Is this really 2017?

I feel like we are heading in a backwards direction.  One would think that in 2017 we would have stopped arguing and fighting against stupid shit.  But no…

It’s the weirdest thing to sit and watch everything unfold with Trump.  To watch him lie and awkwardly spin things is just something I NEVER thought would come from a US President.  To have the White House tell you that you should believe the lies because he is the leader, and what he says must be true – even when it’s proven to be an outright lie.  His supporters are buying it like idiots, even as they witness reality unfolding in real-time.

We have an illegitimate president who is now being investigated for his ties to Russia.  Russia?!  The big bad Bear.  I served in the US Army, stationed in Germany, during the “Cold War” and Russia was our biggest threat to world security.  Unless I have missed something in the past 35 years, they still ARE the biggest threat!  And to think that they influenced our election in any way is just plain scary.  They are some ruthless and smart fuckers; their reach is astounding and Americans cannot ever let their guard down or underestimate the Russians.

Two months into his presidency Trump’s administration is failing badly.  They want you to think they are oblivious and they are succeeding, but with a popularity rating of 37% after 2 months, he’s losing ground fast.  The investigation into the Russian meddling into our election and his Twitter lies about wire tapping have driven him down this week.  His Trumpcare bill goes for a vote on Thursday, and today he went to the hill to threaten his Republican constituents that if they did not vote it in that he would go after them in the next election, that basically they were under orders to pass this bill no matter what.  This bill will decimate our health care system, and millions will suffer the fate of no coverage.  Even Republicans can’t stomach that, at least the ones with a conscience.  Even the CBO (Congressional Budget Office) says that this plan is not a good one.  What more do we need?  Major changes to this bill must be made before it goes any further.  If he wants to change Obamacare then do it so that it’s better not worse.

I just wonder how these politicians can sit up there on Capitol Hill and not see what we as Americans are seeing; not hearing what we are hearing.  It just blows me away. What do they know that we do not know?  This government has gotten so secretive in the last 60 days, it’s scary as fuck.  I don’t trust a one of then anymore.  None are working in favor of the people, all are just covering their own asses – and it’s fucking obvious!!!  So, I ask, HOW DO we stop this madness?

I am going to try to put my LINK to my online paper here.  The Relevant Times publishes daily on Paper.Li and is full of information concerning the LGBT community and politics in the US.  It’s kind of an experiment for me right now; something I am hoping will be fun and informative to my followers. Let me know what you think.  I do not hand pick the articles, I trust my sources and have selected those I believe bring us the most up to date stuff.  Let me know what else I could include in the paper, or if you have a trusted source you think I could draw content over to it from.  Most of my current content is coming over from Twitter at this time, and this will expand once I am more secure in the publication.

 

 

 

Early Morning Rantings!

Once again I am awakened at 2am, just am not meant to sleep like a normal person should right now.  I wake up and I am just…up…no going back to sleep in the immediate future.

I had a really great conversation with a great woman that I have been talking to lately.  It wasn’t an easy chat at all, but it was good for both of us I believe.  I confided in her a good bit about my addiction history, and she didn’t go running away like a scared cat. Addiction is not an easy topic to navigate and I admire her for her inquisitiveness on the topic, as it is a big part of who I am and why I am.  I look forward to more conversations with her, about everything.  She is someone I very much want to keep in my life.  🙂

Today was a bit hectic, but seriously productive. I worked til 1pm and then got together with my best friend and went to do our Friday afternoon errands around town.  Every Friday we have a ritual of doing this.  It’s called living paycheck to paycheck.  We get paid, go out and pay our bills, do the shopping for our respective households and take care of whatever else needs doing in town.  It is a struggle sometimes, but I make it work somehow.  And I realize that there are millions of others who are making it work this way as well.  It’s not easy in today’s economy or job market to do it any other way – especially if you don’t have a college education to fall back on, which I don’t.  Sometimes it feels likeI am always trying to play catch up on things, but hey, that’s just how it is.  I do alright.

I visited Trader Joe’s grocery this afternoon, I love that place!  I actually requested an employment application when I was checking out, and the woman who checked me out told me it was a super great place to work.  Everyone in there seems pretty pleasant and happy to be there, so they must enjoy the job.  I love the diversity of people in the place, from old hippies, to housewives, to young dykes, it’s just a palate of different people. They must have a really good company equality policy.  I am going to research the company a bit just to be sure that I would be a good fit there.

I also visited Staples office supply store on my excursion about town.  I needed a ream of copy paper.  They had a really good deal on some excellent quality paper that I had to take advantage of!  That is another place I could picture myself working.  Although a bit more “stuffy” than Trader Joe’s eclectic atmosphere, it would be fun.  I was in the corporate business world for many years and used to frequent the place quite a bit for supplies for my company.  I imagine working with people who were doing the same thing would be right up my alley in skill sets. And being the techno nerd that I am, I can imagine I would probably reinvest in the company and that might not be a good idea!  I’d be buying stuff like crazy.

Meanwhile, in Trumpy-land the Twitterverse is running wild with Trumpy stuff.  This Russian connection thing is really getting out of hand, Jeff Sessions needs to resign and a full investigation needs to ensue.  It just has to happen to put this subject into some sort of understandable terms. I was Tweeting with a friend in Texas who is petrified right now.  Being our age and queer isn’t going to be an easy path under Trump as he keeps going along with ripping away our rights and equalities.  It’s also just plain scary as an American, not withstanding being a part of the LGBTQ community!   Everyone seems to feel the impending doom of being attacked in some way by all of the executive orders and wild things that Trump and his team are doing or proposing to do.  I know I’m fucking scared.

Living in Maine has some pretty unique advantages.  Where I live especially because geographically it’s a great spot.  Right between Boston Mass, and Portland Maine.  I can be at the beach in 5 minutes, in the White Mountains in less than an hour and to either of the two cities in about 45 minutes.  Geographically it’s fucking perfection.  Maine also has a good equality rating. I just read an article in the Bangor Daily News about Maine being at the top when it comes to gender equality.  We also have good protections for the LGBTQ citizens here too.  I am glad that I live in this type of state.  From personal experience I can say that there IS really good gender equality.  Maine women are a fierce and tough lot.  Especially those from “down” Maine, which is actually upstate Maine…it’s a Maine thing…those women are hardened by the lifestyle of living in a very rural state, where you have to be fairly tough to survive.  I live in the more populated area, it’s a bit easier to navigate life here, but my cousins are down Mainers’ and they are not to be messed with.  The women are equal to the men up there in so many ways, they do equal work and expect equal pay. And truth be known, I believe they run the whole fucking show!  I have a healthy respect for my down Maine women cousins. They take no prisoners.

I hope your weekend is a great one!  Signing off from southern Maine….Peace!  ~MB

 

Ahhh..March and Patreon

I’ve been trying to find better venues for publishing some of my blogging work.  Not really the day to day blogs, but more the topic blogs that I do, as well as the political opinion blogs.  I just jointed Patreon, which is a site to promote my work.  I am still in the early stages of working on the Patreon page, my MainelyButch.com web page and trying to tie the three – WordPress, Patreon and MB.com – together neatly.  I would like it to be fairly easy to navigate and would like to make it all work together.

I have been having a real struggle sleeping lately.   I’m thinking that it’s a combination of being stressed out over Trumpy things, a bit of late winter depression and fighting my addictions all kind of piled up on top of one another.  I finally got fed up with feeling so out of sorts and went to see my doctor yesterday.  I am going to see a clinician at Groups, an addiction recovery center here, and hope to get into their long term recovery program.  My intake appointment is on Wednesday, wish me luck.  I have been clean for some time, but I fight like a bitch to stay clean every damned day.  The more help I have with staying the course the better I think.  It’s a life-long fight and one I intend to win.

Trump almost looked vaguely presidential during his most recent address to Congress. I was amazed that he wrote – or at least someone wrote – a speech that didn’t have any bragging about his election win, no dissing the media, and no crying about his inauguration turn out.  He kept things on track and it was the best I have seen him do yet.  I am imagining that behind the scenes there it’s really chaotic when he has his little tiffs and meltdowns with the press.  I bet that someone close to him had to write that speech and then absolutely convince him to behave himself.  The one part that I didn’t like was him using the widow of the Navy Seal that was killed recently in a Trump ordered raid.  Trump didn’t heed the advice of his advisors for that raid, he ordered it and then it turned out badly while he wasn’t even in the situation room to monitor what was happening,  Pathetic that he would try to use this Seal’s widow to garner some sympathy and to try to get some praise for himself for “going after the bad guys”.  There needs to be an investigation into that raid just like there was in Benghazzi, because upper level mistakes were surely made that cost us dearly.

And now Sessions has recused himself from this investigation into the Russian connection to Trump’s campaign.  And he admits now that he LIED to Congress….ooooo….Republicans HATE when you LIE to Congress.  I’m sure that his own party is not looking favorably upon him being chosen as Attorney General now.  I believe there will be a special prosecutor brought in and a full investigation will ensue.  So far we have 3 people, all lying and all about the Russia/Trump tie up.  This isn’t good.  Almost like it’s 1973 again….hard to believe that this is real life in America right now….Are we having fun yet?  haha

Off to my regular job now. It’s a fine day in Maine, the sun just came up and the sky is very pretty.  I can hear all the birds singing – even with the windows closed!  Which reminds me the feeders need filling this morning as I do my chores before work.  Yes, it will be a sunny clear day here and hopefully will just get warmer by the day, as I am sick and tired of winter! I’m anxious to get back outside and rake and garden, do things that are good for the soul once again.

Take care dear readers.  Remember be kind.  Peace.  ~MB

 

 

American Tragedy

I admit it!  It’s become winter here in Maine, and I just despise the season.  I despise snow, ice and bitter cold weather.  It makes me irritable, cranky (maybe those are one in the same) short tempered and sleepy.  It’s the time of year that I most fight my depression issues.  Despite medications, depression can creep in and sabotage my days very easily unless I stay acutely aware and vigilant in my opposition to it.

This Christmas season has been soured by events beyond my control, too.  The massacre of children attending a normal school day in their normally very safe community is at the top of the list of insane events happening to all of us in this country.  It’s difficult to think of Christmas, laughing children and happy families gathered around dinner tables everywhere, when in my heart I grieve for those families in Connecticutt who are arranging and attending funerals for their own children.  I grieve for those left behind with hurt, doubt, fear and rage over the incalculable actions of a deranged young man.  I grieve for that man’s family, left ostracized and bewildered that one of their own could perpetrate such carnage upon a whole town – a whole country.  Not only do I grieve, but it just pisses me off beyond believe when I hear stupid comments about how “guns don’t kill people” and that “people kill people”

Our country has been given a serious wake up call.  Oh and it’s been one in a series of wake up calls about weaponry available to everyone here in the USA.  While this is strictly my personal opinion, I believe it’s time for us to address gun control and weapons bans across our country.

In the days since that awful incident at Sandy Hook Elementary School, where 20 children and 6 guardian angel adults lost their lives needlessly, brutally and suddenly, and in those days the sales of the EXACT same weapon used in the massacre have increased substantially.  There are photos and videos of people cuddling their newly purchased Bushman 223’s…and sick minds thinking “oh! I have to buy mine before they are made illegal!”  WHO thinks like that???

I am not against our 2^nd amendment right to bear arms.  I believe it’s any good citizen’s right to do so, but I am questioning the type of arms that the average citizens needs in his/her household.  I am questioning the purpose for and the amount of high powered, deadly ammunition sold in this country.

One could suggest the complete shut down of American public education in our country, and receive less backlash for it than for suggesting a ban on assault style military arms here.  It’s just a sad state of human affairs the little respect we have for these weapons and their ultimate purpose.

Owning a handgun or hunting rifles/shotguns is the right of every good, upstanding American, and I believe it should remain as such.  But the manufacture, distribution and sales of military grade, semi or fully automatic weapons, and the sales of high powered, devastating ammunition for such weapons needs to be much more control, much more regulated and possibly even banned – in my opinion – in the United States.  Where is the reasoning behind owning these weapons?  And what do we most see them being used for here?

I am not a big fan of lawsuits, but I believe that the families of these recent child victims need to really raise hell and sue every body and anybody that was in the pipe line of the weapon used to perpetrate this unconscionable action.  From the designer to the manufacturer, to the sales representatives and points of sale of these weapons….sue them all.  Make them understand their part in the fact that this weapon ended up serving it’s ultimate purpose of maiming and killing as many as possible as fast as possible.

What if that young man had had to stop after each bullet was fired, to pull the trigger again?  Could he have been stopped somehow much sooner?  Would it made him have to have thought about each child before he pulled the trigger?  Could it have saved the lives of some?

In our country certain types of less lethal weaponry are already banned or restricted.  Knives of certain types, such as switch blades and those of extreme lengths.  Brass knuckles, throwing stars, and other combat type weaponry is regulated.  But the most lethal and dangerous of them all – automatic weapons, hollow point bullets and combat firearms are not nearly as regulated as they should be.  You can own an M-16 look/function alike weapon, but get caught with that 8” switchblade and you can be arrested.  Does this make sense?  Not to me.

When an incident such as the Sandy Hook shootings takes place here in America it becomes a pure media circus.  And the media gets so hyped up…they have a story!  I heard one announcer states that the “body count” factor makes these stories even more newsworthy.  Sick. Twisted. Wrong.

By glorifying the perpetrator I think that the media sends a signal out for those of like thinking to “one up” the guy and try to out-do him with a more violent act.  Telling them a higher body count would make their act more newsworthy and noteworthy is just ludicrous.

We all know the name of the man who did the shooting in Connecticutt, but do you know the name of one single child?  What he/she looked like?  What his/her parents are going through today?  It’s sad that the criminal receives attention, a sort of infamous glory, and we speak his name so fluently.  When it’s the names of his victims that really we should consider and know.

It’s been said that our country is basically the murder capital of the world.  With over 10,000 people dying from gun crimes last year alone here – the highest non-warkilling numbers in the world.  What is it about American thought, procedure and attitude that puts us on this unbecoming pedestal ?   We’re like 26^th in education in the world, but #1 in civilian gun crime. Something is completely wrong with that picture – again in my opinion.

Here’s what I hope comes from this truly tragic event:

We stop glorifying the criminal.  This would require the rethinking of how media presents these idiots to the world.  Perhaps not publicizing the name and background of these people who do these kinds of things, but treating them as the outcasts and piriahs that they ARE by not naming them, by not giving them “air time” on television, radio and internet – would decrease their desire to be “known” for their horrible crimes; to be some sort of anti-hero in their own minds.

We need to seriously open conversation about assault weapons ownership in America.  Yes NRA, I know this makes you nervous, but I’m not speaking of taking your “arms” just making sure that you keep your right to bear suitable arms, and not ones simply used to cause mass casualties and carnage.  Again, our media outlets glorify these super weapons, displaying them in movies, videos and making kids think that every household needs a Mac-10 or an AR-15.  When if we would focus more on a safe, non-violent way of being there would be no desire to own these weapons of multiple firing abilities.   You don’t carry one to use in self defense, nor do you hunt with them…they have simply ONE purpose, to delete human life.

Another thing we could look at regulating would be the sales and ownership of mass quantities of ammunition for such weapons.  It should be illegal to own or possess hundreds of rounds of ammo for weapons such as the Mac 10, or AR-15, or Bushman .223….period.  If one did not have such easy access to the ammunition for these deady weapons perhaps we could prevent – or deter – just one more incident like Columbine, VA Tech, or Sandy Hook.

America needs to have serious conversation about the state of mental health and wellness care in this country.  The man who killed all those kids is a prime example of the complete and utter failure of our system in this area.  We have murdered our own mental health care system, often when one is mentally ill here in this country we do not offer them the facilities, programs or ability to address their issues.  We do not protect families or our children from the crazies of this world with any type of safety net in mental health care.  Our prisons are our mental health care system, so to speak.  We wait for the insane to commit atrocious acts, then we lock them up in prisons – where they are often made worse by association with others equally or more insane – and we do not treat them or rehabilitate them in any kind of even adequate ways – let alone successful or rational!  And we let them free in droves when our prisons are over-crowded – which is normally just because half of the occupants belong in a different type of facility – a mental health institution.  Yes, I say bring back the asylums and let’s once again take mental health seriously.

Teaching more non-violent action, personal responsibility, temper control and simplistically good ethics and morals to our young minds in America could also go a long way toward possibly preventing more death and destruction in the future.  Perhaps we also need to take a long look at our media outlets.  Perhaps Hollywood should take some ownership of what they produce and consider the audience they reach.  Do more movies about the impact of violence, not about how glorifying it is.  Maybe it’s time to stop showing so much violence – and so many guns – during hours when young minds wander through the channels of the television.  Sure, there are parental controls, but I want to make sure that when there is an irresponsible parent involved that we as a community take notice and are not showing by example that carrying a gun, using a gun or weapon, is the “cool” thing to do.  Hell, even soap operas are rife with guns, shootings and violence now!  We have regulated things like smoking and alcohol consumption on screen (for shows and movies) to a great extent because they are not behaviors that we want to perpetuate, let’s do the same for weapons.  Hollywood could have a serious impact on this, and they should step up to the plate and think about their contribution to the increase in violence on screen that could be copied or replicated by some person who may not have the mental maturity or aptitude to discern fiction from reality, thinking they could – or will – do what is shown by example in our media outlets, to be something that brings notoriety and fame.

Our country is a great and strong one.  We focus on homeland security (in the wake of 9/11) and now it’s time to focus on citizen responsibility, teaching non-violence and peaceable conflict resolution in the wake of Sandy Hook’s tragic reality. The answer is not more weapons but dealing with those that are already made and ready for purchase; with watching our family members, being able to get help for those who are so disturbed as to be thinking about mass destruction like this.  Yes, gun control, mental health observation/treatment, ammunition regulation, media action, and personal responsibility….perhaps I am delusional, but I believe with a combination of diligent and attentive actions we could possibly evolve beyond being known as the country with the most civilian gun related deaths, to one of peace, prosperity and safety for our people – especially our innocent children.

So these are simply MY thoughts on all of the recent events.  I am sure there are a million arguments of opposite – and equally valid – views and ideas.  I respect that everyone has their own take on this, and this is just one person’s ideas…so as you comment, take it easy on the hate and just let me know your view and perhaps you can say something that may even change my thoughts!