THERE ARE STILL THINGS WE CAN COUNT ON

Whenever I hear the 'call waiting beep' when on a call, I can count on either being without my glasses or on a phone that does not show caller ID.  It makes me wonder if those who call have that kind of luck when gambling.  Another annoyance is to be in the basement when the phone rings and I have forgotten to take as remote phone with me.  Again, no caller ID and I am afraid I will miss an important call. so I either race upstairs, in great pain because of naked of cartilage knee, only to find it is a telemarketer that either wants me to consolidate my credit card balances (of which I have none), sign up for a life line in case I've fallen and can't get up, or let me know that there will be a truck to collect old clothes or whatever I would like to give  clean (with no need for repair and if other than clothing, must be in working order).  These conditions usually describe things I still want to keep!

It has become habit now to take the phone with me and set it within reach of the shower while I am in it.  I keep a strap wrench handy because I believe that all jar tops are now put on with a pneumatic tool with strength far beyond the strength of most women.

I'm convinced the real sneaky enemy lives within technology. Having learned to type on keys that were distinct and raised, I can no longer type a 'y' without it adding an 'h'/  I finally realized it is because all the keys are adjacent at the same level and  extremely sensitive to the touch even when you are only near one.  The mouse I use is even more sensitive and I have to keep fast to outsmart it.  If I hold a finger near it, I will move everything away.  At least I finally learned on my new iMac where that Apple hides things and can even get most of them back.

Lately I have fewer reasons to leave the house.  However, I can count on it raining when I have plans to work in the yard (there is raking, pruning, planting, etc to be done within the brief April window before the jungle appears in the yard.

I'm sure my readers could add to this list.  I know I am not alone with the spirits who hang around to make our lives more difficult.  They seem to get around to everyone with no prejudice.  I can hear them making strange house noises but I just can't see them.

But those we can see are in Washington, DC.  We can count on Boehner always saying 'no compromise'. We can count on Republican states continuing to try to eliminate legal abortion and contraceptives.  We can count on Cuccinelli  acting as though he is above the Supreme Court.

REPUBLICAN SUPPRSSION OF WOMEN IS NOT CALLED WAR EXCEPT BY ALL OTHERS

One must ask someone who reads the Bible, 'Is there anywhere in the Bible a prediction that women will continue to be treated as inferiors to men in 2013?'  It is difficult to address just what is behind the current misogyny in an attempt to curtail all contraceptives and abortions.  The foolish people who support the Republicans behind this treatment cannot see what is being done to the country.  The behavior has not increased the shrinking number of voters who will back Republicans.  Whatever can thee state governors be thinking?  How much are they being paid to hurt women?  Do they realize they are also hurting men...husbands, fathers, and all men connected to women?

How much can the bribing powers behind the Republican politics possibly pay them to continue in such a losing position with the majority of the populace?  Most of the powerful Republicans seem to have slipped into some deep denial and complacency, at least when on camera.  Can they really be so blind to arithmetic as they have come across when they speak?  The numbers are totally against them. Cheating as they are doing with Gerrymandering will still be unlikely to work.  Eric Holder is not unaware ofwhat they are trying to do.  There is no group that can be easily wooed since it is clear there is nothing of worth being offered.  They are not creating jobs, they are not stopping violence, they are not stimulating the economy thy are not fixing education they are not repairing infrastructure. 

There are seven states working very hard to shut down abortion clinics.  Tara Culp-Ressler

 wrote about this for ThinkProgress.  

"Abortion opponents are chipping away at reproductive rights from all angles — and one particularly insidious attack on women’s health is currently advancing in states across the country. Under the guise of “protecting women’s safety,” Republican lawmakers are successfully pushing unnecessary, complicated restrictions on abortion clinics that will ultimately force them to close their doors."    To read the entire article by her, click here,

Women will not cease to have abortions but the reason for which abortion was made legal was to prevent women from dying from botched, non-medical  abortions. The Republicans are trying to eliminate sex education in schools so that girls will probably have more pregnancies which will force them to bear children they do not want and can't support.  I cannot make sense of this except to believe the men planning this are misogynistic or insane, or both.

THOSE WHO SHALL FOREVER BE KNOWN AS THE 'NO' CONGRES

The House and the Senate are filled with people being bribed to say 'No!' to anything on the unpublished agenda of the anonymous , old, white men who think they are running the country by simply standing in the way of progress.  I sincerely hope there will be enough intelligent voters in 2014 to correct the balance in Congress and that we go back to the majority rules plan our democracy had when it functioned as one.

Right now, President Obama is trying to get a bill passed to begin to end the plethora of war weapons being sold to the public without background checks.  To hear what the President has to say in bringing his message across the country, click here.

The NRA would have us arm everyone.  Then we could have a repeat of High Noon daily.  NRA also wants to ignore the suggestion that nothing being done keeps the amount of killings by gun violence at the current unacceptable rate.  While some people will get around the checks, the same thing that applies to liquor servers should apply with guns.  The seller should be held responsible if there is no background check and a crime is committed and proven. Likewise, those who keep guns in their homes unsecured.  How people think they can get ammunition and their secure gun our in time to stop an intruder is not clear to me.  It is as rational as the assumption that God will protect you at all times if you have faith.

I would prefer having a stun gun or even pepper spray or mace to disarm an intruder.  It is less lethal so if it is kept more available it is less likely to kill someone but quite likely to save your life and give you time to disarm the threatening one.

THE TIP OF THE POLITICAL, CHEATING ICEBERG

It was relieving to hear that 6 politicians in New York were arrested for taking bribes to get themselves positioned where they wanted to be with not a thought as to why they were elected.  Without a doubt, there are some law enforcement officials around who care enough to pursue some of thee people.  Fortunately, one man had a 'wire' on him which was missed by the person who frisked him.  It is well known that there are many working the system, illegally so that it works for them and not the citizens who elected them to office.

A Reuter article described the NY politician trying to buy himself a position on the ballot as a Republican (though actually a Democrat) to get on the gubernatorial ballot.  Bipartisan collaboration (3 Republicans and 3 Democrats) certainly didn't work out here for these cheats.  To read the Reuters article, click here  I guess you can buy elections as well as high ticket items like campaign dinners (with later benefits) if you have enough money

Cheats seem to come in all sizes, shapes, colors, and wealth.  They ar hard to stamp out. Once you take away the moral compass, hang a carrot out in front of them,  you can hook almost anyone.  Whether you can reel them in and keep them on the hook is yet another story.

WILL WE HAVE DEMOCRATIC VOTING BY THE NEXT ELECTION?

It is now somewhere around 30 states who are trying to make voting impossible for anyone they do not believe will vote Republican.  Virginia has added themselves to the list of un-American governing bodies.

The Republicans are such clear cheaters, yet there still seem to be a lot of them.  It is good they don't know math.  Even with their cheating, if they get every Republican to vote for them, they still will not have a majority but I think they are going for other than popular vote.  Deviously, they are going for electoral votes.  Despite the best attempts top cheat, Obama won the electoral vote as well in the 2012 election. See here.

There must be many suits before high judges though I have not heard that the Supreme Court will be taking this subject up.  Of course, I do not know their long term schedule, either.

Th most positive political event I can see is the remarkably strong movement now growing by Democrat volunteers throughout the country.  I can only hope enough people have quit their ennui and realize if things will ever change, ordinary people have to help.

APRIL FOOLS' DAY

April Fools' Day

Holiday

April Fools' Day is celebrated in many countries on April 1 every year. Sometimes referred to as All Fools' Day, April 1 is not a national holiday, but is widely recognized and celebrated as a day when ... Wikipedia

 

Google Maps joins the celebration of the day by publishing Captain Kidd's treasure maps for the world to combine effort to solve.   click here.  Be sure to watch the video.

All Fool's Day (or April Fools' Day)  has been around for several centuries.  See history here.

Most of us prefer to do the fooling rather than be fooled.

One site lists several ways to fool people on this day.  

1.    This one's for diabolical parents: When the kids are sound asleep, switch them to each other's beds. Just make sure you're there to see their reactions when they wake up!

2. Change your victim's cell phone settings from English to another language.
3.    Replace the cream filling of Oreos with toothpaste, then invite your target for a snack.

For those who see humor in this sort of prank, (I readily admit  I am not among them) click here.

Watch your back today!

HAPPY EASTER TO ALL CHRISTIANS THROUGHOUT THE WORLD

Christians will be celebrating Easter on all continents.  Others will be enjoying the Sunday in their usual way.  Some will work, some will play. 

Whatever you do or believe in, pray or play, enjoy your day.