Mourning A National Tragedy

We’re in shock this morning. Our hearts go out to the victims of the mass shootings in Texas and Ohio, and the lives that have been changed forever. We’re mourning a national tragedy.

This is a national day of mourning — GRIEVING FOR THE VICTIMS OF THIS WEEKEND OF TRAGEDY

Why do these things happen? I don’t remember any mass shootings while raising my children. Some presidential candidates are now politicizing the shootings. But forty years ago we had Democrats and Republicans and Jim Crow Laws and the Vietnam War. Mental illness was widely prevalent, but poorly understood or treated. And there was very little gun control.

This is what we didn’t have: the internet. There were no violent video games so readily available, desensitizing young men to violence. No one had a Facebook account, where people could brag and make other people envious. There was no Instagram or Twitter where you could publicly shame or bully someone to the point of suicide. Now, Instead of face to face relationships and real conversations, everyone just texts. We’ve almost forgotten what it’s like to talk to a real live person.

Technology has changed our world and done wondrous things for our society. But it’s also dehumanized us to the point where violence has become the norm.

June 15, 2019June 15, 2019

IS FACEBOOK INVADING MY PRIVACY?

How is it that I receive all these “sponsored” posts on Facebook ? Before the 2016 election, I was getting posts about Trump almost every single day. Maybe they were part of the Russian attempt to influence the election. I always ignored them, because I considered them nothing but spam. But now, the Trump posts have disappeared, only to be replaced by posts favoring Biden. I don’t understand who is behind these posts, and why are they allowed to do this. Is Facebook invading my privacy?

WHY HAS FACEBOOK DECIDED i SHOULD RECEIVE ALL THESE SPONSORED POSTS?

OMG. Just got a post from Cory Booker, asking me to send $1 to secure his spot on the debate stage. I don’t know Cory at all; never met him, probably never will. I thought people couldn’t post on my page unless they were my friend. Cory isn’t my friend.

Here’s another one from the Democratic Governors Association asking if I approve of President Trump. If I respond Yes , will I be back on the Republican’s hit list? And if I say No, will that be a green light for all 20 Democratic candidate to start sending me requests for money? Does this mean that anyone can buy their way into my Facebook account? I’ve purposely limited my friends to a handful, because I don’t want to spend all day reading posts from a thousand so called “friends.”

Apparently, Facebook lines me up with strange people they think I would agree with. How they make this decision is a total mystery. In the last election, something made them believe I wanted to hear about Trump. It may have been the Russians, or just plain old American Republicans. I will never know. But now, the Democrats have decided I’m fair game. Overall, I would guess that someone at Facebook has decided I’ve switched parties.

I haven’t switched parties because I never belonged to one. If you read my blog, you will know that I feel free to criticize politicians from either party. My mother used to have an expression around election time: “I vote for a new set of crooks every four years.” She would be 114 years old if still alive—but her comments seem pretty up to date.

But wait. This morning, my Facebook had “sponsored” posts from Costco and Magic Chef, neither of whom have stores in my area. It looks like Facebook is so desperate for income that they’re promoting more commercials. We’re tired of seeing commercials on television, but we know that’s the price we have to pay to watch. Is it the same now on Facebook? If so, a lot of us may be deleting our accounts altogether.

November 5, 2018November 10, 2018

MIDTERM ELECTION DRAMA

Midterms used to be boring elections. Lucky to have 20% turnout. That’s all changed now. People have flocked to early voting sites in record numbers in my state of Indiana. So, we should be prepared for some Midterm Election Drama.

Emotions are running hot and high. Whatever happens, some people are going to be very mad. Personally, I always feel sorry for the people who lose, even if it’s partly my fault if I didn’t vote for them. Think of all the time, money, effort, and emotion that goes into running for office. Most of us wouldn’t go through it. So, you have to respect anyone who runs for office in these volatile times. They could be risking their life.

winners & losers in the midterms — US electoral politics

The people who garner the most sympathy from me are the families of the losing candidates. Maybe they didn’t really want their mom/dad/sister/brother/spouse to run at all. But they were sucked into all the drama, whether they liked it or not. Now, The kids have to face the embarrassment when they go back to school on Wednesday or Thursday. I think it must be harder on them than the grown ups. But there has to be a lot of tears on pillows for everyone.

The winners, of course, are ecstatic. All their hard work and determination paid off! Their families are proud, and they feel like they’re all set. But really, it’s not going to be that great for them. Whereas the losers are soon out of public scrutiny and forgotten, the winners are going to face protests, nasty editorials, hate mail, and all kinds of ill will from the losing party. You have to be tough as a boot, with nerves of steel, to shrug all that off and keep going with a smile on your face.

And so, in anticipation of Tuesday night, I offer my sincere sympathy to the losers, and heartfelt congratulation to the winners. All of you fought the good fight. It’s what democracy is all about.

October 27, 2018November 10, 2018

LOVE AND HATE AT THE POLLS

When it comes to election day, the big question is: what emotion will generate the most votes? As Tina Turner used to say, “what’s love got to do with it”? Most of the TV commercials for my state’s midterm election are focused on the awful things the opposing candidate has or hasn’t done. Apparently, the candidates are banking on hatred for the other guy to win you over.

You have to wonder if all the angst stirred up by the Kavanaugh confirmation is going to mobilize members of both major parties. Will love or hate drive them to the polls on election day? And if so, will they cancel out each other’s votes? And will the latest odds by CNN prove accurate? They’re saying the Democrats will take the House, and the Republicans will prevail in the Senate. It will be interesting to see if the predictions are accurate.

VOTING AGAINST, NOT FOR — ELECTION DAY IS COMING

In big cities, people with like minded political views tend to hang out together. But in the small college town where I live, I interact with people from various economic backgrounds on a daily basis. I know flaming liberals and die hard conservatives–and right now, they’re an angry bunch. Liberals tend to verbalize their opinions openly, so you pretty much know who is going to vote for the Democratic candidates. The close-mouthed quiet ones are more apt to be Republicans, but that doesn’t mean they’re not headed for the polls in November.

The country has never been so divided and polarized as it is today. I can remember some very contentious elections, but somehow, people were civil. No one would have dreamed of attacking a politician in a restaurant or theater and forcing them to leave. About the only place a politician can feel safe nowadays is in a church. And that could change at any time!