The War on Stupid

Dear you,

Futile and exhausting. My efforts to rise above the prevailing tide of stupid here in the Florida Panhandle are, currently, in epic fail mode.  I'd say at this point, after five years of ownership in condo-world, I have a total of five allies, five out of more than a hundred.  The favorable five don't just echo my views. They do, however, share my aim to not be STUPID. We six are seriously outnumbered in our war on stupid. Here's an anecdote, an example of what we deal with in enemy territory:

A few nights ago, the owner of the ground floor unit in my corridor informed me that she "personally didn't like Biden" (personally?) and is supporting RFK Jr.  Instead of walking away with a cheery "have a good night", I went there (so yes, that was STUPID of me) and asked "You support the isolationist, anti-science, anti-vax dude?"  Ground floor gal voiced her fear of the COVID vax specifically because she "read" it changed our bodies in a bad way.  Me:  "Are you talking about that whole DNA idiocy?"  Her:  "Yes."  Me:  "Then you've studied this mRNA vaccine carefully.  Educate me on the basics. What is the difference between RNA and DNA?"  Her:  "Well, I don't really know but blah blah blah blah." This time I made the not-stupid choice and walked away. It could have ended there but NO.  I just had to toss a double "fuck you" over my shoulder.  Rise above effort, epic fail. But why am I the one who has to make an effort?  RFK Jr., really? 

See the recent interview with Bill Maher. Candidate K asserted that "There is 25 percent of Americans who believe that they know somebody who was killed by a COVID vaccine." And your point is what, candidate? That 25% of us are delusional? They believe things like "information" found on South Carolina's government website.  There, they declare that "the Pfizer mRNA vaccine is contaminated", containing pieces of DNA that are "likely to damage the human genome". When this 25% was googling away looking for facts that fit their beliefs, they clicked deep into that shit! I guess they skipped the piece from Scientific American (Jan., 2024) titled "No, COVID mRNA Vaccines Won't Damage Your DNA", the article opening with something you would hope they never had to say:  "You have a better chance of becoming Spider-Man than being harmed by DNA from COVID vaccines." 

Look, I know I might be very wrong.  All I know is that the COVID vaccination might have made me sleepy and achy day one, but it didn't kill me.  In fact, since I was immersed in a COVID-denying locale dealing with unmasked, un-vaxed sneezers and geezers and never caught the virus, I am thinking the vax probably saved my life. And even if future research reveals that I will indeed transform into Spider-Woman, I'd rather be an arachnid than an idiot.

End!

Love, Joyce

SCOTUS depression

Dear you,

Our Supreme Court is depressing me again.  During arguments about whether January 6 Rioters could be rightly charged with interrupting an official government proceeding, justices raised questions like this:

Alito:  "Let's say that today while you're arguing, five people get up, and they shout either, 'Keep the Jan. 6 insurrectionists in jail,' or 'Free the Jan. 6 patriots.'  And our police officers have to remove them forcibly - would that be a violation of this statute?"  Ridiculous.  Trying to compare a vocal interruption with a violent attempt to take over the Capitol and stop the certification of a presidential election. Well, we all know what Alito wants. 

And then there is the stellar case about whether homeless people can be fined for sleeping outside in a rural Oregon community. The homeless people in Grants Pass have camped out in a park near a pickleball court, apparently bringing too much reality to the game players there.  A raid emptied the tents of many, including one that sheltered an eighty year-old man and a woman blind in one eye.  They were at risk of being fined for staying too long.  Fined.  As if they have the means to pay that fine.  Cruel, just cruel.  As is often said these days, I suppose cruelty is the point.  Who knows how this case will be decided, but considering the callous makeup of SCOTUS, I fear those homeless folks will be even more screwed than they are now.

Power to punish the homeless; power to protect insurrectionists. It is all just so backwards.  And depressing.

Antidote for this, a way to get my mind off of Supreme disfunction?  Eyes up, look out:

There they are, green again, leafy and swaying in the breeze. The crepe myrtle trees that survived the HOA's (a condo version of the Supreme Court) instructions to annihilate some of them (or most) defiantly thrive.  So pretty, so perfect, so above it all.  Glorious.  And soon they shall bloom:

That's it.  That's enough for today.

Love,

Joyce

Blasphemy 101

Dear you,

So many weeks since I've typed something here. I 've been eyes-wide-open stunned into speechlessness once again by the local, the national and the global.  

Local:  Spring break nearly broke us on 30A.  Early March brought mindless noise-makers from Tennessee and Texas who rocked the neighborhoods. Party in the condo!  Early April brought large crowds from the metro-Atlanta area who rocked everything - Walton County law enforcement had to close the 30A beaches to minors after 7 P.M. for a week. 

National:  Donald Trump rules the airwaves with his increasingly vile rhetoric and grifter stunts.  My favorite recently?  His personally endorsed TRUMP BIBLE for $59.99. The Bible. WTF? Who would buy that?  God in heaven, who is that blasphemously stupid?  Answers can be found on X.  One cult supporter who often posts with the hashtag "persistence" is a surefire customer.  Today, he celebrates efforts in Pennsylvania to register voters at gun shows, an upcoming WrestleMania event, and among the Amish community.  The Amish.  I just can't.

Global:  Wars rage on; Palestinian children starve; Ukrainians fight on - without enough bullets or air defense - as our far-right GOP bows to Putin and denies aid; the earth quakes beneath our feet in Taiwan and New Jersey; and another hot summer is on the way.

Enough already.  I have no fresh perspectives on any of this.  However, I do have The Onion, my favorite satirical news source, to at least lift my spirits.  See their "Best Parts of Trump's $60 'God Bless the USA' Bible".  Loving these bits:

"Jesus encounters 5,000 hungry people and runs them over with pickup truck."

"Israelites have been renamed - In order to make them seem less Jewish, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob now go by Tucker, Rudy, and Ted Nugent."

"Blasphemy Matches - The inside cover includes a set of easy-strike matches for burning all heretical, non-Trump versions of the Bible."

"Upgradable - For an extra $20 you can get one that says adultery is okay."

Hilarious!  I may be short on sassy thoughts these days, but at least I can still appreciate the sass of others.  There is an art in their kind of resistance. And if things go badly in November, we are going to need a massive amount of "art".

Cheers to those who never lose their words.

Love,

Joyce 

Project 2025 Family Planning

Dear you,

Christian Nationalism and "the end of democracy", as promised by a CPAC speaker recently, are very here and now. The fans of this Project 2025 dystopia are the absolute worst. Their god is the justification for every fucking nightmare policy they dream up. A year or so ago, I would have said dream on. The majority of Americans are too sane and too mindful of religious truths to put up with your antics.  But here we are now; the new American theocrats are increasing in number.  And power.  A center of their new plan for all of us is the emphasis on family. (Not a new thing, but typical of conservative backlash game plans.)That family is defined by them, of course. And kids, kids, kids must be produced! (See again Speak Johnson and his theory that every American female should be compelled to produce at least one child/worker.)The choice to be solo in this retro-conservative era now must be explained. People ask, why don't you have children?

I reply with the facts: "I'm a different kind of animal. I like to live on my own and I really don't like children." These declarations are often received with wide-eyed horror. I've seen people cross themselves and take a step back. Apparently I am a very bad girl. So, what do they want to hear?  What can be said to shut them the fuck up?  Well, as I often do, I consulted the fabulous comedy of The Onion for options, something to make me laugh and stop me from doom-scrolling about theocratic future. See their piece from 2021, "What to Say When Someone Asks Why You Don't Have Kids."  Suggested responses:

"I lost them in poker."

"I left those annoying little shits in Palm Beach."

"The Bible says that anyone who has children will die in a blimp accident."

"I accidentally spilled the IVF dish."

Stop there, cue "Sweet Home, Alabama."  We all know what went down this week. Some random judge (guided by god, naturally) declared that frozen embryos are children. Hence, now many medical pros do not want to mess with IVF and do hard time because of a dish drop. This makes no sense, if they want kids, kids, kids, why would they try to shut down one way to produce them?  It's all so idiotic and so very Alabama.  Back to The Onion and their version of this breaking news headline:  "Alabama Supreme Court Rules That Frozen Burritos Are Children."

If that is the case, Taco Bell better lawyer up.

The truth is, satire aside, we all better lawyer up.  The godly-family-planners are coming for everything, especially the "bad" girls.

Good luck!

Love,

Childless and I don't give a damn Joyce

Resilience Is Required

Dear you,

Keeping it concise today. Thinking about resilience. . .

After the New York decision dropped telling Donald he now owes 300-something million to pay for his lies, the Orange One threw a televised tantrum on the steps of his deplorable mansion.  Notable: his body language. The man was totally cracked out, jazz handing at the speed of light. You know that thing he does, fingers spread like an 80's video dancer. A gesticulating frenzy meant to express potency, outrage, something like that. A frenzy meant to distract us from this fact: he hacked the system, BUT the system in this case demonstrated resilience.  Resilience is needed now more than ever. See Bruce Schneier's A Hacker's Mind - How the Powerful Bend Society's Rules, and How to Bend Them Back:

"Resilience is an important concept, one that applies to everything from the human body to the planetary ecosystem, from organizational systems to computer systems. It's the ability of a system to recover from perturbations, including hacks." 

Thank you Attorney General Letitia James and Judge Engoron.

The system is resilient. For now . . . 

Love,

Joyce

Keeping It Light!

Dear you,

Keep it light, that is one of my new "to do" items as we roll into February.  Not easy to do, but there are random things that prompt a smile, an exhalation, a hope-restored for the moment feeling.  Some bits from my recent day tripping:

One - Still looking for the perfect real estate broker to sell this condo and get me out and away (destination still unknown, stay tuned), I Googled with search terms like 'liberal real estate agents in my area' and 'Panhandle realtors with a sense of humor'.  Diving in deeper and deeper into some pretty vague search results, I clicked on a link featuring the photo copied above. I love that. Wonder if this dude can help me out here. He's probably too busy since the 2024  election predictions are scaring the hell out of Americans who reject this Trump is Jesus thing. If Canada looked good in 2016, imagine its appeal now.  Thanks for keeping it light, Mr. Cook.

Two - I got change back from a cash transaction at the local liquor store. On exit, while fumbling around with my purse plus vodka-in-bag plus car keys, I dropped a quarter to the ground.  It fell face up and revealed an image I have never noticed before, Wilma Mankiller!  A native American honored on the coinage of the invaders, but my oh my, what a fabulous name. And what a fabulous reason to research this woman instead of Googling realtors. Ah, enlightenment.

Three - Dusting the south bedroom, I saw fingerprints on the TV screen.  Even my cat can't be blamed for that.  I stood there stumped and then remembered.  During the NFL playoffs, I was placing my fingers on the first down marks highlighted in yellow on our screens.  I did this whenever I was cheering for a team, hoping my magical screen touching would work in their favor.  That may be more loony than light, but whatever.

Four - Continuing my radio as soundtrack life, I am still in enjoyment mode.  However, sometimes keeping it light with smooth jazz is more like dozing off with snooze jazz.  A day or so ago I heard a cover of Jackson's "Rock With You" that moves at a glacial pace.  More like I want to "Nap With You." But still smile-worthy.

Five - Then there was this morning's news compliments of MSNBC, thank you, that a DC appeals court rejected Donald Trump's demented claim about presidential immunity.  Now it's in the hands of SCOTUS. Maybe, just maybe . . .

Six - Finally, I sighted a doe and fawn on the edge of our Point Washington forest last Friday, perhaps too near the interstate, but still, they were alive. And oh so beautiful.

End list. 

Begin again with light in mind.

Love,

Joyce

Let it go?

Dear you,

My dryer died Monday.  Ten minutes into its spin, I heard a thud, like a brick hitting the floor.  Yes indeed, that alarming sound came from my darling dryer. Oddly, the machine kept working, but instead of its typical hum she was wailing. I paused the cycle to check for electrical problems; none existed, so I just let the cycle wind down and endured the mechanical aria. My cat was not happy about that and I was feeling increasingly annoyed. I realized I would have to deal with yet another broken thing.  Ownership is really fun. Then, I thought about my current detachment project, not being mainlined to cable news 24/7 (okay, maybe 16/7). I like it. Free smooth jazz is my soundtrack right now, compliments of a nice little radio station 106.3, the "Sea Breeze". The commercials are limited and the advertisers who support the station are civilized.  You won't hear screaming ads for the Trump Store in Panama City or the latest appeal to buy more more more guns. If and when the all powerful HOA board decides to nix my old school cable feed, I am ready, practiced in the art of moving forward while relying on things from "the past".  So, back to the dryer.  I woke the day after, looked at my note-to-self about calling appliance repair people and just decided to let it go. Gee, how easy is that?  I can hang dry my clothing, smalls, and even light towels and socks from the shower rods in both bathrooms. And I might have a little fun messing with the HOA busy-bodies by stringing a clothesline across the balcony! (That would be worth whatever they fine me.)  If I need to dry something massive like bedding or beach towels, I can use the hideous laundry room on the complex, something I pay for anyway and never use. And there you have it. Another "let it go" task checked.

Are you feeling this way too these days?  Are you thinking about break downs or break ups and coming up with a healthy Plan B? I'm talking about more than appliances or cable access now. In public life, so much breakage is happening and feeling imminent. Shaky democracy, book bans, a trashed environment.  What is my/your Plan B for that?  Do we really have to let the important stuff go too? No, so not a let it go option. We can keep at it, defending democracy and hoping that the opposition will, in time, trip over their own dicks.  For example, we can count on far-right infighting to inadvertently give us some breathing room.  See Florida, the current legislative session in Tallahassee.  The Republicans in charge proposed a bill that would take Florida state taxpayer money to help Trump pay his legal bills.  I know.  Jaw-dropping, isn't it? Well, we got a reprieve from that horror because Governor DeSantis vetoed the bill. Yes, the bill was so deplorable that even Ron said hell no. Now, in addition to his embarrassing failure to win the GOP nod for the presidency, he will have to watch his back (literally) in the state capitol building. No matter how much this dude kissed and kisses Trump's ring, when things got totally psycho, he said "enough".  Like I said, a little hope there.  No need to let go of democracy or giving a damn about our nation just yet.

Still, having a Plan B for most things is probably a good idea. Start small, detach from your dryer and constant screen viewings. Then move on to what seems impossible, like cigarettes, morning coffee, and evening cocktails. Let it go!  Let it go? Wait, no. Not the latter three. When it comes to those addictions, I echo the Governor's hell no and cry VETO!

I will adapt.  But I refuse to soberly die. 

Love,

Joyce