(#5757) Very sad

      I had hoped we as a country were ready to move forward on equal rights for our women. They are human beings as well and deserve every right that any man would have. Yet it seems it is not to be this time either. Coincidentally it was trump who denied both, Kamala 2024 and Hillary 2016, with his interpretation of a macho man. He isn't macho in the sense of strength and decency only in cruelty and divisiveness. Yet it seems he has rightly gauged the American electorate at its core since he has pulled off another victory. His unfailing disdain for all things that do not herald him as some kind of savior will be a brutish penalty for we who are defenders of democracy will have to pay.
     It is early this morning so I am still wrapping my head around the disappointment of again losing an opportunity to build upon the principles of equality and justice but it seems that America is not the beacon we had hoped we would be. There will be some changes to our form of democracy and it will be a lessening change not an expansive change. The trump people will work to dismantle more freedoms and liberties over the next at least 2 years. What that will look like given no unforeseen events will add to the disappointment many of us share. It rather sickens me that the real despots of the world are celebrating the trump victory and our allies are left wondering what to do about us now. As if they didn't have enough to worry about with putin and xi and their cabal of like minded tyrants.
     This post is not one I looked forward to making but despite my preference to ignore it for as long as I felt this disappointment I knew I had to at least say something about what happened last night. I won't do the comparison with 2016 because that is just piling on more injury. I will say though that I will fight on and continue to work to get my fellow countrymen/women to understand that harm is not the answer to whatever ails us. We must not make pain for others because we are angry or indifferent. our species is an amazing phenomenon but unless we recognize our unique value to each other we will go by the wayside with all other species who have had a chance to evolve into something much more enlightened than we currently exhibit.

(#5756) 0 days left

     We have arrived at election day. 82,713,594 as of last night around 10:30 pm, this was the early vote total. What the election day total will be is still to be determined but I suspect that it will be huge. Either huge or small it is here and what it tells us by the end of the day will have an effect on whether we keep our democracy or not. I and others have been sounding this alarm bell for decades concerning the direction of the republican party. They finally got the candidate they wanted who is more sociopath than empathetic. He is an image they prefer to project as strong and brutish. A brute who is not about what humanity demands, only what lust, greed, and power may provide.
     On the other hand we have the democrat who is so kind and helpful that she is the polar opposite of what the republicans drool over. Their cruelty is there credo, while compassion is ours. We who are democrats and now showing more independents stand behind what is best about our people. The welcoming spirit that is encouraging and positive. We democrats realize this about existence, it is short in duration for our individual beings so living in a just and respected world is an imperative. We do not waste time on being cruel to people because we can be like republicans, we instead focus on how to help others achieve their dreams like we wish to achieve ours. Again, life is too short to be doing harm.
     Today is the day we who have not voted get to go and express our voice about our present and future. Tonight is the time when we count those voices in the form of votes and see how we are to proceed with our American dream. The pursuit of our individual and collective happinesses is taking shape on this election day and may we all be gifted with another 4 years of forward evolving democracy. That is my hope and I do believe the hope of most Americans. We will know soon enough as there will be no more voting after tonight. The American dream of democracy that our foreparents fought and died for is on the line today. Us even having a chance to vote to protect democracy is a testament to the past efforts of our foreparents that allow us to honor the love of their great sacrifice.

(#5755) 1 day left

     This is the last day before the election tomorrow on Tuesday. If you need to vote tomorrow and need to call in sick or unavailable then do it if it means you won't be able to vote. Missing time from work if it comes down to that is far more important because of the stakes of this election. Every single vote matters when we are in an all out blitz to save our democracy! Every vote matters! It seems that the forces of destruction to our country are not going to stop regardless of how vile and oppressive they are so we who love our freedom must never give them a chance to take from us the most precious gift ever given by our foreparents. Freedom is ours, not some billionaires backed tyrant's idea of how to control us!
     As of this morning more than 78 million votes have already been counted as cast. Which is approximately half of the total votes cast in 2020. This is a remarkable number and shows that our electorate is keen to get their votes secured as cast. Now come election day the lines will be long in some areas but a large portion of those people who would have been in those lines will not be there allowing for shorter wait times and more participation. Early voting is proper when some states make it hard to vote. We cannot practice our democracy fully when we allow voting obstruction of any citizen from having a voice in their future.
     1 day left to do something until election day is upon us. I will be paying attention to turnout rates all day tomorrow while also listening for any obstruction by right wing republicans who make it a point to deny voters access to the voting booths. I do believe proper precautions are in place and ready to be implemented wherever they are needed. The necessity of caution is caused by the violent rhetoric the republicans seem to foster. We democrats and independents will not tolerate being bullied or otherwise dissuaded from voting. The one single right we have is to exert our lives into our own existence and we in America do that through voting. If anyone sees obstructive behavior anywhere please contact the authorities and continue to demand your right to vote!

(#5754) 2 days left

      With 2 days left until election day it seems that the floodgates may be opening for a Harris landslide. Appears is the key word here. With the new Iowa poll stating that Harris is actually up 3 points has triggered a mad defense by the traditional pollsters who vehemently disagree. I find it interesting though that the trump friendly pollsters, who are lacking a genuine objectivity, are jumping to try to destroy one of the most accurate pollsters over the last 10 years. Instead what I find is a chaotic group of trump friendly pollsters reacting to their own failures by blaming someone who is a tried and true prognosticator.
     It is all just polling and not actual votes but polling does give us an indication as to the mood of the electorate. I have already expressed my opinion about the trump friendly pollsters and their inescapable bending of facts to fit their narrative. So I don't give them a lot of credence. But like all things I will at least listen to their grievances before dismissing their illogic. The Iowa polling does reflect the general mood of the country given the nasty and disgusting behavior of the right wing candidate trump. From Shakespeare's play Hamlet, “The lady doth protest too much, methinks”, sufficiently covers how I feel about nate silver et al. The trump friendly pollsters are working overtime on this Iowa poll to make it seem like an outlier when in fact it seems more true than not given the ongoing enthusiasm for Harris.
     We are down to 2 days left until election day arrives. The pro Harris Iowa poll is a harbinger for things to come. It establishes an inkling into our mindsets that even nate silver's own admission of a polling error may end up with one of the candidates winning in a landslide. Albeit, I don't think silver was alluding to Harris but despite his preference for trump, contrarily, we are seeing and feeling a landslide for Harris much to his chagrin. We the good common people of America are not beholden to those forcing their opinions through narratives of illogic that financially benefit them. Instead we are sure and true in our simple quest to keep our democracy safe and protected with a leader we can be proud to call President. By my reckoning that President will be Kamala Harris.

(#5753) 3 days left

      This is the last weekend before the end of voting on Tuesday. The majority of us who have been anxious to cast our ballots are now focusing on doing what we can to help Harris get across the victory threshold. Whether knocking on doors in swing states or calling voters in swing states and everywhere else a Democrat needs extra help to secure a victory, our mission is coming to an end Tuesday evening. One final push to get every voter to vote is here and we all need to do what we can to make sure we have done all we can. There is no do over after Tuesday so now is the time to finish what we started and then late Tuesday evening wait for the counting of votes to begin.
     Several ongoing historic events are about to unfold and like most things American, they will be trendsetting events. I will leave them for now and wait until we actually get them before elaborating but suffice it to say this election may well be unlike any we have ever had. The two candidates will continue their closing arguments for why we should give them our votes this weekend and on into Monday. Come Tuesday the campaigning will wind down with either or both candidates pushing their message out into the public square as voters are voting. This election has been so consequential to our form of government that hopefully more voters will have voted to reflect the immensity of the moment.
     In 3 days the votes will start to come in and the majority of us will be watching from wherever we are to see the fruits of our hopes achieved. I know this will be difficult to watch for me because it is so deeply personal to me as an advocate who has spent much of his life doing what I can do to keep our democracy alive. Nothing in this existence as a thought of any higher order compares. My life and how I feel are personal to me but our democracy is even more than personal, it is worthy of me existing in the first place. So when I see threats to it there are no bounds to my approach in life that would keep me from dropping everything I am doing to put my full attention into combating the threat. The value of our democracy goes well beyond merely existing. It is why I exist! Vote for Democrats everywhere!

(#5752) 4 days left

      This is it. We are in the home stretch with the finish line just in front of us. Like any foot race the last several feet are the most critical. We cannot relent in our full out sprint to the finish. The only way to make sure we democrats with Vice President Harris win is to forget about that finish line and run full speed until we are well past it. There cannot be any slowing down for fear that we will be caught from behind. I expect us to win handily but I know better than to believe that until the race is done. Then we can tabulate the votes and see our result. At this point all we can do is give everything we have and leave nothing in reserve.
     There is still time to knock on doors in battleground states. There is still time to phone bank everywhere we can for the sake of not only electing Harris but to give her both a House of Representatives and Senate majority. We can get our vote out by helping our friends and neighbors get to their voting precincts for in person voting. We can use our voices in our communities to uplift the vision of Harris while denouncing the disparity of republican talking points aimed at dividing us. Our commitment to electing Kamala Harris to the presidency must not falter however we are doing whatever we can to elect her. We must not give up on our quest for a Harris victory until we actually have it.
     There is too much at stake. Either we build on the sound democratic principles established in our constitution through amendments and laws or we destabilize all our nation has strived and fought to achieve. Harris will keep our nation on the pathway of equality, freedom, justice, and opportunity while trump has pushed ahead with his plan to destroy our rights and freedoms by undermining our constitution. That trump wants to make himself a sole ruler like his tyrant friends by subjugating our citizenry under terms he defines, is in contrast to Harris who wants us to define our terms and she will through the constitution, defend them. The choice is remarkably simple, either we elect a wannabe tyrant or we elect a true defender of the people!

(#5751) 5 days left

      It is down to crunch time. Already over 60 million American voters have cast their ballots. There is only this week left to cast an early ballot outside mail in voting. So make it count America. We need every voter to engage in this election so that our democracy has a real fighting chance to survive the onslaught that republicans have been manipulating. If you have a mail in ballot that you are ready to fill out and mail back in you had better deliver it to a drop box or your county elections office to be sure that it is received on or before November 5th. I say this every election that voting early is your best guarantee that your vote will be added to the count.
     I don't know all the states that toss ballots if they are received after November 5th but just know that there are some. If you want you can forego mailing a ballot and instead go to an early voting site and vote that way or go on election day and fill out an in person ballot. However you vote just make sure you get it done. You don't want to be left out when you are the object of some dastardly deeds waiting to be done by republicans. Protect yourself from republicans because they won't protect you. When trump said that this would be the last election his supporters would have to vote in he meant all of us would lose our democracy so that he can crown himself a king.
     Those of us who know trump and his intentions have been sounding the alarm even if it makes us sound a little bit crazy. I don't care what others think of me so me sounding a bit crazy is fine as long as the warning is heard. Other warnings coming from different folks adds to the context that maybe the many of us are not a little bit crazy but are trying to get the message out that the national corporate media is hiding. They have their monetary reasons for being silent about the attack by trump republicans on our democracy because the national corporate media is owned by his supporters. So here I am with my fellow normal average citizen compatriots using every facility we can utilize to let others know that a vote for trump is a vote to take our democracy away.

(#5750) 6 days left

     Harris had her closing argument at the Elipse in DC last night focusing on trump and his instability. What trump did a few nights earlier at Madison Square Garden in NY was nothing short of a hatefest. Harris has shown that she is the adult between these two regardless of trump being nearly 20 years older. He is like a child who cannot have his way and she is like a diplomat, always willing to find a way for all to be happy. The contrast between these two is as different as different could be. So now the question is as the early vote is streaming in a mile a minute, who is going to win? I don't like predicting these things but I know how I feel about it.
     The last time trump was up against a very impressive woman he squeaked out a victory because of low voter turnout and the antiquated electoral college . Well that will not be the case this time. Voting is on pace to equal or set new records over the last voting records just set in 2020. So low turnout cannot help trump this time. His platform includes a blueprint project 2025, that would curtail rights and increase costs for the working middle poor class. Not a well thought out positioning if he was thinking about attracting any other voters other than his own dwindling base. Harris for her part is actually offering the working middle poor class many incentives to help them cope with the demands of their lives.
     Harris is courting previous independent and republican voters to her side through demonstrating that democracy is being undermined by trump. What trump is doing instead is alienating voters that he needs to have a chance to pull off another close victory. He is up against high voter turnout and he is losing opportunities for support. His chances of victory are getting fewer by the day. Yet we all remember 2016 and if that isn't still fresh in our minds then the threats to our democracy from trump should be. Too much is at stake here so there can be no letting up until after the last vote has been cast. Even then vigilance is required because if trump gets a hint that he is losing the vote on election day, he will cry foul and say the election was stolen from him.

(#5749) 7 days left

     A week from today our nation will be spending the day casting ballots in all 50 states. Unfortunately we do not allow residents of our territories to vote in presidential elections. However, the residents in our 50 states who are citizens will have a final chance to have their voice heard through the process of voting. It will be nearly half our voting population on the 5th of November out to vote since nearly half will have already voted in early in person voting options per state and vote by mail options per state. It is dawning on me that it is finally come to this point where we are through with the campaigning that has been going on for nearly 2 years. In 7 days the vote will begin to be totaled and presented to us to show who will be our next political representatives.
     For us to finally be near the end will be welcome. I don't think we need anymore time to try to figure out for whom to vote. All of us pretty much know who these candidates are and what their intent is for us and/or themselves. I don't have to tell you here which candidate stands for what as the opportunity for that telling is non stop. With 7 days to go that telling will increase exponentially as the candidates and parties try to get their closing arguments for the case to be elected. In this new era of falsehoods and misrepresentations it is always the voter who must wade through what is what. We have to spend some time delineating between fact and fiction and balance that with our level of trustworthiness.
     One thing I think I know about all of this is that if we all take our duty to vote seriously then we will get this election outcome correct. If we don't take it seriously and don't bother to vote we may well get the least acceptable outcome. To me we the American electorate, when we engage in our own democracy and our duty to it we most always get it correct. We are not perfect but we at least strive to be as perfect as is possible. When we do make a mistake we learn from it and then move on to a better solution. I trust the American electorate to move us forward together, without a devaluation of our democratic ideals. In 7 days we will begin to know the outcome and from there stand proud because we did our duty to our foreparents who gave us this most outstanding democratic form of one person one vote government.

(#5748) 8 days left

      The implosion of trump these last few weeks has been baffling. I get that he is mostly an idiot with little regard for others but his constant missteps and self inflicted wounds are appearing to be more strategic than accidental. He is sabotaging his own campaign yet still tries to present one that is important to him. Almost as if he is fighting inside himself between two opposing desires. Does he want to win or does he want to lose? I know it makes no sense because if he loses he is prime for his crimes and their sentences. Again, baffling. Yet if I consider him being cognitively impaired it kind of makes sense. He is losing his ability to segue sensically between thoughts.
    Not that his sense was anything to be emulated. I expect that I am not the only one who is having a problem trying to figure out how his actions and words will help America if he is elected president. As each day closes in toward the final casting of ballots it is becoming clear that he is losing. Which for me is a beautiful thing. A necessary thing as well. He is anti democracy in that he is for America's enemies instead of America's allies. He also wants to cripple our constitution in ways that would give him more power than our other branches of government. I have seen selfish people before and he is one of them. Not one who would be happy to help others. I don't see the value he would bring to the greatest democracy on our planet.
     8 days left is a very short time. Yet Kamala Harris is like a whirlwind campaigning with an effervescence that is admirable. She knows the stakes are make or break for our society. She also knows that our nation is divided and she is empathetic to that. She has a plan for our moving forward together that addresses our immediate physical needs like food and shelter. With 8 days left the momentum is clearly on Vice President Harris' side. Our nation and the world in 8 days are hopefully going to be lifted up with such hope and action that the worst of what is happening now will start to falter. With a Harris victory I see our species gaining a step forward instead of with trump, a step backwards.

(#5747) Nine days left

      It is 9 days before the election and already 40 million plus citizens have voted in our election. I would not be surprised if that number doubled by November 5th. It is a new era we are living in where making it easier for our citizenry to vote has become generally available. It makes sense to cater voting to fit the needs of our modern society where the busyness of our lives often leave us with little time on a specific day. We are not yet at a truly easy to vote paradigm but we are getting closer. There are too many republicans who spend most of their time trying to make voting hard for American citizens because they are trying to limit voting in areas where citizens are less likely to support their agenda.
     That is not how traditional electioneering has generally been. Normally the political party seeks to offer policies that attract voters to their platform of ideas. We still do that within our democratic party. What the republican party has been doing for many decades now is obstruct non republican voters to allow their voters to squeak out victories in gerrymandered districts. That is tailoring tht voter to the party instead of tailoring the party to the voter. We democrats tailor our party to the voter, but republicans do not. It is becoming evident to even the most undecided voter that there really is a difference in the two parties as to their vision for our future. The republican party wants to run our lives without our consent. The democratic party wants us to cherish our rights so that we can protect them.
     In a short explanation, republicans want to rule over us with their opinion of what we need. Democrats want us to rule over ourselves through consensus and agreement. It really is that simple. Freedom is actually a word that has meaning. We democrats want us to be free to choose who we are and we want the liberty, equality, and protections to live as who we are. Democracy allows us all to be who we are and that is what we democrats are defending. The republican party has become less about democracy and more about obtaining power in order to rule as overlords instead as equal citizens. Do not give your voice and power over to the republicans who would only demand that you be who they want you to be instead of who you want to be! Vote for every democrat on your ballot early or on November 5th.

(#5746) 10 days left

      I have noticed the beginning of the nefarious expected shift by nate silver's 538 election polling forecast model to show the race tightening. Not that the race is tightening but as an absurd strategy silver is doing it despite the momentum Kamala Harris is still creating. The reason why is that silver is showing he is bought and paid for by a wealthy republican who will pull the strings of his puppet silver to get trump close enough so that when trump loses, which everyday seems more likely, trump can claim that the race was again stolen from him. For trump it isn't about actually winning, although that is his preferred outcome, it is about appearing to be close to enough to win, then claim fraud, while still losing.
     That is the mental deficiency trump is laboring under. He has to either win or come close enough pre election to make a demented case that the election was fixed against him when he was either tied or leading in the pre election polling. That is where silver is functioning as his backstop. The republican party has been in on this from the beginning so make no mistake, there are no innocent republican candidates running for office. The importance of the republican affiliated polling that has been flooding the 538 algorithm are designed to narrow the Harris lead to a tie or, even better for trump, a slight lead. The independent polling has consistently showed Harris with a 3 to 4 point lead which belies this obviously ridiculous maneuver. However the republicans persist in their illusion.
     There is a solution to this mad numbers game being played by trump and his wealthy republican overlords. It requires the many more of us who are not republicans to vote in numbers too great to falsely narrate. By overwhelmingly voting for every democrat on our ballots we who are not trying to steal the election push past the point of doubt and make any claim by the loser trump to get a serious look at his coming claims of unfairness, moot. A blue tsunami wave election is just what our democracy needs and is very much doable even with only 10 days left until election day. Back to reality, each and every day trump does even more head scratching actions that leave undecided voters with no comparison to Harris who is stalwart and predictable as a viable and commanding option.

(#5745) 11 days left

     It is becoming apparent to me that the only October surprise this time around is going against trump and his lackeys. Before I move on with that point I want to make another one real quick. 4 Star General John Kelly was said by trump to be weak and stupid. John Kelly was trump's chief of staff. So if John Kelly, according to trump, was weak and stupid how come trump gave him a massively important job within his administration? Either trump is lying about John Kelly because John Kelly is now supporting Vice President Kamala Harris, or trump is terribly bad about appointing reputable leaders to our government. Either way, whether trump is lying or is a bad judge of character, trump comes out looking like muskrat shit.
     Anyway, back to any kind of October surprise happening, it is all seeming to be coming apart for trump. I can see a couple of narratives that will serve to cut the legs out from under trump right now. The ties between musk and putin are starting to be revealed as one detrimental surprise and the other for me which isn't really a surprise to anyone who understands the heartbeat of our nation, that independents are breaking heavily for Harris. I mean really heavily. Exit polling on voters who have cast their ballots already are more than willing to announce that they are voting for Harris overwhelmingly. Another anecdote is that an unprecedented amount of current and former republican leaders are publicly switching their allegiance from trump to Harris.
     In 11 days we will begin to see if all of this affects who wins. In my mind this election is closing well for Harris and trump is like a wounded animal snarling and snapping with the realization he is not going to win. Still though 11 days is a long time in politics so we who are fighting for the true manifest destiny of our nation must keep our nose to the wheel and focus hard on doing anything and everything we can do to bring our candidate home with as large a victory as possible. We must make sure that trump cannot play the victim card with any credulity. We must win this election and then win the post election. We do that by creating the largest blue tsunami election we have the power to influence.

(#5744) 12 days left

      The groundswell for Harris is real. The pundits and pollsters refuse to both acknowledge it and factor it into their polling models but it is real and strong. Many of us have been saying that the national media wants a close race and if they have to manipulate the narrative to fit that scenario then that is what they will do. The national media is not primarily concerned with informing the public about current events. They are about shaping opinion that benefits their sponsors and owners.So we the people, who are learning now and transitioning away from traditional national media, have to put up with their corruptible models as data points, at least for now.
     However the transitioning away is happening as we speak and other forms of non traditional media are filling the gap. We have to stay attuned to it when we recognize it and then adapt it to our information gathering sources. Logic will always help us to find good information because we can apply logical formulas to the information that tests its validity. Many second tier news organizations show their loyalty to democracy so those should kindle your interest first. Protecting and defending democracy while promoting further democracy in the world is the base from which I begin. It is my foundation for all things political.
     With 12 days left there is only one candidate and one political party that is anchored in democracy and that candidate is Vice President Kamala Harris and the Democratic party. All others are variations of a worsening of individual and collective rights already achieved. With Harris those rights will not only remain but will increase. I have early voted for Harris and all Democrats on my ballot. As a lifelong member of the Democratic party I know the heart and soul of us. We want the best we can achieve for all of us. How could anyone not want that as a normal functioning human being? Well I know one reason and that is the mental illness of psychopathy, which has found a home in the republican party. 12 days left to voice your opinion through your vote. Speak well with your power!

(#5743) 13 days left

     I want to talk about the current voting. It seems that for some reason the vote by mail count in Georgia, particularly the 5 big Democratic strongholds are showing underwhelming returns on their early mail in votes. All other counties are showing strong returns but not the 5 big democratic counties. I don't know what to make of that? It seems way to coincidental for the democratic counties to be underreporting while the rest of the state is averaging above a 50% return ratio. Are there some shenanigans going on? Georgia is already suspected of undermining voting opportunities but have the republicans in Georgia gone a bridge too far in having something to do with the low return ratio in the 5 big democratic strongholds?
     I am just guessing at this point. It may be that the returned ballots in those counties have not been added to the totals yet for some logical reason? I don't know but what I do know is that I am suspicious of anything that is obviously out of whack when it comes to voting. The next few days should alleviate my concerns but if not then the shit will be hitting the fan in my outrage. I will leave it at that for today. Other things are going on that have me somewhat angry about not only suspicious polling but the inability to understand that likely voters are not the only voters who are voting this time. There are millions of women who haven't voted in the last few elections who are voting this time. Yet the pollsters refuse to consider the impact this will have in their prognostications.
     All of it is to make sure we democrats are on edge. None of the anomalies ever seem to go against the republicans. Strange that, not! The rigging of elections for the wealthy to get there preferred outcome is not new and has always come at the expense of the working middle poor class. Well I can only think of one solution for this election and that is to ignore the media. Yet watching over the counting of the ballots is necessary as we have seen. There has only been one political party that makes things unfair in a constant way and that is the republican party. Which is why I rail against them from the top of my lungs. If something bad is going to happen with no one taking the blame then it is a republican ploy. Because although we democrats do occasionally make a mistake, we are quick to own up to it, unlike republicans who are only quick to blame someone else.

(#5742) 14 days left

      With two weeks to go we democrats are primed to finish strong if we keep up our momentum focused on our policies and turn out our vote. We are on the correct side of offering the American people a better life going forward. I won't talk about what republicans want because it doesn't include anything for we the working middle poor class that is positive and helpful to all of us. but we democrats are the opposite. We have a bevy of policies aimed at helping young and old people start their lives and wind up their lives with hope instead of crushing debt and debility. Homes and educations are expensive and we democrats are looking at the ways to lower each of those and many other costs around the family unit.
     We democrats are looking to secure a better future for the many of us who have traditionally been left out of the American economy. The republicans see us as necessary evils and keep us at arms length from the opportunities they wish to only secure for themselves. Again, I don't want to talk about republicans but in order to give a perspective I must include their vision as a contrast to ours. We democrats want equal representation within our democracy, republicans do not. We democrats want women to have autonomy over their own bodies, while republicans do not. We democrats want the American working middle poor class to have a livable wage, republicans do not. We democrats want democracy to be spread about the world to help all the people's of our planet, republicans do not.
     In 14 days we democrats will start to see the fruits of our labors as they relate to keeping our democracy. We will triumph in this cause with the help of many women and like minded men who believe that women are the arbiters of their own bodies. That the freedom to exist as an individual human being is as important as any freedom anyone else can claim. That the liberty of life is indivisible and not subject to arbitrary rules men may ascribe only to women. That justice in our society must prevail over the injustice some claim as a privilege. That the fairness of all things cannot be devalued to favor one over the other. That the pursuit of happiness is an ideal that all would share despite the differences and prejudices some lay at others feet. We who vote for democrats will help herald in the correct stewardship our nation is so desperately in need of at this time in space.

(#5741) 15 days left

      Stop reading the polling sites. For the most part they are not being honest about their methods. As more and more votes are cast the polling becomes less significant and more manipulative to power and money. So let those sites do what they will do and you do what you need to do which is to engage in any effort you can to get another vote for Harris. For me I am feeling a groundswell for Harris and a mirage for trump. The mirage for trump only shows up in the polling so remember that pollsters are beholden to their sponsors which for the most part are not real friendly to democracy. I say that with some anger because these influencers are doing a disservice to our citizenry with an eye toward deception.
     How they think they can change our minds is beyond me but try they do try. What they, the pollsters, don't understand is that we do understand the stakes we are facing in this election. They want to discourage us and dampen down our enthusiasm for a better future but they are not smart enough to know that we get their plot and are well beyond it being anything other than disappointing. Regardless though of their intent our intent is steadfast and continuing. Especially with early voting underway nearly everywhere in our country. We are getting our voters out with many working non stop to knock on doors and calling on phones to contact those who may not vote and remind them of their own voice through voting.
     15 days left until election day is not much time. So we must keep our focus on the importance of facts and truths being told and explained in understandable ways. It is paramount to saving our democracy and improving our future. None of us can take this election off and hope that others will get us across the finish line. We all have a duty to our democracy to do something. No matter how large or small that something is it must be something! Our heritage as Americans demands from us a respect for the sacrifice of those who came before us that has been passed down from generation to generation. This is our time now to rise up and defend our freedoms and liberties with whatever we can muster. The pride and joy that comes from standing up for what is the best about we Americans can never be matched by anyone or anything that would destroy our precious democracy!

(#5740) 16 days left

      How bizarre it is to see the addled trump speak about subjects best left to the deviant perverted in our country. Yet he is closing in the polls according to the now infamous nate silver. I take it all with a grain of salt since I know that trump is disgusting and nothing much at all that is uttered by him is of value to the working middle poor class. Yet the money and power people in our country are rooting for trump through a disingenuousness they can manipulate and narrative with spin. As much as that is scary in our society the illusion of anything good about trump is just that, an illusion. We the working middle poor class are going to the voting booth with one thing in mind, defeat trump for good.
     Our goal is to get Harris to the finish line with as many votes as can possibly be cast with common sense and inspiring messages of hope. We are all in for Harris and nothing trump or his henchmen like muskrat can do will deviate us from our mission. For us this is not unlike war. We know the cost of losing our democracy to a wannabe tyrant and we know that we each have the power to control our own vote. One vote is not a lot of power but when combined with the majority of us that one vote becomes part of an astounding amount. Astounding enough to lift Kamala Harris to victory and finally bring justice to the victims of trump et al and their arrogant criminal behavior.
     A little over 2 weeks from now the election date will arrive. I would not be surprised if by then half our nation will have voted in the early voting period. The sooner we democrats and like minded independents/republicans cast our votes for Harris the better the utility of resources we have can be focused directly at voters who have not cast ballots yet. We democrats are greedy in that we want all to have the best of what Harris can do for us so getting all the votes we can is a positive value. Being efficient with our strategy to win this election requires us to vote early and then get every hesitant voter out for us on election day. We will win this because in our hearts and minds we want what is best for all of us and that means that democracy survives with a Harris vote.

(#5739) 17 Days left

      The desperation with the republican party to image up a mirage of respectability is laughable. Their cabal of millionaires and billionaires can only spend money, they can't do magic well enough to trick us anymore. Those of us who are beyond any doubt about what this election means for democracy cannot be baffled with their bullshit or dazzled by their phony pyrite brilliance. We are steadfast in common with the ideal that the freedom, equality, liberty, fairness, justice, and opportunity provided by democracy cannot be replicated by anything else the snake oil salesmen within the republican party can muster up as an illusion.
     I still have some, but not much, faith in the opposing party in general to do the correct thing this election and distance themselves from trump. If what I think will happen, that about 10% of republican voters will vote for Harris the democrat then this election is over before it even started. Yet that is only a hope of mine not a proven reality. So what must continue is we democrats doing everything we can to get out our vote and get the still unsure voter, voting for democrats. Whether we win by one vote or 10 million is not the point here. Winning is, because there will likely not be a do over in 4 years. The republican trump has made clear that this will be the last time his voters need to vote if he can win this election.
     Using trump's own words is our guide to what he will do and no amount of cleaning up what he meant will ever change his intent when he spoke them. Take him for his words and then decide if you are willing to let go of our democracy so he can become a king. That is what we are voting on right now. Whether we give trump and his bootlickers our democracy or if we keep our democracy and have Kamala Harris lead the defense of it. I will take Harris every time. She is not going to deny us our rights as free human beings. She is not going to make us suffer for some desire trump sees as his destiny. She will protect democracy so that every child growing up in America can pursue their dreams without being told by trump to get back down into the lower and punishing classes of no advancement.

(#5738) 18 days left

     Two and a half weeks from now and then the counting begins. There are already 10 million votes cast and compiled awaiting a count on November 5th. There will likely be nearly 150 million votes cast this election with maybe even more given the stakes of what the outcome could portend. Those who possess the right to vote will feel the pressure to vote in this moment unlike any other election. 2020 was a pivotal election and the numbers for the voter turnout were epic. I am not sure we can get that many to replicate the awesomeness of that turnout but with the stakes being what they are I truly am expecting an amazing turnout that could well be higher than 2020. 
     It is my opinion on this but I expect that the voting electorate will deliver a Harris victory with the highest vote count of any politician in any election ever. It is my gut feeling of which I can only offer anecdotal evidence. Roe being shot down by trump and his acolytes in Congress is one of those anecdotal measurements. Another is his project 2025 that begins to suspend life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness for too many of us. The brutal and cruel arrogance of the republican candidate is another piece of evidence that does not bode well for him. We on the other hand have a candidate that is compassionate and intelligent with a heart full of concern for all regardless if they vote for her or not.                                                                                                                   There are 18 days left for our nation's electorate to cast their votes for the person and party most like them. I expect many will vote according to that formula with some others voting for her because they cannot stand him even though they are in his party. The Independents will most likely decide this election and from what I can see or predict is isn't close when looking at Independents and their desires. The differences in the two parties is clear and distinct. The republicans are not nice people who would sacrifice to help others. Whereas we democrats are nice people who believe that helping others who need help is not only a duty to humanity but it is a requirement for those of us with honor and the principled and ethical vision of democratic values.

(#5737) 19 days left of this building optimism tempered with some anxiety

      Truly this election has been difficult to compartmentalize. It is front and center in every aspect of our lives. So dealing with it has found me doing some things that lift my spirit when I start to feel a bit apprehensive about the outcome of it. With 19 days left it is finally going to be coming to an end but more importantly the outcome is the priority. If I knew we were going to prevail I would bask in this time and at times I feel that way. Then the other shoe drops I don't feel so confidant and the nerves start to heighten. In both scenarios I still know that each has its basis in reality so keeping them in perspective is the key to my mental and emotional health.
     I do like the position we democrats have with 19 days to go. Our candidate is fierce and intelligent while theirs is a muddled mess of incongruency. Regardless though there are too many who would vote for him no matter what he said or did. Which makes this election so uncommon. Normally the candidate with the clearest logic on the subjects that matter the most to us has a good edge in the voting. But not with the cult of trump and his republican followers. They are unfazed by reality and instead are enamored with the personality of biases and prejudices they allow into their own lives.
     I am older now and as such must deal with situations and circumstances with less vigor and hubris. Instead I find my emotional center line and straddle that line for the sake of sanity. I know which side I am on but to keep a balance I must not get too excited nor overwrought over the dynamics of this election. I see the wisdom in keeping a straight face when confronted with ridiculousness for the most part. When I am unable to hide my rage or hope I quickly recover to again understand that in 19 days this will come to an end and that end is as I see it right now filled with joy over a Kamala Harris presidency. Feeling good and a bit anxious is doable and that is where I am at right now.

(#5736) 20 days left to make the case for Harris

      All I care about is highlighting Kamala Harris' vision for America and the world in general. I won't be offering anything from her opponent well mainly because he is not offering anything much for me and my colleagues in the working middle poor class. We are what is important to Harris. She wants to help us get into homes, care for our children, have more spending money on important life sustaining activities. She truly is our champion! In 20 days the votes will begin to be counted and the tally will start to show who has won. as it stands now the favorite is Harris but we cannot trust anything to luck, happenstance, or percentage calculation.
     There are many doing the hard work of knocking on doors, calling households, sending postcards, etc... to give Harris a chance to pick up at least one more possible vote. When you realize that there is no certainty in this election you also realize that every vote counts. Every opportunity to talk to someone who may vote for Harris is a most necessary priority. To keep our democracy moving toward its more perfect destiny we must not only protect it but we must advance it. Vice President Harris is the only candidate that is committed to not only protecting the values of our democracy but she is committed to expanding democracy everywhere in the world it may flourish.
     Kamala Harris came from the working middle poor class so she is one of us who has not forgotten the struggle it takes to rise up into positions of responsibility. All of us within the working middle poor class have to struggle to advance which is much different and harder for us than it is for those who are born with a silver spoon in their mouths. Those who are that fortunate should also be democrats willing to help all achieve at least a modicum of what they were born with. But sadly most of the silver spoon crowd do not like to help others. They appear to only want to keep helping themselves regardless of what it does to those who are not fortunate like them. It is sad that the wealthy feel so much greed and lust for all instead of feeling humbled by their own good fortune at birth.

(#5735) 21 days until the election!

      Three weeks until we know if democracy survives in America. I say this matter of factly because it seems that too many in our nation are not aware of the threat. They go about their business like all will be the same in 21 days. I can only scream at the top of my lungs for so long and then I weary of the effort and toll it takes on me. If I were younger I would be very afraid of what republicans are going to do with our democracy. I am not younger though. I am older more toward the end of my life than that long ago time when I was just starting out. I was fortunate like the last 200 years of our society that lived within democracy and its opportunities and guaranteed rights.
     I cannot say the same for us after these next 3 weeks. If the majority of us don't protect our democracy by crushing republicans at the voting booth then the future will see the end of American democracy and the world become more tyrannical. It isn't just in America where democracy will wither and die but it is in the rest of the world where now they are trying to shake off the shackles of tyranny. Their efforts toward democracy will collapse along with America if the republican party wins this election. Not only will democracy decline if republicans win this election but so will knowledge and its enlightened thought. The cruel, ignorant and lazy will be leaders and dictate their desires to the rest of us.
     Our dreams of advancing the human experience into our manifest destiny will stop. The growth of humanity over the millenniums has been to seek out new truths and learn from the past. What republicans want us to become will negate both. They want us to stop learning and to live in the past. They think that it would be much easier to control us in ways they think benefits them the most. The republican party is showing itself as a master who must rule over all. They are not about innovation and creativity for all, instead they are about obedience and servitude for most. If this picture of republicans controlling other human beings reminds you of being herded like cattle then you do understand what it will be like if you allow republicans to destroy our democracy!

(#5734) Kamala Harris and every Democrat on your ballot deserve your vote!

      I am done playing nice with republicans and their piece of shit enablers. They are out to destroy our democracy so that they can have power and control with the benefit of becoming filthy rich. The price we the working middle poor class will pay is more poverty and debt with less opportunity to pursue our dreams. The republican party is full of weasels who would steal what belongs to all of us so that they can have it without sharing. They hate democracy because democracy won't let them dominate and terrorize others for their own pleasure. The republican party is backing sexism, racism, and classism so that people who are now free will become like property.
     If you are voting for republicans you are dead to me. I will not associate with souls who would willingly serve a wannabe tyrant fulfill his dreams of cruel and brutish egoism. We have 22 days left to make sure that trump, the pitiful destroyer of democracy, is defeated so voting for democrats in every contest on your ballot is your answer to republican pillaging. Enough of this being silent and letting the bullies of the world have the public stage. We who are decent human beings should not allow the worst of what humanity spawns to dictate what our future will look and feel like. I will not abide anyone who is unaware of the consequences going forward.
     You are either in for being a democratic principled patriot or you are the enemy of us. Take your side and be prepared to either win with us or lose with republicans because with republicans you will lose both ways. The trump republicans don't care about you they just need your vote on November 5th in order to destroy our democracy. The republicans almost destroyed our democracy on January 6th 2021 but it seems that too many Americans are quick to forget their treachery. Shame on republicans who will not defend our democracy and may they meet a similar fate as other treasonous conspirators of our past. I am not sure this post will get past those that censure truths and facts about republicans but here goes!

(#5733) I am equal parts intelligence and emotion

      I live from my mind and my heart. My mind is all about learning and applying logic to it. I am no real creator type per se but I do love my imagination. It helps inform me about perspective and keeps me on balance. With my mind I live to understand how all we humans can live in a world that is finite. We all are unique in our characters and personalities so imagining a societal structure that allows all of us to pursue our passions and clever innovations within a boundary of acceptable behavior as an imperative. Which brings me to Democracy and its ability to satisfy our society as a whole and we individual humans within it. Being wise to what all of us needs to prosper and grow is a value beyond any other social structural consideration.
     Then there is my emotion. My heart, for me and the people, other life, places, and things I encounter serves to ignite wide ranging sensations. For the most part my heart is sensitive to all manner of love and care, yet some emotions are not happy but instead are reactions to pain and suffering. My reactions to love and care and pain and suffering bring me to the same place however, that being compassion. I may get angry with hurt to myself or others but I want to fix that pain and suffering caused by hurt. As with love and care I want that to be part of my life as a rule. So whether good or bad I want the best from those to conclude in joy and happiness.
     Often it is difficult to square my mind with my emotion but I do find a way to square them. On a continuum of emotion is hardness and softness. My mind tells me an act is cruel and brutish and deserves a hard response. Yet my heart opens up the minutiae of the behavior. My mind in collaboration with my heart will then compromise to come to a conclusion that takes into account more than just the singular act. Those are the tricky compromises. Many are not and are simply what they are. Our environments dictate much of our behavior and informs our knowledge as a duty. We all need a safe haven within Democracy to help us along in making the right choices for not only us but by extension the rest of us as well.

(#5732) 24 days until the most important day in the history of democracy since our revolution

      I am a one issue voter this election. Saving our Democracy from a dictatorship. One the one side there is Kamala Harris fighting to preserve and strengthen our Democracy and on the other side is a wannabe tyrant who is as uneducated as any modern day president in American history. You would think this election would be a landslide for Harris and in some scenarios it may well be, but not according to pollsters. I question these pollsters lately since their models seem to include a large amount of republican affiliated polls. Without those republican partisan polls the outlook would be much rosier given the non partisan polls are favoring Harris.
     Neither here nor there though. Regardless of what the polls say the only way to give your all is to work right up until the election is over and the votes have been all cast. There is no scenario where doing less than all we should do is comfortable. There is no one around me, even at work, who don't at least think I am a democrat. The people I am respectful of and associate with are so varied that there can be no doubt as to my being inclusive and helpful to all. I don't have to advertise my political affiliation although I will when the opportunity is even close to arriving because I live my political aspirations as a way of life.
     I have already voted and our state election officials in my county here in California have an app. that notifies us when our ballots leave the election office to the postal service, then to our homes, then back to the postal service, and finally back to the elections office with a notification that they have our ballots and the envelopes themselves are among the counted as returned. That is how important it is to me and many like me so that we can know our ballots are actually among those that will be part of this historic election. We know that democracy is being threatened and our response is our vote. There are other important issues within our free society that will be addressed with a Harris victory, but overall the imperative is to defend our democracy from republican trump and his ego driven tyranny!

(#5731) I will conquer obstacles to achieve success-My fortune cookie

      I know this little phrase is just some pep talk but I like it this morning. I have no obstacles I am in need of conquering at hand but maybe later in the day something will appear. I wish I could conquer stupidity here in America but that is out of my reach at the moment in the best of hopes. If only an awakening would occur but even mentioning anything to do with woke, wake, or awakening now sets off in a bad way the people in most need of it. I don't know how to rehabilitate the concept of awareness but it is in need of repair. Not with those of us who understand that life is all about learning new things so that we can move past the old things that are no longer true or viable.
     We who are still counted among the woke are keenly aware that we are under attack by those who find learning too difficult to administer in their own lives. They would rather be unaware yet opinionated. Their opinions take the place of facts and make their lives easier because their opinions align with their limited considerations. The axiom that ignorance is bliss comes to mind. Much like those who refuse to know facts and truths, opinions serve them regardless of the rules of logic. Somehow they think that having followed the rules of logic and a modicum amount of common sense to get where we are progressing today toward being an amazing nation, are now not needed to continue.
     How the segue of nonsense to other nonsense works is beyond me because I find it violates the continuum of rationality. We simply cannot piece together incongruent thoughts and present them as not contradictory premises toward a conclusion. We the people of our planet have striven for a form of communication that is acceptable to all of us. We achieve this through logic. Where one set of facts follows from another set of facts. The common sense of this is universal or was until just recently when many in the republican party and those who were historically anti enlightenment sought to defy logic and instead accept irrationality. How they do this is to dismiss truth as fact and instead replace truth with fallacy. That way they can bend whatever thought they are presenting as an alternative fact without needing to be verified.

(#5730) Did the hurricanes and tornadoes give Florida a wake up call?

      The aftermath of both weather phenomenons is now upon us. Those who were affected in Florida are coming out into the day to assess the damage that they have had to endure. Many are traveling back to their possessions with apprehension and hope. What they find will surely be a mess however the size and depth of the mess is yet to be determined. That will be their focus today, to find out what they are facing for the next many weeks and months of cleanup and restoration. But in the back of their minds they must now be questioning if this is not over yet. When is the next major weather phenomenon coming?
     In the past Floridians had understood there were weather related problems that were consistent but manageable. Now they know that the intensity and direction of weather phenomenons are not predictable nor manageable. A new chapter in the weather that affects them is being written and they must be wondering if they will be part of that story or not. Will they think about pulling up roots and moving to less intense weather devastations or will they do something that I hope they will do. Change their outlook on the catastrophes that are inherent within climate change. Floridians elected a governor who has mostly eliminated the phrase climate change from state law. It is rather silly on the face of it because denying an event does nothing to mitigate it.
     It is my hope that the smart people of Florida will finally see out beyond the political rhetoric of their current representatives and make the necessary changes in the next 26 days to rectify how the state of Florida combats the root cause of climate change and its worsening effects. Having just lived through an event like the last two hurricanes and hundreds of tornados I would hope that reality would overrule incorrect political rhetoric. It would seem to me that the last few weeks in Florida, although terrible and with unnecessary loss of life, can serve as a wake up call. Those who have survived may be given the motivation to change their thoughts and actions toward addressing the causes of climate change instead of the denial of said climate change.

(#5729) There is no time for myth and superstition except on Halloween

      I am an enlightened soul. It doesn't mean I am full of knowledge it just means that I know information is logical and aligned with common sense as a value above any myth or superstition. I do not allow myself the safety and comfort of belief systems either. They are well and good for those who need them but my world is the natural real one not some hoped for one after I am no more. I do not use faith as a tool for understanding, instead I use theories, facts and reasoning to analyze my approach in life. How I conclude is based upon factors that I can assimilate within the context of existence.
     My approach is not unique nor is it the most dominant. There are many who use their belief systems to guide them along in life without much adherence to logic and reality. It is almost/or is the fact that reality is not a priority in their calculations. They see the world through their belief and nothing much is ever going to change their view. I won't attribute what I think is their motivation on this posting but I know within me, to be devoid of belief systems, requires me to face reality for whatever it shows itself to be. I am not shy about living in this existence. As long as I am alive I will step into life with a curiosity that demands my behavior to be bold.
     The only safe harbor I have is my will to live with the strengths of my principles and the honor they represent. I know that life for all of us human beings is short and marked by the aging process. As long as I am alive I will continue to learn and acquire knowledge regardless if it benefits me directly. I am comfortable with how I have lived and being myself. There are few actual regrets. We all have wishes and dreams we would like to achieve and experience but setting a goal is not guaranteeing it. I feel privileged that I am able to comprehend that life has been a gift and no amount of me trying to make it into something that is more myth or superstition will change the inevitable that I expect will happen for me.
     

(#5728) We are getting mail in ballots in California

      Ballots are arriving in mail boxes around the state of California. It is an exciting time for those of us who do vote early because it is finally time to put our mark on the vision of our future. For me it is all about saving our democracy but in all of that are good policies and people who need to be our representatives. I have been waiting like most all of us for the first chance to get our hope for our future on record. Once completed the ballots will be stored with our county officials awaiting tabulation. That frees up time for us on election day to volunteer to do election duties.
     In this election the choices are as polar opposite as they could be. Vice President Harris is all in on preserving democracy and helping the working middle poor class. That trump is all in on making himself a king and only working for the wealthy contrasts the two candidates perfectly. Never before in the history of our nation has there been a candidate like trump who is so anti-democracy. He is also not a nice person in that he likes to dominate women and spew explicatives at many different races. He is also a criminal with sentencing coming after this election. A vote for him is a vote for the end of our democracy as he would end the rule of law that is a buffer to keep all of us from harming each other.
    A victory for Harris on the other hand will bolster our democracy, and lift up our struggling working middle poor class. It has been nearly 2 decades of the minimum wage being kept at $7.25 an hour by republican politicians but that will change when enough of us vote for Harris and a democratic Congress. There are so many policies that need to be implemented and Harris is prime to achieve them when she is elected. On a personal note I have been waiting for too long in my life for a woman to actually become president. To me, women are the heartbeat of our species and they know that with logic and common sense their compassion will alter the course of human history to the better.

(#5727) Harris is battling trump at every turn

      Unlike in 2016, Vice President Harris is not giving trump and inch to spread his lies without being right there to counter them. Back 8 years ago unfortunately Hillary Clinton did not shadow trump lies with constant monitoring and he was able to sway just enough to swipe the election from her. Not this time. Harris has learned that lesson and does not give the blubbering buffoon trump any oxygen to himself. We learned in 2016 that the American electorate is not the smartest electorate in the world. Notwithstanding our previous ability to cull out the most egregious candidates in the past, we failed miserably in 2016 by letting a charlatan grifter hold our highest office.
     The price we paid was almost our precious democracy. Even yet our democracy is still in the crosshairs of trump and his republican sharpshooters. But this time Harris is aware of her charge to keep him from ever getting back to our presidency. Harris is relentless in her rebuttals to his never ending streams of invectives full of lies and misrepresentations. She does not let him say what he wants out of whole cloth with impunity. He has to answer for his claims when the unceasing absurdity of his words spill out from his undisciplined mouth. Unlike in 2016 when trump was able to spew to so many without a response from Hillary, he is now monitored and rebutted in a perpetual state.
     The only way to make sure that trump is defeated is to never leave a word he says without giving whoever his audience is a fact check with the more likely truth. You cannot leave trump alone to his own devices because he knows no bounds of civility, respect, nor honor that he won't manipulate for his own advantage, to everyone else's disadvantage. There are 29 days left until the election and the mantra of not sleeping until we are dead is in full swing. There can be no resting on trump when his desperation grows each day. He will work overtime to figure out a way to win because when he loses he knows he will either have to run away from justice or end up in prison where he actually belongs for his numerous adjudicated crimes.

(#5726) Living life should be a celebration every day, not drudgery!

      We know from history that life has been more drudgery than happiness. History is the past not the present nor future though. So what can we do to change the course of drudgery like life to a celebration like life? I know most of our human drudgery revolves around resources. If we all had enough money lets say, most problems would cease to exist. I know other problems would appear but my guess is that far fewer would be the result. Which would help far more than it would hurt. So given that logic it would appear that eliminating our chronic immediate problems would go a long way toward making life a celebration like existence than what we currently have now.
     This is not a surprise since most people are trudging toward resources already to at least try to keep up with responsibilities. But even in that trying we are not getting out ahead of the problems we are more like just hoping to stay even and not lose more ground. The system we currently have in how we allocate and share our resources is not a solution to the problem of eliminating poverty and the drudgery it creates. So what do we do? How can all of us wake up one morning and have the wherewithal to eliminate our bills with more left for quality of life adventures and explorations?
     I know we who have always had to fight to pay our bills have dreamed of waking up one morning and looking into our bank accounts and seeing a million dollars in there from some reputable source. Maybe something like that, I don't know. All I know is that if our daily heavy burdens were lifted from us the happiness that would bring would be astounding. Life would truly be a celebration non stop. Wishful thinking is what I am doing here but it does serve a purpose to remind us that drudgery to just keep ourselves alive is no way to live a life that otherwise should be an amazing experience, not some difficult suffering for the sake of existing!

(#5725) Harris needs to be bold and futuristic in her vision of our country

      As this election has tightened with trump, Harris needs to hurdle past him in the polls and the minds and hearts of the electorate. She has already outlined some domestic policies that give us glimpses of her vision but in broader terms we are still waiting to hear her more generalized policies toward health care for all, climate change and foreign policy around the globe, expansion of the Supreme Court and for Puerto Rico and Washington District of Columbia statehood. These are major issues when given context for all will enlighten us as to how Harris will approach democracy and the necessary legislation for it in America.
     In other words, Harris needs to now step out of the shadow of President Biden and tell us her full vision going forward with the confidence and assuredness we know she feels. She needs to know we trust her so that she can trust us to have her back and lay out her vision with an honorable contentment. It is her time now to show us who she is, with 31 days left until the election, as to what she wants for us. It has been a safe haven for her with Joe Biden in the background that initially catapulted her into a slight lead that has stabilized for her until now. But that momentum is spent. It is time for her to open up a new front against the corruptible republican trump by not only staring him down with steely eyed conviction but to offer America her most profound courage in regard to policies going forward.
     She knows what is fair and just in our society and she needs to trust her instinct on that, her handlers notwithstanding. Being real as a person is her best attribute so her drawing her line in the sand is what we are waiting for. She is a remarkable person with an objective mind that draws from humanity and logical reality. She needs to lean into that and know that she is one of us and what she believes in her heart is what we believe as well. Being bold with policies for the future that make sense to the working middle poor class is her best option to maximize voter turnout in her favor. We need her to show herself as herself without the cloak of Biden leaving her in the shadow of it.

(#5724) The soul of America is either still pure or rotten in its core

      I don't know how to otherwise understand what is happening. We democrats are doing all we can to live and exemplify what is best about our human species and the republicans are kicking dirt into the faces of all who are not like them. Yet the pollsters say this election is close. I disagree of course because I am a decent human being who believes the vast majority of us are decent human beings. Yet we still see a consistency over time telling us that too many would elect the scoundrel as our leader than the honest forthright woman who is exceptional in most every way imaginable.
     For me to understand how this can be is for me to suspend common sense and look at this election as if it were some deep rooted problem with democracy. The republicans would destroy democracy and that is not much of a question any longer. It has been buried in the republican agenda for at least 7 decades but is now finally being touted by them as a policy desire. What is so bad about democracy that nearly half the country, according to pollsters, would have it dismantled in favor of tyranny? Is it merely democracy getting a bad rap from the wealthy and their propaganda machinery? Or is there some inherent problem with equality, fairness, liberty, justice that too many feel is unobliging?
     My sense is that democracy is not uncooperative but rather more work than too many want to invest. Which to me seems very odd because I have always known that anything worth having is worth fighting to preserve, or earning through the hard work, and or talent, for success. Is it that those who oppose democracy are willing to sacrifice their freedoms so that they can have others decide their fate for them because of a perceived ease? Are they so enraptured of being led by anyone as long as they don't have to think about it? I have never known the human species to be so recalcitrant toward their own rights to be who they are within what they desire without causing harm. Yet I see too many now who not only wish to be led with their blinders on, much like cattle, but these too many also disregard the ideal of causing no harm by it.

(#5723) Like Harris says, "Our unity is our strength, and our diversity is our power"

      When we as a society are united it is a thing to behold. I know when I am all in on something there is a specialness to my behavior and actions that I can feel as strength. In my youth when I was in high school I was fortunate to have been bussed to a high school with full diversity. If I hadn't been bussed I was scheduled to go to a primarily white school with practically no diversity. I was in one of those in junior high school so I had already experienced that dynamic and was comfortable with that association. So when I was in high school I had to open myself up to new experiences that diversity exposed to me.
     Like all at first there was a feeling out process where uncertainty eventually was replaced with a new confidence that I could be a human being in and amongst other human beings. My perception was changed from the unknown to the not only known but not different from my own experiences. I found that the diversity I was in alliance with was broadened by my new experiences. The foundation was the same as with my all white associations but now included different races I now knew with an equal footing. For me the diversity present within our school became such a force due to tensions during that time that a melding of togetherness overruled any apprehension about cultural differences.
     All these years later I still embrace that diversity I was inculcated with to the point of knowing my life was forever changed for the better because of it. When it comes to the races of the world I know for a fact that there is only one race, the human race, and our diversity truly is our power. This election is personal to me. I see Harris as a culmination of the decision to bus me and others like me all those decades ago to change the unknown to the known. She is like all of us in that she understands that unity is strength and diversity is power.. For those who didn't get the gift of bussing in order to assimilate with other races believe me when I tell you that it was powerful growth with a mindful awareness toward knowledge building for the better.

(#5722) America's promise to the world

      I know this much, the promise of America is to inspire and protect those who desire the fulfillment of democracy and individual rights. Our American promise is to all in the world to strive forward to a better existence. Without the chains of the past that shackled us to demands and service not within our scope of freedom, liberty, justice, and equality. We human beings are not property any longer in this enlightened reality yet there are still some who would not go forward into freedom without prejudice. There are some who see the world as their opportunity to control and manipulate to their desires devoid of any others' concern.
     Those who would destroy the intent of democracy are not without the ability to try with forces that are at times formidable. Which is why we who love the concept of democracy and its ever hopeful process of improvement must never relax in the face of the democracy destroyers. They are easily identifiable. They are tyrants, those who support tyrants, and those who have little emotion about anything that is positively indelible to the best of our human natures. We have such examples now in our American politics with republicans and their standard bearer trump. We also have other world examples like putin in Russia and maduro in Venezuela. Tyrants who would only protect themselves at all costs.
     Yet the tyrants are not much in the face of the rest of America and the world. We who are the majority in America will overcome the forces of tyranny displayed by republicans much like the world will eventually bring to a close the destruction by Russia and the deranged madness in Venezuela. Time is our ally in bringing America's promise to the world and even to ourselves. But we cannot lose the vigilance it takes to overcome the forces that are eager to take from all of us so that they can feel some unnatural sense of fulfillment. We are civilized in our societies and as such must act and react with bravery and courage to oust those who threaten us despite our fear of their perceived outlandish claims!

(#5721) October is finally here

      One more full month before the 5th of November. I am sick and tired of the anti democracy, anti women, anti everyone not white, welching trump and his sycophants! Give me Kamala Harris every day of the week and twice on Sundays! This election is a farce if we don't elect Harris. She is not only a nice person but she genuinely cares for everyone who needs help. Unlike trump who is the ultimate selfish personna. Not only is he selfish he is also cruel and brutish. He doesn't mind at all causing pain and suffering whether it helps him or not. He is incapable of care and compassion unless it is a strategy to help himself.
     What is even worse than his individual bad habits and behaviors is that he is more than willing to demolish our democracy in order to turn our nation into a cash machine for himself and his acolytes. He will do whatever he wants if he is elected. Not what we Americans need, no, what he wants. That is our future if this traitor to democracy is allowed anywhere near the seal of our presidency. Brave human beings all over the world will be compromised to the tyrants of the world because trump aligns with tyranny not freedom for all. The failings of the republican party are so deep and wide that the majority of republicans are all in for letting trump destroy our democracy.
     What must happen instead is all those of us who believe that equality, liberty, justice, fairness, opportunity, and freedom are first and foremost as priorities for governing must vote for Harris. That the welfare of our citizenry is the highest priority for any and all elected officials and that no elected official is to be regarded as above the law. Our democracy, even in its imperfect state, is still head and shoulders above any other form of government. So there will be no equivalent replacement for our democracy once it is gone. That is the choice in this election. On the one hand Harris will continue the perfection of our union while on the other hand trump will rip our democracy from us and replace it with his self aggrandizing form of self enriching chaos and force a servant status on the rest of us.
     

(#5720) September is finally ending and October will set the stage for our election

      As of today, there are 36 days left until our election. 31 days in October and the 5th day of November. It is quickly approaching after what seems like several years of campaigning. We here in the States need to do something about shortening our elections to a couple of months instead of a couple of years. It all gets so tiring and redundant. I can understand why some would just tune out the elections because our elections bore us to no end. Yet despite that we are faced with consequences that are not to be dismissed! My whole lifetime of supporting democrats has been because they are closer in ideology and policy to humane treatment and respect of our citizenry that republicans ever have been.
     The republican party is not about all of us just the wealthy for the most part. They do not adhere to the principle of free will as a rule. They would rather tell others what to do and then punish them if they don't do it. That is not democracy that is authoritarianism. Throughout history tyranny has been measured against democracy and has always come up short. There is no enthusiasm for feeling like cattle. There is enthusiasm for having the reigns over your own life. It really is that simple. Either be told what to think and do or learn how to do that for yourself. It seems that thinking for yourself is popular among the majority of us but unfortunately there are too many who would be happy being cattle.
     I will never understand those who feel the need to be led around by some person who claims domination over the free will of others. It is a malady that escapes my experience. The logic that exists in my mind will never allow me to not think for myself. I guess I am selfish in that respect. I want to live life as me and not in abeyance to someone who tells me who I am and what I can or can't do. For the next 31 days in October and the five more in November before our election we will get to know who wants us to think for ourselves and who wants to think for us. That is on the ballot. You know who is whom in this scenario so vote accordingly and then know you are either your own or someone else's.

(#5719) Trying to keep our democracy

      What is our democracy? Simply it is our right to be part of how we are governed. Our vote is the result of who we are and what we want. We all get to cast a vote if we are registered. If you are 18 years old or older you can vote in most cases. Some criminals may not be allowed to vote and some who are mentally challenged as well. Otherwise if you are a citizen of the United States of America you may vote. It isn't required for you to vote but it is a duty if you want to be part of deciding your own future. There is an obligation to being registered to vote and that being added to the pool of citizens who may be called for jury duty.
     That obligation is a part of how our judicial system works in America so that the pool of folks is wide ranging and reflects the cultural diversity of perspectives our nation is comprised. That said, the part about voting is the one that is the prize. Participating in our elections is the foundation of who we are and what we hope to become. We vote for the policies within our democracy that help to pave a path to the future and at the same time fill in the gaps of the present. Logic dictates that cooperation among our citizenry is the best path forward to accomplishing goals, for making our society more perfect through a formula instead of through chaos.
     No other nation on Earth can boast of citizen participation like we started here in America. Our foreparents fought with amazing clarity and strength to give us our democracy over the demands of monarchy and tyranny. There will always be the carpetbaggers who come along and try to wrest our democracy away from us so that they can lust after the bounty we have created. However our national treasure is our ability to work together for common goals and this inspiring paradigm will never be stolen from us as it is our character, not some object. The ideal of democracy is not some physical structure that can be dismantled, it is a hope for the better and best of who we humans may become.

(#5718) Harris and Ukraine are intertwined to victory

     Ukraine needs Harris much more than Harris needs Ukraine in a political sense but that isn't how Harris rolls. Surely we know that trump, if victorious in November, will immediately betray Ukraine for favors from Russia's putin. We know this because trump has said so numerous times. With a Harris victory the Ukraine defense and subsequent counterattack offensive will occur with a mighty force. Although Harris doesn't need Ukraine in order to win in November, her soul and spirit is with democracy and democracy is what Ukraine is fighting to preserve. Harris is a patriot of the highest order. You can tell by her policy positions on most everything that has anything to do with protecting ideals that enhance democracy and promote democracy where it previously didn't exist.
     Ukraine knows that without Harris the effort to mount a solid defense and empower a counter offensive is impossible. The trump doctrine is to cede Ukraine to putin, period! It has to be difficult for the president of Ukraine to have to be in such a position which doesn't give him an opportunity to help decide our election but that is why he is an honorable man. He is siding with Americans to protect their own democracy and then help him protect his. The outcome of this election is enormous to Ukraine and anything less than a Harris presidency will certainly mean a death knell on the heads of Ukrainians. Which is why all of us who are for protecting our democracy have a necessary need with siding with Ukraine to help rid the world of a tyrannical murderer who hates democracy!
     Dr. Martin Luther King spoke this, “the arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice.”. This simple statement is so powerful and inspiring in that I can feel the weight of its truth. Which in this coming election gives me great hope that not only will Harris win the presidency, but Ukraine will defeat putin by ousting Russia from its land. I am not just being predictive, I am feeling this in my bones. All with the caution of knowing what happened in 2016 when I went into that election night with confidence that Hillary would win. This is not like that. I have not felt certain about a lot of this but in my gut I know Harris and Ukraine are on the right side of history and no one is being caught unawares like the many of were from 2016.

(#5717) Illinois is early voting!

      With over 44 million early mail in voting ballots requested for this election the time is coming for a lot of them to start coming back in from the states that have already sent them out. As to early in person voting nearly 200 thousand have already come in to their polling precincts or county seats to cast their ballots. It is extremely early days but the flow is beginning to come back in and over the next several weeks we should see a majority of those 44 million early mail in ballots collected. We are there into the election time now and every vote cast early is one more assured of being counted. Procrastinating voting is not anything we should do. We all need to get our voices heard as quickly as we can to make sure that we are not later impossibly inconvenienced to vote.
     For me there are two possible outcomes for this election. One, which is most likely is that it will be a close race for reasons that still boggle my mind without a clear direction as to why. The second is that the race will not be close. Either way we who are fighting for our democracy are not to be confused about the priority of our vote. Our very vote could be the one that gets us across the finish line or just be another in a long line of blue wave comfort. We don't know and the not knowing is why we cannot stop from doing anything we can to help secure this win for democrats up and down the ballot. Democracy is at stake and no amount of assurance from anyone can foretell the outcome.
     Many will guess what the outcome will be but no one knows, not even the pundits and experts. They are using whatever stats they can amass and yet it is still unknown how all of our votes will end up being counted for wins or losses. All any of us can do is vote. With early voting we get that great duty and high responsibility done. Then we can wait for November 5th and know that our vote is one of them waiting to be counted. The future of democracy is depending on all of us to do our best to keep it alive in America and that is down to each of us. Vote early like it is the first time you get that privilege. You young people, you need to find it within yourself to get your vote in and feel the pride of your belonging to the family of America in your soul.

(#5716) America is going through an IQ test with this election

      It is an IQ test but the two participants who we are testing against couldn't be any more different. One is a woman who is intelligent and accomplished, while the other is a silver spooned business failure who is more dumb than a rock than not. Yet the media would have us believe that the contest for the presidency is close and too hard to call. This is where the IQ test is needed. First many national media outlets have a narrative that assumes our electorate are low IQ. They give us "news" that shows a close race to test us as to cause us to reevaluate our own senses about we we can see and hear on our own. That reevaluating is our electorates first test. Do we dismiss our own knowledge over the narrative the national media wants us to believe? Or do we trust our own intelligence and common sense? We will see won't we?
     The candidates themselves are the next test for us to pass. We have one candidate that is speaking to her policy vision for the working middle poor class, which by the way is more than 90% of voting citizens. She is focused and clear about how she will activate her plan that includes all Americans. The other candidate is all over the place. he makes statements about the end result he will give us but does not explain how he is going to make that happen. Although he does tell us to trust him because he knows how business works. With 6 bankruptcies in his past and already 4 years he spent as president the only thing he accomplished legislatively was to give the wealthy a tax break. Again, we the electorate are being given an IQ test. Do we believe the policies that are explained to us or do we believe the words of the other who says he will do it without telling us how? We will see?
     Finally we the American electorate are being given a civics lesson about our own country. Do we know what democracy is and if so do we understand that it is the greatest form of self government ever formed into a working model? This IQ test is probably the most significant. Because if we the American electorate pass this test then the future of our democracy will be intact. If we don't pass this test then the present of our democracy will cease to exist. Instead a form of monarchy/autocracy/oligarchy will replace it. I know this sounds so unbelievable but if you listen to the one candidates words you hear him often speak about how he would never have to have another election because he would never have to give up his presidency. One person one vote will cease to exist. We will see the results of this IQ test beginning on Tuesday evening November 5, 2024.

(#5715) Keep doing something to get Harris elected

      The rally cry of keep doing something is ever more important. Not any poll or sense of what may come but the action of doing something positive to get folks to understand the importance of democracy and the necessity to vote. Every soul who turns out to vote for Harris may well be the one vote that Harris needs to win on November 5th. The Harris campaign has the correct approach. See this election as if Harris is behind and needs every vote they can get to have a chance. The truth of it may be less dramatic but when an election is so important to keeping our democracy working from the assumption of "from behind" is smart and persistent.
     This is our only chance to end the cartoonish criminal trump from our lives and our politics and that is to get Harris elected in 41 days. Once trump is done with this wretched campaign he is using to stall his many trials for criminality, his time will come for the answering for his selfish greedy actions of law breaking. In the meantime every new voter who commits to voting for Harris is one step closer to getting her elected and saving our democracy from the wannabe tyrant trump. I know I and many like me will finally be glad for the end of his never ending lies and falsehoods. Our American psyche has taken many hits since trump came onto our political stage. It is time for our American psyche to heal with a Harris victory and a trump defeat.
     41 days left until the election so 41 days of doing something is left to make sure we have done what we could to effect a Harris victory. We must have a Harris victory if our society is going to survive as a one person one vote democracy. So whatever it is that you can do to help. Whether boots on the ground knocking on doors, or using phones, or postcards, would be helpful. Getting your friends, young and old, to vote early to get their votes cast without procrastinating is also very important. The bottom line is we need all our like minded democracy defenders to step up. To participate so that our children grow up in our society free from dictators who are bent toward their own selfish needs at the expense of those who are left with no freedom, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness without harming others to hope for.

(#5714) I still feel the blue wave election coming!

      It is a gut thing. All my instincts are telling me that people are not amused nor enamored of trump enough to let him back into the oval office. He is a threat to not only our working middle poor class but to our democracy. Which is why it makes no sense what the media is trying to tell us that this race is close. It isn't close. But that is my intuition which I cannot say is absolute. However I trust my gut. Regardless of suspect media and their mouthpieces, I keep focused on what is important. Getting the vote out for our democratic candidates and echoing our policies that are actually helpful to our working middle poor class.
     What the cruel republican party offers is help for the wealthy so that their trickle down economic theory can be proven once again to be a sham. The republicans don't care about the truth of that they only care about the funding from the wealthy to keep the dishonest narrative of trickle down alive. I cannot get past the absurdity of the republican position which goes a long way toward fueling my gut instinct. Mostly though the attack on our democracy by republicans who would have us elect a criminal and insurrectionist as president who wants to be a king, and a blueprint for our future, project 2025, that is despised by almost everyone who is aware of it.
     What we democrats want is equal representation for all Americans. We want to help the working middle poor class catch up with opportunities the wealthy have hogged for generations. We want the ideal of the pursuit of happiness while doing no harm to be a real goal for all not just for some. We democrats believe that all who are American citizens of all races and creeds need to have ease of access to the ballot box, to the autonomy of their own bodies, and the freedom to choose who they love without fear of reprisal. Honoring democratic values is the hallmark of a thriving healthy society that is enviable to all the other people on this planet. Helping them achieve what we are striving to achieve is the manifest destiny of humanity and should be the highest priority for all who would honor the sacrifice our foreparents fought and died to attain!

(#5713) Russia's demise before our eyes

      No matter what putin does to hide from the Russian people the hideous losses his invasion of Ukraine has caused Russia, the rest of the world is seeing in real time the devastation to a young generation of Russian society. To the mind of the tyrant putin it is okay because he thinks like this. The ones being sacrificed are not what he would consider the elite of his privileged society. His form of genocide within Russia is aimed at the ones he would, like trump, call the others. The ones who are not like him. That kind of sickness of mind is visual to the rest of us and it sickens me that the Russian society is so closed off to the information it needs to stop their tyrant from destroying the Russian people through racism, poverty, and creed.
     We here in America are in a current fight to protect our democracy from the evil of tyranny that is so prevalent in Russia. Our American creed is life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness coupled with individual rights. Those of us who believe in democracy understand the stakes we face here in America in 43 days. What cannot be understood in Russia is objectivity. There is no fair and just system of reporting that can penetrate the propaganda putin is spewing non stop. The Russian people are not informed and keep sending their sons to the slaughter that the demented putin claims through his butchering narrative is some incomprehensible glorious necessity for the honor of Russia.
     Sadly this narrative of putin has no alternative thought that is allowed to be known so the Russian people keep supporting putin right up until they are eventually no more. It is a sad state we all find ourselves in that want to see the end of tyranny and the awakening of enlightenment. Where everyone gets to realize the truth of things without barriers to that learning. Where friendships and inclusion are the normal. A world where the best of what humanity is gets to reveal itself from everywhere on our planet. A world where the problems of hunger and being uneducated is not forced on anyone from birth to death. Our world, in the vision of democracy, is a place where everyone who wants to have a better life is free to earn it. That is what democracy is fighting for, all of us and all of our hopes and dreams.