Not-so-stupid theories about the real Donald Trump

Well shoot. Pretty sure Donald J. Trump is a traitor. But, is it his fault? That’s the real conundrum.

Is the POTUS an evil genius with the intellectual capacity to organize a devious complex coup?  Or, is it possible he is the victim of mental illness and he never intentionally plotted to overthrow democracy?

I am not a psychiatrist but I’ve seen quite a few. I vote for the second option.

Similar to the President’s accusations of election fraud, I have no evidence to support my claims. Fortunately, the same First Amendment rights allowing him to spread outrageous conspiracy theories also allow me to invent my own stupid or not-so-stupid theories.

 Psychiatrists have speculated for years Trump (most likely) suffers from Narcissist Personality Disorder (NPD). The diagnosis isn’t official, but Mr. Trump’s erratic behavior matches Mayo Clinic’s list of NPD symptoms and traits.

 Yikes. As far as narcissists go, just how narcissistic is the POTUS? Well, let’s just say Donald Trump’s narcissism will probably prevent him from ever admitting he’s a loser.

incomplete draft

Trump the Traitor, Cowards in Congress, Cult of Cretins

incomplete rough draft

America may never recover from the government coup attempted by the 45^th President of the United States. Donald Trump’s treasonous acts have undermined the very foundation of our republic. Without any evidence, the POTUS accused the 2020 Federal election of fraud.

In the President’s typical pattern of attacking his opponent of the deplorable acts he has already committed or plans to commit, he once tweeted:
America will never be destroyed from the outside. If we falter and lose our freedoms, it will be because we destroyed ourselves. (paraphrased message from Abraham Lincoln)

If you missed your chance to hoard, try these faux toilet papers

update to these are the (crazy days) of our lives 

The historical TP heist of 2020

The great toilet paper shortage of 2020 has caused more than a few selfish people to ramp into full-TP hoarder mode. If you (mistakenly) believed hysterical hoarders would take a nap after a few days, you underestimated their hysteria or their love of toilet paper.
Most store shelves won't be lined with Charmin for days or weeks after the shock of Stay at Home Without Toilet Paper or Shelter in Place Without Toilet goes away.  If you think you will need TP before then, prepare for a battle.  It calls for strategy, creativity and stalking skills to capture a roll. 

Back in the day of chamber pots and outhouses - way before the convenience of TP, how did we survive without it? 

wiping material circa 1900

When my Great Grandpa Bill frequented the outhouse, he took care of his business with corncobs or pages from an old Montgomery Ward catalog. He probably whistled while he worked on moving his bowels before he ripped a page or 2 from the catalog.
Wet leaves and dried corn husks were other popular wipage materials.

We can keep our unders clean without resorting to such primitive means.
These days optimal paper products like tissues and paper towels are also highly prized possessions. Very rare. Unless you're part of an organized neighborhood gang trained on stalking shipments to local stores, don't waste your time.
Think about it. TP is just another version of paper. It's a paper product! If you find yourself in a compromising position you could crinkle up some tissue paper. Rummage through your Christmas gift wrap tub. Pull out all the tissue for gifts and use it where it is needed the most. (no recycling recommended).
The the TP replacement word on the street is filters. Coffee filters. Pros: A variety of brands allows you to choose your preferred size and level of softness. More likely to be in stock.  Cons: It's a one-time use only.  Spendy. Not flushable. 

Crepe paper streamers could be another great option. Streamers are convenient; they're already rolled up and ready for the spindle. You could color coordinate with your linens or use seasonal themes.  

Newspapers are an obvious TP substitute. Newspapers are efficient as you are getting multiple uses from one product.
WARNING!  Make sure you stack bathroom newspapers far away from current publications. The 'stay at home' rule + no TP causes enough bathroom stress due to messy arguments about taking the bathroom wastebasket to the dumpster.  No need to anger family by wiping with the front page before they read the headlines.

Feb. 2, 2020. I scored a  generic double roll

4-pack! My lucky day, but a sad day. That was

my last TP sighting.  

If dropping poopy paper into your trash can isn’t your thing, try a wet washcloth. Personally I’d rather avoid excrement in my washing machine and throw that crap into the circular file.  But, it's all about preference.

Unless you can score cheap towels sold in bulk, it might be cheaper to go straight to black market hoarders. Yikes. A high price to pay for such a no-frills purchase. Sanitary napkins, disposable diapers, and other luxury items are not cost efficient, either. Don't go rogue and do what babies do. 

If you are interested in saving money, this efficient approach might be right up your alley. You'll need to make a one-time purchase of a long shower hose attachment. When you're done with your big event (while you're still seated) try to manage a spray or two aimed at your nether regions. Drip dry for a few seconds. Then take a giant step into your shower to hose down. Viola. No TP. No problem. No social distancing required.

There are many other practical ways to live a fulfilling life without toilet paper.  If you can plan ahead for bowel movements, go to a grocery store and use their terlit. If the manager says the bathrooms are closed, scrunch up your face and grunt a few times. When he gets your 'drift' he might reconsider. If not, no need to feel bad about the mess you left.

After you've traveled to a dozen stores in the greater metro region in search of the TP and still come up empty handed, do not despair.
If you have nightmares of never having another chance to squeeze the Charmin, be grateful for your half roll of single ply.
When you're down to your very last square avoid spicy greasy foods. Search for leafy bushes.
Unlike the lifetime baggage professional TP hoarders must bear, the issue w the tissue won’t last forever. 

Tip to investors: Bidets are the latest trend in home renovations.rend in home renovation. 

Another tip:  Might as well laugh about it. Crying means wasting of tissue

these are the (crazy) days of our lives

Recipe for hand sanitizer gel

Stop frantically searching for the world’s last bottle of Purell.  Make your own hand sanitizer. It's cheap, easy to make, and just as effective as brand names.  

• 2/3 cup rubbing alcohol (more than 60% alcohol)
• 1/3 cup aloe vera gel (100% aloe vera)
• 4-6 drops* of essential oil (optional)

Sterilize an 8 oz empty container or buy a cheap pump bottle. Combine the correct amount of each ingredient into a bowl. Stir gently. Then funnel the mixture into the bottle.
Alcohol kills germs. Aloe Vera provides moisture.  The oil makes it boisy. The amount and scent of essential oil depends on your own preference.

Avoid a mediciny smell by adding

essential oil.

*Use fewer drops of antimicrobial oils like thyme or clove.  Antimicrobial oils tend to be more abrasive. Use more drops of soothing oils such as lavender or chamomile to help soften skin.  

Is it safe?

If you are capable of following directions, reading product labels, and measuring ingredients accurately, then it is safe. 

Although federal agencies do not endorse making hand sanitizer at home, they do offer specific recipes to be used in case of emergencies. Official guidelines from the Center for Disease Control (CDC) covering hand sanitizers emphasize the importance of getting the correct product with the right amount of alcohol. The CDC emphasizes the most effective method to kill germs is properly washing hands with soap. 

The Federal Drug Administration (FDA) permits pharmacists to make hand sanitizer. These federal agencies are cautious of home-made hand sanitizers for a variety of reasons.  None of those reasons prevents a responsible adult from making home-made hand sanitizer. 

The World Health Organization (WHO) site offers details, ingredients, and steps involved in making safe and effective versions of home-made hand sanitizer.  The WHO provides substitute ingredients.

The alcohol product must contain over 60% 

to kill germs. 

Does it work?

According to CNN Health hand sanitizers can kill parasites like nasty bacteria and a host of deadly viruses including coronaviruses. Similar to hand washing, sanitizer needs to cover the entire hand. A drop in the palm of your hands defeats the main goal of killing germs. Rub between fingers, on thumbs, and on the back of your hand. 

Reading labels is the key in making an effective sanitizer.  To be effective against COVID-19 the alcohol product MUST contain at least 60% alcohol.  This recipe includes 91% isopropyl (rubbing)  alcohol. Most rubbing alcohol contains at least 70% alcohol.
Use the kind of alcohol purchased in pharmacies and grocery stores. Do not use toxic alcohol products like methanol or butanol. 

Avoid the urge to replace rubbing alcohol with vodka or a similar substitute. Alcohol content can be as low as 40%. Plus, rubbing alcohol costs about a dollar. Depending on the brand vodka or a similar liquor cost much more than a dollar. It can also cause more irritation.  

If/when sanitizer returns to store shelves the most effective product is a gel with an alcohol based.

Beware! Shortages of hand sanitizer and a few other products cause a variety of reactions from different people.  For some extremists common sense seems to be in short supply. Speaking of common sense, don't slather this stuff or any sanitizer on your kids; it can be abrasive to delicate skin. Use it when hand washing is not an option. Soap and water is better than any hand sanitizer. 

May, Go Gray, UK, Pray

groupie with a cane

A mother's miracle

memory of a miracle

As I grow older and just a little wiser, I realize wallowing in a pity party over life's hardships is a waste of precious time. Dealing with divorce, financial problems and a decade of raising three children on my own, hardly prepared me for my daughter's terminal cancer diagnosis. Her challenge pulled me through a dire journey.  I am thankful to share my memory of her story.

In a zombie-like state, I remember hearing the news from the oncologist.  I felt like I was somewhere outside the room.  I could hear the doctor but it didn't seem real. "Do you have any questions before we present to the tumor board?" The doctor's words dragged me back. Millions of questions spun around in my mind but I couldn't manage to get even one out of my mouth.

A few selfish tears slid down my stone face. I just sat stiff and still long after the doctors left. Maybe I thought if I didn't move nothing else would change either. Maybe it was all a mistake. I squeezed my eyes shut. With no time left for my own tears, I drew in one last sigh and left that helpless role to become my daughter's keeper.

Then, I asked the real question, "What about you Amy? Is there any place you want to go?"

Amy had already faced cruel battles with physical and emotional disabilities during her 24 years. None would be as ugly as her big 'C' battle.  From a day in November when I promised her I'd be there for her, until the next summer at the end of June, she faced pain and fear only those tortured by the disease could understand.

Tucked in on the couch during a brief holiday visit, Amy snuggled with her favorite cat.  Later when I checked her temperature she asked me a question I had to answer. "Mom. Is there any place you'd want to go if you knew you were going to die?"

Trying to smile, I struggled not to cry. I said there were lots of places I wanted to go. "None of it is all that important to me." The room seemed to fill up with an eerie silence.

We acted like it was just any other "what if" question we talked about a thousand times. Only this time it wasn't as easy as, "What if Santa isn't real, or what if some kids tease me?"

We both knew what she meant.  She talked about dreaming of going to Las Vegas sometime before she died. "If I had one wish, that's what I want to do."

I didn't say much. It didn't seem realistic or possible to consider a trip.  A few days later, a page from the nurse's station motivated me try to figure out a plan. For Amy's trip. For Amy's life. For Amy's death.

"If anyone in your family wants to see Amy, they should come now," an oncologist advised. She went on to explain that the chemo was maxed out and they would finish the radiation treatments but, "The team agrees her prognosis is terminal." 

She sounded  like a tour guide giving out useful information.

When I asked about traveling, she said Amy should decide, "It's really about the quality of her life. She’s the only one who knows how she wants to live it."

We borrowed money. Arranged schedules. And, it happened. Amy got her wish to be a Vegas tourist. She saw the sights as a fragile girl in a wheelchair, but her weak smile of satisfaction made the trip worth all the debt and worries.

Then one bleak day in February a nurse tried several times to get a blood pressure reading. She failed to find it. That night, too weak to talk out loud, Amy's tormented eyes told me she was close to giving in. Somehow she found the strength to pull the feeding tube out of her nose shaking her head slightly when I reached to call the nurse.

I remember the grey tone of her face. The clammy coldness of her skin. But, most of all I remember the blank dead look in her eyes. After a favorite lullaby from better days, I held her hand, put my head close to her pillow and found some sleep. I knew it might be my daughter’s last night.

I thought I was dreaming when Amy seemed to squeeze my hand. The bright winter sun through the open shades helped me see a tiny spark jumping from her once lifeless eyes.

The next day when she was strong enough to speak, she shared what happened. "First, I saw orangish lights that glimmered around me. It didn't seem real. It didn't burn or feel cold but the light circled all around me.  Then I heard a man's voice. I could only see a blurry face when I hear, "I am your guardian angel. The man said his name was Cossy." Her excitement wore her out enough to take a break.

She went on to describe the shimmering orange and white lights. "It looked like sparkles but it didn't sting." She said the lights made her feel safe and peaceful.

She heard Cossy's voice comforting her with, "Amy, do not worry. Don't be afraid. You will be sick for a long time, but you are not doing to die. It's not your time to die.,"

After that night Amy continued to gain strength. If I had not witnessed the event firsthand, I doubt I would believe it happened.  I still get chills thinking about that night. Cossy came to Amy's rescue a few more times until she no longer needed his help. Before he left he said they would meet again someday. That was ten years ago.

The reality of my daughter's battle with cancer made me realize several lessons about life. I am thankful that Amy defied the odds and beat Cancer. I am thankful I was given enough strength to help her through it. I am thankful for the love and support of family and for doctors and nurses.  Still, I am most thankful for the word I never really believed could happen. Miracle.  Miracles do happen. Ask Amy.

I am thankful to share Amy's story and to give the hope of a miracle to another special person waiting for her angel.

Power of propaganda, prayers and politics, again

A 1962 Supreme Court decision in Engel v. Vitale, ruled school organized prayer was a violation of the 

First Amendment and freedom of religion. That's when self-professed Christians conjured up removing God from school as the excuse for violations ranging from disrespectful mouthy kids and dress code violations, to drug use and teen pregnancy.

If you read the bible with little Johnny before he goes to school but he comes home acting like a brat with a potty mouth, that has nothing to do with God in the schools. If your child can't make it through one day in school without causing trouble, it's not because God is missing. It's because parents are missing.
Parents need to be involved in the lives of their children. Religious beliefs and morality come from home. Parents model respect; they teach their kids the difference between right and wrong.

If you believe you are a religious family you should be able to pray together in the morning, go to work and school, and gather later that day with the same religious beliefs. 

A child instilled with religious values isn't going to lose faith between PE and chemistry class because God missing in schools. Use some common sense.

Stop using God as an excuse for lack of parenting skills. When parents and other adults model bad habits and disrespect, God missing in school has nothing to do with the bad behavior of their children.

God Missing in Schools seems to be linked to corporal punishment

If more parents took the time to get to know their kids, they could build a relationship of trust and mutual respect. A child would feel safe asking a parent sensitive questions. Effective communication between parents and children is the key to building successful relationships.
Those parents who don't take time to be a real parent and punish children with physical, mental, or sexual abuse, need to take a break from the Neanderthal mentality. You do NOT need to to inflict physical and emotional pain on children for them to act appropriately.

Proper discipline doesn't need to involve physical violence

So what if you got beat when you were a kid and you 'turned out okay'? Each generation learns more and wants more for their children. If you can teach your children right from wrong without hitting, why wouldn't you?

• Parents who don't parent

If parents took the time to solve the overall problem, they could. It's called taking time to communicate. Let your kids know what you expect and why. Give them chores or other responsibilities at home. It helps with confidence and a good work ethic. Chores also reinforce a sense of belonging. Consequences for not doing chores need to be clear and immediately enforced. Tell them you're proud when they do something right instead of yelling when they do something wrong. It's called modeling. Give respect to get respect.

Most kids are far from perfect but they can learn how to treat others, to never bully anyone, never to make fun of those less fortunate or to think they're better than people who are different.
Too many kids are already damaged by the time they start school. Children exposed to violence or those who are victims of physical, mental, or sexual abuse often come to school with embedded hate and discrimination. Kids are not killing people or spewing hate on the Internet because we don't have 'God in schools'.

The idea of God Missing in Schools is an excuse.

Kids are messed up because too many parents plop their kids in front of the TV as the main babysitter. 

It's because too many kids see violence at home with men hitting women and parents hitting kids.

It's because of mental illness, nightmares and fear. 

And we look the other way. We make excuses.

Kids can pray at school. Kids can carry the Bible and read it during free time. The school security guard does not interrogate students in the hall or search through bags for religious books.

• Ronald Reagan picks special interest groups over mentally ill

James Holmes gunned down movie goers in Aurora, CO

killing 12 people including a 6-year-old girl.

Who speaks for children and their education?

Public schools were short-changed for years. Unable to provide proper testing to get treatment for at risk kids with mental problems, the neediest children tended to get in trouble for acting out. They'd be teased and bullied for their odd behavior. We shook our heads at those 'odd' kids who got bullied. Then the wrath of the consequences of untreated mental illness got too big to ignore. 
They started shooting.

• Expecting filet mignon at hot dog prices

When I left teaching a few years ago, I had so many students in each class I'd decide which class I'd babysit instead of teach. They got rote drills, worksheets and worthless material or a film related to content. It's the way I handled too many students. Every week I'd rotate a class to simply exist so I could do lesson planning, correct papers, give kids feedback and work one on one. Like many teachers, I still worked at least 2-3 hours on school work when I got home.

Teachers are not responsible for raising their students. Parents complain about kids getting in trouble for discipline problems in some classrooms. If they taught their kids to respect others, to be kind, and to behave appropriately, their kids wouldn't have discipline problems.

"We believe what the newspapers say but question what the Bible says." WTH are you talking about? And who? I believe some of what I read by credentialed journalists because their work is based on research and fact. I don't believe fake news shows like Fox News because it is propaganda more than news (fact checks show over half is not true).

Question the Bible? I would hope anything a person reads causes thinking and questioning. Otherwise we're a flock of sheep with no minds of our own. The Bible was literally written by the hand of men. It was roughly translated from difficult to understand archaic languages. Words and syllables were misinterpreted. Every translation caused more input from man. Taking the words and phrases literally is a violation of common sense. 

School shooters? Because God is not in school? You must be kidding. More likely, parents were not at home or in the lives of their kids.

First, most of these kids got guns from parents. People who own guns should be responsible and keep them locked up. If kids don't have access to guns, they can't shoot people. When a gun is used to shoot a room full of students, the gun owner should be charged for allowing a deadly weapon into the hands of an unstable child. If you can afford guns you can afford a gun safe. Lock it.

Second, there is a huge problem with lack of service and insufficient facilities for the mentally ill. The problem exists in schools and in general society. When President Reagan de-institutionalized the mentally ill he pleased special interest groups by saving  money previously spent on shelter for the mentally ill incapable of caring for themselves. While his rich buddies cheered his cutting of  the 'welfare state', they ignored his cutting of the safety net. 

Reagan's actions caused a huge influx to the homeless population. Mentally ill patients with no family ended up on the streets or in jail.  Many veterans suffering from mental illnesses (caused by fighting for our country) and kids timing out of foster care ended up homeless.

Due to taking from the needy and giving tax breaks to the upper end of the tax bracket, groups homes closed down or reduced the number of  available beds due to budget cuts. Reagan's action caused a vast number of our neediest citizens to suffer in the name of saving dollars.

As mental facilities became more scarce, instead of shifting money for treatment or shelter for those who couldn't care for themselves, the wealthy seemed committed to greed and the rest of us looked the other way. Again. 

The deplorable action in dealing with the large number of homeless people in overwhelmed communities seeks out victims to victimize them further.

Private homes, boarding houses, and people unqualified to care for the mentally ill took advantage of them. Many ended up in jail.

Some cities made it a a crime to lay on a park bench, sleep on the beach or feed a hungry person. Instead of helping those with mental illness we treated them like unwanted animals or moochers and lazy bums who needed to get a job. 

Most cities dismissed the inhumane treatment. As long as they could rid their towns of these social deviants, it didn't matter what happened to them. Chronically ill patients were handed a week's worth of meds and a one-way bus ticket to another city. Problem solved.
Those who survived and were physically able to express themselves probably felt angry and frustrated.  We pretended it was okay and ignored the consequences of such cruelty.

Public school budgets didn't cover services for mental illness for years.

Unable to provide proper testing to get treatment for at risk kids with mental problems, the neediest children tended to get in trouble for acting out. They'd be teased and bullied for their odd behavior. We shook our heads at those 'odd' kids who got bullied. Then the wrath of the consequences of untreated mental illness got too big to ignore. They started shooting.

Once again, the government saved money at the expense of children in desperate need of services. If we actually helped these kids and provided appropriate services in schools, some could have a chance to live a normal life. Many innocent lives could have been saved if kids received professional help. Maybe. Too many long lists of referrals for testing, therapy, counseling- sat on desks or stalled in budget talks.

The problem just gets worse. Congress continues to cut human services. But, mental illness doesn't go away.  It seems many politicians want public schools to fail. Why? To make money, of course. Privatize. No regulations. More dirty money.

The useless cry of taking God out of school has nothing to do with the reality of violence boiling over from raging mental illness. If you want to place blame, taking money out of schools would be more accurate. Forcing good teachers out of schools would also be closer to the truth.

Our choices, our priorities, our willingness to ignore the needs of children--that's what contributes to school violence.

When I started teaching 25 years ago we didn't have the same kind of problems we have in today's schools. We also didn't have God in public schools. What we did have was parental support. Parents were involved in their kid's lives. We had a reasonable number of students in each class with sufficient planning time and the tools needed to do our job.
We focused on teaching instead of jumping through hoops, wasting time giving worthless tests, and following ridiculous impossible mandates like No Child Left Behind.

The pay didn't keep up with inflation and expenses got higher. And more kids needed more help. Like many other teachers, I've paid for my share of school lunches, purchased food to send home with kids who had none, drove homeless students to food pantries, packed bags of food for the weekend, paid for bus fares, collected second hand coats- all the 'extras' many teachers do to help kids survive.

When you care about kids you deal with the reality that too many go without basic needs. Too many are neglected. The saddest part is knowing there are so many needy children who don't ever get the help they need.

I'm pretty sure that 'God in schools' isn't going to literally provide housing, clothes and food for needy children.

Again, these kids suffer because of adult choices. When politicians make the decisions not to cut vital services or not to fund nutrition programs, children suffer the consequences of that greed.

Teachers are so overpaid and get summers off.

That's a typical ignorant and incorrect statement. I'd love to see the worst complainers walk into a packed room filled with 35 (or more) high school kids and successfully run the class -- as in keep discipline under control, get kids to participate, interact, and be engaged in learning and see the relevance in content. THEN those anti-teacher people can talk about how 'easy' teaching is.

(Repeat for 3-4 different preps to teacher class 7 times a day). 

When I left teaching in a regular public classroom I worked with about 225 kids each day. God in school or not, trying to reach 225 children each day, correct their work, provide feedback, give individual instruction, and keep all of them on task? Umm, no. Maybe half.

As I recall in 25 years I think I had 2 summers off. I either had to work another job or take classes to renew certification to meet other requirements. 
Yet, the same people who preach about our 'out of control kids' are often the ones who support cutting funds for education and refuse to pay teachers what they deserve. Sending their kids to parochial school or home school only delays reality. 
There are some great teachers in public schools, but they aren't miracle workers or magicians.

Instead of blaming issues on others, we should realize our personal choices play a big role in consequences. There are no perfect parents or perfect teachers, but we could all make a better effort to help our own children.

Parents, board members, and others need to realize they can't simplify a complex issue. Placing blame on others or hiding behind religion won't solve anything.

Violating the rules of logic and simply spewing out information with no objective facts is the trademark of propaganda. Using key words to appeal to emotion often agitates readers before they have the chance to realize there is no substance in the claims.
It is happening in our country at the highest level. Politicians get followers so agitated they are ready to take action -- nearly any action.

Yes, commentary is opinion. But, it still should make sense. Instead of harping on the empty plan of putting God back in schools - whatever that means, let's start using some common sense.  There are many reasons for all the evil in society, the old God in schools claim is not one of them.