaughter an elephant munching on a mouth full of grass. But we little people are of no consequence to those with power.  

So why is the world so screwed up, and getting worse by the day? It all comes down to money. Those with unlimited funds can buy permission to do almost anything. They can buy politicians and get laws changed. What can we little people do? Boycott businesses (such as Jimmy John's restaurants, whose obese owner is a 'big game hunter'.) We can sign petitions and write letters to politicians, but without the big money being thrown at them by the other side, politicians just don't listen. I'm not optimistic that things will improve any time soon. 

I hate the current administration and its policies with every fiber of my being. I just hope I live long enough to see the pillager-in-chief removed from office so we the people can start to repair the damage he has inflicted on this nation.

Some Random Thoughts

Random thoughts on a Sunday afternoon:

• I don't care who wins the Superbowl today. (I refer to it as the Stupidbowl). I won't be watching it. 
• It reached 60 degrees F outside, so I opened one of the dining room windows just to let some fresh air into the house, which has been closed up tightly for several months.
• It really felt good to drop off a load of no-longer-wanted or needed stuff (backpack, camera bag, clothing, Beanie Babies, etc.) to a thrift store that supports a local dog rescue. Plus, it clears out space in my closet.
• How early is too early to start packing for a trip?
• Today is International Golden Retriever Day, a day to honor the best dogs in the world. I have been blessed to share my life with 5-1/2 goldens, all of them rescues. The half golden is my current dog, a golden retriever/corgi mix. He has the coat, ears and tail of a golden, as well as the typical golden personality, in the body of a corgi.
• No matter how many times I do my income taxes, it’s always a pain in my behind. It’s not just paying the taxes; it’s all the work involved in preparing them. Using a computer program to do my taxes is certainly a whole lot easier than in the old days when I did them with a pencil and calculator. But there’s still so much information that has to be gathered, reviewed and entered. 
• Business must be slow for personal injury attorneys, as any time I turn the television on all I see are ads for ambulance-chasing lawyers. 
•  To the scammers who daily inundate my in-box with their never-ending ads for exotic girls from every corner of the world, quick and easy loans and all kinds of other stupid stuff, sending me the same email 10 times a day will not make me more likely to respond to your scams. 

That’s it for the first Sunday in February.

Fixing a Badly Broken System

Some 800,000 employees of the federal government have been turned into political pawns and are being held hostage because the US president is having another temper tantrum.

All of a sudden there is a 'national emergency' at our southern border. Isn't it strange how this situation has been going on for a long time, but all of a sudden, as Robert Mueller is closing in on him, the president decides this is a 'national emergency.' He insists that only a huge, multi-billion dollar border wall or fence (he keeps changing his story) will solve this 'emergency.' So he has refused to sign legislation to keep the government funded, after initially agreeing to sign it, until he gets money for the wall.

This has resulted in 8000,00 federal employees and untold government contractors being denied their paychecks. This is just latest attempt to distract the public from his legal woes. He decided not to sign the bill after being warned by his advisors at Fox 'News' and other conservative pundits that his 'base' wouldn't approve. Without funding, several federal agencies were forced to close. That means that workers at these agencies were sent home and are now in their third week without pay. Other workers, deemed 'essential,' are forced to work without pay.

The pain these workers are feeling is real. Many will be unable to pay rent or mortgage payments. Some will be unable to buy food for themselves and their families. Other bills will go unpaid. And what does the president suggest these unfortunate people do? "Make adjustments," he says. How does one "make adjustments" when there isn't enough money to buy groceries? Some have signed up for unemployment benefits, while others are taking any job they can find.

This isn't all on the president, of course, although most of the burden is on him. Senate Republicans are also to blame for refusing to even vote on a bill that the bully-in-chief won't sign.

I have a couple of thoughts to prevent this from happening again.

• Government shutdowns, whether partial or complete, should not be allowed for any reason.
• If Congress refuses to do its job and pass a budget, government agencies should continue operating with the same budget as the previous year.
• The American people should have the right to a vote of no confidence.
• Federal workers forced to work without pay during a furlough should all call in sick, as some TSA workers are doing.
• If both houses of Congress refuse to pass a budget in a timely manner, all members should be forbidden to run for reelection.
• Members of both houses should be confined to the chambers of Congress without food, water or bathrooms until they pass a budget.
• No one should be allowed to leave on vacation, whether it be the summer recess, the winter break or any other recess, until a budget is passed. Who else gets to go home for vacation while leaving critical work undone?

In addition,

• there should be term limits for both houses: two six-year terms for senators and three two-year terms for representatives. There already are term limits for presidents, governors and other government positions. Being elected to high office should not be a lifetime career.
• Campaigning for any federal office should be allowed for no longer than six months before an election. It works in the United Kingdom, so why not here? No campaigning means no campaign-style rallies, no television ads and no print ads for or against any candidate.
• Members of Congress and administration officials should receive the same benefits and annual cost of living increases that are provided to other federal workers.

Of course, many of these suggestions will never happen because they would require the approval of the very Congress they are meant to contain. I can't imagine career politicians doing anything to curtail their power and opportunities to enrich themselves.

The American political system is badly broken; perhaps it is terminally ill. We must find a way to fix or replace it.

Why I Hate Winter

Anybody who has followed this blog for a while knows how much I hate winter.

It isn't just the cold, or the snow, or the dark days with only a few hours of sunshine.

No, it's also all the stuff that is necessary, or that happens, because of the snow and the cold.

• I hate having to bundle up in my heaviest winter coat just to take my dogs for a walk. 
• I hate dealing with gloves, which have to be removed on one hand whenever I stop to pick up my dogs’ poop. 
• I hate the boots and the Yak Trax, which keep me from falling on ice and packed snow. 
• It's the steamy eyeglasses whenever I walk through the door. 
• It's the winter hat that gives me static-filled 'hat hair.'
• It's the perpetually dry, cracked skin no matter how much lotion I apply. 
• It's the static electricity that zaps me whenever I touch anything, from kitchen faucet to one of my dogs. 
• I hate the sound of my furnace running incessantly. There's something about the sound -- the frequency, perhaps? -- that drives me crazy.
• I hate falling down on the ice and snow, which I do at least once each winter. For someone with osteoporosis, the thought of falling and breaking a bone is not fun.
• I hate having to waste water (I live in the desert where water is scarce) by leaving faucets dripping overnight to keep pipes from freezing.

Is there anything good about cold, snowy winters for someone like me who doesn't ski, snowboard, snowshoe or ice skate? Freshly fallen snow on the mountains does look nice, but I can live without it. For those of us who live in the desert, snow brings much-needed moisture. But it's needed mostly in the mountains, not in the valleys. The ski resorts, or course, love lots of snow. For me, not so much. 

So no, there really isn't anything good about cold and snow. The only comforting thing about this winter, which has brought more snow than I have seen during my previous eight winters here, and much colder temperatures, is knowing that each day brings up closer to spring!

I Am Ashamed

I am ashamed of the American government.

• I am ashamed that the president and his obsession over a border wall has resulted in more than 800,000 federal workers and untold contractors who support many vital services being furloughed and receiving no pay. In reality, he doesn't care about a border wall. He cares only about winning, regardless of how many people he causes to suffer.
• I am ashamed that the president, whose countless trips to his myriad golf resorts has cost US taxpayers tens of millions of dollars, is suddenly so concerned about the federal debt (that has skyrocketed since he took office) that he has canceled the scheduled pay increases of federal employees three days before they were to take effect.
• I am ashamed that this country under the current president has engaged in a trade war with China that threatens the jobs of thousands of auto workers and farmers. 
• I am ashamed that this so-called leader of the free world has consistently attacked leaders of our country's staunchest allies such as Great Britain, Germany, France, Canada and Australia.
• I am ashamed that the president has cozied up to dictators such as Putin and Kim Il Jung.
• I am ashamed that the president continues to attack in a very personal way anyone who dares to disagree with him or his policies. I thought people outgrew name-calling as young children.
• I am ashamed of his ongoing temper tantrums, his always scowling face and his defiantly crossed arms. I've seen preschoolers who act better than this petulant man-child.
• I am ashamed by his constant attacks on our military and its leaders
• I am ashamed by his ongoing attacks on American intelligence agencies
• I am ashamed by his frequent attempts to use American government institutions to either suit his own purposes or to try to skirt the law.
• I am ashamed by his constant attacks on the free press and his cries of 'fake news' whenever a media outlet releases a story that criticizes him.
• I am ashamed that the Republicans, who have had control of both houses of Congress for the past 2 years, have refused time and time again to stand up to the occupant of the White House and to do what is right for America, not what is right for the Republican party and the billionaires that it serves.
• I am ashamed that the current administration thinks it's fine to take children from their parents and keep them locked in cages for months on end.
• I am ashamed by the Republican efforts to remove legislation and policies that have protected our air, water and land from pollution and destruction, and that have protected endangered species. 
• And I am ashamed of those who condone and support the current government's actions outlined above.

Don't tell me that I and others who are embarrassed or ashamed should pack up and leave the United States. That won't happen. We have as much right to live in this country as do the racists and fascists who support this administration. (No, I'm not saying that everyone who supports this administration is a racist or fascist, but some are).

As American citizens, we, at least for the moment, have the right and the freedom to express our opinions. It is, in fact, our duty to stand up for what we believe. Just as Rosa Parks, Susan B. Anthony and Martin Luther King, Jr., stood up for their beliefs when they saw injustices, it is our duty to call out America's political elite for their hateful, self-serving actions.

There was a time when people looked to America as a land of opportunity, as the leader of the free world, as an advocate for human rights. Sadly, that time has passed. We are now the laughing stock of the world.

New Year, New Hopes

It's 2019, the start of a new year.

I gave up making resolutions a long time ago. But I do have a few wishes in mind for 2019. I hope that

• the United States rids itself of the current corrupt, toxic administration and truly does "drain the swamp."
• the US Congress puts aside its partisan fighting and greed and finally starts doing what is best for the people of this country -- all the people, not just billionaires.
• people finally realize that all parts of our planet, both other animals and plants, mountains and water, play an important role in supporting life on earth. It's time to stop plundering the environment and slaughtering animals for profit or 'fun.'
• my eye problems will become a distant memory
• the US will find a solution to the immigration mess that is both humane and protects our country
• citizens of this country will realize the things they have in common far outnumber their differences
• people stop trying to force others to live according to their religious beliefs
• Congress enacts sensible gun laws that keep dangerous weapons out of the hands of those who shouldn't have them while protecting Americans' Second Amendment rights
• more states follow California in forbidding pet stores from selling dogs, cats and rabbits that aren't from a rescue group 
• the war on wolves and other apex predators ends

These are my hope for 2019. None are easy to achieve, but all can become reality. People I know have had enough drama and death in 2018. Let us hope that the new year brings more love, more peace and more kindness, to ourselves and to others.

Happy New Year, everyone.