Progress

/ Rosemary Carlson / 2 Comments

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The announcement in the newspaper said to meet in the school if you wanted to help The Foundation raise money. A large group of students and community members met at the designated spot, by the old pay telephone. They had collected pledges of money from sponsors. The first three finishers in the race would donate to The Foundation.

When they finished the race, they were to meet back at the telephone and call a designated number.

Two hours later, John, Felicia, and Barb finished the race and dialed the phone. No one had remembered pay telephones didn’t work anymore.

Photo Credit to J. Hardy Carroll

 

 

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The King’s Legend

/ Rosemary Carlson / 11 Comments

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“Ian, I’ve always loved the coast of Brittany,” she said as the sailed along in their boat. There was no wind at that time. They were in a deck chair, relaxing, as the Captain they had hired took care of the boat. She was in Ian’s arms and had never been happier. The sea, the bay, and Ian.

“Can we stop and see the Merlin and King Arthur sites?” she asked.

“Of course,” he replied, as he directed the Captain.

Ian and the girl met up with a tour group going to the forest of Painpont, all that’s left of King Arthur’s Forest. A mystical, magical place. A small group was going to the Merlin site, where the wizard was imprisoned by Viviane in a stone. What they found was a shrine to Merlin and a feeling that seemed spiritual.

The group of five felt drawn to the stone. They reached out and touched it. When they did, there was a curl of smoke and they were all gone.

169 words

Photo credit to The Storyteller’s Abode

 

Fake President

/ Rosemary Carlson / Leave a comment

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I’m tired of hearing the term “fake news” from the big, fat mouth of Donald Trump. Particularly since he has shown himself to be a fake President. He uses the term “fake news” simply to fire up his base. His latest tweets slam Hillary Clinton again regarding her emails. What does that have to do with Trump’s issues of today, such as the Russian investigation and his utter incompetency as President of the United States? I’m not sure he remembers that he is no longer campaigning but is actually in the Office of President of the United States.

Trump’s latest exhibition of incompetency happened today when he turned down the NAACP’s invitation to speak before their 2017 convention. This smacks of racism along with incompetency. He’s worried about Clinton’s emails? A woman who is out of politics for the rest of her life? I think he has bigger problems than that.

This past week, the Election Commission even reported that the results of the entire 2016 election results are suspect. Perhaps he worried that he will be ousted from the office. He may be ousted, but it won’t be because there is a “do-over.”

The most shocking development is that Trump is suddenly, as of today, supportive of new sanctions being placed on Russia. Since Trump and Putin of Russia are such big buddies, all this says to me is that our fake President is scared. He is thinking if he acts supportive of the sanctions against Russia now, it will somehow save him.

We don’t have the findings of Robert Mueller or the House and Senate Committees about the Russian investigation or anything else yet. If Trump can manage it with his money and perceived power, we never will. What has prompted this article today is the fact that the Committee’s are not requiring Donald Trump, Jr. and Paul Manafort to appear in front of them in either a closed or open session. They are simply asking for documents. EXCUSE ME? Trump, Jr. gave them documents in the form of emails. They already know he is guilty of collusion with Russia. They don’t want to question him under oath? Trump wins again. They are requiring Jared Kushner to appear before them in a closed session. Why not an open session so the American people can learn the truth? Don’t we deserve that?

So what’s going on here? For starters, we have a Republican House of Representative and a Republican Senate. Trump is still polling at about 36% popularity. He could bomb Seattle and his base wouldn’t move, in my opinion, though rumor has it that his base is starting to erode..

A man who has admitted guilt cannot save himself and yes, Donald Trump has, indeed admitted guilt. We don’t yet know what he is guilty of, but if a man is questioning if he can pardon HIMSELF, you can bet that man is guilty. Why else would you ask that question? Not only is he guilty, but he knows members of his staff and family are guilty as well, since he has been trying to find out his power to pardon them as well. Can someone tell me why Congress has not drafted Articles of Impeachment at this point? Actually, I think I can answer my own question.

Trump still has about a 36 percent approval rate in the U.S. If Congress impeaches him, many of them will lose their next election. That means the senators and representatives are trying to hang on for their own self-interest. They aren’t representing us. They are representing themselves.

Trump does not involve himself in the legislative process. Some say the Senate Health Care Bill might have passed had he taken more of an interest. He has recently been out of the country more than he’s been here. Due to his narcissistic, volatile personality, it is worrisome to me what might happen if Trump starts to feel cornered. I think it may be happening now. He is talking about firing Robert Mueller, Special Counsel, which takes me right back to 1973 and the impeachment of Richard Nixon. Nixon fired his Special Counsel, Archibald Cox, and that set up Nixon’s eventual resignation.

Nixon went relatively quietly. Do you think Trump will do the same? I don’t.

 

Song Lyric Sunday 7/22/17

/ Rosemary Carlson / 3 Comments

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The theme for today’s Song Lyric Sunday is “friendship.” I chose a song originally recorded by The Beatles but recorded a little later by the late, great Joe Cocker, in a sexy, bluesy rendition, “With a Little Help From My Friends.”

With a Little Help from My Friends
Joe Cocker
Lyrics
What would you do if I sang out of tune
Would you stand up and walk out on me?
Lend me your ears and I’ll sing you a song
And I’ll try not to sing out of key
Oh, I get by with a little help from my friends
Mm, I get high with a little help from my friends
Mm, gonna try with a little help from my friends
What do I do when my love is away
(Does it worry you to be alone?)
How do I feel by the end of the day
(Are you sad because you’re on your own?)
No, I get by with a little help from my friends
Mm, I get high with a little help from my friends
Mm, gonna try with a little help from my friends
Do you need anybody
I need somebody to love
Could it be anybody
I want somebody to love
Would you believe in a love at first sight
Yes, I’m…

Click play twice!

 

The Starfish on the Ceiling

/ Rosemary Carlson / Leave a comment

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After the yacht capsized in the storm, only four of the passengers were able to make it to the inflatable raft. The storm was violent and the ship went down too quickly. The three men and one woman were lucky to grab on to the raft, climb aboard, and hunker down until the storm passed.

The yacht went down close to a rocky coast in the Mediterranean. They were too traumatized by the storm and the sinking of the yacht to realize the raft could be slammed again those rocks any second.

The four of them awakened as dawn broke. As they looked up, they saw a huge sea cave in a rock formation towering above them. They were able to tie up, scramble up the rocks, and go inside the cave. Collapsing on the floor, they talked about what to do now and studied the ceiling, which was covered with starfish.

Armand remarked, “Starfish on the ceiling?”

They all looked at each other, knowing that meant water must have been in the cave.

Wally said, “Look!”

They turned and saw the raft rising up to the level of the entrance right before the sea water started pouring in.

 

#weeklysmile #81

/ Rosemary Carlson / 2 Comments

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Some weeks it’s easy to find something to smile about and this is one of those weeks. I’m smiling about my awesome friends! You know who you are! Not so long ago, I wrote a post on friendship, although I talked mostly about the different types of friends most of us have. This week, I’m talking about my closest friends and other friends who step up to the plate and befriend you when you least expect it – and all of you know who you are!

For a couple of reasons, I’ve had to call on these friends this week and, of course, they have come through for me. I feel very lucky to have these extraordinary people in my life. I hope each and every one of them know it.

There is a point I want to address that I didn’t address in my previous post on friendship. I will only mention it here and may use the topic as material for a later post. Men and women, dear readers, can indeed be friends. Friends and nothing more. Possibly because of my career choice in the past, I have always tended to have more male friends than female friends. Both are very special to me. One of my male friends has been my friend, and a close friend, for more than 35 years. I suppose we’re a little like siblings. There are many people in the world that dispute the fact that men and women can be “only” friends. They would be wrong.

So that big smile you see on my face? That smile is because I have awesome friends. Male and female.

Fire in the Hole

/ Rosemary Carlson / 8 Comments

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“Honey, I want you to be really careful. This is your first solo trip in the car.”

“Dad, I promise I will follow all the rules of the road,” Gail responded.

“That’s not enough. You have to drive defensively.”

Gail got in the car to go see her friends.

She zoomed out of the driveway. She saw a stoplight ahead and realized she was driving too fast. She didn’t look behind her and had to slam on the brakes. The car behind her hit her and, since the engine was in the back, the entire VW went up in flames.

Photo Prompt by Kent Bonham

 

Going Home

/ Rosemary Carlson / 3 Comments

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She knew she was lost. She had wanted to tour Scotland and she had finally made it at 57. She had seen this interesting sign and stopped to look at it. When she turned around, the tour group had vanished. Where could they be?

The writing was dim on the sign. She couldn’t read it. She started to climb the stairs, but her chest hurt and it was hard. She persisted. She was at the top and looked out before her.

What was her hometown doing in Scotland? There was her mother. She ran toward her.

 

Photo Prompt by J.S. Brand

Congress Does Not Represent the People of the United States

/ Rosemary Carlson / Leave a comment

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The U.S. Congress, the legislative branch of the government, has become corrupted. This is the branch, of the three branches of government, set down by the Founders, that is supposed to represent the people of the United States. Do you think that we are fairly represented by the U.S. Congress? I am here to contend that we are not.

We only have to look as far as the current Senate Health Care Bill and the debate surrounding that bill. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell is the primary senator pushing the bill. He is doing so became he is being pushed by the President, but that is not the only reason. Since 1989 and to date, five of the top industries contributing to McConnell are: Health Professionals, Insurance, Hospitals and Nursing Homes, Pharmaceuticals and Health Products, and Health Services and HMOs. Can McConnell truly be unbiased?

Mitch McConnell represents the state of Kentucky as a senator. He is supposed to represent the people of that state. Kentucky is a poor state. A high percentage of the population, particularly in the Appalachian region of the state, use the Medicaid program. For example, in Kentucky, children represent 19 percent of all Medicaid spending but 43 percent of its enrollees. The Senate Heath Care Bill, pushed by Senator McConnell, would take away these benefits for many or most of these children who are not even the driving force of the Medicaid expenditures.

I ask you. Is Mitch McConnell representing his Kentucky constituency? Perhaps he is, instead, representing those five health care industries that contribute to his campaign funds? He is lobbying to take away the Medicaid benefits from his constituency.

The McConnell example is only one example of a senator who is not serving his constituency. Congress is supposed to serve as the voice of the people and the states to the federal government. Do you really think it is currently, or has in the recent past, been fulfilling that function?

Congress is also supposed to serve as an oversight body on the Executive Branch of government; in other words, the President of the United States. That, to me, is laughable at this point in time. Yes, there are committees in place to investigate the dealings of the Trump administration and I fervently hope they are doing their jobs. I count on the Special Counsel, Robert Mueller, to oversee those committees at this point in time. The Senators and the Representatives are too worried about losing their own jobs to really serve as oversight on the President.

Congress now, instead of representing the people, represents money. The money they can make from the lobbyists of corporations like health care corporations if they follow their agendas. There is only one way to solve this problem. Term limits. Limit the terms of the Senators and Representatives so they don’t have time to become millionaires through lobbyists and on the backs of their constituencies, the taxpayers. Only then will we have something approaching a representative Congress again.