I am going for WOKE, Mr. Gaetz

(Above compliments of Daily.Kos)

Dear you,

Memorial Day, a tribute to all who died serving in the military.  And of course, a perfect opportunity for my twisted congressman Gaetz to exploit the service in his weekly email.  Here is a part of his nonsense:

“30 Republicans stand up against wokeness in the military . . . This week, I was one of 30 congressmen who signed a letter to Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin.  We have had ENOUGH of the left-wing extremism that is politicizing our armed forces.  This madness has no place in our country.  Political operatives, like Bishop Garrison, have got to go; attacking our troops and honorable men and women in the services for their personal beliefs is a dereliction of duty to America.  I will always stand up for the men and women who dedicate their lives through service to this country.  I hope that Secretary Austin will hear our concerns and act accordingly so we maintain the strength of our United States Military.”

I wish everyone, especially Matt Gaetz, would shut the hell up about wokeness.  How is this a bad thing?  The verb is the past tense of wake.  Good morning!  Come out of that sleep coma and be gifted with another day.  The adjective means alert to injustice in society, especially racism.  Matty is standing up against being awake and alert to social injustice. Aiming for a Woke Military is seen as an attack on all our troops.  Well, dear boy, I refer you to The Military Times, not exactly a media source that can be labeled as lefty or part of the “MSM”.  Back in February, 2019, they reported “one in four troops sees white nationalism in the ranks”.  That was two years ago; I imagine it is worse now. Garrison has been appointed to focus on eliminating this disease in the military.  You seem to think that the recruit who honors the Confederate flag is fit to serve and that this affection for past treason and slavery no less is just a “personal belief”.  Sure, let her/him be an asshole and wave that flag.  But really?  Allow that person to serve in the military?

I want a 100% WOKE military. Got that, Congressman Gaetz?  I am in the minority here in your district, but I am still the boss of you and I need you to stop being such a deplorable idiot.

Now, go enjoy your holiday barbecue with Marjorie Taylor Greene.  And good luck with that running for president in 2024 fantasy; the other Trump mini-me, Governor DeSantis, has the same dream and he will rip you apart.

That will be fun to watch, at least for the woke.

Happy holiday!

Joyce

 

Truth, getting it back . . .

 Dear you,

I can’t do a backbend or a cartwheel anymore.  Bloody depressing truth. So, I have put these moves on my “get it back” list.  This decision was inspired by a teen doing gymnastics around the condo pool.  She was fabulous.  I was motivated to emulate her flexy joy and headed to the open space in the middle of my living room.  I began with the cartwheel attempt. And nearly ripped a hip.  Bad idea.  I haven’t done that move in years.  Time to work on it bit by bit.  I can get it back. Then I went for the backbend.  And nearly snapped my spinal column.  Very bad idea. I haven’t done that move in years either.  Work on it bit by bit.  I can get it back as long as I keep it real, keeping my silver-senior-status in mind.

I know I can do this.  The final moves may not look pretty, but I will execute the stunts!  This “get it back” thing is not unreasonable or a fantasy.  And I am not lying to myself or you. Unlike my neighbor down the road, the former displayer of a giant “TRUMP 2020” banner.

The election banner disappeared in January, after the insurrection.  I imagined the owner didn’t want to lose any vacation bookings on the off-chance liberals (or non-lunatics) might want to come to Seagrove Beach. Therefore, he took his banner down.  I loved that!  I could drive back from the local Publix without being pissed-off by embroidery. But guess what appeared this week on that vulgar vacay house?

“TRUMP WON”

Another enraging banner. This one?  So much worse.  The previous statement was election support, free speech.  This new statement is just a lie.  A big old lie hanging over coastal road 30A in Seagrove Beach.  Does owner dude believe the lie?  Does he really think Trump will “get it back”, the presidency or his Twitter account?

Dude, it is not happening.  This is something you can’t get back.  Put it on your list.  Blather on about your America First dream (nightmare) and repeat the lie on and off cloth.  But here is the truth:

“TRUMP LOST”

Okay, maybe you will never believe that truth.  Maybe you are doing this just to own the libs (or up your rentals from bright red state visitors).  But it is just not reasonable.  It’s a fantasy.  Like, what if I thought my future backbends would look like this:

No.  Right now, I am realistically/truthfully aiming for something like this:

I could stitch up a banner saying JOYCE WON THE OLYMPIC GYMNASTICS GOLD MEDAL and hang it from my balcony.  Or I could not lie and just focus on what is true, what I can get back . . . a bit more flexibility, bounce, and the ability to laugh at embroidered propaganda.

That I can do.

Kiss kiss to you, dear neighbor . . .

Good luck,

Joyce

Name your EV Queen Elizabeth!

 

Dear you,

Let the panic buying begin!  Governor DeSantis has declared a state of emergency due to gas shortages caused by the recent Colonial Pipeline hack.  But then again, he says not to panic; there really is no shortage.  Just a state of emergency.  Whatever, Ron.  I am not panicking.  I have a fuel-efficient little Hyundai and I filled him up the day the story broke about the hack. No panic, just preparation.  And I am also, with a hopeful heart, preparing for a future of no gassing up, ever.

I started researching EV’s recently since I want to X-out fossil fueled choices for my next car buy.  I happily discovered there are charging stations in my zone (!) and when I leave the condo and live in a real house, I can charge the vehicle at home.  I unhappily discovered charging time is LONG, as in eight hours for a full recharge.  I am impatient and have tossed items like rechargeable shavers or Water Piks simply because I couldn’t endure their minimal charge times. Like even thirty minutes.  But I guess moving on to something Earth-saving is going to take a little patience.  And knowledge.  I am wading through all this information about kWh and Level 1 chargers versus Level 2 and distance per charge. The Hyundai Kona will carry me around 250 miles with a full battery.  How does that work for a long road trip?  Do I have to book a hotel stop every 250 miles and plug the car into my Holiday Inn’s bathroom outlet?  I guess I’ll need a really long charging cord and “frequent guest” discounts.

There is a lot to consider here.

But still, my next car will be “E”; I want to be part of something better, something new.  Perhaps in a year or so a lot of the difficulties will be worked out.  Perhaps not.  There will be reluctance and a lot of flailing around in the name of security, the economy, and even “god”.  And then, of course, there is politics.

The typical Republican is resisting the end of our fossil fuel life.  Big Oil owns them and probably a few Dems too.  But today, I’ll focus on the “R” side, specifically Rep. Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.).  Earlier this year she introduced bills to block Biden’s plan to pause leases for oil, gas, or coal on federal lands.  She did this to protect the “interests” (oh, that word again) of Wyoming, a huge producer of all three. She promised to (according to the Casper Star Tribune) “keep fighting for fossil fuels”. 

Fight away, Rep. Cheney.  I hope you lose. You are defending a dirty industry and holding us back.

But on the other hand . . .

There is today.  As you know, Cheney was removed from her leadership position in the House because she refuses to kiss Trump’s ring.  She will do whatever she can to stop that maniac from ever returning to the White House.  This woman is not going down without a fight and in this battle, I am on her side.

As the cancelling of Cheney unfolded, I kept thinking about the woman thing too.  Would her refusal to back Donald’s big lie be judged as cancel-worthy if she was a he?  Even today, minority leader Kevin McCarthy admitted the election was fair and Biden was President.  (I bet he is ignoring urgent phone calls from Mara Largo right now.)  He is still there and safe.  In the Senate, old Kentucky Mitch and Mitt Romney are still there too, and both have spoken against The Donald.  There are other dudes in the House and Senate who have survived their moments of mild-anti-Trump-speak too.  But this woman hasn’t, at least in terms of her leadership position. 

Another “nasty woman” takes a hit.  Deviating while female will cost you.  Virginia Woolf knew this:

“Across the broad continent of a woman’s life falls the shadow of a sword.”

Cheney understands this now.  I appreciate that she is not flinching as the blade approaches her political throat.  Today, after the punishment, she said “bring it on.”  Wow.

Bravo, strange ally. I would like to visit you in Wyoming and hear your stories, your political memories and hopes, but it will take me a while to get there.  I have to stop every 250 miles and spend the night because I am driving an EV, something you hate.  She’s a Hyundai Kona.  Give her a chance.  You might like her.  And besides, I’ve named her after you and another famous leader of men (and women): Queen Elizabeth!  The first one, quite a warrior, she.

Bravo, Liz.  Don't let the bastards get you down. Wish you were on my side in all things.

Thank you.

Joyce

Now Hiring! Join our team!

 

Dear you,

Elon Musk is inventing a plan for our future on Mars.  But the earthly Shrimp Basket (a chain on the Gulf Coast) can’t find employees for the high season.  They, as reported in The Walton Sun, have launched a new vehicle giveaway as a hiring incentive.  They are also offering a cash hiring incentive and referral bonus. The base pay wasn’t mentioned in the article and neither were details about the chain’s problematic “sales goals”. It did feature quotes from a marketing coordinator who said the word “team” nine times.  He is marketing an old idea, an obsolete model of work. Being part of a really “fun” team isn’t an incentive anymore.  And neither is the company slogan, “we want shrimply the best for you.”  The best thing they might do for their current and wished for future employees is to give them a good salary, benefits, and create a culture where workers don’t have to act like the “Flair” guy in Office Space. Now, considering the current Shrimp Basket model, the new hire who wins the car is probably going have to sell it anyway. To pay for her crappy apartment fifty miles away in DeFuniak Springs. 

It is time to move away from jobs like that.  If these businesses can’t find capable employees, something is off.  Shrimp Basket needs to move it along as an employer and consider where they are, the rapidly expanding Gulf Coast whose residents and vacay guests are not here to work, at least not in restaurants that wish them “shrimply the best”.  Nice wish.  Bad reality.

Another restaurant related drama went down in Pensacola. Twin Peaks in Pensacola is closing.  This chain is “known for its man-cave like, sports-bar atmosphere and provocatively dressed servers”.   They pinned a note to their door announcing an April 5^th closing with thanks to former patrons.  Time to close this man-cave breastaurant.  And not just this one franchise.  It is 2021 for the love of god.  Wasn’t Hooters enough?

The Covid crisis pushed us into a necessary consideration of what work is and what matters.  Some low-paying, soul-killing jobs just need to go.  We do miss the good stuff, the fantastic restaurants that closed all over the country, the artful-worker-friendly diners, cafes, food trucks and even four-star venues. But the bad stuff just needs to go.

Buckminster Fuller:  “You never change things by fighting the existing reality.  To change something, build a new model that makes the existing model obsolete.”

Are you listening, Shrimp Basket and Twin Peaks? 

Build a new model.

Thank you.

Joyce