Nothing is sacred. No one is safe. Our nation is in crisis.
Our democracy is on the line and being threatened by
homegrown terrorists supported and encouraged by
people we trusted as our leaders. It hurts. It burns.
In the wake of events that transpired yesterday at
the Capitol, I am saddened, sickened and numb.
In this state I cannot create. I cannot engage in
blogging. I cannot laugh, sing or even smile.
I will return when I can give 100%. It might
take a while. Thank you for understanding.
Oh Shady....It was and is disgusting what happened but I hope your anger, frustration and sadness will subside and maybe turn it to something more hopeful and something to fight for. Don't give in to the nastiness but fight for what you believe in. Remember when there was so much discord in the late 60s and early 70s and the music that came from that is legendary. I would love to know what music you would pick that would fit right now. Take care and thinking of you.
ReplyDeleteHi, Birgit!
DeleteYou are a dear and special friend for remaining so attentive to my posts in recent days. Thank you again!
Inspired by congress returning so quickly to their duties in the wake of the attack on their sacred domicile, I have pulled myself together, ready as I'll ever be, to move past the events of this week and once again focus on blogging.
Yessum, I certainly do remember the tumultuous 60s and all the great music that emerged during those troubled times. I think the first song that pops into my mind at a time like this is the late 60s Age of Aquarius hit by the duo Friend and Lover entitled "Reach Out Of The Darkness":
I knew a man that I did not care for
And then one day, this man gave me a call
We sat and talked about things on our mind
And now this man, he is a friend of mine
Reach out in the darkness
And you may find a friend
Thanks again for being here, dear friend BB!
Wise words from Birgit. I understand your feelings (it's truly a shameful, disgusting situation), but "this too shall pass" and we might be stronger for it.
ReplyDeleteMaybe it's not the best advice, but my coping mechanism is to immerse myself into something that brings me joy and comfort. Good music always fits that bill...
Hi again, dear Kelly!
DeleteI think you might be right that we can emerge stronger in the wake of recent events. At least, I hope you are. I choose to believe it is possible that we have reached a tipping point, a turning point, the high water mark for such radical acts of terror. I still believe that most Americans are sane and reasonable and believe in bipartisan negotiation, compromise, mutual respect and peace above all else.
The day after the raid on the Capitol, I found bizarre comfort in watching two YouTube channels for hours on end. One channel features a hydraulic press crushing various items such as billiard balls, bowling balls, toys, melons and other food items. The other channel features an industrial shredder. The same types of items are fed into the machine and its strong metal teeth pulverize them. It is mesmerizing and, I suppose, cathartic, to watch household items being ground to bits or smashed flat as pancakes by those powerful machines. I am slowly getting back to the point where I can listen to and appreciate music.
Thank you again for your kindness and support, dear friend Kelly!
I am in total agreement, Shady! I am not very politically inclined, although, I do vote. I don't even have words to describe how I feel about yesterday's behavior in the U.S. I am hurt and embarrassed! I hope we can all overcome this incident, and resume some normalcy in our American lives! I get it that there is always a snake in the woodpile, but, I hope the majority of us can move on back to our God given "love thy neighbor", and get on with our "important" lives!
ReplyDeleteTake care dear Shady! See you soon!
Hi, Suzanne!
DeleteThank you very much for coming over and expressing yourself, dear friend! Like you, I was at a loss for words, spoken or even written, in the three days that followed the terror attack at the Capitol. I feel offended, violated, shaken. How many times are we going to keep kidding ourselves into thinking that "it can never happen here"? It can and it did. Lord knows we were already dealing with enough hardship with an out of control pandemic claiming thousands of lives and no end in sight. The last thing we needed was the additional stress and strain caused by a domestic terror uprising. The mob claims this is only the beginning of their "revolution." I hope and pray it isn't. History must turn the page on this awful chapter in America. We can and must move on... move forward... as a nation of reasonable, respectful citizens... the United States of America.
Thank you again for your thoughtful comments, dear friend Suzanne!
I so agree with you. I don't post political things on my blog but might just have to say a few words. I used HOPE as my word for this year. I truly do hope our country can get past this and not let bullies be our mouthpiece. Hugs and hope to you Shady.
ReplyDeleteHi, YaYa!
DeleteThank you for coming to express yourself, dear friend! Yessum, I well remember how, on Wednesday morning, you and I were discussing hope and I was reminding you about Epiphany Day and the traditional dive for the cross at Tarpon Springs. Like 9-11, it started out as a beautiful day. Hours later the day turned dark as an ugly spectacle unfolded in Washington, a deadly siege on our Capitol that resembled the zombie apocalypse. It was a sight I never thought I'd witness in my lifetime.
For us to give up hope now would be to let the terrorists win. As Americans we must never let that happen. We must "lower the temperature" - cease the angry, inflammatory rhetoric. We must hold accountable ambitious, unprincipled leaders who put their own political gain ahead of the country's good by sowing seeds of doubt in our trusted institutions and spreading lies and fantasy fiction conspiracy theories. They are poisoning our society and tearing down our democracy every bit as much as the rioters themselves. They are turning brother against brother in a civil war of the 21st century. We must move past this. Our leaders must stop telling lies to their constituents, stop pandering, stop playing to people's fears, stop bringing out the worst in their followers, stop whipping them into a frenzy and calling them into combat against other Americans. It starts with good leadership and the example set at the very top. I believe we are now in a position to benefit from calm, steady leadership with the emphasis on bipartisanship and working together to solve our common problems.
God bless America!
Thank you again for your kind visit and comment, dear friend YaYa!
My dear friend, I am with you. I deactivated Instagram this morning because a bunch of people unfollowed me because I denounced these traitors. I can't keep denouncing the agitators on either side. I rarely post political things, and like Yaya, I really hope that our country can get past this. I hope we can and I hope do not let bullies be our mouthpiece.
ReplyDeleteHugs and hopes to you, dear friend!
Hi, Jessica Marie!
DeleteThanks for coming over and weighing in on the events of the week, dear friend!
Social media shares much of the blame for what is happening in our country. Too many people get their jollies being mean and hateful to others simply because it is so quick and easy to do while remaining anonymous. To spend each and every day hating on people is to poison your own soul and drag down our country. The gangland mentality of certain leaders needs to stop. As we all saw this week, words have power. Words can and do have consequences. Five are dead in the aftermath of the horrible events in D.C. and the Capitol building has been defiled and desecrated by a mob of thugs.
It's time for all of us to add New Year resolutions to work on coming together as a united American people, not only in the few hours after a major tragedy like 9-11 or the Capitol siege, but every day of the year. We need to make a habit of communicating respectfully and constructively. To lazily fall back into the pattern of being cruel and taking potshots at each other for sport is unacceptable. It is not the American way. It is not the America most of us want.
Thank you again, dear friend JM!
You bet buddy! Shameful and disgusting.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Janet!
DeleteI think I'm ready to resume blogging. If I were determined to wait until I am 100% in a festive, musical mood again I might be gone for weeks or months. The show must go on and so here I am.
Only a few days ago, you and I were discussing our hopes for a clean slate, a fresh start and a better year in 2021. At the risk of appearing tone deaf, I might compare what happened to America this week to buying a new car and on the way home from the dealership not only having the finish scratched, but having it involved in a violent head-on collision. As Rachel "Mrs. Maisel" Brosnahan put it on one of the late night talk shows, we need a do-over. Let's lump January in with the disastrous year 2020 and officially start 2021 in February!
Thanks for your support, dear friend Janet!
For someone who can't create, Shady, I found this particular post pretty creative, but I know what you mean. This is as close to the overthrow of the republic as we've ever come. But people (including a few now-former cabinet members) seem to be recoiling from it. Take heart in that.
ReplyDeleteHi, Kirk!
DeleteThanks, good buddy!
Yes, one by one the rats are abandoning the sinking ship. Some say it's a little late for them to be growing a conscience with only days left in the administration, and that their resignations are hollow gestures, last minute attempts to appear to be on the correct side of history. I think it is better to do the right thing late than never.
As I wrote in another comment, I am hoping this terrible event in American history represents the high water mark for the extremists of the radical right. I think it woke up, shook up and sobered up millions of moderate, reasonable Americans who were willing, perhaps reluctantly, to support the current administration. They are finally seeing the mighty Wizard behind the curtain for what he really is - not a hero, not their champion, but a weak, insecure, self-serving little man who has been using them all along to boost his own fame and fortune and fuel his desperate need to feel popular, loved and powerful. I believe millions of people who were willing to roll the dice, not once but twice, and hope for the best, got only the worst over the last four years. What happened this week in Washington is the last straw. Millions of conscientious Republicans and Independents are deeply offended, feel betrayed, and will no longer be willing to support political opportunists who clearly regard public service as a series of business transactions and take positions on key issues based not on the good of the people, but solely on how it can benefit them and help them further their careers. Those elected officials need to be weeded out because they have demonstrated over and over again that they have no love for America or our democracy.
Thanks again for your comment, good buddy Kirk!
Tom,
ReplyDeleteI prefer to immerse myself in things that bring me joy in troubled times. If I fall into despair then darkness wins but if I rise with a song on lips and happiness in my heart then I win. God is my anchor. Things of this life is temporary. Hopefully, our nation will recover. That's my prayer.
Hi, Cathy!
DeleteThanks so much for coming over to offer support, dear friend!
Obviously I was deeply affected by what took place in D.C. this week, so much so that I took the unusual step of suspending blogging for a few days so that I could regain my composure. I spent much of this time feeling numb and constantly on the verge of tears. Finally, this morning, I am feeling a little more like myself. Hopefully I can get back into the swing of things now and enjoy entertaining you and supporting your blogging activities at CAAC.
I join you in a prayer for our country's future. As we saw this week, our democracy is fragile. It is up to each and every good and decent American to protect and defend our democracy against attack by enemies living within our own borders, some of them alarmingly rising through the ranks of our political leadership.
Thanks again for expressing yourself, dear friend Cathy!
I agree with your words, friend Shady. That's why I stopped posting some time ago. Am still writing, am still listening to good music, am still reading good books. Am still educating myself about different views on things. Am still keeping friends like you in my heart ... but decided to retreat and live under my rock for the next lil while ... or maybe for ever. You are always on my mind. We are survivours, hmmm? Sending love, cat.
ReplyDeleteHi, cat!
DeleteThank you very much for dropping by and expressing yourself, dear friend! Your kind words soothe me, cat, and they are greatly appreciated. I keep friends like you in my heart and mind, too. I would not have wanted to go through my blogging "career" without you being part of it. I always learn something from you, and I feel a kinship with you.
Yessum, we are survivors. Humans are resilient. Going forward from the dreadful mayhem of the past week, we must vow to do our best to promote peace, but not hesitate to rise up against tyranny when the situation requires. I am hoping that the incoming president with his even temperament, positive tone, calm, steady leadership and inherent goodness and decency as a human being, will enable us to bridge the great divide and help our nation heal. As Mr Biden has often stated, there is no problem Americans cannot solve if we do it together as a people.
Sending you LUBBINS as well, cat. Thank you again for being here today, dear friend!